Breakfast - Steamed golden beets, an orange, Daiya mozzarella shreds, and dill.  I had this salad once in a fancy restaurant (with the addition of braised fennel).   I replicated it, and it's so good!  

Lunch - I got caught in a busy day without a prepared lunch.  I picked up fries at the mall (http://www.newyorkfries.com/faqs), and then I was served a salad at a workshop I attended.  Many of Renee's salad dressing are free of allergens (http://www.renees.com/en/productinfo.aspxid=re006&c=Dressings&ti=1&t=Vinaigrettes).  

Note:  If you have Celiac Disease, I JUST got off the phone with New York Fries to re-confirm that their fries and ketchup are gluten-free.  

Dinner -  Sage pesto served on brown rice vermicelli, with a sliced tomato.  

I made the pesto by putting the following ingredients into a food processor - raw sunflower seeds, raw garlic, a package of whole sage (stems removed), a small amount of honey, and olive oil.   If you don't care for sage, you can make pesto with basil (or experiment with other herbs).    You can eat it immediately, it doesn't require any cooking (though the vermicelli needs to be dumped into recently boiled water for a few minutes).  

Snack - Kale chips.  I didn't burn these, they're just made with purple kale :)  Rinse the kale and then dry very thoroughly.   Tear into pieces and place on a metal baking sheet.   Dump a little bit of oil on top and thoroughly mix it into the kale with your hands.   Bake at about 390 degrees, taking out the baking sheet a few times and moving the kale on the periphery of the pan into the center with tongs.   This bakes quickly, so don't wander too far away!  You'll know these are done when they become crispy.   Sprinkle a little bit of salt on top and enjoy.   Everyone I have ever served these to has LOVED them!  

Breakfast - Porridge made with one cup of millet, one cup of water, one can of coconut milk, raisins, and approximately ten whole cardamon pods (don't eat them because they're just for flavour, though they aren't harmful).   You can cook this the same as rice, just be careful not to boil the coconut milk for very long (it will taste better that way).  

Lunch - Edamame salad made with brown rice, steamed broccoli, water chestnuts, boiled edamame, Bragg Liquid Aminos, toasted sesame oil, and hot sauce.  

Dinner -  Veggie burgers (topped with mustard and ketchup) with red swiss chard (topped with Bragg Liquid Aminos).  

Veggie Patties - I picked these up in Toronto (http://solcuisine.com/canadian-retail/sol-cuisine-spicy-bean-burger)

Preparing Dark Leafy Greens -  Let's start out with the fact that I ate a whole bunch (about 10 gigantic leaves) of chard in one sitting, and so can you!   To prepare the chard I cut the bottom of the stems off, and then I leave the leaves to sit in a large bowl of water for a few minutes.   Then, I individually rinse each leaf under running water to make sure it doesn't have any special friends on it (the day I bite into a giant beetle is the day I start to have trouble eating greens).  I stack the leaves on top of each other on a cutting board and roll them up into a cylinder.  Then, I take a knife and cut that cylinder crosswise, creating strips of the chard.  

In this instance, I fried the burgers in a cast-iron frying pan and, once I'd cooked and removed the burgers, I dumped the sliced chard and a bit of water in the pan and let it cook at a medium heat until the water had evaporated and chard was done. 

Mustard - I make my own mustard, and I think it's delicious!   Here is the recipe:
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup brown/black mustard seeds
1/2 cup red wine or water
1/2 cup sherry or 5 % acidity vinegar
-set aside for a day or two in a glass jar, then purée (mellows with time)

Treat - These are my absolute favourite store-bought treat!   They're gluten, dairy, nut, soy, and potato free (http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.home/productcategoryid/17).  They do, however, have plenty of sugar and corn......you win some and you lose some ;)

Getting Adequate Protein - I've had a number of people ask me how I get adequate protein considering all the foods I can't eat.   To answer that I'd like to first point out that we, in western society, are a little obsessed with protein.   We've come to view it as something we need in large quantities with each meal, or else we won't feel satisfied or be properly nourished, which isn't the case.  Our body has the capacity to maintain a 'protein pool' to store amino acids between the times we consume them.  Protein is hard work for our kidneys to process, and often quite acidifying.  Add to that the heavy toxin load that comes with many protein sources, and you start to see why protein might best be consumed in moderation.

That doesn't mean that I don't have to work hard to eat adequate protein.   I mix and match from the following sources:
-sesame seeds/tahini
-sunflower seeds
-pumpkin seeds
-hemp seeds
-pine nuts
-tofu
-fish
-mushrooms
-beans and lentils
-I will also occasionally have a glass of vegan protein powder mixed with water when I start craving an unhealthy snack at work (lately I've been enjoying this product  www.genuinehealth.com/vegan-proteins.html ) 

Now that I've given this list, you'll probably start to notice all the creative ways I sneak seeds into my food!  

Breakfast - Apple crisp made with sliced apples (unpeeled), oats (gluten free brand pictured below), grapeseed oil, a VERY small amount of maple syrup, a small amount of brown rice flour, and a VERY large amount of cinnamon.  I just put the sliced apples in the bottom of a glass pan, mix the rest and dump it on top, and then bake in a 350 degree oven until it smells yummy.  

Lunch - Coleslaw made with sliced cabbage, sesame seeds, Bragg Liquid Aminos (an excellent alternative to soy sauce -  www.bragg.com/products/la.html ), rice vinegar, hot sauce, sliced green onion, and a bit of salt.  I ate this with pickled herring, which I willingly admit is an acquired taste!  

Dinner -  I have no idea what to call this dish.   I sauteed portobello mushrooms, diced sun-dried tomato, large chunks of garlic, and a head of rapini in a cast-iron frying pan.  About halfway through the cooking process I added about a cup of red wine and let it reduce.   I ate this with some brown basmati rice and pine nuts. 

Breakfast - Wrap made with sunflower seed butter, an apple, cinnamon, and a gluten-free wrap.   'Smart & Delicious' wraps (available at Metro) are amazing!   They're made of teff and millet, and if you warm them in a dry frying pan first they 'almost' hold together like regular wraps.  

Lunch:  This was a 'my fridge is almost empty' salad.  It's a can of salmon, cucumber, apple, red onion, pine nuts, and a package of salad dressing I had from an event I attended.   I usually make my own dressing (details on how to do that in a future post).  

Yes, I ate the entire container in one sitting ;)

Snack - Beets, carrots, pumpkin seeds, and a honey-mustard dressing.   I made the dressing with grainy mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper.   To be specific, I just dumped those things on top of the veggies and mixed them up (why create an extra dish you'll have to wash?).   I steam the beats without cutting the tops and bottoms off and, once they're cool, I peel and slice them.  

Dinner - Black bean cakes made with black beans, bread crumbs, diced red onion, and 'flax eggs.'   I soaked the black beans in a glass container, cooked them in a cast iron pot, let them cool, threw in the rest of the ingredients, mashed it with a potato masher, formed the mixture into patties, and then fried them.  Let's be honest, these 'cakes' are not going to hold together as well as ones made with eggs, so don't expect it.   The point, really, is to get that yummy, crispy exterior.  

Bread Crumbs -  I like these crumbs (pictured below, available at Metro) because they are inexpensive, and made with rice and potato (no corn!).   I keep the bag in the freezer.  

Flax Eggs - http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/10/how-to-make-a-flax-egg-for-vegan-baking-the-right-way/

Sides -  I made a salsa with tomatoes, olives, dried basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.   The red stuff is roasted red peppers from a jar.  

A note about the way I eat.   I don't use my measuring utensils much.   I try a recipe once, with the proper measurements, and then I might never measure that dish again.   The beauty of eating the way I do is that everything tastes good, so I can usually just dump a bunch of things into a bowl and end up with something yummy!   The bulk of the work, for me, is just in preparing the veggies.   

It's extremely important to have a well-stocked spice cabinet because it gives you a lot of choices to season your veggies well.  I've pictured some of my favourite spice lines below.   The Club House 'One-Step Seasonings' don't have the healthiest ingredients, but I still use them fairly regularly to get the job done.   I picked up the New Kolbermoor Farm spices at the Powassan Farmers' Market.  

FYI - McCormick's has the following on their website.  The company is respected in the gluten-free community for their dedication to keeping their spices pure.  

"Since the late 1990's, McCormick has used "Plain English" allergen labeling to communicate our product ingredients to our consumers. Gluten is listed as "wheat" or "barley" in our ingredient statements. This labeling policy adheres to the FDA regulations that were implemented as of January 1, 2006.

If a product does not have an ingredient statement, it is a pure spice or herb with nothing added and contains no added glutens. In addition, the alcohol in all of our retail extracts is not from grain and is gluten free. All Food Colors are gluten free.  Because we are constantly improving our products, we do not offer a list of our products that do not currently contain glutens. We encourage you to read the ingredient statement on your package at the time of purchase to ensure accurate, up to date information.

In addition, we follow good manufacturing practices at our plants. Our employees are trained in the importance of correct labeling and the necessity of performing thorough equipment wash-downs to eliminate cross-contact of ingredients.

Although we cannot guarantee our products to be 100% free of allergens not listed on the label, we want you to know that we take this situation seriously and have taken extra precautions to eliminate the possibility of mislabeling or cross-contact."

Welcome to the first week of my "What I Eat' blog!  

Breakfast - Egg Scramble made with zucchini, red onion, eggs, dried savory, a half an avocado, and dairy-free shredded 'cheese.'  I like this product because it is soy-free and delicious.  http://www.daiyafoods.com/our-products/mozzarella

Lunch - Salad made with arugula, cucumber, sprouts, sunflower seeds, and tahini dressing.   The photo doesn't do this salad justice, tahini dressing is really delicious!   

Tahini Dressing Recipe
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt
small amount of maple syrup (optional) 
[this dressing will take a bit of mixing to become a uniform consistency, the best way to start is to add a little bit of liquid to the tahini until it begins to change consistency, and then add the rest of the liquid.]

Snack - The picture is fairly self explanatory.  We don't need to talk about exactly how many chips I ate.

Food on the Go - I thought I'd make a note about what I usually transport my food in.   I use these wonderful tiffin containers.   Here is where I purchased mine http://lifewithoutplastic.com but you can also find them in local stores.   They last forever and don't leach anything into the food, their only drawback is that you can't just throw them into your bag because every once a while something else in your bag will open the enclosures.   However, they never leak when properly closed.   If you want hot food, I'll give thermos tips in a future entry.  

Dinner -  It took me a long time, but I finally found a kitchari recipe I like.    I made this batch without the fennel powder (can't find it) or asafoetida (super hard to find gluten-free) and it tasted delicious.    I used grapeseed oil instead of ghee, and I added a head of cauliflower.  I made it with channa dal, but you can use any kind of dal or yellow split peas and it will work just as well. 
http://www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/kitchari_recipe.html

Dessert - Today I ate raspberries that I picked this summer and froze in mason jars to eat over the winter.   [Note - if you decide to freeze fruits and veggies in mason jars, make sure you use the wide-mouth variety and leave some space at the top for expansion.]