Tofu Burger Recipe

.
Be sure to seek out the firmest tofu made from organic soybeans you can find. Also, I suspect you could grill these, they seem like they’d hold together. The next time around I’m going to try it. If anyone else gives that a go before I do, let me know, and I’ll update the recipe.

1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry, then sliced
2 large eggs
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55 g fine dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55 g cashew nuts
1/2 cup / 2 oz /55g sunflower seeds
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55g sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon shoyu or soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

.

Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture comes together and is free of most chunks, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor once or twice if needed.

Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and use your hands to press and form into round but flat-ish patties.

Pour the olive oil into your largest skillet over medium-high heat, and arrange as many patties as you can without crowding. Cover, and cook turning once, until deeply browned on both sides. Roughly ten minutes. You want to make sure the middle of the patties cook through. If the pan is too hot you’ll burn the outsides before the middle cooks up, so be mindful of that.

Makes 8 tofu burgers.

Whether you want to believe it or not, these fast foods are killing us off. The calories of your choices are now being displayed (right next to them) and it’s good if you have a conscience and can put moderation to the test. I checked out ShapeFit’s list of menus that they compiled so neatly. After looking through several of the foods and seeing that even the most healthiest choices are still high in calories, I’m a bit turned off by ordering out. The average Joe/Jane consumes about 1500-2000 calories daily (plus or minus). The last thing you want to do is eat a meal that is over 2500 calories in one-sitting, leaving you lethargic and over-stuffed. Choose wisely and check out that menu from above. It’s a bit freaky seeing that if you add a “supersize it”, “lemme get 2″ or “can you add a shake with that”, can cost you in the long-run.  HAPPY FA(S)T FOODING!!!

Definition

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps people with celiac disease control their signs and symptoms and prevent complications. Initially, following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating. But with time, patience and creativity, you’ll find there are many foods that you can eat and enjoy while observing a gluten-free diet.

Diet details

Always avoid
In order to avoid eating gluten, avoid food and drinks containing:

• Barley
• Bulgur
• Durham
• Farina
• Graham flour
• Kamut
• Matzo meal
• Rye
• Semolina
• Spelt (a form of wheat)
• Triticale
• Wheat

Avoid unless labeled ‘gluten free’
Avoid these foods unless they’re labeled as gluten free or made with corn, rice, soy or other gluten-free grain. Also check the label to see that they’re processed in a facility that is free of wheat or other contaminating products:

• Beers
• Breads
• Candies
• Cakes and pies
• Cereals
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Croutons
• Gravies
• Imitation meats or seafood
• Oats
• Pastas
• Processed luncheon meats
• Salad dressings
• Sauces (including soy sauce)
• Self-basting poultry
• Soups

Certain grains, such as oats, can be contaminated with wheat during growing and processing stages of production. It’s not clear whether oats are harmful for most people with celiac disease, but doctors generally recommend avoiding oats unless they are specifically labeled gluten free. The question of whether people eating a gluten-free diet can consume pure oat products remains a subject of scientific debate. Many other products that you eat or that could come in contact with your mouth may contain gluten. These include:

• Food additives, such as malt flavoring, modified food starch and others
• Lipstick and lip balms
• Medications and vitamins that use gluten as a binding agent
• Play dough
• Toothpaste

Cross-contamination also may occur anywhere ingredients come together, such as on a cutting board or a grill surface. You may be exposed to gluten by using the same utensils as others, such as a bread knife, or by sharing the same condiment containers — the condiment bottle may touch the bun, or a knife with bread crumbs may contaminate a margarine stick or mayonnaise jar.

Allowed foods
There are still many basic foods allowed in a gluten-free diet. With all foods, check to see that each is labeled gluten free or call the manufacturer to double-check.

Grains and starches allowed in a gluten-free diet include:

• Amaranth
• Arrowroot
• Buckwheat
• Corn
• Cornmeal
• Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean)
• Hominy grits
• Polenta
• Pure corn tortillas
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Tapioca

Check the label when buying amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa. These can be contaminated with gluten during processing.

Other gluten-free foods include:

• Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated)
• Fruits
• Most dairy products
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Vegetables
• Wine and distilled liquors, ciders and spirits

An increasing number of gluten-free products, such as bread and pasta, are becoming available. If you can’t find them in your area, check with a celiac support group or on the Web. Gluten-free substitutes are available for many gluten-containing foods, from brownies to beer. Many specialty grocery stores sell gluten-free foods.

Results

People with celiac disease who eat a gluten-free diet experience fewer symptoms and complications of the disease. People with celiac disease must eat a strictly gluten-free diet and must remain on the diet for the remainder of their lives.In some severe cases, a gluten-free diet alone can’t stop signs and symptoms of celiac disease. In these cases, doctors might prescribe medications to suppress the immune system.

Risks

Not eating enough vitamins
People who follow a gluten-free diet may have low levels of certain vitamins and nutrients in their diets. Many grains are enriched with vitamins. Avoiding grains with a gluten-free diet may mean eating fewer of these enriched products. Ask your dietitian to review your diet to see that you’re getting enough:

• Iron
• Calcium
• Fiber
• Thiamin
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Folate

Not sticking to the gluten-free diet
If you accidentally eat a product that contains gluten, you may experience abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some people experience no signs or symptoms after eating gluten, but this doesn’t mean it’s not damaging their small intestines. Even trace amounts of gluten in your diet may be damaging, whether or not they cause signs or symptoms.

Today was a long day!! Running in the wee-hours with the team, work and I actually made some time to attend a networking event in Columbia (Young Professionals Network c/o Howard County Chamber of Commerce). So with a long day coming to a close, it could have been so easy to grab something on the go. But I know deep inside, I am what I eat, so we made something simple; Asparagus and Salmon. For those with limited time in the evening, you have to make the time to eat right. Kids see what you eat and if you train their taste buds to eat healthier at home, when they depart from home, they would be picky on what they put inside their body.

Asparagus is a nutrient dense food that’s actually high in folic acid, which is helpful to the body in creating red blood cells and warding off anemia. Great stuff!! Fiber and an array of vitamins (B6, A, and C). Most importantly, for those health conscious eaters, it has no fat, contains for cholesterol and low in sodium. What more can you ask for? So when coupled with a protein rich food such as salmon, you have a great combination. We stayed away from the brown rice tonight, but I know my wife was thinking about it. Just double-up on the asparagus and you’ll be fine (rather, always double-up on the vegetables), instead of the rice of starchy foods.

So the take home message: MAKE THE TIME NOW, so that you don’t have to MAKE THE TIME LATER, due to a physician’s diagnosis.

If you are looking to get back into healthy eating, it is not as bad as you may think. If you are into making wraps, here is a quick recipe for dinner that will give you the protein you need and diminish that late night hunger. Not everyone is a corn eater, so pick and choose wisely on what you want to include or not. Let me know how it goes. If you have leftovers, you could always use it for lunch the next day.

INGREDIENTS

1. Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Wraps
2. 2 cans of tuna (in water/drained)
3. 1 tbsp of relish
4. 1 can of Southwestern corn w/ sweet peppers, corn
5. Roasted Peppers
6. Fresh Spinach
7. 1 can of black beans

INSTRUCTIONS

You could be creative and do whatever you please. I do not mix the black beans with the tuna. I keep them separate and as I am making the wrap, I lay one ingredient on top of the next. Once done, wrap it up and enjoy. You could always add more of any particular ingredient. ENJOY!!

All fruit contains fiber. An orange will give you seven grams, an apple five, and a banana four. But half a grapefruit provides six grams. That’s about a quarter of the amount health authorities recommend. As with most fruits, roughly half of grapefruit’s fiber is insoluble (which helps prevent constipation and which may reduce the risk of colon cancer) and half is soluble (which helps lower cholesterol levels).

There’s a catch, though. To get all that fiber you have to eat the walls that separate the segments (It’s okay to skip the stringy white stuff that’s attached to the inside of the rind). That means peeling and eating your grapefruit like an orange, or digging out the walls with your spoon.

Don’t like the chewy walls? You’ll still get about two grams of fiber from spooning out the flesh from half a grapefruit. Grapefruit juice has no fiber. “Grapefruit can increase remarkably the absorption of certain drugs,” says Paul Watkins, director of the University of Michigan’s General Clinical Research Center in Ann Arbor.

In 1991, pharmacologist David Bailey of the University of Western Ontario reported that grapefruit juice boosted the average absorption of a blood pressure medication three-fold.(1) Why? “There’s an enzyme located along the gastrointestinal tract that partly inactivates certain drugs as they’re being absorbed,” says Watkins.

“Something in grapefruit juice neutralizes the enzyme, allowing more of those drugs than usual to be absorbed.”

Although the risk of harm from this extra absorption is probably very low”, says Bailey, “there’s a potential for some people to experience side effects from their drugs because of it.”

Among the drugs that grapefruit is known to affect: calcium-channel blockers like Procardia or Adalat, antihistamines like Seldane, immunosuppressants like cyclosporine, short-acting sedatives like Halcion, and estrogens like Estinyl.

So should you swear off grapefruit or grapefruit juice if you take them?

“Don’t change your habits,” says Watkins. “If you don’t take your medicine with grapefruit juice in the morning, don’t start. Doing that may interfere with the effective dosage your physician has determined.”

The only exception: Invirase (saquinavir), a protease inhibitor taken by some people with HIV, is so poorly absorbed that using grapefruit juice to boost its effect can only help.

GOOD FOR THE HEART

“Do it for your heart,” say the television ads for Florida grapefruit. “The American Heart Association (AHA) has certified Florida grapefruit and grapefruit juice as part of a heart-healthy diet.”

What’s Florida grapefruit got to do with your heart?

“Grapefruit and grapefruit juice are low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol,” says Antigoni Pappas, manager of consumer nutrition for the AHA. “So they’re foods that, when included in a low-fat balanced eating plan, can help to lower the risk of heart disease.”

Of course, that’s also true of many other fruits and vegetables. What’s different about Florida grapefruit?

Its deep pockets. Florida farmers paid the Heart Association $450,000 for the exclusive right — among U.S. grapefruit growers — to promote its certification in their ads this season.

Grapefruit is a great fruit…but most unadvertised produce will make your heart just as happy.

(1) Lancet 337:268,1991

4 flour tortillas (6 to 7 inches in diameter)
1 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c. canned diced green chiles
1/4 c. canned whole kernel corn
2 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 med. avocado, diced
1/2 c. shredded reduced-fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz.)
1 c. shredded lettuce
1/2 c. bottled salsa

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the flour tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until heated through.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rice, beans, green chiles, corn, scallions, cilantro, salt and pepper. Toss to mix.

3. Divide the rice and bean salad evenly among the warm tortillas. Top each with 1/4 of the diced avocado, 2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup shredded lettuce and 1 tablespoon salsa. Roll up and eat. 4 servings.

Found this amazing looking trail mix recipe on Mark’s Website that I had to share with everyone. Check it out. A great combination of salt and sweet ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup each raw walnuts, almonds, and pecans
• 1/2 cup each raw pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup or less raw honey
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roughly chop nuts and mix with seeds, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread on a cookie sheet or rimmed baking pan lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle with half of the salt.

Toast in the oven for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure the nuts and seeds are merely toasted, not burned (keep a watchful eye).

Take pan out of the oven and let cool, then add the remaining salt and drizzle the honey over the top. Toast in oven for another 5 minutes, stirring often (I keep my oven cracked for this). Remove from oven, mix thoroughly with apricots and cranberries and let cool.  It will be clumpy and sticky like granola when done. You should end up with 12- 14 quarter-cup servings (approximately).

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• salt
• ground black pepper

Eight ounces of milk provides 18 percent of the Daily Value for protein. Studies show that milk protein (made of whey and casein) may stave off muscle soreness. And a new study conclude that milk does a better job of lowering markers of muscle damage postworkout than sports drinks do. (Source: Runner’s)