My turn at an Anti-Candida lifestyle

For those who read our requested feature on our CAULIFLOWER FLATBREAD, it will come as no surprise that  my quest for health has taken me on a recent journey into the land (lifestyle) of the candida-free.  What exactly does that mean?

Spelled out simply it means:
NO SUGAR or YEAST in any form and believe me, it comes in many forms so if one is to do this right, you must be vigilant.  Should you take the challenge to journey with me, what follows are a few recipes to help you on that path.
A few things to know to get you prepared. No sugar means, no sugar, but it also means:
no fruit, no wheat/gluten-based anything (boo! no seitan, haha), no dairy as it turns to sugar in the body (which you've got that part covered if you are following a plant-based diet), and no starchy veggies in any form (no sweet potatoes, potatoes, or corn or their respective flours).

Breakfast has been the most challenging for me.  Most on this diet would simply opt for scrambled eggs each morning but that is an option I am not eager to take. And being one who isn't really (and hasn't ever been) a big breakfast eater, this recipe for what I call my OAT BRAN DROP MUFFINS is perfect!  They make a great little snack too!

Served with a piping hot cup of chicory root coffee as regular coffee is a no-no, too.  Coffee beans are loaded with mold spores as are a lot of teas.  A dash of stevia for sweetener and a splash of unsweetened almond milk is all ya need.




INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups of oat bran
2 tsp. baking powder
1-2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. powdered stevia
2 chia eggs
3/4 c. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 c. nuts/seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Grease your cookie sheet lightly with coconut oil.
Prepare your chia eggs *
Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.
Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add wet to dry and mix thoroughly.  Add in nuts next if using them. Pecans make these, in my opinion. ;)
Drop spoonfuls onto your greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes until middles are well set.  One batch usually yields anywhere from 10-12 muffins and lasts me for a few days,  though these do tend to dry out a bit the longer they sit out.

~Special note for those giving up coffee, take it slow, be gentle and don't rush yourself.  And I highly recommend, if you don't do so already, to start each day with a little green drink.  It'll help you get over the morning slump immensely and give you a wonderful natural boost of energy.

Though freshly squeezed green juice is the most nutrient based, with  most of us being pressed for time in the mornings, it isn't always an option.  On days like that, I simply mix up a quick glass of spirulina water (and a dash of stevia to take the algae edge off) to go.  I like the Green Lightning packets to go, as well, though that is not an option on the AC diet as it contains fruit juices. 

For lunch or dinner:

ZUCCHINI QUINOA BURGERS

1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1 c. finely chopped sweet onion
1 clove of garlic (pressed or minced)
about 2 tbsp. of olive or grapeseed oil (divided)
   

Grate your zucchini squash.

Press as much of the liquid out, as possible and set aside. 

Preheat your oven for375 degrees.

In a pan saute onion and garlic until translucent then add in your zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until just tender.  I like a bit of texture and crunch to my burgers so I tend to undercook it just a bit.

 In a food processor combine the following ingredients:

1 1/2 cup cooked/canned* chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 c. raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2/3 c. water

1 tsp. sea salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. vegan "beef" broth powder

1 tsp.garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. dill 

1 tbsp. oregano

Grind pepitas,salt and pepper until broken up into a fine meal.  Add  the remaining ingredients and blend and pulse together, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary until blended well and it resembles a bit of a paste. If necessary, you may add a small amount of water a little at at time if it appears too dry.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add your zucchini mixture to the paste.

(I failed to snap a photo of this part; sorry!)

Form into patties about 3/4 -1 inch thick. I was able to get about 7 good sized ones.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 25 minutes, flipping them (ever so carefully) over at the halfway mark.

AS LUNCH

Because gluten/wheat tends to be an issue for those who battle with yeast overgrowth, it is always recommended you stay away from them..  I could've opted for a gluten-free bun on this but since most conventional/convenience GF foods are made mostly in part with starches/sugars (corn, tapioca, potato or rice based flours) that needed to be left off the plate, also.  So I simply served these up on a bed of romaine and topped with some friendly anti-bacterial (that sounds so funny!) onion and good ole avocado. 

FOR DINNER

Served with a side of steamed turnips seasoned with garlic and dulse.  Not pictured, a mixed greens salad. 

AND for DESSERT:

an ACD friendly take on one of  my personal favorites . . .

COCONUT CREAM BROWNIES

In researching for the Anti-Candida diet, a lot of my recipes I came across are classified as Paleo (as in the Paleolithic diet).  In the Paleo diet, coconut and nut flours really seem to take center stage and that is true with a lot of the ACD recipes, so I figured my coconut cream brownies would be easy enough to alter and set about trying that out first.  

And though, not nearly as decadent and sweet, they turned out pretty good! 

3/4 c. quinoa flour
1/2 c. organic cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. all-natural sea salt

1 tsp. powdered stevia

 1/2 c. Thai Kitchen organic coconut cream (the thick part scooped out of the top of an unshaken can of coconut milk)
1/4 c. canola oil

2 tbsp. unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1 tsp. all-natural vanilla
1/2 organic dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square glass pan with organic coconut oil.

FOR THE REST OF THIS RECIPE:

see the original post HERE and when you come to the part where you add in your sugar, simply replace with the proper amount of stevia as listed above. :)

Or for those times, when your chocolate peanut butter cup cravings are just too much (okay, maybe that's just ME, haha but), here's a recipe I made up for LOADED CHOCOLATE BARK. As a bonus, it's loaded with protein and omegas. 

So! You see? It isn't too hard.  
And ultimately if it means better health, less aches and pains and more energy isn't it totally worth a shot?  I think so!

LOVE AND LIGHT!

Amber

* I always recommend that you only use canned beans if you can find one that has been packaged in a BPA free can.  Eden Organics is the only one I know of that does.