Thursday, April 14, 2011

How To Cut a Fresh Pinapple

Ok, I know pineapple isn’t part of the Candida diet, but my hubby and girls LOVE fresh fruit.  And just because I can’t eat it doesn’t mean they can’t. 
Also, if this seems like a ridiculously simple topic to post about, I apologize.  However, I always ate canned pineapple(blah) instead of fresh because I had no earthly idea how to cut it. So let’s get started!

Lay the pineapple on it's side.

Cut off the top and bottom.

Cut down the center of the pineapple lengthwise.


Cut each half in half.

Then stand each quarter on its end and cut the core off.


Take a paring knife and cut the rind off all the way
around your pineapple section. ( Make sure your
knife reaches the middle of the pineapple all the way
around.)


Cut each quarter in half and the chop into bite-
sized chunks.


Enjoy your delicious, fresh pineapple!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Cookbook Recommendation and Pork Noodles Recipe

Healthful Eating is a unique cookbook. So far, it is the only one I've seen which specifically caters and adheres to the Candida diet. The other nifty thing about this cookbook is that the author also tackles recipes for Celiac disease and Diabetes. Talk about multi-tasking!!

I highly recommend this cookbook because the author provides recipes for every cooking category you can imagine: appetizers, main courses, cakes, cookies and desserts (for real!), sauces, condiments, etc.

I whipped up the Pork Noodles recipe tonight from the above mentioned cookbook and it was fabulous! Filling, tasty and the hubs liked it too (always a plus)!
Here is the recipe if you would like to whip it up, too.


Pork Noodles

Serves 4
  • 1 pound pork, cut into strips
  • 2 tbsp. Bragg’s amino acids
  • ¼ tsp. black ground pepper
  • 5 tbsp. coconut oil, refined
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. ginger, minced
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and finely sliced
  • ¼ pound snow peas
  • ¾ pound Soba noodles, cooked
  • 2 tsp. curry powder
  • ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves OR 2 minced scallions
In a bowl, marinate pork with Bragg’s and black pepper for 10 minutes.

In wok or large skillet heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and add onion, garlic and gingerroot. Cook 1 minute then add pepper strips and snow peas cooking until crisp-tender-about 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Wipe pan dry and reheat on high heat.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and stir-fry pork for 30 seconds then reduce heat slightly and add curry powder. Stir-fry until aromatic and pork is cooked.

Add vegetable mixture and cooked noodles and mix in Bragg’s, coriander leaves (or green onions). Taste for spices and adjust. 

Doesn't it look delish??


I actually substituted chicken for pork, mainly because that what I had in my freezer. I chose to use green onions instead of coriander leaves (cheaper and easier to hunt down in the grocery store) and used ground ginger instead of gingerroot. It still tasted delicious and I was satisfied with how it turned out. Try it and let me know if you liked it as much as I did!

**Those with Candida react to foods differently.  These recipes are based upon my reactions to food and should be altered to fit your unique dietary needs.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Stevia - Your New Best Friend!

For me, the hardest part of adhering to the Candida diet was giving up sweets. I was thrilled when my mom told me about Stevia, an herb which is used as a sweetener. It can be purchased in liquid or powder form (I use powder) and has limitless uses. You can read more about Stevia here. I use it to sweeten up my buckwheat breakfast cereal. You could also make homeade lemonade/limeade and sweeten any dessert type recipes you might be fortunate enough to stumble across. 

The only downside of Stevie is the cost.  Expect to pay anywhere from $10.00 - $14.00 for a 4 oz. bottle. (Whole Foods recently had these on sale for 9.99 so I bit the bullet and bought two.) On the upside, Stevia is extremely potent so very little is required to achieve sweetness.  And frankly, to me it's worth the money to not feel completely deprived and restricted.  :)