Thursday, November 18, 2010

Day Sixteen & Seventeen

Hello hello! So, it's V's birthday tomorrow, so L and V went to the Oregon coast and get back Saturday night. I mentioned this earlier this week, and how I don't expect them to maintain 100% vegan/gluten-free/anti-inflammatory while they're basically on a vacation, but I did want to do everything I could to set them up for success, and I think I did! I made three sides (four including Day Sixteen's leftovers), and tupperwared them so they can take a cooler on the road with them and throw stuff in the fridge in the hotel room. To my mind, it's all about L not making hungry decisions, if you catch my drift. I whipped all three of these "salads" up in no time yesterday, they won't go bad anytime soon, and they all turned out SO DARN tasty, I was kind of impressed with myself:

Betcha By Golly Bean Salad______________________________________________
(I totally didn't come up with that name - this is a Susan O'Brien recipe from "The Gluten-Free Vegan", pg. 42)
Susan suggests orange juice instead of pineapple - I did pineapple juice because it's less inflammatory/citrus is contraindicated for L, and Susan also uses 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper, which I omitted (again - for L, not because I didn't think they'd be a nice addition). And I used ground cumin because I was out of cumin seeds. And I used more walnuts and cilantro than the recipe calls for. Here's my version:

1 can or 15 oz black beans (soaked, drained, rinsed)
1 can or 15 oz kidney beans (soaked, drained, rinsed)
1 can or 15 oz white kidney beans/cannellini beans (soaked, drained, rinsed)
2 tabelspoons pineapple juice
2 cloes garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or more)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper (optional, to taste)

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix really well to ensure flavors come together (pineapple juice, cumin, etc.). Cover and store in the refridgerator to serve chilled.

The cool thing is this is such a high-protein salad, that a couple bites goes a long way. L isn't a huge bean/legume fan (yet), but she was down for a few bites. V, on the other hand, is a huge bean fan and was all about it.

Here's a salad that L's acupuncturist recommended, and then I talked to J about it, who gave me the idea to massage a little sea salt into the raw kale because it "cooks" it slightly, since this is a raw kale pilaf, in essence:

Raw Kale Pilaf with Pine Nuts________________________________________________

1 bunch kale, red kale preferrably
2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
1 vegan bouillon cube (optional)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup raisins
squirt of Bragg's
squirt of lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Start the rice. You can do it in water; I used a vegan bouillon cube for just an extra tad of flavor. Wash and de-rib the kale. Take a very small amount of sea salt and dash the leaves, then massage them gently for a moment to rub the salt into the kale, to "cook" it. The chop the kale super finely. Teeny cole slaw style. Put in a large mixing bowl and toss with a 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Once your rice is done, leave the lid off and fluff and let cool completely (you don't want the kale to cook anymore), then toss with the chopped kale, add the raisins and pine nuts, remaining 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, squirt of Bragg's, squirt of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste (maybe just pepper - you salted the kale). Store in a sealed container in the fridge and serve chilled.

Kale is great for the stomach, has a warming thermal nature, and is an exceptional source of chlorophyll, calcium, iron, and vitamin A (PP, 541). Pine nuts are good for the liver (important for L), quells wind conditions, and lubricates constipated systems (PP, 534). Grapes (raisins) benefit the kidneys and liver, reduce edema (L's ankles can swell), and are a blood tonic (PP, 618). Brown basmati rice strengthens the spleen-pancreas, expels toxins, and is concentrated in B vitamins and therefore beneficial for the nervous system (PP, 472-3). Vinegar moves stagnation, reduce accumulations in the liver, relieves damp conditions, and according to Paul Pitchford, "people who feel toxic and sluggish during a transition from a refined-food and meat-centered diet to one of whole vegetal foods can profit from a little vinegar or lemon...this remedy can provide relief while toxins are being released" (PP, 205). L has been a little sleepy in the afternoons the last couple days, and I wonder if it isn't because we're well into week three at this point, and toxins in her tissues (aspartame, preservatives, etc.) are being released and flushed by her body. Lemon juice is a known liver tonic, in small amounts.

Due to this awareness, I've really been pushing the water drinking. L and V, strangely and funnily enough, remark, "We don't really like water". !! ?? !! Umm....yeah. V actually is having some back problems, and his chiropractor asked about how much water he's drinking and talked about how one's intercostal disks inbetween spinal vertebrae can get dried out when we don't drink enough water, leading to back pain and decreased mobility, etc. So both of them just...really need to drink water. I feel a big water post coming soon, and J/G and I have been talking about water at home, as well. It is about drinking more. But it's also about where your water comes from, and how you come to drink it. But first - it's about drinking more.

Anyway - to sum up the Raw Kale Pilaf: it's a crazy liver powerfood combination. Next time I drink too much - I'm totally making this. And washing it down with dandelion tea. I think it may be the ultimate hangover cure. I'll get back to you on that.

Here's the third "salad", and it's again adapted from a recipe in "The Gluten-Free Vegan", pg 45 - although, I was going for what was in the fridge/on hand and it only barely resembles Susan O'Brien's at this point:

Fruit and Nut Salad________________________________________________________

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 large organic apple, cored and chopped
1 cup fresh organic raspberries
1 cup fresh organic red grapes
1 teaspoon pineapple juice

Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss gently until evenly combined. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and serve chilled.

Now, for the most amazing, high-protein, cheesy, vegan, delicious, gluten-free mac and cheese EVER:

J's Mac and Cheese Bake__________________________________________________

3/4 cup cashew cream
1 12 oz. silken tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon Bragg's
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup daiya cheese (cheddar)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon miso (mellow)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup unsweetened soymilk

Combine all of the above in a food processor and blend until smooth.

1 package gluten-free corn or brown rice noodles macaroni noodles. I've had both in this dish now, and both are equally lovely, in my opinion. If you are into corn, you'll love the corn noodles. The rice noodles cook quickly, and remember you're going to bake this also - I basically boiled them for about 10 minutes (the package said 16-17), and then immediately doused them in cold water to stop them cooking, and to ensure they don't get all stuck together.

Mix the cooked noodles, the cheese sauce mixture, and a bag of frozen peas in a large pot on medium heat until the mixture combines and peas are no longer frozen. Pour into a large casserole pan and top with a light sprinkle of daiya cheddar, and Mary's Gone Crackers original crackers (crumbled finely) and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until all daiya has melted and desired crispy edges are achieved.

I doubled this recipe because I wanted them to enjoy it for dinner on Day Sixteen, but also have some leftovers to take on their trip with them. The sauce doubled just fine, although I added a bit more dijon and onion powder and salt and pepper to give it just a bit more flavor. And I did two packs of noodles, but left the peas at one bag. Cooking time was about the same.

For dinner on Day Seventeen, they had leftover Mac and Cheese and sampled the salads that I made for them to take on the trip.

And at long last....the first picture collage. I know I need to take more pictures, and I will. Consider this a first step. Photographing food is certainly not my forte.
Teriyaki-Fried Tempeh, Wilted Kale, Herbed Sweet Potato, and Apple Quinoa Pilaf

Betcha By Golly Bean Salad

Fruit and Nut Salad

Raw Kale Basmati Pilaf with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Mac and Cheese Bake...leftover -style

A dinner of sides

And I shall close with a photographic homage to my soy-rizo enchiladas by G:


I love that Spiritual Nutrition is in the background of that last one.

Gettin' cozy by the fire (so blessed!),

JRW

1 comment:

  1. Hooray for mac and cheese! Looks and sounds amazing. I'll have to get my cooking hat on in the next little while and try some of these recipes at long last.

    ReplyDelete