------------------------------------------------------------ Low-Fat Simple Cooking LowFatVeg By D La Pierre Ballard Copyright (c) 2011-2016 by D La Pierre Ballard Email: PlantGalley.com LowFatVeg.com 19-JUN-2016 Eat more fruits and vegetables! Low-Fat Simple Cooking works because simple food is really good. Please feel free to quote or copy from this webpage. Also, feel free to link to this webpage. This webpage is purely for educational purposes. "Eschew Obfuscation!", sign held by noted math educator John Saxon (1923-1996) at the Medieval Fair, Norman, Oklahoma, Spring 1983. ------------------------------------------------------------ Basically what Low-Fat Simple Cooking amounts to is the following two concepts put together to make truly wonderful food to eat. 1. Low-Fat Low-fat food means only vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans totally without the addition of any oils or other fat. Nuts, avocados and olives are avoided because they are very high fat. Of course, sugar, white flour and white rice are not used because they are not whole grain. No animal products are included, whatsoever. This style of eating is sometimes called LowFatVeg. 2. Simple Cooking Simple cooking means to use a 2.5 quart or larger glass covered baking dish to cook the various vegetables, fruits, whole grains or beans for two, three or even four hours in the oven at 300 degrees F. Water and seasonings are added at the beginning of the cooking and sometimes more are added later. Every thing is cooked in the same type of baking dish at the same temperature 300 degrees F. Only the cooking time is different for different things. Simple here also means slow and gentle with plenty of water. It is best to preheat your oven for twenty minutes or so. Low-Fat Simple Cooking works because simple food is really good. ------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter Indices Vegetables,Fruits etc. Salads and Eating Out Whole Grain Breads Seasonings Needed Utensils Thoughts on Low-Fat Advantages to Low-Fat Special Links to Plantgalley ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Vegetables, Fruits, Whole Grains, Beans Updated 2014/11/11, 2014/08/19, 2013/10/01, 2013/06/22, 2013/02/28, ************************************************************ Vegetables,Fruits etc. ------------------------------------------------------------ First of all, any vegetables, fruits, whole grains or beans can be cooked just fine with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method by washing and trimming the items and then cooking them with water at 300 degrees F. for two, three or four hours in a two and a half quart or larger glass cooking dish with a lid in the oven. Below is discussed many of the foods that I have really enjoyed that I have cooked in this fashion on many occasions. ------------------------------------------------------------ Black-eyed peas Black-eyed peas are one of the real staples along with pinto beans of southern cooking. Black-eyed peas are especially good on New Years Day to bring prosperity for the coming year. They are also good on all of the other days, too! You can buy them in a one pound package. Wash them and discard any that are bad. Cook covered with at least three times as much water as peas. Cook them for two hours or more. A can of diced tomatoes is good in them. Enjoy them with your favorite seasonings. ------------------------------------------------------------ Brown rice Always use whole grain brown rice. Long grain, short grain, jasmine or basmati brown rice are all very good. Put a pound of brown rice in the baking dish. Add about three times as much water as rice. Cover and cook for two hours at 300 degrees. The secret to cooking really good brown rice is to use plenty of water and cook the rice until it clumps together. Usually, I like to add a can of diced tomatoes and some water at the end of the cooking as the rice may have turned out a bit dry. Season the brown rice to your taste. I use hot sauce, salsa or mustard. Brown rice goes really well with everything. ------------------------------------------------------------ Cabbage Cabbage is inexpensive and delicious when cooked with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Wash it and cut it up in the cooking dish. About half cover it with water. Cook for two hours. Other vegetables are good cooked with it. Cabbage is especially good when a few pieces of it are cooked on top of another vegetable. ------------------------------------------------------------ Carrots Carrots are inexpensive and keep well in the refrigerator. While they may not shine by themselves, they are fantastic when added to another vegetable to cook. Just wash and cut up two or three carrots and put on top of your rice or beans or whatever to cook along with it. They add new flavors and colors and are wonderful. Of course they can be nibbled on raw, too. ------------------------------------------------------------ Eggplant Eggplant is terrific when cooked with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Wash the eggplant and cut off the end with the stem. Then cut it up and put it in the cooking dish with about half full of water. Cook it in the oven at 300 degrees F. for two hours. It will be wonderful. Onions or peppers are good cooked with it. ------------------------------------------------------------ Fava beans Fava beans are referred to as an heirloom vegetable because people have been cultivating and eating them for thousands of years. They are large brown beans that have wonderful texture. They can be bought in one pound packages. Wash and sort them before putting in the cooking dish with three times the water. Cook them for four hours. Yes, four hours at the 300 degrees F. is required. You may find them a little mealy but add them to brown rice or other Low-Fat Simple Cooking vegetables to add texture. I really enjoy fava beans this way. ------------------------------------------------------------ Garbanzo beans I had always heard that garbanzo beans or chick peas were hard to cook. They cook fine but need to cook a little longer than some other beans do. Put a one pound package after washing and sorting into the cooking dish. Add about three times as much water as beans. Cook for three hours. A can of diced tomatoes is good to add for seasoning along with your other favorites. They will come out very tender and tasty. ------------------------------------------------------------ Greens Greens such as spinach, kale, arugula, romaine and even plain old iceberg lettuce not only make wonderful salads for the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method of eating but also are very good added to any vegetable that you then cook with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking way. They are also good cooked by themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------ Grits or Polenta Grits are a breakfast staple in the south. Pour them into your baking dish with three times as much water as grits. Cover and bake them for two hours at 300 degrees in a preheated oven. Season them to your taste. I prefer hot sauce or mustard. I am not as big on grits as I am on oats. Still, once in a while they are pretty good. And, remember, just because grits have traditionally been a breakfast food does not mean they cannot be eaten at other times too. ------------------------------------------------------------ Lentils One of the favorite legumes the world over is lentils. Lentils are one of the easiest beans to cook. Put a one pound package of them after rinsing in the baking dish. Then add about three times as much water as lentils. Cover and cook for two hours. A can of diced tomatoes is wonderful to put in them. When done, season them to your taste. ------------------------------------------------------------ Mushrooms Mushrooms are wonderful cooked with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Wash them and cut them in half vertically. Cook with water for two hours at 300 degrees F. Usually, I like to cook a few of them on top of some brown rice or beans to add flavor. Any of the vegetables can be cooked with any of the other vegetables in such a fashion when you are using the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. They will always turn out deliciously good. ------------------------------------------------------------ Pasta Pasta is really good cooked with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method, but it is a little tricky to do. Always use whole grain pasta. I put a pound of it in the cooking dish and add a 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes to it. Then I add another can of water, too. Cook it for two hours at 300 degrees. Of all of the things that I cook with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method this one requires that the instructions be followed pretty closely. Once you have done this a few times you will get the process down where it works for your cooking dish and oven. Mine turns out really good. Add the seasonings that you prefer before cooking it or afterwards. ------------------------------------------------------------ Pinto beans or kidney beans or black beans or white beans or lima beans or navy beans etc. Low-Fat Simple Cooking people stand in awe of the humble pinto bean. Actually, kidney beans, red beans, black beans, white beans, lima beans, navy beans etc. are just as wonderful! These beans come in one pound packages. Wash them and sort out any that are bad. Cook them covered with three times as much water as beans for three hours. A chopped onion cooked in them is good, too. I like to add a can of diced tomatoes at the end of the cooking. They are simply wonderful to eat then or to refrigerate and rewarm later. Season them to your taste. I like hot sauce or mustard as well as salsa to season mine. Here again, if the beans end up a bit dry at the end of cooking just add some water. ------------------------------------------------------------ Oats Oats are one of the best kept secrets of Low-Fat Simple Cooking. Best are the whole grain rolled oats or the whole grain steel cut oats rather than the instant oats. Oats need about three times as much water as oats to cook in your baking dish. Cover and cook them for two hours. Have some with your preferred seasonings. Put the rest in the refrigerator as they are even better warmed over. When cold they have a rubbery texture but do not be put off by this. Oats like grits are very good at any time, not just for breakfast. ------------------------------------------------------------ Potatoes Potatoes are very inexpensive and are a favorite with nearly everyone. They are wonderful cooked using the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Scrub them and trim off any bad spots. Then cut them up before putting them in the baking dish. Add enough water so that they will not cook dry. I like to cut up an onion to add to the potatoes to add flavor. Cover and cook for two hours. Then they are moist and ready to eat with your favorite seasonings on them. If you like your potatoes in baked potato style, just do not cut them up! Salsa is great on them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Split green peas Split green peas can be bought in one pound amounts. Rinse them, put them in the baking dish with about three times as much water as peas. Cover and cook for two hours. Split green peas cooked in this way are fantastic. Season them to your taste. I use hot sauce or mustard to season mine. Split green peas cooked with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method are just about my favorite thing to eat. ------------------------------------------------------------ Squash, summer All kinds of summer squash are wonderful when using the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Wash them, cut them up and put them in the baking dish with plenty of water. Cover and cook them for two hours. Season with your favorite seasoning. I like to cook onions, peppers or potatoes with them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Squash, winter Winter squash such as acorn squash or pumpkins are pretty tough and need to be cut up very carefully. Also, they need to have their seeds removed. Wash them, cut them up and put them in the baking dish with plenty of water. Cover and cook them for two hours. Season with your favorite seasoning. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sweet potatoes Here again we have a real staple of southern cooking. Scrub them with a vegetable brush and maybe cut the ends off. Put them in the baking dish, cover half-way with water and cook for two hours. Other vegetables are good cooked with them in the same dish. Plain sweet potatoes are terrific by themselves or with other vegetables. They are really good hot or cold and rewarm wonderfully well. To me they taste overly sweet, but I can still eat two or three of them cooked this way during the day. ------------------------------------------------------------ Turnip greens Turnip greens cook very nicely using the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. Cut them up and put them in the baking dish with enough water so they will not cook dry. Cover and cook for two hours. Throw in an onion with them for more flavor and maybe a cut up potato or two. Many of our vegetables cook very nicely together. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Salads, Eating Out, and Tea Updated 2016/06/19, 2013/10/01, 2013/02/28, 2012/10/27, 2012/05/09, ************************************************************ Salads and Eating Out ------------------------------------------------------------ Green salads and fruits do not need cooking before eating. These make a wonderful supplement at any time to the fare of the Low-fat Simple Cooking method. They are the staples that the Low-Fat Simple Cooking person eats when eating in restaurants as in most restaurants it is otherwise impossible to avoid high fat foods. Of course, fresh green salads consisting of greens and other fresh vegetables are eaten without added oils or other non-method condiments. However, a splash of vinegar on a green salad tastes pretty good! In restaurants sometimes a baked potato or a baked sweet potato can be ordered without any condiments. Sweet potatoes are good without anything at all added. Baked potatoes can be enhanced with vinegar, hot sauce, salsa or mustard depending upon your tastes. On the go or at home probably the best things to drink that are compatible with the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method are either water or brewed green tea. Nearly my whole life I have been nearly obsessed with green tea that is brewed. I like it hot or cold and am drinking a cup of brewed green tea right now! The green tea without any additional flavoring is what I prefer. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Whole Grain Low-Fat Breads Updated 2016/06/19, 2012/10/27 ************************************************************ Whole Grain Breads ------------------------------------------------------------ Breads that are whole grain Whole grain breads that fit the low-fat criteria of Low-Fat Simple Cooking are a mighty good addition to any meal. Sometimes there are bakeries that specialize in healthy or whole grain breads. I always watch for the amount of fat and sodium in these. Corn tortillas that are whole grain are usually made without added fat and are wonderful to eat with any of the cooked items. The really good whole grain corn tortillas are in the frozen section of your favorite grocery or health food store. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Seasonings Updated 2016/06/19, 2016/01/09, 2014/11/11, 2013/10/01, 2013/06/22, ************************************************************ Seasonings ------------------------------------------------------------ Seasonings There are several good brands of table seasonings that are combinations of various spices and are salt free. These are terrific and are in the spice department of your grocery store. If you try some of them, you will find your favorites. Some of the following seasonings are good to add during the cooking process and some are better to add once the cooking is done. Different people will prefer different seasonings. I especially like the following seasonings: Jalapeno peppers that are fresh. These are wonderful to cook with everything. They can be extremely hot, though. Hot pepper sauce, there are many good brands that are fat and sugar free. I prefer the ones that are lower in salt. Lemon or lime, a squeeze from half a lemon or lime is terrific on almost anything. Mustard, prepared mustard whether brown or yellow is one of the most popular seasonings in the world. It is good on almost anything. Onions, chopped or sliced, yellow or white or purple or green. Leeks are really good, too, cooked in the cooking dish. Peppers, green, poblano, jalapeno, chili and many others. They are terrific cooked with anything. Salsa or picante sauce, many varieties that are fat and sugar free. I prefer the ones that are lower in salt. Spices: basil, cayenne, cilantro, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, etc. All of these are very good and should be used in moderation in combination with each other. Tomatoes, canned, I prefer the no salt diced tomatoes. Tomato paste, canned, I prefer the no salt tomato paste. Vinegar, balsamic, tarragon, red wine or apple cider. All of them are wonderful to use for seasoning after the cooking. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking, Needed Utensils Updated 2016/06/19, 2014/11/11, 2013/03/01, 2012/10/27, 2012/05/05, ************************************************************ Needed Utensils ------------------------------------------------------------ For one thing, you do not need so many different gadgets and measures in your kitchen. You might want a one cup measure since some of the beans and grains are most easily bought in bulk. A one cup measure will measure pretty close to 8 ounces so that two of them will be about 16 ounces or roughly one pound. This seems to be about the right amount to cook at a time in the 2.5 quart or larger cooking dish. You will need a small paring knife to cut up or trim various vegetables. Be very careful as it will be sharp and have a sharp point. You will need a vegetable brush to scrub potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. before cooking. Of course, you will need a can opener. You will need some tablespoons to mix with and to eat with. Likewise, you will need some bowls to eat out of. Other than these things and some 2.5 quart or larger cooking dishes about the only other thing needed is an oven with an adjustable temperature. Only one temperature setting is needed, 300 F. of course! Additionally, you will need hot and cold running water, a sink to wash dishes in and a refrigerator! The refrigerator is for any food left over. Even so the Low-Fat Simple Cooking left overs will most likely not last very long! They certainly will be delicious, though. You will need a table with chairs for you and your fellow Low-Fat Simple Cooking enthusiasts to sit at to eat! Last of all, you will need a good appetite for Low-Fat Simple Cooking food. I seem to always have just that! ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Thoughts Updated 2016/06/19, 2014/11/11, 2013/06/22, 2012/10/27, 2012/05/09, ************************************************************ Thoughts on Low-Fat ------------------------------------------------------------ Very slow gentle cooking of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans with plenty of water sure produces good things to eat. That, of course, is the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method. This style of eating is also called LowFatVeg. In today's world everyone is in such a hurry and most foods are not at all the real foods produced by nature. With Low-Fat Simple Cooking the cooking is very slow and gentle. The cooked food is the real food that has just been cooked! The seasonings are real spices and herbs rather than just the salt, fat and sugar which seem to predominate right now! When you open your oven door, you lose lots of heat and need to add to the cooking time. If I take a dish out of the oven to add water or seasoning then I usually add at least half an hour to the cooking time. When the 2.5 quart or larger cooking dish is full, it takes about an hour for the food in it to get hot and begin cooking even in a preheated oven. Sure, a higher temperature ie. 325 degrees can be used but that means a loss of gentleness to the whole process and less simplicity. Cooking food at 300 degrees F. and with plenty of water makes the cooking time somewhat inexact since an extra half hour or hour will not hurt anything. In fact a little extra cooking time just makes the food better. Just make sure the food is in plenty of water. An often overlooked advantage to the Low-Fat Simple Cooking Method is that almost any vegetables can be cooked together or once they are cooked almost any vegetables can be mixed together to be even more delicious than them being separate! ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Low-Fat Simple Cooking: Advantages to this Method Updated 2016/06/19, 2013/05/08, 2012/10/27, 2012/05/09, 2012/05/04, ************************************************************ Advantages to Low-Fat ------------------------------------------------------------ There are lots of advantages to Low-Fat Simple Cooking. Until I started cooking the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method I was not aware of the many advantages to that method. The glass covered baking dish can go into the refrigerator to save the food left over for another time. There is no need to change the food to a different container for the refrigerator. You might want to let the food and dish cool off before putting it into the refrigertor. And, of course, the Low-Fat Simple Cooking method produces good vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans that are especially good warmed over! Since this method is low-fat, the baking dish when emptied is much easier to wash than using other methods of cooking. It works so well for me that just about as soon as I get it washed I am ready to cook in it again! By then, of course, I am getting hungry again! I have five of these glass covered baking dishes and most are in use all of the time. ------------------------------------------------------------ CHAP: Special Links Updated 2016/06/19, 2016/05/27, 2016/05/23, 2016/05/22, 2016/05/11 ************************************************************ Special Links to Plantgalley ------------------------------------------------------------ Special Recipe Index All Recipes for searching ------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************************ End of Webpage, 19-JUN-2016 16:47:50 Eat more fruits and vegetables! Created by program: www.teapro.com/oklafix.tea