In college, I found myself having terrible stomach pains. So, naturally, I went to a naturopath. I say that with a bit of sarcasm, because to be honest, I didn't know much about naturopaths at all. Now, having been to one, and with incredibly positive results, I can honestly say that seeking help from a naturopath is the natural choice, in more ways than one. Not only did I get to avoid any doctor's needles, but I avoided guesswork all together, making my healing process extremely quick and efficient.
The only catch, the two things she told me that my stomach was not digesting well, were the VERY SAME THINGS that I was eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, I thought to myself.
Having me hold jars of various food items in my hand, my naturopath would run a glass wand (I'm sure it has a more scientific name for the clear glass rod she used, but "wand" sounds so much more fun and elicits the type of magic that I honestly felt as though I was experiencing) across my belly. The "wand" would either glide gently across, or stick a bit. It was insanely cool to watch and feel. Turned out, my stomach was saying "hell no!" to egg and soy. Surprise surprise. My breakfasts consisted of ezekiel toast and a poached egg, and my lunches and dinners almost always included tofu. So there began my creative journey with food-- trying to find deliciousness and versatility without egg and soy, my (then) two favorite food groups.
In the last week, I have had multiple people bring up ulu (Hawaiian for breadfruit) in conversations. Then, this past weekend, a girl brought one of these dragon-egg-looking (yes, I may be obsessed with Game of Thrones!) natural wonders to a fireside potluck up in our nearby forest. I. Was. HOOKED. We roasted the dragon egg (ok, fine, breadfruit) in the fire and it was INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS.
The next day, I called a store twenty minutes away to ask if they had any breadfruit. When the man on the other end of the phone said "yes, we have organic breadfruit" I legitimately squealed and told him, "Oh yeah! We will be there!"
That night, I baked my first ulu. So. Damn. Good. Annnd, so damn amazing! The nutrients alone are reason enough to give ulu a try, PLUS, there are a million ways you can use ulu (one of the most talked about is as a potato substitute). According to Globalbreadfruit.com, "breadfruit is high in carbohydrates and a good source of antioxidants, calcium, carotenoids, copper, dietary fiber, energy, iron, magnesium, niacin, omega 3, omega 6, phosphorus, potassium, protein, thiamine, vitamin A and vitamin C." Wowza! Get me some of THAT!
So of course, the next morning I thought, "maybe, just maybe, I can recreate my beloved scrambled egg and veggie medley utilizing my new best friend, ulu."
Basically, I just scrambled up my leftovers from the night before. Baked ulu (baked at 400 for about an hour and then cut up without eating the skin) and grilled veggies (mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and peppers grilled in Yashidas sauce). Topped with creamy goat cheese and cherry tomatoes, I was in heaven. Hot diggity-damn I am in love.
Living an eggless life is looking even brighter!
If you are also trying to avoid egg, for whatever reason, feel free to check out my yummy eggless pancake recipes (one of which I have already blogged- packed with strawberry protein and deliciousness).
