Tuesday = Day 9

In talking about how we're feeling now that we're in week two, we agreed that this challenge is becoming less challenging and that we're starting to see some of the benefits - we feel more energized/less lethargic, are sleeping more soundly, are less congested/sneezy and feeling generally "cleaner". The sneezy thing might seem like an odd benefit, but we've heard from people who are lactose intolerant that they constantly feel congested. Here are other symptoms of lactose intolerance from about.com (http://foodallergies.about.com/od/dairy/p/dairyallergies.htm):

Dairy allergies may appear with a wide variety of symptoms, including hives (urticaria), eczema, chronic congestion, and diarrhea. Lactose intolerance, like many other dietary intolerances, causes gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating, cramping, and diarrhea.

I sneeze(d) so much, that I asked David a couple of weeks ago to estimate how many sneezes I had to his one sneeze ... and he responded "about 50-80" - whoa! Previously, I sneezed and sniffed at work all day long. I still sniff and sneeze some, but not nearly as much. I'm allergic to a ton of other things too, including sweet Mouser who I refuse to not cuddle up with.

Generally, we're not feeling deprived and we're certainly not feeling malnourished. We're being more disciplined with our vitamins and supplements than ever before, and we're feasting on healthy, yummy stuff.

For dinner tonight, we had Spicy Bean and Lentil Loaf, from Vegetarian Cooking by Linda Fraser, and Bitter Greens with Paprika, from 125 Best Vegetarian Recipes - the photo of the finished product isn't so appetizing (I need to work on my table presentation), but it's mighty flavorful. Here are the recipes:

SPICY BEAN & LENTIL LOAF

Prep Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes (inc. 1 hour cooking time)

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. olive oil (we used water and veggie broth)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
14 oz can kidney beans
14 oz can lentils
1 "egg" (1/4 c. silken tofu blended with 1 tbs. flour works well)
1 carrot coarsely grated
1/2 c. finely grated cheddar "cheese"
1 c. whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 tbs. tomato paste
1 tbs. ketchup
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. hot chili powder
salt and pepper

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease loaf pan.

Heat oil/water/broth; add onion, garlic, celery and cook gently for five minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain beans and lentils, and then place in blender/food processor. Add onion, garlic and celery and "egg" and process until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Spoon mixture into loaf pan and level the surface.

Bake for one hour.

BITTER GREENS WITH PAPRIKA

Prep time: approximately 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch bitter greens, thoroughly washed (kale, rapini, dandelion etc.)
2 tbs. olive oil (1 tbs. worked fine)
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. drained capers

METHOD

Bring pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, cut stalks of washed greens in half, keeping the top halves together and separately, the lower halves together.

Once water is boiling, add lower halves of stalks and return to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalk.

Then, add upper halves of stalks and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Drain greens and rinse under cold water and set aside.

In a large skillet, combine oil, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, over high or medium high for one minute.

Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add drained greens and stir fry for 2 minutes, folding to distribute garlic and spices evenly.

Reduce heat.

Stir in lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in capers.


A couple of things to note about the lentil loaf before I share some of the benefits of kale. I haven't made this recipe in a year or two and so made a couple of mistakes. First, I added all of the beans
from the cans, instead of holding back a little - each can was 15 oz, not 14 as the recipe called for. Next, I didn't blend the tofu with flour when replacing the egg, oops! Then, I decided not to transfer the puree from the processor to a bowl - I thought, why would I mix it by hand instead of with the processor? Because it turns it all into puree, that's why. All of these choices made for a mighty flavorful but mushy loaf - which is why it doesn't look loaf-like in the photo. Done correctly, it looks just like meatloaf ... and tastes so much better!

OK, on to the health benefits of kale. These facts, of course, are from The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray. He says:

Nutritional Highlights: Kale is among the most highly nutritious vegetables. It is an excellent source of carotenes, vitamins C and B6, and manganese. In fact, one cup of kale supplies more than 70% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C, with only 20 calories. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, as well as many minerals, including copper, iron and calcium. In addition, it is a very good source of vitamins B1, B2 and E.

Health Benefits: Kale has almost three times as much calcium as phosphorus, which is a very beneficial ratio since high phosphorous consumption has been linked to osteoporosis because it reduces the utilization and promotes the excretion of calcium.

As members of the cabbage family, kale and collards exhibit the same sort of anticancer properties as other members. Kale is also extremely high in chlorophyll and carotenes, especially beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.