THE JOY OF REAL FOOD (AND TEMPEH TACOS)

Two words, folks, two words: tempeh tacos.

Over the past eighteen months, what and how much I eat has changed radically, and it continues to evolve. Although I don't envision becoming a card-carrying vegan, meat and other animal products are becoming a very occasional part of my diet, and I don't often miss them. I also don't really miss the added fat. It is truly amazing how little fat you need to make food taste good. Of course, it helps if that food is wonderfully fresh.

I'm so lucky to live in a place where I can get really fresh produce, much of it locally grown. In some areas of the country it's very difficult, and even the grocery stores don't carry very high quality stuff. One of the reasons a lot of people don't like veggies, or are addicted to processed foods, is because they've never tasted the real thing, or they haven't tasted good quality.

But when you educate your taste buds by eating high quality, fresh, minimally processed foods, you'll be surprised how few "extras" you need to be satisfied.

Case in point: tonight, I made tempeh tacos. I crumbled up some tempeh and mixed it with leftover black beans, corn, and brown rice from dinner a few nights ago, cooking it in a skillet sprayed with a little bit of olive oil --- just enough to keep it from sticking. Sprinkled in some Bragg's Liquid Aminos and chili powder. I got these really fabulous corn tortillas, too. Locally made, and their only ingredients are corn, lime juice, and water. My husband has,  in the past, been adamantly opposed to corn tortillas, preferring flour (which are very high cal and traditionally made with lard). He'd never had really fresh, really good quality corn tortillas. Well, let me tell you, it makes all the difference in the world! They're soft and flavorful. When we piled on the tempeh, with homemade salsa, guacamole, and some shredded lettuce, he declared that it tasted like a meal from our favorite vegetarian restaurant. It was so good, we didn't even miss the cheese.

Do yourself a favor and experiment with cutting down on added fats. See if you can spend a week doing your home cooking just using a spray like Pam or Spectrum Organics, and skipping the butter, margarine, and salad dressing. Try getting your fats from unprocessed sources, like nuts, whole olives, and avocado. You might find that you can easily get by with a lot less than you're accustomed to, or even none at all. And the added benefit is that since fat is SO high cal, you'll easily lose weight. Worried about the taste of a "dry" salad? Add some juicy fruit, such as grapes or sliced pears, and squeeze a lemon over the whole thing. Add slices of avocado and a handful of toasted nuts. Or whip up a dressing of dijon mustard and a little bit of flavored vinegar. Mmmm!

Do yourself another favor, and next time you go to the grocery store, buy one fresh piece of produce that you've never tried, or don't normally buy fresh. With the Internet at your fingertips, you can easily find a recipe to try, but most veggies are excellent roasted simply, or tossed on the grill.

And summer is a great time to snack on fruit. We're keeping a big bowl of fruit salad in the fridge, and it's what we reach for when we want a refreshing treat. It's helped us both cut down on the too-yummy homemade bread and nut butters we've been making.

And if all else fails ... try the tempeh tacos. Seriously.

Comments

[Debby]

eating the right food makes you to become self confident, healthy, happy and physically fit.

[Cindy]

You've hit on an important point, V. Just because something says "vegan" doesn't mean it's healthy. Those vegan brownies are very likely to be made with margarine and a sweetener that has just as many calories as sugar. So they're lovely, but not necessarily low-fat, low-carb, or low-sugar. All the vegan label gets you is an assurance that no animal products were used in making it!

[V Adams]

Must confess that I adore the Vegan brownies sold at Whole Foods. I think they are even better than non-vegan, because all the flavor has to come from the deep, rich, dark chocolate (since there's no butter, eggs, milk etc to add to the taste). Only problem is I haven't found a calorie count for them yet, although I did find out each one has 2.5 grams of fat. They are soooo good. Too good, actually! I can only allow myself to get one on specific whole foods visits (when I'm shopping at the end of the month), because otherwise I'd be picking one up everytime I go in to grab a salad or sushi.

[Becca]

i just tried tempeh fore the first time recently and really liked it. I don;t like tofu as a rule because of the consistency but tempeh was like corn nuggets in my mouth so i didn't mind it

[Cindy]

There's a great cabaret song that goes, "Butter ... I remember butter ..." and goes on to wistfully list all the things the singer can no longer eat. Well, I too remember butter, and except occasionally when I'm having pancakes, I find I can do without it. I don't even use it for baking any more.

What's more surprising to me, though, is not really needing salad dressing or other added fats. Just getting rid of those is a major health and weight loss boost!

BTW, congrats on your 43 pounds!

[Mamie]

Ban the butter is great advice. I used to eat butter on an English muffin every day for breakfast. I quit butter March 1 and I quit lattes Jan. 1 (I allow myself just one per month.) I'm at a new all-time low today--43 pounds gone!!! I think a lot of that is no more butter. I like to think of the weight of 43 one-pound boxes of butter. Imagine how tiring that was to tote that around.