It is a lot of recipes. It sounded manageable in theory; write four recipes each week for Sprouted Kitchen Cooking Club, keep up loosely here on the blog, my private chef job, occasional freelance...
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On Friday I wrapped up my very short but incredibly meaningful two-week rotation at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. The commute wouldn’t have made it sustainable for me to stay any longer, but I wish I could have. I valued pretty much every moment of the experience.
One of the things I was told about the dietetic internship before starting was that I’d probably be surprised by what I loved and what I didn’t. Having had some counseling experience before starting my rotations, I wasn’t sure how much this would apply to me, but it has. Not across the board, of course: there are some rotations I’ve suspected wouldn’t be for me, which turned out to be true. And I’m reasonably sure that I’ll love my GI rotation, which starts tomorrow.
I could never have guessed how much I would love working with seniors, thoughāa passion that emerged only as I was completing my rotation in long-term care. And while I thought oncology would be meaningful to me for personal reasonsāhaving watched a loved one go through chemo and radiation therapy years agoāI didn’t expect to enjoy the work in as many ways as I did.
It was intellectually stimulating and deeply interesting. I loved observing how teams of practitionersādoctors, nurses, social workers, researchers, and dietitiansācame together in patient care, especially when handling a complex case. Most of all, I loved getting to know the patients and their families.
The big downside of this rotation, my commute aside, was feeling crummy for most of it: both the cold I started with and the seasonal allergies and fatigue that plagued me for the rest of my time at JCTT. I was so tired after my last day that I fell fast asleep on my commute home. It was an easy rotation insofar as my engagement goes, but it was difficult physically.
Over the years I’ve gotten good at recognizing traces of body judgment or body dysmorphia in how I relate to my appearance and shape. In recent years I’ve become aware of a related tendency, which is to feel easily exasperated and frustrated with my body when it’s not at “peak performance.” I’ve always been prone to stress, digestive troubles, allergies, and picking up bugs, which makes it easy to judge. And since I’m not twenty-five anymore, peak performance looks quite different than it used to. My energy reserves get depleted a lot quicker than they did even five years ago.
I have a ways to go with accepting my body’s energetic limits. I know my boundaries, but I resent them; there’s always a part of me that wishes I could do more. Illness can feel oddly triggering, the way fluctuations of the scale used to. Working in the health/wellness space, where boundless energy is often presented as an ideal, doesn’t always help.
I’ve developed a lot of strong muscles when it comes to avoiding self-comparison about the way I eat. It’s important for me to exercise that same strength in resisting the temptation to compare my health and stamina to other people’s. My body is its own quirky, lovable entity. Sometimes I wish I’d given it an easier time when I was younger, rather than pushing its limits with overwork and self-starvation. I often wish it weren’t as sensitive and responsive to triggers as it is.
But if my time at JCTT has reminded me of anything, it’s the supreme importance of meeting our bodies where they are, both in sickness and in health. I’ll continue to encounter physical challenges as my life goes on. Some will be irksome, others more serious. In those times body respect and self-care will matter more than ever. I can cultivate those capacities right now, by choosing not to dwell on the fact that I’ve been strung out. Instead, I can rest and give thanks to my body for getting me through another rotation, which is exactly what I’ve been up to today.
Giving thanks for this body of mine, and celebrating your bodies, too. Happy Sunday. Here are some recipes and reads.
Dreena Burton’s recipes are always no-fail, and I love the looks of her new sweet potato pasta sauce.
A simple recipe for spicy, garlicky broccoli steaks.
Laurel’s chipotle sofritas bowls look so colorful and tastyānot to mention they’re packed with plant protein.
Isa’s garlicky white bean and asparagus soup is on my spring cooking list.
I think I’m going to celebrate getting to my final community rotation by making Kathy’s irresistable glazed donuts.
1. I’m guessing that a lot of you are familiar with the basic lifestyle patterns observed in the world’s so-called blue zones, but if you’re not, here’s a good recap.
2. The New York Times examines the link between pain perception and anxiety.
3. If I’ve ever appreciated simple and intuitive recipes and cooking, it’s been throughout the last eight months. But I do like to have my hand held by a cookbook author, tooāespecially if it means I’m less likely to mess something upāand I could understand some of JJ Goode’s case for long recipes. Even if I’m unlikely to re-enter that mode anytime soon.
4. Many religions ask for periods of abstinence or other special considerations around food. This topic can be under-discussed in our dialog about eating disorders, though in the last couple years I’ve seen many more personal testimonials about having an eating disorder during Ramadan. Likewise, I love Kimberly Robins reflections on reconciling eating disorder recovery with kashrut, or Jewish dietary law.
5. UndarkĀ takes a look at the difficulties associated with patient-matching, or matching patients with their appropriate medical records.
I had a delicious and lightly sweetened treat to share last week, but my rotation took priority in the last seven days. The good news is that I’ll have it ready to share with you tomorrow. Till then, be well.
xo
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Post sponsored by Pete and Gerryās Organic Eggs. See below for more details.
It is really amazing that I do not have more grain bowl recipes on this site. A grain bowl is by far the biggest staple meal for our family. Need a filling breakfast? Grain bowl! How about a last-minute dinner made from leftovers? Grain bowl!
You can practically make a grain bowl any way but I have a few tips that might help you make it even better or easier!) For starters, try using components. Whip up some roasted vegetables and grains on the weekend, making this a practically instant meal during the weekdays.
Also, use whatever egg method your like best. I skip around depending on what Iām feeling that day (and one of the reasons I love keeping Pete and Gerry Organic Eggs on hand!) Pan-fried, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or scramble all work great in this recipe.
The foundation of the bowl but easily changeable. I love using farro because itās hearty and provides an amazing texture to the overall dish. However, you could easily use quinoa, millet, sorghum, or barley.
If youāre in a hurry and did not prep the grains ahead of time, Iād recommend using bulgur. Itās quick and delicious, making this meal from scratch a bit quicker.
Iām excited for another partnership with Pete and Gerryās Organic Eggs this year. One of the reasons I love using their eggs is because I know the company is deeply invested in protecting the land, since theyāre a Certified B Corporation. The eggs are also produced humanely, making sure the chickens are well-cared for.
Next in line for the components: hummus. I know this isnāt for everyone but I canāt eat a grain bowl without it. Itās the binder and helps bring a bit more flavor to the overall recipe. Best of all, you can use any kind of flavored hummus you like.
I typically go with roasted garlic hummus but roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, lemon-dill, or beet hummus all work.
Finally, the vegetables. The beautiful thing about these grain bowls is that the cauliflower is easy to replace. Carrots, squash, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans- every seasons holds a few different types of grain bowl options!
Also, if you donāt feel like turning on the oven, Iāve been known to steam the cauliflower then toss it with a smoked paprika compound butter. A little decadent but oh-so-good.
[tasty-recipe id="37861"]
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I realize sorghum is not your every-day grain but I love showcasing recipes to try and get it used a little more in the kitchen. The flavor isn't big but it does provide a little warmth to a dish. I find, my usage of sorghum is more about texture. Sorghum has a similar texture to cooked wheat berries. Slightly chewy, far from mushy.
While I tend towards using roasted sweet potatoes in dishes like this, you could easily swap them for something similar. Roasted squash or rooted vegetables during the winter make a good 1:1. During the summer I like to use similar flavors with roasted sweet corn, tomatoes, and peppers.
Depending on the spice company, chipotle can get hot in fairly small quantities. However, this isnāt the easiest thing to tell. I like to take just a small taste of the powder and see how it reacts. If I find that my mouth is on fire, I might cut back a bit. If the opposite is true, Iāll usually bump the chipotle amount up to 1 teaspoon.
The other option is if you happen to have chipotle in adobo sauce, you can swap the powder for about Ā½ of a minced chipotle and a bit of the adobo sauce.
One of my favorite ways to have a bit of garlic flavor without being overpowering: garlic-infused oil. Itās as simple as smashing garlic, cooking it in a bit of oil, and letting it rest. Occasionally Iāll use nut-oils and infuse with garlic as well.
[tasty-recipe id="33130"]
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I've shared these a few times on instagram and now I've finally put pen to paper to write the recipe. These sweet potato enchiladas are about the most comforting meal I cook, without an overload of cheese. The sweet potato and beans provide the filling while and easy homemade enchilada sauce brings it all together.
This recipe is involved, thereās no two ways around it. While Iāve tried to limit the amount of prep by relying heavily on pre-ground spices and garlic powder, this meal is heavy on components.
The great thing for you, however, is that all these components can be made ahead of time and used not only in this meal but meals across the week. For example:
Sweet potato puree, during the cooler months, is an automatic go-to. I make wraps, pasta dishes, risottos, and even my morning toast with a little help from a simple sweet potato puree. Make a couple-potatoes worth by simply roasting whole potatoes and scooping out the potato once cool. The sweet potato puree will last for up to 5 days.
Donāt want to use sweet potatoes? Any puree will do. Pumpkin or butternut squash would be my next two choices. You can also add in greens, sweet corn, or roasted tomatoes during the spring and summer months.
When it comes to beans, these are a riff on my spiced pinto beans (made a little easier in this enchilada recipe if youāre making the night-of). I love these beans as taco filling, as a toast topper, or as a topping to a creamy polenta bowl. I usually batch and use them twice in one week: once for these enchiladas and once in a grain bowl.
Similar to the beans, I make a much more involved enchilada sauce that uses dried chilis, toasted whole spices, and a slower cooking time. However, I wanted to keep this recipe as close to weeknight friendly as I could (I realize a 60-minute ordeal isnāt super weeknight friendly but these are so good!)
Enchilada sauce is a good batch and freeze project. Make triple of what I have here and freeze it in 2-cup increments. I love using this sauce to cook eggs in too.
Beyond the idea of prepping the components ahead of time, this is also one of my favorite meals to make for other people. Think new families! The entire dish freezes after assembly so the only thing left to do is bake (which will take about 20 minutes longer but other than that-everything stays the same!)
[tasty-recipe id="37893"]
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The dates are fast approaching. NYC, Nashville, Chicago (sold out, thank you!) and Napa, I am coming to feed you. Because the NYC February 1st date sold out so quickly, weāve added a second date on February 2nd. Iāll be preparing a 4-course dinner on stage at City Winery, while telling the story of each dish. Youāll be eating a 4-course dinner with wine pairings. Part dinner theater, part pyrotechnic arena rock, part Borscht-belt comedy. All totally delicious.
From my early years in Brooklyn just learning how to make my own tamales and create vegan translation of my favorite foods, to my adulthood as a cookbook author taking over the world with cupcakes, and finally, my current life in Omaha, opening a vegan restaurant – Modern Love – in the heart of cattle country, these recipes will tell the story of my life. Along the way youāll also learn about the intriguing properties of coconut oil, the secrets to achieving perfect grill-marks, how to make eggs out of anything and the fastest, easiest way to mince a lot of garlic. And donāt worry, no matter where you are sitting you wonāt miss a thing, because there will be video screens showing the action on my cutting board.
PS Sorry, there wonāt really be any pyrotechnics.
The Menu
Act I
Caesar Salad With Brussels
seared brussel sprouts, grilled tofu, tahini caper dressing, toasted pine nuts
Act II
Tamale
lentil chorizo, mole rojo, guacamole
Act III
Chickpeas & Dumplings
creamy chickpea stew, rosemary biscuits
Act IV
Chocolate Mousse Cupcake
pistachio dust, coconut whip, raspberry caramel
Tickets still available:
February 2nd NYC Buy Tickets
February 4th Nashville Buy Tickets
February 8th Napa Buy Tickets
Hope to see you there! Oh, and here’s a little peek at the first course, Grilled Caesar Salad.
Brunch for a group. Inexpensive dinner. Cook once, reheat through the week breakfast. Put a slice in a tortilla or between toast and youāre off. Frittatas are just the best. Especially for some who...
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Hellooooo! I’m alive, I’m alive! Did you think after my 10-year blogiversary post that I decided to take a 10-year break? lol. It’s been a busy month with a lot of fun events going down. I just returned from WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women celebrations, and I’m still riding the high of winning an award in the Entrepreneur category and meeting so many incredible people. So many happy tears this week. It felt (and feels) absolutely surreal. I’m super inspired by these amazing Canadian women to keep going forward, doing my part to give back, and creating meaningful change in this world. I’m grateful to you all who support me and what I do…truly, thank you.
Here’s a snippet of the interview I did with WXN (the rest is found on their website):
“SUCCESS all comes back to love. Do I feel love deep in my soul for what Iām doing? Are my kids and my husband happy and loved? Am I taking time to enjoy the process rather than allowing perfectionist thinking to take hold? My definition of success has grown so much since starting the blog, writing my two cookbooks, and becoming a mother. Today, success is knowing that I have the power to push through challenges while taking the time I need for myself to balance and stay healthy. After struggling with illness this past year, one of my biggest wake-up calls was realizing that itās okay to take a break even if that means letting go of a professional goal for the time being.”
As an introvert, big social events tend to tucker me out (anyone else?!), and I find myself looking forward to my first day without any commitments (aside from, umm, two hyper toddlers, I suppose…). This creamy 3-ingredient steel-cut oatmeal recipe is the one Iāve been making once or twice weekly since fall hit. It may sound strange, but I find it calming in a way. I just love that I can throw a few ingredients in my Instant Pot, stir it up, and walk away until itās done cooking! No stirring or watching…woot, woot. Iāll often throw it on and then get ready for the day or feed the kids and come back to a hot pot of oats. Itās a good feeling…a darn good feeling!
Donāt worry if you donāt have an Instant Pot because I also provide a stovetop version belowāyour oatmeal will turn out the same either way, but the stovetop version just requires monitoring and stirring as it cooks.
This time of year I love to top a hot bowl with toasted walnuts, chopped dates or raisins, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and seasonal fruit like pear or pomegranate. So cozy! Walnuts or pecans with maple syrup, cinnamon, and peanut butter is another dreamy combo.
Before I go, a quick note that we’ll be participating in Giving Tuesday this coming Tuesday November 27, 2018. Here’s a bit about the cause:
“GivingTuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Black Friday. The āOpening day of the giving season,ā itās a time when charities, companies and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes. In the same way that retailers take part in Black Friday, the giving community comes together for GivingTuesday.”
This coming Tuesday, we’ll be donating 100% of that day’s OSG recipe app proceeds to Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank as our way to take part. I hope you’ll consider participating in #GivingTuesday too!
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My goal was to create the creamiest bowl of steel-cut oats using just a few ingredients...and this is it! This luxuriously chewy steel-cut oatmeal is the perfect base for all of your favourite topping combinations. I love adding pure maple syrup, cinnamon, seasonal fruit, toasted walnuts, and chopped dates or raisins. It doesnāt get much cozier on a cool fall or winter morning! Iāve also provided cooking instructions using both the stovetop and Instant Pot (I prefer the Instant Pot method as it's so easy). For the Instant Pot method, please see the Tip section.
INSTANT POT METHOD:
You can also make pre-portioned servings so all you have to do is dump it in a pot in the morning and quickly heat it up with a splash of milk!
I love working with food, but one of my other passions is home decor, so I hope youāll humour me with this post! Iāve caught the decor bug in recent years, and I just love every stage of putting a room together. The only problem is that I donāt have much time for home decor projects (I’ve completed 2 nurseries and an office in 5 years…lol), so Iāve been chipping away at this office at a snailās pace. But Iām quite happy with how itās come together. My goal was to create a serene and elegant home office with a lilā bit of drama!
When we first moved into this house, we painted the office grey. We were going through a huge grey phase, but over time it started to wear on me, and I found the office was less than inspiring. I started to feel blah whenever I was in there (I also regret painting the basement grey…ugh!). One of my blog readers actually warned me about picking grey for an office, but I didnāt listen…you guys are always right! After going back and forth over what colour(s) I wanted to paint my office (I tested everything from spa green to super soft blush pink and, yes, even yellow!), I finally settled on a navyācharcoal blend and blush pink.
When I pictured my white office furniture popping off a dark, dramatic wall, I was sold. I didnāt want the whole room to be dark, so I kept the rest of the walls white for an airy feel. Iāve gone back and forth over whether I should do a bit of wallpaper on one wall (maybe the front wall where the windows are?), but Iāll most likely just leave it alone!
The only thing missing is the light fixture above my desk. The electrical needs to be put in and I need to pick out the light…any ideas?? Should I go with a chandelier…or a semi-flush or…?
First, I’ll kick things off with my TWO bosses…they are fairly new to their “directing” roles, but it’s like they’ve been doing it their whole lives…. ;)
And here’s how it looks during the month of December! Lately Iāve loved getting up extra early for some “me timeā in the morningāI turn the Christmas lights on, sit at my desk with my coffee, and do some writing, reading, planning, etc.
By the way, just in case you missed my big holiday newsletter, you can find a round-up of my favourite festive vegan recipes here! If I donāt chat with you again before signing off for Christmas, I hope you have a fantastic holiday! Thank you for all of your amazing support, thoughtful comments, and for making and sharing so many of my recipes this year!
Office details:
Paint colour (dark wall) – Blue Note (Benjamin Moore)
Paint colour (white) – Distant Gray (Benjamin Moore)
French doors – Wrought Iron (Benjamin Moore)
Desk and two filing cabinets – Crate and Barrel
Blush rug – Pier 1 Imports
White shelf – Wayfair (discontinued)
Elsie desk chair – World Market
Floral storage boxes on shelf – HomeSense (Guess whatās inside? Toys!)
Two white faux leather chairs – Wayfair
Rose quartz slab (on desk) – Anthropologie
Basket – Zara Home
Grey mug – Crate and Barrel
Blush pillows – HomeSense
Dark floral pillow – The Bay
Large floral framed print – Minted
Prop shelf with dishes – Wayfair
Mirror – Zara Home
Mountain print – SisiandSeb on Etsy
Profile art – SaltandPrinter on Etsy
Desert scene art – SisiAndSeb on Etsy
Pink Blue Abstract Print – LittleValleyStudio on Etsy
Taurus print – SaltandPrinter on Etsy
Inhale Exhale print – ParadigmArt on Etsy
White vase on desk – HomeSense
Blush pouf/ottoman – Restoration Hardware
Pink vase – Anthropologie
Grey letter A – HomeSense
Pink ācrystalā tealight holder – HomeSense
I used to write about digestion all the time on this blog, but it’s been a while since the topic came up. It’s not that my interest in GI health has wanedāit hasn’tābut it’s become more of a professional focus and less of a personal one, mostly because my own struggles with IBS have receded over the years. Why? Hard to say, but I suspect that consistent eating patterns (as opposed to the extremes of my eating disorder years), plenty of soluble fiber, and better coping skills with stress and anxiety have a lot to do with it.
In recent years, mental health and emotional well-being have been a bigger focus for me than digestion; the physical ailments I cope with often have a strong psychosomatic overlay, which means that mental health gets a lot of my attention even if I’m presented with immediate physical complaints. This is all my way of saying that digestive health has taken a backseat to the stuff that feels more urgent to me, even if my intellectual curiosity about it remains strong.
This week, I started my 5-week GI rotation. I was immediately reminded that the gut is really what sparked my interest in health and healthcare to begin with. I was also reminded of the fact that, to date, supporting people through digestive illness is some of the counseling work I’m most proud of. I suspect it’ll stay that way.
I’ve learned a lot already; my preceptor is a great dietitian and a true digestive health expert, but she’s also an excellent preceptor. She likes teaching, has a knack for it, and is generous with her time and expertise. Writing notes under her tutelage is humbling, but I’ve learned a lot from it already.
In addition to rekindling my interest in all things gastroenterological, this rotation is also bringing me back to my own experiences as a GI patient: first the long, drawn out struggle with IBS and digestive woes post-anorexia, then the long and mysterious bout of gastroenteritis (or so it was labeledātwo GI doctors and I never figured it out) that I had in the years following my post-bacc. It is reminding me of how profound digestive illness is, how vulnerable it has made me and makes anyone who’s affected by it.
Digestion is the process that converts food into nourishment; when it’s compromised, the whole business of eating becomes vexed. Digestive ailments can cause particular kinds of anguish around food, and the fear and anxiety they cause can linger long after symptoms are actually resolved.
In my own work, I’ve often seen how digestive struggle and disordered eating are, or become, intertwined; yes, eating disorders usually leave a person with GI trouble, but it can work the other way, too. Years of GI illness can make people prone to all kinds of disordered eating.
Next year and in the years beyond, when I’m working one-on-one with people again, I hope that I can make a small difference in the lives of the many folks who are coping with digestive distress. I hope I can do this not only because I want to make a difference in my clients’ day-to-day quality of life, but also because there’s symbolic importance in helping people to heal the channels that allow them to take in food.
Here’s to four more weeks of learning more about how to do this. And here’s to a new week. Here, too, are some recipes and reads.
One of my nutrition goals for this year was to get more servings of fruit into my diet. I’m doing a lousy job so far, but at my last rotation a colleague of mine made a fruit salad with mint and ginger that reminded me of what a good vehicle a snazzy fruit salad can be! I love Liz’s colorful fruit salad with maple dressing, and she’s got some great tips on assembling fruit salads in general.
The ever-talented Eva is inspiring me to try my first-ever, vegan Massaman curry.
A delicious vegan pizza with naan as a base. Can’t wait to try this, especially once summery produce is in season.
This vegan pasta and bean salad with tahini orange dressing has my name written all over it.
Finally, I make a point of never saying no to a vegan blondie. All the better if “cookies n’ cream” is part of the description š
1. The hospital where I did my oncology rotation was starting to offer CAR T-cell therapy, which is a relatively new treatment for leukemia and multiple myeloma. I found the processāin which the body’s own T cells are converted into killer T cells that can attack cancerāfascinating. This article details how it might be an option for the treatment of solid tumors, too.
2. An interesting new report has listed some of the best foods that we can eat regularly in order to promote biodiversity. NPR reports.
3. Speaking of biodiversity, The Atlantic has an interesting article on Bd (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), the fungus that has decimated frog populations and condemned more species to extinction than any other pathogen.
4. Very important reporting on how clinical trial data can be misrepresented to patients.
5. I try to remind myself each day that a little bit of kindness never hurt anybody, least of all me. US News & World Report explains how acts of kindness benefit both the giver and the recipient.
In kindness, I’m signing off. I’ve got a creamy, nutritious, and very simple soup recipe to share with you this coming week!
xo
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Creamy kale pesto white bean dip is a delicious, super savoury, slightly cheesy, naturally vegan, and nut-free appetizer that everyone will enjoy.
The post CREAMY KALE PESTO WHITE BEAN DIP appeared first on The First Mess // Plant-Based Recipes + Photography by Laura Wright.
