Reasonable Recipes

Many people I know feel comfortable experimenting with Mexican, Italian, or Chinese food, but not so when it comes to Indian food. If you have yet to explore Indian cuisine, I hope this creamy, flavorful and filling recipe inspires you to do so. The curry and sambar will add a little heat along with their flavor, so adjust according to your personal preference.

I tasted JICAMA (Hee-kuh-muh) for the first time while enjoying a big salad at Sweet Tomatoes, a soup and salad buffet.  The crunchy, slightly sweet texture is like a cross between a potato and a super crispy apple. It can be cut into cubes, sticks, rounds or shredded and it doesn’t discolor when exposed to the open air for awhile.

I’ve always loved baking, but my favorite recipes called for lots of white flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.  These oat bars are a tasty treat on the healthier side.  They’re called shortbread but the texture is more like a soft granola bar. Easy to make and yummy!

If you love pasta but are looking for ways to cut back on refined carbohydrates, give this recipe a try. The “noodles” are made by thinly slicing raw zucchini into long strips. The easiest way to make raw zucchini noodles is to use a spiral slicer, sometimes called a “spiralizer,” but a vegetable peeler will work as well. Toss these “noodles” with your own favorite sauce or try this quick and easy raw marinara. Serve with the Living Caesar salad for a light and healthy Italian meal.

Split Pea Soup is part of the cuisine of many cultures.  It is most often prepared with ham hocks, sausage or bacon.  This extraordinary vegetarian version contains no added fat, no cholesterol and the flavor is fantastic!  It’s easy to make on the stove or in a slow cooker.

When people go vegetarian or vegan, they’re bound to discover tofu. My first attempts at cooking with tofu were not exactly successful. It always came out bland and squishy or kind of rubbery. Needless to say, I wasn’t a very big fan.  But, I kept experimenting and my persistence paid off.  This is one of my favorite tofu dishes.  When I make this, I usually serve it for dinner, but it’s a nice treat for Sunday morning breakfast, too!

Are you familiar with Quinoa (keen-wa)?  This tiny little seed is packed with nutrition.  It provides all eight of the essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.  It is gluten-free and easy to digest.  Quinoa has a mild nutty flavor and a fluffy texture.  Cook it like rice and season it, add it to soups and salads, or try this recipe for a hot, nutritious, delightfully delicious breakfast!

My love for (or should I say ‘my addiction to’) chocolate began in the womb!  Mom was beyond nauseous during her entire pregnancy with me. Dairy Queen chocolate milkshakes brought her great relief. So…. she (or should I say ‘we’) consumed one daily!  Oh, what creamy comfort! When I made the decision to cut out dairy and refined sugar and chocolate, I resigned myself to the fact that those yummy milkshakes were a thing of the past. 🙁  That is… until I found this little gem in “The American Vegetarian Cookbook” by Marilyn Diamond. Thank you Marilyn!!!

While planning an Italian themed, vegan potluck, I was on the hunt for an authentic tasting recipe for Caesar Salad Dressing.  I discovered this one in Dreena Burton’s “Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating.”  It is amazing! This recipe makes enough dressing for one large head of romaine.