Plant-based diets?

[snyderd25]

Hi! I have been cycling for the last few months getting ready for a century (June 3rd in Tahoe) with Team in Training. I also battle my weight, and unfortunately, the scale has not moved with the training.

I've tried it all during the years... WW, Atkins, Paleo, South Beach, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, HMR, etc... Since my race is right around the corner, I don't want to do anything too drastic. But...

I recently watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and "Forks Over Knives" and it reallly struck a chord and made sense to me. I feel horrible all the time and wonder if this is the way to go.

Are any of you on plant-based diets and participating in endurance events?

Thanks!

[sookiesue]

I'm training for a century in August, and have been a ovo-lacto-pesce-vegetarian (I eat eggs, dairy, and occasionally fish, but no mammals, birds or reptiles) for over 15 years.

I rode 150 miles in two days last summer (my first event ever) for the Arthritis Foundation.

I found it easy enough to keep fueled without meat, but since I've been doing it for so long it wasn't anything new to me. I don't eat a ton of soy (tofu or tempeh) products but I do enjoy them.

If you're considering changing to a plant-based diet I think you should be able to do this without sacrificing your training. It is, however, easy to gain weight when learning how to eat vegetarian because swapping lean protein for things like cheese is an easy way to fuel, but not the healthiest way to go. Explore different beans, lentils, quinoa, and find what appeals to you, taste and texture.

Finding healthy, tasty alternatives to meat does take a little trial and error, as there are lots of meat substitutes out there that are delicious and many that are wretched, some that work with one's digestive system and others that can be, well...not so pleasant. ;)

For fuel during rides I love the oatcakes from the Super Natural Every Day cookbook by Heidi Swanson. They're full of oats, nuts, and coconut oil so they fill me up and give me energy while riding, but are also small enough to pack easily.

I'd suggest getting some vegetarian cookbooks from the library and leafing through them to find recipes that sound good to you, then try a few out before committing the cash to books. Once you get the hang of it you can take your old favorite recipes and adapt them to be vegetarian.

Good luck with whatever you try, and best wishes for your century!
S

[limewave]

I have kids running circles around me so I can't write much.

But . . .

I eat a plant based diet and participate in Endurance events :D
but I do eat eggs.

Quinoa, beans, lentils, and whey protein have all helped bolster my diet.

[Susan Otcenas]

I ate like sookie sue for over 10 years with no trouble cycling or doing triathlon. Her caution about WHAT you sub in for meat is very important. If by "plant based" you switch to fruits and veggies, then GREAT! But it's VERY easy to fall into the trap of eating lots of starchy breads, cereals, grains, potatoes, etc, all of which are just fine on a vegetarian and oftentimes even on a vegan diet. That will not aid in weight loss (ask me how I know this... :o )

Please don't take this next statement the wrong way, but in general, I find that diets with "I can't eat x" type of restrictiveness issues are not the way to go. Eliminating major food groups just tends to make you focus on the negatives, and often end up making you want them more. It's better to learn how to properly portion control on a eating plan of INclusiveness. Of course, many of us have trigger foods (for me it's salty nuts) that are sometimes best excluded from our households for a short period of time to avoid temptation, but in general, I think we should learn about how, why and what we CAN eat to have a healthy "diet" (by which I mean healthy way of eating).

[Atlas]

Hi, both my boyfriend and I are vegan and have been for many years. I do shorter rides, closer to metric centuries, but he does lots of centuries and longer endurance events.

Our lifestyle/diet is about environmental issues more than health so we eat healthy but not always :) Potato chips are still vegan and I make a lot of cookies. That said, plant based convenience foods are harder to find/more expensive than they're meat/dairy counterparts. So by default you end up cooking at home a lot which is much healthier anyway.

My favorite snacks on rides are luna bars, lara bars, primal strips, peanut butter sandwiches, and dates.

It's definitely possible to be an endurance athlete on a plant-based diet. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[OakLeaf]

I'd say, unless you have a religious or ethical reason for not wanting to eat foods of animal origin, you'll be better off eating them.

Simple reason: you can get most everything you need from actual food, and don't have to be chasing nutrition from highly processed powders and pills.

If you look at vegan athletes like Scott Jurek (just one example who comes to the top of my head), most of his diet is extremely healthy, but he has to supplement with protein powders, etc.

I actually feel much healthier now that I've started eating meat once or twice a week. I have more energy, I recover quicker from long efforts, I get stronger quicker, my nails aren't brittle. I don't think protein is the only thing that I was lacking, or even quality protein, but I wouldn't be able to put my finger on what else it might have been.

May I suggest (again, provided you don't have a religious or ethical reason for eliminating animal products) reducing but not eliminating them (except possibly do try a challenge diet to see if you might be allergic to dairy - food allergies can contribute to weight gain, among other things, and dairy products are highly allergenic). Keep your budget for animal product the same, but spend your money on high-quality local meat, which will probably reduce your consumption by at least half. Something to think about: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/magazine/the-ethicist-contest-winner-give-thanks-for-meat.html?ref=health

[Atlas]

If by "plant based" you switch to fruits and veggies, then GREAT! But it's VERY easy to fall into the trap of eating lots of starchy breads, cereals, grains, potatoes, etc, all of which are just fine on a vegetarian and oftentimes even on a vegan diet. That will not aid in weight loss (ask me how I know this... :o )
This is such a great point. We try to eat a lot of vegetables and home cooked meals but I have several vegan friends who rely on meat/cheese substitutes and while those don't have the cholesterol and saturated fat that the real things do they still aren't what I would call healthy. I don't know what your meals are like now and if a plant-based diet would drastically change that or if you already eat a variety of veggies. Someone else mentioned checking out cookbooks from the library and I agree with that. There's one called Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It's all whole food based with lots of whole grains, legumes, and veggies. It also has the nutritional information on all the recipes.

[shootingstar]

Most important is figure out healthy combinations of food for each day. And eat up to only 80% full (in how your tummy feels). Instead of a prescibed "type" of diet.

As for the meat vs. no meat. I don't create an absolute but instead just only have lean meat /seafood 3-4 times per month. A fistful of meat portion each time or less.

I know that TE discusses here and enough members use the nutrient replacements in their liquids, etc. But I've never tried them.
I just picked up a freebie energy waffle shaped snack from a bike store info. table at bike to work week. I guess I'll save it for a 100 km. ride or so.

Perhaps try eating breakfast and lunch decently. Then eat alot less for supper. Unless you're going out for a long ride in evening. Eat supper no later than 7:00pm if you can.
I found for a job with a ridiculously long commute, I didn't eat until 8:00 pm and hadn't eaten much during the day. As a result, I didn't lose weight. My body adjusted to this insane starvation pattern!

Join in our thread under this forum topic category to see the running thread of what other people eat.

Severely cut down on processed foods. ie. Instant noodles has a ton of salt and other chemicals. Not as tasty as light pasta with some veggies.

[Tri Girl]

My favorite snacks on rides are luna bars, lara bars, primal strips, peanut butter sandwiches, and dates.

I agree with this! (except I prefer almond butter)


I have been vegan for six months now. I had 2 motivations:
1. my cholesterol was WAY too high and my doc was about to put me on statins (and I do NOT want to go on statins) so I drastically changed my diet (and my cholesterol has lowered 60 pts). and
2. I was flexitarian (vegetarian mostly, but occasional fish) for 3 years and I've always had ethical reservations about eating animals.

I'm an endurance athlete. I did an Ironman triathlon last September (when I was vegetarian- only eating dairy and cheese), and I did an ultramarathon in November just after becoming vegan.
It CAN be done. I normally think that eliminating any one thing is not the smartest thing to do, but in this case, I think it's actually been beneficial. At first I subbed a LOT of starchy things, but then once the initial shock of the dietary changes settled in, I've actually really begun to open up my eating options. There is plenty of protein in vegetables and things like quinoa.
A book that helped me get started was Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet (http://www.thekindlife.com/)(an OK read, but helpful hints) and Brendan Brazier's Thrive: The vegan nutrition guide for optimal performance in sports and life (http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Nutrition-Optimal-Performance-Sports/dp/0738212547) (he's a former pro triathlete who was competitive on the Ironman level).




I actually feel much healthier now that I've started eating meat once or twice a week. I have more energy, I recover quicker from long efforts, I get stronger quicker, my nails aren't brittle.
It's funny how different people can be. :) Now that I'm only eating a plant-based diet, my nails are growing again and are very strong (they used to be so brittle I never got the chance to trim them- and I have to trim every other week now or they get too long). I, too, find that I recover more quickly from exercise and I sleep better (and all the plumbing functions normally). Every person is different. My doc didn't think a plant-based diet was the way to go, but I'm doing well on it. I get full bloodwork done every 3 months to check my protein levels, glucose, cholesterol, lipids, etc just to make sure my body is functioning as it should. So far so good.


If this is the way you want to go, please look into it and be smart about the dietary changes you make. It can be done and done well. :)
Good luck to you!!! (and keep asking if you have any other questions)


P.S.- Those two movies made an impression on me, too. So did Vegucated and Food Inc. :)

[Thorn]

Mmmm...Primal Strips.....mmmmm....probably my one weak spot for processed vegan, but they make a quick, tasty protein bomb when I'm on the road.

I agree with the statements about watching what you substitute and finding a good recipe resource. To avoid high salt, high calorie substitutes you'll find yourself cooking more, so building up the recipe library will help.

Additional sources:
http://www.drmirkin.com/ -- This is the doctor that the Road Bike Rider newsletter often quotes. His stuff is a pratical balance, backed by research. His recipes are not all vegan, but are simple and nutrituous.

http://nutritionfacts.org/ -- no recipes, just motivation;

There is a lot of research that says you can do what you want, but it will take a little bit of work to get started. Good luck!

[snyderd25]

Wow! So much insight. Thanks ladies! What I was really thinking was to try and increase fruits, veggies, and beans until century ride is over... still eat meat and eggs but maybe cut back. I was thinking I would then try a juice fast upon my return.... and then transition into actual fruits, veggies, grans, and beans for a few weeks. And see how I feel about meat then...

I agree that the minute I decide to cut something out, it's the only thing I can think of eating! So I don't really have any true vegan aspirations, but I might be interested in cutting down on animal products. Protein is the big concern... there seems to be a lot of debate on how much one actually needs... and because I lug around a lot of extra weight, I really have some post workout fatigue after the tough rides and don't want to cut back on protein if that will make it worse.

All I know for sure is that I seem to need a factory reset for my body and I thought this might be a healthy, productive way to do it... but maybe not!

[VeganBikeChick]

You can be an endurance athlete. And you can do it on a plant-based diet alone. And for everyone who worries about "not enough protein" concerns, there is not a "protein deficiency" going around. It's been estimated that everyone eats far too much protein as it is.

I highly recommend "Appetite for Reduction", by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It's a low-cal, low-fat, but NOT low-flavor vegan cookbook. She heavily supplements with veggies, and all of the recipes are fantastic. I have nothing to gain by recommending this cookbook, it's just one that's my favorite and has helped me lose a bit of weight.

No matter what route you choose, good luck to you!

[OakLeaf]

It's been estimated that everyone eats far too much protein as it is.

Not "everyone."

The "average American diet" that includes meat every day - for a lot of people, meat at more than one meal every day - has way more protein than anyone needs. Eliminate or even reduce the meat, and you've automatically eliminated the excess protein.

Endurance athletes need more protein than the "average" sedentary American, and I'm not sure a vegan could get the amount of protein the "average American diet" includes even if you ate nothing but protein powder.

Personally, at 120#, I need at least 100g protein a day when I'm training for an endurance event with body weight training only. More than that if I'm doing heavy gym work. I hate counting grams of anything, but I've done it, and I can't get near that without either animal products, or a highly processed protein supplement.

I'm not telling the OP not to do it (just suggesting ;)). There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here :o). I am asking her to be very conscious of why she's doing it, and very aware of the effort it will take to get proper nutrition.

[redrhodie]

I'm not telling the OP not to do it (just suggesting ;)). There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here :o). I am asking her to be very conscious of why she's doing it, and very aware of the effort it will take to get proper nutrition.

http://davezabriskie.com/?p=647

Dave Zabriskie is vegan.

[limewave]

I'm a big believer in that bodies are different. There is not one correct combination of food that is the silver bullet for everyone. I have never liked meat, not even as a small child. My daughter is the same way. My son, however, loves meat.

Once I figured out how to eat a balanced vegetarian diet, my body was happy! I know that's a weird phrase, but I can't think of a better word. A diet bolstered with greens, legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, veggies, fruit :)

However, 1-2 times a year DH and I will go out to a nice restaurant and all I can think about is steak. So I order the steak and it will seem like the best meal I've ever had. After that, meat won't sound appetizing again for at least 6 months.

I don't think my husband could function on a vegetarian diet. He doesn't eat a lot of meat, but he needs to have it a few meals a week--his body craves it.

[OakLeaf]

/hijack

Also, thank you for using the term "plant-based diet." Veganism is about so much more than diet, and even as a non-vegetarian, it drives me absolutely NUTS when people use the word "vegan" when all they're talking about is food.

Okay, got it off my chest. :p

/hijack

[Tri Girl]

There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here :o).

Sorry- couldn't help myself:

Dave Zabriskie : professional cyclist(he was already mentioned)
Brendan Brazier: Ironman triathlete
Jane Black: has been a vegan since 1990 and has set many Masters National and World records in weightlifting
Mac Danzig : is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter
Keith Holmes: is an American professional boxer- world middleweight boxing champion
Georges Laraque: professional ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens
Carl Lewis world famous track and Olympic medalist
Patrick J. Neshek : is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
Prince Fielder: Milwaukee Brewers first baseman
Tony Gonzalez: Tight End Atlanta Falcons NFL
Martina Navratilova : professional tennis player
Desmond Howard: Washington Redskins receiver
John Salley : NBA (Bulls during the Jordan years- and Lakers)


and there are many more :) Surprisingly lots of bodybuilders/weightlifters.

And yes, I prefer plant-based diet over Vegan, but I consider myself to be a vegan since I have a deep compassion and love/care for the welfare of all animals and stay away from animal products outside of just food.



I don't think my husband could function on a vegetarian diet. He doesn't eat a lot of meat, but he needs to have it a few meals a week--his body craves it.
Me either. Since I've gone to a plant-based diet, I think my DH has eaten my share of what little meat I ever ate. ;). Plus, he's always borderline anemic, and has a iron deficiency. If he were to give up meat (especially red meat), he'd probably pass out daily from lack of iron. He eats it at every meal. Our dieteary needs are SO very different. He eats a LOT more than me (and less healthy), so it's one of the reasons I got so overweight in the first place. He's a beanpole and I am not. Being vegan has helped a LOT with my weight management. Plus, is it bad that I cook for myself most of the time now? If I just want some hummus and veggies for dinner, I eat it- no more cooking big meals for us both.

[LivinOurLuvSong]

I am just getting into biking but my husband has been doing it for a while now. We are both Vegan and have never looked or felt better. Happy to see others with similar diets that are cycling. Forks over knives is what got my husband to go vegan :)

[Susan Otcenas]

There's one called Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It's all whole food based with lots of whole grains, legumes, and veggies. It also has the nutritional information on all the recipes.

This is an EXCELLENT resource. I love this book! I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I am "meat lite", as in meat or seafood at dinner 1-3 times per week. Many many of my meals are vegetarian and not a small number are vegan. The recipes in this book are all very approachable, well flavored, and made out of generally common ingredients. I also appreciate that she doesn't use fake meats.

I've no ethical reasons for not eating much meat, but I do have plenty of environmental concerns surrounding the meat industry, so for me, "meat lite" is a good compromise. (And, I buy only organic meats, much of which is local.)

[malkin]

...I agree that the minute I decide to cut something out, it's the only thing I can think of eating! ...

Like when you are staring down an obstacle, thinking "Don't ride through the glass" and then you keep watching as you ride right through the glass.

Focus on what you DO want.

[snyderd25]

"Meat lite!" I like that! And I think that would be the ultimate goal so I don't feel deprived and restricted. I am disgusted with much of the food industry, particularly how livestock is treated, but buying grass-fed and free range can break the bank. I still think I'd be interested in a juice reboot after my big ride (I need to lay off cycling anyway because of golfer's and tennis elbow in both elbows-- apparently my bike is too small for me!), I should increase fruits, veggies, and beans in general, but then maybe be "meat and eggs lite" :-) I can start meat lite even before my ride. I just know I don't feel well now and when I go low carb, I feel really crappy, so I need to do something different.

I don't eat a lot of processed foods now, but I still consume too many calories through protein and fats (even if they're the healthy ones).

Why God couldn't have made me size 2 and blonde, I just don't know!

Thanks again for all of the insight!

[Breella]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that a juice diet like the one in Fat Sick and Nearly Dead is NOT recommended to be followed for extended periods of time. Rather it's something you do in regular intervals around a normal eating schedule.

[ny biker]

I don't really have much to add -- my diet has been almost completely vegetarian in the past and these days most of my breakfasts and dinners are vegetarian, but that's mostly because I have unusual food preferences and don't really like to cook.

One piece of advice I do have is to be careful about increasing vegetables, fruits and beans -- if you're significantly increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, you'll want to do it gradually to avoid GI problems.

I guess another thing I would add is that a plant-based diet can still be very unhealthy (french fries are vegetarian!!), but since you're talking about cutting back on both protein and fats, you seem to already have that in mind.

Good luck!!

[VeganBikeChick]

One piece of advice I do have is to be careful about increasing vegetables, fruits and beans -- if you're significantly increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, you'll want to do it gradually to avoid GI problems.



And carry lots of Beano with you! :D

[ny biker]

And carry lots of Beano with you! :D

True fact. ;)

[snyderd25]

Ugh... now I am watching "Veducated..." The food industry is awful.

[indysteel]

This is such a great point. We try to eat a lot of vegetables and home cooked meals but I have several vegan friends who rely on meat/cheese substitutes and while those don't have the cholesterol and saturated fat that the real things do they still aren't what I would call healthy. I don't know what your meals are like now and if a plant-based diet would drastically change that or if you already eat a variety of veggies. Someone else mentioned checking out cookbooks from the library and I agree with that. There's one called Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It's all whole food based with lots of whole grains, legumes, and veggies. It also has the nutritional information on all the recipes.

Thanks so much to you and Susan for a head's up on this book. It's now on my wish list. I am neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I try to make half of our weekly meals vegetarian, and many of them are vegan. I find myself in food ruts though, so this will help, especially with summer produce on the way.

[VeganBikeChick]

Thanks so much to you and Susan for a head's up on this book. It's now on my wish list. I am neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I try to make half of our weekly meals vegetarian, and many of them are vegan. I find myself in food ruts though, so this will help, especially with summer produce on the way.

It really is a great book. You won't be disappointed.

[soprano]

I went vegetarian in January this year. I am still eating eggs, dairy and some fish (about twice a month on fish). I absolutely love eating this way. It has been very easy for me and I feel great.

Something that helped was already having a good repertoire of vegetarian recipes that I knew and liked. This way, I wasn't necessarily restricting one food group from my diet so much as I was expanding the amount of fruits, veggies and whole grains I eat, and I was eating familiar foods. I've been cooking out of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks for about a decade. When I bought the first one I actually didn't realize it was vegetarian until my mother visited and said something. The recipes are such that you simply don't miss the meat. I'm also enjoying Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The only time I ever even think about meat substitute is when we're grilling. I keep some meatless burgers from the freezer section around for that and tend to top them with things like guac, sprouts, spinach, etc. - I think of it as a salad on a bun.

I tracked about everything I at for around six weeks to make sure I was getting enough protein and not too much fiber (I used the myplate tool at livestrong.com) and started taking a vitamin B complex everyday because I'm not particularly good at working in eggs or cheese.

Beano doesn't do anything for me. I swear by Gasex. Gotta say, I was having some GI issues last year and they have completely, totally resolved with no thought on my part, probably because I'm eating way more fiber and less fat these days.

[OakLeaf]

Funny, grilling doesn't make me crave meat at all ... all the high summer vegetables that are in season when it's warm enough to grill out are SO flavorful! Summer squashes (spears or chunks of zucchini or crookneck, or little pattypans whole), onions, sweet corn soaked in brine and grilled in the husk, tomatoes and green beans on a screen insert, potatoes, carrot slices, all just brushed with olive oil, salt and herbs ... I swear, my mouth is watering, I only just put my tomato plants in the ground three days ago, fewer than 1/4 of my beans have germinated, and the soil isn't even warm enough to plant sweet corn yet! How can I wait!! :D :D

[Tri Girl]

Funny, grilling doesn't make me crave meat at all ... all the high summer vegetables that are in season when it's warm enough to grill out are SO flavorful! Summer squashes (spears or chunks of zucchini or crookneck, or little pattypans whole), onions, sweet corn soaked in brine and grilled in the husk, tomatoes and green beans on a screen insert, potatoes, carrot slices, all just brushed with olive oil, salt and herbs ... I swear, my mouth is watering

Now you're making MY mouth water!!! Mmmmmm...grilling veggies in the summertime= the BEST!!! I've never tried sweet corn soaked in brine and grilled in the husk. Might have to try that! (what is the brine recipe you use?)

[lauraelmore1033]

I went totally plant-based last year after seeing a presentation on PBS by Dr Bonard. I was already eating mostly vegetables and a little bit of meat, so it wasn't much of a hardship to switch. I was clinically obese, and still am, so I'd have to say that going plant based isn't necessarily going to change that. My blood pressure is way down, so that is reason enough to stick with it. I do several centuries each summer, so it is definitely possible to fuel these efforts with plant based foods. I'd also point out that horses--the greatest endurance athletes in the world--can get fat by eating too much grass. So, the notion that animal based proteins are necessary for performance is clearly not true, but also this demonstrates that weightloss will not naturally happen just by going vegan.

[soprano]

Funny, grilling doesn't make me crave meat at all ...

I never crave meat. However, when we are grilling hamburgers for everyone else they get distressed that I'm not having one. The veggie burgers are more of a social remedy than anything else.

[OakLeaf]

(what is the brine recipe you use?)

I've never seasoned it at all, just throw a few tablespoons of salt into the water so it's salty enough to season the corn a little bit and moisten the husks for grilling, but not enough to draw moisture out. Now I'm trying to think what else I might put in the brine!

[Tri Girl]

I've never seasoned it at all, just throw a few tablespoons of salt into the water so it's salty enough to season the corn a little bit and moisten the husks for grilling, but not enough to draw moisture out. Now I'm trying to think what else I might put in the brine!

Thanks! Never thought about it being that easy! How long do you soak it?

Sorry for the thread hijack, here. :p

[OakLeaf]

Thanks! Never thought about it being that easy! How long do you soak it?

Sorry for the thread hijack, here. :p

:D Couple-three hours. Hey, corn is a plant. ;)

[Owlie]

Funny, grilling doesn't make me crave meat at all ... all the high summer vegetables that are in season when it's warm enough to grill out are SO flavorful! Summer squashes (spears or chunks of zucchini or crookneck, or little pattypans whole), onions, sweet corn soaked in brine and grilled in the husk, tomatoes and green beans on a screen insert, potatoes, carrot slices, all just brushed with olive oil, salt and herbs ... I swear, my mouth is watering, I only just put my tomato plants in the ground three days ago, fewer than 1/4 of my beans have germinated, and the soil isn't even warm enough to plant sweet corn yet! How can I wait!! :D :D

Drool. Drizzle cut-up onions (I slice them into crescents) and sliced potatoes with olive oil, add salt + pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil. Grill. Enjoy.

I'm not vegetarian or vegan (I seem to have oddly high protein needs, and I don't like most legumes or quinoa, so it's far simpler just to eat meat), but I'm always on the lookout for veggie recipes!

[OakLeaf]

Drool. Drizzle cut-up onions (I slice them into crescents) and sliced potatoes with olive oil, add salt + pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil. Grill. Enjoy.

For extra deliciousness, alternate the slices of onion and potato so each takes on the flavor of the other.

[Owlie]

For extra deliciousness, alternate the slices of onion and potato so each takes on the flavor of the other.

That's pretty much what happens. Haven't made it in ages, though, since my dad's grilling experiments have taken over...

[shootingstar]

In the vegetable world, it would be useful to really expand one's repetoire of veggies. There's a whole world of veggies from Asian cuisines where if one likes exploring new corners of their world, to try:

fresh water chestnuts
fresh lotus root
daikon (white radish root)
gai lan
shanghai choy
bok choy
bitter melon
winter melon/fuzzy melon
and 3 other Asian veggies which I don't know the English translation. But they are available in major supermarkets.
_____________________ All of these above can be lightly stir fried, chopped up in various combinations. It's not that hard nor mysterious.

Try:
fresh fennel bulb
beet greens
brussel sprouts,etc.

I rarely eat potatoes. It's not my thing. That's all.

[OakLeaf]

Major supermarkets where there's a large east Asian population I suppose. We can get bok choy and daikon and sometimes yukina savoy locally in season, bok choy reliably at the grocery store and daikon occasionally, and that's it. Any of the other vegetables it's 70 miles to the nearest Asian grocery, and there, if the vegetables are even labelled as to where they were grown, it's in a language I can't begin to read.

I do love bitter melon though...

Joining a CSA is as great way to expand your repertoire of vegetables - you have to eat them whether you think you like them, or know how to cook them, or not. ;)

Then there's just planting something to find out what the heck it is. :p I've got a short row of salsify just sprouting. My soil is pretty clayey and root vegetables don't typically do all that well, but I was tired of looking at the stuff in seed catalogs and having no idea what it tastes like. :D (Especially when some people describe the flavor as "oyster" and others as "artichoke hearts." :confused:)

[Catrin]

I've been trying to get a new veggie every week that I've not eaten before. This week it was Green Kohlrabi - surprisingly tasty both raw and roasted, there seemed a hint of horseradish. This is how I've discovered and come quickly to prefer Bok Choy and Watercress. I did save the greens from the Kohlrabi as I assume they are edible but I need to look that up.

I wasn't quite brave enough for the Daikon radish, I don't care for regular radishes for some odd reason. I do enjoy spice and horseradish so I really should like them...

[shootingstar]

I did save the greens from the Kohlrabi as I assume they are edible but I need to look that up.


I remember looking it up. I don't recall it being ok to eat the kohlrabi greens.

Ah I forgot about that veggie of my childhood. My parents grew a whole garden of it! Rediscovered with my partner. A sample of how I prepare kohl rabi. (http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/kohl-rabi-memories-and-redux/).

Daikon, cooked will not taste "spicy" which I never thought the daikon I bought tasting spicy raw compared to the red radishes.

[OakLeaf]

Kohlrabi is a cole vegetable, and the greens are edible, but they're usually very tough. (Easily tested with a nibble.) The smaller inner greens are more likely to be tender. If the greens are as tough as usual, you can shred them and toss them in a stew where they'll cook for a while. Or just put them in the freezer for stock with the rest of your vegetable scraps. :)


My CSA posted a recipe for daikon pancakes, basically the same as zucchini pancakes. They were yummy, and you're right, cooking does take a lot of the bite out of the radish. I'm not a big radish fan so I was happy for that recipe. I ended up throwing all my red radishes into soups, too.

One thing I won't eat is radish greens. Yuk. I just put those in the compost heap.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the tip re: kohlrabi greens - I was going to check it out before I tried it :) I will just add them to my freezer bag of stuff for vegetable stock.

[Owlie]

I've never found daikon to be spicy, even raw. Catrin, it's mild and almost slightly sweet, so go ahead and try it. It's pretty good with dip too--almost like chips because it's crunchy, but not bad for you! It's also good raw with a sprinkling of soy sauce for salt. :)

Shootingstar, at least in this part of Ohio, and even in Cincinnati (a more diverse city), we can only reliably get bok choy and daikon (and that only semi-reliably). If I were to drive down to the GIANT international grocery store in Cincy (which is inconvenient even from my parents' house), I might be able to find a bit more.

Oak, I actually cooked radish greens this evening...albeit in bacon grease. :p Not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat them...

[shootingstar]

y CSA posted a recipe for daikon pancakes, basically the same as zucchini pancakes. They were yummy, and you're right, cooking does take a lot of the bite out of the radish.

That daikon pancake ....sounds abit like the daikon panfried cake that one finds in dim sum section for restaurants/Chinese supermarket hot food deli areas.

I bought bitter melon today and stir fried it with a small amount of lean beef, with daikon :), red pepper, onion, garlic and ginger root with fresh steamed light Chinese noodles. I have not been to the Chinese supermarket for the last 6 months so certain things I had to get. Just lazy me, that's all.

But other Asian groceries I got during the winter months, they are in all the major national and regional chain stores in the cities where I've lived.

(Fresh noodles are just that: they are al dente and just need to be lightly boiled to be edible. Only under 10 min. Then use in consomme soups, stir fries.)

[Catrin]

Thanks for the tips on Daikon, I will try it. My local Meijers features an amazing range of vegetables from all over the world, so it is never difficult to find something new to try. The problem is to figure out what to do with it - but that is what the internet is for :)

Eventually I want to try home delivery of local organic veggies, it is actually pretty affordable but I am trying to keep things as simple as possible right now. Besides, then I wouldn't be faced with the choice of which of those odd looking new veggies will I try? I figure if I can steam, sautee, or roast it I am game to try it :)

[Owlie]

Thanks for the tips on Daikon, I will try it. My local Meijers features an amazing range of vegetables from all over the world, so it is never difficult to find something new to try. The problem is to figure out what to do with it - but that is what the internet is for :)

Eventually I want to try home delivery of local organic veggies, it is actually pretty affordable but I am trying to keep things as simple as possible right now. Besides, then I wouldn't be faced with the choice of which of those odd looking new veggies will I try? I figure if I can steam, sautee, or roast it I am game to try it :)

Meijer has quite a bit! It's a little better than the Kroger here unless I want organic produce beyond the boxed salad greens. It's not great if you want the more exotic stuff on a regular basis (though I did see some unusual squash, beans, etc when I moved here last August), but it's not bad.

[Catrin]

Meijer has quite a bit! It's a little better than the Kroger here unless I want organic produce beyond the boxed salad greens. It's not great if you want the more exotic stuff on a regular basis (though I did see some unusual squash, beans, etc when I moved here last August), but it's not bad.

Mine has quite the stable exotic mix...but a good percentage of their regular customers are immigrants so that may have something to do with it. They have the freshest veggies of any store I know of. I've not really been to any of the others so I don't know if this location differs from their norm. I start at Trader Joe's and get everything else from Meijers.