Food Explorations: Celeriac (Celery Root)

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.

Celery RootCeleriac 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!

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Top 10 Things to Eat When You’re Busy and Stressed

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.

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A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Get Glutenized!

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

Chinese Herb Jars

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.

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Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pizza, plus a Diet Modification

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!

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Anti-Inflammatory Curried Black-Eyed Pea and Squash Soup

November 7th, 2009 Kendra Lay

Once upon a time, about a year ago, I started a blog.  It never really went anywhere for one reason or another.  The first recipe I posted on that blog was an early incarnation of this recipe, and recently a friend of mine reminded me of how much she liked it.  I decided to update the recipe to reflect what I know now about using anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Curried Autumn Stew

This soup is a yummy combination of autumn flavors, is vegetarian, and is anti-inflammatory.  According to Dr. Jessica Black, a naturopathic doctor practicing in McMinnville, Oregon and the author of The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book, eating an anti-inflammation diet can ease and prevent conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, chronic pain, and heart disease.  I highly recommend that if you are interested in health and nutrition you buy this book.  Eating an anti-inflammatory diet means avoiding foods such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, gluten, dairy, trans-fasts, refined cane sugar, alcohol and caffeine.  While it can sound rather restrictive, Dr. Black’s book provides numerous recipes and ideas on how to make dishes that are tasty and anti-inflammatory.  My cooking philosophy tends to follow this anti-inflammatory approach, and I like to focus on the abundance of items you can eat on the anti-inflammatory diet: almost all vegetables and fruits, whole grains, all types of beans, good fats, nuts and seeds, fish and most animal flesh, and small amounts of natural sweeteners.  Now I don’t want you to think I am a complete stickler to this diet, I would be misrepresenting myself.  I will from time to time use the more inflammatory items in my cooking, but I try to balance it out with more of the non-inflammatory foods.

Anti-Inflammatory Curried Black-Eyed Pea and Squash Soup

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