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    Vegging Out

    Ridiculous fad diets begone: Vegan protein is here to save the day

    Joel Luks
    Jul 13, 2010 | 11:36 am
    • Considering all the things that have been touted as a diet aid (remember thatslimming smoking?) do you really want to go with the latest fad?
    • A spinach vegan omelet can keep you motoring through the day.
      Photo by Joel Luks
    • So many kinds of soy ...
      Photo by Joel Luks
    • Quinoa wild mushroom rissoto is another great source of vegan protein.
      Photo by Joel Luks

    Why are we obsessed with protein? Is it a function of fad diets?

    Our misguided compulsion with labeled diet foods is just a snapshot of our long history of conflicting information and ridiculous nutrition regimes. Low-fat or fat-free really means added sugar, flour or other high-calorie ingredients. Sugar substitutes are often harmful chemicals that screw with your metabolism.

    Although the $5.7 billion diet industry's growth has slowed, our obsession with getting smaller has always been cause for senseless claims and quick fixes.

     Diets are hilarious

    Around 1829, Sylvester Graham, the father of the beloved graham cracker, coined the "Graham diet," which consisted mainly of fruits, whole wheat and high fiber foods while excluding meat and spices. Not bad for a crack at a diet, except he believed it would also cure perversion and obsessive masturbation.

    In 1864, the first diet book was written by William Banting, an obese undertaker who slimmed down by avoiding sugar, starch, beer, milk and butter. The 1900s brought Horace Fletcher. Nicknamed "The Great Masticator," Fletcher advocated chewing thoroughly, including liquids, as a way to gain strength and lose weight. He enjoyed analyzing poop and warned against eating while sad or angry, a practice I have yet to master.

    I still cry over a bowl of Purely Decadent Turtle Trails ice cream and torture my jar of cashew butter when tempers flair.

    In an effort to tap the female market, "Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet" campaigned to suggest smoking to taper hunger in 1925. Maria Callas was rumored to have lost weight thanks to the beef tapeworm diet, although her love of raw steak and liver was probably the culprit behind the unwelcome critter.

    In our lifetime, we have been exposed to the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, Master Cleanse, Atkins diet, South Beach diet, the Zone diet, among a myriad of other lesser-known eating regimens. Some emphasize high-protein and low-carb foods, which is great considering that for most, carbs are generally grossly refined, particularly sugar and flour.

     Where's the protein?

    So today, we worry about protein intake more than fiber and general nutrients. Although I feel like the days of choosing a steak loaded with cheese and cream sauce over an apple or banana are over, aftershocks of the protein-centric diet remains.

    Yes, protein is important. It helps build and repair body tissue among other functions. But according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, through "the traditional Western diet, the average American consumes about double the protein her or his body needs. Most individuals are surprised to learn that protein needs are actually much less than what they have been consuming. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein for the average, sedentary adult is only 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight."

    To find out what your body needs, break out your calculator and input, while no one is watching:

     Body weight (in pounds) X 0.36 = recommended protein intake (in grams)

    According to the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the average person ages 20 to 74 in the U.S. weighs 177 pounds and would need 64 grams of protein. One boneless chicken breast contains 44 grams of protein, almost 70 percent of the daily requirement. For those who think animal flesh is essential in meeting protein requirements, it is wise to remember that there is protein in many plant-based foods.

    Benefit? Avoiding cholesterol, saturated fat and, of course, allowing the chicken to live.

    Vegan protein is not an oxymoron.

    Yes, we all know that soy is a protein power source and can be found in many forms: Tofu, tempeh, milk, edamame, burgers, cheese, yogurt, butter, nuts and more. But there is more to life than soy. If you are overdue for a protein overhaul, dump your regulars in favor of these robust sources and get a foodie makeover.

     Quinoa

    Although most think and cook quinoa like a grain, it is actually a seed. Quinoa is related to spinach and beets and comes from the highlands of Peru. Known to the Incas as the "mother grain," quinoa is a superfood: A complete protein containing all essential amino acids while having the benefit of being gluten-free.

     Cook quinoa like rice, but be sure to rinse it well to remove any bitter tasting sasponins, a protective coating that naturally appears to protect the seed. A cup of cooked quinoa has eight grams of protein.

     Lentils

    At 18 grams of protein per cup, this nutritional mighty mouse puts out with hordes of fiber and iron while being quite cheap. Lentils are essential in many international cuisines including Mediterranean, Indo-Pakistani, North African, Latin American, French and Spanish cuisine while the United States is the the seventh top producer of the legume.

    Serve them in salads, soups, side dishes and main entrees. Combine them with other ingredients to make delicious burgers, or enjoy them with brown rice, onions, and a little vinegar.

     Almonds

    I like these raw, naked and unadorned. Almonds are not only aphrodisiacs but they also seed you with vitamin E to improve your complexion as well as omega-3 fatty acids.

    Half a cup of almonds yields 10 grams of protein. Snack on them mixed with dried fruit, sliver them into stir-fries, or grind them to use in butter and sauces.

     Broccoli

    Broccoli is about 2,000 years old and has been popular since ancient Roman times. A great source of fiber, iron and calcium, broccoli is related to the mustard and cabbage family.

    Yes, vegetables have protein and broccoli boasts 17 grams of protein per stalk. With a powerful blender, you can go to town and add them to your morning smoothie. Other than the color, you won't know it's really there.

     Spinach

    A personal favorite, spinach is fabulous cooked, raw in salads and inconspicuously blended into your green morning smoothies.

    High in vitamins A, C and K, one cup of our green friend provides five grams of protein. Spinach's iron content surpasses what is found in a hamburger patty.

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    HRW Menu Day 2025

    10 eateries participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks for the first time

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 15, 2025 | 12:22 pm
    Kitchen Rumors restaurant lobster dumplings
    Photo by Chris Furia
    These lobster dumplings are available as a supplement at Kitchen Rumors.

    One of the most eagerly anticipated days of the year for people who love Houston restaurants has arrived. Houston Restaurant Weeks has released the first wave of menus for its 2025 event.

    Held from August 1 until Labor Day (Monday, September 1), the charity dining event recruits as many as 400 Houston restaurants to serve two, three, or four-course, prix-fixe menus at set prices — $25 for lunch and brunch and $39 or $55 for dinner. HRW organizer The Cleverley Stone Foundation collects a $1 donation for every $25 menu sold, $3 for every $39 menu sold, and $5 for every $55 menu sold. It uses that money to make a substantial donation to the Houston Food Bank — just over $2 million from the 2024 event alone and over $22 million in the event’s 22-year history.

    Prior to her death in 2020, HRW founder Cleverley Stone described the event as a “win-win-win.” That is, a win for the restaurants who turned the traditionally slow month of August into a busy time. A win for diners who got good deals on meals at some of the city’s top restaurants. And a win for the Houston Food Bank, which turns every dollar raised into three meals for Houstonians in need.

    Now under the direction of her daughter, Katie Stone Cappuccio, Houston Restaurant Weeks maintains its status as the city’s premier charity dining event. Participating restaurants include all four restaurants in Bludorn Hospitality — Bludorn, Navy Blue, Bar Bludorn, and Perseid — all four of James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega’s restaurants — Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi, and Urbe — and two of the five Houston restaurants that hold one Michelin star — BCN and Le Jardinier.

    For diners, one of the most exciting aspects of the event is the opportunity to try a new restaurant with the certainty of a fixed price (plus beverages, tax, and tip). Towards that end, CultureMap has compiled a list of many of the first-time participants to help guide people’s selections. Diners are encouraged to keep checking the HRW website, because more establishments will be added between now and August 1.

    Bar Bludorn
    Aaron Bludorn’s Memorial-area tavern is serving a three-course, $55 dinner menu. Starter choices consist of shrimp tartine, chilled corn soup, or arugula salad with watermelon. For an entree, select ricotta gnocchi, branzino, or pork loin. Finish with blueberry cake, chocolate mousse, or ice cream.

    Barbacana
    Chef Christian Hernandez’s downtown restaurant that celebrates Houston’s diversity will serve both a two-course lunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. Choices include jicama salad, wagyu carpaccio, mushroom donburi, and grilled vermillion snapper. Supplements include octopus with mole poblano and a Texas wagyu Denver cut steak.

    Derby
    Located at a storage facility for collector cars, this restaurant is serving a three-course, $39 dinner menu. Choices include bacon with maple glaze and cayenne, apple walnut salad, fried green tomatoes, blackened chicken pasta, and a wagyu burger.

    Doko
    Part of Duckstache Hospitality (Handies Douzo, Aiko, etc.), this sushi restaurant in Autry Park is serving a four-course, $55 menu. Start with scallop aquachile, scallop ceviche, or a tomato salad. Choices for the second and third course include yakitori-style skewers with proteins such as short rib, chicken meatball, and wagyu ribeye as well as one of three sushi rolls — wagyu beef, avocado, or fried shrimp. Finish with one of three desserts.

    Kitchen Rumors
    This inventive, Indian-inspired restaurant from the team behind acclaimed Woodlands restaurants Amrina is serving a three-course, $55 menu. The first course offers five regular choices and two supplements, including lamb keema infladita, blue cheese chicken kebabs, scallop ceviche, and lobster dumplings. Choose from seven different entrees such as pan fried paneer, goat biryani, prawn curry, and bison short rib nihari.

    Maven Coffee & Cocktails
    This neighborhood restaurant that touts Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr as one of its owners will serve a four-course, $55 menu. Choices include a gazpacho shooter, bread and butter, “Caesar cups,” deviled eggs, steak au poivre, spicy rigatoni pasta, and a cheeseburger.

    Okto
    Part of Sof Hospitality (Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa), this Mediterranean restaurant in the Montrose Collective mixed-use development is serving a two-course brunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. At brunch, look for dishes such as ricotta toast, frena bread with pistacchio butter, beet-cured lox, and shakshuka. At dinner, the choices include hamachi tartare, octopus carpaccio, squid ink linguini with crab, and steak frites.

    Perseid
    Bludorn Hospitality’s French restaurant at the Hotel Saint Augustine is serving both a two-course lunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. Both menus include options such as white gazpacho, smoked salmon dip, tomato risotto, and the signature chicken paillard with fingerling potatoes and arugula salad. Dinner adds three desserts, including a chocolate entremet with salted caramel and coffee ice cream.

    Pizzana
    The Los Angeles-based, neo-Neopolitan pizzeria is serving a three-course, $39 menu that includes one of three pizzas — margherita, pepperoni, or the signature cacio e pepe — paired with a choice of three salads and three desserts. We recommend the little gem Caesar and the tiramisu, but that’s entirely up to you.

    Solarium
    Lance McCullers’ pickle ball bar in Midtown is also participating in HRW with a two-course brunch and a three-course, $39 dinner. Both meals include choices such as a chicken skewer with jalapeno-dill yogurt, Caesar salad, and cheeseburger. Brunch adds breakfast options such as pancakes or an egg sandwich, while dinner adds chicken tenders, a pulled pork sandwich, and choice of dessert.

    Kitchen Rumors restaurant lobster dumplings
      

    Photo by Chris Furia

    These lobster dumplings are available as a supplement at Kitchen Rumors.

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