Part of this off-kilter feeling comes from within my own mercurial self. I've been too busy, not writing enough poetry, and to pull out my own cliche, I'm feeling like an unmilked cow. If I was alone, I'd be staying up nights, which would take care of the need to write but escalate some other aspects of the craziness. So I'm grudgingly grateful to Phil for insisting I come to bed.
Before I sign off here and go do some writing already, I want to share a super-simple and super-light recipe.
I've mentioned before that I've been eating lighter and lighter dinners and feeling better for it; also that my tummy's been somewhat fussy lately. So I've been putting slippery elm powder in practically everything. It's a wonderful demulcent--relaxes the intestinal lining and coats it--lots of soluble fiber and mucilaginous polysaccharides. And to me, it tastes really good--subtle, almost a little sweet. I was raised with slippery elm as a tummy soother, so perhaps it's that lifelong association that makes it taste good to me. It has very little caloric value but is somehow nutritious nonetheless: people in starvation situations have lived off of slippery elm "porridge" at times.
So, I've been saving the ends of carrots and onions and all that kind of stuff, and making veggie broth. Half a cup of warm veggie broth,
with a teaspoon of slippery elm stirred in,
with maybe a quarter cup of thawed peas,
and a few chopped pieces of thawed okra,
maybe a splash of nut milk of some kind
and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast over the top...
Have you tried slippery elm?
Off to write...
I've never tried slippery elm, but it was recommended with those with my blood type, which is "O" BTW. I had an interest in the Blood Type Diet at one point in time, but didn't stick with it, as it said I should be a meat eater. The interesting thing is I still gravitate toward the suggested plant-based foods on the "O" list. I just avoid the animal products.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shannonmarie--and how interesting that is about your blood type! I'm type B, and a lot of my favorite foods are on the "off" list. My mom always guessed I'd be a type A, because those are the foods I gravitate toward. But Phil is a type A, and he's a total omnivore! So my experience lends me some skepticism, but I know it seems to be meaningful for many people.
Deletelove
Ela
I have tried slippery elm but only in concoctions with sweetener. I do like those little lozenges with it that help the throat. I haven't tried it on it's own. Never knew it could be added to food and taste good. I hope your guts start to heal soon.
ReplyDeleteThe soup looks quite soothing, that reminds me it's cool enough to make broth today so perhaps I will. I love the smell it gives to the house.
Thanks, bitt--slippery elm just as powder is really good, to me anyway.
DeleteBack when I was still in England in college, there was a time when I was afraid to go out at all because I always ended up so sick to my stomach (I did drink too much alcohol in those days, including beer sometimes, because I didn't think the gluten survived the fermentation, yeah really smart)--and there were these little chewable/suckable slippery elm tablets that absolutely saved my life a number of times.
I hope you had some nice broth!
love
Ela
Speaking of writing, Ela, I love this: "periods of thaw when the snow-bleached stalks of last year's annuals tumble and languish under the grit from plow trucks" - beautifully put to my mind with engaging imagery. Nice. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, Mindy! I know a blog isn't always the place for developing one's literary style, but I don't see why it shouldn't be, and it means a lot to me that you appreciate it.
Deletelove
Ela
Never tried slippery elm, but tummy soothing soup looks good!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anastasia--I love to use different herbs as part of food--such a fine line between them.
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Ela