Pear & Pistachio Stuffed Acorn Squash

What are your plans for the Thanksgiving table? Are you doing traditional Turkey and all the accompanying starchy foods? Or do you plan to make some changes in your meal choices because you've been adjusting your lifestyle to be healthier?

There are great options for yummy food–perfect for fall. I made this delicious recipe and it was all we had for dinner. Mmmmm! The fresh herbs make it really sing and it's so easy to prepare.

The recipe calls for red D'Anjou pear, but you can use any variety of pear. I used a Bartlett pear and it  was mmmm good. I think you could experiment with using other fruit. How does fuyu persimmon sound?  I must try that one. Persimmons are my favorite fall fruit—maybe my all time fav actually.

Pear & Pistachio Stuffed Acorn Squash

from Costco Connection

yield 4-8 servings

category Main Course

cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian

ingredients

2 Acorn Squash

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

1 C chopped pistachios

2 Tbsp diced pistachios

1 red D'Anjou pear, diced

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 springs of rosemary, finely chopped

10 leaves of mint, finely chopped

4 springs thyme, finely chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice squash in half through stem and scoop out seeds.

2. Place squash cut side up on baking sheet. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 30-35 minutes, or until soft.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the cup of chopped pistachios, pear, oil, maple syrup, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper.

4. Portion out the pear mixture to fill the squash halves and sprinkle with the diced pistachios.

5. Preheat broiler. Place the squash under broiler for about 3 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.

I plan on bringing this dish to the family Thanksgiving dinner at my brothers. I used to bring the Tofurky with vegan dressing for any vegans (which is usually just me and my hubby) at the feast. But since I stopped eating soy this year, I'm bringing only veggie options for my meal. No more fake turkey.

What changes have you made that will effect your Thanksgiving meal?

Continue Reading

Cucumber, Tomatoes & Avocado with Balsamic Vinegar Salad Recipe

I've made this salad three times since seeing it on Kalyn's Kitchen. It is so delicious and easy. Four simple ingredients: cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and avocado. I went to the Wednesday Farmer's Market and got a basket of beautiful cherry heirloom tomatoes. Look at those beautiful tomatoes.

The dressing is one ingredient: a good quality balsamic vinegar. I used the Trader Joe's brand, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Avocado with Balsamic Vinegar Salad

from Kalyn's Kitchen

yield 4 servings

category Salad

cuisine Vegan

ingredients

3 small persian cucumbers, sliced in half-moons

1 C cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 C thinly diagonally sliced green onion

1 firm ripe avocado, cut-up

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and avocado in a large bowl.

2. Pour vinegar over the salad and gently toss to coat.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Try this one and I think you'll agree, it's a keeper. The best part? I can remember all the ingredients without looking up the recipe. That's a bonus.

What recipes do you like because there are only a few ingredients you have to remember?

Continue Reading

Quinoa Chili Recipe

Seems I'm on a quinoa kick lately. But then it's versatile, delicious and so good for you. My latest quinoa recipe is inspired by one I saw at the 1/2 Marathon my husband ran last month in Nashville. Of course I had to go with him and we did a lot of fun things.

We have friends who joined the exodus from California and moved to Nashville (Franklin actually) three years ago. They've had an open invitation to come stay, with a promise to show us around. We started out in Memphis with a visit to Graceland. Then on to Nashville for the 1/2 marathon, the Franklin countryside, the honky tonks of Broadway and the Ryman Auditorium. And let's not forget tea at the Frothy Monkey, touring Dave Ramsey's headquarters, seeing Brad Paisley up close and personal backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and a road trip to Lexington to see horse farms and historical bourbon distilleries. We had a blast!

Back to the chili.

This is a simple recipe that you can pull together in a pinch. I did not have green peppers, but I had zucchini's so that's what I used. Be creative. Don't be afraid to experiment.

It's a little early for fresh corn so you'll be using frozen until summer. I always keep some in my freezer to throw into dishes I'm preparing.

A couple notes about the spices: sumac and chili powder. I've seen sumac in various recipes, but was never able to find any. Then I found some at Trader Joe's in a four-pack spice mix. Now I see why it's so liked. It's got a sweet and sour flavor on my taste buds. I hope you can find some. Let me know what you think.

As far as the chili powder, start with just 1/4 teaspoon, then taste. Chili can so easily overwhelm a recipe—so take care.

Quinoa Chili

from Chris Pedersen

yield 6-8 servings

category Main Course

cuisine Vegan

ingredients

1 medium, yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper or zuchinni, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, pressed

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

2 ears corn or 1-10 oz pkg of orgainc frozen corn

1 C organic vegetable broth

1/2 C rinsed quinoa

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 15 oz cans of organic black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can of organic diced tomatoes

1/2 -1 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp sumac

1 lime, optional

directions

1. If using fresh corn, cut corn from the cob (about 1 1/2 C).

2. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in medium sauce pan. Add quinoa—stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer until water is absorbed (12-15 mintues).

3. While quinoa cooks, preheat large stock pot on medium-high then add olive oil and stir in peppers or zuchinni, corn and garlic. Cook while stiring 4-5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beans, tomatoes and seasoning. Add quinoa and stir. Cook for 20 minutes to heat through.

5. Stir in cilantro and serve with a wedge of lime (optional).

If your prefer a soupier chili, you can add a can of tomato sauce. The quinoa makes this chili a lighter version of chili—perfect for spring or summer. Plan on making this when you can get fresh corn.

Do you eat soups all year? What are your favorite soups for summer?

Continue Reading

Blueberry Crisp Recipe

We enjoy honoring those who've paid the ultimate price on Memorial Day. This year we found an event close by—at Green Valley Cemetery—mile and a half away. We decided to incorporate our daily exercise by running to the location and running back (at least as far as Starbucks located between our house and the cemetery).

After finishing my Starbucks' hot green tea, I harvested a cup of blueberries from our backyard blueberry bush. "I'm gonna make a dessert with these," I said to my husband Bob.

And this is what I came up with. Simple. Fast. Utterly delicious! I hope you enjoy it. Double or triple the recipe to make more servings.

Blueberry Crisp

from Chris Pedersen

yield 2 servings

category Dessert

cuisine Vegan

ingredients

1C fresh blueberries

1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/4 C quinoa flour

3 dates, diced

3 walnuts, diced

directions

1. Preheat toaster oven on convection to 350°.

2. Melt the coconut oil and mix with quinoa flour, dates and walnuts.

3. Add half of mixture to two ramikins. 

4. Add half of the blueberries to each ramikin and top with remaining flour mixture.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. 

6. Add scoop of coconut ice cream (optional). Serve.

The ingredients are all items I have in my pantry. I even have fresh frozen blueberries in the freezer. No shopping necessary. That's how you learn to cook without a recipe—check out what you have on hand and make something up. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Believe me I've made plenty.

Most mistakes amount to the finished recipe not tasting as good as originally envisioned (after all we see a picture and skim the recipe to determine what looks good). Big deal! Consider the healthy ingredients used (Right? You only make healthy recipes), which fuel your body with great nutrients. Yeah I know food should taste good, but really shouldn't our primary goal be eating to live? Not living to eat! Think about it.

What camp do you fall in: Eating to live OR Living to eat?

Continue Reading

Thai Coconut Soup

I love Thai food. It's very vegan-friendly with the use of coconut milk instead of dairy. I had a craving for coconut milk and vegetable soup recently and experimented with putting something together. Here's what I came up with.

Thai Coconut Soup

from Chris Pedersen

yield 6-8 servings

category Soup

cuisine Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian

ingredients

1 13.5 oz  can Coconut Milk

2 cans filtered water (use coconut milk can)

2 carrots, chopped

2 C chopped potatoes

1 C green beans cut in 1-inch pieces

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced

1/8 C lemon grass cut in 1/4-inch pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1 shallot, diced

2 tsp tamari

1/2 inch ginger, minced

1/2 inch turmeric root, minced

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/8 tsp Sambal Oelek

1/2 tsp curry

Seafood (optional—shrimp, white fish, etc)

directions

1. Add coconut milk and water to medium-size sauce pan on medium heat.

2. Add carrots, potatoes, green beans and onions then heat for 15 - 20 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 more minutes.

4. Add cooked seafood if desired.

5. Heat through and serve.

notes: • Use lite or full-fat coconut milk.

• Cook the seafood in 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in sauce pan for soup. Remove and set aside when cooked. Procedd with soup.

• Increase/decrease the Sambal Oelek to adjust the "heat."

This soup will taste even more delicious the second day as all the flavors marry.

What ethnic food do you crave regularly?

Continue Reading

Juice Pulp Veggie Burgers

Often the complaint about juicers is that the fiber from the veggies and fruit goes to waste. You can put it in your composter to create future soil for your garden, but a better more immediate repurposing would be to turn it into veggie burgers.

When making juice I use a minimal amount of fruit. Given all the goodness in the veggie pulp, I decided to come up with a way to make vegan burgers from it. The fact that it has a bit of fruit makes the finished burger that much more tasty.

Add organic corn and beans. I used garbanzo beans for the batch above—I usually use black beans.

Add quinoa flour to the veggie pulp mixture and combine. Then add hummus, BBQ sauce, tapenade or your choice to add flavor and moisture. Add sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a seasoning combo. I like to use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute.

Press the mixture to a desired thickness (<1/2") on a flat surface or in a shallow flat bowl.

Use a cookie cutter or glass to cut out the burgers.

Brown the burgers in a small amount of olive oil. Cool, wrap in plastic and freeze. Of course you can bake a few burgers to eat immediately.

Juice Pulp Veggie Burgers

from Chris Pedersen

yield Varies

category Main Course

cuisine Healthy, Vegan

ingredients

- Juicer pulp

- Quinoa flour

- Organic corn (frozen or fresh cut off the cob)

- Black beans (rinsed and drained), substitute another type of bean if desired

- BBQ sauce, hummus or tapanade (for moisture and flavor)

- Seasonings

- Olive oil

directions

1. Add pulp from juicer to large bowl with flat bottom. Mix enought quinoa flour through pulp to make the mixture start to stick together.

2. Mix in corn and beans.

3. Add your choice of flavor/moistening ingredient.

4. Heat skillet on medium-low heat with small amount of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil.

5. Press pulp mixture into the bottom of the bowl and use cookie cutter or glass to cut out burgers.

6. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat to brown the burgers on both sides. Remove to cool.

7. Wrap cooled burgers individually in plastic wrap. Place in sealed bag or container and freeze.

8. To cook burgers, remove from freezer and heat in toaster oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Adjust time if necessary.

9. Make the burgers up with your favorite condiments and enjoy.

What kind of juicer do I have? Glad you asked. I love my Hurom Slow Juicer. As the name implies, it's a masticating juicer, which does a great job of squeezing the juice out of the veggies, expelling very dry pulp.

For a breakdown of the different kinds of juicers and a recommended brand for each type, visit What is the Best Juicer to Buy?

What do you do with the pulp from your juicer?

Continue Reading

Brown Rice & Roasted Vegetable Salad

Recently I attended the regional Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) conference. When registering for the conference, I was able to choose vegan as my choice for lunch. Yippy! I appreciate that the conference organizers always think of the growing number of vegetarians and vegans in our community of children's writers. Usually the only choice available for me is vegetarian, which means there is cheese I remove before eating.

The vegan lunch I received was a mixture of brown rice and various roasted veggies with a yummy light dressing. Delicious! I kept thinking, I must try to duplicate this and pass it on to you—my faithful readers. And so here it is...

The salad I had at the conference contained green beans, zucchini, yellow squash and bell peppers. I added asparagus and carrots to my salad (shown in the pictures). You can add (and subtract) any veggies you want. Make it sing with what you love.

Continue Reading

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Capers

I know many people do not like brussels sprouts, my husband included. But I love them and they are so good for you. I started making this very easy brussels sprouts side dish some time ago and guess what? My husband likes it!

Being one of the cruciferous vegetables it's great in the fight against cancer. Plus recent studies show a unique benefit of protecting DNA. I need that... and guess what? So do you!

Try this out on your reluctant brussels sprouts crowd and see if you can win them over.

Continue Reading

Butternut Squash, Shiitake Mushrooms & Kale Soup

You are gonna love the taste of this immune-boosting soup. It's better than chicken soup, especially when you're feeling a bit under the weather. It's full of antioxidants and nutrients to help you fight disease—even cancer. While the flu season is still going, make up a batch to fortify your family.

I always have kale on hand as an ingredient for juicing or making smoothies. Don't eat kale you say. Then you need to read how healthy this lovely green vegetable is for you.

This soup calls for julienned kale, which means having it cut into small thin strips. Here's the quick way I do it:

Continue Reading

13 Bean Vegetable Soup

For the chills and cold weather, here's a soup I've made twice now. Bought a bean mix from the bulk bins at my favorite grocery store (Nuggett Market—sorry it only has locations around the greater Sacramento, California area). They have a huge produce section right up front that extends most of the width of the store. Behind the produce are the bulk bins with an assortment of items like flours, grains, nuts and trail mix.

You can also pick up Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix off the grocery shelf and you'll be ready to go.

Remember you need to soak the beans overnight. So plan ahead.

Continue Reading

Happy New Year & Blackeyed Peas

Wishing you all a Happy New Year as we ring in 2014. I'm looking forward to a better year than 2013.  How about you?

Since so many of you have a tradition of eating blackened peas on New Years, I wanted to add the Healthy Journey Cafe favorite, Parsnip, Broccoli & Blackeyed Pea Soup.

This great soup recipe is a hearty veggie soup with broccoli and parsnips that's easy and quick to make. Parsnips add a sweetness to the soup that will convert any skeptics.

Families love this soup originally posted in January 2011 and again October 26, 2012.

Continue Reading

Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe

I'm still enjoying this scrumptious, hearty soup because it makes enough to freeze for leftovers. This recipe comes from Summer Tomato by contributing blogger Eylse Kopecky of FresHabits. Elyse used meat sausages, but I made it vegan with Tofurky sausages.* I also used a gluten-free quinoa and corn rotelle (available in the bulk bins at Nugget Markets in the greater Sacramento area). The quinoa/corn pasta really made the flavor of the soup shine through.

Continue Reading

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Thanksgiving is a time for family, good home-cooked food and remembering all we have to be thankful for. This year my family has much to be thankful for. As with every year, we will extend our gratitude and thanks to the One who provides our needs.

Give thanks to the LORD for he is good—his faithful love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Here is my menu for Thanksgiving Day. Letting you know helps me wrap my head around exactly what I'll be doing.

• Meatless Stuffed "Turkey"—Since I don't eat meat. May sound strange, but it's really very tasty. Stuffed with brown rice and spices. Trader Joe's and Tofurkey (including vegan gravy) are two brands I've prepared.
• Steamed Blue Lake Green Beans—KISS certified. Always good on the holiday table.

Continue Reading

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

For all you chocolate lovers, here is a simple and quick-to-put-together recipe for vegan chocolate pudding. Try it out and you may decide to include it in your holiday dessert line-up.

Make sure the tofu you purchase is organic or it will for sure be made from genetically engineered (GMO) soy. Also look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label—a third-party organization that provides verification of non-GMO food choices.

You can adjust the ingredients in this recipe to your taste and you won't mess up the results. What more could you ask for in a dessert? Simple. Easy. Adjustable. Yummy!

Continue Reading

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

I know there are many of you who LOVE when fall arrives because it means Starbucks offers there enormously popular Pumpkin Spice Latte for the season. Well… I dare you to get out your blender and give this version a whirl. I'm guessing you'll be saving your $5.95 and go the DIY route from now on.

Continue Reading

Macaroni & Vegan "Cheese" with Broccoli

If you and your kids find Mac 'n' Cheese to be sacred, I ask you to set you bias aside and give this vegan version a try. Your kids might be pleasantly surprised and you may find a healthier version. Don't give it away when you set the dish in front of them. Then step back and watch their reaction.

The recipe comes from the Forks Over Knives website from the kitchen of Victoria Fiore, plant-based chef at the Naked Core.

I adjusted the recipe amounts to suit using a small butternut squash and used fussilli pasta because it's a lot more fun than elbows. You can use your favorite. This recipe calls for gluten-free, brown rice pasta for added nutrition and those avoiding wheat.

Continue Reading

Black & Green Bean Corn Salad

This healthy salad has fresh, raw green beans and corn. Definitely a good crunch to this salad. Serve it over lettuce, with chips, or eaten just as it is—out of the bowl.

I modified a recipe from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) Food for Life Recipe of the Week to incorporate the abundance of green beans I had coming from my garden. If you've grown pole beans, you know once they start producing beans you need to get out to the garden and harvest every day. Then you need to make something. I'm a raw-food-kinda gal so I loved the idea of using them raw with fresh corn off the cob. Yum!

Continue Reading

Vegetarian Mexican Pasole Soup Recipe

If you've been afraid to go raw or vegan, this recipe just might convince you to take the leap. You might discover you're missing out on the rich flavors of simple spices and yummy taste of fresh vegetables. This Pasole recipe is missing the meat, but no flavor lacking here.

This recipe came from a raw food class I took with my friend Jennie Zraick, an avid fan of HJC. Becky at Whole Foods Market in Roseville in the Sacramento area teaches raw food cooking on a regular schedule. She wows the attendees with her vast knowledge of the health benefits of foods while she's chopping and blending her creations.

I made a huge batch and brought it to a Labor Day BBQ and it was a hit. I sent leftovers home with eager takers with a promise to post it soon. So here you go!

Continue Reading

Sweet & Sour Veggies

I've made this yummy dish twice now, tweaking it to perfection. As per my menu requirements, it's very quick and easy to make.

You may have seen that I use Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce in my recipes. Reasons include no added salt or preservatives, and the soy beans used are certified non-GMO. Learn more about the benefits of Bragg Liquid Aminos here.

You may have trouble finding an apricot preserve with no added sugar. Here's one I found at Whole Foods. St. Dalfour from France. Made from 100% fruit. I avoid added sugar like the plague to keep my body slightly alkaline. But you may opt for a preserve that has some added cane sugar. St. Dalfour uses grape or apple concentrates to moderate the sweetness of their preserve. I know it's all still sugar (fructose), but I stay away from the processed sugar.

Continue Reading

KISS Chili Recipe

Okay, it's high time you learn about the way I really cook. In hopes that you can learn to do the same.

When my friend Joanne Kraft began to prod, beg and coerce me to set up a blog so I could help people navigate the road to wellness plus provide delicious, healthy recipes, I protested loudly. I typically don't use recipes. I open my cabinets and refrigerator and make up meals. The simpler the better. You know... the KISS method—Keep It Simple Stupid/Silly (fill-in your own word that starts with an S).

Continue Reading