This isn't what I thought I'd share today. While working from home, I was planning on writing my manifesto on gut health. However, this is where I am. May you be free to be where you are, too. This may be T.M.I., but due to a family history of colon cancer, I was advised to have a colonoscopy, which meant no eating for about a day and a half toward the end of last week. I know I'm pathetic, but for me, that's a long time. I did pretty well (I thought) adhering to the clear liquid restriction. I was a bit hungry (I relied on apple cider and savory vegetable broth), but it made me appreciate how much mindless eating I actually do on a daily basis, and how privileged I am to have easy access to nourishing food each and every day.
Lessons, aside, three days after the procedure, now that the anesthesia has worn off and things have started moving again, I am HUNGRY. I just looked in my fridge, and alas, what is staring back at me but a giant pile of radishes from the past few CSA pick-ups that I still have not done anything with. Why? Because I HATE RADISHES! I consider myself an adorer of most veggies, but I have just never enjoyed those spicy, crunchy roots. Not only that but I'm feeling chilled, so I'm really not in the mood for a salad. I know, I know, I'm such a princess (insert eye roll here). Judge me if you must, but I am just not going to go raw this afternoon....sigh, what to do, and more importantly, what to eat?
As I have already shared with you, food waste is an anathema to me, so I Googled "what can I do with radishes?" And low and behold, you can roast them! Roasting makes literally everything taste better through the process of caramelization - starches break down into sugars that make your tongue happy. Plus, it involves warm fat, and what's not to love about that? Add a little salt, and presto -- no matter what you cook will taste slightly like French fries. I probably should have known that roasted radishes are a thing by this point in my career, but I didn't. I am really, really hungry, and don't feel like waiting, so I sliced those babies thin, cranked the oven up to 400, added a tad of real butter (yep, I told you I was hungry), a large clove of crushed garlic, salt, pepper, a few parsley leaves to make it pretty for the pictures, and what the heck, I decided to toss on some pumpkin seeds, since it's October, and I want some protein (not to mention magnesium, which I would not be surprised if I depleted...oops, T.M.I. again). Mmmm....it's starting to smell goooood!
Still waiting, stomach growling. I have a bunch of radishes left that I'm too hungry (or too A.D.D.) to cut up right now, so I'm thinking of trying to pickle them later with some natural apple cider vinegar, a wonderful digestive aid.
I'll be honest with you, the roasted radishes took a little longer than I'd hoped (around a 1/2 hour) for them to come out crispy (and French fry-like) enough for my taste. And they tasted okay (not gross), but still needed something to eat like a meal. I figured I had been patient for this long, so I tossed on just a teensy bit of ooey gooey bleu cheese and a bit more S&P and threw it back into the warm oven under a cover to melt...now we're talking...
In hindsight, I think I would have gone with a milder-flavored cheese, maybe a chevre, and I still don't love radishes, but my belly feels nice and warm inside, and it's all a learning process. Let the journey continue!
Still convinced that you despise radishes or some other vegetable(s) your mom tried to force you to eat when you were a kid?
Well, that's okay, too, but if deep down inside you really want to be more adventurous, only you want to do it on your own terms, because you secretly want to do something nice for yourself, I'll hold your hand, and we can take baby steps together. And when you get distracted by all the excuses we make that keep us from taking care of ourselves and thus preventing us from becoming our happiest and best selves, well, I'll be there to remind you of how wise you were to come to the realization that you wanted to make a change.
"May we find the courage to let go of who we think we are supposed to be so that we can fully embrace our authentic selves, the imperfect, the creative, the vulnerable, the powerful, the broken and the beautiful. May we show ourselves and others the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle. May we create a just and equitable world where privilege isn't a prerequisite for self-expression and authenticity, where everyone feels invited and safe to express their vulnerability and their power. And last, may we experience the strength of connection, the love of belonging, and the grace of pure joy."
Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection, 10th Anniversary Edition