'The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook' helps people eat healthy, feel better

It took a long time for Amanda Haas, culinary director of Williams-Sonoma, to figure out why she always felt so lousy.

Plagued for years by eczema, back spasms, heartburn and mysterious “stomach bugs” that landed her in the hospital, she turned to all kinds of health professionals for help, to no avail.

Then she went to an allergist in 2011, and things started looking up. Recognizing her symptoms as indicators of inflammatory disease, he asked her a seemingly obvious question: If food was her life, why hadn’t she looked to it for answers?

“He told me to ‘go home and don’t eat a crumb of gluten for two weeks,’” she said by phone from her East Bay home. “Within two days I knew he was right.”

That experiment encouraged her to remove other foods from her diet, including another common culprit: dairy. It turned out that gluten and dairy were causing widespread inflammation in her body, and eliminating them was the key to easing her severe physical symptoms.

Haas was so blown away by the way her body began to heal that she decided to write a cookbook aimed at helping others learn a few of the dietary causes of inflammation. “The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook” (Chronicle Books, 2016) provides 65 gluten-free, inflammation-busting recipes.

“I was treating food as the last resort for feeling better, when I should have been putting it first,” she said. “My whole argument with this book is, ‘Let’s think about what food can do for us first.’”

Her editor introduced her to Dr. Bradly Jacobs, an integrative medicine physician and educator who wrote the introduction to the book and backed up her anecdotal knowledge with scientific research.

“We really worked together,” she said. “We shared a similar belief system, and he validated my thoughts about how food was making me feel.”

“The industrialization of food production has successfully modified foundational food products like grains and meats in ways that render them novel foodstuffs to our highly evolved digestive tract,” Jacobs writes in the book. “Consequently, people are experiencing myriad seemingly unrelated symptoms like headaches, fatigue and joint pain.”

Haas had trouble connecting the dots between her symptoms, especially the back spasms, but over time she recognized that they only occurred after she had eaten a big meal.

“If your stomach is having a hard time processing gluten, it’s pulling on those back muscles,” she said. “Inflammation is simply outside things that are causing irritation. It’s your body’s reaction to any kind of irritation.”

Haas starts the cookbook with a list of 20 “feel-good foods” to include in your diet, and a list of 10 “foods to avoid” for people who are sensitive to those ingredients.

Then,the longtime recipe developer and mother of two growing boys put together healthy breakfast, snack and dinner recipes aimed at helping busy families get dinner on the table in a hurry.

“I use my own kids as my test subjects,” she said. “I let them pick out anything in the produce section, and we figure out what to make with it. They love the herb-based sauces ... and my younger son, Charlie, makes salads for us.”

Most of the feel-good foods on her list can be found in the produce aisle, from avocados and citrus fruits to cruciferous vegetables and mushrooms.

“Really, it comes down to eating really good ingredients,” she said. “At the end of the day, what we’re talking about is eating real food ... and cooking cleanly and simply.”

Her list of problematic foods includes many of the usual suspects: alcohol, coffee, dairy, gluten, salt, sugar and sugar substitutes.

“In a glass of wine alone, the sugar makes me feel terrible,” she said. “So I’ve given up wine, unless it’s a special occasion. Dr. Jacobs says to drink tequila or vodka and rocks, and take the sugar out of the equation.”

The list also includes some lesser known culprits such as corn and plants in the nightshade family (eggplants, bell peppers potatoes, and tomatoes), which only affect some people.

“One of the things in nature that can be tricky is the nightshade,” she said. “People with chronic pain or arthritis take those out, and they feel like new people.”

Haas also provides a list of basic pantry items (like Dijon mustard and honey) and perishable staples (like eggs and kale) that provide a good foundation for all her “feel-food” foods, the quinoa, legumes and vegetables that form the backbone of her recipes.

Haas feels it’s important to plan meals ahead of time, so you don’t just grab items you don’t really need. That doesn’t rule out a flexible meal plan, but it does guarantee that you’ll have what you need for the week.

“After I had my kids, I realized that if I didn’t have a plan, we were not going to eat well,” she said. “When I sit down and make a plan for the week, so many positive things come from it.”

The cookbook also includes a chapter on make-ahead vinaigrettes and sauces to pump up the flavor quotient, and a few gluten-free desserts such as the Almond-Pistachio Lemon Cake and Honey Panna Cotta.

“My kids are assaulted by sugar when they walk out of the house,” she said. “So for me, it was really important to do some desserts that are better versions of what you’re going to eat out in the world.”

The following recipes are from Amanda Haas’ “The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook.”

“In my favorite purple smoothie, frozen fruit fills in for ice, lending a creamy texture while preventing the drink from getting diluted,” Haas writes. “Luckily, Sambazon acai berry puree is sold in convenient little packs in the freezer section, which I pick up at Costco or Safeway. “

Acai and Mixed ?Berry Smoothie

Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 3.5-oz pack frozen acai puree

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 cup frozen berries, such a s blueberries and/or raspberries

2 cups Cinnamon Cashew Milk or Almond Milk

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (optional)

Under hot water, defrost the acai pack to soften. Place the acai, mango, and berries in a blender, along with the nut milk. Starting on a low setting, puree the mixture until it begins to break up, stopping and scraping down the sides if necessary. Slowly turn the blender speed to high and puree until there are no lumps, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and blend in the maple syrup, if desired. Serve immediately.

Note: You can freeze leftover smoothie in ice-cube trays. When you’re ready to make another smoothie, simply pop a few cubes into your blender.

“Since I omitted gluten from my diet, quinoa has become my be-all and end-all grain for salads and side dishes,” Haas writes. “This recipe is an iteration of a favorite couscous salad that I’ve managed to make more healthful. The currants lend sweetness, while the radishes add a little heat and the carrots give some crunch.”

Quinoa Salad with ?Radishes, Currants ?and Mint

Makes 4 to 6 servings

6 cups cooked rainbow, white, or red quinoa, cooled

1/2 cup Garlic-Lemon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and light green p arts only

5 radishes, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks

3 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or cashews

- Kosher salt

- Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the quinoa with 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add the currants, green onions, radishes, carrots, mint, lemon juice, and pine nuts and mix gently with a spoon. Taste, adding up to 1/2 teaspoon salt and a fresh grinding of pepper.

The salad can be held at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Before serving, stir in the remaining vinaigrette.

Garlic-Lemon ?Vinaigrette

Makes 3/4 cups

1 garlic clove

- Kosher salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, plus more as needed

3/4 cup lemon juice, plus more as needed

1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil

- Freshly ground black pepper

Place the garlic on a cutting board and smash with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Use the knife to mince the garlic, then scrape it into a small pile and use the side of the knife to press the garlic and salt together. Repeat the process until the garlic and salt form a paste.

Place the garlic paste in a small bowl and add the mustard. Whisk in the lemon juice, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to combine. Add a few grindings of pepper. Taste, adding more salt, lemon juice or Dijon as desired.

Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Whisk again just before serving to re-emulsify.

“Soba made with buckwheat is an excellent gluten-free alternative to wheat pastas and rice noodles, which lack nutritional value,” Hass writes. “ Because buckwheat stabilizes blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and fights inflammation, it is classified as a superfood.”

Sesame Soba with ?Asparagus and ?Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 9.5-ounce package buckwheat soba noodles

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons tamari, plus more as needed

1 tablespoons lime juice, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

4 cups sliced King Trumpet or shiitake mushrooms

- Kosher salt

2 cups sliced asparagus

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

Prepare the soba noodles according to the package instructions. While they’re cooking, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the tamari, lime juice, and honey. When the noodles are done, drain them, rinse with cool water, then place in a medium bowl and toss with the tamari mixture.

Place a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just browned, about 2 minutes. Add to the noodles.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. When it is very hot, add 2 teaspoons of the remaining sesame oil and swirl, then add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Allow the mushrooms to sit without stirring until seared on one side, about 2 minutes, then stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Place the mushrooms in a small bowl to cool.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to the pan, followed by the asparagus. Cook for 1 minute, then add the carrot, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables to the mushrooms and allow to cool a bit, then place in the bowl with the noodles. Toss with the herbs and green onions. Taste, adding additional lime juice or tamari if needed for balance. Serve immediately.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.