I'm Back...with Pumpkin Muffins

It's been a while since I've posted anything - approximately seven months, but who's counting?! I didn't get lost at sea or sustain a head injury resulting in temporary amnesia. While I haven't felt particularly healthy, I have been pursuing better health. I began a new treatment for Fibromyalgia, known as the Guaifenesin Protocol, which was designed by Dr. R. Paul St. Amand,  a Los Angeles-based medical practitioner, who himself has Fibromyalgia. I won't go into any great detail about the protocol, other than to say that guaifenesin is the active ingredient in Mucinex and that once you begin to take it, your Fibromyalgia symptoms initially get worse (if you're interested in finding out more about the protocol, check out this website: http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com). It can take six months to a year before you begin to start feeling better, and here I am, living proof that if done properly, you can start to see your health improve. I have begun to feel better, so it's time to start blogging again!

Even though I wasn't feeling well enough to write (I was both too fatigued and too brain-fogged to concentrate), on my better days I continued to cook, bake and look for new recipes. In addition to playing around with some old favorites, I've experimented with some new ingredients. I know it's a bit late in the season to be getting excited about pumpkin (pumpkin-mania usually begins in October), but I have fallen in love with the orange gourd and  have several recipes that I want to share. The next several posts will  be pumpkin-related, with some non-pumpkin dishes to break the monotony. I'll start with one of my favorites: Pumpkin Muffins.

My current pumpkin mania was inspired by a couple of recipes from one of the low-carb, gluten-free food blogs I follow. While doing some research I found that it's low in calories and it's packed with minerals (copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus) and anti-oxidant vitamins - particularly vitamins A, B-complex, C, and E. I haven't worked up the courage to work with fresh pumpkin yet, but I've learned a few things about working with the canned variety. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for three or four days but you can also freeze it. Of all the recipes I'll be posting, the muffins are my favorite - the flavor reminds me of gingerbread, but the texture isn't as dense. They're perfect for breakfast or a quick snack and can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days - if they last that long! You can also keep them in the freezer - either let them sit in the fridge overnight or microwave them for 10 - 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins (LC/GF)

Ingredients:

3/4 C almond flour (84 g)
1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/16 tsp ground cloves

1 T butter, melted (can substitute coconut oil)

1/4 C erythritol

1/4 tsp stevia glycerite

1 1/2  eggs

1/2 C canned pumpkin

*Preheat oven to 350º F.

*Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

*Add egg, butter, and pumpkin  and stir until well blended.

*Fill silicone muffins cups with batter and place them on a baking sheet, evenly spaced.

*Bake for 30  minutes (rotate baking sheet halfway through), or until muffins are firm and lightly browned. Keep on eye on the bottoms to make sure they don't burn.

*Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and allow to cool.

Total: 617 cal, 29.26 g total carbs, 16.66 g net carbs, 49.25 g fat, 12.6 g fiber and 23.85 g protein.

Makes 6 and each has 102.83 cal, 4.88 g total carbs, 2.78 g net carbs, 8.21 g fat,  2.1 g fiber and 3.98 g protein.

Vegan Mashed Cauliflower with Marinated Mushrooms or Mushroom Spinach Marsala- How I Learned To Live Without Take-Out, Part 3

When I began to convert the take-out recipes I loved to low carb, my initial attempt was Mushroom and Spinach Marsala. I was weaning myself off of the take-out, but was still relying on the few low carb options available in Berkeley, CA. One of these was a grilled chicken breast topped with mushroom and spinach marsala. While I couldn't be certain, I suspected the restaurant had prepared this dish using corn starch and/or white flour as thickeners. I didn't even want to guess what other ingredients might be involved so I started researching marsala recipes on the internet. It was easy enough to convert the recipe substituting xanthan gum as the thickening agent. A small amount yields the same results as the other thickeners, with fewer calories and net carbs.

When I stopped eating meat, I kept the veggies and the sauce because the taste is really great - in fact, it can stand alone as a side dish, but I wanted to pair it with a side dish to turn it into a main dish. It has a distinctive and rich flavor so you'll want to pair it with some thing relatively bland. You can pair it with cauliflower rice, but I decided I wanted to focus on perfecting a vegan cauliflower mash recipe. After trying just cauliflower, a mixture of cauliflower and celery root (which was pretty good), I came up with the idea to add nutritional yeast with mashed cauliflower. Lo and behold, the recipe achieved the desired texture and tastes wonderful. I use it as the base for the marsala and it also works well with a simple marinated mushroom recipe, which I'm including in this post.






Mashed Cauliflower with Nutritional Yeast (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

200 g cauliflower florets (or you can also use 150 g cauliflower)
10 g nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, forced through press
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper



Preparation:


*Steam cauliflower florets for about 6 - 9 minutes. Remove from steamer and using paper towels, gently squeeze out the excess water. Put cauliflower in a medium-sized bowl and using an emersion blender, pulse the vegetables until smooth. Stir in garlic and nutritional yeast until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Makes 1-2 serving and has 126.5, 5.5 net carbs, .5 g fat, 8 g fiber and 8 g protein.




Mushroom & Spinach Marsala (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

Ingredients:


1 clove garlic, forced through press
3 oz sliced mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1/4 C mushroom broth ( can substitute water for broth)
1/4 C dry Marsala wine
2 oz raw spinach
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp xanthum gum


Preparation:


*Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.

*Add wine and mushroom broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for another 2 -3 minutes. Add the xanthum gum and stir well. Add spinach and and stir until just wilted. Remove from heat and eat immediately. Can be served over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.

Makes 1 serving and has 216.33 cal, 6.7 net carbs, 13.6 g fat, 1.33 g fiber and 3.83 g protein.

Marinated Mushrooms (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

The great thing about this dish is that you either grill or saute´ the mushrooms, or keep them raw.


Ingredients:


3 oz white or crimini mushrooms, sliced (you can also use sliced portobello mushrooms)
1 T cold pressed olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar

Optional:

1 clove garlic forced through press


Preparation:


*Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar (and garlic, if you're using it).

*Place mushroom slices in a bowl and pour the oil and vinegar mixture over them, stirring making sure they're well-coated. Allow to sit for an hour. If you're doing the cooked version, heat a grill pan (or any skillet) and saute´ for about 4 - 5 minutes. Serve over cauliflower mash.


Makes 1 serving and has 155 cal, 7 net carbs, 13.5 g fat, .1 g fiber and 2.5 g protein.

Roasted vs Raw

So, I've been educating myself about the raw food diet (some people refer to it as "live food"). I'll get into what I've learned and its relevance to my health and well-being later, but I feel it's time for a general health update.

 As of today, I've been gluten-free for about 16 months and dairy-free for almost 3 months. Let's start with  gluten-free: before I began this particular experiment, I knew that it could take 6 months to a year for the benefits of a gluten-free diet to kick in. I must say that it's incredibly difficult to embark on a journey involving a great deal of sacrifices, without any certainty that you will reach the desired outcome. But I stuck with it.  I was 10 months in when I noticed I was feeling more achy and sore than ususal, which lasted for about 2 months. And while I can't back it up with facts or data, in retrospect it felt like my body was going through the final stages of gluten detox.Then, as if by magic, I started feeling better. My mood and energy improved and my chronic pain went from severe to moderate. As a result, I was able to start exercising regularly; I have these wonderful exercise DVDs from the Oregon Fibromyalgia Foundation (http://www.myalgia.com/) which are designed specifically for people living with chronic pain. They offer 4 DVDs: gentle aerobics, upper/lower/core strength and balance training, stretching and relaxation, and their newest addition, a yoga/pilates routine. I've also begun to use a "Pilates for Inflexible People" DVD from http://www.bodywisdomdvds.com/.

Let's move onto the return of the plant-based diet. When I tried to do this before, I made the mistake of including 3 servings of psyllium husks a day, which ended up being way too much fiber and caused way too much gastric distress. This time around I omitted the psyllium husks and that made a big difference. But I was still dealing with constipation and I'd been hearing about probiotics for a while, so I decided to give it a go. Fortunately, you can purchase probiotics in powder and capsule form without having to resort to eating a certain yogurt product (which I will not name here) 3 times a day. Almost immediately I attained regularity (it's wonderful and I highly recommend it) and I've been taking it regularly for about a month.

As a result, I've been able to reach my goal weight of 150 LBs (I started out at 265 LBs) and have moved on to the third stage of the low carb regimen made popular by Dr. Atkins - pre-maintenance. According to Atkins, pre-maintenance involves increasing your carbohydrate intake gradually until you get to the point where you stop losing weight. How many net carbs (and calories) it takes per day to maintain your healthy weight varies from person to person, so there's no magic number out there - you need to figure what works for you, personally. I used this opportunity to delve into the world of raw food and began to substitute various raw food staples for certain low carb standards, particularly in the area of fruits and sweeteners.

During my research I've discovered that the law governing the specifics of  a raw food diet are not universal. According to Wikipedia:

 "Raw foodism can include any diet of primarily unheated food, or food cooked to a temperature less than 104º F (40º C) to 115º F )46º C). The most popular raw food diet  is a vegan diet, but forms may include animal products and/or meat. Raw foodists can be divided between those that advocate raw veagansim  or vegetarianism,  those that advocate a raw omnivorous diet, and those that advocate a 100% raw carnivorous diet." (source)

Since I'm already vegan, I think you can figure out which group I belong to, but not all vegan raw food diets are alike. There are variations between what kinds of food - such as oils, vinegar and other condiments - are acceptable. When it comes to using a dehydrator for cooking, there are some raw foodists who believe that it's OK to increase the temperature to 140º F. According to the really wonderful raw food website Rawmazing, the food throws off water and stays cool during at the beginning of the dehydration process so that temperature of the food temperature itself doesn't actually go above 115º. I'm not certain that this is true, but dehydrating like this saves time and may prevent fermentation.

So why go raw? Well, according to Ani Phyo, author of Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, unheated fresh foods  (AKA living foods) are are full of enzyme activity. According to Phyo:

"Enzymes help you digest food and are the catalyst for for every metabolic reaction in your body. Without these enzymes, there can be no cell division, energy production, or brain activity.

[...]Only uncooked and unprocessed foods can provide us with the full range of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, oxygen, fiber, and other  nutrients our bodies require to run like a well-oiled machine."

In spite of the differences between the ideologies of the various raw food factions, they all seem to agree on one thing: that a raw food diet will help you reach a state of optimal health. Which is, quite frankly, the only reason why I  even considered yet another set of dietary restrictions. I have read many personal accounts of patients whose Fibromyalgia symptoms have vastly improved after changing to a  raw food diet and I needed to be abe to say that I tried every possible angle in my attempt to optimize my health - both physically and mentally. Now that I had the energy, I owed it to myself to try it at the very least.

In an attempt to make the transition, I took three recipes that I love and prepared each of them in  a regular oven and in a dehydrator, to get an idea of how they compared. As far as my palate is concerned, the three vegetables, asparagus, zucchini, and kale, taste great when cooked, but are pretty much inedible when raw. I discovered that dehydrating them didn't do much to improve their flavor. In addition, it takes several hours to make most raw food dehydrator recipes which probably isn't very energy efficient. So, while I may use the dehydrator for certain recipes, like raw crackers and cookies, I don't see myself using it for preparing vegetables. I'm including the dehydrator temperatures and times in the recipes below, if you want to give it a try, but for my own personal consumption, the raw veggies I'm sticking to are things like carrots, spinach and celery. I'm not going to be able to maintain a full-on raw diet, either because I can't stomach the taste or because many raw food staples (like agave syrup, medjul dates, and bananas) aren't compatible with my low carb diet. I found several recipes for raw bread and crackers I wanted to try, but they rely on flax meal, which I had to eliminate from my diet - flax contains phytoestrogens which wreak havoc with my menstrual cycles. But as a whole, I've decided to include more raw food in my daily diet, such as raw nut butter and homemade nut milk, and to  a few things I've come to depend on, such as canned products like coconut milk and  tomatoes. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make, but I believe I'm doing what I can to improve my health without turning my meals into miseries.


Roasted Zucchini Fries

Zucchini is a an incredibly versatile vegetable and shows up in a variety of low carb recipes. I've seen it used as a substitute for potatoes, pasta and even chickpeas in a raw hummus recipe. It's a good source of fiber, antioxidant vitamins C and A, and, in addition to calcium and magnesium, it contains a trace mineral called manganese which helps the body metabolize protein and carbohydrates.

Nutritional yeast is called the "vegetarian's proteins." It is considered a complete protein , with 18 amino acids, and the reported health benefits include: maintaing an ideal intestinal ecology, improving blood production, helping to maintain optimum cholesterol levels and improving the health and functioning of the liver. In addition, it's a rich source of  vitamin B-complex, which helps in managing stress levels, maintaining a healthy metabolic rate, and promoting healthy skin. Nutritional yeast also contains chromium, which is useful in managing diabetes, low blood pressure and  fluctuating blood sugar levels. It also contains such trace minerals as manganese, copper, vanadium, molybdenum and lithium (source.)

It's great for sprinkling on salads, adding to soups, and in the case of Zucchini Fries, serves as a coating in the place of breadcrumbs. I love the taste and it really makes this recipe stand out as one of my favorites.


Ingredients:


1 small/medium zucchini/ 150 g
1 T cold pressed olive oil
1 clove garlic, forced through press
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper
1/2 T/5 g nutritional yeast (optional)


Preparation:

*Preheat oven to 425º.

*Cut zucchini into pieces ( about 1/2 x 1/2 by 4 inches)

*Combine garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.Toss the zucchini until it is evenly coated. Place in a baking pan and roast for 15 - 20 minutes.

or

*Put prepared zucchini pieces on Teflex sheets and dehydrate for 30 minutes at 140º, then an additional 4-5 hours at 115º.

Makes 2 servings and each has 77.48 cal, 2.37 net carbs, 6.88 g fat, 1.27 g fiber and 1.77 g protein.


Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus is a member of the lily family and can be steamed, roasted or eaten raw. It's rich in potassium, vitamins A and K, and is a good source of fiber. I prefer to use thinner stalks - they're more tender and take less time to cook.


Ingredients:

90 g trimmed asparagus (just break off the ends of the tough stalks)
1/2 T cold pressed olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


*Preheat oven to 450º.

*Place asparagus spears in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season and roast for 10 - 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.

or

*Place asparagus spears on Teflex sheets and warm in the dehydrator for 30 minutes at 140º.  Drizzle with olive oil and season and warm for another 2 - 4 hours at 105º.


Makes 1 serving and has 79.5 cal, 2 net carbs, 6.75 g fat, 2 g fiber and 2 g protein.


Baked Kale Chips

Kale belongs to the Brassica family of cruciferous vegetables, which includes cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. It is a green, leafy vegetable that comes in three varieties: curly, ornamental, and dinosaur ( I don't know why it's called dinosaur, but it's my favorite, mainly because the leaves are flatter, making it easier to coat evenly with oil and seasonings.) In addition to being a good source of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, kale is rich in antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K.


Ingredients:


1/4 bunch/75 g kale, washed and dried
1/2 T cold pressed olive oil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp sea salt


Preparation:

*Preheat oven to 275º.
*Remove stems from kale, either cutting them out with a knife or tearing the leaves from the stem. Tear the leaves into pieces and toss with olive oil and seasoning. Arrange in a baking pan so no pieces overlap. Bake for 10 minutes, turn leaves and bake for another 10 minutes.

or

*Place kale pieces on screen trays and dehydrate for 4 -5 hours at 115º.

Makes 1 large serving and has 77 cal, 2.8 net carbs, 6.75 g fat, .7 g fiber and 1.05 g protein.