Shopping List
I'd like to apologize for the delay in posting. I'm working on a pretty amazing project that I'll be sharing with you soon. Believe me, it's going to be yummy ;)
For this post, I thought I'd attempt to share with you the basics of our pantry. These are the items that we ALWAYS have on hand. It definitely would've been helpful to have this when we were starting out with our new diet. So many trips to the market.
When we first started down our path of nutritional healing we had no idea where to start. All we knew is that we wanted to get the most out of everything we put into our bodies and do so in the kindest way possible. Strangely enough, an internet search on how to put together healing plant-based meals for a diabetic child was less than fruitful. We waded through countless recipes that fit with our whole foods ideal, but were either not child friendly or not diabetic friendly. Sourcing recipes was one thing, understanding the ingredients and what to do with them was another. Being new to the raw/vegan 'scene' meant learning a whole new food language. It took a bit of work, but ingredients and processes that were once unheard of are now a part of our everyday vernacular. "No dear, I don't think adding chaga, lucuma, and mesquite into the 'hot' cacao is overdoing it!" He says, nose held high. The learning curve was steep, but the view from the top was worth it.
So, here we go!
Seeds, nuts, legumes..
Nuts: Cashew, almond (unpasteurized), walnut
Seeds: Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, chia, flax (golden)
Coconut, shredded
Hemp hearts
Dry beans - Kidney, black, garbanzo, cannelini
Various lentils, for cooking and sprouting
Raw cacao, powder and nibs, used sparingly.
Breads and Cereals
Quinoa - this has been one of the few grains that has not caused huge blood sugar spikes. The diabetic body's tolerance to different grains seems to be a bit of a toss up. What works for some will be terrible for others. Fun times.
Various noodles from Explore Asian, especially the Black Bean Spaghetti - these tasty noodles are packed with protein and boast a great carb/fiber ratio. Diabetic heaven!
Only Oats oatmeal - vary rarely used, mostly in a seed bread (like the Life Changing Loaf from 'My New Roots').
Silver Hills Chia Chia bread - It's nice to have a bread around that you don't have to make, and this one seems to works great for digestion and blood sugar.
Popcorn - our weekly 'movie night' treat, served with coconut oil, salt, garlic powder, and dulse flakes.
Fruits and Veggies
Most veggies are welcome in the our house. As mentioned previously, we try our best to eat seasonally and locally, but there are some fruits and veg that we consume all year round that can't be grown on the West Coast, at least, not organically ;) These include blueberries, zucchini, red peppers, avocado, broccoli, red cabbage...don't get me started on cauliflower.
Other
Honey - we generally use agave when sweetening foods, but we always have honey on hand as a fast-acting carbohydrate for those low blood sugar moments. We use Raw Manuka Honey KFactor 16 from Wedderspoon. It's pricey, but the nutritional benefits of manuka make it worth it. If we need to bring about a spike, we might as well do it in a healthy way!
Peanut butter
Tahini
Coconut oil
Apple cider vinegar (raw, unpasteurized)
Agave syrup (raw)
Olive oil (cold pressed)
Himalayan salt
Miso
Tamari
Nutritional yeast
Stevia powder
Dulse flakes
Raw dried seaweed/nori
Kombu (kelp) - used in conjunction with soaking beans
Ginger root
Turmeric root
Spices - ALL OF THEM!!
Ultima Replenisher - This is our go-to 'juice' in the house. These drink crystals are vegan, non-gmo, and have no artificial ingredients. Best of all, it's sweetened with stevia, which is useful for diabetics.
I know I've missed stuff, but you get the idea. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments!
Hmmm, I feel weird not putting up a recipe, so I'll share with you a slow cooker standard. When we went 'raw' our beloved cooker went into storage, but as the days grew colder, and our schedules grew....ridiculous , the slow cooker has found new life. The following recipe is both easy and tasty. It's such a nice feeling to come home and not have to make dinner!
We have a fairly large crock pot, somewhere around 7 quarts I believe, so you may need to half the recipe if you've a smaller pot....or buy a bigger pot.
Oh, and have you seen the slow cookers that can be controlled with a smartphone! How cool is that?!
Chana Dal Squash Curry Soup
1 Tbs Coconut oil
1 large yellow onion
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3" chunk of ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 1/4 cups chana dal or chickpeas, rinsed and picked over*
3/4 cups split red lentils, rinsed
1 medium squash of your choosing, chopped
4 cups broth
2 cups water
2 15-oz cans of coconut milk
2 cups crushed tomato
1-2 dried chilies
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp turmeric
2 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp ground corriander
1 Tsp mustard powder
1 Tsp ground fenugreek
1 Tsp ground paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chard or spinach, chopped
* NB - If using chickpeas, soak overnight. Dal (dahl), essentially a split chickpea, will require less cooking time, so won't require an overnight soak.
Directions:
Pulse onion, garlic, and ginger in a food processor
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add coconut oil and then onion mixture. Cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add spices, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add everything except chard/spinach to the crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or medium for 8 hours.
Before serving, remove 3-4 cups of the soup from pot and carefully blend in blender. If you have a submersion blender, blend in pot for about 5 secs. This step isn't really necessary, but I find it adds a nice creaminess to the soup.
Just before serving, add your leafy greens and mix.
Server over quinoa, noodles, with a fox, in a box, with a mouse, in a house....
