Getting Glutened & the Healing Qualities of Congee

I wish I could say I have a happy story to share with you all, but there is a very good reason as to why I’ve been so quiet this week. Not only have I been losing my voice off and on since last Thursday, I also was glutened, badly, at a health store of all places.

Despite not having the blood work that backs up my gluten intolerance or my hypothyroid condition, I do have both and being on Armour Thyroid as well as a gluten free (soy free and refined sugar free) diet has kept my body in tip-top shape. In fact, I started intermediate training for a 5K in December last Monday and couldn’t have felt better. But I didn’t realize just how gluten intolerant I was until Monday around noon, and now because of that incident I’ve been bedridden, unable to go to class or run.

I’m curious how others, gluten intolerant and those with full-blown celiac, are affected when it gets into their system. It took less than an hour before I started to feel the effects. Just above the naval I started to feel something along the lines of needles poking my stomach and intestines. It then progressed to a severe headache, something I felt from the frontal lobe that ended up going all the way down to the spine. All of this was happening right when my first class of the day started, and I was able to leave after the quiz.

Truthfully, I was surprised I was able to drive those fourteen miles home. I felt, for lack of a better word, intoxicated, but the kind no one enjoys. I was nauseous, with blurred vision and the sharp pain spreading throughout my lower torso. The bloating was beyond painful, and the image of sausage casing bursting in the skillet was the image I visualized. My intestines felt inflamed, enlarged, and tight. When I attempted to sleep, I kept waking up only to roll on my stomach to lessen the pain. And despite this, there was a pressure on my lower back as well, like someone was applying a consistent force with their fists on my kidneys and adrenals. I kept getting up at three in the morning, only because I was hungry and queasy at the same time. Tea was essential, with milk and lots of honey.

Ginger - Lemon Tea

Throughout this ordeal my voice was totally gone, so I am taking my compromised immune system into account. I kept dragging myself to bed and have been sleeping the majority of the late morning to the early afternoon, doing my best to sleep the worst of it away. In these situations, I refer to it as “the hangover without the fun.”

How did I get this way, you may ask, at a health store? Well, consider Snow White and the Apple. She was told not to accept anything from anyone who wasn’t one of the seven dwarves. And then this [supposedly] harmless old lady offers her a delicious apple. She knows she shouldn’t, but she figures the dwarves couldn’t possibly mean sweet old ladies in the middle of the forest who offers pretty girls delicious apples for no apparent reason, so to be polite and respectful she takes a bite.

(source)

And if you’ve read the Brothers Grimm or seen Disney’s movie version, we all know what happens to her.

In a way, the same thing happened to me, although I highly doubt it was malicious or done on purpose. After working for nearly six hours with over forty kids, I thought it would be a good idea to get a bottle of G.T. Kombucha and a snack before class. As I was browsing the gluten free isle, one of the employees approaches me with a small paper sample cup, slightly bigger than a thimble, halfway filled with a green drink of some sort. She compliments me on my hair (think Hermione Granger with thickness and curls), and asks me if I’d like to try it.

Me: What is it?
Her: Oh, it’s just apple juice with green powder. It’s just fabulous. I love it.
Me (throat raw, parched and hungry): Does it have added sugar in it?
Her: Nope. Just organic, freshly pressed, unrefined apple juice with the powder.
Me: Well… (Sniffs the drink and it smells like apples and spirulina) okay.
Takes the drink like a shot.

As I go to check out, a bag of raw ginger “cookies” and cranberry kombucha in hand, I look at the display and see what I was offered just a few minutes ago. I think, what the heck, I’ll read what’s in it. And as I do so, this heavy weight falls to the pit of my stomach and I do my best not to panic.

Me: Ummm… do you know if this is gluten free?
Her: Huh, I don’t know. I’ll read the ingredients.
Guy behind the counter: (Dismissively) The gluten protein is only found in the berries, and only a handful of people with celiac are affected by the grass.
Me: (Silently panicking) Oh.

Like Snow White and the Apple, so it was with Morri and the Green Apple Juice Drink. I didn’t die, but golly, there were moments where I felt like I was. For two days and an evening I’ve spent clutching my stomach and doubled over in pain, kicking myself for not thinking clearly and drinking something without all the facts. It wasn’t malicious, and I know that. I mean, I know these people! I like these people.  I spent much of my time at the store talking to them about my dietary lifestyle, so I just assumed they would remember. More than anything, I was disappointed. Disappointed in the store for not being more empathetic to what just happened, and disappointed in myself for getting glutened in the first place. I have emailed the store headquarters of the incident and what I recommend so that it never happens to someone else. I’ll post their response when I receive it, including the copy of the letter I sent.

Regardless if I am miraculously healed by tomorrow, I still have to go to school. If I want to graduate, I need to put my big girl pants on and deal with being in the classroom for three hours. All I need to do is put one foot in front of the other, slowly and carefully.

Now, in order to speed the healing process, I figured going grain-free would be a good idea until I felt better. But oddly enough, my body wanted rice in a love-hate sort of way. Meaning, I wanted to eat it and my stomach wanted to eat it, but I was also nauseous and didn’t want to eat it. It was like that for everything actually. I had rice and potatoes and, I think though I may be mistaken, rolled oats (as always, the CGF kind). I ate apples and peanut butter, and craved fruits more than I have in a while. My body couldn’t get enough tea, milk, honey, or raw veggies either. Eggs were also in demand. I wanted to give my body what it asked for, and I also wanted to be smart about it. With an inflamed digestive tract, I wanted something simple, hot, and good for an unhappy and sour gut.

This is where congee comes in.

Congee is a kind of porridge made with rice, though it can also be made with other grains. In the future I’m thinking of making a multigrain congee with rice, quinoa (red for texture and white for creaminess), buckwheat, CGF oats (steel-cut for texture and rolled for creaminess). The beauty of congee is how adaptable it can be based on what your body wants and needs. It can be sweet or savory. It can be thick or thin. It can be traditional or contemporary. And it keeps in the fridge for days, a great thing for the flu season (or when you’re glutened).

The ratio of water to rice for congee differs on the desired thickness: for thick, 8:1; for medium, 10:1; and for thin, 12:1. One source says to use less water when using the rice cooker as opposed to a slow cooker or via stovetop. And remember, you can always add more but you can’t take away.

Four Rice* Congee

45 g Jasmine rice
45 g Sprouted brown rice
45 g Sweet brown rice
45 g Medium grain brown rice
64 oz Water (or more, for a runnier consistency)
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar

Combine the rice, salt, and vinegar to 8 oz of the water to soak for up to an hour (overnight is preferred).
Place the rice-water mixture and the remaining water in the rice cooker (or slow cooker, pressure cooker, etc) and cook at the lowest and longest setting.
When the grains of rice begin to break up, the congee is done but you can cook it for longer or slower amounts of time depending on your personal preference.

*A cup of rice equals 180 g (or 6.35 oz). You can choose whichever rice or grain you have on hand and mix and match to your favorite grains.

Serves 2 – 4.

With 1 serving, I mixed in peas, additional sea salt, cracked pepper and garlic and topped it with one fried egg, sunny-side up, as well as black sesame seeds, sesame seed oil, and chipotle powder.

Mushroom Risotto & Garlic-Jalapeño Green Sauce

This is not the post I thought I'd be writing this morning. In fact, I was supposed to officially move in yesterday with five other friends in a house less than five miles away from George Mason University. And after that laborious ordeal, we were supposed to be celebrating the move in with an elaborate dinner and a gluten free and vegan baked donuts breakfast the following morning. Instead, my last semester as an undergraduate starts today, and I’m at home with my parents, a few recipes and posts behind schedule.

1st breakfast of the semester.

I’m not going to get into detail of what happened, because I think that would be in poor taste and, as they say, “the Internet is forever”. What I will say is the house didn’t work out, and standing up for what’s right for you can be the hardest and least popular thing you could do for yourself.

I don’t blame anyone, not really. There was a miscommunication of what was expected, both from the owners/landlords and by the individual tenants. And what have I to show for it? The family I was to be renting from were friends of mine, and I lost that friendship to business. It wasn’t supposed to be about me; rather, the fact of the matter was the house wasn’t ready to rent out. I couldn’t breathe when I was attempting to move in before the boyfriend got back from Texas. Even with the windows open, my lungs felt heavy. My throat is so swollen from all that has happened (additionally, I hurt my wrist in attempt to move a wooden couch frame down a flight of stairs by myself) that I have gotten spirulina powder, chlorella capsules, and a box of Omega3 Squeeze Chocolate Orange just to detox my body in time for the first week of the semester.

Experimenting with spirulina in my breakfast. A bit too green for me.

Many lessons were learned last week, lessons that were hard and heartbreaking. I learned why I used to exercise so obsessively, and that was to make sure I was strong enough to never be taken advantage of, whether it was physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. I cried, along with multiple panic attacks, and I was left with the feeling of depth and quiet as opposed to numbness and cynicism.

I learned what true friendships looked like. There is the kind of friend that stops what they are doing to come with you to move all your stuff from the house in the middle of the night, and do this multiple times over the course of a weekend. There is the kind of friend that stands up for you and stands with you, no matter what arises. There is the kind of friend you find in your lovers and loved ones, who provide support and advice and encourage you to stick with your guns and hold strong onto what you believe in.

Most of all, I learned the difference between being independent and being dependent on yourself. Depending on yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t depend on others, like it would be expected should you strive on true independence. It means that, despite everything that is going on in your life, you never give in to what you know in your heart to be wrong. Sometimes, it differs from person to person, and that is completely okay. As a conflict resolution major, I strived to keep the relationship before the business, and of course there are some things I wish were said and others that I wish there weren’t. But the house will have tenants that the landlords think it deserves, and I am happy for them. I wished it could’ve worked out, but in the end, I think it did.

With that, lovely readers, I have two recipes make up for my absence due to the drama and trauma of this last week. Both came together to make a lovely meal, and the balance of taste, texture, and heat was similar to the absolutely delish steak dinner Mama Dazz and I had in Cape Cod.

Mushroom Risotto

12 oz Arborio rice
32 oz Vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sea salt
Pinch of each, Cayenne & Paprika
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. Dehydrated minced onion
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly and finely grated

1 tbsp. Olive oil
3 tbsp. Pinot Grigio
10 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari sauce)

Place the rice, stock, oil, and spices into the rice cooker on “Brown Rice”  (i.e., slow cooking) or in a medium saucepan on low heat for up to an hour).
After the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, add in the Parmesan cheese and keep the rice cooker on “Warm” (or you can put a lid on the saucepan).
Put the oil, wine, mushrooms, and aminos in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook until the mushrooms are done.
You can add the mushrooms in the rice or simply put them on top.

Serves 6 – 8.

Garlic-Jalapeño Green Sauce

3 Jalapeño peppers, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
3 Basil leaves
3 tbsp. Olive oil
2 tbsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend thoroughly.
The sauce is rather thick, similar to a runny puree, so add more oil and vinegar for a thinner sauce.
Keep refrigerated and use within a week of making.

Makes 2/3 c.

Time Well Spent: Overnight Dorm Oatmeal & Morning Millet

It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about or eating anything blog worthy. The last three weekends should have been posted with a plethora of photos and stories to delight and intrigue my wonderful audience. I went to D.C. on multiple occasions, the first time for the fireworks on July 4th and the second time with the kids who did not have a host family for the week to see the Dalai Lama. I spent a wonderful Saturday working with bees and chewing on freshly harvested honeycomb. And just two days ago – or rather, yesterday at a ridiculous hour – I came home from the Institute’s trip to Philadelphia and New York City. 

I feel so far behind. I feel like I’ve let people down. I feel like I’ve grown so much in so many ways, and I don’t know where to start.

(Well duh, Morri, from the beginning of course.)

In the meantime, I think not one but two recipes are in order. And wouldn’t you know it… both are breakfast worthy and, oddly enough, vegan.

Soaking grains, even for a few hours, is an awesome way to enhance the nutritional value of a meal. Lacto-fermenting them overnight – with either a teaspoon of whey, lemon juice or unrefined apple cider vinegar – makes rolled oats and millet (even already cooked rice) taste even better than simply putting it on the stovetop and cooking it. Ever since I made my oatmeal smoothie recipe in June, I don’t do it any other way. Try it and see for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Overnight Dorm Oatmeal (Rice Cooker edition)

1/2 c. CGF Rolled oats
1 1/2 – 2 c. Filtered water
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Chia seeds (and more for garnish)
1 tbsp. Flaxseed meal
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 Apple Carrot fruit sauce crusher pouch from Trader Joe’s (or 3 oz fruit puree of your choosing)
1 spoonful Peanut butter

In a jar or mug, combine the oats, salt, chia seed, flaxseed meal, and vinegar with the water to sit overnight on the counter.
The next morning, pour the contents of the jar into your rice cooker and set it on “steam cook” or “quick rice” mode (If you do not have a rice cooker, simply cook in a saucepan on the stove).
After the oats are done, put them in your favorite bowl and top it with the fruit puree.
Garnish with the peanut butter and an additional sprinkle of chia seeds.

Serves 1.

Morning Millet (Rice Cooker edition)

1/4 c. Millet, hulled (with 1 - 1.5 c. filtered water)
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Chia seeds
1 tbsp. Flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp. Tea Masala spices*
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. Filtered water (for soaking, and an additional 1/2 – 1 c. for cooking)
1/2 Banana, sliced
1 tbsp. Peanut butter

(See the previous recipe for preparation instructions.)

Garnish with the peanut butter and banana slices.

Serves 1.

*Tea Masala: black pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg.