I’m definitely allergic to the New York Times. Anytime I read it (and some magazines) I sneeze at least once per page. The ink? Dust from the paper? Is it some sort of over-saturation allergy from spending my early years at a couple daily newspapers? Like doctors and nurses getting allergic to latex gloves?
Apparently, according to this discussion between allergy sufferers, it could be both combined in one.
Maybe that is why print media is dying…
i believe it’s the ink – i react the same way w/the Times, ditto for the Globe. Not the local Derry News though, oddly. Safe to say that’s one experience Web publishers won’t be able to replicate …
I think the ink is soy-based yet I don’t have a negative reaction to tofu …. It is amazing the number of sneezes I can generate reading the Sunday Times — easily on the order of three dozen. I come away seeing stars.
Put more Soy in your life – now there is a good idea. I’ve been sneezing a lot lately and thought it was the dusty high and dry plains.
Before I married my daughter’s mother back in 1975, I was a member of a religious sect that among other things, required that members keep a vegetarian diet. My new wife’s family were meat and potato Irish stock and I soon slipped back into my old carnivore ways. I was about 150 lbs when I married and enjoyed running and bicycle riding. Now divorced, I waddle and enjoy imitating potatoes on the couch. I also do a pretty good lounging 215 lb bagel.
What follows is a typical vegetarian meal from those past glory days of being almost healthy.
(Vegetarian meals are a great help to the budget and can offer a low fat, high protein meal. Including them in your menu once in awhile can be a healthy and frugal move.)
The meal below only costs 64 cents per person (when the supplies are bought on sale). The main dish offers a sensible amount of protein by using an ingredient called TVP (texturized vegetable protein). This is a soy product that is high in protein, low in fat, has no cholesterol, and is inexpensive (costs around 40 cents per pound). It comes in various forms, such as granules like ground beef and small chunks like beef cubes. It is very versatile and can be used anywhere meat is used. It has no flavor of its own, yet it assumes the flavor of the seasonings you add. It is sold dried at most health food stores and is reconstituted with equal parts of hot water and TVP.
Meatless Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 6
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
1 cup TVP granules
1/4 cup salt-free broth powder
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
3 T. flour
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. salt-free Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups mashed potatoes
In a mixing bowl, combine the TVP, broth powder, 2 cups of the water, onion, carrot, and celery. Let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a large skillet and turn on low heat. In a small bowl combine the flour, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup of the water, and seasonings. Mix into a paste and add to the TVP mixture. Simmer until it thickens, stirring constantly.
Spread mixture evenly in a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the cheese with the mashed potatoes and mix well. Spread the mashed potatoes over the TVP mixture. Bake uncovered at 350º for 15-20 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden brown.
Cost per serving (1 cup): 37 cents
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving
Calories – 212
Fat – 5 grams
Cholesterol – 13 mg
Carbohydrates – 30 grams
Fiber – 4 grams
Protein – 14 grams
I am sure you can find many vegetarian meals on the Internet now. I may even push myself off the couch and try again. All this Claritan can’t be good for me.
Ouch – I forgot to leave a link for the recipe – mea culpa, and hate it when someone does it to me. Sorry Jonnie McCoy – here is your link:
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/03/03jun09h.cfm
I have to confess I can’t get worked up about a recipe that starts with a cup of “TVP Granules”
Better than “Soylent Green” methinks.
Leaving ones laptop open while you take a quick restroom break can have unattended consequences. Office clown George Chapman could not resist responding to your “TVP Granules” with “Soylent Green” which if memory serves me correctly, is people as protein in the SiFi novel. My fault for not attending to business. This has been one of those days. I will lock down in the future. T.