Thinking Outside the Box

“Variety is the spice of life.” Anonymous

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut?

Maybe you eat the same foods all the time? Wear the same clothes. Drive the exact same route to work, or wherever you travel on a regular basis.

The fact is – for anyone living with Celiac Disease, and/or multiple food allergies, your diet is limited by default, easily leading to meal-time ruts.

In other words, the tendency is to consume the same ‘safe’ foods over and over again.

Speaking for myself, when I find something I like, that is easy to prepare and nutritious, I will eat it repeatedly, day in and day out, without ever getting tired of it.

Well, all that changed for me recently, when my naturopath started me on a Rotation Diet.

This has nothing to do with weight loss, by the way, although I wouldn’t be surprised if a few pounds drop by the wayside while trying to maintain this new way of eating.

The goal of a Rotation Diet is to reduce repetitive intake of the same foods, giving your immune system a chance to recover from any foods you might be reactive to.

In a nutshell, it means limiting consumption of most foods to every three days, with a few exceptions here and there.

By the way, I’m in no way an expert on this subject, nor am I suggesting that anyone adopt a Rotation Diet, except on the advice of your doctor.

However, let me be honest, here.

There have been more than a few occasions – in as many weeks – when I’ve been ready to throw in the towel and say “the heck with it”.

Whether you are new to the gluten-free diet or mastered the basics years ago, you will understand.

You already know how challenging the initial adjustment can be when you need to eliminate whole categories of food from your diet, things that the rest of the world typically takes for granted.

Having to limit my meal time choices to every third day has me seriously challenged.

My solution?

I’m not sure I have one yet, although I know it means being more creative than ever in my approach to meals.

And learning to really think outside the box!

Which brings me to this weeks’ recipe.

Did you know you can use lettuce, or collard leaves, as a wrapper in place of bread? Not that there’s anything wrong with gluten-free bread – there isn’t.

However, if you don’t have any gluten-free bread in the house, and baking from scratch means delaying lunch for another hour or two, why not try something else?

Something entirely different?

 

COLLARD GREENS WITH SUNFLOWER PATE

Adapted from Whole Life Nutrition, one of my favorite go-to resources for healthful, gluten-free recipes.

 

1 cup raw, unsalted Sunflower Seeds

½ – 1 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp Pesto (preferably homemade)

½ tsp sea salt

 

Your choice of:

Grated carrots

Sliced avocado

Sprouts

 

4-6 large Collard leaves

 

Soak the sunflower seeds in water, to cover, for at least six hours or overnight.

Bring a pan of water to a boil, and briefly blanch the collard greens for 1-2 minutes – until pliable. Rinse under cold water & spread in a single layer in a dish towel to dry.

Drain the sunflower seeds thoroughly and add to the food processor along with the remaining ingredients.

Lay the collard leaf out a work surface, and remove the lower portion of the center rib, using a sharp knife. Place a mound of Sunflower Pate at the top portion of the leaf. Add shredded carrot, avocado or your choice of toppings, if using.

Starting at the bottom, bring the bottom edges of the leaf up over the filling, tucking in the ends. Fold in the sides and roll up into a small, compact roll. Repeat.

 

NOTE:

These Collard Wraps make an excellent portable lunch! I especially like them for travel. Unlike bread, which is often dry & crumbly – these wraps make for a very neat package that requires no utensils & no messy clean-up.

In the interest of not eating the exact same wrap every day, you can vary the filling as you wish, and experiment with different greens, such as Swiss Chard, lettuce, or leaves from a Napa cabbage.