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Quinoa Vegetable Paella
My mother would argue that the words “quick” and “paella” don’t belong together, but I don’t have nearly as much “free” time as she does so I decided to veganize and simplify one of her best recipes.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 vidalia onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cloves or garlic, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch saffron
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup light beer or dry white wine
salt and pepper (to taste)
lemon wedges
1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the garlic, paprika, and saffron. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
4. Stir in the quinoa, stock and beer or wine and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
6. To serve, decorate with lemon wedges.
As you can see in the picture, I added a can of peas and carrots at the very end. I don’t recommend this. If you like peas as much as I do, add a cup of frozen ones 5 minutes before the quinoa is done. Also, feel free to sub the beer for water or more stock to make the recipe gluten-free.
the future’s so bright
i gotta wear shades.
the property damage claim was settled. i can now afford to replace the bike and other accessories destroyed in the crash, including new shades. 
in other news, the last scab fell off this morning ! yuck, but SO YAY !!
last but certainly not least, i met with my sports medicine doctor this morning to go over the MRI results. here they are in black and white:
1. extensive acute bone bruise of the distal lateral femur including extension involving the femoral condyle. no displaced bony fracture is seen.
2. there is slight edema such as from a posttraumatic change overlying the intact appearing medial retinaculum. the edema however raises the possibility of slight sprain of the structure.
3. signal in the medial meniscus consistent with meniscal degeneration seen to lesser extent laterally. no definite meniscal tear is identified.
so, good news ! my bone is just bruised and i have a slight displacement. the doctor said i can start cycling again, but no more than 50 miles per week for the first 3-4 weeks. fifty is greater (and therefore better) than zero. i can slowly increase the mileage after the third or fourth week, depending on how i feel. running is out of the equation due to the displacement. that’s where therapy comes in. i am scheduled for a couple of sessions to learn basic strengthening exercises which will prevent, or at least lessen the risk of future damage to the knee area once i start to run again.
other than that, things are wonderful. i can go back to swimming like a normal person and i am allowed to sub elliptical for running.
life is good. 
Seitan Piccata
It appears that my favorite restaurant is closed again. Temporarily or not, it is a bummer. Jose and I were looking forward to going there for dinner tonight. Their Piccata dish is Jose’s favorite. It’s made with a product that tastes JUST like chicken. I avoid it like the plague. Jose, however, recently converted to vegetarianism and misses the bird. He looks forward to this dish every time. I decided to make something like it with seitan so that we both could have it.
8 oz seitan
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp veggie stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers
1. Slice seitan into 1/4 inch thick “cutlets” or strips.
2. Combine flour and pepper and spread on a plate. Coat each piece of seitan with the flour mixture.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over moderate high heat. Saute seitan until lightly browned (about 3 minutes).
4. Add veggie stock, lemon juice and capers to seitan. Let boil until sauce starts to thicken, turning seitan. Lower heat and simmer for a minute.
5. Transfer to your plate and enjoy with mashed potatoes, pasta or veggies.
Well, it was yummy so I will be making it more often.
Fusilli Fresca
Most of you have heard me rave about my favorite restaurant, Sublime. There were some changes/additions to the menu after its re-opening. One of the additions is a dish called Fusilli Fresca. It’s basically fusilli (or spiral) pasta with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes in a balsamic sauce. Although delicious, I didn’t think the ingredients lived up to its name, so I created my own version.
8 oz whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 head broccoli, in florets
1/4 cup basil leaves
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic for a minute. Stir in the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add pepper and broccoli. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until veggies reach desired tenderness.
4. Stir in the pasta, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
it’s not the knee !
by mid-week, most of my pain had gone except for what appeared to be my knee. i finally made an appointment with my wonderful sports medicine doctor. after examining the injured area, he said it’s not my knee causing the pain after all. it’s my lateral condyle (lower outer part of my femur). he sent me off with a prescription for an MRI which i am having tomorrow at 11:30am. i’ll share the results as soon as i have them. the doctor thinks the bone could have hairline fracture or just be badly bruised. if it’s a fracture, i’ll need a brace for 6 weeks. if it’s just bruised then i will be able to moderately exercise through it. i’m hoping it’s just bruised.
the bad news of the week is that my insurance deductible is $1000. when i mentioned a “hefty deductible” in one of my previous posts, i had no idea HOW hefty it really was. yikes ! i think it’s terribly unfair that i have to pay for anything at all because of someone else’s negligence.
the good news is that i am free to do upper body weight training and swim as long as i use my leg buoy. yay ! i guess i’ll be draggin’ my limpin’ self to the beach this weekend.
Hummus Pitadilla
Last night’s dinner was just too delicious to leave out, so I took a picture of the leftovers I had for lunch. This recipe was inspired by Melissa’s Hummus Tortilla Pizza which I could not stop thinking about after reading her post ! I created something more like a Quesadilla, without the cheese of course !
4 large whole wheat pitas
3 summer squash, cut into small cubes
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper (to taste)
Hummus:
1 (14oz) can chickpeas
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
juice of 1 large lemon
6 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper (to taste)
1. To make the veggies, place olive oil, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined. Place summer squash and pepper in an oven-safe dish. Pour dill sauce over veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes at 450 degrees.
2. To make the hummus, drain chickpeas and reserve the liquid. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend, adding chickpea water as needed, until smooth or desired consistency. Set aside.
3. When veggies are done, warm pitas in the oven for a minute. Carve the pitas open and add a layer of hummus to each side. Add some of the veggies in the middle and cover. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.
This was OH SO GOOD ! Thanks for the idea Melissa ! I was in heaven.
Quinoa and Lentils
Today is the first day I have felt “normal” since the accident. I was able to walk around limp-free. My head didn’t feel like a pressure cooker. I even felt like doing something creative in the kitchen. I succeeded in making something incredibly yummy, but failed to take pictures so i am going to post about what I made Monday night. I’ve been trying to eat plenty of whole grains to help my recovery.
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 (15oz) can lentils, drained
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried currants
salt and pepper (to taste)
1. Bring water to a boil and add quinoa, olive oil, salt and thyme. Cover and simmer for 8-12 minutes until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, lentils and spices.
3. Stir in dried currants and serve.
We ate this with broccoli. It was delicious !
morphine, anyone ?
A dose of 15 mg (1/4 gr) of hydrocodone is equivalent to 10 mg (1/6 gr) of morphine. Hydrocodone is considered to be morphine-like in all respects.
yikes ! no wonder i feel like a space cadet… more so than usual.
a little update
i must have been in denial and too heavily medicated to realize what had happened to me. suddenly it was Thursday and i was out of pain medication. then the bike shop called to tell me about my frame and it finally hit me. i was involved in a serious accident.
by Friday, it felt like there was a loud 80′s rock band playing inside of my head. this was annoying even for someone who loves 80′s rock music. i had scheduled an appointment with my primary care physician for Monday. i called to check if he could see me earlier. he was able to squeeze me in, but i would have to pick up the ER results myself.
my doctor reviewed the results and was shocked that i wasn’t given stronger pain killers and/or a muscle relaxer at the hospital. apparently, the ct scan showed signs of muscle spasms around my neck area.
he x-rayed my left knee several times. still no signs of damage. yay ! then he injected some pain medication directly into my bloodstream. i went straight home after that and slept for a few hours.
i am now on really strong pain medication – the kind that makes you feel high. Jose and i had dinner with a very good friend of mine last night and i was completely out of it. i was very embarrassed, but glad to be pain-free. i also have muscle relaxers which have helped with the muscle spasms in my leg.
overall, i am doing much better. my face has healed very nicely and i hope the rest of my body will be fine by the end of the week. i’ve been looking at some alternative races i could do once i feel better. i can’t wait to start training again !!
whose fault is it anyway ?
no one’s, apparently.
Florida is a no-fault state, which means that regardless of who is cited, everyone is screwed. your PIP (personal injury protection) insurance must cover 80% of your medical expenses. what i didn’t know is that this also applies to cyclists and pedestrians. allow me to paint a not-so-pretty picture for you. i am riding my bike down the street, minding your own business and BAM. i get hit by a vehicle. i am injured. i pay a hefty deductible. my insurance premium increases. fair ? hardly, but that is the law.
so what about the bike ? the bike is covered by the driver’s property damage liability insurance. my bike shop provides the insurance adjuster with an estimate of how much it would cost to repair the bike vs. how much it would cost to replace it. if the cost of repair is 70% or more of the market value of the bike, then the bike is considered a total loss and it is, hopefully, replaced.
the negotiation process will begin next week. i am hoping it will go smoothly. all i want is to be as i was before this incident, no better and no worse.
