Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Gluten-free/Lo-Carb 'Za

Greetings, Readers and Nibblers,

Just wanted to share my positive experience with the increasingly popular, (among lo-carbers and gluten-freeers), cauliflower pizza crust.

Been a-juanderin' how good it might be for a while and last week, I gave it a whirl:

While a different experience from traditional za--and how could it not be--it turned out damned delectable.

P even enjoyed it and that's sayin' suMm.

It had crunch, chew and surprisingly not much of a cauliflower flavor either.

And it's pretty easy to make happen, especially if you use a food processor.

I did the grating a la main and while a bit of work, always a satisfying affair--to me.




Here's how it goes:

1. Preheat the oven to bake, (mine was around 185C).

2. While that's warming, grate a few cups of cauliflower, being sure to pick out any too-big chunks.

3. Mix the grated cauliflower with about a couple cups of grated mozzarella, (the dry type, but I used Emmental, due to the lower sodium content), two eggs and mix it up good.

4. Spread that out on parchment paper as thinly as possible sans-any gaps and bake for about 20 minutes 'til golden brown.

5. Take it out and spoon on and spread out some tomato sauce of choice--homemade always the best one, but if not in the cards, try to find the most healthfully made one.  SO MANY ready made sauces are loaded up good with glucose syrup.

6. Top with some oregano and any other Italian type spices you fancy, more cheese, parmesan and toppings of choice.  At the time, I only had tomatoes around but for the carnivores, thin-sliced chorizo would rock.  

7. Bake again and dig in.

Now I'm hungry, what better time to hit the market!  Not.  ;)

++++vibes,

: J


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Scar Trek

Wow,

Can't believe I haven't posted in here since March.

Likely has a lot to do with getting a slice of the flu (only a slice, thanks to the flu-vaccination), at that time and the insane coughing and sinus swelling that have been stealing my dear z's since.

One not-on-line factor has been a successful trip to the Rocky Mountains and back last month to see much-missed family and friends again.

Some dear ole pals drove some LONG miles just to see my ole arse again and again, I raise my morning joe to you all--and to those who wanted to, but just couldn't.

"Successful trip" meaning, I made it there and I made it back, needing this time, to break up the flights into 4; Paris to Montreal and the next day, from there to the Rockies.

And wow, did the time zone changes take a toll this go round.  There were multiple migraines, notable GI woes, unbelievably amped up coughing that lead to major muscle spasms and even more sinus balloning.

My nose is officially no longer a friend of the desert-like dryness over there.

And all the while trying to keep the damned tramadol use to a minimum.

I have been back in France with my Sweet P now for 6 days and only over the last 36 hours have I regained the ability to walk more than a meter or two without having to stop, winded--and with heavy and hurting thighs.

Which is nothing new.  That kind of trouble has followed travel many times since this new patient life began due no doubt, to the efforts and stresses of airports and luggage-lugging and well, simply not in being bed by my usual 7 or 8pm, so I'm not freaking out.

But I am burned out and slowly recovering from it all.

Slowwwwwwwwwly.

In other news, in an effort to stop this ongoing cirque du shnoz and nightly cough-a-thon, on June fourth, I switched from the usual BP med, (ACE inhibitor called Ramipril), to the other renal-assist BP med, an ARB, Irbesartan.

(Ramipril for many, causes quality-of-life-threathening coughing problems.)


I also saw an ear/nose/throat doc yesterday for the equally troublesome Rhinitis that just did not leave after that flu cleared up, and he prescribed the usual steroid regime,  (Beclomethasone spray); assuring me that the treatment remains local and would not get absorbed into the blood stream.

Got the ok from the prof as well to take it so I started this morning.


The ENT doc also checked out my vocal chords, glands, throat, ears and thankfully, the only problems he found was the sinus inflammation.


After the fair shake of 3 months of the naturo-approach: thyme teas, Manuka honey, neti pots and rosemary steams, etc., it's clearly high time for some stronger amo.

Apparently, the spray takes a few days to take effect.  I'm to stay on it for 2 months and looking forward to these ripped up coughing muscles finally getting a break.

Back to this less-on-line-ness these days.

While in supa-natural Western Canada, I took a conscious break from all social media and it felt GOOD.

The more I was off of fessbook and friends, the more I truly FELT just what a colossal waste of time and chi those feeds/"force-feeding tubes" are.

Not even touching on the psychological effects of bearing (false) witness to the constant virture-signalling and consumeristic displaying that clogs up said feeds.

Now that I've been back in the French saddle for a while, all signs continue to point to no-social-media-GO, so nothing personal, to the actual pals using facebook noting my lack of participation as of late.

I of course check in now and then for personal messages, or to share creations, but that is it.


(On that note: new rather enjoyable near carb-free recipe test coming soon.)

I shall close with multiple cosmic-high-fives to every sweet soul out there who, during my treks to and across Canada, showed me some delicious kindness.  Those select saints will likely never know how nourishing their mindfulness was for me as I slowly crept from gate to gate in airports, stood at a 90 in line-ups in spine-fire in my blue-blocking specs as the eyes got smaller and smaller in the cranium vice.

Even wrote a poem about two in particular, a couple of lovely young Mexican bucks who for hours, physically guarded my precious bench every time I needed loo breaks.  That bench was mana where I so gratefully was able to be horizontal before fiiiiinally taking that last, long night flight back to Paris.

Back to blessed sea-level said my veins.

I must say, for May being Vasculitis Awareness Month, I no doubt made at least a few people out there quite aware of the ferocity of the MPA beast and its claw marks.


Now, time for a hot bath and hopefully after, a micro stroll, (or more, I hope, legs-willing), with my dear ole therapy dog, Tony--who is also not as fast on his feet anymore at over 13 Labby years old now and bless him.

Thanks for reading.


++++vibes,

J