Recipe: Holy Mole!
It's cold and damp here in Portland. I keep hearing about sunshine and warm weather in California. While I love our new house, the fact is, it's not insulated. On particularly cold nights the kids come down and sleep on the main floor with us - it's just too hard to heat the upper floor.
We had plans to get our house clean on Saturday, a couple folks were coming for dinner - and the sun came out. I sat on the front doorstep, the sponge of my heart soaking, and soaking. My skin in love. Mind drowsy. So needing the relaxation and the experience of being a flower opening.
"You have to clean the house," said the Critic that lives in my mind.
"Go away," I said.
"No, you have to clean the house. People will know what a slob you are," he said again. (Strange how my critic is male.)
"I will in a minute. I haven't seen the sun in weeks. Let me enjoy it!"
But it's not the Critic's job to let me enjoy things. It's his job to get me to succeed in some way.
While 'getting stuff done' is important, it's not the only important thing in life. We all have an internal Critic. (Most of us also have a few external Judges around that chime in and reinforce our internal Critics, but I'll explore that another time.) That Critic's job is to evaluate us all the time, and make sure we know when we're 'not doing something right'.
But there's that doing word again. The Critic doesn't know much about not doing.
And sometimes we just need to be human beings. Sometimes we need to take advantage of what is happening now, because it's happening now, and might not be continuing to happen once the work is done.
Like sunshine in Portland.
What does this have to do with food and cooking? Perhaps not much. But it has everything to do with nourishment. And being present. And true health can't happen unless we're not only eating well, but also resting, playing, snuggling, meaningfully working, moving our bodies, ... our entire range of humanness needs exercise.
Are you paying attention to your humanness? If not, don't let your Critic know, he'll use it to beat you up. But do shine a light on it. For your health and happiness.
So, how to deal with the Critic skillfully?
Agree with him. "You're right. I'm not getting anything done. Thank you for doing what you know how to do to take care of me." And check in with the other parts of yourself that understand something about balance. Listen to their advice, too.
And, after listening to everyone's input, you decide.
Holy Mole!
Okay, bad joke. But it tasted really good. Low carb, and without the chili powder it's low salicylate. Any excuse for chocolate!
Ingredients:
* 1 pound ground grass fed beef
* beef lard or other fat for sauteing
* 1/4 pound finely chopped liver (I used chicken liver, I'm not a purist)
* 1 diced yellow onion
* Celtic sea salt to taste
* 1/2 Tbsp Ancho chili powder, if available (I used Indian chili, not as spicy as cayenne)
* 1 Tbsp ground cumin
* 1 Tbsp oregano
* 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
* 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I used raw cacao, because it's what I have on hand. It's not important, though, as it gets cooked.)
* 2 minced garlic cloves
* 1+ cups bone broth, beef if available, but any bone broth will do
Directions:
In a small stock pot cook the beef and liver in fat of choice over medium to high heat until barely done. Remove to a bowl.
Saute onion in the same pot, adding fat if needed. Sprinkle salt on the onions, and cook until softened and slightly browned. Add the spices and continue to stir and saute for another five minutes until the spices have had a chance to thoroughly cook and meld with the oil and the onions.
Add the broth and meat to the onion/spice mixture. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally, with the lid off. Add more broth if needed to keep from drying out. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
Serve over rice if you must, but by itself in a bowl with some veggies and salad on the side is a great dinner, and so much better for you.
Serves 4
Proud to be a part of Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
Showing posts with label dairy free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dairy free. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sage Olive Oil Cake
Just a food post - when was the last time I did that?
I was curious about Rosemary Olive Oil Cake when I first heard about it from Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have. It looked like it would translate well to a gluten-free almond flour based cake. And, boy did it! I didn't have any rosemary when I went to make it, but I have a great bush of culinary sage in my back yard, which traveled all the way from California with us a couple years ago when we moved here, so the queen of substitutions made the switcheroo. People were asking for the recipe, and they weren't even gluten-free folks!
I'm planning on making one with stevia and rosemary soon, but thought I wouldn't make my husband live through the uncertainties of baking with stevia for his birthday cake. I'll post that soon if it ends up working well.
Ingredients:
* 4 eggs
* 2/3 cup coconut sugar
* 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice
* 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
* 1 1/2 cups almond flour
* 1 Tbsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Directions:
Mix the almond flour, sage, baking soda and salt together, and set aside.
With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, mix the eggs on high for a half a minute.
Add the sugar and mix on high until the color lightens and the mixture gets very frothy.
Add lemon juice. Drizzle olive oil in slowly while the mixer is still on. (You may have to turn the speed down a bit, or you'll get splashed!)
Mix the almond flour mixture into the egg mixture at low speed. Pour into an olive oil greased 10 inch loaf pan or an 8 inch cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, turning halfway through for even browning.
Cake is done when it springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack for a few minutes, and loosen from the edges of the pan with a thin knife. It will be puffy when it comes out of the oven, and will deflate as it cools. Not to worry.
Tip out onto your serving tray to continue cooling. Serve with a light dusting of organic powdered sugar if you want a finished look, but your body will thank you if you serve as is.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Loving all of yourself
Recipe: Chocolate 'Ice Cubes'
Remember our exploration of how to approach change effectively? I began this here, writing about taking some time to allow the habits we want to change to just be present for a time, in our loving attention; and continued it here with a way of viewing these challenging habits, by inquiring into 'who' in our psyche carries the habit, which part of our personality enacts the behavior, that we've deemed needs to change.
Having done this investigative work, we now have a felt sense of 'who' needs to eat that second piece of sugar laden pie, 'who' is reaching for the third or fourth glass of wine on the fourth or fifth day in a row. Perhaps it feels like a frightened child, or an angry teenager.
Now, what do we do about it? Weren't we talking about making change?
These inner 'personalities' have reasons for doing what they do, and wanting what they want. I'm not talking about the story from your childhood; how your mother spoke to you (or didn't), or how your father hit you, or left you without warning. The story is important. But it's not the crux of the matter.
We need to acknowledge the story, certainly. We carry these wounds with us like an oyster carries an intrusion of sand. And, like the pearl the oyster develops to protect itself, we develop kernels of personality, ways of being and acting in the world that protect that memory of pain, of lack and need that wasn't fulfilled.
I'll make a leap here. The crux of the matter is often about survival.
That may sound overly dramatic. But remember, we're not talking about rational parts of our minds. We're talking about primal, vulnerable parts of our psyche. If they were rational, they wouldn't do things that hurt our health!
The personality that feels it has to drink to be in a social situation usually feels it will fail, perhaps not know what to say, or make a fool of itself, without a little 'social lubrication'. If there's a child at the root of that, or a teenager, succeeding socially is vitally important. Being ostracized or laughed at certainly feels like a kind of death to a vulnerable youth.
At the root of difficulty exercising may be not wanting to feel the body too intimately. Often during or after exercise, we experience our bodies more fully, we feel our life force, our own personal power. For many of us that was dangerous territory. How many of us have been accused of being 'too much' - too strong, too loud, even too loving when we were feeling our bodies fully? And if this message came as a child, with a feeling that a parent will withdraw love - again, our very survival can feel at risk. A child without a parent's love is a very frightened child. Or if we were sexually abused as children, experiencing the body at all can bring up very difficult feelings. Better to just let it lie mostly unused, a vehicle for our head to get where it wants to go. Often a sexual experience to a child carries a strong feeling of being annihilated. That's another word for death.
For those of us with even more extreme examples of outright abuse, that fear can be even easier to identify. And many of our self destructive behaviors developed to numb, or at least cushion, that fear that we were indeed, going to die. Or that we wished we would. If we numb that feeling - then we feel like we'll live.
We need to honor those tender parts of our psyche. We need to honor the strong reactive personalities that we developed to protect the tender frightened parts, too. They had a job to do, and in a very real way they helped us get through times we were afraid we wouldn't survive.
So, how do we change? We need to find ways to help these parts of ourselves know that they are no longer responsible for our survival. That there is an adult in charge now that really has our best interests at heart. That they did a hard job, and they did it well, the proof being that we survived! Now, they get to rest.
Next post I'll explore some ways we can take radical responsibility for our actions, and allow these wounded parts of our personalities to relax.
And, as we're contemplating these challenging aspects of change, a little chocolate that we can feel good about eating can soften the harder edges.
Chocolate 'Ice Cubes'
Gluten and dairy-free, and low carb. Appropriate for candida, diabetes and GAPS diet protocols.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup nuts of choice - hazelnuts or pecans are my favorites, preferably soaked and dehydrated
3/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup raw cacoa powder if possible, or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup cocoa butter, gently melted
30 drops alcohol-free stevia extract, or to taste
1/2 tsp of alcohol-free vanilla extract
a pinch of good quality sea salt
Directions:
Grind the nuts in a food processor until fairly fine, but not until they're nut butter.
Add all the other ingredients and pulse the food processor until well incorporated.
Spread the mixture into ice cube trays, and place into the freezer until solid. Pop out and enjoy!
These should stay solid at room temperature, unless the weather is warm. Keep refrigerated on hot summer days.
Remember our exploration of how to approach change effectively? I began this here, writing about taking some time to allow the habits we want to change to just be present for a time, in our loving attention; and continued it here with a way of viewing these challenging habits, by inquiring into 'who' in our psyche carries the habit, which part of our personality enacts the behavior, that we've deemed needs to change.
Having done this investigative work, we now have a felt sense of 'who' needs to eat that second piece of sugar laden pie, 'who' is reaching for the third or fourth glass of wine on the fourth or fifth day in a row. Perhaps it feels like a frightened child, or an angry teenager.
Now, what do we do about it? Weren't we talking about making change?
These inner 'personalities' have reasons for doing what they do, and wanting what they want. I'm not talking about the story from your childhood; how your mother spoke to you (or didn't), or how your father hit you, or left you without warning. The story is important. But it's not the crux of the matter.
We need to acknowledge the story, certainly. We carry these wounds with us like an oyster carries an intrusion of sand. And, like the pearl the oyster develops to protect itself, we develop kernels of personality, ways of being and acting in the world that protect that memory of pain, of lack and need that wasn't fulfilled.
I'll make a leap here. The crux of the matter is often about survival.
That may sound overly dramatic. But remember, we're not talking about rational parts of our minds. We're talking about primal, vulnerable parts of our psyche. If they were rational, they wouldn't do things that hurt our health!
The personality that feels it has to drink to be in a social situation usually feels it will fail, perhaps not know what to say, or make a fool of itself, without a little 'social lubrication'. If there's a child at the root of that, or a teenager, succeeding socially is vitally important. Being ostracized or laughed at certainly feels like a kind of death to a vulnerable youth.
At the root of difficulty exercising may be not wanting to feel the body too intimately. Often during or after exercise, we experience our bodies more fully, we feel our life force, our own personal power. For many of us that was dangerous territory. How many of us have been accused of being 'too much' - too strong, too loud, even too loving when we were feeling our bodies fully? And if this message came as a child, with a feeling that a parent will withdraw love - again, our very survival can feel at risk. A child without a parent's love is a very frightened child. Or if we were sexually abused as children, experiencing the body at all can bring up very difficult feelings. Better to just let it lie mostly unused, a vehicle for our head to get where it wants to go. Often a sexual experience to a child carries a strong feeling of being annihilated. That's another word for death.
For those of us with even more extreme examples of outright abuse, that fear can be even easier to identify. And many of our self destructive behaviors developed to numb, or at least cushion, that fear that we were indeed, going to die. Or that we wished we would. If we numb that feeling - then we feel like we'll live.
We need to honor those tender parts of our psyche. We need to honor the strong reactive personalities that we developed to protect the tender frightened parts, too. They had a job to do, and in a very real way they helped us get through times we were afraid we wouldn't survive.
So, how do we change? We need to find ways to help these parts of ourselves know that they are no longer responsible for our survival. That there is an adult in charge now that really has our best interests at heart. That they did a hard job, and they did it well, the proof being that we survived! Now, they get to rest.
Next post I'll explore some ways we can take radical responsibility for our actions, and allow these wounded parts of our personalities to relax.
And, as we're contemplating these challenging aspects of change, a little chocolate that we can feel good about eating can soften the harder edges.
Chocolate 'Ice Cubes'
Gluten and dairy-free, and low carb. Appropriate for candida, diabetes and GAPS diet protocols.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup nuts of choice - hazelnuts or pecans are my favorites, preferably soaked and dehydrated
3/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup raw cacoa powder if possible, or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup cocoa butter, gently melted
30 drops alcohol-free stevia extract, or to taste
1/2 tsp of alcohol-free vanilla extract
a pinch of good quality sea salt
Directions:
Grind the nuts in a food processor until fairly fine, but not until they're nut butter.
Add all the other ingredients and pulse the food processor until well incorporated.
Spread the mixture into ice cube trays, and place into the freezer until solid. Pop out and enjoy!
These should stay solid at room temperature, unless the weather is warm. Keep refrigerated on hot summer days.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Food Sensitivities to Go!
Recipe: Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise
I know it's late in the summer season, but it's always helpful to have some helpful hints on traveling with diets outside the cultural norm. A little planning can go a LONG way.
Here are some things that work for my family when we’re traveling.
Supplements - If they're part of your regimen, don’t forget them! A day or two off your regular doses of vitamins and other helpful nutritional powerhouses might be okay, but I find if we try to go too long without we get into trouble. If your bottles are too bulky, count out what you need into snack sized ziplocks and label them with permanent markers.
Air travel - If you’re flying, the snacks offered will not be health friendly. We don’t even look at the packages anymore, just say a polite ‘no thank you’, and ask for a glass of sparkling water or acceptable juice. It’s a good idea to ask to look at a can before it’s served, sometimes there are strange additives in canned juices. For longer flights, you can order special meals, but they will not cover cross sensitivities. Bring what you can to supplement what your obviously can’t eat on the tray.
Remember - no pastes or liquids are permitted on airplanes! Fresh veggies and fruit, boiled eggs, whole avocadoes, some acceptable crackers, cheese if you tolerate it, nut butter, hummus or healthy meat sandwiches are all things that work for us.
Road trips and car camping - Bring your cooler and pack it with the things you usually eat. Make double meals for a week or two prior to your trip and freeze the second half. You can use the frozen meals to supplement the ice in your cooler for a couple of days, and once thawed, they’ll be good for a few days after that.
Back packing - This will take more planning. Most prepackaged dehydrated foods are packed with hidden additives that will ruin your day. Rice pasta packs well, and all other permitted grains, and you can buy plain dehydrated vegetables or make them yourself to make into soups. Bring some coconut butter or cream in a plastic bag for added richness and energy. Healthy meat jerky and nuts are good protein options.
Hotels - Look for places with at least a refrigerator. If you can afford a place with a kitchenette, go for it! The money and headache you’ll save yourself in having to negotiate restaurants for every meal, or trying to create meals without access to any equipment will be worth it.
Staying with family - Ironically, this can be the most challenging situation we deal with when traveling. One would think it should be the easiest - you’ll have a kitchen available to you, people you’re looking forward to seeing will be there to take care of you, usually a familiar environment you’ll be settling into.
But let’s face it, most of us didn’t grow up knowing about our food intolerances, or how to eat healthily. And most of our, or our spouses family members haven’t gone through this nutritional process of change with us. If you’re lucky your family wants to help and understands the importance of the changes you’ve gone through. But many of us have families that don’t understand, and think you’re making much ado about nothing. That ‘a little cookie won’t hurt, how can you deprive your child of treats. It’s vacation time!’ can undermine months of work you’ve done with your family.
Not to mention that we’re entering the zone of firmly entrenched family patterns here. It’s not just about food, it’s about your relationship with your or your spouses family members, and their spouses, their children.... These can be complex waters to negotiate. You’re introducing a change in the current, and the water will resist, will keep wanting to revert back to it’s original pathway.
This takes planning and sensitivity. Call ahead and explain clearly that things have changed, that you or your child(ren) are sick in various ways, or have been dignosed with allergies. That you’re feeling so much better since you’ve made the changes that your health care professionals have recommended. Keep it simple and matter of fact. Ask for support.
Offer to cook for yourselves. At the very least request an area in the refrigerator and pantry to keep safe products for your family to supplement meals that contain items that are off limits. Because I have cooking skills, a tack I have taken is to offer to shop for and cook dinners for the whole family. It has ruffled feathers a few times, but when I’ve explained how complex our family’s needs are, often people are happier handing the reigns over to me.
If these kinds of requests meet strong resistance, and you can afford it, you may want to consider staying in a hotel and keeping your visits with family more in your control. Keep time spent together around meal times to a minimum, and plan your time together during the days.
And pack your own lunches.
Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise
I have yet to find a commercial mayonnaise with ingredients I consider healthy. The oils are usually poly-unsaturated and fragile, there's sugar, soy, or ingredients our bodies do not recognize as food. Learning to make your own mayonnaise is simple, and once you get into the rhythm of it, you won't feel the need to compromise your health with expensive packaged products.
Ingredients:
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp live sauerkraut juice (optional)
1/2 tsp mineral salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 - 3 drops stevia extract (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups mono-unsaturated oil of choice, sunflower, safflower, or almond recommended, olive will give a stronger flavor
Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Mix well in the processor, then add the oil slowly in a steady stream with the processor running the whole time, until the mayonnaise in the desired thickness.
If using the sauerkraut juice, leave the mayonnaise on the counter for 6 - 8 hours to culture before putting in the refrigerator. If not using sauerkraut juice, place in fridge immediately.
The mayonnaise will last 2 - 3 weeks if cultured. If not cultured, discard after one to one and a half weeks.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
I know it's late in the summer season, but it's always helpful to have some helpful hints on traveling with diets outside the cultural norm. A little planning can go a LONG way.
Here are some things that work for my family when we’re traveling.
Supplements - If they're part of your regimen, don’t forget them! A day or two off your regular doses of vitamins and other helpful nutritional powerhouses might be okay, but I find if we try to go too long without we get into trouble. If your bottles are too bulky, count out what you need into snack sized ziplocks and label them with permanent markers.
Air travel - If you’re flying, the snacks offered will not be health friendly. We don’t even look at the packages anymore, just say a polite ‘no thank you’, and ask for a glass of sparkling water or acceptable juice. It’s a good idea to ask to look at a can before it’s served, sometimes there are strange additives in canned juices. For longer flights, you can order special meals, but they will not cover cross sensitivities. Bring what you can to supplement what your obviously can’t eat on the tray.
Remember - no pastes or liquids are permitted on airplanes! Fresh veggies and fruit, boiled eggs, whole avocadoes, some acceptable crackers, cheese if you tolerate it, nut butter, hummus or healthy meat sandwiches are all things that work for us.
Road trips and car camping - Bring your cooler and pack it with the things you usually eat. Make double meals for a week or two prior to your trip and freeze the second half. You can use the frozen meals to supplement the ice in your cooler for a couple of days, and once thawed, they’ll be good for a few days after that.
Back packing - This will take more planning. Most prepackaged dehydrated foods are packed with hidden additives that will ruin your day. Rice pasta packs well, and all other permitted grains, and you can buy plain dehydrated vegetables or make them yourself to make into soups. Bring some coconut butter or cream in a plastic bag for added richness and energy. Healthy meat jerky and nuts are good protein options.
Hotels - Look for places with at least a refrigerator. If you can afford a place with a kitchenette, go for it! The money and headache you’ll save yourself in having to negotiate restaurants for every meal, or trying to create meals without access to any equipment will be worth it.
Staying with family - Ironically, this can be the most challenging situation we deal with when traveling. One would think it should be the easiest - you’ll have a kitchen available to you, people you’re looking forward to seeing will be there to take care of you, usually a familiar environment you’ll be settling into.
But let’s face it, most of us didn’t grow up knowing about our food intolerances, or how to eat healthily. And most of our, or our spouses family members haven’t gone through this nutritional process of change with us. If you’re lucky your family wants to help and understands the importance of the changes you’ve gone through. But many of us have families that don’t understand, and think you’re making much ado about nothing. That ‘a little cookie won’t hurt, how can you deprive your child of treats. It’s vacation time!’ can undermine months of work you’ve done with your family.
Not to mention that we’re entering the zone of firmly entrenched family patterns here. It’s not just about food, it’s about your relationship with your or your spouses family members, and their spouses, their children.... These can be complex waters to negotiate. You’re introducing a change in the current, and the water will resist, will keep wanting to revert back to it’s original pathway.
This takes planning and sensitivity. Call ahead and explain clearly that things have changed, that you or your child(ren) are sick in various ways, or have been dignosed with allergies. That you’re feeling so much better since you’ve made the changes that your health care professionals have recommended. Keep it simple and matter of fact. Ask for support.
Offer to cook for yourselves. At the very least request an area in the refrigerator and pantry to keep safe products for your family to supplement meals that contain items that are off limits. Because I have cooking skills, a tack I have taken is to offer to shop for and cook dinners for the whole family. It has ruffled feathers a few times, but when I’ve explained how complex our family’s needs are, often people are happier handing the reigns over to me.
If these kinds of requests meet strong resistance, and you can afford it, you may want to consider staying in a hotel and keeping your visits with family more in your control. Keep time spent together around meal times to a minimum, and plan your time together during the days.
And pack your own lunches.
Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise
I have yet to find a commercial mayonnaise with ingredients I consider healthy. The oils are usually poly-unsaturated and fragile, there's sugar, soy, or ingredients our bodies do not recognize as food. Learning to make your own mayonnaise is simple, and once you get into the rhythm of it, you won't feel the need to compromise your health with expensive packaged products.
Ingredients:
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp live sauerkraut juice (optional)
1/2 tsp mineral salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 - 3 drops stevia extract (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups mono-unsaturated oil of choice, sunflower, safflower, or almond recommended, olive will give a stronger flavor
Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Mix well in the processor, then add the oil slowly in a steady stream with the processor running the whole time, until the mayonnaise in the desired thickness.
If using the sauerkraut juice, leave the mayonnaise on the counter for 6 - 8 hours to culture before putting in the refrigerator. If not using sauerkraut juice, place in fridge immediately.
The mayonnaise will last 2 - 3 weeks if cultured. If not cultured, discard after one to one and a half weeks.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Who Am I Now?
We began examining the process of change in my last blog post, and I'd like to continue to explore that. If you missed that post, you can read it here. I'm breaking this down to minutia, in the hopes that by really looking closely at some aspects of what goes into our choices, we'll enhance our chances of success.
In that last post I wrote about stopping and spending some time with what we're actually doing that we may want to change, becoming intimate with it, what the pattern is, before thinking about making a change.
Let's explore one way to hold this examination.
There are a number of different traditions that describe inner personalities that all of us encompass. Carl Jung worked with the 'Archetypes' to access universal inner identities, Hal and Sidra Stone continued that work by developing a modality they call 'Voice Dialogue', a related coaching technique is called 'Inner Family', and some deep method acting classes utilize 'Sub-personalities' to achieve dramatic changes in affect on the stage or in front of the camera.
These models posit that we are not simple beings. If we were, it would be easy to make a decision to change something for the better in our lives, and then we'd just DO IT! Right?
But it often doesn't work that way. What's better for one 'self' might be worse for another. Using these kinds of techniques to explore who is 'in charge' of our actions at any given time can be immensely valuable.
Some of the inner personalities we're talking about developed in childhood. Some are from some more mysterious level of being, simply intrinsic to being human. Perhaps they're closer to our basic instincts, perhaps they come from some mystical realm. We can think of them as habits of thinking and feeling, that have very distinct structures.
However it makes sense to you, using these kinds of techniques can be valuable when approaching change. When contemplating the behavior you're addressing, ask yourself -
Which 'self' commits the behavior? Who's wanting too much sugar, or the fifth beer? Who's saying 'I don't feel like going to the gym!'
You can sense the feeling tone of that mind set. Does it feel like a child? A teenager? A wild animal? Let your associations roam freely as you explore this. You may want to write about it or talk from that place with a friend or counselor. Let it express itself fully.
It might be saying 'I'm scared!', or 'I'm mad!' Perhaps 'I don't want to work so hard, you're trying to make me do stuff I don't want to do!', 'I feel cornered!', 'I'm just so tired'. Perhaps even 'I hate you!'
And in response you can ask that 'self': 'what are you afraid of?', 'what are you angry about?', or 'how can I help you feel safe and heard?'.
Really listen to the responses. Try not to jump ahead to how you're going to fix this, how you're going to convince this part of yourself it has to change. Just listen to it's story.
Sometimes just giving this part of your psyche all your loving attention will be enough for things to shift. It may have just been seeking attention. Let this 'self' rest gently in your awareness right when you're in the craving or pushing away moment.
This is an experiment, just to see what will happen. It may shift the behavior, or it may not. In my next post I'll explore some more possibilities of how we can work with these inner 'selves' in a skillful, loving manner.
Low Carb Almond Flour Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour (almond meal)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grassfed ghee or coconut oil, gently melted
4 eggs
1/3 cup coconut yogurt or 4 Tbsp coconut milk mixed with 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract, alcohol free preferred
Alcohol free stevia to taste - about 1 - 2 droppers full
Optional: Add a handful of berries of choice.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin.
Mix dry ingredients together well.
Add wet ingredients and mix.
Put in muffin tins (about 1/2 to 2/3 full) and bake for about 15 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes in the tins, then gently remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Serve with plenty of grassfed ghee.
Makes 1 dozen muffins.
Proud to be posting in Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday!
In that last post I wrote about stopping and spending some time with what we're actually doing that we may want to change, becoming intimate with it, what the pattern is, before thinking about making a change.
Let's explore one way to hold this examination.
There are a number of different traditions that describe inner personalities that all of us encompass. Carl Jung worked with the 'Archetypes' to access universal inner identities, Hal and Sidra Stone continued that work by developing a modality they call 'Voice Dialogue', a related coaching technique is called 'Inner Family', and some deep method acting classes utilize 'Sub-personalities' to achieve dramatic changes in affect on the stage or in front of the camera.
These models posit that we are not simple beings. If we were, it would be easy to make a decision to change something for the better in our lives, and then we'd just DO IT! Right?
But it often doesn't work that way. What's better for one 'self' might be worse for another. Using these kinds of techniques to explore who is 'in charge' of our actions at any given time can be immensely valuable.
Some of the inner personalities we're talking about developed in childhood. Some are from some more mysterious level of being, simply intrinsic to being human. Perhaps they're closer to our basic instincts, perhaps they come from some mystical realm. We can think of them as habits of thinking and feeling, that have very distinct structures.
However it makes sense to you, using these kinds of techniques can be valuable when approaching change. When contemplating the behavior you're addressing, ask yourself -
Which 'self' commits the behavior? Who's wanting too much sugar, or the fifth beer? Who's saying 'I don't feel like going to the gym!'
You can sense the feeling tone of that mind set. Does it feel like a child? A teenager? A wild animal? Let your associations roam freely as you explore this. You may want to write about it or talk from that place with a friend or counselor. Let it express itself fully.
It might be saying 'I'm scared!', or 'I'm mad!' Perhaps 'I don't want to work so hard, you're trying to make me do stuff I don't want to do!', 'I feel cornered!', 'I'm just so tired'. Perhaps even 'I hate you!'
And in response you can ask that 'self': 'what are you afraid of?', 'what are you angry about?', or 'how can I help you feel safe and heard?'.
Really listen to the responses. Try not to jump ahead to how you're going to fix this, how you're going to convince this part of yourself it has to change. Just listen to it's story.
Sometimes just giving this part of your psyche all your loving attention will be enough for things to shift. It may have just been seeking attention. Let this 'self' rest gently in your awareness right when you're in the craving or pushing away moment.
This is an experiment, just to see what will happen. It may shift the behavior, or it may not. In my next post I'll explore some more possibilities of how we can work with these inner 'selves' in a skillful, loving manner.
Low Carb Almond Flour Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour (almond meal)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grassfed ghee or coconut oil, gently melted
4 eggs
1/3 cup coconut yogurt or 4 Tbsp coconut milk mixed with 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract, alcohol free preferred
Alcohol free stevia to taste - about 1 - 2 droppers full
Optional: Add a handful of berries of choice.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin.
Mix dry ingredients together well.
Add wet ingredients and mix.
Put in muffin tins (about 1/2 to 2/3 full) and bake for about 15 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes in the tins, then gently remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Serve with plenty of grassfed ghee.
Makes 1 dozen muffins.
Proud to be posting in Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What am I doing?
Recipe: Vegetable Ferments
We’re five months into the year 2010, and I’m sure a few of you reading this made New Year’s resolutions. How are you doing with them?
I’ve read different statistics, varying from 90% resolutions gone by the wayside by February, to 90% by the end of the year. Either way, the trend is to not follow through on these commitments.
Why do so many of us ‘fail’ at our resolutions? They are noble aspirations, and we know they’re good for us, right?
Do we really understand how change works in our lives?
I have a passion for change. Having spent many years practicing Buddhism, among other spiritual paths, it’s an ongoing contemplation for me.
One of the central teachings in Buddhism is that change is always happening. Whether slowly or quickly, we are changing, our environment is changing, our thoughts and feelings are changing. Always. This is a given. Nothing stays static.
So, what we are talking about here, is making the change that is already happening, conscious. There is usually some kind of momentum to the patterns of change in our life, an inertia. With a resolution we seek to change the direction of that already existing flow.
Holding this in mind when we approach a resolution can help bring into focus the underpinnings of the resolution - namely - what are we doing? What is the flow that is already occurring? It can be very tempting to skip this acknowledgment. We tend to lean forward to the next thing, give me the next thing, the better thing - get me away from this thing I don’t like. This ill health, this body or mind that doesn’t feel good. I know I’ll feel better if I quit smoking or drinking alcohol, go on a diet, go to the health club, get more sleep, ....
These habits we look to change didn’t appear out of nowhere. And most of them didn’t appear yesterday. They have served us in some way. Perhaps buffered us from some discomfort, helped us get through some difficulty. Bonded us with friends, family and tribe perhaps. Given us an identity.
Some examples might be - ‘There’s was rarely enough food to eat when I was growing up, and now it’s hard not to eat everything on my plate, even when I’m really not hungry anymore. Part of me is afraid there won’t be anything for the next meal.’
‘I have always felt shy and awkward. Having a couple of drinks helps me relax and I can have conversations more easily.’
‘My mom and I loved to make cookies together after school. It was the only time I really felt like I had all her attention. Now eating sweet things makes me feel loved and special.’
‘i just feel like I have to be doing something all the time. Having a cigarette is a good excuse to take a break. I don’t know if I’d take breaks if I didn’t smoke. Besides, having a cigarette with a friend is just a ritual I LOVE.’
‘Working 80 hours a week is killing me, but I’m so afraid I won’t have enough money to retire on!’
Your story may be different. But there’s a story associated with all these habits we’d like to break, whether it’s a story about our past, our present, or our future. And often the stories about our present and future have roots in the past.
In future posts I’ll explore more about making our changes conscious, but for this one I’d like to just rest here, with what is happening before we jump into the future.
What are you doing? Choose one habit you have thoughts about changing. Spend some time exploring that habit. What are you receiving from this activity? How does it serve you? If it doesn’t help you, how did it help you before? Where did it come from? How did it develop?
See if you can spend this time without judgment. You may be surprised to discover things you didn’t know about yourself. And, I hope you’ll find some forgiveness for your humanity. Perhaps some gratitude for how these things we’re ready to let go of have served us.
Vegetable Ferments
Gluten and Dairy-Free, low carb, candida appropriate (in fact, GREAT for candida sufferers! Lots of natural probiotics.)
I'm choosing the veggie ferment recipe for this post because I like the analogy. If we let ourselves sit still for a while, things will develop that may surprise us. If we eat it too soon, well, it just tastes like salty, raw vegetables.
Ingredients:
Directions:
For a cabbage based ferment, (or shredded beets or turnips) measure out about 2 tsp salt per pound of vegetable. Scatter the salt on the chopped veggies and toss to distribute. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it for and hour or two. When you come back the vegetable should have released it's liquid. Massage it a little with your hands to help it along. Stuff it into a quart mason jar, leaving about an inch space above the vegetable, and lay a grape leaf over the top of it if you have one. Liquid should rise above the level of the vegetable. Cap jar tightly.
For non-cabbage or non-shredded veggies, cut to desired size and shape and stuff as tightly as possible into a quart mason jar, leaving about an inch of space to the top of the jar. Make a brine. Measure about 2 tsp of salt into a cup and a half of filtered or spring water and stir. Taste. The brine should taste too salty to be pleasant, but not so salty that you gag. (Thanks, Alyss for this great description of making a brine!) Add salt or water as needed to achieve the desired saltiness. Add brine from earlier ferment to the jar of veggies, if using, and pour the fresh brine over the vegetables, leaving about an inch head space. Lay a grape leaf over the top, if using. Cap it tightly.
Leave jar on your counter or in a cupboard for 3 - 7 days. Burp the jars daily to make sure the pressure doesn't build up too intensely. If the ferment looks very active to you, open it slowly over a sink, or wrapped in a kitchen towel - they can spray pretty hard! Press the vegetables down with a fork or spoon. Taste.
When the pickle tastes tart and sour to your liking, put it in your fridge or cool basement. Enjoy!
This post is a part of Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday!
We’re five months into the year 2010, and I’m sure a few of you reading this made New Year’s resolutions. How are you doing with them?
I’ve read different statistics, varying from 90% resolutions gone by the wayside by February, to 90% by the end of the year. Either way, the trend is to not follow through on these commitments.
Why do so many of us ‘fail’ at our resolutions? They are noble aspirations, and we know they’re good for us, right?
Do we really understand how change works in our lives?
I have a passion for change. Having spent many years practicing Buddhism, among other spiritual paths, it’s an ongoing contemplation for me.
One of the central teachings in Buddhism is that change is always happening. Whether slowly or quickly, we are changing, our environment is changing, our thoughts and feelings are changing. Always. This is a given. Nothing stays static.
So, what we are talking about here, is making the change that is already happening, conscious. There is usually some kind of momentum to the patterns of change in our life, an inertia. With a resolution we seek to change the direction of that already existing flow.
Holding this in mind when we approach a resolution can help bring into focus the underpinnings of the resolution - namely - what are we doing? What is the flow that is already occurring? It can be very tempting to skip this acknowledgment. We tend to lean forward to the next thing, give me the next thing, the better thing - get me away from this thing I don’t like. This ill health, this body or mind that doesn’t feel good. I know I’ll feel better if I quit smoking or drinking alcohol, go on a diet, go to the health club, get more sleep, ....
These habits we look to change didn’t appear out of nowhere. And most of them didn’t appear yesterday. They have served us in some way. Perhaps buffered us from some discomfort, helped us get through some difficulty. Bonded us with friends, family and tribe perhaps. Given us an identity.
Some examples might be - ‘There’s was rarely enough food to eat when I was growing up, and now it’s hard not to eat everything on my plate, even when I’m really not hungry anymore. Part of me is afraid there won’t be anything for the next meal.’
‘I have always felt shy and awkward. Having a couple of drinks helps me relax and I can have conversations more easily.’
‘My mom and I loved to make cookies together after school. It was the only time I really felt like I had all her attention. Now eating sweet things makes me feel loved and special.’
‘i just feel like I have to be doing something all the time. Having a cigarette is a good excuse to take a break. I don’t know if I’d take breaks if I didn’t smoke. Besides, having a cigarette with a friend is just a ritual I LOVE.’
‘Working 80 hours a week is killing me, but I’m so afraid I won’t have enough money to retire on!’
Your story may be different. But there’s a story associated with all these habits we’d like to break, whether it’s a story about our past, our present, or our future. And often the stories about our present and future have roots in the past.
In future posts I’ll explore more about making our changes conscious, but for this one I’d like to just rest here, with what is happening before we jump into the future.
What are you doing? Choose one habit you have thoughts about changing. Spend some time exploring that habit. What are you receiving from this activity? How does it serve you? If it doesn’t help you, how did it help you before? Where did it come from? How did it develop?
See if you can spend this time without judgment. You may be surprised to discover things you didn’t know about yourself. And, I hope you’ll find some forgiveness for your humanity. Perhaps some gratitude for how these things we’re ready to let go of have served us.
Vegetable Ferments
Gluten and Dairy-Free, low carb, candida appropriate (in fact, GREAT for candida sufferers! Lots of natural probiotics.)
I'm choosing the veggie ferment recipe for this post because I like the analogy. If we let ourselves sit still for a while, things will develop that may surprise us. If we eat it too soon, well, it just tastes like salty, raw vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 2 -3 pounds of shredded or thinly sliced or whole vegetable(s) of choice. Could be green cabbage for sauerkraut; a mix of napa cabbage, green onion, daikon radish, bok choi and red chili for kimchi; green beans and dill; carrots and garlic; or, of course, cucumber for a classic pickle.
- 1 - 2 Tbsp of good quality mineral salt - Celtic or Himalayan sea salt, or Real Salt
- 2 - 3 Tbsp brine from an earlier ferment, if available, (for non cabbage ferments only)
Directions:
For a cabbage based ferment, (or shredded beets or turnips) measure out about 2 tsp salt per pound of vegetable. Scatter the salt on the chopped veggies and toss to distribute. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it for and hour or two. When you come back the vegetable should have released it's liquid. Massage it a little with your hands to help it along. Stuff it into a quart mason jar, leaving about an inch space above the vegetable, and lay a grape leaf over the top of it if you have one. Liquid should rise above the level of the vegetable. Cap jar tightly.
For non-cabbage or non-shredded veggies, cut to desired size and shape and stuff as tightly as possible into a quart mason jar, leaving about an inch of space to the top of the jar. Make a brine. Measure about 2 tsp of salt into a cup and a half of filtered or spring water and stir. Taste. The brine should taste too salty to be pleasant, but not so salty that you gag. (Thanks, Alyss for this great description of making a brine!) Add salt or water as needed to achieve the desired saltiness. Add brine from earlier ferment to the jar of veggies, if using, and pour the fresh brine over the vegetables, leaving about an inch head space. Lay a grape leaf over the top, if using. Cap it tightly.
Leave jar on your counter or in a cupboard for 3 - 7 days. Burp the jars daily to make sure the pressure doesn't build up too intensely. If the ferment looks very active to you, open it slowly over a sink, or wrapped in a kitchen towel - they can spray pretty hard! Press the vegetables down with a fork or spoon. Taste.
When the pickle tastes tart and sour to your liking, put it in your fridge or cool basement. Enjoy!
This post is a part of Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It's Not Fair!
Recipe: Frozen Coconut Yogurt
Those of us with food sensitivities can sometimes wonder why we got left out of the bounty of life. There are so many delicious dishes we'd love to savor that are traditionally made with ingredients that do harm to our bodies.
What wrong with this picture? Why is this happening? It's just not fair! Everyone else gets to enjoy!
I could tell you how many wonderful things you CAN eat, the amazing fresh vegetables with delicate or hearty earth flavors, the alternatives to dairy or gluten, or (insert your sensitivity). Foods with their own subtleties that it's possible to enjoy.
But that's not really the point, is it? We sometimes just miss those
foods, the very one's we learned to love, and led to us feeling: in pain, tired, foggy, irritated, angry, etc.
Or we're overwhelmed because it's just not easy to keep ourselves supplied with the alternatives, or they don't travel well. It would be so much easier to just make a quick stop at a convenience store when we need a snack... if only they stocked something without - all the stuff we can't eat.
This is one of the reasons it's important to incorporate food and eating into our spiritual practice. Even view it as a spiritual practice. We don't have the luxury of being unconscious about our eating, when eating too far outside our limits makes us sick.
If you're thinking it's not fair, you're right. It's not fair.
But it's what is. And what a spiritual practice can do is help us shift our focus to what's useful and true. Less on what gets us nowhere.
Here are a few statistics from Project-Meditation.org:
• 75% of insomniacs who started a daily meditation program were able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed.
• Production of the stress hormone Cortisol is greatly decreased, thus making it possible for those people to deal with stress better when it occurs.
• Women with PMS showed symptom improvements after 5 months of steady daily rumination and reflection.
However a spiritual practice might look in your life, whether that might be meditation, prayer, singing, dancing, mindful cooking and eating, or all of the above, it's clear that there are very real health benefits to be had. Think of what a valuable adjunct to good nutrition this is!
We always need to be kind to ourselves, and realize it's hard to have to take such care with our food. We may need to grieve the loss of certain flavors and textures we associate with comfort and happiness. This is part of the process of coming to terms with the reality of our lives. It is not always as we would wish it.
And we need to tap in a bit deeper, to the real love and kind regard we hold ourselves in. It's there. It's the longing for a deeper happiness.
It's easier to find when our health is stabilized. And tapping into it intentionally helps us get our health stabilized, by helping us make clearer decisions. Truly life affirming decisions.
From this place, you may find yourself noticing how incredibly delicious fresh vegetables are, simple soups, herbs, coconut yogurt,... you may find the 'replacement' foods have an identity in their own right on your tongue and in your belly. And they are magical in their utter reality and rightness.
May it be so. And may all beings be well nourished and happy.
Frozen Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk until smooth. If using the cacao powder, mix it in now.
If you have an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
If using a Champion juicer or food processor, pour the mixture into ice cube trays. You'll probably need two. Freeze well.
Pass through the juicer with the blank plate on it. Mix in any optional add ins. Serve immediately.
Or, mix in a food processor, adding a little more coconut yogurt if needed to get the frozen yogurt smooth. Mix in add ins. This might need to be returned to the freezer for a little while to firm up.
Options:
o Use coconut milk instead of coconut yogurt.
o Make the liquid mixture into a custard before freezing by heating it slowly in a double boiler until thickened.
o Use fresh vanilla bean - split a vanilla bean from end to end and scrape the seeds and pith out of it. Steep it in warm coconut milk or yogurt for a few minutes. Whisk the seeds into the mixture to blend as well as possible.
I usually love the chocolate version of anything, but I have to say the vanilla is outrageously delicious.
Those of us with food sensitivities can sometimes wonder why we got left out of the bounty of life. There are so many delicious dishes we'd love to savor that are traditionally made with ingredients that do harm to our bodies.
What wrong with this picture? Why is this happening? It's just not fair! Everyone else gets to enjoy!
I could tell you how many wonderful things you CAN eat, the amazing fresh vegetables with delicate or hearty earth flavors, the alternatives to dairy or gluten, or (insert your sensitivity). Foods with their own subtleties that it's possible to enjoy.
But that's not really the point, is it? We sometimes just miss those
foods, the very one's we learned to love, and led to us feeling: in pain, tired, foggy, irritated, angry, etc.
Or we're overwhelmed because it's just not easy to keep ourselves supplied with the alternatives, or they don't travel well. It would be so much easier to just make a quick stop at a convenience store when we need a snack... if only they stocked something without - all the stuff we can't eat.
This is one of the reasons it's important to incorporate food and eating into our spiritual practice. Even view it as a spiritual practice. We don't have the luxury of being unconscious about our eating, when eating too far outside our limits makes us sick.
If you're thinking it's not fair, you're right. It's not fair.
But it's what is. And what a spiritual practice can do is help us shift our focus to what's useful and true. Less on what gets us nowhere.
Here are a few statistics from Project-Meditation.org:
• 75% of insomniacs who started a daily meditation program were able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed.
• Production of the stress hormone Cortisol is greatly decreased, thus making it possible for those people to deal with stress better when it occurs.
• Women with PMS showed symptom improvements after 5 months of steady daily rumination and reflection.
However a spiritual practice might look in your life, whether that might be meditation, prayer, singing, dancing, mindful cooking and eating, or all of the above, it's clear that there are very real health benefits to be had. Think of what a valuable adjunct to good nutrition this is!
We always need to be kind to ourselves, and realize it's hard to have to take such care with our food. We may need to grieve the loss of certain flavors and textures we associate with comfort and happiness. This is part of the process of coming to terms with the reality of our lives. It is not always as we would wish it.
And we need to tap in a bit deeper, to the real love and kind regard we hold ourselves in. It's there. It's the longing for a deeper happiness.
It's easier to find when our health is stabilized. And tapping into it intentionally helps us get our health stabilized, by helping us make clearer decisions. Truly life affirming decisions.
From this place, you may find yourself noticing how incredibly delicious fresh vegetables are, simple soups, herbs, coconut yogurt,... you may find the 'replacement' foods have an identity in their own right on your tongue and in your belly. And they are magical in their utter reality and rightness.
May it be so. And may all beings be well nourished and happy.
Frozen Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients:
- o 14 oz coconut yogurt (1 can of coconut milk made into yogurt)
- o 2 eggs of choice, chicken or duck (optional)
- o 1 _ tsp vanilla, preferably glycerin based, or powdered vanilla
- o 15 drops stevia extract, preferably glycerin or water based
- o Optional add ins: 1 - 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder, a handful or two of berries, a handful of shredded coconut, nuts, or a swirl of nut butter of choice
Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk until smooth. If using the cacao powder, mix it in now.
If you have an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
If using a Champion juicer or food processor, pour the mixture into ice cube trays. You'll probably need two. Freeze well.
Pass through the juicer with the blank plate on it. Mix in any optional add ins. Serve immediately.
Or, mix in a food processor, adding a little more coconut yogurt if needed to get the frozen yogurt smooth. Mix in add ins. This might need to be returned to the freezer for a little while to firm up.
Options:
o Use coconut milk instead of coconut yogurt.
o Make the liquid mixture into a custard before freezing by heating it slowly in a double boiler until thickened.
o Use fresh vanilla bean - split a vanilla bean from end to end and scrape the seeds and pith out of it. Steep it in warm coconut milk or yogurt for a few minutes. Whisk the seeds into the mixture to blend as well as possible.
I usually love the chocolate version of anything, but I have to say the vanilla is outrageously delicious.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Healing as a Journey
The word 'healing' may bring up the idea that there is an end to the journey. It will inevitably end with 'healed'.
This idea may not serve us well. It emphasizes a goal, an end product. If our focus is too much on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we are likely to miss the sweetness and lessons learned along the path.
This may be hard to read - what is there to value in the journey of illness? It's painful! Isn't it natural to want to get OUT of illness as quickly as possible?
Perhaps - but this way of thinking can lead to treating our bodies like cars - when it's broken, bring it to the mechanic. When it's 'fixed', drive it like you drove it before.
Our bodies are a vehicle through which the world communicates to us. It sends us clear messages. If something we are so intimate with, that is a large part of who we are, is trying to talk to us, isn't it a good idea to listen?
I'm in no way suggesting that you not visit a health care professional if you or your child is ill. What I am suggesting is that you also ask, what is happening here? What is the bigger picture? What is asking for attention?
You can view it as a dream interpretation - what is the symbolism? Is the part of my life that I use this part of my body with out of balance?
I deal with fatigue. I can 'fix' that with caffeine. It often seems like the easiest route, have a cup of tea, or coffee, and there is instant energy! Hallelujah!
Coffee statistics show that among coffee drinkers the average consumption in the United States is 3.1 cups of coffee per day. And over 50% of Americans are coffee drinkers. It seems I am not alone in seeking a quick solution to fatigue.
Years down the line however, it seemed evident that the quick fix was taking it's toll on my body in various ways. Adrenals, thyroid depleted. Hmmm, rethinking caffeine....
On deeper examination I wonder more about how I push to get things done in my life. And I wonder if I didn't push, would I feel the need for caffeine? What if I went to sleep at a reasonable hour regularly? What if I questioned the thought that I have to get things done exactly so, or by a certain time?
And, as we've seen, I am not the only one who has depended on caffeine to get through my days. What does that say about our culture in general? About how we go about our lives?
Before Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, people slept an average of 10 hours a night; today Americans get an average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends (NSF's 2002 Sleep in America poll).
So, this examination of how I approach doing becomes an examination of other forces that come to bear on my life. My expectations. The dominant culture's expectations. It can become much less personal, can give one a larger perspective.
The key here is curiosity. And acceptance.
What if we can't 'fix' the ailment? What then? What if 'healing' were the whole journey? What if the entire culture suffers? Many health challenges are widespread. How far outside the culture can we go without creating another imbalance of the soul?
I'm not suggesting succumbing to defeatism. And healing the culture is one of my passions. But change happens most gracefully when we accept the place where we begin. And, like it or not, we are at the very least affected by our culture, if not a product of it.
Eyes open, let's make changes with full acknowledgement of our place in the world. Our humanness, our fragility, and our strength. We know where the journey ends for us all, but we have no idea where it will lead us on the way. Can we walk that road with curiosity and willingness? The more open we are, the more relaxed. The more relaxed we are, the better we are able to see the path ahead of us. See what messages our discomfort is giving us. And the better able to act on the information we receive.
The Buddha said ‘Within this fathom long body is the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world and the path leading to the cessation of the world.’ He didn’t say ‘only in healthy bodies’ or ‘only in perfect bodies’. He was pointing to waking up here and now, in this body. As it is.
And, for those of us whose bodies are clearly saying NO to dairy....
Nut Milk
Gluten free, dairy free, salicylate free (if using hazelnuts), low carb (if using stevia)
Ingredients:
1 cup nut of choice - I like almond or hazelnut. Cashews make a delicious one, but there’s a lot of buzz about cashews having mold, so know that.
1 tsp salt
2 cups non-chlorinated, non-flouridated water, plus water for soaking
Stevia, or dates, to taste
Directions:
Soak the nuts for 6 - 8 hours in a jar with the salt and enough water to cover. Drain and rinse.
Place the soaked nuts in a blender with the measured water. Blend for at least 2 minutes, longer if you can stand the noise. You want the nuts to be as smooth as possible.
Strain the milk through a nut milk bag, a jelly making bag, or a gold filter. Squeeze or press the pulp to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
Sweeten the milk with a few drops of stevia. Some people throw a couple pitted dates in the blender while it’s whirring to sweeten.
Enjoy!
Note: the nut pulp can be used in baked items, or to make nut cheese. I’ll post that recipe another time.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays with Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
This idea may not serve us well. It emphasizes a goal, an end product. If our focus is too much on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we are likely to miss the sweetness and lessons learned along the path.
This may be hard to read - what is there to value in the journey of illness? It's painful! Isn't it natural to want to get OUT of illness as quickly as possible?
Perhaps - but this way of thinking can lead to treating our bodies like cars - when it's broken, bring it to the mechanic. When it's 'fixed', drive it like you drove it before.
Our bodies are a vehicle through which the world communicates to us. It sends us clear messages. If something we are so intimate with, that is a large part of who we are, is trying to talk to us, isn't it a good idea to listen?
I'm in no way suggesting that you not visit a health care professional if you or your child is ill. What I am suggesting is that you also ask, what is happening here? What is the bigger picture? What is asking for attention?
You can view it as a dream interpretation - what is the symbolism? Is the part of my life that I use this part of my body with out of balance?
I deal with fatigue. I can 'fix' that with caffeine. It often seems like the easiest route, have a cup of tea, or coffee, and there is instant energy! Hallelujah!
Coffee statistics show that among coffee drinkers the average consumption in the United States is 3.1 cups of coffee per day. And over 50% of Americans are coffee drinkers. It seems I am not alone in seeking a quick solution to fatigue.
Years down the line however, it seemed evident that the quick fix was taking it's toll on my body in various ways. Adrenals, thyroid depleted. Hmmm, rethinking caffeine....
On deeper examination I wonder more about how I push to get things done in my life. And I wonder if I didn't push, would I feel the need for caffeine? What if I went to sleep at a reasonable hour regularly? What if I questioned the thought that I have to get things done exactly so, or by a certain time?
And, as we've seen, I am not the only one who has depended on caffeine to get through my days. What does that say about our culture in general? About how we go about our lives?
Before Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, people slept an average of 10 hours a night; today Americans get an average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends (NSF's 2002 Sleep in America poll).
So, this examination of how I approach doing becomes an examination of other forces that come to bear on my life. My expectations. The dominant culture's expectations. It can become much less personal, can give one a larger perspective.
The key here is curiosity. And acceptance.
What if we can't 'fix' the ailment? What then? What if 'healing' were the whole journey? What if the entire culture suffers? Many health challenges are widespread. How far outside the culture can we go without creating another imbalance of the soul?
I'm not suggesting succumbing to defeatism. And healing the culture is one of my passions. But change happens most gracefully when we accept the place where we begin. And, like it or not, we are at the very least affected by our culture, if not a product of it.
Eyes open, let's make changes with full acknowledgement of our place in the world. Our humanness, our fragility, and our strength. We know where the journey ends for us all, but we have no idea where it will lead us on the way. Can we walk that road with curiosity and willingness? The more open we are, the more relaxed. The more relaxed we are, the better we are able to see the path ahead of us. See what messages our discomfort is giving us. And the better able to act on the information we receive.
The Buddha said ‘Within this fathom long body is the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world and the path leading to the cessation of the world.’ He didn’t say ‘only in healthy bodies’ or ‘only in perfect bodies’. He was pointing to waking up here and now, in this body. As it is.
And, for those of us whose bodies are clearly saying NO to dairy....
Nut Milk
Gluten free, dairy free, salicylate free (if using hazelnuts), low carb (if using stevia)
Ingredients:
1 cup nut of choice - I like almond or hazelnut. Cashews make a delicious one, but there’s a lot of buzz about cashews having mold, so know that.
1 tsp salt
2 cups non-chlorinated, non-flouridated water, plus water for soaking
Stevia, or dates, to taste
Directions:
Soak the nuts for 6 - 8 hours in a jar with the salt and enough water to cover. Drain and rinse.
Place the soaked nuts in a blender with the measured water. Blend for at least 2 minutes, longer if you can stand the noise. You want the nuts to be as smooth as possible.
Strain the milk through a nut milk bag, a jelly making bag, or a gold filter. Squeeze or press the pulp to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
Sweeten the milk with a few drops of stevia. Some people throw a couple pitted dates in the blender while it’s whirring to sweeten.
Enjoy!
Note: the nut pulp can be used in baked items, or to make nut cheese. I’ll post that recipe another time.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays with Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Into the Kitchen!
Recipe: Coconut yogurt
I love to eat out. The idea of being seated at a clean table, having water poured for me, asked what I would like, asked if everything is okay with the meal... it’s the closest I’ll ever be to queendom. (I can dream, can’t I?)
I used to eat out 3 or 4 times a week. I cooked for a living, and the last thing I felt like doing when I got home was to go into the kitchen. I was single, I was carefree, I was homeless by choice for quite a while, no responsibilities except my personal growth and my job. Which, believe me, were as much as I could handle for an embarrassingly long time. I sometimes long for those days. Not very much, anymore.
Times are different now. We have food sensitivities to deal with that make eating out a bit of an ordeal. And we’ve learned what really good, real food tastes and feels like in our bodies.
Not to mention the cost! We won’t go into that. Too depressing.
Okay, we have to go into that. Not just the cost of eating out, but the cost of eating well. You can eat out inexpensively, as we all know, but the cost to our health is exorbitant. Go here
And eating really well when eating out isn’t always easy, when you start to understand what real food is. And isn’t. Good food preparation that really maximizes it’s value to your health has been forgotten for the most part. And when you have eaten well for some time, it becomes evident. I’ll never forget my husband coming home after a lunch date with a colleague and reporting that I’d ‘ruined him for restaurant food. I looked at my plate and it was all DEAD!’ And the call I received the last time he was gone for a week at a retreat center. ‘I miss your bone broth,’ he moaned.
I still love to go out, don’t get me wrong. And I find we do better at ethnic restaurants that serve traditional foods - often easier to avoid wheat and dairy, and they sometimes use traditional cooking methods. Fermented grains. Long cooked broths. Fermented veggies. Even raw meats.
Truly upscale restaurants can work, too - I can’t wait to try one of the few I’ve heard about that specialize in offal! And the escargot buried in butter and duck confit I had at Carafe Bistro... mmmmmm.
But that’s not what I want to write about. Because we can’t eat out like we used to, although I obviously still dream about it.
We also can’t afford to buy good food, REAL food, at the grocery store that much. Especially prepared foods. Pastured ghee for $10 a pint. Live sauerkraut for $7 per 8 ounce jar. We’re talking cabbage and salt, folks. Kim chi - $10 for 8 ounces. Raw nut butters for $15 a pint. Gluten free bread anywhere from $5 - $8 a loaf. And it’s not even that tasty.
I’m on a mission. It’s utterly obnoxious to some, but apparently inspiring to others. Thank God!
It was inspiring to ME after my last class to hear from the participants - Diana had 3 gallons of fermented veggies set on the counter to bubble. Had a chicken in the crock pot for the better part of a day, and froze the stock. (I had some of the Ethiopian chicken she made out of the meat, oh my god, I didn’t have to die to get to heaven right there....) Is now experimenting with adding an ancient wheat grain to her sourdough to see if she can tolerate it after it’s fermented.
After some tinkering Lois made the best textured gluten free bread she says she’s ever had. She wants to tinker with the flavor a bit, but she’s excited and encouraged. Her family is new to gluten free life, and she had thrown her hands up and laughed at her first attempt to make bread - she described it as a ‘dense cracker loaf that must have weighed 10 pounds’!
Allison and her mom Jody passed the sourdough back and forth between their houses to get yeasts from both their homes in their new pet ‘Stinky’.
I hear these stories and I honestly find myself weeping. I was sharing with a group of women last night, who share my passion for nutrition and health, that I find myself breaking down in grief occasionally when I get a positive response from people about my offerings. I have felt like I was CRAZY for years now, being so out of sync in a culture that doesn’t value nourishment to it’s full depth and breadth. Swimming upstream is really hard to do alone.
I’m only one voice. But I’m not alone. I’ve learned from some amazing people online, on lists, on blogs, in books. And to be able to turn around and pass it along is such a gift.
Oh, I forgot my original point - If you make it yourself, you can really save a bundle. Cut out the middle man - fermented veggies are just veggies, salt and time. Sourdough starter is just flour and water... and time. Coconut yogurt is just coconut milk, and starter... and time. Bone broth - bones, water, heat and.... you guessed it.... time.
Coconut Yogurt
Gluten free, dairy free, salicylate free, low carb friendly
The probiotic cultures can be ordered online, just google the names. Personally I did not like the flavor of the yogurt made from the store bought coconut yogurt, but others have found it tasty. What to say.
I recommend the Native Forest brand coconut milk, as it is the only one I know of that has no BPA in the lining of the cans.
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk of choice - Native Forest brand recommended
yogurt culture of choice - Custom Probiotics, HMF superpowder, or another coconut yogurt with live cultures.
Directions:
Pour a little coconut milk into a pint sized mason jar. Mix in culture of choice - a smidgeon of the Custom Probiotic, a quarter tsp of the HMF powder, or a couple of Tbsp of the commercial coconut yogurt. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Cap tightly. Shake well.
Keep warm in a yogurt warmer, in an oven with the light or pilot on, in a dehydrator set at about 95 - 100 degrees, or wrapped in a warm heating pad. Shake occasionally. Yogurt will be mild after one day, a little more tart after two.
Alternate method - mix in culture of choice as described above and shake well. Leave at room temperature for 4 days, shaking occasionally. This will get VERY thick - too thick for my liking!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, by Cheeseslave, and Fight Back Friday by Food Renegade!
I love to eat out. The idea of being seated at a clean table, having water poured for me, asked what I would like, asked if everything is okay with the meal... it’s the closest I’ll ever be to queendom. (I can dream, can’t I?)
I used to eat out 3 or 4 times a week. I cooked for a living, and the last thing I felt like doing when I got home was to go into the kitchen. I was single, I was carefree, I was homeless by choice for quite a while, no responsibilities except my personal growth and my job. Which, believe me, were as much as I could handle for an embarrassingly long time. I sometimes long for those days. Not very much, anymore.
Times are different now. We have food sensitivities to deal with that make eating out a bit of an ordeal. And we’ve learned what really good, real food tastes and feels like in our bodies.
Not to mention the cost! We won’t go into that. Too depressing.
Okay, we have to go into that. Not just the cost of eating out, but the cost of eating well. You can eat out inexpensively, as we all know, but the cost to our health is exorbitant. Go here
And eating really well when eating out isn’t always easy, when you start to understand what real food is. And isn’t. Good food preparation that really maximizes it’s value to your health has been forgotten for the most part. And when you have eaten well for some time, it becomes evident. I’ll never forget my husband coming home after a lunch date with a colleague and reporting that I’d ‘ruined him for restaurant food. I looked at my plate and it was all DEAD!’ And the call I received the last time he was gone for a week at a retreat center. ‘I miss your bone broth,’ he moaned.
I still love to go out, don’t get me wrong. And I find we do better at ethnic restaurants that serve traditional foods - often easier to avoid wheat and dairy, and they sometimes use traditional cooking methods. Fermented grains. Long cooked broths. Fermented veggies. Even raw meats.
Truly upscale restaurants can work, too - I can’t wait to try one of the few I’ve heard about that specialize in offal! And the escargot buried in butter and duck confit I had at Carafe Bistro... mmmmmm.
But that’s not what I want to write about. Because we can’t eat out like we used to, although I obviously still dream about it.
We also can’t afford to buy good food, REAL food, at the grocery store that much. Especially prepared foods. Pastured ghee for $10 a pint. Live sauerkraut for $7 per 8 ounce jar. We’re talking cabbage and salt, folks. Kim chi - $10 for 8 ounces. Raw nut butters for $15 a pint. Gluten free bread anywhere from $5 - $8 a loaf. And it’s not even that tasty.
I’m on a mission. It’s utterly obnoxious to some, but apparently inspiring to others. Thank God!
It was inspiring to ME after my last class to hear from the participants - Diana had 3 gallons of fermented veggies set on the counter to bubble. Had a chicken in the crock pot for the better part of a day, and froze the stock. (I had some of the Ethiopian chicken she made out of the meat, oh my god, I didn’t have to die to get to heaven right there....) Is now experimenting with adding an ancient wheat grain to her sourdough to see if she can tolerate it after it’s fermented.
After some tinkering Lois made the best textured gluten free bread she says she’s ever had. She wants to tinker with the flavor a bit, but she’s excited and encouraged. Her family is new to gluten free life, and she had thrown her hands up and laughed at her first attempt to make bread - she described it as a ‘dense cracker loaf that must have weighed 10 pounds’!
Allison and her mom Jody passed the sourdough back and forth between their houses to get yeasts from both their homes in their new pet ‘Stinky’.
I hear these stories and I honestly find myself weeping. I was sharing with a group of women last night, who share my passion for nutrition and health, that I find myself breaking down in grief occasionally when I get a positive response from people about my offerings. I have felt like I was CRAZY for years now, being so out of sync in a culture that doesn’t value nourishment to it’s full depth and breadth. Swimming upstream is really hard to do alone.
I’m only one voice. But I’m not alone. I’ve learned from some amazing people online, on lists, on blogs, in books. And to be able to turn around and pass it along is such a gift.
Oh, I forgot my original point - If you make it yourself, you can really save a bundle. Cut out the middle man - fermented veggies are just veggies, salt and time. Sourdough starter is just flour and water... and time. Coconut yogurt is just coconut milk, and starter... and time. Bone broth - bones, water, heat and.... you guessed it.... time.
Coconut Yogurt
Gluten free, dairy free, salicylate free, low carb friendly
The probiotic cultures can be ordered online, just google the names. Personally I did not like the flavor of the yogurt made from the store bought coconut yogurt, but others have found it tasty. What to say.
I recommend the Native Forest brand coconut milk, as it is the only one I know of that has no BPA in the lining of the cans.
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk of choice - Native Forest brand recommended
yogurt culture of choice - Custom Probiotics, HMF superpowder, or another coconut yogurt with live cultures.
Directions:
Pour a little coconut milk into a pint sized mason jar. Mix in culture of choice - a smidgeon of the Custom Probiotic, a quarter tsp of the HMF powder, or a couple of Tbsp of the commercial coconut yogurt. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Cap tightly. Shake well.
Keep warm in a yogurt warmer, in an oven with the light or pilot on, in a dehydrator set at about 95 - 100 degrees, or wrapped in a warm heating pad. Shake occasionally. Yogurt will be mild after one day, a little more tart after two.
Alternate method - mix in culture of choice as described above and shake well. Leave at room temperature for 4 days, shaking occasionally. This will get VERY thick - too thick for my liking!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, by Cheeseslave, and Fight Back Friday by Food Renegade!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
If you teach me, I can do anything
Recipe: Black Bean Brownies
The question of ‘is it worth eating’ became more acute when I had children. It soon became clear that feeding them what most other kids were eating wasn’t working. They both spit up all over everything and everyone in geysers, had chronic diarrhea, my oldest couldn’t sit still for more than a minute at a time on a good day, my youngest had intermittent diaper rash that looked like a chemical burn.
Tired of the constant smell of baby vomit, I began to read. Visited holistic health practitioners. Looked everywhere I could think of in search of something to help.
Going on an elimination diet myself to see if I could alleviate my younger son’s reflux and diaper rash in reaction to my milk, I found the answer. Hallelujah! The reflux was caused by anything with flavor. Except salt. He was okay with salt. Otherwise what worked to calm down his belly was chicken, rice, avocado and romaine lettuce. The diaper rash was caused by gluten. That’s wheat, rye, barley, and some oats.
We tried taking gluten out of my older boy’s diet, too, and found his diarrhea cleared up. We were onto something.
The discovery I wasn’t so thrilled about, came when I challenged the elimination diet to see what my youngest reacted to.
I reacted to the dairy and gluten. Immediately.
I decided to ignore it.
As my son grew older and wasn’t depending on my milk for as much of his nourishment, I began to eat more freely.
Especially as it became evident that my oldest was in need of some intervention. I eat when under stress.
He was in kindergarten at our local Waldorf school, and his teacher said she wasn’t sure how he was going to manage first grade. He wasn’t required to sit at a desk in Kindergarten, so the fact that he couldn’t focus for longer than three seconds on a task wasn’t an issue. But first grade would be a different matter.
I did an internet search using his symptoms as the parameters, and got hit after hit on ADHD. I didn’t like it. My husband didn’t believe it. But we couldn’t ignore it.
I read everything I could. My instinct is to avoid drugs whenever possible, and totally value them when they become necessary. And I wasn’t convinced that ADHD automatically equalled ritalin, or whatever other pharmaceutical was being offered kids with this diagnosis. In fact, I wasn’t even planning to tell our doctor if I could avoid it. Besides which, after all the research I was doing it became clear that ‘ADHD’ was just an umbrella diagnosis that was used for so many different issues that people could have - sensory processing issues, lack of vestibular development, sleep apnea, food intolerances... the list went on.
Fish oil, probiotics, magnesium, homeopathics, and avoiding sugar were all pieces of advice that were easily implemented. And didn’t show much results. Some, but not very dramatic.
When I shared that a glass of juice sent him careening out of his dinner seat to do manic gyrations on the living room carpet, someone recommended the Feingold program. The juice contained something called salicylates (isn’t that aspirin?), and artificial additives were likely to be problematic for him as well if he was having trouble with this compound.
I was in despair. Frustrated. Tired. I’d break into tears at the drop of a hat, unrelated to the time of the month. Why couldn’t it be simple?
But, he was my son. I’d nursed him through dire emergencies before, and I could figure this one out, too.
If you teach me, I can do anything.
Within five days of starting the program, which is a strangely restrictive elimination diet avoiding, among other things, artificial additives, peppers, cucumbers, almonds, stone fruit and berries, apples, grapes, and all derivitives of the above, he...
Calmed Down.
We almost didn’t know what to do. We’d gotten so used to this constant chaotic kinetic force in our home, it was a little bewildering at first.
About a week later his teacher said ‘what did you do to this child?’. We’d told her we were changing his diet (again), but even with that information, she couldn’t believe the dramatic results.
It took about a month or more to completely integrate the new regimen into our household. I learned to read the ingredient lists on all foods I bought. I had to shop with the Feingold shopping guide listing researched products, because so many of the offending substances were listed simply as ‘spices’ or ‘flavors’, or were used to treat the packaging and not the food itself, and so were not listed at all. A fifteen minute shopping trip became a 45 minute to one hour ordeal, with a two and six year old in tow. I was staying up until one or two in the morning every night to research. Research. Research.
I was exhausted.
But, as mentioned before, if you teach me, I can do anything. And, cook that I am, I figured out how to make it taste good.
He’s a third grader now, still on the program, and doing extremely well. He still has a ton of energy, but he’s learning how to channel it productively. He’s bright, and very present. A frighteningly talented musician.
And a touch of paprika will still send him bouncing off the first and second walls he meets, and disturb his sleep for two nights.
He’s one of my heroes. His willingness to stick with the program, and learn about himself and how to manage his energy is humbling. I don’t have half the discipline he has in terms of my own eating restrictions (remember the ‘I ignored it’ comment above). I feel sad when I reflect that he has not had the carefree childhood I would have wished for him. I wish more was in my control. I wish I had more patience with his wild edges. But the fact is evident to both of us, we can only do our best. Perfection is a fantasy. And he knows I’m his ally.
And, he thanks me often for making it taste good.
I made these last weekend. I’d been hearing about them for a few months, and finally had to try them.
Black Bean Brownies
gluten, grain, dairy (if you use the coconut oil) and salicylate free. Not low carb.
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, or 1/4 cup raw cacao powder, or 1/3 cup toasted carob powder
1 cup butter (grass fed, if possible) or coconut oil
2 cups black beans, cooked until soft and drained (canned is fine, but sprouted before cooking is the best)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or other nut of choice (I used Brazil nuts)
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup or other sweetener of choice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and line a 11"x18" pan with parchment paper. Or use greased muffin tins.
If using the chocolate, melt with the butter or oil in a double boiler. If using a powder 'chocolate' just melt the oil on the stove.
In food processor, puree the beans, vanilla, chocolate mix or powder, melted butter, salt and maple syrup, scraping down as necessary to make sure it’s all well mashed.
Whip the eggs until creamy.
Mix everything together.
Spread it in the pan or muffin tin (about 1.5 dozen muffins). Cook 30 - 40 minutes until set. Cool, then refrigerate. They will remain pretty soft until chilled.
Tell me if you make them!
My kids said the carob was their favorite, and the raw cacao their least. Tom liked the chocolate the best, and the raw cacao the least. (yes, I made all three)
The question of ‘is it worth eating’ became more acute when I had children. It soon became clear that feeding them what most other kids were eating wasn’t working. They both spit up all over everything and everyone in geysers, had chronic diarrhea, my oldest couldn’t sit still for more than a minute at a time on a good day, my youngest had intermittent diaper rash that looked like a chemical burn.
Tired of the constant smell of baby vomit, I began to read. Visited holistic health practitioners. Looked everywhere I could think of in search of something to help.
Going on an elimination diet myself to see if I could alleviate my younger son’s reflux and diaper rash in reaction to my milk, I found the answer. Hallelujah! The reflux was caused by anything with flavor. Except salt. He was okay with salt. Otherwise what worked to calm down his belly was chicken, rice, avocado and romaine lettuce. The diaper rash was caused by gluten. That’s wheat, rye, barley, and some oats.
We tried taking gluten out of my older boy’s diet, too, and found his diarrhea cleared up. We were onto something.
The discovery I wasn’t so thrilled about, came when I challenged the elimination diet to see what my youngest reacted to.
I reacted to the dairy and gluten. Immediately.
I decided to ignore it.
As my son grew older and wasn’t depending on my milk for as much of his nourishment, I began to eat more freely.
Especially as it became evident that my oldest was in need of some intervention. I eat when under stress.
He was in kindergarten at our local Waldorf school, and his teacher said she wasn’t sure how he was going to manage first grade. He wasn’t required to sit at a desk in Kindergarten, so the fact that he couldn’t focus for longer than three seconds on a task wasn’t an issue. But first grade would be a different matter.
I did an internet search using his symptoms as the parameters, and got hit after hit on ADHD. I didn’t like it. My husband didn’t believe it. But we couldn’t ignore it.
I read everything I could. My instinct is to avoid drugs whenever possible, and totally value them when they become necessary. And I wasn’t convinced that ADHD automatically equalled ritalin, or whatever other pharmaceutical was being offered kids with this diagnosis. In fact, I wasn’t even planning to tell our doctor if I could avoid it. Besides which, after all the research I was doing it became clear that ‘ADHD’ was just an umbrella diagnosis that was used for so many different issues that people could have - sensory processing issues, lack of vestibular development, sleep apnea, food intolerances... the list went on.
Fish oil, probiotics, magnesium, homeopathics, and avoiding sugar were all pieces of advice that were easily implemented. And didn’t show much results. Some, but not very dramatic.
When I shared that a glass of juice sent him careening out of his dinner seat to do manic gyrations on the living room carpet, someone recommended the Feingold program. The juice contained something called salicylates (isn’t that aspirin?), and artificial additives were likely to be problematic for him as well if he was having trouble with this compound.
I was in despair. Frustrated. Tired. I’d break into tears at the drop of a hat, unrelated to the time of the month. Why couldn’t it be simple?
But, he was my son. I’d nursed him through dire emergencies before, and I could figure this one out, too.
If you teach me, I can do anything.
Within five days of starting the program, which is a strangely restrictive elimination diet avoiding, among other things, artificial additives, peppers, cucumbers, almonds, stone fruit and berries, apples, grapes, and all derivitives of the above, he...
Calmed Down.
We almost didn’t know what to do. We’d gotten so used to this constant chaotic kinetic force in our home, it was a little bewildering at first.
About a week later his teacher said ‘what did you do to this child?’. We’d told her we were changing his diet (again), but even with that information, she couldn’t believe the dramatic results.
It took about a month or more to completely integrate the new regimen into our household. I learned to read the ingredient lists on all foods I bought. I had to shop with the Feingold shopping guide listing researched products, because so many of the offending substances were listed simply as ‘spices’ or ‘flavors’, or were used to treat the packaging and not the food itself, and so were not listed at all. A fifteen minute shopping trip became a 45 minute to one hour ordeal, with a two and six year old in tow. I was staying up until one or two in the morning every night to research. Research. Research.
I was exhausted.
But, as mentioned before, if you teach me, I can do anything. And, cook that I am, I figured out how to make it taste good.
He’s a third grader now, still on the program, and doing extremely well. He still has a ton of energy, but he’s learning how to channel it productively. He’s bright, and very present. A frighteningly talented musician.
And a touch of paprika will still send him bouncing off the first and second walls he meets, and disturb his sleep for two nights.
He’s one of my heroes. His willingness to stick with the program, and learn about himself and how to manage his energy is humbling. I don’t have half the discipline he has in terms of my own eating restrictions (remember the ‘I ignored it’ comment above). I feel sad when I reflect that he has not had the carefree childhood I would have wished for him. I wish more was in my control. I wish I had more patience with his wild edges. But the fact is evident to both of us, we can only do our best. Perfection is a fantasy. And he knows I’m his ally.
And, he thanks me often for making it taste good.
I made these last weekend. I’d been hearing about them for a few months, and finally had to try them.
Black Bean Brownies
gluten, grain, dairy (if you use the coconut oil) and salicylate free. Not low carb.
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, or 1/4 cup raw cacao powder, or 1/3 cup toasted carob powder
1 cup butter (grass fed, if possible) or coconut oil
2 cups black beans, cooked until soft and drained (canned is fine, but sprouted before cooking is the best)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or other nut of choice (I used Brazil nuts)
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup or other sweetener of choice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and line a 11"x18" pan with parchment paper. Or use greased muffin tins.
If using the chocolate, melt with the butter or oil in a double boiler. If using a powder 'chocolate' just melt the oil on the stove.
In food processor, puree the beans, vanilla, chocolate mix or powder, melted butter, salt and maple syrup, scraping down as necessary to make sure it’s all well mashed.
Whip the eggs until creamy.
Mix everything together.
Spread it in the pan or muffin tin (about 1.5 dozen muffins). Cook 30 - 40 minutes until set. Cool, then refrigerate. They will remain pretty soft until chilled.
Tell me if you make them!
My kids said the carob was their favorite, and the raw cacao their least. Tom liked the chocolate the best, and the raw cacao the least. (yes, I made all three)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Is it worth eating?
Recipe: Simple Bone Broth
Changes are often not invited. Sometimes I move into them with willingness and excitement, and sometimes I back into them, without conscious choosing.
And sometimes I’m kicking and screaming the whole way.
This culinary journey I’ve been on most of my adulthood has generally had a life of it’s own. I started out in my early twenties, with enough skills to make sandwiches and fry or scramble eggs served with toast. You know, really upscale stuff.
When my future first food employer asked me if I knew how to cook, I said, without hesitation ‘no, but if you teach me, I can do anything.’ He did a sharp double take, and told me to show up at 8 am the following morning. I didn’t know at the time that there was anything unusual about a statement like that, and I also didn’t know that I was starting a career. I was 21 years old, and I just needed a job.
Unconscious choices. Sometimes I think they’re Grace happening in the only way they can to those of us who tend to be headstrong and opinionated, and who think we’re in charge of our lives.
I was cooking to pay the bills while I was working on becoming an actress. A filmmaker. A writer. A meditation teacher. A healer. A wife. A mother.
Years later I found the common thread through it all had been - food. Creating it. Finding it’s dance. It’s life. It’s sensuality and connection to the earth and my body. Other’s bodies. The Body.
And, I surrendered to the choice that had been made, back at 21 years old. I cook. Whenever I took hiatus’ from working in my professional life, I found I could go about two weeks before I’d start craving having my hands in food. Just something with fresh herbs and butter, bright veggies, succulent meats... my imagination wouldn’t let me rest.
Once the choice became conscious, I was able to let go of the fantasy of the creative life I was going to have, or wasn’t having, and I engaged in the creative life I was living. The weight of trying to create a future was off my shoulders. And it was freeing.
And once the choice became conscious, the whole arena became conscious. Not only was it about getting it on the table, producing product, it became about honoring the product, intentionality in the process. The question was no longer only ‘does it taste good?’, but ‘is it worth eating?’.
Which brings me to nutrient dense foods. Traditional foods.
The first (actually only) classical chef I worked with was Marcel, who had worked for many years in the hotel circuit. Well into his sixties (which at 22, seemed really old) I loved hearing the stories from his youth, in the resistance in France during WWII, how to make love on a beach so no one was chafed by the sand (lessons learned while working at a hotel in Tahiti), brutal treatment from the chefs who trained him back in the day.... and I thought he was nuts because he would never throw anything away. We steamed chickens every day to make various dishes, and he would demand that the gelatinous stock in the bottom of the pot be stored in the freezer. Five days a week. Liver and heart from various animals we cooked was likewise packaged and labelled, and left in the freezer for a rainy day.
We just didn’t sell that much soup! Nothing we made for the business used organ meat.
I would throw out gallons of chicken stock on his days off.
I cringe when I think about it. Knowing how soothing stock is to my digestive system now, how nourished I feel and stable my energy is when I’m incorporating organ meat into my diet on a regular basis, I feel such remorse at the ignorant waste I participated in. Granted, the animals were not organic, certainly not pastured - but I just didn’t understand. I thought I knew everything. ‘He grew up in war time, so he has chronic poverty consciousness’... and I knew better.
I wound my way through some years of constant hunger as a vegetarian, and even a couple of years as a vegan. They were health conscious choices, using information I had at the time. And, while I believe they were very effective ways to cleanse my body of toxins collected by chemical self abuse, they were not good methods of self nourishment for me. And my body told me so, in no uncertain terms.
I use everything now. I laugh, and love Marcel as I take the bits of fat out of the cavity of the chicken and render it into schmaltz. Pour it carefully in jars. Use it to saute vegetables, brown potatoes. Cook the chicken livers in it when the chicken goes in the oven, and split (read ‘fight over’) them with my five year old. Save the carcass, the neck, the gizzard after we finish the meat and cook it down, cook it down.... but now I’m getting into the recipe.
Simple Bone Broth
Gluten and dairy free, low salicylate, and safe for candida
Bones, skin, feet and non-liver organs of chickens or other meat. Or a whole chicken.
1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice per gallon total volume of bones and water
Crack the bones if you can, using the bottom of a heavy pot. Place bones and juice in a pot or slow cooker. Add water just to cover. Soak the bones for at least an hour in the cold acidulated water.
Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Turn down to a low temperature. Ideally there should be no bubbles rising, barely any movement in the simmer. The slow cooker on low may even be too hot, but I use it anyway, it’s so easy.
Cook for 6 - 24 hours. If using a whole chicken, remove the chicken after cooking an hour or two and pull the meat from the bones to use in other recipes. Return the bones and skin to the broth and continue cooking. The longer it cooks, the more minerals will leach into the broth, making it a rich mineral supplement. Sometimes the gelatin breaks down with the longer cooking or with the higher heat, so you might lose that benefit. The bones should be crumbly to the touch, at least at the ends.
Strain. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce by half. Cool. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop the broth cubes into a zip lock bag and store in the freezer. Use in sauteeing veggies, pop a few in when cooking grains, and, of course, dilute a bit for soups. If you’ve reduced it, remember it’s concentrated. Especially if you’ve used a lot of chicken feet! They make a very dense broth.
It's delicious as it is with Celtic or Himalayan sea salt and a tablespoon of coconut oil. I sometimes have it like that for breakfast.
Changes are often not invited. Sometimes I move into them with willingness and excitement, and sometimes I back into them, without conscious choosing.
And sometimes I’m kicking and screaming the whole way.
This culinary journey I’ve been on most of my adulthood has generally had a life of it’s own. I started out in my early twenties, with enough skills to make sandwiches and fry or scramble eggs served with toast. You know, really upscale stuff.
When my future first food employer asked me if I knew how to cook, I said, without hesitation ‘no, but if you teach me, I can do anything.’ He did a sharp double take, and told me to show up at 8 am the following morning. I didn’t know at the time that there was anything unusual about a statement like that, and I also didn’t know that I was starting a career. I was 21 years old, and I just needed a job.
Unconscious choices. Sometimes I think they’re Grace happening in the only way they can to those of us who tend to be headstrong and opinionated, and who think we’re in charge of our lives.
I was cooking to pay the bills while I was working on becoming an actress. A filmmaker. A writer. A meditation teacher. A healer. A wife. A mother.
Years later I found the common thread through it all had been - food. Creating it. Finding it’s dance. It’s life. It’s sensuality and connection to the earth and my body. Other’s bodies. The Body.
And, I surrendered to the choice that had been made, back at 21 years old. I cook. Whenever I took hiatus’ from working in my professional life, I found I could go about two weeks before I’d start craving having my hands in food. Just something with fresh herbs and butter, bright veggies, succulent meats... my imagination wouldn’t let me rest.
Once the choice became conscious, I was able to let go of the fantasy of the creative life I was going to have, or wasn’t having, and I engaged in the creative life I was living. The weight of trying to create a future was off my shoulders. And it was freeing.
And once the choice became conscious, the whole arena became conscious. Not only was it about getting it on the table, producing product, it became about honoring the product, intentionality in the process. The question was no longer only ‘does it taste good?’, but ‘is it worth eating?’.
Which brings me to nutrient dense foods. Traditional foods.
The first (actually only) classical chef I worked with was Marcel, who had worked for many years in the hotel circuit. Well into his sixties (which at 22, seemed really old) I loved hearing the stories from his youth, in the resistance in France during WWII, how to make love on a beach so no one was chafed by the sand (lessons learned while working at a hotel in Tahiti), brutal treatment from the chefs who trained him back in the day.... and I thought he was nuts because he would never throw anything away. We steamed chickens every day to make various dishes, and he would demand that the gelatinous stock in the bottom of the pot be stored in the freezer. Five days a week. Liver and heart from various animals we cooked was likewise packaged and labelled, and left in the freezer for a rainy day.
We just didn’t sell that much soup! Nothing we made for the business used organ meat.
I would throw out gallons of chicken stock on his days off.
I cringe when I think about it. Knowing how soothing stock is to my digestive system now, how nourished I feel and stable my energy is when I’m incorporating organ meat into my diet on a regular basis, I feel such remorse at the ignorant waste I participated in. Granted, the animals were not organic, certainly not pastured - but I just didn’t understand. I thought I knew everything. ‘He grew up in war time, so he has chronic poverty consciousness’... and I knew better.
I wound my way through some years of constant hunger as a vegetarian, and even a couple of years as a vegan. They were health conscious choices, using information I had at the time. And, while I believe they were very effective ways to cleanse my body of toxins collected by chemical self abuse, they were not good methods of self nourishment for me. And my body told me so, in no uncertain terms.
I use everything now. I laugh, and love Marcel as I take the bits of fat out of the cavity of the chicken and render it into schmaltz. Pour it carefully in jars. Use it to saute vegetables, brown potatoes. Cook the chicken livers in it when the chicken goes in the oven, and split (read ‘fight over’) them with my five year old. Save the carcass, the neck, the gizzard after we finish the meat and cook it down, cook it down.... but now I’m getting into the recipe.
Simple Bone Broth
Gluten and dairy free, low salicylate, and safe for candida
Bones, skin, feet and non-liver organs of chickens or other meat. Or a whole chicken.
1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice per gallon total volume of bones and water
Crack the bones if you can, using the bottom of a heavy pot. Place bones and juice in a pot or slow cooker. Add water just to cover. Soak the bones for at least an hour in the cold acidulated water.
Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Turn down to a low temperature. Ideally there should be no bubbles rising, barely any movement in the simmer. The slow cooker on low may even be too hot, but I use it anyway, it’s so easy.
Cook for 6 - 24 hours. If using a whole chicken, remove the chicken after cooking an hour or two and pull the meat from the bones to use in other recipes. Return the bones and skin to the broth and continue cooking. The longer it cooks, the more minerals will leach into the broth, making it a rich mineral supplement. Sometimes the gelatin breaks down with the longer cooking or with the higher heat, so you might lose that benefit. The bones should be crumbly to the touch, at least at the ends.
Strain. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce by half. Cool. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop the broth cubes into a zip lock bag and store in the freezer. Use in sauteeing veggies, pop a few in when cooking grains, and, of course, dilute a bit for soups. If you’ve reduced it, remember it’s concentrated. Especially if you’ve used a lot of chicken feet! They make a very dense broth.
It's delicious as it is with Celtic or Himalayan sea salt and a tablespoon of coconut oil. I sometimes have it like that for breakfast.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
It’s alive!
Recipe: Gluten Free Sourdough, a la Durga
I’ve been meaning to write about sourdough for a long time now, and I keep putting it off. I’d envisioned this blog to be accessible to everyone, not just focused on special diets. Recipes that anyone might enjoy, with suggestions for those with restrictions.
Problem is, I’ve never made a ‘true’ sourdough. By the time I delved into the matter, gluten had been purged from my kitchen.
But I’m finding that I have to write about it, because I’m passionate about it. I was so excited the first time I developed a ‘homebrew’ sponge, I wrote up copious notes on it and handed it out to everyone I knew that was even vaguely considering trying a gluten free existence. I was flabbergasted that it worked! Somehow I had the impression that the wild yeasts fed on the gluten. Or that what would grow in the gluten free grains was a strange bacteria that would make us all sick. It just couldn't be that easy.
When I heard that it was possible to mail order brown rice sourdough starter, and having read methods of starting gluten sponges at home, I decided there was nothing to lose except possibly a weird slimy concoction if things went awry. What was I waiting for?
The truth is, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the methodologies. Being alive, you have to feel your way into a relationship with a sponge. It changes from house to house, batch to batch, season to season, flour blend to flour blend.
Like all living beings it’s not a perfectly controllable entity. There’s a reason baker’s yeast was developed - it’s predictable. Mix it with warm liquid, give it something to eat, and your medium has nicely risen within a couple of hours. Throw it in the oven, and within an hour your house smells like a home. End of story.
Except it’s not quite the end of the story. Turns out grains are more digestible when they’ve been sprouted, soaked in an acid medium for a number of hours and then well cooked, or allowed to ferment naturally. In any case, it takes hours. Untreated whole grains contain phytates, anti-nutrients. Hard on the gut. Part of what makes the Standard American Diet detrimental to human physiology.
White flour has been stripped of the phytates - but also of any significant nutrients that make it more than basic fuel. Truly empty calories.
Grains have only been in our diet in significant amounts for the last 10,000 years or so, which is only a small fraction of our time on the planet. We’re not really equipped to handle them untreated. Our forbears tended to either leave them in the fields, where they sprouted a bit before they were eaten, or they soaked and cooked them for long periods which also neutralizes the phytates, or.... they made sourdough, which takes 12 to 24 hours to develop and rise.
I’ve read that when baker’s yeast was first developed there were riots in France protesting the degradation of the nutritional value of the grain. It was known by the food artisans that while baker’s yeast made industrialisation of bread making possible, much of real value of the food would be lost in the process.
Many people with gluten sensitivity find that they can eat a properly prepared sourdough with less or no problems.
I’m not willing to try it. Gluten has done such a number on my system, both my intestines and my adrenals, I’m still recovering. I see no need to test possibly shark infested waters.
Besides, the GF sourdough is fun! I’ve experimented with a number of flour blends, and have one that I like currently, although knowing me, it’s likely to change. Not only am I constitutionally incapable of following other people’s recipes, I don’t follow my own much either.
I’ve been through a couple of starters and methods in the year and a half that I’ve been making it. I started with a classic method, leave the flour mix and water out at room temp in a bowl and watch it bubble and froth. It’s alive!
After awhile, my family complained that it was too, well - sour. Go figure.
So, after a bit more research, reading blogs of others who’d gone before me in the world of GF, I discovered that it was possible to keep the sponge in the refrigerator.
All the time.
It took me months to try it. I just couldn’t believe it would work. After all, the fridge is where you keep your starter when you're going on vacation for a week.
Well, it works. End result - sourdough that’s much less sour, much more kid friendly. The method that works for me is to feed the sponge between every couple of days and every week in the fridge, depending on how often I’m using it. Then either use it full strength, in which case it will rise within a couple of hours at room temp (it’s done it’s long ferment in the fridge), or just use a cup or two of the starter in the recipe. Add fresh flour mix to make up the total quantity of flour in the recipe. This rises anywhere between 8 and 24 hours, usually around 12.
By the way, you don’t have to use the sponge only for bread. We make pancakes with it every Sunday. Just feed it the night before, and use it full strength in place of the flour in your favorite recipe. Omit all or most of the milk or other liquid. (You still need the eggs....) Also omit the leavening, maybe add a half teaspoon of baking soda. Yum!
I actually use it for nearly everything I bake now. So much easier than soaking a mess of flour in lemon water, and easier to digest than using straight untreated flours.
One little piece of advice, if I may - don’t buy a starter. Don’t even get one from a friend. Although, if you insist, I’ll give you some of mine.
Make it yourself. Watch it bubble and puff, colonised with beautiful yeasts and bacteria indigenous to your very own home. From the air you’ve personally breathed. A sponge made this way is all your own.
And, if you’re making it gluten free - use some teff flour, a traditional Ethiopian grain, in your mix. Yeast LOVES teff!
Gluten Free Sourdough, a la Durga
gluten free, dairy free (if you don't use the ghee), salicylate free. egg free (if you skip the optional eggs) NOT low carb.
First make your GF flour mix. Here’s what I’m using currently, but if you have something you work with and like, use it! I highly recommend using at least some type of starch, whether potato, or tapioca, even though they’re devoid of nutrition. Your final product will suffer if you omit them. I firmly believe food should taste good as well as be good for you.
Also, you can use a pre-mixed blend, and many are very good, but if you want to keep up a sponge, you’ll end up spending lots of money. At the very least, buy the flours separately and mix them yourself. If you find you really get committed to it, you’ll want to invest in a flour mill. Well worth the money with the savings you’ll realize when buying your grains whole.
GF flour mix
3 cups garbanzo flour
1 1/2 cups white rice flour (I grind my own, and use white basmati rice)
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups teff flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
Make your starter with your GF flour mix. (Directions are the same for gluten flours, by the way, and I’ve read the recommendation to make starters with whole rye flour rather than wheat. Don't use the bread recipe below for a gluten bread - follow a traditional recipe.) Start with 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of filtered water. Mix it together in a non reactive, wide (rather than tall) container. Throw an open weave cloth over it to keep insects out, and leave it somewhere relatively warm, with a free flow of air around it. Indoors or out, depending on the season. Add a few whole organic grapes or a plum to it if possible, to take advantage of the ‘bloom’ of yeast on their skins.
Every day for a week, stir in a cup of flour and enough water to keep it fairly loose. If you find a bit of mold on the surface, scrape it off and feed it again. It will go through changes, from bubbly, to puffy and smooth, to flat and inactive, separating from the liquid. As long as things smell somewhere in the range of mild, tart, yeasty, intense, even a little farty, it’s all good - if you find it’s really slimy and you want to gag when you smell it, pitch it and start over. Feed and stir it more often if you find that’s happened.
After a week, it’s colonized. If you’re going for a less sour product, start keeping it in the fridge. Feed it anywhere from every day to every week. I’ve left it longer and had it recover once I started feeding it again. If you like sour, just continue to feed it every day at room temperature. Freeze it if you need a break from your new pet.
Okay, now for the bread -
6 cups GF sourdough sponge (or 2 cups of sponge and 4 cups of GF flour mix. You’ll need to add more water if you use the flour)
3 eggs (optional)
2 tablespoons molasses, coconut or date sugar
1/3 cup melted ghee, olive oil, butter, or other saturated or monounsaturated oil (coconut oil not recommended)
1 scant tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup seeds, nuts or whole grain of choice; one or mix of sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, chopped walnut or pecans, millet, GF oats...
Warm water or choice of fruit juice as needed (pear juice if salicylates are an issue), will depend on the consistency of your starter, and whether you use it full strength.
Mix the seeds or whole grains, dry flour mix if using, salt, coconut or date sugar (if using) and xanthan gum thoroughly in a bowl.
Mix the eggs, molasses (if using) and oil in the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment.
Mix in the sponge on low. (I recommend bringing your sponge to room temperature if it’s been in the fridge - you can do this quickly by nesting a bowl in a second bowl of warm water and mixing your sponge in the top bowl for a couple of minutes.)
Mix in the dry ingredients. Add water or juice as needed.
Mix on high speed for three and a half minutes. This dough is really a thick batter, should not make a traditional dough ball, but should stick to the sides of the bowl and be fairly wet. Add liquid or GF flour mix as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Split between 3 - 4 small or 2 larger greased and white rice floured glass loaf pans, filled about 1/2 - 3/4 full. You can make a couple of rolls in a muffin tin if you have extra batter. Let rise in a warm, moist place until increased by about 1/4 to 1/2, about 2 to 24 hours depending on whether you use starter full strength or add mostly fresh flour, temperature of your sponge and area it is rising in.
Slash the top of your loaves with a knife so if your loaves rise more in the oven, it won't force the top of your loaf to separate from the rest.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour and fifteen minutes, depending on the size of your loaves. Test with toothpick, or by thunking it with your finger and listening for a hollow sound. If you cut into it and there are doughy spots, cook it longer.
Remove from pans to cool on a cooling rack. When cooled, slice with a serrated knife and freeze immediately. Put slices in the toaster to defrost, or spritz the whole loaf with a bit of water, wrap in tin foil and warm in an oven for 20 minutes.
Note: This bread will dry out fairly quickly if not frozen.
Makes 2 large or 3 - 4 smaller loaves.
Let me know if you try it!
I’ve been meaning to write about sourdough for a long time now, and I keep putting it off. I’d envisioned this blog to be accessible to everyone, not just focused on special diets. Recipes that anyone might enjoy, with suggestions for those with restrictions.
Problem is, I’ve never made a ‘true’ sourdough. By the time I delved into the matter, gluten had been purged from my kitchen.
But I’m finding that I have to write about it, because I’m passionate about it. I was so excited the first time I developed a ‘homebrew’ sponge, I wrote up copious notes on it and handed it out to everyone I knew that was even vaguely considering trying a gluten free existence. I was flabbergasted that it worked! Somehow I had the impression that the wild yeasts fed on the gluten. Or that what would grow in the gluten free grains was a strange bacteria that would make us all sick. It just couldn't be that easy.
When I heard that it was possible to mail order brown rice sourdough starter, and having read methods of starting gluten sponges at home, I decided there was nothing to lose except possibly a weird slimy concoction if things went awry. What was I waiting for?
The truth is, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the methodologies. Being alive, you have to feel your way into a relationship with a sponge. It changes from house to house, batch to batch, season to season, flour blend to flour blend.
Like all living beings it’s not a perfectly controllable entity. There’s a reason baker’s yeast was developed - it’s predictable. Mix it with warm liquid, give it something to eat, and your medium has nicely risen within a couple of hours. Throw it in the oven, and within an hour your house smells like a home. End of story.
Except it’s not quite the end of the story. Turns out grains are more digestible when they’ve been sprouted, soaked in an acid medium for a number of hours and then well cooked, or allowed to ferment naturally. In any case, it takes hours. Untreated whole grains contain phytates, anti-nutrients. Hard on the gut. Part of what makes the Standard American Diet detrimental to human physiology.
White flour has been stripped of the phytates - but also of any significant nutrients that make it more than basic fuel. Truly empty calories.
Grains have only been in our diet in significant amounts for the last 10,000 years or so, which is only a small fraction of our time on the planet. We’re not really equipped to handle them untreated. Our forbears tended to either leave them in the fields, where they sprouted a bit before they were eaten, or they soaked and cooked them for long periods which also neutralizes the phytates, or.... they made sourdough, which takes 12 to 24 hours to develop and rise.
I’ve read that when baker’s yeast was first developed there were riots in France protesting the degradation of the nutritional value of the grain. It was known by the food artisans that while baker’s yeast made industrialisation of bread making possible, much of real value of the food would be lost in the process.
Many people with gluten sensitivity find that they can eat a properly prepared sourdough with less or no problems.
I’m not willing to try it. Gluten has done such a number on my system, both my intestines and my adrenals, I’m still recovering. I see no need to test possibly shark infested waters.
Besides, the GF sourdough is fun! I’ve experimented with a number of flour blends, and have one that I like currently, although knowing me, it’s likely to change. Not only am I constitutionally incapable of following other people’s recipes, I don’t follow my own much either.
I’ve been through a couple of starters and methods in the year and a half that I’ve been making it. I started with a classic method, leave the flour mix and water out at room temp in a bowl and watch it bubble and froth. It’s alive!
After awhile, my family complained that it was too, well - sour. Go figure.
So, after a bit more research, reading blogs of others who’d gone before me in the world of GF, I discovered that it was possible to keep the sponge in the refrigerator.
All the time.
It took me months to try it. I just couldn’t believe it would work. After all, the fridge is where you keep your starter when you're going on vacation for a week.
Well, it works. End result - sourdough that’s much less sour, much more kid friendly. The method that works for me is to feed the sponge between every couple of days and every week in the fridge, depending on how often I’m using it. Then either use it full strength, in which case it will rise within a couple of hours at room temp (it’s done it’s long ferment in the fridge), or just use a cup or two of the starter in the recipe. Add fresh flour mix to make up the total quantity of flour in the recipe. This rises anywhere between 8 and 24 hours, usually around 12.
By the way, you don’t have to use the sponge only for bread. We make pancakes with it every Sunday. Just feed it the night before, and use it full strength in place of the flour in your favorite recipe. Omit all or most of the milk or other liquid. (You still need the eggs....) Also omit the leavening, maybe add a half teaspoon of baking soda. Yum!
I actually use it for nearly everything I bake now. So much easier than soaking a mess of flour in lemon water, and easier to digest than using straight untreated flours.
One little piece of advice, if I may - don’t buy a starter. Don’t even get one from a friend. Although, if you insist, I’ll give you some of mine.
Make it yourself. Watch it bubble and puff, colonised with beautiful yeasts and bacteria indigenous to your very own home. From the air you’ve personally breathed. A sponge made this way is all your own.
And, if you’re making it gluten free - use some teff flour, a traditional Ethiopian grain, in your mix. Yeast LOVES teff!
Gluten Free Sourdough, a la Durga
gluten free, dairy free (if you don't use the ghee), salicylate free. egg free (if you skip the optional eggs) NOT low carb.
First make your GF flour mix. Here’s what I’m using currently, but if you have something you work with and like, use it! I highly recommend using at least some type of starch, whether potato, or tapioca, even though they’re devoid of nutrition. Your final product will suffer if you omit them. I firmly believe food should taste good as well as be good for you.
Also, you can use a pre-mixed blend, and many are very good, but if you want to keep up a sponge, you’ll end up spending lots of money. At the very least, buy the flours separately and mix them yourself. If you find you really get committed to it, you’ll want to invest in a flour mill. Well worth the money with the savings you’ll realize when buying your grains whole.
GF flour mix
3 cups garbanzo flour
1 1/2 cups white rice flour (I grind my own, and use white basmati rice)
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups teff flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
Make your starter with your GF flour mix. (Directions are the same for gluten flours, by the way, and I’ve read the recommendation to make starters with whole rye flour rather than wheat. Don't use the bread recipe below for a gluten bread - follow a traditional recipe.) Start with 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of filtered water. Mix it together in a non reactive, wide (rather than tall) container. Throw an open weave cloth over it to keep insects out, and leave it somewhere relatively warm, with a free flow of air around it. Indoors or out, depending on the season. Add a few whole organic grapes or a plum to it if possible, to take advantage of the ‘bloom’ of yeast on their skins.
Every day for a week, stir in a cup of flour and enough water to keep it fairly loose. If you find a bit of mold on the surface, scrape it off and feed it again. It will go through changes, from bubbly, to puffy and smooth, to flat and inactive, separating from the liquid. As long as things smell somewhere in the range of mild, tart, yeasty, intense, even a little farty, it’s all good - if you find it’s really slimy and you want to gag when you smell it, pitch it and start over. Feed and stir it more often if you find that’s happened.
After a week, it’s colonized. If you’re going for a less sour product, start keeping it in the fridge. Feed it anywhere from every day to every week. I’ve left it longer and had it recover once I started feeding it again. If you like sour, just continue to feed it every day at room temperature. Freeze it if you need a break from your new pet.
Okay, now for the bread -
6 cups GF sourdough sponge (or 2 cups of sponge and 4 cups of GF flour mix. You’ll need to add more water if you use the flour)
3 eggs (optional)
2 tablespoons molasses, coconut or date sugar
1/3 cup melted ghee, olive oil, butter, or other saturated or monounsaturated oil (coconut oil not recommended)
1 scant tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup seeds, nuts or whole grain of choice; one or mix of sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, chopped walnut or pecans, millet, GF oats...
Warm water or choice of fruit juice as needed (pear juice if salicylates are an issue), will depend on the consistency of your starter, and whether you use it full strength.
Mix the seeds or whole grains, dry flour mix if using, salt, coconut or date sugar (if using) and xanthan gum thoroughly in a bowl.
Mix the eggs, molasses (if using) and oil in the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment.
Mix in the sponge on low. (I recommend bringing your sponge to room temperature if it’s been in the fridge - you can do this quickly by nesting a bowl in a second bowl of warm water and mixing your sponge in the top bowl for a couple of minutes.)
Mix in the dry ingredients. Add water or juice as needed.
Mix on high speed for three and a half minutes. This dough is really a thick batter, should not make a traditional dough ball, but should stick to the sides of the bowl and be fairly wet. Add liquid or GF flour mix as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Split between 3 - 4 small or 2 larger greased and white rice floured glass loaf pans, filled about 1/2 - 3/4 full. You can make a couple of rolls in a muffin tin if you have extra batter. Let rise in a warm, moist place until increased by about 1/4 to 1/2, about 2 to 24 hours depending on whether you use starter full strength or add mostly fresh flour, temperature of your sponge and area it is rising in.
Slash the top of your loaves with a knife so if your loaves rise more in the oven, it won't force the top of your loaf to separate from the rest.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour and fifteen minutes, depending on the size of your loaves. Test with toothpick, or by thunking it with your finger and listening for a hollow sound. If you cut into it and there are doughy spots, cook it longer.
Remove from pans to cool on a cooling rack. When cooled, slice with a serrated knife and freeze immediately. Put slices in the toaster to defrost, or spritz the whole loaf with a bit of water, wrap in tin foil and warm in an oven for 20 minutes.
Note: This bread will dry out fairly quickly if not frozen.
Makes 2 large or 3 - 4 smaller loaves.
Let me know if you try it!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
These little earthy pearls
Recipe: Lentils and Onions
Beans are funny. I can’t say I really love beans - I find them interesting in certain dishes, tasty in others, but I never find myself thinking - ‘God, it’s been too long! I want some beans for dinner!!!’
My appreciation for beans runs more along the lines of:
‘We’ve been eating heavy foods for a few days now, let’s go for something lighter’. This is usually in my husband’s voice.
‘We’ve been spending lots of money on meals, let’s have a cheap one.’ Hmmm, this could be in my husband's voice, too.
‘I forgot to defrost the chicken/lamb/beef I’d wanted to have for dinner, lentils cook quick and easy.’
As I’m learning more about traditional diets, I’ve been fine tuning my approach to these little earthy pearls. I’m not fond of intestinal discomfort, but just figured it came with the territory. I’d tried soaking, adding Kombu (seaweed) to the cooking water, ginger, asafoetida - and honestly none of it really worked. I’ve tried all of the above at one time, and I can say that the results were better than cooking a pot of beans from raw without soaking, but it never completely got rid of the gas.
When I was first introduced to the new/old approach outlined in the cookbook ‘Nourishing Traditions’, I soaked beans overnight with a little lemon juice, added all the amendments listed above, and then cooked them long and slow, six to eight hours. The acid soak and long cooking helps convert anti-nutrients in the raw bean. (For more about the science of perfect bean cooking go to http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.html.) I’m not a scientist, and most of the details of why go in and out of my head fairly quickly.
But, honestly, it was a headache! Soak first in boiling water poured over the beans, add lemon juice. After soaking eight hours, drain, add fresh water, bring to a boil, skim off the scum, and simmer for six hours. Keep skimming off any scum that develops, make sure they don’t stick, make sure the liquid doesn’t boil away. Cook them longer if you can. Change the water a couple of times.
Who has time? I’m fine with learning to plan ahead, but having to be on hand for hours to make sure something doesn’t boil dry or stick to the bottom of the pot and burn is just a bit more ‘back to the old days’ than I’ve got in me. Unless you've got a slow cooker - but we're off the grid, so heating elements are anathema.
I tried a few times. I’d make big batches and freeze a few mason jars full to use in future dishes. I told myself it was workable, for the pleasure of not having to pay for hours after each meal with a bloated belly, and knowing that we were absorbing as much of the nutrients from our food as possible. And it really worked to reduce gas - unless I added a bunch of garlic - but that’s another topic.
I finally realized I was making things much more complicated than needed when I was again researching the science of why, and one of the articles I read casually mentioned that sprouting beans would get rid of the phytates, and create vitamin C and other desirable nutritional changes.
Well, duh. Why was I cooking these things for hours, when I could sprout them and cook them for about 15 minutes or less in most cases?
It works like a dream. Takes a little more planning than before - I soak beans in cold water in a mason jar beginning at least the morning of the day before I plan to cook them. Soak for 6 to 8 hours, then drain. It’s helpful to have a sprouting screen for your jar, but I’ve set them to drain in a colander with a flour sack cloth towel thrown over it, too. Rinse every six to eight hours. By the next afternoon you should see little sprouts poking out. Lentils take less time to sprout, I usually start them the night before rather than the morning before use. At this point they cook extremely quickly, compared to what you’d expect with ‘normal’ practices, and they don’t need the hours of simmering to take care of gas producing elements. You can cook them briefly in stir fries if you like a firmer texture, or cook them longer for a traditional softness, as you would use any bean in a recipe. Flavor’s great.
Funny thing, I’m more excited about eating these beans than before. There’s something about knowing they’re alive and growing before I cook them. A bit akin to the joy of cooking and eating produce fresh from the garden within minutes of picking. The connection to food’s vitality becomes more palpable. I can feel it’s aliveness when I’ve watched it sprout, coming to life before my very eyes.
I’m not sure why there’s so much written about the slower, more labor intensive method. And I’ve found that I don’t really have to plan ahead so precisely if I just put a jar of whatever bean or legume I haven’t cooked for a while to soak and sprout, and when they’re barely sprouted, pop the jar in the fridge, (making sure they go in the fridge after a period of draining rather than after just rinsing or they’ll get slimy). I usually have a couple or three days leeway to cook them, so I can still be bit spontaneous with my meal planning. I’ve prepared lentils, black beans, chick peas, and black eyed peas this way, with great results. And zero gas (unless I’ve put in garlic and onions....).
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the package of kombu, and couple bottles of ground asafoetida I have hanging around now. I’m sure there’s some other use for them.
The recipe is an adaptation (actually combines ideas from two different recipes) from Deborah Madison’s ‘Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone’. For a decidedly non-vegetarian household, I cook from this book a lot. It’s a great resource, over 1400 recipes using vegetarian ingredients, with a lot of info about how to buy, what to look for, etc. I’m characterologically incapable of following a recipe, but I get lots of inspiration from cookbooks, and this is one well worth investing in. You can add meat on the side of almost anything if you like.
Lentils and Onions
gluten free, dairy free (if you don't use the ghee), egg free (if you omit the eggs) salicylate free. NOT low carb.
1 cup (dry measure) french green lentils, slightly sprouted (this will expand to nearly twice the dry measure. Use it all.)
1/4 cup or more extra virgin olive oil, or olive oil and ghee (dairy) mixed (Don’t try to reduce this amount of fat or you’ll lose a lot of the flavor.)
2 - 3 yellow onions, sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch chard, washed and sliced in 1/2 inch ribbons
choice of mineral salt and pepper to taste
4 organic, free range hard boiled eggs, (optional) chopped roughly
Boil sprouted lentils until just cooked, 10 - 15 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
While the lentils are cooking, fry the onion rounds with a little salt and pepper over medium heat in oil, or oil and ghee mix, until browned, in a wide, heavy bottomed, cast iron or good quality stainless steel pan. Reserve on the side, leaving whatever oil hasn’t been absorbed in the pan.
Adding more oil if needed, add garlic and fry for a minute. Add the chard. Cook until softened. Add lentils and cook briefly to incorporate the flavors, using some of the reserved liquid if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix half of the fried onions through the dish, and spread the remainder over the top. Scatter the boiled egg over it all.
Serve with basmati rice, preferably cooked with ghee and chicken stock. Nice with toasted sourdough bread, and salad.
Serves four.
Beans are funny. I can’t say I really love beans - I find them interesting in certain dishes, tasty in others, but I never find myself thinking - ‘God, it’s been too long! I want some beans for dinner!!!’
My appreciation for beans runs more along the lines of:
‘We’ve been eating heavy foods for a few days now, let’s go for something lighter’. This is usually in my husband’s voice.
‘We’ve been spending lots of money on meals, let’s have a cheap one.’ Hmmm, this could be in my husband's voice, too.
‘I forgot to defrost the chicken/lamb/beef I’d wanted to have for dinner, lentils cook quick and easy.’
As I’m learning more about traditional diets, I’ve been fine tuning my approach to these little earthy pearls. I’m not fond of intestinal discomfort, but just figured it came with the territory. I’d tried soaking, adding Kombu (seaweed) to the cooking water, ginger, asafoetida - and honestly none of it really worked. I’ve tried all of the above at one time, and I can say that the results were better than cooking a pot of beans from raw without soaking, but it never completely got rid of the gas.
When I was first introduced to the new/old approach outlined in the cookbook ‘Nourishing Traditions’, I soaked beans overnight with a little lemon juice, added all the amendments listed above, and then cooked them long and slow, six to eight hours. The acid soak and long cooking helps convert anti-nutrients in the raw bean. (For more about the science of perfect bean cooking go to http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.html.) I’m not a scientist, and most of the details of why go in and out of my head fairly quickly.
But, honestly, it was a headache! Soak first in boiling water poured over the beans, add lemon juice. After soaking eight hours, drain, add fresh water, bring to a boil, skim off the scum, and simmer for six hours. Keep skimming off any scum that develops, make sure they don’t stick, make sure the liquid doesn’t boil away. Cook them longer if you can. Change the water a couple of times.
Who has time? I’m fine with learning to plan ahead, but having to be on hand for hours to make sure something doesn’t boil dry or stick to the bottom of the pot and burn is just a bit more ‘back to the old days’ than I’ve got in me. Unless you've got a slow cooker - but we're off the grid, so heating elements are anathema.
I tried a few times. I’d make big batches and freeze a few mason jars full to use in future dishes. I told myself it was workable, for the pleasure of not having to pay for hours after each meal with a bloated belly, and knowing that we were absorbing as much of the nutrients from our food as possible. And it really worked to reduce gas - unless I added a bunch of garlic - but that’s another topic.
I finally realized I was making things much more complicated than needed when I was again researching the science of why, and one of the articles I read casually mentioned that sprouting beans would get rid of the phytates, and create vitamin C and other desirable nutritional changes.
Well, duh. Why was I cooking these things for hours, when I could sprout them and cook them for about 15 minutes or less in most cases?
It works like a dream. Takes a little more planning than before - I soak beans in cold water in a mason jar beginning at least the morning of the day before I plan to cook them. Soak for 6 to 8 hours, then drain. It’s helpful to have a sprouting screen for your jar, but I’ve set them to drain in a colander with a flour sack cloth towel thrown over it, too. Rinse every six to eight hours. By the next afternoon you should see little sprouts poking out. Lentils take less time to sprout, I usually start them the night before rather than the morning before use. At this point they cook extremely quickly, compared to what you’d expect with ‘normal’ practices, and they don’t need the hours of simmering to take care of gas producing elements. You can cook them briefly in stir fries if you like a firmer texture, or cook them longer for a traditional softness, as you would use any bean in a recipe. Flavor’s great.
Funny thing, I’m more excited about eating these beans than before. There’s something about knowing they’re alive and growing before I cook them. A bit akin to the joy of cooking and eating produce fresh from the garden within minutes of picking. The connection to food’s vitality becomes more palpable. I can feel it’s aliveness when I’ve watched it sprout, coming to life before my very eyes.
I’m not sure why there’s so much written about the slower, more labor intensive method. And I’ve found that I don’t really have to plan ahead so precisely if I just put a jar of whatever bean or legume I haven’t cooked for a while to soak and sprout, and when they’re barely sprouted, pop the jar in the fridge, (making sure they go in the fridge after a period of draining rather than after just rinsing or they’ll get slimy). I usually have a couple or three days leeway to cook them, so I can still be bit spontaneous with my meal planning. I’ve prepared lentils, black beans, chick peas, and black eyed peas this way, with great results. And zero gas (unless I’ve put in garlic and onions....).
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the package of kombu, and couple bottles of ground asafoetida I have hanging around now. I’m sure there’s some other use for them.
The recipe is an adaptation (actually combines ideas from two different recipes) from Deborah Madison’s ‘Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone’. For a decidedly non-vegetarian household, I cook from this book a lot. It’s a great resource, over 1400 recipes using vegetarian ingredients, with a lot of info about how to buy, what to look for, etc. I’m characterologically incapable of following a recipe, but I get lots of inspiration from cookbooks, and this is one well worth investing in. You can add meat on the side of almost anything if you like.
Lentils and Onions
gluten free, dairy free (if you don't use the ghee), egg free (if you omit the eggs) salicylate free. NOT low carb.
1 cup (dry measure) french green lentils, slightly sprouted (this will expand to nearly twice the dry measure. Use it all.)
1/4 cup or more extra virgin olive oil, or olive oil and ghee (dairy) mixed (Don’t try to reduce this amount of fat or you’ll lose a lot of the flavor.)
2 - 3 yellow onions, sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch chard, washed and sliced in 1/2 inch ribbons
choice of mineral salt and pepper to taste
4 organic, free range hard boiled eggs, (optional) chopped roughly
Boil sprouted lentils until just cooked, 10 - 15 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
While the lentils are cooking, fry the onion rounds with a little salt and pepper over medium heat in oil, or oil and ghee mix, until browned, in a wide, heavy bottomed, cast iron or good quality stainless steel pan. Reserve on the side, leaving whatever oil hasn’t been absorbed in the pan.
Adding more oil if needed, add garlic and fry for a minute. Add the chard. Cook until softened. Add lentils and cook briefly to incorporate the flavors, using some of the reserved liquid if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix half of the fried onions through the dish, and spread the remainder over the top. Scatter the boiled egg over it all.
Serve with basmati rice, preferably cooked with ghee and chicken stock. Nice with toasted sourdough bread, and salad.
Serves four.
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