Incline Public House

Last night we went to Incline Public House  to celebrate the Husband's birthday.  Named for the Price Hill Incline, one of Cincinnati's former five inclines.  Once at the top of the incline was the Price Hill House, an entertainment resort and restaurant.  The Incline Public House now stands in that location and offers the same incomparable view of the cityscape.

Can't wait to enjoy this deck in the summer

It was packed.  We were quoted an hour and 45 min wait, but we were seated in less than 45.  Our server was busy but we never felt neglected.  She explained that the kitchen and bar were from scratch.  They make all their dressings from scratch, squeeze their own juices for mixed drinks, smoke meats on site for their sandwiches.  The menu is straightforward and composed of sandwiches, pizzas, and salads, all of which sounded delicious.

The signature drink menu was enticing, especially knowing all the effort behind it.  The gin rickey went down easy, like lemonade.  I foresee myself enjoying more of these on a sumer night.

Gin Rickey

So I never really thought about how limiting trying to be gluten-free would be.  I wonder how someone with a true allergy to gluten ever eats out.  Two-thirds of the menu was eliminated immediately.

I opted for the portobello mushroom salad with lemon vinaigrette, hold the cheese.  The dressing was great, light and not oily.

Portobello Mushroom Salad

I also snagged little bites of some of the other dishes.  Everything was well-prepared and tasty.  The Grippo's BBQ chips on the top of the mac and cheese were a creative touch and a lovely nod to Cincinnati history.

Spicy Pickle Fries

Mac and Cheese topped with Grippo's Chips

The Husband raved over the pizza.  Pesto, prosciutto, arugula, and egg.  A unique combination that I was a bit apprehensive about, but the Husband assured me it was yummy.

Green Eggs and Ham Pizza

Looking forward to a return trip.

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans

So the 21 day cleanse is drawing to a close.  At this point I intend to continue to minimize my exposure to dairy and gluten.  The Husband pretty much abandoned the cleanse last Saturday, although he has said he is going to make an effort to eat in a more healthy way.  Maybe a piece of fruit once in awhile.  Translation - he doesn't want to cook his own food and will cheerfully consume whatever I set in front of him.

This week I didn't really make many of the recipes from the cleanse.  Instead I prepared recipes from various sources, including Clean Food by Terry Walters.  One of the recipes I am crazy about - crispy roasted chickpeas.  I am a big hummus fan, so I figured roasted chickpeas would be delicious.  However, I entirely underestimated their addictive properties.  I ate almost an entire can of chickpeas in one sitting.

The recipe is super simple:
3 cups cooked chickpeas (I used 1 can since this was a trial run)
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Seasonings of your choice (I used cumin and chili powder)

Preheat oven to 400.

Rinse chickpeas and drain well.  Pat dry with a towel and spread evenly over parchment lined baking sheets.  Drizzle with olive oil and make sure they are all coated.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and seasoning.  Roast for about 30 minutes or until golden crisp.  Devour.

There you have it, the reason chickpeas became my new favorite snack food.  Looking forward to finding more ways to enjoy the chickpea.

Interestingly, some recent studies have shown that domesticated chickpeas contain twice the tryptophan as the wild form.  Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, so maybe they are elevating my mood after all.

As for nomenclature, chickpeas having two names can be a source of confusion.  Once I sent the Husband to the store for chickpeas, and he can back with a can of spring peas because he couldn't locate anything called chickpeas.

The name chickpeas is actually derived from the Latin cicer, whereas "garbanzo" comes from Basque through Spanish.  It does make me wonder, though, what the previous name for these legumes was, as it was originally cultivated in the Middle East (history here).  The domesticated chickpea has been found in archeological sites such as Akarcay Tepe in Turkey and Jericho in the West Bank.  The earliest discovery to date, though, was in Tell el-Kerkh in the late 10th millennium BC.  Wow.

I'm confused about tofu

This week on the cleanse eggs and soy have been added back.  I've found I'm a bit confused about tofu.  Diets that focus on whole or clean foods incorporate tofu.  As far as I can tell, tofu is just taking an inedible food and processing it to make it edible.

Chinese writings mention the soya plant as far back as 2838 BC, and considered the soybean one of their essential Five Sacred Grains, along with rice, wheat, barley, and millet.  I guess if I think of it like processing grain into flour it makes more sense.  The traditional process involves sea water precipitate,  known as nigari.  Some manufacturers use calcium sulfate or magnesium chloride instead as a coagulant.

There is a lot of opinions out there on soy.  Some hate it and some love it.  It may depend on how it's processed.  Cultures that have a larger percentage of soy in their diets have less heart disease and (I remember discussing in pharmacy school) less postmenopausal issues, but then phytoestrogens get a bad rap.  I found an article that discusses the research behind the various purported health benefits and harms of soy.  It is totally speaking my language and was a great review of some of the published studies.  And, I have to admit, as much as Dr. Oz frequently irritates me (pop medicine can be very frustrating for someone working in healthcare), there is a good overview of soy on his site.

I think my overall opinion is, as with anything, moderation is key and eat the least processed version available.

I also had to google how to press tofu.  Important to learn something new everyday.  It really reduces that mushy pillow texture I've experienced before.  I had some of the baked tofu I prepared last night for lunch today and it was pretty good.  Although I think it may have caused some stomach discomfort. The soy issue may become a non-issue for me if a rechallenge later this week indicates a sensitivity.

Sardines

Before Friday, I had never eaten a sardine.

Now I love them.

I was a bit apprehensive.  For some reason I was thinking I would open the tin and see cold, dead, fish eyes staring at me.  But actually there were no heads or tails with which to contend.  Thank God.  I made Lemon-Herb Sardine Salad and it was absolutely phenomenal.  The recipe made two servings and I finished both of them.  From now on I think I'm going to make this salad instead of tuna salad.

I also did not know all the nutrition sardines bring to the table.  As with most fish, they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.  They also have a decent amount of calcium (I read mostly from the bones), iron, vitamin D, and selenium.  Apparently because they are low on the food chain they are also low in mercury.

There seems to be some controversy about the sustainability of the Gulf of California fishery.  The sardines I bought by Wild Planet said they were considered to be sustainable (I don't know what area they came from), but this interesting article says the sardine fishery in Mexico has collapsed several times, stating that is was declared sustainable in 2010 despite a lack of a management plan.  Natural Numbers discusses the issue of sardines in a youtube video.

FishWatch indicates the American sardine fishery is directed by the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan.  While there is not an international management agreement, there is an annual Trinational Sardine Forum to share ideas and information about this "transboundary resource".

Sardines are serious business.  In 2010, about 146,000 metric tons of Pacific sardines were harvested between the US, Mexican, and Canadian fisheries.  That's a lot of tiny fish.

Cleanse Day 11: Yeah, we cheated

Sort of.  Totally had Chipotle for dinner.  It had been a long day for me, very busy at the hospital.  When I called to let the Husband know I was leaving work, he said "I'll bet you don't feel much like cooking tonight."  Dammit.  He so knows how to manipulate me.  I think it was more he didn't feel like doing any more dishes.

There have been tidal waves of dishes around the sink.  I don't think I have used my food processor or blender in the last 5 years as much as I have used them in the last 2 weeks.  It's a lot of work to clean all those appliances.

Anyway, Chipotle.  We both had the vegetarian black bean burrito bowl with brown rice.  I had the peppers and onions and two tomato based salsas, guc, lettuce.  The Husband opted for heaps of corn (which really isn't a vegetable in my book) but whatever.  So it kind of stuck to the plan.

I know I have been trying to be anti-takeout but that was a better version than Frisch's.

Is it sad that today I took one of my calcium gummy vitamins just because I wanted the sugar?

Cleanse Day 10

We are at the halfway point.  Today was pretty hard for me.  This winter weather makes me crave gooey food - cheesy, fatty, starchy.  The Husband mentioned that he really wanted pizza, and I was feeling the same way.  Even toast with a nice blanket of butter sounded incredibly inviting.  So I ate some extra roasted pumpkin seeds to try to ward off that fat and salt craving.  Dinner was roasted vegetables with brown rice.  The dressing was a bit bitter so I added a little honey.  The rich, warm sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts really hit the spot.  I'm glad I didn't give in to the cheese temptation.

Tonight I am attempting some baba ghanoush.  Awhile ago I had an eggplant that I ended up freezing.  It was kind of an experiment.  It defrosted overnight in the fridge.  The result was the Dorian Gray of eggplants.

Left: Fresh
Right: Eggplant raisin

Gross.  So only the fresh eggplant made the cut.  Per the recipe (courtesy Serving Up the Harvest), normally grilling would be in order, however the snow warranted an alternate plan.  I roasted the eggplant for about 30min at 425.  I made sure to poke it with a fork several times (did you know they can explode?!).
After the eggplant had collapsed, I removed it from the oven and sliced it open.  Into the colander to drain and cool.
In the food processor I combined the flesh from the eggplant, 2 cloves of garlic, about 1/4 cup italian parsley leaves, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp tahini, and 2 tbsp evoo.  Blended until smooth and added salt and pepper to taste.  It is my first attempt and it seemed tasty, but I stuck it in the fridge to give the flavors time to blend.

Interestingly I learned that the first eggplants grown in North America were white and looked like eggs, hence the name.  Explains a lot, I've wondered why we didn't use the European term aubergine.

Cleanse Day 9

This week so far breakfast has been cardamom quinoa porridge.  I hadn't really had much exposure to cardamom until I recently tried the Turkish coffee at Abigail Street.  AMAZING.  It was the perfect complement to an evening of delicious food, wine, and enjoyable company.  Efforts to duplicate the coffee by a coworker of mine were futile.  It tasted burnt and bitter.  Unsalvageable.  So I was a little apprehensive.  The porridge is actually not bad.  The cardamom, almonds, and pears meld well.

Tonight dinner was the black bean pancakes, which I topped with avocado, tomatoes, and a bit of fresh cilantro.  I served it with a modified version of a winter salad from Vegetarian Times.  It involved getting familiar with a previously unknown quantity - celery root.

Quite possibly the ickiest looking vegetable ever

Which reminded me uncomfortably of...

Creepy guy from Pan's Labyrinth

and this...

Creepy root baby thing from Pan's Labyrinth

 The celery root didn't taste too bad after being washed, peeled, roasted and salted.  But mine wasn't pretty and white like the picture in the magazine.  It looked kind of gray and dirty.  I wonder if that's normal.

Also have to say as far as the effects of the dietary changes, my mood is still great and I believe I have increased focus at work.  I definitely feel more in control of my day.  My habits have been changing in a good way.  When I come from work is my most dangerous time of day, because I am always hungry and dinner is always at least an hour or two away.  I used to grab some bread and cheese, maybe pretzels or crackers.  By having healthier snacks readily prepared, now I am reaching for carrots or fennel and some beet hummus.  A few pistachios or roasted pumpkin seeds.  This Friday (home by myself, the Husband is working late) preparing beet chips and sweet potato hummus is on the agenda to keep up the supply of healthful snacks.