Kombucha Tea- It's a good thing.

I have given up coffee and only rarely drink ice tea.  I gave up sodas years ago.  I really enjoy drinking water, but it can get tiresome sometimes.

There is a new, (to me) drink in town.  My daughter introduced me to it.  It is called kombucha tea. 
Yes, my daughter should have been a hippie in the 60's.  When she was a teenager she listened to 60's music almost exclusively.  Maybe that is what caused her to be such a present day hippie.  Anyway, I love her personality and interests in life.

Kombucha tea has been around for decades, but has recently become very popular in the U.S.  There are quite a few manufacturers of this drink.  I have seen it in Costco, Whole Foods, a local regional grocery store in my town.  I even heard they carry it in Walmart, although I cannot confirm that.  It seems to run from around $2.50 to $4.00 for about 12-16 ounces. 

That is more than I want to pay for a drink that I try to have every day.  That is where my daughter comes in.  She set me up with a SCOBY, (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and gave me specific instructions on how to make my own kombucha tea.

I am not going to go through the steps of how to make kombucha tea.  There is loads of information on the internet.  There are kombucha tea groups which are quite interesting.  Some of the people have actually named their SCOBY's and some even pray for them.  I am not going to judge, though, because I do refer to mine as a "she". 

If you decide to take up this endeavor, please be aware that if improperly handled, it can become
contaminated with mold.  Also, if the tea is fermented for too long, it can become an alcoholic beverage.  I guess that might be a plus for some people, but I really don't want to drink beer in the morning or at any time as far as that goes. 

There are tons of health benefits purported for drinking this tea.  Supposedly there are a lot of probiotics in this.  I feel like it has helped me tremendously with digestive problems.  Honestly, if there were no health benefits, I would drink it anyway, because I really enjoy it. 

Husband's note: This stuff looks like a science project gone wrong. Please do your research as you are dealing with bacteria here.  My wife loves this stuff and it helps her stomach too.  It's much cheaper than store bought stuff and while I do not care for it, anything that makes her happy and healthier I am for.

For more on making your own kombucha tea check out: the Facebook group called, "Kombucha Nation."  Some interesting information and even more interesting folks on there.

One Year

Life has gotten in the way of my blogging.  I am going to try to get back into the discipline of regular blogging. 

As of August 1st my husband and I have been whole food, plant based eaters for
one year.  It started out as a one month experiment.  We even voiced that if we did not make it for the whole month, we would not beat ourselves up about it.  We had been making changes to our diet for some time and just seemed somewhat lost in which direction to go.  There were multiple health problems which we had decided we would no longer be complacent to accept as a permanent part of our lives. 

Two things brought us to the decision to go plant based.  The biggest was that our daughter and her family had been plant based for several years and had seen considerable improvement in their lives.  They are raising two beautiful, healthy children on the plant based diet, and those children are thriving. 

The other reason for our going plant based is a documentary called "Forks Over Knives".  Within about 15 minutes into the film, we were looking at each other and agreeing that we needed to try plant based eating. 

I have heard it stated that instead of thinking of all the foods a person gives up to be plant based, we need to look at the incredible amount of foods we can enjoy.  That has been so true.  Just last night I was looking at a cookbook from the library that was by a favorite cookbook author of mine from the past.  My husband walked into the room, and I told him I was having a hard time looking at all of the beautiful dishes that I can longer eat.  He told me I needed to quit looking at it.  His statement was so simple but so true.  I put it down and started making out my weekly grocery list, which includes my weekly menu.  I was excited all over for the foods we will be eating next week. 

I have had some substantial improvements in my health.  I was taking four doses of a prescription medication for reflux daily, with zero improvement.  I am now down to one half dose per day and  am about to drop that.  I had been told I would have to do that for the rest of my life.  This medication causes an inability of the body to absorb nutrients properly, and that is completely unacceptable to me.  I am now my own "GI doctor".  

There is one other reason I am a plant based eater.  I grew up in a cattle and pork producing family.  There are so many hard working families who produce meat for America's consumption.  The animals on my childhood family farm were treated very well.  They had a tremendous amount of pasture on which to roam.   I have become aware in the last few years, however, how those animals are treated once they are sold to the "feed lots".  It is absolutely appalling and unacceptable to treat any living being in this way.  It is no different than treating a beloved dog, cat, etc. in that way.  We compartmentalize which animals can be abused, but they are all animals and should be treated with dignity.  Okay, off my soapbox, (for now).

I am rambling, so I will wrap this thing up.  I have never felt more sure about any decision I have made in my life than changing to a whole food, plant based diet.  Well, I guess marrying my husband was an equally good decision, but that's about it. 

Husband's thoughts:  Plant based is another way of saying vegan.  You know vegan right?  First you lose the meat, then you lose dairy, then you lose your friends.  Growing up I would consider a non-meat eater likely someone who plays a sitar, doesn't own shoes, and had poor personal hygiene.

Seriously, I have been in the closet about this for a couple of reasons: 1) People wouldn't believe me since I am still fat.   2) Most have a very strange reaction to plant based folks.  I enjoy going to lunch with friends, and unless they ask I just say I am not that hungry when I order a salad.  I have nothing against those family farms who raise cattle or pigs. The industrial operations and what they do to dairy cows and stack chickens on top of each other bothers me.

The few I do tell often find it strange.  Jo's blog has been about showing others that plant based food isn't boring. (As I once thought it was)  As you look through her food pictures and recipes you will see it is anything but.  After a year, I no longer crave BBQ or a chili dog. I reserve the right to fall off the wagon at any time, but for now we are healthier and happier.  It's not for everyone, but I was surprised how easy it was.  Gee, guess now I am out of the closet.  Thanks Jo for outing me!   Now where is my sitar?

Vegetable Wrap

This is a fun meal for a hot summer day.  I also love a recipe that can be made ahead, so when I have company, I can relax instead of doing last minute cooking.  This recipe actually needs to be made ahead for at least one hour, up to 5 hours.  We had some leftovers, and the next day they were still quite good, although I wouldn't recommend holding them that long. 

VEGETABLE WRAPS

½ cup vegan cream cheese

2 cups cannellini beans, rinsed if from a can, and drained
5 green onions, sliced thinly
6 Tbsp. basil, cut chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste
zest from one lemon, grated finely
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon, or to taste
5-6 large flour tortillas
2 large carrots, shredded
4 cups lettuce of choice, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
avocado, sliced, optional
pickled jalapenos or pickled banana peppers, 3-5 Tbsp. chopped, optional

Combine the vegan cream cheese and cannellini beans in a food processor.

In a bowl, combine the bean mixture, green onions, basil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Taste for seasoning.

Spread a thin layer of this on a tortilla shell, spreading all the way to the edge.  Sprinkle some of the shredded carrot, lettuce, bell pepper, avocado, and peppers over the bean mixture. 

Roll the tortilla very tightly and place in plastic wrap.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate at least one hour or up to 5 hours.  

This recipe can be eaten as a whole wrap or can be cut into "rollups" for appetizers.   If this recipe is cut up for appetizers, it makes quite a large number of them.