Effortless Eating

Fava Bean Pasta

July 28, 2011 – 8:59 am

I’m in love with fava beans this summer.

I spotted them at the farmer’s market and decided to give them a try. Now I’m picking some up every week until they disappear because they are so insanely delicious.

Really, the only downside to fava beans is that they are a bit labor-intensive to prepare because you have to:
1. remove the beans from the pods
2. parboil the beans
3. remove the husk from each bean individually

But it’s worth it!

This week I made a one-dish meal with fava beans by parboiling the beans in the same boiling water I then used to make pasta. When the pasta was finished, I drained it into a strainer and tossed the beans back into the same pot with corn cut off of previously steamed cobs and chopped spinach leaves.

I sauteed the veggies in Annie’s Shitake Sesame dressing, and then added the noodles and tossed it all together. A delicious summer meal!

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Recipes | Comments (2)

Why You Can’t Always Believe What It Says On the Box When It Comes To Food

July 8, 2011 – 1:19 pm

Food marketing follows trends as corporate marketers purposefully use hot buzzwords to describe all kinds of food products, whether or not they are true in relation to that item.

Joyce Slaton posted a fabulous overview of trendy food marketing words over the past 50 years or so along with a witty explanations of what these popular words really mean when viewed as applied to packaged foods. I love that she also notes the marketing colors that were commonly used to further the implication of the power of that particular food.

It made me think of the food marketing buzzwords that I once found appealing in the grocery store but now know enough to put the item down and back away slowly. I, too, drank the sugar-free Kool-aid, Crystal Lite, and Diet Coke by the liter; ate Lean Cuisines instead of meals; and used Equal in my morning coffee. After several decades of this, I awoke one morning blind in my right eye. I learned the hard way to resist these marketing ploys. See what you think:

Low-fat/No-fat/Fat-free. Unfortunatly, when conventional food companies take the fat out things like potato chips, cookies, frozen meals, etc., they have to replace it with something else so that the item still tastes good. Usually these things are completely synthetic, like Olestra (remember this one? The chips are fat-free, but the side effect is anal leakage!) or glutamates (the most famous of these is MSG, but there are many more and all are just as hideous), and are often worse for your health than the fat in the full-fat version would be.

Sugar-free/Diet. Yeah, they’re right about these products not having cane sugar; instead they’re loaded with Aspartame/Equal, Splenda, Saccharine, or even high fructose corn syrup. All of these can wreak havoc with your endocrine system and cause problems that can be severe enough to mimic multiple sclerosis and other disorders that cause chronic physical distress.

Lite. Again, when they take something out, like calories, they must replace it with something equally as tasty and satisfying. You can bet that will be something cooked up in a laboratory that your body was not designed to digest.

Low-sodium. Usually this translates directly to “glutamates,” which are chemical flavor enhancers that act as neurotransmitters in your body. Yuck. Many people are sensitive to glutamates. A better choice for your body is to switch to sea salt.

Have I missed any?

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Living naturally, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition in the news, food sensitivities | Comments (0)

MSG Sensitivities and Quick Slaw Recipes

July 6, 2011 – 3:16 pm

Recently, the Rocky Mountain MS Center included a few of my quick and easy summer slaw recipes in their e-newsletter (scroll down to check out these delicious recipes!). Shortly after the newsletter went out, I received this feedback from a reader:

I noticed your Ramen coleslaw recipe uses the Ramen noodle spice package as an ingredient. This package as a high MSG content. MSG is the main ingredient I avoid to minimize my MS symptoms and progression and from other sources I have heard that many people with MS are sensitive to MSG. I have used Newman’s own original salad dressing in a similar recipe in place of the seasoning package. I hope you will use my concern about recommending recipes with intense sources of glutamic acid as a motivator to do some research in this area. Thank you.
- Sally, Colorado

You make a good point, Sally, and it’s true that many people — both those diagnosed with and those not diagnosed with MS — can be sensitive to MSG, a common ingredient in many Asian foods. I’m glad to hear that you’ve discovered your sensitivity to MSG and are aware about restricting it accordingly. I was remiss not have noted in my brief newsletter article that you can find MSG-free packages of ramen noodles to prepare the Broccoli Slaw recipe, or you can skip the included spice package use an MSG-free prepared salad dressing instead, as you helpfully suggested.

Through the state-of-the-art, cutting-edge food sensitivity testing that I conduct in the Fight MS with Food project and in my clinical practice, I can see that sensitivity to glutimates like MSG is not universal in either the general population or the population with MS. While I strongly believe that food and chemical sensitivities play a crucial role in multiple sclerosis and other auto-immune disorders, I also know that making sweeping, universal statements is irresponsible and inaccurate. My clinical research shows that the pattern of sensitivities is unique to each person; that is, what causes one person to react may be completely harmless in another. Hence, I am always wary of speaking in generalizations in this arena and careful of not advising people to eliminate foods unnecessarily.

Still, I should have done a better job tailoring that article to the audience of MS sufferers and those who care for them. Thank you for taking me to task for it. I will try to be more aware in the future.

For those who didn’t get the newsletter from the Rocky Mountain MS Center but would still love to see my favorite summer slaw recipes, here is the article:

One of my favorite parts of summer is the return of slaw.

There is something about summer barbeques, potlucks, picnics, and patio dining that calls for a good, flavorful slaw. Not to say that the ubiquitous mayonnaise-carrot-and-cabbage coleslaw can’t be enjoyed in the dead of winter, but the hot weather brings out the variety in slaws and makes eating raw vegetables fun in addictive medleys of flavor and crunch.

Nutritionally, the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in raw vegetables are more intact and more accessible to your body then they are when the vegetables are cooked. A healthy diet should include at least some raw vegetables along with cooked ones. Slaw is a great way to accomplish this.

Here are a couple of my favorite slaw recipes that are perfect for everything from impromptu get-togethers to planned celebrations of friends and family. The broccoli slaw recipe came from my mother-in-law, though I know she didn’t create it originally. It is a guaranteed crowd-pleasing salad that is a snap to make. One of the things I like best about it is that everyone from my epicurean friends to my toddlers scarf it down, which makes it a great way to get kids to eat raw veggies. It is my quick stand-by contribution to almost every gathering, and I often double the recipe to ensure leftovers for my family to snack on afterward.

Another quick and easy slaw: sliced purple cabbage, red peppers, and sunflower seeds tossed in Asian salad dressing.

Crowd-Pleasing Broccoli Slaw

1 pkg. (16 oz) broccoli slaw
shredded carrots
2-4 chopped scallions
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkgs. Raman Oriental noodles, uncooked, broken up.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

For the dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 pkgs. oriental seasoning from Raman noodle pkg.

Mix dressing well. Toss with salad within 1/2 hour of eating, but it tastes fine the next day too.

Ramen Coleslaw

1 pkg chicken flavored Ramen dry noodle soup
1 pkg. (16 oz) coleslaw mix
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 or 2 bunches scallions

Toast sesame seeds & almonds on a baking sheet at 300 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until light brown. While they are cooling, chop scallions & break up noodles.

For the dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbs. sugar
1 pkg. chicken seasoning from raman noodle pkg.

Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, & flavoring from soup mix. Mix and set aside.
Toss 15 minutes before serving.

Spicy Asian Slaw

1 head of cabbage, shredded or cut into thin strips
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 tsp. Sambal chili paste, Tabasco, or any other hot sauce

Mix the mayonnaise and the chili paste together first and then add to the cabbage and distribute evenly. It is easy to add more chili paste at this point, so be sure to start lightly and taste test as you go along.

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Allergy-free Foods, Multiple Sclerosis, Recipes, Recommended Products, food sensitivities | Comments (0)

What’s an ND?

July 5, 2011 – 3:05 pm

You may have been wondering why my posts have become so sporadic of late, so I thought I’d share the news that I am now a fully-fledged Naturopathic Doctor (ND).

These last 6 months have been a major push to complete my degree from Trinity School of Natural Health, but after several years of diligent learning I can finally add the credentials to show the knowledge I have gained.

I’ll admit that I asked my awesome business coach, Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, for permission to slack on my posting schedule in order to pour more attention into my studies, and she gave me the go-ahead.

Isn’t it funny when sometimes you just need someone to “give you permission” to do something you know you should do? As a solo entrepreneur for almost twenty years, I’m used to keeping my own counsel when it comes to running my business. I knew what it would take in terms of time to make my self-set June deadline to complete the requirements for the degree I began in 2008, but I also knew that I could not accomplish it and maintain my regular workload while still being a good mom to my kids and supportive wife for my husband, who was also receiving his PhD from the University of Denver in June. I needed permission to put my focus where it was needed and let some other things, like my blogs, slide for a bit.

Thank, you, Coach Lee, for giving me that permission and helping me realize this goal.

So, now I’m a doctor… Dr. Yarnell, at your service!… and my postings will start to pick back up again and be rolling along by fall, when kids go back to school and my time opens up. Thanks for sticking with me while I’ve been working to enrich my knowledge so that I can continue to share it with you.

Remember, too, that my virtual practice is open for private health, nutritional, or food sensitivity consultations to clients in chronic physical distress nationwide.

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Living naturally, Misc., food sensitivities | Comments (1)

Infections Can Affect Your Personality

June 17, 2011 – 8:21 am

It took a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis for me to fully understand that your physical state can affect your mental state. Struggling through the fatigue, mental fogginess, and physical pain of those early years gave me increased compassion for a friend’s mother who had passed away after a long battle with kidney failure during our high school years. Perhaps its not until your own health falters that you can truly understand how feeling crummy and in pain all the time can turn someone with a sunny disposition into an irrational shrew.

So, it shouldn’t be surprising that depression goes hand-in-hand with multiple sclerosis. How you physically feel can affect your mood and drain your joy for life. When living hurts, it’s easy to snap at loved ones, assign blame, or lash out in other ways.

The Boston globe reported this week that infections can affect your personality, too. We are reminded of how syphilis causes dementia/madness and that Lyme disease has been linked to suicide.

The Washington Post also noted the importance of microbes in shaping our personalities. “The freakiest of the behavior-warping microbes,” reporter Ben Harper writes, “may be Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis.”

Yes, that’s the one you can get from cleaning cat litter boxes.

Researchers have found that people infected with this parasite — but who have no symptoms of infection — tend to become more apprehensive and insecure. Infected men tend to become more stubborn and jealous, while women become more conscientious and concerned about others.

You can protect yourself from this parasite by wearing a dust filter mask from a hardware store when you are handling kitty litter. Pregnant women should never handle kitty litter, of course. If you believe you may be infected, a parasite cleanse is a gentle and painless way to eradicate the infection.

You’ll feel better once the parasite is gone, and your personality may just change, too.

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Living naturally, Misc., Natural remedies, Nutrition in the news | Comments (0)

Can you prepare a Glorious One-Pot Meal ahead of time?

May 24, 2011 – 1:19 pm

Reader question: Hi there! I heard you speak on Sunday at the library – great. I was wondering – can you fix the food in the pot and put in the fridge ahead of time and then put right in the oven when ready to cook? Or does it need time to warm up first before going in the hot oven? – Porter in Denver

Great question, Porter! In fact, the only thing that needs to warm up before you cook your Glorious One-Pot Meal is the oven. As you know, it is very important that your oven is fully preheated to 450 F before you put your Dutch oven inside, but the Dutch oven itself can easily move directly from your refrigerator into your oven without changing the amount of time the meal will need to cook.

Many GOPM cooks will layer the ingredients into the pot in the morning and then put it in the fridge until that evening when the oven is hot and ready to go. Just remember that if you are using any dry goods (i.e., pasta, rice, quinoa, barley, etc.), reserve the liquid needed to hydrate them and add it to the pot right before cooking.

Glorious One-Pot Meal with salmon, quinoa, sweet potato, zucchini, and mushrooms

Once I performed a cooking demonstration and afterward gave a full pot of raw food to my mother to cook as we had other dinner plans. She ended up waiting to cook the pot until the following evening. The recipe was Sesame-Soy Salmon with jasmine rice (it’s in my cookbook!). When I asked her how she liked the recipe, she answered, “It was delicious!”

And when I asked her how the rice turned out, she said,” Well… it was more of a rice patty than individual grains, but it was still delicious!”

So, if you’re preparing a GOPM in advance that contains a dry good, reserve the liquid to add at the last minute before cooking.

Oh, and one other thing: while your cast iron Dutch oven can go from fridge directly into the oven, it cannot go the other direction from being hot to being cold. Putting a hot cast iron pan into cold water is a good way to crack and ruin your pot, so be sure to always let your pot cool before cleaning it.

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Glorious One-Pot Meals | Comments (0)

Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

May 13, 2011 – 2:45 pm

When I opened my second-grader’s backpack to insert his lunchbox on Monday morning, I noticed a flyer requesting home-baked goods for the bake sale Thursday night. A-ha! An opportunity to try out one of Elana Amsterdam’s recipes from her brand new cookbook, Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistable Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour!

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

I spied this recipe from the book in the newspaper recently and have been just waiting for an occasion calling for cupcakes to try it out.

It can be tricky to bake wheat-free cakes, but I’ve tried Elana’s recipes in the past and had good success, though I think this recipe takes the cake (ha-ha). Simply delicious and so-o-o-o easy with only 6 ingredients! I baked them together with my 6-year old and then whipped together a simple butter/powdered sugar/vanilla frosting with a couple tablespoons of coconut milk added to thin it out.

The demand for the cupcakes started out slowly at the bake sale last night, but by the end of the evening’s activities, every single one had been sold and enjoyed. And my family, at least, was glad there was a yummy gluten-free option to munch on at the event.

Here’s the recipe for

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes from Elana Amsterdam:

Ingredients

1.5 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup hazelnuts
3 large eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine the chocolate chips and hazelnuts in a food processor, and process until they have the consistency of coarse sand. Add the eggs and agave nectar, and pulse until combined, about 10 seconds.

Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.

My only variations: I doubled the recipe and made 1 dozen regular cupcakes and about 40 mini cupcakes. I left them in the oven a little too long waiting for the toothpick to come out completely clean; next time I will pull them out after 25 minutes no matter what. They were still yummy, though!

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Allergy-free Foods, Books, Kids, Recipes, food sensitivities | Comments (0)

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

April 26, 2011 – 4:11 pm

A few weeks ago I posted a simple recipe for pizza crust made from garbanzo bean flour, salt, oil, and water that I learned from Sandy Gluck on Martha Stewart Radio’s “Everyday Food.”

I was intrigued by the idea, so we tried it… and the whole family loved it (see the results and recipe here). So I’ve made it a few times since, every time with delicious results.

Here is a version I made this week where I poured the batter into the oiled pan and then spread marinara sauce around (more like flung it, because the batter is pretty runny in this recipe) and topped it with grated goat cheese (mozzarella and Monterey Jack) and mushrooms.

A few things I’ve figured out about this recipe, now that I’ve made it several times:
1. I use more chickpea flour (about 1 cup) and more water (about 1 and 1/2 cup) than the original recipe called for because I like to make a pizza that fills my entire 14″ diameter round cast iron griddle.

2. Be sure to let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes before using it or else the crust will have a mealy texture.

3. It’s important to preheat the cast iron pan and then to spread a generous amount of oil right before pouring the batter around evenly. I’ve been using olive oil for this, but any oil would do.

We use our round cast iron griddle for everything from pizza to pancakes and dumplings to burgers.

4. The batter will seem really runny when you’re pouring it in. That’s ok. It may not self-level because it starts to cook as soon as it hits the hot oil, so try to spread it around evenly when you pour it into the pan. When it’s too thick, the crust is too dense and heavy.

5. Keep the pizza in the oven until the bottom is lightly toasted. This may take longer than 15 minutes, depending on how heavily you’ve loaded it with toppings.

We love the thin, crispy crust on this paper, reminescent of the addictively-crunchy, wood-fired crispy pizza crusts I adored during the year I lived in Florence, Italy.

Other benefits of this recipe: it’s yeast-free and doesn’t rise, so it is safe for Passover; it’s gluten-free and wheat-free, so it is safe for Celiac sufferers; it doesn’t require any fresh foods, so it’s easy to pull together in a minute and top with whatever you have on hand (see this recipe with artichoke hearts and green chiles), or even simply sea salt and spices for a cheese-free flatbread.

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By Elizabeth | Posted in Allergy-free Foods, Recipes, Recommended Products, food sensitivities | Comments (2)

The Effortless Eating Blog

Fava Bean Pasta

Why You Can’t Always Believe What It Says On the Box When It Comes To Food

MSG Sensitivities and Quick Slaw Recipes

What’s an ND?

Infections Can Affect Your Personality

Can you prepare a Glorious One-Pot Meal ahead of time?

Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

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