A Spaghetti First

So, this may seem hard to believe, but tonight I made spaghetti sauce from scratch for the first time. Now that I've done it—and it was so yummy—I don't know why I didn't do it sooner! I'm in the 3^rd phase of a diet (in which I've lost 15.5 pounds in 26 days, yay me!) where I am avoiding all starches and sugars. Most readily-available jarred spaghetti sauces have added sugar so I decided to have a go at making it from scratch. I referenced two recipes—one from the June 2011 Bon Appetit and another I watched on an old episode of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals—but I really kind of made it up as I went along. Since I can't eat pasta yet, I ate mine over roasted spaghetti squash. My whole family loved it, so I think I'll likely be making my own sauce for spaghetti night around here from now on!

Simple Scratch Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tbsp fat—I used 1 Tbsp rendered bacon fat and 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I used Johnsonville all natural)
dash hot pepper flakes, ground fine (optional)
½ cup good quality red wine
1 – 28oz can crushed Italian style tomatoes, preferably organic
1 – 14.5oz can diced or petite cut tomatoes, preferably organic (I used S&W with sweet onions and roasted garlic—not organic, but yummy)
½ - 1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 c beef stock (I used homemade that I had frozen into ice cubes)
8 drops alcohol-free stevia extract (you could use 1 tsp of sugar or honey or natural sweetener of your choice, or omit altogether)
1 Tbsp minced fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

Heat fat in a heavy, deep pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onions and cook until soft and starting to caramelize, about 12-15 minutes. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and Italian sausage, breaking up sausage into small pieces with a spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is thoroughly browned. Drain off most of the fat by scraping the sausage and onion to one side of the pan and using a spoon or paper towel to remove the bulk of the fat. Add wine and let cook until mostly evaporated, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, beef stock, stevia, and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Adjust salt and seasonings as desired. Serve over al dente pasta or spaghetti squash seasoned with salt and pepper, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired, and enjoy!

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

I love coffee, the smell, the flavor, the ritual, either at home or in a coffee shop, the feeling I have after one cup. The problem is that my body doesn't like the 2^nd or 3^rd cup and sometimes even has issues with that 1^st cup. So just like Dr. Crystal I have a love/hate relationship with coffee. My dad has always, in my memory, been a coffee drinker. I remember at Christmas time we had to wait till dad made coffee to open presents, although we could open our stockings while we waited. I had a few cups of coffee while in high school; I always drank it black because it was easier than trying to figure out the "right" way to drink it. When I got to college I discovered the mocha, then the latte, but it was still just an occasional drink, I was just as happy with a cup of black tea. That lasted until I had a kid. Now I feel I need coffee every morning and I couldn't possibly get through my day without 3 cups with half & half. My body takes issue with both the coffee and the half & half but alas I am not ready to shake the habit yet. Not sure what I am waiting for but I want to do it. I would like to occasionally get a latte or a good high quality cup of coffee from one of my favorite Portland coffee shops, Speedboat Coffee or Case Study Coffee, and truly enjoy the experience, rather than cheapening my experience by drinking Costco coffee every morning from our hand-me-down coffee pot that lived in our basement for years. Soon I say! Soon I will do it, I will kick the habit and my body will thank me.

 

As for a recipe in regards to coffee was going to tell you how to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home, instead I am going to refer you the Stumptown Coffee Roasters website. They are known in Portland for producing high quality beans and high quality coffee drinks. (This is where the aforementioned coffee shops get their beans too).

Enjoy!

 

Coffee cake recipe to follow soon!

The Good, The Bad & The Coffee (Part 2)

Now the Good

Remember, most of the health benefits I'm going to talk about refer to MODERATE consumption of coffee! We all know that drinking coffee increases alertness and wakefulness, but less well known is this: people who drink coffee in moderation are less likely to have Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, heart arrhythmias, stroke, liver disease and certain cancers. Coffee can also help treat asthma and headaches and can help with weight management and enhance athletic performance. Caffeine wakes us up because it blocks adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine causes reduced arousal and sleepiness because it inhibits excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. By blocking adenosine receptors, caffeine keeps the excitatory neurotransmitters working which increases mental alertness, decreases reaction time (we're faster), and improves information processing.

There are more than 15 published studies that establish that coffee consumption may help prevent Type 2 Diabetes—some research indicates that decaf helps just as much as caffeinated coffee. In this instance alone, increased coffee consumption showed greater protection (compared people who drink fewer than 2 "cups" of coffee per day, people who drank 4-5 cups a day had a 28% reduction in risk vs. 35% reduction in those who drank 6-7+ cups a day). Personally, I'd go with decaf if I were to add coffee-as-diabetes-prevention into my lifestyle. Coffee also is high in antioxidants and contains some magnesium and chromium—all of which help manage blood sugar and insulin.

There is a lot of research linking coffee consumption to decreased risk of Parkinson's disease. The benefit here seems to come from the caffeine content, though the mechanism isn't clear. A 2009 study from Finland and Sweden showed than, out of 1,400 people followed fro about 20 years, those who reported drinking 3-5 cups of cofee daily were 65% less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease, compared with nondrinkers or occasional coffee drinkers.

The reduced risk of heart disease and stroke observed with moderate coffee consumption comes from reduction in Type 2 Diabetes (a risk factor for heart disease) as well as a decrease in heart arrhythmias in men and women who drink 1-3 cups of coffee a day. Women who drink 2 or more cups of coffee a day are 20% less likely to have a stroke than women who drink none.

Moderate coffee consumption has very definitively been found to decrease risk of liver cancer and cirrhosis but the mechanism isn't fully understood. Some research indicates that coffee consumption decreases your risk of developing gall stones. The evidence isn't as strong for coffee's protection from other cancers, but is fairly consistently showing benefit in ovarian, endometrial, and colorectal cancer.

The health benefits in regard to asthma, headache, and exercise can be attributed to coffee's caffeine content. Caffeine is very similar to theophylline, an anti-asthma drug. Caffeine is also often included in migraine medication because it constricts blood vessels (this is helpful for people who get vasodilatory migraines but can make things worse for vasoconstrictive headaches). In relation to athletic performance, caffeine improves muscular work performance in all types of activities, though the mechanism is not fully understood. In a 2004 review of 39 previously published trials, Doherty et al. found that caffeine improved performance by 12.4%. Low amounts of caffeine (the equivalent of 1-2 "cups" of coffee) consumed pre-workout can help you to perform longer before tiring. In last week's post, I cautioned about the risks of dehydration from excess coffee consumption. Recent research shows that drinking 3-4 cups of coffee (300 milligrams of caffeine) does not have any adverse effect on hydration and in fact coffee can contribute toward your daily fluid intake.

My current relationship with coffee is as it always has been—love and hate. But now the tables have turned; I love coffee, but it doesn't love me back. A few years ago I did a food allergy test and found out that the main reason for all of my horrible digestive symptoms was an allergy to coffee. After 2 years avoiding each other, I think coffee and I are working things out. I now drink coffee once or twice a week and it doesn't give me any trouble. So for me, I'll have to miss out on most of the health benefits, but I can still enjoy my relationship with coffee. As for you, I'll tell you what I usually tell my patients when they guiltily admit to drinking coffee: if you NEED coffee in order to make it through your day or you don't handle stress well, then you may need to give up coffee for a while and focus on getting your adrenals in better shape. If you are just friendly with coffee, rather than codependent, keep your coffee consumption to no more than 16 ounces a day, preferably filtered and drink the good stuff!

The Good, the Bad & the Coffee (Part 1)

Throughout my adult life, I have had a love and hate relationship with coffee. When I was in my teens, I really couldn't stand the stuff; my stepfather drank coffee every morning out of a really nice crockery pitcher and filter set that he kept warm on the stove over a burner diffuser. He liked his coffee with honey and half & half. I gave it a try and found it terribly bitter (he made his coffee really strong) and I didn't care for it at all. Later, I discovered lattes and mochas and these were much more appealing to me. What's not to like about a creamy, sweet drink topped with whipped cream? I liked these because I got the caffeine boost and didn't even taste the coffee! I still enjoy a caramel latte, but I've learned to appreciate a good cup of drip coffee (though I still can't drink it black).

While I was in Naturopathic medical school, I found that many naturopathic physicians have a poor opinion of coffee and I made it my mission to discover as many health benefits to coffee as I could. Yes, part of me wanted to justify my coffee consumption, but I also didn't like the statement "coffee is bad for you" because it went against one of the most fundamental concepts of Naturopathic medicine: everyone is unique. Sure, coffee is "bad" for some people, but most people can drink moderate amounts of coffee with no problems at all; and drinking moderate amounts of coffee can even be good for you! So let's take a look at the good and the bad of coffee.

First the Bad
Like everything, coffee in excess is not good for you. A cup of coffee (and a standard "cup" is approximately 6 ounces) contains 50-100 milligrams or so of caffeine. The amount varies depending on the beans used, how fine they are ground and what method is used to prepare them. Looking at the research, moderate consumption of caffeine means less than 300 milligrams per day—so, 18 ounces of Stumptown to 36 ounces of Folgers. Drinking more than this can contribute to dehydration because caffeine is a diuretic, making you lose water. In excess, coffee can contribute to constipation because of the diuretic effect but it can also cause diarrhea due to increasing peristalsis in the colon.

Too much caffeine can also wreak havoc on your adrenal glands and this is the primary reason that Naturopathic physicians tell their patients to stop drinking coffee. Caffeine stimulates the release adrenaline in your body—so drinking caffeinated beverages puts your body into a state of fight-or-flight. For people in good adrenal health, the body manages the surge in cortisol and epinephrine and helps you return to a "rest and digest" state. But for those with adrenal gland dysfunction—and this is probably the majority of people—caffeine can overstimulate an already overworked pair of adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys and, among other things, are responsible for moderating your stress response by releasing cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. I say that a majority of people have some level of adrenal gland dysfunction because, as a culture, we live a high stress lifestyle. In the earlier stages of adrenal dysfunction, with prolonged exposure to stress, you are pumping out way too much cortisol (this causes an increase in belly fat, among other things). In later stages of adrenal dysfunction, exposure to stress creates a situation of trying to wring out a dry sponge—your body is so depleted that it can no longer respond to the stress signal (such as caffeine). So, coffee in a way is liquid stress. The difference between drinking a moderate amount of coffee and coffee in excess is like the difference between the good stress of workout and being chased by lions.

Coffee (because of its caffeine content) can also aggravate insomnia, worsen anxiety, and increase symptoms of PMS and fibrocystic breast pain. Excess caffeine consumption can contribute to high blood pressure and osteoporosis. A compound in coffee called cafestol can increase cholesterol levels (filtering your coffee removes most of the cafestol).

Coffee consumption can drastically affect fertility: women consuming more than 300 milligrams of caffeine each day are 2 1/2 times more likely to have delayed conception than women consuming less. Some research suggests that excess caffeine consumption during pregnancy can contribute to low birth weight and miscarriage, but most research shows that consumption of less than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day is safe in pregnancy. But enough about the bad stuff, what's good about coffee? Well, for that, you'll have to wait for next week!

(For more detailed information about adrenal dysfunction, please check out my colleage, Dr. Jason Barker's, blog post Adrenal Fatigue on The Natural Athlete's Clinic site.)

I love pumpkins!

I love the time of year pumpkins are harvested, I love the color of pumpkins, I love roasted pumpkin seeds, I love pumpkin pie, I love pumpkin spice lattes, and most recently I love pumpkin sausage soup. This year was our first trip to the pumpkin patch with our toddler. He was very excited to go out to the field and pick out a pumpkin, until he discovered the tractor drawn hayride. Then it was all about the tractor. We waited in line then rode the tractor out to the field, as soon as we got off the tractor he asked for more tractor. I told him we first had to pick out some pumpkins then we would get back on the tractor. He looked around pointed to the nearest pumpkin and said, "That one. More tractor?" Well it wasn't very pretty and the hayride was full for its return trip so we urged him on deeper into the pumpkin field to find the best pumpkins. In the end we got some nice pumpkins and he got two tractor rides out of the deal.

The recipe I want to share today is my new favorite, Pumpkin Sausage Soup. I was looking for recipes that would be easy to freeze and found a few websites listing pumpkin sausage soup. This one is my favorite because the only dairy it has is from the butter which could be easily replaced with olive oil. The creaminess comes from adding coconut milk at the end. Another thing this recipe gave me was the courage to find a way to use mushrooms so that I don't have to feel the texture in my mouth, I only get to experience the dimension of flavor they add. Instead of cooking the mushrooms whole I chopped them up in my food processor first then cooked them. When stirred into the soup and mixed amongst sausage and onions I didn't even notice them.

Bon Appetite!

Hey Punkin'!

This time of year, it's all about pumpkins. First we carved our jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, and now, we're getting ready for my personal favorite form of pumpkin: pie! Nothing beats a slice of pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of whipped cream…for breakfast! This year, I'm hosting Thanksgiving for a dozen people and Wednesday I'm going to be baking pies—Polynesian pumpkin pies to be exact. I found this recipe several years ago when faced with the task of making dairy-free pumpkin pie (I have several friends--including Chef Brett--and family members who don't tolerate dairy and it really doesn't get along with me too well, either) and I prefer it to the pumpkin pie I used to make (the recipe on the back of Libby's canned pumpkin). Two years ago I won a pie contest with this pie—I served it topped with whipped cream flavored with a dash of spiked rum and some minced crystallized ginger. My other favorite way to enjoy pumpkin I discovered last year—a friend passed on a recipe for pumpkin pancakes that rapidly became a favorite: they taste like pumpkin pie and you get to smother them in maple syrup! I served them Christmas morning last year, with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. I'll share both recipes at the end of this post.

Pumpkin is loaded with nutrition. The flesh is high in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A, which is important for skin integrity and eye health, helps protect against cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases. Vitamin A is used to make secretory IgA, the major immune globulin on mucus membranes—basically, vitamin A can boosts our immune defenses on all the inner surfaces of our bodies. So, pumpkin is a great thing to be munching on this time of year! Pumpkin seeds are also great for us: they are high in protein and zinc. Zinc is an immune-boosting nutrient as well—it can shorten the symptoms and decrease the severity of cold symptoms. Zinc is necessary for collagen synthesis making it an important nutrient for skin health, wound healing, acne, eczema, and psoriasis. For men, zinc is essential for the production of fertile sperm and is protective to the prostate gland. Eating a handful of pumpkin seeds a day is all it takes! For more health benefits of pumpkin, see my post from last Thanksgiving.

So, enjoy your pumpkins this fall! Happy Thanksgiving!

Polynesian Pumpkin Pie

1 partially baked 9 ½ - 10" pie shell (see below for recipe or use whatever crust you like)
3 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup agave nectar
1 ½ cups coconut milk (do not use light or cream of coco)
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (I use one 14 oz can)
1 Tbsp rum (I use either Meyer's dark rum or a spiced rum—substitute with 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract if preferred)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
dash ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, and agave nectar. Stir in the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and rum. Add salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and mix until incorporated. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 1 hour or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream (flavored with rum if you like, or skip or use a non-dairy option for those who can't do dairy) and minced crystallized ginger, if desired.

Pat-in-the-Pan Crust (original and dairy-free)

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (sub all or part with whole wheat pastry flour, or use a gluten-free flour mix)
½ tsp salt
10 Tbsp unfiltered coconut oil (original recipe: 10 Tbsp butter at room temperature)
3-4 Tbsp coconut milk (original recipe: 3-4 Tbsp heavy cream)

Preheat oven to 400. Whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl or process for 10 seconds. Add coconut oil divided into small pieces and mash with a fork or process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle coconut milk over the top and stir or process until crumbs look damp and hold together when pinched. Transfer mixture to a 10 inch pie pan and pat evenly over bottom and sides with your fingers. Flute or crimp the crust edge. Prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork. Bake 10-22 minutes until golden brown, checking during cooking for bubbles (prick with a fork to pop or use pie weights). If you like a crispy crust, brush with a beaten egg and cook 1-2 minutes longer to set glaze.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (the original recipe calls for cake flour, but I don't have any)
¾ cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar (or other natural sweetener of choice)
4 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves (this isn't in the original recipe, but I love the flavor so I add it)
4 eggs
3 ¾ cups buttermilk
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin (I use one 14oz can)
½ cup melted butter (1 stick)

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs then add the buttermilk, pumpkin, and melted butter—stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly. Allow the batter to rest for 15-30 minutes. Heat a griddle over medium heat until a small amount of cold water dropped on its surface rolls off in drops. If necessary, lightly grease the griddle. Use a ½ or 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle batter onto griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and edges are dry. Turn and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Serve with butter, vanilla yogurt, maple syrup or other toppings of your choice. This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd!

“Milk in the Batter! Milk in the Batter!

Stir it! Scrape it! Make it! Bake it!" – Maurice Sendak from In the Night Kitchen.

I used to love milk. My favorite snacks in high school were Tim's Cascade Jalapeno chips with a tall glass of cold 2% milk to cut the spice or any cold cereal with milk. Mmmmm yummy! Then I discovered when I drank a lot of milk within the next few hours I would have some gas. Not the kind that just sounded embarrassing but rather the kind that smelled embarrassing. So being in high school and highly self conscious I decided milk had to go. Now, 13 years later, I still avoid drinking milk or eating too much ice cream though I eat cheese and butter without incident. My husband also feels he is sensitive to it so he doesn't drink it and our son is only drinking goat's milk.

When milk has been heated it's lactose proteins have been broken down making them easier for a sensitive body to digest therefore when cooking and baking I don't hesitate to use milk as an ingredient. Most recently my favorite things to make with "milk in the batter" are pancakes. Here is a recipe that I have adapted from Joy of Cooking:

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberries

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon double-acting baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons honey

1 egg

2 cups buttermilk or yogurt

1 cup blueberries

    Mix together both flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

    In a separate bowl combine honey, egg, and buttermilk or yogurt.

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add blueberries and stir.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan or griddle.

Spoon approximately 1/3 cup batter on the hot pan.

Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface and check the underside if it looks good flip it!

The second side will only take 1-2 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!