Lacto-Fermented Cauliflower, Two Ways: Dilled Cauliflower "Pickles" and Autumn Harvest Cultured Salad (gluten free, vegan)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I really love cauliflower. But for years, I didn't eat it. Why? The Blood Type Diet says I'm not supposed to, and it made me put aside my cauliflower loving ways. When I first jumped on the Blood Type Diet bandwagon a few years ago, I put aside lots and lots of foods I loved. Reading Dr. Peter D'Adamo's words me a bit hesitant to chow down on this fine member of the crucifer family, among many other fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats. I avoided them all like the plague. But then I developed allergies and a range of sensitivities to a lot of those O-beneficial foods I ate regularly (like sweet potatoes, green beans, asparagus, soy, pumpkin, walnuts, tomato, pineapple, the list goes on and on and on).
For about 5 months last year I kept a strict 4 day allergy rotation, anti-Candida, O blood type diet and I went absolutely out of my mind. I hardly had anything to eat. I think the stress and challenge of trying to live within such a limiting framework was more damaging to my body, mind, and spirit than an occasional serving of those supposed "no-no" foods. After having food-related nervous breakdowns and being told I was literally malnourished at my first visit to the naturopath, I finally decided to expand my repetoire. All the foods I wouldn't touch anymore once when I started playing with the Blood Type Diet suddenly became the foods I had to rely on, for nourishment and sanity. Thank goodness I had avoided them for years; that is probably why I hadn't developed allergies to them like all the other foods I ate all the time!
So, I started gradually started working them into my diet, because let's be honest, a girl's gotta eat something. And interestingly enough, I started feeling better. Hmn.
Truth be told, I still feel some hesitation each time I dig my fork into a tender Brussel sprout or greedily lick cashew butter off a spoon. Sure, I do put some stock into what Dr. Peter D'Adamo has to say and his overall assertion, and have found much of it to ring true for me and my body. I AM healthier as a meat eater, and I DO have intolerances to wheat, corn, oranges, kidney beans, pinto beans, and eggplant, for example. I just don't necessarily buy in to the whole kit and kaboodle, and think it is impossible to say that one plan will be the silver bullet for everyone.
Maybe sometime soon I'll cut back on the foods that good old Dr. D'Adamo says I shouldn't eat, and see how I feel - maybe things will improve immediately, and perhaps those foods are holding me back from healing fully. Or maybe not? Who knows. One thing is certain: I think there are major holes in Dr. D'Adamo's argument. I'd like to ask him why I'm so freakishly allergic to pineapple and walnuts if those are supposed to act like medicine to my type O system. Similarly, why are there lots of healthy vegan type O people out there, and lots of healthy red-meat eating type As? Why, Peter, why? I want to know what he has to say. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to travel to Connecticut to talk with him myself.
Wondering how to eat your cultured veggies? Here's a few ideas:
- Add to stir fries, curries, or vegetable sautes
- Quick meal or appetizer: flatbread/crackers/rice cake/tortilla/raw flax cracker + bean dip/cashew or almond cream/pesto + spoonful diced cultured veggies. It's kind of like bruschetta!
- Add to fresh salsas or chutneys
- Use as a vegetable side dish to a protein dish like beans, meats, poultry, or fish
- Puree into a quick sauce or dressing for vegetables or grains (I love doing this!)
- Add to wraps - I love putting cultured vegetables with meat or beans/rice and some sprouts in to a collard leaf. Yum!
- Add to greens, bean, grain, or meat salads, here's a few ideas off the top of my head for the cauliflower pickles and Autumn Harvest Salad
- Shredded kale, cooked quinoa, diced cauliflower pickle, chopped cucumber, and toasted sunflower seeds
- Mix diced chicken breast or white beans, a scoop of Fall Harvest Salad, chopped celery, handful raisins or currants, thyme, a blob of mustard, and a little olive oil together, and serve in lettuce leaves, wraps, or on your favorite GF bread. Whoa, that sounds really good, I'll be trying that, ASAP.
- Salad greens, steamed green beans, cauliflower pickle, pickled or steamed beet slices, olive-oil packed tuna
- Add to sushi rolls or onigiri - sauerkraut is awesome wrapped in nori and rice, seriously.
- Eat as is, from the jar (my favorite - just use a clean fork each time!)
Sorry, I don't have any photos - I wrote up this post a long time ago, and forgot to take pictures. Now the cauliflower pickles are all eaten up! I still have one serving of the cultured salad, but my camera is having some technical difficulties, so no photo. Use your imagination! It looks like cauliflower, in a jar. The cultured salad looks like cauliflower and a bunch of other veg, in a jar. :)
VINEGAR-FREE, LACTO-FERMENTED DILLED CAULIFLOWER PICKLES (gluten free, vegan, raw)
yield 1 quart
3 cups cauliflower, cut into chunks
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon dry dill
3-4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sea salt
2-3 cups filtered water
- Scald a jar or wash with very hot, soapy water.
- Wash cauliflower very well, and cut into chunks.
- Crush garlic clove, and add to jar with spices. Add cauliflower, pressing down firmly into jar so chunks are tightly packed, leaving 1" space at the top of the jar.
- Dissolve salt in 2 c of water, and add to jar. Add additional water as necessary to cover vegetables. Leave 1" space at the top of the jar.
- Let sit 3-5 days at room temperature, in a cool place away from the sun, on a place or saucer to catch leaks. I let mine sit for 4 days in a room temp of about 68*, in warmer temps 3 days is usually enough. Try them and see if they have a good pickly flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, leave them out longer, up to 7 days depending on the temperature. Just a warning: when you open the jar, it is likely to fizz and bubble over, so open over the sink.
- After it sits, transfer to fridge. I think cultured veggies improve with age, properly cultured vegetables will keep for up to 8 months. If your vegetables start to get slimy, change color, or just seem funky, toss them out.
AUTUMN HARVEST CULTURED SALAD (gluten free, vegan, raw)
yield 1 quart
Watching your sugars? Don't worry about the apple in this salad - according to Donna Gates, Body Ecology Diet expert, the sugars in cultured apples get eaten up during the fermentation process. In fact, she suggests using apples in cultured recipes even during Candida treatment. Taking a queue from her, I added one to this mix; it adds a nice hint of tart/sweet flavor that compliments the other flavors well. Trust your own intuition and tolerances; choose to include it or leave it out!
1 organic apple, diced
1 c cauliflower florets
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
optional: grated ginger and 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 T sea salt
2 c water
*optional: add chopped beets, finely chopped cabbage, chopped kohlrabi, or other vegetables in place of any of the above ingredients
- Scald a jar or wash with very hot, soapy water.
- Wash vegetables well, and prepare as noted above. Mix together in a large bowl, with grated ginger if you are including it.
- Add coriander seeds (if using) and vegetable mixture to jar, pressing down firmly as you add so chunks are tightly packed, leaving 1" space at the top of the jar.
- Dissolve salt in 1 c of water, and add to jar. Add additional water as necessary to cover vegetables. Leave 1" space at the top of the jar.
- Let sit 3-5 days at room temperature, in a cool place away from the sun, on a place or saucer to catch leaks. I let mine sit for 4 days in a room temp of about 68*, in warmer temps 3 days is usually enough.Try them and see if they have a good pickly flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, leave them out longer, up to 7 days depending on the temperature. Just a warning: when you open the jar, it is likely to fizz and bubble over, so open over the sink.
- After it sits, transfer to fridge. I think cultured veggies improve with age, properly cultured vegetables will keep for up to 8 months. If your vegetables start to get slimy, change color, or just seem funky, toss them out.
Reader Comments (4)
I think the fact that you started developping food allergies and sensitivies is telling... People have stopped listening to their bodies and started assuming that those kind of conditions are normal...
I would take a look at the books by Gary Taubes...
Hi James,
Are you inferring my allergies, intolerances, and other health ailments are a result of me being disconnected from my body and poor dietary habits? If so, please do not be so presumptuous, with me or anyone else.
I've been hyper-body aware since I was a child, completely understanding of the fact that my allergies, digestive troubles, body pain, struggle with weight gain, and other symptoms were no where near normal. I tried what I could through my teen years and young adulthood to deal with it as best I could, trying different diets and alternative treatments and lifestyle changes. It wasn't until my symptoms became debilitating and stopped my ability to function that I literally HAD to look in new directions. I worked to treat my Candida and heal my gut. then I found out I have chronic Lyme Disease, Bartonella, and Babesiosis. Over a period of over 20 years, these untreated infections attacked every system of my body. Now I'm treating with botanical medicine, Western medicine, energy work, Chinese medicine, nutrition, and other alternative therapies, as well as practicing mindfulness meditation. Since starting treatment about 1 1/2 years ago, the changes have been incredible. I'm still moving forward, but I"m hopeful. And very, very much in-tune with my body.
In a general sense, I agree with you that Western culture has divorced itself from listening to the body. It is sad and frustrating how people have stopped listening to what their bodies, minds, and souls truly need, and instead defer to trends and poorly written diet plans and take pills to solve everything. Listening to the deeper rhythm of our bodies is written off as being "woo-woo", and is almost criticized by popular culture. While Gary Taubes' books look very interesting, they don't really bear much relevance to the bulk my health issues, honestly. I wish that the source of my troubles was something as simple as learning to eat differently and listen to my body more closely! I would be interested to read Gary's books and see if he really makes any suggestions at how to reconnect with oneself, as the descriptions of his books seem to be more focused on nutrition rather than building self-awareness.
I stumbled accidentally over your website searching for fermented cauliflower and would like to tell you that I really enjoyed your writing. I am also a type O and lived strictly by the blood type diet for some years. But I gave up and use it only as guideline now. Looking at your health problems listed in the post to James, I would like to draw your attention to grounding/earthing. Have a look at the website: http://www.earthinginstitute.net. You may find something helpful there. The book "Earthing" from Clinton Ober also can be recommended.
Good Luck!
Hi Kim,
Thanks for posting the dilled cauliflower recipe. Can you clarify how much salt to use? Is it tablespoons or teaspoons?
Thanks!