One month...oy

I am just about to come to my one-month mark of being on the this diet. I have not been "100%" strict, but I think I run a good 95% overall. I am trying for 100%, but some days I just come undone, as the song goes.

The days that I come undone are when I haven't pre-prepared enough food. Or it turns into a super busy day and I just finished all my prepared stuff the night before. I haven't come up with a lot of stuff you can eat "on the fly" on this diet, which goes to show you how easy it is to become reliant on commercially prepared foods. Well, sort of. I think it's really just when I am are trying to eat very healthy foods (whether or not on this VPAPP diet), I have to rely on things that take more than 5 seconds to prepare...or grab out of the fridge or box. Or made by someone else in a factory. But I'm learning, and this is a journey. It's a whole new way to think and even though I do new things all the time, especially around food, it's still hard.

I love fruit, and am happy to eat that...but both these diets caution against eating TOO much fruit.

I love olives, and bought a giant jar of Kalamata olives from Costco. It became my fast food last week. Either by themselves or with come avocado or on top of a nice bed of mixed greens. But they are high in fat/salt and offer no protein.

I haven't seen a large loss in weight. I have come down bout 4 pounds overall from day one, but believe me when I say that loss can disappear OVERNIGHT, and I see 170 in the morning once again. Maybe this means I need another whole month. I dunno. Pain issues are at about a 5 out of 10, which isn't bad since I haven't gotten back to any exercise program or any swimming in the whole month. (That's bad, I know. But I did have that tooth extracted...and had to lay low for a week....yes, that week is over...)

I got desperate for "real" food the other day and had a vegan soy taquito that had been in the freezer for awhile. The biggest ingredient was corn (and soy, but I am doing soy), so I thought, well, let's just see what happens, and make corn my first food to add back in. I then had some Fritos corn chips, too. Yes, it would have been much smarter and healthier to add in, oh, let's say, some REAL unprocessed corn, frozen or maybe even fresh? No, desperate moments call for stupid decisions and I ate crap corn! Not sure if it was related, but later I had some extra "reflux" that I hadn't had in awhile. So. I've stopped corn. I might pick it up again later to see, because I'd really like to be able to eat corn tortillas again. Those Paleo Wraps are wonderful, but I'd like to send my daughter to college one day.

I also had some potato chips one day and I immediately swelled and my fingers were boated. Ok, that's a sign.

I have a super busy week coming up since I offered to host a day camp for my daughter and some of her friends. Yes, a real day-camp every day from 9-3 including a field trip! Including feeding them lunch and snacks! Luckily I will only feed them very healthy things and I can eat most of it myself.

I haven't made the final decision to go another month or not. I'll attempt to stay on it this week, and make the decision at the end of the week. My main focus was weight loss and pain remission and neither has happened, so I believe I should go one more month before I add anything more back into my diet. The first time I tried the AIP, I went two weeks. This time it has been almost four. Maybe I'll aim for six and re-evaluate.

I'd love feedback from any other vegetarians or vegans who have tried this or something similar...let's support each other on this journey, OK?

Margaret
The Coastal Vegan Cave Girl

Roasted Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

I live in Sonoma County and a summer day here can mean 100 degrees at 2 pm and a chilly 52 degrees by bedtime. So, I guess a summer soup recipe isn't all that odd, really. Anyway, this soup is good enough to eat cold, so if you live in a 100-by-day and 98-by-night region, you can still enjoy this. (I grew up just about 90 miles from here in the Central Valley which was a 114-by-day and 95-by night kind of place. Yes, California has micro-climates!)

This soup can be super simple or you can add some wonderful tastes to it. Here's a medium-simple version:

Roasted Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
Makes 3-6 servings

1-2 medium Sweet Potatoes (you can sub a couple carrots for a potato)
1 med onion, chopped or sliced
1-3 cloves garlic
1-2 tbs olive oil or coconut oil 
1 cup veggie broth
2 cups water
1-2 tsp salt (if broth is no-salt)
1-2 tsp coconut aminos
1 can coconut milk

Flavors to add for variety: ginger, ground pepper, horseradish for heat, cinnamon. If you are doing nightshades, curry or chili is a nice touch.

Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4's and spray lightly with coconut or olive oil spray. Roast in 350 degree oven for about 10-20 minutes (depending on thickness of your sweet potato), turning once. They will be done when pricked with a fork and are soft all the way through. Let cool and then peel. (You can also roast your onions and garlic with the potatoes.) Cut into small chunks. (Chunk size is up to you. If you plan to puree this to a totally smooth soup, keep them big, it just doesn't matter. But if you want a chunky soup, them cut them into smaller chunks.)

If you haven't roasted your onions/garlic with your potatoes, fry them in the oil (or water) until tender, adding garlic half way. Add a little water to deglaze the pan, then add veggie broth, salt and water. Add your sweet potato chunks and simmer until warm.

If you like a chunky soup, spoon out some of the chunks and set aside. If you have a wand mixer, blend until the desired creaminess is attained, or scoop (carefully...it's hot!) into your blender or food processor to blend. Put it all back in the pot and add back in your chunks if you took some out. Now add in your coconut milk and heat/stir until warm. It's best not to overheat or boil once you have added the coconut milk.

The thickness of this soup will depend on so many things...how many potatoes you used and just how big they are; which kind of coconut milk/cream you use and how thick it is. Keep it on the thick side as you go since you can always make it thinner with more water. Making it thicker is harder...if you've got an extra sweet potato (or carrot) on hand, you can quickly microwave one and add it to the soup and blend again.

That's a Wrap! No-Peppa Hot Sauce!

I'm finally able to chew some soft things after my dental work last week. "Paleo Wraps" are these wonderful coconut wraps that are soft and not too chewy for me. Here's a "Tofu- Egg Scramble" I threw together. The recipe today is not the the scramble, but the "hot sauce" I came up with. I had just gotten used to using Sriracha sauce on so many things...vegan "mac 'n cheese" and tofu egg scrambles, but it's made with chili peppers and they are nightshades and nightshades are a no-no on the AIP plan. So I experimented the other day and came up with this...not bad if I say so myself.

No-Chili-Peppa Hot Sauce

Base recipe
1/2 cup chopped beets
1 cup chopped carrot
1 tsp ginger juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (or any hot peppercorn)
1/2 cup water

More water as needed

Add for heat:
Ginger juice
Natural horseradish

Blend base recipe ingredients well in a blender, food processor or Vitamix. Heat in saucepan with enough water to cover. Simmer until veggies are cooked, about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

Here is where you need to experiment to find your own degree of heat and flavor...

Per 1/4 cup of the base recipe, I added another 1/2 tsp of ginger juice and/or 1/2 tsp horseradish, and stir. You can add more as you like. I found the ginger to make it a "sweet-hot" and the horseradish, a hot-hot. Add water as needed for the consistency you like. I had simmered mine down a little thicker than I wanted, and just added some water to get it more like a hot-sauce consistency. I'm not a "nose-running" hot spicy girl, so I probably went easy on the hot part...

I'm keeping the rest of the base recipe in the fridge and I'll add the hot stuff as I need it. Of course, with different herbs, you can make this a tomato sauce or ketchup. More on that later as I experiment.

I'll post my Tofu Egg Scramble recipe in the next few days, but I'd like to experiment with subbing cauliflower for the Tofu to make it more Paleo.

NoMato Sauce and Zucchini Pasta

I made this NoMato (no tomato) sauce a few weeks ago and stashed little jars of it in the freezer. I learned about eating plain grated zucchini when I did a raw cleanse a couple of years ago. This time, I lightly steamed the zucchini in the microwave (could have used the stovetop, too) after grating them in my food processor. This was a really simple and really quick meal. Make some of this NoMato sauce yourself and freeze what you don't use right away. You'll be surprised how close it tastes to the real thing, especially after the second or third time you have it. I appreciate not having the reflux I get when I eat regular tomato sauce. If I can eat rice pasta again in the future, I'll enjoy this sauce on it instead of tomato sauce. I'll post my own version of it soon, but for now, I've included links to a couple other sites that have a NoMato sauce recipe

One recipe NoMato* sauce (use 1/4- 1/2 cup per serving)
1 Zucchini, grated use raw or steamed (per serving)
garnish basil

*Basic NoMato Sauce
*Nightshade-free NoMato Sauce Recipe

Plum-Pretty Smoothie

My plum tree is overflowing with plum-tastic-ness this week and you'll see her bounty showing up in many a recipe. I usually take the skin off these plums since it is so bitter (and yet the fruit so sweet!), but I kept it on and I'm glad I did since it makes the smoothie so pretty, like the peppermint chip ice cream of my youth. Maybe my sugar taste buds have reawakened, because this tasted fine without any added sweetener, not even any vanilla.

Plum-Pretty Smoothie
Serves 1-2
~ 9.3g protein per recipe (with nuts)

1/4 cup almonds*
(nut-free version: add 1/4 cup coconut cream or 1/2 avocado)
1 cup water
3-4 plums
1 banana
2-3 ice cubes

Whir in blender. Drink!

*I am on a modified Paleo/AIP diet since I am vegan. In order to increase my protein content, I am using organic non-GMO almonds, white rice and soy (soy-only tempeh, edamame, extra firm tofu) in some of my recipes and in moderation over the course of a week. I will provide strict AIP/Paleo alternatives when I can. The protein content listed is for my modified version.

Bean there, fried that!

This is what I threw together after a day of not planning any meals–but I had stocked my kitchen with these fresh foods. I ate a little over half of this for dinner and the rest for breakfast the next day. Traditionally I would have served this with rice or another grain and my whole family would have eaten it. Since I plan on having rice now and then myself, I can see eating it that way, and reducing my portion with the addition of rice.

Bean There, fried that!
(Green bean/Kale/Carrot Stir-fry)
Serves 1-3
Protein per recipe: ~  9.2g

2-3 Tbs olive oil
1/3 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/4 cup green beans, cut 3-4 inches
2 tsp ginger juice* (or about 1 inch chopped/minced ginger)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 handfuls chopped kale

Medium to high heat. Heat oil in pan. Add onions until glistening. Add carrots, stir. Cook until tender, 3-6 minutes.  I added about a 1/4 cup water to the carrots and then let them steam with the lid on. Add green beans, cook about a minute. Add oil and ginger, stir. Add kale to the top and put lid on, let steam for a few more minutes. Total cooking time about 10-15 minutes.

Like with all stir-frys, try to keep your veggies bright and little crunchy. Right now I like things a little softer since I have a bad tooth.

I used sesame oil for flavor even though it is a seed oil. The Hartwigs in "It Starts with Food"* feel such small amounts are OK. You can always omit this without a huge loss in flavor.

* See resources tab.

Don't Forget Your SPF! (Sweet Potato Fries)

All I can say is, thank goodness I live in the era that sweet potato fries (SPF) are popular! I absolutely love them and as a vegan, ordering french fries has often been my only option at some restaurants. I do notice I am much more achy after eating white potatoes, so I am thrilled when a restaurant has SPF's. Again, I was inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie's Crispy Homemade Sweet Potato Fries. Mine didn't turn out as crispy but were still delicious. I ate my whole batch myself (one large sweet potato). I experimented and baked half and fried half. Neither got crispy, but they both tasted good.

Don't Forget Your SPF!
1-2 servings
Protein per recipe: approx 5 g

1 large sweet potato
salt
garlic powder
onion granules

Coconut or Olive Oil cooking spray (for baking)
2-3 Tbs Coconut or Olive Oil  (for frying)

Cut your sweet potato into strips about 1/4 inch thick.

For baking:
Place on cookie tray, spray with  oil of choice, turning to coat. Shake salt, garlic powder and onion granules. Place in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, turning at least once. (Chocolate Covered Katie's reader suggests you put them on parchment paper to absorb moisture. I'll try that next time.)

For frying:
Heat oil in pan. Pat down fries to remove excess moisture to lessen splatter. Carefully place fries in hot oil. Turn as they are cooking to evenly cook and brown. They can "go" and burn fast. When done (5 minutes), place on paper towels to drain oil. Sprinkle on salt, garlic and onion. I'm sure a deep-fat fryer would work, too, I just don't own one.

Serve by themselves or with a dip. I used my "NoMato Marinara," recipe to follow soon. A vegan ranch would be great, too and I'll experiment with making a Paleo/AIP recipe soon.