It’s time for my one-year/year and a half follow up scan…which means for the next 3 weeks I’ll be eating a low-iodine diet. Exciting? No, but like last year, I take it as a challenge to find things to eat when I have to really limit my diet.  Like that Cosby show episode with Rudy’s tap teacher, I say, “chaaallenge….”! Here’s what I have to eliminate:

• dairy
• things from the sea=no agar agar/carageenan which is in almost all non-dairy milk.
• egg yolks
• soy (no or limited tofu, fake meat, soy sauce, edamame). I use soy sauce and
• iodized and sea salt
• iodine (duh)=no bread with dough conditioner
• limit grains to 4 servings (ok fine really that’s prob all I need to be eating)
• pre-made ingredients that use salt (that I cant’ verify) and restaurant food (unless I want to go on faith)

What does that leave me as a vegetarian?

• lentils and egg  whites, quinoa for protein
• veggies and fruit
• things I make myself at home with kosher salt
• bread I make myself so it doesn’t have iodate dough conditioner
• nuts

Mostly it means a lot of planning, and a little more cooking than normal since eating out is not a great option when you have to ask things like “is that sea salt? is that kosher salt sea salt?” or “is there dairy in that?”  Low iodine? Easy peasy? no…but doable.

Here’s a plan:

Veggie kabobs w/ my balsamic vinegrette (the one my girl scouts thought smelled good…and ate last weekend)veggie empanadas (from the culinary institute cook book)
• 3 sisters stew–moosewod cookbook
• daal with cardamom and coconut milk: http://chefinyou.com/2011/02/dal-makhani/
• sandwiches with green chutney, almond cheese & homemade bread
•  bread: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/vermont-whole-wheat-oatmeal-honey-bread-recipe or http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-chewy-sandwich-rolls-recipe or http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/the-easiest-rye-bread-ever-recipe (intrigued but not convinced yet about no knead bread)
• “cheese” http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-recipe-simple-almond-cheese/ (green chutney/cucumber/ almond cheese sandwiches?
• moosewood veggie burgers
• homemade almond milk
• dessert: vegan marshmallows and grahm crackers (smores). why? let’s just say my husband saw a cooking show of people making marshmallows and said “you can’t do that”. uh, duh oh yes I can. http://tastytrifles.blogspot.com/2009/07/homemade-vegetarian-marshmallows-joyous.html
• http://www.chow.com/recipes/30405-homemade-chocolate-graham-cracker-smores

Game on…challenge on. The bread is rising, pizza dough is done. About to soak the boatload of almonds I bought to make almond milk and almond cheese (yowza, expensive). And make some peanut butter.