What I Eat - Day Forty-Eight

I recently had a reader ask me if I avoid nuts because I consider them unhealthy and/or inflammatory.  To answer the question, I don't eat nuts because I am intolerant of them and/or allergic to them.   I have noticed immediate, and more long-term, negative effects from eating nuts.  I often see patients reacting to nuts, but I think it is because of their molecular structure, not that they are inherently inflammatory.  It is generally best to eat nuts raw, unless you have an allergy to them that resolves once they are roasted (this changes the molecular structure).  I recommend limiting peanuts, though, as they are actually inflammatory.  People always freak out when I suggest that, "but, I LOVE my peanut butter!"  It's ok, keep enjoying your peanut butter, just pick up a peanut butter that doesn't contain a bunch of unhealthy ingredients and try other nut butters, they're delicious!  Hope that helps. 

Breakfast - Cauliflower, Radish, and Zucchini Hash

I fried the veggies in a ceramic frying pan with a bit of oil over a medium heat, and then topped it with black pepper and hemp hearts.   I feel so much better when I eat a breakfast that includes vegetables!

Lunch - Bean Stew

I took this to work in my Thermos.

Ingredients
-Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix 
-one rutabaga, peeled and diced
-one bunch of celery, sliced
-leftover roast beef, diced
-dried oregano, about two tablespoons

Instructions
-Put the beans in a slow-coooker.  Add enough water to cover the beans with a few extra centimeters of water on top.  Cook them for two hours on high, add the rest of the ingredients, and then approximately six hours on low.   I don't have this whole cooking beans in a slow cooker thing down to an exact science yet, so leave an extra hour or two at the end, just in case the beans aren't quite soft enough. 

Dinner - Sweet Potato and Shiitake Packets

This is the first time I've tried roasting in parchment paper, and I've fallen in love with the technique!   It's fast, virtually oil free, and easy to clean up!   I got the recipe for this dish from the magazine Vegetarian Times.  

I altered the recipe in the following manner:
-I only used one sweet potato
-I used a whole head of swiss chard
-I only used about a cup of sliced mushrooms
-I left out the cheese

(photo below is the wrapped food before baking)