Hello Daaly

I'm guessing most people don't get excited about lentils, but they don't know what they're missing.

I've made 3-4 different kinds of daal, the ubiquitous Indian lentil dish, and don't have a favorite because they are all wonderful. The common thread between them and what makes them particularly flavorful: sprinkle cumin seeds in the hot oil before you add your onions and garlic. Wait until they pop and turn toasty brown before adding anything else.

Here is today's:

Indian Red Lentil Daal

I didn't have peppers and I forgot to add the lemon at the end, but it was quite wonderful. I cooked 1 cup of lentils in 3 cups liquid which included about a cup of the bone broth I made last week.

Beans are part of the daily checklist. The regular daily recommendation by Dr. Greger is 3 servings of 1/3 to 1/2 cup per day. Or something along those lines. We are never going to make it up to that number ever day, but lentils and black beans make it possible to have some every day.

I read somewhere that when broccoli and tomatoes are cooked together some kind of magical anti-cancer substance is created so I also made this:

Broccoli with Turmeric and Tomatoes (see subtitle of this blog)

I didn't have quite as much broccoli as this called for so I cut back a little on the turmeric -- even so I added cumin so the turmeric flavor wouldn't be quite so powerful. 

I also added the bag of local arugula that I had waiting for me in the crisper -- also a crucifer, surprisingly.

Remember not to cook the broccoli until it rolls over and dies. It should stand up for itself or it loses the incredible nutritional value. I try to cook broccoli less than 6 minutes.

I looked at the plate I was giving Lindy: the daal, the broccoli and leftover beans'n'greens from yesterday and I thought, where's the calories! I added a generous handful of feta atop the broccoli. Tomorrow the boy gets meat.

Lisa

An update and 3 recipes

Happy parents at Francie's graduation

Yeesh! Haven't posted in awhile! Things have gotten busy, between graduations and graduation parties and comings and goings, various doctor's appointments and many activities.

Also, just sorta knuckling down to the daily mundane activity of being a cancer patient's wife.

Nothing makes me feel better than when I do those daily routine things, like preparing his fruit/CBD/flaxseed/whipped cream gooey mid-morning snack; giving him his twice-daily supplements; checking off his daily nutrition on my checklist.

The days when I check most of the boxes are days of triumph for me. The days when only one or two get checked off are a cause for some worry and stress. We are constantly hashing out our differences when it comes to the promises of anti-cancer nutrition and supplements.

His difficulty eating has gotten a little worse, but we're not convinced this is because of any increase in tumor size. Apparently it's a nerve thing; something triggers hiccups, which triggers a flood of both saliva and mucus. Sometimes it's manageable; sometimes he has to simply stop eating. Very hard to narrow in on what works and what doesn't but there are some consistent foods that are safe.

Pot helps. Last night he had a fraction of a cookie and ate my bowl of mixed greens with beans, tomatoes and Indian spices with brown Basmati rice with great relish. The problem was he was still hungry. did I say problem? Not a problem. He rooted through the fridge for the peanut butter and jelly. My heart leaped.

Brown Basmati rice is, from what I've heard, the brown rice that tested with the lowest amount of arsenic.

By the way, I'm always a little worried about my own health. I have my first-ever colonoscopy on June 25, accompanied by an upper GI scope. I won't breathe easily until that passes uneventfully. And after that I'm going to make sure to eat the most colon-healthy food I can possibly muster. Not that I don't now; but with a clean slate I will work hard to keep my colon clean as a whistle.

Lindy missed a week of chemo in May due to a business trip to Baltimore; then the next week, he had to postpone his treatment because of low immunity numbers. We met with our naturopath and kicked into high gear with the immunity-building regime. I made bone broth for the first time, and distributed it among 2 ice cube trays and one large container, after making a beautiful beef stew. Both the naturopath and oncologist recommend he eat meat. Pasture-raised, happy cows and chickens and lambies.  The broth I will use to make stuff like rice and sauteed greens and other stuff -- he's not real into the idea of drinking a mug of the stuff.

Last week his white blood count was way up, to everyone's satisfaction; of course, we're not sure if it was just the time needed to recover, or if it was the astragalus, mushroom, and other supplements, in addition to the bone broth and all the meat, that did it.

A few recipe recommendations:

Spicy Beans with Wilted Greens
This was terrific and enjoyed by all. I made it with black beans instead of white, as black is a family favorite and white not particularly loved. The parmesan rind made it kind of wonderful. We used canned beans so the whole thing didn't cook together for hours, as in the recipe, but it was still great.

Did you know that canned beans have the same nutrition content as dried/soaked/cooked at home? I also found that my co-op has non-BPA cans. Win-win. Dried are better, however, if you don't like mushy beans.

Restaurant-Style Saag Paneer
This recipe rocked, but we did change it up a bit. I mixed in baby kale and arugula, both crucifers, which Lindy isn't crazy about but I didn't tell him until days after he had it. He was very surprised! I actually think adding those new flavors made it better. I also added some farm-stand chard as well. Another win-win.

Chocolate Cake with Dates (instead of white sugar)
I've made this a couple of times. Takes some getting used to, but it's good! Trouble is, Lindy eats one slice. Sweets don't really tempt him all that much. So Francie and I end up eating most of it. Note: It really is better after a day in the fridge.

So we keep muddling along. We vacillate between worry, stress, love, joy, concern, and companionship. We have fun; we cry together. But life, as Lindy says....she is ongoing.

Lisa

Vegan mac'n'cheese?

Photo credit: Mattie Hagedorn

Well, considering my last post about dairy, and my reading about beta glucans, a phytochemical in nutritional yeast that is an amazing immune system builder, it's not going to be a surprise that I made vegan mac'n'cheese yesterday.

I read that nutritional yeast tastes a bit like cheese but I had no memory of that from my popcorn-eating days. And of course -- readers of this blog won't be surprised to hear -- Lindy hates nutritional yeast.

So here's what I started with: Nutritional Yeast Cheese Sauce.

I didn't use dried mustard; we always put Dijon in our mac and cheese so I mixed that in. Also I added black pepper and red pepper flakes. Later I added lemon juice. I think that was critical in eliminating the more unpleasant side of the taste of nutritional yeast.

It did taste cheesy, i have to say that. I liked it, but then, I like everything.

Earlier in the day I roasted 2 red peppers on the stove, a time-consuming but gratifying activity. I just held the peppers right on the gas jet until they were entirely black, then I scraped the black off. Run them under water to get the black scraps off and they look just like jarred red peppers only they aren't as well done. Really tasty though.

So I fried a chopped onion and some sliced garlic and some sliced mushrooms, sliced the red peppers and threw them in, added a whole bunch of spices like parsley, basil, oregano and thyme.

I sent the kids to the Brooks co-op to get some kind of veggie-based elbow pasta, and they came back with brown rice pasta. It said to boil it for 15 minutes, but that's ridiculous. It was way overdone. I'll watch more carefully next time.

The "cheese" sauce was a bit thick by then so I added some almond milk to thin it, then combined the veggies, the sauce and the pasta. I separated some out for Francie, the vegan, and added parmesan cheese on the top of the non-vegan one, just for some real-cheese vibes. On top of hers I put panko.

I forgot hers was in the oven. It was way overdone. I haven't heard yet if she found it palatable. Eli and I really liked it though (ours wasn't overdone.)

Lindy came home from his business trip late last night. After some equivocating, I ended up telling him the secret ingredient in the vegan mac'n'cheese. He has his doubts, but he hasn't tried it yet. Further bulletins as events warrant.

Lisa