And before Philcon.
I’ve found a recipe for coconut flour naan, and either it’s going to be bloody awful, or it’s going to help. If there’s one sin we both love it’s bread—and this recipe actually looks like it MIGHT be good. If it’s good, I may be able to convert it to other recipes.
Breakfast is the easiest meal for me myself, as I could eat bacon and eggs every meal for months and be happy, but even bacon and eggs for breakfast wears on Jane real fast. If we’re on strict Atkins, she personally (this is not saying for everybody) doesn’t suffer from cholesterol: long as she doesn’t do high carb, but eats proteins, she stays down. Me, I can eat most anything and remain immune. But—this has the promise of alternatives. I mean, even if it turns out coconut-flavored, I can cope with that.
Lunch and supper—well, we’re doing fairly ok for lunch in a mostly-lettuce chicken wrap…and supper is easy with most any meat and some cruciferous veggies or the like. But one thing we both know—there’s a time when the harm done by too much weight exceeds the harm of a pretty strict diet, and its inconvenience as well.
So tonight and tomorrow night, a little fling with chicken curry, but after that, we’re getting serious. I’ll let you know how this turns out and if the recipe’s any good. It’s scarily like cooking with coconut flour, coconut oil, and Metamucil, but (glug) if it turns out bread—it’s all good.
Tell me about it. I’ve picked up 6 pounds from somewhere and can’t seem to put them down again.
BTW, https://knitsfromtheowlunderground.wordpress.com/2016/10/26/malguri-morning/ If you like, you can have one for yourself or Jane, — as soon as I finish mine. Just specify colors.
That’s rather lovely; I like the jeweltone colors and they blend nicely. I’m working on a few handcrafts for the holidays and have worn blisters from the whittling knife on my thumb.
My only defense is eat lightly between the holiday feasts. I’ve been off my exercise the past couple of months because of traveling and getting ill a couple of times. I’m trying to get back into my routine, but so far, the only thing I’ve been at all consistent with is walking to work.
@ WOL: What a pretty color combo! I took a few minutes to explore your blog. You have some cool stuff there.
Love the colors you’re using. Jane and I can absolutely share one—twin-identicals at the same time, not likely. We’ll just fight over it now and again. Gorgeous!
Or anything else on that website, come to that . . .
FWIW, coconut/palm oils are high in saturated fats. I suppose the flour is a byproduct of oil extraction and there’s nothing much left, Nevertheless…
“Due to its high levels of saturated fat, the World Health Organization, United States Food and Drug Administration, International College of Nutrition, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, British National Health Service, British Nutrition Foundation and Dietitians of Canada advise against regular consumption of coconut oil.” Wikipedia
DOesn’t seem to ‘stick’ if we’re on Atkins. Combined with too many carbs, however, not so good.
Talking of food, it seems that the benefits Monsanto has promising all these years about genetically modified crops (while raking in the profits and making farmers dependent on them) haven’t materialized.
From the NYT today:
Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops
The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat. But an extensive examination by The New York Times indicates that the debate has missed a more basic problem — genetic modification in the United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical pesticides.
…
Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modification at the same time the United States and Canada were embracing it. Comparing results on the two continents, using independent data as well as academic and industry research, shows how the technology has fallen short of the promise.
An analysis by The Times using United Nations data showed that the United States and Canada have gained no discernible advantage in yields — food per acre — when measured against Western Europe … At the same time, herbicide use has increased in the United States, even as major crops like corn, soybeans and cotton have been converted to modified varieties. And the United States has fallen behind Europe’s biggest producer, France, in reducing the overall use of pesticides, which includes both herbicides and insecticides.
…
Despite rejecting genetically modified crops, Western Europe maintained a lead over Canada in yields. While that is partly because different varieties are grown in the two regions, the trend lines in the relative yields have not shifted in Canada’s favor since the introduction of G.M. crops, the data shows. For corn, The Times compared the United States with Western Europe. Over three decades, the trend lines between the two barely deviate. And sugar beets, a major source of sugar, have shown stronger yield growth recently in Western Europe than the United States, despite the dominance of genetically modified varieties over the last decade.
Jack Heinemann, a professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, did a pioneering 2013 study comparing trans-Atlantic yield trends, using United Nations data. Western Europe, he said, “hasn’t been penalized in any way for not making genetic engineering one of its biotechnology choices.”
I’ll be interested to see how the coconut naan works out. Bread is my downfall and I need to cut carbs….aaarrgghh!
Belated birthday wishes to Jane. As I like to say, remember to celebrate the unbirthdays!
There’s always Soylent 😮 , though I doubt any of us would touch the stuff, with such icky connotations. 😉 Probably just as well, they’ve stopped selling it over reports it’s making people sick.
I’ve used coconut flour in combination with wheat flour (I think when making the Cottage Pudding batter for pineapple upside down cake). Smells lovely and coconuty but comes out pretty dry and course, as I remember.I stopped using it.
We’ll see. The desire for grain-stuff is what drives Jane and myself to cheat, and we need to find something. I’m going to give quinoa a try. It’s more diet friendly.
I’m curious how it’ll turn out. I’ve never had naan or seen how it’s made, except for a very involved DIY episode from Alton Brown’s Good Eats, in which he built a back yard oven and lit it, and then slapped dough against the sides, per how naan is most traditionally made. Er, hey, that’s way above my skill set! But fixing it in a conventional oven would work for me fine.
Hmm, I’ve made pizza dough, thanks to you, CJ, and Shejidaniin (form fans). I’ve never made tortillas or tamale masa or pita bread, though I expect those are all simple to do.
My budget’s extra low (I’ve applied for assistance, still need to apply for Social Security Disability). So I’m expecting to give my bread machine and oven and frying pan a workout, and learn to bake from scratch. — I’m a fair cook on most ordinary things, but have never tried from-scratch baking before, even cookies. LOL, but the pizza dough worked fine, so I am game to try, andto have fun learning.
I’ll plug intermittent “fasting” again. It’s been working great for me for years. Yesterday it was chocolate chip cookies and wine and anything I wanted. Today, it’s zero or very low calorie stuff, but mostly protein only, under 600 calories (500 for women–really 1/4 basal metabolism calories). Tomorrow, it’ll be eat anything I want again, including carbs, which I daren’t eat on a “fast” day. Fasting is easier that it might seem: hunger is temporary, and can be abated with tea or other near-zero calorie drinks. Animal tests have found longevity and neural growth increases. You can fast as few as two days a week, though I tend to three; in any case, you can change days as you wish for social reasons. We all break our diets: this diet has breakage built in.
WRT increasing farm output, urban farming is an interesting development. Ideally, solar panels power LEDs providing perfect growing conditions, with no herbicides or pesticides needed because the farm is in an industrial building, isolated from pests. Water use is minimized. Shades of spaceship hydroponics.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/urban-727156-produce-food.html
I’ve not been able to get back to it for a couple months. My sciataca was acting up again so I was on strong NSAIDs morning and evening, meaning food rather than just my usual “cuppa” on a fast day. Saw a physiatrist and he ordered a lumbar MRI, but it’s nothing but age appropriate degeneration. And of course, by that time the NSAIDs had done their job. Then things conspired from letting me back on the wagon. I will do it.
Innovations for the modern novelist
…dealing with word processors is bad enough!
Coconut flour is very difficult to cook with, it’s completely different to wheat flour, much finer, denser and considerably more hydroscopic. You need to use very little, with large amounts of liquid to get it to work. IIRC 6x more liquid compared to wheat flour.
It’s fine for recipes that have been specifically designed to work with it, but almost impossible to convert an ordinary recipe yourself. If you’ve ever used rye flour, it’s somewhat similar but even less tractable.
Ah, that’s useful info. Thanks.
Good luck with the diet… Friends of mine have gone practically zero carb and managed to lose 45+ pounds since July. I’m skeptical for myself, as I like all kinds of grains and bread, and things I shouldn’t eat.
Also…Philcon…may be able to see you there…will you be there all weekend? Is there a date for a Keynote speech? Our band has a gig Fri night, but will try to come say hello Sat or Sun
When I’m low carbing, I tend to use almond flour and soy flour, though I haven’t tried any naan recipes. Mostly I stick to muffins and pancakes.
Þ’Insecte-Combatteurs Tale
Whilst searching þrouȝ conteineur card-board,
For a part for þe magical boxe,
Ih did fynde, romans nouvelles twæ,
But in such estate demised an-yf dømèd,
Weren þey, for fra insecte incursion besieged,
Accursèd vermine battailled þey,
And droven hem hence.
Lo, swich valiaunt bøkes weren þese!
Fulle worþý, worþ he, þæt tome did fýȝt,
For to sauen his systern well belovèd epique!
Lo, list ýe, as when ystaunched and yclened
His war-woundes weren, did he arise, sourise,
What nome ýȝaft, þis heroë?
Him, Downbelow Station ýclept!
His systern, Þe Pride of Chanur ýclepten!
Þouȝ worser for warre weren þey.
Ýbaþèd tendrely wiþ least dampe cloþe,
Now restored been þey, to read-abilitey!
(Alas, Þe Starship Troopers weren alack,
Having doubiteless some grete alarum elsewhere.)
?? Very well done! How long did it take you? I especially like “worser for waren weren” as I am a total sucker for alliteration.
Hit tooketh but fewe minutes, oncet Ih got on a rolle. 😀
Maybe twenty or thirty minutes? Complicated by trips to the Insert Special Character dialog box for the thorn and yogh and y-acute and e-grave and o-slash. Heh.
We had to read Chaucer in the origial, though with footnotes, with a couple of days reading it aloud in class. I wish I could remember that prof’s name, a neat guy. I ran into him about a year later at the texas Renaissance Festival, and he was dressed as a wizard, with eyeliner. Heh.
We also got to read excerpts from17th century utopian fantasywriting,precursors of science fiction. (The celestial ether and various utopian cloud-cities and foreign lands and planets.) Those, and short Middle English poetry, all kinds of good stuff. I want to say his name was Dr. Macclean (pronounced ane not een) but Lord, that’s been long ago and only one semester course.) Wish I’d had both semesters with him.
N.B. — I have some 6×9 inch zip baggies to try for paperbacks, and think 7×9 might be good for the bigger epic novel size typical of CJC and others. — I was devastated to find out insects had gotten into storage boxes (cardboard) of precious books from childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, including college. But it looks like most fared OK, but not always well. — So I will be testing out the plastic baggies for safety. Expecting to move, but don’t have a place lined up yet, due to funds being too low. But necessary. — Paring down to which books are must-save, can’t-bear-to-part-with has been, er, difficult. I *love* my books. Apparently, I’m way more attached to material things than I ever thought. Still has to happen.
And just within the past two months, I’ve packed the Chanur books and some others, possibly including my original PB of Merchanter’s Luck. But where did I put the fool box? Haven’t relocated it yet. But will be looking again over the weekend. That box *must* *not* be misplaced and *must* move with me, to a bookcase of high honor. The CJC titles are keepers, non-negotiable. 😀
The plastic baggies should do the trick; comic books may be kept safely in either the 3mil plastic or Mylar baggies, and I’ve seen paperbacks and HBs likewise. Try tucking in some moth crystals to dissuade the vermin!
If you’re going to be storing them somewhere that may be attacked you might want to put the bagged books into plastic tubs instead of cardboard boxes. I’ve seen ants chew through plastic to get at food, so I suppose there is some insect that could chew through the bag to get at a book. The tubs are harder to get through.
Regarding moth crystals, I think they would make the books smell, and depending on what the plastic bags and tubs are made of, may damage the plastic.
I found a lovely pamphlet online on “Preserving Books in Your Home Library” that mentions that cardboard boxes are a bad idea, as you’ve seen, but it doesn’t address insects too much: https://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/publications/PreservingBooks.pdf
CWJordan, thanks, I have downloaded that PDF to read fully.
Chondrite, any advice is welcome; you have my email address.
N.B. — Aside from a musty smell or insect smell (ick, awful that’s happened, so unhappy) I don’t see any signs of moisture or mildew or other fungal activity, for which, I am very grateful. Insects, more than bad enough; it has me ashamed theyve gotten to my books, and sad at the damage or loss of anything, either for myself or anyone who might want what I’d sell or give away.
Thanks, both. It will take some time to get plastic boxes, but these do seem like a better way to go. Even they are not airtight and so there are spaces that potentially ants or silverfish or roaches (or whatever else thinks paper is tasty) could get to. Ugh.
I will b
Ne going through to assess what’s what. It looks like most things are fine, but a few have been chewed on or, er, by-products left. (Ick.) Most of what I have isn’t especially collectible / valuable, ( *think*, but a few things are, and there are of course PB that are out of print. Much of what I have dates to the 70’s and 80’s and some 90’s. There are also newer items and spare copies since moving in here.
My inclination is, if I don’t want to keep a book, then if it’s had damage (holes, more than flyspecks) then…ack, I hate to even type the idea of tossing a book to be recycled! But that. If it’s in undamaged condition but shows some wear, such as the spin or corners of pages, then that’s “acceptable,” and only something in very good shape is “good used condition.” I would be loath to sell or donate a problem, a book with damage that could “reactivate” or spread to other printed matter, to foist that on any person or bookstore or library; so I’d think (eek) toss it. But used books in good or acceptable condition, I’d think would be fine.
I will, at some point, hopefully not too long from now, be moving from a four bedroom house, too big for me, only bought because I (foolishly) expected my grandmother would move in with me (oh, hahahaha, and again, hah!) — into a two bedroom apartment if I’m lucky, and if not, into a one bedroom. This means between half and 3/4 of everything has to go. I am finding this difficult so far, but have not yet seen if selling via Ebay or Amazon would be cost effective enough for me, versus donating books to a used bookstore or library.
If only some of our ‘donors’ would take as much care in giving us books to reuse! We have had books given to our library that have gecko poop all over them, water damage, dust, bug infestation, rodent chew marks, or are simply falling apart from old age. Many have obviously been stored in less than ideal conditions, like in open boxes under a house or in a carport. If you don’t want it in your house for any of those reasons, chances are good we don’t either! Please give it to your local recycling center, because otherwise it will end up in our Dompster.
Thank you! That makes me feel so much better, knowing my decision’s the right one.
Well, nicely done, BCS. I too had a great college English prof, whom I did both semesters of Survey of British Lit with… And dearly loved Chaucer… and Donne… and (to my surprise) Milton’s Paradise Lost — go Lucifer!
Your Texas Prof Macclean -pronounced McLane- was pronouncing it the proper, Scottish way.
Correctioune: ’twere Þe Chanur Saga, fra volumes þree, in ane combined.
Both paperbacks are spares, more recent than my originally purchased books, which are, I trust, still safe, but will get a look-see to be certein certes.