A List of Safe Restaurants

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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby dp135 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:33 pm

I was just talking about going to PF Changs. So glad there is something I can order that's ok.

Are there any sauces that are ok?

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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby HealthFreak » Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:41 pm

dp135 wrote:I was just talking about going to PF Changs. So glad there is something I can order that's ok.

Are there any sauces that are ok?

Dorothy


Their sauces are very salty. I put some hoisin sauce on my Buddha's feast and since I don't eat a lot of salt it was easy to tell how salty it was. If you are sensitive to salt I would be very careful about what you order. The Buddha's feast is just steamed vegetables, rice and tofu. It was very healthy but not much taste to it just by itself.
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby dp135 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:46 pm

HealthFreak wrote:
dp135 wrote:Are there any sauces that are ok?
Dorothy


Their sauces are very salty. I put some hoisin sauce on my Buddha's feast and since I don't eat a lot of salt it was easy to tell how salty it was. If you are sensitive to salt I would be very careful about what you order. The Buddha's feast is just steamed vegetables, rice and tofu. It was very healthy but not much taste to it just by itself.


Thanks. So I guess the "five-spice tofu " is rather bland?
I figured salty might be the case but other than soy, I am not
well versed in chinese sauces but would think such a dish would need something for me. Avoiding oil would be my main concern.

If I go, I'll ask them about the sauces.
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby frozenveg » Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:52 am

Thanks. So I guess the "five-spice tofu " is rather bland?
I figured salty might be the case but other than soy, I am not
well versed in chinese sauces but would think such a dish would need something for me. Avoiding oil would be my main concern.


Even at PF Chang's, everything else has oil in it, just like every restaurant! :eek: . But they did prepare the cucumber side dish for me (see my October post, above) without oil, and it was very tasty! BTW, I thought the steamed veggies & rice was great on its own, with no sauce!!)
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby Stephenoff » Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:19 pm

Did any one look at http://www.mcalistersdeli.com . The just a spud has no oil on it or salt and I normaly have it ( half of it ) with a cup of veggie-chili.

The veggie-chili has 1 gram of fat per cup (8oz) 133 calories this is less then 10 % fat.


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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby dp135 » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:48 pm

HealthFreak wrote:
dp135 wrote:I was just talking about going to PF Changs. So glad there is something I can order that's ok.

Are there any sauces that are ok?

Dorothy


Their sauces are very salty. I put some hoisin sauce on my Buddha's feast and since I don't eat a lot of salt it was easy to tell how salty it was. If you are sensitive to salt I would be very careful about what you order. The Buddha's feast is just steamed vegetables, rice and tofu. It was very healthy but not much taste to it just by itself.



I finally got there last night. I ordered BUDDHA'S FEAST
Vegetable medley with five-spice tofu served steamed. First of all there was barely any tofu in it and those were thin slices that had no taste at all. So much for the 5 spices. The only thing that saved it was some extra sauce as it came totally dry. It was just too plain.
But the sauce which has a teriyaki like taste was sweet and salty and I doubt as healthy as one would wish for.

In the past I have ordered this type dish from our take out and got big chunks of seasoned tofu but I think they might have been stir fried as they tasted way too good flavorful and had a crust like skin to them. But at least you could enjoy the soft marshmallow like tofu pieces and not thin slices you might almost mistake for the mushrooms. If they eliminated the tofu, you would never know it. Tofu was non-existent.

I love veggies but this dish needs some work. All the rest of the vegetarian options seem to use oil so I am not sure what the solution is. My husband had the sesame chicken and had no complaints. The restaurant is great if you can eat anything and not worry about oils and the like.

It's funny, when I ate meat I thought that being a vegetarian was impossible. Then as a vegan-ish type, I looked at them as a walk in the park type diet with almost no restrictions. Now I have to say low fat/no fat vegan-ish is almost impossible in the restaurant world ;=)
Throw in low salt and you might as well just stay home :lol:

I made a dish the other day with water sauteed veggies ( mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, red peppers, vidalia onion, fresh Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and black cracked pepper, garlic, onion powder and added a store bought hot and sour sauce and a little braggs liquid aminos. Served it over brown rice and everyone ( including all the meat eaters) loved it. These restaurants should be able to do things like that too.
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby JeffN » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:58 pm

HealthFreak wrote:Their sauces are very salty. I put some hoisin sauce on my Buddha's feast and since I don't eat a lot of salt it was easy to tell how salty it was. If you are sensitive to salt I would be very careful about what you order. The Buddha's feast is just steamed vegetables, rice and tofu. It was very healthy but not much taste to it just by itself.


Not only is this one of my favorite dishes, I love it exactly the way it is. Often, I will even ask for extra veggies as sometimes they seem to skimp on the veggies.

I understand how it may seem plain by itself, but natural foods are so full of flavor all by themselves but we often do not appreciate these simple flavors because our taste buds are so used to high salt, high sugar, high fat. However, if we allow them to adjust, we can better appreciate the natural flavor of whole natural foods.

dp135 wrote:If they eliminated the tofu, you would never know it. Tofu was non-existent.


This is actually a good thing because tofu should be thought of as little more than a condiment and not a main course. Personally, I find most of these restaurants give to much tofu and as such, my girlfriend and I will order 2 dishes but only one with Tofu and then share the tofu.

dp135 wrote:It's funny, when I ate meat I thought that being a vegetarian was impossible. Then as a vegan-ish type, I looked at them as a walk in the park type diet with almost no restrictions.


What you have shown is that given the commitment and time, you have been able to change and adjust as desired. :)

dp135 wrote:I made a dish the other day with water sauteed veggies ( mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, red peppers, vidalia onion, fresh Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and black cracked pepper, garlic, onion powder and added a store bought hot and sour sauce and a little braggs liquid aminos. Served it over brown rice and everyone ( including all the meat eaters) loved it. These restaurants should be able to do things like that too.


However, depending on the hot and sour sauce, and the amount of braggs (which is very high in sodium), the dish may not have been as healthy as thought. Of course, the only way to know for sure, would be to have it analyzed. But when meat-eaters love it, I am concerned :)

Remember, this thread is about finding the healthiest dishes, without and added salt, sugar and oil.

From the original post.

JeffN wrote:For this thread and this list, I am going to use only those restaurants where you are guaranteed a 100% safe experience without compromise.

So, safe = no added oil, salt, sugar, white flour, etc. etc.


Then, if someone wanted, they could adjust they flavored to their liking by using acceptable condiments, seasonings and flavorings.

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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby ETeSelle » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:12 am

JeffN wrote:Not only is this one of my favorite dishes, I love it exactly the way it is. Often, I will even ask for extra veggies as sometimes they seem to skimp on the veggies.

I understand how it may seem plain by itself, but natural foods are so full of flavor all by themselves but we often do not appreciate these simple flavors because our taste buds are so used to high salt, high sugar, high fat. However, if we allow them to adjust, we can better appreciate the natural flavor of whole natural foods.

I agree, Jeff. I like it, too. Good idea about asking for extra veggies, though, b/c I agree that it needs more!

I mostly avoid eating out, but PF Chang's is where my office goes twice a year--it's a special thing, everyone looks forward to it, etc. So I was so happy to learn that there was something I could order!

IMO it's not as good as the recipes *I* make at home, but it's fine. The way I look at eating out now is that for the most part, I'm doing it in order to spend time w/ friends/family. That's the REAL reason for the meal--the meal itself does not have to be the best thing I ever ate. I think that adjusting one's perspective in this way helps. :)
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby JeffN » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:30 am

ETeSelle wrote:
JeffN wrote:Not only is this one of my favorite dishes, I love it exactly the way it is. Often, I will even ask for extra veggies as sometimes they seem to skimp on the veggies.

I understand how it may seem plain by itself, but natural foods are so full of flavor all by themselves but we often do not appreciate these simple flavors because our taste buds are so used to high salt, high sugar, high fat. However, if we allow them to adjust, we can better appreciate the natural flavor of whole natural foods.

I agree, Jeff. I like it, too. Good idea about asking for extra veggies, though, b/c I agree that it needs more!

I mostly avoid eating out, but PF Chang's is where my office goes twice a year--it's a special thing, everyone looks forward to it, etc. So I was so happy to learn that there was something I could order!

IMO it's not as good as the recipes *I* make at home, but it's fine. The way I look at eating out now is that for the most part, I'm doing it in order to spend time w/ friends/family. That's the REAL reason for the meal--the meal itself does not have to be the best thing I ever ate. I think that adjusting one's perspective in this way helps. :)


I couldn't agree more and have said the same thing many times. The best food is in my house that I make. I am going out for social reasons.

Great points!

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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby dp135 » Wed Jan 19, 2011 7:55 pm

Thanks Jeff. I love natural foods and eat most of my veggies just water sauteed etc or with healthy tomato sauces. I guess my expectation was that there would be more spice or flavor in this dish.

As an aside, the amount of sauce and Braggs is small. Especially Braggs as it is so salty, it just takes a dash.

Now back to your original thread ;=) Sorry for the detour.
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby velvetelvis » Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:54 pm

I ate at Chili's yesterday in the hopes I could find something McDougall safe. I chose the salad listed below w/o chicken or shrimp. I don't think there was any reduction in price for omitting the animal products. :-( I've checked the nutrition information online but the listings included the meat/shrimp. That said, it was delicious and I did not have the usual post-restaurant food hangover. I hope this proves to be a good choice and bears up under the scrutiny of the trained eyes of the forum.

CHILI'S CARIBBEAN SALAD

Fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, dried cherries, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds and honey-lime dressing. With your choice of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp.
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby frozenveg » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:51 pm

velvetelvis wrote:I had at Chili's yesterday in the hopes I could find something McDougall safe. I chose the salad listed below w/o chicken or shrimp. I don't think there was any reduction in price for omitting the animal products. :-( I've checked the nutrition information online but the listings included the meat/shrimp. That said, it was delicious and I did not have the usual post-restaurant food hangover. I hope this proves to be a good choice and bears up under the scrutiny of the trained eyes of the forum.

CHILI'S CARIBBEAN SALAD

Fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, dried cherries, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds and honey-lime dressing. With your choice of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp.


It sounds good, but if you had the dressing, you can be nearly 100% certain that it was made with oil. I have been McDougalling for so long I have to have my DH tell me not to order dressings and sauces because although their title may be, for instance, sweet onion, it doesn't mean it's not mostly oil! So if you ate just the salad, and not the dressing, it sounds good, if a little bit heavy on the fruit! I just hate paying restaurants to give me lettuce!
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby velvetelvis » Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:51 am

Thanks FV for your comments and you are likely spot on. I saw no other menu choices other than a side of beans and side of rice, surely floating in oil - so paying $9.00 at lunch for a plate of lettuce seemed the only choice. :| The fruit was just a garnish and collectively would perhaps comprise one serving, if that. The online posted nutritional info revealed fat but that included the chicken and fish version. So, thanks for the heads up and keen observation. :nod:
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby blondie » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:56 pm

Has anyone mentioned Wendy's? They have plain baked potatoes on their dollar menu now as well as garden salad and mandarin oranges!
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Re: A List of Safe Restaurants

Postby sunnystuf » Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:57 pm

I love Wendy's. I was recently at my parent's in Alabama. My mom and I stopped for lunch at Wendy's. Someone who I had gone to High School with, who had become obese, said hi to us, but basically could not take his eyes off our food. I had two baked potatos with ketcup and mustard and the side salad.

And we sure look alot different than he does!!!
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