HEALTH NUTS....PLEASE HELP!!!!!

alli_baba

This is one of my favorite tofu recipes (even my husband, who normally hates tofu, loves this) -- I honestly could eat this every single day (I normally sub the vegetables for whatever I have on hand -- broccoli, carrots, etc.)

From the Smitten Kitchen blog (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/)

Peanut Sesame Noodles
Adapted from Gourmet, June 2002

Servings: Makes 6 side-dish or 4 vegetarian main-course servings.

For peanut dressing
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes or a splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice

For noodles
3/4 lb dried soba nooodles (dried linguine fini or spaghetti will work in a pinch)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
Half a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Put dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.

Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, cucumber and tofu to dressing, tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

nomicat77

I've been on a quest to eat healthy since I was in my early 20's, for over 30 years now. This means I eat mostly organic, whole, unprocessed foods. I do eat canned organic white, black, pinto, etc beans. And I sometimes eat Annie's canned soups. But for the most part nothing out of a can or box for me.

Oh and since August 2012 I've been eating mainly vegan. Since then I've also stopped eating flour based products, which means I don't eat bread, cake, pies, cookies, muffins, pasta, etc. (I do eat Ezekiel brand flour-less sprouted grain bread and rice pasta).

My diet consists mainly of organic fresh fruits, berries, veggies, lentils, legumes, seeds, nuts, cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, raw honey, coconut milk, cider vinegar, other organic vinegars, Ezekiel bread, quinoa, rice, millet, barley, tempeh, miso and seaweed.

As far as your questions . . .

Quinoa is an incredible food. It cooks up like a grain but it is actually considered a seed. It has a complete amino acid profile meaning it is a very good protein source. And it cooks up quick! It can be eaten like cooked cereal with fruit for breakfast. Or it can be cooked and eaten with a savory meal. I like cooking it and then topping it with cooked veggies. Or cooking it and then adding chopped raw veggies and an olive oil/light vinegar dressing. You can add it to soups, casseroles and stews. You can even make it into a dessert like rice pudding I suppose. Many recipes available online. I have a cookbook just on quinoa.

Tofu - DON'T EAT IT. Google search "soy products bad" and a bunch of articles will be pulled up regarding the dangers of soy. This includes soy oil, tofu and soy milk. However, FERMENTED SOY is very good for you. Tempeh, natto, miso are examples of fermented soy products.

Chia seeds are great in blender drinks. That's the only way I've tried them so far. They act as a thickener so they probably have other applications in cooking.

As far as the kale, I'd try adding it to a blenderized smoothie like suggested. I make them with frozen fruit, juice, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, unrefined coconut oil, and a few leaves of kale. But if this doesn't digest well, there are so many other dark, nutritious greens. If I were you I'd try another. We grow greens year round. Right now we have a row of lovely spinach in our greenhouse. Other greens to consider are mustard greens, turnip greens, arugula, watercress. Then there are other hard to find greens like purslane that are good for you. The hard to find veggies I suggest growing yourself :flowerforyou:

you are right abouit the tofu. I was just doing research it says stick with Tempah or Miso..because they are fermented but avoid Tofu and Soy Milk. I already avoid soy milk. I'm a coconut/almond milk finatic.
I can't grow greens I live in South Philly. I try other greens. I can't really stomach the Kale.
I'm going to have to try the Quinnoa. and possibly the Chia seeds,. depends on the cost.
Thank you for your imput. Do you have a puvlic diary?

nomicat77

i tried once and they weren't burnt nastiness. i'll have to try again. i really want to like them. i need a healthy snacking treat my daughter and i can gobble mindlessly while watching netflix. i'm a terrible cook.

Kale chips are definitely easy to over do. I usually do them at 350 for five minutes MAX, and watch them like a hawk. But if your body isn't dealing with it well, try other leafy greens like others have said (I saw someone mention swiss chard, and I personally love rainbow chard, which is also ridiculously pretty haha).

Is there a particular reason you're looking to all these things on your quest for healthy? Not that there's anything wrong with any of them or wanting to eat them, but if you don't like them/can't digest them/can't figure out a tasty way to cook them, depending on what healthy benefits you're looking to obtain, there are usually substitutes.

No particular reason. Just trying to eat healthier. I eat pretty healthy already but I'm not consistent. and I have a 15 year old that I've been trying to sneak healthy things all her life. She likes Kale Chips, hates mine. 5 minutes MAX at 350. I have to try that. I've never seen Rainbow Chard. Sounds cool.

mariabee

i see not very many people responded to this add, i'm thinking not many people care about nutrition on this website which blows my mind. i'm trying to lose weight because i want a better better health, i want to live long. but most people on here only care about calories.

i wish they had a MyHealthyPal.

In my opinion, this website is just the opposiite, nutrition is one of the main reasons people are here. The onus is on you to find what works best for you, go to the Search button above and type in Kale, or Tofu, or Quinoa... thousands of results will come up.

Your title is very generic, perhaps that's why not too many people responded.

Just curious though, if you don't like certain foods, why eat it? You can find so many other foods to fill you up that you actually enjoy.

I've never met anyone that hates quinoa, so good luck with that one. It's awesome.