Azuki Bean Smoothie

I'm so excited about my latest breakfast smoothie; it's almost chocolatey and down right delicious! 

 

I've ventured into the world of the azuki beans for a couple of reasons.

 

 

I've always loved them in Asian desserts as sweetened red bean paste and I've been meaning to experiment with  them.

 

They are a legume, therefore great for you.

 

Introducing another legume to my repertoire = more variety.

My main driver, however, was my back. Azuki beans (also known as adzuki and aduki beans) are identified as a special bean for draining dampness in the body. "Dampness" is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine. I recently started getting acupuncture for my back issues (that I've had for years) and was told the excess "dampness" in my body was a strong contributor to my aches and pains.

 

I'm always sceptical of this kind of talk, but after just two acupuncture sessions, there has been a noticeable improvement. So I'm will to try anything (except supplements).

 

It takes a little planning and preparation the day before, when you soak and cook the beans, but the cooked beans will last 3-4 days in the fridge and you can even freeze them if you like.

 

Soak 1 cup of beans in plenty of cold water for 6-8 hours. This will make about 4, 1/2 cup serves of cooked beans.

 

Place your soaked beans in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until foam develops on the surface of the water.

 

Strain the beans, discarding the cooking water, rinse off the foam and clean out the saucepan (all website recipes I looked at include this step and I can't find an explanation why).

 

Add 2-3 cups of cold water to the beans and bring back to a simmer for 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours, until they are soft enough to break with your tongue.

 

While boiling, keep the temperature low because if they boil to rapidly they tend to break up a little.

 

When they are done, strain and put in the fridge to chill.

Azuki Smoothie

 

 

1/2 cup chilled, cooked azuki beans

1/2 cup unsweetened natural yogurt

1/2 cup almond milk (rice, oat, dairy milks are also fine)

1 banana (mango works well too)

A generous spoonful of honey or sweetener of your choice.

The beans require a fair amount of added sweetness. The exact amount will depend a lot on the natural sweetness of your fruit and milk choice (the almond milk I used is not very sweet), you can always add more honey.

 

I used a hand blender, it takes a couple of minutes to break down the beans and make it nice and smooth.

 

 

I really hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Pre-mix Orgran Buckwheat Pancakes

I'm a little hesitant to consume abundant quantities of the GF flours and baked goods you find these days. They are typically composed of highly refined rice, potato and tapioca flours/starches, not to mention a bunch of numbers.

I don't desire a product that pretends to be white flour. Instead I'm on the hunt for ways to use things like buckwheat flour, polenta or oats in baking, where we celebrate them, not attempt to hide them.

In truth I have started experimenting, with varied success. I'm not too good at following recipes, perhaps this is a case where I'm going to have to start.

This whole preamble is basically me trying to justify writing a post about using a premix. I'm not a premix kind of girl, but due to my recent spate of GF baking failures I wanted a win. There are many great GF blogs with heaps of recipes out there, which I plan to test out over time... but today I cheated and convenience won.

I LOVE pancakes... The whole maple syrup, bacon pancake combination is such a treat. (I'm sure I just lost some vegan readers). When I found this packet of buckwheat pancake premix I was super excited and NOT disappointed. 

Enter Orgran Buckwheat Pancake mix.

These guys make a huge GF, Vegan friendly range and today was my first time using their product.

 

They include directions for a vegan version!

 

 

The only ingredient I didn't recognise was the monocalcium phosphate (341). According to Steven Gates book on E numbers, it's a synthetic raising agent made from phosphoric acid treated with hydrated lime. It's not organic, i.e. not something cavemen ate, but it doesn't seem too scary to me.

 

I appreciate it also contains rice flour, tapioca starch and maize starch, but I figure 49% buckwheat flour is a pretty good start.

 

My pancake tips are as follows:

• Don't forget when mixing, add the wet to dry to prevent lumps
• I allow the pancake batter to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. I'm not sure why, but it seems to make better pancakes.
• The batter consistency should be slightly thicker than pouring cream, so add a little water or milk if its too thick.
• Getting the fry pan the right temperature is the trickiest part. Generally speaking you want bubbles to form and burst on the uncooked side before the underside gets too brown. Flip to seal and get eating!

 

 

 I was a bit of a goose and I forgot to take a photo of the eggs and dairy, but you guys know what they look like...

Mix together the following

 

1 packet of Organ Buckwheat pancake mix

3 eggs

90 ml of dairy (I used rice milk)

240 ml water

pinch of cinnamon

 

 

Serve with your favourite toppings.

We had honey, mixed berries and mascarpone.

Black Rice Pudding/Sticky Coconut Black Rice

Breakfast is quite the celebration of gluten; breads, pastries, pancakes, breads, cous-cous, semolina, paratha, naan and more breads.

 

So where does that leave those of us who want to be gluten-free? I appreciate that there are some great GF breads and flours out there, but the majority are highly refined and I can't help but question their nutritional value. 

 

I've experimented with GF cereals but after a few days, I can't face them.

 

It's summer at the moment so porridge isn't too appealing. 

 

Omelette's are a great option, but I'm not always feeling up for eggs.

 

I enjoy yogurt with a mix of fruit and nuts but if I want to fuel up it isn't the best choice.

 

Enter Black Rice Pudding.

 

Growing up in Darwin in the far north of Australia, I was lucky to be exposed to some amazing foods from Southeast Asia. One of which was black-rice pudding. It's a very simple and highly nutritious dish made with glutinous black rice. I was introduced to it as a Balinese breakfast dish, but they also make it in Thailand, where they call it sticky coconut black rice. 

 

I had to double check, but glutinous rice, does NOT contain gluten, it's just a reference to it's viscous texture when cooked.

 

It can be eaten for breakfast or if you want to serve it as a dessert add more sugar.

 

 

1 & 1/2 cups glutinous black rice

5 tbl brown sugar/palm sugar - or more to taste

150 ml coconut milk + extra to serve

 

optional extras

kaffir lime or pandan leaves

tropical fruit to serve e.g. mango/pineapple/banana

 

Warning: on occasion your black rice might contain the odd stone, which could cost you a tooth. The best way to find them is place the rice in a saucepan and add a few cups of water and very slowly swirl your hand around the base of the pan like you would to wash the rice. Listen very carefully and feel for any stones. The stones are usually quite obvious and easy to find this way.

 

 

Okay once you've washed your rice, add about 2 and 1/2 of water and place it on a medium heat.

 

 

Bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

 

Keep an eye on the water level, you want it to reduce, but don't let it dry out because it will start to stick to the bottom.

 

Add another 1/4 or 1/2 cup of water if needed.

 

 

After 30 minutes, test if the rice is cooked. The outer part of the rice is always a little firm, it kind of pops when you bite it. Whereas the inside should be nice and soft.

 

Ideally the water level should be the same as the rice at this stage. If it is to watery, let it reduce for another 10-15 minutes.

 

Add the sugar and lime leaves, stir to dissolve the sugar.

 

NOTE: the sugar must only be added after the rice is cooked!

 

 

Add ~150 ml coconut milk, stir it through and allow to come back to the boil.

 

Remove leaves and you're done.

 

 

Serve with a generous dash of coconut milk and some fresh fruit.

 

Pan fried bananas work a treat too.

What exactly is a lifestyle drink?

The "lifestyle drink" section in one of the major supermarket chains has always bothered me. It makes me laugh every time I walk past it. Who came up with this? What does a sugary drink have to do with lifestyle? It's mostly iced teas and sports drinks with a few alcohol free wines and beers.

 

 

Speaking of sugary drinks, a couple of days ago, the Australia Governments National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released their revised dietary guidelines (which happens every 10 years) and for the first time they recommended people "limit added sugar", especially in drinks. Placing it in the same category as added salt and alcohol. I thought it already was.

 

Their strongest evidence-based argument is that; when people indulge in a sugary drink they don't consider these calories as significant and are not likely to cut back on other foods. 

 

Like Oprah says, "don't drink your calories!"

 

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) oppose this new recommendation on the premise that there isn't enough scientific evidence to support it. Dr Geoffrey Robinson, Deputy CEO of the AFGC states that "the jury should still be sitting on the fence on that one". He goes on to say that "there's been evidence even in the last couple of months indicating that sugar is no more than a carbohydrate" Seriously? How does this guy sleep at night? It's like the climate change argument. How much scientific evidence do you need? What about common sense?

 

Why don't we all just survive on processed cheese, white bread, sports drinks, fruit roll-ups and multi-vitamins? Sounds to me like good old Geoffery would approve.

 

These guidelines are based on thousands of peer reviewed papers. I'm so proud of the NHMRC for standing their ground on this one. I'm sure we don't appreciate how much pressure they would have been under going against the AFGC's own recommendations.

 

Which brings me back to the "lifestyle drinks" section in the supermarket. I fundamentally object to the categorisation of a sugary drink being related to lifestyle. It gives it a positive connotation e.g. if you drink Gatorade/Powerade, therefore you must be a hardcore sportsman; or drinking iced tea is good for you because it contains antioxidants.

For the record, I think sports drinks are a gimmick and the majority of people who drink them, don't need to. And the antioxidant properties of your iced tea are more than likely counterbalanced by the added sugar and artificial flavours it contains. If you want antioxidants, why don't you just have a cup of tea?

I admit I drink the occasional soft drink or iced tea. I'm not saying we should cut them out completely. What I am saying is that I don't understand how the average person thinks its okay to drink these things on a daily basis.

One third of men and just over half the women in Australia are over weight or obese. How did we get so lost? How sad that it's our governments responsibility to give us healthy eating guidelines in the first place? The rich knowledge of generations past has been lost and now we don't seem to know how to eat.

If only the NHMRC guidelines could be "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" - (Michael Pollan, In defense of Food). But people seem to have forgotten, what is "food". It certainly doesn't include "lifestyle drinks".

 

Sorry for my blog hiatus, I've moved interstate and well, life gets complicated sometimes. I have lots of food posts coming though, so please keep reading!

Mexican Corn Pizza

Homemade pizza is a quick, easy and highly adaptable meal that everyone can enjoy. Like pasta sauce, everyone has their own methods and today I'd like to share mine. For the base I prefer to use either wholemeal pita bread or tortilla wraps and I'll be researching gluten-free bases in the near future! Pita bread and tortilla wraps are cheaper, thinner and therefore a comparatively healthier option to designated "pizza bases" available in the supermarket.

If I'm in a rush I usually make a quick tomato sauce using 2 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tbl water, 1 tbl olive oil and some fresh basil/oregano. If I have more time, I make a tomato sauce along the lines of my Tasty Tomato and Mushroom Pasta Sauce except I skip the mushrooms, making it with anchovies, garlic and a tin of tomatoes and let it simmer it for 35-50 minutes.

 

Today's recipe has a vague Mexican twist. I made these pizza's just before I decided to take a break from gluten. They were delicious and a lovely change from the more traditional homemade style of pizza.

Sauce

3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans

1 tbl tomato paste

1 clove garlic

1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl water

 

Toppings

spring onions

black olives
jalapenos

quick roasted corn

red capsicum

mushrooms

grated cheese

Making a pizza is similar to making a stir-fry, the key to low stress cooking is doing all your prep before you start putting your pizza together.

 

So first of all pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Next start on the quick-roasted corn. It may seem tedious, but the sweet roasted corn flavour is pretty central to this recipe.

Heat your the BBQ and wet a peeled ear of corn under the tap (do not dry). Place corn on a plate and cook in the microwave for 2 minute bursts until it is cooked. Mine took about 6 minutes total, but all microwaves are different.

 

Place the corn on a medium heat BBQ, turning frequently for about 5-10 minutes until all sides are golden. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut the corn away from the cob ready to be used (I eat whatever corn is left on the cob).

Prepare you tomato-bean sauce.

 

I  had a bunch of left over Martha Rose Shulman's Black Bean Pate. It tasted great but I think I cooked it too long and it was a little dry. You could easily substitute this for tinned refried beans.

 

Mix 3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans, 1 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbl olive oil and 1 tbl of water in a small bowl.

Then finely chop a little spring onion, mushroom and capsicum. Remember any vegetables you add, contain water and you don't want a mushy pizza, so cut them finely.

Now you are ready to make your pizza. Add a thin layer of tomato-bean sauce

Veggie it up, don't forget the black olives and jalapenos!

Then cheese it up

Bake until golden. Once out of the oven, let it rest for a good 5 minutes
(or as long as you can retain self control)

Enjoy!
 

 

Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip)

In the spirit of cutting back on bread and trying to find interesting alternatives for satisfying lunches I made a big batch of Baba Ganoush. It's very similar to humus, except the main ingredient is eggplant instead of chickpeas. Roasting the eggplant is time consuming but as long as you are home for the hour or so it takes to roast, it isn't be too much of an inconvenience.

 

2 large Eggplants

2 tbl tahini

1 tbl yogurt

1 small clove garlic

juice from one lemon

salt to taste

2 tbl olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, cut eggplants in half,.

 

Sprinkle lightly with salt and a little olive oil.

 

Roast for ~45-90 minutes, until golden brown and more or less halved in size.

 

Using a spoon scrape the flesh away from the skin and place into a deep bowl. The skin of the eggplant has great nutritional value. Unfortunately baba ganoush is a smooth, creamy dip with the removal of the skin being a critical step.

 

As a compromised, I eat the skin while I'm making the dip. As a cooks treat and so as to not waste any of the eggplant.

 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

 

Using a handheld mixer, blend until smooth.

 

Enjoy generously with raw vegetables, pita bread or as part of a big salad

Is it time for gluten-free?

It’s pretty trendy to go gluten-free these days, the Paleolthic diet for example has an almost cult-like following these days. Personally I believe total elimination of any single food group is a tad extreme and should be avoided wherever possible; although if you’re a celiac you don’t have that luxury.

 

The key to a healthy diet is lots of fruits and vegetables, with everything else in moderation, but moderation is a tricky thing to quantify. A typical western diet can contain up to 3-4 serves of gluten based foods every day, not exactly what you would call moderation.

 

I’ve had IBS since I was a kid. A few years back I had all kinds of tests, only to be told, “hmmm there doesn’t seem to be anything seriously wrong with you. You have IBS”. Followed by some sketchy advice about how to manage it. All this really meant was that this particular medical professional didn’t have a clue what was wrong with me. I am not alone.

I know some people diagnosed with IBS have had success undergoing the long, tedious process of strict elimination diets -  no processed sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy and gluten. Where slowly you reintroduce one element and see how your stomach reacts. The only thing is food intolerance's have been shown to be cumulative, making the whole elimination diet path a drawn out, challenging process. Not to mention, who really wants to know they shouldn't eat donuts?

 

Over the years I have identified a few triggers, roasted red capsicum, roasted pumpkin, too many chickpea based dinners, red meat and high fat foods all cause me grief if I over indulge. As far as dairy is concerned, I only eat cheese and cream in small, infrequent amounts, whereas cows milk out. Interestingly a daily serve of natural yogurt seems to cause me no grief at all.

 

So why am I talking about this now? I have some reoccurring issues with my lower back and recently my osteopath suggested my digestive issues and lower back problems might be linked. I put up with my IBS because I can tolerate the side effects. However the lower back stuff is pretty shitty and if they are in fact linked, I'd even consider giving up alcohol if it would make it stop.

 

As a result, over the past month and a half I have been experimenting on myself. Ten days without any gluten based foods, then a few days with and I am sad to report I think there is a direct correlation between my stomach’s happiness and my consumption of gluten. This is one of the main reasons why I haven’t blogged.

 

So for now breakfast is a rolled oat, puffed rice, coconut, almond and apricot muesli, often prepared the night before with a spoon full of yogurt and 1/8th of a cup of water. Making it super creamy in the morning. Lunches are the hardest, I’ve been alternating potato, sweet potato and chickpeas with salad. Making eggplant dip or humus has also been a nice lunch time snack. I'm also partial to an apple, some cheese, sultanas and nuts. In an attempt to not impose my gluten free efforts on my boy I had bolognaise sauce with chickpeas the other day while he had pasta. I tell you it wasn’t half bad.

 

I see this as an intolerance issue, I’m not giving it up for good… because well I don’t want to. I’m also hoping in time, after it's had a break, my tummy will protest less when I indulge in the occasional piece of cake or toast.