cooking with nothing

The soaking story

    

When I set out to cure myself of IBS, I had no clue just how much I’d end up learning about food. I thought it’d be a case of ‘Aha! I should avoid (enter random food group here)’ but it’s been a rollercoaster journey of trial, error and realisation.

The human body is a complex thing. I’ve always been a relatively healthy person (who does enjoy the occasional treat) but some of us are just not geared up to process everything that’s available on the market today, most of which – I’m sad to say – can hardly even be classed as food anymore.

For me, the first step was switching to a diet based on whole foods with no additives (excluding many problematic foods such as wheat). While this has helped a lot, and I discovered an intolerance for vinegar, dairy and high animal fats, I’m still tackling the last little devils that make daily life difficult. My stomach still dances around at night with plenty of un-ladylike trapped gas and there are a few other nasties lurking about when it’s clear they’re unwelcome!

I’m taking a few homeopathic remedies to help cross the border into problem-free stomach-hood but I also stumbled across a number of articles about how to utilise some of the healthy, whole foods I’ve been indulging in. Have I been preparing my food all wrong? I knew to soak beans overnight, but never bothered to check exactly how to do it. What temperature should the water be? Should you add anything to it? Should you keep them on the bench or in the fridge? I also never bothered to pre-soak my oats unless I was making bircher, nor my amaranth, buckwheat or any other grain for that matter. And nuts or seeds? Nope, never soaked those either.

It’s something I’m definitely willing to try as, from what I can tell by reading the articles, it makes these whole foods far easier to digest. That’s enough to sell me, even if it does add even more hours to my food prep time! To make things simpler, here’s a list of soaking and sprouting times for common nuts, grains and legumes. I’m yet to answer all the details about water temperature and all that jazz, so if anyone has tales of what’s worked for them, please let me know! 

Hypoallergenic artichokes with garlic and parsley

I wrote a recent post about trying to eat seasonally and this week, I decided to tackle a vege I’ve been avoiding cooking with: the artichoke. Maybe it’s the spiky, hedgehog-like appearance that makes me feel like the artichoke is protecting itself from prey (i.e. me). In fact, I only tried my first whole one a few months ago, with a friend coaching me through the whole ‘eat it leaf by leaf until you get to the heart’ process.

So, here’s the recipe (which also happens to be hypoallergenic!) courtesy of Cuisine magazine. It was delicious and perfect to share with a spread of nibbles.

Serves 6 as a starter

• 1 x lemon, sliced
  
• 3 x large globe artichokes
• 1 cup x flat-leaf parsley
• 2 x garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp x sea salt
• 3 x TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Place the lemon slices in a bowl of cold water. Cut the stalks off the artichokes and, if the leaves are spiky, cut off the tips with scissors. Immediately immerse the artichokes, once trimmed, in the lemon water. This prevents them from turning brown.

Place the parsley, garlic and salt on a chopping board and chop very finely with a knife or an Italian mezzaluna (half-moon blade). Take the artichokes one at a time from the water, open the central leaves with your fingers to reveal the ‘heart’ and fill with some of the parsley stuffing.

Place the artichokes, facing upwards, in a saucepan that just holds them and drizzle the cores with oil. Fill the saucepan with cold water to halfway up the artichokes, cover then simmer on low.

Cooking time depends on the size and firmness of the vegetables. Allow at least 45 minutes. Check regularly that there is enough water, adding more if necessary.

The artichokes are ready when the outer leaves can be pulled off easily. Serve hot. Each diner pulls off a leaf at a time. To eat the outer leaves (these are the best!) scrape the flesh off with your teeth. The hard bits are discarded on the side of the plate. Once you reach the artichoke heart it can be cut with a knife and fork or eaten whole. Save the artichoke water – it makes great stock for risotto.

I’ve taken the advice and saved the artichoke water to make a mushroom spelt risotto for tonight’s dinner. Results will be posted later this week!

Letter to the editor

Pick up the latest copy of Healthy Food Guide and you’ll find a letter from yours truly about food intolerances. Here’s to tolerating intolerances! 

Hypoallergenic sweet potato and olive tagine

I adapted this recipe from Cuisine’s one to make it suitable for a hypoallergenic audience. It’s super easy and only uses one pot. Enjoy over a bed of quinoa.

Serves four

• 3 x TBSP olive oil
• 1 x lemon, juiced
• 1 x TBSP cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
• 3 x garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 x tsp ground turmeric
• 1 x cup green olives
• 1/2 x cup sultanas
• 1 x onion, finely chopped
• 1 x small carrot, finely diced
• 1.5kg x sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 4-cm cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 x cup chopped coriander leaves

Put everything except the coriander into a wide saucepan or a tagine. Mix well then add enough water to just cover.

Bring to the boil and, if using a traditional tagine, put the lid on; if using a saucepan, place the lid slightly askew. Boil gently for 1 hour until the potatoes are tender and the mixture is thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle with coriander.

Why I am (not) a quitter… And tips for a happy tummy!

                                     

Okay, so this might sound a little drastic, but I’m quitting the diet. No, it’s not that it’s not working; it’s not that I’m fed up with it (okay, maybe a little); and it’s certainly not that I’m happy to go back to the way I was. I’ve mentioned this a few times now, but the hypoallergenic diet puts your brain back in touch with your body. Because you eat pure foods and know exactly what’s in them, you know exactly what’s causing your problems. It’s simple, really. If you don’t know what you’re eating (see the ingredients list on the back of packaged goods… do you really know what those numbers stand for??!) how can you know what’s making you sick?

So, back to why I’m quitting (and I only use the term ‘quitting’ for its punchiness). I haven’t had a reaction in about six weeks, since vinegar sent me into a symptoms spiral. I’ve worked my way through all of my typical everyday foods and yep, still nothing. I’m now left with the dregs – even though it is still a relatively long list. It’s things like pistachios and other various nuts, strawberries, pork and soy milk, which are things I don’t consume often and find a bit strange to test by having two servings of over the course of a day, for two days (although I do love strawberries).

Now that I feel well in tune with my stomach, I decided to stop testing and just start living with what I know so far. No dairy, vinegar or high animal fats. I’ll still keep track of my symptoms with my food diary and if I start to notice a few old devils cropping up I’ll simply go back to the base diet and test out the possible culprits. I’ll still be posting many recipes for hypoallergenic meals, as I want to try and limit allergen-causing foods, but you might see a few new items cropping up from time to time.

I’d also like to share a few tips that helped settle down my tummy without changing what went into it…

• Don’t drink too much liquid during meals
  A few sips seem to be fine, but don’t down a litre of water while you dine. 
• Eat fruit on an empty stomach
  Fruit digests more quickly than other foods, so wait at least two hours after a meal before you reach for the fruit bowl. The exceptions are cooked fruit and fruit sauces. If you have fruit before a meal, wait about an hour or so. That seemed to work for me.
• Do yoga, meditate and relax
  Stress is bad for IBS. We all know that, but sometimes it’s hard to relax - especially when you’re on a diet. I rely on yoga, Buddhist meditation and menu planning to help stay sane.
• Pick your battles 
  Sometimes your symptoms may be worse than others, such as during your period or a stressful time at work. If you notice a pattern emerging, be kinder to your tummy during those ocassions. Even though I’ve added more foods into my diet, I try to stick to the base diet as much as possible during those times.

It’s a matter of doing what’s right for you and I feel like this is the right choice for me right now. Here’s to a happy tummy! 

Image courtesy of http://blisstree.com/feel/cancer-cookbook-what-to-eat/

An additional challenge: eating with the seasons

     

I’ve most definitely learnt a lot during my recent food journey. At the beginning of the hypoallergenic diet, my list of allowed foods was quite restricted so I hardly thought about where my food was coming from; my main concern was whether I could have it or not. I was, however, shocked when the only pears (one of the few fruits I could eat) I could find came all the way from New Zealand to my little supermarket in Amsterdam!

I know this is nothing new. Food travels around the world so that we can have a selection of what we want, when we want it – regardless of season. But what happens to it during that journey? Eat the Seasons, a UK-based website lists a few basic reasons why you should eat seasonally.

There are a number of good reasons to eat more local, seasonal food:

• to reduce the energy (and associated CO² emissions) needed to grow and transport the food we eat
• to avoid paying a premium for food that is scarcer or has travelled a long way
• to support the local economy
• to reconnect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time

but, most importantly, because seasonal food is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious

Imported food is often artificially ripened, rife with chemicals and, quite frankly, not designed to be eaten all year round. Now that my food windows are opening up, I’m determined to try and eat local produce wherever possible. The aforementioned website has a great list of what’s in season month by month. I’m eager to challenge myself to ‘take on’ a vegetable I’ve never tackled before. Maybe this month I’ll give artichokes a whirl…? I’ve always put them in the too-hard basket, but apparently they’re quite simple to use once you know what you’re doing! Feel free to send me any tried and true recipes!

Back to the diet: Shellfish and coffee both passed the test, which is pretty exciting news. I used to enjoy a latte almost every day, but now I’m reacting to dairy (I haven’t tested milk yet, but yoghurt and cheese have given me symptoms) I’m going black. I’m also happy to say I’m not, and won’t become, addicted to the stuff. I really like the taste, which is why I’ll savour the occasional brew rather than choking down a grainy instant just to get my daily caffeine fix.

That’s what I love about this diet. You become so in tune with your own body that you know your own limitations. I’ve stayed away from all treats, including a ridiculous number of birthday cakes, for many months but decided to take a 1-cm sliver of a friend’s delicious, low-sugar carrot cake during the weekend. I picked off the cream cheese icing and savoured every bite. And, quite honestly, that wee taste was enough.

Hypoallergenic curried carrot and lentils

This meal is adapted from a HFG recipe, so feel to use that one if you don’t have any dietary requirements. I didn’t have red lentils so used puy lentils instead. They don’t absorb as much water so that’s why I’ve used half as much liquid.

Serves four

• 1 x TBSP coconut oil
• 1 x cumin seeds
• 1 x tsp ground coriander
• 1 x thumb-size piece of root ginger, grated
  
• 500g x grated carrot
• 2 x cups hypoallergenic vegetable stock (approximately)
• 2 x TBSP almond butter
• Salt and pepper to season
• A good handful of fresh coriander

Heat oil in a large, non-stick saucepan. Add spices and ginger. Fry until fragrant.

Add the carrot. Stir. Let carrot ‘sweat’ for 10 minutes.

Add stock and lentils. Simmer for 30 minutes. Check on the liquid levels during cooking and add more stock if needed. You should be eventually left with a thick consistency.

Add peanut butter, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Simmer until lentils are cooked and sauce thickens.

Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve on rice or quinoa.

Time for an update

I’ve tested quite a few things since my last update and, thankfully, they’ve all been successful. I can now eat oats for breakfast (hello bircher muesli with homemade rhubarb compote!), sneak a few mushrooms into my stirfries and drizzle a bit of soy sauce on my rice paper rolls.

So here’s the latest lowdown. As well as all the foods already allowed on the hypoallergenic diet, I can have:

Wheat, eggs, tomatoes, capsicum/bell peppers, chillies/other red peppers, eggplant/aubergine, potatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, tofu and oats

I can’t have:

Cheese, yoghurt, vinegar

This list is shaping up quite nicely! Next in line is shellfish. I’m quite keen to test out mussels as I’ve felt very low in energy and could potentially be deficient in iron (blood test results due Friday…). I’ll also try organic beef in the near future to up my iron options. The last vege on the list is corn so that will make an appearance this month, as will… wait for it… coffee! I’ve never really been addicted to coffee but I just love the taste. If it turns out I can handle a cup, I’ll save it for a treat rather than make it the one-a-day staple it once was. While that was all fine and dandy, I noticed it was becoming a routine rather than an enjoying experience.

That’s it for now… off to buy some seafood…

Hypoallergenic stuffed courgette

Another delicious – and hypoallergenic! – recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty…

Stuffed courgette

A bastardised version of a Turkish original that was taught to me with great patience by Tamara Meitlis. It’s best served cold with some goat’s yogurt (if you’re not on the HA diet, that is). Serves six as a first course.

• 1 x medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 x TBSP olive oil
• 110g x short-grain rice
• 2 x TBSP currants
• 1 x TBSP pine nuts
• 2 x TBSP flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
• ½ x tsp ground allspice
• ½ x tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ x tsp ground clove
• ½ x tsp dried mint
• 3 x medium courgettes
• 3 x TBSP lemon juice
• 180ml x boiling water
• 1½ x TBSP sugar
• Salt and pepper

Sauté the onion in oil until softened, then add the rest of the ingredients, apart from courgettes, half the lemon juice, boiling water and sugar. Season, and cook on low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Halve the courgettes lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Sit the courgette ‘boats’ in a shallow saucepan, fill with the stuffing, then pour in the water, the remaining lemon juice, the sugar and a little salt. The liquid should come up to just underneath the filling.

Simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes, basting occasionally with the juices. The courgettes are ready when the rice is al dente and almost all the juices have evaporated. Allow to cool down completely. Garnish with chopped parsley, then serve.

Hypoallergenic wakame, sesame and soba noodle stirfry

Without the staples of soy and sweet chilli, it’s harder – but not impossible – to make a flavourful stirfry. I rely on lots of garlic, ginger, sesame and coriander, and this time I whacked in a bit of wakame (seaweed) to mix things up. You could also include some chicken breast or a firm, white fish.

The picture shows mushrooms because I was testing them at the time, but the dish is equally good without them.

Serves four

• 4 x portions of 100% buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to packet instructions
• 1 x tsp coconut oil
• 1 x onion, finely sliced
• 3 x cm root ginger, grated
• 3 x garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 1 x large handful of tague (mung beans), washed thoroughly
• ½ x broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 x handful of green beans
• ¼ x cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1 x lemon, juiced
• A good dollop of sesame oil
• ½ x cup dried wakame, soaked in cold water for 4-6 minutes, or until soft, then drained
• ½ x cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Heat the coconut oil in a wok or frying pan over a med-high heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the carrot, broccoli, green beans and a dash of water to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender, adding a dash of water whenever needed so the vegetables don’t dry out.

Remove from the heat and add the cooked soba noodles, wakame, sesame seeds, mung beans, lemon juice and sesame oil and toss through. Season with salt and pepper, top with the coriander, and serve.