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Tag: plant-based
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WATERMELON!
Posted at 12:53 pm
Sep 23rd -
ALREADY MORE PLANT-BASED THAN WE THINK
Posted at 1:32 pm
Sep 19thIt is helpful and inspiring to think about all the wonderful, colorful, tasty food plants at our fingertips. Some days I feel like concocting a fancy meat substitute dish, but other days I can just slice an avocado or dig into a watermelon, and go to the beach! I hope you find the glossary helpful and will refer to it often as more items are added.
I am bilingual and bicultural, so I included names in English and Spanish. Since food names vary greatly from place to place, I settled on Southwest American English and Central Mexican Spanish. The links contain details about specfic items.
¡Saludos! and ¡Salud! from beautiful Cancún, México!
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HIBISCUS TACOS (TACOS DE FLOR DE JAMAICA) Recipe
Posted at 1:37 pm
Sep 17th
Hibiscus flowers are used in Mexico to make a cold, sweetened beverage or to brew a relaxing tea that can also be used to treat hipertension (high blood pressure). The flowers are usually discarded after brewing, but they can be used as a meat substitute. I have discovered in the process that I can get a lot more beverage from a batch of flowers than I thought. The chewy texture resembles shredded beef or pork, and they absorb the flavors of garlic and onion when sauteed. If you don’t live in Mexico, you may be able to find hibiscus in a supermarket or Mexican grocery, or you can order it on Amazon. These tacos got a hearty thumbs-up even from the non-vegans at my house in Cancún.
PRIOR TO MAKING THE TACOS Cover 1 c HIBISCUS FLOWERS with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and keep the liquid to make tea or beverage. Repeat with the same flowers 2 more times, until the liquid is very light in color. Drain the flowers well and set them aside.
INGREDIENTS 1 c hibiscus flowers, boiled and drained / 1/2 c onion, finely chopped, for sauteeing / 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped / 1 Tbsp olive oil for sauteeing / salt to taste / 8 corn tortillas / 1 c lettuce, finely chopped / 1 c onion, finely chopped / 1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped (optional) / salsa, to taste (about 2 Tbsp for each taco)
PREP TIME 20 min / COOK TIME 10-15 min, med heat / NEED skillet / MAKES 8-10 tacos
- Sautée 1/2 c FINELY CHOPPED ONION and 2 CLOVES OF GARLIC, PEELED AND CHOPPED in 1 Tbsp OLIVE OIL until onions are soft and transparent.
- Add 1 c WELL-DRAINED HIBISCUS FLOWERS and SALT to taste.
- Cook thoroughly over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, turning with spatula.
- Place hibiscus mixture on a fresh hot corn tortilla, add lettuce, chopped onion, CILANTRO and salsa.
- Recommended side dishes are refried beans, Mexican Rice, avocado slices, and cold agua de jamaica. ¡Buen provecho!
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Amaranth (Amaranto) FACTS
Posted at 6:56 pm
Sep 6th
Amaranth is a pseudocereal grown for its edible starchy seeds; it is not in the same botanical family as true cereals such as wheat and rice. Amaranth, which is gluten-free, is a good source of fiber, protein, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Uncooked amaranth is not digested. It can be boiled and eaten as a cereal like oatmeal or added to granola and many other dishes.
One cup (246 grams) of cooked amaranth contains these nutrients:
- Calories: 251
- Protein: 9.3 grams
- Carbs: 46 grams
- Fat: 5.2 grams
- Manganese: 105% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 40% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 36% of the RDI
- Iron: 29% of the RDI
- Selenium: 19% of the RDI
- Copper: 18% of the RDI
Sources: Wikipedia / healthline
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Chia FACTS
Posted at 6:47 pm
Sep 6th
Salvia hispanica, commonly known as chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is considered a pseudocereal, cultivated for its edible, seed. The word “chia” is derived from the Nahuatl word chian, meaning oily.
A one-ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains
- Fiber: 11 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
- Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s)
- Calcium: 18% of the RDI
- Manganese: 30% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 30% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI
- They also contain zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2
Chia seeds may be added to other foods as a topping or put into smoothies, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and bread. They also may be made into a gelatin-like substance or consumed raw. The gel from ground seeds may be used to replace the egg content in cakes and is a common substitute in vegan baking.
Sources: Wikipedia / healthline
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Curcumin / Turmeric FACTS
Posted at 3:52 pm
Sep 6th
Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by Curcuma longa plants. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, a member of the ginger family. There is some confusion in the two names because curcumin is a component of turmeric. Turmeric is better for some conditions, while curcumin alone is better for others. Turmeric, commonly used in Asian food, is the main spice in curry.
Turmeric or curcumin is recommended for pain and inflammation, such as that associated with osteoarthritis. It is also used for hay fever, depression, high cholesterol, a liver disease, and itching. Some people use turmeric for heartburn, thinking and memory skills, inflammatory bowel disease, stress, and many other conditions, but there no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
WARNINGS: In small amounts, turmeric has few reported side effects, though there have been reports of nausea, dizziness or diarrhea. You should consult a health professional if you are taking therapeutic amounts of turmeric or curcumin.
Sources: Wikipedia / WebMD / healthline / Today
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Nutritional Yeast (Levadura Nutricional) FACTS
Posted at 3:45 pm
Sep 6thBENEFITS: Even in small amounts, nutritional yeast is a significant source of some B–complex vitamins. Some brands are fortified with additional B12. It has approximately 9 grams of protein in 2 tablespoons. It provides 9 amino acids that the human body cannot produce and 5% (unfortified) to 20% (fortified with B12) of recommended daily iron.
USES: It can be used as a flavor enhancer in cheese substitutes, mashed or fried potatoes, scrambled tofu, and popcorn.
WARNINGS: In large amounts, the high fiber content may cause digestive discomfort, and high niacin content can cause facial flushing. Some brands may contain tyramine, which can trigger migraines in some individuals.
Sources: Wikipedia / healthline
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Basic BEANS (FRIJOLES de Olla) Recipe
Posted at 1:08 pm
Aug 28th
This basic method can be used for all kinds of beans. Garlic, onion, salt, and pepper are recommended if you are planning to eat them “as is” but they are optional if you are going to use them in a recipe, such as refried beans or hummus (made from chick peas). You may want to experiment with other seasonings as well, such as barbecue sauce for pinto beans.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup dried BEANS / 2 cups WATER for soaking / approximately 3 cups WATER for cooking / 1/2 small ONION / 1 clove minced GARLIC / 1/2 tsp SALT, or to taste / 1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER or to taste
PREP TIME 5 minutes for cleaning and washing / 8-12 hours for soaking / COOK TIME approximately 2 hours / NEED strainer for washing / covered pan / MAKES 3 cups
- Clean 1 CUP BEANS and wash thoroughly.
- Cover beans in 2 CUPS WATER and soak overnight.
- Drain beans and rinse again.
- Add 3 CUPS WATER, 1/4 SMALL ONION, and 1 CLOVE MINCED GARLIC
- Bring to a full boil, lower heat and continue cooking until beans have the desired consistency; add 1/2 tsp SALT, 1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER, and continue cooking 5 minutes more.
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IT’S YOUR CHOICE
Posted at 11:08 am
Aug 27th
Animal products are bad for everyone’s health, but eliminating them flies in the face of thousands of years of habit, tradition, and even religion. It takes courage, patience, and tolerance to live a meat-free life in a meat-driven world. I try to not make a big deal of it. Good manners require me to respect others’ decisions about what to eat and what to serve, but they also require others to respect my choices when I say, “No, thank you.” I don’t define myself by a label. I am not A Vegan or A Vegetarian or A WFPB. I am a human being who most of the time chooses to eat plants and nothing else.
Whether you follow someone’s plan or make it up as you go, you will benefit from becoming conscious of everything you take into your body. Ask yourself what it is doing for you and what it is doing to you. Acknowledge your reason for taking it in, whether you eat it as food, drink it as beverage, or swallow, inject, snort or smoke it as therapeutic or recreational drug.
Fruit and Stuff is mostly about improving health through food choices, and this blog has the Do-It-Yourself Plant-Baser in mind. My hope is that everyone will switch to plant-based and make it their way of eating for as long as they live. In addition to personal health, there are moral, spiritual, and environmental reasons to do that.
If you are following a prescribed plant-based diet for a specific health outcome, by all means you should comply with the requirements of that diet and the recommendations of your health care provider, but long-term success is more likely if you assume responsibility for your health and your choices. You may choose to adhere strictly to a prescribed eating plan, but that is YOUR choice, and YOU, not the experts who designed the plan, must make decisions every day about what you eat, what you think, and how you live. You alone will enjoy or suffer the consequences of the plan you choose.
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Agar-Agar FACTS
Posted at 8:30 pm
Aug 22nd
Agar or agar-agar is a jelly-like substance, obtained from red algae. Agar has been used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia. It is used as a laxative, an appetite suppressant, a gelatin substitute, a thickener for soups, in fruit preserves, ice cream, and other desserts, and as a clarifying agent in brewing.
Source: Wikipedia
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Information about nutrition is confusing. My mission is to collect the best I can find and organize it for easy reference. I am not an expert, but I will help you find one!
