The NO-No list

quote:

4 days in a gourmet spa and I at nothing but soup and boiled fish after that...

Too bad you could only have soup, BUT there are some great soups made by the French. Did this gourmet spa make Vichyssoise among the soups you had? This was something my mother made for me as a kid. She saw Julia Child make it on TV probably in the 1970s, copied her recipe and it was the one example of French cuisine my mother did well. Which is OK since she was born in Hungary and cooks that cuisine well.

Sharon - what's vichy celestine water?

Sorry your trip had a huge bump in the road. You deserve a "do over".

Hope you are feeling better.

CT,
Yes, not only did they make Vichysoisse there but they invented it there...I was in Vichy...(for those who don't know it is a potato/leek based creamed soup, heavy on the cream!!! Ouch for the calories!)...very tasty but oh, so rich...I ate it daily. n/a...Vichy is a city in a volcanic region of France, their moutain spring water rushes through layers of volcantic rock and is filter goodness knows how many times but it is naturally bubbly and full of trace minerals including sodium and a whole boat load of others (there are different kinds of bottled waters there but the Vichy-Celestine one is much less salty tasting than the Vichy-St Yorre one...They are the names of the spings that bottle them) ...I never understood the expression "to go to take the waters" until then...people with all sorts of intestinal diseases go there to take the waters..litterally drink thier mineral water all day long (fine, you can also take mineral baths in it for body sores, excema, rashes etc) or swim in it in special thermal pools or get mineral mud cataplasmes spread all over your body...it is good inside and out and the Government pays for certain catagories of people with specific diseases to go there for a 'cure' or 'treatment' lasting from 1 week to 1 month at a time...we have different regions here for different diseases...some regions are renouned for their curative properties for asthmatics others for skin diseases and others for internal organ diseases...the 'curists' as they are called have stict diets and exercise programs along with the quantity of the waters that they must drink or immerge their bodies into (hot baths, steam baths, wadding pools etc)...they do a lot of good for a lot of people...I just never really tried it before...I am pleasantly surprised.
I had this image of these chic, rich people hanging out there but they were mostly very unchic people who needed medical help from around the world.
I kind of fit right in.
So, all in all not so bad just wish I had laid off of fiber pre-trip. Will know better next time.
Sharon

U won't do that again. If you cut off the bottom of th asperagus end off you can use them in soups.

I am usually so careful but I was just so excited with the asperagus!!! Back to overcooked greenbeans but even that is limited in quantity...I have a big appetite and like to fill it with green veggies instead of fries or potatoes so it is hard to deal with very limited quantities...like 1-3 ozs....soup is a great idea thought...thanks...
Last Sat I realised that I had had a major blockage going on and didn't even know it...after the 'fur ball' of fiber in my pouch I thought that I had finished with it but still had a very 'heavy-achy' feeling in my abdomen and legs...sort of like when you first climb out of a pool after swimming for a long time...the whole bottom of my body was heavy and tired and achy for the week...I was more and more lethargic and cranky and my sacro-ilitis was flaring horribly (finally asked for stronger meds...Going onto codine now)...and finally, Sat morning my pouched released an incredible quantity of 'stuff'...it just kept going until the air wooshed out...I hand never seen it release so much...and suddenly the 'heavy' went away...the achy abdominal pain too. Seems that I must have had a partial obstruction going on and didn't know it...just happy that it is gone.
Sharon

If you like green veggies try Edamame in the pod. You can get them in the frozen foods department of your grocery store in a microwaveable bag. Some varieties come pre-salted and some you have to add the salt (I prefer the pre-salted variety). Just note you DO NOT EAT THE POD (it's indigestible), just the beans inside, which you push out of the pod by squeezing it between your fingers. I personally like Edamame in the pod better than the shelled variety, because they taste better. They also have plenty of protein and you can eat less meat or fish if you join Edamame with a meat protein.

CTBarrister,
Do you just eat them plain with salt? They are soybeans and I keep thinking Tofu is made from them and I don't like tofu. I love all kinds of beans so maybe I should try them. Just wondering if you need to do anything else than salt them.
Thanks!

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Do you just eat them plain with salt?

Yes! They are served that way in Japanese restaurants. I buy a microwaveable bag which is presalted. Nothing else is needed. However Jolly Green Giant has a microwaveable bag that is unsalted and to those, I have to add salt.

Edamame are immature soy beans - I am not sure why you would compare it to tofu because it tastes nothing like tofu which is a bean curd made from bean juice.

More on Edamame here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edamame

They are similar in taste to a lima bean, but edamame are not as starchy or pasty in texture as their older lima bean cousins. They are superior in taste to lima beans when prepared properly. I find them to be delicious.

The comparison might be because both are derived from soybeans.

kathy

Thanks Kathy, I live in Iowa with fields and fields of soybeans and corn and thought tofu was made from soybeans. I didn't realize it had other ingredients just knew I tried it and I didn't like it.

I'm going to try CTBarrister's edamame. I like Lima beans, not my favorite but they are not a protein source either.

You can't dislike tofu more than I do, and I LOVE Edamame. If you have a choice, the Edamame brand I recommend is PictSweet Steamables, which is pre-salted. It is in the frozen food vegetable department. Where I live (in CT) I can buy 2 bags for $3; it may be cheaper in Iowa. Jolly Green Giant also has a microwaveable bag, more expensive and unsalted. You have to add salt to these and shake it up in a container after you take them out of the bag, which is not easy to do when they are hot.

Remember, the pod is not digestible, and I would suggest that if you tried eating it, it could produce the worst blockage you have ever had. Edamame can also be purchased shelled in sealed containers in the produce department of my local supermarket. The pre-shelled beans are not as tasty as the ones sold in the pod, in my opinion.

Regarding tofu, I hate it, and the only time I can recall eating it voluntarily in the past 10 years was when I was dating a vegetarian girlfriend who liked the tofu salad at a Thai restaurant, which was made with a delicious spicy peanut dressing that hid the taste of the tofu somewhat effectively. Other than that I will never eat tofu or tofu products as I don't like the taste. The taste of the Edamame bean cooked is not even remotely similar. Lima beans are a better comparison, but they are not as good as Edamame either. The lima bean and Edamame bean have very different textures.

My personal opinion is to stay away from any foods that need to be microwaved in a bag. Plastic heated with food? Scary. You can steam them the old fashioned way, on the stove top.

Sue

You can also steam in a microwave with plastic...just use good, oldfashioned pyrex cookware or something similar...a glass, ovenproof container with a lid (or you can buy those steamer covers specially made for mircowaves)...take a couple of minutes...I do most of my raw veggies that way (3-8 minutes in a glass container in the mic with a minimum of water for steam)...I even do my potatoes in there and finish them up in a frying pan or oven (saves on electricity and that is really expensive in Europe).
As for the soy beans and any other bean...in my k pouches life they have been nixed...I can eat 3 peas or 4 beans but that is it...even in paste form my pouch hates them (think humous)...the closest I get to anything like that at all is popcorn...if not...I just cook'em and watch the rest of the family eat'em.
Sharon

I quit using any plastic in the microwave, even if it is made to use in it. I found a good use for all the corning wear I hardly ever use and if heating up in a bowl a paper plate does well if there isn't a glass top to use. I know some of it is ok I just get OCD about somethings. For sure please don't use Styrofoam. I wish that stuff had never been invented.

Although plastic in the microwave is not an ideal way to cook any food (it's mainly quick and easy for people who don't have a lot of time) it should be noted that edamame are cooked in a pod that is inedible. Theoretically, anyway, the pod provides a layer of protection between the edible food and the plastic bag that is being heated.

Of course, edamame can be steamed on the stovetop and that is the ideal preparation method.

My husband and I just bought some, couldn't find Green Giant. I'm assuming he shouldn't eat the pods too, right?

I'll read the directions, that should answer my question.

The edamame pods are totally indigestible for any human being, coloned or not.

Thanks! Not like peas in a pod at all!

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My husband and I just bought some, couldn't find Green Giant.

Actually I think I misspoke and ended up goofballing you. It is actually Birdseye and not Jolly Green Giant. I was confused because they show a lot of green edamame on the package and I was associating the green with Jolly Green Giant. I have purchased both Pictsweet and Birdseye. Pictsweet has the pre-salted bean pods whereas Birdseye you have to add salt to the cooked bean pods.

Here is the Birdseye package:

http://www.birdseye.com/vegeta...-pure-simple/edamame

Pictsweet:

http://www.pictsweet.com/our-p...damame-with-sea-salt