Rainbow Taco Salad

My family decided to order out from a certain Italian chain restaurant that has a frightening lack of veggies on its menu. I wasn't in the mood for white pasta and cheese covered in cheese tonight, so while they were calling in their order...waiiiiting to go pick it up....driiiiiving to go get their food... and driiiiiiiving back (Me? Have a flair for the dramatic? Of course not!), I whipped this up with enough time left over to post this! Shazam!
By "salad" I really mean "too much taco filling in too little tortilla"... which is how my tacos usually end up anyway. I'd just rather eat more of the good stuff with a fork than another tortilla. I spill less that way, too!
I've already talked about phytochemicals and the importance of eating a variety of colors as well as the glycemic index of foods and how whole foods have a lower glycemic index than processed foods *cough* pasta *cough*. This salad incorporates veggies of every color: red, orange, yellow, green, and purple/blue.
Check this video out to learn more about the benefits of eating a rainbow everyday:

What you're gonna need (for 2 salads):

• 2 tortillas. I like the Artisan Tortillas by Mission
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1-2 cups red cabbage, chopped
• A "fistful" of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 4-5 Tbs salsa
• 4-5 small peppers or 1-2 large bell peppers of various colors, sliced into thin strips
• 1/2 package (about 1/2 a pound) tofu
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 2 Tbs taco seasoning
• 1 cup cooked black beans

What you're gonna do with it:

1. Slice tofu into 1/2" x 1" x 3" strips, lay strips flat on one side of a towel and fold over the other side and press the liquid out of the tofu. 
2. Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.
3. Lay the tofu strips in the pan and cook until they are brown on one side, then flip them over and add taco seasoning. You can leave them in strips or break them up into smaller pieces.
4. Remove the tofu from the pan. Add the remaining 1 Tbs of olive oil to the pan over low heat and add the pepper strips. You could also heat up the beans in the pan at this time.
5. Vitamin C doesn't particularly like heat, so keep the heat low in the pan or choose to not cook the peppers at all.
6. Once the beans are cooked, assemble your salad! I started with a tortilla and piled the chopped cabbage, peppers, tofu, tomatoes, beans, and cilantro on topped it with salsa. Om nom nom!

No-Moo Tofu Berry "Ice Cream"

I have a number of lactose-intolerant friends, all of whom LOVE ice cream but can't eat it. What torture! I myself was craving ice cream after an unfortunate lab for my food science class required me to make and then sample hot chillies...bad news, dudes.

There are numerous soy- and almond- based ice creams available, but boy are they expensive! And a handful contain some funky ingredients, so I decided to try and make my own dairy-free frozen treat.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 servings):

• 12 oz extra firm tofu, drained (I plan on playing around with different types of tofu to see which firmness works best here)
• 2.5 c frozen mixed berries
• 1c soy milk
• 1 TBS agave (or honey)
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract

 Drain, Dump, Blend:

1.  Drain the tofu and press out any excess water with a dish towel.
2. Blend tofu, 1/2 cup soy milk, agave, and vanilla until smooth. Add berries in three parts and blend together. Add additional soy milk as needed to allow the mixture to blend. I ended up using about 1 c soy milk.
3.  Now for the hard part... RESIST eating it just yet! Transfer the berry tofu mixture into a sealed container and stick it in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until it solidifies. Stir every hour or so, as the edges will freeze faster than the center.At the 3-4 hour mark it is a scoopable consistency, but if left overnight it becomes rock solid. Nothing a quick defrost in the microwave can't fix.

Soy: Cancer culprit?
The estrogen-like compounds in soy have been accused of predisposing women to breast cancer. There are other studies that suggest that  among women with breast cancer, consuming soy-based foods such as tofu was associated with a decreased risk of death and recurrence.The bottom line is that too much, or too little, of any number of lifestyle or diet factors can lead to disease. It is difficult to trace cancer back to one definitive cause. Maintaining an active lifestyle, abstaining from certain activities such as smoking, and consuming a varied and plant-based diet (which can include soy) is your best bet for preventing cancer.
Another note on soy: along with corn, soy is one of the most heavily genetically modified crops. I don't buy all of my produce organic, but soy (tofu and soy milk) I buy organic without fail. We're not really sure of all the negative effects of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) quite yet.

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Confession: I hate cauliflower.

Raw, it burns the roof of my mouth. Weird, right? Maybe it's an allergy...Cooked in macaroni and cheesy goodness, however, cauliflower is magnificent!

I adapted this recipe from Runner's world to make my mac and cheese. My friend's wife who has an aversion to all veggies tried it and love it as is. I made mine with a greater cauliflower to pasta ratio and added some other goodies.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 c vegetable broth
• 1 head cauliflower (mine was HUGE and made ~6c chopped and cored)
• Salt - enough for salting boiling water
• 1.5 TBS dried mustard
• 1c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2TBS olive oil + 1 TBS
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ~3/4 lb (4c dry) pasta (elbow, bowtie, or ritoni would probably work best)
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2c Parmesan cheese

Makin' Mac Magical...

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Heat 2.5 c veggie stock in a sauce pan to a boil, then turn off heat.
3. Boil a large pot of salted water
4. Cut and core 1 head of cauliflower (~6c total)
5. Boil cauliflower for 15 minutes.
6. Saute chopped onion and garlic in 1TBS olive oil until translucent.
7. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cauliflower from the pot of water to a colander set over a clean dish towel. You will re-use the boiling water for the pasta.
8. Add pasta to the boiling water, cook according to directions on package (something like boil for 8-10 mins)
9. Press a plate or bowl down on the cauliflower to press out excess water. Transfer the cauliflower to a blender (or food processor if you're lucky enough to have one!).
10. To the blender, add the warm vegetable stock, sauteed onion and garlic, 1.5 TBS dry mustard, 1c shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 TBS olive oil and pepper (~0.5 TBS). Blend until smooth.
11. Mix blender contents and drained pasta. Transfer to a 9x13 pan sprayed with olive oil.
12. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top melts ans browns a bit.

Colorless Cauliflower...

In a previous post, I promoted eating colorful foods - especially fruits and veggies - for the phytochemicals they contain. Cauliflower may be white... but it does not lack in nutritional value!
Cauliflower has an extremely low glycemic index of 2 (on a scale of 0-100). It's also a fabulous source of fiber, folate, and vitamins C and K. Fun fact: humans and guinea pigs are the only animals on earth that cannot make their own vitamin C!

Furthermore, a study published in 2011 (Hooper, L.V.) found that specific dietary compounds present in cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower and broccoli) promote intestinal immune function. Your intestinal tract is something of an MVP for your immune system, so keeping your digestive tract healthy keeps YOU healthy. 

 

Mean, Green, Cold-Fighting Machine

It has been raining since 8:30 this morning here in Bellingham...

That, on top of what I'm starting to believe is more cold than allergies inspired this green concoction that I plan on nomming on for the next few days. The flavors in this soup were inspired by my uncle. He's been instructed to go on a low-sodium diet, so I didn't add any salt to this soup - just BIG flavors like basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic, onion, and paprika. YUM! I don't miss the salt one bit.

Sodium is hidden in many processed foods - even ones that don't taste salty. Pay attention to the nutrition facts labels on your packaged foods, or better yet don't eat them!  "If it doesn't look like something pulled out of the ground or off a plant, you probably shouldn't be eating it" has become something of a personal mantra.

The overwhelming greenness of this soup was definitely by accident... you could use whatever veg you've got in the fridge.

 

What I used:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 Tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 2 Tsp dried basil
• 2 Tsp oregano
• 1 Tsp paprika
• 2 Tsp black pepper
• 1/2 day-old avocado, smashed
• ~1.5c leftover blanched asparagus (my friend and I made sushi yesterday)
• 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florettes
• 4c low-sodium vegetable broth + 4c water (or more veggie broth if you're not on a college budget)
• 1 can kidney beans (~2c), rinsed
• 1c green lentils, rinsed
• 2c raw spinach (kale would have been good, too!)

Building the Machine:

1.  Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, and basil, oregano, paprika, pepper, and rosemary, cook until onions are translucent.
3.  Smoosh in the avocado and add the broccoli and asparagus.
4. Add vegetable broth and water and return to a boil.
5. Add kidney beans, lentils and spinach. 
6. Cook on med-low heat until lentils are cooked through (~30min) or longer. I was Skyping with a friend in Minnesota so my soup simmered for over an hour.

What's in all that green stuff, anyway?

Asparagus is a great source of vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as calcium, zinc, magnesium, and fiber. Spinach is another source of vitamin A and K, the B vitamins, fiber, and iron. Avocado provides potassium, vitamins C and K, and folate. Broccoli is a rockstar: a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. Lentils are a great source of fiber and protein, as well as iron, phosphorous, and copper. 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4338/2

Photo from http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2007/09/on-asparagus-and-spring/

Pancakes Verse, Same as the First! Finals Week Version and a Whole Lot ...Better!

Breakfast at my apartment usually consists of oatmeal and some combination of almonds or peanutbutter, and banana or appleasauce. I use sugar-free applesauce or smooshed banana to sweeten my oatmeal instead of sugar. And cinnamon, of course!

It is not often that I stray from my oatmeal staple. However, this is the weekend before finals week. I'm stressed, craving chocolate, and looking for something (anything!) to give me a break from biochem and microbiology. Looking through my cupboards I found cocoa powder, a ripe banana, some spelt flour, and (of course) oatmeal. Pancakes it is!

If you've read this blog before, you may be aware of my usual opposition to pancakes. These, too, are protein-packed-pancakes and are made with ingredients with a much lower glycemic index than ordinary pancakes made from ground flour.

So what's this glycemic index business? GI is a ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods on a scale of 1-100, depending on how quickly and to what extent they raise blood sugar levels after you eat them. Foods that can be broken down sooner (simple sugars, ground flours, white bread) are rapidly digested and cause a greater fluctuation in blood sugar, these are high-GI foods. Low-GI foods produce gradual rises in blood sugar (and therefore insulin levels) because they are broken down more slowly in the body (think carbs in fruit, whole grains, beans and legumes).

Fun Fact: Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet.

Which makes sense... if the foods you eat break down into sugar faster, your body needs to respond to a huge rush of sugar at once by pumping out a ton of insulin. Doing this over and over can lead into insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. (Image from http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php)

Glycemic index in mind, I wanted to create delicious chocolatey pancakes without adding any extra sugar. This is where the banana came in. Ripe bananas are incredibly sweet. Perfect!

Protein Peanut Butter-Banana-Chocolate Oatmeal Pancakes

What you're gonna need (for ~5 pancakes):

• 1 ripe banana
• 3/4c oats
• 1/2 c spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2Tbs peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 to 3/4c water (add water until you reach pancake-batter consistency)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Putting it together:

1. Smash the ripe banana with the back of a fork, or spoon, or your fist (it is finals week, after all)
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat
4. Cook the batter 1/4c at a time like regular pancakes (flip when bubbles form and the edges are dry)
5. I drizzled a little honey over my pancakes. Syrup from the grocery store contains high fructose corn syrup which the body can't process very well, but that's a story for another day.

Peanutbutter, eggs, and oatmeal are all sources of protein in this recipe. Mixing a legume (peanuts) with a grain (oatmeal) produces a complete protein. Eggs are a complete protein by themselves - they come from an animal source. It may be high in protein, but this recipe is by no means low-calorie... perhaps best to share these with your roommates!

Om nom nom!

Tomato-kale-garbanzo soup

Tomato soup base was on sale this week. However, I can't eat plain tomato soup... it's a texture thing, I think. I was able to produce from my refrigerator some rosemary that needed to be used, garlic, and kale. Stella (my cat) picked the garbanzos from a lineup of black, kidney, and garbanzo beans. Good choice, Stel!

• 4c tomato soup (I buy the reduced-sodium kind and then add flavors other than salt... more on this later!)
  
• 3c water
• 1 bunch kale, chopped into 1-2" pieces (makes 3-4c)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs chopped rosemary (I used fresh rosemary, dried would be fine)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 TBS black pepper

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot with a lid.
   
2. Add garlic and rosemary, cook until garlic softens.
3. Add kale and 1/2 c water. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted. This looks like A LOT of kale... you'll be surprised how much it wilts down.
4. Add garbanzos, paprika, pepper, and oregano and stir together.
5. Add tomato soup base and remaining water until your soup reaches a soupy (rather than stewy) consistency... I needed about 3c water.
6. Bring the soup to a slow boil and then turn heat to low. You can serve the soup immediately, or simmer it for a while to let the kale soften a bit more, and the rosemary and oregano flavors to infuse (what's the fancy pants chef term for this?) into the soup.
   

A note on low-sodium products:
READ your nutrition facts labels! Many soups, seasoning packets, and other processed and packaged foods contain nearly as much sodium per serving as we need in a whole day! Yikes! There is some research linking high-sodium diets to higher blood pressure... and other research that disproves this (and suggests that only ~40% of the population has sodium-sensitive hypertension). Either way, there are a lot more phytochemicals in spices and herbs like rosemary, paprika, and oregano than in table salt, and they make foods taste SO much better! Pass the herbs, please!

Chia Seeds: Health or Hype?

Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run introduced the diet and lifestyle of the Tarahumara "the running people" - a Mexican tribe who run 50 or 100 miles at a time for pure enjoyment, seemingly without effort. Their diet consists mainly of plants (of course!), one inparticular has become something of a health food fad - chia seeds (Salvia hispanica).
I had never heard of chia seeds...except for in Chia Pets... until I went hiking near Mt. Baker with some friends. One had brought a water bottle filled with what looked like water and frog eggs. He assured me that chia seeds were safe, and also contained more omega-3s than fish as well as fiber and protein. I was skeptical and decided to do my own research before I drank anything resembling pond water... here's what I found:

A quick Google search for chia seeds returns a number of health food fad sites that tried to sell me chia by the bucketload... So I turned my search toward the (hopefully less biased) literature.

The consumption of fish, which is rich in n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids, is low in Latin America and it is necessary to seek other alternatives, such as chia oil which is rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA), the
precursor of the n -3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (Valenzuela et al, 2012). Valenzuela's study found that consumption of chia oil, a good sources of
ALA, can significantly increase hepatic levels of ALA, EPA and DHA, producing much lower n-6/n-3 ratios (which we should all strive for). The high omega-3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids and fiber content of chia, may also reduce risk factors for CVD (Ulbricht et al, 2009).
I checked the American Dietetic Association's website for its take on chia:

"Chia seeds are part of the mint family and comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica. These seeds contain omega-3 fatty acid, antioxidants, fiber, protein and minerals. Some research has found that chia seeds—in conjunction with a healthy diet—may help lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. However, there are few published studies with humans, so more research is needed before these health benefits can be verified.

The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. The sprouts from the seeds (also commonly used in Chia Pets) are also edible."

Still need more research? Fair enough. I don't think I'll be eating my Chia Pet anytime soon, and these certainly are no cure-all food. However, I could benefit from more fiber and n-3s in my diet.... what exactly would I be getting if I did jump on the chia bandwagon? What's in the seeds?

Self Nutrition Data:
One ounce of dry chia seeds contains the following (and much more):

• 137 calories (72 from fat)
• 11 grams of dietary fiber (42% DV)
• 4g protien
• 18% RDA of calcium
• 27% RDA of phosphorous
• 30% RDA Manganese
• 4915 mg n-3 fatty acids (The RD I worked with this summer recommended 2400-4000mg+ of EPA/DHA per day)
  
• 1620mg n-6 fatty acids

How does one eat chia?
Chia seeds placed in water or fruit juice are consumed in Mexico and known as chia fresca or iskiate . The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture (very gelatinous.. resembling my friend's frog-egg water). Ground chia seed is used in baked goods, and chia sprouts are used in a manner similar to alfalfa sprouts in salads or sandwiches.

I found this Iskiate recipe from No Meat Athlete:

• about 10 oz of water
• 1 Tbsp dry chia seeds
• a few teaspoons lemon or lime juice
• honey or agave nectar, to taste (optional)

Stir the chia seeds into the water; let them sit for about five minutes. Stir again, and let sit for as long as you like. The more it sits, the more gel-like the seeds and water become. Add citrus juice and sweetener to taste.

It wasn't bad... I made a big water bottle of iskiate using honey instead of agave nectar and let the seeds sit overnight. The seeds definitely become very gelatinous, it's a bit like drinking tomato seeds. The frog-eggness of the drink doesn't quite outweigh the benefits of drinking it, though.

Om Nom... Slurp?