Has Restaurant Food Gotten Worse, or Are My Tastebuds More Discriminating?

A few weeks back I wrote about bad Chinese take-out.  Well, last week I was confronted with bad doughnuts, and one incredibly inedible pie.  Now my family used to get Doughnuts at least once a month when I was around 10-11.  And I remember how amazing the doughnut shop was with all their varieties and everything tasted so good.  So what is more likely, food is worse today than 20 + years ago, or my tastes have developed to the point where I can't eat inferior food?  Probably both.

It was Twin Peaks day, and if you have never seen the series you probably won't like it.  Anywho, the cliched cop-doughnut reference was of course part of the theme and I got some doughnuts from the closest place to my house, a retail grocery, all-purpose store.  We do have one doughnut shop in town, but I remember the doughnuts not being very good, of course I was pregnant at the time and cannot go by this judgement.  *UPDATE:  Recently my husband brought home doughnuts from this shop and both the Bear Claw and Apple Fritter were good.  But I had to do some research because I did not know that often Bear Claws have apple filling.  The one nice feature this doughnut shop had was they would fill your doughnuts with whatever you wanted on the spot, custard, creme, raspberry, lemon.  No guessing.  While this retail chain had fresh doughnuts, and a small variety, they still weren't very good, with the exception of their apple fritters.  One confusing label stated "Bavarian Creme" but Bavarian usually indicates Custard, which was the case, and a disappointment to my husband.  Also, I was disappointed in the "Chocolate-flavored" icing.  Not as many people showed up as I expected, so we had lots of leftovers.  This was not a problem since my husband will eat doughnuts well past their prime.

Same story with the "fancy" Cherry pie.  I got a Frozen Sara Lee because it is still the top rated for taste even if there are other, more expensive frozen pies.  My friends however spent $25 on a specialty pie from a locally owned cafe (in their large culinary city).  This pie was abominable.  For starters, it was made with black cherries.  WHAT?!?  I took a bite and thankfully had to feed the baby so I got out of having to eat the rest.  My friends however ate their whole piece.  Part of that was because they didn't want to be out all that money, another was they both thought they weren't appreciating good quality.  Both mentioned a strange "pizza-flavored Combos" taste.  Later it was discovered this cafe accidentally (I hope) used a "savory" crust, which contained garlic and rosemary, something you'd use on a quiche or pot pie.  I had already urged them to take it back, and I hope this "mistake" was enough evidence to get their money back.  Still we had a good time the rest of the day coming up with terrible filling-crust combinations.  We all agreed that the Sara Lee pie was pretty good, and we'll probably get it again for the next Twin Peaks Day.

As far as Doughnuts go, I will probably have to resort to making my own like so many other things that I feel just taste better when homemade.  Homemade doughnuts gives me the option of coating them how I want, i.e, powdered, and cinnamon-sugar twist, two styles I rarely see anymore.

And I have made gluten free doughnuts before, powdered.  And they are just as good, but you have to eat them right away.

Black Beans and Rice, Qdoba style "naked" burrito

Ever since I first tasted Qdoba Chicken Fajita Classica with 1/2 black beans, 1/2 rice, cheese and habanero salsa, doused in Cholula, I have been in love.  I could eat a Qdoba burrito every day and probably not get tired of it.  Unfortunately, I can't know what they season everything with, and I guarantee you that their chicken is not humanely raised and antibiotic free.  Just in a moment of luck I happened to realize that the below recipe tastes incredibly similar to my beloved burrito with the exception of the chicken and white-wheat-tortilla.  Without the tortilla in Qdoba speak is "naked." 

Of course the below is a modified black bean recipe that is a staple in Cuba.

2 Tablespoons of Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of cooked Black Beans, drained of liquid
1 cup of tomato juice (I use what I drain from 2-15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Saute onions, peppers, and garlic till tender.  Add spices and toast for one minute or less, pour in tomato juice and beans.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer while rice cooks.

1 cup dry Lundberg brand white rice
1 1/2 cups of water

Cook white rice according to directions.  Serve Beans atop rice, add chopped fresh cilantro, shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese, and a good douse of Cholula hot sauce and it comes mighty close to my favorite naked burrito.  Leave out the cheese and it's Vegan.

The Battle to Lose Weight: Trigger Foods

Ugh!  This is going to be a lifelong battle.  But I have some new tools in my arsenal.  And with each year that goes by, Science and research are helping us learn more.  5 things I've learned in the last few years are:

1.  Sugar is the cause of all disease.  Grains, specifically genetically modified and over processed, are a close second.

2.  Exercise has nothing to do with weight loss.  Unless, as is my theory, it can help regulate hormones and prevent or reverse insulin resistance which have everything to do with weight loss.

3.  Calories consumed, calories expended has nothing to do with weight loss.

4.  Not eating for longer periods of time, or not eating simple carbohydrates (including fruit), reduces insulin levels in the body and can promote weight loss.  This is why starvation and low carb diets work.

5.  Trigger Foods:  If you think you wouldn't want to live without a particular food, it's the food you should give up.

Years ago I would have said the three things I wouldn't want to live without are Beer, Potato Chips and Ice Cream.  Now, I never consume these things.  I learned I have a problem with limiting myself with these items.  They make me feel physically bad when I consume them, yet I would keep coming back.  Often this is a sign of an intolerance or allergy.

I finally understand "Trigger Foods."  For years I thought they were foods that you can't stop eating until they are gone.  Not always the case.  They can also be foods that you must eat some of if they are around, you can't stop thinking about it until you eat it.  Surprisingly, York peppermint patties hold this over my head.  Or, foods you think you would not want to live without.

While I've acknowledged and let go of Beer, Potato Chips, and Ice Cream, I have some new trigger foods.  Specifically, Coffee (with cream and sugar), Chocolate, and Cheese.  The later two have been shown to produce the same effects on the brain as morphine and heroin respectively.  Coffee is one of those products in the news that is bad for you one day and good the next.  But it has been linked with insulin resistance, adrenal failure, hormone disruption, various cancers, and if you aren't drinking organic you are loading your body with pesticides and herbicides every day.  If you drink decaf you are probably loading your body with all sorts of chemical extractives, And if you don't drink Fair Trade, you are exploiting any number of South American or African workers.

I've got to eliminate from my diet Coffee, Chocolate, and even Cheese.  I can give up coffee.  I never drank it regularly until a few years ago, and I had to give it up for nearly a year while I was pregnant and attempting to breast feed.  I know that when I do give up Chocolate I won't miss it too much, except at holidays.  But Cheese!  I can't imagine a life without cheese.  It's my go-to snack.  I eat it by itself, with apples, in chili and soups, occasionally melted on some bread...such as pizza, in cheesecake, cream cheese spread on toast, olives, prunes, as a dip for vegetables, I could go on.

So here I stand with these things between me and my weight loss and better health.  I guess it's time to let go.  I just feel like by the time I eliminate all the things that keep me from losing weight or feeling well, I'll be down to just most varieties of legumes, non-starchy vegetables and filtered water.

When did take-out Chinese food get so bad?

My husband and I love Chinese food or any Asian style type cuisine.  But in the last few years, and possibly for longer, every time we eat from a restaurant it is just not good.  It makes me so sad to spend money we can't really afford (even if once a year) on food that isn't worth it.  I just can't help but think what I could have done with that $40.

For the second time in as many years and experiences with Chinese take out, I have rinsed off my food so I could make my own sauce.  This baffles my husband.  But even this time he agreed that anything I make is infinitely superior to what we've had in the last few years.  There's just no getting around it, if I want good food I have to make it myself.

Good things to have on hand:  Garlic, Ginger root, Tamari, Rice Wine Vinegar, Red Pepper Paste, Sesame Oil.

So here are the Chinese inspired recipes from my blog that I've complied.

Egg Rolls at Home

Egg Foo Young

Hot and Sour Soup

Stir-Fry

Asian Green Beans and Pork

Egg Foo Young

This is one of those recipes you can easily change.  It is essentially an omelet, but with the vege mixed in to the egg mixture and served with sauce.  I would recommend using whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand or what appeals to you.  On a pretty regular basis I have celery, onions, and carrots.  Instead of frying 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time as separate pancakes, I have opted to do one huge omelet in the oven-because I'm lazy.

8 Eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion, any variety, or Leeks
2 large Carrots sliced finely
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup finely sliced celery

Preheat oven to 350.  Stir fry vegetables (and meat), in a skillet you can transfer to the oven, in a little sesame oil for a few minutes.  Beat eggs with a dash of salt and pour over vegetables, transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.  While the Omelet bakes, make sauce.

Foo Yung Sauce

1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine cold ingredients and heat to boiling.  Let cool.

I liked mine with asian hot sauce.  Serves four:  240 calories a serving.

I lost 50 lbs from eating Bean Salad???

I lost 50 lbs 7 years ago, after a years of unsuccessful (but healthy) dieting losing and gaining back the same 10-20 lbs.  I couldn't figure out why.  What made that time in my life, body, and diet different enough to shake off all that weight and keep it off for 2 + years?  I still don't know.  I've guessed at everything.  And now I wonder...Was it because I ate Bean Salad for lunch on my work days?

For the first time in my life, rather than not eating lunch, I began taking bean salad.  It was my favorite lunch to take because it doesn't have to be refrigerated (if you are eating it that day) or heated, and you can make it in bulk, enough to last for 8 lunches.  In the summer/fall, if you garden, half of the ingredients (or almost all, if you are that good) are free.  I still like to take it to pot lucks because it is Vegan, it doesn't have to be chilled or heated, and it actually has vegetables.  Since that year, several people, friends and co-workers, have joked about my bean salad days.  Just a few weeks ago a friend remarked "I thought I smelled bean salad" when he saw me.

The greatest thing that happened during that time 7 years ago, besides weight loss, was that for the first time in my life food wasn't constantly on my mind.  I ate when I was hungry, I stopped when I'd had enough, and I didn't really think about it in between meals.  At the time I attributed it to going grain free, and that may be partly true, but perhaps it's also my intestines weren't supporting a colony that needs to feed, and feed on simple sugar.

Why is killing all that bad bacteria good?  Aside from reducing inflammation, it will clear up skin issues (the condition on my finger, which I think was psoriasis, is gone in days), my eczema is vanishing and my complexion has improved considerably in the last week.  It improves your mood-I feel better already.  It helps you to eat less and give up the sugar.  I kept waiting for the sugar withdrawal to happen from reducing carbohydrates, but it didn't, not that I was eating a lot to begin with.  My body aches less, I'm guessing because it is alleviating inflammation.  It improves dental health.  And lastly I lost weight, 5 lbs in the first week, 2 more in the second.  For the first time in a couple of months I am not just losing and gaining back the same 2 lbs.

What's so special about bean salad?  Well what it has are detox and anti-microbial properties.  It contains raw garlic and raw onions; strong anti-biotic, anti-fungal, anti-viral, fresh Cilantro; a heavy metal detox, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar; an alkalizing, detoxifying tonic.  Use Olive oil and you can add anti-inflammatory Omega 9's, or Flax Oil for Omega 3's and an intestinal cleanser.  Combine all of this with the high fiber from the beans and vitamin C from the peppers and you have one healthy lunch.

 Why bean salad?  Why didn't it work when I was pressing garlic into tomato juice or stirring apple cider vinegar into water?  I have a theory that while digesting the beans, the anti-microbial properties stay in the areas they need to for longer actually destroying the bad bacteria.  If that's true, then it has to be bean salad.

I plan to keep up with Bean Salad lunches 4 days a week.

Moroccan Lentils and Rice

This is a recipe I created years ago while eating low calorie. Lentils are high in fiber and protein, and long grain-brown and wild rice are also high in fiber. While there is no green vegetable to this all-in-one, you could easily add Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, or my favorite to spice it up-Mustard Greens. Raisins are a good source of iron. Garbanzo beans would also be good in this dish.

2 Tbs. Olive oil
1 Tbs. Butter (optional if Vegan)
1 large onion diced
2 medium Sweet Potatoes cubed
2 teaspoons of ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground Cayenne Pepper
4 cups of water
1 cup dried green lentils
1 cup Lundberg brand Wild Rice Blend
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup Raisins

Saute the onion in the oil and butter, over medium high heat, for a few minutes, add the Sweet Potato and saute a few minutes longer. Add the spices and toast for 1/2 to 1 minute before adding the water. Add the Lentils, Rice, and salt and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer with the lid on, and simmer for 50 minutes stirring occasionally and lowering the heat as needed to prevent sticking.  Add the Raisins when you have 10 minutes left on the cook time.

Hot sauce is great on this dish, my favorite is Mama Africa's Zulu Sauce: Peri Peri.

Green Chiles and Sausage Velveeta Dip

In my carefree youth anyone who offered to bring this to a party got an automatic invite.  I used to end conversations so I could eat some dip.  This is the closest I could come from memory to the recipe.

1 lb of hot pork sausage
1 can of petite diced tomatoes hot
1 brick of Velveeta (2 lbs)
2 tins of green chilies
1/2 cup milk or more to thin it out

In a large skillet, brown the sausage and drain the fat.  Drain the tomatoes.  Cut Velveeta into 1 inch cubes.  Melt Velvetta and milk in the microwave for 5 minutes, one minute at-a-time, stirring in between. Add remaining ingredients and pop it in the microwave one minute at-a-time until hot and smooth.

Serve with corn tortilla chips.