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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Mustard Greens & Maple Tofu Slices



Mustard Greens, Mushrooms & Tofu.
Buy organic tofu, since nearly all the soy in the world is non-organic & is to feed to factory farmed animals "livestock".  Organic tofu is not GMO.  You can even make your own tofu at home if you want!!  

Just cookin' some "beans & greens".  Okay, tofu and greens and tofu is really just "beans".
I don't eat a lot of tofu just because I really try to eat food as close to the source as possible.  That said, I have yet to read any compelling evidence that it contributes in either direction, hormonally, to estrogen receptive cancers.  First, when I have researched this before, I have found some studies say it slightly depresses estrogen & other studies say it slightly increases estrogen.  If I read a study that said it was like freebasing BetaEstradiol, I would order that shit up by the ton & snort it.  But no.....I haven't read that it increases, specifically "the Ugly Estrogen", Estrone (that's my own made up nickname).  You do always hear that people who eat a lot of soy have less problematic menopause.  But I am waiting to hear one way or the other on this.  

Of course prescription (bioidentical) estrogen can be derived of soy, but seriously, eating a pound of tofu ain't got nothing on the "real deal".  So......Eat away, but this stuff isn't going to Suzanne Sexercise you.  However, it is a pretty good nighty night snack.  We buy the organic type & often freeze it first, thaw it, and then cook it up.  We always use cast iron because the heavy bottom prevents burning and also because it doesn't have any nasty non-stick surface on it.  When I hear the words "non-stick" I think of chemo.  A cast iron pot will most likely last you your lifetime & you don't have to do bicep exercises.  Plus, if you don't want to wash it out, you can just use the excuse that you are "seasoning it".

Generally I use water to cook stuff and blow off the "Earth Balance".  Unless I am trying to be an extra special wife & make it like the restaurant (full of fat) for Mr. Get Skinny.  But even Mr. Get Skinny is blowing off the oils these days....So I put Wheat Free Tamari or Coconut Aminos, Maple Syrup or Coconut Sap, and some Cinnamon.

Mustard Greens & Mushrooms.  Greens just have Tamari & a bit of cayenne usually.


Wallah.  You have your "Midnight Meal".  


Paprika on the Tofu.  But nothing can jazz up the yellow lighting!




Yeah.  You should really go to bed by Midnight but our hours are nutso.  I grew up with folks who worked 3-11 and 11-7.  So basically someone was always up and in the kitchen, eating & reading.  So what do I do??  Emulate them!! Except now we have more tv stations.  And now I read cookbooks!




Here are a few of the kids we saw in East St. Louis the other day.....They all need fosters so we can rescue them.  Pj is the rock star that is feeding them.  She has gone every single day to feed & rescue these kids for over a decade.  If you are in the St. Louis area you can ride along too and of course fill out foster applications!  Gateway Pet Guardians Pet Rescue Adventures.

Does anyone else eat at midnight??  Or all y'all super well behaved, controlled eaters!!??  If ya eat late at night, what to munch on??  And if you "shut down" your kitchen earlier, then what time do you close shop and do you get hungry??  Do you drink teas or anything so you don't just "eat" for fun??
I really wish I was one of those people who just ate to consume calories but I seriously love food.  

If you guys have read anything talking about estrogen & tofu, tempeh, and soybeans (vs soy isolates),  please send me the links!!  The one gripe I have about a lot of the information out there about estrogen in general, is that it makes zero differentiation between the different types.  

4 comments:

  1. I still eat soy, even though I have a thyroid issue and it supposedly can interfere with the meds. That seems to be only if I take my meds close to when I eat soy, though, which I don't. As far as eating late at night, that I don't do any longer, either, for the sole reason that I have to take my thyroid meds right before bed, on an empty stomach.

    Great post and delicious looking food!

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  2. You know I work night shift, so my dinner time is between 11 and 1. it's scheduled so that there are always a certain number of nurses on the floor to watch all the patients. when im off work, i get hungry at the same time. it takes serrrrious control to stay in bed and not get out of bed and eat. Doing that gained me a nice 10 pounds earlier this year. Im still working to get it off. Funny you posted about mustard greens today because this morning I juiced mustard greens. Epic fail. Spiciest, gut-wrenching, most untasty juice i ever made!

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  3. @Molly. The Pill changed my thyroid a bit, but when I'm not on the Pill it goes back to my baseline. Do you go by trying to be between the .5 to 1 range or the more typical lab suggested range?? I used to live on tofu puddings and cheesecakes, but the old I get, I leave more stuff out of my diet. But hubby adores tofu so we usually keep it around. It is so quick to cook up for when he gets home from work.
    @Michele. Ha! I can handle the juice if in something else, but I didn't like the smoothie I put it in with bananas!!!! I had a ton of it as volunteer from last year. Am going to make The Indian Slow Cooker recipe I have and use a pound of it there....I like the flavor when it's cooked. Some stuff I just haven't grown to like raw. And loved your recent post about the woman in ICU. Very sad. Good to keep things in perspective.....read it when I was stressed about something else and it made me realize how silly it was I was stressed about something so small. It all seems silly when you are dealing with the loss of life and people who are fighting to keep their lives.

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  4. Apparently fermented or sprouted soy is better than unfermented soy, so tempeh, tamari and miso are better choices than tofu and soy milk, because it has an indigestible carbohydrate and phytic acid, which can block absorption of minerals. It also has compounds which deplete iodine from your system, and inadequate iodine = thyroid issues, so to protect your thyroid you should always include some seaweed when consuming soy products. I always sprinkle a little dulse flakes on my salads whether they contain soy or not because either way, sea veggies are great for you.

    This video is really helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xczGiYDJDW4&feature=channel_video_title

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