HI ARBOR
an e-newsletter for vegetarians
 V.4 No.4
April 15, 2004

www.hiarbor.org

CONTENTS:

• EARTH DAY

• THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP:

• PEAS WITH MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS

• GREEN TEA

• PRICE LOOK UP (PLU) STICKERS

• LIST OF SUBSTITUTIONS

• OATMEAL:

  • OATMEAL WITH VEGETABLES AND BASIL

  • OATMEAL AND SPINACH PIE

• GREEN BEAN AND ONION SAUTE'

• INDIA'S TRADITIONAL MASALA DOSA

• BONIATO

• MALANGA

• ANTIOXIDANTS

 Hello, and welcome back to the Hi Arbor. The Vegetarian Resource Group graciously gave me permission to use their recipe below, but the matter of copyright is a vexing one. I will continue to provide varied information related to vegetarian and vegan dining and will provide recipes as I am able. The recipes are  a bit sparse today, but I hope you will find something you like and that the other information will provide a good read. Please send suggestions or information to HiArborNews@aol.com. I'm not sure how I will handle the matter of recipes but will always try to provide a variety of interesting and informative items. The next issue of Hi Arbor will go out on May 20, 2004. Until then, take care.
Roxanne
 

EARTH DAY:
April 22 is Earth Day, a day for honoring the planet that gives us a place to put our gardens.

VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP:
The following recipe is from "Vegan Microwave Cookbook" by Nancy Berkoff, R.D.; The Vegetarian Resource Group; $16.95; www.vrg.org

PEAS WITH MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS
Serves 4

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons oil
10-ounce package frozen peas (or 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup canned mushrooms, pieces and stems, drained (4-ounce can)
1/4 teaspoon sage

Toss onion and oil together in a 1-quart casserole or bowl. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 1-2 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes or until peas are heated thoroughly.

Note: Peas are used in their frozen form in this recipe to provide extra liquid.

Per serving: Total Calories Per Serving: 86
Total Fat as % of Daily Value: 4% Protein: 5 gm
Fat: 3 gm Carbohydrates: 12 gm Calcium: 18mg
Iron: 1 mg Sodium: 184 mg Dietary Fiber: 4 gm

GREEN TEA:
Bigelow Teas is now offering a decaffeinated green tea. I checked the Bigelow website at www.bigelow.com. It's a store for online ordering but the decaffeinated green tea is not displayed there.

PRICE LOOK UP (PLU) STICKERS:
Price look up (PLU) stickers are on individual pieces of fruit to give cashiers and other grocer-related personnel the name of the fruit [i.e. Rome, Jonathan or Red Delicious apples], price and information about its origins. Conventionally grown fruit will have a four digit PLU. Organically grown fruit will have a five digit PLU that begins with 9, and genetically engineered fruit will have a five digit PLU that begins with 8. The four digit PLU for a conventionally grown Red D'Anjou pear is 4417.  Thus if the pear is organically grown, the PLU would be 94417. If it has been  genetically grown, its PLU would be 84417. Last but in no way least, in the days ahead more and more of those stickers may have tabs to make it easier to remove them.
References:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 1, 2004, and the AJC reproduced the short article from a story by Sharon Maasdam, The (Portland) Oregonian.

http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/whatsnew/faq.htm#plu

http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut76.htm

LIST OF SUBSTITUTIONS:
Here are substitution ideas from a Kroger ad I received in the postal mail.
 

OATMEAL:
Oatmeal is often seen as a food that should be sweet. I feel it has a place as a non-sweet food. Below are two of my non-sweet oatmeal recipes.

OATMEAL WITH VEGETABLES AND BASIL
oil or water for sautéing
vegetables such as chopped tomato, onion, green pepper, celery and
whatever else you think might be good
enough water for the amount of oatmeal you want to cook
One-minute oatmeal
dash of basil or to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
grated cheese, if desired

Sautee' the vegetables in the oil or a small amount of water until they are tender. Add more water and bring to a boil. Add oatmeal, basil, salt and pepper. When cooked, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

OATMEAL AND SPINACH PIE
10-ounce box frozen spinach
1 cup cooked 1-minute oatmeal, thick
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
tomato slices

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Cook spinach and drain well, pressing excess water out. Cook oatmeal until it's thick then cover pot, remove from heat and let it sit 15 minutes. Saute' onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes. Put spinach back in pot it  was cooked in. Add oatmeal, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper Mix  well. Put mixture in 9" pie dish and press down with back of soon. Top with  tomato slices and bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool 15 minutes before serving.

The next recipe came from a can of Del Monte cut green beans but there are more recipes at www.delmonte.com

GREEN BEAN AND ONION SAUTÉ
Prep. 5 minutes Cook: 10 minutes Servings: 4 (side dish)

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2 ts. olive oil
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) cut green beans, no salt added, drained
1 small tomato, cut into thin wedges
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

Cook and stir onion in hot oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until tender. Add beans, tomato and oregano. Heat through. Transfer to a serving dish.

INDIA'S TRADITIONAL MASALA DOSA
Masala Dosa are eggless crepe made with lentil flour & wrapped around potatoes. The web address below will take you to a recipe that is too long to print here.

http://recipes.indiaserver.com/indian-masala-dosa-recepies.html

BONIATO (WHITE SWEET POTATO):
Boniato can possibly be found in a Cuban or Haitian market.

"Boniato = tropical sweet potato = Cuban sweet potato = white
sweet potato = white-fleshed sweet potato = batiste = batata = batata
dulce = camote

Notes: Boniatos aren't as sweet and moist as other sweet potatoes, but many people prefer their fluffier consistency and more delicate flavor. Store them at room temperature and use them soon after your purchase them, since they tend to spoil quickly."

http://www.foodsubs.com/Sweetpotatoes.html

MALANGA:
Malanga can possibly be found in a Haitian market. "Malanga is probably the most hypoallergenic food in the world, so even persons with extensive allergies should do very well with this flour. The reason? The starch grains are the smallest and most easily digested of all complex carbohydrates. Malanga is closely related to the taro root, which is used to make poi, a cooked paste, common in Polynesian countries. Malanga and taro root are in the Arum family, Araceae. Malanga is also called yautia, cocoyam, eddo, coco, tannia, sato-imo, and Japanese potatoes. Malanga are about the size and shape of a regular white potato; they look a little like an overgrown gladiola bulb, because the outside skin of the malanga is brown and somewhat hairy. There are about 1530 calories in one pound of malanga flour. The composition of malanga flour is approximately: 75.5% carbohydrates, 5.1% protein, 1.6% fat, 9.8% fiber, 1.2% water, and 6.8% minerals."

http://www.specialfoods.com/malanga.html
 

ANTIOXIDANTS:
The biological process of oxidation is essential to metabolism and energy availability, but it also produces by-products called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage our cells, and they are unstable because they are missing an electron. Damage is done by free radicals borrowing electrons from our cells, and if the cellular damage is not prevented or repaired, illness can follow. Antioxidants are molecules that circulate through our bloodstream with the capacity to freely give up extra electrons to correct the imbalance. Antioxidants are both produced by our bodies and are in some of the food we eat. Aging, however, reduces the body's ability to produce antioxidants. An example of this is the aging of the skin. It is known that Vitamin E, C, and A, or A's precursor, beta-carotene, are sources of antioxidants, but there is less certainty that vitamin supplements can provide the protective activity of antioxidants without the other nutrients in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.

Reference:
"Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites" cookbook; Antioxidants - pg.
400; Clarkson Potter/Publishers; Barnes & Noble.com, $16.80