English: Veggie Burger and Sweet Potato fries at Kays (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WE went antique shopping in Pennsylvania yesterday and stopped at an italian restaurant for lunch. It looked like a nice place, outdoor seating a cool bar area and indoor area. The menu was a give away. Under cold sandwiches there was only one out of 10 without meat, mozzarella and tomato. Under hot there again was one out of 8, eggplant parmesan. I ordered the eggplant. What a mistake! It was heavily fried and dark in color. Oily in texture (so it wasn’t fried at correct temperatures). I can go into restaurants and bars in the middle of no where and find a Portobello mushroom sandwich in place of a hamburger or a veggie burger.
Some places just don’t get it. They cook the like short order chefs and not real chefs. There menus are uninspiring and mostly meat and fried foods. You couldn’t find a vegetable if you paid them (romaine lettuce doesn’t count). Why in Europe can I find great food even on the autostradas but here it is very hard? Let’s cut back on portion size, fried foods, meats and serve interesting well prepared foods. I would pay for that!
When I used to eat hamburgers, it really wasn’t the meat that made a great burger! It was what you put on it. Pickles, onions (or fried onions), tomato, lettuce, avocado, etc. The combination of flavors created a great sensation. With veggie burgers it’s the same. Build your burger your way and let those great flavors mesh. Many restaurants now offer a veggie burger replacement to meat on any of their burgers. You can get one loaded with what you love. Making your own veggie burger let’s you know exactly what’s in it. Made fresh with fresh ingredients tastes the best. Angie’s Grapevine is a BLOG that has a recipe for a veggie burger, try it!
Veggie Burger @ My Burger Bar (Photo credit: the_himay)
I love veggie burgers but they come in many many different ways. Most hamburger places now offer (in small print) any burger can be substituted for a turkey burger or veggie burger. Let’s face it, it’s not the meat that makes a great hamburger it’s the toppings! My favorite veggie burger is on a nice roll with avocado, tomato, lettuce, fried onions and sautéed mushrooms. It’s a messy burger but oh so good. I also like a Portobello burger dressed the same way. Take a nice Portobello cap, saute or grill it and dress it up.
What’s your favorite veggie burger? How do you like to dress it up?
English: Serving veggie burgers at Stanford university (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This time of year does something to us. In America we have new love in the air, baseball, barbeques, travel and getting outside. It’s natural! All of this is our bodies reacting to the Spring weather. It’s a very good thing. Remember a few things as you enjoy this time of year. Wear your sun block and watch what you eat and how you prepare it. We all love a good barbecue but cooking things too long on a barbecue can be carcinogenic. Watch the amount of meats you consume. Try some fish, veggies on the barbecue or veggie burgers with all the trimmings. You can enjoy Spring but not blow the health diet. Keeping excessive weight off is an American past time but it’s obviously not working. A better past time is to watch your health diet. It will keep you healthy and weight will naturally fall off. Enjoy the Spring and Summer but live healthy!
On the 7th day of veganism my true love gave to me: a bowl of spicy beans (Photo credit: jessica mullen)
Vegan Mainstream is sponsoring a vegan cookbook club. Each month they will select 3 vegan recipes to cook and try. They will publish the recipes, ratings and pictures of the food. If you are new to being vegan or just want to eat healthier and save our planet, visit this club. If you have good vegan recipes please offer them here. Bon Appetit
Dr. at the November 29, 2005 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council, in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Neil Degrasse Tyson discusses work being done in the field of epigenetics. He likens epigenome to a second genome over and above our genes. This genome actually turns our genes on and off in different patterns based on the influences of our environment. He interviews Dr. Randy Jirtle of Duke University. The study collected Gene samples from 40 pairs of identical twins age 3 to 74. We know their genes were identical but what about their epi-genes? The study found that twins epi-genes were different but the differences increased with age. So even twins are not identical, their software or epigenetics differs based on how they think, what they eat, the stress in their lives and our environment.
Ask.com says we should be eating about 9 – 10 servings every day. How much is that? They suggest typical serving sizes as:
• one banana
• six strawberries
• one apple
• one peach
• one-half cup of orange or other fruit juice
• fifteen grapes
• five broccoli florets
• one Roma tomato
• half of a baked sweet potato
• one ear of corn
• four slices of an onion