SoulVeggie

"Heart Healthy Vegan Pizza: TEXAS-STYLE!"

At:

 http://dallasvegan.com/blog/heart-healthy-pizza-texas-style

...I've written an article, posted some recipes, and sponsored a free giveaway of "Heart Healthy Pizza" (the first Vegan Pizza Cookbook).

Enjoy... Mark

©2012, Photo by Val Wagner (August 2010)

Olives in Olive Oil & Iron Chef vs. Vegan Chef - Pt. 2 of 2

This is the follow-up to my Pt. 1 post (here).  Key takeaway from that rambling post was that one tablespoon of olive oil is equal to about 40 physical olives. Anyway, during the process of working it out, I had two experiences that at first, didn't seem related, but actually are. 

The first, from background TeeVee noise, I caught Chef Roberto Martin (Ellen's latest vegan chef discovery) cooking up his faux chicken on NBC's Today Show.  Chef Roberto demonstrated "astounding" creativity by taking two packages of Gardein "Chick'n Scallopini" breasts, wrapping them in rice paper, dipping in 2 cups of cashew cream and spices, and frying.  Here's the recipe.  Note how similar to Chef Tal's vegan travesty with Gardein Chick'n (my screed about that here).

Back to Roberto: let's do a little math:  2 cups of cashew cream contains around 48 grams of fat (600 calories).  Now, Martin calls for no more than 2 cups of oil for frying (we'll ignore the cost... it is, however, 3800 calories & over 400 grams of fat).  It's difficult to guess how much fat is imparted to the breasts, but in general, my research shows that frying chicken breasts in oil increases the fat grams from 1 or 2 to 10 to 17 grams.  So, let's go with 10 grams of fat more per breast.  There are 4 pieces of chick'n per package, each 4.5 grams of fat.

So, let's go with 48 g. of fat from cream, 56 g. of fat from frying+original fat content: 104 grams of fat total.  At 4 servings, that comes to over 25 grams of fat per serving.  If you want to "prevent and reverse heart disease" (a la Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn), that's 1 to 2 day's worth of fat in a single entree.  Or, from the American Heart Association's perspective, a little under half.  Chef Roberto has taken a fine meat analog and turned it into a fat-ladden mess with the cashew cream and olive oil frying.

Okay, this is all no surprise.  Both Chefs take the "high-end culinary dishes" they've been taught, sub-out the meat for meat analogs, add a lot of fat, and are considered vegan chef geniuses.  Obviously I disagree.  But in the process of writing the 1st post, and thinking about all this, I had a short and somewhat testy Twitter exchange with a well-known Iron Chef.  Summarized, abbreviated, and paraphrased, it went something like this: 

IC: "If someone tells you it tastes good without salt, they're lying to you..."

SV: "The Amer. Heart Assoc. recommends under 1 tsp. salt per day."

IC: "I just ran 6 miles and my cholesterol counts are great."

IC:  "words that dont [sic] go together... lowfat/cheese, turkey/bacon, decaf/espresso, lean/pork, boneless skinless/chicken,..."

SV: "Long-term health should be the focus. Y'all use a lot of meat & oil on your shows."

IC: "My 90 yr old pappy eats a lot of meat and is still going strong."

SV: "It's called the Bell Curve... most people are not where he is..."

IC: "Everything is better with bacon."

SV: "Apologies, my fault, this isn't the best forum for nut. discussion. Do enjoy your creativity, though.  Bye."

Bottom line: I've watched this guy on Iron Chef and The Chew, and as with most of the chefs on the Food Network, I'm totally appalled by not only how much & the types of meat they use, but also the incredibly excessive amounts of oil.

That being said, aside from the use of meat though, I have to wonder: how much worse are they, from a health perspective, then Chefs Roberto and Tal? Sure, the Vegan Chefs are saving animals & encouraging healthier eating on some levels (no hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, food-borne diseases, the environment, et. al.), but I can't help thinking that, in view of the epidemic nature of heart disease in this country (killing more people than hormones, etc., in meat, presumably), perhaps we should be thinking about demanding more from our vegan cookbook authors than "cups" of oil and fatty nuts in their recipes. 

Substituting faux meat to alleviate people's taste addiction to meat is certainly a good thing, but catering to their addiction to the taste of fat, possibly isn't:

"52 people in USA die due to heart attack every minute making it 1,259 per day, 8,843 per week and 459,840 per year" [Source].

Essy's 20+ years of peer-reviewed research shows that a no-added oil plant-based diet can not only reverse, but in theory, prevent heart disease.  Perhaps the "true" genius vegan chefs will be the ones who creatively incorporate this reality into their recipes and help people make truly healthy food.

Mad Cowboy Newsletter, Official Pizza, & Free Cookbook Giveaway

The latest Mad Cowboy Newsletter was posted shortly before Memorial Day weekend.  You can read the entire issue at this address:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/96

Note:  I've posted the Official Mad Cowboy Pizza recipes (& photos) and there's a free giveway of my cookbook, "Heart Healthy Pizza" detailed in this edition of the newsletter.

Here's the Intro & Table of Contents:

-------

Howdy! Welcome to the 73rd issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter!

In this special issue, we have two contests! The periodic Vegan Mind-Bender Contest (for a year's subscription of VegNews), and today, a free giveaway of the very 1st vegan pizza cookbook: "Heart Healthy Pizza." There's also a link to where you can view the Official Mad Cowboy Pizza recipe, obtain more information about this book, and order an autographed copy of same.

Reading further, learn about some new and very large studies indicating that consumption of red meat not only increases mortality from degenerative diseases, but from strokes as well. There's information on a unique court case where the judge is assessing liability for potential damage to the Earth's atmosphere for future generations, the environmental impact of eating shrimp vs. beef, the brewing eco-storm, continued warnings about too much salt, and take action against the collective evils of Monsanto.

Moving onward, among other matters, you can contact the FDA about animal testing, see the difference between PR spending between the Meat Industry and Veg-related Organizations, know about the controversial "Vegan is Love" book, how to be vegan inexpensively, FARM's mobile activism, and how to be a hero by what you eat.

And don't miss our "Vegan Digital Media Theater" featuring video of Dr. Esselstyn, President Clinton, vegan ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek, and others of note.

... as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers: y'all can browse/search through past issues at the Mad Cowboy Newsletter Archives at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Best regards, Mark   MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
02: Mad Cowboy Pizza Recipe & Heart Healthy Pizza Book Giveaway Contest
03: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
04: Red Meat=Mortality=Strokes, Hold the Salt
05: Judging the Atmosphere, Shrimp vs. Beef, Eco-Storm, Evil Monsanto
06: Vegan Digital Media Theater
07: Tell FDA No Testing, Meat vs Veg Ad$$, Mobile Activist Video
08: "Vegan is Love," Cheaply Vegan, Be a Hero by What You Eat
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts

Dr. Greger's Review of "Heart Healthy Pizza"

You can read the full review of the 1st Vegan Pizza Cookbook here.  An excerpt:

"Although it might seem arrogant and pretentious to call these the "most nutritious pizzas in the world," one would be hard pressed to think of any others that would be as healthy and beneficial to one's diet.  Mark takes full advantage of the abundance of phytochemicals in fresh vegetables and whole grains in these recipes to raise the bar on vegan cooking and demonstrates a unique and creative approach to making one of the most popular foods in the American diet not only a nutritious experience, but a enjoyable and tasty one as well.

Both vegans and non-vegans should check out "Heart Healthy Pizza."  As improbably as it might seem, pizza can truly be a healthy food!"

There's also some photos of a vegetable pizza I made last night with a "Millet, Sunflower Seed, Mustard, Horseradish" topping sauce.  Woof!

"Michael Greger, M.D., is a physician, author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues.Currently Dr. Greger proudly serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States.  His recent scientific publications in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, Family & Community Health, and the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health explore the public health implications of industrialized animal agriculture.  Dr. Greger is also licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition and was a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was featured on the Healthy Living Channel promoting his latest nutrition DVDs and honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell's esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University."

Olives in Olive Oil & Iron Chef vs. Vegan Chef - Pt. 1 of 2

Recently, I've been wondering how many olives are in a tablespoon of olive oil.  Having followed a no-added oil plant-based lifestyle (more accurate than "diet") for over 5 years now (since interviewing Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn), it's something I hadn't considered until I happened to see Ms. "Lean into Everything Veganish Quantumly" on Charlie Rose talk about all the "surrounding fiber" lost with refined sugar and carbohydrates.  Normally, I take anything she says somewhat skeptically (in her most recent book, she's still pushing the "8 glasses of water a day" myth, despite it having been debunked many times).

Whatever.  I remember something I'd read about all the minerals, fibers, etc., being stripped away when producing free oils (processed vegetable oils):

"Chemically speaking, free oils are chains of carbon found in a purified state.  Extraction processes have removed all of the other ingredients of the whole food.  Thus, free oils are no longer intermixed with the naturally-designed and balanced environment of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and ten thousand other chemicals found originally in the plants.  Free-oils are not food..." (Dr. McDougall, (Source).

Ironic that Ms. Leanfully advocates the use of free oils in her recipes (and recommended pantry).  But, moving onward, the question of how many olives are in a tablespoon of olive oil intrigued me.  I found an answer than I think is reasonable, being as olives come in many sizes.  The following website has guessed around 44 olives per tablespoon of olive oil (Source).  I'll go with 40 olives as my working number.

So, what does this mean?  Well, when you put a tablespoon of olive oil into your skillet, you are putting the equivalent of 40 olives "stripped" of accompany minerals and other chemicals designed to help you absorb and properly metabolize the oil from those 40 olives.  Can you imagine 40 olives in your stir-fry?

Wow.  No room for veggies!  Continuing with the math: 2 TBL of olive oil (80 olives), 4 TBL. of olive oil in 1/4 cup (160 olives), 8 TBL. of olive oil in 1/2 cup (320 olives), and 16 TBL. of olive oil in 1 cup (a whopping 640 olives).

I saw a recipe the other day for a vegan pizza that called for a bag of Daiya cheese (8 oz.).  That amounts to 48 grams of fat (2 to 3 times the daily limit Esselstyn recommends, almost 3/4 the daily fat recommended by the Feds, and 80% the daily saturated fat).

But wait, there's more. The fat in Daiya comes from oil (safflower, and/or coconut (high in trans-fat), and/or canola), and these free oils have about the same amount of fat per tablespoon: around 14 grams each.  Let's extrapolate what that would mean in terms of olives, if olive oil was used:  the equivalent of 160 olives on that pizza (someone else can work out how many seeds for safflower or canola oil... start with 50 lbs. of rapeseed to make 2.65 gal. canola oil).

Would anyone put 160 olives on a pizza?  How about 80 olives (2 TBL of olive oil) for a single serving of salad dressing?  Yet, I see both vegan and non-vegans use apply olive oil with complete abandon in all kinds of food preparations.

Actually, using the olives might be healthier than using just the oil!  But seriously, this oil issue is one of the primary reasons I wrote: "Heart Healthy Pizza."  There had to be a better way of enjoying pizza other than adding pure fat in the guise of faux cheese.  Whenever you see a tablespoon of oil, think:  40 olives (or the equivalent).

Anyway, this pontification went on longer than expected, so it's now Part 1 of 2 posts on this topic.  In the next post I'll relate it all to a short exchange I had online recently with a well-known Iron Chef as well as from seeing a nouveaux Vegan Chef on the Today Show last week and reading the recipe he demonstrated (Chef Tal will also be mentioned).  Stay tuned!

New Review, Giveaway of Heart Healthy Pizza & Interview

Calling the book "phenomenal," "Quantum Vegan" just posted a very comprehensive review of "Heart Healthy Pizza."  There's also links to our Interview, QV's experiences/photos making pizza from my book, and a free giveaway of an autographed copy:

http://quantumvegan.com/2012/04/23/review-giveaway-heart-healthy-pizza-mark-sutton/

FYI, Mark

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com

Photos of Last Night's "Heart Healthy Pizza" (vegan)

At:  http://hearthealthypizza.blogspot.com/

Godairyfree Reviews "Heart Healthy Pizza"

Alisa Fleming, of the great "Godairyfree.org" website just posted a review of "Heart Healthy Pizza" (the 1st vegan pizza cookbook).

"It’s pizza party time! If you are vegan and jonesing for some cheesy pizza, then I have a book to share with you. Heart Healthy Pizza by Mark Sutton is a treasure-trove of vegan pizza concepts."

You can read the full review here.

 

 

(photo: "Tofu & Dijon Mustard Sauce," @2012 by Mark Sutton)

My 1st Interview & Another Free Heart Healthy Pizza Giveaway

At:

http://www.sunnyhawklane.blogspot.com/2012/03/mini-minimalist-and-heart-healthy-pizza.html

FYI, Mark

St. Patty's Pizza Pie Recipe & Free Cookbook Giveaway!

I've posted the St. Patty's Pizza Pie Recipe from my cookbook "Heart Healthy Pizza" at my new blog (Heart Healthy Pizza).  At the blog there's also details about an easy contest for a FREE autographed copy of my cookbook.  Here's a photo of a slice of the completed recipe (which has a thickened Barley, Navy Bean, and Horseradish Topping Sauce):

St. Patty's Pizza Pie!  (@2012 by Mark Sutton)