What Did You Eat?

WCB: We're Hosting Again!

Hi everyone.  My personal assistant hasn't been posting a lot here about my exploits, because she's sort of sick. She's tired a lot, but that doesn't stop her from devising all kinds of rules for me to follow. Like these:

1.)  Don't stick your paws in mom's glass when she's drinking soda or ice water
2.)  Don't stick your paws in the toilet water when it flushes
3.)  Don't tear covers off of magazines
4.)  Don't try to jump on the birds' cages
5.)  Don't try to kill the birds
6.)  Don't steal mom's scrunchies, eye drops, bras, panties, or credit cards and hide them under the sofa
7.)  Don't pee on Mom's computer

WHB: Lentil And Spinach Patties (Cumin)

I'm trying to stay positive.  My anemia will eventually be a thing of the past.  But, right now, I'm feeling blue about the whole thing.  True, my restless legs are improving, but I'm tired all the time.   If I have to walk farther than twenty feet, I grow extremely tired and lightheaded.  My right foot is often numb because my hemoglobin is so low, it can't get oxygen to my extremities very well.  I don't like to be an object of pity, but feel free to shake your head and say, "How pathetic."  But, I will take my supplements, eat iron rich food, and use the example of Scarlett O'Hara to improve my blood.  As God is my witness, I'll never be this tired again!

These lentil and spinach patties are loaded with iron, but I didn't know if I would  enjoy them as much as chickpea patties. They were a little tricky to form into patties, but came out of the skillet nicely.   I used puy lentils, but would like to try red lentils, (my favorite) next time.  The original recipe used curry powder, but I didn't have any, and substituted cumin.  I think cumin is perfect with legumes, so I was quite pleased with these nutty patties  I had cherry tomatoes from my garden, which contain lots of vitamin C, and help plant based iron absorb into the body quickly. I used a cilantro salsa from Dos Coyote,  a local Mexican restaurant.  But, any salsa would taste great with this dish.

Mixed Berries With Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

I haven't the slightest idea how much iron is in this dish of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, topped with Grand Marnier whipped cream.  Sometimes a person has to take a break.  Tomorrow I'll be back to my battle with anemia, yelling "Sparta" as I take my iron supplements.   Actually, berries contain vitamin C, which helps iron absorb into the body.  (Sorry, couldn't help sharing iron trivia.) 

You don't have to put Grand Marnier in your whipped cream, vanilla will do nicely.  But, the orange liquor certainly  made my day.  By the way, please notice the lovely heirloom bowl that my fabulous mother-in-law, Bunty, gave me.  I treasure it.

PPN: Linquine With Smoked Clams And Spinach

Ever since I became anemic, every meal I prepare is vetted to make sure it contains a lot of iron.  I take iron supplements twice a day, but I've always believed that vitamins and minerals are best for your body if consumed in food.   I was surprised to learn that mollusks are one of the highest sources of iron, beating out liver and beef.  This was a happy discovery because I love clams, oysters, and mussels.  Too bad I can't get my hands on cockles, they may be the highest iron source of all.  The fact is, I've never seen a cockle in my entire life, but  like most kids, I learned about them from the folk song Molly Malone.

I've long enjoyed eating smoked oysters, mussels, and clams.  So, this recipe seemed like it would taste very good, plus it contains the requisite high levels of iron from the smoked clams and spinach.  It was delicious and took barely ten minutes to prepare.

WHB: Sweet Cherry Ice Cream

I promised a friend that I would make her some sweet cherry ice cream with the fruit I harvested and froze a few months ago.  This was my opportunity to use my Donvier Ice Cream maker, which is probably 15 years old.  Once a trendy device, it's been surpassed by newer ice cream makers.  But, as I don't make ice cream very often, I find that the old Donvier works just fine for my purposes.

The recipe is very simple, just cream, eggs, sugar, chopped sweet cherries, and vanilla.  Some people like almond extract with cherry ice cream, and that is a good pairing.  But, I prefer vanilla because it tastes better to me, and doesn't overwhelm the cherry flavor.  Vanilla pods are actually the fruit of an orchid, which is a pleasant thing to consider.  However, that wonderful vanilla taste and aroma happens only after the vanilla pods are cured for several months.  This salute to vanilla is perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by (drumroll, please) our fearless leader, the noble Kalyn herself, who created WHB. Go to her site, Kalyn's Kitchen, for a recap of herby recipes from bloggers around the world, probably on Monday.