Sustainable Healthy Plate

As I move forward into 2020 I am looking eat more healthy and eat a more plant based and environmentally friendly diet. I did not have room for a traditional garden this year, so I grew what I could in oversized pots. One of my favorites that resulted in a huge pot  packed harvest was the Jerusalem Artichoke or Sun Chokes as some refer to them. If you are not familiar with these plants, they grow very tall and produce an edible bulb and a beautiful bee attracting flower that resembles a small sunflower.  These flowers grow abundantly all over the northeast. The bulb has a flavor similar to a potatoe and is often roasted in a little olive oil. I had started out with a half a dozen bulbs planted in a large round tote and ended up with a huge bucket full at end of summer. I gathered about 50 and threw into a paper bag and set on my back porch in November as I moved to a new apartment. I am amazed at how well they are keeping in cold storage. The Jerusalem Artichoke is a very healthy and sustainable choice for eating. Sun chokes are high in Potassium, can help lower blood pressure and one cup provides 1/4 of you daily iron.  Planting these  in the summer will produce bee attracting flowers at the end of summer and will come up year after year if you leave some bulbs to reproduce in the spring.  Tonight I roasted mine with tomatoes olive oil and rosemary. I then made a little roux with turmeric and black pepper to add some additional health benefits and flavor. I would love to hear how others add these to their diet! Recipes anyone?

Instant Pot Low Carb Cinnamon Toast

I woke up craving cinnamon toast this morning one day after resolving to eat healthy. Here is my alternative to my body’s first sugar carb addiction craving.

Ingredients:
1Tbsp butter melted
1egg
3 Tbsp coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

Topping:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp stevia powder

Whisk ingredients together, pour into lightly greased ramekin/s
Place onto rack of instant pot to which 1 cup water has been added.
Pressure cook under the egg setting at 6 minutes. Quick release steam  at end of cycle.

If presentation is important to you, and you want your cinnamon toast to have a toasted appearance
you can then pan fry in a skillet just long enough to brown one side.  Sprinkle Top with a mixture of stevia and cinnamon.

This does not taste exactly like cinnamon toast, but it was close enough to break the craving and give me a satisfying breakfast.

Ingredient Info:
Servings: 1
Serving size: 2 ramekins

Calories per serving: 344
Protein:12.3g
Total Carbs: 24.6
Dietary fiber: 13.9g
Net Carbs: 10.7
Total fat: 21.6g

Please note: ingredient information can vary slightly with type of ingredients and brands used. The ones listed above are approximate.