Chipotle-Infused Butternut-Miso Soup

I'm so glad this came out as well as it did. I was a little worried that I was trying to force together too many elements, but the concoction actually achieves a delicious harmony. I made my own veg stock, which I then infused with a large, dried chipotle pepper. I roasted the winter squash, which I then pureed with the miso paste and a ladle or two of broth.The salty-sweetness of the miso raises the profile of the smoky chipotle and the sweet butternut. The soup tastes rich and satisfying.

Chipotle-Infused Butternut-Miso Soup

Preheat oven to 400F. In a med. to large baking dish, toss together:

1 small-medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Roast until softened and golden. In a large saucepan, heat:

3 1/2 c. of vegetable broth
1 large, dried chipotle

Cook until the chipotle starts to soften. Add:

2 large shiitake tops, diced

Cook for a few minutes. Meanwhile, puree the squash with a ladle or two of the broth and

2-3 tbs. of white miso paste

To the broth, add and only cook until wilted, under a minute:

5-6 leaves of swiss chard or other green, cut into ribbons

Add the pureed squash to the broth; stir and heat through, but do NOT allow the soup to boil, or the miso will "die." Serve garnished with toasted squash seeds.

Gazpacho: a flavorful, raw soup

I'm finishing up the spring cleanse just as the semester grinds to a halt. It's a great way to finish up this cycle of my life. A lot is going to change within the next year -- even within the next few months -- so I feel that it is appropriate to clean, lighten, and finish projects with clear intentions and calm perspective.

Like last year's spring cleanse (which I did a few months before starting this blog), I spent 6 weeks eating a macrobiotic diet of whole foods, lightly cooked, supplemented with things like probiotics, enzymes, greens powders, whey powder, and lots of herbal tea. Also like last year, I lost a bunch of weight -- this time I dropped about 11 lbs. Of course, I had put on at least 8 lbs. over the stupid winter (can I just say that I wish Xmas would go away and never come back? Call me Scrooge -- w/e). So, I'm feeling thin and healthy, which is nice. I also had the chance to do a lot more with stinging nettles (I made a pesto with it! -- just steam or boil it until it's soft and then use it as a basil replacement), which are so good for cleansing. I made a strong tea with them and added some fresh peppermint for a fantastic cleanse tea. Really good for those "gaseous" times during the cleanse. ;)

I also experimented a bit more with raw food and liquids, which leads me to the title of this post. Gazpacho is such a great soup; it's pure vegetable and spoon-licking good. It's a great, light food. This is a really basic recipe -- feel free to experiment with different vegetables -- maybe some greens or carrots or some different herbs.

Gazpacho

1 lb. of ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 spanish onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

2 cups tomato/vegetable juice (use one that is a medley of vegetables for more complex flavor)

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (so good for you, esp. when cleansing)

1 tsp. of ground cumin (adds depth; makes the soup feel more "substantial")

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 c. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (or use Bragg's)

Honestly, this is pretty easy -- everything ends up in the food processor or blender and is pureed until the desired consistency is achieved. Start with the tomatoes and then just add the ingredients, pretty much in the order given. Add the oil last, however, and pour it in slowly as the blender is running so it will incorporate well. Chill. Serve nice and cold.

:-| Where are all the fiddleheads?

Where did March go? I have to apologize for not writing in such a long time. My PhD program started in March, and with all the usual semester craziness, I've just been either too busy to blog. What is really unfortunate to me is that this seems to be a pattern -- midsemester is just a bad time for me to try to keep up with the blog. In addition, I feel badly that I let the challenges wane, not to mention the fact that I haven't published anything from or about my Food Ethics students. I also want to do a redesign, but perhaps that will be best accomplished when school lets out in May.

So, to tide readers over until I post more, check out this page on tumeric from Joyful Belly. I'm doing my annual spring cleanse, so this article is well-timed. Seth has been making some fantastic Indian food with lots of tumeric, so I'll see if he would be willing to post a recipe.

Speaking of Seth, he and I went looking for fiddleheads last weekend! Alas, they were too small to be of any use to us, but to all of you out there, this is the time when they are starting to become available, so get out into that woods behind your yard and get some fiddleheads!

The Twelve Days Before Christmas Cleanse

If holiday eating was confined to the actual date of each holiday, then it wouldn't be a problem. No one would gain any weight because one or two days of feasting is not enough to overload the body.

I have a confession to make: I don't like the holidays. I know, I know . . . food bloggers are supposed to lovelovelove this time of year. We're supposed to be full of the magic of Christmas, the light of Hanukkah, the spirit of Yule, and, apparently, that means we're supposed to spend all our time baking and eating special holiday treats. Well, "special treats" don't come without calories, and, honestly, I find the two months of gorging -- from Halloween candy to swanky New Year's Eve hors d'oeuvres -- a bit too much to digest. Last year, I felt so run down after Christmas that I couldn't wait for spring cleanse season to arrive.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't like any of this festive food; I just don't need it every single day. Really, how many cups of hot chocolate, pieces of pie and cookies can a person eat and still have energy for the holiday shopping, the parties and the stress that comes with it all (not to mention the possibility of catching a cold or flu bug)? In addition, I've noticed that since I've been eating in the school cafeteria again, I've been munching on a lot more cookies, slices of cheesecake and other nibbles. It's time to stop the insanity. These "treats" aren't even all that good, so why am I eating them? It's just habit -- bad habit.

However, according to an old New York Times blog article that ran back in 2007, the average person only gains one pound during the holiday season. Despite this fact, most people feel as though they have gained more than that -- and I think the feeling is just as important as the actual weight (the article also states that overweight people tend to gain more than one pound). Considering that the average person does not actually lose that one pound, over the course of a lifetime this could easily add up to significant weight gain -- or at least several days/weeks of digestive discomfort.

For this reason, I have decided to hold off on Christmas goodies until it's actually Christmas. From tomorrow, the 12th, until Christmas Eve, I plan to cut out refined sugar (that's white and brown, but not things like brown rice syrup, raw honey, or agave nectar), reduce the white flour and eliminate anything excessively processed (which I tend to avoid anyway). This plan will effectively cut out most, if not all, cookies and desserts, sweetened drinks, and white breads. It's not really much of a cleanse; I mean, I could also cut out dairy, alcohol, caffeine, etc. I'm planning on going out tomorrow, so I don't want to cut out the alcohol just yet -- maybe I'll start that on Sunday. I really could start cutting back on the caffeine, too. I just want to feel as though I can go to my holiday parties and not feel as though I've already over-indulged and that I should watch what I'm eating. What fun is that?

However, this does not at all mean that I am giving up cooking and fun food -- quite the contrary! Since the semester is winding down and my workload is lightening up, I plan to do a lot of cooking in the next few weeks, all of which will be blogged.

I find myself really interested in getting creative with sweet potatoes, winter or butternut squash, kumquats and cranberries.

Y'know, now that I think about it, I tend to cook more often and eat better when I'm not stressed out from work. When I have a ton of papers to grade, I tend to not cook, not go the the gym, not do my yoga. I tend to eat pizza, subs and crap because it's easier when I don't have to make it. So, maybe the key to this holiday eating thing is learning to just chill out, make time for myself, and be prepared to say "no" to obligations that will unnecessarily upset my contentment and, possibly, digestion.

So, I'm going to start going over some recipes I've been dying to try, go to the market, and get started tonight!

For tonight, I'm thinking about homemade pasta and sauce -- really basic, really good. We'll see.

Red Carrots are Only Red on the Outside

Some things really are just for show: Hummers (unless you're in Iraq), false eyelashes and red carrots. Really, you peel them, and they're just regular orange carrots underneath. The flavor is the same, too. So unless you intend to serve them unpeeled (which is fine with the beautiful specimens you might get in a farmer's market), their bright red cloaks are just window dressing.

Yesterday, I did a round-up of some recipes from other bloggers that I'm dying to try after the cleanse (ends this weekend when I go to Vermont!), and I indicated that I might just try Simply Life's Spicy Carrot Soup recipe and just tweek it for the cleanse. I just did that and the result is quite delicious. I used some red carrots I got from the CSA (last weekend was the last box. :-( ). I added a few things: some fresh ginger and a tiny bit of honey. Hope you like it!

Here's my version of Spicy Carrot Soup.

Spicy Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbs. coconut oil

1 sm. onion chopped

1 med. leek or 2 small ones, white and light green only, chopped

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced

3 ¾ cups sliced carrots

1 fresh cayenne pepper

Dash of Bragg’s

1 tsp. coriander

½ tsp. cumin

3 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp. honey

Directions:

· In a soup pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, leeks, carrots, ginger, cayenne pepper and cook over medium heat until the onions start to sweat. Add the Bragg’s.

· Add the spices and stir.

· Add the vegetable stock and bring up to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes and the carrots are soft.

· Add the honey.

· Allow to cool slightly, and whirl the soup in a blender. Return to the stove and heat back up. For cleansers, serve with a garnish of parsley and/or pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Apres Cleanse Dreams: What to Cook (from my favorite food blogs) when the Cleanse is finally over

I'm extremely jealous of all of you. You with your pasta dishes, cheeses and your pies. Just who do you think you are, tempting me this way?! Oughta be ashamed, that's what.

But seriously, I have to say that the fall season seems to have brought out the very best in the food blogs. Here is a round-up of sorts of the foods I am dying to try once I'm off this infernal cleanse:

I, like so many of you out there, have a hard-core pumpkin fetish bordering on the kinky. I'll try anything as long as it involves pumpkin. It's sick. The blogger at Cashews and Hummus writes cleverly about the pumpkin love that dare not speak it's name. She tempts me with a simple jar of pumpkin butter. See here.

Also, from Cucina Panzano, I am tempted by a new twist on an old Italian favorite, a Pumpkin Cannoli. Cucina also writes about the Stonewall Kitchen headquarters and store inYork, Maine, a place that is very familiar to me and reminds me of the summer . . . sniff.

Close in flavor and versatility to the pumpkin is the sweet potato. And there are many, many recipes to choose from. Here, I'll choose a savory and a sweet dish. First, the savory: an unusual take on a favorite Arabic vegetarian food, Sweet Potato Falafel, sounds very intriguing to me. Recipe by ARUGULOVE.

For the sweet dish, I'll go for a pie. But not just any old, sickeningly sweet, marshmallow-infected sweet potato pie, but a Sweet Potato Pecan Pie from Closet Cooking. Sweet potatoes and pecan pie filling? HOW can this go wrong? It can't, I say.

One more from the orange vegetable group: a Spicy Carrot Soup from Simply Life. This one I could probably tweek to make it cleanse-friendly and eat it now!

Umami. It's the "earthy" flavor that you either love or hate. The word comes from the Japanese and basically means "tasty," or "meaty" or "savory." Put me down for a "yes" on all three.

One of my favorite sources for this flavor is the mushroom. Now, Japanese mushrooms are encouraged on the cleanse, but I'm having a hard time finding them, except for shitakes. Anyway, when the cleanse is over, I'll be sure to try Wild Mushroom Soup from Chocolate and Croissants (this is a really cool, French-themed blog. Check it out.).

Recently, I published one of my poems, "The Changeling Maid," in Goblin Fruit, an online poetry journal. In the bio section, all the contributors are asked to tell what is their favorite fruit. Well, who can really choose . . . my own tastes seem to change with the seasons. Anyway, I chose "figs" from which one of the best cookies on the planet are derived. Ciao Chow Linda tells us how to make Fig Jam, a staple for making all sorts of fillings and sauces with figs.

In addition, I picked up some sweet Italian sausage at the farmer's market this Saturday. Their meat is local, humanely raised and sustainable. I'll be enjoying the savory-sweet taste of sausage in about a week or so, and when I do, you can be sure I'll be posting about it.

"Necessity's" Black Bean Soup with Corn Tortilla (Cleanse-Friendly . . . but don't let that stop you)

I know this woman named Necessity. She has an accomplished and successful daughter you may have heard of. She is the busiest woman I know, but she is also brilliant, warm and always has the best advice. As archetypal as a goddess and as familiar as your own mother, Necessity knows what you need.

Necessity lives in my kitchen, and she is always there (though sometimes she is silent, or I'm not really listening). She's really good at putting things in their place, in their proper proportion with everything else swirling in the soup. And, boy, does she know soup! She's especially gifted in the craft of "What's in the fridge?"-style soups and other concoctions.

Yesterday, in the middle of all my madness, it occurred to me that I needed to cook enough meals for myself to bring for lunch and to eat after work. Necessity was right there, telling me to cook the brussel sprouts (sautéed with garlic) and the kale (crisped in the oven with a little salt) and to make a black bean soup. Even though I didn't have all the ingredients for the Cuban black bean soup that I like (see Daisy Martinez's book, Daisy Cooks: Latin Flavors that will Rock Your World), I followed the advice of Necessity and invented -- dare I say it -- a black bean soup that was even better than the "authentic" recipes I've followed in the past.

"Necessity's" Black Bean Soup with Corn Tortilla

Ingredients:

1 tbs. coconut oil

1 small onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano hot pepper, or hot pepper of your choice, seeded and finely chopped

1 large tomato, preferably fresh from your garden!

1 can. black beans, undrained (or if you really want to drain them, increase the vegetable stock)

1 cup (or more) of vegetable stock

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

Bragg's Amino Acids to taste (or salt and black pepper for the un-cleansers)

2-4 soft corn tortillas, torn into quarters

1 tbs. coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions:

* In a soup pot, Saute up the onion, garlic and pepper in the oil over medium heat.

* Add the tomato and cook it down until it melts.

* Add the beans and stock. Bring to a boil.

* Add the corn and splash of Bragg's. Cook for at least 20 minutes over low heat. The longer the better.

* Remove 1/3 of the soup to a blender and liquefy. Return to the soup and stir.

* When you want to serve, raise the heat to boiling and add the tortilla. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the tortilla takes on a pasta-like texture.

* Garnish with cilantro.

I ate this soup tonight, and it was so wonderful. So warm and comforting . . . and rather spicy! It was everything that I've been needing lately -- hearty and sustaining as a mother's food should be.

Chaos, Cleansing and Coffee

This semester has been utterly chaotic. What makes it weirder than weird is the fact that I've been hyper-organized. I have all the readings done, the questions developed, the activities mapped out, the rubrics, the websites -- done. But somehow, I find myself redoing it all and often on short notice. Guess I really am a Virgo; organization is my "specialty" and also the bane of my existence.

Additionally, this cleanse has really been kicking it up a notch in the emotional intensity department. The other cleansers in my group have been experiencing the same thing. We're calling this one "the angry cleanse." For the past two weeks, I have felt as though I have "no time" to do anything that I "really must do." I feel impatient, worried, hounded. And I feel rather trapped by my thinking. I can't seem to get anything done fast enough, which just feeds the fears and frustrations I have about not being good enough. I feel as though I need to sacrifice my yoga practice, visits to the gym, walks in the Arboretum -- all things that would help me feel more grounded and sane -- in order to just chug away at my work. Add to this a cold and a few days of migraines and I am in need of some serious TLC.

One of the things I am just missing like crazy is coffee. Or, no, not the coffee per se, but the experience of coffee. I love to stop at the Starbucks on the way to work. The one in Brookline is a good one. As soon as I open the door, I'm greeted by that warm, pungent and dark smell. Even if I'm not going to eat them, I like to peer at the goodies in the case. I always tell myself, "Someday, I'm going to get the cheese plate." I never do. But, I wait there, somewhat patiently. Can't hurry coffee. When I get it, it's always good, always just what I want. Sipping a hot coffee fills me with richness and pleasure. It's like liquid gold.

I don't give a rat's ass about caffeine. The withdrawal headaches I get when I stop caffeine before doing a cleanse are not really worth it. If I can get a great tasting decaf, I get it. I know, sometimes the decaf is terrible, but I find that at Starbucks, it tastes pretty much the same. I don't drink coffee for the buzz, anyway. Coffee is more personal, less pharmaceutical than that.

(And tea just isn't the same, although Chai comes pretty close to meeting the same emotional needs as coffee. Coffee is not just more substantial in taste; it also seems to penetrate deeper into me. I know that sounds weird.)

I think I miss the comfort and leisure that coffee signifies for me. Even if I'm stopping before work, it's nice to be able to do that, to have the time to stop. I'm also reminded of how I used to haunt the coffee shop in grad school as I worked on my thesis or graded papers for hours on end, sucking down a Caramel Macchiato (when I was feeling indulgent) or an Americano (when I wasn't). That time, that spaciousness -- I miss it.

I'm also noticing that due to the restrictions on the cleanse, I feel a bit isolated for the social experience of food most of the time. Even though I don't usually hang out in groups when I eat and even though the school cafeterias are full of gluttonous sins, I don't really enjoy eating my weird little concoctions in my cube at work. Can it be that I actually miss a cafeteria?

What is wrong with me?!

The "I NEED CHOCOLATE NOW!" Cleanse-Friendly Treat

Yes, you can have chocolate on the cleanse. No, none of that Halloween candy is cleanse-friendly (believe me, if any of it was, I'd know).

But, YES, you can have raw cacao, agave nectar (in place of sugar) and coconut oil (in place of dairy). Here's what I do when I need a little decadence:

In a blender or food processor, put in some raw cacao powder or nibs (about a scant tablespoon), 1-2 tsp. agave nectar, 1 tsp. coconut oil, about 1/4 c. slivered almonds, and 4 or 5 dates, pitted and coarsely chopped. Whirl until blended but still chunky. You can form this mixture into maybe 2 or 3 balls, roll in some shredded, UNsweetened coconut and put in the refrigerator for an hour to set. . . or you can just eat it with a spoon, which is what I did today. ;)

Some Excuses, a Soup and Some Cold/Flu Remedies

You must have thought that I'd starved to death. No, I've been eating. And cooking, too. I've just been so insanely busy this semester, already, that I've been neglecting some of my favorite things.

Like Fiddlehead, for example.

A lot has happened in the few months since I moved. There's been some emotional drama with the (non) boyfriend (yeah, it's complicated). And in terms of the kitchen, it's been hard for me to adjust to living with other people, not being the Kitchen Queen anymore, and having to deal with, in no particular order, burners that run hotter than I'm used to, a fridge that's too moist, messy people, and sharing food in a communal kitchen.

And, oh yeah, I have a cold/flu. Stayed home from work today.

On the positive side, I've made some yummy things, like vegan spring rolls, Banjan Bharta, and an AWESOME Tomato and Jalapeño Chilaquiles.

Tomato and Jalapeño Chilaquiles

Ingredients

1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers

2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

some olive oil for frying

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 - 1 tsp. salt (or Bragg's Amino Acids if you're cleansing)

8 oz. unsalted, whole grain tortilla chips

Directions: Roast the peppers and garlic until blackened and soft on all sides, about 15 min. When cool enough to touch, peel the garlic. Put both garlic and peppers into a blender and coarsely chop. Add the can of tomatoes.

Next, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and cook until browned, 8-10 min. Add the tomato mixture and cook until darkened and thickened, at least 5 min. Reduce heat and add the broth. Simmer and stir occasionally for 15 min. Add the salt/Bragg's.

Just before serving, bring to a boil and add the chips. Cook until the chips soften, 2-5 min. depending on the thickness of the chip. Serve immediately to happy people (who will soon be your slaves) with cheese, cilantro or sour cream.

The CSA is still going for at least two more weeks, and I still have produce in my garden.

I'm also in week 2 of an autumnal cleanse (I have several "cleanse-friendly" recipes that I'll need to share at some point), which gives me a reason to buy and prepare all my own food (I really missed food shopping, buying the brands that I like and picking up items on a whim or because they are in season or seem special). The purpose of the fall cleanse is to not only bring balance to the body (most cleanses -- real cleanses -- are about that) but also to boost immunity. Since I have a little bit of a bug, I'd like to share a little bit of what I've learned about some of the foods on the cleanse and how they help treat disease.

First, like other cleanses, all seasonal fruits and vegetables are highly favored. This is a great time to cleanse because there is so much abundance that folks won't need to give up their seasonal favorites (of course, we're not talking about sweet potato pie with marshmallows or Halloween candy). I can eat winter squash (pumpkin soup!), sweet potatoes (sans marshmallow and brown sugar) and as many apples as I can fit in my body. Not much beats a good, crisp apple and a dollop of cashew butter.

Other foods that are recommended come from the allium family; in other words, onions, garlic and leeks. These foods contain antioxidants, antibacterial and antifungal agents, as well as ingredients that prevent cancer (See here for more).

In a more "shamanic" sense, this is the time when the sun seems to retreat from our hemisphere; the days grow cooler and darker, making us lose a little bit of our "inner fire." To keep that fire going, foods that stimulate and heat the body are preferred. This is another reason why the allium family is on the list, but other "heaters" include ginger, horseradish (let's hear it for wasabi!), gingseng and most zingy spices that you can think of. Hot peppers are particularly recommended. The capsiacin in the peppers has been used as an anti-inflammatory. Got a sore throat? Stay away from sugary throat drops (sugar is one of the worst things to eat when you have a cold. Ditto caffeine -- reduces your immunity -- and dairy products -- produces even more mucus). Instead, put some hot sauce on it! (Read more here).

So, I spent the day at home taking it easy and eating as much of this stuff as I can get into me, and I feel a whole lot better. I think I'll be able to go to work tomorrow, and I'll be sure to bring some hot tea with ginger and lemon.

I'm off now to go make some arugula pesto (with LOTS of garlic) and some brown rice pasta (can't have wheat) with a nice salad with a zingy, ginger dressing. Tomorrow, I plan on making a cleanse-friendly, Spicy and Smoky Corn Chowder.

Busy couple of days: random bits, floating, falling on the virtual page . . .

Sorry, no camera today.

Food for Healing, Food for the Heart . . .

Yesterday, I brought my Food of the Wild Soup to my sweetheart to help him get over his nasty illness (we're not saying it was swine flu, but . . . ). He seemed to like it very much and was able to go to work today. Must have been my curative presence. ;)

Indulgences

You know that feeling you get when you've indulged just a little too much ("extreme chocolate" ice cream from JP Licks on Monday night, a chocolate chip whoopie pie yesterday . . . !) and you just want to clean it out and start over? Well, I learned a good trick from an Ayurvedic practitioner a few weeks ago: in the morning after the indulgence, drink 32 oz. of warm water with 1 tsp. of salt in it. Try to chug it. It won't taste good, and I don't reccommend this if you're already feeling nauseous. Basically, the body can't do anything with the salty water except let it go on through, pushing out any yuck you ate. Obviously, this is for OCCASIONAL use (he suggested no more than once a week, but even that seems often to me), and I almost feel as though I shouldn't write about this lest some anorexic or bulimic person out there reads this and thinks, "Great! A new way to punish myself!" Don't punish yourself. Food is good, and you are beautiful.

BUT, cleansing can be a happy experience, too . . . just a word to the wise.

So, today, I figured I needed to start my day with a good breakfast. I really wanted to finish off the buckwheat I made a few days ago, but I was also craving yogurt. I'm the kind of person who feels that cravings -- unless they are for sugar -- are most of the time to be indulged (I exclude sugar because usually it's just a craving that feeds itself, keeping a person locked in a cycle of gluttony and a lack of control and compassion for oneself). So, I had the leftover buckwheat (I'm not a huge fan, but I don't like to waste food) and a small portion of plain, lowfat yogurt with fresh cherries, toasted almond slivers and a quick drizzle of agave. So simple but so good.

Coffee. I love you. I love you not.

So, while I was cleansing back in April/May, I got off the coffee habit with almost no withdrawl symptoms. I went from coffee to black tea to herbal tea and didn't have any migraines (I had some after I had been cleansing for about a week and a half, well after the caffeine should have been gone). After the cleanse, I didn't start drinking coffee right away, but in the last couple of weeks, I've been drinking it just about everyday. When I try to go a day without out, the migraine demon pays a visit, and I'm forced to take drugs, which contain, of course, caffeine. So, while I love the stuff, I have to try to get back into balance with it. I don't think I can allow myself to drink coffee everyday. 

Maybe I can switch to decaf for a while, then switch to tea? I just hate the headaches so much . . . .