Have you ever found yourself going through food phases? I totally do.
Sometimes it happens with the seasons -- Like how every fall
all I want to eat is apples, pumpkin and squash. Often together and always with butter. And cinnamon. And bacon.
At other times I'll go through a month or 6 weeks
of being really into a certain dish or type of food.
Last winter I made cabbage and sausage on
food prep day every week for at least 8 solid weeks. I’m not kidding – I ate
that stuff everyday.
The last few weeks it’s been Asian food.
I’ve had cravings for Korean (pork bone soup and kimchi) and
Japanese (sashimi with wasabi and coconut aminos) and Thai (coconut curries).
My biggest fixation has been a Vietnamese soup called Pho. If
you are familiar with Pho, you know that it is usually made with rice noodles.
I “By Design” this meal by skipping the noodles and loading up on the bean
sprouts.
I’ve made the spiced-up bone broth for Pho three times in
the last eight days and demolished it all with heaps of bean sprouts, cilantro,
basil, sliced chili’s, green onions and slices of raw beef.
It might be time for an intervention.
A cornerstone of eating By Design is to listen to your
body.
I’m listening. And all I’m hearing is “why is the broth gone?”
So what does this craving mean? Does it even matter? I think it does.
When you are having cravings, it’s a good
exercise to think about what you’re craving and why you’re craving it.
Is your body trying to tell you something? Is the craving actually coming from your body or is it all in your head? Can you tell the difference?
What does the food you’re craving represent to you? Is it energy? Is it nutrients? Is it comfort?
After several days of this relentless Pho craze, I got out
my journal and started asking myself these questions.
Here is what I came up with:
How do I feel when I am eating it?
Awesome. Pho tastes great. I love soup. Soup is comforting
and satisfying, I thoroughly enjoy eating it.
What does my body get out of eating it?
How do I feel after I eat it?
I feel great. My energy levels are high throughout the day and
I don’t feel hungry again for hours after I eat a big bowl. I can focus and
concentrate on my work.
Emotionally, I feel good about the decision. I feel like I am doing my body a favour and it is a rewarding and positive experience.
When did these cravings start & what were the conditions?
This phase of cravings began very shortly after I moved into
a new house. My new place has no air conditioning and I moved in right before
that intense heat wave in July. I was sweating more than normal and loosing
lots of fluids and minerals.
Ah – ha… Maybe my body is smart. Maybe it has been craving
salty (mineral rich) foods and liquids as an appropriate response to the sweaty
conditions.
Final Verdict:
Good craving, keep satisfying it.
But what if those weren’t the conditions? Or what if the craving was ice cream & donuts instead of bone broth and bok choy?
Should we always honor our cravings?
Think about this question over the course of the week. Next Wednesday, I will give you my answer.
Also, if you want my wicked pho recipe.. Comment or ask me on facebook and I will send it your way.
I would love your wicked pho recipe. I was just craving this this morning!!
ReplyDeleteHere you go Kristin!
ReplyDeleteTHE BROTH
o 1 onion, halved
o 2" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
o 2 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
o Pho Spices:
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 5 whole star anise
• 1 cardamom pod (broken open)
• 6 whole cloves
o 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt (halve if using fine sea salt)
o 1/4 cup fish sauce
o water
Put the onion and ginger cut side up on a baking sheet. Move an oven rack to the highest position, place the pan with onion and ginger in the oven and turn the broiler on. Allow the onion and ginger to char around the edges under the broiler.
In the mean time, put all of the beef bones in a pot and fill the pot with enough water to cover the bones. Put the pot on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Allow the bones to boil for 5-10 minutes. Then dump out into a strainer. Rinse the bones and put them in your slow cooker.
Add all of the spices, fish sauce, salt and the charred ginger and onion.
Fill the slow cooker with water.
Turn the slow cooker on high and let it cook 8hrs (or over night).
Once the broth is done cooking, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large container.
If you prefer your broth less fatty (some people find it slightly greasy), you can refridgerate the broth. The fat will solidify on the top and can be easily removed.
PUTTING THE SOUP TOGETHER
o 1/2 lb flank steak, sliced thin, against the grain.
o handful each of cilantro & basil roughly chopped
o 1 lime, cut into wedges
o 2-3 chili peppers, sliced
o 2 green onions, sliced
o 2 big handfuls of bean sprouts (per bowl).
o Sriracha hot sauce
It is typical for this soup to be served in very large bowls. I use big mixing bowls to serve mine at home.
Pour as much broth as you need into a pot and bring it to a boil.
In each bowl place 2 large handfuls of bean sprouts, some cilantro, basil, green onions, chili slices and top with slices of raw flank steak.
Pour the boiling broth over the meat and vegetables. The meat will be cooked on the outside by the boiling broth but remain slightly rare in the middle.
Squeeze fresh lime into soup to taste.
Add Sriracha hot sauce to taste (if you like it extra spicy).
Enjoy!