Recipe: Pinto Beans and Greens Tacos (with or without salsa)

Pinto and chard tortilla

Another successful experiment with "stuff laying around the refrigerator!"   I wanted something easy on my stomach after too many late dinners, and meals out.  So, some chard, a can of pintos, and frozen tortillas came together for this gut-friendly combo.  

A note on beans and other legumes:  Many of my meals involve legumes, a food often experienced by others as very non-gut friendly.  I've been eating this powerhouse food for decades -- peas, lentils and beans are a staple of my veg diet: I often eat legumes twice a day, and usually daily.    My guts don't seem to be bothered by most beans, except occasionally chickpeas or lentils can give me a gassy aftermath.    My thought is, as long as my guts are doing okay on legumes, load them up -- they are healthy, they are vegetarian :-) , and they are yummy!     For tips on reducing "bean issues" see this article on "respecting the bean" and Choosing Raw's guide to bean digestion.



PINTO BEANS AND GREENS TACOS

Ingredients
*Tortillas
Swiss Chard, kale, spinach, or whatever other "greens" you have on hand.  Mix and match!
**Pinto beans or whatever other beans you want to use
Fresh herbs (sage, oregano, thyme…)
Garlic (or garlic scapes, garlic greens, no rules here)
Tiny bit of olive oil for flavor and cooking assistance

1. In large pan (cast iron preferred), saute garlic in the small amount of oil until softened and aromatic.
2. Separate stems from leaves of the greens.  If using chard, chop stems and add to the softening garlic.
3. Cut leaves into strips.   Add to pan, and gently "fold" into the garlic/stems.
4. Chop/tear herbs into small bits and add to pan, stirring in.
5. Add water to just cover bottom of pan.
6. Cover the pan and slow-braise the greens until very soft, about 15 minutes.  Keep adding water, stirring/folding.  Braise longer if needed.  The longer the better!
7. Meanwhile, heat beans in a separate pan (or pot).
8. When beans and greens are done, heat tortillas on the stovetop.
9.  Place tortilla on plate.  Cover with spoonfuls of beans and then greens.
10. Fold and eat and enjoy!

Salsa:  Optional.

* My greenmarket sells Hot Bread Kitchen's corn tortillas, and they've become a welcome regular in MY kitchen!   They've inspired me to create all sorts of "bean and greens" combos for quick dinners and lunches. 

**I prefer to make my own beans "from scratch" but after not being able to find my beloved Cayuga Beans and a few busy weeks with no time to cook, I discovered Brad's Organic beans (in BPA-free cans!).  They're "good enough" and even pretty delicious, especially the kidney beans, pintos, and garbanzos.  There's even a fun "chili mix!"  Rinse the beans well to wash away excess sodium.

Linkage: Gut Bacteria and Gut Health

Another fascinating study of our microbiome was released today by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine.   Apparently, a sample of women's guts over five years showed little change -- indicating our gut microbiome is relatively stable (or stagnant?) over time, and suggesting our guts may carry bacteria from childhood.  Whew!  (For more information, visit Dr. Jeffrey Gordon's Lab Page.)  

I need to explore the microbiome studies more on Cranky Gerd.  I am getting obsessed with this topic and its implications!   Here are a few links to get us going.  I am still comprehending the fact that the human body's bacteria grossly outnumbers our human cells by the millions trillions.  

LINKAGE

NPR All Things Considered, July 4, 2013, Gut Bacteria We Pick Up As Kids Stick With Us For Decades

May 2013, UCLA Newsroom: Changing Gut Bacteria Through Diet Affects Brain Function

An article on the topic in the August 2012 Nutrition Action Newsletter, Living in a Microbial World

US News, September 2012, discusses study: Changes in Intestinal Bacteria Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

Homepage of the National Institutes of Health, Human Microbiome Project

New York Times, May 15, 2013, Some of My Best Friends are Germs, by Michael Pollan

The New Yorker, April 17, 2013, A Roller Derby of Bacteria

Microbiome, a scientific open-access journal

Probiotics, Prebiotics, and the Host Microbiome: The Science of Translation, a June 2013 webinar hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences (the webinar itself is not online but there is a wealth of abstracts, names and references here)

June 2013 Medscape video featuring microbiome researcher Dr. Scott Peterson talking about "The Microbiome: Linking Bacteria, Health, and Disease"

Nature: Human Microbiota special issue

Added 7/12/13:

New York Times, July 6, 2013, Why I Donated My Stool by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

Detox Recipe for the New Year: Carrot, Fingerling Potato and Parsley Soup

Carrot, fingerling potato, and parsley soup

Happy New Year!   I took a few weeks away from my blog to immerse myself in the Christmas season, with all its busy-ness, festive obligations, and visits with family and friends.    

THE HOLIDAYS AND MY CRANKY GUTS: SHORT UPDATE

Like many people, I veered away from my usual diet during the holidays -- more cheese/dairy, more sweets, less locally sourced foods, more food overall -- and had a few moments of extreme nausea and bloating, and constipation followed me into the new year.  I'm still experiencing occasional vomiting episodes -- scary! -- that seem to be related to eating too much, or eating too late.   I have to be vigilant about this.    I've not yet scheduled my first colonoscopy -- suggested by Dr. C. even though I'm not quite at the "colonoscopy age" yet, just to be sure nothing concerning is going on.  We're both convinced most of my issues are related to "stress" but if there is a pathological reason, we need to address it.   I'll deal with scheduling something after mid-January, when work deadlines subside; right now, it is a madhouse (which of course is probably contributing to my cranky guts - the circle continues!).

Soup underway!

BACK ON TRACK:  CARROT, FINGERLING, AND PARSLEY SOUP

After Christmas, I was eager to get back to cooking, and the greenmarkets.  I regularly shop at two greenmarkets that are open year round.  I'm fascinated by cold weather produce, and the challenge of cooking seasonally.  There's the occasional bag of frozen spinach and imported citrus, but mostly we rely on the winter root cellar: carrots, potatoes, turnips, apples, pears, and the rest of winter's pragmatic tubers and other produce.    Craving lots of vegetables and something easy to digest, I came up with this  tasty, GERD-friendly, nourishing blended soup (one of my New Year's Resolutions -- to use my immersible blender more often!).  I had this four four days in a row -- a great "detoxing" start to 2013!

Ingredients:

Sourced from your local greenmarket or farm

4 large cloves garlic (if you have small cloves, use more), pressed or finely chopped 

1 small onion, chopped 

4 medium to large carrots, sliced and chopped 

5-6 fingerling potatoes, quartered 

1 generous handful fresh parsley, chopped 

Olive oil

Water

1. Heat olive oil in soup pot and add garlic.  Cook over low heat until fragrant and softened.
2. Add onion.  Cook until softened.
3. Stir in carrots.  Cover with lid and cook until just softened.  Stir to prevent sticking/burning.
4. Add water to cover vegetables by about one inch.  Add potatoes and a few tablespoons of parsley.
5. Bring to boil and then simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are soft.
6. Add remaining parsley and cook for a few minutes.  Using immersible blender, blend until desired consistency.
7. Before serving, sprinkle with a few parsley leaves.

Variations:  I'm going to try this recipe again, varying it with celeriac, sunchokes, and other roots, or different potatoes (though the fingerlings are just divine in a soup).   A version of this with acorn or butternut squash might work.  I think turnips or parsnips might be too harsh for the flavor I'm trying to achieve here, and I may omit the onion next time.   I'm always interested in adding apples to savory dishes, and wonder how they would go here? 

Storage:  I divided the soup into portions for two and for one using my new Pyrex storage containers (yay, Santa!).  I did not freeze these, wanting to keep the mellow flavor away from any freezer burn.   

Cooling on the window ledge.

Chocolate: Motility vs GERD

Iced chocolate using homemade almond milk (from Upright Coffee) 

As I write this, I can feel acid gurgling in my stomach/esophagus.  I just had a square of dark chocolate ten minutes ago, and this is what must be responsible for my latest GERD episode.   The chocolate has become a post-breakfast routine but also a bad habit.   My GERD symptoms (burning, belching, "food in throat," nausea) have been picking up over the past few months, probably due to the chocolate and also increased caffeinated tea drinking -- I've been going through an "I don't care, I just want my tea!" phase.  You can't fool your body, though, and I finally am returning to my GERD-friendly eating approaches:  reducing portions, eating and drinking slowly, and limiting the tea/chocolate.

BUT:

The chocolate is a conundrum.   One of my GERD triggers is constipation.   Each morning is a race against time for me, a nightmare of trying to relax my mind and body while the hours march on, the commuting clock ticking away.   Do I spend more time trying to succeed in the bathroom and risk being late for work, or leave the house on time but uncomfortable, bloated, and full of acid?  Then there's the rising stress as I realize I'm going to be both bloated and late for work, and now the day is in total shambles before it even begins!  

The past few weeks have been awful for me GERD-wise.   As I mentioned, my lackadaisical attitude to tea has definitely caused problems.  I've also been ending my breakfast with one or two squares of dark chocolate after noticing a relationship between the chocolate and "staying regular."   I've tried prunes, prune juice, figs, bran and other common strategies, but nothing works as consistently and quickly as chocolate.    So now the dilemma is choosing between GERD reflux caused by chocolate or constipation.

CHOCOLATE + SERATONIN = (TOO MUCH) RELAXING

Around the Internet, chocolate's reputation as a constipation aid is disputed.  Numerous sites link constipation with chocolate, but just as many refer to chocolate as having a positive effect.   In my case, chocolate is most definitely helpful to motility.   As for being a GERD trigger, chocolate releases seratonin, causing the sphincter to relax, which results in reflux.   On the other hand, seratonin causes things to, well, relax -- probably why my intestines work better after the chocolate.

On a side note: chocolate and almond milk has been a regular treat.  I've been having mine at the Upright Coffee stand, where they make their own almond milk.  I also convinced a chain bistro to make this for me (not as good as Upright), and I perfected making this at home using Upright's method of swirling cocoa into a water base and adding this to the almond milk.  I feel powerful after drinking this, and have not had any GERD episodes during or after a cup.

I don't know what my answer is -- I am confident having more regular bowels, and healthy motility definitely makes for a happier gut for me, overall.  Should I start taking TUMS before or after the chocolate?  Do I try to convince my body that a few prunes are as quick acting?  What about raw, unprocessed cocoa (cacao) -- do different types/intensities of chocolate act differently as triggers?   Does it matter if I have the chocolate with other food, or without tea?  This is something to explore… stay tuned!

LINKAGE 

Wright and Castell's "The Adverse Effect of Chocolate on Lower Esophageal Sphincter Pressure" in the American Journal of Digestive Disorders

Livestrong's article on chocolate and GERD includes a number of links about the subject.

From the Washington Post, a review of "The Un-Constipated Gourmet: Secrets to a Moveable Feast" by Danielle Svetcov.

GERD Food Diary: Day 3, Wednesday, January 4, 2010

Black beans and brown rice

Morning summary:  Slept well.  Woke up early and did morning weights and a very short (5 minute) routine on the stationary bike.  While getting breakfast ready, I felt reflux and a tightness in my throat again.  I wonder why this happens after I've been up for 15-20 minutes, and not when I wake up.  I am bloated and my guts feel "heavy," and I am worried about constipation again.  My anxiety about getting out of the house on time coincides with my concern about "staying regular."   Does anyone else have this problem?   I am almost fanatical about it lately, after noticing how closely connected my reflux symptoms seem to be with constipation.  

6:00 AM: Breakfast
1 Wheetabix square
1 C. almond milk (Blue Diamond vanilla unsweetened)
1/4 C. chopped walnuts/pecans
2 T. raisins
1/3 muffin (my homemade apple-cinnamon-oat)
1 square Ritter dark chocolate (sometimes I find a small bit of chocolate to be helpful with my intestines)
1 C. Hojicha tea

9:30 AM: Second Breakfast
1 and 1/2 homemade apple-cinnamon-oat muffin

11:30 AM: Sharp pain in back between shoulders, bloated lower abdomen, minor stomach pain, some nausea (I have not experienced nausea in several weeks....)

12:30 PM: Lunch
Hungry, a little overwhelmed by workday but keeping up, staying positive.  Stretched out back, hip after sharp pains this morning.  I feel better.  Food in throat feeling after eating lunch, which I ate slowly, chewed well.
1 Amy's Burrito (Spinach/Tofu)
2 clementines


2:00 PM: 1 cup Blackcurrent tea (Tea Forte brand)

4:00 PM: 1/5 plain bagel
I was hungry and in the mood for a "sweet."  Instead of having one or more of the many cookies around the office today, I opted for a small piece of bagel, which was satisfying.

7:45 PM: Dinner
1/2 C black beans (Cayuga Organics)
1/2 C. brown rice
1 C. kale-enhanced veggie soup (I took the last of my kale-carrot-potato soup and, during reheating, added two cups of fresh kale and some water to the pot.  What a great way to "use up" the rest of my kale.  It turned out great!)
1/3 plain roll with Earth Balance spread

8:50 PM: I feel ok, though "gassy" and bloated in my lower abdomen/intestines.  Minimal food in throat feeling, some belching.  I think my reflux is subsiding -- or, at least I am convincing myself it is?!  

Report from My Gut: Post-Holiday GERD Summary

Apples from the greenmarket.  For me, apples are a "secret weapon" to good gut health!

MY POST-HOLIDAY GERD SUMMARY

Like most people, my holiday (in my case, Christmas) festivities were full of round-the-clock activity and food.   Anyone on a "special diet" -- vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, diabetic, anyone going "without" or avoiding categories of foods for whatever reason -- needs to be especially mindful, proactive, and in good humor to make it through the barrage of pot-lucks, dinners, gift chocolates, and other holiday food frenzies with one's health intact.

Now, a few days before the New Year, I am feeling the effects of a week of delicious food but over-indulgence.    Disclaimer:  I also got a cold last week, so my stomach and body overall is feeling overworked.   For the past week, I am now experiencing these off and on gut symptoms:

• heartburn (TUMS are helping)
• morning reflux (again, after being awake for 15 minutes or so -- it does not wake me up)
• irregular intestines
• stomach pain (near the belly button)
• "tired" stomach feeling
• sleep apnea (I had two cases of this in the past week)
• food in throat feeling

I took measures to prevent or minimize GERD symptoms during my holiday gatherings, including:

• Reducing and/or avoiding caffeinated tea/beverage intake
• Having my usual breakfast each day (whole-wheat cereal such as Wheetabix, 1/4 C. nuts, raisins, almond milk) 
• Increased consumption of apples/applesauce (secret weapon!)
• Choosing to skip a chocolate dessert one evening when I thought my system felt "overloaded" already
• Maintaining an exercise routine while traveling, though much curtailed
• Getting a full night of sleep most nights

Still, I abandoned my effort to eat "mostly plant-based" whole foods, eating a cheese omelet at a diner, a slab of buttercream vanilla cake at a tea house, cheese-based casseroles, and non-vegan cookies and doughnuts.   Why did I eat these things?   The "ambience" of the holidays, peer pressure, my own desire to just "eat like a normal person," the fact I like the taste of all of these foods.   Still, why suffer at all?  A week later, I am still "de-toxing" and taking 1-3 TUMS daily.  Next year, should I stick to whatever works to keep my gut in check? (I know my family and friends would understand.)

I should add that even if I avoided any of my triggers while traveling, there is still the "return to New York City" syndrome.  This city escalates stress, and that stress does translate to GI issues.


BEANS AND POTATOES, SOUPS AND LEMONS

This week, to counteract the holiday diet, my meals and beverages were modest:  lentil soup, hot water with Meyer lemon, herbal teas, and a few potato and bean based meals.

A big hit was this combination of Cayuga Organics pinto beans, brown rice (Lundberg Farms brand), and turnips.   This was a simple, albeit monochromatic meal that tasted superb and was easy on the digestive tract!

Method: I pre-cook the pintos and freeze them into batches; to re-heat, either thaw in the refrigerator all day and then reheat in a pot with a small amount of water. Or, I've thawed/heated in one step in the oven.   The turnips are peeled, cubed, and boiled until their pungent qualities are reduced.)

Pinto beans, turnips and brown rice -- never mind the plain palette, this is wonderful!

The next night, I roasted a pan of carrots and turnips, and these fingerling potatoes and shallots, all courtesy of the greenmarket.

Method:  Mix with a few spoons of olive oil (use enough to coat; I "massage" the oil in with my fingers) and roast for 35-40 minutes in 400 degree oven.   Shake the pan a few times during the cooking to loosen vegetables; I also take them out near the end and turn with a spatula and cook a bit longer to evenly caramelize.  (This is not a perfect science; if I don't get all of them turned I don't worry about it -- I just make a small effort, and it gives me a chance to taste a few pieces, too!)    

I served this with leftover nut loaf and corn casserole.  

Roasted fingerling potatoes with shallots

I also made a batch of homemade applesauce.  I left the skins on, but my next batch will have to be peeled -- the skins provided an unpleasant mouthfeel in an otherwise lovely result.   This batch is made from four apples (one Fuji I had laying around, plus three heirlooms).  I also realized I need to add more water at the start.  

Method:  Take apples, peel and chop into small pieces.  Add to pot with water (amount varies; add modestly and see what is needed to keep the fruit from drying out).  Simmer until apples get mushy.  Mash with potato masher in pot.  Add cinnamon if desired.  (Don't add sugar!)  I've seen recipes online using apple cider (or Cognac!) as additions.  

Applesauce underway.

I am looking forward to Saturday's greenmarket trip and firing up my kitchen this weekend!  Happy and delicious (and reflux-managed) 2012!

Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffins

A batch of my cinnamon-oat-apple muffins in my old 1930s tins.
Not only are they fun to use -- automatic portion control since they're tiny!

Happy Monday!  I am enjoying the benefits of what feels like an extra hour due to Daylight Saving Time -- everything feels more relaxed today!   

Overall, my GERD symptoms seem to be settling a bit the past few weeks.  No more heartburn and that "feeling of food in my throat" is minimal or gone.   Still daily belching, and this morning I experienced acid reflux, but that has been subsiding as well.  I'm not doing anything different in my diet (except, in fact, eating more chocolate than usual).   The one thing that IS different is improvement in my intestinal patterns.  Maybe in the next blog post I'll address this -- how can we talk guts and leave out all those intestinal tracts!?  I don't think we can!

MUST-HAVE RECIPE:  MY "HORSE" MUFFINS

I found this recipe in the September 2008 issue of Women's Health magazine and make them nearly weekly.  These are my go-to morning snack!   Quite delicious and satisfying, though they ARE a little "wholesome" -- I joke that these are my "horse muffins" as in "something you'd feed your horse for a treat."  

The recipe is very flexible -- you can omit or use different nuts, substitute rolled oats or bran for some of the flour, add raisins or other dried fruit, replace the apple with a pear -- endless combinations!   These call for one egg; I've veganized it by using a "flax egg" but the egg-less version was not as pleasing (though edible).  (If anyone comes up with a good vegan version, let me know!)  I buy my eggs exclusively from a sustainable grocery -- the eggs come from "happy chickens in Western New York" on a small family farm.

Apple-Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffins

1/2 C. oat bran

1 C. whole-wheat flour (substitute 1/2 C. oats or bran if you wish)

1/4 C. ground flaxseed

1 tsp baking soda

1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (I double or triple the amount!)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 egg, beaten (I've tried a vegan, egg-free version of this recipe; it's very dry but ok)

4 T. canola oil  (I always use 3 T. instead of 4)

1/3 C. applesauce

1/4 C. sugar (I always use 1/4 C maple syrup)

1 whole apple, grated (or pear)

1/3 C. chopped pecans (or walnuts, or a combination)

Handful of raisins if you wish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together oat bran, flour, flax, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. In separate bowl, whisk together egg and oil until smooth.  Stir in applesauce and sugar.  Combine mixture and fold in nuts.  At this point, I add the grated apple.  Don't forget to add the juice of grated apple (or pear)!  Fold in raisins if using.

4. Spoon batter into lightly oiled muffin tins.  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until tops spring back when touched.  I usually let these go a few extra minutes so the tops get nice and deep brown.  Place tins on wire rack to cool. 

5.  Remove from tins after 5 minutes or so, and cool on plate.

Food Diary: Wednesday, August 3

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

This is the second tea-free day of my "GERD elimination test."  Is that why I am so tired?  I fell asleep at my desk both days.  Is it the lack of tea that's causing my narcolepsy?  A few times, I also felt unable to mentally "get with it."  I knew if I had some tea, the afternoon would go more smoothly.  As for how this is making my guts feel, I have to admit I feel less "gerdy."  No belching, no regurgitation, nothing.   Note that I am still having chocolate (bar and brownies).

I've decided to omit my bathroom goings-on in this blog, which will already be full of gratuitous information about my guts.   However, take note:  anyone interested in improving their GI issues -- or their health, in general -- should track how their intestines are functioning.   For Android phones, I recommend the PoopLog.  (iPhone users -- any suggestions?)

WHAT I ATE


6:00 AM - Breakfast
1 Wheetabix biscuit
1 C. almond milk (Blue Diamond unsweetened vanilla)
1/4 C. raisins (Sunmaid)
1 peach
1/2 C. blackberries
2/3 C. mineral water (Gerolsteiner)

10:00 AM - Snack
1/3 sourdough bagel, plain
1 individual applesauce (Motts Natural)

12:00 PM - Lunch 
1 white flour roll (from Employee Appreciation Day free lunch)
1 vegetable "potsticker" (from Employee Appreciation Day free lunch)
1.5 C. squash casserole (mine)

1:30 PM - Snack
1 Mr. Softee vanilla ice cream cone

3:30 PM - Snack
1 C. cherries

7:30 PM - Dinner 
Warmed in cast iron pan:  kidney beans, fresh corn kernels scraped off the cob, 4 cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley

9:00 PM - Snack
Brownies - from a recipe I found on Allrecipes for Vegan Brownies