Knauthentic #24

Knauthentic #27

Toi here, and welcome to another episode of Knauthentic. Topic of the day: The Intricacies of Meal Prep If you’re tuning in from Substack, be sure to check out today’s poll. 1. One of the things I’ve made a priority when I meal prep, is to find ways to incorporate more beans and lentils into my diet. Since bean are the base of my non-dairy cheese recipes, I’ve had to get just as creative including lentils into my daily consumption. The question is why? The answer is health. Beans and, especially, lentils are great for your gut microbiome because they are great sources of fiber and other nutrients and a decent source of plant-based protein. What that means for me, is meal prep is more than saying I need to get stuff to make tacos this week, it means determining what ingredients to emphasize and how to execute them in ways that feel easy and are tasty. 2. Other than adding beans and lentils to soups and salads, it’s important for me to find alternatives to things I know I wouldn’t be able to eat otherwise; but let me explain. There’s nothing keeping me from eating a more traditional pancake as a treat once or twice a month. With that said, there are several reasons why I can’t eat a traditional pancake daily. Traditional pancakes contain to many carbs that aren’t balanced with fiber, there’s barely any protein, and there’s the addition of gluten. Between health concerns of blood pressure, blood sugar, digestive challenges, and lack of energy, pancakes just aren’t alignment with what my body needs daily. But, what if I ate a pancake made of lentils? 3. So, today I’m sharing part one of breaking down the meal prep that goes into preparing lentil pancakes. That means this will be the ongoing topic this podcast for the next three episodes. Today we start with properly soaking the lentils. Be sure to visit my Knauthentic [https://www.youtube.com/@Knauthentic] YouTube channel if you want to see the short. Step-by-step instructions 1. Start with organic when possible and use red lentils (or sub mung beans). Do not try to use green or brown lentils. 2. Sort your lentils to remove any oddly colored or misshapen one and then rinse with filtered water. (You can use tap if you trust your local water). 3. Rinsing means, submerge lentils in water, agitate, then drain away. Repeat until the water is no longer cloudy, 3-4 times. 4. Lastly, cover the lentils with double the amount of water to lentils, or more and add half a teaspoon of baking soda. Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 8 hours (up to 24). If using mun beans, the minimum should be fine. Next week, part 2 will cover making the pancake mixture. Question: Are lentils part of your regular diet? I’d love to know. In addition to making lentil pancakes, I use lentils in soups and salads. I’d love to know how you use lentils. If you, or someone you know, has a health or food journey story or recipe you think others might benefit from, please check my Be Featured links on social media, and share your story in the way that suits you best. Until next time, stay safe, eat well, and be blessed. Credits Knauthentic Season 1, Episode 27. Starring Toi Thomas. Featuring no one else at this time. Topics discussed: The Intricacies of Meal Prep, Lentils vs Mung Beans, Pancake Alternative Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale. Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas. Thanks again to the Knauthentic community on Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast. This is all for you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toithomas.substack.com [https://toithomas.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Knauthentic #26

Toi here, and welcome to another episode of Knauthentic. Topic of the day: the benefits of fermented foods. If you’re tuning in from Substack, be sure to check out today’s poll. 1. For someone with so many food restrictions, I have to put a lot of thought into the nutritional density of every meal I consume. It’s one thing to constantly worry about what I can’t eat and another to consider what I can. When it comes to what I can eat, I’m also hoping to include foods that benefit my body in some way to help compensate for other area where I may be lacking. I am not new to the concept of eating fermented food, but I never made them a priority until I started this new food journey. As will all aspects of my diet, I can’t consume just any ferments, I have to stick to the safe ones. For instance, I used to adore Kimchi and will often recommend it to others, but due to its knight shade ingredients, I can no longer indulge. Still, I can’t ignore the benefits and continue to find ways to include ferments when possible. In case you don’t know, fermented food are great for your gut health and can serve as prebiotics (fertilizer for good bacteria) and probiotic (the good bacteria you want), which support the production of postbiotics (bacteria waste that helps all other waste leave your body). 2. So, the question remains, what ferments can I consume. Yogurt used to be one of my go-to’s, but with now not being able to consume dairy, finding a nondairy yogurt that isn’t packed with additives is a challenge, but sometimes I do manage it. I’ll include Kombucha in my diet from time to time, but being caffeine sensitive, it’s not something I can have every day, even though I always water it down. Salt fermented foods (or pickles) are easy to come by, but again I have to look out for additives and must watch my sodium levels, so I can’t indulge too much. It does help that I’m able to make my own pickles, and I loved that you can pickle almost anything. 3. This brings me to main source of my ferments, soy. Because I know so many people who are soy sensitive, I make an effort not to have too much of it. With me making most of my food from scratch, I’ve eliminated a large quantity of soy that most consumer are getting in the form of those additives and fillers. I also make simple substitutions like Pea or Almond milk instead of soy milk, when available. I also use Coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. But, as long as I can, I will keep miso (whether white, red, or even the rarer yellow) on hand for soups and sauces. In order to reap the benefits of these ferments, it’s important to only add it in towards the end of the cooking process, so the heat doesn’t kill it. Now, it’s time to talk about how I make Udon Miso Soup. Be sure to visit my Knauthentic [https://www.youtube.com/@Knauthentic] YouTube channel if you want to see the short. Step-by-step instructions 1. Bring 2-4 cups of water to a boil. I just set up my tea kettle. 2. Prepare your precooked protein. I used marinated tofu this time. 3. Add in additional nutrients or veggies. I used a tsp of Wakame (it does expand quite a bit). 4. Add in any seasonings you prefer. I added coriander, ground ginger, and black pepper. 5. Prepare the soup mix. I used 1 tsp of coconut aminos (you could use soy sauce or tamari). I then added 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of red miso paste (you could sub with white or yellow). Go ahead and start to mix it to help is blend in better later. 6. Add the precooked Udon to the bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let the noodles soften for 3-4 minutes. 7. Then add the soup mixture through a sieve to reduce clumping. 8. Garnish with furikake and enjoy. Question: Do you prefer red miso or white miso? I’d love to know. I enjoy both along with all their gut health benefits. If you, or someone you know, has a health or food journey story or recipe you think others might benefit from, please check my Be Featured links on social media, and share your story in the way that suits you best. Until next time, stay safe, eat well, and be blessed. Credits Knauthentic Season 1, Episode 26. Starring Toi Thomas. Featuring no one else at this time. Topics discussed: Fermented foods, Gut health, Red and White Misco, Udon Miso Soup Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale. Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas. Thanks again to the Knauthentic community on Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast. This is all for you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toithomas.substack.com [https://toithomas.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Knauthentic #25

Toi here, and welcome to another episode of Knauthentic. No poll today. Today, I’m just sharing a recipe and since it’s a quick meal, there’s nothing authentic about it. It’s a healthier alternative that suits my needs. It’s a recipe short we can watch together. Hi there and it’s time for another quick meal. Today we’re making egg fried rice. I’m going to be starting with my homemade chicken sausage and this is just to add some additional protein to the dish. Obviously the eggs are a source of protein but whenever I eat rice I just like to have a good balance. So I’m just going to cut that into medallions and put it into the pan. and start to get some browning on it. If you were using a store-bought sausage, it would probably cook up a lot quicker, but this is homemade. While my sausage is browning, I am going to add a few teaspoons of coconut aminos directly into my eggs to beat them. And this is, again, just making this a quick meal, cutting down on the time that it’s going to take to cook. However, when you do this, it does make your eggs brown. So if you’re one of those people who likes to have a nice yellow fluffy egg, You might want to reserve your soy sauce until the end. But I go ahead and beat it with mine. I’m going to make sure that my chicken sausage is nicely browned all the way through because the rest of this is going to cook fairly quickly. And so once that happens, I’m ready for my day-old rice. Any type of fried rice you’re making, you’re going to need some rice that’s already precooked. Day-old rice is the best. This is actually... Some saffron rice that’s left over from my dinner from the night before. I love making rice ahead of time and then using it throughout the week. That resistant starch builds up and it’s just better on your tummy and your glycemic index. I’m going to pour over my beaten egg. And at this point, what I’m going to be doing is just cooking the eggs to my desired consistency. So if you’re someone who likes your eggs to be a little bit runnier, you control that. I’m going to cook mine until they are fully set. So fully incorporating the rice and the chicken sausage into the egg mixture until everything is just, you know, nice and firm, not hard or dry or anything like that, but just getting it to where I know everything is Fully Homogenous. It’s nice and steamy. And then I’m only going to be topping this off with a little bit of black pepper and some dried parsley for an aromatic effect. And this is just a very simple quick meal, nice protein levels. The rice that I made is actually a brown saffron rice. And so when I dig into this, I thoroughly enjoy it. And I think you should try it as well. And there we have it. So… Be sure to visit my Knauthentic [https://www.youtube.com/@Knauthentic] YouTube channel if you want to see the other shorts I’ve posted. If you, or someone you know, has a health or food journey story or recipe you think others might benefit from, please check my Be Featured links on social media, and share your story in the way that suits you best. Until next time, stay safe, eat well, and be blessed. Credits Knauthentic Season 1, Episode 25. Starring Toi Thomas. Featuring no one else at this time. Topics discussed: A recipe short, Egg Fried Rice Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale. Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas. Thanks again to the Knauthentic community on Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast. This is all for you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toithomas.substack.com [https://toithomas.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Knauthentic #24

Toi here, and welcome to another episode of Knauthentic. Topic of the day: a life without preservatives. If you’re tuning in from Substack, be sure to check out today’s poll. 1. Not sure if you are aware of this, but if you live in the U.S. it’s hard to thrive without preservatives. Before I go any further, I want to be clear and state that my diet is not completely devoid of preservatives, but I do have to make an effort to reduce or eliminate them I can. Still, there are times when a few preservatives isn’t a bad thing. Like it or not, I’ve been recruited to the whole food community, though I admit that I’m not a full fledge member just yet. 2. I recently enjoyed a meal with a storebought sausage and didn’t get sick. I know, that doesn’t seem too odd, unless you consider that the last time, I ate a storebought sausage got sick for two days. When I can find a storebought sausage without nitrate or problematic ingredients in it, I stock up and freeze it. Outside of that, I’ve gotten into the practice of making my own sausage. I currently make a chicken, turkey and pork, and a turkey and beef blend. The chicken sausage is sweet, the turkey and beef blend is mild, and the turkey or pork blend is spicy. I am currently working a spicy blend without pork since I’m reducing my overall fat and pork intake. 3. There are a few other things I’m make from scratch to support my budget and increase flavor that just happen to also be healthier, such as dried beans from scratch. Because I’m making all these whole foods from scratch and not using chemicals preserves, I’ve been freezing things to give them a longer shelf life. When applicable, I do use natural preservative such as vinegar and salt, but I can’t use a lot of those because I have to be weary of hypertension and my acid sensitivity. The amount of salt and or vinegar usually needed to properly preserve something, is more than I can handle, so freezer space has become a hot commodity in my home. Now, it’s time to talk about how I make a Chicken Sausage & Black Bean Omelet. Be sure to visit my Knauthentic [https://www.youtube.com/@Knauthentic] YouTube channel if you want to see the short. Step-by-step instructions 1. Slice homemade chicken sausage, beat two eggs, and gather other ingredients. 2. Lightly oil a pan and brown the sausage to your liking. Then set aside. 3. Add precooked and seasoned black beans to the pan and pour over beaten eggs. 4. Add cheese to the egg, I use a homemade non-dairy sauce. 5. Fold the eggs once set and plate next to the sausage. 6. I served this with my Chutney Verde and a side of Honey Dew Melon, you could use salas or some other embellishment. Question: Have you ever cooked dry beans from scratch? I’d love to know. If you, or someone you know, has a health or food journey story or recipe you think others might benefit from, please check my Be Featured links on social media, and share your story in the way that suits you best. Until next time, stay safe, eat well, and be blessed. Credits Knauthentic Season 1, Episode 24. Starring Toi Thomas. Featuring no one else at this time. Topics discussed: Dried Beans, Homemade Sausage, No nitrates or preservatives Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale. Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas. Thanks again to the Knauthentic community on Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast. This is all for you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toithomas.substack.com [https://toithomas.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Knauthentic #23

Toi here, and welcome to another episode of Knauthentic. Topic of the day: addressing comments. There’s no poll today. 1. I’ll be try to keep this brief as I prepare to attend the RavenCon in Richmond, VA this weekend. In case you didn’t know, aside from chronicling my food journey here on Knauthentic, I’ve been writing fiction for years and will be celebrating that at RavenCon this weekend. For now, let’s talk about comments. I don’t think I get enough of them, but that’s simply because I always want feedback to help improve the work I’m putting out. With that said, I grateful for the comments I have received. So far, received comments Substack and a few on the video content that accompany these podcasts. I feel like I’m a clear and effective communicator, but I can also understand some confusion for those who only watch the videos and don’t listen to or watch the podcasts. 2. One commentor asked why I was heating my tea up in the microwave. I thought I had been clear when showing on screen that I was heating water in a kettle, pouring it into a mug, and then allowing it to steep in the microwave (without turning it on) while I addressed other tasks. So, for clarity. I do not make a habit of heating my tea in the microwave. It is something I’ve done before, but not in any of my videos. Another commentor asked why I was putting vegan cheese on an omelet. They followed up by asking, “are you allergic to dairy?” I feel like that person answered this question for themselves, but to clarify there are many reasons why someone might consume vegan cheese. If you happen to be allergic to the word “vegan”, stick to thinking of it as non-dairy cheese. Some people are allergic to dairy but still want to enjoy cheese. Some people can’t handle the cholesterol levels in dairy cheese, some people experience inflammation when eating dairy, and some have overactive mucus glands that make it difficult for them to breath when eating dairy. 3. Now, please correct me if I’m wrong, since that seems to be what many people like to do with their comments (educate us content creators), but I don’t ever remember telling other people that they should eat vegan or nondairy cheese because I do. So, what was the point of the comment? Maybe it really was just a matter of seeking clarification and I’m being a bit sensitive. In any case, I hope I get more comments, whether like these or something more encouraging. It means I’ve put something out there that someone else is watching, and that’s all I can really ask for. So, please continue leaving me comments. I did post a recipe short today for a Toasted Breakfast Wrap but you’ll have to visit my Knauthentic [https://www.youtube.com/@Knauthentic] YouTube channel if you want to see it. If you, or someone you know, has a health or food journey story or recipe you think others might benefit from, please check my Be Featured links on social media, and share your story in the way that suits you best. Until next time, stay safe, eat well, and be blessed. Credits Knauthentic Season 1, Episode 23. Starring Toi Thomas. Featuring no one else at this time. Topics discussed: addressing comments Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale. Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas. Thanks again to the Knauthentic community on Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast. This is all for you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toithomas.substack.com [https://toithomas.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]