Grain Game

Here is a grain dish the Gourmet-O-Matic (tm) way.

Let us make tabouleh and do some variations on it.

Tabouleh, a salad popular in the Middle East, classically contains:

bulghur wheat, tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, lemon juice and olive oil.

Note, that you can change the acid from lemon to lime to orange to pineapple to...

Grain substitutions:

Kasha (buckwheat groats), wheatberries, amaranth, barley, quinoa, oat groats, couscous.

Heck, you can even use corn instead of the others and then, if you want, add black or pinto beans, hot peppers, cilantro, cumin and voila! you have traveled from the Middle East to south of the USA border.

Did I hear lentils?

Sushi

Sushi refers to the rice which is sweetened and vinegared. Not the food used for filling.

If table sugar is not your thing, go to The Gourmet-O-Matic (tm) Sweetener Substitutions Guide and try some others.

Forget the raw fish/seafood if you are not into it.

Do veggies instead.

Suggestions? You bet.

Mushrooms, soybeans (edamame), tofu (soy-bean curd), cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes, anything...

Want some meat? Why not?

Top with meat chunks or cooked, fish/seafood.

The possibilities are endless.

And you don't even need to roll the rice.

Place your sweetened, vinegared rice in a bowl and top with the foods of your choosing.

Done.

Yum.

Sauces

Remember that proteins are basically, though not exactly, the same wherever they are found.

(For example, there are different types of tuna.)

Still, basically...

Chicken is chicken. Catfish is catfish. Tempeh is tempeh.

One thing that differs among cuisines is in what the proteins are served, i.e., sauces.

Try changing sauces to change your meal experience.

Here are some suggestions (recipes for these sauces and more are available in The FitnessMed (tm) Guide To Healthy Eating.)

Tomato Sauce
Watercress Sauce
Red Bell Pepper Sauce
Carrot Sauce
Horseradish Sauce
White Sauce
Asian-Style Sauce
Parsley and Caper Sauce

Have fun!

Root For All Seasons

As fall nears and winter comes into our thoughts, many people feel the season for root vegetables is approaching.

But, it ain't necessarily so.

Root vegetables, especially beets, have a summer presence, too.

Try combining these ingredients, a few at a time, to see how many salads/side dishes you can create.

Then play The Gourmet-O-Matic (tm) substitutions game.

Vegetable - Beets
Flavors - onion (fresh, caramelized), ginger, garlic, scallions
Acid - vinegar, citrus fruit, citrus juice
Green Leafy things - watercress, arugula, mint
Oil or nuts
Texture changers - cheese, rice sticks, crackers, chow mein noodles, toasted bread
Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Veggie Burgers

TIP:

Here is the tough part about veggie burgers - getting them to stay together.

Some people use egg white as a binder.

That works, but it can result in a loose, less firm patty.

In those instances, grilling becomes harder than frying or baking.

And vegans are left out of the fun.

One trick for a firmer burger is to use overcooked/mushy grain or pasta as a binding agent.

Just mix soft rice or pasta (a macaroni, penne, etc., shape works better than spaghetti) in with your vegetables to keep the whole thing together.

If you want, you can puree the binding agent of choice with or without some of the other vegetables before mixing them all together.

Then cook on the grill, on the stove, in the oven or by nuking.

Works like a charm.

What veggies to use?

Dealers choice. Cut and dice whatever and for you omnivores, you can add some pieces of meat. Just make sure that it is cooked thoroughly.

One way to better your chances of properly cooked meat is to add pre-cooked pieces to the patty.

That way, the veggies are not overcooked, the meat is not undercooked and the whole thing gets nice and hot.

If you are short on rice or pasta, a plain mashed potato will work, too. Try a sweet potato for variety.

Preparation Matters

Sure you can substitute ingredients to make new and interesting dishes.

But suppose you are not in the mood.

Then what?

Well, by simply changing how you prepare a dish you can create a new one.

Take regular salsa for example.

In barest form, the ingredients are:

tomatoes
jalapenos
onion
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
"Mexican flavoring" - e.g., cilantro, cumin

However, if you drop the "Mexican flavoring" and cook the rest of the ingredients you have the basis for a Middle Eastern dish known as Matbucha.

Served hot, warm or cold, Matbucha is a popular food in the Middle East and may be popular in your home, too.

Try it.

And play with other recipes by changing the way they are prepared.

Chutney Play

Let's play chutneys.

The generic chutney formula is: acid + fresh, leafy things + vegetable or fruit +/- flavors +/- hot +/- oil

Here is a progression of chutneys going from almond-cilantro to mint cucumber:

Almond-Cilantro Chutney

Acid: Lemon or Lime and Orange Juices
Fresh, Leafy Things: Cilantro
Vegetable or Fruit: Red Bell Pepper
Hot: Jalapenos
Oil: Almonds

Bell Pepper Chutney (change fresh leafy things and hot from preceding)

Acid: Lemon Juice
Fresh, Leafy Things: Mint Leaves
Vegetable or Fruit: Red Bell Pepper
Hot: Cayenne Pepper
Oil: Almonds

Apple Chutney (change vegetable or fruit and hot from preceding, no oil)

Acid: Lemon Juice
Fresh, Leafy Things: Mint Leaves
Vegetable or Fruit: Granny Smith Apples, Onion
Hot: Jalapeno Peppers

Onion Chutney (change fresh, leafy things, flavors and hot, add oil from preceding)

Acid: Lemon Juice
Fresh, Leafy Things: Cilantro Leaves
Vegetable or Fruit: Onion
Flavors: Ginger, Garlic
Hot: Chili Powder
Oil: Yogurt

Minty Cucumber Chutney (change fresh, leafy things, vegetable or fruit, flavors and hot from preceding)

Acid: Lemon Juices
Fresh, Leafy Things: Mint Leaves
Vegetable or Fruit: Cucumber, Onion
Flavors: Cumin
Hot: Crushed Red Pepper
Oil: Yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste any or all of the above. You can use fat-free yogurt in place of fat-containing yogurt. The perceived texture will be "thinner," not as "rich" and with less of a fatty "mouth feel."

Feel welcome to post your progressions for chutneys, relishes, salsas...whatever.

See you soon.