Friday's Favorite: Wasabi anything!

 

This week's favorite thing is wasabi peas. Or maybe wasabi edamame. Probably anything coated with wasabi...

Avocado and Tomato Salad

 

I just have a quick and easy recipe today. There's a bit more calories than I would like, because of the avocado. But it makes a great lunch.

Just peel and cube up an avocado. Chop 2 or 3 small tomatoes, and seed them. (I've learned that I like tomatoes so much more without the slimy seeds!) Add half a chopped Valencia onion. Sprinkle with a little seasoning salt. (I actually use a salt substitute - just whatever flavors you like) and add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. 

I make this up the night before so that it's all ready to take with me to work for lunch the next day.  Easy, delicious, plus it's good for you!

Roasted Eggplant

 

I have decided that I love roasted eggplant. Right now, it's one of my favorite things to eat. (This picture does not really show off all the yummy goodness. I think I put a little too much balsamic vinegar on this serving.)

The recipe for my new obsession is in the app, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. There is also a cookbook by this title, but of course I use the app - it was free and well worth the cost! (I've used it enough that I will probably go ahead and buy the cookbook.) 

I've been making the Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Salad. Thanks to How to Cook Everything, I know to salt the sliced eggplant to prevent any bitterness. Then I roast the thoroughly rinsed and dried (trust me -- rinse ALL the salt off the eggplant before cooking it!) on a tray with pieces of tomato (which I prefer to seed first) until the eggplant is tender and browned and the tomatoes are shriveled up. The salad is served warm with a little balsamic vinegar. I've also saved the roasted eggplant to use in a curry. 

I think I'll stop off at the farmer's market tomorrow and pick up a couple more eggplants...

Cookbook Review

I found a cookbook at the library that I really like. It's Allergy-Friendly Food for Families from the editors of Kiwi.magazine. Each recipe has very clear labels (colored tabs along the sides of the page) indicating if it is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and/or soy-free. I can immediately see if it's worth looking closer at recipe, or if I should skip it because of it's gluten or dairy content. More importantly, the recipes are "real-life" friendly. Most of the ingredients are things I can actually find in the local grocery stores.

I'm looking forward to making zucchini boats (filled with homemade hummus), black bean burgers, and no-cream coconut pie. I may even try the tofu-stuffed pasta.

If you ever need to go on a restrictive diet due to food allergies or sensitivities, this cookbook is definitely worth looking at.

It fits!

The Rockfall sweater I'm working on for my daughter isn't really my first sweater. Although I try to forget it, back in 2010 I knit the Riva sweater. Although I did swatch, the sweater came out way too small for me. It seems that you have to measure yourself as well as the swatch in order to figure out what size to knit. 

Anyway, last week I pulled the Riva out of storage and decided to try it on before finally giving it away. I was so happy to learn that it finally fits me! Knitting is so much more fun when you can wear the items you make!

(And sticking to the gluten-free/casein-free/no meat diet is so totally worth all the inconvenience.)

Yum! Curry!

Red Tofu-Veggie Curry

Since April 1st, I've been on a gluten-free/casein-free and meat-free diet in an effort to get a little bit of control over the fibromyalgia. It's difficult to know what 'research' to believe in. Some studies show that the gluten and/or dairy are causing the inflammation and pain associated with auto-immune disorders such as fibromyalgia; other studies say that once-again Americans are getting caught up in a health-frenzy - and embracing the gluten-free lifestyle - with no real evidence to support it. My personal opinion is that there was enough evidence to make it worth trying. I'm at the point I would walk around on my hands all day if it would make me feel better for even a little while. (Thinking about it, that would probably give me a whole new outlook on life.) Now that I've spent two months avoiding gluten, dairy and meat protein, my opinion is that this diet is limiting, difficult to stick with, and definitely worthwhile. I've been more active and happier lately. The times I have given in and had a brownie or something with cheese, I've been miserable (and miserable to be around). One of the things that I find funny is that when I was growing up, my grandmother always insisted that I needed to give up bread because I was allergic to wheat. Who knew that she would be as right about that as she was about iced coffee?

As I learn more things I can eat, it's easier to do without the things I'm not allowed. One of my favorite meals has become coconut curry. It's so easy to make, and you can vary the vegetables depending on what's available at the farmer's market that week.

Coconut Curry

1 Tbs. red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbs brown sugar
Vegetables, chopped (onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, peppers, etc)
Firm Tofu, sliced and well-drained (press the liquid out of it -- trust me on this!)
1 Tbs. fish sauce

Empty can of coconut milk into a large saucepan, and heat to simmer. Mix in 1 tablespoon of red curry paste (use more or less, depending on how spicy you like your curry). Add in the basil and brown sugar, and simmer about 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, I like to stir-fry the veggies in a little olive oil. Add the vegetables, tofu, and fish sauce to the sauce and continue to simmer about 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice.

Instead of tofu, sometimes I throw in peeled shrimp since I can still eat seafood.

Smoothies!

My latest obsession is smoothies. I blame my oldest daughter, since she's the one that introduced me to these wonderful fruity concoctions. There isn't a lot that I can eat right now. so I've been using smoothies as both my go-to breakfast in the morning and my dessert-treat in the evenings.

There isn't anything to making one. Just combine a couple of pieces of fruit (I'm partial to bananas and mangos mixed with either an apple, an orange, or some strawberries) in the Magic Bullet, throw in some ice cubes, and add a little almond milk or coconut milk (since I can't have dairy) and whip it up. It couldn't be any easier, or any tastier!