Give Peas a Chance
Vegetarianism is a way to live more lightly upon the Earth- our planet Gaia. It is associated with a distinct lengthening of lifespan, as well as a lower risk for many cancers and heart disease. It is never too late to start vegetarianism to benefit your health. You do not even have to go "all the way", to reap benefits like less colon putrification, lower cholesterol, and a lighter 'carbon footprint'. Global warming is pretty much a hoax, however pollution is very real, and eating less meat saves large amounts of energy and water, helping to conserve and preserve our air quality and water resources!
So, be a part time vegetarian- every little bit helps You and the Earth!
A few vegetarian foods are absolutely super- high in protein and rich in nutrients. High on the list are tempeh and hemp seeds.
Hemp seeds, from industrial marijuana are quite nice ground up in a shake, or just eaten out of hand- they look like sesame seeds, and taste like tiny pumpkin seeds. They contain no THC, and so can be eaten in ANY quantity, and not interfere with your sobriety, or any drug testing. Hemps seeds have been eaten for centuries in parts of China and Russia. They are rich in protein, and GLA, a relatively rare, very healthy fat. They are also a good source of omega 3 fats, and plant sterols which protect against sex-specific cancers, and also lower cholesterol.
Tempeh is a fermented soy food, popular in various parts of Asia. Soy is not usually on my 'good' list, but tempeh is exceptional- unlike tofu, it is low allergenic, easily digestible, and a real whole food.
Anthony's Easy-Cook Tempeh
1 pot with well fitting lid
1 package Tempeh- fresh or frozen
4-5 carrots
1 lg or 2 sm onions
1/2c water
optional- 1t miso
- cut up carrots and onion into a pot with water
- bring to a boil on high
- place tempeh on top, and reduce to lowest setting, and cover
- in about 15 minutes, tempeh will be ready- may add miso at the last minute, stir in, and enjoy
(leftover water can be used for cooking, or served as a delicious miso soup, with optional miso- try the kind sold in the fridge in a glass jar) *if tempeh seems dry, drizzle with olive oil
Tempeh Dress-ups; cook as above, but add the following to the mix;
Italian
Asian
1 chopped sweet pepper
1 chopped tomatoe, or 2 T tomatoejuice/ sauce 1 T ginger, chopped or grated
2 T fresh parsley, minced, if available ½ t tamari
½ chopped onion 1 t sesame seeds, black or yellow
optional- 1T wine2T 1 clove garlic, minced
½ t each, of; oregano + rosemary,powdered
Caribbean
1 green papaya, julienned
1 onion, sliced
1 T ginger, chopped or grated
1-2 hot peppers, minced (avoid touching, scratching any part of body, until cleaned up)
1 clove garlic, minced
Directions, for all
• grease a pan with coconut oil
• put in all ingredients, with tempeh on top
• cover, and cook, with a bit of water (sautée), adding some water if pan is dry or sticky
Cooking Instructions; Beans, and other legumes; Chick peas, Lentils
a) -soak overnight, with ½ t food grade hydrogen peroxide (health store*)- note; if you spill in more, it’s OK
note also- if you use the drug store stuff, that is ok, if you are too lazy to go get the proper food grade stuff- just use much more, like 1-2 T
b) -8h later, drain, and cook, or put in fridge for later use, loosely covered
c) -cooking time is about ½ to ¼ as long as from dried (eg lentils cook in about 5-10 minutes)
Notes- soaked legumes can be refridgerated for up to 4 days- rinse again before cooking
- they will grow tails after a while- peak nutrition is reached when tails are 1-3 mm long.
- lentils and mung beans are the fastest cooking legumes, and the easiest to sprout
* Noah’s on Yonge, north of Eglinton, has food grade peroxide, as does Food for Life, on Bloor, by Runnymede. The Big Carrot or other health stores likely do, as well- call to check.
Grains
for weight loss, eat sparingly, accompanied by healthy fats, and/or a tasty nut butter sauce, as found on the nuts and seeds sheet
I often cook extra, and warm up as much as I need, when desired. This saves a lot of time since cooking times may be as long as 45 minutes.
Grain Ratio, grain : water Cooking time Notes
____________________________________________________________
Buckwheat 1 : 3.5 45 mins unrelated to wheat
Millet 1 : 3 15 mins distant wheat relative
Brown Rice 1 : 3 45 mins 'almost' unrelated to wheat
Corn Grits 1 : 3 15 mins 'almost' unrelated to wheat
Quinoa 1: 2.5 15-20 mins unrelated to wheat- yummy!
Soaking
*If you can soak the grains the night before, and drain them, cooking times are cut in 1/2 or less (!), mould residues are eliminated (if adding peroxide- see beans notes), and germination begins, which improves digestibility (just like with beans).
Also, cooking water needed is reduced by about a third, with soaking.
Hulda Clark, ND actually eliminates all whole grains from people who are compromised. Mould is scary stuff, and IT IS in all whole grains that have not been fumigated. Fumigation is much more scary than mould, so I am not even going to go there. I will say that soaking with peroxide eliminates mould. That is really great news, if you want top-notch healthy food- so do it! It is not hard- just get into the habit of soaking any grains you want the night before. No problem, right?
Remember, house plants LOVE soak water, with peroxide. Peroxide is naturally found in rain water, especially when there is lightning.