Davina Sandground of Nutrition Groove and I taught our second class today on getting calcium through non-dairy sources. A few days ago Mark Bittman wrote a piece a for the New York Times, Got Milk? You Don't Need It.
As a long time vegan with a healthy vegan child/young adult this is good! Davina's sources for information about non-dairy calcium sources include The Nurses’ Health Study and the work of Dr Walter Willett. Davina began the class with the question– Did you know that the countries that consume the most dairy in the world also have the highest rates of osteoporosis? Several studies seem to show that there is no connection between dairy consumption and strong bones in fact it appears the opposite may be the case. She talked about the reasons why dairy sources of calcium may not be working for us and identified best non-dairy sources of calcium to nurture strong bones including– almonds, edamame, figs, blackstrap molasses, brown sesame seeds, wakame, bok choy, white beans, sardines, collard greens, wild salmon, hazelnuts…
Based on the foods Davina identified I came up with easy to make, family friendly recipes to eat throughout the day. Below is what we cooked in class today, with a few slight changes from the first time we taught the class, some are detailed recipes and some are lists of ingredients–
BREAKFAST
Carrot Muffin
2 tablespoons ground flax seed thoroughly mixed with 1/4 cup water, ½ cup almond milk, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup date sugar, 3 tablespoons coconut butter softened, ½ cup almond meal, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup wheat bran, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3 cups grated carrots, 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, pinch salt
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Bake immediately in a 350 degree oven until they test clean, 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Or refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking.
Calcium Shake Ingredients
Kale, almond milk, raw almond butter, orange, date, macca, brown sesame seeds, molasses, ice
SIDES
Wakame Salad
½ ounce wakame dried, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon mirin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber, ½ cup cooked Edamame white if possible
- Soak the wakame in a bowl covered with lukewarm water for 20 minutes, drain, chop and remove any hard bits.
- In a small bowl combine soy, vinegar, hone, mirin and salt.
- In a large bowl combine seaweed, sauce, cucumbers and edamame.
- Serve immediately or make in advance, chill and stir before serving.
Marinated Collard Green or Turnip Green Sesame Salad
Brown sesame seeds, cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, turnip greens or collard greens julienned
- In a high speed blender combine sesame seeds, vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl combine the turnips greens with the sesame mixture, taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Fig and Kale Salad
Fresh or dried figs if dried soak in water for 15 minutes and drain before using, roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, kale julienned
- In a high speed blender combine the figs, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl combine the kale with the fig mixture, taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Baked White Beans with Molasses
4 cups cooked white beans, 1 cup very finely sliced onion, 1 clove garlic very finely chopped, 3 tomatoes chopped or 2 cups pureed winter squash, ¼ cup molasses, 2 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon dried mustard, freshly ground black pepper, pinch nutmeg, pinch cinnamon, salt
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine beans, onion, garlic, tomato, molasses, honey, vinegar, mustard, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
- Place in a casserole dish and cover with tin foil. Bake for 2 hours.
FISH
Sardines, Mustard, Bok Choy Salad
1 tablespoon grainy mustard, 1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, 1 tin Sardines packed in water and drained, 1 medium head Bok Choy julienned
- In a large bowl wisk together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add bok choy and toss, add sardines toss and serve immediately.
Salmon Patty
1/2 cups cracked wheat (or 3/4 cup cooked quinoa), 1- 7.5 ounce can wild salmon with skin and bones or 7.5 ounces of wild salmon cooked and cooled (this is a great use for left over salmon), 1 egg beaten or 1/4 cup pureed soft tofu, 2 teaspoons chopped chives, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Place cracked wheat in a bowl and cover with 1/2 cup boiling water, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
- In a food processor combine half of the can of salmon, egg if using and chives. Process until smooth.
- Place cracked wheat, salmon mixture and remaining half can of salmon in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Form into patties.
- Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, spray the skillet with grape seed oil spray. Cook until browned on one side, flip and cook to brown on the other side.
DESSERT
Figs (fresh or dried) Stuffed with Chocolate and Hazelnuts
This is the breakfast shake that Martin Lane is drinking every morning to start her long days during her ballet summer intensive. Seems to be working–
