yinyangcooking

[yinyangcooking-blog]

The holiday season is over and so is my somewhat ill timed vegan challenge. 3 weeks was hardly long enough to reach any blinding insights but I can say conclusively for me, eating entirely plant based took me out of balance. Winter is the season for more nourishment and warmth in one's diet according to both Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. A vegan diet is generally more cooling, and requires careful attention to do right, which was made more difficult by extended travels and holiday festivities. While I felt lighter mentally and physically eating this way, partially because I have also sworn off most processed food, meal planning and preparation was increasingly taking up more time than it should. An article forwarded by a friend on orthorexia was a wake up call that I was perhaps spending too much of my mental energy thinking about how to eat healthy, further evidenced by my feeling compelled to undertake a 3 day juice cleanse, a practice I've concluded too extreme, after several experiments with cleanses in the past. All this felt the opposite of what I was trying to achieve by embarking on a journey of studying integrative nutrition and cultivating health and wellness for myself and others. I decided it was time to go back to the basic principals of balance and moderation. Gradually, as I eased off the strict plant based, no processed food diet, I naturally fell into a simpler, more pleasurable way of eating. Food is once again a source of joy and comfort, a binding agent for memories shared, and above are some of the culinary delights that managed to do exactly that and more (home made jiaozi and muhammura, Hide-Chan ramen). Happy 2015!

[yinyangcooking-blog]

To keep myself inspired and motivated to stay the course of the four week challenge, I’ve been hitting the vegan restaurant scene this week. These are my favorites of the many goodies sampled: cannoli from Candle 79, lentil soup from Angelica Kitchen and the platter from Bombay Sandwich Co, in that order. Yes I'm working on the sweet tooth problem. I still have dreams about the cannoli days later and Angelica’s lentil soup is hands down one of the best I’ve had, vegan or not. While Candle and Angelica are NYC vegan institutions, Bombay stands out as one of the more creative expressions of fast casual chains that have been popping up lately focused on healthy eating. My two cents - skip the name sake sandwiches as they are too bready and go for the platter, which can be customized to your liking. Next on my to try list: vegan sushi at http://www.beyondsushinyc.com/

[yinyangcooking-blog]

Vegan Challenge

This is week one of my four-week vegan challenge. I have flirted with eating a plant based diet on and off, having long admired Paul Pitchford’s Healing with Whole Foods, yet felt justified writing it off as too extreme for us mere mortals. Aside from that, food has always been at the heart of what it means to feel love, nourished and home. The day I turned vegan would undoubtedly be a sad one for my northern Chinese, meat adoring parents. They have already endured my self imposed six plus months of swearing off gluten, making the quintessential family meal of jiaozi off-limits. Wasted effort though it was not. Staying off gluten allowed my digestive system to heal so I can now enjoy sprouted grains and the occasional wheat based treats. Severe side effect of dark chocolate addiction from my gluten free days notwithstanding, all is well again now jiaozi is part of my life. Ironically, it was T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study that convinced me to give plant based eating a real chance. The studies that are at the foundation of Dr. Campbell’s book are meticulously constructed, and the statistical evidence of correlation between an animal based diet and a host of modern diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes impossible to ignore. The math nerd in me would point out correlation != causation but sometimes when the evidence is strong enough, you don’t need to know the why. So here I am, armed with Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Life, a fun and practical companion when one just needs some ideas for the next meal, intrepidly embarking on this vegan challenge, promising myself I can always break if off after four weeks. Having eaten mostly vegetarian after a vipassana meditation retreat in June, the changes required here are not drastic. I only have to cut out eggs, dairy, and the occasional meal out with meat based choices for the sake of culinary adventure. The only thing I really miss so far, is ice cream - the half finished pint of BlueMarble sea salt caramel in the freezer calling out my name. As luck would have it, I was recently gifted a NutriBullet, which aside from being surprisingly easy to use and clean, turning out consistently delectable green smoothies, was also the last defense against the urgent attack of the BlueMarble. The countermeasure pictured above involved an organic banana - yes they do taste better and less overwhelmingly sweet, frozen blueberries, Edensoy unsweetened soy milk and a pinch of sea salt. I literally dumped chucks of banana and soy milk in the NutriBullet cup, threw the said cup in the freezer for 20 minutes, added the rest of the ingredients and blended everything together in an attempt to trick my brain into thinking I was having an ice cream moment. Happily, it worked.

[yinyangcooking-blog]

Eating well does not have to be complicated. It just takes a little planning ahead and some willingness to experiment. I love creating paired down versions of favorite restaurant creations that are healthy and fast to put together. This avocado toast is inspired by Le Pain Quotidian’s toasted avocado tartine. Ezekiel sesame sprouted whole grain bread, avocado, lime juice, cumin, a few turns of the pepper mill, dash of Himalayan pink salt, and grated parmesan, if you are feeling decadent, is all it takes for a satisfying snack or a light meal.