Beany Ice Creamy

I found this recipe on Dr. Fuhrman's website, tried it, liked it, made a couple of corrections, and present it here.

The recipe on his website is for Strawberry Ice Cream made with aquafaba. Aquafaba is really just bean juice.

Yup, like we used to throw away after we cooked our beans.

The attraction is that this previous discard whips up like whipped cream, but without the fat, more stable than whipped cream and also replaces eggs. And with a beany taste and some of the nutritional benefits of beans. And no fat, cholesterol or high-grade animal protein that's really metabolic poison.

Weird, huh? But I like it and will make it again and again. No more wasted bean broth in my home.

Super delicious, cheap, healthy, flexible and useful ingredient, just my style.

Did I mention that I love eating this way?

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup Medjool, regular or chopped dates
1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 cup whipped aquafaba (see note)

Directions:
Blend dates with milk in high power blender until smooth. 
Add berries and blend.
Add banana and blend. 
Gently stir or fold in aquafaba.
Freeze in bread pan or similar, at least 2 hours. 
Scoop it up, add toppings (nuts, seeds) as desired.

Note: Whipped aquafaba is made with bean cooking liquid. Garbanzos (chick peas) are best with this recipe 'cause they're light colored, but with dark bean liquid we'll make chocolate mousse (another recipe on Dr. Fuhrman's website). He's also got quiche and frittata recipes, plus there's plenty more on the net.  

The juice from 1 can (3/4 cup) makes about 2 cups whipped aquafaba. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. Cool it to at least room temperature. Whip with a hand or stand mixer like whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. The bean juice from cooking your own beans is likely too thin, at least mine was. I started with a cup of bean liquid and reduced it 25% by microwaving in a big glass measuring cup. If when it cools down it's too thin (like syrup) then thicken it, if it's too stiff (like jello) then re-heat with a little added water.

I made this with raspberries the first time, and the intensity of the raspberries made the beany taste go away. We didn't freeze it the first time so it was more like pudding, but still delicious (this instruction was missing from Dr. Fuhrman's site, maybe we won't need this with more practice).

With strawberries the second time (using the rest of the previous night's batch) the beany taste was slight, but not a problem. Annette says it's like a fruit sherbet. Next time I'll try frozen blueberries or blackberries. I can hardly wait to cook more beans!

Plus I'll get my feet wet with aquafaba's other uses, like as an egg and fat replacement in meringues, pies, chocolate mousse, nougat and fudge, buttercream frosting, brownies, cookies, pancakes, butter, creamy dip, mayonnaise, and general egg and fat replacement in baking. And more.

I also love exploring, inventing and modifying new recipes. That's not essential to being a nutritarian, but in my case it helps.

New Understandings

AirMed Helicopter

From time to time I hear the machine-gun fast whomp-whomp-whomp of a helicopter like this one, taking off about  half a mile from my house.

It always reminds me of, well, me.

I was a difficult patient at the E.R. I didn't want air transport, didn't think it was necessary, and resented the huge bill that would come with the service. Unnecessary waste, in my opinion.

Feeble and stupid reasoning, I know.

So it turns out I was right based on the immediate outcome, because the interventional cardiologists at the University Hospital in Salt Lake couldn't do anything for me, but I understand and appreciate the reasoning behind the E.R. doctor's insistence. I even understand her not giving me appropriate medication, as in a dose of nitroglycerin.

Dr. Polokoff says I could have sued.

I just think the E.R. doctor was scared spitless about being sued the other way, for any possible negative consequences of not absolutely insisting I be transported by helicopter. It's the standard of care, after all.

Just not my standard.

But what would you expect after walking into a hospital emergency room? Choices? Nope. Mention that this was overkill and hope to be taken seriously? Never. You give up all rights to self resolution when you walk in to the E.R. and sign the papers, and scare your wife to death that you'll die in the car with her driving and she'll likely have a fatal accident..

Sigh.

But I'm glad for, and would never do without, my ornery self-reliant attitude, my sense that I will overcome this by learning and doing better. The good doctor's resistance to my suggestions only made that resolve stronger, after all.

And I very much appreciate the doctors at the U. of U. Medical center cath lab trying and failing to correct the problem, and confirming my sense that I would have to learn and take action on my own. A new stent would be absolutely nothing compared to that.

I even appreciate the terrible food the hospital tried to serve me. It very much seemed they were determined to keep me sick, make a return visit necessary, and make sure I understood my nutrition first philosophy was out of wack with their medical expertise, when really it was the other way around.

How could anyone be more blessed, or lucky, or fortunate, or whatever you call it?

Probably couldn't have turned out any better regardless. Probably would have been worse, in fact, without the [waste of a] helicopter ride. I got a complete diagnosis and set of scans to be used for my current involvement with Dr. Polukoff.

So my  number one lesson from the visit with Dr. Polukoff is the end result.

Perspective.

My good fortune continued when I found Dr. Fuhrman, and was preceded by my wife's cure from diabetes.

And the desire to learn more and do better. I know he has lots to teach me about my specific situation, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

And I have a sense that I am indeed fortunate to have had this experience, and that I owe a debt that I want to pay back, by virtue of these experiences.

What's the opposite of a perfect storm? A perfect outcome by virtue of perfect understanding, validated by knowledge and practice.

But wait, there's more.

By working with Dr. Polukoff, I'm looking forward to substantial validation of my current course. And by learning and preparing for the visit, by re-reading Dr. Esselstein's book (done), and Dr. Fuhrman's book The End of Heart Disease (in progress), eating better (substantial progress), and exercising better (doing it - joined a gym ((Kubex)), so I'm looking forward to building some muscle along with losing some fat and improvements in my aerobic and heart fitness).

Dr. Polukoff even suggested I take in Dr. Esselstein's on-line training. Another chance to learn and build my knowledge base? Yippee!!

And having an expert review of three sets of complete scans and tests appropriate to my situation, and getting a highly personalized reading and recommendations for course correction.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

Eggplant Ratatouille - Amazing Principles, An Amazing Dish

When the French make a dish, it always sounds exotic.

I call this Eggplant Ratatouille, but I could have called it Eggplant Stew. Or Cacciatore.  Or Gazpacho. Or Goulash, or Pottage, or a dozen other things. Only the country, seasoning, temperature and language differ. Insignificant things, really.

The point is, vegetables in season, mixed, heated, seasoned, served and eaten.

No oil. No meat. No salt.

Variety. Availability. Cost. Freshness. Eaten with my true love, my family.

These are the things that really matter.

So here's my favorite ingredients: Eggplant, zucchini, sweet peppers, onions, garbanzos, tomatoes, mushrooms, Italian spices (oregano 1 1/2 t, marjoram 1 t, thyme 1 t, garlic 1 t, basil 1/2t, rosemary 1/2 t, sage 1/2 t, red pepper 1/4 t). Slice/dice, cook until done, add spices any time. Arrange attractively in a baking pan for maximum effect, or put them all together to save time as above. Add more stuff if  you've got more stuff. Start with 1/2 seasonings amount if you want to be cautious, it's easier to add seasonings later than double the recipe because it's too strong. Add a little meat (-balls, chicken) for a less healthy dish.

To think that a set recipe matters is to lose some of the intent and possibilities. Not that I'm opposed to recipes. But sometimes it's just right to go with what you've got.

This time it was just eggplant, onions, tomatoes, tomato sauce,  mushrooms and seasonings. We just chopped them,  put them in the pan, heated them up, added a little seasoning. We ate it hot, we ate it cold, we loved it. Even made more the very next night. We had more eggplant, after all.

Here's another principle. We often engage in "recipe roulette," where we take a CD titled 1 Million Recipes, put in a list of ingredients we've got on hand, and see what the possibilities are.  Or we play "recipe roulette" by Google search.

Here are some other principles.

1. More important than a recipe is to be flexible.
2. We almost never make it exactly as it says.
3. We never fry or sauté in oil.
4. We cook fresh veggies by "flash steaming" (use your imagination)
5. We cook things less and at lower temperatures than we did.
6. We don't add salt in cooking. If one of us wants salt, we add it after, and in small quantities.
7. We never serve food with or over rice, or potatoes, or starchy foods in general.
8. We eat generous portions, but don't stuff ourselves.
9. We enjoy talking together as we eat.
10. We congratulate good eating decisions.
11. We don't criticize or even acknowledge each other's bad eating decisions, only our own. 

Cost Effective Health the Nutritarian Way, part 3

Let's see, last time I made it through the first three of my essential practices for cost effective health eating. Here's more:

4. Grow it yourself. Doesn't have to be a full garden. Even better, grow a single crop of something you'd like to have a constant supply of, grows with incredible abundance in a small plot, useful in a hundred different ways, easy to take care of and harvest and is self is self-renewing instead of picked once and it's gone.

Which brings me to my current ideal meeting all those requirements:

5. Home grown greens (i.e., Swiss Chard and Kale). They're green, They're leafy, they constantly renew, grow in cool weather, warm weather, and are tender and wonderful in salads, smoothies, soups and lots more. Easily harvested by cutting it off about 2 inches above the ground, you harvest again in three weeks or so.

6. With any recipe, substitution of high priced ingredients is my preference. Most often when a recipe calls for something expensive, I substitute something inexpensive but with great nutrition and find it's still wonderful. For example when hummus calls for tahini (made from roasted sesame seeds), I just substitute sunflower seeds. Waaaaayyyyyy cheaper! And it makes a milder hummus, which is my preference taste-wise.

Or if a recipe calls for chia seeds, you'll pay three times as much for chia seeds as you would for flax seeds, at least where I buy 'em.

7. Which brings me to the hummus principle. Or if you're like my wife, you'd prefer refried beans. Or chili or just black beans. Frankly I love them all. Any recipe qualifies here, as long as it requires using lots of dry beans, and can be used as a dip, a base or just by itself.

So this illustrates another core technique.

8. Flexibility and adaptability. I've never seen a recipe that can't be adapted to taste, to budget, and to make wonderful variations that relieve food boredom.

Take for example the smoothie. It's great stuff, a foundation of what I eat. I love the green base, and sometimes I only eat the greens, but often I add some fruit for sweetness (and to keep my wife happily sharing with me).

For variety, I don't blend it all smooth. I also love the texture, the crunch and the joy of chewing my own food. In fact, at times I just about quit making smoothies. I call them chunkies 'cause they are.

An ingredient I add for interest is mild hot peppers. Banana peppers are a current favorite in my green and fruit smoothies, adding some heat and interest to my regular favorites.

Who knows, maybe next month I'll add some chopped jalapenos. Call me crazy. But I think I can predict I will never, ever add habaneros. Now that'd be nasty! Then again, I acknowledge that one man's nasty/crazy/avoid at all cost taste is another man's food heaven. Which is the basis of this principle, and doesn't preclude great health and great eating.

9. Food foraging.

Now this could be a sensitive topic. For many people, cost effective healthy eating typically means buying kale when it's on sale for, say $2 a bunch instead of $3 a bunch. And there's nothing wrong with looking for sales on great stuff, buying all you can safely use, and doing that over and over forever.

But typical for some means out of reach for others.

By food foraging I don't mean dumpster diving (though some in my family think that's what I do).

To me it means finding unusual sources for high nutrition foods.

Here's a case in point:

For several years now I've been looking for a cost effective source of walnuts. Walnuts grow on trees in people's yards. They'll even invite you to come pick them up, because they've grown tired of picking and shelling.

Most walnuts on people's trees in their yards are, well, tough to shell. Black walnuts are impossible. Most English walnuts are a little to very difficult, (try shelling a pound of walnuts and you'll have a new appreciation for the inherent value of buying 'em at the store).

But the variation called Carpathian walnuts are amazing. They're huge (some are two or three times the size of regular walnuts), thin shelled, and you get lots of nut for your effort. I met someone who introduced me to these, and invited me to pick them up in his yard. Lovely!

Any one of these examples may not be a solution everyone else needs. The point is to keep looking, exploring, and be open to cost effective solutions when they come up.

10. Ground Flax.

Healthy oils are an essential part of the nutritarian plan. You should eat some nuts, seeds or avocado every day, but in smaller quantities. These foods are nutrient dense and have plenty of fiber but unlike the rest of the top recommended food groupings, they're also calorie dense because of the fats in them.

There's not a cheaper source of healthy oils. I have a little most days, and I think it's wonderfully good, and cheap (which means I can do it over and over and over again).

But here's an essential principle of nutritarian eating. Never eat a calorie without it's protective source, as in never consume flax oil without the flax seed. Just like the apple, full of succulent, sweet fructose.

Summary:

A calorie isn't just a calorie. The calories in high fructose corn syrup have a very different impact on the body than the fructose in an apple.

And the oil of every seed or nut has a way worse nutritional profile than in its original setting.

Not that the fructose is any different. Same chemical, same effect. Too much, too often and without the plant fiber and other things it was born with it's liver poison, very bad stuff. Same with vegetable fats and oils. You have to understand and use them in the right context, then it's truly great stuff.

And no one I'm aware of ever got to be 500 pounds by eating too many apples. It's a physical impossibility to consume that many apples.

Period.

Cost Effective Health the Nutritarian Way, Part 2

So having stated the three foundation principles, here's my very own top ten list of specific practices for cost effective implementation, including foods, techniques, habits and tools. Please feel free to substitute your own.

1. Cabbage. Nothing on grocery store shelves beats it for consistent low price and high nutrient density. I often find it for 25 cents per pound, and I can usually find it for 49 cents or under. I almost never pay as much as 89 cents, partly because when I find it for less, I buy a bunch and just keep it in the fridge.

Oh, sorry there, got ahead of myself.............

2. Buy great stuff in bulk. When you find a great deal on high nutrient food, get lots of it and preserve it. This applies across all other items on the list.

Here's some examples:

About nine months ago when apples were super cheap, I bought five 40 pound cases. They were in my refrigerator and my garage, and the cool weather where I live is a factor in being able to preserve these so long. So is the type of apple - these are Braeburn's and seem to store exceptionally well.

Something else I tend to buy in quantity and keep and use for a long time is bananas. Often I'll go into a store and ask for a case of over-ripe bananas. I take them home and freeze them in zip-lock bags, and use 'em in smoothies and desserts. A case lasts me well over six months.

Cabbage also stores well, especially in a refrigerator.

Dry beans store well for me for five years and beyond.

Flax seeds, sunflower seeds and nuts all store well in my freezer for up to several years.

3. Make it yourself. Sure, you can wander into Whole Paycheck Market (er, I mean Whole Foods Market) and get lots of wonderful, even exquisite pre-made foods, grass-fed, free-range animal products, and certified organic everything. You may not afford a home payment, but you'll eat mighty fine!

Not that I mean to pick on Whole Paycheck. 98% of all foods at all American grocery stores are pre-cooked, pre-packaged, and nutritional junk (Whole Paycheck I rate at 95%).

Dried beans are a very cheap, inexpensive convenience food, if you buy them in a 25 lb. bag, cook them yourself in a pressure cooker (ready in 45 minutes, or takes three to five minutes to pull a container out of the freezer and defrost them, since you'll want to freeze the excess you don't immediately use).

So that's it for now. Next time we'll make it to ten.

Cost Effective Health the Nutritarian Way, part 1

I love to eat lots of great tasting food. And this way of eating allows me to do that, without guilt or regrets or weight gain.

In fact, it's really hard to eat too much of the right kind of food, even when you understand what that food is.

How, for example, does one eat a full pound of leafy greens? (drum roll, rim shot....) One bite at a time.

Dr. Fuhrman recommends targeting one pound of fresh leafy greens and one pound of cooked greens per day.

Now just this component alone could potentially break most people's food budget. Not to mention some of the other things that go into a great healthy eating plan, like berries, nuts, seeds and mushrooms.

Then there's the issue of all those specialized ingredients that it takes to make all those other things tasty. Like special spices, fresh, natural ingredients, things that it appears, from most of the recipes you'll find, make it so you should really plan on hundreds of dollars per person eating this way.

This, of course, is self defeating baloney.

If it cost lots, I couldn't do it.

In fact, if it cost even an average amount, I wouldn't do it.

Here's the principles of cost effective healthy eating, according to, well, me. They work, and I'm sure they'd work for others. Plus, there's plenty of ideas floating out there, waiting to be gathered in.

First of all, seek understanding of what healthy eating consists of. The words alone are precious truths. The difference between "nutrient density" and "nutrition" helps me focus on the fact that nutrition which focuses on macro-nutrients such as carbs, proteins, fiber and fat, is old-style eating wisdom, and that micro-nutrients are the keys to what ails our modern-day civilization.

Second, know what high nutrient density foods are. Dr. Fuhrman's "G-Bombs" formula of Greens-Beans-Onions-Mushrooms-Berries-Seeds is probably more precisely stated as Gombbs to best prioritize what we should be eating - not as catchy, but the G-Bombs acronym helps reinforce and remind us that it's only a slight modification to describe real nutrient value relationships.

Third, eat the cheapest highest nutrients possible. The most bang for the buck. As the ratio of nutrients per calorie is the key to health, nutritients per cost is the key to affordability, that makes healthy eating, and therefore health itself, a real, practical possibility for everyone.

So obvious it's stupid, huh?

The obvious is sometimes hidden in plain sight. Understanding what works, and why it works, plus proof that it works - now that's what really works.

Add to that an absolute need, and a sentence of pending death if you don't do it, well, that's my motivation.

Works for me. More specifics coming next time.