Still hanging on

It's been a while since I've written about Nicky, so I wanted to give an update on his condition.  He's still hanging on!  It's been a couple weeks and he's still with us, even though the vet thought he wouldn't last more than a day or two.

I think that this success can be attributed to several things -- his own willpower and desire to stay, the love and attention and care he receives, and to acupuncture.  The vet was impressed when we went in for a check-up last Friday -- Nicky was a full pound heavier than he was two weeks ago -- and said that she will be recommending acupuncture to pet owners who, like me, were desperate and have pets who don't seem to respond to traditional treatments.

A number of people have told me that they have "learned so much about love" (or something along those lines) through watching me with Nicky.  This is a bit confusing for me, and I think it's more than my typical embarrassment from receiving a compliment.  I honestly don't know what I could possibly teach or demonstrate in this area that is any different than anyone else.  After all, I believe that we all struggle when we see our babies -- human or furry -- in pain, we all put forth extra effort and love and care to try to heal them, and when we realize that we have to face a fatal diagnosis we struggle with the question of quality of life and longevity.

I am thrilled that Nicky is still here. Even though every day has an element of the Waiting Game within it, I think that now, through the extension of life that we've received (however temporary it may be), we are all at peace with the inevitable.

Blueberry-Coconut Muffins -- GF, Dairy-free, Sugar-free and still tasty? No way!

In my circle of family and friends, there are many different food palates: meat-lovers, vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free, sugar-free, and any combination of anything else you've ever heard.  Your family and friends might be the same way, leaving you to wonder how to accommodate legitimate dietary restrictions, picky eaters, and people who are just plain wacko about food.  My solution has been to try and find a way to make some of the more restrictive recipes taste good.

This is very difficult to do if you are trying to go gluten-free without sugar. Gluten-free flours have an awful lingering sub-taste, one that is masked in commercial GF products by an abundance of sugar.  But what if you need to avoid added sugar?  I've tried numerous recipes and my own creations over the years and I think that I finally found a winner.  It looks like a "real" muffin with the proper amount of rise and the right color. Best part? It's delicious and nutritious!

Blueberry-Coconut Muffins
2 c. gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp. (heaping) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (heaping) baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1.25 c. mashed bananas (I used three bananas and had just over this amount of mashed -- extra is okay!)
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. non-dairy milk (I used almond milk because I was out of coconut milk)
2 c. shredded coconut (we use frozen young coconut because there are no preservatives or added sugar)
1 c. frozen blueberries
opt: stevia -- if you don't mind the GF taste, you can omit. I used five packets of Stevia in the Raw. (Note: I would advise against other non-sugar sweeteners, like Splenda, because they're basically poison for your body. If you can eat sugar, use 1/2 c. brown sugar in this recipe.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix bananas, egg, vanilla, and non-dairy milk.  Add dry ingredients and mix vigorously for two minutes (this is important with GF flours). Fold in coconut and blueberries.

Pour batter into greased muffin tins.  You want to fill the tins to just below the top -- this batter will rise, but not by much, so filling the tins helps the end result look more muffin-like.

Bake 18-21 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out almost clean. Remove the tin from the oven and let muffins cool in the tin for five minutes -- this will finish the cooking process.

Makes 12-14 muffins.

These may not be the best muffins you've had in your life -- trust me, those contain lots of sugar, butter, and "real" flour -- but they're pretty good. How do I, on an ever-expanding quest for healthy food, know that these muffins actually taste good?  Honey had one and said "These are gluten-free?!" In this house, that's a ringing endorsement.

Happy eating!

Menu Monday #6

Confession: Trying to come up with a varied, tasty, healthy menu every week is hard!  Thankfully I now have Pinterest to inspire me, otherwise I'd be stuck!

Menu, February 5-11

• Sunday -- vegetarian white bean chili, World's Best Honey Cornbread (it really is the best -- I've also made a gluten-free version using black bean flour and it was just as good, which is incredible for GF), and salad.
• Monday -- "Viet subs" -- bahn mi sandwiches. We make our own version, but you can see a recipe for this type of thing here. I'm normally not a big sandwich fan, but I could eat this every day. It's that good!
• Tuesday -- Cajun shrimp, rice pasta, baby bok choy
• Wednesday -- Freezer soup
• Thursday -- Black bean sliders and stir-fried veggies. We had the sliders this past week and they were really good! This is definitely a winner.
• Friday -- fish tacos
• Saturday -- homemade pizza and salad

Taro-Coconut Pudding-Porridge

I love avocados.  I mean love, as in I could eat them on everything, for every meal, and not be tired of them.  There are few other foods in my life that evoke a similar passionate response, but coconut and taro might be close. Taro bubble tea?  Best bubble tea ever.  Coconut milk? Amazing.  And so the idea of blending taro and coconut to create a yummy dessert is just too much to resist.  If I ever find a way to blend taro, coconut, and avocado, I might die from sheer happiness.

Image from eattheweeds.com

This recipe was inspired by a trip to Fubon, our local Asian mega-store.  I was there to get supplies to make our own fresh, raw coconut milk.  While there, I noticed they were selling peeled taro and since I love taro but have never had a chance to cook with it, I bought some and brought it home determined to find a recipe.

What is taro?  It is a root vegetable that is native to Asian cuisine.  You, perhaps, were like me and introduced to taro because you decided to order the purple-colored bubble tea. (Taro-flavored desserts tend to be purple in color, perhaps derived from the purple flecks in the white flesh of the root -- of course that purple is just coloring, not the actual taro, which cooks up white.)  It is starchy and can be made into a savory dish (as in India) or a sweet dish (as in Vietnam).  This time I opted for sweet.

This recipe is based on ideas I found when searching, but it is my own creation.

Taro-Coconut Pudding
Prep time: approximately 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 8-10
4 c. diced taro (about 1.5lbs after it's been peeled)*
4 c. coconut milk (or two cans)**
2 c. shredded coconut (unsweetened -- but if you like super-sweet desserts, you can use sweetened)***
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
optional ingredients: 1/2 c. heavy cream, 1 TBSP minute tapioca

Dice the taro and place it in a large soup pot.

Add the other ingredients and mix.

Turn on high and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn it to medium and let it boil for approximately 10 minutes. The taro should start to get soft (like potatoes).  After ten minutes, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.

The amount of time that you let it simmer depends on how you like your pudding-porridge.  We like ours very thick with just a few pieces of chunky taro left. This is about 30 minutes of simmering.  If you prefer your pudding completely smooth, you can blend it after 20 minutes of simmering.

Serve hot, warm, or cold -- it's good no matter how you eat it!

A few notes:
*Taro can aggravate your skin, so you might want to use gloves.  Also, if your store does not offer pre-peeled taro root, you will have to steam it for about ten minutes and then peel it.  Check out this website for tips.
** I used the fresh, raw coconut milk that I made earlier in the day because it has no preservatives and excellent flavor.
**I use frozen shredded coconut that I buy at Fubon -- again, raw and no added sugar or preservatives, so it's better for you.



Please note: taro is toxic when raw, so it must be cooked before eating it! (Of course this leads me to wonder how people discovered this...and cassava...and rhubarb...and all the other toxic-in-a-certain-form plants.)

Enjoy!

My Life According to Cake

Today's blog post is silly and something I did on Facebook a long time ago.  It's been a busy few days and I didn't want to think too much about blogging, honestly, but I had this idea when listening to Spotify: why not just create a playlist based on my old FB post?

Side note: I might change my answers if I were to actually re-write this today, but I'm a bit too lazy!
**********
Rules: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on, but you can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! 

Are you a male or female? Pretty Pink Ribbon

Describe yourself: Short Skirt, Long Jacket

How do you feel: I Will Survive

Describe where you currently live: Mexico

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Distance

Your favorite form of transportation: Stickshifts & Safetybelts

Your best friend is: Commissioning a Symphony in C

What's the weather like? Haze of Love

Favorite time of day: When You Sleep

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Ruby Sees All

What is life to you: Sad Songs & Waltzes

Your fear: Jesus Wrote a Blank Check (or Carbon Monoxide)

What is the best advice you have to give: Friend is a Four Letter Word

Thought for the Day: You Turn The Screws

How I would like to die: Shadow Stabbing

My soul's present condition: Sheep Go To Heaven

My motto: Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps