Dr. McDougall's Health & Medical Center
It is currently Sat May 25, 2013 2:57 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:39 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:19 pm
Posts: 808
Location: USA
Not sure how this idea will go over on this board but will give it a try, anyway! :)

Most of us here KNOW the importance of eating McD style to get and stay healthy. Plus, a good number of us here know how eating plant-based is good for the planet (less polution, less water usage/waste, less methane, less other global warming gases, fewer trees cut down to create pasture land or fields to raise food for livestock, etc.).

Now, how about lets taking all of this a step further and find/list ways to PREPARE our plant-based diet in more EARTH-FRIENDLY ways!

Of course, some of us use solar cookers whenever possible. That is one very good method of earth-friendly cooking.

OTHER ways are to reduce the amount of cooking time, the amount of energy used, and/or the amount of HEATED water that will be dumped out and WASTED once the food cooked in it is done.

Here is a recipe recently created by my HUSBAND that illustrates what I mean by the "wasted heated water". (He has been forced to do the cooking while I have been laid up with a physical injury. Don't be concerned, will soon be as good as new.)

My Wonderful Hubby's
EASY, DELICIOUS, and EARTH-FRIENDLY PASTA

Usually, pasta is cooked separately from the sauce. Then the cooking water is dumped -- wasting energy and water. My husband's pasta recipe turns out delicous and the pasta (we most always use spirals) does not disintergrate. Plus, I eat what little is leftover (if any is leftover :roll: ) the next day for lunch COLD to prevent wasting energy reheating it -- and it is DELICOUS cold, too!

Ingredients:
* 1 approx. 30 oz. large can of dice tomatoes in juice, NOT drained
* 1 approx. 15 oz. can of beans of choice, drained or not -- (depending on what you prefer)
* 1 apporx. 15 oz. salt-free corn kernals, NOT drained
* The small amount of water used to rise out all of the food from these cans
* Any seasonings you like -- (Italian seasoning or chili powder or none, etc.)
* 2 to 3 cups "sturdy" egg-free whole wheat pasta -- (such as spirals or macaroni -- but NOT angel hair spaghetti! :D )

Directions:
Place the tomatoes, beans, corn, the "cans' rinse water", and seasonings in a large pot, cover, and let come to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, let return to a boil and let boil about a minute, TURN OFF stove, stir again, wait a few seconds and then cover. (Be careful to NOT let the pot bubble over right after covering it.) Let the pot sit covered on the eye for 20 to 30 minutes and then serve. Serve as is or with a sprinkling of vegan nutritional yeast. YUMMMMMMM!

Adjust the amount of pasta to control how thick or thin you want the resulting "sauce" to be. You may need to do a little experimenting with the porportions of the dry pasta used to the amount of liquid used in order to finetune this recipe to your liking.

ALSO, this recipe will work fine in a six-reflector Sun Oven solar cooker. After the pasta is stirred into to the boiling hot tomato-veggie mixture, quickly cover the pot and close the cooker and let it sit between 30 to 60 minutes depending on how bright the sun is.

Happy McDougalling, everyone!

_________________
`
I believe we McDougallers can have a loud enough voice to influence enough people to cut back on livestock consumption/farming that we CAN have a positive impact on global warming -- if we REALLY try!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:46 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:38 pm
Posts: 5511
Location: Arizona, Florida
that's what I do in the solar oven with the lasagnas...use enough sauce and it all cooks just fine.
Haven't used it recently since Ed has a truck camper now and it blocks the place I used to put the solar oven. Have to rebuild a lower table to set it on pretty soon. I scoped it out and I found one area with the winter sun that still gets it all day so I am going to get rid of the high table and put the top on the low bench and it should be fine...can't reach into the oven when it is up high! It's no problem in the summer but now the sun in lower and the camper blocks it!
I will try your recipe...looks great!

_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncyg46/


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:42 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:36 pm
Posts: 1879
Location: SEAZ
That is actually an established way to cook noodles that your hubby stumbled upon! I read about it years ago in the Tightwad Gazette. Good information, and thanks for the reminder.

Hope you feel better soon, SB.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:23 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:19 pm
Posts: 808
Location: USA
Thanks for replying, Nancy and nomikins.

Now, does anyone else have any more ideas about how to prepare food/meals in earth-friendly ways?

I have never seen the "Tightwad Gazette" but I bet it is full of energy-saving tips! I love that name, "Tightwad Gazette"! Maybe that is because I am a tightwad, too!

Nomkins, I am doing much better. (Thank you for caring.) Last fall, I tore a muscle in my back and it was healing nicely -- but every now, when not thinking, I would lift something a little too heavy and set the healing back a bit. (It was like 2 or 3 steps forward and 1 or 2 steps backwards, repeatedly for a long spell -- BUT, a few weeks ago, it was just about healed.

Then, I slipped getting into bed (because I am SO short and tiny and all our furniture seems like giant furniture to me) and went about 10 steps backwards! To make matters more frustrating we can NOT find the REGULAR Advil, anymore! It worked GREAT, last fall, at relieving pain without causing much constipation and without burning my stomach. The 12-hour Alieve, that I am using now, works fairly well at relieving the pain without burning my stomach (like aspirin can if I take it in a long stretch) but it is constipating -- so even though I am a 100% McDer, due to the pain medicine, I NOW have to eat a bowl of All Bran everyday to keep things moving.

By the way, I try to go without the pain medicine, as much as I can stand, becuase I do not like taking too much of any kind of medication.

The good news is, this morning, I was able to hobble in the kitchen on borrowed cruchers and help my hubby prepare breakfast! So, the future is looking bright!

Happy McDougalling!

_________________
`
I believe we McDougallers can have a loud enough voice to influence enough people to cut back on livestock consumption/farming that we CAN have a positive impact on global warming -- if we REALLY try!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:23 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:56 am
Posts: 852
Sorry about your mishap, SB but ;happy to hear you are recovering.

I have a question about cooking pasta in the sauce. I was putting thin noodles in my soups uncooked. But they ended up being stuck together and gummy. Is this because it's similar toangel hair which you suggested not using? Or would only the spirals and such work? Thanks

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention I add it to the soups I cook in the microwave, like Right Foods.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Have you ever read "Cooking Green"
PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:00 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:27 pm
Posts: 424
Location: wpb,fl
by Kate Heyhoe? It has a lot of recommendations for eco friendly recipes,cookware,etc. It's not veg, but has some veg recipes & good ideas. http://www.newgreenbasics.com

_________________
Best wishes,Cat


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:11 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:19 pm
Posts: 808
Location: USA
HealthE1, yes, anything THIN or DELICATE would probably start to disintegrate and anything STRAIT or FLAT would probably try to stick together. Spirals are sturdy and have some shape and cook very nicely this way. Macaroni does fairy well, if you stir it from time to time -- before the liquid or sauce becomes to thick. I have not tried "bow ties", yet, but they probably would do OK, too.

Just keep these two words in mind -- STURDY and SHAPE.

I tried angel hair spaghetti like this, one time, and ended up with a big sticky mess. But we ate it, anyway, and it tasted good, at least -- :lol: -- I was brought up hearing "Waste NOT want NOT" just about every day!

veggiecat, thanks for the "newgreenbasics" link! Will check it out!

...and I am getting better, day by day! (Thanks!)

Happy McDougalling!

_________________
`
I believe we McDougallers can have a loud enough voice to influence enough people to cut back on livestock consumption/farming that we CAN have a positive impact on global warming -- if we REALLY try!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Earth-friendly & Healthy Cooking
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:22 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:56 am
Posts: 852
Thanks, SB. Great way to put it. I see where I went wrong now. BTW, I also was brought up with that great adage, as well as many others my mom always touted. Funny, as I get older I hear them more and more in my head! LOL


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group