My new discovery of the year: I have food sensitivities.
Meaning, the way my body reacts to a few certain foods may be causing my arthritis and eczema. And/or some leaky gut problem. Or something. And let me tell you - at this point, I'm desperate enough that I'll do just about anything to get some relief, or even just some hope that one day I won't have to deal with the pain anymore. So if food might be one of the culprits of my discomfort, I'll give some changes a fair shot.
So, my friends, for the last month and a half, I've cut out:
wheat and amaranth
cow's dairy
eggs
honey
mustard
hazelnuts
carob
spinach, zucchini, green beans
raspberries, blueberries, pears
Random, right? I know. Some test said so, so I'm going with it.
And in my journey to cut out all those things, but also not starve, I've done a lot of research and a lot of experimentation. I've learned that eating out with so many sensitivities is nearly impossible, so I've also been doing a lot of cooking.
So, I figure that I might as well share some of my more successful ventures in this journey - since the recipes are free of most people's allergens, nutritious, and best of all: they're actually tasty.
Here's my first recipe share in my allergen-free living. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have :)
Lauren's Breakfast Arroz con Leche
Makes 4 servings
This warm and inviting dish is perfect for breakfast on a rainy day. I love to make a big batch over the weekend and portion out the leftovers to take to work during the week for a quick and satisfying weekday breakfast!
3 cups soy milk
1 Tbs chia seeds (I use whole, but I'm sure ground would be fine as well)
1 cup short grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or other sweetener)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine soy milk and chia seeds in a bowl, cover, and set aside.
Bring water to boil over high heat in a large sauce pan with lid. Add the rice and cinnamon sticks, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let simmer for about 50 minutes, or until nearly finished cooking.
After 50 minutes, increase heat to medium and add the milk and chia seed mixture, cooked quinoa, and sugar (or other sweetener). Stir frequently (doesn't have to be constant, but be sure to give it a couple good stirs, scraping the bottom, every minute or two).
Once boiling, reduce heat to low again. Continue to stir frequently until mixture thickens to desired consistency, about 30 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot while stirring..
Once mixture has reached desired thickness, remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and stir. Discard the cinnamon sticks. To serve warm, spoon the mixture into 4 bowls. Garish with powdered cinnamon and additional sugar, if desired. Can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days and reheated, or enjoyed as a cold (and healthy) dessert!
Enjoy!
