Back when I lived in Palo Alto, spring farmer's markets were pungent. Our farmers came in from Watsonville (awesome strawberries) and Gilroy (garlic capital of the world). You could smell that garlic blocks away! Spring garlic is a younger garlic with a milder flavor. I typically use it in recipes where the rest of the year I would use scallions, shallots, or green onions, to shift the flavor in a slightly different direction…one that always signifies spring.
If you are a gardener, growing your own spring garlic is easy. Simply plant your garlic very close together, and harvest as a way to thin them out, letting the rest mature into the more popular mature garlic.
We've been getting spring garlic in our shares for a few months now. Our first garlic almost looked like green onions, but last week's batch started to show the beginnings of cloves in the buds. Aren't they beautiful?
I decided to use a couple of them to make my new favorite salad topping, spring garlic crispies.
I was getting ready to saute some kale which I would scramble eggs. I heated up the olive oil and threw in a minced head of spring garlic. Only instead of just barely browning them, and leaving them in the oil to cook with the kale, I fried them to a crisp and removed them.
Then I sprinkled some on top of the finished eggs and kale. The kale was cooked in garlic-flavored olive oil, and topped with more garlic. And was it ever tasty!
These little crispies are the greatest addition to salads, sandwiches, cooked vegetables…give it a try! I have become fond of whole wheat toast with slices of roasted beets, sprinkled with goat cheese, and topped with garlic crunchies. Try it! Definitely my new spring flavor!
Spring garlic is most typically found at farmer's markets or small grocers. Look for it…or mark your garden calendar with a reminder to plant your own next year.
Have you ever heard of Freekeh? I had not, until this past spring at Natural Products West. It is a roasted green wheat that originated in the Middle East. Like quinoa and farro, it is higher in protein than traditional grain products. It also has a relatively low glycemic index. Freekeh has been a bit of an underground favorite, but has recently been showing up in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It is great in pilafs and all things Mediterranean, simply use as the grain base in your favorite recipe. However, if you'd prefer, I'm posting a couple of recipes I found here for you to try. Here is a simple Freekeh breakfast recipe provided by the Greenwheat Freekeh people. You can also buy their product online " />
buy their product online if you can't find it in your local grocer. Freekeh(TM) Breakfast 1 or 2 Granny smith apples one box of 400gm Freekeh cinnamon any dried fruit you like (ie raisins and apricots) as much as you like. Method First cook the whole grain Freekeh (or cracked grain Freekeh for some variation). All you need to do is to empty the whole box of grains in a pot and cover with water plus a little more (Freekeh cannot be over cooked and is very resilient). Cook for about 35 minutes or so until the grains are soft. If using cracked Freekeh only cook for about 15-20 minutes. (One other possibility is instead of cooking the Freekeh to simply soak it overnight in the fridge with water with a towel on top) While waiting for the grains to cook, chop and dice one or two apples (no need to peel, and Granny smith are best). Place the diced apples in a dry pot on low heat and stir for about 1 -2 minutes. Add only less than 1 teaspoon of water. Add cinnamon and stir for one more minute. Wash as many dried fruits as you like (dried apricots and raisins are good) and add to the apples. Stir for 1 more minute or so. Tip the fruit mixture over the already cooked grains and mix well. Let cool. Place in the fridge. The breakfast cereal should keep for 10 days or even more. To eat. Take a scoop or two of the mixture add some milk and put some wallnuts or cashew nuts or both on top. Heat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and place a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the middle. In the summer you do not need to heat in the microwave and only use the yogurt without the milk… but then again you may come up with new variations to this recipe! From Bon Appetit Magazine comes this recipe for Chicken with Kale and Freekeh-Lentil Pilaf Ingredients Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 1/2 cup Sherry vinegar 2 small garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons finely chopped Hunza raisins 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Kosher salt Pilaf and Chicken 4 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided 1 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2"-thick cutlets Kosher salt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 garlic clove, smashed 1 pound kale, large center ribs and stems removed, torn into pieces 1 cup cooked freekeh 1 cup cooked lentils Preparation Vinaigrette Stir cumin in a small dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add vinegar and garlic. Let stand for 30 seconds. Transfer to a blender; add oil and next 3 ingredients. Purée. Season with salt. Pilaf and Chicken Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt. Working in 2 batches and adding 1 Tbsp. oil between batches, cook chicken in single layers until browned on both sides and just cooked through, 2–3minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Remove pan from heat; add 1/4 cup water. Stir, scraping up browned bits. Whisk in 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Scrape sauce into a bowl. Melt butter with 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown, 1–2 minutes. Discard garlic. Working in 3 batches and adding more oil as needed, add kale to skillet and toss until wilted, 1–2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large bowl. Season lightly with salt. Cover to keep warm. Add freekeh and lentils to same skillet. Increase heat; stir until warm, 2–3 minutes. Spoon pilaf onto plates. Top with chicken. Whisk juices from plate with chicken into sauce; drizzle over chicken and pilaf. Top with kale.
I just received an email from a client who noticed that every time she added flaxseed oil to her diet, she started to wheeze. We checked online, and sure enough, some people can be allergic to flaxseed. Here are some of the common symptoms of flaxseed allergy.
For anyone who is trying to increase their omega-3's, this can pose a challenge, since the vast majority of foods in the grocery store labeled as omega-3 supplemented contain flaxseed as the omega-3 source. If it turns out you are a flax-allergic person, be extra sure you read those labels!
ALA, the primary omega-3 in flaxseed oil, is not a substitute for fish oil; it has completely different and essential functions. A good way to think of it is that EPA and DHA from fish oil provide the"meat" of the structure of your brain and nerve cells, while ALA acts kind of like"rustproofing", keeping all that DHA and EPA in place that you worked so hard to get in the diet. They both need each other present in order for maximum effectiveness.
Here are some ideas for getting more omega-3's in the diet.
1. Other foods containing ALA include
Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Canola oil Edamame Kale Parsley Pecans Pumpkin seeds Spinach Spring greens Tempeh Tofu
One reason I have not included walnuts, which are typically the first vegetarian food recommended to increase omega-3 intake, is that the omega-6 content is so high that it is mathematically impossible to improve an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio when using them. I love walnuts and think they have some great nutritional benefits for PCOS, but in the rare and special case of a flaxseed allergy, it may not be a food that you would want to eat in large quantities. (I'm working on a pro-walnut post for a later date for you curious types!) Here are some practical ways to incorporate the foods above into your diet.
1. Know your nuts! The nuts with (a) the best omega-3 levels and (2) the best overall ratios of healthy to unhealthy fats include: macadamia, hazelnut, pecan, pine, and pistachio. Those are the nuts you should be using with the most frequency in your snacking and cooking. If you like nut-encrusted fish and pesto sauce…you're in luck! You can also throw nuts in your coffee grinder to make nut powders, which can be added to waffles, pancakes, baked goods, smoothies, and salad dressings. They'll give your creations a little bit of a gourmet twist!
2. Use shredded cabbage in your tacos instead of shredded lettuce. That's how they do it in Mexico…and it's the perfect topping for a fish taco!
3. Get in the habit of throwing a handful of dark greens--kale, spinach, parsley--into your smoothies. You won't even taste them.
4. Pumpkin seeds, like nuts, are easily added to trail mix, thrown on salads, soups, and hot cereals, and ground to include in your encrustings.
5. Cook with canola oil.
6. I've included the three types of soybean that are not tough on thyroid--edamame, tofu, and tempeh. Edamame is a fun snack when popped out of the shell, tofu and tempeh can be the basis for a meatless meal.
7. If you like pesto, you may want to try chimichurri, another parsley-based sauce that I call"South American pesto". It is wonderful on grilled meats and easy to make! I've seen ready made varieties in the grocery store.
8. Be extra careful about omega-6 fatty acids. The less of those in your diet, the less omega-3 you will need to counter their inflammatory influence. For review, except for canola, which is ok, minimize your use of oils beginning with the letters"s" and"c"…safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed. (The reason soy as a food is ok while soybean oil is not, is because the ratio of omega-6 jumps up when you extract and use only the fat and do not buffer it with the meat of the soybean.)
Here are a couple of recipes for you, one for chimicurri sauce, and one for a tasty squash/kale/whole wheat lasagna I tested out this week.
It just takes a little creative thinking to find ways around a flaxseed allergy. Hopefully some of the suggesstions I'm providing turn out to be favorites in your home!
Spinach Kale Whole Wheat Lasagna (from Sunset Magazine, February 2008)
Note: I couldn't find whole wheat lasagna noodles in my store so I bought whole wheat egg noodles and layered them with the other ingredients to make a casserole. It was great! Prep and Cook Time: about 2 hours. Notes: You can assemble and chill the lasagna a day ahead, but add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time. You can also freeze the lasagna, wrapped well in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month and bake it frozen (add 1 1/4 hours to the oven time).
Yield Makes 8 servings
Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced 3 peeled garlic cloves (1 minced, 2 left whole) 2 cans (14 oz. each) crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried oregano About 1 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided 6 cups (about 2 lbs.) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. cubes 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 pound Lacinato kale (often sold as dinosaur or Tuscan kale) 9 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 8 oz.) (Often, whole wheat pastas are made with flax…be sure to read your labels!)1 container (15 oz.) part-skim-milk ricotta cheese 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 2- to 3-qt. pot over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thick and flavors are combined, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. While sauce is cooking, in a 12- by 15-in. baking pan, sprinkle squash with thyme, remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cloves and toss squash mixture to coat with oil. Bake until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 3 qts. salted water to a boil in a large pot.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor and purée until smooth.
4. Tear kale leaves from center ribs and discard ribs. Boil leaves until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain; let cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible and chop finely.
5. In the same pot, bring another 3 qts. salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water.
6. In a bowl, mix ricotta, nutmeg, 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.
7. Coat the bottom of a 9- by 13-in. pan with 1/3 of tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups). Lay 3 noodles in a single layer over sauce. Top noodles with squash, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 of kale evenly over squash. Arrange 3 more noodles on kale and top with ricotta, spreading evenly. Top with remaining kale and noodles. Cover noodles with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
8. Bake lasagna until juices are bubbling and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce from Epicurious.com
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced shallot 3/4 teaaspoon hot red-pepper flakes 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 4 (6- to 8-ounce) halibut steaks (3/4 to 1 inch thick) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, shallot, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper until salt has dissolved. Stir in parsley. Let chimichurri stand 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).
Pat fish dry, then brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (total).
Oil grill rack, then grill fish, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total.
Serve fish drizzled with some of chimichurri; serve remainder on the side.
Cooks' notes: ·Halibut can be cooked in a hot oiled large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over medium heat. ·Chimichurri can be made 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
Fenugreek you say? What the heck is fenugreek? It's a spice popular in India, northern Africa, and the Middle East that has multiple benefits for PCOS:
--it can lower your lipids --it can help to control blood sugar --it can help improve milk production in women who have trouble breastfeeding --antioxidant action in the face of high blood glucose
In women struggling with lactation, fenugreek tea (made with the leaves of the plant) has been found to be beneficial. The Fenugreek spice has been added to flour to provide functional properties and it has found to be beneficial in this format as well.
And since we're on the topic of hair loss this week, here's an Ayurvedic remedy using Fenugreek:
Mix ground fenugreed seeds with water and yogurt to make a paste. Rub into hair and wash after 30 minutes.
I'm giving you two recipes, the first one from India, and the second one from Ethiopia. If you like spicy foods, you're going to love adding this herb/spice to your culinary creations!
Methi Murgh (fenugreek chicken) from allrecipes.com
Ingredients 1/4 cup cooking oil 1 (4 to 6 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (skin removed and discarded) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 cinnamon stick 1 black cardamom pod 4 whole cloves 1 large onion, sliced thin 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 4 green chile peppers, halved lengthwise 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach 1/2 cup chopped fresh fenugreek leaves 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper salt to taste 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Directions
1.Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat; brown the chicken pieces evenly on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from cooker and set aside. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom pod, cloves, onion slices, ginger-garlic paste, and green chile peppers to the pressure cooker and cook until the onions are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the spinach, fresh fenugreek leaves, dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric, red pepper, and salt into the mixture and cook until the spinach and fenugreek leaves begin to wilt and darken in color, about 5 minutes. Pour the water over the mixture and return the chicken pieces to the pressure cooker; bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
2.Fasten the lid on the pressure cooker; cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Release pressure fully and remove the lid; sprinkle the garam masala over the dish. Cook and stir until the liquid thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Berbere — spiced lentil stew from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant
In a small frying pan, on medium-low heat, toast the cumin, whole cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, fenugreek, and coriander for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Discard the stems from the chiles. In a spice grinder or wtih a mortar and pestle, finely grind together the toasted spices and the chiles. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Store Berbere refrigerated in a well-sealed jar or a tightly closed plastic bag.
Yemiser W'et (Spicy Lentil Stew)
1 cup dried brown lentils 1 cup finely chopped onions 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 1/4 clarified butter 1 tablespoon Berbere 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup tomato paste 1 cup vegetable stock 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste plain yogurt or cottage cheese
Rinse and cook the lentils.
Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in the clarified butter, until the onions are just translucent. Add the berbere, cumin, and paprika and saute for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock and continue simmering.
When the lentils are cooked, drain them and mix them into the saute. Add the green peas and cook for another 5 mintues. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Roberts KT. The Potential of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) as a Functional Food and Nutraceutical and Its Effects on Glycemia and Lipidemia. J Med Food. 2011 Aug 23. [Epub ahead of print] Middha SK, Bhattacharjee B, Saini D, Baliga MS, Nagaveni MB, Usha T. Protective role of Trigonella foenum graceum extract against oxidative stress in hyperglycemic rats. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2011 Apr;15(4):427-35. Turkyılmaz C, Onal E, Hirfanoglu IM, Turan O, Koç E, Ergenekon E, Atalay Y. The effect of galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk production and short-term catch-up of birth weight in the first week of life. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Feb;17(2):139-42. Epub 2011 Jan 24.
I was recently graciously shipped a jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Standard Virgin coconut oil for review. First of all, thank you to Tropical Traditions for their generosity! I use coconut oil twice a day on my skin and I love the noticeable difference it makes. I'm also learning to cook with it, and am happy to have this to work with.
This is a long, drawn out post. I'm putting my conclusion at the very beginning so you can decide if you want to sit through the rest:
I love coconut oil, I use it myself, both in cooking and on my skin. I love this particular brand and product, and it's clear that the company is very proud of the attention they devote to quality and sustainable practices. If you choose to incorporate coconut oil into your cooking, and I hope that you do, please consider supporting a company that works so hard on behalf of integrity.
My intention is to encourage more people to use coconut oil than currently do. It wasn't long ago that we discouraged coconut oil consumption and I still encounter people who think it's unhealthy. I'd also like to encourage those who may be creating problems with excessive use, to understand why that may not be a good choice.
My only reservation is that there is somewhat of a health halo hanging over coconut oil that encourages its use in quantities that potentially do not support improved health.
I'll be addressing those issues in this post. A little bit of feedback on the coconut oil information I found on the website.
In the FAQ section, there is no peer-reviewed reference provided to support the following statement:
The benefits of coconut oil are mainly from the nutrient value of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). The best comparison in nature as to the percentage of MCFAs being consumed in a diet is human breast milk. To equal the amount of MCFAs a nursing infant would receive in one day, an adult would need to consume about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil a day according to researchers.
1. With regards to fat, what an infant needs, nutritionally, is far different from what an adult needs.
For example, nutrition experts recommend 2% milk for children up to to years of age, then a drop to 1% or skim. The reason for this recommendation is that the extra fat is needed during the first 2 years of life to help fuel the rapid growth occurring during that time. As growth and development slow, so do needs for dietary fat.
Arachidonic acid (ARA) is an essential fatty acid for infants. The only place they can get it is milk, so if an infant is formula fed, ARA needs to be added to that formula. When that infant is weaned, however, and can get this fatty acid elsewhere, it no longer needs to be added to the diet.
It simply has not been proven that nutritional needs for infants are the same as nutritional needs for adults. Or that what you would feed an infant is even healthy for an adult. So I'm not entirely convinced that the extrapolation from an infant's saturated fat intake in breast milk, to a recommendation for adults of 3.5 tablespoons per day is a logical or healthy leap. (I am happy to adjust my stance if peer-reviewed research supporting the higher level becomes available. Our readers are in large part pursuing fertility and possibly in the midst of infertility treatment. I owe it to these high-risk situations to lean toward the skeptical and conservative. I don't want to heap more expense, stress, and/or disappointment on women who take our advice so seriously.)
Fat is fat, no matter where it comes from, it still contains calories, and the recommendations are still to keep saturated fat intake to about 10% of total calories. Regardless of the source of the saturated fat.
I did a long blog post calculating dietary amounts for different calorie levels that this translates to not too long ago if you want more specifics. I do think that when possible, saturated fat from coconut oil is better than saturated fat from meat, so the focus needs to be learning how to make that switch. (See the recipes I posted below.)
2. In moderate quantities, coconut oil can definitely be beneficial. A 2009 Brazilian study providing 1 tbsp per day of coconut oil to a group of women with abdominal obesity found that compared to 1 tbsp of soybean oil, the coconut oil group had higher HDL, a lower LDL/HDL ratio, and a reduced waist circumference. It cannot be determined from this study design if the change was due to the absence of soybean oil, the presence of coconut oil, or a little of both, but it does illustrate that when used in moderation, coconut oil can be part of a hormone-friendly eating program.
3. What IS showing up in the literature is that too much coconut oil can be metabolically deleterious. Individuals at risk for diabetes (and if you have PCOS that means you) need to use coconut oil with care. One recent study in particular (done with calves) compared coconut oil to a non-medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet as well as to another MCT, caprylate oil. The coconut oil-fed calves weighed pretty much the same at the end of the study, contradicting claims that coconut oil promotes weight loss. In addition, the coconut oil calves had heavier, fattier livers and contained 15% more fat than the livers of the other calves.
Bottom line, used respectfully, coconut oil has many health benefits and I do encourage its use. What I DO discourage, is using this product indiscriminately with the belief that it has any kind of magical quality that counteracts dietary indiscretions or which somehow allows you to ignore other important rules of nutritional balance.
4. I spent a long time on the company's companion website, http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ to see how others were using coconut oil in cooking. Most of the recipes were for baked goods and sweets, the use of which, due to the insulin resistance issue the readers of this blog deal with, should be limited. Cakes, cookies, etc., are not nutritionally dense and cannot be eaten in large quantities just because of the oil they were made with.
I did find a great recipe for coconut oil vinaigrette coleslaw, which nicely combines the concept I've been writing about recently, consuming a bit of vinegar before meals, with a nice, moderate use of coconut oil. I would so love to see more savory recipes like this, as it would help the readers inCYST most often works with, to use this oil to their benefit.
I did my best to walk the walk, as well, and asked the members of our Facebook fan page to share any savory recipes they might have using coconut oil. Here are a few provided by culinary school graduate Alyssa Fritts.
Coconut Green Beans Blanch fresh green beans by dumping them in boiling water for about 20-30 seconds. Strain them out and put them in ice water to s top the cooking. Melt a tsp or less of coconut oil in a pan. Add 1/2 clove of garlic and the strained green beans, toss around a few times. Add chopped almonds and salt and pepper to taste.
Coconut Pork Chops Put a little bit of coconut oil in a pan, salt and pepper pork chop with all fat trimmed Brown on both sides. Remove chop, add garlic, and chopped onion. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Add veggie or chicken stock and a LITTLE bit of apple jui ce. Put chop back in and let it reduce down by about half. Remove chop and place on plate. Add a scoop of stone ground mustard, and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Let it thicken. Finish with a swirl of coconut oil to give it the smooth fullness butter would. Pour over your chop.
Miso-Ginger Salmon 1/2 tsp coconut oil 1 clove minced garlic 1/8 in piece peeled ginger in matchsticks 1 tbs chopped onion 1 tsp miso paste 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup veggie stock or water 1/4 tsp coconut oil
Melt 1/2 tsp coconut oil in pan. Salt and pepper salmon. Place in pan skin side up. Brown on both sides. Set aside on a plate. If needed as a tiny bit more coconut oil. Add ginger and garlic. Add onion and sautee for a few seconds. Add wine and stock. Add salmon back to pan and cook for about 5 min. Remove salmon and turn heat up to high. Add miso and reduce down until thick. Swirl in a tiny bit (up to 1/4 tsp) of coconut oil and pour over salmon.
What Alyssa is illustrating, beautifully, is that one of the best ways to use coconut oil is to switch out other oils for coconut oil in your regular cooking, being careful with quantities just as you would any other fat. It adds a nice flavor while it helps your metabolism.
If any of you use Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, and you've developed some savory, hormone-friendly recipes you'd like to share with our friends at Tropical Traditions, I would love if you would do that. I'd like their customers to see just how much potential this oil can have in the kitchen. I'd really love to see this company, which clearly has a heart for wanting to do something good, succeed at that goal. I'm in love with the creativity of inCYST fans, and encourage you all to step up and share it in a way that can have benefit far outside of this blog post.
Bottom line: Used intelligently and respectfully, Tropical Traditions gets a thumbs up. Stay tuned, as tomorrow we're going to announce a giveaway encouraging you to think about and incorporate the concepts presented in this blog post!
Assunção ML, Ferreira HS, dos Santos AF, Cabral CR Jr, Florêncio TM. Effects of dietary coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles of women presenting abdominal obesity. Lipids. 2009 Jul;44(7):593-601. Epub 2009 May 13. Talbott, Shawn M. and Kerry Hughes. (2006). The Health Professional's Guide to Dietary Supplements. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 60–63. ISBN 9780781746724.
Mills JK, Ross DA, Van Amburgh ME. The effects of feeding medium-chain triglycerides on the growth, insulin responsiveness, and body composition of Holstein calves from birth to 85 kg of body weight. J Dairy Sci. 2010 Sep;93(9):4262-73.
2 heads cauliflower, finely ground in a food processor 1/2 fresh cup lemon juice 1 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon black pepper pinch of sea salt 1 bunch fresh parsley, stems removed 1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed 1 13oz jar pitted Greek olives
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly
Marinated Bok Choy Salad
5 heads baby bok choy 1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu 4 cloves garlic, peeled
Starting from the bottom of the plant, chop the bok choy stalks into half-inch pieces, leaving the leaves whole. In a blender, combine the olive oil, Nama Shoyu and garlic and blend thoroughly. Add to the bok choy, mix well and serve.
Pesto Sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 fresh lemon juice pinch sea salt 1 cup raw pine nuts 1 cup fresh basil 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients, and blend until smooth. (can add 3/4 cup Thai cocunut water if desired) We served this last night over brown rice linguini pasta and it was delicious!!
For those of you who love green tea, you may wish to expand on your experiences with matcha. This version of tea is made by covering tea bushes before harvest, which causes them to turn a darker green. The biochemistry of this change gives matcha a sweeter flavor than traditional green tea.
This form of green tea is a super power house; gram for gram, it ranks higher in antioxidants than many of the foods consistently on health writers'"top ten supefoods" lists. In fact, researchers recently reported that the ECGC content of matcha can be up to 137 times higher than commercial green tea!
These leaves are then ground into a super-fine powder, which can be used in baking and cooking. If you've ever had green tea ice cream or a green tea smoothie, it is likely matcha that provided the flavor. I think it adds a beautiful color to whatever it is used in.
Most recipes on the Internet using matcha seem to be oriented toward sweets. However, if you look, there are some really interesting options in other categories. I've posted some of the most interesting below, along with links to the websites where I found theme so that you can be inspired in your own kitchen.
If you can't find match locally, consider visiting my friend Kerstin Wingert's online store. That is where I've found it and she is very popular in Phoenix because of her attention to quality in her products.
A storage note: Once opened, matcha does oxidize quickly so be sure to have a plan for using it, or share with friends and have fun tasting each others' creations!
One of the many smoothie recipes I found
Matcha Mango Smoothies
1 1/4 cups mango chunks 1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon matcha tea powder 1/2 cup ice cubes Honey or agave syrup (optional)
Add mango, soymilk, yogurt and matcha tea powder to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness. Add honey or agave syrup if needed; cover and blend to combine. Pour into 2 glasses.
Makes 2 servings (1 1/4 cups each)
Tip: Adding too much matcha tea can result in a bitter flavor. Start with a small amount of matcha and adjust according to taste.
Here is the most interesting one I found. It is on my list to try!
Green Tea Fish Stew
5 Tbls. Olive oil 1 Clove garlic; peeled 4 medium Potatoes; peeled and diced 1 lb. Flounder, cod or red snapper fillets cut in chunks 2 bottles clam juice 2 cups water 16 ozs. diced or pureed tomatoes 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 Bay leaf 1 tsp. Salt 1/8 tsp. Crushed red pepper or to taste 3 Tbls. Chopped parsley 1 tsp. Matcha green tea powder
Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add garlic; sauté until well browned. Discard garlic. Add potatoes to Dutch oven, cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Add fish, stock, tomatoes, wine, Matcha, bay leaf, salt, crushed red pepper, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until fish and potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf. Serve sprinkled with parsley. Serves 4
You could probably cut the sugar in this one. Be sure to use dark, high quality chocolate. A great holiday treat!
Matcha Almonds 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 8 ounces unblanched almonds 2 teaspoons butter 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces 1/2 teaspoon matcha (powdered green tea) or more to taste
Preparation
1.Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and slowly heat to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook sugar syrup until it reaches 240 degrees, or to soft-ball stage. Add almonds and stir to coat. Add the butter and remove from the heat. Stir until the almonds are glazed with syrup. Cook over medium-low heat until little liquid is left in the pan.
2.Add the chocolate and heat until it melts and almonds are completely coated. Set aside to cool.
3.When almonds are cool, dust from on high with the matcha to coat evenly.
And just for a little fun, here is matcha martini recipe! Isn't this the most Christmasy looking beverage! The photo shows a strawberry garnish, the recipe suggests mint and cinnamon, but for this holiday in particular, garnished with a candy cane it would be so pretty!
Weiss, David J; Anderton, Christopher R (2003-09-05). Determination of catchins in matcha green ttea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Journal of Chromatography1011 (1-2): 173–180.
Most people tend to think of soup as a winter/comfort food. I love it year round, but especially in the summer. I use my slow cooker, which doesn't heat up the kitchen. I have a week's worth of lunches or dinners when I'm finished, which I can heat in the microwave. Neither of those appliances heat up my kitchen. Plus, it's a great way to take even more advantage of summer's bounty and all of the related antioxidants. For me, a pretty perfect meal is a fresh salad with a vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of soup, a piece of hearty whole grain bread, and some fresh fruit for dessert. Tonight I'm making a red pepper/cauliflower soup and enjoying some of this week's very cheap cherries for dessert. Here is the recipe. And I'm putting some of my other favorites below. If you want something cooler, I'm giving you recipes for gazpacho and cucumber soup.
Bon appetit!
Red Pepper-Cauliflower Soup (adapted from Sunset Magazine)
6 large red bell peppers,stemmed and cored, halved lengthwise, and pressed flat 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 shallots, peeled and choped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 quart fat-skimmed chicken broth 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 teaspoon sugar freshly ground pepper extra-virgin olive oils, chopped fresh chives, and lemon wedges (optional)
1. Preheat broiler to high. Arrange bell pepper skin side up on baking sheet. Broil, watching carefully, until skins are blackened,about 10 minutes. Remove peppers from oven and let cool. Peel over a bowl to collect juices; set peppers and juices aside.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add shallots, salt, and cayenne and cook, stiorring until soft, 3 minutes. Add broth and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to as immer. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add peppers with juices and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, 10 minutes. Puree in batches in a blender and add sugar. add pepper to taste.
3. Serve hot or cold, garnished with a drizzle of olive ol, some chives, and a squeeze of lemon juice of you like.
Chicken and Corn Summer Chowder (from Sunset Magazine)
2 slices turkey bacon, chopped (I used an apple-smoked ham hock) 1 onion, chopped 3 tbsp flour 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, chopped 6 cups reduced-sodium or homemade chicken broth 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (you can get this pre-cooked to make it easy) kernels cut from 3 ears corn 1/4 to 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves 2 limes cut into wedges freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders and meat starts to brown. (Alternately, place ham hock into soup at last stage). Add onion, reduce heat to medium, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, until flour smells cooked (like baked pie crust) but hasn't started to brown, about 3 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to keep mixture simmering and cook until potatoes are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir inyogurt to taste. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, a squirt or two of lime juice, and pepper to taste.
Summer Gazpacho (from Sunset Magazine)
4 lbs. tomatoes, cored 1 1/2 lbs. cucumbers, washed and scrubbed tomato juice base: 3 cups tomato juice, 3/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 large bell peppers, 1 yellow and 1 green, stemmed and seeded 1/2 cup diced onion 1 large firm-ripe avocado 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup Greek yogurt
Chop 3 tomatoes and 1 cucumber. Fill a blendor or food processor with vegetables; with motor running add enough of the tomato juice base to smoothly puree mixture. Pour mixture into a large bowl or tureen. If needed, puree any remaining chopped vegetables. Add to tureen with any remaining tomato base.
Cut remaining tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers into about 3/8 inch cubes. Add to bowl along with onion; mix.cover, and chill until cold, about 2 hours, or up to 1 day.
Peel, pit, and slice avocado into 10 to 12 wedges; coat wedges with lemon juice. Stir gazpacho and ladle into wide soup bowls; top with avocado slices and spoonfuls of yogurt. Offer olive oil to drizzle into portions to taste; season to taste with salt. Makes 9 or 10 servings.
Cold Cucumber Soup (adapted from Emeril Lagasse) 6 pounds cucumbers (about 6 cucumbers), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (12 cups) 2 yellow bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped 4 green onions, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, minced 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill 3 to 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 6 cups plain Greek yogurt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Directions
Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, Essence, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 cups sour cream, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the soup to the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup, with each bowl garnished with a dollop of the remaining sour cream and some of the minced chives.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
I thought I'd shine a little light on one of the season's antioxidant powerhouses — cranberries. We tend to associate antioxidants with summer foods such as berries, but check out some of the things cranberries can do for you!
--They may keep ulcer-causing bacteria from attaching to the stomach lining.
--They help to prevent cancer
--They help to protect against cardiovascular disease
Cranberries contain the same antioxidant, anthocyanin, as blueberries. What is interesting about cranberries, though, is that they are grown on the water, which helps to increase their anthocyanin content. Antioxidants aren't just created for humans, they're found in plants where they are doing their protective work. You can say that in cranberries, these anthocyanins are working kind of like sunscreen does for us! And they do double duty when you eat them yourself.
Cranberries are most likely to provide the highest benefit when eaten whole (not as a sauce or in a Cape Codder)…so since most of us don't really know what to do with cranberries outside of those two things, I looked up a few cranberry recipes. The salsa recipe comes from http://www.allrecipes.com/, and the rest come from the Cape Cod Cranberry Grower's Association, where you might want to visit for even more ideas.
Here's to red food keeping us healthy!
Cranberry Salsa
1 (12 ounce) bag cranberries, fresh or frozen 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 bunch green onions, cut into 3 inch lengths 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 2 limes, juiced 3/4 cup white sugar 1 pinch salt
Combine cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a medium blade. Chop to medium consistency. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Serve at room temperature.
Add orange zest and chopped dried cranberry to crumbled goat cheese. Pulse for 5 seconds, or until cheese mixture will start to form a ball.
Remove cheese mixture from work bowl and separate into two balls. Form each cheese balls into a log shape approximately 2x4 inches each.
Place half of the almonds onto a piece of wax paper. Roll one goat cheese log over almonds, covering the entire surface of the log, gently pressing to assure the almonds stick.
Repeat with the remaining second log and almonds. Wrap the logs individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Serve on Baguette Croutes (see recipe below).
Cranberry Almond Goat Cheese Logs will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Bake until just golden, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a serving tray and let cool. Spread Cranberry Almond Goat Cheese Log on Baguette Croutes and serve.
Warm Baby Spinach and Cranberry Salad
6 servings
1 package baby spinach, washed and cleaned thoroughly ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries ¼ cup pine nuts ¼ cup Italian Salad Dressing 2 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoon olive oil Place cleaned baby spinach in serving bowl.
Place sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil.
Add pine nuts and sauté quickly until lightly browned.
Add minced garlic and sweetened dried cranberries and stir quickly to coat with oil.
Let simmer for about 30 seconds.
Add Zesty Italian Dressing, stir, remove from heat and pour over baby spinach.
Serve immediately with entrée as a side dish.
Cranberry Couscous
4 servings 2 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup chopped white onion 1 ½ cups cranberry juice cocktail, heated to a simmer 1 cup couscous ¼ cup chopped pistachios 2 scallions green parts only ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries salt and pepper (to taste)
In a medium saucepan add olive oil.
Add the white onion, sweetened dried cranberries and pistachios, and saute gently over low heat until onion is translucent and slightly fragrant.
Add the couscous and the warm cranberry juice cocktail.
Stir with a fork to combine, cover.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the scallions. Fluff with fork.
Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
After posting yesterday's article one of our Trinidadian readers asked about sorrel…and gave me my research project for the day.
Sorrel is popular in many other places, too, including: Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, and Greece…so hopefully this will put some on more than a few island plates!
Because sorrel is so popular in the Caribbean, it's been studied by the Scientific Research Council of Jamaica and they've found out some interesting things:
-The leaves are high in flavonoids, which means there are antioxidants there! (It's those flavonoids that give sorrel those beautiful red veins you see in the photo.) -There is some thought that sorrel leaves may have some potent cancer-fighting ability. -Sorrel tea, popular in many cultures, may help to reduce triglycerides.
I've never even seen it in a store or farmer's market in my part of the world so I've never had an opportunity to experiment with it. Apparently the leaves taste a little bit like strawberry or kiwi fruit. I may have to schedule a reseach trip for this one! In the recipes I've found it's a green that is available primarily in the spring, so I'm a little late in that respect. But I wanted to answer the question while it was being discussed.
Here's a recipe from the Two Small Farms blog that uses a popular favorite, pesto, as a place to include sorrel. Enjoy!
Sorrel Pesto: great as an interesting pasta coating or a thick sauce for fish.
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh sorrel, ribs removed 1/3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup olive oil
In a food processor or blender puree the sorrel, the parsley, the garlic, the parmesan, the pine nuts and the oil, transfer the pesto to a jar with a tight fitting lid and chill it, covered. The pesto keeps, covered and chilled, for 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.
To use the pesto: For every pound of dried pasta cooking in a kettle of boiling water, stir together in a heated serving bowl 3/4 cup of the pesto and 2/3 cup of the hot cooking water. When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander, add it to the pesto mixture, and toss the mixture until the pasta is coated well. Vermicelli works very well with this recipe.
I have a new favorite recipe that I thought you would like! If you use the anchovy paste, you'll get additional omega-3's; if you're vegan it's fine to use soy sauce. I use lite soy sauce to cut the sodium content. I have also cut the oil in half from the original recipe; feel free to add more if you need it. Just remember that it is the fat in the Caesar that can throw the calories out of whack.
Add chicken or salmon…or even canned tuna…for protein…and you've got a tasty, hormone-friendly meal!
Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice - 1 T anchovy paste from a tube (or substitute soy sauce) - 1 tsp. minced garlic - 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard - 3 T olive oil - 2 T + 2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese - sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste - 4-5 oz. romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, washed and dried - 4-5 oz. dark green kale, washed, dried, and thinly sliced
Preparation
Blend the lemon juice, anchovy paste (or soy sauce), garlic, and Dijon in a food processor and pulse together a few times. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time, pulsing for a few seconds after each tablespoon is added. Stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and season the dressing with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Put dressing in the fridge and chill until ready to use, or if you want to make the salad right away, chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. Thinly slice romaine lettuce and kale into 1/2 inch strips. Wash, then spin dry or dry with paper towels.
Place the kale strips in a salad bowl, and pour in salad dressing. Massage dressing into kale with your hands until the leaves change color. Add romaine and toss to coat with dressing. Add the remaining 2 T of freshly grated Parmesan to the salad and toss again. Serve right away.
Not long ago Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge e-mailed me to see if I knew anything about"eggplant water". Seems it had been written up in the Los Angeles Times as a weight loss aid. It sounded strange, and she was looking to see if there was any scientific backing.
I was a little skeptical, but I did go to the National Library of Medicine database to see if anything existed. There was nothing about eggplant water specifically, but I did find a research abstract about the potential benefits of an eggplant-based diet. It appears that the antioxidants in eggplant are especially good for combating the types of degenerative processes common to insulin resistance.
Here it is, along with the reference. And below that, is a recipe for ratatouille, my favorite eggplant recipe. Enjoy!
National Diabetes Education Program of NIH, Mayo Clinic and American Diabetes Association recommend eggplant-based diet as a choice for management of type 2 diabetes. The rationale for this suggestion is the high fiber and low soluble carbohydrate content of eggplant. We propose that a more physiologically relevant explanation lies in the phenolic-linked antioxidant activity and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory potential of eggplant which could reduce hyperglycemia-induced pathogenesis. Results from this study indicate that phenolic-enriched extracts of eggplant with moderate free radical scavenging-linked antioxidant activity had high alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity and in specific cases moderate to high angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. Inhibition of these enzymes provide a strong biochemical basis for management of type 2 diabetes by controlling glucose absorption and reducing associated hypertension, respectively. This phenolic antioxidant-enriched dietary strategy also has the potential to reduce hyperglycemia-induced pathogenesis linked to cellular oxidation stress. These results provide strong rationale for further animal and clinical studies.
Kwon YI, Apostolidis E, Shetty K. In vitro studies of eggplant (Solanum melongena) phenolics as inhibitors of key enzymes relevant for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Bioresour Technol. 2008 May;99(8):2981-8. Epub 2007 Aug 13.
Ratatouille
2 1/2 lb tomatoes (4 large) 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 lb eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 large onions (1 1/2 lb total), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise 3 assorted bell peppers (green, red, and/or yellow; 1 1/2 lb total), cut into 1-inch pieces 4 medium zucchini (2 lb), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick pieces 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings and fresh basil
Cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch together in a 4-quart pot of boiling water 1 minute. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife.
Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer to a 5-quart heavy pot with garlic, parsley, basil, and 1/3 cup oil. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
While sauce is simmering, toss eggplant with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large colander and let stand in sink 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook onions in 3 tablespoons oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, then add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook bell peppers with 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer peppers with slotted spoon to bowl with onions. Add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer zucchini with slotted spoon to bowl with other vegetables.
While zucchini are cooking, pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Add remaining oil (about 1/4 cup) to skillet and cook eggplant over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to12 minutes.
Add vegetables, remaining teaspoon salt, and black pepper to tomato sauce and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool, uncovered, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Yes, some of us encounter circumstances that bring things we want, our way, a little more easily than they come to others. However, much of what we perceive as"luck", is the manifestation of a collection of prudent choices we've made, coming together to provide us with positive circumstances.
As a dietitian and exercise physiologist, I have lost count of the times that I've heard a client say,"But look at you. You're lucky. You don't have to worry about your weight like I do."
That's complete and total magical thinking, ladies. Some of the choices I make that play a part in what these clients see:
--exercise, sometimes walking, sometimes time at the gym…regardless of what it is, a commitment to being physically active, even on days when I don't feel like it. In fact, more commitment on the days that I don't, because that's when I need it the most.
--certain foods that simply don't come home in my grocery basket. Doesn't mean I don't eat them, but it does mean I don't set myself up to eat too much of them by allowing their colorful packages to stare me in the face every time I walk into the kitchen.
--associating with people whose goals for themselves are consistent with my own health goals. I tend not to stay out too late at parties because I value my sleep, I enjoy being active but also going to museums. I have friends who allow me to be balanced, rather than obsessive in any direction. Friends whose lives revolve around foods I know I shouldn't overindulge in, are not friends I can spend a whole lot of time with and maintain an expectation that I can be healthy.
--spending time with animals and nature to restore my energy reserves.
All of this takes commitment. I'm not known as the Party Girl in my circle. I'm actually kind of a nerd. But I have awesome family and friends, tasty food in my kitchen, I laugh and love a lot, and I fall asleep easily at the end of a day when I've worked hard on inCYST as well as my own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.
What my clients see is not a lucky person who never lifts a finger or never sacrifices, but a person who invests in health, who gets a return on her investment for the effort, and who wants everyone she aspires to help to join her on that journey.
I've never offered the idea that somewhere in all of this you're going to arrive at a place where you won't ever have to make responsible choices. But I do want you to trust that when you make responsible, self-nurturing choices, things that used to elude you suddenly show up on the radar. And I want to show you how it's done.
On that note, here is a recipe from the South for black-eyed peas. They are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day for good luck. But they happen to be high in protein and fiber, excellent for hormones, and a proactive choice you can make to invest in your own health. One small, positive step is a most excellent building block for bringing more positive energy your way.
See you next year!
If possible, use fresh basil in the dressing for this easy salad.
•1 small sweet red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
•.
•Basil Dressing
•1/4 cup cider vinegar
•3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
•2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
•1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 cup olive oil
•fresh basil or parsley for garnish
Preparation:
In a serving bowl combine black-eyed peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chopped onion, celery, and green pepper. Set aside.
In a small bowl or other container, whisk together the vinegar, basil, garlic, sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil until the dressing is well blended. You can use a blender for this step, if desired.
In a medium bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and basil dressing. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley or basil, if desired.
We've all had those moments…the kitchen is low on groceries, it's late at night, and either the store is closed or you're just to tired to go restock.
So your choices are: …eat nothing …make a fast food run …eat cereal
I've learned that in these times Google is a lifesaver. You can simply enter the name of a couple of ingredients you have along with the word"recipe" and something is going to pop up.
Sunday night I was completely bare. And I had a can of pumpkin and some Bob's Red Mill garbanzo bean flour.
So I Googled"pumpkin hummous recipe". What I got, out of my bare kitchen, was one of the best recipes I've ever tried.
Here it is for your enjoyment.
Notes to readers: 1. Be sure garbanzo bean flour is a kitchen staple because you can make just about any kind of hummous. 2. Remember Google. 3. Don't let your kitchen go as empty as I did. 4. And if you ignore number 3…don't let your knee jerk reaction be a fast food run.: )
Pumpkin Hummus
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups dry garbanzo beans 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 5 fluid ounces lemon juice 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup tahini paste 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice salt to taste
Directions
1.Place the garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Or, bring the beans and water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse before using.
2.Place the soaked garbanzo beans into a large saucepan and cover with several inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the garbanzo beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once cooked, refrigerate the beans and liquid until cold.
3.Drain the garbanzo beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Place the beans and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid into a blender, and puree until a smooth paste forms. Add the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Cover and puree again until smooth. Use additional cooking liquid as needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Season to taste with salt.
It's back…food of the week! I was busy with mandatory paperwork much of this month and it consumed blogging time. I'm excited about a summer full of fun foods to try.
I ran across this while writing another article, and since PCOS is common in Hispanics I wanted to be sure to include it.
Nopalitos are cactus pads…as shown at the top of this post, in their natural environment.
But there's a lot to getting them ready to eat! You have to skin them, which takes out the stickers. And you have to cook them. I see cactus pads in the local Hispanic market, but for those of you who are not quite so adventurous, you can find them already cooked, in which case this is how they look.
What's so great about nopalitos? Well, they're chock full of the kind of fiber that helps bring your cholesterol down. You will notice when you take them out of the jar, they have a bit of a gooey consistency, kind of like okra. Don't"boo the goo"--that's the fiber!
In addition to fiber, nopalitos have a decent choline content. Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., a respected colleague, shared in a presentation last year that choline is not at all easy to find in the diet. And that can pose a problem since choline is the building block for acetylcholine, crucial for memory. So crucial, in fact, that many Alzheimer's medications are designed to increase acetylcholine levels.
Who would have thought that cactus could be brain food? They are also a decent source of vitamins A, C, K…and folate, that reproductively important vitamin that keeps showing up in our recommended foods on this blog.
So how the heck do you cook it? I'd recommend you Google"nopalitos recipes" for a lot of suggestions, but I'll share one here that makes it look pretty tasty, adapted from a recipe I found at Karen's Kitchen.
Nopalitos Salad
Ingredients:
1 jar precooked nopalitos 3 lemons 1 T olive oil 1/2 small onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic Cilantro (1 or more bunches, to taste) 3 medium tomatoes, chopped Salt to taste
Preparation:
Empty nopalitos into a strainer. Fill a large bowl with water and juice of 2 lemons. Add about a teaspoonful of salt and then put the cactus into it, soak for about 30 minutes.
Remove the leaves from the water and chop it into 1/2" pieces.
In a skillet, heat the nopalitos with onion, garlic and salt until warm.
Remove from heat and drain. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding juice of last lemon, salt and olive oil for a dressing. Serve cold.
Not long ago, I blogged about a new favorite salad of mine, the Romaine-Kale Caesar Salad. I love it so much I make it about once a week! A few weeks ago, I came home from the store and realized I had done what I often do, brought home everything I need for a recipe except one important ingredient. Those are the times when I come up with my greatest inspirations, so I started looking around for what I could create.
My parents travel a lot, and they often bring me something culinary from their trips. I had a package of papaya dressing mix on the counter. As I thought about it, I realized I had some other Hawaiian-inspired ingredients sitting around: frozen mango, rice vinegar, and macadamia nut oil. So I took my basic recipe and started messing around.
Here is what I came up with! I gave this salad the name that I did because"da kine" is Pidgin slang for"whatever", and Kamehameha, not Julius Caesar, is the royalty most recognized by the Islanders as their important historical figure.
So next time you lain has a kanak attack, do what dis haole do. She make 'em a killahz kau kau like dis en dey say"Mahalo, dat was 'ono!" Sometimes dey even ask fo noddah plate. (I got a little distracted by theHawaiian Pidgin dictionarywhile I was writing this and tried it on for size!)
- 1 package papaya seed dressing mix - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar - 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce - 1 teaspoon minced garlic - 3 tablespoons macadamia oil - sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste - 4-5 ounces romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, washed and dried - 4-5 onces. dark green kale, washed, dried, and thinly sliced -1/2 package sesame seaweed snack* -1 bag frozen mango chunks, thawed
Preparation
Blend the rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and Dijon in a food processor and pulse together a few times. Add the macadamia oil oil one tablespoon at a time, pulsing for a few seconds after each tablespoon is added. Season the dressing with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Put dressing in the fridge and chill until ready to use, or if you want to make the salad right away, chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so.
Thinly slice romaine lettuce and kale into 1/2 inch strips. Wash, then spin dry or dry with paper towels.
Place the kale strips in a salad bowl, and pour in salad dressing. Massage dressing into kale with your hands until the leaves change color. Add romaine and crumbled nori, and toss to coat with dressing. Add the mango chunks and toss again. Serve right away.
*Seaweed, also known as nori, is a vegan source of omega-3's. Actually, the reason fish have omega-3's themselves, is because small fish feed on seaweed and it is passed up the food chain. It is a popular snack in Asia and the Pacific. Look for it in the Japanese section of your grocery store, or click on the link I provided above to order it online.
I was looking for something comfort-foody to make the other night. I ran across a potato soup recipe that looked yummy…until I saw that it called for heavy cream.
I tried substituting Greek yogurt for the cream and it turned out great! It is not as luscious-creamy as a traditional cream soup, but it's still wonderful nonetheless.
Here is the recipe. I actually added the salsa because the recipe originally called for poblano peppers and my store was out of them. Loved the extra kick!
If you were to use the Monterey Mushrooms, which are organic and high in vitamin D, you'd be creating an especially hormone-friendly meal for yourself!
It is an adaptation of the Potato Poblano Soup recipe found in the lastest Costco Cookbook,"Smart Cooking the Costco Way."
Spicy Creamy Potato Soup
2 tsp canola oil 1 white onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 serrano pepper, minced 1 cup fresh salsa 3 small to medium potatos, cut into 1/2 inch dice 5 cups 1/2 strength chicken broth 1 cup Greek yogurt salt and black pepper
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and aute for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic, peppers, and salsa; saute for another minute.
Add potatoes and chicken broth. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add Greek yogurt.
With a slotted spoon, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the soup vegetables and puree in a blender. Return the puree to the soup and stir well.
Reheat the soup to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve. Makes 6 servings.
1 cup brown rice cooked 1 and 1/2 cup spinach handful of basil l1-2 cloves of garlic 1/3 cup pine nuts 2 Tbsp flax seed oil 1/3-1/2 cup water chop garlic. Place all ingredients except for the rice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over 2 cups of rice and mis until evenly spread on the rice
I tried a new recipe this week for the inCYSTem menu program…fell in love with it…researched it…and would like to encourage you to consider trying it yourself.
That food is buckwheat!
Buckwheat is one of the few foods containing d-chiro-inositol, which women with PCOS can have problems making. Its regular consumption is related to better insulin function, better lipid profiles, and fewer blood clotting issues. It's a good source of magnesium and tryptophan. And it's considered a complete protein, so it's an excellent food for you vegans.
I've always loved buckwheat pancakes, but I'd never had the buckwheat groats. I tried them in a recipe for buckwheat pesto I found on the Bob's Red Mill website. I think it would be very easy to substitute buckwheat for rice in a lot of dishes, such as tabouli, risotto, and pilaf. In fact, I'm going to try to make a habit of it here in my home.
Here is Bob's buckwheat pesto recipe to get you started!
1 cup Buckwheat Groats 2-1/2 cup Water 1/4 tsp Sea Salt 2 Tb Olive Oil 1 Tb Butter, softened 4 cloves Garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup chopped Walnuts-Baker's Pieces 1 cup Finely chopped fresh parsley 2 tsp Basil (Imported) 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 1/2 cup Sliced Black Olives 1/2 cup Soy Bacon Bits (optional)
Directions: Boil water with salt. Add groats, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave pan covered for about 5 minutes, then fluff with fork.
Mix butter, olive oil, garlic and walnuts together. Separately combine parsley, basil, cheese and olives. Add butter mixture to groats, then add the parsley mixture. Salt to taste. Toss and serve. Sprinkle soy bacon on top, if desired.
My friend Joseph Cuevas, a local glass artist, is also a pretty amazing foodie. We met at a local monthly potluck club, where his creations are always favorites with the crowd. So when he invited me over for Thanksgiving and posted the menu for a paleo-Mediterranean dinner (see below), there was no way I could say no!
As we got ready to serve, it became evident that there were not going to be enough plates to go around, so one of the guests started hunting for a solution. She found some sushi plates.
And I loved them! Because they were smaller, I automatically served myself smaller portions in order to have room on my plate for a bite of everything. I had seconds, but because I had to stand up and go to the kitchen for more food, it gave me a bit of a mindfulness break to think about what I really wanted.
That brings me to my next point. Having a buffet set up away from the table made a major difference. No picking at food because it was in front of me. I did eat more than I normally do, but far less than I usually do when it's all set out in front of me.
Two simple things that can make a huge difference. Think about trying them come Christmas dinner!
