Diet, Dessert and Dogs

*No relation to the band of the same name, of course.

[Holy shamrock! That soup really is rather green!]

After being on the ACD for a full year now, I must admit to feeling a bit like a basket case (my, time sure does fly when you’re [not] having fungus).  Having cut out poprocks and coke–not to mention all sugars, molds and fungi–it seems my body is now just a minim closer to reacting normally when faced with gastonomic excess.  Whereas pre-ACD, I might have mindlessly polished off an entire pan of brownies in one day (who am I kidding?  more like one sitting), nowadays, I start to feel full after barely four squares of ACD-friendly treats. Just call me a walking contradiction. 

And so, lately, I’ve been feeling my body’s warning to take it easy. I suppose I could blame it on too many experiments in the kitchen (cheese bread?  Fudge?  Brain stew?).  Or I could blame our recent trip to Florida, where the locals beckoned, ”welcome to paradise,” inviting me to eat all manner of slightly questionable foods (such as Butternut and Edamame Hash, likely bathed in maple syrup). I might just blame it on my current holiday from the college (Oh!  Please wake me up when September ends!). Should I blame my dysfunctional childhood, with its boulevard of broken dreams?  Or should I just blame it on the rain (hey! how the heck did those guys get in here?).

Whatever the reason, I’ve been feeling a need to cleanse, to refresh, to–yes, detox–lately.  Not that I’m jaded, you understand; but I did think it would be fun to spend a whole day eating green foods, as a way to gently cleanse the system.  What better way to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day than an entire day of green?  (Okay, perhaps not 100% green–but, at least, foods that contained a majority of green. Which, I suppose, puts me in the minority).

[This is what wheatgrass juice looks like frozen.  Don'tcha wish you had some?]

Why green?  Well, as we know, greens are the healthiest foods out there. (Even Michael Pollan has a rule to that effect:  eat more plants; mostly leaves). Also, they contain chlorophyll, which is a great blood detoxifier and cleanser.  Furthermore, greens contain incredibly high proportions of minerals and Vitamin K.  And let’s not forget a whole whack of antioxidants.  So, taking a longview on health, and given their wonderful nutritional profile, I opted for a Green Day.

[This is what wheatgrass juice looks like defrosted.  Now I bet you really wish you had some!]

As usual, my day started out with a hit of wheatgrass juice (I have it whenever I can get it at our local market; I juice enough for about 2 weeks’ worth, freeze in ice cube trays, and defrost overnight in the fridge) along with my daily flax/chia mix with spirulina (or, as the HH affectionately calls it, “Green Slime.”) 

[Green Slime--with lots of affection.]

An hour or so later, I followed up with a green “pudding”/smoothie, based on this with a bit of this.  With all that energy, I could have run a Macy’s Day parade (but decided against it, since we all know nice guys finish last). 

[Avocado, cucumber and lettuce made this so green, I felt compelled to add some carob.] 

I whisked up a steaming cup of matcha green tea, which I sipped as I finished some work on the computer.

[And yet more green!]

Lunch was a quick raw wrap–romaine lettuce with homemade nut cheese, grated carrots, cucumber and the other half of the morning avocado.  Deelish!

[Fresh, crisp, and green as a four-leaf clover!]

And finally, for dinner, I opted for a lovely green soup.  I discovered this recipe entirely serendipitously, one morning as I trod the treadmill (don’t you just love that word, “trod”?).  For some reason, my soap opera hadn’t been recorded, and there I was, watching a blank screen like an American idiot, waiting, waiting. . . until I finally realized I was soapless. Well, good riddance, I say–and on to Food Network, where you can have the time of your life! 

By chance, Laura Calder’s show was on, and her theme was “foods kids will like.”  In contrast to her usual flesh-centric, cream-and-butter, weighty recipes, this soup was light, smooth, rich, and mildly flavored.  The soup was incredibly quick and easy to make, and a hand-held blender was perfect to purée the final product.  In less than 30 minutes, I had the emerald ending to my day of green.

Whether you opt for green soup, green beer or just some green-themed cheer, hope you all have a happy St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th! 

(I know, I am a total nerd.  I mean, who else would feel compelled to fit 20 greatest hits into one blog entry?  But for now, I guess you’re just stuck with me.)

“Mum, we have to agree that yes, you are a nerd.  But at least you’re not a geek stink breath. Now perhaps you’d like to give us a Greenie in honor of the day?”

Green Soup with Spinach, Lettuce, and Peas (ACD Phase I and beyond)

adapted from French Food at Home

Quick and easy, this soup is a perfect first course to a light dinner.  Or add some cheesy bread and call it a meal.

2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced (white and light green parts only) or 3 medium yellow onions, sliced

2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut or extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic

3 cups (720 ml) vegetable broth or stock

1 small bunch (about 2 cups/480 ml) baby spinach leaves

2 cups (480 ml) cooked green peas

2 cups (about 4 large leaves) shredded romaine lettuce

1/2 to 1 cup (120-240 ml) unsweetened soy or almond milk

1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

fine sea salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat; add the leeks and cook, stirring, until they are soft, 5-10 minutes.  Add the broth, lower heat, cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the spinach, green peas and lettuce, pushing the leaves to submerge in the broth.  Continue to cook until leaves are soft and wilted, about 5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup to desired smoothness (Calder suggests straining it, but I prefer to consume the excellent fiber in this soup!), then add the milk, lemon and seasonings to taste and stir well.  Heat just until warmed through, and serve.  Makes 4 servings.  May be frozen.

Last Year at this Time: The Nerd Makes Good: A Double Ode to Okra

Two Years Ago: Maple-Walnut Cookies

Thanks, everyone, for your great comments on yesterday’s post!  Honestly, I hadn’t thought that the “beeteroni” (thanks, Leah) was as far “out there” as it turned out to be, but am glad you liked the idea.  This ACD really does spark some unusual culinary adventures!

[Quick housekeeping note before today's post: I've been working on updating the blog and finally added a "Press" page with links to the blog and cookbook, for those who are interested in such stuff (see Ricki keep interrupting the hosts on Rogers' daytime TV show!).  I'll also be adding a candida-related page (with more info about my diet, treatments, resources, etc) in the next few weeks, and will be updating my blogroll.  If I already read your blog and it's not on the list, or if you've got a blog that relates to one of the topics on my "Blogs I Read" page, please let me know with an email at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom.  Thanks!    Okay, now on to the blog post. . .]

Do you love a challenge? 

As a kid, I’d welcome almost any dare and embrace fresh challenges with gusto. Whenever the teacher solicited a volunteer to work out a problem on the blackboard (nerd alert! nerd alert!), I was the first to shoot my hand in the air. One time, my 3rd grade class was given a punishment to write a 200-word essay because two boys had been chattering incessantly at the back of the class (thanks, Norman and Sheldon).  To eight year-old me, this presented a fun opportunity.  I worked and re-worked my writing, counting articles and changing verb tenses until I achieved exactly 200 words.  (Of course, my teacher didn’t notice, but at least it made the assignment more interesting).  The next year, after my parents brought home a cocker spaniel, I spent every day after school with him for a month, a pile of dog biscuits by my side, enunciating an elongated “rrrrrroooolllllll” over and over ad nauseum until he finally picked up on the command (thanks, Sweeny).

Later on, once anxiety and insecurity hit in my teens and 20s, everything shifted.  In those days, I preferred the anonymity of introversion, backing away from challenges as steadfastly as Salinger backed away from publicity. More than once, anxiety prevented me from accepting a promotion, leaping at an opportunity, or trying a new activity.  Challenges passed me by like “Out of Service” subway trains gliding through the station.

And these days?  Happily, I’ve settled somewhere between the two extremes (thanks, therapy).

So when I received an email from Elizabeth of Don’t White Sugar Coat It telling me about her (along with 4 other bloggers’) Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge, I knew I had to join in.  The challenge asks you to use one of five atypical ingredients in a breakfast dish (and we all know how much I love atypical ingredients!), then send the recipe to the group as an entry for the event (and to possibly win some prizes). This week’s ingredient is avocado.

As it turned out, I’d just had a huge glass of a new apple-based smoothie I concocted this very morning! While most smoothies contain some variation on banana and/or berries, the only fruits I’m allowed to consume at the moment (thanks,  ACD) are apples, pears and berries, and berries had featured prominently in one too many breakfast drink already. So–what the heck–I threw an apple into a smoothie.  And some green stuff.  And ended up with a green smoothie that tastes like apple!

This baby is what Angela at Oh She Glows would call a “Green Monster” (courtesy of leafy greens and avocado). Nothing monstrous in this glass, however. It’s very creamy–velvety, even–with a slight sweetness and pronounced apple-cinnamon flavor; the greens aren’t detectable.  Apples provide soluble fiber (to keep those cholesterol levels healthy), avocado contributes heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, cinnamon stabilized blood sugar levels, pumpkin seeds offer immune-boosting zinc, and green leafys add, well, pretty much everything (but mostly some great minerals).  With its additional boost of protein powder, this smoothie truly is a complete meal.

It’s also perfect for the breakfast bowl challenge.  Thanks, Elizabeth!

If you’d like to join the challenge, head on over to Elizabeth’s blog (or any of the four others).  And I’d love to hear about your favorite smoothie combinations as well–please feel free to mention them in the comments.

Apple Pie Smoothie

The ingredients in this smoothie are very flexible–liquid, you might say–so feel free to substitute your own favorite fruit or greens for those in the recipe.

1 medium apple (I like Gala, Crispin, Pink Lady), cored and cut in chunks (no need to peel if you have a strong blender)

1/3 to 1/2 of one medium cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks

large handful of spinach, kale, lettuce, or other mild leafy green

1/2 medium avocado

2 Tbsp (30 ml) raw pumpkin seeds or walnuts

1-2 tsp (5-10 ml) cinnamon, to your taste (I like a lot of cinnamon)

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground ginger

10-15 drops stevia liquid or 1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup

1 cup (240 ml) plain or vanilla soy, almond or rice milk, very cold

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder, plain or vanilla (I used SunWarrior)

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until perfectly smooth (you can use a regular blender, but will likely have to blend in batches, or else use a bit more liquid).  The smoothie will be very thick (I like to eat it with a spoon as a pseudo “pudding”), but if you like it thinner, add more milk or water until desired consistency is reached.  Consume immediately. Makes one massive or two regular servings.  And it really tastes like apple!

Note:  made this way, the smoothie isn’t extremely cold.  If you prefer a chilled smoothie, ensure that your apple and cucumber are refrigerated before using, or add a few ice cubes to the mix when blending.

Last Year at this Time: Sweet Potato for my Sweetheart: Spiked Sweet Potato Truffles or Truffle Cups

Two Years Ago: The Best Home Fries Ever

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs