celebratory noodles.
I think this might be it. I don't want to be too confident, but I think it's all gone.
I've actually been feeling really good for the past week but have still maintained a level of skepticism because I've been disappointed too many times in the past 6 months. My better half was immediately convinced that the sublimed sulfur did it's job properly and that I shouldn't think too deeply into it. It's true that my symptoms had almost completely subsided - I was going to work feeling great and, most importantly, I was getting hungry and eating food again.
Just for good measure I spent the last 2 days immersed in another gallbladder cleanse. It's not recommended to just do one, anyways, since the first cleanse pushes everything in your liver to the front, and may not have a chance to get cleansed out the first time. Even if it wasn't going to be the answer to my problem, I thought maybe it could clear out the remaining symptoms I was feeling and give my body one last flush of whatever the sulfur had eradicated. I think I was actually right.
Again, I really am trying my absolute hardest to not raise my hopes too high and still have a sense of realistic perspective. There's a part of me that can't help but think that how could I have a problem that plagued me every single day (minus 10 days, collectively) for 6 months and suddenly a pinch of powder that I took for 3-4 days just made it go away? And maybe that's why it's a well kept secret from the pharmaceutical companies - because it works so well.
Regardless, even if the physical symptoms have subsided, I'm still having trouble curbing my mentality back to the way it was since the illness created a new normal that might no longer exist.
Despite the fact that transitioning to a new and greater mindset will be a difficult change, I recognized that I was feeling great last night and made a dinner that celebrated my success so far. As aforementioned I really missed eating tons of noodles and lots of Asian food in general.
I haven't necessarily been depriving myself of noodles during this ordeal, but as a result, my cooking has had a tendency to be a little more bland and over-simplified for the sake of my digestion. Last night I tried to muster up in my mind what I would be cooking a year ago without any dietary restraints to satisfy my rekindled appetite. Thus a yummy tahini-miso-veg-noodle dish emerged.
To preface, the noodles I used were gluten-free and AMAZING. I had bought them during a time where I had no idea what was bothering me and decided to steer clear of gluten just in case. The Good Earth market in the North Bay had an immense selection of gluten free noodles and pasta shapes and I definitely will have to go back for this brand. It was SO GOOD.
I think it exceptionally shined in this particular application, even though I think it would definitely do the trick in something like marinara sauce. I loved the texture of the finished product - it visually resembles soba - and think it would be one of those noodles that would be hard to overcook, unlike soba. It maintained a buoyancy (I don't think al dente or chewiness are the phrases I'm looking for) that I've never tasted before in an alternative noodle - but not the same bounciness you get with kelp noodles at all. The package said to cook for 5-6 minutes, and I actually took them out after 3 and finished them with the rest of the ingredients along with a good amount of pasta water. I think it definitely led to a more successful outcome and why they were not going to overcook easily.
I paired the noodles with a handful of different veggies that, of course as always, could easily be interchangeable with the seasons or your mood. It's what I had around and what sounded tasty to me. I'm also on a huge Romanesco broccoli kick and can't seem to eat enough of it in any kind of preparation. I'll take it steamed and lightly salted and be super super happy.
Definitely something that shouldn't be substituted is the tahini-miso dressing I made. Also a recipe that can easily be found almost anywhere now, but nonetheless, something I love to make my own way (and sometimes differently each time). I think the best recipe has a good balance of sweet, salty, and sour, and isn't too thick either. Normally I would thin out my dressing with just water, but since I will be using pasta water it won't be necessary.
romanesco | russian kale | black bean noodle
with tahini - miso
serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers)
1 box (8oz) Explore organic black bean spaghetti
1 small head Romanesco broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
4-5 stems Russian curly kale - or just regular curly kale - stems removed and ripped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded Castelfranco radicchio, or regular purple radicchio
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup neutral cooking oil such as grapeseed oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp salt
for the dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
1 heaping tablespoon white miso
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp agave syrup
juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 clove black garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, peeled and minced
Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees F and getting the Romanesco on a sheet tray. Simultaneously get a big pot of water and place on stove over high heat. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Add the cooking oil and the 1 tbsp salt to the Romanesco and mix around to coat evenly. Pop in the oven and let roast for 10-15 minutes, taking out once or twice to mix and rotate the florets around. After 10-15 minutes, add the sliced onions, mix around a bit and let roast for another 5-7 minutes until everything has caramelized and cooked through, but not mushy. Take out of the oven and set aside for now.
Prepare the dressing in a little bowl by first adding the miso and tahini together, mixing vigorously until they've incorporated together smoothly. Then add the remaining ingredients and continue to stir until it is one homogeneous mixture. Set aside.
Once the water is boiling, add the remaining salt and drop the pasta and immediately mix around so it does not stick together. This is not the time to walk away because the pasta needs barely any time to cook. Cook for only about 3 minutes and during the last minute, drop the kale and radicchio in the same water to give a quick blanch. After a minute, remove the pot from the heat and drain the pasta, making sure to CATCH SOME WATER (about 1-1.5 cups) for later use.
Return the drained pasta/kale/radicchio to the pot along with 1 cup of the reserved water. Place back over medium-high heat and mix everything around. Add the Romanesco/onion mix and continue to stir around, preferably with tongs because it can get kind of difficult evenly incorporating all of the ingredients together.
Add the dressing to the pot and continue to mix even more making sure to coat everything and stirring from the bottom up. If it's very thick and stiff still, add the remaining half cup of pasta water and mix in. Turn off the heat, taste and add more soy sauce or salt if necessary.
Serve!
