37 replies to this topic

[alternativista]

A companion to the Better Bread and Bread Substitute thread

Methods for preparation that reduce anti-nutrients. Gluten free grains and seeds like quinoa and buckwheat. And substitutes for grains like the Cauliflower 'bread crumbs' below.

Also, be sure to visit the ZAG enzyme thread for info on the ways antinutrients in grains and seeds, especially the gluten grains, soy and peanuts are harmful to digestive health and may directly affect how your skin cells exfoliate properly without clogging pores. In this thread you'll also find info on other foods and nutrients that help prevent/undue the damage from the anti-nutrients in these foods.

Just remember, Grains are not health foods. They are at best nearly empty calorie filler with their only real benefits being fiber you can get elsewhere and some minerals better obtained elsewhere but that you will only get from the grains if you prepare them properly. Many whole grains are a fairly good source of protein, however. Oats for example. And grains substitutes such as Quinoa and hemp seed are even higher protein.

Grains are filled with anti-nutrients some more harmful than others, which can be reduced with proper preparation and food combinations which are rarely done in our industrial food. Which is why I explain all of that over and over. If your digestive tract is in good shape and you are not allergic, you don't have to avoid them, but they should not be a big part of your diet and you should know that you are not eating health food. And you should also know which are the most harmful and which are fairly benign in order to make smart choices.

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Cauliflower 'bread' crumbs
This replaces the bread crumbs sprinkled on top of a dish that creates a browned topping when baked. I doubt it's of any use as a binder as in the breadcrumbs often used in meatloaf, meat balls, salmon cakes, crab cakes, etc.

Pulse cauliflower into 'breadcrumbs' and add garlic and half the sea salt, stir.

Taken from a line in a recipe for a veggie lasagna that uses eggplant or squash in place of the pasta found in this thread: http://www.acne.org/...as-t187800.html

Also, see this recipe for using finely chopped or 'riced' cauliflower as a substitute for couscous in a Moraccan-style dish:
http://www.acne.org/...forums.html...t

Edited by alternativista, 24 July 2012 - 09:12 AM.

[alternativista]

Spaghetti Squash - obvious substitute for noodles in all kinds of dishes. I think it's particularly great in Asian dishes.

Just cut in half, scoop out seeds and bake cut side down or steam. Then use a fork to shred.

Here's a recipe:
If you skip the cheese, there's no negatives in it. Provided you aren't intolerant to the few ingredients, of course.

Spaghetti With Fried Eggs
Yield 2 or 3 servingsTime 20 minutes
Mark Bittman
Adapted from Arthur Schwartz.

In this dish, sometimes known as \'\'poor man\'s spaghetti,\'\' you fry a couple of eggs in the olive oil after removing the garlic, which is not browned but \'\'blonded\'\' (\'\'imbiondito\'\'), cooked lightly in good olive oil and then removed from it. Tossed with the pasta, the eggs and oil create a creamy, delicious sauce.
Ingredients

* Salt
* 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
* 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or lard
* 2 large cloves garlic, lightly smashed and peeled
* 4 eggs
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, optional

Method

* 1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Start the sauce in the next step, and start cooking the pasta when the water boils.
* 2. Combine garlic and 4 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic, pressing it into the oil occasionally to release its flavor; it should barely color on both sides. Remove the garlic, and add the remaining oil.
* 3. Fry the eggs gently in the oil, until the whites are just about set and the yolks still quite runny. Drain the pasta, and toss with the eggs and oil, breaking up the whites as you do. (The eggs will finish cooking in the heat of the pasta.) Season to taste, and serve immediately, with parmesan if you like.

Note that the eggs are to finish cooking with the heat from the spaghetti as you stir it around, so your squash needs to be really hot or maybe you need to keep it over low heat as you stir it up.

Maybe there's some umami Asian thing you can sprinkle on it for those that aren't eating cheese? (Since I think the slightly crunchy and sweet squash tastes Asian.) Maybe chopped green onions? And maybe add a little baby spinach to wilt? Or some peas?

You can steam the squash if you have a wide steamer. I unscrewed the center post of one of those ordinary metal collapsible steamers which lets it lay flat in a wide pot. Steaming is faster and better than the dry heat of the oven, imho.

Note: When I make it, I add peas or wilted spinach, lemon juice and chopped green onions.

Edited by alternativista, 23 March 2011 - 05:57 PM.

[alternativista]

Cauliflower 'couscous'
Ben Ford
Ingredients

* 2 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
* 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 large yellow onions, diced
* 3 garlic cloves, chopped
* 3 whole cauliflower, shaved (see below, save stalks, they make a good soup)
* 2 sweet red peppers, roasted and diced
* 2 Jalapeño pepper, roasted and diced
* 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
* 1 tablespoon mint, finely sliced
* 1 tablespoon basil, finely sliced
* 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
* 1 tablespoon butter to finish.
* Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
* * Regular cooked couscous can be substituted for the cauliflower

Preparation

Shave the cauliflower florets with a knife into couscous size 'grains.' or use a food processor to get a consistent size that resembles couscous, the grain.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.

Add the spices and gently heat until the mustard seeds pop.

Add the onion and garlic and let them soften.

Add the cauliflower and diced peppers to the onion.

Cover and allow to steam until tender �€� 5 minutes or so.

Finish with butter, mint, basil, parsley, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Edited by alternativista, 22 March 2011 - 10:44 AM.

[alternativista]

Fermenting Rice and other grains like whole oats:

Do this to brown basmati rice, a moderate GI grain. Oats and rice aren't particularly harmful grains anti-nutrient wise, but this increases availability of nutrients.

This method comes from a traditional Chinese method for making rice noodles.

The method involves soaking the rice 24 hours before cooking, and saving some of the soaking liquid to use to soak the next batch. Overtime, the amount of enzymes and microorganisms to break down lectins and phytates increases in the liquid, and therefore, more lectins and phytic acid will get broken down in future batches. Just get some jars to always keep some soaked batches on hand.

1 Soak brown rice in dechlorinated water for 24 hours at room temperature without changing the water. Reserve 10% of the soaking liquid (should keep for a long time in the fridge). Discard the rest of the soaking liquid; cook the rice in fresh water.
2 The next time you make brown rice, use the same procedure as above, but add the soaking liquid you reserved from the last batch to the rest of the soaking water.
3 Repeat the cycle. The process will gradually improve until 96% or more of the phytic acid is degraded at 24 hours.

Detailed instructions and discussion in this blog http://wholehealthso...brown-rice.html

You can also add a pinch of something that contains more phytase as oats and rice don't contain much. This is why we are trying to fermenting rather than just soaking to activate the phytase. Off the top of my head, I'm going to say buckwheat, rye and wheat. You can also add a bit of yogurt or yeast. And in Indian cooking, they add fenugreek seeds. More info http://www.acne.org/...p...t&p=2804625

The more processed your oats are (whole vs steel cut vs rolled vs quick), the more heat may have been involved in preparing them, effectively killing any enzymes, so you would need to ferment by adding a live culture for soaking to have any effect.

Also note that phytic acid isn't evil. Yes it binds up some metals/minerals making them unavailable, but they also have their benefits. Also, it's a good thing for some metals to be bound up. Mercury for example.

Edited by alternativista, 22 March 2011 - 04:07 PM.

[alternativista]

Fermenting oats into porridge with light miso

From comments to the above linked blog post on fermenting rice.

Along the same lines, here's an interesting recipe for fermenting oatmeal using miso (would that affect phytic acid positively?):

http://www.southrive...Grain-Milk.html

South River Porridge

1 cup rolled oats
2 cups water
2 teaspoons light miso (see note below)

Cook oatmeal in the evening 5-10 min., or until water is absorbed. (Do not use salt in the cooking.) Let oatmeal cool down to body temperature and then stir miso thoroughly into the warm cereal. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature (about 70°). Reheat in the morning (without boiling) and serve.

Without imparting a noticeable taste of its own, the enzymatic power of the miso will liquefy the cereal, unlocking its essential nutrition, creating a wholesome sweet taste as it ferments overnight.
May 10, 2009 2:24 PM
Stephan said...

Charles,

I've fermented oatmeal with miso before. It tastes good. I've scoured the internet up and down, and I can't find any data on the phytase content of miso. It must have phytase at some point, but I don't know if that makes it into the finished product. It clearly has amylase though, because grains sweeten when you mix them with miso overnight.

[chunkylard]

I'll definitely try that spaghetti squash recipe. I absolutely adore any pasta so that's a great substitute.

[Thehoper]

that's really interesting about the oats fermenting. I'll have to try that. I do realize the longer I slow cook my steel cut oats or the scottish oatmeal I ate before the more the flavor came out.

There are a ton of gluten free grains that are amazing, I suggest anyone interested to try them out.

Quinoa, steel cut oats, millet, buckwheat, teff, check out bob red mills. They make the best high quality stuff, and very professional business.

Edited by Thehoper, 22 March 2011 - 12:02 PM.

[ayla]

^and disgusting mushiness

[g_bye]

Quinoa is a pretty good substitute for rice. Being asian it was hard to switch. It definitely feels lighter and not so heavy in your stomach after a meal. The grocery store I normal go to have quinoa packaged in containers which can be microwaved quickly.

[alternativista]

QUOTE (g_bye @ Mar 22 2011, 03:32 PM)
Quinoa is a pretty good substitute for rice. Being asian it was hard to switch. It definitely feels lighter and not so heavy in your stomach after a meal. The grocery store I normal go to have quinoa packaged in containers which can be microwaved quickly.


Also use quinoa in any recipe that calls for bulgur or couscous. Easy switch. And I love the texture of quinoa. It's kind of fun. I would think children would love it.

And to make Quinoa even better, soak them until they begin to sprout which takes only a couple of hours. They sell sprouted Quinoa in the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but you'll have to pay for it.

And be sure to try the cauliflower couscous recipe.

Note: Quinoa is coated in saponins that are damaging to your digestive tract. This is why you rinse them very well. But whose to say how much you get off. For this reason, I think it might be best to buy commercially rinsed quinoa. Since they use those saponins to make pesticides, they hopefully do a really good job getting all of it off. But I usually rinse again anyway.

Edited by alternativista, 22 July 2012 - 07:40 PM.

[Thehoper]

^and disgusting mushiness

Haha I like my oats all different ways. Sometimes I definitely like it mushy, and sometimes I like to cook the oats so they are thick/firm.

Quinoa is the bees knees. You can get ripped off though buying it in grocery stores. Online is a lot cheaper.

[alternativista]

Lectins and the glyconutrients that bind them up.

Prepare/eat your properly soaked/sprouted/fermented grains/legumes/seeds with foods that contain mono and oligosaccarides. These are essential glyconutrients that happen to bind with various lectins, so that the lectins can't bind with your cells. And many of these foods happen to have been combined with various seeds in traditional dishes that people around the world have been preparing for centuries.

For example, the lectins in many legumes bind with mannose. And mannose is found in tomatoes, onions, garlic, fenugreek and many other veggies. I always cook my legumes with onions and garlic. And in Indian cooking, fenugreek seeds are added during soaking and as a spice in cooking. Mannose is also found in corn, as in the traditional corn and bean combination eaten throughout Latin America.

Glucosamine binds Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). It is found in yeast and is of course part of bread making. But you have to give that yeast lots of time to grow for it to help, as in long fermentation bread making methods. It's in chitin which is makes up the shells in shrimp and other shellfish, insects which are eaten in many parts of the world. You can find dried whole shrimps and powdered whole shrimp in most hispanic markets. Chiten also makes up the cell walls in fungi like mushrooms and yeast. And bacteria walls, like the probiotics in your intestines.

Cialic acid also binds with WGA and it's found in egg yolks. As in egg pasta. French toast. Rich breads that are made with eggs such as brioche and many holiday breads.

More info in the ZAG enzyme thread:http://www.acne.org/...m....html&st=60 Especially this post and the ones around it: http://www.acne.org/...p...t&p=2807229

Some links

Here's a list of 'eight essential sugars' (glyconutrients) and food sources:
http://heartspring.n...nt_sources.html

Lectins and Specificity
http://www.galab.de/...pecificity.html

Another link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....cles/PMC1949895

Edited by alternativista, 22 July 2012 - 07:43 PM.

[Sito]

maybe i'm tired and i can't seem to comprehend properly at the moment or Maybe i'm Stupid and i can't read,

BUT what is the proper way to cook or prepare beans when you are trying to do an acne diet?

cooking them with onions? or soaking them for 24 hours?

and same question for gluten free steel cut oats or gluten free rolled oats? what is the best way to prepare them so they don't trigger acne>?

Hoper or ALternativista? Hoping you folk can help.

[alternativista]

maybe i'm tired and i can't seem to comprehend properly at the moment or Maybe i'm Stupid and i can't read,

BUT what is the proper way to cook or prepare beans when you are trying to do an acne diet?

cooking them with onions? or soaking them for 24 hours?

Both.

You soak the legumes to reduce the lectins, then you cook (at a boil for at least 20 minutes, skimming any foam) to destroy more lectins. Then cook/eat with onions or other food that contains glyconutrients that bind up any lectins that may remain.

And rolled oats are more processed which causes heat which destroys enzymes. Steel cut is better.

[alternativista]

How to prepare legumes aka pulses to reduce anti-nutrients like Phytic Acid and Lectins as well as increase bioavailability of nutrients. Seeds are full of nutrients that are bound up until conditions are right to sprout and grow into the new plant. And those conditions are warmth and moisture.


1) Soak at least overnight. (or soak until they sprout, or ferment as in many traditional Indian dishes*) Skim any foam that may appears. The foam is anti-nutrient proteins some or all of which are lectins.

2) Rinse and add fresh water or broth, onions, garlic, etc. Cook on high heat. They should boil at least 20 minutes. Then it is ok to turn it down. Again, skim off foam.

3) Cook or eat in combination with other foods that contain nutrients that bind up any remaining lectins. These foods tend to be in many traditional dishes that people have been eating for centuries. Onions, tomatoes and fenugreek seed are some examples. See above lectin thread.

I almost always cook all legumes with garlic and onions. Then add greens like spinach or collards at the end of cooking (to get valuable nutrients and supplement the amino acids that beans are low in). Do it. You won't even taste the greens. Tomatoes are another source that bind up the lectins in many beans.

*Fermentation is needed for anything that has already been processed with heat which destroys enzymes. I don't know of any instance where they would do that to dry or fresh beans, but they do it to many grains like toasted buckwheat and rolled oats. And almonds.

Another tip: Chop/crush the onions and garlic fine, then let sit for at least 5 minutes, longer is even better. The chopping crushes cell walls and activates enzymes that free up valuable nutrients and it won't happen if they are first destroyed by cooking. This applies to many other vegetables. It's a good habit.

Edited by alternativista, 09 September 2011 - 12:43 PM.

[Sito]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ How about using Organic Garlic Granules and with chopped onions?

or are the garlic granules no good?

and what do you mean by let them sit for 5 mins>>> let the chopped onions and garlic sit in the pot before you throw in the beans you mean?

sorry i'm not so Smart, that's why i ask these questions to make sure.

[alternativista]

and what do you mean by let them sit for 5 mins>>> let the chopped onions and garlic sit in the pot before you throw in the beans you mean?

Yes, chop small and let sit to let enzymes work before the enzymes get destroyed by the heat of cooking. Whatever you are cooking.

[Sito]

what would be the case with pistacchios? california pistacchios that are raw and in their cracked shells?

and what would i do with the pistacchios that don't come in shells, that are just roasted salted pistachio kernels??/

[alternativista]

So, as you should all know, seeds tend to be high in protein, but tend to be limited a bit in one essential amino acid that keeps them from being referred to as a 'complete' or 'high quality' protein. That doesn't mean they don't have any of that amino acid. Many seeds are only so slightly low in that amino acid it's of no consequence at all, and with most others, you easily get the other amino acids in your other foods assuming you are eating nutritional foods.

Grains tend to be low in lysine.
The best sources of lysine include
-other seeds like:
-- legumes (hence all the classic bean and grain dishes like beans and rice, beans and corn tortillas, etc),
--nuts,
--grain like seeds like buckwheat, wild rice, amaranth and quinoa,
-any complete animal protein obviously.

Most of the lysine of the grain is in the bran so the brans from many grains like oat or rice bran, are high in lysine. Wheat germ is also high in lysine. But we recommend you eat whole foods.

There should be more than enough lysine in the assortment of fruits and vegetables, But I'm not finding a good source with a simple list of the best food sources. They seem to be greens, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, leeks, onion, garlic, potatoes, avocados, sprouts (especially those from non-grain seeds, I would imagine), I think many squashes but the lists I've Found mostly name exotic varieties rather than common ones. True yams as well, but you probably won't find those. Please don't start a sweet potato/yam discussion here.

I'm also not finding a good list of the cereal grains highest in lysine (i,e, most complete protein), but I believe it would include whole oats and Teff. Also rye and wheat, but they are gluten grains.

Edited by alternativista, 31 March 2011 - 09:33 AM.

[alternativista]

Something else to try with spaghetti squash in place of the pasta.

Pasta with broccoli sauce

1 lb broccoli - the whole head, you use the stems for the sauce.
1 1/4 cups water
8 ounces bow tie pasta steamed or baked Spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut in pieces
salt

Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 25 mins
1 Cut the broccoli buds into small florets, leaving as short a stem as possible; set aside; cut the remaining broccoli stems into 1/2" pieces; boil them, covered, in the 1 1/4 cups water, lightly salted, for 15 minutes or until very soft.
2 Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water; return the pasta to the pot and stir until all moisture is evaporated.
3 Place the reserved florets into a small pot and steam or boil 5 minutes, retaining the bright green color and a bit of crunch.
4 In a food processor, puree the cooked broccoli and its cooking water until very smooth, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water if needed to make a smooth sauce; add the butter and pulse until melted; add salt to taste. (or get yourself an immersion blender and do it right in the pot!!!)
5 Pour warm sauce over the pasta and stir gently to combine; plate and sprinkle with drained florets.