Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Potato Substitute?

Potatoes are a great filler food; cheap and versatile. But of course in terms of nutrition it's not the best to eat in large quantities because of the starch and sugar. Is there a good substitute that can be used as a substitute (can still be mashed or stir fried) way but the body can process it in a more nutritious way?

(I know the mashed cauliflower trick - my parents love making it but ugh.)

Potatoes are a great filler food; cheap and versatile. But of course in terms of nutrition it's not the best to eat in large quantities because of the starch and sugar. Is there a good substitute that can be used as a substitute (can still be mashed or stir fried) way but the body can process it in a more nutritious way?

(I know the mashed cauliflower trick - my parents love making it but ugh.)

I don't understand your comments. Potatoes are very nutritious. The Irish peasants survived on them and little else thanks to their nutritional value.

Not that they're not nutritious but that they tend to be very carb & sugar heavy. So if I'm trying to cut back on carbs it's not a great choice. For example whenever I make myself pasta it's always whole wheat, after a bowl I feel pretty good versus regular pasta I can eat and never feel full. Seeing if there's a similar substitute for potatoes that people use in their cooking.

Oh - and if you do make it to NYC there's a museum devoted to the potato famine on the west side you might be interested in visiting.

i use a lot of sweet potato...on the theory that it's better for me.

Air, the califlower trick is good IF you don't go pure califlower. Try mixing some potatoe. Find the least amount of potatoe that you can use - Usually about 1/3 potatoe makes it to where I can't tell the difference. But it is a huge difference in starch.

Oh - and if you do make it to NYC there's a museum devoted to the potato famine on the west side you might be interested in visiting.

Thanks. Have I been invited to NYC?

I wonder if this Irish Potato Famine museum refutes the nuttery of the cult of "famine denial" I've heard about. Some Irish deny any such event as the Famine happened, or they claim it wasn't near as severe as it's been described. Often they tend to be Irish of British descent. No one wants to admit their ancestors committed genocide.

Not that they're not nutritious but that they tend to be very carb & sugar heavy. So if I'm trying to cut back on carbs it's not a great choice. For example whenever I make myself pasta it's always whole wheat, after a bowl I feel pretty good versus regular pasta I can eat and never feel full. Seeing if there's a similar substitute for potatoes that people use in their cooking.

OK. I understand. My Irish ancestors tended to work harder than we do, so they needed all those carbs. Twelve hours a day of field work burns thousands of calories, and the potato, along with other vegetables, milk/cream/butter, and meat every now and then, fueled them and kept them healthy.

There's always Turnips. ;)

Steak...I substitute steak...not healthy, but I like it.

I just picked up some turnips - may give those a go tomorrow. I got cauliflower too, I may give the mixing thing a go but I really hate cooked vegetables - will always rather them raw or pan fried so they're still mostly raw.

There's always Turnips. ;)

Ha - when I went there weren't even any labels on them but I picked them up as an experiment. When they ran up as turnips I was happy - you must have been guiding me :D

Thanks. Have I been invited to NYC?

Anytime!

Steak...I substitute steak...not healthy, but I like it.

Picked up a bunch of turkey meat - use that as a base for my meats. I'll have a steak every once in a while too :)

Picked up a bunch of turkey meat - use that as a base for my meats. I'll have a steak every once in a while too :)

I actually haven't had a steak in ages, but a boy can dream can't he?

There's always Turnips. ;)

Next you'll be suggesting rutabagas...

East Hill

or parsnips

or parsnips

Parsnips rule.....








No seriously...


Parsnip Soup
1 Medium Yellow Onion, 1/4" Dice
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
5lbs Parsnips peeled and slice 1/4" thick
1 Cup Very Dry White Wine
Vegetable Broth
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
White Pepper
Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup heavy cream (optional but the soup feeds many so the fat increases very little per serving)

Sweat Onion and garlic in olive oil in dutch oven with heavy pinch of salt until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add Parsnips and continue sweat until the color slightly, about 15 more minutes. Deglaze with white wine and simmer till most of the liquid is gone. Add Vegetable broth till vegetables are almost covered. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook until parsnips are very soft 45 - 90 minutes depending on parsnips and how small you cut them. Puree soup in food processor or with hand blender. Force through sieve. Add, nutmeg, cayenne, and cream. Add salt and white pepper to correct seasoning.

Takes some time, but very much worth the effort, especially if it is very cold.

I have many more soup recipes if anyone is interested.

If you're looking for "filler food", carrots can be mashed (not just for babies :)), steamed, eaten raw solo or as a side or in a salad, and stir-fried and are pretty cheap (5 pounds for < $2).

If you're looking for "filler food", carrots can be mashed (not just for babies :)), steamed, eaten raw solo or as a side or in a salad, and stir-fried and are pretty cheap (5 pounds for < $2).

Also try mixing carrots and potatoes when you make mashed potatoes... neat orange color and very tasty...

I do a soup version of that one as well.... but its a trade secret... sorry.

I've been trying to wean myself off potatoes and have had some success with lentils - very high in protein!

Of course, this is interrupted by the occasional detour to McDonalds for the fries, which I've heard maintain their golden color for months

Mushrooms. Large caps can be grilled like a hamburger. Mix them into pasta sauce to add texture. Put them on a pizza. Toss them in a stir fry.

Yeah, I love mushrooms. I'll throw some in a casserole dish with some squash, some olive oil & Italian seasonings, mix, broil for 15 mins. Yum.

So can I make turnips and parsnips just like I would potatoes? Will give it a go tomorrow.

Parsnips rule.....


No seriously...



Mashed parsnips and pears!

Peel, cube and boil parsnips until mashable.
Poach an equal amount of Bosc pear (peeled and cored).

Mash together and eat up, bub. It's good.

Mashed parsnips and pears!

Peel, cube and boil parsnips until mashable.
Poach an equal amount of Bosc pear (peeled and cored).

Mash together and eat up, bub. It's good.

I like your style, not tried it, but i will

Peas, too. I usually have a big bowl at night. Yum. :)

[QUOTE=The Historian;5776398]I don't understand your comments. Potatoes are very nutritious. The Irish peasants survived on them and little else thanks to their nutritional value.[/QUOTE

Russet potatoes will spike your glycemic index higher then table sugar. Their skins are great. As someone else mentions sweet potatoes are a great substitute. I have never tried it but I hear they make great healthy french fries.

Sweet potato fries are incredibly awesome. They are actually better in terms of sugar/starch than regular potatoes? Had no idea, figured they'd be worse since they're so sweet.

[My favorite sweet potato recipe. Boil sweet potatoes (or pour in a big can or two) till soft. Add some pumpkin filling. Add some maple syrup, some brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and using one of those hand wands whip the whole thing up. Good enough for a desert!]

I want to correct what I said about sweet potatoes I meant yams. Had a brain fart.

What about Rutabaga? You can cut mashed potatoes with rutabaga like the cauliflower trick you had mentioned. If you can handle the sour taste give rhubarb a try(its really not that bad). Boil it up until tender then add just enough cinnamon sugar to make it palatable. Personally I prefer my rhubarb raw right out of the garden but to each his own.

Anyways, rutabaga has 50 calories a cup, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 3.5 grams of fiber. Source (http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/Food_Guide/Rutabagas.htm)

Rhubarb has 26 calories a cup, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fiber. Source (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20XA.html)

I want to correct what I said about sweet potatoes I meant yams. Had a brain fart.

Yams are sweet potatoes, they are the orange fleshed sweet potatoes introduced to the US in the mid 20th century. They were given the Yam name to distinguish them from other types of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato fries are incredibly awesome. They are actually better in terms of sugar/starch than regular potatoes? Had no idea, figured they'd be worse since they're so sweet.

[My favorite sweet potato recipe. Boil sweet potatoes (or pour in a big can or two) till soft. Add some pumpkin filling. Add some maple syrup, some brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and using one of those hand wands whip the whole thing up. Good enough for a desert!]

Down south I believe thats the filling for sweet potato pie. Delicious!:)

What about Rutabaga? You can cut mashed potatoes with rutabaga like the cauliflower trick you had mentioned. If you can handle the sour taste give rhubarb a try(its really not that bad). Boil it up until tender then add just enough cinnamon sugar to make it palatable. Personally I prefer my rhubarb raw right out of the garden but to each his own.

Anyways, rutabaga has 50 calories a cup, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 3.5 grams of fiber. Source (http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/Food_Guide/Rutabagas.htm)

Rhubarb has 26 calories a cup, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fiber. Source (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20XA.html)

Spoken by the Clyde Forum's own Mountain Man! :-)

Spoken by the Clyde Forum's own Mountain Man! :-)

Haha, the mountain man who now makes his home in Harrisburg.

My mom loved both rutabaga and rhubarb so I had the "pleasure" of growing up on them. Rhubarb practically grows wild, if you own some property plant a bit of it in a wet area and watch is grow like burdock. Takes a few years for that to happen, but eventually you have a rhubarb patch that the lawn mower is no match for.

Please don't call me out on my inner hillbillyness. If you do I may be inclined to teach you how to ferment your own peach brandy in mason jars;).

Please don't call me out on my inner hillbillyness. If you do I may be inclined to teach you how to ferment your own peach brandy in mason jars;).

Embrace your inner hillbilly! Go to the produce section at the grocery and see what people put in their baskets. How many people there think that the extent of vegetables is iceberg lettuce, hothouse tomatoes, carrots and bell peppers?
The breadth of vegetables I grew up eating is due in no small part to living in a farming town. After college I lived in a rural farming outskirt of town, (not the same town I grew up in, and "town" there was really just a 4 block long intersection of 2 streets.) I got introduced to even more foods, especially wild edibles that my housemate and I went foraging for back on our property.
Now my inner hillbilly goes hunting for wild mushrooms to keep my inner chef supplied with chanterelles and morels. He also helps my fiancee answer the country music questions on her Facebook quizzes.

Haha, the mountain man who now makes his home in Harrisburg.

My mom loved both rutabaga and rhubarb so I had the "pleasure" of growing up on them. Rhubarb practically grows wild, if you own some property plant a bit of it in a wet area and watch is grow like burdock. Takes a few years for that to happen, but eventually you have a rhubarb patch that the lawn mower is no match for.

Please don't call me out on my inner hillbillyness. If you do I may be inclined to teach you how to ferment your own peach brandy in mason jars;).

Will you instruct us in how to prepare squirrel?

Will you instruct us in how to prepare squirrel?

You know, this is a serious question.

I moderate at a wildlife site based in the UK. The UK is now plagued with Eastern Grey Squirrels. We had a contest to see who could come up with the most appealing recipe.

http://www.wildlifeuk.net/wildlife-uk-competition-1-grey-squirrel-recipe-f-53.html

So, enquiring minds and all that!

East Hill

You know, this is a serious question.

I moderate at a wildlife site based in the UK. The UK is now plagued with Eastern Grey Squirrels. We had a contest to see who could come up with the most appealing recipe.

http://www.wildlifeuk.net/wildlife-uk-competition-1-grey-squirrel-recipe-f-53.html

So, enquiring minds and all that!

East Hill

Bautieri gave me advice on preparing the annoying critters. Let them soak in salted water for 24 hours beforehand.

Bautieri gave me advice on preparing the annoying critters. Let them soak in salted water for 24 hours beforehand.

Salt and brown sugar (1:3 ratio) makes the best simple brining solution. The brown sugar will help with the caramelization when you grill the meat.

Salt and brown sugar (1:3 ratio) makes the best simple brining solution. The brown sugar will help with the caramelization when you grill the meat.

Nice tip!

East Hill

Will you instruct us in how to prepare squirrel?

The best thing you can do is take care of them as soon as possible(as with any wild game). If they get too cold the fur is difficult to remove. Field dress it, remove the entrails, remove the head, remove the tail and set aside (every hillbilly worth his salt has an entire collection of them), cut off the feet, starting at the rear end slice through the skin three inches down the spine, fold skin flaps to make a handle, remove like a wet gym sock.

Quarter the animal and soak it in salt water overnight to remove the game taste. From there you can pan fry them, grill them, bake them, make a stew or gumbo out of them, skewer and roast them whole, or my personal favorite: fry them like chicken wings.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9210/threaddirectionkv8.gif

^^^

The squirrels do seem to have sent this thread in rather a different direction...but that's very handy information and I think I will have to post the directions on the WildlifeUK site (although everyone there is rather softhearted and I'm not entirely certain they would use the directions :) ).

East Hill

East Hill


but that's very handy information and I think I will have to post the directions on the WildlifeUK site (although everyone there is rather softhearted and I'm not entirely certain they would use the directions :) ).

See, thats part of the problem with people. They have become far to detached from the process of living animal to your dinner plate. Then again, one could make some nice coin on the side processing them part time.

Squirrel Recipes (http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html)

East Hill



See, thats part of the problem with people. They have become far to detached from the process of living animal to your dinner plate. Then again, one could make some nice coin on the side processing them part time.

Squirrel Recipes (http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html)

Lovely link!

Actually, because this is a UK based website, most of the people there do not own guns. Air rifles are about as serious as most of them can get, making it a bit more difficult. They would really like to get rid of the EGSs because they are a terrible nuisance in England. The Eastern Greys have introduced squirrel pox, which has killed off virtually the entire native red squirrel population :( .

East Hill

Lovely link!

Actually, because this is a UK based website, most of the people there do not own guns. Air rifles are about as serious as most of them can get, making it a bit more difficult. They would really like to get rid of the EGSs because they are a terrible nuisance in England. The Eastern Greys have introduced squirrel pox, which has killed off virtually the entire native red squirrel population :( .

East Hill

Oh no! She mentioned firearms! Duck everyone, here come the gun control arguments!

Ok, well, back to the potato substitutes then :) .

East Hill

Oh no! She mentioned firearms! Duck everyone, here come the gun control arguments!

Where do potato guns fit into this? ;)

Oh no! She mentioned firearms! Duck everyone, here come the gun control arguments!

Gun control is hitting your target.

Grey Squirrels are not the brightest critters around, they are fairly simple to lure into box traps. My favorite are the havahearts (http://www.havahart.com/nuisance/squirrels/traps_for_squirrels.asp), they are tough enough to catch and hold angry raccoons. The handles up top keep your hands clear of teeth and claws. Yes I've been bit by a squirrel...a grey one go figure.

Disposing of the creatures once in the box would be another matter. A close range shot with a pellet gun would not be advisable due to the ricochet potential. I suppose you could drown the little fellas, but that defeats the purpose of the humane trap. The trap is made of metal so you could electrocute them pretty easily. Ah, I got it. Empty the trap over a homemade punji pit. They go from nuisance to kebab in one simple step :D

Where do potato guns fit into this? ;)

As a long distance rapid response carbohydrate delivery system.

As a long distance rapid response carbohydrate delivery system.

:p

No Havaharts, but humane live traps are available in the UK...

And now back to potato substitutes!

East Hill