We had a good 15 year run, Cali. Even Chloe seems sad that you didn't come home with us yesterday. Trey said he'll be my surrogate kitty, but somehow a 65 lb pit mix is not the same in my lap as a 6.5 dainty cat.
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So, I've been reading the comments on the Last Heart Attack. I'm struck by how many people don't know how to make a rational argument. Several folks have indicated that everything in the program is wrong, based on the fact that Denise Minger, a 20 something free-lance everything with a creative writing degree, has thoroughly disputed The China Study.
Others are hung up on not understanding the difference between ovo-lacto vegetarians and vegans. Yet another seems stymied as to how they are supposed to cook vegetables with no oil. Really? You've never heard of steaming? Sauteeing in broth, wine, or water? I could really care less what other people eat (at least if they are adults--I do think that kids should have to try new foods and make some food choices). What's a bit exasperating is what the comments indicate about people's critical thinking and reasoning abilities. As a culture, we've slid into this sort of "react" and "rationalize how I feel" mode rather than logical arguments. People commenting on the video have also apparently not watched the film itself, or only watched the film without doing any other reading or looking squat-all up before posting. I know I'm probably more analytical than the average CNN reader, but it irks me that people are using anecdotal evidence like "My grandpa ate a block of lard for breakfast every day and lived to be 100" to say that people shouldn't consider a plant-based diet. I guess I shouldn't worry about it, though, as anyone who is turned off of plant-based eating because someone by the screen name of "Sue Donym" says they are a scientist and that a plant-based diet is too extreme, too expensive, and too dangerous is just looking for an excuse to keep popping statins and going through the drive through. Rant over. Looking for some new vegan cooking fun? Check out the latest kitchen experimentation Renee and I have been up to over at the TFS Blog.
Forks Over Knives is out on DVD this week (I already had a copy), and you can also stream it on Netflix if you are a member. Dr. Sanjay Gupta also ran a great special on CNN recently that interviews Bill Clinton and others about dietary approaches to heart disease, and he also talks about what he's learned in a recent clip. I hope he's right about how we'll look at the typical American diet in 100 years (although I think he might be optimistic there). I have been somewhat busy behind the scenes. We have been growing oyster mushrooms! These things are amazing, and are one of my favorite foods lately (that and quinoa). I love just about any edible mushroom, and oyster mushrooms are great for you, too. They actually contain a chemical that has a natural statin effect on the body. This bunch went into some crepes last weekend, but I look forward to our next harvest already. Remember that lentil loaf I posted the video for? Here are some leftovers on sprouted bread with spinach, fresh mung bean sprouts, and some onion. This makes a big loaf, so slices went into the freezer for later. With D going on an away rotation soon, frozen meals are a great thing to have on hand. Finally, despite my acknowledgement that curries are pretty ugly, here's the Tempeh Curry from 101 Cookbooks I made last week. It was awesome! I veganized it with lite coconut milk for the cream. The other stuff you see here is okra and tomatoes spiked with some garam masala and mustard green parathas, made with white whole wheat flour (just follow Manjula's recipe with mustard greens in for the spinach). Making Chef AJ's Hearty Lentil Loaf. It tasted really good before it went in the oven, and it smells phenomenal. Check out today's distribution from Scott Heritage Farm, as well as reading a bit about why you need to go to the Root Cafe.
In other news, I still have some cookbooks that are headed to Savers. If no one claims any of them by early next week, they will be gone. Here's the list: Cleaning off the cookbook shelf. Anyone want any of the following? You on a Diet (Dr. Oz), The T-Factor Diet, One Meal at a Time, and the Low-fat, Good Food Cookbook (Katahn), Betty Crocker's Better Choices Cookbook, The Bon Appetit Cookbook. I've also got several issues of Cooking Light from this year that are not damaged in any way (I didn't even cook from them, so they aren't sloppy!) If you want any of these, holler and I'll get them to you. Otherwise, they are going to Savers. I will also part with Bittman Takes on America's Chefs if someone wants that one! Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite is up, too. Unfortunately, the film Forks over Knives is not showing in Little Rock, so I have to wait until next month when the DVD comes out (I've already ordered my copy). I did get the companion book of the same title last week, though, and was quite pleased to add it to my cookbook collection. The one recipe I tried so far is awesome and is a good alternative to the tasty vegan raw balls (it's ok if you giggle when you hear that) that are packed full of nuts and dried fruit. While all of those ingredients are good, these frozen goodies are a little less calorie dense. Enjoy!
Frozen Chocolate Banana Treats Makes about 30 if you use a Tablespoon scoop per ball. The original supposedly yields near 50. I'm not that patient. In a food processor or blender: 2 ripe bananas 1/3 cup maple syrup (I used Log Cabin natural which is a mix of maple and brown rice syrups and it worked fine) 1/3 cup plant-based milk (I used Silk light vanilla) 1/3 cup cocoa powder 2 teaspoons vanilla (I used some homemade coffee liquor that Beverly gave us for Xmas instead) Whirl it up, and then pour it into a bowl containing 2 cups of old-fashioned oats. Stir well, and if it is a little runny, just throw it in the fridge for a bit. Roll balls of the chocolate oat mixture (they used a small melon baller) in your favorite Grape-Nuts type cereal (at our house, it's Kroger Brand Nutty Nuggets) and freeze on a baking sheet. When they firm up well, you can just throw them in a zip lock bag and then eat them out of the freezer. These are really like little chocolate ice cream bon- bons. They are kind of hard the second you bite into them from the freezer, but you can just let them sit for a little bit at room temperature to soften a bit (if you have more patience than I have). Adapted from Forks over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, page 182. The picture doesn't really do it justice, because it is blurry. This past weekend was the Jewish Food Festival. We forgot it twice. I was determined to go and have falafel. We were in Walmart at 2:00 on Sunday and we remembered it. This wouldn't have been a big deal, except that during the Greek Food Festival this year, we'll be up and Mom and Dad's, so no falafel for Angel then, either. So, I set out to make some with all the pleasure of "real" fried falafel but without the guilt/grease. I started with this recipe as my base. The problem, though, if you've ever made falafel with cooked chickpeas is that they are mushy. So, instead of cooking them all the way through, I did a hot soak, then rinsed them off in cold water to cool them off and stop the cooking. I let them drain before proceeding. Here's what I threw together: A handful of mint leaves A handful (about 1/2 a small bunch) of cilantro A handful of Greek oregano leaves (leaves from about 1/2 dozen sprigs) These went into the food processor and got chopped fairly fine. Those go into a bowl. Into the processor, put in 1/4 of a large sweet onion (I had a Texas sweet, but Vidalia would be great) and chop that fairly fine. Into the bowl with the herbs. Next, take 1 3/4 cups of your partially cooked chickpeas. Grind until they are coarsely chopped. Into the bowl. To the bowl I added a good five cloves of fresh garlic smashed/minced finely. I started throwing in salt, pepper, dried garlic powder, dried onion powder, a good pinch of smoked paprika, and some cumin. Taste as you go--you want this to be fairly tasty, and not too bland. When it tastes like raw falafel, throw in about 2T of flour (I used white whole wheat), 1/4 t. baking soda and the juice of 1/2 a lime (I didn't have lemons). Start mixing. You should be squeezing it in your hands until you get a good mix that will hold together. I then used my Tablespoon scoop to measure out balls. I got 17. I wanted these to be crispy, so I preheated the oven to 450 and rolled my falafel in flour. I then did a flax wash (you could do an egg wash if you want), and rolled them in store bought bread crumbs (the kind in the round tube). Onto a baking sheet, spray with your favorite non-stick spray. In the oven for about 15 minutes, turn them, and cook for 15 or 20 more. You want some sides pretty browned. Here's what mine looked like when they were ready. I didn't have any pitas, nor did I feel like making any :) Instead, I decided to do a mustard-green paratha, using Manjula's recipe and substituting finely chopped mustard greens for the spinach. I also used onion and garlic powder in place of the asafetida and used a mix of regular whole wheat and white whole wheat. Who needs pitas when you've got this?
The vegan kick-start by the PCRM started about 12 days ago, technically, but we started earlier than that here at the house. I would say we've had a good three weeks of mostly being vegan. I say mostly because we have had an omelet made from eggs from dad's chickens. We also had shrimp and grits at dinner with pals before Skit Dance, and I made veggie enchiladas with six ounces of cheese (for six servings, two of which are in the freezer). But, other than those dalliances, the last three weeks or so have been animal product free. I was just sure that I couldn't live without cheese, but I'm finding good stuff to put on my crackers in place of cheese. And, I've mastered vegan "rotel" dip, so it's all good.
We've also been largely no added fat (other than the mentions above). I have been trying a lot of Esselstyn's recipes, as well as some good selections from Neal Barnard's newer book. So far, so good. D's numbers on the last blood screen were much better, and that was not very far in to our current experiment. Both of us are also noticing that we're shrinking a bit. D reports dancing more (just spontaneous dancing about the house) and that there is not that same sort of addiction feeling related to food. That has to be an issue of blood sugar levels, I would think. I'm noticing other things, too, though--like how it is harder to eat at some restaurants without having to compromise. Of course, I thoroughly enjoyed those shrimp and grits! I also notice, though, the lack of good cooking shows to watch. I'm far more aware of how nothing Rachel Ray cooks on her talk show is eligible. To veganize something like her bacon cheeseburger mac and cheese (ugh) would gross me out to the point that it would be useless to try to do it. The recipes on The Today Show are not much better. And, I declined Crochet Reneé's recent invite to do a Taste of Home cooking school day in Mountain Home, as I wouldn't really be able to eat or cook what they are going to make--I suspect even if it is lower fat, there'd be chicken or some other thing in there that I'm avoiding eating. And, of course, I am already trying to figure out how I'm going to handle eating in Michigan next month. I learned some lessons about how to order from the hotel restaurant back in November (definitely make them put the dressing on the side. I think the word "addiction" is a great way to describe the typical American diet. I don't think that everyone has to go vegan, but I definitely think that even just eating that way for a week would benefit anyone's diet overall; even if you go back to eating meat and dairy, I think you'll be far more conscious of the amounts. Of course, even Oprah knew that. Shopping is really a lot easier when you are using beans, greens, grains, and fruits as your food groups, especially if you're not doing the Celebrity Vegan approach of buying a lot of processed vegan foods like Gardein and pre-made Seitan. And, I will grant Dr. Esselstyn's point that saying "a little won't hurt" is not a good approach. When I first read the book, I was pretty much like everyone else--oh, I don't use that much oil. Well, yeah, I did. And really for no reason other than habit. I bought huge tins of olive oil and was pretty free-handed in pouring. I don't notice missing any flavor or having cooking problems with using broth or other liquids in the pan when I sauté onions or other veg. In fact, I made some really rocking red sauce the other day where I cooked the onions, garlic, and fennel seed in balsamic vinegar before putting in the rest. If you haven't yet, check out the Forks over Knives trailer. I don't see any dates for the movie coming here, so I will probably have to wait a good while to see it myself. I know that the idea of a vegan gumbo and king cake probably seems to many like what you would eat after Mardi Gras rather than as celebration, and I get the irony, I really do :) The gumbo is pretty faithful to Vegan Dad's recipe. I did sneak in some shrimp for Dani and Stacy (you can see Dani's lunch bowl of Gumbo leftovers with a shrimp in it back there). The only problem here is that there were not nearly enough leftovers. For dessert--King Cake. Yes, this was vegan. I took the Times-Picayune Recipe and adapted it. To veganize it, I replaced the eggs in the brioche with one very mashed banana and a heaping Tablespoon of ground flax with five tablespoons of filtered water. Earth Balance took the place of butter. The cream cheese was swapped out for Tofutti cream cheese that I whipped with three Tablespoons of powdered sugar. Oh, and it was white whole wheat flour in the batter. I also put in a can of less sugar cherry pie filling with most of the goop strained out. Maybe it's just us, but we thought it was good and the leftovers that didn't go home with Stacy got eaten pretty quickly. Luckily there is still enough brioche dough in the freezer for another or a round of cinnamon rolls later. |
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