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3 Words to Know When You're Ordering Vegetarian

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Vegetarians pay particular attention to ensuring they're consuming enough protein because there's no meat centerpiece to take care of that important nutritional component. There are often choices like tempeh and seitan for building a veggie-friendly salad that goes beyond tofu, and quinoa is a go-to grain because it contains high levels of protein. When you're choosing a meatless meal out, don't skim over these selections because you're not sure how to pronounce them. Expand your vegetarian vocab by learning how to say these three words.

Tempeh: Pronounced tem-pay, 4 ounces of this soy-based meatless alternative contains 22 grams of protein.
Seitan: Made from wheat gluten, this veggie option is pronounced say-tan or see-tan. Just 3 ounces of it contains 19 grams of protein.
Quinoa: Often referred to as the mother grain, the options with this protein-rich grain are endless. Ask for keen-wa, and you'll get 6 grams of protein in just 1/4 cup.

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Go Meat-Free This Thanksgiving With Tofurky

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:30:00 -0800

Just because you're a vegetarian doesn't mean you have to miss out on having some turkey-like protein at your meal. Plus going meatless means you can eat a cholesterol-free Tofurky instead. It's made from a revolutionary tofu-wheat protein blend, and is known for its incredible, turkey-like texture and flavor. Tofurky is hands down the best alternative to turkey.

You can cook up a Tofurky feast, complete with one Tofurky Roast, eight cranberry-apple potato dumplings, Tofurky Giblet and Mushroom Gravy, Tofurky Wild Rice Stuffing, and a Tofurky Jurky Wishbone (I love that little detail). This feast is 100 percent vegan and cooks in about one hour.

If you don't want the entire Tofurky feast, you can just pick up a Tofurky Roast to have as your main dish or as a meatless option for your vegetarian friends.

Want to see how turkey and Tofurky compare nutritionally? Then read more

4 oz.	Turkey	Tofurky
Calories	240	190
Total Fat	9g	5g
Saturated Fat	3g	0g
Cholesterol	85mg	0mg
Protein	32g	26

Meatless Monday: A New Way to Eat

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Our society, particularly our dieting society, has become obsessed with protein. Dr. Atkins and friends have managed to convince us that eating more and more meat is the way to go.

The Meatless Monday Campaign, which is a national health campaign aimed at preventing heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer, has begun. The problem with eating too much protein is that many of us do not understand that the body can't store excess protein. The thing is that if you consume more protein than you need, you'll just eliminate it through your urine and put an extra strain on your kidneys to metabolize it. Not to extra mention the amounts of saturated fat and carcinogens (in well done meats) that are consumed by eating a high meat diet. The goal of the campaign is to reduce consumption of saturated fat 15% by 2010, which translates to cutting out meat and high-fat dairy one day a week.

I'm all on board for this. It's not a totally dramatic change and it's not a push for us all to become herbivores either. Meatless Mondays here I come.

Looking for a recipe for your Meatless Monday? Try this Lentil Tomato Soup.

Cookbook Review: Almost Meatless

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Studies on health and the health of the environment continue pointing to the fact that eating less meat is beneficial. It is from the perspective that you can reduce both your carbon footprint and your long term health by cutting back on your carnivorous ways that the authors of Almost Meatless ($22.50) penned their new cookbook. A collaboration between a former vegan, Joy Manning, and a committed meat eater, Tara Mataraza Desmond, this cookbook is full of recipes that include meat, fish, and poultry in the ingredient list. The meat, however, is not central to the dishes and is used more like a spice for flavor, texture, and color.

The cookbook is divided into sections by animal proteins, including chicken, seafood, eggs, beef, and pork. The amount of meat in these recipes is small, often hovering around four ounces to create a final dish containing four to six servings. The photos of the dishes are inspiring, but I would love a shot of every dish - I am very visually motivated when it comes to experimenting with new recipes. There are many tempting dishes to make like Almond Gnocchi with Lamb Ragu and Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole. I cooked up the shrimp fried rice and everyone in my house plus two guests loved it, and I look forward to trying more recipes from this book. The authors provide great cooking and shopping tips - like how to freeze bacon so you can use a slice when needed. Yes, cooking with just a piece of bacon still packs a powerful tasty punch. The only problem I have with this cookbook - there are no nutritional breakdowns of the recipes. I believe that cooks interested in using less meat are also going to want to know the calories, protein, and fat per serving.

To check out the tasty fried rice recipe read more.

Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice
Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond

Ingredients

1 large pineapple, cut in half length wise
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, but into 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves, garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 small red bell pepper, but into 1/4 inch dice, about (half a cup)
1 cup shopped sugar snap or snow peas
1 Thai chile, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 cups cold cooked brown or white rice
1/2 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cute into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Make two bowls form the pineapple halves by arcing out the center, leaving the bottom intact and leaving about a 1/2-inch-think border along the sides. Cut the carved out pineapple into small chunks, discarding the pieces of the tough center core. Set the pineapple shells and he chunks aside.
Coat a wok or a large sautée pan with the oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oils shimmering but not smoking, add onion, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, peas, and chili. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice, tossing to incorporate with the other ingredients.
Add the shrimp, cooking just until done, for about two minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pineapple chunks. Spoon the rice into the carved out pineapple halves and serve.

Serves 4

Make it family friendly by leaving out the Thai chili. Just sautée the chili separately and add to adult plates depending on desired spiciness.

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Sir Paul McCartney Says Lay Off the Meat

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0700

His designing daughter Stella is strict vegetarian, and now Sir Paul McCartney is hoping we will all be vegetarian one day a week as well.

The former Beatle hosted a luncheon to kick off Britain's Meat Free Monday campaign. There are obvious health benefits to reducing your meat intake, but Paul became involved because of the environmental impact of limiting meat consumption as well. He said:

A couple of years ago the United Nations came out with a report that said for people to eat less meat would have a big impact on the environment. It's all got a bit out of hand and I think people want to do their bit to bring it back into line, and this is an answer we've got involved in."

See which Hollywood types attended the event to support the notion of not eating meat on the first day of the week when you read more.

Kate Bosworth and Kelly Osbourne were there, as well as Yoko Ono and Moby.

View 7 Photos ›

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight. Try my Mediterranean Salad With Chickpea Patties or Curried Quinoa Salad. You might also want to try Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu as well. To learn more about a similar program here in the states, check out Meatless Monday.

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You'll Never Miss the Meat: Conscious Cook Cookbook

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:30:09 -0700

We know that eating less meat is a good thing - it reduces your carbon footprint, lowers your grocery bill, and makes sense for your heart. But does it taste good? Vegetarian diets are often associated with a bland menu of tofu, sprouts, and brown rice day after day. Chef to the stars Tal Ronnen sets out to bust this myth in his new cookbook, The Conscious Cook - Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat ($20).

The cookbook is divided into sections by meal courses that include starters, soups, entrées, and desserts. I'm most excited about the entire section devoted to sandwiches because of all the new lunches I get to try. There's a nice intro that covers Ronnen's must haves in the kitchen - from what items he always has in his pantry (agave nectar) to the chef tools he can't live without (food processor). Ronnen touches on the importance of a vegan diet but does it without making you feel like you're choking on someone else's politics. It's obvious the chef's main focus is making food that tastes exceptional.

To hear more about The Conscious Cook and see a killer quinoa recipe, read more.

Each of the 75 recipes features a protein and ranges from the comforting - free-form ravioli with tofu ricotta and arugula pesto - to the sophisticated - peppercorn-encrusted portobello fillets with yellow tomato bearnaise and mashed potatoes. And every recipe has an inspiring photo accompanying it.

What's great about this cookbook is its range and its approach to meatless cooking. No main dish ever feels like a side dish, which can happen a lot in vegan and vegetarian cooking. Instead, each meal is made to be complete and satisfying. There are recipes for a quick or casual meal, but if you want to pull out all the stops, there are recipes for that too. As an added nice touch, there are seasonally driven dinner menus included at the end.

Quinoa, Avocado, and Sweet Potato Timbale With Roasted Tomatillo Dressing
The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat

Ingredients

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, cooked in vegetable stock according to the package directions and cooled to room temperature
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the sweet potatoes:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:
2 tomatillos in olive oil, skins removed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the tortilla strips:
Canola oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

To serve:
2 avocados, diced
Microgreens

You'll also need 4 salad plates, a food processor, and a 3-inch ring mold.

Directions
1. Make the quinoa: Place all the of the quinoa ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
2. Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until soft in the middle and lightly browned. Be careful not to let the sweet potatoes burn.
3. Make the dressing: Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the tomatillos with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add vinegar, cilantro, and agave nectar, and pulse to combine. With the motor running, pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a thin stream. Continue blending until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Make the tortilla strips: Pour 2 inches of oil into a small, heavy pot and heat until the oil shimmers. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crisp and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.
5. Assemble the salads: Place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of one of the 4 salad plates. Fill with 1/4 of the quinoa mixture and press down with a spoon to pack the mold, smoothing the top. Place 1/4 of the sweet potato pieces on top of the quinoa and press down gently. Top with 1/4 of the avocado and press down gently. Carefully remove the mold. Repeat on the remaining salad plates.
6. Carefully place 2 tortilla strips parallel to each other about 1 inch apart on top of each timbale. Place 2 more tortilla strips perpendicular on top of those. Top the timbales with the microgreens and drizzle the dressing around the timbales.

Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 45 minutes

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Healthy BBQ - Wildwood Burgers

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:45:00 -0700

A friend recently introduced me to a new meatless burger, Wildwood Tofu-Veggie. She's allergic to wheat, which makes most veggies burgers off limits since they contain wheat gluten.

These Wildwood burgers on the other hand are made with tofu, and they have a really soft, yet dense consistency. I'd say their texture is more like meat than Gardenburgers.

I tried the Southwest flavor (they also make Original and Shiitake), and was surprised how flavorful it was - must be the cayenne pepper, cilantro and garlic. After taking my first bite, I looked down and could actually see bits of carrot, kale and full corn kernels. There's nothing I love more than seeing real food in my food!

Each patty contain 13g of fat, 0g of cholesterol, 320 mg of sodium, 9g of carbs, 2g of fiber, and a whopping 11g of protein (Gardenburgers only have 5g).

If you are a vegetarian, or trying to cut back on your meat consumption, I'd definitely give these a try. It's good to know they're also dairy-free, so if you are avoiding milk products for whatever reason (lactose intolerance) your tummy will love these. Look for them next to the tofu pups.

Healthy BBQ - Tofu Pups

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Although hot dogs hail from Frankfurt Germany, they are about as American as apple pie. Sometimes you don't want to eat processed meat or sodium nitrate that is found in most hot dogs.

I found a meatless alternative called Tofu Pups (cute name, eh?). The thing about regular hot dogs is that they pretty much taste like crap until the hot dog people add seasonings. That smoky kind of taste isn't from the meat - and the Tofu Pup people know that. They take good old healthy tofu, add the special hot dog flavor, shape it into a hot dog and voila - instant healthier hot dog. It has no cholesterol, no nitrites, half the fat and one-third the sodium of a meat hot dog.

Now when you go to try these - don't think they are going to be exactly like real hot dogs. The taste is similar, but the texture is completely different. Since Tofu Pups are made out of tofu, they're much softer than the meat version, which I actually prefer.

They take a lot less time to cook too, so make sure when you grill them, you watch them closely and turn them frequently. They don't need to be cooked - they just need to be warmed up.

Fit's Tips: If you find that grilling your Tofu Pups dries them out, try boiling them in water for a few minutes instead.

6 Meatless Ways to Get Five Grams of Protein

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Eating enough protein daily helps with weight loss, since this macronutrient satiates your hunger better than carbs or fats. Plus, protein is the building block of the human body. Your muscles, skin, hair, and connective tissues are mostly made up of protein, but it also plays a huge role in every cell in your body. Our enzymes, hormones, and DNA are also partially made up of protein, so it's important to get enough every day. Depending on your weight and activity level, a woman needs between 40 and 60 grams per day. Check this chart to see exactly how much you need.

Since I'm always hearing that women feel like they have a difficult time getting their daily amount, here are five easy ways to get an added five grams of protein.

Add 1/2 a cup of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to your salad for 5.9 grams of protein. If you're not a fan of beans, then sprinkle one ounce of organic shredded cheddar cheese instead to get six grams of protein.
Crumble 1/8 of a block of tofu and mix it into your pasta sauce for an added 6.4 grams of protein.

To see the other ways to get five grams of protein, read more.

Spoon out two ounces of cottage cheese and add it to cut-up cantaloupe for 7.8 grams of protein.
Snack on 1/4 cup edamame (boiled green soybeans) and you'll consume 5.6 grams of protein.
Just one ounce of tempeh (1/8 of a package) can be added to your stir fry to get 5.5 grams of protein.
Munch on 20 almonds, which contain 5.1 grams of protein. Or if you prefer, you can spread two tablespoons of almond butter on crackers to get 4.8 grams of protein.

Source

Recession-Proof Your Workout: Do-It-Yourself Yoga Retreat

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:00:16 -0700

If you've always wanted to attend a seven-day yoga retreat, then you can imagine the benefits of immersing yourself in a new place, practicing yoga daily, and enjoying healthy meals loaded with fresh fruits and veggies. While these retreats are wonderfully relaxing, they often come with a hefty price tag, and in today's economy, it's not something many of us can even consider. You can, however, create your own do-it-yourself yoga retreat.

To learn how, read more.

Find a yoga studio near you that has daily classes and go to one class every day for a week. You'll reap the benefits of the daily yoga practice you'd get on a retreat, but it'll cost about $70 to $150. During that week, eat meals that are full of juicy fruits, tender veggies, and lean protein (or go meatless), and avoid sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and caffeine. Throw in relaxing hot baths, steaming cups of herbal tea, and a full-body massage. By the end of the week, you'll have spent about $300, and though you may not feel as revitalized as if you were doing sun salutations on the beach in Maui, you'll definitely feel like a new person.