Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor

By popular request, this post is complete with a video of Brian dancing AND singing. Oh yea!

sisters singin Madonna of course

It all started with plans to go to karaoke for our first time since living in Boulder. Funny enough, we had actually already sung karaoke in Boulder a couple years ago with my sister Trina when we came to visit her. And although my passion for karaoke is strong, I was feeling a bit wiped out after a steep hike and little food. Brian was in a similar situation, except he was wiped out from a 3 hour run in the mountains.

We hoped that dinner would re-energize us. The entrée du jour was a vegetarian, dairy-free, grain-free, Italian dish. Quite a stretch of the term Italian, I know. But we tried. If you have no reason to cut dairy and/or grains out of your diet, then I definitely recommend serving this over some gluten free or whole grain spaghetti or a creamy risotto, and topped with parmesan, goat or mozzarella cheese.

Steam-sauteed Italian Vegetables

Steam-sauteed Veggies over Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
about 15 thin or 8-10 thick asparagus stalks
1/2 cup onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
8 button mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1/2 zucchini sliced in half moons
2 tomatoes diced
4 large handfuls of spinach
3 leaves of basil chopped
S&P, oregano, dash of cinnamon, crushed red pepper

Wash and snap the hard bits off the asparagus and put on a small toaster oven tray. Brian's mom Judy got me a great ceramic baking pan for the toaster oven that worked great. I've been avoiding cooking and baking with oil as it releases toxins. So I baked the asparagus without any oil, just coated in a little salt and garlic granules. Pop in the toaster oven, at 325 for about 15-20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your asparagus so keep an eye on them. You don't want to lose their delicious crunch by overcooking them. You could also do this in a regular oven, but toaster oven is so quick and easy.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan with 2-3 Tbs of water over med to med-high heat (again, avoiding cooking with oil). Add vegetables, allowing each to cook a bit before adding the next, in the following order: onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes and seasoning, and finally spinach. Cook until the spinach is just wilted.
Take your aspara-guys out of the toaster oven and toss them lightly in EVOO, then transfer to plates. Top with steam-sauteed veggie mix.

Since Italian foods tend to be quite acidic, I balanced it out with a salad tossed in alkalizing lemon. Lemon is surprisingly one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat. This salad came out delicious and refreshing.

Light 'n Easy Italian Salad 
Ingredients
Half a head of Romaine lettuce (I pulled from the inners for extra crunch, leaving the big outer leaves to use as wraps for lunches)
3" cucumber sliced in half moons
2 thin slices of onion cut in half and separated
5 pitted olives halved
3 basil leaves chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
oregano, S&P

Cut the lettuce in small bite size pieces. Toss in S&P and lemon juice. Top with onion, cucumber, olives, and garnish with basil.

mmm almond butter covered dates

We were still feeling a bit lazy after dinner and decided to cancel our karaoke plans. For dessert we surrendered to a couple dates topped with freshly ground almond butter. Instant energy. After 1 bite I told Brian to let our friends know karaoke was back on. Sometimes, you just need a little sugar in your life. I usually get that instant happy energy from dark chocolate, but this natural, dairy-free replacement surprisingly did the trick and had a similarly satisfying taste and texture. The combo of the slightly bland almond butter with the super sweet dates were a perfect combo. Don't get me wrong, dates are loaded with sugar, but a little sugar in moderation can really sweeten up your life.

And for proof of that, here is Brian: