eat_tasty

I made this tonight for the first time. It was super easy. This Indian dessert, for those who don't know, is basically a combination between funnel cake and candy. Using a pancake type batter you swirl it around in hot oil and then soak it in sugar syrup flavored with rose water & cardamom (although I didn't have cardamom so I used a dash of all spice). The rose water is the dominant flavor in any case, so the spice doesn't really matter. I think you could even omit it.

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup to 1 cup plain yogurt
warm water
1/2 tsp saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered
3 cups sugar
2 2/3rd cups water
1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds or powder
2 Tbs rose water
Oil for frying
Orange food coloring

Mix the flour, baking powder and yogurt into a batter and keep aside for 2-24 hours. Pour batter into bottle, pastry bag, or similar.

Melt the sugar with the rose water and boil to soft ball stage. Basically, boil until a drop of sugar syrup will keep its form by itself when you drop it onto a spoon or plate. You can find temperatures online and use a candy thermometer if you want. Add the saffron strands and cardamom and stir well. If you're afraid to use cardamom you can also substiture all spice which is more tolerable for IC bladders. You can also simply omit the spice. Add food coloring.

Heat the oil in a deep pan on high heat, but not the highest heat. When its hot, drizzle the batter into the hot oil in circular motions, or really any way you like. Stars, hearts, and diamonds are also acceptable! Fry until golden on both sides, but don't burn it. It really only takes about 30 seconds on each side. Soak in sugar syrup for approx 3 minutes. Serve.

Enjoy!


My version


More professional versions. As you can see theirs is shinier--my syrup wasn't as syrupy. I probably needed more water in my recipe. Theirs is also more orange. You can use as much or as little food coloring as you like.

 

 

Note: Plain Yogurt is not on the IC diet, so if you want you can also try omitting this and using milk instead. If you do you should also omit the water in the recipe. You don't want the batter to be too thin.

Baked Potato Ingredients
Potato
Grated carrot
Peas
Garbonzo beans

"Sour Cream" Sauce
1 Tbs sour cream
1 half cup butter
1 tsp garlic
Whip

Those of us with IC know that you can't just sit down and eat sour cream. It's just too sour. I got the idea for this sauce, or dip if you will, when I wanted to eat an artichoke. My mom used to always make artichokes with mayonaise--another lovely tart condiment that most of us just can't handle. There's nothing else in the world really similar to it though. What to do? I decided to add a little sour cream to butter, because the flavor is really all you need. You don't need a lot! And the garlic helps too. If this is too sour for you, I suggest simply whipping the butter and garlic and allowing it to rest overnight. This will be almost as good.

Bake or steam potato and slice as you desire, with or without skin. Dollop on the sauce and then pile on toppings. With perhaps a touch of grated mozzarella. Eat.

Enjoy!

Sometimes you just have a hankering.

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk (no preservatives)
3-4 large white button mushrooms
1/2 - 1 cup garbonzo beans (canned no preservatives, although I've seen fresh at the store. You might try those also. I have never eaten them.)
1/3 cup black olives (no preservatives)
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
1/2 - 2/3 cup lightly salted cashews
1/4 cup honey
Garlic powder
Salt to taste


After browning the mushrooms in butter in a pan, this is one of those meals, I basically dumped everything in at once. I used a very deep pan, or cast iron skillet if you have one, and just let it cook together. It doesn't really get super thick, but that's ok. I used a lot of garlic and once it had sat overnight, the coconut milk really took on the garlic flavor and it was almost like real curry. The honey gives the sweetness added warmth also.

Enjoy!

It was cold today in California--65 which is quite chilly for the end of May. I decided I wanted soup.

Ingredients
4-5 large carrots
3-4 large potatoes
2-3 cups milk or cream
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
Approx 1 Tbs garlic powder
1-2 Tbs onion powder
Sage
Sprig or two fresh rosemary
Dry basil (sweeter than fresh)
1 tsp sugar

Peel and chop carrots and potatoes and boil in water. Chopping will decrease their cook time; approx 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and carefully, don't burn yourself, spoon into a food processor or blender along with milk, in small batches. If you don't have either of these you can also try doing it by hand with a potato masher and then whipping it as best you can. Some small chunks are not a bad thing.

Once your vegetables are pureed with the milk, or cream, return to the pot and stove. Simmer on medium to low heat. Depending on thickness add a little more milk and all of your butter. You'll have to stir somewhat constantly or it will scald on the bottom. Add your seasonings, along with the sprig of rosemary left whole, and continue to stir. Continue stirring for a little while--oh ten minutes or so. Until all the seasonings have blended, incorporated, and your soup tastes fragrant.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
Blender
Full tray ice
1 shot Chambord
1 shot Absolut Apeach
1 tsp Coconut Extract
2 tsp Sugar
Salted or sugared glass


Blend ingredients on high, serve in margarita glass



I find that I tolerate most alcohols pretty well, except for whiskey (although that doesn't stop me from making an Irish whiskey and cream sauce with mushrooms recipe). Granted, I haven't tried every alcohol out there, and you're crazy if you think you'll be drinking sour mix any time soon. Stay away from citrus or cranberry recipes--and alter a drink if it calls for those.

Still, I find moderate alcohols are fine. Vodka, Root beer Schnapps, Buttershots, Bailey's (anything but coffee flavored), Creme de Menthe, Amaretto, Franjellico, even small amounts of wine or beer.

Most drinks I end up mixing with milk or half and half--simply because I want a cocktail not a shot. You're going to be hard pressed to find anything you can mix with alcohol besides milk or water. Coconut milk should be ok, but be sure and double check the preservatives.

Anyway, these lead to drinks that are heavy on the palate. I've been looking for a good fruity beverage, and this one really hits the spot. Next time I want to try it with Coconut Rum.



Depending on your constitution this may requite the use of approx 4 prelief pills. Just to be on the safe side.

The IC Diet can make your list of edible food seem piddly. Even more so if you're having a flare. To me, this calls for experimentation. You have GOT to get into the kitchen and come up with new kinds of food from the same old ingredients. Today I made up a recipe for carrot patties. What on earth is that? When I was a kid my mom used to make zucchini patties. I won't give you their recipe right now, since I'm feeling a bit lazy. But suffice it to say it involves grating vegetables and frying them in oil. But I wanted something new, something I'd never eaten before. Something I'd never even heard of. Voila! Carrot Patties.

Ingredients
2 Large potatoes peeled & grated
2 Medium to large carrots, peeled & grated
1 sleeve of saltine crackers (I believe Ritz are also fairly safe. If you have another brand on hand, I'm sure that will work also)
3 eggs
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients until they're nice and soggy.


In a frying pan, scoop a fist full of your mixture into very hot oil and smash down flat with a spatula. Fry on medium heat. Allow patties to fry with a lid on for about 45 seconds-2 min. Remove lid and turn your patty. Do not replace lid or your patty will be soggy. Remove from heat--hopefully you have not burnt any sides--careful because this is easy to do. Much easier than burning regular hashbrowns--in my opinion.

Serve and enjoy!



You can eat these with rice or by themselves. When I ate them, I found they were tasty, if a little bland. I would suggest serving them with a chicken or country gravy.

Ingredients
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 Zucchini
1/3 lb hamburger (7% fat)
1/3 bag of frozen petite peas
1/3 can garbonzo beans
1/3-1/2 cup milk
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Sage
Basil
Salt
Butter

Peel and chop potatoes and carrots. Simmer in 2 cups of water in a larger frying pan, along with sage, salt, garlic, and onion powder. When potatoes are somewhat softened add zucchini, hamburger, peas, garbonzo beans, and milk. Allow to stew until much of the liquid has evaporated and meat is fully cooked.

Eat plain or serve over rice :)

One of the fastest, safest, and easiest meals is sauteed vegetables. Today I made mini penne pasta with sauteed carrots & mushrooms with a sprinkling of pine nuts on top. It's good, with the interplay between the sweet carrots and savory mushrooms, and it's quite healthy.

Ingredients
2 Carrots
3 Large mushrooms
Pine nuts
Penne pasta
Butter/olive oil/pam

Peel and chop carrots, slice mushrooms. Shape to your own preference, I'm not a snob when it comes to chopping. Turn your frying pan or wok to medium high, but closer to medium than high. I usually fry with a small amount of butter, but use you what you like. Pam doesn't change the flavor noticeably and I use it often when I'm eating my veggies plain and not with pasta. But buttery pasta will be much better than dry, fyi.

Cover carrots with a lid for a 3-4 minutes. Then remove lid, add a bit more butter and add mushrooms. Turn up the heat so that the mushrooms brown. When the mushrooms are done, add to pasta and sprinkle on pine nuts or even cashews. Both are IC Friendly.

The nice thing about this meal is that other veggies can easily be swapped in: zucchini, summer squash, or cabbage. Also, if you only sautee the mushrooms you can steam fresh broccoli (or warm up some frozen) and eat that as well. It's good to have base foods that you can change around depending on what's in your fridge. Especially when you need meals that only take 15-20 min and have no chance of making you sick. Even during a flare, this will be a safe meal.

Enjoy :)

Ingredients
Home made bread
spinach leaves
monsarella cheese
fried mushrooms

Toast bread and butter. Layer ingredients with hot fried mushrooms on top of your cheese so it melts nicely.






Eat, obviously ;)

Ingredients
Potatoes - Peeled & Chopped
Summer Squash
Zucchini
White Beans
Progresso Chicken Broth
Shredded Chicken
1/2 Cup Butter
Basil
4 Extra Large Bay Leaves
Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Brown sugar

Dump chicken broth into a large pot along with potatoes & bay leaves. Boil until moderately tender. Add squash, white beans, basil, garlic, and onion powder. Boil/simmer until soft. Add salt and butter at some point. When vegetables are all tender add shredded chicken, milk, and sugar. Simmer for another five-eight minutes or so. Serve.