just some things that i'm eating.

[makamala]

hi all,

i have been an pbs sufferer for over a year now. overall i am doing way better when this first started in april 2010 through the meds and modalities i'm using. and i have started experimenting with foods.

i love dates, always have. but due to the pbs fruit limitation for the first time in my life i have sought out fresh dates. they are delicious. they are in season for the next month. the most amazing thing of all about them is just 2 or 3 fresh ones (not dried) give you your rda of vitamin c. i had no idea what a superfood fresh dates are until i looked it up today. i just bought a bunch and froze them. and i will continue to buy them fresh and gorge for the month.

i find that i have no issue with lemon verbena with which i make a most delightful sicilian style gelato, using goat's milk and corn starch avoiding eggs or cream. also no problems with lemongrass which is amazing with fish or lamb and no problems with lemon myrtle, lemon basil, papalo or sorrel.

i find that eating meridian yeast extract spread with no salt added is not causing any problems and it's a fabulous way to get b vitamins. at first i was not crazy about the taste but i got over it thinking about its nutritional value. i actually often think about the flavor when i am not eating it and i get so happy. my friend first brought me some from england a few months ago. and now i buy it through an online distributor there. it's cheaper than buying yeast extract spreads from amazon that may not be good for us bladder people anyway. you see, i haven't tried marmite or vegemite because they have the dreaded ingredient spices (what on earth are those spices?). also i was miso lover, soy sauce lover and pickled everything lover. this is satisfying that craving in the best way!

also i can eat golden rasberries. they are divine and not a trigger at all me for me. and yes, the red ones are brutal for me. also you can figs to my list of oks.

people here talk about yellow tomatoes. i buy organic pear and cherry ones. they are great and i'm flare free. reds are a big no-no for me.

i can eat smoked fish and meats if they are done without nitrites. from the farmer's market here in nyc you can get a lovely uncured wild smoked trout and uncured smoked bacon. i hope you guys where you live can find this stuff. it's just so great to every so often eat them.

also i make a an italian style rhubarb drink that tastes a lot like flat cola (it's supposed to be fizzy but i can't do fizzy drinks). it is really good. people ask me to make it for them for parties. it's called spuma in italy and cocta in slovenia.

also for people who can eat red bell peppers. make ajvar (traditional way no tomatoes, eggplant, vinegar or spices besides salt and garlic - i throw in oregano and basil but thats just me). no one misses ketchup at my house. it lasts for months in a huge jar in the fridge.

sadly i wouldn't say i'm in a remission at all. but i find these foods don't make me feel any worse or increase any symptoms and that's what it's all about as we find our ways through the wilderness of pbs.

i'm not suggesting everyone can eat these foods. i am just sharing that i can. i couldn't even 3 months ago. but now i can!

also haven't found prelief does any thing for me. i envy all of you who it helps.

if you want recipes, i'm happy to share. but i just kinda make things. i usually start from recipes on the internet and from cookbooks and do my own variation. i eyeball just about everything and it luckily almost always works. but i'm happy to devise some if people are interested.

have you guys found foods that aren't on the ic diet list that are ok for you?

[kadi]

Hey, could you please post the avjar recipe? I looked it up online & it sounds delicious, but I couldn't find a recipe without problem ingredients.

I make a variation of hummus - I put garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil & oregano in the food processor. Sometimes I add red bell peppers that I've cooked soft in a skillet (never take time to roast them). It's pretty tasty with baby carrots, celery or as a spread on a turkey or chicken sandwich.

Thanks for an encouraging post! When I first got IC, I was just depressed about the diet. I've since learned to cook and most of the time, am very satisfied with my meals.

[makamala]

ajvar recipe

preheat oven to 400 degrees (turn on convection oven if you have one)

-kadi, i guess you could sautee the peppers and avoid the oven. you can let me know what you think...lol

take three pounds of sweet peppers

i do this the "wrong way," but i think it's faster and no one notices, not even people from the balkans...

i clean them, cut them in half and gut them - scooping the seeds and the white fibrous part (traditionally you are supposed cut them etc after roasting - that takes tooooooo long)

i place them on several baking sheets and pour coconut oil/olive oil and sprinkle a little salt over them. (you can also not use oil or salt when roasting)

(optional) if you can eat garlic. take a bulb of garlic, chop off the top, sprinkle with salt and oil (any oil is fine), wrap in tin foil and roast in oven for 15-20 minutes.

at same time roast the peppers until skins are blackened in spots. this can take anywhere from 25 minutes to 1 hour. ovens are temperamental things - check periodically. i find that if i cook them at a lower temperature like 350 degrees the peppers are sweeter than if i cook them at higher one like 475, but maybe this isn't true and i just believe this. anyway experiment with how you best like to roast your peppers. also you can grill them directly on the burners or in a chestnut pan. it's messy but it's fast and fun and works. but the clean up is not that fun...

after you remove peppers and garlic from oven, you have 4 choices.
1. you can let them cool and remove their skins (look up putting them in a paper bag to help the process of removing skins) and then puree them adding anywhere from 1/8 to 1/4 cup of coconut oil/olive oil (let your tastebuds guide you), salt to taste. and optionally fresh basil and/or oregano. like a handful or so. and also optionally add the roasted garlic that you squeeze out from their skins like toothpaste from a tube. the paste will be a bit more watery than if you choose option 2. let it cool. and then place in jars pour oil of choice on top and then refrigerate.

2. you can let them cool and remove their skins and puree them as described above and then pour puree in a pot adding the same amount of oil as above, simmering it for several hours and stirring periodically. if you have a flame tamer, that's the best way to ensure that you are actually simmering it. you cook it down until it is 1/3 to 1/2 half as much as when you started. the color will lighten and it will definitely become like paste. you let it cool and then pour in jars. pouring oil on top to preserve.

3. you can not remove the skins (it adds a bitter flavor to the sweetness, but i actually like it this way (most nutrients are in the skin) and i always use organic red peppers), puree and not cook on stove top following directions of number 1

4. you can not remove skins, puree and cook on stovetop following directions of number 2

people are getting fanatical about preservative in food. traditionally ajvar was not made with vinegar, lemon juice or sodium benzoate and lasted all winter long anyway - imagine that. people often add these things because i think somehow we are living in times where people think we need to do the same thing that mass food producers do.

after using and replacing in fridge, i always pour a little bit of oil on top to keep it covered and safe. a jar has lasted as long as 3 months with no problems for me. if you feel more comfortable you can eat it within a week, or a month or even freeze what you don't think you will eat within a week...and defrost as necessary. i have never personally frozen ajvar.

if you use coconut oil. the puree will be white and red. don't be alarmed!

you can also add carrots, eggplant and/or zuchinni.

if you are adding any of the above put like 1/4 to half pound in total in lieu of the peppers. you roast them at the same time as the peppers.

you can also add a little onion. the only way i can handle onions is by caramelizing them. it's a nice addition if you can eat onions.

it's delicious with meat, eggs, potatoes, veggies, ricotta, even as a pesto just add almonds or pine nuts. in fact it goes with just about everything. in the balkans this is preferred over ketchup. enjoy.

here is a link to sight with nice pictures on the process. it shows you how to gut the peppers after roasting if you want to do it that way. and suggests freezing the roasted peppers before you puree them if you want to make more on a later date.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ajvar-Balkan-Pepper-Spread/#step1

[makamala]

kadi,

your hummus variation --- delish.

i have made something similar to that but with cannellini beans and adding potatoes and lemon zest.

[makamala]

i guess i gave an advanced version of making ajvar. sorry. i experiment so much with cooking i am not one to say here is the definitive recipe.

but here is a really straightforward and simple recipe

3 pounds of red peppers
1/8 cup of oil (olive oil is the traditional oil. i also like using coconut oil)
salt to taste

preheat oven to 475 degrees

place sweet red peppers on baking sheets.

turn them periodically in oven. when they blacken and collapse a bit, they are done. should take about 20-30 minutes.

place in bowl and let cool (additionally, you can remove skins by placing in paper bag in bowl and the skins will easily peel off when peppers have cooled). wait about 30 to overnight (yes you can leave it on the counter)

remove stems and seeds and white fibrous part from peppers and if you want the skin

puree with salt and oil if you don't want to simmer it on stovetop.

again, you can either stop here or cook it down 1/3 to 1/2 further by simmering it for several hours on stovetop.

if you do it this way, add oil to pot first. heat it up and then add puree, stirring occasionally.

let cool.

place in glass jars. make sure you pour oil over top of ajvar before closing jar. will stay for at least month in fridge.

you can explore all the other ways of making ajvar in the choose your own adventure recipe or follow this.

enjoy.

[kadi]

Thank you!!

[earthlady]

I use roasted red pepper sauce for everything that I used to use a tomato sauce for. I haven't made it into a paste though so this is something I will try. Thanks for the recipes. I'll look into the meridian yeast. It sounds interesting.

[earthlady]

I forgot- What's the rhubarb drink? This also sounds interesting to me. Can't imagine drinking rhubarb, as I've only had it in a pie.

[makamala]

earthlady, here you go...

rhubarb syrup aka spuma in italy

1 1/2 - 2 cups rhubarb, roughly chopped
1/2 -1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cups water
-more water ( or sparkling water like badoit, if you are lucky enough to tolerate sparkling water - i can't yet. but badoit is so light on the bubbles and has a high ph, i figure if there is a day i feel like i need something carbonated, i will hit the badoit. a friend i know with pbs is lucky enough to be able to drink one kind - the one from pret-a-manger...i envy her!
-ice if you want.


then

place rhubarb, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is bright pink.

turn off the heat and allow to cool. strain syrup into a jar.

to make each drink/soda, measure 1/8 to 1/3 cup of rhubarb syrup into a glass. add enough sparkling water to fill an 8 oz cup. stir to mix, then optionally add ice.

it tastes kinda like flat cola. i also hope to one day add ginger to the concoction. it would be divine, i'm sure.

[earthlady]

Thanks a bunch. I always enjoy trying something new.