1 1/2 cups sliced onions
1/4 cup rolled oats
6 cups chopped zucchini (3-4 medium zucchini)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/8  teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2  tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons umeboshi or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a large pot, layer the onions, oats, and zucchini. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Add the salt, dried basil, and black pepper. (If using fresh basil, see below.) Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree the zucchini mixture with the tahini, vinegar, lemon juice, and fresh basil until well blended. Return the mixture to the pot, reheat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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The only itch relief I’ve been getting these days is from Ibuprofen and my feeling was that I just couldn’t do without it.  The last bottle I bought had new warnings about Ibuprofen causing redness and rashes definitely not what I want!  I’m on my third day without any Ibuprofen.  I barely slept a wink the first night for the itching but day two, night two and today - day three - have been, to tell the truth, not too bad.  And it seems like my rash is doing better.  It’s too soon to tell for certain what if any effect the Ibuprofen was having but I think it’s worth dropping it for awhile if you are using it for eczema itch relief to see if it’s aggravating your skin.

It is significantly cheaper to grind your own specialty flours but you need a grain mill to do it.  A bag of organic quinoa flour from Bob’s Red Mill is $6.19.  You can buy a pound of organic quinoa at Trader Joe’s or even Whole Foods for $1.00.  So at 25% of the cost of buying the flour you can grind your own - with the added bonus that the flour is completely and absolutely fresh.  Just about any specialty flour: amaranth, coconut, almond, barley, brown rice, black bean, corn, spelt, millet, oat,  and rye to name some can be quickly and cheaply made yourself.

A good grain mill isn’t cheap though so a purchase of this type probably makes more sense for someone who plans to use non-wheat specialty flours on an ongoing basis.

The grain mill can also be used for other things including, of course, grinding your own wheat.

Back when I ate soy - I ground up soy beans and made my own homemade tofu using the recipe from The Farm cookbook.  The mill easily handled the soy and worked perfectly for tofu making.

We bought the Jupiter Family Grain Mill 8 years ago and are very happy with it.  You get quite a bit of control over the coarseness / fineness of the flour grains and the machine is sturdy, simple to put together and take apart, and clean.  I see that some website are selling it for around $200 and that sounds about right given inflation and what we paid for ours.

I’ve been meaning to write something more about ezcema and I was reminded today by a comment from someone else about just that so here’s the latest about my efforts to deal with it. 

At one point in my anti-Candida campaign I re-developed an unwelcome case of ezcema.  It happened while I was taking Aqua-Flora Candida formula but I can’t be sure that that is what caused the outbreak.  It’s quite possible the probiotics (Trader Joe’s brand) I was taking weren’t effective enough and that the ezcema started because of a flora imbalance.  The OMD I’ve been working with maintains that the really effective probiotics are only available through a doctor.  I don’t know about that but what I do know is that I’ve got eczema again and it won’t seem to go away no matter what I try.

There are two things that have really helped though.  One is acupuncture.  I’m seeing a Doctor of Oriental Medicine for mine.  The other is the book Skin Deep by Ted A. Grossbart, Ph.D.  If you jump to this link which is at amazon.com and read the comments you’ll see that many people like myself have gotten some relief or direction from the book.

Coffee substitutes made from roasted barley and chicory can satisfy the urge for a rich and more earthy tasting drink. While it doesn’t actually taste anything like coffee - it is a satisfying pick me up even though it has no caffeine or stimulants. Add a little almond milk and xylitol to make it sweet and creamy. Pero is a brand of Switzerland and has an extra dark roast variety that I especially like. I bought mine at Whole Foods and the price was better than what I’m seeing available at amazon.com

This recipe is from The Greek Vegetarian by Diane Kochilas

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
1 cup baby lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized carrots, washed, peeled, and diced (or grated)
2 celery ribs, washed, trimmed, and minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (or pressed)
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 to 6 servings
1. Drain the rice and place in a medium-sized pot with 4 cups of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove and drain.

2. While rice is cooking, place the lentils in a medium-sized pot and cover them with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until tender but al dente, about 20 minutes. As the lentils simmer, skim the foam from the surface. Remove, drain in a colander, and rinse under cold water.

3. While the lentils and rice are simmering, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the carrots (if diced) and the celery (if using) for 6 to 7 minutes, until tender but al dente. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and stir for another minute. Remove from heat.

4. Place the wild rice, lentils, and vegetables in a medium-sized serving bowl, and toss to combine. Season with remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and rice vinegar. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.

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Probably one of the hardest aspects of dealing with a mystery illness like Candida is the many promises people and or companys hold out for "cures."  When you are miserable and desperate it’s hard to ignore the statements that promise to alleviate all the symptoms.  When these "cures" fail - you can be left much worse off as repeated disappointments lead to depression and lack of trust.

It’s imperative to follow your own intuition and to pretty much ignore any "promise" or "guarantee".  My experience is that symptoms and reactions vary widely.  This is one of the main reasons that Candidiasis is so hard to diagnose and cure.

This is not to say suggestions and support aren’t invaluable.  But I think it’s important not to push too hard or to believe that what works for one person will definitively work for someone else. 

An example came up in the comments area of this blog - someone wrote in that Tea Tree Oil was a "nice natural remedy" for candidiasis rash.  In my case, tea tree oil provoked an aggravation of the existing rash and corresponded with the rash spreading to other areas of my body.  From what I’ve read I feel fairly certain that Tea Tree Oil works for some people on some kinds of eczema but it should be used cautiously and skeptically as should any of the potential solutions mentioned here or elsewhere.

This is the best tasting gluten free flour mix I’ve found.  There’s no predominating strong flavor that takes over the mix so the baked goods taste like . . . baked goods - not bean flour or quinoa or buckwheat.  Not that those are bad it’s just sometimes a good old fashioned tasting pancake or muffin is just what is called for. 

The basic idea for these came from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Use 1 batch of baking mix for each recipe below.

BAKING MIX
1/4 c. tapioca flour  
1/3 c. almond meal/flour
2. T. ground flax seed (or your choice of gluten free flour)
1/3 c. brown or white rice flour
1/3 c. sorghum flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 t. salt

FOR CUPCAKES
1 c. almond or rice milk
1/3 c. walnut or canola oil
1/2 c. xylitol
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1 egg (optional)

Mix these ingredients on medium speed and then mix in the baking mix above.  Mix well - there’s no gluten so there’s no danger of overmixing.
Preheat oven to 350F
Oil muffin tin
Bake 20-25 minutes

FOR PANCAKES
1 c. almond or rice milk
1/3 c. walnut or canola oil
2 eggs, separated

Beat the egg whites and set aside.  Whisk milk, oil and egg yolks.
Mix in the baking mix above.  Fold in the egg whites.
Make the pancakes over medium heat in a saute or frying pan.

Good with blueberrries sweetened with Xylitol.

FOR COOKIES
1/2 c. butter or Earth Balance
1/2 c. xylitol
1 1/2 t. Stevia
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1 egg (optional)
1/3 c. coconut

Mix these ingredients on medium speed and then mix in the baking mix above.  Mix well - there’s no gluten so there’s no danger of overmixing.
Preheat oven to 350F
Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet
Bake 12-15 minutes

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This is my favorite soup.  It has an excellent combination of flavors and a lovely texture.

1 2 lb. butternut squash ( comes out well with pumpkin or acorn squash too)
4 T. butter
1 large onion, chopped in big pieces
2 leeks (white part only), sliced
4 c. water
Sea salt and pepper

Peel and remove seeds from squash, slice squash, onions and leeks.  Saute onions and leeks in 2 T. butter for 2 -3 minutes.  Add the squash and water, bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until squash is tender.  Blend and eat.  This soup freezes well - although it’s most delicious completely fresh.

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