Challenge accepted - "What can I eat?"
I can create something new - Sesame Almond crumble bars and Tofu Pistachio stir fry, both dishes seasoned with essential oils.
Sesame crunch bars made with presoaked sesame seeds and almonds (peeled) and tofu stir fry with presoaked pistachios (peeled).
Tasty so I am saving notes for my later use.
Sesame Almond Crunch bars
Rough recipe notes
~ 2 cups ground, peeled, soaked raw almonds (12 hours or so with a tablespoon of vinegar per cup of nuts, seeds or beans)
~ 4 cups of presoaked sesame seeds - they got bigger, maybe it was 3 cups raw.
I wanted a high protein, salt free snack but was basing my goal image on sesame candy, which I love, combined with sesame bars that are more bread like.
The emulsifier - mix 1 tablespoon of Gumbo file and 1 Tbsp of ground flax meal with a 1/4 cup boiling water.
For flavor and a little sweetness, I added to the emulsifier (in a small metal bowl) - about two tablespoon of black strap molasses, 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar, 2-3 drops ginger essential.oil, 1 drop clove essential oil
Extra sticking power and flavor/sweetness -
1/2 cup arrowroot starch and two tablespoons of licorice root powder mixed with 1/4 cup or so cold water ~ Enough cold water to moisten the starch without leaving it watery.
In a large bowl, mix together the sesame seeds and ground almonds. Add the cold starch and warm emulsifier mixtures and mix them together well before trying to incorporate it all evenly into the seed/almond mix.
Press the mixture onto greased or parchment paper lined cookie pans. Very thin will bake up crispier, while a quarter inch thick will be more bar like, chewy.
My mother enjoyed some of the thicker moister pieces. The batch made two tubs, about 4 cups minus whatever we are. It was not quite three cookie sheets totally covered, like pizza crust or pie dough.
It could be pressed thin and baked to dryness to increase shelf life. I put the still moist and chewy batch I made in the fridge in covered containers. It should keep a couple weeks if I don't eat it sooner.
Tofu & Pistachio stir fry
One medium onion, chopped
~ 2 tablespoons avocado oil
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup water, to prevent sticking.
Make a starch slurry in a small glass with 1 tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca starch with two tablespoons of cold water.
Saute the veggies until softened, then add the tofu, and about a 1/2 cup of water or broth, and add the cold starch slurry. Stir well and simmer until hot, stirring occasionally.
Add the essential oils towards the end of heating along with the chopped cilantro and pistachio nuts.
16 oz package extra firm organic tofu cut into chunks
2 drops Ginger essential oil
1 drop Lemongrass essential oil
1 drop Carrot Seed essential oil, *It tastes like carrots but doesn't seem to set off my retinoid toxicity issues.
1 drop Marjoram essential oil
1 drop Clove essential oil, *Clove may be good for liver health.
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup presoaked and peeled pistachios.
This makes a few entree servings, ~ 2-4. Serve with rice or pasta. This wasn't a generous amount of sauce though, I ate it plain.
I had the sesame crumble bars earlier.
While cauliflower is a purine vegetable, I did leave out the Lion’s Mane mushroom powder that I have been using to season my tofu. I had been wondering if it was a salicylate problem food for me.
Disclaimer This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health guidance.