Category Archives: Food Snobbery

The Food Snob Series – Restaurants

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I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus with this series, but I’m back – and this time with a list of restaurants that I used to venture out to.  Nowadays, if I was ever invited to an event at one of these establishments, I would most likely come up with a very creative excuse to get out of dinner.

One of the reasons why many of these restaurants were regular places for me to venture out to was because I traveled quite a bit for work.  When heading to the Midwest, as a vegetarian, chain restaurants were the only place that you could trust to get a vegetarian meal that didn’t consist of a dinner roll with a side of iceberg lettuce.  Traveling in groups was especially difficult because I didn’t always have the luxury of my own car to make my own lunch or dinner plans.   I have gotten more creative as I am now traveling quite a bit for work again – I always have a bag of trail mix or nuts in my laptop case, I pack  protein powder for my breakfast, and I try stopping at a grocery store upon arriving at my destination to pick up fruits and yogurt.  It’s also a great idea to scope out a salad bar which is a much better option than the lunches that get brought in for work meetings.

But back to the restaurants on my hit list – most of these chains have actually made improvements to their calorie count ever since the California law went into affect – but even these “improved” meals are a bit scary.  In no particular order:

  1. PF Changs – if you check the nutritional information online, most of the items seem like they have reasonable calorie counts until you start noticing that many of the entrees are meant to serve multiple people.  There are many vegetarian options that include tofu, but I highly doubt PF Changs cares about organic or non-GMO soybeans.  But forget the documented information – I always feel horrible after eating at this restaurant…enough of an indicator that I’d rather be eating elsewhere.
  2. Cheesecake Factory – the first indication for this restaurant should be how closely they hold their nutritional information.  It is not available on their website which automatically raises a red flag for me.  This link offers up a decent picture of what you’re putting into your body when you eat at this restaurant.
  3. California Pizza Kitchen – the calorie counts alone at this restaurant should have you running out the door screaming.  But feel free to steal topping ideas from their pizza menu to try to recreate your own versions at home!
  4. BJ’s – any restaurant that doesn’t provide nutritional information on their website is suspect in my mind
  5. Olive Garden – fat and sodium will definitely get you when ordering from this menu
  6. Panera Bread – did you know that most of the sandwiches at this restaurant approach the 1000 calorie mark? You may think you’re choosing a healthier option by eating at Panera Bread, but think again! Some of the soups are not bad, but the sodium will always get you.  The vegetarian salads seem like a lower calorie option, but these salads are always so unsatisfying as a meal.

The list could go on and on, but I think you must get the point by now. I don’t mean to sound like an alarmist, but no one is looking out for your health out there. All those labels for “natural” and “healthy” choices are all marketing ploys to make you feel better about making the wrong choices.  Don’t get me wrong – I love going out for a nice meal and have someone cook for me for a change.  I am just very particular about the restaurants I choose and look for places that follow the same food values I follow in my own kitchen.

The Food Snob Series – Frozen Veggie Burgers

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OK, so I’ll probably not make too many friends by beating down on the frozen vegetarian options that are available in the frozen section these days, but I’ll confess, as I started to see the various vegetarian options increasing in availability, I did get very excited.  I was blinded by the vegan label and was excited about the convenience of a ready made meal – but let’s be serious, this is no different than buying any other highly processed item you would usually find in the freezer section.

Let’s start with the basic Boca burger – I’m not a fan of this burger – I’ve made a decision to be vegetarian and don’t really enjoy eating items that are made to taste or look like they aren’t.  However, because it is vegan, it is awesome to have as an option when you go out to eat.

WATER, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF METHYLCELLULOSE, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, DRIED ONIONS, YEAST EXTRACT, SESAME OIL, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR (NON-MEAT), DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE.

First problem with Boca’s use of soy is that it is rarely organic – they have a couple of options that are non-GMO soy, but in my opinion, if you are consuming soy, it should definitely be organic.  Silk soymilk is a great example of a product that used to be organic, but at some point, they switched their main line to be non-organic and then started charging higher prices for the organic version.

Did you know that methylcellulose is used as a construction material? In this case, it is being used as an emulsifier.  One of the more scarier ingredients is Disodium Guanylate – this ingredient should not be given to babies under the age of 12 weeks and those with gout.  Also, it is usually derived from fish, so make sure your product explicitly states that it is vegan.

All that being said, I’m sure folks could argue in either direction on whether these ingredients are actually harmful or not.  But does that ingredient list really appeal to you? When you read it, do you get excited about what you’re about to eat? I personally feel a bit grossed out by it.

I used to buy a lot of the soy crumbles products as well, but nowadays, if I really need that texture for a chili or stew, I opt to crumble my own organic extra firm tofu and cook it with some vegan Worcestershire sauce.  I leave it on low heat in a non stick pan until all the water dries out and achieves a chewy texture.

Morningstar Farms has come out with quite a few veggie burger options, and a few vegan varieties as well, but these burgers are so high in sodium – averaging around 400mg per burger seems pretty high for something that barely has 100 calories.  Most processed foods tend to be high in sugar and salt to make the food taste good enough – there isn’t much else you can do when you’re only working with 100 calories.  A great book to read on this topic is The End of Overeating by David Kessler, the former FDA commissioner.

I’ve been trying out various veggie burger recipes, trying to perfect my own burger.  Creating a veggie burger at home is so simple to do, and I like that it gives me an opportunity to use up vegetables or leftovers in my refrigerator.  Some great ingredient ideas include shredded carrots, potatoes (even more convenient when they are leftover), leftover grains (brown rice, pasta), canned beans, tofu, walnuts, cashews…the list could go on.  My favourite ingredient to absorb any excess liquid is oats and I have found that the best thing to use to mash together all the ingredients is your hands (if you have issues with that, use a potato masher).

Wow, apparently, I had a lot to say on this topic…I’m not against the convenience of a packaged burger for summer picnics or large events.  But for everyday meals, get creative and use fresh ingredients instead of heading down the freezer aisle.

The Food Snob Series – Supermarket Yogurt Brands

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I grew up eating homemade yogurt that was generally being made every few days, with the previous batch of yogurt being used to start the next batch.  I don’t ever remember my mom going over to my aunt’s house next door to borrow sugar, but I do remember her going over to get some homemade yogurt to use a starter for her own.  I even remember my mom making us homemade fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt with a dollop of homemade jam at the bottom of the container with the homemade yogurt left to ferment on top.  Of course, at the time, I had no appreciation for this homemade version and thought it was so much cooler to have store bought yogurts – how naive I was.

I’ve been doing some reading about skim milk and there were two things that caught my attention the most.  The first was a comment about how much higher the hormone concentration in skim milk is relative to whole milk since the fat is all removed.  The second was a comment about skim milk being a highly processed food – I’ve never thought of it in that manner, but why not? Most companies fortify their skim milk with powdered skim to ensure a proper color and consistency.  This powdered skim milk is produced by exposing the milk to high heat and pressure – this process oxidizes the cholesterol, which can lead to plaque formation in the arteries and heart disease.  So the very thing you think you are preventing by drinking skim milk is actually occurring because of it. These amounts of oxidized cholesterol in skim milk and reduced fat milk may be small, but really why take the risk? I could go on and on about why drinking skim or low fat milk is a waste of your time, but I’ll leave it at this – if you’re going to drink milk, drink a non-homogenized, organic brand.

Well that was a total tangent! This post was supposed to be about yogurt!  But my little rant above about milk was to bring additional awareness to what a scam nonfat and low fat yogurts really are – if you look at the labels closely, you’ll notice that most nonfat options have more sugar in them – added to make it taste better.  But that still isn’t what I was going to point out in this post – what I really wanted to talk about was the shelves full of fruit flavored yogurts, most of which have random additives.  Take the Yoplait brand for example:

Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Low Fat Milk, Sugar, Strawberries, Modified Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Colored with Carmine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3

You don’t need gelatin in your yogurt – it is probably the one ingredient I’ve been most sensitive to all my life as a vegetarian.  It is added to give the “yogurt” an appropriate texture.

The thing that gets me is that even some of the organic brands that are so readily available are also so high in sugar.  Stonyfield Organic is a line that is available at Costco, but take a look at the ingredient list.  Why is sugar the second ingredient? I don’t care if it is “naturally milled organic sugar” – it still adds 20g of sugar to a single serving.  And why do you need to add juice to give it a particular color? And how do you bottle “natural flavor” for a blueberry yogurt?

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC LOW FAT MILK, NATURALLY MILLED ORGANIC SUGAR, ORGANIC BLUEBERRIES, PECTIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, ORGANIC
ELDERBERRY JUICE FROM CONCENTRATE (FOR COLOR), VITAMIN D3. CONTAINS OUR EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF SIX LIVE ACTIVE CULTURES: S. THERMOPHILUS L. BULGARICUS, L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, L. CASEI, AND L. RHAMNOSUS.

If you don’t have the time or don’t know how to make your own yogurt, find a good local organic brand (that’s what I do unless I need to be making yogurt in large quantities) or find a good probiotic supplement if you can’t have yogurt in your diet.  But stay away from the brands that are fooling you into thinking you’re eating something good for you – the only ingredient in your yogurt should be milk – and a little bit of fat never hurt anyone – go for the full fat version!

The Food Snob Series – Aunt Jemima Syrup

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Ok, don’t get all sensitive and teary eyed…I don’t have anything against your Aunt Jemima. But let’s be clear about one thing – in the world of pancake syrup, you definitely get what you pay for. Do you seriously think that you’ll be getting a quality product when a bottle of Aunt Jemima (or Mrs. Butterworth for that matter) will cost you $3.49 versus Grade A or B pure maple syrup can easily cost 4 times that price?

Let’s go through the ingredients in Aunt Jemima – corn seems to be the star of the show here (and somehow, I don’t think they cared much to make sure it was non-GMO corn). The cellulose gum is used as a thickening agent to make this appear syrup like – don’t worry, it must be good for you…especially since it is used in so many hair styling products. The lineup of preservatives after these “ingredients” seems pretty high for a simple breakfast syrup.

INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.

This product will provide you no nutritional value at all, unlike its real food counterpart. Maple syrup is filled with antioxidant compounds, digests better than sugar and is an excellent source of manganese, along with zinc, iron, calcium and potassium.

This morning, I enjoyed a pancake breakfast, but instead of reaching into my usual stash of frozen organic blueberries, I pulled out a recent find at Costco – Townsend Farms Organic Dark Tart Cherries.  These cherries are so delicious and addictive – I have been putting them in everything! Morning oatmeal, cherry crumble, with yogurt and granola – the possibilities are endless!

I buy my maple syrup from Whole Foods – they always have a large variety and their 365 Organic brand is a reasonable price for an Organic Grade B syrup.  Did you know that maple syrup grading is ranked the opposite from what you would expect? Grade B will always be a darker syrup than Grade A and is best used as a table syrup. If you are using syrup in cooking or baking, Grade A would suffice.  If you’re used to buying imitation syrups, it may be a sticker shock initially, but really, how often do you eat pancakes or waffles? And once you’ve had real maple syrup, I don’t think you’ll ever want to go back to the other stuff.

The Food Snob Series – Taco Seasoning

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Taco seasoning used to be a staple in my spice cabinet – I used it when making burritos, tacos, veggie chili and sometimes even in pasta.  It was a quick way to add all of the flavouring I needed into any dish and you could pick up a large container of it from Costco, instead of the individual packs available at most grocery stores.

Here’s a list of the ingredients in the mix – really not so bad, except for the fact that you could benefit so much more from having the fresh version of all these spices without the added salt and sugar (for my vegan friends, this wouldn’t be an option anyways because of the whey solids).

SPICES (INCLUDING CHILI PEPPER, CUMIN, OREGANO, AND RED PEPPER), ONION, WHEY SOLIDS (MILK), SALT, SUGAR, PAPRIKA, GARLIC, POTATO STARCH, AND CITRIC ACID.

Nowadays, when I’m making a South-of-the-Border inspired dish, I look to my pantry for these great ingredients – I’ve included some health benefits of adding them to your meals instead of using something designed to have an obscene shelf life.

Cumin – known to aid in healing digestive disorders, the seeds are rich in iron and help in absorbing nutrients into the body
Onions – a great source of fiber and contain Vitamin C (and Vitamin A if you choose the green onion variety)
Garlic – a strong natural antibiotic, garlic has fantastic antioxidant properties and has proven results in healing many ailments
Oregano – high in Vitamin K, this herb is full of antioxidants and fiber when the fresh leaves are used
Chile Powder – high in Vitamin A and C, and helps your circulation (my favourite brand is Rancho Gordo)

These are ingredients I keep in my house all the time and I have fresh oregano available almost year round – it is a very easy herb to grow, so even if you live in an area with harsh winters, bring your plant inside for easy access to this great herb.

The Food Snob Series – Kraft Creamy Cucumber Dressing

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This dressing used to be a staple in our home.  As vegetarians, this served as a substitute for mayonnaise in so many ways – sandwich spread, salad dressing, potato salad, tofu salad, on a bagel instead of cream cheese…and the list could go on.  This dressing is only available in Canada, so I haven’t had it in a long time, but after looking at the ingredients, consider it a blessing in disguise.

Ingredients: WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGAR, CUCUMBER JUICE, SUGAR, SALT, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, DRIED SOUR CREAM (MILK SOLIDS, CITRIC ACID, BACTERIAL CULTURE, BHA, BHT), DRIED ONION, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVOUR, POLYSORBATE 60, SPICES, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA. (B091F)

How scary is it that when you do a search on polysorbates, it takes you to a cosmetics information site? The FDA allows polysorbate 60 in food products to be used as an emulsifier, but it is most likely more common as an ingredient in your favourite skin care product. Polysorbate 60 is generally used in imitation cream, baked goods and frozen desserts – and all because we’ve been programmed to think all food should be a certain consistency.  I’m actually ok with having to stir or shake a product before using. This link has a lot more detail on this ingredient.

The number of preservatives in the ingredient list seem quite high – and not necessary.  Nowadays, if I need a quick sandwich spread or salad dressing, I buy Organic Veganaise – yes it is soy based, but the ingredients are basically what I would use if I was to make my own creamy salad dressing at home.

However, if you’re looking for a soy free option, in my opinion, yogurt provides a great substitute.  It provides the same level of creaminess you would need (and you can always strain your yogurt in a cheese cloth if you need a thicker consistency).  My favourite yogurt brand these days is Nancy’s Organic – that is if I don’t take the initiative to make my own yogurt at home (wouldn’t my mom be proud).  I love mixing in some freshly chopped dill and garlic into my yogurt to serve with just about anything.  It is especially delicious when mixing with some potatoes to make a potato salad – minced celery, dill, garlic and some pepper always hit the spot.

The Food Snob Series – Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup used to be a staple in my pantry.  Not only did it make a quick meal for dinner with a grilled cheese sandwich, but I also used to use it quite regularly as an alfredo sauce over pasta.  We started keeping an eye on our sodium intake a while ago, and this was an easy adjustment to our diet, considering how high even the low sodium options are. An average person’s daily recommended intake of sodium is 2300mg and just half a cup of this soup will get you to 870mg (and let’s be real about who really only eats half a cup of soup as a meal).

Here are the ingredients in Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Water, Mushrooms, Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Contains Less Than 2% of: Salt, Cream, Dried Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Spice Extract, Dehydrated Garlic, Vegetable Oil: Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and, or Soybean

You start off OK with water and mushrooms (at least they are the first few ingredients!), but down the list, you will find MSG amongst the ingredients – I have found that when I eat products with MSG, I instantly get a headache.  I never get headaches, so I take that as a strong sign that my body is telling me something is wrong.  The one ingredient that you’ll find quite often in processed foods is Soy Protein Concentrate – this is generally used as an emulsifier and is the type of soy product that we should be avoiding.  Soy products are heavily criticized for their estrogenic properties, but it is consuming soy in these non-traditional manners that we should worry about (tofu, tempeh and miso are great ways to consume soy).

I’ve started making my own cream of mushroom soup at home – so simple and so much more satisfying than the canned version.  And if I have leftovers, I can still use it as a pasta sauce the next day.

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 leeks, trimmed and washed, chopped (I prefer the flavour of leeks, but white onions are a good substitute)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 chili pepper (if you like some heat in your soup)
  • 10 oz fresh mushrooms, a few sliced, the rest rough chopped
  • 250 ml container of cream (I’ve also used soft silken tofu with some success, but it will effect the consistency of your soup)
  • black pepper and white pepper to taste
  1. Melt some butter in a pan (you could use olive oil, but seriously, if you’re about to use cream in your soup, a little bit of butter won’t kill you).
  2. Cook the garlic, leeks and bay leaf in the butter until softened and add the rough chopped mushrooms.
  3. Cook until the water starts to release from the mushrooms.
  4. Add 2 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.
  5. Simmer on medium for about 10 minutes and then add in the cream (you can control how much you put in – I usually don’t use the full container – I have also had success with 2% milk, but the soup is not as thick and creamy).
  6. Use a stick blender to blend all the contents, add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes, keeping an eye on the pot to make sure the soup doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

I have also made this recipe by cooking carrots and celery along with the leeks – it adds a great dimension of flavour to the base. And if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, this recipe tastes great with broccoli or asparagus.

The Food Snob Series – Smiley Fries

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I wonder if I should start all of my food snob posts with a disclaimer to folks that they may be offended by what they read – just remember, everything I’m posting is all in the name of better health!

We used to always have McCain Smiles Fries in the freezer for a quick toaster oven snack.  The idea of these posts was actually triggered by the huz mentioning smiley fries the other night during dinner.  Looking at the ingredient list now, it seems so ridiculous that this even made it into our shopping cart.

Ingredients in this lovely product include: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn), Dehydrated Potato Flakes (Potatoes, Mono- & Diglycerides, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate & Citric Acid Added To Preserve Natural Color). Contains 2% or less of Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Potato Starch – Modified, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color.

Mmmm…gotta love me some Pyrophosphate…and the “Natural Flavors”.

The ingredients in most of McCain’s potato products are similar to the Smiley fries (although I’m sure they’ve come up with some line of “natural” products to make us feel good about ingesting these fake items). This could probably be said about most of the potato based items in the freezer.  One exception I have found that I actually enjoy is the Alexia line of products.  However, if you’re looking to save on your grocery bill, these won’t help you with that – I’d rather just buy my own potatoes and season them myself.

Although cooking with potatoes requires some advance planning, I choose to eat my own version of baked fries: peel or scrub your favourite potato, and cut into your desired shape.  Rinse the potatoes in water a few times and then soak them in water for about 10 minutes.  Dry the potatoes well and lightly coat with olive oil and salt – bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 400F.  You’ll be tempted to move around the fries, but leave them alone – they will stop sticking to the pan on their own.

Hash browns are a bit more tricky, but always much better made in a nonstick pan on the stove top.  If you’re in a rush, just cut your potatoes into smaller chunks.

Yes, I’ll Admit I’ve Become a Food Snob

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If you had met me 10 years ago, I did not have such strong opinions about the food I was consuming.  Food was still an important aspect of my life, and I enjoyed cooking, but the most analysis I did of an ingredient list was to confirm that the ingredients were all vegetarian (this was also an era when I was naive enough to think “natural flavours” were always vegetarian).

I thought it would be fun to blog about food products/restaurants that used to be staples in our diet (kudos to the huz for bringing up an old time favourite that triggered this idea).  I know I’ll probably end up offending a lot of people who still choose to use those products, but…OK, in return, I’ll talk about a homemade or better option of how I’ve replaced these not-so-good-for-you options.

So stay tuned…more to come soon!