Open-face avocado sammie on beet toast

What do you think of my new digs?

I've become a detective to scope out foods that might be triggering my chronic muscle pain. It's part of The Plan, an elimination diet and eating regimen developed by Lyn-Genet Recitas.

According to Recitas, certain foods, even healthy ones, can trigger symptoms such as joint/muscle pain, weight gain, headaches and many more. I started with The Plan's three-day anti-inflammatory cleanse and moved on from there to test foods that might be reacting in my body in a negative way.

During the cleanse, one only eats from a limited list of low reactive foods, such as squash (winter and summer), kale, greens, onions, broccoli, carrots and some others. Then, over a course of 17 more days, you add a new food, followed by a rest day with no testing.

At this point, I have built up this list of okay edibles for me: onions, chard, spinach, radicchio, blueberries, cranberries, broccoli, carrots, kale, zucchini, winter squash, beets, mixed greens, pumpkin seeds, avocado, sunflower seeds, arugula, cucumber, cilantro, coconut, garbanzo beans, brown rice, chicken and some white fish. I tested negative for chocolate (boo hoo), mainly because it aggravated my candida.

Open-face avocado sammie on beet toast.

I stayed with Recitas' plan for a few more days but found that many of the planned tests were for foods that I already know I cannot eat because of food sensitivities (e.g. bread, dairy). One day there was an open-face sandwich on the menu, of course, with regular bread. I decided to improvise and came up with my Open-face Avocado Sammie on Beet Toast.

Here's what you need:

Beet Toast Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2. 1/2 cup coconut flour
3. 1/2 cup raw grated beet
4. Optional: 1/2 clove minced garlic
5. 1/2 tsp. dry cilantro
6. 1 T. olive oil
7. Salt to taste

Sammie toppings:

1. 1/4 avocado
2. sprinkle of sunflower seeds
3. grated carrot
4. sliced cucumber

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grind the sunflower seeds in a food processor until they form a coarse flour. Add the remaining toast ingredients and process until the mixture forms a sticky ball.
3. Spread the mixture onto a well-greased baking sheet. Divide into two or three portions and form small flattened dough circles rather than one large one. Score the dough with a knife into triangle-shaped pieces. (Note: you also use this recipe for a pizza crust.)
4. Place in the preheated oven and bake 25-30 minutes. Leave the toasts in longer if needed.
5. When the toasts are done, remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes.
6. Add you toppings and voila, your sammies are ready. Serve with a green salad.

Doesn't that look delicious? Get more healthy recipes here: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2013/01/24/wellness-weekend-january-24-28-2013/