All natural recipes

[Tensei]

Does anyone have any good recipes involving whole, natural foods?

I try to avoid eating any food that has a label on it (except for weight) but it's easy to run out of ideas.

I don't cook rice, pasta or potatoes (except sweet potatoes once in a while), so all those are out!

Nothing canned, nothing boxed, etc.

Any suggestions?

[megissassy]

have you tried shopping at an organic or farmers market? They have all sorts of natural foods, you can get organic rice and beans and potatoes, plus fresh organiclly (sp) raised beef or chickens etc. you can still make plenty of different meals that most people eat but only your making it all with natural foods. my suggestiong is that you look up to see where the nearest farmers market or organic grocer is to you and go from there. Good luck

[Tia38]

2 nice vegetarian options (although i'm not a vegetarian myself).

lentil soup (new to me this month)
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here's one that i started with... i used water instead of broth, and added a can of crushed tomatoes... but you could use whole tomatoes instead to avoid the can. you can throw in as many veggies as you like. puree or not. i used a blender rather than a potato masher. i omitted the rice.

this is from an IR diet thread.


I have a lentil soup recipe, but kinda like Jennifer's mom I just throw a whole bunch of stuff in a pot!

Soak 8 to 12 oz dry lentils in water while choppping veggies, or for longer if you wish.
1 to 2 carrots, chopped small or sliced thin
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or pressed, or to taste
handful of frozen corn (optional if you don't want the extra carbs)
handful of brown or wild rice blend (again, optional, but it helps thicken it)
4 to 5 cans (I think they're 12 oz cans?) of vegetable broth or chicken broth
herb chicken seasoning, or other favorite herb seasoning
salt

saute onion and celery in a little oil until tender, add carrots and continue cooking for a few mins. Add garlic, herb seasoning to taste, corn, and rice. Drain lentils and add to rest of veggies, then add most or all of broth and simmer for several hours, stirring occasionally. When everything is tender, you can thicken the soup more by using a potato masher to mash the lentils a little, or if you like it thin you can add more broth. Add salt/pepper to taste. You can also add pretty much anything else you like... beans, tomatoes, etc. Mine is just so sparse because I can get picky about food!


chili (been making variations for years)
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multiple kinds of beans, peppers, onions, celery. we add some couscous which puts some nice texture. you could also add meat if you like.

i like one from the quick moosewood cookbook. if you don't have a recipe you like let me know and i'll dig it out.

-tia

[Hoopla143]

Have you ever used Quinoa? It is actually a seed but many think of it as a grain. It is awesome! Full of protein and all kind of health benefits. I love it. I found it at the health food store and also at Whole Foods. It has to be rinsed and then can be toasted (for a nuttier flavor...not necessary but makes it better) and then cooked on the stove with 1 cup of Quinoa to 2 cups of water covered until tender (about 20 minutes).

I also don't use any rice but this can substituted for rice on every way! I make fried "rice" with onions and eggs and sesame oil. I also cook it and add to my oatmeal...yogurt or it is a great side dish on it's own.

Here is the basic toasting directions:

1.Pour 1 cup quinoa into a fine strainer and rinse thoroughly under cool water-this will get rid of it's natural, bitter coating.
2. Put rinsed quinoa into a large frying pan over medium heat.
3. Cook, shaking the pan for around 15 minutes or until the quinoa reaches a golden brown.
4. Remove from heat and pan and cool.
5. Store in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid.
6. Keeps for up to 1 month.

Let me know if you have any questions! Try it! :

[Tia38]

Hoopla -- do you know much about its GI index? Comparable to rice? Or perhaps lower since it has (I assume) more protein?

Also, do you buy it in a bag, or in the bulk section at Whole Foods?

Cheers,
-Tia

[Hoopla143]

i found this site and it says it is 62. is that bad? I never quite understood the whole GI thing!

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c21U1.html

I have bought it both in the bulk section and in a box or bag. The first time I bouhgt it in the bix for the directions! But I think it cheaper in the bulk section.

[Tia38]

Thanks for the pionter.

As for the glycemic index, I'm not sure "good/bad" is the right way to think about it. Generally lower tends to be better... and depending on why you are counting (and what eating strategy you are following) you want to balance out the foods you are eating.

In this case it's lower than some rice and higher than others...

Thanks again!
-Tia

[fishdish]

i found this site and it says it is 62. is that bad? I never quite understood the whole GI thing!

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c21U1.html

I have bought it both in the bulk section and in a box or bag. The first time I bouhgt it in the bix for the directions! But I think it cheaper in the bulk section.

I think the number listed there is for one cup (170g) of quinoa; the GL for a 1oz serving appears to be 10.