Kale Salad and Watermelon Gazpacho

It's been an incredibly busy month.  Travel to my husband's family reunion.  A visit from my step daughter and her boyfriend.  Lots of eating at places other than home.  Here are two recipes which have helped get me through the last month without a major dent in my diet.

My husband's family knew I was basically vegetarian but ate a little chicken and fish, but I was hesitant to ask then to also do non-gluten, non-sweetened, no dairy when they had to provide food for 60+ people for three days.  They did a great job on providing things that met all those by the way but because I was unsure, I decided to bring a dish to pass each day.

The watermelon gazpacho is a favorite of ours and was a big hit at our wedding last summer.  It proved to be a winner at the reunion as well.  It's perfect for a hot summer day.  This recipe came from our Whole Foods in West Bloomfield, Michigan via my friend Julie who kindly passed it on to me.  Amounts of everything can be varied to taste.  It's hard to tell just  how many cups of fruit are in a watermelon.  Since I hate to not use all the watermelon, I adjust the other ingredients accordingly.  It's a very forgiving recipe.

Watermelon Gazpacho

1 small seedless watermelon
1 small green pepper finely chopped
1 green apple peeled and finely chopped
1 red onion  finely chopped
about 2 or 3 T of cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil or about 1 T finely chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Puree watermelon in a blender or food processor. (Or if you're somewhere without the gadgets you may have at home, you can mash the watermelon with a potato masher.  It turns out somewhat chunkier but still does the trick.If you do this, you may want to chop the other ingredients a little more coarsely.)  Pour puree into a large bowl (or the hollowed out shell of the watermelon.) Stir in other ingredients.  Add the cider vinegar, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.  This will make about 8 servings depending on the size of your watermelon.  Don't worry about extra.  It tastes great the next day!  You can serve it in the short, wide clear plastic cups at an outdoor event. They're much easier to handle than a bowl.  Add a sprig of basil for a decorative touch.

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This next recipe is one I've been getting a lot of requests to share.  When I decided to bring it to the family reunion the second day, my husband assured me I'd have it all to myself. (He's not a big leafy green veggie fan.)  Not so.  It vanished even more quickly than the soup.  This comes from Kathy Abascal's The Abascal Way Cookbook.  This salad has been a lifesaver for me.  Not only does it taste great, it keeps well in the fridge for a day or so and can make it through a day in an insulated bag with a small ice pack. I've taken it on many day trips as well used it for a dish to pass. I try to keep extra dressing in the frig at all times as well as a box or two of chopped kale to mix up for last minute changes in plans where I'm unsure I'll be able to find appropriate food.  Or when I'm just feeling lazy at home and want some "fast food."

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing
 
1 bunch of kale (or use the cleaned and pre-chopped kale for a quick and easy dish.  I use a wonderful rainbow kale salad with grated carrot that I get at my local PCC store in Edmonds. It's a lighter kale than the curly kale but sturdier than baby kale.  In Michigan I used a mix of pre-cleaned and chopped baby kale and curly kale plus some grated carrot.) 
1 small carrot coarsely grated (Optional)

1/2 cup tahini
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 T rice vinegar
enough water to make a thick but pourable dressing (about 3-4 T)
1 T tamari (don't add to dressing, sprinkle on once dressing is mixed with kale)

Clean and dry kale.  Remove ribs.  Chop the leaves finely.  Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.  Toss the kale with enough dressing to coat the leaves.  (I usually don't use all the dressing.  Store it in the frig for the next batch. Thin with a little more water if necessary.)  Toss with tamari.

Check in on results

I guess my melt down on Saturday about the state of new refrigerators and their lack of produce space should have been a clue about how important eating this way has become.  I feel so much better than before.  After a couple week plateau, I've dropped another pound.  I had used the Weight Watchers points system successfully for years when I needed to drop some weight but it took some will power since I was usually really hungry the first week or so.  But as I got into my fifties, it just didn't seem to work.  I tried cutting back on my points but that just left me hungry and frustrated.  My husband decided I must have a very high metabolism (I don't) because of the amount of food I eat right now and the fact that he can clearly see I'm losing weight.

Sketchier results on the ankle front.  I've been off the anti-inflammatory drugs now for about 10 days straight.  I'd love to say my ankle is fine but to be honest, it's still messed up.  Not like I'm in excruciating pain but I'm not doing much walking either.  I have been spending some time out of the brace.  And at least around the house wearing my Orthoheel flip flops (which are fabulous by the way).  But after three 10 minute sessions on the elliptical machine, 2 of the 3 times I was sore later in the day.  Not a great sign, I think, for getting back to my 5 miles hilly walks.  I have no idea about why the session in the middle didn't seem to affect it.  This issue continues to be the great mystery.  I suppose that since most of the time my ankle feels no discernible pain, with no meds, should be a good sign.  But I think my impatient nature wants to know NOW that this issue is resolving.  With the end of the year fast approaching, if I'm going to opt for surgery, I'd like to schedule it for the end of the year (me and everyone else) which will require making a decision by the end of September at least.  So I don't have much time.

By the way, after I calmed down, cleaned my refrigerator and then revisited the appliance stores, the situation is not quite as bad as I thought.  Still not quite what I'd like, but workable. They somehow neglected to mention (even when I asked) that the big space hogging ice/water dispenser in the door was not required.  Whew!  I now have a new refrigerator picked out.

Many folks have requested the recipe I use for the tahini dressing on the chopped kale salad.  I'll be sure to post that this week.

The Great Refrigerator Purge

Okay.  The dimensions of new refrigerators are definitely smaller.  But after a good night's sleep and a couple other peeks into my refrigerator, I decided that perhaps I need to clean out and get organized to see what I really needed.

Here's how the frig looked yesterday.  Pretty crammed in and hard to see what I have.  So once I came to grips with what's available today and the price trade offs, I got to work cleaning it out.  I purged open bottles of wine from last holiday season, many leftovers of cheese far past its prime, a moldy jicama, an open half gallon bottle of apple juice (we don't even drink apple juice--I must have used a 1/2 cup or so for cooking at some point), a open jar of roasted red peppers well past their expiration date, a bag of now frozen cilantro at the back of the frig., many open sauces and marinades, a large egg carton with one egg in it (the single egg sits nicely in the container holding my two smaller egg cartons, several ancient partial bags of bread and english muffins).  You get the picture.  I am the only person in the world who allows my refrigerator to get to such a state of disarray? I haven't even be eating a lot of this stuff for the last month so you have a feel for its minimum age.

I'm happy to say that after about an hour of purging and cleaning my refrigerator now looks like this.  Although I'm still a little nervous about the new refrigerator issue, I'm breathing a little easier that I should be able to make it work with a little more regular clean out and purging.  (I'm also currently storing 6 jars of Clausen's pickles that I got on sale. Maybe just a tad more than I needed to stock up on.)  By the way, I'm not drinking orange juice.  I still need to make concessions to the other person in my household who is not on the same diet and whose dietary desires are quite different from my own. (And who re-assured me that we could always move this refrigerator to our garage for emergencies (or parties).

So now that I'm a little more relaxed. I'm off to take another look at refrigerators.

The Refrigerator Dilemma

Ever since I've been on my anti-inflammatory diet,  my husband kids me that he gets attacked by leafy green vegetables every time he opens the refrigerator door.  I can see what he means.  Our refrigerator is packed to the gills with produce.  It has far overflowed the capacity of our two large 12"x12"x8" produce drawers.  We currently have a 33" wide by 66" tall Whirlpool Gold standard refrigerator with the freezer on top.  Not sure how old it is; it came with the house we bought 2 years ago.  As regular refrigerators go, it's not bad but it's white and I was hoping for something a little more stylish for the major kitchen remodel we are about to begin.

 Two years ago, I saw a counter depth Kitchen Aid 36" x 72"in  stainless which seemed to fit the bill fine and filed that away for future reference.  As we start to nail down the kitchen design, I thought I might have room for a 42" refrigerator, so today, I struck out for the appliances stores to check things out.

What I saw was a complete shock.  The new Kitchen Aid 36" counter depth refrigerator has produce bins that are nearly 20% smaller than last year's model!  And they only have a 4.5" opening (I'm told so you can't hit the door seal with them.)  The salesman told me that people just don't need big produce drawers anymore.  Evidently, because no one eats fresh produce anymore!  He suggested that I keep a second frig in the garage. (Which isn't even on the same floor as the kitchen in my house.)
At another store they told me that government regulations were causing the dysfunctional designs of this year's refrigerators.  I don't really care what's causing it, I just want some options that work and don't cost an arm and leg for someone like me who mostly stores fresh produce in the frig.

I discovered that 42" refrigerators only come in "built-in" models with $7000+ price tags!  Definitely not in our budget, especially since I'm lobbying for a bump-out to the area our kitchen is in to get a more functional arrangement.  And even in the 42" refrigerators, the produce drawers aren't especially large.  Has anyone in  design department of the appliance makers measured a grapefruit or cauliflower lately?  Even a head of broccoli  would have to slim down in order to fit. 

I thought about maybe adding those under counter refrigerator drawers.  But they cost more than a full size refrigerator and I really can't afford to give up the cabinet space!  So frustrating.  Times like this, it feels like the entire world conspires against healthy eating. I don't really have a good answer.

One store has last year's 36" Kitchen Aid side by side in a display on the floor.  I don't really want a side by side but the produce drawers were the most functional size of any I've seen. Do I opt for that and hope it works once we finish the design?  Or do I wait until we're ready and run the risk that there will be no good options without spending a ton of money?

How do folks with families to feed deal with produce storage? (There's only two of us in our family and I'm the only heavy produce eater.)  Fellow fresh produce eaters, what would you do? 

Anyone thinking of buying new refrigerator, brace yourself.  The pickings are slim if you want one with decent sized produce storage.

The diet and the busy schedule

The last week has been unusually busy.  Friends and fellow foodies Don and Julie were in from Michigan last week.  We indulged ourselves in the Outstanding in the Field event last Thursday at Full Circle Farm out in Carnation.  Johnathan Sundstrom, chef at the Lark in Seattle, was the guest chef.  They were amazingly accommodating considering they were serving around 175 people at once seated far out in a beautiful farm field.  (They did ask in advance for any special food needs.)  I cheated a little bit on appetizers--a half glass of wine, and a bite of cheese and wheat in the crackers.  Dinner with the exception of a tiny bit of cheese in the salad pretty much met the food restriction guidelines, however the protein to vegetable ratio was off.  Had I taken the amount of vegetables I would have liked, no one else at our table would have gotten any.  Dessert was a lovely (and thankfully small) ginger shortcake with berries and lemon verbena cream.  Okay, I cheated again on the dessert.  Julie exhibited more restrain and asked for berries only.  They gladly accommodated her.  We all were given a lovely box of fruit and vegetables as we left which provided me with lettuces, vegetables and fruit for the next 4 days.

Saturday my husband and I met up with Don and Julie at the restaurant at the Inn at Langley, probably one of my favorite restaurants in the area.  Again, chef Matt Costello was more than accommodating. Julie had tipped him off in advance about our major diet restrictions.  Dessert and a small tablespoon size palate cleanser contained sugar but other than that, the meal came quite close to accommodating my diet.  Next to dessert, the biggest cheat was one sip of each of the wines served in the wine flight that my husband ordered.  I could have easily held exactly to the diet during this dinner and still had a fabulous meal.  In the hands of a skilled chef, vegetables and a small servings of protein can be spectacular.

Although I haven't made it through the full three weeks to start testing to add other foods back into my diet, I've found I feel so good with the diet as is, that my plan is to stay on it for the foreseeable future and allow myself to deviate slightly on special occasions.

On the more mundane level this week, my schedule has just been particularly busy making it difficult to keep to my regular shopping schedule which is usually about every couple of days.  The chopped kale salad with tahini dressing has been a great staple since the kale keeps well and I can make enough dressing to last the week.  I've also taken advantage of a black bean and chipolte salsa recipe that is great over arugula or spinach with chopped tomatoes, green onions, avocado and a vinaigrette made with fresh lime and olive oil.  This same bean mixture works well on toasted sprouted corn tortillas with avocado and salsa on top.  Although I've never frozen it, the bean mixture would likely freeze well if you wanted to have it on hand.  I found mine lasted about 5 days in the frig.  The corn tortillas have also kept well in the frig. And I've found that avocados last much longer in the frig.  Be sure to coat leftover avocado with lemon to minimize discoloration.  Dinosaur kale which also keeps well has provided a source of crunchy kale chips for snack time.  I try to clean and cut in when I bring it in from the store.  It keeps well in a plastic bag or large storage container in the frig.  Apples, pears and almond butter have served as both a snack and an emergency meal.

Soup has also been a lifesaver this week.  I had some black bean soup with lots of veggies in it frozen.  Stir fry with a veggie mix from the grocery store and chicken breast already cut into small pieces made for a great quick dinner.  I did use a sauce on it with a little sugar just because I was in a hurry.  I've made a similar sauce myself without the sugar and it turned out just as good.  Once I reconstruct the recipe, I'll publish it here.  I'm going to try freezing it in cubes to be able to keep some on hand for a longer period.

My refrigerator is definitely pushing its volume limit right now.  Leafy green vegetables take up a lot of room as do containers of soups and leftovers.  Keep this in mind if you're in the market for a new refrigerator!  You'll find you need less pantry space and more refrigerator space.  Hoping to design this in to my upcoming kitchen remodel.  If anyone has some good ideas about storing fruit and vegetables outside of the refrigerator, please let me know!

It shouldn't have to be this hard

The last few days have been busy ones.  I’ve missed a couple of snacks because I was away from home.  It’s easy to pack nuts for protein.  An apple or pear is a little more cumbersome to carry but vegetables—they’re a much bigger challenge.  I’m not really big on raw carrots.  Actually, my favorite snack (right up there with kale chips) is a finely chopped mix of different varieties of kale with a tahini dressing on it.  It’s also my favorite lunch right now.  In fact, I could eat this stuff everyday it’s so good.  Luckily, I can buy the kale already mixed and finely shredded at my local PCC Store.  And I’ve finally caught on that the dressing will keep in the frig for a number of days.  Next time, I’ll make a double batch of dressing and can use it throughout the week.  

 So, back to my original issue, why are there no places to go to pick up a dish of something like this kale salad?  Even the pre-made salads at  my beloved PCC seem to have things like canola oil or sweeteners.  At least they can tell you exactly what’s in them.  But I’m curious why nobody has thought to add “clean” food and snacks that you can walk in (or drive thru) and pick up as easily as a hamburger.  Not a bland salad with poor quality vinegar and questionable oil but something truly tasty and satisfying like the kale salad.  Is there really no market out there?  Maybe it seems so because the anti-inflammatory food that’s out there in many restaurants is so generic and bland—unless you get into a more upscale restaurant.

 

Or maybe it’s because fresh organic produce, at least around my neck of the woods, is expensive.  I haven’t added it up, but the little cash register in my head is telling me I’m spending significantly more on food since I’ve been on this diet.  It’s worth it to me but I can’t help but wonder about people on a tight budget.  Which brings me to one of my pet peeves.  U.S. Government farm subsidies go almost exclusively to the large, corporate food producers.  This was not their original intent—they were intended to help independent farmers.  And yet, I’ve not heard of one small organic vegetable grower who gets a penny.  What’s wrong with this picture?  With so much of our tax dollars supporting corporate growing of patented and often genetically modified corn, wheat and soybeans, no wonder all the stuff on the “no eat” list is so inexpensive.  Hasn’t it occurred to anyone that by making this kind of food so cheap, we’ve made our health care extremely expensive? 

So, what am I finding so far?

I’ve been off my anti-inflammatory meds now for a week.  My foot still hurts some of the time but it’s mild.  Jury still out on whether food can control the inflammation enough to avoid surgery.  I do find though that I’m less achy after working out or working in the garden. 

Several nagging menopausal related symptoms have disappeared.

My nagging little stomach aches and bloated feeling are gone and I’ve been able to stop the expensive pro-biotic pills I was taking.

I’ve held at about 4 lbs. lost.  In fact, earlier in the week, it actually seemed like I gained a couple of those pounds back.  But my stomach looks flatter to me and I feel lighter.

The dark circles under my eyes have lightened up.  This may be my imagination but two months ago they were starting to concern me.  Now, I barely notice them.

I have a much deeper appreciation and empathy for those people who have real food allergies and how because of our food habits, customs and attitudes in this country, it can isolate these folks from being able to enjoy good food outside of their homes.

I am even more sensitive to how our food system and habits make it very time consuming, costly and difficult to eat this way.  If I ever fall off this way of eating, it won’t be because I’m bored or don’t like it, or it doesn't help me feel great, it will be because it is just too difficult to be part of modern society and hold to this way of eating.  And the sad part is, is that it doesn’t have to be.

Picky Eating or Healthy Eating?

  The title read "The Picky Eater Who Came to Dinner."  It ran in the New York Times this past Sunday.  In the article, the author subtly infers that those of us who choose to eat only healthy foods, that our bodies respond well to, are now "picky eaters."  I guess maintaining a healthy weight, normal blood pressure, diabetes prevention and just feeling more clear headed and energetic are no longer considered good enough reasons to stick with a healthy diet.  It's as if forgoing sugar, corn derivatives,  flour, gluten or dairy is considered downright un-American.  In the article, chef Josh Ozersky says, "Like a lot of chefs, I'm convinced that these diets are not always the result  the compromised immune systems of American diners, but their growing infantilism and narcissism."  Who's narcissitic here, the client or the chef?  What kind of chef is so full of his/her self that they think their food choices transcend someone's need to be healthy?

 I once had a boyfriend who said one of the reasons he broke up with me was because I was a vegetarian and he wasn't.  When I asked if he felt I imposed my food choices on him, he said "no, but I feel guilty eating what I eat when I'm around you." Perhaps criticizing those who take charge of their food choices is a way for others who are living with the impact of their food choices (the majority of Americans are  now considered overweight or obese) to feel better about those choices. God help the American health care system.

As a foodie, I totally agree with the article that sharing food is a social event.  But there is absolutely no reason why sharing can't occur around healthy foods with enough variety to accommodate different tastes.  My friend Julie, cook and hostess, extraordinaire, has long hosted dinner parties for a wide variety of guests using her mostly vegan diet as a basis for some of the best meals I've eaten.  I've never seen guests leave food on their plate at her very popular dinners or complain that there was nothing for them to eat.

I've begun to inquire in advance about both food preferences and requirements.  After all, I want my guests to feel relaxed and welcome.  Why would I want to serve a meal they did not like or could not eat?  There are too many fabulous food choices out there to be locked into a limited repertoire.  But my goal is to allow each guest to compose a full meal, not to be able to eat every dish that's offered.  When I go to someone's house to eat,  I will always share the fact that I don't eat meat.  I find that much less offensive than surprising them after they've spent the day shopping and preparing a special dish that I will not eat.  Often by leaving just one ingredient out of a small amount of the recipe, it can easily accommodate.  But one would need to know this in advance.  On this more restricted diet, I will explain that I'm limited right now in what I can eat and offer to bring something that I can eat and all can share.  I usually find that everyone dives into my dish and I have to be sure I
can grab a serving for myself.

As for restaurants, often the worst offenders for not only unhealthy ingredients but the size of portions, they are in business because of the people who patronize them.  I make no apologies for my requests. Those who can accommodate will get my business again.  Those who can't won't.  There is no reason why a restaurant can't offer at least one option that includes tasty vegetables, grilled chicken or fish, salads and dressings made with only olive oil, herbs and vinegar and fruit for dessert.

Just like our attitudes about smoking has changed, we need to initiate a similar change to attitudes about food.  We know that certain food is at the root of many of our health issues. (Just like we knew about smoking in the 1960's.)  But until those of us who care start speaking up, things have no reason to change.  I'm optimistic.  Smoking is now banned in public places and it is no longer considered gauche to ask someone to step outside of your home to smoke.  Likewise, huge strides have been made in the availability of gluten-free foods.  If we start demanding it, we will also start to see an increase in the availabity of all anti-imflammatory foods--non-dairy, non-sweetened, gluten-free foods more focused on vegetables and fruits.  Charlie Trotter's, a fabulous Chicago restaurant, has been offering a multi-course vegetarian feast for decades.  And they will gladly insure your meal is free of dairy or sweeteners.  It's time more restaurants followed suit.  And not just the high end ones.  So fellow "picky eaters", let's keep speaking up!