Fabulous Fennel

This post follows on from my previous one, where I incorporated fennel in a recipe.

Fennel is an unassuming vegetable with a fantastic aniseed taste - the bulb is delicious roasted or blanched and can even be whizzed up to form fennel mash. In my opinion, it goes best with fish or chicken.

The seeds are used more widely than the bulb, especially in Indian and Chinese cooking. The seeds or bulb itself can be made into a tea to relax the intestines and reduce bloating caused by digestive disorders, in adults.

Following the raw theme I have created a recipe using just raw ingredients and fennel is one of them:

Tuna, Green Bean and Fennel Salad:
(Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

• A Tin of Tuna in Brine
• 1/4 Packet of Green Beans
• Half a Fennel Bulb
• 1 Small Red Onion
• Lemon Juice
• Peanut Oil
• Paprika Salt  

 

Directions:

• Open can of tuna and drain
• Chop beans into bite size pieces
• Slice fennel and red onion
• Combine All ingredients together
• Dress with lemon juice, peanut oil and paprika salt

Chicken and Beetroot - A Delightful Duo

I don't know why I think these two go so well together - maybe it's the contrasting colours or the fact that both have neutral tastes to begin with, but once they absorb different flavours they can taste quite extraordinary.

Beetroot, in my opinion, is underestimated. I know when I was growing up the only form of beetroot I was accustomed to, was the pickled and sliced variety in a jar - which I loved! Now that I can no longer eat it - I have been introduced to a whole new world of baby beetroot; roasted and even raw.

The two recipes below are newly created by me and are equally delicious, fresh and light.

The current fad it seems is to use as many raw ingredients as possible - I therefore decided to use some raw beetroot in this salad, to see what all the fuss was about.

Grilled Chicken and Raw Beetroot Salad:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts (skinless)
• Macadamia Nut Oil
• Citrus Flake Sea Salt (Woolies)
• Tin Foil
• Half a Packet Baby Beetroot
• Half a Packet Tender Stem Asparagus Spears
• Half a Packet Rocket Leaves
• Poppy Seeds

Dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons Macadamia Nut Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• Juice of a Lime
• A Sprinkling of Citrus Flake Sea Salt and Crushed Black Pepper
• A Drop of Water

Directions:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
• Tear two squares of tin foil
• Place one chicken breast in the middle of each square
• Place a drop of Macadamia Nut Oil onto each breast and a liberal sprinkling of Citrus Flake Sea Salt
• Rub the oil and salt over the breasts, so that they are entirely covered
• Wrap up the breasts loosely into a tinfoil parcel

• Cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes (the breasts must still be moist)
• Blanch asparagus spears in boiling water for about 5 minutes, so that they are still al dente
• Grate the beetroot into a bowl
• Tear up the rocket leaves and add to the bowl
• Add the blanched asparagus
• Cut the cooked chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and add to the salad
• Coat the salad with the dressing (if you find the dressing a bit sweet, I like to use the juices from the chicken as well - you can even use the juices instead of using extra oil in the dressing)
• Top with poppy seeds and toss

Roasted Beetroot, Sweet Potato and Fennel with Grilled Chicken Breasts:
(Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

• 4 Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Olive Oil
• Paprika
• Herbal Salt
• Tinfoil
• Half a Packet Baby Beetroot
• Cinnamon
• Teaspoon Sugar
• Mixed Dried Herbs
• A Bulb of Fennel
• A Sweet Potato
• Cinnamon
• A Squeeze of Lemon

Directions:

• Heat Oven to 220 degrees Celsius
• Cover the bottom of a baking pan with tinfoil and add a bit of water to the pan
• Toss in the baby beetroot, along with a drop of olive oil, a sprinkling of cinnamon, sugar, herbal salt and mixed dried herbs
• Cook in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until the beetroot is tender
• Make chicken parcels with the breasts, as in the above recipe. This time use olive oil, paprika and herbal salt
• Place in the oven when beetroot has been cooking for about 25 minutes (and cook breasts for about 10 to 15 minutes)
• Peal sweet potato and cut into rings
• Rub each ring with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and herbal salt
• Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until tender
• Cut Fennel into slices and rub each slice with a small amount of olive oil and a sprinkle of herbal salt
• Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until tender
• When all ingredients are cooked, dish onto a plate and squeeze over some lemon

End of the Month Stuffed Roasted Butternut

This dish is perfect anytime, but especially when you're on a budget.

There is just something about the golden inviting cavity of a half butternut that begs to be stuffed. The contrasting colours of tomato and spinach with the speckle of white from a sprinkle of pine nuts, makes this an impressive spectacle to behold.

These succulent Mediterranean flavours will transport you to the garden of an Italian Villa - why not try this dish at your next dinner party, although simple, it will surely be a talking point?

Stuffed Roasted Butternut:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 2 Small Butternuts
• Olive Oil
• Paprika
• 1 Large Onion
• Punnet Cherry Tomatoes
• Packet Baby Spinach (I have used a packet of mixed leaves: rocket, watercress and baby spinach before, which also works very well)
• Pine Nuts
• Herbal Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
• Tinfoil
• Brown Wild Rice

Directions:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
• Cut butternuts in half and scoop out the seeds
• Brush butternut halves lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika
• Roast in the oven while you are getting the filling ready

Filling:

• Dice onion and fry in a little olive oil with a sprinkle of salt
• Wash baby tomatoes and cut in half
• Add them when the onions are translucent
• Sprinkle half a teaspoon of sugar over the tomatoes to release the juices
• Rinse baby spinach and add to the pot
• Fry a little until the spinach has wilted
• Add the pine nuts
• Season with herbal salt and cracked black pepper
• Remove the butternut halves from the oven and stuff with the mixture (reserving some to add at the end, when the butternut comes out of the oven)
• Return to the oven covered in tin foil
• Cook for a further half an hour or until the butternut is cooked through
• Top with the reserved mixture
• Serve with wild brown rice

For a little bit extra add crispy bacon bits (if your budget allows)

Heed The Signs

I was quite happily (well not exactly happily, let's say obliviously) living my life the way I was, thinking it was normal to feel that way, until a continuous string of dizzy spells, made me think twice and start to re-evaluate how I had been living.

These were my symptoms:

Mood Swings:

It was like I had constant PMS. My happy moods, which were few and far between, were always closely followed by anger or sorrow. I was a nightmare to live with and the worst part was that I couldn't understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling so this confusion would put me into a worse mood and without realising it I would take it out on the people closest to me, like my boyfriend. I was also an emotional wreck, bursting into tears at the most inopportune times like at work, while in a meeting with my boss. When I started to experience my dizzy spells, I went to a GP and he told me to go onto anti-depressants - at the time I was so out of it and willing to try anything to make myself feel better that I was about to go through with it, until my mother put her foot down and told me we could fix it another way. She introduced me to Dr Davidson and since doing the blood tests and eliminating the toxic foods, I am a much happier person and far easier to live with.

Bloating:

After eating I generally experienced bloating - where I was so uncomfortable I wouldn't know what to do with myself, sometimes I would need to unbutton my pants; sitting down was even a mission. It was always far worse when I went out to restaurants - I know now that the combination of drinking alcohol and eating foods that you are allergic to always makes the bloating worse. I constantly felt fat - I couldn't understand how girls had flat stomachs because no matter what I did or what diet I went on, I never seemed to lose the stomach - it always looked bloated. Since January this year, I have lost 6kgs (I had to restart my diet because in December I went to Europe on holiday, for a month, and didn't follow the diet as closely as I should have, which made me put on all the weight I lost last year) and my stomach is getting flatter and definitely doesn't look as bloated as it did. This weight I am talking about is mainly water retention (when you eat a food that you are allergic to, your body retains water, mainly in your abdomen, which makes you look bloated) that is why I was able to lose the weight so quickly (and also put it on so quickly). I weighed 59kgs when I came back from holiday and I am 5'2. All my life I have been thin, that's another reason why I couldn't understand why I kept putting on so much weight and not being able to lose it.

Stomach Pain and Discomfort:

Together with the bloating, I would experience extreme pain in my lower abdomen - this pain was either a constant dull ache, bursts of shooting pain that would have me doubled over in agony, or a knot in the middle of my stomach that would tighten up as if a fist was clenching it. The pains got worse after I ate or if I was stressed. Most nights I would lie curled up in the foetal position to try and ease the pain. I very seldom get these pains now.

Heart Burn:

Along with the bloating and pain, I experienced excruciating heart burn and acid reflux. In my early twenties I had a Gastroscopy (where they put a camera down your throat and look around in your stomach and intestines to see if you have any ulcers) where they told me I had a Hiatus Hernia and a Duodenal ulcer. I was told that nothing could be done about the Hiatus Hernia (a hole in my diaphragm), that I would have it for life. I was given pills for the ulcer, which didn't work. So, I assumed I would have to live with this constant pain - after eating; I would pop a Rennies or drink a glass of hot water to try and ease the pain. Today, I am virtually pain free (avoiding the foods I am allergic to) - I would never have imagined living my life with my body in comfort.

Gurgling Noises:

The bloating, pain and the heart burn were always accompanied by funny gurgling noises in my stomach and throat - the noises embarrassed me no end. But there was nothing I could do about them - I would just laugh nervously when someone I was eating with gave me a strange look. If I do not eat anything I am allergic to, I do not get these funny noises - what a relief!

Constipation:

To top it all off, I wouldn't even be able to ease my discomfort by going to the toilet - sometimes I'd go days without going to the toilet. I'm sure this also contributed to the bloating. I'm happy to say that these days I am very regular, the majority of the time I even go twice a day.

Sore Throat and Sinus:

Most mornings I would wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose, which would gradually ease as the day wore on, but it didn't make me feel too great.

Headaches:

After eating a food that didn't agree with me, I'd sometimes get such bad headaches, or migraines, that would make me feel nauseous and unable to operate properly.

Insomnia:

I have suffered from insomnia for the majority of my life. When I was younger I would not sleep for entire nights or I would wake up at 4am, with my mind racing, and not be able to go back to sleep. Later on it developed into fitful night sleeps, which always left me feeling like a zombie the next day. I am slowly getting better at sleeping through the night, but now in the morning I wake up feeling more refreshed than I have for a long time.

Being Dazed and Confused:

For quite a while I lived in my own little world, happy just to listen to the conversation that was taking place because it was too much of a mission to co-operate. It felt as though my mind was cloudy and so was my personality. My memory seemed to be going and I even struggled to remember simple words - therefore having a conversation really didn't make much sense. Yesterday, my friend Kerry commented on the fact that I am a bubblier person than I was and far less blah!

Feeling Sleepy After Meals:

At work, after meals, I constantly felt sleepy. I was so lethargic; I had to force myself to concentrate and to think straight. These days, I have energy througout the day and don't understand how I used to live the way I did. I have so much energy that I now go to gym after work, most days, come home and cook my meals and even find time to write on my blog! I am no longer the couch potato that I was!

Stress:

My life was ruled by stress. Sometime I'd struggle to cope with deadlines and bite fellow co-workers heads off because I was so stressed. My hands used to shake and I used to get heart palpitations as well. These days I am far less stressed, even though I have the same job. I now take everything in my stride and am a far nicer person to work with.

I have begun to listen to my body and look for the signs - as soon as I experience one of the above I know I have eaten something I am allergic to.

Eliminating the foods you are allergic to is hard at first - some days you will want to give up; take it from me, it does get easier as you start to find your feet and learn to adapt. If you have any of the symptoms above - I strongly advise you to go to a homeopath or dietician and to possibly have the ImuPro blood tests done.

Having the blood tests done has really changed my life and now you can see why! (I do not write this blog for any other reason, but to try and help people fix themselves and to start to feel as good as I do.)

I'd Kill For a Slice of Chocolate Cake!

I'm sure you've said the above at least once in your life, if not once a week :). I know I have, although my cravings were not for sweets, but rather for anything savoury.

In my previous post about oils, I briefly touched on cravings, so I thought I'd elaborate.

If you have type III allergies to foods, you might be aware that these foods can act like a drug, giving you a feeling of euphoria, or putting you on a high. This is how I lived for many years, without even realising it!

The foods you become allergic to are usually the foods you love the most - you may think that garlic is a strange food to be allergic to, but it'd make perfect sense if I told you that I used to eat it every day, sometimes twice a day (because of having leftovers for lunch). Your body builds up anti-bodies against these offending foods, which find their way into the blood stream through perforations, such as ulcers in the intestinal wall. In other words, the more you eat the foods, the more your body fights them, creating a constant battle in your body.

But, oblivious to what these foods are doing to your body, you crave them more; hooked on the way they make you feel. Although, as the saying goes, what goes up, must come down... And boy, did I hate the downs, therefore I would subconsciously eat more, to try and keep that feeling. My cravings never seemed to go away; I'd dream about devouring a packet of crisps while at work and when I came home, I'd do it!

I started buying salted pretzels because I thought they'd be healthier for me, but the wheat in them actually made things worse, as did the yeast in rice cakes and "Vita Snacks." But I couldn't seem to stop myself, I was out of control; hooked on the feeling.

Today, since eliminating the foods from my diet, I no longer have intense cravings - it actually feels like something is missing, but I convince myself that it's a good thing :).

Being allergic to dairy means that most chocolates are out, although some dark chocolates, such as Lindt do not contain milk, therefore a few squares are ok to eat every now and again. (Always read the ingredients though).

A good replacement for chips that contain yeast are flavoured nachos - you can buy these at Dischem or Health Shops, but just double check that the flavourants do not contain yeast.

After a few weeks of eliminating the toxic foods from your diet, take it from me, your cravings will have diminished considerably, if not have gone entirely. You will be satisfied with a piece of fruit, a handful of popcorn, some roasted chickpeas or nachos with a dip.

Don't despair, there are also many desserts you can make or eat that don't contain dairy, eggs, glutens or yeast - the one that springs to mind is tofu ice cream - this is as creamy as a normal ice cream - you won't even know the difference!

If you have your own craving experiences, please share them with us!

Liquid Gold

By now, I'm sure you're aware of the huge role that oils play in my diet. Because I am allergic to dairy, butter and margarine have now become a no no. A simple thing like mashed potato has to be reinvented to suit my diet.

That is why I LOVE Willow Creek Oils!! Just because my lifestyle has changed, I refuse to sacrifice on flavour. Food is still my passion no matter what my limitations are - therefore I need to enjoy it - otherwise there is actually no point in living - I might as well pack up now and go home...

"Willow Creek Estate lies in the Nuy Valley, in the Western Cape. Overlooked by the Rabie Mountain which forms part of the Langeberg Mountain range, the farm has been in the Rabie family since the late 1700s when it was first cultivated by Johannes Stephanus Rabie. His descendant, Andries Rabie, planted the first olive trees in 1999 and in 2002 the first oil was pressed.

In November 2002, with the goal of facilitating large scale expansion, Cape Town entrepreneur and owners of Alomzicht Olive Estate, Johan Pretorius, and his wife Mariette, became partners in the Willow Creek brand – forging a partnership with global potential and aspirations." http://www.willowcreek.co.za/

The Lemon-Infused Olive Oil is made by infusing the Willow Creek Extra Virgin Olive Oil with natural oils extracted from lemon rind. The lemon flavour zings and bursts on the tongue and is yet smooth and subtle at the same time. I love it with fresh asparagus, in dips such as hummus and butterbean, on warm crushed baby potatoes, as a marinade with fish, lamb chops, chicken, on salads, in fact I could go on and on. This olive oil in my opinion goes pretty much with anything.

The Basil-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil is equally as versatile and delicious. It has a fresh, summery flavour with an intense punch of basil - it cries out to be sloshed lovingly onto Mediterranean foods such as a caprese salad, used as a base in pestos, to finish off risottos and in marinades for fish, chicken, lamb and beef.

These oils can be bought from most supermarkets such as Checkers, Pick 'n Pay and Woolies.

My entire supply of oils has grown dramatically since I began my collection with one bottle of avo oil back in October last year; each one is as valuable to me as any precious metal. Healthy oils such as these are essential fatty acids and are important for the body, ironically enough in the right quantity, they even boost fat-burning.

Polyunsaturated fats found in seeds, their oils or fatty fish, are used by the brain and nerves, boost immunity, balance hormones and promote healthy skin. In fact, these fats are far better for you than butter and margarine and even when I am able to eat them again, I will still leave them out of my diet - as I do not miss them one bit. The reason for this is that because our bodies need these essential fats to perform functions, we have fat receptors in our mouths, which register if we have eaten what we need or not. We crave fats in the same way we crave sugar, but only when we eat the right fats do our bodies stop craving them. That is why you might get a craving for slap chips or a burger - but once eaten, you will still crave the fats, until you give your body what it really needs - healthy fats.

Omega-3 fats are found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines as well as pumpkin seeds and walnuts and their oils - these help to control metabolism and fat-burning. Omega-6 fats are found in sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds and their oils and are especially good for healthy skin and hormonal balance. Omega-9 fats are found in olive oil, almonds and walnuts and they help to stabilise blood sugar levels. It is best to use these oils in their natural state where ever possible. (Taken from The Holford Low-GL Diet).

Dischem has a good selection of oils, but you can also buy them from most supermarkets or health shops.

Pork Chops with Butterbean and Potato Mash:

Ingredients:

• Pork Chops
• Willow Creek Lemon-Infused Olive Oil
• Herbal Salt
• Dried Rosemary
• Dried Chilli
• Tin of Butterbeans
• 4 medium sized Potatoes

Directions:

• Brush the chops lightly with the olive oil
• Sprinkle with herbal salt, rosemary and chilli
• Grill in the oven until the rind is crispy (15 to 20 mins)

For The Mash:

• Peel and cut potatoes into rough cubes and boil until soft
• Drain liquid
• Blend a tin of butter beans with the boiled potatoes in a blender
• Add a generous amount of lemon infused olive oil to the mixture
• Season with herbal salt and chilli
• The butterbeans create a creamy texture, therefore the use of milk is totally unnecessary

Serve with tender stem broccoli

A Match Made in Heaven

One of the foods I miss the most is a simple toasted cheese and tomato. Cheese and tomato, to me, is a match made in heaven - two ingredients that are quite boring apart, just seem to ignite in a burst of flavour when paired together.

On my trip to Fruits and Roots, I found something called No-D Cheese, which is a dairy free alternative to cheese; made from baby marrow, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, agar agar (a natural binding agent made from seaweed) and non-iodised salt. This product is made by Free Food.

On the packet it promises to grate, cube and melt and I was willing to put it to the test.

The likeness test: It looks like cheese, like mozzarella or a white cheddar. It feels like cheese, when still in its packaging, (when taken out of the packaging it is a little wet.) It slices like cheese.

The taste test: Unfortunately, it falls short of the real taste of cheese; it doesn't have that creamy tang that I love, instead it has a strong taste of olive oil, but all will be forgiven if it melts!

The melting test: It melts!

The toasted sandwich test: Also while visiting Fruits and Roots, I acquired a sour dough bread, which does not contain any added yeast - made from buckwheat, millet and rye, another option would be sour dough rice bread (rye is a gluten, but one that I wasn't highly allergic to - 4 months have past without eating rye in my diet - therefore I can introduce it back and study my body to see if there is a reaction).

Armed with my arsenal of sour dough bread, no-d cheese, a tomato and toasted sandwich machine - I was
ready for action...

I am pleased to say that my healthy alternative to a toasted cheese and tomato did the trick for me. Hooray! In my opinion all the flavours work hand in hand to create a sandwich almost on the same level as my all-time favourite. Now, I can live with that!