THEMATIC Thursdays: A Visit to the Glycemic Index Mother-ship

Copyright The Glycemic Index Foundation

Just in time for the BBQ-happy, fireworks-laden weekend of July 4th, when the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, I felt another kind of inner fireworks when I found the 'home of the glycemic index,' as the website run by a department of Australia's University of Sydney, attests. Turns out the GI index and the International GI Database is calculated, and officially maintained, at the university's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences.

(Note: Low GI index foods (many vegetables) do not raise blood sugar as quickly as high GI index foods (potato chips, bread, candy bars)--meaning you don't sugar-crash as easily and need to fix it with another sugar 'high', which is healthier for your body).

 This is a truly cool site, and not only does it feature the GI database, but some pretty tasty low-GI recipes, too (scroll to the bottom of the preceding link), such as an Indian Couscous recipe (which is a a grain, yes, but one with a relatively low-GI rating; it's not really low enough for me, but you could alter the proportions so that you're using much less relative to other ingredients.).

NEWS Tuesdays: Carbs....Unsafe at Any Feed?

Everyone has something to sell; however, I'm not adverse to promoting good content when, and where, I find it--regardless of the source. Instant oatmeal, corn flakes, whole grain chips? What's the nutritional reality?

A company called Precision Nutrition ,takes a stab at explaining the links, good and bad, between "whole grains" and "carbs." Not all carbs are bad, but understanding which ones are "safe" and which ones are not, is important for your health. There's a lot of confusion about the phrase "whole grains," because it's now used everywhere, by every kind of packaged-food company, and yet, depending upon what those "whole grains" are combined with, may or may not be, good for you. Read more here.

RECIPE Saturdays: #5 - Mock Vegetarian

Vegetarian Mock-Lasagna is not real lasagna because it doesn't have anything resembling a 'noodle' or pasta layer--this being a no-refined-carbs blog, and all. However, you could substitute noodles with something like very thing baked or fried eggplant slices--not breaded, for a noodle layer, if it's important to you. This recipe is more like a lasagna-fillings casserole, but it's still quite filling and yummy.

You will need: 1 bag/box of frozen spinach, two green peppers, 1 yellow onion, 1 container mushrooms (any kind), 1 8 oz container of ricotta cheese (non-fat is fine); 1 8 oz. container of cottage cheese (non-fat is fine); 1 jar pasta sauce (try to find a jar without added sugar).

Defrost and drain (really well) the frozen spinach. Fry up the onions, peppers and mushrooms, until softer (not limp). Mix the ricotta and cottage cheese in a bowl; add (to taste): pepper, salt, oregano, basil, rosemary. Then, in a ceramic or glass baking dish, layer the sauce, veggies, spinach, cheese until you have used up the ingredients. Once done, bake on 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Let the dish settle for 15 minutes, and cool. Serve.

Notes: When I make this again, I will probably only use about half the cheese mixture, and add in some harder cheeses, i.e. shredded Parmasean or Romano, to keep the entire dish from becoming to liquid and soft. I would also use fresh spinach, and wilt it myself in a skillet, or even just added it raw to the dish and use the leaves as a 'noodle' substitute layer. Do not braise/saute the veggies for very long, either.

INFO Thursdays: Tempeh Beats Bread...the Stuff of Strife

The food blogosphere, and indeed, the entire web is replete with meat-substitute articles, mostly featuring tofu. That's not me. This blog is NOT meatless, just sugarless, breadless, and pastaless. (interesting note: Google, which owns Blogger, registers the first two words--meatless, sugarless--as accepted, but underscores the last two as incorrect--needless to say they are 'added to dictionary').

Therefore, I'm always on the lookout for bread substitutes (sugar seems well taken care of by honey, agave and stevia, among many alternatives).  As someone who was probably always pretty hyper-glycemic, bread loaves, croutons, bread-crumbs and the like are avoided. Fortunately, vegan and vegetarian food-substitutes for meat also, often, work well as bread, breading or bread-crumb alternatives.

I'm talking, of course, chiefly about tempeh...but also about items like almond meal and various non-glutinous flours: pure buckwheat and Amaranth come to mind. Flax meal, too. Tempeh is not as well known as that other big substitute, tofu, which is a little odd, given that tempeh is more flavorful than tofu. It's made from fermented soybean, and other grains (a maddening amount of web tempeh descriptions describe it as a 'soybean-only' product, which is simply NOT true). And, with meaty consistency, is often used to conjure that food item. Trader Joe's sells a brand that incorporates soy, barley, rice and millet.

I crumble up tempeh, in place of rice or bread-crumbs, but--and this is important--mostly for savory dishes, not for sweet dishes. In this sense, tofu is the more versatile food-substitute. Tempeh, meanwhile, while being a source of protein much like tofu, also contains B vitamins. There is a frightening paucity of tempeh data, information, recipes and, frankly, product, both on and off the web. (Note to U.S. grain farmers: possible big money in growing tempeh components, and making tempeh starter).

As we progress, I'll be seeking out more recipes that include tempeh--much as my vegetarian chili did from last week. I welcome tempeh links and submissions.

NEWS Tuesdays: The Axis of 'Energy'

Energy Drinks....hmmmm. Well, they're loaded with sugar, very often, and that's a problem, especially when you consider that they're incredibly popular with people who are still growing (i.e. kids) and with younger adults who are forming their dietary patterns. Here's a great HuffPo article that provides the facts on 10 energy drinks and their sugar equivalents.

RECIPE Fridays: #4 - Vegetarian Chili

This is a nice spicy, low-fat, very low-refined carbs (is Tempeh a refined carb? Don't think so...If not, then this is a zero-refined-carb recipe) Vegetarian Chili. This is a variation on many, many veggie chili recipes--some of which call for either textured vegetable protein or soy 'meat.' I use Tempeh in place of those items; you could also used diced and sauteed fresh mushrooms.

You will need: 1 cup of water; 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube; 1 28 oz. can of Diced, Peeled Tomatoes; 1 15 oz. can of Black Beans; 1 15 oz. of Red Kidney Beans; 1 small onion; about 15 small cubes (half-inch width) of Tempeh; 1 large Red Pepper, diced; spices: cumin, chili power, cayenne, pepper, salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce. 

Frying Onions, Red Peppers and Tempeh

1. Cut up and fry the Tempeh with a little olive oil and Worcestershire Sauce. Cut up and fry in a separate skillet the Red Pepper and Onions.

2. Take a 4 quart pot, fill with one cup of water and the bouillon cube, bring to a simmer.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans and as much of the spices, to taste, as you like. Continue simmering, while stirring occasionally.

4. Finish frying the tempeh, onion and peppers. Make sure the tempeh, onion and peppers have a tiny bit of char on some of the pieces.

5. Add the tempeh, onion and peppers to the main pot; stir, and let simmer on the lowest possible heat for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Turn off heat. Let the chili sit, settle, mingle flavors and congeal a little to reduce the liquid component. It's best if you refrigerate in the same pot overnight, then spoon into a bowl and microwave that on a low setting for three minutes to warm up. Enjoy.

TIPS+COOL SITE Thursdays: Kosher Veggie Chili

Over at glam and glitzy Chowhound, they're huge user base produces some amazing recipes. Here's a Vegetarian Kosher Chili recipe. I am going to make a simplified version for my Friday feature; I just don't quite get why people insist using odd things like Textured Vegetable Protein or Soy Sausage, or Soyrizo (vegetarian Chorizo), when good old Tempeh will do just fine and tastes and looks more like meat when cooked correctly than other mock-meat ever could. Whatev....

UrbaNutrient WEDNESDAYS: Wheatgrass Takes on New Meaning

I sure hope all my fellow Californians who love their Virginia-style grass lawns take heed: in Vancouver, BC, they're investigating growing cereal grain on lawns. Of course, there, I suppose the amount of rain precludes sprinklers. Down south, sprinklers will be needed--but at least they will be going to something of benefit to the planet. http://www.vancourier.com/Mayor+Robertson+council+help+fund+cycling+allies/4946083/story.html

FOODFEATURE Tuesdays: Corn is Not So Corny

U.S.DA Photo by Keith Weller

     Hmmm. Corn is considered 'OK' for a gluten-free diet, but it's the source of a lot of problems. Think Frito-Lay Corn Chips. Corn syrup, for another. And yet, plain, organic, unsalted tortilla chips will fit nicely into a low-refined carb diet (not including Atkins, which prohibits corn initially, and then only in very small quantities later on). As well, corn meal is actually quite nutritious, and you could use it in a no-bake, low-refined carb pie crust, and get away with it. Why is that?

U.S.D.A. Photo by Bruce Fritz

Well, we need to distinguish plain old corn, such as kernels of corn that are carnned, or used for popping corn, versus the refined corn products that are loaded with sugar, such as cornbread, or various frosted corn flake breakfast products, or fat and salt, such as various brands of corn chips. According to the USDA, plain corn registers much lower in carbs than amaranth, wheat and rice. I have found that plain tortilla chips, corn on the cob and plain pop-corn are fine on my no-refined carbs diet, and do not impact my weight at all--with the obvious caveats being that you don't want to eat too much of anything, and you don't want to eat too late in the day.


It's best to research foods for yourself. The founder, and former head, of Health Valley foods, since sold off, offers up a corn page with his foundation website. A pretty comprehensive overview of corn's nutritional value is available at LiveStrong.com. Here's a nice-looking Mexican Corn Chili recipe that appears to be free of refined-carbs; you could omit the chicken bouillon, and just add more spices (i.e. salt), or some poultry seasoning to keep it natural.

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CARB NEWS Mondays: They're Addictive

Researchers in New Zealand have found that processed foods containing carbohydrates and sugar are addictive in the same way that nicotine is addictive, according to Rotorua's (New Zealand) The Daily Post. Read it and weep...then make the no-bake, low-refined carb pie I posted last Friday.

RECIPE #3: Yes-Yes Cheesecake (No Bake, No Refined Carbs)

Here's a tasty, ridiculously easy summer cheesecake that doesn't require baking, and has a flour-less crust. It's an adaptation of a wonderful no-bake cheesecake that Mark Bittman featured a couple of years ago in The New York Times -- his had a traditional graham-cracker crust, which is a no-no. At least on this blog. Thanks Mark. (Two small notes: first, I was in rush to make this for a guest, and couldn't take 'during' pix, so the pix are 'after'; second, I'm still working out the crust ingredient proportions--experiment to make it your own.)

1. You will need: for the crust...1 cup of almond meal, half-cup each of regular oats and steel-cut oats, a few tablespoons of roasted flax seed (optional), about four to six tablespoons of softened butter, around 10 chopped-up dates,a fistful of golden raisins. For the filling...a tub of ricotta cheese, one block of cream cheese, about a quarter-cup of honey, a packet or two of stevia or stevia mixture (natural sweetener), and any kind of berries, such as blueberries, blackberries or strawberries (or a combo).

2. Take a food-processor, or a big bowl and either process the crust ingredients or put some elbow grease into mixing them together. Make sure the crust batter is very thick, sticky and spongy so you can form it.

3. In a bowl, mix the filling ingredients, and then stir up vigorously. You may or may not need all the stevia, or you may want to increase or lower the honey amount, depending upon how sweet you want your filling to taste.

4. Take the batter mixture and press into the the floor and sides of a foil pie tin/pan. Spoon the filling into the crusted pie-tin. Place berries in any design you wish on the top of the filling.

5. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper; refrigerate the pie for at least a few hours, and preferably overnight, so the filling sets a little. Enjoy.

RECIPE #2: Quick Quirky Quesadillas

This is a tasty quasi-Mexican snack that can actually serve as dinner or lunch, if you make enough of them. A great party hors d'oeuvre, too. Low in refined carbs, the beans and cheese offer some protein. Joe V., from Northridge, California, at my New England university, made these often. Thanks, Joe--whereever you are.

Once again: Five steps, five ingredients, less than 25 minutes, less than five bucks.

1. You will need: refried beans, preferably fat-free; Monterey Jack cheese, enough eighth-inch thick slivers as big as the first joint of your thumb for each mini-quesadilla; your choice of salsa; tortilla chips, preferably salt-free and plain.


2. Place foil over a cookie sheet, and spread the chips evenly in rows on the sheet.


3. With a knife, spread a smear of refried bean on each chip. Take a teaspoon or even an iced-tea spoon, which works better, and take just a spoonful, a tiny dollop, of salsa, and place it on top of each bean-smeared chip.


4. Take the knife, and carve off small slivers/chunks of cheese - make sure they are petty flat, so they will sit nicely on top of the salsa-and-cheese mixture on each chip. Place a cheese sliver on each chip.


5. Pop the cookie sheet in the oven for about 7-12 minutes at 325 degrees--or whatever will take the chips to the point where the cheese melts nicely over the top of the salsa-and-bean mixture. Once cheese is melted, remove from oven, place the mini-quesadillas on a plate; they are very small and won't take more than a minute or two to cool down--they are best warm. Eat up!



 


NOTES: You can choose any version of refried beans (i.e. with or without Jalapenos, etc.), any version of salsa, from mild to hot and any type of cheese--although Monterey Jack is traditional, and may work best. If you want to get fancy you can place a tiny dollop of sour cream on top of each of the finished quesadillas. Experiment with different kinds of salsas and cheese to give this your own signature. These are very filling.

NEWS: Urban Farming Bringing Factual Food to Detroit

 Here is a great commentary in The New York Times about growing 'factual food' in Detroit, Michigan. Many of the article commenters bemoan the focus on urban farming, rather than bringing jobs to the city. And, while that is point well-taken, bringing local produce--whether in season or canned--to people who need affordable access to real food is a start toward a better future, and better health. And, 'people' includes school-children, who, having breakfasted on refined carbs, often do not eat their first bit of protein until noon.