Yummy!

First ever veggie burger experiment! The burgers are made of chickpeas (cooked in water and then mashed) and diced potato, carrot, celery, a little bit of onion and some kale too, 1 egg white, salt and black pepper to taste. Patties are then rolled in breadcrumbs and cooked in a pan with just a little bit of sunflower oil.

A trick to avoid using too much oil: put a little oil in the pan, then use some kitchen paper to uniformly spread it in the pan and remove the excess oil.

The box also has some salad at the bottom, 1 tomato and some sauce made with fresh French cheese with a dash of chipotle paste, to give it a spicy/smoky taste.

Omelette day!

This one looks lighter, and it also feels lighter, but the calories are about the same, bummer…

From left to right:

- 1 cup of rice, carrot sticks

- sorta-omelette made with 1 egg and 1/3 milk, 1 teaspoon flour, a pinch of salt and some grounded mixed pepper, rolled with about 1/2 cup steamed kale and cut into 4 pieces

- 1 tomato, 1/2 carrot, about 1/3 cup of cucumber, mixed salad spices, no oil

Total calories: approx. 460

Worth reading!

No offense, I like soy. But I also don’t. Actually, what I don’t like is the huge business behind soy-based products and how in some countries they are advertised as the (almost) only healthy option to replace meat or to top up your protein intake as a vegetarian. The following article very simply and clearly explain why a lot of processed soy-based food should not be included in any healthy diet, vegetarian or else. So… soy sprouts or dry soy beans, fine. But any processed soy is most likely as unhealthy as any other processed food. Food for thoughts… Click here

I guess I’m gonna make soy-free veggie burgers!

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Comments from another website where I posted this link:

SL: I tried the soy protein thing and just felt miserable every time I tried to eat it. I finally gave up. Then a friend sent me links to articles on why it bad for me. I figured my better judgement was doing its job and have never tried it again.

Sara: The thing is, all the GM stuff started with soy. I’m okay with responsibly farmed and produced soy, but there’s a huge industry behind soy-based food and if we try to eat healthy, we should avoid processed food, soy-based or else. So… I think I’ll just avoid heavily processed soy
Besides, veggie burgers can be done without any soy at all.

TS: ICKY!!!

SL: When I was a vegetarian I had never heard of tofu. My best friend was also a vegetarian and she did not eat that processed soy/tofu either. I do not remember what we did eat but we were healthy.

Sara: I don’t think tofu is the biggest problem. The real tofu from Asia is probably good, I don’t know, I’ve never tasted any tofu. But it really makes me laugh when I see “veggie meat” on labels. Either you are vegetarian or you are not. Period. If you are vegetarian because you believe it’s better for your health or the environment (I would argue the latter), then do NOT look for “meat replacements”, you shouldn’t even need the word “meat” on the label, ya know… I mean, one thing is eating choices and habits, one thing is fashion and business and consumers being manipulated, so that they think they need (heavily processed) “healthier” food.

SL: I definitely did not look for ‘meat’ substitutes.
Also, I was wondering if tofu was the substituted ingredient in veggie burgers. If I understand your comment tofu is not that ingredient.
I just did some quick reading. I see what you mean about tofu not being bad -that it is other forms of soy that may be/are hazardous. In retrospect, I think I was just overdoing the tofu at the time I was feeling negative about it.

Sara: Yep, the article doesn’t really focus on tofu, but rather on all other soy-based stuff. I also believe the “veggie burger” in the title is to refer to “vegetarian food in general”, not only veggie burgers. As you said, tofu is not found in veggie burgers. not that I know of.
I actually like veggie burgers, when they are made with fresh, healthy, sustainably grown ingredients. I make my own. Years ago, we used to cook a lot more than we do now. When I was a child, my mother didn’t by as many processed food. She still doesn’t, as we prefer fresh groceries.
But the amount of heavily processed food out there for the consumers to buy, is impressive now. Blame it on the lack of time… but I think we, as a society, have become more lazy, maybe. I can fix myself a perfectly healthy meal in 15-20 minutes when I get back home from work, but it’s definitely easier to stick something from the supermarket straight in the oven or the microwave. Well, unless I bought something homemade in some deli or vegetarian shop, what we find in most supermarkets is not even half as healthy as we’d think.
The other thing I’m also thinking is that being vegetarian requires that you do spend time cooking or preparing your veggies. So… maybe we, again, as a society, just need to find more time to spend in the kitchen?! lol

The "Moustached Man"...

Meet the Moustached Man!
From top to bottom:

- steamed green beans (90 gr.), 1 egg split in half, 1 slice of cucumber split in half. I sprinkled some black pepper and parsley as dressing on the green beans before trying to make the eyes with the egg and the cucumber slice.

- iceberg salad, diced cucumber and 1 diced tomato, 1 tablespoon of French fresh cheese. OK, the moustache is a little funny shaped, I have to admit it. I guess I have to improve my food-shaping/carving skills

- 1 cup of steamed white rice, 1 tomato slice. I was out of inspiration for the smile, so I went for something simple, haha!

Total calories: approx. 450

As you can see, the box is quite handy, food is staying in place. The trick is really filling each section so 1- food doesn’t move around and 2- you have a decent lunch and you don’t starve yourself. The box is a Lock & Lock 500ml box with 3 compartments that can be taken out and washed properly. It’s air-tight, compact and very sturdy, as well as BPA-free

Bento lunch

This morning I got a little creative with my lunch and the result almost looked like a bento lunch box. From left to right:

- 1/2 cup of steamed white rice, 1 carrot cut in sticks

- 1 chicken breast fillet, diced, cooked in a pan without oil, just some spices (I used Schwarz Grilled Chicken mix: peppers, parsley and garlic). When the chicken is half cooked, add half an apple, diced, and finish cooking. The mix gets a nice brownish color and it’s tasty even though there is no oil

- 1/2 apple, 1 pear, diced; and some fromage frais (French fresh cheese, it tastes much like plain yogurt).

Total calories: approx. 400.

Veeeery light indeed! But hey, with this World Cup week, we’ve been having pizza, BBQs, wine etc. a bit more often than usual

For the rice, I used the trick I found on this awesome website, Just Bento: during the weekend I steamed 2 cups of rice and then froze them in portions (1 cup and 1/2 cup). So I had a total of 5 cups of pre-cooked rice ready to de-frost in the morning. Very nice!

PS: sorry I forgot to fix one carrot eye, I didn’t notice it and then I ate my lunch and it was too late to take another picture

Risotto allo zafferano con piselli

I love this recipe, I could live on that… and alas, too many other recipes!
Here we go:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- salt, black pepper
- saffron powder
- 1 cup of rice
- 1/4 glass of white wine
- 1/2 can of sweet peas
- fresh parsley
- pecorino romano or parmigiano cheese

In a pan, gently brown the onion with the olive oil.
Add the rice (I used arborio rice today), stir and then add the white wine. Let evaporate, stirring, then add about 0.6 grams of saffron, just the tip of a teaspoon. Stir constantly and cook at medium heat. Keep adding hot/warm water now and then, so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Add salt to taste.
When the rice is 2/3 cooked, add the sweet peas. Keep stirring and add water if needed.
When the rice is almost done, add some parsley and stir a little until the rice is done.
Serve with grounded black pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

NB: this time I had Pecorino Romano cheese, which is a lot more ‘salty’ than Parmigiano, then I added a little less salt during the cooking.