Changes

Hello world. Sorry I have been MIA, there have been lots of things going on here recently and I'm not sure the best way to sum it all up.

To begin with, I just returned from a month long rotation called HEART. It's an acronym that stands for something very long that I, nor any of the other students could ever remember. I had the great opportunity to live in northern California, surrounded by towering redwoods that proved to be an incredibly healing, peaceful, and special place. I lived with 23 other truly amazing and inspiring medical students (including one yoga instructor!) from all over the country. We came from very different locations and the majority of us had never met before, but by the end of the rotation I knew I had made a group of lifelong friends. We lived together, we laughed together, we cried together, we journeyed together, we hugged together (we had pretty epic spiral hugs), we explored together, and I feel we all changed together. I can't really put into words what the rotation entails, but it really was something special and something I will never forget.

Mini-plug for HEART. If you're a medical student who wants to remind yourself why you wanted to become a physician and rejuvenate yourself before you start residency, apply for HEART. You won't regret it, I promise. Learn more HERE.

One topic I brought back from HEART was gratitude. I really learned how important it is to be grateful everyday and take time out to reflect on what you are thankful for. We created little mailbox baggies for ourselves and others would leave gratitude notes in them periodically. I loved reading them and appreciated all the kind words other had to say about me. I wanted to try and create something in my home to remind me to be grateful everyday. Enter Gratitude Board. We had a cork board hung up on the wall near the front door. Over the years, it had accumulated a good collection of miscellaneous items like coupons, arizona basketball ticket stubs, business cards, doctor's appointment reminders, eyeglasses prescriptions, free Desert Museum and Biosphere 2 passes, etc. It was basically a junk hoard I would have to look at every time I left the house. I thought it would make a perfect gratitude board and something I can look at every time I leave or come home. Down came the odds n' ends and up went my daily gratitudes. It looks a little sad and empty now, but I promise it will grow. The first gratitude note I added (not really a gratitude, more of a reminder to myself) simply says "Patient: Thank you for your wonderful bedside manner. It's nice to have someone actually listen to me. You're going to be a great doctor."

my new gratitude board

One of the highlights of HEART was that we created a strong community which included cooking for each other. Of course I was excited about this! Being around other foodies and health conscious eaters was such a great experience. I picked up so many new recipes and helpful tips in the kitchen. I learned to be much more mindful while eating and appreciate my food. I learned hara hachi bu from Wendy--eat until you're 80% full. I was reminded of the importance of where your food comes from and buying quality food. My body and gut are the happiest they have been in a long time. A month of eating an organic, high quality, mostly vegetarian diet can really do wonders on your body.

I've tried to bring that mentality back home with me, though it can be difficult as a medical student. I've recently been on a nutritional yeast kick. I've been sprinkling it on almost everything. Tonight, I made a bowl of popcorn using coconut oil, drizzled it with olive oil and then sprinkled some nutritional yeast and sea salt on top. Perfect late night snack. Even JC was hooked.

popcorn sprinkled with nutritional yeast

Another healthy change JC and I have picked up is sprouting. I got into sprouts a few years ago after visiting the farmer's market and tasting all of the wonderful sprouts for sale. Who knew there was so much more than just alfalfa sprouts out there? JC recently bought an Easy Sprout Sprouter which makes sprouting so simple. So far we have done simple alfalfa sprouts, JC is working on some red lentils, and I'm doing some wheat berries. I'm still debating if I want to continue my wheat berries for munching or to use them to make rejuvelac. My favorite resource for all your sprouting needs is Sprout People, they not only sell any type of sprouting supply you would need, but they also have great videos and instructions about how to sprout just about anything. Happy sprouting!

wheat berries day one

Lastly, my final healthy comment (and the recipe for today) is about tofu. It is such a versatile food that can be prepared so many different ways. JC left a carton of extra firm non-GMO tofu in the fridge before he left for Flagstaff. I decided to try and fry it up to eat with a seaweed salad. I've had problems in the past with frying tofu. I've never been able to create a crispy outer coating with that perfect browning on the outside. I was inspired by one of my fellow HEARTies who whipped up a batch of fried tofu while I was there and it was delicious. I googled how to fry tofu and found a pretty foolproof method of frying tofu. It turned out great with a crispy coating and it was so simple. I'm not going to list out the full recipe here, but you can head over to herbivoracious where they have a great step-by-step on how to make fried tofu (actually how to make tofu really freaking delicious).

really freaking delicious fried tofu

Like I said, lots of changes recently, both good and bad. Sometimes it can be difficult to stay optimistic and find the good in things; but it is always there, you might just have to search a little harder. I'm grateful for so many things in my life and so lucky to be me. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has ever helped me in the past, I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. Enjoy today!

Nearly Vegan

I have been sort of MIA recently. Last month I did the Integrative Medicine Elective Rotation through my home school, the University of Arizona. It was an incredibly inspiring experience and I met some amazing people. It would be difficult to sum up what I learned and how it changed me in a blog post, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.

Currently, I am doing my family medicine sub-i, so that leaves me very little time to do things outside of work. To makes things even more difficult, JC has been off doing his rural thing in Tuba City so it's been just Kuma and I to fend for ourselves at home. This means I make a big batch of a recipe and eat the same thing for the next couple of days.

During the IMER, I was introduced to nutritional yeast. I had never tried this peculiar substance before. It's a yellow powdery/flakey ingredient that has a savory/cheesy flavor. Apparently it is great for vegans or vegetarians because it is a source of protein and often fortified with vitamin B12. I picked some up in bulk from one of the local grocery stores and I wasn't completely sure what to do with it. So I dove into the vast array of vegan blogs in search of a recipe. I should note here, in no way, shape, or form am I a vegan/vegetarian. Generally, I don't eat meat on a regular basis only because vegetables are so much easier to cook. I have nothing against those who don't eat meat, as long as you still have a well-balanced, nutrient rich diet.

Caution: nutritional yeast is not the same as regular baking yeast! If you use baking yeast in this recipe, it is going to be incredibly disgusting. You've been warned.

I noticed vegan mac and cheese came up multiple times on my nutritional yeast search, so I picked a recipe that sounded easy and delicious. This recipe is really simple and doesn't call for any odd-ball ingredients--other than the nutritional yeast. Surprisingly, the dish comes out tasting pretty similar to cheese...similar is the key word, it's not not exactly like cheese. It's never going to replace a good old blue box of Kraft mac n cheese, but this is definitely way healthier. It's packed with B vitamins and the anti-inflammatory super spice turmeric. This would be great with some veggies mixed in like broccoli, and the turmeric gives it an amazingly vibrant yellow hue.

Confession: This is nearly vegan mac n cheese. You need a bit of some sort of butter substitute. The recipe recommends buttery spread (aka earth balance), but I'm not particularly fond of these spread used for anything other than spread on toast. If you need a true vegan dish, you can sub the buttery spread, but I'm a butter girl.

Vegan Mac & Cheese
from Love and Lemons

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c. vegan butter or regular butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• squeeze of lemon
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 8-12 oz pasta
• 1-2 c. pasta water
• salt and pepper

Heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions, a few pinches of salt, and simmer until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add flour and whisk to thicken. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes on medium-low. 

Add a good squeeze of lemon and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add coconut milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, and a few more pinches of salt. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. 

Vitamix the sauce together to make the sauce really creamy

Taste and adjust seasonings. In a large bowl stir together cooked pasta, some of the sauce, and optional veggies. Stir in pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. 

Tis the Season

It's that time of the year. The music is playing, lights are going up on houses, trees are being decorated, and the kitchen smells like delicious baked goods. Yes, it's Christmas. This should come as no surprise, but my favorite part of the holiday are the baked goods. There are so many festive treats to make and plenty of reason to package them up and share with loved ones. This weekend, I have a holiday party to go to, giving me a reason to bake some treats. Today, I tried out a recipe for walnut snowball cookies. They remind me a lot of my favorite cookies at King's Hawaiian Bakery in Torrance, CA--except theirs have macadamia nuts which is much more fitting. I found this recipe in a Food & Wine magazine and it looked so simple. A traditional shortbread recipe with walnuts, baked and rolled in powdered sugar. The results were amazing. Light, buttery cookies that have just the perfect amount of sweet with some crunch from the nuts. As the recipe suggests, you can easily change this recipe to add a different type of nut, some cardamom, or any other flavors. It's a great basic cookie. And how much more festive can you get than eating a snowball?

Walnut Snowball Cookies
from Food & Wine Magazine

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts (6 ounces)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (OR 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°.
2. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the vanilla bean seeds at high speed until pale, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through. At low speed, mix in the salt, then gradually add the flour and walnuts and beat just until the cookie dough comes together, scraping down the side of the bowl halfway through.
3. Roll level tablespoons of the dough into balls and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake the cookies in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 17 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the bottom; switch the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies firm up on the sheets, about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool slightly.
4. Put the remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Roll the warm cookies in the sugar to coat and return to the rack to cool completely. Roll again in the sugar.

MAKE AHEAD The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.