Vegetarian cooking (rec.food.veg.cooking) Discussion of matters related to the procurement, preparation, cooking, nutritional value and eating of vegetarian foods.

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Default Seasoning vegetables

One of my doctors gave me a laundry list of things to do and
to not do. One was to eat less salt. Another was to eat more
fruits and vegetables.

It would be difficult for me to eat less salt. A year or so ago
I salted a very bland piece of salmon and my wife commented that
it was the first time she had ever seen me salt food. We had
been together over 25 years when she said that.

I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
sauce!

What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
recipes that have distinctive flavoring.

Dick
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Default Seasoning vegetables

Dick Adams wrote:

> One of my doctors gave me a laundry list of things to do and
> to not do. One was to eat less salt. Another was to eat more
> fruits and vegetables.
>
> It would be difficult for me to eat less salt. A year or so ago
> I salted a very bland piece of salmon and my wife commented that
> it was the first time she had ever seen me salt food. We had
> been together over 25 years when she said that.
>
> I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
> black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
> and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
> to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
> I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
> to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
> sauce!
>
> What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
> that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
> recipes that have distinctive flavoring.
>
> Dick


I would say that the first thing to do is to stop using the pepper
sauce. All those hot and spicy condiments are killing off your taste
buds. It's no wonder you're finding other foods bland - they are in
comparison. It's like someone finding lemonade to sour because they
take four sugars in their tea. Since I know it'll be hard to go cold
turkey (capsaicin (sp?) is mildly addictive), start by cutting down, or
by having alternate meals without.

Next is to buy the best vegetables you can afford, defined by freshness
and quality (there's a tautology for you, best defined by quality). You
want crisp, healthy looking vegetables, but (there's always a but)
don't just accept what the supermarket tells you are good-looking veg.
Organic food can often look inferior, but because it isn't speed grown
and pumped full of water, it will often have a far superior taste. Best
of all, grow your own, organically if you can. If you do, then you'll
find that different varieties of vegetables taste differently (you
already know this about apples, I would guess). By growing your own,
you can find varieties you like best and be sure of being able to eat
them.

Cooking: Don't. Oh, all right, if you must, but as little as you can get
away with (in some cases, e.g. parsnips, that will still be quite a
lot, in others, e.g. green beans, a few minutes (3 or 4) in as little
water as possible or steamed will be great). Don't boil veg in great
saucepans of water and then tip it down the sink - half the flavour
goes out with it, as well as being dreadful for your carbon footprint.
Roasting will also retain a fair amount of flavour and introduce some
new ones by caramelising the sugars in root vegetables.

john
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Default Seasoning vegetables

On 2007-03-12, Dick Adams > wrote:
>
> I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
> black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
> and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
> to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
> I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
> to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
> sauce!
>
> What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
> that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
> recipes that have distinctive flavoring.


Some suggestions here; don't know if any of these will work for you....
so I just threw out a bunch of stuff. If you give more details on any
other health restrictions you have, that might help people come up with
some better ideas. For instance, do you need to avoid salt / sodium
completely, are you also avoiding fat, sugar, or stuff like that?

I think the bottom line is that you may need a sauce of some kind (with
some sort of oil or starch) that will cling to the vegetables.

* nut-based stuff, like a tahini sauce type thing... this will usually
have something salty and something sweet in it too - you could try low
sodium soy sauce if you're watching your sodium intake.
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/recip...-veg-sauce.php
http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/0647.html
* Olive oil and lemon juice (or butter and lemon juice if you eat
butter)
* Sounds like you like spicy stuff - maybe you could try stir frying
vegetables with garlic, hot chili pepper flakes and / or thai style
chili sauce (the kind with seeds)... and / or use chili oil. Again,
though, you'd probably want to use some soy sauce too, which might
have too much sodium for you.

Something like this might work:
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/a...1/rec0169.html
(this is not that healthy, but should be pretty tasty. You could skip
the deep frying step, though they won't be as good. If you can get
Chinese long beans instead of regular string beans, it will be better).
* I like to make a tofu and vegetable scramble - the tofu will absorb
the hot stuff better than most vegetables. I use a base of onions and
bell peppers, chili flakes, sometimes hot sauce.
* Indian, Japanese or Thai style curries.
* I don't know if you're vegetarian - either way, you could try
(commercial prepared) Furikake...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furikake - there are some vegetarian
versions, though most of them have some bonito flakes too. This can be
obtained at most Japanese markets. In general, you could try some
shredded toasted seaweed of some sort.
* Grilled or roasted vegetables have a great flavor of their own; you
could marinate them ahead of time in some combination of vinegar,
chili flakes, olive oil, soy sauce, etc.
* Some sort of cream sauce - when I was a kid (and before I was vegan) I
used to do a simple one with this stuff:
http://shop.chefpaul.com/index.asp?P...PROD&ProdID=67
(the spice is for pork and veal, but it's vegetarian).

Saute a bit of flour (maybe 2 Tbsp or so) and the seasoning in some
hot butter or oil (in a frying pan or saute pan), add maybe a cup of
milk or soy milk, and whisk smooth, cook until thick and creamy. This
is good as like a cream sauce on pasta, and would probably work well
on some cooked vegetables too.
* Toasted sesame oil has a very strong flavor. Adding a little bit
*after* cooking can give dishes a nice taste. It's recommended that
you don't cook with it (add after cooking), as the heat can apparantly
release some toxins.
* Since fruits were mentioned, and since you like spicy food, try
cayenne pepper on mango. I've never tried it, but a lot of people like
it.
* Of course, pasta sauce is a great vehicle for vegetables, and you can
throw in some chili flakes when you're sauteeing the onions to give it
a kick.

If you're interested in branching out from Tabasco, there are a lot of
other sauces that might work better. The http://www.painisgood.com/ are
pretty good (and I'd be surprised if you put it on something and didn't
find it to be hot). You could also try:
* Packaged "cajun" seasoning (if not too salty)
* Thai style chili sauce (either the smooth "rooster" sauce or the kind
with bits of seed in it.
* Chili oil

If I'm eating something like steamed vegetables, I don't find that hot
sauce works that well for seasoning - I'd rather have something with a
milder flavor. And remember... don't overcook your vegetables!

You don't have to make stuff with *only* vegetables... here's a recipe
that I found very tasty and flavorful recently:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/02...ellas-and.html

You could of course modify to use real dairy - I thought it was
delicious as-is.

Since you sound like you like bold, flavorful food, let me also suggest
checking out a couple of cookbooks.

* http://www.amazon.com/Bold-Vegetaria.../dp/0471212784
Haven't tried this myself, but I think I got a copy for a friend. Some
of the recipes look pretty good if it's the one I think it is.
* http://www.starz.bz/nativefoods/prod...m?product=1546
Cookbook from a Los Angeles restaurant (Native Foods)

Both of these might have a bunch of tofu, seitan, tempeh recipes, which
don't really go in the direction of your doctor's orders, but I think
you'll also find a bunch of pretty good flavorful vegetable recipes.

w
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Default Seasoning vegetables

John Ashby > wrote:
> Dick Adams wrote:


>> One of my doctors gave me a laundry list of things to do and
>> to not do. One was to eat less salt. Another was to eat more
>> fruits and vegetables.

>
> I would say that the first thing to do is to stop using the pepper
> sauce. All those hot and spicy condiments are killing off your taste
> buds....


First, I thank you for the time you have taken and the concern
you have shown in responding to my post.

I have been on numerous pain killers over the last 4 years
and have never fould cold turkey a problem. Until I started
having severe back problems, I gardened inside and out growing
my own habeneros. To the amazement of my wife, one day I ran
out of ground habenero. I have done without since than (over
a year) because the stuff is expensive at retail. My switch
to Chipotle was for much better taste and less heat.

> Next is to buy the best vegetables you can afford, defined by freshness
> and quality (there's a tautology for you, best defined by quality). You
> want crisp, healthy looking vegetables, but (there's always a but)
> don't just accept what the supermarket tells you are good-looking veg.
> Organic food can often look inferior, but because it isn't speed grown
> and pumped full of water, it will often have a far superior taste. Best
> of all, grow your own, organically if you can. If you do, then you'll
> find that different varieties of vegetables taste differently (you
> already know this about apples, I would guess). By growing your own,
> you can find varieties you like best and be sure of being able to eat
> them.


Excellent advice. It should be noted that organics grown
via hydroponics grow very fast and are oblivious to the
seasons of the year.

> Cooking: Don't. Oh, all right, if you must, but as little as you can get
> away with (in some cases, e.g. parsnips, that will still be quite a
> lot, in others, e.g. green beans, a few minutes (3 or 4) in as little
> water as possible or steamed will be great). Don't boil veg in great
> saucepans of water and then tip it down the sink - half the flavour
> goes out with it, as well as being dreadful for your carbon footprint.
> Roasting will also retain a fair amount of flavour and introduce some
> new ones by caramelising the sugars in root vegetables.


Isn't boiling vegetables a capital punishment offense?
My wife seems to think so.

It has always been my opinion that there is no reason to
heat water above pasteurization temperature (167F; 75C)
and the only reason people do is because they don't want
to take the time to use a thermometer!

Roasting had never occurred to me. Great idea!

Dick
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Will Yardley > wrote:
> Dick Adams > wrote:


>> I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
>> black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
>> and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
>> to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
>> I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
>> to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
>> sauce!
>>
>> What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
>> that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
>> recipes that have distinctive flavoring.


> Some suggestions here; don't know if any of these will work for you....
> so I just threw out a bunch of stuff. If you give more details on any
> other health restrictions you have, that might help people come up with
> some better ideas. For instance, do you need to avoid salt / sodium
> completely, are you also avoiding fat, sugar, or stuff like that?


My physical problems focus on debilitating back pain, the
insestinal havoc caused by prolonged use of prescription
opiates, the need to lose 75 to 90 lba (was 295; am 275),
and to be in condition so that the benefits of physical
therapy and exercise retain their effectivemess long-term.
In general, an overall life style change is required.

My doctor was reciting from a laundry list when he suggest
I reduce my sodium intake since I rarely add salt to anything.

> I think the bottom line is that you may need a sauce of some kind
> (with some sort of oil or starch) that will cling to the vegetables.
>
> * nut-based stuff, like a tahini sauce type thing... this will usually
> have something salty and something sweet in it too - you could try low
> sodium soy sauce if you're watching your sodium intake.
> http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/recip...-veg-sauce.php
> http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/0647.html
> * Olive oil and lemon juice (or butter and lemon juice if you eat
> butter)
> * Sounds like you like spicy stuff - maybe you could try stir frying
> vegetables with garlic, hot chili pepper flakes and / or thai style
> chili sauce (the kind with seeds)... and / or use chili oil. Again,
> though, you'd probably want to use some soy sauce too, which might
> have too much sodium for you.


We do stir fry and the salt content of soy sauce has
always overwhelmed me.

> Something like this might work:
> http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/a...1/rec0169.html
> (this is not that healthy, but should be pretty tasty. You could skip
> the deep frying step, though they won't be as good. If you can get
> Chinese long beans instead of regular string beans, it will be better).


We don't deep fry. Hever heard of Chinese long beans.
We are blessed with two large Korean supermarkets and
a few smaller oriential food stores within short drives
from us. So Chinese long beans will go on the shopping
list. You can't beat the prices in those supermarkets!

> * I like to make a tofu and vegetable scramble - the tofu will absorb
> the hot stuff better than most vegetables. I use a base of onions and
> bell peppers, chili flakes, sometimes hot sauce.


There is tofu in Chinese Hot-n-Sour soup which I love,
but we have never cooked with it as it has always seemed
bland to both of us.

> * Indian, Japanese or Thai style curries.


This is interesting. For some reason I always found Indian
cuisine to be less than mediocre until I spent some time in
England in the 90's. I must have frequented low quality
restaurants before that. There is an Indian Vegetarian
restaurant (Mango Grove) in Columbia, MD that is superb.
My wife now makes Indian style curries at least twice a
month. Thai is probably too spicy for her. Japanese
curry is unknown to both of us.

Great suggestion.

> * I don't know if you're vegetarian - either way, you could try
> (commercial prepared) Furikake...
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furikake - there are some vegetarian
> versions, though most of them have some bonito flakes too. This can be
> obtained at most Japanese markets. In general, you could try some
> shredded toasted seaweed of some sort.


Furikake has been written down for searching for availablity.
Anything new to add to rice is always appreciated.

I am not a vegetarian in the sense of avoiding meat products.
Do strict vegetarians avoid fish products.

> * Grilled or roasted vegetables have a great flavor of their own; you
> could marinate them ahead of time in some combination of vinegar,
> chili flakes, olive oil, soy sauce, etc.


Another poster suggested raosting and it is a great idea.

> * Some sort of cream sauce - when I was a kid (and before I was vegan) I
> used to do a simple one with this stuff:
> http://shop.chefpaul.com/index.asp?P...PROD&ProdID=67
> (the spice is for pork and veal, but it's vegetarian).
> Saute a bit of flour (maybe 2 Tbsp or so) and the seasoning in some
> hot butter or oil (in a frying pan or saute pan), add maybe a cup of
> milk or soy milk, and whisk smooth, cook until thick and creamy. This
> is good as like a cream sauce on pasta, and would probably work well
> on some cooked vegetables too.


Hey, flavor is flavor! Have written that one down too.

> * Toasted sesame oil has a very strong flavor. Adding a little bit
> *after* cooking can give dishes a nice taste. It's recommended that
> you don't cook with it (add after cooking), as the heat can apparantly
> release some toxins.


My wife mentioned the potential toxins in Sesame oil years ago.

> * Since fruits were mentioned, and since you like spicy food, try
> cayenne pepper on mango. I've never tried it, but a lot of people like
> it.


Laughingly, to me cayenne pepper is hot that hot unless
concentrated. Habeneros are as hot as they get, but
they have an awesome flavor if you add just enough to
get the flavor without being bowled over by the heat.

> * Of course, pasta sauce is a great vehicle for vegetables, and you can
> throw in some chili flakes when you're sauteeing the onions to give it
> a kick.


> If you're interested in branching out from Tabasco, there are a lot of
> other sauces that might work better. The http://www.painisgood.com/ are
> pretty good (and I'd be surprised if you put it on something and didn't
> find it to be hot). You could also try:
> * Packaged "cajun" seasoning (if not too salty)
> * Thai style chili sauce (either the smooth "rooster" sauce or the kind
> with bits of seed in it.
> * Chili oil
>
> If I'm eating something like steamed vegetables, I don't find that hot
> sauce works that well for seasoning - I'd rather have something with a
> milder flavor. And remember... don't overcook your vegetables!


Good point.

> You don't have to make stuff with *only* vegetables... here's a recipe
> that I found very tasty and flavorful recently:
> http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/02...ellas-and.html
>
> You could of course modify to use real dairy - I thought it was
> delicious as-is.


I just printed that off for my wife and bookmarked the page.
I especially like the recipe for the "Polenta Lasagna with
Portabellas and Kale". Mushrooms have always been a favorite
of mine. I found Kale within the last month and it is awesome
- a fraction of the cost of lettuce and unbelievably more
flavor. My outrageously picky-eater son likes it too.

> Since you sound like you like bold, flavorful food, let me also suggest
> checking out a couple of cookbooks.
>
> * http://www.amazon.com/Bold-Vegetaria.../dp/0471212784
> Haven't tried this myself, but I think I got a copy for a friend. Some
> of the recipes look pretty good if it's the one I think it is.
> * http://www.starz.bz/nativefoods/prod...m?product=1546
> Cookbook from a Los Angeles restaurant (Native Foods)


Bold I am - except when speaking with my wife.

> Both of these might have a bunch of tofu, seitan, tempeh recipes, which
> don't really go in the direction of your doctor's orders, but I think
> you'll also find a bunch of pretty good flavorful vegetable recipes.


Flavor is what it is all about. Recipes can be modified
to accomadate people.

I thank another poster for his time and concern in responding
to my post and thank you too.

I moderate a tax newsgroup (misc.taxes.moderated) and read
over two thousand posts a year there alone. Your response
to me ranks up there in the 1% of value-added posts I have
ever read. And for that I thank you even more.

Of course, when my wife is confronted with all the
information I have gathered here, she will have more
support for her argument that I spend too much time on
the computer and mske up a household thing-to-do mandate
to restrict mey time. LoL

Dick


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On 2007-03-13, Dick Adams > wrote:

>> Something like this might work:
>> http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/a...1/rec0169.html (this
>> is not that healthy, but should be pretty tasty. You could skip the
>> deep frying step, though they won't be as good. If you can get
>> Chinese long beans instead of regular string beans, it will be
>> better).


> We don't deep fry. Hever heard of Chinese long beans. We are blessed
> with two large Korean supermarkets and a few smaller oriential food
> stores within short drives from us. So Chinese long beans will go on
> the shopping list. You can't beat the prices in those supermarkets!


They look like a string bean, but they're really, really long, and kind
of wrinkly.
Look like this:
http://www.vegiworks.com/longbean.jpg

Some magazine (Cook's Illustrated, I think) recently did a pan fried
version of this with a lot less fat than the traditional recipe. I've
never hard a version of this that's as good as restaurant versions.

>> * I like to make a tofu and vegetable scramble - the tofu will absorb
>> the hot stuff better than most vegetables. I use a base of onions and
>> bell peppers, chili flakes, sometimes hot sauce.


> There is tofu in Chinese Hot-n-Sour soup which I love,
> but we have never cooked with it as it has always seemed
> bland to both of us.


Tofu itself *is* fairly bland; but that's the advantage - it soaks up a
lot of flavor. My favorite is frozen tofu - cut the tofu up in chunks
(not the silken kind - the one w/ a little rougher texture - medium or
firm). Once it's thawed again, it has a totally different texture - a
really nice, chewy texture. Thaw, squeeze out the moisture, and it will
soak up the flavor of whatever it's cooked in.

>> * Indian, Japanese or Thai style curries.


> Japanese curry is unknown to both of us.


The commercially prepared curry rouxs will probably be too salty for you
(and most have added MSG as well). It's really tasty and comforting,
though. Kind of a brownish roux, little salty, little sweet. Maybe
closer to an Indian curry than a Thai curry, but not really the same as
either.

>> * I don't know if you're vegetarian - either way, you could try
>> (commercial prepared) Furikake...
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furikake - there are some vegetarian
>> versions, though most of them have some bonito flakes too. This can be
>> obtained at most Japanese markets. In general, you could try some
>> shredded toasted seaweed of some sort.


> Furikake has been written down for searching for availablity.
> Anything new to add to rice is always appreciated.


Just plain sesame seeds (black or regular) are good too, or maybe even
hemp seeds. Anyway, you could aproximate your own Furikake with shredded
toasted nori (the kind of seaweed used for sushi rolls) and sesame
seeds. Health food stores sometimes have similar seasonings.

> I am not a vegetarian in the sense of avoiding meat products.
> Do strict vegetarians avoid fish products.


Yeah - I'd say most people would say that vegetarians don't eat fish. At
least I wouldn't consider someone who eats fish vegetarian, though I
certainly do have a lot of friends who are vegetarians besides fish.

> I just printed that off for my wife and bookmarked the page. I
> especially like the recipe for the "Polenta Lasagna with Portabellas
> and Kale". Mushrooms have always been a favorite of mine.


I love mushrooms too. They are very savory, and are one of the few
"meaty" ingredients that aren't trying to aproximate meat really. So if
you like mushrooms, you could also try a wild mushroom risotto, maybe
with some other vegetables (asparagus?) in there too.

w
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Default Seasoning vegetables

On 2007-03-13, Dick Adams > wrote:
>> * Since fruits were mentioned, and since you like spicy food, try
>> cayenne pepper on mango. I've never tried it, but a lot of people like
>> it.

>
> Laughingly, to me cayenne pepper is hot that hot unless
> concentrated. Habeneros are as hot as they get, but
> they have an awesome flavor if you add just enough to
> get the flavor without being bowled over by the heat.


Knowing that you like habanero is helpful! I was a little nervous
about recommending this, but my Very Favorite chile sauces are
Mountain Man fire-roasted habanero sauce. Since it's habanero, a
little goes a long way (hehe, but I still bought a case; from
http://cosmicchile.com though there are other suppliers online; back
when it was made in NY state (where I live), I would get it at the
local whole food store).

Also, I often use bottled sambal oelek (Indonesian chili sauce, plain
(no garlic, shrimp/trai/etc.)); I could eat it by the spoonful. There
are some Thai chili pastes, made with holy (or sweet) basil. This is
slightly oily, but INCREDIBLE. (I get those from a local Thai/SE
Asian grocery, but they are available online, too.)

You might also try/stock a few different kinds of chile products.
Penzeys Spices (http://penzeys.com) sells crushed dried jalapenos and
Aleppo pepper (not too hot, but beautiful flavor), as well as a myriad
of ground chiles. Finally, Spanish smoked paprika -- not as hot, or
as smoky as ground chipotle -- has a beautiful sweet, hot and savory
flavor. (You can also find a lot of dried or ground chiles at Latin
American groceries, if you prefer.)

>> If I'm eating something like steamed vegetables, I don't find that hot
>> sauce works that well for seasoning - I'd rather have something with a
>> milder flavor. And remember... don't overcook your vegetables!

>
> Good point.


Not-so-pungent herbs and spices are great with steamed veggies. Dill
seeds, and caraway are some of my favorites. In fact, part of my
dinner tonight was sweet peas warmed with braised onions/oregano/dill
seeds. (Ajwain seeds are highly reminiscent of thyme/oregano, but in
potent seed form; I use that a lot, too.)

Also, expanding on chile oil, when frying spices (e.g., cumin, chile,
coriander (very good with eggplant), fenugreek, cloves (use with
caution ), thyme/ajwain, garlic, etc.), the oil (rather than just
the toasted spices) can also be added to dishes to let the spice
flavors permeate. (Ethiopian niter kebbeh (spiced clarified butter)
is one of my favorites, in this vein.)

> I especially like the recipe for the "Polenta Lasagna with
> Portabellas and Kale". Mushrooms have always been a favorite
> of mine. I found Kale within the last month and it is awesome
> - a fraction of the cost of lettuce and unbelievably more
> flavor. My outrageously picky-eater son likes it too.


Nice!

I had posted a polenta lasagna-like recipe here a few years ago that
you might like to play with:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...da10993fb5281?

If I made it today, I'd augment the polenta with a handful of quinoa
(bumps up the lysine content), and might try a blue cheese sauce
instead of tomato + mozzarella (at least once in a while).

And yes, kale does rock! For a long time, I used it in preference to,
well, almost any other green. Still is a favorite.


Best of luck with your health, and good eating,
N.
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Dick Adams wrote:

> I just printed that off for my wife and bookmarked the page.
> I especially like the recipe for the "Polenta Lasagna with
> Portabellas and Kale". Mushrooms have always been a favorite
> of mine. I found Kale within the last month and it is awesome
> - a fraction of the cost of lettuce and unbelievably more
> flavor. My outrageously picky-eater son likes it too.
>


Oh dear, you just pushed one of my hot buttons. I'm an enormous fan of
kale, always have been. There's a good reason one of the best known
varieties is called Hungry Gap.

This may offend some, but as you say you're not vegetarian, I'll point
out that traditionally in North Germany, kale (gr\"unkohl) is served
with smoked sausage or smoked fatty meats. To placate the veg gods I
recently made a pastry plait stuffed with wilted borecole and Tesco's
vegetarian frankfurters chopped into 1cm chunks as a less intensely
flavoured version which worked well, served with a tomato sauce.

And the sprouting broccoli (both purple and white) season is just
starting. Now there's a vegetable that it's impossible to serve too
much of. Don't bother with the calabrese the supermarkets palm off on
you as broccoli, it's not worth the bother. Go for the real thing.

john
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"Dick Adams" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> One of my doctors gave me a laundry list of things to do and
> to not do. One was to eat less salt. Another was to eat more
> fruits and vegetables.
>
> It would be difficult for me to eat less salt. A year or so ago
> I salted a very bland piece of salmon and my wife commented that
> it was the first time she had ever seen me salt food. We had
> been together over 25 years when she said that.
>
> I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
> black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
> and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
> to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
> I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
> to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
> sauce!
>
> What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
> that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
> recipes that have distinctive flavoring.
>
> Dick


On the spicy Asian theme, my favourite is a hot, sweet and sour dressing - I
use lime juice, fresh chili/sambal olek, light soy sauce, sesame oil and
plum sauce/sugar but you can play around with the ingredients. It's great to
dress any dark green veg like broccoli or spinach. In the same vein, Madhur
Jaffrey has a nice kohl rabi salad recipe with lemon juice, sugar and
cayenne pepper. Julienne the veg, mix with dressing and top with chopped
peanuts, fresh coridander and fried onions.

Other things that spring to mind are fresh herbs and any sort of pesto.
Basil pesto is good on green beans or peas.

Kate
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On 2007-03-14, Natarajan Krishnaswami > wrote:

> Finally, Spanish smoked paprika -- not as hot, or as smoky as ground
> chipotle -- has a beautiful sweet, hot and savory flavor.


Yes! I always wondered if it *really* mattered if you used Spanish
paprika when making paella. The answer is "yes - it does". You can get a
set of hot, sweet, and bittersweet for not too much money, though people
in most areas (in the US, anyway) might have to mail-order it. The
smokey flavor is amazing.

w


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According to >:
>On 2007-03-14, Natarajan Krishnaswami > wrote:
>> Finally, Spanish smoked paprika -- not as hot, or as smoky as ground
>> chipotle -- has a beautiful sweet, hot and savory flavor.

>
>Yes! I always wondered if it *really* mattered if you used Spanish
>paprika when making paella. The answer is "yes - it does". You can get a
>set of hot, sweet, and bittersweet for not too much money, though people
>in most areas (in the US, anyway) might have to mail-order it. The
>smokey flavor is amazing.


Which reminds me ... has anyone got any good vegetarian paella
recipes that they can post, please? (Although it may be some time*
till I can get my hands on some decent saffron)

*June, when my parents go on holiday to Greece, I guess.

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On 2007-03-14, Vicky Conlan > wrote:
>
> Which reminds me ... has anyone got any good vegetarian paella
> recipes that they can post, please?


Yes! I have one that I love... I posted it here a while back.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...f1acfaee77fc8c

I adapted this from a few sources - mostly the book "Risotto Pilaf &
Paella", which I can't find available, but I believe is by Anne Wilson.

I forgot to put carrots in the recipe - there really should be some...
sliced and added with the other vegetables. If you can get dried or
canned broad beans (see below), they might also be a good (and
authentic) addition.

So far, I haven't tried making it over an open fire.

There are a ton of recipes (veg and not) on the inter-web. There are a
lot of different ways to make it.

> (Although it may be some time* till I can get my hands on some decent
> saffron)


Haven't you heard of the miracle of the inter-web? :> You can have
decent saffron delivered to your doorstep.
The Spanish Table is pretty good - http://www.spanishtable.com/.

They also sell paella pans, Bomba rice, and imported saffron for a
reasonable price. You should also be able to get most of the stuff at
Sur La Table if you're near one.

w
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On 2007-03-14, Vicky Conlan > wrote:
> (Although it may be some time* till I can get my hands on some
> decent saffron)


I had placed an order with http://www.saffron.com, (Vanilla, Saffron
Imports). They sell Iranian saffron (sargol short: cut saffron,
almost entirely just the red stigmas), vanilla products, other
extracts, dried mushrooms, paella pans, and posters.

My order consisted of a pound of vanilla beans ($20), a quart of
vanilla extract (extract of Mexican vanilla beans in cane spirits;
$15), and an ounce of saffron ($45). It arrived today! They threw in
a bar of saffron soap and a smaller bottle (4oz?) of vanilla extract,
with my order of an ounce of saffron.

The saffron looks and smells HEAVENLY -- intensely red, and sweeter
and less musty/medicinal than the saffron I had been using; good
enough to eat -- I've nibbled on a few strands already.


(A spring saffron-themed menu has been slowly taking shape in my head,
but it's not ready to post about yet.... )


N., no affiliation, beyond satisfied customer.
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According to >:
>On 2007-03-14, Vicky Conlan > wrote:
>> (Although it may be some time* till I can get my hands on some
>> decent saffron)

>I had placed an order with http://www.saffron.com, (Vanilla, Saffron
>Imports). They sell Iranian saffron (sargol short: cut saffron,
>almost entirely just the red stigmas), vanilla products, other
>extracts, dried mushrooms, paella pans, and posters.
>
>My order consisted of a pound of vanilla beans ($20), a quart of
>vanilla extract (extract of Mexican vanilla beans in cane spirits;
>$15), and an ounce of saffron ($45). It arrived today! They threw in
>a bar of saffron soap and a smaller bottle (4oz?) of vanilla extract,
>with my order of an ounce of saffron.


Ah, sounds ideal, except I forgot to point out I'm in the UK. :-/
But thank you for responding.
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On 2007-03-25, Vicky Conlan > wrote:
> Ah, sounds ideal, except I forgot to point out I'm in the UK. :-/
> But thank you for responding.


Yeah, I vaguely remembered that, sorry. I figured I'd go ahead and
post about them anyway, since others might find the info useful.
(Although, given the favorable exchange rate, I'm curious whether
ordering from the US might still be competitive.)


So one of the first things I decided to do with the glut of vanilla
was infuse some vinegar. I had a bit of trouble deciding what kind to
use, and settled on sherry vinegar. This may have been a mistake,
given how strongly flavored it already is. And since it's oaked, it
probably already has plenty of vanillin from the wood. Oh well. One
benefit of having such an excess of vanilla beans is that it changes
the question from "why?" to "why not?" -- I can just try again with
another vinegar if this doesn't turn out well. (Or, for that matter,
even if it does!)


N.


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Yes! I always wondered if it *really* mattered if you used Spanish
paprika when making paella. The answer is "yes - it does". You can get a
set of hot, sweet, and bittersweet for not too much money, though people
in most areas (in the US, anyway) might have to mail-order it. The
smokey flavor is amazing.
__________________
Kitchen cabinet hardware
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Sometimes all you need is the right herb or spice to turn a plain vegetable into a spectacular side dish. And sometimes the best way to season a vegetable is by cooking it with another vegetable, or with fruit or fruit juice. To get some different ideas for adding great flavour to cooked vegetables you can search interesting tips and ideas on good vegan food sites like Sheffafoods; you would surely get some awesome ideas there.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Adams[_2_] View Post
One of my doctors gave me a laundry list of things to do and
to not do. One was to eat less salt. Another was to eat more
fruits and vegetables.

It would be difficult for me to eat less salt. A year or so ago
I salted a very bland piece of salmon and my wife commented that
it was the first time she had ever seen me salt food. We had
been together over 25 years when she said that.

I am eating more fruits and vegetables. My usual condiments are
black pepper from a grinder, ground garlic, ground hot peppers,
and hot pepper sauce. I recently switched from regular Tabasco
to their Chipotle variety because it has more of a flavor that
I like. What is happenning is that I am finding vegetable dishes
to be bland in spite of these seasonings - even through pepper
sauce!

What I would appreciate are some suggestions as to condiments
that bring out the flavor of cooked vegetables and URL's for
recipes that have distinctive flavoring.

Dick
Try Mrs Dash!
It comes in a shaker and is a sodium free replacemetn for salt. It is a mix of all kinds of seasonings- I really love it;
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