OS Vegetarians Thread

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

5'10/170

Stumble; what can you tell me about Miso?

I am going to be using this site - http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/index.php

Also, if I am going to detox, should I NOT be eating anything with GLuten in it? Does Pita bread have gluten in it?

Stumble, man forreal I might need you to write me up a meal plan or something. I can't eat oatmeal every morning and beans every lunch/dinner

[Stumbleweed]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

I'm not sure about "detox" and what exactly you mean by that since it's different for everyone. Gluten is one of the most basic elements of food... unless you have problems digesting it, I wouldn't worry about eating gluten. From the basic parameters of "detox" you listed, I wouldn't put gluten in the same group (meat products, dairy, sugars).

And yeah, pita bread and any bread really has gluten in it unless it was made with rice flour, corn flour, tapioca flour, etc... anything with wheat or a flour derived from wheat in it has gluten (which is developed further via kneading i.e. bread/pizza crust). They make special GF breads but they have to use a bunch of different flours that you can buy if you decide to go that route, but it's a gigantic pain in the *** from what I hear from friends who can't eat gluten.

Miso is fermented soybean paste and is fairly salty but not enough to be a health hazard unless you have hypertention, etc. going already. The basic way to use it is to dissolve it into a dashi stock (you can make a vegetarian dashi just by boiling konbu seaweed in water but normally it has bonito flakes, which are tiny fish flakes used to make broth) to make miso soup. But you can also use it to glaze things -- like get a Japanese eggplant, slice it thin, rub it with miso, and grill it... good stuff. I mostly use it for fish and stuff like that, so without meat you would probably use it to flavor tofu or veggies or to make soups.

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

I am going to finally invest in some Ground FLaxseed.

Stumble, how much would a coffee bean grinder cost me?
IS it cheaper to by seeds whole and grind them up myself or buy them grounded?

[Stumbleweed]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

I use a mortar and pestle because I'm a bit of a luddite, bit you can get a small bladed coffee grinder for pretty cheap (~$25) that will do a good job with 95% of spices and seeds. If you're milling a bunch of stuff or need a very consistent texture (i.e. milling seeds to use for baking), I'd get a burr grinder, but those are normally near $100.

I would buy them whole generally -- like I said in the PM a while ago, Asian markets (ethnic markets in general) are the best place to get spices and herbs cheaply including whole spices (especially star anise pods, which you pay out the *** for otherwise... you can get a giant bag of whole pods for like $2.50 at the Asian market). Specialty spice shops surprisingly are cheaper than grocery stores also, I guess just because they work in bulk and have good distributor deals -- there are quite a few online spice shops if you don't have one in your area, all of them are cheaper than grocery store prices if you buy quite a bit at once, even with shipping.

Remember that spices (especially ground) are only "good" for about 6 months... so don't go too crazy buying bulk spices. You can use them well beyond that 6 months but they just lose their punch and the character of certain spices change. But yeah, whole spices/seeds are almost always cheaper than ground, but that's not always the case since whole spices are also less common in American households, hence whole spices being expensive in grocery stores.

Shop the hell out of the bulk bins at your local hippie food mart (Trader Joe's, Sunflower Market, Whole Foods), as that's almost always the best price for any given product since there is no packaging. Especially true of strange flours/grains that aren't used that often (flaxseed and stuff like that).

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

I went to a Raw FOods class @ Whole Foods a few months back. The topic was Salads. Ways to make nice tasting salads and home made dressings. Also includes this fruit salad that was so damn good. My god. The Mojito Fruit Salad; page 3. Simple yet so good.

Here is the handout attached to this post

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Remember that spices (especially ground) are only "good" for about 6 months... so don't go too crazy buying bulk spices. You can use them well beyond that 6 months but they just lose their punch and the character of certain spices change. But yeah, whole spices/seeds are almost always cheaper than ground, but that's not always the case since whole spices are also less common in American households, hence whole spices being expensive in grocery stores.

Shop the hell out of the bulk bins at your local hippie food mart (Trader Joe's, Sunflower Market, Whole Foods), as that's almost always the best price for any given product since there is no packaging. Especially true of strange flours/grains that aren't used that often (flaxseed and stuff like that).

Does this include prepackaged spices as well? Do they lose their "punch" after about 6 months?

Man I really appreciate how much you help me out man.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Raw yellow squash and zucchini is really good, let it sit in a colander/strainer with some Kosher/sea salt sprinkled on it to get some of the moisture out and soften them up a bit (don't let it go longer than 15 mins or less than 10), toss with lemon juice, olive oil, dill, and top with chopped almonds.

Made a bitchin butternut squash soup that was flavored primarily with ginger and turmeric... just roasted the squash whole then pureed it with some sauteed onions, and minced ginger, seasoned with the spices and salt/pepper... eating some leftovers today at work actually. It's a little harder if you don't have a stick blender, but you would just cool it down a bit and do it in batches in a regular blender/food processor.

EDIT: Yes, any spice has a shelf life of about 6 months. Some are shorter, some are longer, but that's a good baseline. Depends how you store them too... they should be airtight and in a cool, dark place. And ground spices lose their punch faster than whole ones since much of the flavor is from the grinding itself and the oils released (think fresh-ground pepper vs. normal coarse pepper). Pre-packaged spices were probably harvested a lot longer ago than some that you bought whole from a spice shop and they also may have been sitting on the shelf for a few months... I'd go with the ethnic market spices and/or spice shop ones for sure.... Americans don't use much spice so they sit on shelves in grocery stores for too long.... meanwhile, Asians are plowing through giant bags of spices and herbs weekly.

Also, toasting spices makes their character change and often can make old spices taste better... my favorite toasted spices are cumin and sesame seeds.

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Sorry, I think I asked you this before.

Couscous vs Brown Rice. What the hell is the difference?

Can I use Couscous in anything that I would use Rice for?

[Stumbleweed]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Couscous is a small ball of semolina flour (same stuff used to make most pastas). There are whole wheat varieties available, but generally it's not quite as healthy as brown rice (don't have the numbers, but it's hard to beat brown rice with anything but quinoa). I buy Hodgson Mill whole wheat couscous and use it just like rice, mostly as a bed for veggies or a protein to sit on.

If you buy raw bulk couscous, it's harder to cook and you'll need some extra equipment (mainly a steamer/couscousierre and/or some cheesecloth... and about 3x the amount of time since it requires multiple stemaings to get the right texture). Here's a traditional preparation: http://www.e-mosaik.com/recipes/couscous.htm

I normally just go with the easy stuff even though it's pre-packaged... it's quality despite not being the perfect texture... takes about 20 minutes.

But yeah, they're totally unrelated since couscous isn't rice at all... same with quinoa, totally different type of plant.

[55]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Man, sarcasm on the internet is so hard to absorb. It was a joke, LOL. Thought it was pretty obvious with all the "would a man do..." threads started by DC.

Props for being a vegetarian, I have a few friends who are, male and female, and the stuff they cook up for potlucks, get togethers, at Thanksgiving, etc. are phenomenal.

Sorry about that, man. I just get a lot of crap from people about it all the time. Even my long time friends still get on my case for it and it's been years. You'd be downright surprised at some of the reactions I get when people find out.

Dislimb 6-1 225 is pretty built...is it good weight?

I'd say about 210 of it is good weight.

I have very broad shoulders so even when I was "skinny" back in high school I still weighed a cool 180 all day. I lifted weights a whole bunch from 18-19 years old and got up to 210 or so and stayed that way until I was about 26. I have put on about 10-15 pounds of excess since then but it's nothing I couldn't lose if I really gave it a good try. It's the beer and the desserts that have done me in, honestly.

[J.R. Locke]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

In the past I have been pretty much a veggie. To detox I drank a lot of pure juices (squeezed myself) then for bulk foods I ate bread I made and whole grain oats.

I have always been a guy who would be happy if I could just take a pill that would fulfill my nutriona; requirements. Eating meals is hard for me sometimes.

good luck DC. I may be doing the same here soon. So keep us informed of anything you learn.

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Stumble, give me some breakfast ideas man. Tired of oatmeal every morning and fruit.

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Has anyone ever made a salad with apples? Been thinking of doing it since I always have a lot of apples in my house

[ehh]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Never understood the vegetarian thing unless you're a PETA nut. Humans are carnivores and I don't think it's a good idea (health-wise) to completely cut off meat/diary/eggs/poultry from your diet. I don't for a second believe the 'red meat is bad for you' nonsense that's been spewed for decades.

It's funny, I Googled "health benefits of being a vegetarian' and the first few results are articles loaded with statements that are debunked by Good Calories, Bad Calories and other similar work.

Cutting out sugar is the biggest key, followed by eating enough fruits/veggies/fiber. I don't think it has anything to do with meat/eggs; if you eat enough fruits/veggies/grains, eliminate sugar and still eat meat/eggs etc you will be equally fine health-wise. The problem is so few non-vegans/vegetarians eat enough fruits/veggies/fiber on a daily basis.

I don't eat a lot of meat personally, maybe chicken twice a week and some turkey chili but I eat a crapload of eggs and a decent amount of cheese. I like the balance though, I would never cut out fruits/veggies and will never cut out meat/eggs/poultry.

[DC]

Re: OS Vegetarians Thread

Yea I didn't last man. I am just going to limit my meat intake to probably 2 times a week . Don't know why I even tried

But I have been forcefully sugar free since the beginning of the month. Cept for one Snickers.......