Comparing veggie protein sources to meat

I want to be sure I'm getting enough protein on my vegetarian diet, so I naturally became curious on how vegetarian protein sources compare to meat. After doing some searching, here are some interesting articles I found:

• Vegetarian protein sources
• Tofu nutritional value

According to the second article, 1/2 cup of tofu actually contains a bit more protein than the same amount of ground beef. Yippee! Sounds great to me :-) Quinoa is right in there, too. So as long as one includes veggie protein sources regularly, all should be well!

Experimental lunch

I have more time to cook from scratch during the weekends, but I also get hungry and can't wait forever for food! So here's a quick lunch I whipped together after making a grocery store run for the week.

 
Note: Amounts are approximate. You can vary ingredients; heck, I did :-)  Have fun with it!

Tools: veg. peeler, zest peeler, 4" paring knife, santoku chopping knife, wooden spoon, stainless steel fry pan with cover, 1 qt. stainless steel pot with cover.

Pearl Cous Cous pilaf

 Ingredients:

• 1 lg. clove (or 2 - 3 small cloves) fresh chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. fresh peeled & chopped ginger
• Zest from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup tri-color pearl cous cous (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp. chopped parsley or cilantro

Prep: 

• Boil 1 1/4 cups water, set aside 1 cup cous cous
• Add the salt, chopped garlic & ginger to the boiling water
• Add the cous cous
• Stir in the lemon zest
• Cook for 10 min until all liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let stand.

Sauteed Green Veggies with Tofu

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 sliced onion
• 1 handful Chinese broccoli, coarsely chopped
• 1 handful baby Bok Choi, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup diced firm tofu
• 1/4 cup low sodium organic vegetable broth (Pacific Foods or Whole Foods works fine)
• 1 splash Sake (I used Sho Chiku Bai)

Prep:

•  Saute the sliced onion in 2 Tbs. EVOO for a minute or two
• Add the chopped greens and thyme and saute them with the onions
• Add the tofu, vegetable broth and splash of sake, cover and reduce. Saute for 2 - 3 min.

Plate and serve, add a little chopped parsely or cilantro on top of the pearl cous cous.

Wine pairing: Tapiz Malbec
Dessert: Fresh fruit salad, with a splash of Di Saronno and fresh-ground nutmeg.

Yum!

Whole Foods demo: Why the health of the bee population matters

Over half of produce at grocery stores depends on natural pollination.

Capsaicin (the hot tamale!)

I've been reading up lately about capsaicin, the compound in chili peppers that gives them their spiciness. It seems capsaicin has some interesting nutritional and analgesic effects, such as assisting the immune system, facilitating cellular termination at the end of the cell lifecycle process, and analgesic benefits in managing arthritis and muscular pain. Not to mention that it keeps our food interesting, too. So it seems having a spicy dish or two occasionally, as comfortable, is also a healthy and beneficial thing :-)

Fun meatless spaghetti

Here's an off-the-cuff, all fresh veggie spaghetti recipe that turned out great:

1/2 large onion, chopped
3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
2 Tbs. EVOO

Pan saute the above ingredients in the EVOO, then add the following:

Some fresh dill cut ends
Some fresh oregano leaves
Some fresh chopped kale
1/4 cup vegetable broth (Pacific brand organic worked well)
Some sliced cauliflower florets

Cover the pan and steam the above ingredients for a couple of minutes, then cover the mixture with an organic tomato and basil sauce (Classico brand organic worked great).

Serve over spaghetti noodles, top with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, and add a nice glass of red wine - yum!

Isolated soy protein as a food additive

Facebook has become useful for bringing my attention to issues that would otherwise sneak right by me. Like the fact that Post Cereals recently started adding isolated soy protein to Grape-nuts cereal. I find it unfortunate when brands start tweaking their tried and true products, presumably to raise margins or reduce production cost. And I noticed many others were upset, too.

As it turns out ISP is a mixed bag as a food additive. But I really hope Post will review its action and return to the original recipe. Grape-nuts has a long standing as one of only TWO major cereal brands on store shelves that has no added sugar - and that's a reputation worth holding on to!

Local produce

Like many, I'm buying more produce closer to the source - or at least at our local farmer's market and also from a field to fork provider. It costs more, but I like the quality of what I'm getting and I've become introduced to some vegetables that I otherwise would have never come to enjoy. For example, check out these kale salads. And here's my recipe for balsamic salad dressing that I made off the cuff that's easy and works well:

Balsamic salad dressing:
 
2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. red wine balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning mix

Mix all ingredients well, pour over your salad, and enjoy!

Immune System 101

This article only applies only to those with a compromised immune system or one that's been weakened from past health events.

Despite my diet and conditioning with an emphasis on well-being, I had a really hard time during this past cold and flu season getting past one or two obnoxious bugs.

Finally, after six weeks, my strength, feelings of well-being, and energy levels are finally returning (Hallelujah!)

I notice that I've been bothered by a nagging cough, post nasal drip, and what seems like constant seasonal allergy symptoms.

While it's possible that seasonal allergies are at large, I've come to suspect that my immune system never relaxed back to normal levels following the battle with the last cold/flu bug. To make a long story short, I think my immune system stayed hyperactive and overly sensitive, potentially reacting to environmental stimulants that normally wouldn't aggravate it!

Once I realized this, I concluded my body needed some assistance to calm my immune system down. Ah ha! An antihistamine is probably in order. Furthermore, not just a one-shot deal, but on-going, 24x7 for at least some days or up to a week - until sensitization responses finally relaxed!

A couple of days into taking some over the counter long acting antihistamine, it seems my theory was correct! I'm feeling better and slowly climbing out of my reactive funk. While I'm not a doctor and can't categorically identify cause and cure, I'm pretty convinced I'm on to something that will help me ahead, too. We'll see how things play out in the long run, for now I'm moving on with my regular life at last :-)

Interesting article for tea & coffee drinkers

If you like green tea and coffee, seems like it's also good for your health :-)

Tofu's back on the menu, boys!

OK, maybe not for orcs. But for veg* folks, it's refreshing to see that tofu is gaining street cred with food chains like Chipotle and omnivores, too.