Super Garlic Stir-fry Bowl...

Lately I’ve just been craving real, simple, whole, foods, and my craving’s have perfect timing because that’s exactly what my body needs right now. I know I promised to post more about my experiments with “Cookin’ Crunk” and about my Artisan Vegan Cheese making but last Monday I started getting a strange cough. By Wednesday it had gotten much worse and I was feeling quite poorly overall. I spent most of the day in bed, and by the weekend the cough had escalated to downright awful. So I broke down and went to the doctor the other day and was diagnosed with Pertussis, that’s Whooping Cough for those of you who don’t know the medical lingo. How I got Whooping Cough and who from I have no idea. I was vaccinated against it as a child, and I’m never around children - sick or otherwise - unless I happen to pass them on the street or in the store, and so far as I know I haven’t been around any sick adults either. I thought whooping cough was a dead disease, something that only surfaced in third world countries, but apparently I was wrong. After doing a bit of research I read that it has been making a fierce comeback in the United States particularly over the past 3 years. In 2012 alone there were three massive outbreaks in Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont, and the reports of whooping cough in those areas are considered to be at epidemic levels. Personally I blame all these people who refuse to vaccinate their kids for fear of the Autism boogie man, but I wont’ get into that.

So how do you get whooping cough if you’ve been vaccinated? Well according to the doctor vaccines aren’t always 100% effective, sometimes they may prevent you from getting a disease entirely, and sometimes they may only limit the severity of the disease vaccinated against. Also vaccines apparently aren’t designed to last for a person’s entire lifetime. They’re really just meant to get you through childhood, since most of the diseases vaccinated against are more contagious - and dangerous - to children. Unfortunately for me there isn’t much the doctor could do in the way of treatment, the whole point of vaccinating is prevention, because once you get an illness like whooping cough there isn’t a cure or a treatment, you have to just let it run it’s course all on it’s own and that can take as long as a month or more. I was told that because I’m healthy and came in relatively early I might be able to kick it sooner but we’ll see.

Since conventional medicine didn’t have a lot for me I looked to my training as a holistic health practitioner to see if there was anything I could do for myself, still even natural treatment options are limited. Licorice Root, Garlic, Plantain Leaf, Mullen, Anis Seed, Echinacea, and Elderberry, are the main herbs I’ve been using but I started using those way back last Monday when the cough first came on and they’re only providing moderate and brief relief. So in addition to supportive herbs I’ve decided to simplify my diet for the time being. Smaller portions, only whole foods, little to no oil, no sugar, very limited salt. A lot of greens, a lot of fresh veggies, fruit, garlic, ginger, and wheatgrass. I think it’s helping, at least it feels good to nourish myself with whole foods. The following recipe is what I made for dinner last night and I think it turned out extremely well, it’s so packed with flavor you wouldn’t even know it didn’t have any salt, or sugar, and wasn’t cooked in oil. The important thing with this recipe is to cook it at a lower heat to preserve some of the crunch of the vegetables. It's equally important to add the garlic in closer to the end of cooking so that it retains as much nutritional potency as possible while still mellowing out a little. I'll admit this is really garlicky so it's not for the faint of heart, but you can cut back on the garlic a little if you like. Garlic is a great food for illness, and a lot of garlic is always my personal preference. Delicious and filling! I do also add a tsp of sesame oil after cooking to add a bit of sesame flavor but you can leave that out if you wish .

As for the rest of it, hopefully I’ll start feeling better soon, but in the meantime you may have to wait for those other posts I promised because honestly most days I’m not really in the mood to do too much.

Super Garlic Stir-fry Bowl

2 tsp Garlic Chili Sauce
2 Large Carrots peeled and sliced
4 C Bok Choy chopped. Leaves and stems separated.
6 Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
1 C Sliced Red Cabbage
! C Frozen Lima Beans thawed
8 Cloves Garlic sliced thin
3/4 tsp Ground Ginger
2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s
Water as needed - about ½ C
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil per serving (Optional)
Sesame Seeds
1 ½ C Brown Rice

- Cook Brown Rice in a rice cooker according to manufacturer instructions or in a pot according to package instructions.

- Meanwhile add Garlic Chili Sauce and ground ginger to a large saute pan with roughly 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the heat to medium and bring it to a simmer.

- Add in the sliced carrots, and the bok choy stems. Saute on medium for about ten minutes until softened.

- Add in the Shiitake Mushrooms and sliced garlic and saute for another 4-5 minutes. Add in more water if the pan is getting dry.

- Add the Red Cabbage, Bok Choy Leaves, and Lima Beans. Saute until Red Cabbage is wilted but still has some crunch and lima beans are heated through.

- Add in the Bragg’s and toss to coat.

- Distribute the rice evenly amongst bowls, top each bowl of rice with a generous helping of the sauteed veggies, sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds, and drizzle 1 tsp of Toasted sesame oil over each bowl.

- Serve and enjoy!

***Note - Remember to leave out the sesame oil to make this oil free, and you can make this soy-free by using a soy-free sauce, in place of Bragg's.***

Easy Low-Fat Lima Bean Guacamole...

I love a good guacamole, especially in the spring and summer months. I make it often, usually in small amounts - Since my husband doesn’t like avocados - by hand with my mortar and pestle. I love to use it on wraps, or burgers, it’s great on nachos or in a seven layer dip. It’s also great on it’s own with some tortilla or pita chips.

I know a lot of people tend to shy away from avocados because of the ‘fat’ content. Personally I think this is just plain silly. Avocados are filled with healthful nutritional benefits, and yes they contain fat, but healthful fat, and some fat in the diet is required. (Not much, but some) Honestly if you’re eating a relatively low-fat vegan diet of whole foods, it’s not the bowl of guacamole that’s going to get you. Which is why I don’t worry about it, I don’t even consider the fat content of a bowl of guacamole, I just eat it. Though I can understand the desire to eat lower fat, especially if say you want to eat a massive helping of guac particularly in a week where you may have fallen a little of the ‘health food’ wagon, or for whatever reason haven’t been exercising regularly. (You do exercise regularly right?) And so after being extremely impressed, and inspired by a low fat guac my good friend J brought to a party, I decided to try and develop my own.

This works great on two fronts - 1 it’s low-fat, and 2 my husband loves it because it’s not avocados! So if you have an avocado hater in your midst have them give this one a try and see if they don’t come around.

Easy Low-Fat Lima Bean Guacamole

12-16oz frozen lima beans (thawed) (I used roughly 12oz, you could use more but might have to adjust the seasonings)
1 medium Avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
1 handful chopped green onion (or to taste)
1 handful finely chopped cilantro (or to taste)
1 medium-large tomato diced (or more if desired)
½ Jalapeno (or more if you like heat)
1/4 C water (or more to thin)
2 Tbsp Non-dairy sour cream (I used Toffutti)
4-6 Garlic cloves or to taste
Black pepper, smoked paprika, and oregano to taste

- Place thawed lima beans, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, non-dairy sour cream, and garlic cloves into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend on high.

(Note this recipe makes a good deal of guac, so the 1 avocado is pretty insignificant fat wise. I used it along with the 2 tbsp of non-dairy sour cream to add more creaminess to the guac, but you can opt out of using either if you like, and use silken tofu instead for the same creamy effect)

- Because the mixture is so thick, your blender or food processor might give you a bit of trouble, you will likely need to scrape down the sides with a spatula. This is also where the water comes in. Use as little or as much as you need to get the blades of your blender/processor moving so that everything can combine easily. Remember you want the mixture to remain thick, you don’t want it to thin much, just enough to flow easily when the blender is on.

- Once everything is combined you can then choose to add your green onion and cilantro to the blender and pulse to combine it. Or if you prefer you can scrape the guacamole out of your blender and just fold in the green onions, and cilantro for a chunkier texture.

- Once everything is combined taste for flavor, and add salt and black pepper, oregano and smoked paprika to taste. You can add more jalapeno at this point or more garlic if you like.

- Once you are satisfied with the taste and texture of your guacamole scrape it into a bowl, mix in the diced tomato, and garnish with a little chopped green onion, cilantro, and even a bit of diced tomato and non-dairy cheddar if you like.

- Enjoy with good friends and Spanish music, on a sunny day, with a bowl of tortilla chips, or pita chips, and don’t forget to slather some onto a veggie burger.

Honestly I think this guacamole taste best when fresh, but it will keep over night.

P.S. Because I love fun-filled facts - Guacamole originated in Mexico and was made by the Aztecs as early as the 16^th century. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico, guacamole became popular in Spain..

***Note- Soy and Gluten Free if using a Soy and/or Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Sour Cream such as Wayfair***

Happy and Healthy Eating!