Lightly Flavored Grill-Steamed Broccoli

Andrew and I have recently purchased a grill.  It's a super cheap charcoal grill from Walmart so it's not of the highest quality.  Still, it seemed ok and we got one use out of it before our dog, Roxie (who, while small, tends to be a bundle of nervous energy) knocked it upside down.   See sometimes when we let her out she will bolt through the door the moment that she sees an opening large enough for her to fit through, which is naturally too small for us to fit through with her.  Probably anxious to see one of the many stray cats that she had seen who knows how much earlier in the day, she will charge across the patio as fast as she can, which is very quick if you're not paying close enough attention, and in this case the grill was being stored just a bit too close to the door.  So now the grill is a bit rickety and I sometimes worry that it will topple over while being used.  Still, the grill has given us a case of new toy syndrome and we seem to be using it as much as we can.  I just ignore the grill's signature wobble and happily grill away with a watering can full of water nearby just in case (I was a Boyscout after all). 

The Grill especially comes in handy on these 90 degree days that we have been having.  On days like these using the oven or the stove-top are the last things that we need as they really heat the apartment up.  A jug of water left on top of the stove while the oven is on will reach 80 degrees probably within a half hour to forty five minutes.  It's a great way to heat water for water changes on our fish tanks, but not good for our apartment's temperature or my good mood.  I've gotten extremely sensitive to the heat, which I'm thinking is one of my Fibromyalgia symptoms, and as the heat causes my body to melt so does my ability to do anything, including being patient.  Sure, I've always been a bit sensitive to the heat, but now that trait seems to have been kicked into overdrive.  I will be dripping with sweat when the temperature reads anything above 72 degrees.  Yes, we have the air conditioner on, but using the oven, even the stovetop, there are times when I still just become too uncomfortable.  If I can find ways to do most of my cooking outside, I think that I am happier; even if it means soy veggie products, which my bladder sometimes reacts to and sometimes doesn't.  Of course, I do my best to eat soy veggie products only if I don't have any Quorn products on hand, which are made with mycoprotein and are soy free (they don't seem to upset my IC).  I have to get my protein in somehow, and luckily this recipe helps out!

Anyway, it's Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer season (and grilling season), and to celebrate I thought that I would start a series of recipes to cook on the grill.  This first one was inspired by my love of oven roasted broccoli and garlic.  I was craving it yesterday but as yesterday was in the nineties and as I mentioned before, I do not like to ad heat to our apartment when it is that hot.  I actually thought that in a foil pouch on the grill, would simulate an oven roasted broccoli.  Instead, what came out was more like steamed broccoli; not what I expected but nevertheless good.  Andrew thought that they were delicious!  Enjoy the recipe, I'm hoping the temperature has dropped enough for me to go outside and cook because my plans are to go grill and then watch a marathon of "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (resting tonight before the family BBQ tomorrow)!


Oh yeah, and as always, if you have IC, leave out any ingredients that you are sensitive to.  What works for one doesn't always work for another!

Ingredients: 

*Green = Bladder Friendly foods; *Orange = Foods to try wih Caution; *Red = Foods to Avoid

*1 broccoli crown

*3 cloves of garlic, minced 

*1/8 tsp black pepper

*1/8 tsp adobo sans pepper

*1/4 tsp oregano

*2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

*1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Foil

Method:

Preheat your grill.  Seperate broccoli florets from the stems.  In a bowl, toss the separated broccoli florets with the olive oil, garlic, black pepper, adobo, and oregano. Once everything is mixed well, spread the broccoli in a single layer in the middle of a large peice of foil.  Sprinkle the broccoli with the grated cheese and fold the foil into a closed pouch.  Place the foil packet on the grill and cook about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.  The broccoli florets should come out like they were steamed.  Serves 2-3.

Nutrition facts are based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet and are computed using the MyFitnessPal app.  As I have entered the ingredients by hand and picked The best matches from a list, some human error may exist in their calculations.

Stir Fried Broccoli and Baby Bok Choy

So it has been months, and still I'm wearing a splint (a long thumb spica splint made out of thermodynamic plastic to be exact) on my right wrist, which is my dominant hand.  This splint has gotten old, filthy, and scratched up over all this time and no matter what I do, I can't seem to get it clean.  People are now starting to notice and it's slightly embarrassing.  I actually tried to cover it up by wrapping it with an ace bandage the other day, but that just caused the plastic to dig into my pinky, which became extra painful so that's not an option.  Besides it being an eyesore, it also makes doing things a bit more difficult.  Sure, in many ways I have been able to adapt, but I'm pretty much over it now. I had hopes of being able to cast off this splint by now, but alas, I was just at the hand doctor and that hope has been dashed; I have to wear it for another six weeks.  Well, five more now.    I guess it's not all bad; the skin on my palm has never been softer (since it's hidden under about 1/8" of plastic) and the carpal tunnel symptoms that I was having are gone.  Look for the positives right?  Well I'll have to keep looking hard.  Oh and in case I didn't mention, if I'm not feeling better by my next follow-up, the doctor will consider surgery.  

Anyway, I think I digressed from my point.  The splint has made it difficult to do things like using a knife or taking something out of the oven, so I haven't been able to really cook things.  I've come to rely on things that are quick and easy, and quick and easy isn't always very friendly to the IC bladder. In about 1 month of time, I've experienced two seperate painful flare ups.  The first one was most likely due to having to take two very strong antibiotics for an infected cat scratch but the second was definitely diet related, so I knew I had to step up my game.  I searched for recipes that seemed quick and easy when I stumbled upon this recipe.  I was weary about the amount of sesame oil in this recipe, but it seemed like it would be easy for me to make, so I knew I should give it a try.

I say I was weary about the amount of sesame oil in this recipe because I've had experiences in the past where just a few drops of it were enough to overpower a dish.  I like sesame but not when it becomes the only thing that you taste.  In this recipe, that doesn't seem to be an issue.  Don't get me wrong, there is still a very strong sesame taste here, but there are other favors that come through too - favors like baby bok choy.

I've never had bok choy in any form before, baby or other, and I was excited to try it.  The first obstacle, of course, was buying the vegetable.  Andrew and I stood in front of the cooler section at our local farmers market for a good five minutes or so before we decided to take what we thought was baby bok choy, which actually turned out to be escarole (things weren't labeled well).  Not wanting to repeat the "these radishes are actually beets" fiasco that I had last year, I had luckily thought to use google and realized our blunder before we got too far away from the cold vegetables.  So small crisis averted, we left with our baby bok choy.  

I liked it too!  To me, the baby bok choy was very celery-like in taste, but a little watered down.  The flavor was very light, which may be one reason why it paired so well with the spotlight-stealing sesame oil.  I guess I felt that it just helped to balance everything out.  This was my first time cooking with shallots too, though I have definitely been exposed to more shallots then bok choy. I found the shallots to be a bit sweeter then their larger onion counterparts and I suppose that it is this quality that lends it to being safer for the IC bladder then straight up onions.  When I do cook with onions I always make sure to cook them really well as the IC diet lists always caution against raw onions.

All in all, I really enjoyed this recipe. It came together quickly and easily, even without full use of my dominant hand. It also inspired me to look closer at the  vegetables that are available to me to find more unique fruits and vegetables that I have never tried before.  I'm feeling adventurous!  

Though I have been limited on cooking, I do have a few recipes that I have been working on, so keep an eye out for new, original dishes coming soon!  In the meantime, enjoy this recipe and check out Vegetarian Recipes for Interstial Cystitis, where I found the following recipe.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients: 

*Green = Bladder Friendly foods; *Orange = Foods to try wih Caution; *Red = Foods to Avoid

*1 Cup broccoli florets
*1 bunch baby bok choy
*1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
*1 small shallot 
*2 garlic cloves
*sea salt and *fresh pepper (to taste)
*1 tsp sesame seeds 

Method: 

"In a frying pan or cast iron skillet with a lid, heat up sesame oil on a very low heat ( I did it on heat 2 on my stove).  Wash and chop broccoli and add it to the pan.  Peel and thinly slice shallot (if using), add it to the pan. Simmer a couple of minutes, removing the lid to stir.

Smash and chop garlic, add to the pan.  Cook another minute or so, stirring regularly. 

Wash bok choy, chop stems and add them to the pan, saving the leaves.  Simmer another minute or so, then add the leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper, plus a little extra sesame oil if desired.  Press the leaves to the bottom of the pan.  Stir, cooking for another minute or so until they are just wilted. 

Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using) and serve."

Serves 2

*Nutrition Facts are obtained using the MyFitnessPal app and are based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet.  Due to manually entering ingredients, please allow some room for human error.*