Digging the Hemp Milk....

Having a daughter with allergies to both dairy and soy and of the age where she'll be weaning soon, I've been searching hi and low for a calcium fortified beverage for her. We currently purchase rice milk, but I'm not crazy about it's lack of fats, protein, and the milk's overall thin consistentcy. As Dr. Fuhrman says in his book Disease-Proof Your Child,

I do not recommend rice milks for infants and toddlers. The rice-based milks are too sweet and too low in protein and fat.

So doing some research on the net I came across hemp milk. I've noticed it in the past at the health food store and my wife even bought a carton of chocolate hemp milk at one point, but I never really looked at it's nutritional profile in earnest.

I found the Living Harvest website, www.livingharvest.com, one of the two companies producing hemp milk and was pretty impressed with it's benefits:

An 8 oz. glass of the original or vanilla flavored hemp milk has:

800 mg Omega-3 with SDA
2600 mg of Omega-6 with GLA
All 10 Essential Amino Acids
4 g Digestible Protein
Vitamins A, B12, D, E, Riboflavin & Folic Acid
Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron & Zinc
40% Daily Value of Calcium

Surprisingly, the chocolate flavor has even more calcium (46% of rda), b12 (25% of rda), and boosts 900 mg of Omega-3 and 2800 mg of Omega-6 (perfectly balanced I might add). On the flipside, it does have a high sugar content.

Additionally, hemp milk is gluten-free, soy-free, and has no known allergens. Perfect for my daughter.

And if you're wondering, hemp seeds naturally contain an insignificant amount of THC (yes the stuff that gets you high when you're smoking a doob) and further processing guarantees 0% of THC is found in Living Harvest products.

Of course, most importantly, how does it taste.

I initially purchased both the plain and vanilla flavor. I honestly can't really taste the difference between the two, but they've got a nutty flavor and pretty much remind me of the earlier varieties of soy milk. Slightly chalky, but not really noticable if it's shaken well and not drunk straight. Turthfully it didn't bother me, but what about Bella? She likes it in her breakfast cereal, though not straight.

What about the chocolate? The chocolate I thoroughly enjoy. Better than soy or almond milks. It's rich, chocolately, and not chalky like the plain and vanilla flavor. Strangely, my daughter wasn't digging it and my son won't drink it either. Though, I bet Max would drink it if he didn't know it was hemp milk. For some reason has has a bias against drinking milks from a small rectangular box, as oppossed to the half gallon cartons that Silk comes in.

At $4 for 32 oz. it is a bit pricey, esp since you can get a double box (2 half gallons) of plain Silk soy milk for a little over $5, and almond milk has been 2 for $5 at Publix lately. But, I do like the Omega-3 profile of of the Hemp Milk and the fact that you get nearly half your calcium for the day in one glass.

I'll probably continue buying a few cartons a week, along with soy milk, and occassionally calcium-fortified orange juice. Variety is the spice of life.

Simple Dinner....

After a long day spent at the zoo, I didn't really feel like making anything too fancy last night (not that I ever make anything fancy). I had a bunch of turnips, a bag of parsnips in the fridge and a package of Flax Seed Tempeh (I've become an omega-3 fiend) that I've been wanting to fry up, so I decided to do roasted roots and fried tempeh meal.

The roasted root veggies was easy. Here's what I did:

Ingredients

3 large parsnips
a dozen or so turnips
2 Tbs. of olive oil
1 Tbs. of tarragon
salt and pepper to taste.

1. I pre-heated the oven to 425 degrees
2. peeled, washed and rinsed the turnips and parsnips and cut them into about 1/2" cubes.
3. I tossed the cubes in a bowl with the olive oil and tarragon.
4. Then I popped them in the oven and baked them for 45 mins.
5. I mixed around every 15 mins just to get even browning.
6. After their done, add all the salt and pepper you like. I tend to add saly and pepper after the fact, since everyone in my household has different threshholds for sodium and not all like pepper.

For the tempeh, I prepared it differently than usual. I decided to steam it for 10 mins., first. Apparently, doing so, opens the pores in the tempeh to allow flavors to soak in. This makes sense. I've always been more of a tempeh person than a tofu person, but I have noticed that no matter how long you marinate tempeh the flavors tend to never penetrate the surface, like tofu. I marinated it briefly (about 15 mins) in a cup of water with a tbs. of garlic, a tbs. of coriander, and a tbs. of bragg's liquid aminos. I threw it on the cast-iron skillet and fried it in a little canola oil for about 10-15 mins on each side. The cast-iron skillet will let you know when one side is done, because it lifts easily.

The verdict:

I'm a late comer to parsnips. My uncle introduced me to it last year. The way he prepared it tasted like a slightly spicy carrot. I've been using them off and on since then. Though, I can't decide if I really like them or not. They've got a strange flavor where they can't seem to decide whether they want to be sweet or bitter. The sweetness tends to win out, but halfway through a parsnip dish I always find myself forcing it down after a usually delightful start. This time was no exception. I enjoyed the roasted roots initially, but lost interest about half way through. I've come to the conclusion, that I'll stick to sweet potatoes and white potatoes if I'm craving a root and only pick up parsnips and turnips when the price is good. That said, if you like these root vegetables you'll probably like this dish since roasting veggies always makes them taste better.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tempeh. The flavor was subtle, but tasty. I'll definitely use the same method again.

Hooray, I found another use for our cast-iron skillet (it's still worthless to cook potatoes in).

"Under weakness, you put eczema" - David Brent (the Office)

A post from my partner-in-crime Michelle (A.K.A. the Bean Queen)

Our two year old, Bella, has been a huge inspiration for our family to eat healthy. Her diet is restricted due to food allergies that result in severe eczema. Since she began eating solids at age one, we have had to pay close attention to her nutritional needs. Our four year old, Max, can eat what-ever veggie fare he desires with little to no allergic reactions. The irony of his seemingly endless options for substance, is that Bella actually has the far more expanded palate. Max manages to subsists primarily on wheat products, tomatoes (think pasta sauce), and cheese. We are lucky to sneak anything green past his scrutinizing vision, beans and tofu are YUCK, and we count our blessings when we're able to blackmail him into eating a salad, before his pizza. I like to think of his palate as a work in progress. Bella, however, eats just about anything we put in front of her - primarily all whole food. What we screwed up with Max, we got right with Bella!

Tonight, for Bella and myself, I made a light red kidney bean dish with quinoa. It is a very simple dish with lots of flavor. I think it would be great with corn chips, too.

Light Red Kidney Bean Delight…

1 bag dry light red kidney beans
5-7 cloves of garlic (if you like your garlic, one or two less if not), minced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1-2 cups veggie stock (depending on how much liquid your in the mood for)
Garlic powder (hey, we like our garlic), salt, and pepper to taste

Prepare dry beans to directions on bag.
Sauté garlic on med-low heat with olive oil first, about five minutes. Be careful to not burn them. Add onions, sauté for another 2 minutes. Add veggie stock, carrots and beans, simmer for about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste.

I actually never use pepper ’cuz I’m not a fan. I always end up tasting this dish over and over again until I get the flavor just right - I like my stuff to have a strong rich flavor. I added cooked quinoa at the end because it is a complete protein source. I add the tomatoes for flavor first and foremost, but also because they help the body to absorb iron. Serve this with a side of kale or broccoli, and whoa, a nutrient packed delicious dinner.

Food tip for parents of babies… instead of buying packaged baby food that is specific for the finger eating stages, season some beans instead.

Bella say’s, “I LOVE MY BEE-BEE’S!"