Like the rest of the world (cf. the multi-billion dollar breakfast cereal industry), I like grains in the morning. But cold cereal is either unhealthy (Froot Loops, Peanut Butter Bumpers), or boring (AllBran, Total). So what's a South Beach Vegan to do?
1. Embrace toast! A slice or two of whole-grain bread, smeared with any one of a variety of nut butters, or guacamole, or hummus, or whatever, really sticks to the ribs, and takes about 2.5 seconds to make. Don't limit yourself to margarine and jam (though that's tasty, too). They key to this is opening your mind about what constitutes an appropriate topping.
2. Use leftover grains. For dinner, if you make brown rice, or quinoa, or whole-wheat couscous, or any other grain, make a few extra servings and stick the leftovers in the fridge. In the morning, scoop out about a cup of the grain into a cereal bowl, top with a milk substitute like soy, almond, hazelnut, or oat milk (unsweetened is best, but a little sweetener won't kill you), and mix in some flavorings. My faves: ground almonds, a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of nutmeg, and a packet of splenda. Or, cinnamon and chopped apple. Or, blueberries (frozen is fine) and 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract. Use your imagination: any nuts, fruits (dried, fresh or frozen), jams, or sweet spices will do. Nuke the concoction in the microwave for a minute and a half, and you have a breakfast that takes less than five minutes to make but tastes like you spent all morning on it.
This kind of breakfast will easily hold you over until lunch.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Friday, July 16, 2004
Too much soy?
Like most vegans, I get a disproportionate amount of my protein from soy sources. There are two reasons for this. One, soy is one of the few (in fact, one of only two that I know of--the other being quinoa grain) vegan sources of "complete" protein. That is, it contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs. The other is that soy is simply convenient. Soy protein powder (for smoothies) is easy to find, and cheap. Soymilk is ubiquitous now, and is the only commercially-prepared milk-alternative I have ever found that is sometimes sold without sweeteners. Tofu, of course, is everyone's idea of the classic vegan ingredient, and most meat-substitutes use soy as their base. (Textured vegetable protein? You got it--it's soy.) Now add in most burger, cheese and ice cream substitutes (virtually all of which are made with soy), and you've got some serious soy action going on.
In fact, I sometimes find myself eating soy three times a day, as when I have a soymilk-based smoothie (sometimes even fortified with soy powder!) for breakfast; a vegan frozen meal made with soy-meat or -cheese substitutes (like the delicious Celentano Italian options) for lunch; and a tofu stir-fry for dinner.
Is there a problem with this? Maybe. For one thing, soy is mildly "estrogenic." Basically, this means that soy acts like a weak form of estrogen. In some body tissues, soy will mimic estrogen; while in others, it will block it. This may have implications for breast cancer--but it depends on the type of tumor. Some breast cancers seem to be exaccerbated by estrogen, while others are mitigated by it. (If you are unlucky enough to have the "breast cancer gene" mutation called BRCA, for instance, type-1 of this gene leads to breast tumors with no estrogen receptors, where a type-2 mutation generates tumors that feed off estrogen.) In other words, it's not at all clear whether soy will prevent or help you to avoid breast cancer. Probably, it does neither... but if you're eating it in massive doses (and I have no idea whether 3 servings a day would be "massive"), then maybe you have reason to pause.
Another possible reason to worry about soy is even more speculative. Estrogen also plays a role in healthy brain functioning. One very small, uncontrolled study showed that in a population of older persons of Japanese ancestry living in Hawaii, those who ate a lot of soy were more likely to suffer from memory and other cognitive problems than their counterparts who ate a more traditional Western diet. This isn't much data, but again, it *might* give you reason to consider not eating soy by the bucketful.
On the plus side, soy is an excellent protein source, a good source of unsaturated fat, and a helpful way for vegans to survive gracefully in a meat-centric culture. There is some evidence that soy protects against heart disease by lowering cholesterol, and may reduce hotflashes in newly-menopausal women.
So what to do? Well, I can tell you what I've decided to do: eat soy, but eat less of it. I aim for no more than one serving a day. I do this by replacing soymilk with other milk-alternatives (such as nutmilks or grainmilks) in smoothies and cooking whenever I can--sweetener be damned. And I emphasize a wider variety of beans for lunch and dinner than I did before. I also am more likely to substitute seitan (a meat-substitute made from wheat protein) for tofu in stir-fries, or even do without the tofu altogether. I also find that many of my recipes for which I previously used Gimme Lean or other soy-based meat substitutes, can be made using some other bean. The "meatloaf" recipe I posted a while back can be made by substituting lentils and lots of spices for the Gimme Lean, and it makes a very nice dish. It's cheaper, too! The other advantage to this moderation is that I get a wider variety of food products, which is always a healthier way to eat than overemphasizing a single ingredient.
In fact, I sometimes find myself eating soy three times a day, as when I have a soymilk-based smoothie (sometimes even fortified with soy powder!) for breakfast; a vegan frozen meal made with soy-meat or -cheese substitutes (like the delicious Celentano Italian options) for lunch; and a tofu stir-fry for dinner.
Is there a problem with this? Maybe. For one thing, soy is mildly "estrogenic." Basically, this means that soy acts like a weak form of estrogen. In some body tissues, soy will mimic estrogen; while in others, it will block it. This may have implications for breast cancer--but it depends on the type of tumor. Some breast cancers seem to be exaccerbated by estrogen, while others are mitigated by it. (If you are unlucky enough to have the "breast cancer gene" mutation called BRCA, for instance, type-1 of this gene leads to breast tumors with no estrogen receptors, where a type-2 mutation generates tumors that feed off estrogen.) In other words, it's not at all clear whether soy will prevent or help you to avoid breast cancer. Probably, it does neither... but if you're eating it in massive doses (and I have no idea whether 3 servings a day would be "massive"), then maybe you have reason to pause.
Another possible reason to worry about soy is even more speculative. Estrogen also plays a role in healthy brain functioning. One very small, uncontrolled study showed that in a population of older persons of Japanese ancestry living in Hawaii, those who ate a lot of soy were more likely to suffer from memory and other cognitive problems than their counterparts who ate a more traditional Western diet. This isn't much data, but again, it *might* give you reason to consider not eating soy by the bucketful.
On the plus side, soy is an excellent protein source, a good source of unsaturated fat, and a helpful way for vegans to survive gracefully in a meat-centric culture. There is some evidence that soy protects against heart disease by lowering cholesterol, and may reduce hotflashes in newly-menopausal women.
So what to do? Well, I can tell you what I've decided to do: eat soy, but eat less of it. I aim for no more than one serving a day. I do this by replacing soymilk with other milk-alternatives (such as nutmilks or grainmilks) in smoothies and cooking whenever I can--sweetener be damned. And I emphasize a wider variety of beans for lunch and dinner than I did before. I also am more likely to substitute seitan (a meat-substitute made from wheat protein) for tofu in stir-fries, or even do without the tofu altogether. I also find that many of my recipes for which I previously used Gimme Lean or other soy-based meat substitutes, can be made using some other bean. The "meatloaf" recipe I posted a while back can be made by substituting lentils and lots of spices for the Gimme Lean, and it makes a very nice dish. It's cheaper, too! The other advantage to this moderation is that I get a wider variety of food products, which is always a healthier way to eat than overemphasizing a single ingredient.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
You Are Fatter Than You Think
First, an update: I'm still around 125 pounds. For the past three weeks, I've been running more seriously, and am prepping for a marathon in four months. Right now, I'm running about 20 miles a week, a number that will gradually increase in the coming months to a high of about 40 per week.
I'm still eating "on the beach," for the most part, but my portion sizes are such that I haven't continued to lose weight. It is really hard to both engage in hard exercise and diet (ANY diet, not just SBD) at the same time. I imagine I will drop a few more pounds as I approach the marathon, but that isn't a priority for me right now.
Second, a recommendation: _Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy_, by Walter C. Willett. A really good, popular-press book, whose eating recommendations are backed up with reams of evidence--a refreshing change from most "diet" books (and yes, the South Beach Diet is an offender in this department).
Willett says that the standard weight recommendations for Americans are probably too high. We define as "overweight" anyone with a higher body mass index (BMI) than 25. But while the negative health consequences really escalate at BMI > 25, they begin rising at BMIs as low as 22 (which is my own current BMI, by the way). Namely, your risk of gallstones, high blood pressure, and heart disease start creeping up (and in the case of diabetes, start *rocketing* up) even at weight ranges the USDA defines as the lowish side of "healthy." (This makes some sense to me. I am "big boned" and, like a good quality artichoke, heavy for my size. A BMI of 25, the top of the healthy range, puts me at 145 pounds. Only in a funhouse mirror world is 145 pounds on a 5'4" woman, even a large woman like me, a "normal," healthy weight.)
Even more interesting, risk of disease seems to be linear, rather than U-shaped as usually argued. That is, barring your being a smoker or sick with some fatal disease, you really cannot be too rich *or* too thin! Simply put, multiple studies show that the lower your body weight, the longer you live. In the famous Nurses' Health Study, for instance, those with BMIs as low as 17 (for me, a BMI of 17 equals a body weight of 98 pounds!) live slightly longer than those with BMIs between 21 and 25.
Now obviously, I don't think I should weigh 98 pounds. For one thing, I would have to lose not only body fat, but lots of lean tissue to achieve that kind of weight. For me, a BMI of 17 genuinely wouldn't be as healthy as, say, a more muscular BMI of 20 (116 pounds). For another, such a weight would be so difficult to achieve and maintain that I would be utterly miserable (as well as stick-man fugly). But the point is: as our waistlines have expanded, so seemingly have the recommendations for "healthy" weight. This may in part be because the good folk at the USDA don't want to make people desperate and give up. And hey, maybe they're right. After all, if I were truly obese (as more and more Americans are), I'd certainly be better off even at a still-chunky 145 pounds.
I'm still eating "on the beach," for the most part, but my portion sizes are such that I haven't continued to lose weight. It is really hard to both engage in hard exercise and diet (ANY diet, not just SBD) at the same time. I imagine I will drop a few more pounds as I approach the marathon, but that isn't a priority for me right now.
Second, a recommendation: _Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy_, by Walter C. Willett. A really good, popular-press book, whose eating recommendations are backed up with reams of evidence--a refreshing change from most "diet" books (and yes, the South Beach Diet is an offender in this department).
Willett says that the standard weight recommendations for Americans are probably too high. We define as "overweight" anyone with a higher body mass index (BMI) than 25. But while the negative health consequences really escalate at BMI > 25, they begin rising at BMIs as low as 22 (which is my own current BMI, by the way). Namely, your risk of gallstones, high blood pressure, and heart disease start creeping up (and in the case of diabetes, start *rocketing* up) even at weight ranges the USDA defines as the lowish side of "healthy." (This makes some sense to me. I am "big boned" and, like a good quality artichoke, heavy for my size. A BMI of 25, the top of the healthy range, puts me at 145 pounds. Only in a funhouse mirror world is 145 pounds on a 5'4" woman, even a large woman like me, a "normal," healthy weight.)
Even more interesting, risk of disease seems to be linear, rather than U-shaped as usually argued. That is, barring your being a smoker or sick with some fatal disease, you really cannot be too rich *or* too thin! Simply put, multiple studies show that the lower your body weight, the longer you live. In the famous Nurses' Health Study, for instance, those with BMIs as low as 17 (for me, a BMI of 17 equals a body weight of 98 pounds!) live slightly longer than those with BMIs between 21 and 25.
Now obviously, I don't think I should weigh 98 pounds. For one thing, I would have to lose not only body fat, but lots of lean tissue to achieve that kind of weight. For me, a BMI of 17 genuinely wouldn't be as healthy as, say, a more muscular BMI of 20 (116 pounds). For another, such a weight would be so difficult to achieve and maintain that I would be utterly miserable (as well as stick-man fugly). But the point is: as our waistlines have expanded, so seemingly have the recommendations for "healthy" weight. This may in part be because the good folk at the USDA don't want to make people desperate and give up. And hey, maybe they're right. After all, if I were truly obese (as more and more Americans are), I'd certainly be better off even at a still-chunky 145 pounds.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Mickey D's and You
On any given day, 7%, that's SEVEN PERCENT, of the ENTIRE AMERICAN POPULATION, will eat at McDonald's. This absolutely staggers me.
In fact, this whole article from the current month's Harvard Magazine staggers me. It's one of the best articles I've read on nutrition and health since... well, since last month's issue of Harvard Magazine.
Two especially good tidbits for all you conspiracy theorists out there:
-- Notice how the base of the Food Guide Pyramid is grains. It makes no distinction between whole grains and refined (garbage) grains, it's just... grains. The Pyramid recommends a staggering six to eleven servings of grain a day. The Pyramid also makes no distinction between "legumes," "nuts," and all meat; recommending that you eat two to three servings a day from this "group." Further, it recommends two to three (!!) servings a day of dairy. So who writes and distributes the Food Guide Pyramid? The National Institute of Health? The Department of Health and Human Services? The Food and Drug Administration? Nah. It's the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Guess whose lobbying drives the Department of Agriculture? (Hint: what moos while munching amber waves of grain?)
-- Half, that's HALF, of the net income of farmers in this country comes from Uncle Sam in the form of price supports and land set-asides. But not all farmers are treated equally. Ever notice how cheap grain products like wheat and corn (from whence come refined white flour and high fructose corn syrup) are, and how expensive fruit and vegetables are by comparison? Is this the market at work? Yes--but the *political* market, not Adam Smith's. Subsidies are for grains. Vegetable, fruit, bean and nut farmers do not get subsidies. Says Harvard medical school professor David Ludwig, "The foods that are the worst for us have an artificially low price, and the best foods cost more. This is worse than a free market: we are creating a mirror-world here."
In fact, this whole article from the current month's Harvard Magazine staggers me. It's one of the best articles I've read on nutrition and health since... well, since last month's issue of Harvard Magazine.
Two especially good tidbits for all you conspiracy theorists out there:
-- Notice how the base of the Food Guide Pyramid is grains. It makes no distinction between whole grains and refined (garbage) grains, it's just... grains. The Pyramid recommends a staggering six to eleven servings of grain a day. The Pyramid also makes no distinction between "legumes," "nuts," and all meat; recommending that you eat two to three servings a day from this "group." Further, it recommends two to three (!!) servings a day of dairy. So who writes and distributes the Food Guide Pyramid? The National Institute of Health? The Department of Health and Human Services? The Food and Drug Administration? Nah. It's the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Guess whose lobbying drives the Department of Agriculture? (Hint: what moos while munching amber waves of grain?)
-- Half, that's HALF, of the net income of farmers in this country comes from Uncle Sam in the form of price supports and land set-asides. But not all farmers are treated equally. Ever notice how cheap grain products like wheat and corn (from whence come refined white flour and high fructose corn syrup) are, and how expensive fruit and vegetables are by comparison? Is this the market at work? Yes--but the *political* market, not Adam Smith's. Subsidies are for grains. Vegetable, fruit, bean and nut farmers do not get subsidies. Says Harvard medical school professor David Ludwig, "The foods that are the worst for us have an artificially low price, and the best foods cost more. This is worse than a free market: we are creating a mirror-world here."
Saturday, May 15, 2004
The Latest Stats
I have continued on the South Beach Diet, on a sort of Phase 2-and-a-half. That is, I eat according to the Phase II rules, but occasionally I indulge in a sweet treat (like last night, I had some dark chocolate covered marzipan for my birthday), and I don't sweat a little white flour now and again in (very) small doses. I'm posting my stats again, as I used to do once a week, just to keep you abreast of how I'm doing. I continue to lose, slooooooooowly.
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 124.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 25%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125 -- 124.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26% -- 25%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R20.5/L20 -- R21/L20 -- R21/L20
In the last week, I haven't invented any new dishes other than the one I posted. Chili remains a staple, and I lovethe veganoutreach site. Look under the Vegan Starter Pack box, and you will find links to lots and lots of great, simple vegan recipes. The Mediterranean Chickpeas is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, with or without rice served with it.
I also recently rediscovered Kittee's site, which is a fun read. I especially like her review of vegan cookzines, which you can order. I've ordered several. I won't say that I use them a lot to cook with, but they are entertaining and motivating reading.
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 124.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 25%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125 -- 124.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26% -- 25%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R20.5/L20 -- R21/L20 -- R21/L20
In the last week, I haven't invented any new dishes other than the one I posted. Chili remains a staple, and I lovethe veganoutreach site. Look under the Vegan Starter Pack box, and you will find links to lots and lots of great, simple vegan recipes. The Mediterranean Chickpeas is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, with or without rice served with it.
I also recently rediscovered Kittee's site, which is a fun read. I especially like her review of vegan cookzines, which you can order. I've ordered several. I won't say that I use them a lot to cook with, but they are entertaining and motivating reading.
Monday, May 10, 2004
UPDATE
Hello to all who read this,
As you can see, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting. Putting my menu online (and in my excel spreadsheet) every day has just gotten old, frankly. I'm down to 124 pounds, and I continue to lose, but at a slower pace because I'm simply eating close to maintenance. For me, maintenance calories seem to be about 1850 a day, and I'm eating about 1600. That translates to a half a pound of fat loss a week.
I look pretty good at this weight, and though I know I will look even better at 120, I'm just not motivated to get there full-steam ahead. I will get there eventually--at this pace, in about two months--and I've decided I'm just not going to worry about it.
I'm still doing the South Beach Diet, but definitely as Phase II (meaning I eat whole grains and fruits), and I don't worry about the occasional potato, white pasta, or even sweet treat. Just so long as, on average, I'm eating below maintenance in any given week, I'm happy.
So I will check back in and report my progress from time to time, and post a vegan recipe or two that I might come up with.
In that spirit, I bring you:
Gnocchi with Bitter Greens (loose Phase II, or Phase III appropriate)
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch broccoli rabe/rapini (or your fave bitter green; kale or collards would do nicely)
1 leek
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 T fry-appropriate oil (like canola, grapeseed, or refined avocado)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Boil a big, heavy-bottomed pot of water. While it is heating, prepare the various greens: rinse and trim the thickest ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut an "x" in the bottom of the stems; rinse and thinly slice the leek. The water should be boiling now; dump in the brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. While it is boiling, put a heavy pan on medium heat with 1 T of the oil, and begin sauteeing the leeks. When the brussels sprouts are done, fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them aside. Dump the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, and cook for no more than a minute. Fish out the greens into a collander, and set aside to drain. Now dump the gnocchi into the boiling water, and boil until they rise to the surface (about three minutes). While they are cooking, dump the broccoli rabe into the pan with the leek, and continue sauteeing. Now drain the gnocchi and the water from the pot. Put the pot back on the burner, on medium heat, toss in the other T of oil, the drained gnocchi, and the drained brussels spouts. Sautee for a minute or three, then toss in the red pepper flakes, and the sauteed leeks and broccoli rabe. Add the lemon juice, stir it up well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
As you can see, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting. Putting my menu online (and in my excel spreadsheet) every day has just gotten old, frankly. I'm down to 124 pounds, and I continue to lose, but at a slower pace because I'm simply eating close to maintenance. For me, maintenance calories seem to be about 1850 a day, and I'm eating about 1600. That translates to a half a pound of fat loss a week.
I look pretty good at this weight, and though I know I will look even better at 120, I'm just not motivated to get there full-steam ahead. I will get there eventually--at this pace, in about two months--and I've decided I'm just not going to worry about it.
I'm still doing the South Beach Diet, but definitely as Phase II (meaning I eat whole grains and fruits), and I don't worry about the occasional potato, white pasta, or even sweet treat. Just so long as, on average, I'm eating below maintenance in any given week, I'm happy.
So I will check back in and report my progress from time to time, and post a vegan recipe or two that I might come up with.
In that spirit, I bring you:
Gnocchi with Bitter Greens (loose Phase II, or Phase III appropriate)
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch broccoli rabe/rapini (or your fave bitter green; kale or collards would do nicely)
1 leek
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 T fry-appropriate oil (like canola, grapeseed, or refined avocado)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Boil a big, heavy-bottomed pot of water. While it is heating, prepare the various greens: rinse and trim the thickest ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut an "x" in the bottom of the stems; rinse and thinly slice the leek. The water should be boiling now; dump in the brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. While it is boiling, put a heavy pan on medium heat with 1 T of the oil, and begin sauteeing the leeks. When the brussels sprouts are done, fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them aside. Dump the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, and cook for no more than a minute. Fish out the greens into a collander, and set aside to drain. Now dump the gnocchi into the boiling water, and boil until they rise to the surface (about three minutes). While they are cooking, dump the broccoli rabe into the pan with the leek, and continue sauteeing. Now drain the gnocchi and the water from the pot. Put the pot back on the burner, on medium heat, toss in the other T of oil, the drained gnocchi, and the drained brussels spouts. Sautee for a minute or three, then toss in the red pepper flakes, and the sauteed leeks and broccoli rabe. Add the lemon juice, stir it up well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 6
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer and splenda
Lunch: spinach and chickpeas; curried tofu; dal; eggplant curry; one onion pakora; iced tea [Indian restaurant meal]
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer and splenda
Lunch: spinach and chickpeas; curried tofu; dal; eggplant curry; one onion pakora; iced tea [Indian restaurant meal]
********************
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