Noshtopia

Turkey Bok Choy wonton soup, yogurt mousse, margarita cookies, and other yumnies around the noshosphere

• This Turkey and Bok Choy Won Ton soup looks like heaven to the food lovers soul. The turkey and bok choy are definitely an interesting twist to this traditional Asian soup. [What Did You Eat]

• How does a Yogurt Mousse with Blueberry Compote sound to you? To me, it sounds and looks like a divine new way to eat traditional yogurt and get some probiotic goodness to boot. This foodie is Basque and used as much local and organic ingredients as possible for this recipe. She also makes the yogurt from scratch which to me is impressive. [Cannelle et Vanille]

• I know we just had Cinco de Mayo but that doesn't mean we can't continue the party with these scrumptious Margarita cookies. I'm all for getting my booze in sugary goodness. Not to forget, these cookies are also vegan friendly.[My Achy Bakey Heart]

• Tired of plain old white rice? Try this Green Tea Rice with Almonds to jazz up a Teriyaki Chicken or a Panang Curry. [The Sugar Bar]

• Have you ever seen a fresh garbanzo bean in its pod? No, well, check it out. Looks so fresh and tasty. [The Kitchn]

Final analysis Part I of II: How the 7-day gluten free vegan experiment went

For the last two weeks, I've been doing the "Great Food Reboot  Experiment" to see how some of the foods I  eat on a daily basis have an affect on some health issues I've been having like insomnia, feeling bloated all the time, and eating binges. Here's some of the conclusions from my experiment:

• To be honest, I could not last the full 7 days. I lasted 5-1/2 days which is still pretty darn good. Part of that was my own fault because I scheduled the last 2 days over the Mother's Day weekend. My mom runs a typical Filipino household where there is ALL kinds of food around, and it is nearly impossible to be vegetarian let alone vegan and gluten-free.

• The night before a bunch of my Aunties were at the folk's house and the fridge was loaded with Filipino dessert foods like 3 kinds of Babinka, Leche Flan, and various cakes and pies. Mom said, "We've got plenty for dessert tonight." When I saw all those goodies, I knew, "Game Over." If you're Filipino, or even Italian, Latino or Greek where food is central to a household, you will understand that the "Auntie-made" foods are like kryptonite.

So guess where my Mom wants to have dinner that makes it almost impossible to eat gluten-free vegan...

What I've been eating during my 7-day gluten free vegan experiment

I've gotten some emails asking exactly what kinds of things I've been eating during my "Great Food Reboot Experiment" where I'm going gluten-free vegan for 7 days to see if it has any impact on some of the health issues I've been having lately. So, let me share some of the tasty things I've been chowing on.

Oh, but before I go on to the list, I have to point out that finding sources of protein has been the biggest challenge for me because one, I am avoiding soy as much as possible because it's really not that healthy for daily consumption and two, I also have a Type II allergy to beans in the Kidney, Lima, and Pinto families which is pretty much most beans that are found in restaurants and packaged foods. Beans is where many vegans get a large source of protein from so if you have an allergy to it and you're 100% vegan than you pretty much have to do more cooking at home with legumes like Aduki beans, Black-eyed peas, and Mung beans.

Here's some of the foods I've been enjoying this week:

• Lots of salad from the Whole Foods Salad Bar because it's fast and easy. Besides the mixed greens, and spinach, I've gone to the produce aisle and added arugala to my green salads. Arugala is on the bitter side, but I love it and when mixed with other greens and sweeter veggies, it's a nice twist. I'm very lucky that I live within a 10-15 mile radius of 3 Whole Foods stores, as each store has something different. The store closest to me has a Raw section in the bar which is really cool.

• Raw-ish mock vegan salmon pate that I made. I've been throwing a scoop on my green salads and it adds a nice substance to the salad like a tuna salad would.

• Dolmas. I've eaten many of those because they are one of my faves.

• I've made several smoothies this week. Like this rice milk strawberry, banana, coconut number and this Chocolate chiller with raw cocoa nibs, chocolate chili protein in chocolate hemp milk. At Whole Foods, I tried finding gluten-free vegan cookies or cakes, and could find none except raw cookies. Raw cookies are nice and chewy but I wanted something that resembled a traditional chocolate chip cookie and couldn't find one in the store. I'd have to bake some myself. They do have gluten-free or vegan cookies and muffins, but not gluten-free and vegan together.

• For snacks, I've been noshing on nuts & dried fruits like figs & filberts, dried pineapples, pecans, macadamias, prunes, cashews, and these candied ginger pepitas I made. Also, I've been enjoying mochi brown rice cakes topped with peanut butter and this organic apricot cherry jam I got at the farmer's market.

• I've been drinking fresh squeezed juices like this one I made using carrots, red pepper, cucumber, and pear.

• For dinners, I've had a lentil soup with white rice that I got from WFs. I got a couple Indian dishes like the Vegan Burger with Rice shown in the pic above. It's made out of soy protein which I made an exception for because it was "meat like". I also enjoyed this Kale Quinoa Salad. During this experiment, I've been missing the sink-your-teeth-into feeling like when biting into chicken or meatloaf. There was also a Spinach Panir with garbanzo bean and rice dish that was pretty tasty. I've also had the meatless meatballs from Trader Joes one night when I made pasta made from rice flour. Wasn't crazy about the rice pasta as it's kinda mushier than semolina pasta, but it was still tasty.

This week, I have done more cooking at home than I have in ages, but it's been great fun and learning. The only thing I've minded is the clean up of dishes and counters. What I'm really craving right now is a turkey sandwich with Gouda on wheat. The food I have been missing the most is the meats mostly because off the protein. I thought I  would miss the gluten flour made foods the most, but I really am liking not having that heavy feeling the bready, doughy stuff gives me which also typically triggers food binges for me.

I've got two days left in my experiment, and one of those days will be Mother's Day, so that will be the biggest test because I have a typical Catholic Filipino mom who is amazing at cooking, and will pester me to no un-end if I tell her specifically that I can only eat gluten-free vegan food on Mom's day. Somehow, I'll have to be covert <wink>.

Chocolate chiller: Chocolate nibs with chocolate chili protein in chocolate hemp milk

Last week, I wrote about how I tried hemp milk for the first time. I really love that hemp milk is loaded with protein, but the grassy taste was kind of a turn off. So, the folks at Living Harvest, asked me if I would re-visit my hemp milk conclusion as they would send me samples of their hemp based products to try out. Boy, I'm sure glad they did because I have a whole different perception of hemp now.

The other night I made this very simple chocolate chiller that is packed with protein. Yes, protein! All I did was put in one glass, about 1 cup of chocolate hemp milk and 1/4 packet of the chocolate chili hemp protein. I stirred it well, and then put the glass in the freezer for 2 hours so that the milk could start to solidify but not get too hard. If you leave the mixture in too long, you'll get a solid block of chocolate ice.

I then stirred the chocolate milk to make it chunky, and then mixed in a handful of raw chocolate cocoa nibs. Voila! It was a darn tasty chilly treat that had about 8 grams of protein. How often can you say that about a sweet chilled drink? Hemp milk has 4g of protein/cup compared to rice milk which has 1g of protein/cup. I also liked the chocolate chili protein powder because it's organic and they use cayenne for the chili taste and it's only a hint. Those who don't like spicy could still enjoy this protein powder.

Then the next night, I got experimental and made a smoothie using the chocolate hemp milk, some rice milk vanilla yogurt, the hemp chocolate chili protein, some coconut, some raw chocolate cocoa nibs, and a handful of organic hemp nuts which Living Harvest also sent. Wow! I had this smoothie that was chunky, chewy, yummy, and again packed with lots of protein. It's one of my new favorite smoothies now.

What I like about the Living Harvest stuff too is not only do they use as much organics as possible, but they support sustainable farming. They also have a pretty good Hemp 101 which is pretty educational. Who knew hemp could be so interesting.

Presentation tip: Parmesan shavings for salad that isn't actually from cheese

I always say that 50% of a dish is the presentation. We all like to eat good looking food. If you're vegan or raw, this is a cool presentation trick to create the illusion of shaved parmesan on a salad without using any cheese.

It's really simple. Take a fleshy pear, like a Bosc, and use a vegetable peeler to sheer off thin pieces of the pear. The shavings from the pear look like shaved parmesan.

You can also use the pear "parmesan" shavings on top of raw "pasta" dishes where the pasta is actually a spiral cut veggie like yellow squash. In the picture above is an Arugala salad topped with yummy candied ginger Pepitas. Here's the recipe to make the Pepitas.

Recipe: Candied Ginger Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds) and health benefits

Pepita is a spanish word for "little seed of squash" from a pumpkin or any kind of squash, but traditionally, the word pepita in cooking  is referred to the roasted end product of pumpkin seeds. Pepitas are a good source of iron, zinc, polyunsaturated fatty acids (including the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6), potassium, and magnesium. As well according to Wikipedia:

"One gram of pumpkin seed protein contains as much L-tryptophan as a full glass of milk, making it of interest to researchers studying the treatment of anxiety disorders.^[6] Some eat the seeds as preventative measure against onset of anxiety attacks, clinical depression and other mood disorders.

Sounds like eating Pepitas would be more fun than taking pills.

Candied Ginger Pepitas are a yummy add to things like a salad topping, as a plain snack, into cereal or oatmeal, on top of yogurt, or into a trail mix. Making them is simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pumpkin Seeds (raw is best if you can get them)
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar (I use organic sugar)
• 1/2 Tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger (you can add more if you like a more gingery taste)
• Some sea salt for taste

Let's start creating:

The health benefits of fresh juices

I discovered the wonders of fresh juicing when I did a stint at the We Care Spa to do a week long detox. I figured it was good to "clean out all the pipes" so to speak. During the week, you don't any solid foods but you do get to drink all kinds of fresh juices. I've never been a big fan of carrot juice, but when I had my first taste of freshly juiced organic carrot juice, wow! what a world of difference between the taste and how it made me feel drinking it.

Since then, I've incorporated fresh juices as much as I can. In the picture above is a juice I made containing carrot, red pepper, pear, and cucumber. There are actually several types of juicers depending on what you want to do. I have a Masticating type juicer because it can do almost all kinds of veggies and fruits, and you can make things like nut butters and your own flours. Here's some info here, here, and here on the different types of juicers.

Here are some of the benefits of drinking fresh vegetable and fruit juice:

• You are getting all the most powerful and potent nutrients from that vegetable or fruit. It's literally 100% goodness. To receive the maximum potency though you need to drink the juice within 20 minutes of making it because as soon as oxygen hits it the potency starts diminish. Now, that doesn't mean all that nutrient goodness goes away if you decide to make a batch and store it in the fridge. You can still reap many benefits especially over juices that have been mass processed and have added sugars and additives.

• For those who don't care to eat vegetables, drinking the juice is the fastest way to get the nutrient benefit without having to do any cooking or chewing. Everything also absorbs into your body much faster. It's like getting a shot of vegetables.

• You can get a larger array of vegetable and fruit choices into your diet. Again, because you're basically drinking your nutrients and not chewing it's easier to try more things because after awhile you can only drink the same celery or cucumber juice for so long. Variety makes the experience more enjoyable.

• The fruit juices and carrots and beets are really yummy, but limit your consumption of those because they are loaded with sugar and can spike your insulin levels. Just because something is a natural sugar doesn't mean that it is good for you. Too much of any sugar is not health beneficial. So, best to stick to the veggies particularly the green ones.

For more in depth info about the health benefits of juicing, Naturopathic Doctor Mercola has an awesome video and write up about juicing and ways to start, how to make your juices taste better, and how to make juices a balanced meal.

Update food reboot experiment: "I've never eaten so much fiber in my life"

Yesterday marked Day #2 of my "Great Food  Reboot Experiment" where I am going gluten-free vegan for 7 days. Thus far, this is what I have noticed:

• Between all the veggies and fruits, I have never eaten so much fiber in my life, and it really shows because, and this is a bit TMI, but the action in the bowel movements department is swifter and requires less pushing if you know what I mean. I've had issues with constipation but that has been changing since starting this experiment 9 days ago (I'm including my weaning week.)

• My skin is feeling softer, and I don't need to use as much moisturizer as I normally do. This is a big deal because I have dry skin. I'm wondering how much of a difference my skin will feel if I do this experiment longer.

• I'm not really missing dairy because there are so many delicious rice based alternatives. I do miss the cheese though. I've been having a hankering for Gouda. I am missing meats a little but not as much as I thought I would. The gluten thing is a little tough too but thankfully I live close to a Whole Foods and can find a bunch of stuff. I found this cool Poppy seed dressing (shown in pic above) that is vegan friendly and can be used as a mayo alternative.

• I eat abundantly which for someone who likes to eat this is a joy. As part of my experiment, I am not counting calories or portions. I just eat when my tummy grumbles and until I feel satisfied. I've noticed that my jeans are fitting a bit looser.

• I'm having a blast learning new ways to cook, experimenting, and learning about new fruits and veggies. It's really bringing out the creative in me. I never knew there was such a thing as a watermelon radish or purple asparagus.

• zOMG! There are so many vegetarian, vegan, raw, and gluten free eaters online. I have received so many kind & supportive comments, emails, and Twitters from all kinds of people. What a wonderful community spirit!

Overall, I'm really loving this experiment and having fun. Physically, I am feeling more alert and lighter. I don't have that constant bloated feeling like I did before which I know comes more from all the dairy consumption because of my Type II allergy. Next report will be after Day #4 on Thursday!

Loving rice milk based smoothies

In my smoothies, I use rice milk in lieu of cow's milk because I have a Type II allergy to cow and goat milk. Really, you cannot tell the difference. If you want to make a milkshake, using the rice milk based ice cream like Rice Dream tastes literally the same especially when you throw in fruits and cocoa.

My favorite smoothie of late as shown above has:

• Frozen organic strawberries and mango (I keep a bag in the fridge for ease)
• Fresh organic Banana
• Rice Milk (I like the Whole Foods 365 Organic version the best. Plus it's cheap.)
• Unsweetened organic shredded coconut flakes. I like these coconut flakes from Edward & Sons
• Raw chocolate cacao nibs. Many of the raw places I go to use this Navitas Naturals cacao which is certified organic, kosher, vegan, and raw.
• A couple squirts of agave nectar (What can I say I like added sweetness)

I like to add in the cacao nibs because there is something to chew in the smoothie. Unbelievably, these cacao nibs have no sugars and 9g of fiber + 4g protein per 1ounce. I like smoothies where you get to chew as well as slurp.

7 snack ideas using mock vegan salmon pate

Here is the recipe to a fabulous raw-ish, vegan, mock salmon pate I concocted. But with all this delicious pate, what can we eat it with? Here's some nosh ideas:

• Cut cucumber slices, and throw some of the salmon pate on top (Picture above)

• Wrap the salmon pate in Nori sheets to make a tasty roll. Or, add in slices of avocado for California roll style.

• Throw some on top of a brown rice cake

• Throw some on top of a green salad

• Add some on top of a raw bread like Roxanne's Sprota Bread and add a piece of tomato

• Put some pate on crackers and drizzle some honey mustard on top

• Make a salmon lettuce cup with the pate, some bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber and some vegan friendly teriyaki sauce.