Tomatoes and Apples and Carrots, Oh My!

My family doctor suggested I go home and consume a steak and a beer.

Before you all call to ask for my doctor’s name so you can book your appointment and receive similar advice, I should clarify. Maybe it wasn’t exactly a suggestion. He said it was the quickest way to gain weight, implying I should be careful not to lose any.

It takes diligent munching to keep your weight up while on a gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan diet. And don’t be fooled, I compromise a little every day: a slice of “real” whole-wheat for a toasted tomato sandwich; a cookie at the staff meeting; a little chicken in my stir-fry. Overall, though, I’m still finding this a wonderful way to live, eat, and avoid that overloaded, comatose feeling after a typical meal. Gifts of fresh produce, such as the gorgeous acorn and spaghetti squashes from our friend Percy Phillips, help keep me steadfast.

Is it just me and my new garden plot, or has this been an exceptional year? I’ve somehow grown the biggest carrots and the healthiest tomatoes in the history of my horticulturally-challenged life. Even as I write, a bag of large carrots and a bowl of smaller ones, soaking in water, wait in our fridge. Another couple dozen await digging. Three large bowls of tomatoes sit on the kitchen counter: ripe, ripening, and slightly damaged. If only I enjoyed the digging, washing, picking, canning, and freezing as much as I enjoy the eating. I look forward to some great servings of chili and soup in the months ahead.

We don’t have an apple tree, but our friends Tim and Alison gave us a massive batch of applesauce and a bunch of apples from theirs. I tried a new apple crisp recipe and once I tasted it, I knew I must share the recipe. This may be the most delicious apple crisp I’ve ever eaten, although the inviting aroma alone would have been worth it. This comforting, cinnamony, juicy apple dessert with a crisp oaty topping is perfect for a fall evening. Best of all, if you can believe this, it contains no sugar, no gluten, and no fat. Yes, it’s a little more work than the unhealthy kind I used to throw together. But it’s worth it and we can pig out guilt-free. It’s from the Forks Over Knives cookbook, with a few modifications of my own. This recipe will make six to eight servings. Or possibly only two, once you start in.

No steak or beer was consumed in the writing of this column.

Apple Crisp

For the filling:

8-10 apples, peeled, cored, sliced thin. (Home grown tend to be smaller. I used ten.)

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

½ cup 100% pure maple syrup

For the topping:

¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup

3 Tbsp. almond butter (best if room temperature for spreadability)

2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups rolled oats (I prefer the smaller flakes for this)

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

• 1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick pan.
• 2.      For filling, place the sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and toss to coat well. Pour the maple syrup over and stir. Place the mixture in your prepared pan.
• 3.      For the topping, use a fork or small whisk to stir together the syrup, almond butter, applesauce, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add the oats and toss to coat.
• 4.      Spread the topping over the apple mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for another 20 minutes or until topping is golden and filling bubbly.
• 5.      Remove from oven and serve warm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Time for another exciting episode in the Adventures of Naturopathic Medicine. When I see my lung specialist in December, I don’t know whether I’ll be bringing him a disease-free patient, but I’m confident I’ll be bringing him a less exhausted one. Some days I even skip my nap like a grown up. And I cough only enough to know I’m not home-free yet.

There are a few questions I get asked a lot, about the food plan. Being three months in hardly makes me an expert, but here are my answers.

“How do you know you’re getting enough protein?”

I’m getting plenty of protein from beans and nuts, but did you know spinach, mushrooms, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and many fruits also provide protein? I didn’t, but it makes sense when you remember the strongest animals on our planet are herbivores. Where do they get their protein?

“What about calcium?”

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables are loaded with the stuff.

“Are you going to be on this diet FOREVER?”

Yes and no. I’ll be on it until I’m either well or I give up, whichever comes first. But honestly, I’m enjoying the food and how it makes me feel so much I can’t imagine ever going back, at least not totally.

“So...what DO you eat?”

Lots of salad, stir-fry, and soup. Admittedly, some days it seems every dish I make uses the same ingredients, but in different proportions with varied methods of preparation. Breakfast is homemade granola or cooked oatmeal loaded with extras and topped with almond milk. Snacks are fruit, veggies, popcorn, or unsalted tortilla chips with hummus, bean dip, or guacamole.

“Isn’t it hard?”

I got through the first month by telling myself, “If you think of this as food, it’s going to be hard. But if you think of it as medicine, it’s wonderful.”

I got through the second month by reminding myself I’m the only one who can choose what goes in my mouth, and everything I put there holds power. Will I give my body something it has to fight against or will I give it something to make my body say, “Yes! I can work with this”?

In my third month, the cravings for meat, bread, sugar, coffee, and cheese became increasingly rare. I can walk into Sobeys and just enjoy the bakery smells—like flowers or perfume—without wanting to eat it.  It really does get easier—but not without God’s strength.

“Do you ever cheat?”

Yep. I’m attending a wedding this weekend and intend to eat whatever’s offered.

I’m not making this up.

Daily, I drink what I affectionately call my pond scum. It’s made from running one apple, three carrots, two celery stalks, and five large leafy greens through the juicer. My favorite leafy green thing is Swiss Chard.

On Labour Day, I realized I was out of pond scum and needed to do some juicing. I had all the ingredients except the chard. But the stores were closed, and the next day was going to be busy so I thought, oh well. Guess I’ll survive a day or two.

Then I went outside and Linda from across the back fence, who had earlier offered me zucchini, said, “Oh, hi Terrie. Sorry I don’t have any zucchini for you today after all. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in some Swiss Chard?”

I can’t pretend to understand why God takes care of these crazy little details while sometimes the big things appear to drag on forever unaddressed. But I do know this: you can’t tell me He doesn’t have a sense of humour. (And thank you, Linda!)

PS. Congratulations to Barb Knott of Portage who won last week’s free book draw.