Well, I still didn’t get many posts up this week, but I couldn’t bear to leave you without any links for two weekends in a row. Although, I expect many of you are out enjoying summer fun on this 4th of July.
Last night we went to an English school in the small town where my husband works and helped host a bingo party. Last year we did a 4th of July party so it was fun to do something a little different.
We had hotdogs (cachorro quente) which around here means tomatoes and onions cooked down into a thick stew and sliced hotdogs mixed in. Another option you can find is the whole hotdog with this stew on top. It is then served on a bun (much bigger and sweeter than buns in the US) and topped with batata palha, or matchstick potatoes, as we used to call them. Not exactly health on a bun, but there were some veggies in there somewhere.
Here are a few great recipes, ideas and reads from the week.
Kahakai Kitchen featured a recipe for Thai-Flavored Ratatouille. Tasty veggies in a sauce made with almond butter! You know I love peanut sauces and I’m excited to branch out to almond butter sauces as well.
Meringue Bake Shop celebrates the 4th with the cutest cupcake creation ever – Cupcake Kabobs! What a creative idea!
A new position stand on the health benefits of a vegetarian diet was released by the American Dietetic Association this week. I found the recap interesting because it seems they’ve taken a closer look at the details of this type of diet. I’m looking forward to reading the entire position stand.
I think most of us would agree that we already knew vegetarian diets can be healthy, but I appreciated the fact that they emphasized the term well-planned. I met way too many girls in high school and college who would eat boxed macaroni and cheese while the rest of us ate meat and made it a point to announce themselves as a vegetarian.
In my opinion, just because it is vegetarian doesn’t mean it is healthy. Similarly just because it has meat doesn’t mean it is unhealthy. Both eating lifestyles can promote health and wellness if food source, nutrients and portions are taken into consideration.
The hot dogs up your way are a little different to down here. The hot dogs here come with a marg/mayo spread on the bun, topped by the sausage, then mayo, mustard, and tomato sauce (all plastic). On top of that goes a hefty dose of mashed potato, then vinaigrette (tomato and onion in vinegar). They often put peas on as well, the whole topped by the batata palha. I have yet to discover how people manage to eat those things!
hi lori ..this post din’t appear in my reader….all of them are nice ones.
the mango chhunda recipe which you asked for ( in my mango loaf post) is here…http://banaraskakhana.blogspot.com/2009/07/mango-chhunda.html
check out..
I couldn’t agree with you more – people need to realize that just because you cut out animal products does NOT equate a healthier or “better” diet/lifestyle. Everything works different for different people and their needs 🙂
Happy 4th of July, Lori!!
just read about the ‘vegan diet’…i agree it all depends on how you choose the food, it’s source and the portions you consume and most importantly how you cook or process it…..
That is one decadent looking hotdog! Thanks for the shout-out on the curry. I love nut butter sauces too.
😉
What a delicious way to enjoy hot dogs..will try this with some veggie dogs.
Great links! The hot dog toppings sounds really interesting. I love hearing how different cultures adapt foods – like pizza and ice cream toppings.
Tint – Oh wow, I had no idea what I was missing! As cultural as it may be, that sounds truly awful. Peas tend to be the extra of choice around here too. The sprinkle them in the most random of places. 🙂
sangeeta – Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I appreciate it! Yes, it is all about the food choices and combinations when it comes to healthy eating.
VeggieGirl – Absolutely! Hope you had a nice holiday.
Deb – Your welcome. I loved the recipe!
Meg – It actually isn’t too bad. Almost like a chili dog without the meat, beans and chili seasoning. Ha!
Alison – Thanks! I enjoy learning all those things too. I’m glad my sharing some things is enjoyable for others as well.
I’m with you on the veggie thing. I was a vegetarian for 5 years and it just didn’t work for my body – I got very anemic. I believe though that all diets should be based primarily around vegetables and fruits. And for all of us the remaining portion (be it nuts, beans, meat) should be well planned!
I totally agree with you, being vegeterian does not mean you are healthy!! Hope you had a grt 4th july weekend!
OH! Lori, I’m discovering a different Brazil with you, I never heard of this thick stew and sliced hotdog,
that’s a bit strange. But I know about the matchstick potatoes. 🙂
Amy – I’ve been really interested b/c I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. I eat a lot of veggie based foods, but have never gone completely vegetarian. For me, there are just a lot of necessary nutrients there and I enjoy it most of the time.
Parita – It was lacking tradition as we had sushi, but a great holiday. 🙂
Anna – I love that this country is so regionally specific when it comes to food. I’m always learning!
Okay, I’m super-late with this comment but these links are just for this particular weekend, right? 8-D
First of all, I would totally have Brazilian-style hot dog! I grew up on spaghetti sauce made with weiners so this sounds pretty appealing to me, especially with those batata palha.
Regarding vegetarian diets: it’s amazing how people misinterpret what it means. But it goes to show that regardless of whether you eat meat or not, a vital keyword for nutrition is ‘balance’. Thanks for these great links!