IC Friendly Grilled Portobello with Teriyaki-Like "Glaze"

Well, I think that I have found something worse for my Interstitial Cystitis then tomato sauce - Fra Diovlo, a spicy tomato sauce!  If you have IC, or are knowledgeable about it, you probably think I was crazy for even thinking of trying it...and I was!  But I kinda had no choice!

I was visiting with my 90 year old Nana.  She is very driven to remain independent and refuses to sell her house, so she lives on her own.  She has dementia, which we suspected was going on for a little while as some of the signs were there, but it was only recently diagnosed.  She is not currently being treated for it (she really needs Aricept!) and her memory is awful.  After seeing her yesterday I'm not sure how she even functions from day to day.  I have to give her a lot of credit!  

Anyway, I had gone to her to help her pick up one of her meds and to take her food shopping as we don't let her drive anymore.  She claims that she is only forgetful with some names but is otherwise healthy and as such doesn't understand why she can't drive.  Oh Nana!  I thought I was just going down to help her shop and then leave as I wanted to get home to take care of mine and Andrew's zoo, but she expected that I was staying for dinner.  How could I say no to Nana, especially since she also asked me to spend the night but I couldn't as I didn't have any of my meds (I take something like 10 or 11 of them).  She had some leftover spaghetti that she wanted us to eat and the only sauce that she will buy is Victoria's Fradiavolo.  

After having to explain numerous times that I was a vegetarian and don't eat meat (she even offered it to me like three times while we were eating), I decided that it wasn't worth throwing her off anymore and it would just be best to appease the Nana and eat the sauce.  Of course she was worried about protein for me so we also got Gardein Meatless Balls to go with the spaghetti.  I love them, but my bladder does not!  I can only eat the balls in small amounts and I'm sure that they didn't help things.  Nana was happy though and that was all that really mattered to me.  I hurt today, but my Pyridium seems to be keeping it mostly at bay for now.  Hopefully it will pass and not become worse because I'm out of pain pills and while my primary care doctor will usually give me a script if I really need it, I'm not sure if I will have time to pick it up before the weekend.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my love for Nana didn't throw me into a big flare!  I'm uncomfortable enough with this heat, I don't need anything adding to my discomfort.

Speaking of heat, it is of course summertime, which means that it's prime grilling time!  As I promised a series of grilling posts for the summer, here is grilling post #2.  I love mushrooms and often have cravings for them (which Andrew finds weird as he hates mushrooms), so of course I had to create a mushroom dish.  The following recipe is for a single serving so if planning for more, remember to double (or triple or quadruple) the recipe.  As always, if any of the ingredients don't agree with your bladder then be sure to keep them out.  Good day and happy grilling!!

Ingredients:

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

------------------------------------

*1 Portobello Mushroom Top, stem removed 

*1 Handful Baby Spinach (optional)
*1 bun (optional - choose one that you know won't flare your IC)

------------------------------------

For Marinade:

*4 Tbsp Coconut Aminos

*4 Tbsp water

*2 Tbsp blueberry juice

*3/4 tsp garlic powder

*1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

*Pinch of brown sugar

-------------------------------------

For "Glaze":

*1/2 tbsp water

*1/2 tbsp cornstarch

*1 scallion, sliced thin

--------------------------------------

Method: 

In a shallow bowl (or anything else that you have that your Portobello will fit in - like a plastic sandwhich container - to marinate), mix together all ingredients for the marinade.  Place your portobello in the marinade, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, flipping it over halfway through.   After letting it marinate, remove the mushroom and cook on a pre-heated grill, about 5 minutes each side or until fully cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare the "glaze" - pour the marinade in a small saucepan and add the scallion.  Heat on medium - high heat untill just coming to a boil.  Mix the cornstarch  and water together and stir the mixture into the rest of the marinade.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to about the consistency of jelly.  

Place your portobello on a bun, top with the "glaze" (there may be a little glaze left over), and baby spinach.  Enjoy!

Nutrition information is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The figures were obtained through the MyFitnessPal app.  Since the information was put in manually, please allow room for human error.

Tried the recipe out? Comment below to share your thoughts!

Tips, Tricks, and Cheats to the IC Diet: Coconut Aminos

When it comes to the Interstial Cystitis diet, nothing is ever easy as it is very individualized.  What sets off a flare in one person doesn't necessarily effect another.  Being a vegetarian, I often feel as if I am at a further disadvantage; the diet is restricting enough and avoiding meat just makes it that much harder.  That is why I grab onto IC-friendly substitutes whenever I can.  If I can easily use something in place of a known bladder iritant then it's one less ingredient I have to worry about when building a recipe.  That is why I love Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos Seasoning Sauce, which can be used as a substitute for soy sauce.

Soy sauce, the most well known and widely used soyfood in the western world [1], is made by fermenting a paste of boiled soybeans, grains (typically wheat), salt, and one of two molds in the Aspergillus family.  [2] Of course, since the soybean is a known bladder irritant, many IC patients are also sensitive to soy sauce.  For me, soy sauce seems to irritate my bladder much more then other soy foods (like meat replacement products).  I wonder sometimes if this is because of the fermentation process, or even the added mold.  Anyway, since it is used in a large amount in the western world, that leaves a lot of Asian cuisine off the table.

Coconut Aminos is, as is probably obvious, made from the coconut tree.  Unlike tapping maple trees, where the tree is tapped through the bark and the sap only flows for part of the year, the coconut tree is tapped, usually with bamboo tubes, through blossoms that have not yet matured into fruit and can produce sap for years.

"Coconut palms are one of the oldest flowering trees in the world.  For centuries throughout the tropics, the traditional practice of "tapping" coconut trees for their prized "sap" is a time-honored art form.  The nutrient-rich sap that exudes from the blossoms before they mature into coconuts, is used to make many unique and nutritious food products." [3]

Astonishingly, once  a coconut tree is tapped, it will continue to produce its nectar for up to 20 years. This makes it more sustainable then anything made from mature coconuts, like coconut oil.  In fact, tapping the coconut tree is 5-7 times more productive then allowing the coconut to mature for its fruit. [3]

To make Coconut Secrets Coconut Aminos, the freshly collected coconut sap is mixed with only sun-dried, mineral-rich sea salt and then naturally aged in small batches.  No other ingredients, including preservatives, are needed.   Wit coconut aminos, there is no risk of GMO ingredients like there is in traditional soy sauce and it contains 73% less sodium [4].  The taste is similar to soy sauce, but it it very much sweeter; I actually prefer the taste for most recipes.  

If you are like me and wish to find shortcuts to the IC diet, you owe it to yourself to try it.  I can usually find an 8oz bottle of Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos in health food stores, The Vitamin Shoppe, or online for about $5.  This means that it is slightly more expensive then soy sauce, but it is well worth it!  If you have already tried Coconut Aminos, please comment and share your experience!

References: 

1:  William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi.  (2004)  History of Soy Sauce, Shoyu, and Tamari.    Retrieved from: http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/soy_sauce1.php 

2:  Wikipedia.  Soy Sauce.  Retrieved from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce

3:  Leslie.  (2009)  Coconut "Sap"~Who Knew???  Retreived from: https://www.coconutsecret.com/Tappingthesap2.html

4: Unknown Author at Coconut Secrets.  (2009). Coconut Secrets Coconut Aminos.  Retrieved from:  https://www.coconutsecret.com/aminos2.html