Ginger juice

Ginger is such a gut healer, this is a way to have it on hand, ready to use. My Crohnie just adds water to taste and drinks it like ginger ale without the gassy bubbles. Or sugar.

Chop one or two whole "hands" of fresh ginger root into chunks small enough not to jam your blender. No need to peel the ginger. Put the ginger in the blender. Add water to cover plus about an inch. Liquefy. Strain. Bottle. Store in fridge. Keeps well, but I can't say how long, it gets used up fast. Good thing it only takes a few minutes to make a new batch.

Use in soups, sauces, vinaigrette or salad dressing, fruit smoothies (also throw a lot of coconut milk in your smoothies! and Kefir!), to make tea (just add hot water), cough syrup/decongestant (just add honey and lemon). Let me know other uses you may find!

Chicken broth a la Thai

This has everything to heal and to please.

Put 1 whole chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle lightly with salt, paprika, cumin and turmeric. Cook until the breasts are done, about 2 1/2 hours for my crockpot. Remove the breasts to serve separately. Add 5 cups of filtered water, salt to taste, a bay leaf, herbs and/or a branch of celery. Simmer for another 5 to 6 hours or overnight. The chicken will fall apart, but the broth will be very tasty and healthy. Take a potato masher and mash the chicken to let out more nutrients into the broth. Even the bones should mash somewhat. Then, strain the broth into a saucepan or process it in a blender for a thicker velouté. Add 1 cup of coconut milk (see my first post) and 1/2 cup ginger juice (recipe in next post) or to taste. Add salt to taste. For best results don't boil it again, just reheat gently. Freezes well.

This is the basic recipe. You can also cook carrots and onions in the broth (before adding the coconut milk and ginger) and liquefy them in the blender. Then add the coconut milk and ginger.

Sinless Silk Chocolate Melt-in-your-Mouth Mousse

The diet's going better and better as I learn to make larger batches that can serve 4 adults and 2 babies twice. Here's my latest recipe - when you're in the mood for a really rich chocolaty dessert.

I call it Sinless Silk Chocolate Mousse, and I'll outline below why it really is "sinless" (as in, not harmful to one's health - it still can make you succomb to the sin of gluttony!)

Directions:

Put in blender:

2 cups Coconut milk (freshly "milked" if you can, and if not, the kind in TetraPak is better than canned brands - no BPA)

1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened cocoa powder) 

1/3 cup coconut oil (extra-virgin, unrefined)

12 to 15 dates to taste (buy pitted dates with no honey or other sweetener added)

1 1/4 cup avocado (2 Hass, or 1 Fuerte - just scoop out with a spoon; measurements don't have to be exact)

1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp almond extract OR mint extract (try each - you'll like them!)

1 tsp nutmeg (best if grated on the spot)

Everything MUST be at warmish room temperature (76F or above).  

Blend on high until the mixture is silky smooth. Stop and mix with a chopstick if a bubble develops around the blades. 

Spoon into custard cups or parfait glasses. This is quite rich, so a little goes a long way - you can fill the cups a little more than half.

Refrigerate several hours. Serve cold. Top with strawberries or raspberries if desired. Or bananas. I wouldn't. But then I don't really like bananas.

Notes:

1. Coconut oil melts/solidifies at 76F, so your blender will have a harder time if any of the ingredients are cold. By the same token, the mousse will get nice and firm at refrigerator temperatures without the addition of gelatin. And, it will literally melt in your mouth!

2. HEALTH BENEFITS OF COCONUTS: There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you: it was said to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease. In fact, studies "proving" these assertions were flawed. In one study, there were no Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) provided in the diet; the absence of these EFAs alone would be expected to cause the results. Other studies (over 40 years ago) used hydrogenated coconut oil. It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates “trans fatty acids” (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural (unrefined) coconut oil. In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut milk or unrefined coconut oil that you eat.

Nearly 50% of the fatty acid in natural coconut oil is lauric acid, which converts to the fatty acid monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin inhibits the growth of a variety of harmful microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped viruses. It [monolaurin] destroys the lipid membrane of such enveloped viruses as HIV, measles, Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The usefulness lauric acid/monolaurin in treating AIDS is currently under investigation. Lauric acid is the main lipid (fat) component of human breast milk.

Capric acid, which comprises another 7% of coconut oil fat content, also stimulates anti-microbial activity.

In other words: not only does coconut oil NOT cause heart problems, it is good for you. To quote Dr. Mary Enig: "The research over four decades concerning coconut oil in the diet and heart disease is quite clear: coconut oil has been shown to be beneficial."

Coconut oil is a "functional food," defined as a food that "provides a health benefit over and beyond the basic nutrients." It is an immune-system enhancer.

Adapted from http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/cocgood.html

3. HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADOS:

Weight-watchers often stay away from avocados specifically because of the fat content of the fruit. But that's a mistake. Monounsaturated fats enhance the basal metabolic rate, and help reduce overeating. After the olive, the avocado has the highest content of monounsaturated fatty acids among fruits (20%).
The potassium content of an avocado is three times that of a banana. Other essential minerals are iron and copper, phosphorus and magnesium.
The low sodium content in avocados and its low sugar content and absence of starch make it an ideal fruit for diabetics and hypoglycemics.
It is also one of the richest source of fiber among all fruits and vegetables.
Avocado is packed with vitamins A, several B-complex, especially B3 (folic acid), powerful anti-oxidants like vitamins C and E, and calcium.Bad breath: The avocado is one of the best natural mouthwashs and a remedy for bad breath. It is effective in removing intestinal putrefactions or decomposition which are the real cause of a coated tongue and halitosis (bad breath).
Blood pressure: The high potassium and folate content in avocado helps to regulate blood pressure, protecting your body against circulatory diseases, heart problems and stroke.
Cholesterol: An avocado contains oleic and linoleic acids that are effective in lowering the LDL cholesterol and increasing the healthy HDL cholesterol.
Duodenal ulcer: The blandness of this fruit is comforting and soothing to the hypersensitive surfaces of the stomach and duodenum. Its abundant nutrients and enzymes are an effective remedy to treat these ulcerations.
Eyesight: The potent antioxidant content in avocado helps neutralize free radicals, which is important for improving eyesight and prevent eye problems like astigmatism, cataracts and glaucoma.Immune system: Avocodos contain Vitamin A, which is essential for stimulating the immune system, improving vision and proper growth of bones and teeth.Increases absorption of phytonutrients: Studies have proven that when even a small amount of avocado is consumed together with other fruits and vegetables, the absorption of phytonutrients is several times higher than when consumed on their own.
Morning sickness: The vitamin B6 helps relieve nausea and queasiness associated with pregnancy.
Muscle and nerve: The high potassium content helps balance our body's electrolytes, aids muscle activity, nerve function and energy metabolism.
Prostate cancer: Studies have shown that certain unique phytonutrient substances in avocados have been known to help prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells and may even help repair the damaged cells.
Psoriasis: The avocado oil is beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis. Apply regularly on affected parts to remove the scales. (OK, so the mousse doesn't really help here.)

Adapted from http://www.juicing-for-health.com/avocado.html

4. HEALTH BENEFITS OF NUTMEG:

Nutmeg has strong antibacterial properties. It is effective in killing a number of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. Again, an ingredient for better breath.

Like cloves, nutmeg contains Eugenol, a compound thought to benefit the heart.

Nutmeg is used to improve memory. It contains Myristicin, which has been shown to inhibit an enzyme in the brain that contributes to Alzheimer's disease.

It is carminative, meaning it reduces flatulence. It aids digestion and improves appetite.

Like ginger, it reduces nausea, the symptoms of gastroenteritis, chronic diarrhea and indigestion.

It is used in Chinese medicine to treat anxiety and depression.

Nutmeg is powerful stuff, not to be abused. It is not recommended for pregnant women, and high doses can produce hallucinations.

Adapted from http://completewellbeing.com/article/a-nutty-affair/

5. HEALTH BENEFITS OF DATES

Fresh dates have soft, easily digestible flesh with simple sugars like fructose, glucose and sucrose. Because of the sucrose, they should not be indulged in large quantity by those following the SCDiet.

(Check out http://www.sugar.ca/english/consumers/sugarfromfield.cfm for an interesting chart showing the Glucose/Fructose/Sucrose content of some fruits)

They are a good source of Vitamin A, and rich in antioxidant flavonoids such as beta-carotine, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Also an excellent source of iron and Vitamin K, selenium and calcium.

Dates are one of the best natural sources of potassium, which helps to keep blood pressure down, helps muscles contract (for example, your heart), is needed to maintain a healthy nervous system and to balance the body's metabolism. Potassium is also beneficial for controlling diarrhea. Dates' digestibility helps to cope with diarrhea.

Daily intake of dates helps maintain a check on the growth of pathological organisms and helps in the rise of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Dates also contain a variety of B-complex vitamins – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. These vitamins have a variety of functions that help maintain a healthy body – to metabolize carbohydrates and maintain blood glucose levels, fatty acids for energy, and to help make hemoglobin, the red and white blood cells.

Dates also contain Magnesium which is essential for healthy bone development and for energy metabolism and Iron which is essential to red blood cell production. Red blood cells carry all the nutrients to cells throughout the body.

Adapted from several sources including http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html.

Why I haven't posted for over a month

Because my laptop's been with the Best Buy Geeks all this time. "One to two weeks," they said. (Hope they don't read this... they wouldn't load a virus on it for revenge, would they?) On the positive side, they are replacing my screen, which had stopped showing anything, and my hard drive, which they discovered had problems after they fixed the screen, for no extra charge.

On the other hand, I've had more time to smooth out some of the wrinkles of starting the SCDiet and I'll be able to cut to the successes rather than blog about my "Eat It Anyway" crunchings...!

Almond Bread Straight From Whole Raw Almonds

There are a lot of recipes out there for almond bread, for starch-sensitive people, made with almond flour instead of wheat flour, and almond milk or SCD yogurt instead of cow's milk. Almond flour and almond milk are quite pricey. And there are also a lot of recipes for making almond flour or almond milk in a blender (Vitamix or other powerful blender). But I couldn't find a recipe that skips the intermediate steps - why bother to make almond flour, just to add some kind of liquid right back in? Plus, almonds are easier to store than almond flour, which turns rancid fast if not kept in the freezer. Raw almonds are available everywhere.

So here's what I made today: bread straight from almonds. I put the almonds to soak last night. I think soaking almonds is going to be a daily habit.

PLAIN ALMOND BREAD STRAIGHT FROM THE WHOLE ALMONDS

Materials needed: Vitamix-type blender, oven, cookie sheet, bowl for soaking almonds.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight (8 to 12 hours), drained and rinsed

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter a parchment paper laid on a cookie sheet (you can use oil but butter gives the bread a nice aroma).

2. Put all the ingredients in the Vitamix. Start on low, quickly move to high and process for 1 minute. The mixture is quite thick, just liquid enough to keep moving, but it may develop a bubble and stop moving. If it does, turn off the blender, stir with a chopstick, and start over.
3. Ladle the mixture onto the parchment-covered cookie sheet, shaping it like bread slices. This recipe does not make a loaf, but individual slices. Makes about 8 slices.  Easy to double for 16 slices in one go.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Pull the parchment paper off the cookie sheet, with the bread slices, onto a countertop to cool.

Allow to air out a few hours before storing.  Freezes very nicely.

The result was pretty decent (as fake breads go). You can sprinkle a few caraway seeds on the slices before baking. Or a soupçon of rosemary. I just read rosemary removes the eggy taste. Not that this bread tasted eggy.

I made the slices too thick, and the dough rose a bit although there's no baking soda in it. So I ended up with 7 slices plus one mini-toast and the bread was a little too moist. I turned the oven on again at 200°F; put the slices directly on the oven rack and let them dry out 20 minutes. They're nice and firm now. That means my DH can have toast with his soft-boiled egg tomorrow. The SCD diet becomes a little easier to enforce...

The recipe is inspired from the almond torte recipe in the Larousse Treasury of Country Cooking, which calls for 6 ounces almonds, finely ground, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup water, and 8 egg yolks! I cut the sugar out completely; 5 ounces almonds make a cup; and no way I'm going to sacrifice 8 eggs to make 8 slices of bread! Plus, I don't know what to do with the whites (yet).

Pricing: 1 bag almonds was $3.49 and held 3 cups of almonds, so 1 cup is $1.16. Eggs were $5.49/doz, so 3 eggs are $1.37. Total: $2.54. So, ok, that's not really cheap considering it only made 8 slices bread, but it's in the range of commercial gluten-free breads.

Why this blog?

My household is going on the SCD diet. We have 1 gluten-sensitive person with allergies, 1 Crohn's disease sufferer, 1 person with arthritis, and 1 person with mental health issues. Crossing my fingers SCD will help us all.

It's really hard not to cheat, so I have to learn FAST how to make all the LEGAL foods.

But I love the challenge, I love to cook, and I love respecting nature. That reminds me the SCD diet calls for a lot of meat. Ugh. I tend toward vegetarianism. But my CD sufferer's told me for years that meats get digested well, whereas raw veggies... pain, pain, pain!

I'm writing down my recipes, so why not post them too? That's why the blog.

How to bust and milk a coconut

We're talking about making fresh, "raw" coconut milk out of a whole, mature coconut in the hard, brown, hairy shell. What took hours of grating yesteryear is now done in a minute in a blender. But there's still that nasty part about getting the "meat" out of that hard brown shell... Well, I do have a few tricks to make that part easier.

Materials and ingredients: a coconut, water, a blender, a cloth (a 20-inch square cut out of an old pillow is just right), a small pointy knife like the one in the picture, a large drinking glass, a large mixing bowl, a colander that fits in the bowl but with some clearance underneath, a mesh like the ones they sell fruit in, a twist-tie, a clear plastic bag, and a concrete sidewalk or other concrete slab (in my house it's in the garage).

Note: When choosing coconuts at the grocer's, pick the heaviest ones, and shake to make sure each has water.  A dry mature coconut is a spoiled coconut.  The flesh comes out more easily if you let the coconut sit for 24 hours in the fridge after removing the water.  You can also freeze it after removing the water; freezing doesn't affect the taste or nutritional value.  Even the fragile enzyme lipase retains its effectiveness after 6 months at -20 C! (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800302)

See me opening a coconut on YouTube!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD3Zqrmvcew

Step 1: Draining the coconut. The coconut has three "eyes" and there's always one that's soft enough to be opened with a short pointed knife. It's the one that looks the most different from the other two.  Dig the point of the knife in with a twisting motion, go around a couple of times.  Then poke in a chopstick until it pops through to the center. Shake some of the water into a tall glass, then rest the coconut on top of the glass until all the water has dripped out. This water is excellent and nutritious, and you can drink it right away.  In my household it is shared like precious liquor.

Step 2: Shell-busting - this is the fun part (caveat: take care the coconut doesn't land on anyone's head). Place the coconut in the mesh, close the mesh with a twist-tie, then place all this in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed loosely, and take it to your concrete slab. Throw the coconut down with some force onto the slab. It will break, and the pieces will stay inside the net and bag. Repeat until all the pieces are of manageable size -- 2 to 4 times. Don't overdo it. You don't want lots of little pieces, they're harder to hold when prying the flesh out. When you're satisfied with the busting, return to your kitchen, take the coconut pieces out of the net and bag, and pry the flesh out of the shell with the same short knife. Or, leave it out on the counter or fridge to dry overnight, and the flesh will come out more easily. This won't alter the taste.  Do taste a piece of the flesh, because occasionally, you may find that your coconut just isn't fresh.  When in doubt, throw it out.  If you have hens, feed the meat to them.  Otherwise, throw it in your compost bucket.  BTW, the shell burns nicely in your fireplace or BBQ.  No waste!

Step 3: Blending. Rinse the meat in a bowl of filtered water, and transfer to a blender. Check the back of each piece to make sure there aren't any pieces of hard shell attached. They could damage your blender.  Cut the meat into large pieces so your blender doesn't get stuck. Add 2 to 3 cups warm filtered water. Blend on high until smooth. If you have a Vitamix, start the usual way and then keep it on High for 1 minute. Some recipes use hot or even boiling water, but I believe in handling delicately anything containing fragile vitamins and enzymes.  Heat destroys lipase, which is a real pity, because lipase digests fats, including the ones in the coconut milk. Like other enzymes, it is destroyed by temperatures above 120 F.  On the other hand, coconut oil hardens at 73 F, so your water needs to be warmer than that.  

Step 4: Milking the coconut! Wash your hands thoroughly (and rinse well). This is literally a "hands-on" method, and, again, kids love to help with this. Wet your cloth with filtered water, and then wring it out so it doesn't soak up your coconut milk (you may also sterilize by stuffing the wet cloth in a mug, covering with a saucer, and microwaving for 1 minute; be careful when handling, the steam and cloth will be quite hot!).  Place a colander inside a larger bowl.  Line the colander with the cloth. Pour the contents of the blender in the cloth. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes to let most of the liquid drip into the bowl.  When most of the liquid has dripped out, pick up the cloth by the corners, hold the four corners in one hand, then pick up the new corners that have formed, so that you hold the cloth at 8 points. Hold *tight*, with those 8 points above your fist, and twist the cloth, holding it over the bowl. Twist, and twist the other way, and wring, and press, and squish! And twist the other way again! You're milking your coconut! When you can't wring much more out, dip the clothball in a bowl with 1/4 cup water, let it soak in a bit, and wring again, to get those last drops of deliciousness.

Alternately, just fold the cloth edges over the center while still in the strainer, and press by setting a saucepan filled with water on top of the cloth.

(Truth moment: I got myself a press after a few weeks of milking by hand).

This makes 3 to 4 cups of coconut milk, perfect for drinking. Its light, nutty taste is fresh and wonderful, a lot better than that "coconut milk drink" (yep, I'm talking about So Delicious, which was a terrible disappointment for a coconut connaisseuse like moi), plus it's a lot cheaper (see below). Did I say it tastes incredibly fresh, rich and wonderful? (Don't toss the "dregs", by the way. That's Coconut Flour. It's high-fiber to an extreme. Use it in your meat loaf, casseroles, cookies, or make coconut flour pancakes or other baked goods - this flour is legal for the SCD & GAPS diets, since it contains no starch. But use it sparingly, that much fiber can be overwhelming to your digestive system.)

(Truth moment number two: I haven't found ANY good SCD recipes that use the dregs, oops, coconut flour. I did notice that one batch of flour turned into some kind of slime after a few weeks of neglect in my fridge!  I was afraid to taste it... Maybe it was a miracle cure for something...)

Pour the milk into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use within 2 or 3 days. Shake before using. It will separate, the cream rising to the top like in an olden day milk jug, just because it's a whole food. Because it doesn't have emulsifiers. Because it's homemade. Because it wants to give you a choice: coconut cream? coconut "skim" milk? coconut "whole" milk? You get to pick each time you pick up the bottle (esp. if you have a gravy separator).

Use within 2 days, because that wonderful lipase will start doing its thing on the milk, as well as the ever-present bacteria by the billions.  Fresh food usually needs to be eaten fast.

Health Benefits: Coconuts contain Manganese (very good source), Phosphorus, Magnesium, Folate, Vitamin C, Selenium, Zinc, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin E, and more! The coconut protein array is among the best (most complete) available from any source, animal or vegetable. The fats in coconut are saturated, so whether coconut is a terrible threat to your health or a miracle cure remains a subject of controversy in some circles. I'm convinced it's a very healing food.  The fatty acids present in coconut (and coconut milk) are lauric acid, myristic acid, and palmitic acid. Lauric acid is converted by the human body into monolauric acid, the main fat in breast milk, so it must be pretty good for you. Myristic acid is named after a variety of nutmeg, Myristica fragrans (love that name!). It's also present in butter and sperm whale oil. Palmitic acid is also found in palm oil as you may have guessed. Palm oil got a really bad reputation because early research was done using hydrogenated palm oil, which contains trans fats. But recent research shows that populations that consume coconuts and coconut milk in their raw, unprocessed, non-hydrogenated, un-de-vitaminized, un-trans-fat-ified, non-emulsified, non-additive-itited, great-tasting state, have healthy cholesterol levels.  As for the "more," it's enzymes!  Hard to find the info from a reliable source, but you can get those enzymes in the milk if you DON'T HEAT IT or heat the water you use to make the milk.  

Whew!  A long blog to describe a simplified method. It seems long as written above, but with the concrete-slab shell-busting method, it really is doable. I've timed it to 22 minutes from poking the eyes to bottling. I'll add photos when I replace my lost camera...

Pricing: one coconut costs $1.49 where I live, and makes one quart of milk, so this milk costs about $2.98 per half-gallon (So Delicious is $3.49 per half-gallon). Comparable to whole milk (cow's) where I live. And that's not counting the coconut flour, if you can figure out how to use it.