January 1st, 2010
Kendra Lay
Mochi is a traditional Japanese food that consists of pounded sticky rice. When pounded, the rice becomes sweet and it is molded into cakes and eaten on New Year’s Day. The Japanese run on the Gregorian calendar just like we do here in the United States (unlike the Chinese and many other Asian countries, which run on the Chinese lunar calendar), so New Year’s Day is January 1st in Japan.
This is a simple and EASY dessert to make and it contains no refined sugar. I suppose you could eat it for breakfast too, however I tend to eat my sweets after a meal as this helps with blood sugar stability.
The mochi I use is a whole grain mochi with no sweetener added. To those of you who have been to Japan or simply picked up mochi at your local Asian market, this mochi will be quite different from what you are used to, but it is still delicious–and a little healthier!
Read the rest of this entry »
December 14th, 2009
Kendra Lay
Well, finals are done and it is time to celebrate the holidays. I am looking forward to spending the next few weeks with family and friends, resting up before winter term starts.
I want to start a new “series” on my blog called Food Explorations where I explore a food I haven’t cooked with a lot, or have never eaten. The first entry is devoted to celery root, which I whipped up into a creamy Roasted Celeriac Soup.
Celeriac Photo by emptyhighway
I have to admit I had never eaten celery root, let alone cooked with it. My curiosity all started when I read an article on different root vegetables. Unfortunately, roots aren’t always my favorite, but I decided I wanted to see if I could experiment with ones I have never used in order to get the full range of nutrients and flavors in my diet. According to Rebecca Wood in The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, celeriac aids digestion and supports the lymphatic, nervous and urinary systems. It is useful for those with kidney stones and arthritis. It tastes very similar to celery with a much richer quality.
It’s amazing how such a gnarled and unrefined root vegetable can turn into a smooth and delicate soup. I calculated the nutrients in this recipe and each serving only contains about 115 calories, although you would think it was loaded with butter and cream to taste it. So enjoy guiltlessly!
Read the rest of this entry »
December 3rd, 2009
Kendra Lay
Well it’s time for final exams in my world, so for the next 7 days or so I am going to be busy, busy, busy. I need food to power my brain and body that will keep me stress free and my blood-sugar stabilized. I know that I sometimes have the tendency to want to snack on comfort foods that contain sugar and fats when I am under stress, but this time I want to make sure I have clean-burning fuel that won’t leave me frazzled when finals are over.
I just went to the store to stock my fridge and pantry with super nutritious food that will be a snap to prepare. Here are the top ten things I’m eating this week:
10.) My go-to quick food these days, turkey nori roll-ups. Someday I will do a blog post on the many possible variations of this snack.
9.) Amy’s Low Sodium soups. If I am going to resort to canned soup, it will probably be this one. Look for the cans that specify low sodium.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 21st, 2009
Kendra Lay
I’ve been eating gluten-free for over three years now. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about where gluten lives in foods and dietary supplements. However, this week I found out I possibly ingested gluten from two different sources, so I wanted to post a word of caution to everyone out there. I guess we always have to be uber-vigilant!
Source 1: Some Chinese Herbs
Photo by Mike.
Chinese herbal medicine uses wheat and barley as medicinals in a few cases. Ironically, they are mainly used in digestive formulas to help with food stasis and indigestion. I say ironically, since of course many people with gluten-intolerances or celiac disease have gastro-intestinal issues and may be prescribed these formulas. Some of the main ones to look out for are Shen Qu (fermented wheat or malt combined with other herbs), Mai Ya (barley malt or barley sprouts) and Fu Xiao Mai (unripe wheat).*
I have also heard that what we call “bulk granules” in Chinese medicine sometimes may use barley malt as a binder. I will learn more about this soon and be sure to post my findings. I know there are some people out there who say barley malt doesn’t have any viable gluten, but when I am feeling sick and taking a medicine, I sure don’t want to take any chance that my body is having to deal with an extra irritant in the very medicine that is supposed to be making me feel better. I can’t wait until I start to learn other herbs that can help people with gluten-intolerance improve their digestion! Until then, ask your qualified acupuncturist or even contact the company who makes the herbs you intend to take. I emailed Blue Poppy about their line of herbs, and they assured me that no gluten containing binders or fillers are ever added to their formulas.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 14th, 2009
Kendra Lay
It looks like for the next month or so I am going to have to go back to a strict anti-inflammatory/anti-allergen diet. I’ve had a few symptoms recur related to my food allergies and I need to give my body time to heal. So for the next few months hopefully I can give those of you on a strict diet some ideas of what to eat…as I learn myself! It sure does take a lot of creativity to eat this way. What’s on the menu for me this week includes a simple Greek style lentil soup, a version of my Turkey Nori Wrap, a veggie stir-fry made with Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles, an eggless turkey meatloaf, and Teff Banana Pancakes from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Among the things I’m avoiding: gluten and dairy (of course), tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, peanuts, corn, cane sugar and processed things. Those are the biggies!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 
Tags: 
