#throw away whole broccoli stem | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inanabsentia · 3 years

Text

Dabi and Shigaraki falling for you and them both realising it headcanons pt.1

I keep all of my works gender-neutral.

Dabi would realise that he’s gotta crush on you, at least definitely faster than Shigaraki does because while he routinely represses his emotions, Dabi still recognises when he has a crush. Our handman over here, on the other hand, just doesn’t know how to register that foreign feeling of jittery-ness and chaos reigning deep within whenever he sees you

Boy does it feel like a swarm of butterflies attacking his insides and throwing a massive party without him being invited (I’m not sorry for this)

Shigaraki initially associates the fluttery feeling with negativity because he didn’t like to feel uncertain! Especially not of himself, of course.

Instead of actively advancing towards you in the bar like how Dabi did, Shigaraki just decides to observe you for about 2 weeks and figure out what the heck it was.

Was it the way your eyes fluttered so beautifully even when your stare wasn’t directed towards him? Well, you do have really pretty eyes and that’s the least Shigaraki could admit to himself.

Or maybe it was how you carried yourself in the league, you were composed yet you’ve got that right touch of crazyness within you. Whether you are actually crazy or not, it was certainly a fact that you were making the leader feel all sorts of crazy emotions that he couldn’t seem to comprehend....

Dabi, on the other hand, was taken in by your first entrance.

What? You looked real cool and pretty cute, too.

But looking cool and pretty aren’t enough to spark an interest within the flame dude. He never intended to act out on his attraction towards you initially. Yet as the weeks passed by, as he watched you interact with the other league members, he noticed something quite distinct about you.

You surprisingly got well along with practically everyone in the league. Toga absolutely adores you and always gave you bear-crushing hugs but you never seemed to push away and mind, listening to whatever the crazy blondie had to say about her broccoli-haired crush.

You watched all of marble dude’s tricks with amusement and they never ceased to amaze you for some reason. I mean,, they’re just...blue balls...and weird cards flying around...

Get this, you even got along with Shigaraki out of all people, well he didn’t seem to detest your presence as much despite rarely speaking with you.

And that night when Twice+Toga suggested a game of Truth Or Dare and made you answer the real reason why you joined the league and decided to pursue villainy.

Damn, you were so enchanting, delivering your speech about how corrupted heroism was- with the hyper fixation on ‘heroic’ quirks, the over glorification of heroes, all sweeping aside the systemic issues which stemmed from heroes themselves.

That very moment made both men interested in you just a tad bit more (a lot actually)

Anyways, as Shigaraki decided to stay behind at his spot on his usual barstool and observe you for a bit more from a far like a longing secret admirer, Dabi decided he might as well shoot his shot with ya

He walks up to you and starts off with something that doesn’t seem flirtatious and takes you a while to register the true nature of his statement. It was hard to tell with how stoic Dabi looked but it was undeniable- the innuendo, the piercing gaze and the way he raked his eyes over your figure.

Yeah he was interested in you for a while now

Everyone in the bar overhears it and just stares at him all flabbergasted at the sudden innuendo. Toga and Twice are the first ones to break the silent tension by going absolutely bonkers, shouting out “DABI HAS A CRUSH, DABI HAS A CRUSH OOOHHHHH” “I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, MY SHIP IS OFFICIALLY SAILING THE TITANIC COULD NEVER”

Shigaraki sees the whole scene unravel before his eyes and a new feeling emerges! But this time, it’s a familiar feeling!

Jealousy, duh.

He stands up abruptly, his cup circling and almost toppling over and his looming presence and death glare enough to make the chaotic duo stop raving about you and Dabi, you and Dabi, you and-

Shigaraki didn’t like hearing that.

Dabi connects all the dots together and realises it all. Upon knowing the leader’s feelings towards you, Dabi scoffed and smirked, nonchalantly swinging an arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer to his warm body.

“What? Don’t like seeing me with your hot crush?” he teases and casually plays with the strands of your hair just to aggravate Shigaraki more.

Shigaraki took the sight before him, taking one last look into your eyes and you could’ve sworn that you saw his eyes soften a bit while looking into yours, but they immediately turned into a harsh glare as he redirected them back to Dabi’s hand which was getting closer than he liked.

Ultimately, at a loss of words and remotely not knowing how to express himself, Shigaraki turns his back towards the league and left abruptly, which made you feel kinda bad for the leader (although you did nothing wrong) and jabbed Dabi at his ribs, making the blue-eyed man raise his eyebrows in question.

“C’mon doll, handjob is just being his plain ole self. And what about it? I can do so much more for you anyway if you’d give me the chance,” Dabi tilted your chin towards him and his eyes glimmered with a hint of mischief and adoration.

You were in for a big time, having 2 men from the league falling for you and pining after you.

Good luck, it only gets more intense from here ;)

END OF PT. 1

Written by Inanabsentia

2020

®️

Masterlist

353 notes · View notes

schoolofwhimsy · 2 years

Note

Talk about your ocs RUGHT NOW i saw your tags you do not get away scot free throw some ocs at me

Okay! I don't really have proper pictures of them (YET!) but I do have words. Some of them don't have a full backstory yet, because I thought of a design first and got attached. This also isn't all of them, but it is some.

Blanched, Floret, and Orchid Eyes are the main characters of The Moon Fell In Vast Above, which is a short story I am writing, and which exists within the general universe of Odd Compliment, as most of my original writing does.

Blanched, named after the act of immersing a vegetable in boiling water to remove its skin, is a mouse skeleton who left Vast Above (her homeland) to travel the world on her flying ship (which is like a hot air balloon, but the balloon part is instead a massive butterfly carrying the whole thing). She returns to Vast Above to visit her family for the annual flooding celebration, and then promptly gets boinked by the Flood Moon (one of the elemental moons of Odd Compliment, a faintly glowing ornament akin to a snow globe), which managed to fall from the sky and now needs to be returned before the flood is supposed to come (because the flood brings in sea glass, which is Vast Above's greatest commodity, and can only be found there). She's around 23, her birthdate is the 13th of October, and her favourite colours are light grey and brown.

Floret, named after the flowering stem of a cauliflower/broccoli, is a rock dove lad with a fresh bachelor's degree in journalism, who was meant to report on the celebration, and instead saw the moon fall on someone, which he decided is a better topic to cover. Promised to help Blanched figure out how to put the moon back if she gives him an interview afterwards. Is a hard worker, but doesn't feel appreciated enough. Also 23, born on the 3rd of May, his favourite colour is teal.

Orchid Eyes, named after a poster I once saw for an orchid exhibition which from afar resembled a pair of eyes, is literally just a large slug, and also partially an orchid. He is on a mission to gain arms, whether through magic or technology is not important, to fulfill his dream of knitting. Orchid Eyes meets Blanched and Floret by accident, when they help him out of a cave he fell into while searching for something and got stuck, and decides to stick with them (and because Orchid Eyes is not particularly fast, he usually sits on Blanched's shoulder when they move). All of his relatives are named after flowers (Amaryllis, Daisy, Iris, Daffodil, and the Roses, to name a few). How old he is is up for debate, but he was born on the 11th of June, and his favourite colour is purple.

Gideon currently doesn't have any origin story, but he is somewhat of a comfort character for me. Gideon is an old fairy man, who used to be a high priest working directly for the gods, and who one day realized his calling, ditched his community (which was by most of them regarded as a terrible move on his part), and went on to sell enchanted detergents and soaps to unsuspecting people, the sort of cleaning products regular money can't buy. He is tall, has long white hair, his eyes are yellow, and he has a vaguely sickly aura to him. His birthdate is 15th of April, his favourite colour is lime green, and he loves apples.

Froth, named after froth, is a fizzy drink can object head (the flavour depends on their mood), and they are absolutely feral. They're an amateur photographer, but all of their photos come out looking incomprehensibly blurry. They're basically the local cryptid in their own right. They love chocolate but hate how expensive it becomes on their birthday. Born on the 14th of February, favourite colour is pale lavender.

Pomegranate, named that due to colour resemblance, is an alarm clock object head with an off-white head and a red face and bells. She has constant headaches, because her head is an alarm clock. Wants to live in a small house by the mountains, because it's more peaceful than her current city life. Birthdate is the 9th of December, favourite colour is dark red.

Mr. Acolyte is an office survivalist (his life, in context, is basically an office-based dark comedy survival horror), and quite good at it at that. He made a deal with the Office Entity (the benevolent spirit of all things office-related) so they do him small favours (such as teleporting him throughout the building if he needs a quick escape) in exchange for fancy stationery. In part 2 of his adventures (because while I haven't written a word of this story yet, I already know it will be a multi-parter), he is sent to a small town of Paradise, in what quickly becomes a surrealist parody of Hallmark Christmas movies, where he discovers the wonders of laying in the grass. His birthdate is the 20th of March and his favourite colours are bright purple and yellow.

#Now Type it in Reverse #Long Post #Odd Compliment

2 notes · View notes

calorieworkouts · 5 years

Text

Reduce Food Waste and Boost Nutrition

Before you get rid of those food scraps, take a second appearance. Are they edible? You could be stunned to find that a number of the stems, tops, and remaining pulps that you typically dispose of can be reused in tasty as well as healthy means.

Carrot greens

When you buy carrots with the leafed environment-friendly tops attached, don't throw those environment-friendlies in the trash. Carrot environment-friendlies can be finely sliced and stirred right into soups, salads, and also stir-fries. Blend them into pesto or juice them with various other fruits and vegetables. Little info is available about the exact nutrients in carrot eco-friendlies, however they are most likely to contain comparable nutrients to the origin portion of the carrot, such as vitamins An and K.

Beet greens

Most beetroots are offered with the eco-friendlies still intact. Chop them as well as saute them in olive oil and also garlic, include them to soups and also stews, or add them to dental fillings in packed peppers or vegetable pasta. They can likewise be baked till crunchy like kale chips. Beetroot eco-friendlies consist of vitamins K and also C, as well as the carotenoid lutein, which is connected with eye wellness.

Cruciferous cores

When you've cut all the florets away, you can still put the core and also stalk of veggies like broccoli and also cauliflower to good usage. Shred them and utilize in slaws, stir-fries, or pasta salads. They can also be utilized to make homemade vegetable supply. Consuming the whole vegetable will offer you a lot more vitamin K, vitamin C, and folate.

Juice pulp

If you make juice fresh at residence, you are entrusted to pulp that still includes the fiber of the fruits and also veggies. Pulp from fruits like apples or pears can be stirred right into yogurt or oatmeal. You can also use them as fillings for whole grain cinnamon rolls. Veggie pulp from carrots can be utilized in stuffings for peppers and also eggplants, as a layer in veggie lasagna, or in meatloaf.

Nut meal

Making your very own nut milks is very easy, however you are left with the nut meal as soon as you draw out every one of the fluid. This meal has healthy protein and fiber. Store it in the refrigerator and sprinkle it over yogurt parfaits or salads. Incorporate it into spreads like pesto or pasta sauce. You can also use it in healthy and balanced desserts like granola bars or entire grain cookies.

#fitness #life fitness #wellness

4 notes · View notes

rocketrobinprints-blog · 5 years

Text

March 28, 2019

It’s officially Spring Break week for me so I’ve been taking the time to focus myself on some projects and get things settled around the house. Among those projects is getting my plants settled and getting ready for the growing season!

Our apartment has nearly all South facing windows, and a South facing balcony, so I decided I wanted to turn our balcony into a food garden using containers. I started some seeds (minimally successfully) back at the end of February for early Spring crops and then later for a spread of flowers.

My kale seeds came up easily, and so I transplanted the four best seedlings into larger containers. After growing a little more in front of our big window that opens out to the balcony, I moved them outside. It’s still getting pretty cold at night, even as we’re starting to have some days in the 60s. We’re still having frost warnings too. But Kale loves it! I have one in a 10″ terracotta pot, one in a mushroom plastic container, and one in a gallon milk jug out on the balcony, and after the temperature dipped down, the plants look even more happy and resilient than before.

The spinach, not so much... From the seeds, I only had 2 of 8 sprout, and of those two only one survived transplanting. I put it outside with the kale, but the cold seems to have withered it significantly. However! I have a volunteer spinach plant that is doing fantastic! How do you get a volunteer plant, Kecheri? No idea! Last year I dropped lettuce seeds into a glass coke bottle just for fun and the lettuce grew as well as can be expected. Then I pulled it out, used it, and put the bottle away somewhere. Then this year, I happened to leave the bottle I assumed was empty sitting out while surveying my different planting containers for this years garden. Well, a few days later, something sprouted in my SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY bottle! It’s been growing very nicely since the bottle makes a sort of miniature greenhouse, and the leaves are pretty spectacular! It’s definitely a spinach plant by the shape of the leaves. I have no idea how it got there, but I’m definitely not complaining. So that spinach plant has continued to grow really well outside on the balcony and started filling out the little stem of the bottle. I’m not sure what the effect the confined space will have on it’s growth, but we’ll have to just wait and see.

Also successful is the German chamomile (the kind used to make the tea) seeds I bought in February. I’ve had close to 100% seed germination and the little stalks are looking pretty strong. I have some sprouted in my seed starter, pending a transplanting into a more permanent home, and some started in a mini greenhouse I made from a plastic clam-shell salad bar container. The ones in the salad container are doing particularly good, look strong and healthy. I’m excited they came up so quickly and so successfully, but I’ll have to figure out what I’m doing with them as e enter warmer weather. I don’t think they take particularly well (according to some google searching) to transplanting and would rather be planted in their final containers later in the season, but we’ll see! I still have plenty of seeds so I can always do that once the weather is warmer and I’m ready to do more work outside.

To no surprise, the catnip I planted in the seed starter and a salad bar container greenhouse like the chamomile has sprouted fairly successfully as well. Mint plants are particularly easy to grow and spread, so I’m not too surprised, but as this is the first year I’m trying to grow catnip, and my first year with a cat, I’m excited all the same.

I’m growing a number of other herb plants as well this year. In addition to the chamomile and catnip, I’ve picked up some starter plants from our small, local plant nursery. I have Italian oregano and a rosemary that I’ve transplanted into gallon milk jug containers, and a lavender still waiting to be re-homed. As much as I use spices in my cooking, the herbs are a must. (Even though I can get good herbs at the spice and tea shop where I work, nothing beats fresh.) Once weather gets a little warmer and I can start moving things outside, I think the herbs will really take off. So far, they’ve really been thriving in the big window.

I’m also focusing on growing vegetables this year since we’re in such a nice sun situation here. Already I have some potatoes that sprouted in our cupboards growing pretty well in five gallon buckets. My crop last year ended up rotting out after we got so much summer rain, and I’m not entirely positive the buckets have sufficient drainage. The first year I grew potatoes and had a really successful crop, I had mixed my soil with a lot of moderately sized rocks, which I didn’t do last year or this, so we’ll have to see how it goes. Good news is that if these rot similarly, I know how to correct the problem and will still have plenty of growing season to correct the problems.

Vegetables I have seeds for this year are cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, and bush beans. Some of the seeds are a little old, so I’m unsure about germination success, but others like the cucumber, zucchini, and beans are new. My mom is moving houses this year and has offered to lend me her self-watering planters for this summer, which will be great and I think will be enough room for one of these big vining plants. I also want to try my hand at tomatoes in buckets, but haven’t taken steps towards starting them yet.

I still have our living blue spruce Christmas tree outside on the balcony. I picked up a couple 15″ pots, one of which I plan to transplant the spruce into. Then, I can transplant my avocado tree (that I started from a pit two years ago) into the spruce’s current pot, and stick something else in the avocado’s pot.

I’ve gotten into researching and trying out regrowing plants from kitchen scraps this year too. I regrew a bok choi from the base in January or February, but killed it by harvesting leaves too quickly and not actually planting it in dirt. Even so! It lets me know that I can grow a bok choi NEXT time with some precautions. I regrew and transplanted carrot tops for the carrot greens, and those have been growing really happily in the kitchen since planting. At the moment, I’m going to try and regrow some leeks, and be sure to transplant them when new growth comes up. Growing from scraps is pretty exciting because I’m really into sustainability, and have been since I was a kid, and limiting food waste by replanting and growing more food is excellent.

Speaking of limiting food waste, I also have a compost going in the corner of our balcony. Eric’s sister gave me an empty, locking-top kitty litter plastic bin that I’ve been throwing shredded paper scraps, exhausted dirt, and food waste into for a few months now. It needs to be turned, and is pretty full since we eat mostly whole foods and generate a fair amount of scraps, but I think it’s doing what it’s supposed to, which is super exciting! It doesn’t smell much, and the food does seem to be breaking down. My mom has kept a compost since I was a little kid, and aside from the lack of grass cuttings that always made up a lot of her compost piles, my little kitty bucket compost looks like proper compost! I’ve been adding it into a few of my plantings already, like the potatoes that are heavy nutrient feeders. I think when I have the proper planters, the compost will really come in handy.

Some background here, my mom is a big gardener and I’ve been helping her in the yard and with the vegetable garden since I was a kid. We were part of a neighborhood sustainability club that focused on community beauty through gardening, sustainable practices, and environment friendly projects and events like Sweep the Creek. In high school, I helped to found a gardening club at my school in senior year, and we dug up a courtyard to install a vegetable garden to be used and maintained by the home ec and horticulture classes. I’ve always had strong beliefs in the value of food gardens and I have a significant love of plants in general. SO the fact I have the opportunity to take advantage of all South facing windows has been thoroughly utilized and my indoor plants have thrived through the winter. Now that it’s almost warm enough to star utilizing the opportunity to use a take advantage of a South facing balcony, not obscured by trees and the like? I am itching with excitement to start laying the garden out in my small space and planting things. I really want it to be successful, and we’ll just have to wait and see, but I have a good feeling about it.

April and May are really when planting season starts where we are, so I’m jumping the gun kind of significantly, but once the weather warms up and starts staying warm, I will really be able to launch into this project.

Stay tuned for more updates and some pictures!

-Kecheri

#rocketrobinprints #urban gardening #vegetable garden #balcony garden #not art related but still nifty

5 notes · View notes

islandpcosjourney · 3 years

Text

Hindsight

29th December 2020

3 years ago, after a lovely family Christmas and a crazy few weeks beforehand redecorating the kitchen & dining room, I was enjoying some down-time. Facebook reminded me today that we were removing my fireplace in town – a big job involving big hammers and lots of sweat, on hubby’s part anyway ;) I had also just said goodbye to my Dad for the last time, although I didn’t know that. My final words to him were “Please go see a doctor” as we had noticed that he wasn’t himself while he was with us Christmas week. If I’d known in hindsight that I’d never see or speak to him again, I’d have never let him go. For the last 3 years I’ve punished myself for that. But in all honesty, I’m glad I didn’t know, despite the shock of his untimely passing, as I spent no time trying to cling onto something I wouldn’t have. He was just my Dad, it was just an ordinary Christmas, we were just hammering concrete out of a fireplace, as per usual and it was his time to go.

This year. The year of COVID. The year of cancellations. The year of worry. The year of unknowns. The year of excess screen time. The year of FOOD! This was the year of a fresh start. A chance to really sit down and think, quietly about anything and everything. In a year where our health has been debated so much in the press and in the community, I chose this year to sort it out, head on. Or rather, this was the year that my body chose, to WANT to sort itself out.

Many of you will have read before of the trials and tribulations that my PCOS gives me daily. It’s a vicious circle of physical and mental symptoms caused by external and internal factors. But before this year, although I’d done tons of research and I knew everything I could about my difficulties, I still couldn’t solve them. Something was always stopping me and that was indeed me.

We are what we eat. I truly believe this and always did but mentally I was always being drawn to the wrong foods. I still am, I am human after all but while most people had a kill switch to stop themselves from eating junk, my switch was broken, or so I thought. I understood the theory behind what foods would be good for me but putting it into practice is always the hard part and I’m sure many of you will have faced this before yourselves!

During lockdown, like many others, I was forced online to work. It wasn’t long after that I started noticing daily headaches, getting worse and worse. After a while, it was debilitating, and I was at the point (when in normal circumstances) where I’d have run to the GP for some stronger pills! But this wasn’t really an option this time and it forced me to think alternatively. I was convinced it was screen time to blame so I took a wee break and combined my teaching days/hours to make sure I had a long weekend away from the computer to recover each week. Around the same time, I was also experiencing buzzing in my ears – one Sunday thinking I was going insane hearing somebody strimming in their garden, when of course nobody would do that up here on a Sunday! Kevin definitely thought I’d gone mad and I was certainly believing I was! We figured out it was tinnitus or something similar and deduced I’d just have to ignore it, along-with my headaches. Fast forward to June when I finally decided to move a huge pile of recipe books from the landing upstairs. I can’t remember why they ended up there in the first place but rather than putting them back downstairs again, they’d just sat there in a tall pile for months. It was at this stage that I came across Jason Vale’s Turbo Charge Your Life in 14 Days book. A book I’d had at college and had used to lose weight before my degree’s final recital in 2009. I remembered losing 7lbs in 7 days. I sifted through all the pages and got swept back through memory lane and my tastebuds started to remember the taste of some of the juices. Mmmmmmmm yummy. Especially the Turbo charge smoothie – Pineapple, apple, lime, spinach, cucumber, celery & avocado. The ONLY form of avocado I would eat as I hated its taste but seemed to love its creaminess in a smoothie! Avocado being an essential fat that I KNEW I should be eating with my PCOS…… So, the next shopping trip I decided the buy the ingredients, dig out my juicer and before I knew it, while planning a week away to see my Mum & brother, I also planned a detox! AND it timed in perfectly with Jason’s BIG juice challenge between 6th – 12th July! Perfect, all meant to be.

So now, let’s cut a long story very short. I returned a week later totally rejuvenated, hadn’t eaten a single morsel of chewable food in 8 days and I’d lost 8lbs – here, something was working! I felt amazing, my headaches had gone, my skin was glowing, my teeth were whiter, I had tons of energy and I no longer had any ringing in my ears – all after just one week. Ok, so let’s continue! Nearly 6 months later incorporating juicing into my daily diet and I’m 30lbs down (It was at 33lbs, but Christmas was far too good hahahaha). I’ve set myself a target of 100lbs but the biggest reason for this dietary change is not to lose all the excess weight I’m carrying, although of course that will help, its to always put my health first and live the healthiest life I can. In a year where health has never been more important, I am finally on top of mine. I have finally found a way to control my symptoms and my cravings, naturally. I know it probably all sounds ridiculously obvious, but we are what we eat. My body was consuming junk therefore I was junk – I was overweight, chronically fatigued, had oily/acne skin, excess hair, moody, depressive, stressed, dull, no fun – the list is endless. I will now consume, in an average juicy week: 7 pineapples, 56 apples, 7 limes, 28 celery sticks, 28 asparagus spears, 7 courgettes, 2 bags of spinach, 1.5 bags of kale, 3.5 cucumbers, 3 broccoli stems, a few bananas, massive handfuls of mixed berries, beetroot, 7 pears, 7 avocados. Safe to say I am now bright, bubbly, happy, positive, glowing, full of energy, no back pain or headaches, smooth skin everywhere and best of all, I am reducing my PCOS symptoms massively. I’ve been at this weight before; I remember how I felt at this weight before. My weight has nothing to do with this feeling. The food I am eating is directly responsible. Finally, an answer to all my troubles. I know it sounds obvious but how many of us will turn to medications or look for other factors to blame for our chronic conditions? I did! As soon as I was diagnosed, I continuously went running back to the GP/consultant for more and more pills. One to sort that, one to sort this, another one to counteract the last one etc etc. I KNOW categorically that the medications were intoxicating me and that the fuel I put into my body causes the relevant energy output whether strong or weak. I know that if I wake up in the morning and feel tired, a juice will sort me out, not caffeine. I know that if I’m tired at night it is because of the incorrect fuel I’ve put into my body earlier that day, for whatever reason I decided to consume it. I am seeing a direct long-term result of it all too.

From previous blogs, you will know that I DID NOT have a menstrual cycle without medical intervention. As of Boxing Day this year, that is no longer true. It may have taken since July to regulate my hormones naturally, but it has worked. Obviously, time will tell if I’m going to restore any kind of regularity to it but in all honesty, that’s not a concern right now as I can’t remember having a regular cycle since I was a teenager, so we’re talking around 20 years of hormonal disruption to be reversed and Rome wasn’t built in a day! Interestingly the last “natural” cycle I had after stopping years of medication also appeared on Boxing Day, in 2016 ;) In August this year, I was convinced “mother nature” had come to visit but she only said a very brief hello in a socially distanced way for a day so this time with the COVID restrictions lifted a little she was able to come to stay with gifts of stomach cramps, carb cravings & headaches as a way of getting us reacquainted again. Needless to say, she was made very welcome and I’ve never been happier, especially by hugging a hot water bottle.

Not everything is quite sorted but as you can imagine, its well on track! I now choose my food wisely, looking for naturally wholesome options as is humanly possible and just being more conscious of what I am eating (of course I eat treats ocassionally but I’m doing it consciously). Would you put dirty fuel in a car? Of course not. Would you put dirty oil in during an oil change? Of course not. That’s what I believe medications do to chronic conditions – they throw dirty oil into an already dirty engine. Our cars need servicing each year where they get an oil change, where the filters are cleaned, where essential maintenance is done, so why don’t we do that when we’re chronically sick? Why do we turn to pills to sort a condition we’ve developed rather than look to what we’re fuelling our body with and give it a good clean out? Of course we need medicines for acute conditions but chronic ones can be reversed if we clean out the “filter” and do an “oil change”. I’ve seen tons of documentaries recently where I’ve learned of people curing their Asthma, Eczema, Psoriasis, Diabetes etc I’ve even seen a documentary where cancers have gone into remission for dozens of years through eating raw food alone. I know it’ll sound very “out there” for some people and it would’ve done for me too had I not gone looking for Functional Medicine (using food to heal) research after years of understanding the theory behind it but not finding the right way to put it into practice. But, never in my whole life and in spite of a worldwide Pandemic, have I felt more alive or healthier than I do right now. I may have turned the clock back 3 years on my weight but energy-wise I feel about 15 years younger which is far more important than any number on the bathroom scales.

In hindsight, do I wish that I’d reached these dietary conclusions earlier? Not at all. It wasn’t the right time. In hindsight, I can see that all of the information that I have been armed with over the years, are the tools that have set me up for the success I now have. Like a fine wine, I needed time to breathe, time to mature to become the best I can be. No point in opening it early, you’ll just be disappointed. A good teacher is somebody who’s struggled themselves and I’m a better, stronger person for having had my major struggles. There’s probably many still to come. Life is never boring!

Now that I’ve written this, I logged into Tumblr to copy this blog across and to see when I last posted and to my amazement it was Boxing day last year! I love coincidences of dates & Boxing Day seems to have cropped up a number of times. I said that my goal was to increase my energy levels as I really struggled this time last year. I had said regarding Christmas day:

“I want to be able to, one day, wake up early to make the breakfast, open stocking presents, get dressed inc. make up, cook a Christmas dinner, watch a bit of Christmas TV, play some board games, do the washing up and still feel like a proper woman – not some shadow of one who can only do one or two tasks a day.”

Well I did all those things! I’d totally forgotten that I’d even set that goal (for one day!) but I reached it a year later and more. I never thought I’d be sizes smaller than a previous year as my pattern has always been to be one size bigger each year ;) I recently ordered a few jumpers for the harsh winter, one a size 16-18 and one a size 14 for the future. Well, although a stretchy material, I’m in the size 14 jumper and had to send back the other as it just hung off me! Considering I was a size 20 last year, ballooned to a size 22 by the middle of the year and now I’m back to the size I was 3 years ago, I’m delighted. I also don’t get the violently ill episodes when I eat gluten/dairy now that I did before when I religiously followed a PCOS diet and ocassionally slipped up. I honestly think fruit & veg is healing my gut, my hormones, my skin, every organ in my body! There’s a lot to say for eating a plant-based diet, not only for my health but also the purse-strings but there’s also lots to say for eating balanced nutrition and listening to one’s body for what it really needs. My ears are wide open now.

0 notes

thuthao080800 · 4 years

Link

This Caribbean-inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep is my best meal plan yet! It’s perfect for any time of year, totally delicious, easy to make, freezable, and includes a sweet treat!

Unless you have someone else cooking for you, or you can spend hours cooking everyday, meal prepping is the best way to maintain a healthy diet. Since becoming a mom one of my biggest challenges hasn’t been eating the right foods, it has been eating enough food. I snack and graze, and often don’t have the time or energy to prepare myself a wholesome meal. By dinnertime, I’m ravenous!

Luckily, the solution is simple: meal prep! So as often as I can, I get into the kitchen and prepare a number of dishes that I can eat for days. This week I prepared a simple yet delicious meal prep that is inspired by the delicious tropical flavors of the Caribbean: coconut rice, curried pumpkin seeds, a coconut cilantro pesto, grilled tofu, and tender black beans. Together or mixed-and-matched these dishes can make a hearty Buddha bowl, tasty tacos, a filling wrap, an entree salad, or even a tropical sandwich. By mixing and matching a few simple dishes, I make sure it doesn’t feel like I’m eating the same thing every day.

You could even supplement this simple vegan Bento Box Meal Prep with a couple of stews (try this tempeh tikka masala), or veggie burgers (like my sweet potato burgers, or beet black bean burgers). Or make yourself some yummy Mexican rice to make the meal prep last even longer.

Most of these dishes freeze well––with the exception of the roasted sweet potatoes, tofu, and cabbage-–so feel free to double (or triple) the recipes to make more to freeze. Frozen meals are another key to successful healthy eating.

The curried pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and the coconut cilantro pesto are absolutely delicious on anything. Even if you’re not making the whole meal prep, these two are a must for easy snacking, and flavor to any meal. Plus they’re both super duper easy to make.

Click here for a PDF version of this Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep + combination ideas and a shopping list! Sign up for my newsletter if you’d like more free meal prep guides. I send them every week!

Grilled Tofu | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Be sure to press the tofu for at least 1 hour before using.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 block extra firm tofu (firm tofu works too)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

Instructions

The tofu should be pressed for at least 1 hour before using.

Cut into thin slices and place back into the tofu container (if you still have it). Otherwise put it in a flat bottom container.

Combine the remaining marinade ingredients in a jar, and shake until emulsified.

Pour the marinade over the tofu, making sure every part of every slice is covered.

Let the tofu marinate as long as possible, ideally an hour.

DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE. YOU’LL USE IT AS A DRESSING FOR THE SLAW NEXT.

Once the tofu has been marinated, grill it outside.

Or you could bake at 400° for 35 minutes.

My favorite way to cook it is to place it on a grill pan and broil for 5 minutes each side.

3.5.3251

Yummy Instant Pot Black Beans | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Instructions for stove-top below.

Author: Jenné

Ingredients

2 tbsp avocado oil, or other oil

½ yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb black beans, ideally soaked overnight

2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste (I like Better Than Bouillon brand)

Optional additions: 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp oregano, 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Warm oil in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.

Add the onions, pepper, and garlic, and sauté until onions are translucent.

Add the black beans, vegetable bouillon paste, and spices.

Pour enough water over the beans to just cover them. If your beans weren’t soaked, then cover about 1 inch.

Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes if beans were soaked; 30 minutes if they were not soaked.

Allow the Instant Pot to natural pressure release, then open.

Stove-top instructions:

Only use soaked beans if you are not using a pressure cooker.

Sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic in oil.

Add the beans, veggie bouillon paste, spices, and 6 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Skim off any foam.

Test to make sure the beans are tender, if not keep cooking until they are.

Season to taste with salt.

3.5.3251

Coconut Jasmine Rice | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

1 min

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

21 mins

Stove-top instructions below.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 ½ cups white Jasmine rice, thoroughly rinsed

1 can coconut milk

½ cup water (1 cup if making stove-top)

1 tsp salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients into the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.

Allow it to natural pressure release before opening. Fluff with a fork.

Stove-top instructions:

Place all ingredients in a pot, and stir.

Bring to a simmer, and cook with the lid slightly ajar for 20 minutes, until tender.

3.5.3251

Curried Pepitas | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

1 min

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

9 mins

Store in a jar in your pantry to keep fresh and crunchy.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups raw pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp coconut oil or other oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, pour the coconut oil over the pumpkin seeds. Stir thoroughly.

Add the salt and curry powder, and stir again.

Spread the pumpkin seeds over the baking sheet in an even layer.

Roast for 8 minutes. The seeds should be fragrant and turn golden brown.

Allow them to cool completely before eating and serving.

3.5.3251

Roasted Sweet Potatoes | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

Author: Jenné

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

1 tbsp olive oil or your favorite oil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with oil, then spread them evenly onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, and pepper over them.

Roast for 35 minutes.

3.5.3251

Wholesome Banana Muffins | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

These also work with 100% wheat flour, or ½ cup wheat flour and ½ almond flour.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 12

Ingredients

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup almond flour

½ cup teff flour

½ cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 ripe banana

1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp water (let sit 5 minutes)

1 cup oat milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Blend the flours, baking soda, and salt together.

In another bowl mash the banana, then add the flax “egg” mixture, oat milk, vanilla, and coconut sugar. Stir well.

Pour the wet into the dry, and whisk to combine.

Pour into the muffin cups, if you have more banana, top each muffin with a thin slice of banana. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

3.5.3251

Coconut Cilantro Pesto | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

7 mins

Double this recipe to make enough to freeze for later

Author: Jenné

Serves: 1 cup

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems and leaves

½ cup toasted coconut shreds

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 lime

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until you have a coarse pesto texture.

3.5.3251

Red Cabbage Carrot Slaw | Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

12 mins

You could use shredded broccoli or cauliflower stems instead of cabbage. You could also do this with brussels sprouts. If you don't want a slaw at all, use the dressing for romaine and/or kale.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

¼ red cabbage

3 carrots

Instructions

Using the shredder attachments from your food processor, shred the cabbage and carrots. *Note: they use different attachments: the single blade is for the cabbage, and the shredder for the carrots.

If you don’t have a food processor, shred by hand on a cheese grater. If you don’t have a cheese grater, thinly slice the cabbage, and use a handheld grater for the carrots.

Place the veggies in a bowl.

Pour the remaining marinade/dressing from the grilled tofu over the veggies, and use your hands to massage.

Season to taste with salt.

3.5.3251

The post Caribbean-Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep + VIDEO appeared first on Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Claiborne.

Nguồn: Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Claiborne https://sweetpotatosoul.com/2020/10/vegan-bento-box-meal-prep.html Xem thêm: https://thuthao080800.blogspot.com https://hocnauan.edu.vn/day-nau-an/mon-chay

#hocnauanchay #daynauanchay #hocnaucacmonchay #hnaedu #hocnauan #daynauan #moquananchay #hocc

0 notes

food-advisor · 4 years

Text

So Are Microgreens simply Teeny-Tiny greens or What?

Microgreens sound quite lovable and wholesome, right? Vegetables are super, and the whole thing is better whilst you make a tiny version of it. However, you may also surprise, what are microgreens, honestly?

So here’s what you want to realize about what microgreens are, precisely. Plus, why people like them, what they flavor like, their nutritional benefits, a way to use them, a way to develop them, and where to buy them.

What microgreens are

“Microgreens are a modern class of veggies harvested as tender immature greens,” Francesco Di Gioia, Ph. D., assistant professor of Vegetable Crop technological know-how at the Penn nation college of Agricultural Sciences, tells SELF. Those teeny-tiny greens are the seedlings produced with the aid of sprouting the seeds of flowers like veggies, herbs, and a few pseudo-grains (like amaranth and buckwheat), which include wild fit to be eaten species, Di Gioia says.

Somewhere between a sprout and an infant veggie, microgreens are essentially the same plant you’d buy at the grocery shop (like a veggie or herb), at a far in an advance degree of a boom, Tyler Matchett, cofounder of Splash of vegetables, a city microgreens farm in New Brunswick, Canada, tells SELF. “If left to grow, they would become a full-grown vegetable,” Matchett explains. But microgreens are normally harvested just one or two weeks after germination—and as much as four, Di Gioia says, depending at the species—when the plant is just one to 3 inches tall. You snip off the portion of the seedling above the root, which includes the cotyledon (the initial leaf that sprouts out of the seed embryo), the stem, and the first “authentic leaves” of the plant. Bam, you’ve were given a microgreen.

“Microgreens also are known as ‘vegetable confetti’ because they're tiny, stunning greens characterized by a selection of colors and shapes, in addition to through very one of a kind and excessive, from time to time sudden, flavors,” Di Gioia says. There are loads of various kinds of microgreens. Pea, sunflower, broccoli, and radish microgreens are a number of the maximum famous varieties amongst Matchett’s clients. Other sorts encompass beets, Swiss chard, cucumber, candy pea, endive, savoy, Brussels sprouts, mustards, cauliflower, tatsoi, spinach, kohlrabi, mint, basil, sorrel, cauliflower, arugula, collard, fenugreek, carrot, mizuna, corn, turnip, chervil, celery, scallions, and komatsuna.

Why human beings love microgreens

You might be questioning what’s so extremely good about these itty-bitty vegetables. Some things, surely.

1. They’re yummy.

First and most important, those little guys can make a contribution to a surprising quantity of taste and texture to a dish. “A handful of microgreens can enhance quite simple dishes, including coloration, extent, and flavor at the equal time,” Di Gioia says. “chefs love them, and had been the usage of them for years as a garnish or a unique way to feature flavor accents to a dish,” Matchett provides, noting they’re particularly prized for his or her delicate texture and wide array of flavor notes.

What they taste like, precisely, totally relies upon at the plant. “Microgreens can be mild, sweet, bitter, bitter, or can generate more complex flavors in our mouths [like] highly spiced, peppery, or licorice,” Di Gioia says.

“The taste can almost be described as a greater concentrated shape of the vegetable,” Matchett explains. “A highly spiced radish, as an instance, will commonly be spicier in its microgreen shape. And you will get a much wider taste profile, however, you’ll nevertheless recognize it's miles radish—it's just the tastiest radish you have ever eaten.”

2. They’re nutritious.

Microgreens also can upload a further dose of plant goodness to your meal. “Over the previous few years, numerous studies have suggested that microgreens are nutrient-dense, being an awesome source of essential minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants,” Di Gioia says. Whilst “there is a lot of variability among species and developing situations,” as Di Gioia points out, commonly talking microgreens frequently have a more concentration of those micronutrients than their complete-grown counterparts, pound for pound. Many microgreens are four to 6 instances higher in vitamins and antioxidants than the grown plant, consistent with the U.S. Countrywide Library of medicine.

In 2012 observe, USDA and college of Maryland researchers evaluated the diet and antioxidant content of 25 commonplace microgreens. They located that even though there was a variety of variations among the species, in popular microgreens had markedly better concentrations of nutrients and carotenoids (a kind of antioxidant) than complete-grown plant life. As an example, pink cabbage microgreens had greater than 40 times the vitamin E content and 28.6 instances the lutein-zeaxanthin concentration (two sorts of carotenoids) than absolutely grown crimson cabbage.

In 2016 have a look at published within the magazine of meals Composition and evaluation, researchers have done a controlled experiment by planting a hundred lettuce seeds, then randomly harvesting one kilogram of microgreens weeks after germination, and one kilogram of mature lettuce 10 weeks after germination. They determined that compared to the mature lettuce, the microgreens had been on average a drastically better source of the maximum of the minerals they measured—which include calcium ( times as an awful lot as mature lettuce), iron (1.Nine instances as lots), manganese (nine.3 times as a whole lot), zinc (1.6 times as much), and selenium (five times as much).

Three. They’re smooth and fun to grow.

While you can buy freshly harvested microgreens, a part of the appeal for a few folks is growing the little vegetation for themselves. “people love the opportunity to self-produce microgreens and devour their very own fresh vegetables,” Di Gioia says. Microgreens make the enjoyment of growing your very own meals more available to town dwellers and novices because they require little or no area and upkeep, Di Gioia explains. And you don’t want to have a green thumb or ton of patience to develop them successfully, seeing that they’re low-protection and equipped to reap inside days.

The grow-your-very own-meals aspect of microgreens has grown to be especially appealing and sensible this yr, with humans seeking to reduce down on trips to the grocery shop, Di Gioia says. “in the course of the pandemic, plenty of humans have changed their purchasing conduct, and lots of started to produce their very own veggies, together with microgreens, just to keep away from going to the supermarket every other day,” Di Gioia says. “now not everybody has a lawn, and microgreens provide the possibility to supply fresh greens even in a condominium or the basement of a small residence.”

The way to add more microgreens on your eating regimen Microgreens are flexible and experimentation-pleasant. You may use them as a fresh garnish on pretty much any savory dish—soup, pasta, grain bowls, stir-fries, avocado toast, eggs, baked potatoes, casseroles roasted greens, meat, or fish. Matchett’s clients love sprinkling microgreens on hot pizza, the use of a gaggle in a salad, throwing them in an inexperienced smoothie, or using them in the region of lettuce on a burger or sandwich. “some humans even cross as a long way as to lead them to into a delectable pesto,” Matchett says.

As for in which to get your microgreens? You can purchase seeds, trays, and growing mediums (generally soil mixes or fiber mats) for quite cheap from any local gardening center or online seed dealer, Matchett says. He recommends the true Leaf market for seeds and materials (also bought thru Amazon), in addition to Terrafibre emblem hemp grow mats ($16, Amazon). Many seed organizations additionally sell incredible-convenient (even though pricier) developing kits that include the whole thing you want to get began, Di Gioia says—seed mixes, trays, growing mediums, and commands. Di Gioia unearths Johnny decided on Seeds to be the all-around maximum dependable seller for satisfactory seeds and growing kits. “they have got a full catalog just for microgreens and provide statistics on seed quality (germinability, seed weight), days from sowing to reap, seeding density, and flavor of the precise microgreens,” he says. (in case you’re going the DIY direction with simply seeds rather than a growing package, check out Di Gioia’s step-by using-step growing manual right here.)

And if developing your microgreens appears like extra of a pain in the butt than a laugh interest, no worries. As a hobby in microgreens grows, they’re turning into greater extensively to be had to customers, Di Gioia says. You should buy fresh microgreens from neighborhood providers, like farmers' markets or city farms (strive to google “microgreens close to me”), as well as, increasingly, supermarkets.

“I would just like to inspire human beings to strive them out,” Matchett says. “Even in case you aren't partial to veggies often, pick up a percent from a nearby farmer if you may find them to your vicinity, and upload it in your favored meals. I do not suppose you'll be dissatisfied.”

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by using our editors. But, when you purchase something through our retail hyperlinks, we may also earn an associate commission.

#Microgreens #food #healthy food #organic #organic food

0 notes

sweetseda · 4 years

Text

Homemade Chicken Broth. How to make and home canning broth or stock.

Homemade Chicken Broth.

(works for Turkey too!)

What's the difference between Homemade Chicken Broth or Stock?

Many people (me included) use the terms homemade chicken broth and stock interchangeably. Some folks say they are different, some say they are the same. From what I have read..... they are different.

My understanding of the differences.

Both homemade chicken broth and stock benefit from adding vegetables to the stock when you cook it. It is not required but since I've started adding those veggies my broth is soooo much nicer! I highly recommend giving it a try.

First make your homemade chicken broth.

Gather your supplies

Chicken pieces. Any chicken parts will do. I prefer to skin my pieces but again it is not necessary. Approximately 6 pounds (this is with meat on, if you have bones you won't need as much) will be enough for a batch in my large stock pot. I usually get at least 7 quarts out of this.

Vegetables and seasonings are optional. This could include 2-3 Stalks of celery - chopped in large chunks. 2 onions - quartered, 2-3 Carrots - chopped in large chunks. OR if you have leftovers collected use a large baggy full of veggie leftovers, onion skins, celery hearts, carrot ends and peelings, etc.

Crock pot method for making homemade chicken broth. I use this more and more. Check this out!

If you only have a few bones this is a great way to make broth. This is the option I go to more and more often. The broth turns out so full of gelatin from the bones that it sets up when you cool it. Super, super healthy!

Place your bones in a crock pot and cook them overnight. You can even cook them two days if time is busy. Ask me how I know!

With this method I've even cooked the bones for one day. Retrieved the broth, added new water and cooked the bones again another day. It works.

The only downfall is if you have a lot of bones you are limited to how much you can make at a time. I'll usually do this and just freeze or use this broth right away as it doesn't make a full 7 quarts to fill a canner. You can can it in pints and fill a canner more easily. Either way is great.

Place chicken pieces in your stock pot. Fill with water. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables and seasonings if you are going to use them. Simmer until chicken is done. About 1 hour.

Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove chicken pieces. Let the chicken pieces cool until you can handle it well enough to remove the meat. Remove the meat from the bones and save for other uses. Great for chicken enchiladas, chicken casseroles etc.

Cut or break any large bones into shorter pieces if at all possible. This might not be the case That's ok. Be careful not to burn yourself. Return the bones to the stock pot. Don't be too fanatical about this step. If you are handling a thigh bone that won't easily break it is not a big deal. Just toss it back into the pot. The purpose is to allow the water more access to the nutritious marrow in the bones.

Next you have 2 options to cook the carcass and bones.

Remove chicken pieces and vegetables. Discard. Strain broth to remove any small bones and pieces left in the broth. I have a colander that I use. You can use cheesecloth if you want a very clear broth. I don't mind little bits so the colander is good for me.

Now you have a nice nutritious homemade chicken broth for use in recipes. This can be frozen or canned.

Many people who are cutting back on fat will allow the broth to cool and remove the fat. I don't bother with this step... but it is an option. Allow the broth to cool, and then place in the fridge to cool completely. The next morning there will be a layer of fat floating on top. It is easy then to remove that fat with a slotted spoon then store your broth.

In this image there is chicken stock made with veggies on the left and chicken broth made without veggies on the right.

Members extra.... Access your video tutorial in your members area.

Quick tips...

Save left over chicken bones or carcass, and vegetables in your freezer until you have enough to make your broth or stock. Keep a couple of freezer baggies reserved just for this. One for onion skins, carrot peelings or celery stems. The other for chicken bones.

Melissa writes in with some extra tips... "I save the scraps from veggies and use those instead of using fresh, whole veggies. So carrot peels and ends, onion skins and ends, the small pieces of garlic that are too difficult to peel to use, the ends of celery or the leaves when I'm making recipes where those aren't really practical to use, the stems from thyme and rosemary (I grow both in my garden and basement year round, so I'm always using fresh).

I keep them in a freezer bag in my freezer and when I make beef/chicken/lamb stock I use the scraps. Then I don't feel bad about throwing them away b/c they would have been thrown away anyway.

For vegetable stock I save all of the above and mushroom stems, leek tops, spinach that's no longer edible, small pieces of ginger, broccoli and cauliflower ends and asparagus ends. Again, when it's all done, I would have thrown them away anyway but this way they add a great flavor to my stocks before they get thrown away!"

Thank you Melissa, I'd not thought of saving herbs and some of the other veggies you mention.

Canning your Homemade Chicken Broth.

Gather your supplies

Start by preparing jars ,and get water in your canner heating. If you are not familiar with how a pressure canner works check this page.

Pour hot broth into hot jars. Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place on your lid and rings. Leave 1 inch head space. Process using pressure canning instructions.

Process - Always adjust for your altitude.

pints - process for 20 minutes,

quarts - process for 25 minutes

Adjustments for Pressure Canner Altitude in Feet Dial Gauge Canner Weighted Gauge Canner 0-1000 11 10 1001-2000 11 15 2001-4000 12 15 4001-6000 13 15 6001-8000 14 15 8000-10,000 15 15

Discover how to fill your pantry with garden fresh produce to feed your family healthy nutritious food. So many people want to start canning but are stuck. They don’t know where to start.

This content was originally published here.

0 notes

sashagilljournalist · 4 years

Text

Review: Veganuary at Banana Tree

The annual month-long celebration of veganism is upon us – Veganuary. As someone who made the decision to eschew animal products seven years ago, I rejoice every time January rolls around. Supermarkets bring out sandwiches which aren’t stuffed with the uninspiring falafel-hummus combination, restaurants reinvent their vegan offerings (gone are the days of ‘house-salad-but-will-you-hold-the-cheese’). The bourgeoning population of vegans has demanded better food options, and boy, did they deliver this year. First stop – Banana Tree.

When Banana Tree reached out to me to review their vegan menu, I was absolutely thrilled. I have been to their Oxford branch several times, lured in by the promise of authentic Indochinese food. Almost half of the menu is, or can be made, vegan, so needless to say I was already thoroughly infatuated. We popped in for lunch on a Friday and were pleasantly greeted, and my request for a seat with better lighting for photography was politely accommodated (I know, I am that person).

It was difficult to narrow down what we wanted to eat from their vegan options. Seven years as a vegan has left me entirely incapable of making a choice when there are more than three things on the menu that I can eat. But we eventually did come to a decision, and agreed to share the mains and sides between us, tapas-style, so we could each get a proper serving of everything. And while I regret not getting one of everything on the menu, I will take it as an excuse to go back. Stat.

First, Banana Tree’s exclusive Veganuary special – the Pak Choi Noodle Soup. I am a noodle soup aficionado. I adore them all – pho, ramen, wonton noodles, laksa (Banana Tree has a version of this, and I promise you, it is glorious), even minestrone when it is studded with curls of macaroni. Banana Tree’s new noodle offering packs a punch. The broth is intensely flavourful, and is almost as magnificent on the nose as it is in the mouth, throwing notes of citrus into the air. Resting just below the surface of the golden broth are nests of rice noodles (which are, in my opinion, the best noodles to deploy in an Asian-style broth because of how liquid clings to it). Tofu puffs, spongey and saturated with the soup, bob happily in the broth. I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of pak choi, but when it was left to languish in the soup, it wilted ever so slightly and took on a lot of flavour – LIFE. CHANGING.

I vehemently believe that there is no dish on earth which cannot be enhanced with a crowning of crispy shallots, and Banana Tree’s noodle soup is no different. If I were on BBC’s desert island discs (dreaming big), crispy shallots would be my luxury. No question about it. I will be going back for another round of this, and I urge you to do the same. Be quick though, it is making only an ephemeral appearance on the menu this January.

I mopped the plate up with utter fervour, which considering how stuffed I already was, is a testament to its deliciousness

The other main we picked was their Thai green curry, invigorated with lemongrass and tendrils of bamboo. It came served with a perfect dome of jasmine rice. I mopped the plate up with utter fervour, which considering how stuffed I already was, is a testament to its deliciousness. A little serving of house salad, with a crisp clarity of flavour, provided that well-needed brightness to counteract the silky curry. Can someone please get me the recipe for that dressing? It was phenomenal. The final embellishment to the dish was a side of Asian crackers. And while they looked magnificent, glossy and speckled with black sesame seeds, they proved disappointing otherwise. I found them far too hard and rather bland. I assume this was their way of substituting the traditional prawn crackers, the ones which cling to your tongue and taste like the underbelly of the ocean, but these vegan versions fell short.

I am a stickler for authenticity. As someone who grew up in Singapore, satay holds a particularly special place in my heart. Far too often, I have had vegan incarnations of this dish which bear only a passing resemblance to their Asian antecedent. Satay sauce isn’t made up of peanut butter and chilli paste! But Banana Tree’s satay sticks, and sauce, were perfect. So perfect that my dining partner, a self-confessed carnivore, asked the waiter to confirm they were vegan. If you aren’t a big fan of meat substitutes, perhaps this wouldn’t be your jam. But if you are a newbie vegan or even vegan-curious, this would be the ideal dish to cushion those meat-withdrawal symptoms.

The satay is served with ketupat, little bundles of compressed rice, as is traditional. For the uninitiated, ketupat are diamond-shaped cakes of rice, cocooned in interlocking coconut leaves. Banana trees’s version is a little simpler, avoiding the pomp and fuss of weaving the leaves., leaving them as little cylinders. I did notice, however, that they opted for glutinous rice rather than a regular medium-grain. I must admit that I rather preferred it. It was bouncy, chewy, and dangerously easy to eat too many of, especially when drowned in the satay sauce.

There is truly no better way I can envision eating broccoli.

Amidst all this delicious chaos, we needed something lighter. It was decided that we needed something more vegetal. After much umming and ahhing, we picked the edamame with garlic spiced salt, and their stir-fried broccoli. The edamame was, well, edamame. I felt like the garlic salt didn’t quite add much – and would have rather liked it to be a touch more punchy and salty. But perhaps my palette was spoilt and petulant after that transcendent noodle broth. The broccoli, however, was skyscrapingly tasty. And – my favourite bit – included the broccoli stems. Broccoli stems are a highly-underappreciated bit of vegetable in the culinary world. Why do people throw them away? Here, they were sliced into little discs and fried with the rest of the florets in a briny sauce. There is truly no better way I can envision eating broccoli.

Banana tree has a whole list of other vegan menu items for Veganuary participants, or indeed anyone who likes good Asian food. After all, don’t we all? I have tried some of their dishes on previous occasions and have never been disappointed (the monk fried noodles cures all ills). So, hop on down to George Street to fill your bellies – just remember to be good and hungry.

Disclaimer: I was offered a free meal at Banana Tree in exchange for my candour, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Originally Published in The Oxford Student, 17th Jan 2020

#food

0 notes

healthcarehelpfulness · 4 years

Text

Super Soups to the Rescue!

Don’t like eating your vegetables in raw form? Not many of us do, which is why we usually zip right past the produce aisle and into the land of potatoes chips. Sorry, but chips don’t pass as a vegetable. What’s even worse is that we’re completely missing out on the foods that can literally change our lives for the better.

Hope has come in the form of soup! Yes, there’s a way to eat all of the Super Foods our bodies need and in a way that can also taste delicious! Below are some great recipes that you can use to enjoy the foods that will keep you in the best shape of your life.

Fresh is always best, but if your name isn’t Martha Stewart and you need to save time like most of us, canned and frozen items can also do the trick!

Pumpkin and Carrot Soup - This combines two Superfoods that will pump your body full of Vitamin A, reverse the effects of sun damage to your skin and also give you enough fiber to clean your body out and give you tons of energy!

Yield = 1 quart

Ingredients:

Onions, sliced- 4 oz

Butter, 1 oz

Carrots, peeled and evenly sliced- 12 oz

Chicken or Vegetable Stock, 24-30 oz

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Pumpkin Puree, 12 oz

Cinnamon, ½ tablespoon

Whole milk or heavy cream, 2 oz

Fresh spinach, minced- 2 tablespoons

In a pot, sweat the onions in the butter for about 10 minutes, under low-medium heat with the lid covered. Add a little stock to the pan if the onions are burning.

Add the sliced carrots, stock, salt, pepper. Add stock allowing the vegetables to be completely submerged with liquid. Simmer, partially covered for about 30 minutes until carrots are tender.

Separate the vegetables from the pot of stock and puree them with a food processor (do not through away the stock). At this point, add the pumpkin puree into the food processor and blend the two purees together.

Season to taste with S+P and add cinnamon (should not be overwhelming— just a hint of taste). Add puree to the pot; adjust puree thickness by adding the stock to achieve desired consistency.

Once you’re about to serve, heat up the soup, pour whole milk and blend.

Sprinkle the minced spinach as garnish.

Now the Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup:

If someone told you that eating this soup on a weekly basis would dramatically reduce your chance of developing cancer—wouldn’t you want to try it? Plus, it’s really good!

Yield = 2 quarts

Ingredients:

Onions, diced- 4 oz

Celery, diced- 2 oz

Cauliflower, trimmed and chopped- ½ pound

Broccoli, trimmed and chopped- 1pound

Butter, 2 oz

Chicken or vegetable stock, 6 fl oz

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Whole milk or heavy cream, 8 fl oz

Cheddar Cheese, grated, 4 tablespoons

In a pot, sweat the onions and celery in butter for about 2 minutes, before adding cauliflower and broccoli.

Add stock allowing the vegetables to be completely submerged with liquid. Cook on low heat until all vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).

Separate the vegetables from the pot of stock and puree them with a food processor (do not throw away the stock). Puree until the vegetables are smooth. It’s OK if the florets from the broccoli speckle the puree. Season to taste with S+P.

Add puree to the pot; adjust thickness by adding the stock to achieve desired consistency.

Once you’re about to serve, heat up the soup, pour in whole milk and blend.

Sprinkle the grated cheese as garnish. YUM!?

Berry Coulis:

Making a cold Super Sauce out of berries is a great way of getting a mega dose of antioxidants. It’s super easy to make and you can add it to plain yogurt, cottage cheese, a milkshake or even drizzle it on your pancakes or oatmeal for some extra flavor!

Yield = about 2 cups

Ingredients:

Berries (any kind), wash under water, trim stems and excess-2 cups

Honey, 2 tablespoons

Sugar, 2 tablespoons (optional)

Lemon juice, for taste

Combine berries with honey and sugar and make into a puree.

Allow the puree to chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before using. You may have to strain with a cheesecloth, depending on the berry.

Adjust taste with lemon juice to sweeten, as needed.

Adjust thickness by adding water if needed.

With these three recipes, you’re covering your bases by adding some of the most powerful foods on earth into your diet—with delicious flavor. Super Foods make great super soups and sauces!

0 notes