The Best Damn (gluten free) Lentil Millet Loaf

The Best Damn Lentil Millet Loaf

I know, I know. I’m a few days behind on posting. Sorry. But then again, maybe this wasn’t coincidence? After all today is Star Wars day, and the will of the force is mysterious. As such, May the 4^th be with you all!

The truth is, M and I recently learned that we are leaving Buenos Aires for Cleveland, Ohio, as she matched at the Cleveland Clinic. This is a very exciting opportunity for us, and as such, we have been trying to enjoy our remaining time in BA with friends and family. We went to her hometown Olavarria over the weekend, where we passed our time in her family’s kitchen, drinking mate and chatting with her siblings and parents.

Today, however I’m super excited to share this fantastic gluten and oil-free Lentil Millet Loaf developed by M. The combination of the legumes with the fluffed millet makes for a delicious, and rather meaty texture, that is both healthy and filling.

It makes a lot, so it is perfect for gatherings, but it also keeps well, and is also freezer-friendly.

Lentil-Millet Loaf

Serves 4-6

2 cups soaked lentils

1 cups millet

¼ cup sunflower seeds- lightly ground

¼ cup old-fashioned or quick oats (if needed, make sure to get gluten free oats)

2 flax eggs – 2 tbs ground flax mixed with 3 tbs water

1 can tomato paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce (again, if needed, make sure to get gluten free soy sauce)

1 tbs dried oregano

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

½ tbs thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 bayleaves

1 tbs nutritional yeast

Cayenne pepper to taste

Barbaque sauce to taste

Start by soaking and then cooking the lentils as normal. Once they are fully cooked, set them aside to cool, and cook the millet with all of the spices (except for the nutritional yeast), the soy sauce and three cups of water or broth.

While the millet is cooking, mash the lentils with a potato masher. You don’t want to create a pate, but do want most of the lentils well crushed.

Once the millet is done, add it to the lentils along with the oats, ground sunflower seeds, oats, flax eggs and tomato paste and mix very well.

The mixture should be relatively dry and sticky. If the mixture is too wet, slowly add more oats.

Now place the mixture into an oven safe square pan, you will want your loaf to be about 1 inch thick, now sprinkle nutritional yeast on top and then add a little barbeque.

Place into the oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the edges start to look crisp.

The dish is pretty versatile, but we decided to serve it with mash potatoes, gravy and a simple roasted beet and cabbage salad.

Smoothie Science and Beet and Ginger Smoothie

M and I recently had the pleasure of a Buenos Aires visit from Dr. Michelle McMacken and her husband. You can see her BYOL posts here and here.

Naturally, we talked about a lot of different vegany (an excellent term coined by her husband) issues – but don’t worry, we balanced all this with a healthy amount of futbol chatter as well!

One afternoon, Dr. McMacken mentioned that she warns her patients against smoothies (even whole food smoothies). To be fair, she is not alone in this stance: Registered Dietitian Jeff Novick, Dr. C Esselstyn, and all of the Engine 2 folks are also against consuming liquid calories.

She explained that smoothies are a bit of a trap for most of her patients who are seeking to lose weight, because they are often very calorie dense. And because those calories are liquid, people often consume more calories than they would if they were eating the same foods.

Fair point.

However, there are some reasons why I think incorporating smoothies into your diet can be a positive thing.

First, for anyone who is a picky veggie eater, whole-food smoothies can be a great way to sneak in lots of good and healthy veggies into your diet. In fact, Mayo Clinic recommends this for picky children. I recently encouraged a college friend who is trying to change his diet to be more plant-forward to try this tactic as well. Maybe it’s not optimal, but it has helped him to lose a significant amount of weight compared to the SAD diet he was eating (no real contest, I know).

There is also some evidence that certain nutrients become more available to our bodies when the cells are disrupted, ie: pulverizing or blending foods. Now for a long time I thought this was just a marketing exploit of Vitamix and Blendtec, but it turns out, there is some evidence to back it up.

A few studies compared particle size and bioavailability and digestion. They found that many nutrients become more bioavailable when the cells of a nutrient are broken. This is one argument for chewing your food well. But the studies also show that no matter how well we chew, we can never masticate as well as a blender, which can break the foods down to a cellular level. These studies showed that the bioavailability of these foods than became greatly improved, particularly B-carotenoids in carrots, and folate from leafy greens.

Furthermore, back to Dr. McMacken’s point, there is some research that suggests that simply slowing down while consuming liquid calories (soups or smoothies) can significantly help our bodies regulate the amount we are consuming, and the thicker that slowly-drank smoothie is, the longer the person will feel satiated.

Smoothies can also be helpful when you are short on time, or if you are going to a place where you know you will not eat well. Slowly drinking a whole food vegetable-based smoothie before going out can help you get some health boosting veggies in.

Overall, I do agree with Dr. McMacken. Smoothies are an occasional tool and shouldn’t be relied upon. They also may not your best choice for weight-loss.

But that said, I do see a place for mostly (green) vegetable smoothies with some added fruit in a healthy diet. I would recommend avoiding all-fruit smoothies, as well as smoothies with added sugars or juices as this fundamentally changes the discussion.

***

Beet and Ginger Smoothie

Keeping all of this in mind, today I’m going to share a delicious beet smoothie which I think even Dr. McMacken would love (actually, I’m almost positive she would!) The recipe is mostly credited to M, although I was her taste tester for several versions of this… Please hold your applause.

Not only is this smoothie comparatively low-calorie and veggie-filled, but it also turns out a beautiful rich Malbec red color (come on, I am in Buenos Aires!) and is filled with health promoting nitrates making it an excellent way to start the day or a pre-workout drink.

Beet and Ginger Smoothie:

Serves 2

1 medium-sized red beet – cubbed

½ large cucumber

6-7 large Kale Leaves

10-15 red grapes

2 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp maca powder (optional)

1/2” piece of peeled ginger

1 ½ cup of water

Ice

Wash and chop all of the ingredients, and place them into your blender.*

Add the chia, maca, and lemon juice along with the water and ice.

Blend until smooth and enjoy

*If you are not using a high-powered blender like the two brands mentioned above, try cutting the veggies into smaller pieces to make it easier for your blender.

***

Castenmiller, J., C.J. van de Poll, et. al. “Bioavailability of folate from processed spinach in humans. Effect of food matrix and interaction with carotenoids.” Annuals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 44(4) 2000.

 

de Graaf, C. “Why Liquid Energy results in overconsumption,” Procedings of Nutrition Society, May 70 (2) 2011.

L. Lemmens, S., Van Buggenhout, A.M. Van Loey, et. al. “Particle size reduction leading to cell wall rupture is more important for the B-carotene bioaccessibility of raw compared to processed carrots.” Journal of Argriculture and Food Chemistry. Dec. 22,58 (24) 2010.

Ibrugger, S., M. Kristensen et. al. “Flaxseed dietary fiber supplements for suppression of appetite and food intake” Appetite April, 58 (2) 2012.

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

The TCS New York City Marathon and Two Delicious Smoothies

The New York City Marathon has finally been ticked off my to-do list. My love affair with this particular race started when I first moved to the city for graduate school. At the time, I was only running sporadically – anyone who has ever entered into a graduate program for history can attest to the fact that there isn’t much time left for anything else. However, I began stalking the race. I read about it, watched it, cheered for it, I dreamed about it while sleeping, and daydreamed about it - particularly on my countless runs through Central Park. So when the opportunity finally presented itself for me to partake in the greatest marathon in the world, I jumped at the chance.

Unfortunately, 2014 was a tough year for me. It started with a surgery on the back of my knee to remove a bone spur. While preparing for a half ironman, I started having intense pain in my hip. As it turns out, I had a small tear in the cartilage of my left hip. By the time my hip was ready for running, there was only 7 weeks until the New York Marathon.

Despite everything, including record strength winds, I was feeling good when I finally toed the line on race day. The cannon went off. I felt the boom deep down in my stomach and I finally started to realize what I was undertaking.    

For anyone who has ever run in New York, the marathon is a special experience. For me, it was particularly emotional as this city is my home. The thousands of spectators cheering were amazing (it was great hearing countless people scream “Go Vegan!” as I ran by – my little form of activism!) The race went well, although looking back, I should have run the first half a little more conservatively. Either way, I’m proud of the accomplishment and grateful for my body. I am now taking an extended break from endurance training during which I will focus on new and exciting happenings in my life. I also want to thank everyone. The love and support I received was overwhelming.

During my training, I developed two different smoothies, both of which are not only nutrient dense, but also delicious. While I used these to help fuel my workouts and to recover from my long runs, they also make a great start to any morning, and I've also made the the Chocolate Cinn-a-bun smoothie for dessert on occasion as well!

 

The Long Run Red Beet Smoothie:

1 medium beet (raw or roasted)

1 handful raw pecans (1/6 cup) (for a nut free version, add more oats)

½ cup spinach

1 ripe pear

¼ cup old fashioned oats

1 tbsp flax seed

1 medjool dates

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tsp cacao powder

½ tsp maca powder

1 cup plant-milk or water

1 handful of ice

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Top with shredded coconut and cacao nibs

Chocolate Cinn-a-bun Smoothie:

1 large frozen banana

¼ cup old fashioned oats

1 tbsp almond butter or 1 handful raw almonds

2 medjool dates

2 tbsp cacao powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maca powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. 

I hope you all have a very happy and plant-based Thanksgiving. 

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

The Secret Power of Citrus!

UPDATE: 8/28/13

I have a few updates that I need to make to this post. When I wrote the post I understated two important points.

Eating oranges really is better than drinking the juice. Regardless of how fresh the orange juice is, in a study preformed on 18 non-insulin-dependent diabetes patients there was no difference in the sugar spike in the blood between drinking a glass of fresh squeezed, unsweetened orange juice and decaffeinated coke. There was a significantly lower spike in blood sugar levels when an entire orange was consumed instead. While this does not necessarily mean orange juice shouldn't be consumed, as the study puts it, it suggests that unsweetened juices should not be part of regular meal planning. 

I also mentioned, that when juice is consumed, you should also go for the least processed juice that is available. In this case, it would always be fresh squeezed. Even 100% juice isn't good enough. As one of my label reading rules goes: NEVER TRUST A PACKAGE! The reason why is because non-fresh squeezed juice is stored for over 1 year in giant tanks. During this period, the oxygen is removed, to keep the juice from spoiling. This also strips the juice of it's natural flavor. So: 

"Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature."

As such, you should always choice 100% fresh squeezed juice. Who knows what is in anything else. 

ORIGINAL POST:

A little over one year ago, I wrote a post I called Vegan Doping, to be more specific, the post was about how nitrates in beets, beet greens, and arugula can help improve athletic performance when taken before exercise. It has since become one of my more popular posts, and several people have commented to me that they now “nitrate-load” religiously before races! Now, thanks to science and tons of research, I have another little tip to offer athletes… and it should come at no surprise that it has to do with healthy, plant-based nutrition!

When we think about the nutrients in oranges, we almost exclusively think about Vitamin C, however, all whole citrus fruits also come loaded with thousands of phytonutrients. One of these flavonoids, known as hesperetin, and found primarily in citrus fruits, has been found to increase blood flow! Not only is this a reason why citrus is an excellent food to help reduce one’s risk of stroke, but it also can help keep extremities warm and more importantly for athletes, it can help reduce muscle soreness!

When we exercise our muscles expand energy to contract. This process creates a natural byproduct known as lactic acid. While our bodies can become pretty efficient at removing the lactic acid, and in fact, training can result in the reduction of lactate formation, during very strenuous or long forms of exercise, no matter how fit one is, lactic acid will begin to build up in the muscles and will ultimately cause a burning sensation so great that the body will simply not be able to continue working at it’s current rate. Most often, this means the athlete has to stop, or significantly slow down to give the body a chance to clear this lactate out of it’s system.

Citrus fruits seem to have a remarkable ability to help expand the bodies ability to process lactate. This is most-likely because of the increased blood flow as a result of ingesting hesperetin. A study took over-weight women and started them on an aerobic exercise regimen of walking and running. After a few months the women’s lactate threshold increased by nearly 17%. A second group followed the same program but drank two cups of orange juice each day. They increased their levels by 27%. While both groups made large improvements over the three-month study, the citrus group had a lower level of lactate build up, signifying a significant improvement in performance while experiencing far less muscle fatigue from the control group.

While the study was conducted using juice, the whole orange or other citrus fruits were found to be even better at helping the body cope with lactate without causing as large of a sugar spike in blood levels. That said, it is far easier to fill a water bottle up with orange juice than it is to carry a bunch of oranges! Doing so may allow an athlete to work harder for a longer period of time. For those participating in serious endurance events, not only will the juice provide natural electrolytes and calories but it also helps to hydrate at the same time.

Hespertin also has advantages for non-athletes. As mentioned above, it helps increase blood flow. Drinking citrus juice or eating citrus fruits has been shown to help keep limbs warm when subjected to cold water. So if you are one of those people who always has cold hands in the winter, increasing your citrus consumption, may help. And finally, who doesn’t want to decrease their risk of stroke? Overall, there are tons of great benefits to eating oranges and other citrus fruits, and unlike drugs, the only side effects are increased health and vitality!

So either peel a grapefruit or drink a fresh squeezed glass of OJ each morning... it will make you
Better, Faster, Stronger! 

Note: Thank you to Dr. Greger for bring light to this subject and for making the research so readily available.

Further reading:

C. Morand, C. Dubray, D. Milenkovic, D. Lioger, J. F. Martin, A. Scalbert, A. Mazur. “Hesperidin contributes to the vascular protective effects of orange juice: A randomized crossover study in healthy volunteers.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011 93(1):73 – 80.

A. Aguiló, P. Tauler, A. Sureda, N. Cases, J. Tur, A. Pons. “Antioxidant diet supplementation enhances aerobic performance in amateur sportsmen.” Journal of Sports Science. 2007 25(11):1203 – 1210. 

 N. P. Aptekmann, T. B. Cesar. “Orange juice improved lipid profile and blood lactate of overweight middle-aged women subjected to aerobic training.” Maturitas. 2010 67(4):343 – 347.

UPDATED SOURCES:

M. J. Sullivan, R. L. Scott. “Postprandial glycemic response to orange juice and nondiet cola: is there a difference?” Diabetes Educ. 1991 17(4) 274-278.

For more about the processing of OJ, see this Huffington Post article. 

Superfood Smoothies Review and Giveaway!

A few weeks ago Julie Morris’ second book, Superfood Smoothies was released. Similar to her first work, this book is elegantly put together, well-conceived, has stunning photos, and of course, the recipes, all featuring only the healthiest ingredients, are mouth-wateringly appetizing (and are all oil free!).  

Julie has a simple argument for writing this book and it basically goes like this: including health-boosting smoothies into your everyday routine is an excellent (and delicious) way to boost your energy and nutrition intake. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been a huge fan of smoothies for several years and have come to rely on them to help me recover after long runs and hard rides. In fact, when people ask me for one tip on how to be a little healthier, I suggest adding a healthy, plant-based smoothie to their daily routine. And if you’re one of those people who are looking for an easy way to boost your nutrients without making a major change to your diet, Julie’s book is a great starting point.

Like her previous book, Julie’s book is more than just recipes. The first thirty pages of the book identify some of the main ingredients like acai, camu, flax, goji, greens, maca, maqui, and pomegranate and gives a brief but thorough review on their health properties. In this section, Julie also lays out the principles of creating superfood smoothies (first rule of superfood smoothies? There are no rules –but there are guiding principles!). Her principles and base ingredients are similar to mine. Her book also includes some lesser known ingredients, some of which were new even to me. For instance, I was unfamiliar with Sea Buckthorn juice, which is an herb that can help lower blood pressure while boosting immunity. 

While the ingredients I’ve listed above sound exotic and exto facto expensive, most of the smoothies include everyday superfoods like cucumbers and kale or spinach and in total only cost around $4 dollars per serving. Considering that any of the smoothies in this book will most likely be the healthiest part of your day, it’s more than worth the price. Also many of these smoothies work as an excellent meal replacement; and $4 dollars is a pretty cheap meal no matter how you look at it! Julie has also included a purchasing resource guide as an appendix to help first time buyers of some of these foods find good deals. And remember, building a “superfood” pantry doesn’t have to be done in one fell swoop, so if you don’t have all the ingredients don’t sweat it.

Julie’s book also identifies which smoothie recipes are good for bone strength, heart health, high in protein, high in antioxidants, healthy skin and more. However this is a bit of a gimmick, because in reality, each of these recipes are an excellent blend of all of these health properties so I wouldn’t spend too much time stressing over these details. 

The recipes are divided into a few easy sections: “Light and Fruity” section which have blends that are mostly under 300 calories; there’s a “Cleansing and Green” chapter; a “Rich and Creamy” section; a “Stealth” section, which “hides” the taste of various vegetables that maybe you want to consume in your diet, but don’t want to taste, (this section is perfect for picky kids) with smoothies like the Chocolate Cauliflower; and finally, there’s a “Premium” section. This last section puts an increased focus on superfoods, and hence will have a slightly higher price tag than the $4 per serving mentioned above. 

Above all, Julie stresses that smoothies are essentially experiments and really encourages people to use her recipes as guidelines rather than rigid orthodoxy. While that is partly what makes the book so fun, all of her recipes are designed to not only taste amazing, but are also stunning.  You will not find a single “gray” colored smoothie within these pages making her blends perfect for family-get-togethers and picky eaters who may be put off by bland colors.

While Julie marks “superfoods” with a special logo within the recipes, the truth is, all of the fruits and vegetables within these pages are super foods in their own way, and including them in your daily diet will certainly lead to better and longer lasting health. Also Julie offers some suggested substitutions if you don’t have access to the hardest to find ingredients.

(Red Velvet Cake)



I’ve had the book for about a month now, and have made several blends but by far, my top three favorites are the Mint Chip (whose recipe I already shared), the premium Chocolate Mint, and the Red Velvet Cake. The Red Velvet Cake uses beets, and I slammed several of these drinks (with some added beet greens) prior to my most recent half marathon. In a book like this, it’s impossible to pick a favorite so my suggestion is randomly turn to a page, blend, and drink up… It can, literally improve your day! 

So now the Giveaway! Navitas Naturals continues to floor me with their generoristy. Not only are they going to send one lucky winner a copy of Julies' book, they are also including a bag of Navitas Naturals Organic Cacao Nibs to help start you one your way to building a Superfood Pantry!

GIVEAWAY

Here are the rules. First, the winner needs to live in the United States (sorry international readers, no disrespect). The contest will end on June 1st at midnight. To enter, you must be a subscribed reader to BYOL. To increase your chances of winning leave a comment on this post or/and "like" "Superfood Cuisine with Julie Morris" on facebook. You will also gain a point if you "like" the new Bring Your Own Lentils facebook page. 

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