This is an amazing food that I wish I had discovered long ago. I have been making it as a breakfast cereal to vary my morning options (oatmeal got boring).
How to make it:
Put 1/2 cup amaranth in 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
5 minutes before it's done, add in chopped apple, raisins or other dried fruit, and nuts.
I've also had it with frozen blueberries. Both ways are delicious, and it seems like the possibilities are endless. Cinnamon, ginger...you name it. Cooking it for 20 minutes may seem long, but I just wake up, start the amaranth, get dressed and such, and then eat.
Anyway, the really cool thing is that amaranth is SO healthy. Although the dairy industry has convinced us that milk is the only way to get calcium, and the meat industry has convinced us that meat is the only source of iron, amaranth perseveres!
1 cup of amaranth has:
Protein: 9 g
Calcium: 12% DV
Iron: 29% DV
Dietary Fiber: 21% DV
Calories: 251
Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0
(% DV is percent daily value)
Also, adding fruit or drinking a glass of juice with amaranth will ensure that you get its iron. Apparently vitamin C helps our bodies absorb iron. So the cultural norm of drinking orange juice in the morning with our (hopefully-iron-rich) breakfast actually exists for a reason.
In response to questions from people who have never heard of amaranth, my co-op has it in bulk. So maybe try looking there first, and don't let an expensive package at the fine grocery store trick you.
RAW CHEESE
This week I introduced raw cheese. Justin made me baked macaroni and cheese, which was soooo good. Wow, I missed cheese. He basically followed this recipe, but used barley flour, rice noodles, oil, and soy milk. And yes it was still great!
Everything went well so now I can eat raw cheese. Does that mean I can also drink raw milk? Anyone?
Everything went well so now I can eat raw cheese. Does that mean I can also drink raw milk? Anyone?
Pumpkin Pie!
I know, you must be sick of hearing about pumpkin. But I'm eating seasonally, and I'm not over pumpkin! It never ceases to amaze me. In fact at this very moment I am making pumpkin muffins :)
Here's an amazing pumpkin pie recipe. Before you read the recipe, you should know that I, too, was skeptical of a pie made with tofu. But it is really, really good! Justin and I were addicted to it all week, and we're not crazy vegans who have lost our taste buds. I promise, you can trust me.
Pie filling:
1 container silken firm tofu, drained
1 can pumpkin or 1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
3/4 cups sugar
a dash salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crust: (this is the same crust I posted earlier)
1 ½ cups flour or barley flour
2 tbsp. Sugar
Quick Dash of Salt
½ cup Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp. Milk or soy milk
Mix all crust ingredients and spread out in pie tin.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Blend tofu and pumpkin together. Mix all pie filling ingredients.
Spoon pie filling into the crust and bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
If anyone makes this, post a comment and let us know what you think. And if anyone's skeptical, post a question (like, is it really firm like "real" pumpkin pie?) and I will respond (yes!).
Here's an amazing pumpkin pie recipe. Before you read the recipe, you should know that I, too, was skeptical of a pie made with tofu. But it is really, really good! Justin and I were addicted to it all week, and we're not crazy vegans who have lost our taste buds. I promise, you can trust me.
Pie filling:
1 container silken firm tofu, drained
1 can pumpkin or 1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
3/4 cups sugar
a dash salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crust: (this is the same crust I posted earlier)
1 ½ cups flour or barley flour
2 tbsp. Sugar
Quick Dash of Salt
½ cup Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp. Milk or soy milk
Mix all crust ingredients and spread out in pie tin.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Blend tofu and pumpkin together. Mix all pie filling ingredients.
Spoon pie filling into the crust and bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
If anyone makes this, post a comment and let us know what you think. And if anyone's skeptical, post a question (like, is it really firm like "real" pumpkin pie?) and I will respond (yes!).
No More Wheat. Period.
Let's recap:
I had migraines
Then I went on this diet
Then I had way more energy and no migraines
I haven't mentioned this yet, but I have a history of irregular and painful menstrual cycles. This was not even something I was thinking of addressing with this diet, but as I was warned, once you start the elimination diet, all sorts of things get better that you didn't even know were wrong.
The last period I had was the same week I decided to reintroduce wheat. (That was a poor decision because I couldn't tell if that week's symptoms were because of wheat or my period.) That week I had unusually bad cramps. They were the kind that wake you up in the middle of the night. That week I also felt tired and heavy-headed. I decided to wait a few weeks and try wheat again.
I tried reintroducing wheat again two weeks ago and I got a headache. I decided to eliminate wheat until I reintroduce it again (if I ever do).
Fast-forward a month to this week. I did not introduce anything this week because I had my period. I have not had cramps at all. In fact, my period was barely noticeable. Based on this information and my past history of periods, cramps, etc. I am putting together this puzzle. Has wheat been negatively affecting my period for my WHOLE adult life?!
To sum up: I reintroduced wheat and I had terrible cramps. Then I eliminated wheat and I can barely tell that I have my period. What else am I to conclude except that I am highly sensitive to wheat? Sad but true I guess.
I will keep testing this theory with each period. If I continue to avoid wheat and continue to have non-painful periods, that's pretty exciting evidence that I have been lacking for 17 years.
I had migraines
Then I went on this diet
Then I had way more energy and no migraines
I haven't mentioned this yet, but I have a history of irregular and painful menstrual cycles. This was not even something I was thinking of addressing with this diet, but as I was warned, once you start the elimination diet, all sorts of things get better that you didn't even know were wrong.
The last period I had was the same week I decided to reintroduce wheat. (That was a poor decision because I couldn't tell if that week's symptoms were because of wheat or my period.) That week I had unusually bad cramps. They were the kind that wake you up in the middle of the night. That week I also felt tired and heavy-headed. I decided to wait a few weeks and try wheat again.
I tried reintroducing wheat again two weeks ago and I got a headache. I decided to eliminate wheat until I reintroduce it again (if I ever do).
Fast-forward a month to this week. I did not introduce anything this week because I had my period. I have not had cramps at all. In fact, my period was barely noticeable. Based on this information and my past history of periods, cramps, etc. I am putting together this puzzle. Has wheat been negatively affecting my period for my WHOLE adult life?!
To sum up: I reintroduced wheat and I had terrible cramps. Then I eliminated wheat and I can barely tell that I have my period. What else am I to conclude except that I am highly sensitive to wheat? Sad but true I guess.
I will keep testing this theory with each period. If I continue to avoid wheat and continue to have non-painful periods, that's pretty exciting evidence that I have been lacking for 17 years.
WHEAT II
I tried wheat again this week. On Saturday I ate pasta, which was wonderful. Pasta is so versatile; hats off to pasta! After pasta I felt fine for a few days.
Then on Wednesday I tried another wheat treat: pumpkin bread. This recipe I made was SO good. It even had toasted pumpkin seeds in the bread, which I loved, but Justin called "dangerous" since they were sort of a crunchy surprise. So if you don't expect bread to have pointy crunchy things in it, then you could omit them.
Pumpkin Bread
Since there was only a small amount of flour in the bread, I decided I should also eat a burrito. Admittedly, that justification was probably influenced by my 3-month-long burrito longing.
Anyway, on Thursday night I got a headache. So I'm off wheat. I'm really sad about it and I can't stop thinking about how hard it will make eating out, eating with others, etc. I feel like every time I go out I will have to ask the restaurant employees a million questions to which they won't know the answer.
My only refuge is Laughing Planet, an amazing restaurant where they have this nice book with all the ingredients in all of their foods. The cashiers let me look at it every time, and I have discovered that I can eat their spinach lentil soup, Cuban bowl, and Soylent Green Bowl! Yay creative local chains! And for all you wheat-allergics out there, I hope your city has something like Laughing Planet too!
I was pretty ignorant about this whole wheat-free idea before this experiment, so let me just explain a few things that I've learned:
1) Instead of soy sauce, you can use wheat-free tamari. It's delicious, and some people buy it instead of soy sauce just because it's awesome. My local sushi restaurant has it, so that should be consoling to anyone who thinks s/he must never again dip sushi.
2) Barley flour (although it does have a small amount of gluten) is a very good flour substitute. I have been raving about it for a while now, so I'll just stop there.
3) Wheat-free and gluten-free are NOT the same thing. I don't get it well enough to explain yet, but if you are one, don't assume you are the other.
Ok, I will now accept all wheat-free, vegan, refined-sugar-free cupcakes as a cheer-up gift. Thank you in advance. And don't forget: no coconut either (I haven't tested it yet)!
PS- I'm going to try wheat again in 6 weeks. I'm not giving up.
Then on Wednesday I tried another wheat treat: pumpkin bread. This recipe I made was SO good. It even had toasted pumpkin seeds in the bread, which I loved, but Justin called "dangerous" since they were sort of a crunchy surprise. So if you don't expect bread to have pointy crunchy things in it, then you could omit them.
Pumpkin BreadSource: www.NewSeasonsMarket.com
-2 cups flour
-2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup oil
-3 large eggs (or 2 duck eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
-3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
- 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
-(And I added raisins)
Preheat oven to 325. Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients.
Combine both mixtures and add pumpkin and seeds (and I added raisins too.)
Pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
-2 cups flour
-2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup oil
-3 large eggs (or 2 duck eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
-3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
- 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
-(And I added raisins)
Preheat oven to 325. Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients.
Combine both mixtures and add pumpkin and seeds (and I added raisins too.)
Pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Since there was only a small amount of flour in the bread, I decided I should also eat a burrito. Admittedly, that justification was probably influenced by my 3-month-long burrito longing.
Anyway, on Thursday night I got a headache. So I'm off wheat. I'm really sad about it and I can't stop thinking about how hard it will make eating out, eating with others, etc. I feel like every time I go out I will have to ask the restaurant employees a million questions to which they won't know the answer.
My only refuge is Laughing Planet, an amazing restaurant where they have this nice book with all the ingredients in all of their foods. The cashiers let me look at it every time, and I have discovered that I can eat their spinach lentil soup, Cuban bowl, and Soylent Green Bowl! Yay creative local chains! And for all you wheat-allergics out there, I hope your city has something like Laughing Planet too!
I was pretty ignorant about this whole wheat-free idea before this experiment, so let me just explain a few things that I've learned:
1) Instead of soy sauce, you can use wheat-free tamari. It's delicious, and some people buy it instead of soy sauce just because it's awesome. My local sushi restaurant has it, so that should be consoling to anyone who thinks s/he must never again dip sushi.
2) Barley flour (although it does have a small amount of gluten) is a very good flour substitute. I have been raving about it for a while now, so I'll just stop there.
3) Wheat-free and gluten-free are NOT the same thing. I don't get it well enough to explain yet, but if you are one, don't assume you are the other.
Ok, I will now accept all wheat-free, vegan, refined-sugar-free cupcakes as a cheer-up gift. Thank you in advance. And don't forget: no coconut either (I haven't tested it yet)!
PS- I'm going to try wheat again in 6 weeks. I'm not giving up.
RealAge=RealRidiculous
I heard about this website called RealAge.com. It asks you a million questions about your health history, current eating and exercise practices, etc., and then professes to tell you your "real age" based on your medical information. Most of the questions seemed to make sense, and it even asks how many times per week you floss, perhaps just to prove its vigilance about all-things-medical. (I know, I know, flossing is important.)
Anyway, the reason RealAge has the honor of a mention on my blog is because it had something to say about my diet. One question about current health problems prompted me to enter that I suffer from migraines. Then it asks, What are you doing about your problems? The check-list offered includes seeing a doctor, changing your diet, and more. So of course, I checked the changing-my-diet box. (Although, keep in mind that the diet change was doctor-recommended.)
Now, before I tell you the results of my RealAge, I want to remind all readers that the reason I haven't had migraines for the past 3 months is because of this diet change that I'm plowing through. Prior to this diet change, not much (except acupuncture) has helped, including seeing MDs.
Ok, now for the results. My RealAge (haha) is 23.4, which I guess is good since I'm actually 25.4. In addition to your age, it gives you a green check for each positive step you are taking and a red X for each negative step. The shocking part, and the part that made me realize the ridiculosity of this site is that I got a red X for "dealing with headaches." Apparently completely changing my diet over a course of meticulously planned months is not a good enough step for RealAge. Then it went on to tell me that "migraines are no fun, but you don’t have to just live with the pain."
And this concludes my rant on this fad-faux-medicine-website. (I know, what was I expecting?)
Oh and by the way, I don't want my RealAge to be younger than my real age.
Old=wise.
Anyway, the reason RealAge has the honor of a mention on my blog is because it had something to say about my diet. One question about current health problems prompted me to enter that I suffer from migraines. Then it asks, What are you doing about your problems? The check-list offered includes seeing a doctor, changing your diet, and more. So of course, I checked the changing-my-diet box. (Although, keep in mind that the diet change was doctor-recommended.)
Now, before I tell you the results of my RealAge, I want to remind all readers that the reason I haven't had migraines for the past 3 months is because of this diet change that I'm plowing through. Prior to this diet change, not much (except acupuncture) has helped, including seeing MDs.
Ok, now for the results. My RealAge (haha) is 23.4, which I guess is good since I'm actually 25.4. In addition to your age, it gives you a green check for each positive step you are taking and a red X for each negative step. The shocking part, and the part that made me realize the ridiculosity of this site is that I got a red X for "dealing with headaches." Apparently completely changing my diet over a course of meticulously planned months is not a good enough step for RealAge. Then it went on to tell me that "migraines are no fun, but you don’t have to just live with the pain."
And this concludes my rant on this fad-faux-medicine-website. (I know, what was I expecting?)
Oh and by the way, I don't want my RealAge to be younger than my real age.
Old=wise.
Pumpkin Pancakes Inspire a Blog
Pumpkin week has been one of my favorite food-reintroduction weeks. Besides feeling physically great (which means my body is ok with pumpkin), I also feel like an accomplished chef. These pumpkin recipes, and mostly the pancakes, really did inspire this blog. After I ate them, I realized I had discovered something special and I needed to share it with the world. Also, I learned how to get both pumpkin puree and toasted pumpkin seeds out of a fresh pumpkin!
How to use a pumpkin to its fullest:
Pumpkin Puree (for cookies, biscuits, pancakes, etc.)
1) preheat oven to 350
2) cut your beautiful pie pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and set them aside to dry on a towel
3) put the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet
4) pour a bit of water on the baking sheet, just enough so the pumpkin will stay moist while sitting in the water
5) bake for about an hour until the skin is soft and you can poke through it with a fork
6) remove from oven and scoop pumpkin out of skin. mash or blend depending on your needs
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1) preheat oven to 325
2) sprinkle seeds with olive oil and salt
3) bake for about 10-20 minutes or until brownish, and keep an eye on them
Here's a good website for more detailed directions and other things you can sprinkle seeds with.
And now for a few inspiring pumpkin recipes:
Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits
source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/pumpkin-biscuits-recipe.html
1) Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2) Combine all ingredients. Stir just until the mixture holds together; avoid over mixing, or biscuits will be tough.
3) If you used oil (which I did), your dough isn't going to be rollable, so you'll want to just make drop-biscuits. To do this, using a spoon, scoop up a generous amount of dough and plop it onto your baking sheet. Press down slightly so that it flattens out a little.
Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Serve hot. Makes about 20 biscuits.
How to use a pumpkin to its fullest:
Pumpkin Puree (for cookies, biscuits, pancakes, etc.)
1) preheat oven to 350
2) cut your beautiful pie pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and set them aside to dry on a towel
3) put the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet
4) pour a bit of water on the baking sheet, just enough so the pumpkin will stay moist while sitting in the water
5) bake for about an hour until the skin is soft and you can poke through it with a fork
6) remove from oven and scoop pumpkin out of skin. mash or blend depending on your needs
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1) preheat oven to 325
2) sprinkle seeds with olive oil and salt
3) bake for about 10-20 minutes or until brownish, and keep an eye on them
Here's a good website for more detailed directions and other things you can sprinkle seeds with.
And now for a few inspiring pumpkin recipes:
1 Cup White Flour (I used barley flour)
1/2 Cup Buckwheat or Spelt Flour (again, barley flour)
2 Tsp Baking Powder (I used the the baking powder substitution: 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar)
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/4 Cup Rice Milk (I used hemp milk)
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, plus extra for serving with pancakes
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree, canned (I used fresh pumpkin!)
I also added dried cranberries and sunflower seeds, which were delicious and gave the pancakes a good texture.
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine (don’t over mix, some lumps are fine).
4. Heat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat and lightly grease with oil.
5. Ladle as many pancakes as possible (about 2 tbsp of batter for each one) on the griddle and cook 2 minutes or until bubbles start forming on the surface and the bottom is golden brown.
6. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes.
7. Repeat the process until you run out of batter (you can hold the finished pancakes in a 250 degree oven while you finish making the pancakes).
7. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy. (I also like to put almond butter on my pancakes.)
Source: http://weelicious.com/2008/11/26/vegan-pumpkin-pancakes/
This picture is not super-flattering, I think because the biscuits are in irregular shapes, but these biscuits were a really good breakfast treat. They are not too sweet, but they have this really nice moist pumpkin taste. In retrospect I bet these would have been good with raisins too. The original recipe says that they would be good for Thanksgiving dinner, which I think is true. Oh, isn't it great to find a food that works for breakfast AND dinner!?
Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits
source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/pumpkin-biscuits-recipe.html
2 cups barley flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (or 1/4 tablespoon baking soda plus 1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I used cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (I used fresh pumpkin!)
1/2 cup regular milk, or soy milk (or hemp milk)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1) Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2) Combine all ingredients. Stir just until the mixture holds together; avoid over mixing, or biscuits will be tough.
3) If you used oil (which I did), your dough isn't going to be rollable, so you'll want to just make drop-biscuits. To do this, using a spoon, scoop up a generous amount of dough and plop it onto your baking sheet. Press down slightly so that it flattens out a little.
Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Serve hot. Makes about 20 biscuits.
Tofu that doesn't suck.
I do not think that tofu sucks, but I know a lot of people do. This blog is for all those people. Here's a recipe I found/perfected that is really delicious and super-easy. Sometimes I feel like you have to be a really good chef in order to make tofu good, or crispy, or tasty. This recipe is a no-fail, simple masterpiece. Oh, and baked tofu is healthier than fried tofu.
Really Easy Fail-proof Tofu
1) Preheat oven to 400
2) Cut tofu into slices (see picture below)
3) Soak (or marinate if you're into those cooking terms) in soy sauce or wheat-free tamari and a couple drops of sesame oil (optional) for about 10 minutes
4) Place slices on oiled baking sheet
5) Bake for 15 minutes
6) Flip each slice over and bake for another 15 minutes
I eat mine with rice because I read that if you eat tofu with rice, your body is able to absorb more of the protein. Also I sprinkle sesame seeds on top of everything because sesame seeds are awesome. For a really easy-to-make meal, steam something green and put that with the rice and tofu.
Another reason I like this meal is because I'm impatient. I don't like to wait for the oven to preheat and I don't like waiting for stuff to cook. So here's what I do:
Start the rice. Cook it for 40 minutes.
Then preheat the oven for the tofu. By the time the oven preheats, the tofu should be done marinating.
Put the tofu in the oven and then start the greens.
By the time your greens are done, the tofu will need to be flipped.
By that time you only have about 15 minutes left, with which you can pick up all the crap on your kitchen table, get out plates, turn off the rice, tell your people that dinner's ready, and figure out which Simpsons episode you will watch during dinner.
Really Easy Fail-proof Tofu
1) Preheat oven to 400
2) Cut tofu into slices (see picture below)
3) Soak (or marinate if you're into those cooking terms) in soy sauce or wheat-free tamari and a couple drops of sesame oil (optional) for about 10 minutes
4) Place slices on oiled baking sheet
5) Bake for 15 minutes
6) Flip each slice over and bake for another 15 minutes
I eat mine with rice because I read that if you eat tofu with rice, your body is able to absorb more of the protein. Also I sprinkle sesame seeds on top of everything because sesame seeds are awesome. For a really easy-to-make meal, steam something green and put that with the rice and tofu.
Another reason I like this meal is because I'm impatient. I don't like to wait for the oven to preheat and I don't like waiting for stuff to cook. So here's what I do:
Start the rice. Cook it for 40 minutes.
Then preheat the oven for the tofu. By the time the oven preheats, the tofu should be done marinating.
Put the tofu in the oven and then start the greens.
By the time your greens are done, the tofu will need to be flipped.
By that time you only have about 15 minutes left, with which you can pick up all the crap on your kitchen table, get out plates, turn off the rice, tell your people that dinner's ready, and figure out which Simpsons episode you will watch during dinner.
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