Garden Wrap and Avocado-Pistachio Pesto (deelightful)

Avocado-Pistachio Pesto

1/2 Tbsp. crushed garlic (about 1 medium-sized clove)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. shelled pistachios (shelling this is what takes the longest)

2 C. basil, lightly packed

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 C. chopped ripe avocado

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix the garlic and salt together. Add the pistachio nuts and process into small pieces. Add the basil, lemon juice, avocado, and olive oil and process until mixed well. 

The only difference between making this recipe with as food processor as opposed to without is that everything that would be mixed in the processor is chopped fine by hand or with a hand chopper. 

This recipe makes about 1 cup and whatever you don't eat can be stored in the fridge for a few days to a week. It works well as a leftover, if you have any (Rob and I usually double the recipe) to take for lunch the next day.  

Garden Wrap

2 large collard green leaves

1 recipe Avocado-Pistachio Pesto

1/2 C. peeled, chopped cucumber

1/2 C. seeded and chopped red bell pepper

1/2 C. mushrooms

1/2 C. sprouts

Cut the leaves away from the thick center stem of each collard leaf to make a total of 4 flat pieces. 

Spoon the Avocado-Pistachio Pesto across the bottom edge of the shorter width of each leaf. Top with cucumbers, bell peppers, mushrooms, and sprouts. Roll up into a wrap and serve. 

Can also be served in a tortilla or in a sandwich. 

Protein, it's an uphill battle

Having been raised in a family that ate meat regularly, the change to eating vegetarian (well, mostly since we still sometimes eat fish) has been fraught with difficulty. This has been mainly because of working out hard, eating every 2- 3 hours, and not knowing how to get the necessary protein without meat. At first I just tried to eat a lot of eggs. But eating eggs for 2 - 3 mini meals every day gets old REALLY fast. I then thought, Beans! Beans have lots of protein! But, honestly, how many AMAZING bean recipes can you think of that don't include any milk, tomato, or corn products? Me neither.

Years ago, when Rob and I were working as personal trainers we used to drink protein powder mixed with milk as a mid-morning, post-workout snack. Since that protein powder was whey based and anything cow's milk is not an option, we went back to the drawing board. The following are examples of what we tried in our quest to find a palatable, mixable, on-the-go protein shake.

Rice Protein -  No amount of mixing this with any combination of fruit could cover up its unmistakable chalky texture. It coats sticks in your throat just enough to give you a constant cough for part of the morning afterward. Though a small spoonful worked well in oatmeal, it did not as a drink.

Hemp Protein - though it was palatable in soy milk, it did not mix well at all. The first two thirds of the drink didn't taste amazing, but was good enough. By the time you get to the last third, the hemp protein dregs are concentrated in every sip you take making swallowing (due to the graininess and taste) difficult.

The Ultimate Meal - Though it says "tastes great" on the side of the can, it tastes anything but. It smells like pond water and tastes about the same. Like the rice protein, NOTHING can make this shake taste good. If you've ever gone swimming in slow-moving or standing water, that algae-ish smell? That's what this tastes like. Try as I might, I couldn't distract myself enough to keep from dry heaving after every swallow, and I'm not exaggerating at all. Even after mixing it with two bananas, mixed berries, and a peach I still had to follow each swallow with a chaser or water and some bread in order to keep it down.

Feeling REALLY discouraged and bad for having spent so much money on all of these protein powders, we found one!!!!  It's a wheat protein, so obviously not a solution for anyone who has a level of gluten intolerance, but it is the ONLY thing that we have been able to find. It is palatable in water, tastes fine in milk and delivers the needed additional protein we both need. HOORAY!

Because we have friends and family that can't have gluten, we're going to try an egg protein powder we found. I'll let you know how that works as the protein powder saga continues....

Seitan Recipe - as requested

For seitan, I use the basic recipe from the side of the Bob's Red Mill, Vital Wheat Gluten bag with a couple of my own variations.

By the way, this recipe make 184 grams of protein!!  All for a cost of about 2 dollars!  Just go TRY to buy chicken at that price.

Ingredients:
2 C Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 tsp. Dry Sage
1 tsp. Marjoram
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 7/8 C Water (this will make a lot of sense in just a second)
6 C Broth or Water (Chicken broth produces Chicken-flavored seitan, Beef broth makes beef, etc.)

* In a dry mixing bowl, combine the wheat gluten with all the spices.
* In a glass, liquid measuring cup, pour in the soy sauce
       (I usually eyeball this, since 2 Tbsp is equal to half of a 1/4 C...I know, it's weird, but that's just how my mind works).
* Then, if you're measuring cup holds 2 C like mine does, put water in with the soy sauce until it comes up to the 2 C mark (hence the "1 7/8 C water").
       The soy sauce/water proportion doesn't have to be exact, but you should always end up with 2 C total liquid.
* Mix together.  You'll quickly find it necessary to knead it.  Try to knead it while in the bowl if possible - much less messy.
* Knead only a minute or so.  The more you knead, the more elastic it will be.
* Let the dough rest while you bring 6 Cups of liquid to a boil in a large pot (mine holds 6qts - trust me, you'll need that extra space in there)
* Once the liquid is boiling, cut the seitan into slabs, stretch them out, and cut each slab into strips.
* Place the strips into the boiling liquid as you cut them.
* Put the lid on the pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for about an hour or more.
* Do NOT open the lid during this time.  It will take a long time for the liquid to return to simmering heat if you do, and the seitan will be under-cooked.  If you have a glass lid, you'll see that the seitan expands with the heat, and fills nearly an entire 6qt pot.
* After an hour or so, drain the seitan, and either use that evening or freeze.  It doesn't keep more than a couple of days in the fridge.
* This cooked form can be sauteed, fried, minced, or just put in a sandwich as is.


This recipe has worked great for us.  But, I'm still a little new to the seitan world, so if anyone out there has a better recipe for seitan, please share it with all of us in the comments below.

Pizza Dough (with my variations)

Here's the pizza dough recipe we found:

Right out of the book (single batch):

1 C warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar (or substitute)

1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 C flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. olive oil for greasing the bowl the dough rises in

* Combine water, sugar, yeast in a small bowl.

* Set aside for 10 minutes.

* Meanwhile combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

* Add olive oil and yeast  to dry mixture.  

* Mix and knead for 10 minutes

* Form dough into a ball and let rise until doubled in size (about an hour)

* Punch down dough, and knead again for a minute or so.

* Let rest anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours

* Cut in two and stretch into rounds.

* Bake at 500 degrees.

                                                              

I've found this to be a little dry and "bread-y", not moist and pizza-crust like.  Also, it only makes two rounds.  Michelle and I nosh that in a heartbeat, and then there's no leftovers!  So, here's how I do it:

* Combine the following in the mixing bowl you intend to use for the whole process

       2 C warm water

       3 Tbsp agave

       2 scant Tbsp of yeast

* Mix this well to dissolve all of the yeast, and let sit for 10 minutes.

* After 10 minutes it should be all foamy and frothy - perfect!

* Dump in 1 1/2 C of whole wheat flour, and 1/2 C of white flour (2 C total)

* Turn on your nifty hand mixer and mix until smooth

* Add 4 Tbsp (same as 1/4 C) of Olive Oil (don't worry about going liberal on this one)

* Add 2 tsp. Sea Salt

* Back to the hand mixer until smooth again.

* Add another Cup of white flour and about a Tbsp or two of Wheat Gluten.

       (the extra gluten is completely optional - I don't always use it)

* Hand mixer again - get it smooth.

* At this point, the mixer should be having a hard time with the thickness of the dough, transfer to the table.

* Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time to keep it from sticking to your hands (I hate sticky hands!)

* After another 5-7 minutes of kneading, I find that I use a total of about 4 - 4 1/2 cups of flour.

* Grease a bowl with at least 4 tsp. olive oil, and put the dough inside.

* Cover the rising bowl with plastic wrap and a towel, and place in a warm oven for about 20 minutes

       (but not warm enough to melt a plastic bowl - a very embarrassing experience, trust me)

* After rising, punch down and knead for a minute

* Cut into 4 equal portions

* Knead each portion just to get it round again

* Heat oven to 450 degrees

* Stretch out the first round, and place it on a hot baking stone

* Set timer for 6 minutes

* At the three-minute mark, poke holes in the dough where you don't want it to inflate (like the middle)

* While the first is cooking, stretch out the second, and so on.

* After all the rounds are cooked, arrange the toppings as you wish, then turn on the broiler.

* With the rack in the middle, broil each pizza for about 45-60 seconds only.

Voila!  A pizza masterpiece that has every salivary gland struggling to keep up.

Happy cooking!

Date Night Pizza

Last night, for date night, we made one of our favorite recipes...Pizza!  Now, I know what you're thinking, "how it the name of Laszlo Berczeller can you make a pizza without tomatoes or cheese?!"  Well, we've found a few recipes that knock the socks off any of those ho-hum pizzas you're probably used to.  There's Balsamic Glazed Onion on Goat Cheese, Basil Zucchini on Goat Cheese, and Manchego Spinach tossed in Balsamic Vinaigrette.  For the pizza dough, I use a recipe we found in a vegan recipe book somewhere; and with a few variations, it's absolutely incredible!

Give 'em a shot.  Once you've tried it, I doubt you'll ever go back.

    

Tropical Ratatoille

I just had the most AMAZING dinner. It tasted like a dish of pad thai mated with some ratatouille and doused the act in coconut milk. Seriously, I haven't tasted something this good since...I don't know when.

I made a few changes to the recipe I found in the Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook, to adapt to allergies. Here are the specs. Enjoy!

Tropical Ratatouille                    

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 C. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 large eggplant, cubed
1-2 small zucchini, cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 " chopped
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 recipe Thai coconut sauce (see below)
1 Tbsp. cilantro

Heat oil in large pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add eggplant and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add Thai Coconut Sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When done, remove lime leaf and lemongrass stem. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

Thai Coconut Sauce

1 13oz can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. cashew butter
2 Tbsp. Shoyu (if you can't have gluten, use tamari, Shoyu has wheat in it)
1 Tbsp. agave
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, abt. 1/2 of a lime
1 tsp. Mirin
1 small Lime leaf (I found mine at Whole Foods by the fresh herbs)
2" Lemongrass stem
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in small pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Homemade Tortillas

4 C Flour (I do 2 whole wheat, and 2 white)

2 tsp. Sea Salt

6 Tbsp Oil (I use olive oil)

1 1/2 C hot water

Mix dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Knead until mixed.

Pinch off about a golf ball size of dough, and roll out onto a floured surface until as thin as you want.

Cook tortillas in a frying pan over med-high heat about 60 seconds per side

Bon Apetite! They're awesome!

Hooray for Tacos!

Mexican food has always been our favorite! But, it feels like ages since we've had any. If you think about it, almost every ingredient is an offender; corn chips, tomato salsa, cheddar cheese...it's almost as if it was designed for our demise. Even taco seasoning has corn starch in it!

Well, yesterday I made a big batch of seitan (I like using Bob's Red Mill, Vital Wheat Gluten), and I chopped it up fine like ground meat. I then found a homemade taco seasoning recipe, and sauteed it all up in a skillet. I had a stack of tortillas already made, so we threw it all together with a dollop of tofu-based sour cream and salad greens.

Oh baby, oh baby. It was fantastic! We had a Mexican Food Orgy! We've eaten little more than tacos for the last 24 hours. And, we still have a little extra for lunch tomorrow.

What a great discovery!

Seasonal Allergies

Three posts in one day, that's got to be some kind of record.

So I have seasonal allergies in addition to food allergies, but I don't usually even think about them anymore because they rarely bother me. Case in point, Rob and I went orienteering last weekend on a mountain covered in greenery of which I'm sure I was allergic. After several hours of traipsing up and down the mountain, we finished with no more than a few cuts and scratches. The pits of my elbows were a bit itchy and red, which is common for me when I have a slight allergic reaction, for a few days afterward, but that was it.

Not eating things I'm allergic to has made me barely even notice my seasonal allergies. Last summer, before the allergies discovery, that trip up the mountain would inevitably have ended badly. I would probably have had to take Benadryl 20 minutes into the hike. Because my body responses REALLY strongly to drugs, within a half hour I would have either ended up falling asleep on the mountain or Rob would have had to "help" (i.e. carry) my half asleep body off the mountain. After this, I would have fallen asleep for 12 hours and then woken the next day feeling hung over.  It would then take me an entire week to feel like I could think completely clearly (for me thinking on allergies is like trying to think through wet cement).

It is largely for this reason that we have been so vigilant about eating allergy-free. Not because eating these foods could send me to the hospital, I'm not that severely allergic to most of them, but because I can't think clearly and am extremely emotional, irritable, and irrational whenever I eat things I'm allergic to (like the last time I ate ice cream--a post for another day).

This hike reminded me how big of a difference not eating what I'm allergic to has made. I hadn't thought about how long it's been since I had a full blown allergic reaction.  Who knew I would be so happy to be mildly itchy?

How It Started

Michelle and I have been married for over six and a half years. We've known that Michelle had allergies for five years. We've been paying attention to those allergies for only one year. And, what a difference that year has made!

In the summer of 2006, Michelle and I went to an allergist to find out what chemicals she was allergic to. She kept swelling up whenever we walked by a sprayed lawn or ate a pesticide-ridden strawberry. We were sorely disappointed when the allergist didn't even test for chemicals, but instead looked for allergies to food. We came home with a long list of foods to avoid (that we ate regularly), figured it was a bunch of crap, and stuffed it away in some file somewhere.

In the summer of 2010, after finishing college and moving into a new apartment, I started going through our files to throw away all the junk that had piled up. Of course, I ran across the allergy list. By this time, Michelle had started getting itchy feet every time she used a treadmill, broke out into hives at the gym's "cardio cinema", and threw up at particularly stressful times. So, I wondered, would avoiding these foods make any difference?

So, together, we decided to cut out all allergy-laden foods from our diet which included (drum roll please): Corn, Tomato, Apples, Oranges, Barley, Rye, Peanuts, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Sesame, Cow's Milk, and Pork.

This has been no easy task, and the challenge continues. But, we live happier, healthier lives, not to mention the amazing treats we've discovered! It's incredible how much possibility there is of great food when there are so many things to avoid!

So join us! Come inside, and share in the wonderful goodness we've found by being restricted in our selection.