New York got hit with a massive heat wave last week. We skipped Spring and sailed straight on through to Summer! It was a great excuse to bust out my brights. I call this my “Neon Soviet” look:
I’ve been trying to eat more of a variety of things, and get myself out of the food rut I’ve been in lately. Even small changes, like eating brown rice porridge instead of chia pudding (what I eat for breakfast every day at work), helps keep my mouth from getting bored.
The porridge, an idea I got from the Conscious Cleanse, is really easy to make, and a great way to use up leftovers: heat cooked rice on the stove with milk, and bring to a boil. Stir in cinnamon and other warm spices (cloves, ginger) and maple syrup. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, and top with nuts or nut butter.
I also just found this old post, which has given me some more allergy-friendly ideas.
Rose made this spinach pie last week, and it looked so good that I cooked the recipe the very same day I read about it. It’s supposed to make 6-8 servings, but I usually ate 2 pieces at a time.
I wish I had a nicer photo to show for it, but this combination is amaaazing. I made a big batch of quinoa, which I mixed with nutritional yeast, miso + coconut butter. Sounds weird, I know, but it is so flavorful and satisfying! I topped the quinoa with 2 slices of spinach pie, a few olives, and ate it almost every day last week.
I’ve been eating eggs like it’s my job lately. For mostly vegetarians, following a FODMAPs plan can be a bit of a challenge. While I eat fish, I rarely cook it at home, and going out to eat isn’t so FODMAPs-friendly. Tofu is fine, but soybeans- and their byproducts- are not, unless the beans are fermented. Tempeh is a good option, but then you have to make sure it’s gluten-free! Beans are out, which rules out hummus, too (although I’m still loving this nut-based dip). I’m going to make a batch of seitan, which is somehow okay (because it’s made of the protein part of wheat, not the carb part)… but for now, it’s all about eggs.
This has been my go-to breakfast and dinner of late: 2 eggs softly scrambled with red peppers, spinach, olives, tomatoes + cheddar. Served with Udi’s multigrain bread, and some thinly sliced potatoes B whipped up. (We ate this yesterday morning, after a accidental night of too much wine.)
The most reliably good sandwich: grilled cheese! Well, this was actually served open-faced and made in the toaster oven, but it was mighty fine. Toasted mozzarella on Udi’s millet + chia bread (review coming soon!) with tomatoes, homegrown basil, olives, salt + pepper. I’ve also been eating snap peas every day. They’re a great snack for when I want a little crunch!
We had an interesting tropical stir-fry the other night. Really simple, but just different enough not to taste like our standard weeknight fare.
Our stir-fries are quick and easy: I cook pressed, cubed tofu in sesame oil until crispy, then put it on a plate. Then I add a little more oil and cook peppers, carrots, and whatever other vegetables we have on hand. If we have it, fresh ginger goes into the mix; dried is also fine. Then I add the tofu back to the pan, swirl in some tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), and add a handful or two of greens. Once the greens are wilted and everything is heated through, it’s done!
We added small bits of pineapple + shredded coconut to this batch, and it was fabulous. To keep with the tropical theme, I spread a little coconut butter on half of a cooked sweet potato. Holy moly, was this good! I’m always stingy about using the coconut butter because it’s so expensive, but sometimes you gotta treat yo self.
On a night when nothing in the refrigerator sounded good (this ended up being an “egg scramble night”), B made these amazing stuffed tomatoes. He sautéed potatoes, olives + onions in cumin and olive oil, then stuffed the mixture into two tomatoes. He topped the tomatoes with cheese, and browned them in the toaster oven. He served them over a bed of layered spinach, hummus + shredded carrots. They weren’t FODMAPs-friendly, but they sure looked good!
That same night, the “dessert monster” within reared its angry head. A craving for these cupcakes hit, but I knew I’d feel terrible if I ate them. (They are all kinds of FODMAPs-unfriendly.) So we made a version of this mousse, but didn’t have the right tofu or chocolate and kept adding things to the food processor. It ended up being a kind of banana-chocolate-raspberry pudding, which was definitely not a cupcake but did the job. Sort of.
I did finally “cheat” on FODMAPs, though. One day after work, the “cookie monster” was so demanding that I stopped for a chocolate chip.
I’ve been really good about “following the rules,” because I want to be able to say, definitively, “I can eat this without feeling bad,” or “this gives me major stomach trouble.” So I have to be strict about completely eliminating possible culprits, and then adding things back one at a time. A cookie is not a good test subject, because it has multiple ingredients that could be problematic, like flour, sweetener, soy, etc. I wasn’t really thinking about all that, though… I just wanted the cookie! (I felt a little uncomfortable after I ate it, but I’m not sure if there was actually a problem or if it was the placebo effect.)
Well, lots of work to be done today, and walks to take with this guy. Charley is visiting for the weekend! He’s a nice addition to our little home, and a good “test run” to see how furry friends fit into our life…