The Whole Wheat

The iPhone has arrived and I happily have one in my possession.  I see a happy future of Apple love. 

2007 is rapidly approaching its half-way point. Isn’t it amazing how time flies? To kick off the year I did a one-month diet modification excluding all products with HFCS. In fact, that was part of what spurred me to start this website. To welcome the second-half of 2007, I’m going to do another month long diet modification – an all plant based diet.

In May I was lucky enough to see Mitra Ray, PhD speak when she was visiting California. I have listened to several of her presentations but this was the first time I saw her in person. She is an amazingly vibrant woman – she literally glows with health and well being. One particular statement she made stuck with me and is what led me down this path. She said something along the lines of: “You will never get fat just eating plants.”

I realize the statement doesn’t sound profound but think about it over the next few days. It genuinely opened my eyes to the amount of animal products I consume daily: cheese, butter, steak, fish, etc. I decided to learn more and do some investigating. The idea for a one-month experiment came to me a few days after seeing Mitra Ray speak, but I have to admit – I was a bit scared of it at first. Then from my mother I borrowed the book that Mitra Ray mentioned: The China Study.

Reading The China Study has really opened my eyes to the overwhelming effects that animal protein has on our health. The China Study focuses on the specific health impacts of consuming greater than 10% animal protein. The flip side is the additional impact of eating large amounts on animal protein on our environment. Over the next few days I will begin to introduce some of the statistics about health and environmental impact.

One thing that is important for me to do here is swallow my pride and some of the statements I’ve made in the past regarding vegetarian & veganism. I was a vegetarian for over 7 years. For some of the years I ate fish but no beef or pork, and the fish was rare. The day I woke up from a dream about a hamburger, I knew my vegetarian phase had come to an end. I should also be clear that I was not a particularly good vegetarian. I don’t mean that I cheated – I did not. I did not however really learn how to incorporate legumes, beans, soy, increase my fruit & vegetable intake, and all the other things you really should do as a vegetarian concerned about their health – which is how I described myself. I was great at eating cheese, beans and rice on a tortilla, granola, lots of milk products, and anything else that crosses the path of a typical high school or college student.

This time I’m approaching things differently. I actually understand the principles behind being a vegetarian and the nutrition requirements as well. I want to incorporate legumes, beans, soy, increase my fruit & vegetable intake, find new grains to eat, and more! I consider this to be an adventure rather than a period of doing without.

So back to the “swallowing my pride” statement. I’ll just sum it up by saying – I’ve been harsh with my criticism and I’m eating my words. I’m interested in exploring and learning – so here we go!

If you are interested in joining me in the July experiment just let me know. If there are enough people participating I may start a message board for us to share our experiences.

I’m not sure salad is the right word to describe this dish. If it is, it will change your thoughts about salad! This dish is hearty and so full of flavor that I simply cannot get enough. It is such a perfect summer dish – no cooking!!!

I originally had this salad at a friend’s house. They served it with pork (I think?). It was delicious! Recently a friend of mine needed a little dinner planning help. She wanted to do the Curry Meat Pie and was curious what might make a nice meal with that. This salad sprang to mind! Especially in the summer, the meat pie is delicious but you want to keep you meal light. In the winter mashed potatoes would be a given but in the summer…. dilemmas arise! In the end, she served the meat pie with this salad and an onion rice dish – which sounds delicious, but I still need to ask her for the recipe for it.

The salad has sat on my mind since I recommended it. Finally I remembered to buy mint, and yes on that day I had my avocado. It was a meeting of the stars to say the least. I would set aside at least 30 minutes for prep – cutting, organizing, etc. But let me assure you – any time put into this dish is worth it. Even Brad had seconds. And he was less than enthusiastic as he saw me prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes: I use slightly less than 1/2c. dried for 2 people (with leftovers), this is very flexible though
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 c. drained capers, minced
• 1/4 c. nut oil – preferably pistachio, walnut or pumpkin. Or use extra Olive Oil and don’t worry.
• 1/8 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. minced red onion
• 1 medium fennel bulb,halved lengthwise, cored, then sliced thinly
• 1 Haas Avocado – nicely ripened
• 1/8 c. mint leave, finely chopped
• 1/8 c. flat parsley, finely chopped

1. Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl covering them with boiling water. Let sit until softened. About 30 minutes.
2. Make the vinaigrette by combining lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and capers in a small bowl. Slowly add in nut oil, whisking constantly. Add in olive oil in same manner. Once emulsified, mix in red onion.
3. Combine fennel slices with sun-dried tomato slices in a bowl. Toss in the vinaigrette.
4. Halve the avocado and discard the pit. Slice each half thinly then scoop out with a spoon.
5. There are two ways to serve, either mix everything together which is very lovely, or lay out the dish in layers. It may depend on how you want to serve it. If you chose to lay it out, set 1 layer of avocados on dish. Top with fennel mixture. Sprinkle with herbs. Repeat. Continue layers until out of ingredients.
6. If possible let sit for 30 minutes so flavors can meld. If not, enjoy as is!

The other night we needed dinner. In fact we need dinner every night. But on this night, we had just returned from a weekend of over indulgence and rather heavy foods. I decided to make the golden beets I had in the fridge, and in the process of looking for something a bit new to dress them with, I came across this croquette recipe in Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. They are lovely guys which I served about the size of a big hamburger patty. You could make them smaller as an appetizer or snack very easily. Many sauces would be a fabulous accent – but they are satisfying and tasty – easy to enjoy! I served them with golden beets topped with Parsley-Caper sauce along side beet greens.

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. potatoes (about 1 large russet or 2 medium)
• 1/3 c. quinoa
• 1/4 c. onion (I used red, you could use any onion or leek)
• 2 t. paprika (I used 1 t. spice, 1 t. sweet)
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. mashed tofu
• bread crumbs

1. Peel potatoes then steam for about 10 minutes until tender. Mash with fork.
2. At the same time bring 2/3 c. of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt then add the quinoa. Cover & lower the heat to a simmer. Let cook about 15 minutes until water is absorbed. (Note: when quinoa cooks, a tiny spiral appears that encircles the grain. This is perfectly normal and should be expected.) Combine quinoa with mashed potatoes.
3. Sauté the onion in a small skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add spices including oregano. Stir well, it will be very dry now. Continue to cook and stir until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minutes. Add mixture to potatoes and mix well.
4. Beat egg in a bowl. Combine with mashed tofu and parsley. Stir into potato mixture.
5. Separate the mixture into four large patties, or eight smaller ones, and shape into patties. Coat each patty lightly with bread crumbs.
6. Heat a non-stick pan over med to med-high. Generously add grapeseed (or canola) oil and bring to temp. When hot, add the croquettes – do not crowd – and cook on both sides until nicely browned.

What sounds fancy and complicated is little more than a glorified vinaigrette. In fact, make it with a whisk or throw it in your blender (preferably a Vita-Mix of course). Either way, the sauce accents vegetables and salads perfectly! And quickly!

I made this sauce specifically to top my lovely golden beets. Additionally it was perfect with Quinoa & Potato Croquettes (coming tomorrow!!), making it a lovely fresh dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 T. capers, drained
• 1 T. champagne vinegar
• 1/2 c. freshly chopped parsley
• 1/3 c. olive oil

1. If using a blender, add lemon zest and juice, shallot, capers, and vinegar. Blend well.
2. Add parsley & olive oil. Blend until nicely emulsified but ingredients are still identifiable.
3. Serve over or along side vegetables, croquettes, or anything you like.

Talk about an exciting post – I’m doing a beet double shot! Not only the golden beets, but their greens. I think golden beets may be my favorite in the beet family. The flavor is so gentle and soft – all the right stuff I think. But the primary reason for my post today is the greens. I’ve constantly meant to use the greens, but just gotten distracted and haven’t. So this time, I did!

First off, the beets. Cut the greens leaving about 1 inch of stem. Clean the beets well then put in a dish with about 1 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil. Put into a hot oven at about 375 and cook for 30-60 minutes. Beets should be easily penetrated with a knife, but not mushy. Remove from oven and leave covered about 30 minutes. Rub each beet with paper towels to easily remove the skin. Slice, and there are your lovely beets!

After removing from the beet root, wash the greens well.  If you buy the beets but do not intend to use them immediately, then remove and use the greens within a few days.  Discard the excess stem and wash the greens well.  Simply place in a hot pan with some oil in it, add about 1/4c. water then cover.  Steam and cook for several minutes then stir well and cover again.  They will only take a few minutes.  Add salt and pepper and enjoy!

And now you can enjoy the entire beet plant!  Try cooking the beet greens the same as your favorite spinach or swiss chard recipe also. They have a nice light sweetness to them that makes them particularly fun.