Survey Says

I'm still feeling under the weather, and now I've lost my voice. Argh. I didn't cook at all, and am a bit lacking for inspiration, so I'm going to do the MoFo survey that everyone's been posting.

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?

Dairy products like ice cream and cheese, but not milk itself. I never liked milk, it was always too thick and overwhelming, or, if it was skim, too thin and watery.

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?

A lot of small things like condiments and pickled items. Mustard made me gag, cauliflower was too sharp, and I couldn't stand dill cucumber pickles. I never liked olives as a kid, but I think I had only ever tried black olives, and I think part of my dislike stemmed from my irrational fear--when they're whole or sliced they look like eyeballs to me. Squishy, salty eyeballs on pizza freaked me out.

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?

Kombucha isn't just vegan, but lots of vegans love it, and I think it's super gross.

The super-noochy tofu scrambles from Bouldin Creek Cafe are very beloved, and I've heard vegans talk of traveling to Austin just to eat them. I think they're icky and feels like they're covered in sawdust.

I only had the seitan buffalo wings from Watercourse Foods in Denver once, so it may have been an off day, but they were so heavy on the vinegar, my tongue felt pickled, and none of us could eat more than 2. Again, I've heard many vegans talk about how great these are.

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

Water! I can't get enough.

What dish are your “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?

I never thought about it, but it seems like I tend to make food based on the type of event. I take my Perfect Pecan Pie to macro gatherings, seitan-based dishes or desserts to VRA/vegan events, and sushi or dessert to Austin Food Blogger meetups.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

Not really. Though I prefer my foods stay separate in general. Sometimes I like picking out the vegetables by type or color, like with stir fries, curries, or fried rice, I'll pick out all of the peas, then the carrots, then eat the rest.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

Dessert. I used to be really bad about nut butters, though.

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?

Sweets. I can make exactly what I want, exactly how I want it. I also feel really guilty spending $3 on one cupcake, when I know I can make a whole batch for less by volume.

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?

Chocolate. Dark chocolate is amazing and if it's good, a little goes a long way. It also makes you feel better, just ask Madame Pomfrey.

Alcohol. Life is too short for cheap booze.

Oil. The quality of oil can very greatly, and a lot of cheap, poor quality oils have been heated too high as part of the refining process, which makes them rancid, then they are clarified and flavorings are added.

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?

Not generally, though I do love hummus and chips/pita with olives, or guacamole with chips.

My latest favorite snack is freshly popped popcorn with a little melted EB and Old Bay. Sometimes I like it with a cinnamon, rice syrup and pecan glaze.

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?

Monterrey Jack style FYH, artichoke hearts, greens like spinach, arugala, or broccoli, olives and sautéed mushrooms in pretty much any combination. Sometimes I'll get in a mood for seitan or vegan sausage, roasted red peppers, and green olives.

I used to order pizzas with no cheese, and mushrooms and onions before commercial vegan cheeses were worth a damn (or offered for delivery). Now my favorite thing to order is the Don't Choke Art! on wheat deep dish, with Daiya.

What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?

I have to pick just one? Broccoli, though I use onions in EVERYTHING. In the fall I love pomegranates and in the spring and summer, peaches.

What is the best salad dressing?

I make a creamy green goddess with avocado, ume vinegar and tons of herbs that's awesome on romaine with plenty of cucumber and it's super cooling on sweltering days. For everyday salads, I like something light and simple, like lime vinaigrette, with lime juice, white wine vinegar, sea salt, and a touch of coconut oil.

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

I huge fan of toast (YEAH toast!). And I like it anyway you'll give it to me. With a little EB, with EB and jam, with jam. With melted FYH, with avocado and sea salt mashed all over it, with hummus. Dipped in olive oil or dipping oil, as garlic bread. With strawberry or raspberry preserves and almond or cashew butter. With macadamia nut butter. With almond butter and chocolate chips, or melted chocolate. Yum.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

Miso! Preferably with tons of wakame and green onion.

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?

I like chocolate chocolate or chocolate peanut butter.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Chocolate chocolate chip walnut.

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?

You mean super quick and easy? That would be Chick'n Parmeshaun. But I try not to eat it too often, since the patties and FYH are pretty refined. Rice with a veggie stir fry, or fried rice are more typical.

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

Uh.... JD doesn't like broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, raw tomatoes, many fermented items, quinoa, millet.....

How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?

Usually about 1-2 hours total, for all meals. I like to make leftovers and eat those or something simple like salads, stir fries or sandwiches for lunch. If I'm working the next day, I usually throw it together by packaging small portions together while putting away leftovers from dinner.

Edited for clarity because I probably shouldn't write when I'm tired and sick.

The ugly side of soyfoods

This morning I read an article titled, "Soy is making kids 'gay'". Here is an except:

Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!) Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them.

I felt compelled to email Mr. Rutz, so here is my letter:

Mr. Rutz,

Your article titled, "Soy is making kids 'gay'" is not only unbalanced and alarmist, but it contains huge generalizations. Soy products should not be lumped into one big category. There are many types, for example:

Edamame - whole, fresh or frozen green soybeans, which are similar to green peas

Yellow or Black soybeans - whole, dried soybeans you cook like other beans such as pinto beans or chick peas

Natto - dried soybeans, cooked and fermented (generally a day or two) with a spore.

Miso - dried soybeans, cooked and fermented (usually three months to three years) with a grain that has been treated with the koji spore.

Soy Sauce, Tamari or Shoyu - traditionally, the liquid that accumulated as a result of fermenting soybeans for miso. Now, most soy sauce is artificially produced by "fermenting" with alcohol. Look for alcohol-free brands, which will be much higher quality and have a milder flavor. Shoyu is (usually) traditionally brewed Japanese soy sauce, the most common brand being Nama Shoyu. Tamari used to be wheat-free, but celiacs should read ingredients carefully, as some contain wheat or barley flour.

Tempeh - dried soybeans, cooked and fermented (usually for a day or two) with a spore.

Soymilk - dried soybeans, soaked in water, then pulverized in blender with boiling water, liquid strained and cooked.

Okara - byproduct of soy milk, the fiber left over from making soy milk.

Tofu, regular - "the cheese of the soy world", tofu is made from curds of soy milk, so after soy milk has been cooked, a coagulant is added, typically nigari, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride or for home producers, even lemon juice. Tofu made with calcium sulfate, and calcium chloride naturally have more calcium than tofu made with other coagulants.

Tofu, silken - I am a little unclear on the exact production of silken tofu, but commercial manufacturers use isolated soy protein or soy isolates, which are heavily refined and NOT whole foods.

Texturized Vegetable Protein - again, I am a little unclear on the exact production of TVP, however, unlike the other soy foods I have mentioned, CANNOT be produced at home because it involves processing soy flour through a machine at extremely high pressure and a high temperature in order take out the fat and compress it.

As a natural and whole foods educator, while I may recommend any of the first six ingredients, which are whole or fermented foods, I would discourage the use of silken tofu and strongly advise against TVP and foods containing isolated soy proteins. All soy foods are not created equal. While it seems you agree with me on this point, you carelessly gloss over this with your post script addendum by basically saying that the only soy foods you're opposed to are tofu and soy formula.

I believe the foundation of a healthy diet should be whole foods, like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, mineral-rich condiments, and expeller-pressed oils. Everything else should be eaten in moderation. Red wine, chocolate and even cake are fine as occasional treats, but shouldn't be the base of your diet, and neither should any refined foods, including tofu.

In traditional eastern cultures, tofu was considered bad for men's virility and cooling to the libido, but even this was useful. Buddhist monks would eat cold tofu almost medicinally since they had taken vows of celibacy.

All foods are more appropriate for certain people and less appropriate for others. Alcohol is not really appropriate for pregnant or nursing women or children, maple syrup and honey are not appropriate for diabetics, and a diet of hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes, while unhealthy for anyone, is especially inappropriate for anyone with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Soy foods, with their high phyto-estrogen content, are generally more appropriate for women than men, and can even be useful in hormone replacement for menopausal women.

In regard to the headline of your article, your article really only touches on male homosexuality by discussing the "feminization" of males. How would you explain female homosexuality?

Instead of vilifying the lowly soybean and alarming consumers and parents, perhaps you could help educate them. The most commercially used soy foods are high-heat refined soybean oil and texturized vegetable protein, both of which are highly processed and unhealthy. These are usually found in packaged convience foods such as chips and microwavable burritos which, I think everyone can agree, are not recommended for anyone. Perhaps you could advise against these types of foods and encourage simple, home cooked meals and moderation for your readers.

A more thoughtful approach to stories that emphasize "the evils of soy foods" might touch on topics such as soy additives/fillers in foods, overuse of foods such as soy and wheat leading to allergies, subjective research being used to market products as health-promoting and certain industries being ready and willing to jump on any bandwagon that will generate revenue, ie. companies seeing that soy foods are "hot" right now, so using them in everything.

In health,
Christina

One of the major problems I have with articles like this (other than the obvious lack of information) is that they offer no solution. He tells us you can hardly escape soy foods anymore, but doesn't tell us what ingredients to avoid on labels, or tell us alternatives. This, in my opinion is very sloppy and alarmist.

Mr. Rutz says not to "even think about" giving children soy formula. Yet he doesn't mention that cow's formula contains hormones like BGH and tons of antibiotics and that the best thing you could do would be to breast feed or join a group like La Leche League to milk-share. He never gives any advice for what you do if you are unable to breastfeed, use cow's milk formula, OR soy formula. What about grain formulas like rice or oat formula? Grains are much easier to digest than beans, so they seem like a perfect choice for babies with digestion problems. You can even find recipes to make your own here.

Mr. Rutz could help our society by encouraging women to breast feed their children. I used to see a billboard that said something along the lines of "Breasts were made for babies", with a picture of a nursing baby. I loved it. It's healthier for both the baby and the mother, it reduces the chances of ear infections, and it may even help brain development, however I have a feeling that Mr. Rutz may feel that promoting breastfeeding would be promoting deviant and immodest behavior.