Savory Lentil Rhubarb Stew

Rhubarb is another one of the hallmarks of spring.  But it requires so much sugar to make it tasty that I don't use much of it anymore.  So my rhubarb plant has been burgeoning with the stuff.   Then I remembered that a few years ago the local Rhubarb Festival (yea, yea, I know -you are wondering what a Rhubarb Fest is all about) printed some of their best recipes in the newspaper and had included a savory rhubarb lentil  dish of some kind. Where did I put that red folder of rhubarb recipes? And why do I remember a funky recipe when I can't remember what I went downstairs for two minutes ago?  Yep, there was the red rhubarb recipe folder next to my stack of cookbooks.  And there was that recipe for combining rhubarb and lentils. Looking more carefully at the recipe from the June 22, 2005 issue of Duluth News Tribune, I realized this recipe of international intrigue wasn't submitted by a local cook, rather it was by the great culinary guru Mark Bittman.  Definitely worth trying if this renown chef said it was good. An added enticement for me was the use of East Indian spices, which I love.  Mark Bittman made the point that rhubarb is really a vegetable, so it is well suited to a savory dish rather than only pie.   So I gave it a try, and wowza.  Easy and tasty!  And I was lucky enough to have some cilantro growing in pots on the deck, thanks to my husband, Tom.  I might even share this healthy version of rhubarb with him.  Maybe.   


Ingredients:
3 - 4 stalks rhubarb, strings removed
      (about 2 cups chopped)
1 cup uncooked orange lentils, well-washed
2 tablespoons minced ginger                              
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon mustard seed
2 cloves
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 dried ancho or other mild chile, optional
salt to taste  (about 1/4 tsp)
chopped cilantro leaves (at least 1 tablespoon)

Preparation:
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients, except salt and cilantro and add water to cover by about 1 inch.  Cook at a steady simmer until the lentils and rhubarb are quite soft, 20 - 30 minutes.  Remove cloves and cardamom pods.  Add salt, then taste and adjust seasoning.  Add cilantro.  Puree if you want a smoother texture, but the wonder of orange lentils is that they are remarkably soft and cook quickly.  

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 4

Serving Size: 1 cup                                  
Calories: 206
Total Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium: 8 mg
Total Carbs: 35 g
Dietary Fiber: 17 g
Protein: 14

Strawberry Surprise

Sunny days on the deck are a thing of the past in Duluth - at least during the last seven days of torrential rains. So it was fun to see these photos I had taken earlier this month of a delightful pureed strawberry surprise.  I had enjoyed sliced strawberries with balsamic vinegar prior to my need for pureed food, so when I recently heard of adding black pepper to that already delightful combination of flavors, I was fascinated to try it with pureed strawberries.  Definite Pzazz!  Be daring...be surprised....be bold with your life and flavors.  


Ingredients:
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (high quality)
   (add a bit more if desired)
freshly ground pepper


Preparation:
Puree  the strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar in the blender.  Add freshly ground pepper to desired taste.  Don't be timid.  It really is delicious!


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 2                              
Serving Size: 1/4  cup                        
Calories: 42
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 1  mg
Total Carbs: 10 g
Dietary Fiber:  4 g
Protein: 0

Mango Coconut Dessert

Have you heard of an ataulfo mango?  My friend, Christal, shared one with me a few weeks ago and I was delightfully surprised by the lack of fibrous texture in this delicate golden yellow mango that is about half the size of the typical mango.   The texture was smooth and almost buttery.  So I purchased one a few days ago and looking at it this afternoon, I realized it needed to be used..... promptly.  I love how a mango turns frothy when pureed.  I also love the white violets blooming in the wooded part of my yard this morning.  

Ataulfo mango 

Ingredients:
1 ataulfo mango                                                        
1/4 cup plain non-fat Fage yogurt
2 teaspoons unsweetened finely shredded coconut          






Preparation:  

Peel and slice the mango.  You should have about 3/4 cup slices.

Peeled ataulfo mango

Puree it with the Fage yogurt and coconut in the blender.  

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: About 1 cup
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 25 mg
Total Carbs:  24 g

Peeled and sliced ataulfo mango
                                       

Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 7

Cucumber Spinach Frothy

Salads say "summer is here", and indeed, the forecast is for 70 degrees again today, and I am desiring a salad. But salads pose a high risk of causing a digestive tract blockage for me, so I made the next best thing - a green frothy drink.  Previous summers, I have "juiced" raw green vegetables, which extracts the fiber from them, and the juices made peace with my digestive system quite easily. But making green smoothies with raw vegetables is a bit of a new experiment for me, and now available because I have a VitaMix.  While the smoothie includes highly pulverized/pureed fiber, and meets my gastroenterologist's guideline for my food (if it can squeeze through a tube of toothpaste, it is safe for me to eat),  it is not cooked, so I am curious to see if my system will tolerate it or not.  While I know it won't create a digestive tract blockage, it may just race through my system.  If you don't see anymore posts on this blog for smoothies with raw green vegetables, you'll know the answer to that question without my having to bore you with the gory details. 


Sitting on the sunny deck sipping this nutrient-rich frothy drink nourished my joy today and gave me a much needed taste of summer.   

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cucumber (1/2 of a very large cuke)
1 cup loosely packed fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup water
lemon juice to taste

Preparation:   This is where the VitaMix really works wonders to sufficiently pulverize the vegetables so I don't need to worry about a possible digestive tract obstruction.    Put the cucumber, spinach, water, and lemon juice in the mighty VitaMix and process until it is frothy.  Sip in the sunshine, with clean, green gladness.


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cup            
Calories: 53
Total Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium:  32 mg
Total Carbs: 12 g
Dietary Fiber: 3
Protein: 3 g

Blueberry Mint Smoothie

Before Tom goes fishing each year, I make a ritual of cleaning out the freezer in anticipation of making room for a new batch of walleyes.  So this year when I was cleaning the freezer, I discovered two bags of organic blueberries and you would have thought I had won the lottery.  YeeHa!   I had struck it rich! At least rich in delectable, beautiful blueberries.  And today the temperature in Duluth was nearly 70 degrees, prompting me to make something refreshing.  Time to whip up something new. What did I have to compliment the taste of the blueberries?  Ah...the mint that is quickly growing in my herb garden would be perfect, along with some kefir. 


If you aren't familiar with kefir, it is a cultured milk drink, and a great source of probiotics.  Probiotics are helpful for digestion, as well as for the immune system.  My favorite brand of kefir is Nancy's Organic Low-fat Plain kefir.  This particular brand contains 13 live culture strains.  I don't tolerate normal milk products, but cultured milk products are entirely different. Like yogurt, the live cultures in kefir are helpful for digestion and I need all the help I can get.  


But as I sat on the deck in the warm sunshine sipping this delightful smoothie, I wasn't thinking about it's nutritional and digestive merits.  I was simply savoring the moment.  

Ingredients:
1 cup plain low-fat kefir  (or less if you like a thicker consistency)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
About 6 -8 fresh mint leaves


Preparation:
Process it all together in a blender, making sure the blueberry skins and mint leaves are completely pulverized.


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 151 mg
Total Carbs: 26 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 11

The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation

First daffodil of 2012

I have one single daffodil blooming in my front garden today midst the fog and the 45 degree weather.  It signals hope and persistence to me, as it pokes its way through the brown downtrodden soil, appearing in its cheerful bright yellow.  The encouragement for how to live is apparent.   There are also peony stalks heralding the coming of full beautiful blooms several weeks from now.  Patience, persistence, and cheerfulness - attributes I need to cultivate further in my life. So many of life's challenges - cancer, finances, remodeling projects - provide opportunities for growth if I am open to them and trust the process for awakening, rather than for particular outcomes.    

In my quest for more insight into living well with my type of neuroendocrine tumor, I discovered another fabulous organization, the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation.

Emerging Peony

The website for the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation includes comprehensive and up-to-date information about the varieties of neuroendocrine tumors, as well as information about physicians who specialize in these types of tumors.  It also provides information about support groups, treatment, clinical trials, national conferences, and a wide variety of other resources. Access to professional presentations on this site has been a great source of education and intellectual invigoration for me. Ah, yes, hope, persistence, patience and cheerfulness  can be found in many and varied forms.

Hot Broccoli Tofu Dip

For supper tonight, I made cooked tofu and had also pureed broccoli and decided to throw it together because I was too lazy to wash two bowls.  Surprise, surprise. It was delicious! I sprinkled crushed baked tortilla chips on it to add some crunch, or could have scooped up the dip with the chips.   It was definitely ethnically confused : Mexican tortilla chips, East Indian curry and turmeric, and Asian soy sauce and tofu.  It could also be stuffed into a pita pocket bread, adding a mid-Eastern influence, too.  Does this snack qualify as "fusion cuisine"?  


Ingredients:
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup water
1 pkg (12.3 oz) soft tofu
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Kikoman reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons coconut oil


Preparation:
Drain/squeeze excess water from the tofu.  Mash it up with the seasonings and soy sauce, and let it sit for about 15 minutes to meld the flavors.  Heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the tofu and cook it for about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  I like the tofu to get almost crispy fried, but you can cook it to your heart's fancy.  Tofu is ready to eat without cooking, but the cooking process more thoroughly melds all of the flavors. While the tofu is cooking, put the broccoli and water in a 4-cup glass measuring container and microwave on high power until the broccoli is tender, which is about 10 minutes in my 1984 microwave.  (Don't laugh. My 27 year-old refrigerator still works, too.)   Puree with an immersion blender in the glass measuring cup.  Then stir in the tofu.  Adjust seasonings to match your mood.  Scoop it into a bowl and throw in a few crispy baked chips or similar to give it some crunch.  (The extra garnish is not included in the nutritional analysis.)  Or stuff it into a pita pocket before you stuff it in your mouth.

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 2
Serving Size: About 1 cup
Calories: 189
Total Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 309 mg
Total Carbs: 15 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Protein: 14 g