JusticeZero

Not strictly bike related, though it'd be good to see some recipes that are portable..
What's some good healthy foods and food tips you've found? I know i've been having problems with cutting back on meats, because my perception is that all vegetarians eat is either "fake overpriced meat made out of tofu" or "beans with various seasonings". We find fake meat vile (if we want a steak we'll make one - using the recipe below) and while we like beans, the people around us don't appreciate it when we eat too many. Not sure it that's temporary or what..

Koshered Steak:
Petite Sirloin Steak (which is extremely lean) cut into single servings ('deck of card' sized). Thicker seems to work better.
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Worchestershire sauce
Drip a few drops of worchestershire on the steak, and sprinkle some garlic powder on top lightly. Absolutely cover in the kosher salt. You shouldn't see any meat when you're done. Let sit for 45 minutes. Rinse steak completely to remove all salt, pat dry. Spray grill lightly with oil at medium heat, cook 8 minutes (don't mess with it!), spray top very lightly with oil (to avoid sticking), flip, cook 8 more minutes (don't mess with it!), serve.
Why: Makes very good tender steak that's not actually all that salty out of a cheap and importantly, VERY VERY LEAN cut of meat. We don't use steak sauce on these, and eat it with a plastic knife.

Turkey Tacos:

1/2 lb ground turkey breast
1 rounded tbsp tomato boullion (this is very processed, but I have yet to find an adequate substitute)
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp parsley flakes
juice from one lime
1-2 cups water
Combine all ingredients in a pan or large pot at high heat. Stirring frequently, boil until all excess liquid has boiled off.
Serve with dark-leafed salad mix and whatever else you would put on a taco without destroying the nutritional value. Low-fat and very flavorful. Can be stuffed in a vacuum bottle to eat later that day.

mthayer

Not cool about the statements dissing vegetarians like that. I quit eating land roaming animals over 2 years ago and it was the best thing that i did for myself. I feel so much better than when i was eating meat. I still eat fish, shrimp and other seafood items, but i tend to eat more vegetarian. Instead of having a steak, try eating a tuna steak instead. I simply put salt pepper, maybe a little garlic powder on it, cook it like a regular steak on the grill or in a pan, and you can cook it from rare to well done. I like mine medium.

JusticeZero

I have said nothing dissing vegetarians.
When I look for recipes without meat, I get either "Here's a whole bunch of ways you can use soymeat to make something that pretends to be loaded with burgers and sausage and so on!" or "First, make a bunch of ____ beans.."
I have never seen a fake meat I liked. For the same reason that I cannot help but grimace at things like "Tofurkey", I cannot imagine liking, say, a "carnisalad" featuring "bloody lettuce" made out of processed turkey treated with green food coloring and pork "tomatork slices". I view both in the exact same way.
The other day, I made vegetarian tacos, with a black bean and refried bean base plus pico de gallo, cornmeal, and seasonings. The flavor got rave reviews, but these were followed by significant levels of digestive embarrassment at the workplace. Making more dishes that have those effects are going to be a hard sell, if it will continue to do the same.
Finally, the other people in my family have an iodine sensitivity. They still need some in their diet, but the concentration at which it becomes toxic is much lower than average. If it comes out of the ocean, and is more than a mild garnish or flavoring, it will cause them to break out in itchy hives. Most seafood is thus out.
Therefore, we eat particularly lean beef, turkey, and some chicken, in smaller portions than most.

VegasVic

Salt and pepper some scallops and sear in a pan. A few minutes before they are cooked through, turn off the heat and finish with simply lemon juice (1 or 2 lemons depending on size), garlic, and a ton of cilantro.

I could eat this every day with grilled asparagus or green beans.

steve85

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers!!!

1 - Pack of Ground Turkey 1-1.5lbs (I use the Jenny-O prepackaged stuff I think its 1.25-1.5 pounds of meat and that makes 4 good sized burgers)
4 - Slices/strips of any brand Turkey Bacon(I use Butterball or whats on sale)
2 - slices of Provolone Cheese(fold or cut in half so you are left with 4 half slices)
1/2 - Onion chopped(optional)

1st - I cook the Turkey Bacon. I just break the strips in half so you have 8 half strips. They cook very fast. After the bacon is cooked set it aside, pat it dry if you want but it very lean.

2nd - I dump the Ground Turkey and/or chopped onions(optional) into a bowl and season it and mix the seasoning is by hand. *This can get messy so make sure your meat is cold so it's easier to work with.* This process should only take <min.
Once mixed and seasoned. I use my hand to make a cross in the meat to divide it in to 4 pretty equal portions.

3rd - Making patties! It can be a bit tricky but it doesn't have to be prefect. The 4 portions are plenty.
Take one portion of meat break off a little less than half maybe 1/3 and use that to cover the top. You want to for the base of the patty with the other 2/3. I make it the size of the palm of my hand(I have big hands), then put a half slice of Provolone cheese, then 2 half slices of bacon on top.
Next take the 1/3 of meat you set aside for the top and place it on top of the cheese and bacon and just shape in a patty. Try to cover up as much cheese and you can but it does not have to be perfect. It's normal to have bacon or cheese sticking out the side. If your cheese is too long when you first put it on the patty just fold the long ends in to make sort of a square or rectangle(again does not have to be perfect).
Just repeat that 3 more times and your are ready to cook.

You can grill these, or cook in a skillet like you would any burger.

Hope this wasn't too long or confusing it's actually pretty easy because I'm not that great of a cook. And they taste very good!

Seattle Forrest

IAmCosmo

You're doing it wrong.

You just need to eat a meal made by someone who knows how to cook, or pick up any of the hundreds of the cookbooks out there that use ingredients other than fake meat or beans.

And most "fake meat" isn't made of tofu.

JohnA42

No, it's made of FAIL.

IAmCosmo

Millions of vegans and vegetarians would disagree.

Thalia

You can definitely eat vegetarian without "fake meat" -- I'm not a fan of it either. However, there will likely be some beans involved, because they're yummy and high-protein. You will have fewer digestive problems if you regularly eat beans and your body adjusts, but in the meantime you can take a product like Beano, which is a flavorless, odorless enzyme that helps you digest the beans (hate the name Beano, but the stuff works).

Last night we had falafel burgers:

2 tbsps. olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced onion (about half an onion, don't sweat the quantities too much)
cumin to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 grated or minced carrot
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tbsp. tahini or peanut butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda (NOT baking powder)
1 tsp salt

Saute the onion in one tablespoon olive oil until it softens, then add the cumin, carrot, and garlic and saute another two minutes or so. Dump into a bowl and add the chickpeas, then moosh them with a potato masher until the beans are mostly smashed (you can also do this in a food processor, but I never bother because it's one more thing to wash). Stir in the parsley and tahini. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, soda, and salt, then stire those into the bean mixture until well mixed. Form the mixtures into patties (helps if you wet or flour your hands) -- makes four great big burgers, or six petite burgers.

Wipe out the skillet, add the other tbsp. olive oil, and heat over medium-high. cook the patties for a minute on one side until nice and brown but not burned, then flip, cook another three minutes or so, then flip again to cook a final minute. Serve on buns with whatever condiments you like: dijon mustard, mayo, yogurt, lettuce, peppers, hot sauce, or whatever. Also good with cheese melted on top, or you can skip the bun and serve the patties on a bed of greens.

No beans:

Frittata (basically a baked omelette) with any combo of fillings you like: cooked greens and mushrooms, noodles and tomatoes, cheese and caramelized onion. Cold frittata can be sliced and carried along with you, it's a great picnic/portable food. You just beat some eggs, stir in filling and seasonings, then heat a cast-iron skillet with some olive oil in the bottom. Pour the egg mixture in and let it cook on medium on top of your burner, then when the sides are set but the top is runny, throw it in the broiler. Broil until the top is brown and puffy, then slice and eat hot or let it cool and eat at room temp.

Devilled eggs: Hardboil eggs, then peel, cut in half, and mix the yolks with mayo and mustard/capers/hot sauce/whatever you like. scoop back into egg halves and sprinkle with paprika to make it look fancy. Also very portable!

Quinoa salad: Quinoa is delicious, filling, and high-protein, so a great choice to replace pasta or couscous in a cold salad. Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions, mix in whatever you want, and dress with a lemon vinaigrette. There are a trillion variations on this in cookbooks and online -- with turmeric and North African flavors, with cherry tomatoes and pine-nuts and Italian flavors, with corn and jalapeno and South American flavors ... you can go crazy with it.

Pasta with pesto: I don't have quantities on hand, but throw fresh basil leaves, parmesan (real parm, not from a shaker), olive oil, salt, and pine nuts in the blender. Add more basil and nuts to make thicker, more oil to thin, taste often until the balance of flavors seems perfect. Serve on hot pasta (also good on top of veggies, or you can float a big dollop on soup).

indyfabz

[QUOTE=JusticeZero;12977222]I have never seen a fake meat I liked.QUOTE]

Personally, I judge with my tastebuds, but that's just me.

And I agree with those who understand that it's not simply a choice of no meat or "fake meat." I wish I could say that I find it unbelievable that an adult could labor under the misperception that "all vegetarians eat is either "fake overpriced meat made out of tofu' or 'beans with various seasonings'," but very little in this day and age surpises me, expecially when it come to dietary issues.

BHOFM

Meat, fire, eat!

Seattle Forrest

Thalia

OMg, now I want Indian food!

I'm not a vegetarian, btw -- but my 10-year-old is, and I'm trying to cut back somewhat on meat.