foods against sickness May 7, 2008
Posted by a-k in baking, bread, grains and flours, herbs, noodles and pasta, salad, vegetables.trackback
spinach salad with baked tofu, red bell peppers, sunflower seeds, and papaya poppyseed dressing
my regimen of not taking medication isn’t really working out for me. i feel worse today than i have so far, i think. but i’m trying to eat some healthy foods in the meantime (and sucking on some olga’s herbal pastilles for my throat). above was lunch before work today, and dinner consisted of my attempt to include ramps* in a pasta dish. however, i was having a bit of a battle with the ezekiel sprouted pasta. it states clearly in bold type (twice) not to overcook the pasta, which i didn’t do to my knowledge. however, most of it ended up clumped together and grossly chewy (and not very photogenic), which i suspect is partially just a characteristic of sprouted grain pasta. however, i’m taking a well-advised tip from katie about not showing a picture of this dish just because i made it. the gummy pasta really detracted from the otherwise delicious flavors going on.
what i did in shorthand is: tossed a drained can of chickpeas and a bunch of ramp bulbs and stems in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and roasted them at 400 until browned. i made the ill-fated pasta while sauteeing cremini mushrooms in a cast iron pan until brown and juicy, then threw in the ramp greens and a large handful of spinach to wilt. i tossed it all together, added a little more salt and pepper, and put a few drops of white truffle oil on my serving (seriously, is there anything truffle oil can’t make extra-wonderful?) along with a chiffonade of fresh basil.
so, for lack of a finished product, here is a picture of the chickpeas and ramps before going into the oven:
*what the heck is a ramp? it’s also known as a wild leek in the midwest, where it’s just come into season. tasting somewhat like a cross between garlic and onions, the roasting really toned down the pungency of this little woodland treasure. (last year i tried them for the first time and i think i let them sit around too long before throwing them into a stir-fry… kissing was not a top priority after that experience!) many places, especially in the south, have huge ramp festivals in the spring! a majority of traditional recipes are also laden with dairy and meat, so i had to go with my own concoction. hooray for wild vegetables
**i have TWO upcoming bread-type experiments fermenting right now that i hope will work out…one for a whole wheat/spelt herbed pizza crust, the other for a traditional swedish all-rye bread. wish me baker’s luck!
what a beautiful salad!
xx mai
I hope you get better soon!
(And I expect so, seeing the tasty healthy foods you make for yourself!)
That salad looks amazing! Feel better
Wow- good for you for making such delicious & healthy food when you’re sick. It’s what we need, for sure, but it’s so hard to have the energy to make it when you’re ill…
Feel better soon!
Hey there! I hope that you’re feeling better!
I happen to be struggling with one of those dreaded “summer” colds, too. Boo!
Maybe your salad recipes will help
PS I have to try those “ramps” – I’ve never heard of them, & I live in the Chicago area! I must be missing out!
thanks for all the well-wishing! i appreciate it. i am doing much better, i just have a lingering dry throat that makes me cough everytime i inhale or breathe deeply.
jd- check out your local farmer’s market for the ramps (or perhaps a coop)… that’s probably your best bet!
I’ve been struggling with the meds issue too…I have a crappy cold right now and noticed the cold pills in medicine cabinet had shallac and other non-vegan ingredients…so I’m not taking them…I’m getting better, but it seems to be lasting longer and poor nose looks like Rudolph right now…
Your salad looks gorgeous! I need to try baking some soft tofu and see what happens.
As for the sprouted pasta, I had a run-in with those before I went totally gluten-free… I tried twice to get those darn things to cook up properly, and just couldn’t seem to swing it. I tried the elbow ones first I think, hen the spaghetti, which was a horrible disaster and I ended up making a box of regular pasta afterward, because it completely turned into goop after I rinsed and drained it. Ugh! I haven’t tried using it since.
good luck to all battling the summer colds (although here it still feels like early spring)!
lyra – yeah, i am pretty unconvinced about the sprouted pasta (although it worked fine for my bun salad; perhaps it was the dressing?). i also heard great things about tinkyada brown rice pasta but it wasn’t as amazing as i’d hoped, though at least it didn’t clump together and get gummy. i do like quinoa pasta, but it’s pretty pricey for the amount you get in a box. so i suppose my quest continues…