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Showing posts from October, 2012

Reaction to Electric Space Heater

This morning—thankfully it’s the weekend—had some difficulty waking up. Just felt really tired. When I finally got up and looked into the mirror, wow, surprise! My eyes, especially my right eye was very swollen. I knew immediately what happened as this had happened a couple of years before I got systemic candida. swollen eyelid again ... a space heater reaction At that time, I didn’t have floor heat in my one-room so used a space heater. Then one day when I woke up, both of my eyes had almost swollen shut. I was so ashamed to go anywhere, but did go to the store immediately and bought a long duck-billed baseball cap and wore it low for three days as I waited for the swelling to go down. I also went immediately to the hospital to consult with docs about what the hey was happening. Allergy testing was recommended because I had cats and the docs all thought it was them. Nope, I would have reacted long ago or at least had some hint, but I did test for cats, mold and a couple other t

Leftover Lentil Soup

In my house there just is no adherence to the food culture of "breakfast foods" in the a.m., cultural breakfast foods like milk and cereal, eggs and toast with orange juice and coffee, pop tarts (actually, why is that even a "food"???), biscuits or muffins spread with jams or jelly, sausage or bacon. Not one of these foods with the exception of gluten-free biscuits or muffins could safely be put between the teeth of a person with candida. Candida requires lots of green chlorophyll, low acid, hormone-free and bacteria-free, sugar- and gluten-free and of course low-carb ... and with that combination the expected outcome is nixed breakfast fruits (ah, the sugar!), breakfast breads and toasts (oh, the carbs!), breakfast drinks (yikes, no orange juice and double yikes, no coffee or most teas!), meats especially pork (yow, the bacteria, hormones or even food additives in the processed meats). When people hear what I don't eat, they're shocked and of course I get

The Value of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (not just any apple cider vinegar but the raw organic that still has the "mother", the beneficial sediment) is said to be a natural remedy for many ailments and a powerful cleansing agent and legendary weight reduction catalyst. Traces of apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been discovered in Egyptian urns as far back as 3000 B.C. Babylonians used it as a condiment and preservative, while Julius Caesar's army used an apple cider vinegar tonic to stay healthy and fight off disease. The Greeks and Romans kept vinegar vessels for healing and flavoring. In Babylonians times apple cider vinegar was used an as antiseptic and a healing agent, and it is mentioned in the Bible. In 400 B.C. Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) knew about apple cider vinegar's antibiotic properties and recommended it to his patients for its healing properties. In Paris in the Middle Ages it was sold from barrels by street vendors as a body deodorant, healing tonic and deli

Zucchini in the Pizza Crust

My blog has several versions of pizza crust, some with oats (a gluten) and some without. Initially, I could eat oats but not other glutens, but one day after I ate it my ears had "airplane pressure" for days afterwards. Well, I quickly linked that to the oats after eating oatmeal a couple more times in the a.m. Now I'm completely gluten-free.   This pizza crust is gluten-free and made principally from quinoa, millet and zucchini. Over the past several months I've been experimenting with vegetables mixed with flours to soften the flour and aid with digestion and also to displace some of that heavy flour as my digestive (because of the candida) is so stressed. I've found that vegetables like liquified zucchini or riced cauliflower make excellent crusts for vegie pies and casserole crusts. I'm still in the early stages of experimenting with alternative gluten-free crusts, but here are three others I've made: Pizza/Pie Crust (for rolling - has oats, a gluten)

Cinnamon-Ginseng Cooler

Cinnamon is an anti-fungal and supposedly helps with the elimination of candida. Ginseng boosts the immune system, but in the Asian culture, ginseng is used for some people and not for others, reflecting its yin-yang characteristics. Supposedly I am a yang, which doesn't say that I am masculine, but references my strong active characteristics and internal system. People with yang shouldn't be further stimulated, but we'll see if ginseng helps in any way with candida. Maybe it has neutral effect for that, at least that's my guess. Anyway, I wanted a cool drink this past summer so brewed me a batch of tea to refrigerate. It turned out nicely! This one could go either way, as a refreshing summer cooler or as a warmer for the winter. Asian medicine would only refer to this as a warmer because it stimulates the blood. Cinnamon-Ginseng Cooler 1 12" stick of cinnamon 1 medium ginseng root 2-3 star anise 12 cloves 1 1/2 liters water Let slow cook in the crockpot for 8-10 h

Onion-Vegie Quiche

Quiche Crust   When making the Cauliflower-Walnut "Meatballs" , converting some of the recipe into a quiche crust felt doable. (A pizza crust with a seed paste and sliced tomatoes would be awesome too I think.) Anyway, I greased a pie dish with coconut oil and dusted it with garbanzo bean flour in hopes that the pie wouldn't stick. And then I pressed a wad of "dough" into the pan to form a uniform basin. Quiche Filling 4 eggs, beat well 1 large onion, sliced small 5-10 cherry tomatoes sliced small and/or tiny bits of dried tomatoes 10 sesame leaves, scissored finely 1 stalk celery, finely sliced in moons 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder sea salt Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. This was a shallow dish quiche so I didn't want to overcook the eggs but wanted the crust done. With this in mind, I baked the crust first for 10 minutes and then added the egg and vegie mixture and baked everything together the remaining 25 minutes.

Black Bean Chili - vegan style

Black Bean Chili - vegan style 3 cups black beans, cooked black bean broth to liberally cover the cooked beans 1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil 1 medium onion, finely diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 tomato, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 large chunk ginger, diced 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons turmeric 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 - 1 avocado, diced (optional)   Bring the black beans to a light boil, then add the diced onion, garlic cloves and ginger along with the coconut oil. Let cook 5 minutes, then add the diced celery, spices and seasonings. Cook another 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add in the diced tomatoes and chopped parsley. Stir together and serve while the colors are brilliant and the fresh taste, and the vitamins are at their height. If desired, serve with diced avocado. After turning off the heat, the vegies were added to the seasoned black beans to keep their nutrients and flavors alive. And

Basil Pesto

Basil pesto on pizza! On socca ! Or just a small spoonful! Wow, better than tomato sauce which at times is still a bit inflammatory for me as tomatoes are a nightshade and excite inflammation, particularly for people with rheumatoid problems. I seem to fall in that category so by using basil or other pesto on pizza, I get a power flavor fix :) but then everyone in my family loves it! And it's great as a vegie topper! Basil Pesto 2 cups parsley, packed 8 cups basil, packed 3/4 cup olive oil 3/8 cup lemon juice 7 cloves garlic 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 1/2 cup almond meal To make, blend all ingredients in a BlendTec except almond oil. When ingredients become smooth and creamy, add almond meal and blend in. Surplus freezes well, and we stock our freezer for the winter with many cups of our prized pesto.  Basil pesto on socca - also pictured is a cabbage stir-fry

Potassium, Vital for Cell Development

In our fast food and convenient instant food world today, millions are suffering the consequences of the commercialized, processed foods that by their denaturing are potassium deficient. In result, skin and muscle tone become bad, the flesh does not cling firmly to the body's bony framework, lines and wrinkles fill the face and skin. One common ailment visible in many today is the prolapsing eyelids, that is, flabby excess skin starts to hang over the eye and making thousands turn to eyelid surgery every year. Droopy eyelids, wrinkled skin and loss of skin and muscle tone are the signs of potassium deficiency, not specifically related to the aging process. Too bad potatoes are too starchy for me ... but there so many other vegies that I CAN eat (see below!) Potassium helps prevent hair loss, brittle teeth and nails, sinusitis, runny nose, toxic waste in the body, plus stunted growth. Potassium is vital for cell production and cell growth as well as the maintenance of th

Gluten-free Cream Puff Pastries

adapted from Chocolate Profiteroles in Desserts: Mouthwatering Recipes for Delectable Dishes (1997) Cream Puff Pastry 1/2 cup quinoa flour 1/4 cup white rice flour 1/4 teaspoon sea salt pinch of cardamom 6 tablespoons coconut oil 3 eggs 3/4 cup water 1. preheat over to 350F 2. Sift dry ingredients together 3. In medium saucepan, bring coconut oil and water to a boil. Remove from heat and add in dry ingredients. Beat for 1 minutes until mixture starts to pull away from the pan. Put over low heat and cook mixture together for 2 minutes, beating constantly. Remove from heat. 4. Beat one egg in a small bowl and set aside. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, to the mixture. Mix well then add beaten egg gradually. Dough should be smooth and shiny and fall by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. 5. Drop by tablespoons (x12) on a sprayed cookie sheet, well spaced. Bake 25-30 minutes until pastry has risen and browned. 6. Turn off oven and let puff. Cool with door cracked. [Oops! I opened the d