Iskiate!

I have a new nutritional drink of choice.....Iskiate, basically chia seeds and limonade/lemonade. Remember chia pets? Same seeds but without growing grass hair on figurines. The idea came from reading Born To Run just like my new interest in barefoot running.

"For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only bring the Chia seed for their nourishment."

Turns out chia seeds are like super powered flax seeds. They have slightly less Omega-3 and Omega-6 than flax seeds but the fatty acids are much easier for your body to absorb in chia seeds, no chewing necessary (Click here for a nutritional break down). They also are a good source of calcium and fiber....plus protein and antioxidants... ooo la la.
















FYI, Chia seeds will absorb 9 times it’s weight in water in less than 10 minutes creating a kind of jelly/slimey substance. All in all I give it * * * * * stars, I think I found my morning drink of choice.

Iskiate (serving size - 1 glass)
8 oz of water
2.0-2.5 teaspoons of Chia Seeds
1 lime to squeeze
2 teaspoons of sugar
Mix water, sugar, and juice from the lime until dissolved. Add Chia Seeds and shake or stir. Serve it chilled.

Vibram Five Fingers

I have known about the Vibram Five Fingers for almost a year now. One of my fellow Peace Corps friends runs barefoot all the time, including long distances like marathons. Plus there have been numerous articles about the benefits of barefoot running. However, it wasn't until I read "Born to Run" that I was convinced. I was inspired by the stories of people ditching the popular way of running and discovering their knee or other running based injuries ended. Even more so, I was motivated by the stories of tribes that have been running 100s of mile for years without any pain.

In the book they also discuss how The Human Body Is Built for Distance. The reason there are so many running related injuries is because of bad running form and overly cushioned shoes.

After doing further research, I decided if I want to reduce my knee pain and run a marathon one day, I need to go back to the basics. I need to stop running with my heels and utilize the balls of my feet. I am hoping Vibram Five Fingers helps to strength my feet and redirects more natural running gait. I've only worn them once, so no review yet. But I will be sure to write about it in a month or so.....

"Many experts believe the shoes we wear not only cast the foot in a protective form, but also weaken our foot and leg muscles, leaving them underdeveloped and more prone to injury. And while there are many occasions where traditional footwear is essential for protection, safety, and security, it is equally important to stimulate and exercise the foot in a more natural state on a regular basis........Motion studies demonstrate that when running barefoot, one naturally lands on the forefoot, directly below your center of gravity. This results in optimum balance, increased stability, less impact, and greater propulsion. According to Dr. Ivo Waerlop of the Vibram Biomechanics Advisory Board, “Running in FiveFingers improves agility, strength, and equilibrium, plus it delivers sensory feedback that allows runners to make immediate corrections in their form. This greatly improves running efficiency.”" Vibram Five Finger Website

"But for all the technological advances promoted by the industry — the roll bars, the computer chips and the memory foam — experts say the injury rate among runners is virtually unchanged since the 1970s, when the modern running shoe was introduced. Some ailments, like those involving the knee and Achilles’ tendon, have increased." Wiggling Their Toes at the Shoe Giants
By AMY CORTESE (NY Times)

July 2012 update - My knee pain is much better. I only use the shoes 1-2x a week and use my sneakers the other times. But I believe switching to running forefoot is the reason I was able to train and run my marathon in 2011 :)

Tofu Scramble

I made tofu scramble for the first time two weeks ago and have since made it 4 times. You can spice it anyway you want, I've tried cumin and curry style so far. Both made me happy and helped cure my tofu boredom. Just make sure you get some of the water out of the tofu first for the best taste.

I adapted Vegan with a Vengeance's recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients and I don't like nutritional yeast (which is sad because it's so nutritious ;)


Ingredients
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

spice blend:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking.

Lambsquarter and sunflower greens: Farmer's Market discoveries

I love farmer's markets almost as much as I love Whole foods (and for those of you who know me that's saying a lot). Something about all the fresh vegetables, fruits and beautiful flowers makes me happy. Plus I like meeting some of the farmers and workers who had a hand in producing my future nourishment.

I have been on the lookout for another super vegetable that tastes good enough so I could lessen my kale addiction. This Saturday I found it :)
Introducing Lamb's quarter (wild spinach).

"Lambsquarters is a close cousin to spinach, but far, far more nutritious. It ranks right up there with Dandelion, Watercress and Nettles as one of nature’s nutritional powerhouses. It has a mild, green flavor like our domestic greens. In fact it is a relative of Swiss chard, beets and a few exotic garden greens like orach, all in the Chenopodium family." 281% of your daily Vitamin A requirement, 111% Vitamin C, 1112% Vitamin K, 46% Calcium and 47% Manganese the list goes on.


The taste is similar to spinach, really close to "mchicha" a wild spinach I used to eat in Tanzania. I sauteed the lamb's quarter with some garlic and olive oil -> mmm. I highly recommend you try it. I will be revisiting Union Square's Farmer's Market to restock on some (plus their Kale is $0.50 cheaper ;)


Unfortunately, another purchase of mine caused some major buyer's remorse.... Dear, Sunflower greens: You taste mediocre and cost $6 for a 1/4 lb. I overlooked your high price because you are 25% protein. Just 3.5 ounces of your sprouted seeds contain 22.78 grams of protein. However, I had to force myself to eat a handful even after adding salad dressing.

Jokingly my fiance adds "When I eat them I can sense big sunflowers standing behind me and weeping because I am eating their children."

If you don't care about the price, it's still worth a try though. Because if you like the taste they still are an amazing source of plant based protein.

Raw food continued = beware the max

I took my fiancee to Raw Soul for his first raw vegan food experience. And we both realized there is a line between when you first start eating raw food and it's delicious then you crossover to feeling maxed out and the food no longer tastes good and in his case you feel slightly sick. It probably has something to do with our stomachs not being used to prepared raw foods and the huge amounts of walnuts used to make the "cheese" etc. So my advice is try raw vegan food in small amounts.

















Raw vegan Lasagna

















Raw vegan salmon pate wrap
















Raw vegan pizza

Daiya's Vegan Cheese

Thank you Daiya for releasing your marvelous cheese to the general public :)

I remember the first time I had a slice of pizza with Daiya cheese at Peacefood Cafe. I was so excited at how good it tasted I asked the chef and owner what cheese they used. He replied "Daiya, but it's not available via retail. Only restaurants etc can purchase it.". I remember the sadness that followed.

Eating a grilled cheese sandwich this morning, relishing the melty goodness, made me realize how much I had missed cheese since becoming a vegan. The other cheese options were sub-par, but Daiya is a winner. I feel like I need to make a mini pizza or baked ziti to celebrate.

General Tao's Tofu

Another recipe I found in VegNews. It was absolutely delicious and absolutely labor/time intensive. Alas, we need a bigger pan for frying the tofu and other cooking tools. But if you're willing to put in the preparation time for this you will be rewarded with a nice spicy sweet protein filled meal.

General Tao's Tofu

1 box of firm tofu

egg substitute for 1 egg

3/4 cup cornstarch

vegetable oil for frying

3 chopped green onions

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2/3 cup vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

4 Tablespoons sugar

red pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

steamed broccoli

Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.

Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add fried tofu and coat evenly.

Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.