WHAT?!?!?!?!? To me, that's a crime! I'm a chocolate-milk-a-holic! It's by far the single greatest drink in all mankind, as far as I'm concerned.

But 4 glasses of milk would drive the combined cost of the meal well over $10. Plus, while the protein in such a combined dish would supply half of a 50 lb child's daily requirement, it would only supply less than a fifth of an adult's. That's assuming of course that each serving had a half a cup of sweet potato. In looking at the dish, that appears to be the case, as there were some nice big chunks of it.

No one says that sweet potatoes aren't healthy. And I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that rice has some protein as well, although the percentage of protein vs caloric content is far smaller than the legume types of protein.

But there's no way that anyone could consider Mark's dish balanced, either from a nutritional stadpoint or, perhaps more importantly, from a flavor standpoint. And that's pretty much why he lost, because that was on top of a poor choice of dishes in the first place.

You need to bear in mind, that is an incomplete protein. That's not a small issue. That is THE issue in vegetarian and vegan cooking. To be useful and to be nutritious, a meal must put all the essential amino acids into the diner. Not some. All. And not over the course of the day or the course of the week. There, in that one meal. Hence the combo of high protein grains with legumes. Both have proteins in them, neither is complete. The combination... that is complete.

This was one meal. Where in the challenge did they say that this meal was supposed to be a self sustainable diet? If a family of four in today's society eats this one night during a week I bet most dietitians would be pretty happy.

I've met many fine chefs, and their work stations have always been impeccable. You need that to work in a restaurant. Now, as a home cook, it may not be a deal breaker, but, if I see someone with their coat a mess, besides the sleaves, then I'm already wondering. It's just something that is taught to aspiring chefs. That's just my opinion, but it's one I've gotten from many fine chefs, as well as the simplest line cooks. In fact, a great line cook is worth his, or her, weight in gold.

I agree. How many households eat a "fully balanced and nutricious meal" anyway?! Most families today don't even HAVE dinner time anymore with more than 60% of the american families having more than 2 jobs! It's pretty much "fend for yourself". And most kids aren't going to put chicken and vegies in a pot together... they're going for Mac&Cheese or Chef Boy-R-Dee (sP?)

Well, that was the challenge. No matter what others may do, THAT was the challenge.

As for how most Americans do eat, they never replicate the Lack of Protein issue. Plenty of protein in American diets and meals. But far too many simple carbs and simple starches, too much high fructose corn syrup, too many saturated and trans fats, too much fat and calories over all.

That's why Antonia's plate is so deserving. And Nikki's One Pot Wonder, entree and side salad. Andrew's dish may have tasted fine, but as plated it looks more like a course than a meal. Props for getting kids to eat fennel bulb, I can't abide it.

I can't stand the stuff either, but my entire extended family lives for it--they generally serve it with the fruit course.

Dr. Bronner's used to have a food additive similar to a soy sauce that, when combined with avocado, was alleged to supply all 14 of the important amino acids in the proper proportions. It was actually quite tasty if you put it on a cut avocado, and it was claimed that you could actually live on only the two together (which I always doubted). Sadly, they don't seem to still be making it, at least if the website is to be trusted. It was a tasty condiment that I used to use in a veggie mix that I used to make for a veggie omelet. Obviously I haven't used it in years though, because I didn't know that they weren't making it.

Well, I was a line cook in a restraunt for about 8 months. I was the same way there. The head chef got annoyed at my work station and made me clean it before making any other dishes at times... but he generally let it slide because I move around the kitchen extremely fast (I can do a table of 8 entrees in under 20 mintues), and all my stuff tastes great.

I consider myself to be a "soul chef". I don't bother with measuring stuff out unless it's the very first time I've made a certain dish, or I need to make a certain large amount (catering). I do everything by look, taste, and gut feelings. I trust my tastebuds. They've only done me wrong once (I thought one time I might try pasta with meatballs and bernaise... well, now I know what NOT to cook! )

Tele, peanuts and tomatoes isn't quite a Combo from Another Planet. I've eaten stews and soups in West Africa that use unsweetened peanut butter and tomatoes. Some have also had rice in them, or green leaves of some kind, or some animal flesh. Goat or guinea fowl, I think. Actually, they taste fine. But the stews and soups have additional seasonings that give them complexity. We had a huge day-long party for the Live 8 concerts, all cooks asked to prepare all African foods, and one of them was Mafe, a peanut butter and tomatoes stew made with chicken. (I can send the list of dishes and their recipes.)

But Mafe is really a long long boat ride away from what Stephie did.

Which is why most dietitians would welcome a meal like Marks in any family's weekly meal.

Oh and here is the recipie on Bravo's site.

Coconut milk FTW!!!!!! LMAO!

3 cans of Coconut Milk

Edit: and they don't even list the Sweet potatos. LOL anything to support the fraud perpetrated on the show I guess.

Well, they are knife packed spice hounds. I credit all that to the hub, not me.

That recipe is for the curry (without the sweet potatos listed)... but the picture is of nikki's dish!

Or the bean sprouts which are good for you. Or the Cabbage that seems to be ontop of it. Yeah they leave out a ton of stuff. But they made sure they added polish sausage into Antonia and Lisa's repcipe when there was none! LOL

As a dish, perhaps. Not as a "meal".

For many households, a "meal" is basically a dish with some sort of side (often times a bread of some kind).

Speaking of which... didn't Mark go looking for either flatbread or pita bread? He could have done something with that as a side... maybe make some kind of patte or hummus?

Well, I'll tell ya what, find me a certified dietician who think that is a healthy and nutritious meal and I'll begin to pay attention.

Had I been tempted to introduce an American family of four (with children) to a curry dish, I would have gone with a Ca Ri Ga, served with the usual baguette. Requires no mastery of chopsticks that way. There's a reasonable recipe for it here, lots of variations to that dish, and one can make it as mild or as blistering as one wants. It requires some sweetening but there's nothing sweet about the final dish, which does constitute a meal. The recipe should call for both carrots and sweet potatoes, or optional white potatoes too. Or totally go off the res and also put in some parsnip. But I'd first want to know what's in the pantry before trying to do the dish for $10.

He did indeed, which made me think at first he was looking for some whole grain protein. But then we never saw him purchase any or include any. Whole wheat flatbread with hummus is exactly what vegetarians and vegans look for, that grain/legume combo of complete protein. But I suspect he may have hit his $10 ceiling faster than he expected.

Simon, I don't mind you disagreeing. I see your point and it is very valid. I was just thinking of vegetarian in terms of my family, and perhaps i should have mentioned that. We're not vegans by any stretch of the imagination... Long live Beef! What I was thinking about are the veggie dinners my daughter and I enjoy on occasion. We'll hit the farmer's market or grocery store and just buy a bunch of different vegetables. We grill them, bake them, steam them, etc. We just simply call it our veggie dinner. No protein at all. In my opinion, there isn't anything wrong with an occasional meal that is missing some kind of protein. So, yes, I understand where you're coming from. Yes, if Mark was attempting to add some kind of protein then he probably should have been complete in that. I was just looking at it from a different point of view.

He made a cucumber salad with Garilic Nan bread according to the website.

MEAL!!! LOL

What PG wrote:



What WAJ Wrote:


Dang, WAJ. You're so much more eloquent than I.

Hey, lady! Glad to see ya!

Hold up! I'm buying my airline ticket, now. Be right beside you.

What is racist about condemning Rev Wright for claiming that the Govt introduced the AIDS virus to kill Blacks, or the American people brought 9/11 on themselves? It isn't so much about race but the fact that Rev Wright is spewing anti-American garbage. The Rev Wright may be the albatross that sinks Obama in November should he get the Democratic nomination which seems likely.

Pack plenty of beans and rice!! It's deserted, but we can still eat good!

Not unless it was whole wheat naan bread paired with a legume. Nutrition hasn't changed in the last hour.

Parts, at *most* conferences I attend, the hotel banquet staff are told to expect X number of requests for vegetarian lunches and dinners. And that staff always promise that's no problem, they have a vast repertoire of meatless entrees to suit all palates.

Know what ends up coming out of the kitchen and placed in front of those who requested vegetarian meals? Plates of grilled veggies. Not just that, it's the same plate of grilled veggies at both lunch and dinner. For up to 3 days. Drives the Veggie People crazy.

None of them are found dead mid-way through the conference, unless they were also a really boring speaker, but not one of them holds up their grilled veggies as an example of healthy, nutritious dining. LOL

I'm with you on this one.

And to answer "What would you have cooked?"

Quickfire: Honestly have no idea. I did a random check through all my chicken recipes and all of them take at least 20 minutes. Maybe a rice and beans mix or something.

Elimination: Since everyone went either poultry or meatless, I might have risked doing a chili. It would depend on how much access I had to the TC pantry and what was there, but I can't imagine that I'd have to buy more than the meat, the kidney beans, tomatoes for a base for the sauce, and some kind of green vegetable.

Sounds alright by me!

LOL we are never going to agree. But the facts remain:

The Judges this week used a rule from the challange as a basis for elimination where there was a clearly inferior tasting dish ("offputting" in Tom's own words), as opposed to last week the rules were ignored and a team that followed them was eliminated.

And it's not a coincidence that what I have been saying all along is comming true. They are offing chefs based on the drama factor. This is done obviously to ratchet the conflict and pressure for Wedding Wars. You'll see the payoff next week.

After that I'm sure they will dump the headcases and try to get the few legitimately talented peeps into the finale to salvage some of the show's legitimacy.

I don't know why you would call Chef Smith's Blog "damage control". As a guest judge with no connection to Bravo or the Magical Elves, he is unique in that he can give an honest opinion of what the food tastes like.

Second, I wasn't even aware there is such a product as Microwave Rice. Afraid I would have wasted time just reading the product labels to understand what they were.

Elimination round, if you'd like chili, if you like spicy chili, can save money/make it healthy with ground turkey. It's not the same, but it's also fine. Cornbread with that, if you know a recipe, and you're going very high protein then. I certainly do not know a recipe though.

Brazilian Fejuada with some white rice on the side. Yummy!

Funny, I don't remember wall-to-wall coverage of the Right Reverend Pat Robertson when he said virtually the same thing (it wasn't ignored but there was nothing like the firestorm that has erupted over Rev. Wright). I don't remember the right wing component of the media going through the countless hours of outrageous claims that Roberton has made over the years on his TV shows. I don't think I've seen more than a single clip of John Hagee making a single controversial statement that I'm sure could be backed up with plenty of whacko stuff.

I think there's an undercurrent of "look at the crazy black man, honey" that's running through not only right wing outlets like Fox but also more left-leaning organizations like CNN. Of course, it probably helps that I watch Jon Stewart daily since they distill it in a focused and humorous manner. They had a great clip last night about Billy Graham, pulled from the Nixon tapes where he smacks down the Jews in a pretty bad way, and this is the first I've heard of it. And here's a guy who's been the spiritual advisor for virtually every president since then.

It's okay, Simon--you can call me Jim.

I do, but not well enough to do it from memory.

I dunno, I kinda liked the "cat gakked" quote myself!
Very Visual!

Here is what he said about Mark:
"Mark: I love curry and the dish had nice flavor but his attitude sucked!!!"

And Lisa:
"Lisa, well, simply just had no flavor, plus I had issues with the chicken bones. I think we must be careful about sharp bones. My puppies don't get them and surely don't serve them to my kids."

Are you kidding me?!? So everyone's food was great but Lisa's was bland and boney and they sent Mark home?

How does this guy thinking Stephanie's food was great mesh with his comments about her dish on the show?

Simon, in my opinion, microwave rice is foul stuff. It is packed with enough sodium to cause sane dieticians to scream travesty. Some companies, like Uncle Bens, have a plain rice with out all that sodium, but honestly, it's not that hard to make real rice! I try very, very hard to stay away from the micro stuff. Now I have question for you. What makes corn bread packed with protein besides the single egg used to bind it together? Most recipes use about 1/3 cup corn meal, 1-2 cups white flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, a splash of milk (maybe a bit more) and one egg. Corn isn't a very healthy anything. It is simply sugar. So, am I missing something, here? Or were you implying the egg and milk?

LOL! I'm all about the visual! Just sometimes wish I had the eloquence!

1) Yay! Someone's playing my game!
2) Your statement "all my chicken recipes...take at least 20 minutes" is part of why I think I'd be GREAT on Top Chef. I think that a LOT of cooks would have a similar train of thought of "what do I know how to make that blahblahblah...". ME? My train of thought goes "What would taste good?" I don't go through recipes in my head, I go through flavors and what compliments one another.
3) The chili idea is brilliant! I'd say do chili and grilled cheese! It's something everyone loves! If the kids don't like chili (I for one STILL don't like chili... I'm not a fan of kidney beans) there's still the sandwich for them! That's what my mom made in my house... if she ever made chili, there'd be grilled cheese too to appease my sister and I.

I'd have no problem with the cheese, but the miniscule budget would likely have precluded it. If I had to choose between leaner meat or meat-and-cheese, I'd go as lean as I could on the meat and still be under budget.

for which? Chili or cornbread?

I'd still say a grilled cheese for the kids who might not like chili... but cornbread is a good idea. I'm thinking now chili with fried cornbread would be cool.

I missed this post. I think the new incarnations are fine. As a kid, the only time I thought about it, I found that having an old fashioned pretend Aunt and Uncle on food boxes was cool. The Quaker Oats guy was like Benjamin Franklin, familiar, and good PR for Quakers.

Sports is a different story. Fighting Quakers sounds as provocative as the organization called "Jews for Jesus". Also, if it is wrong to call a team, the "Brownskins", it is wrong to call a team "The Washington Redskins".

I copied this from wikipedia..

In April 2001 the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights called for an end to the use of Native American images and team names by non-Native schools, stating, "These references, whether mascots and their performances, logos, or names, are disrespectful and offensive to American Indians and others and are particularly inappropriate and insensitive in light of the long history of forced assimilation that American Indian people have endured in this country." The commission declared that "the stereotyping of any racial, ethnic, religious or other group, when promoted by our public educational institutions, teaches all students that stereotyping of minority groups is acceptable, which is a dangerous lesson in a diverse society," and noted that "false portrayals encourage biases and prejudices that have a negative effect on contemporary Indian people."


The American Psychological Association adopted a Resolution August 21, 2005, recommending the immediate retirement of American Indian mascots, symbols, images, and personalities by schools, colleges, universities, athletic teams, and organizations. The APA stated that "racism and racial discrimination are attitudes and behavior that are learned and that threaten human development" and resolved to "denounce racism in all its forms, and take proactive steps to prevent the occurrence of intolerant or racist acts."

I'm not a huge fan of kidney beans, either. I know Radyms & River... it's sacrilege. I sometimes substitute navys or black beans. They make me happy.

BACK AT YA

TAKE CARE OVER THERE

ALOHA

HAVE FUN

It's a pandering to fear. Everyone says they want change, but faced with the possibility, run scared to the devil they think they know.

I'm voting for Obama to end the war/occupation.

QUIRKEY

SHRUG KNEW SOMETHING WAS GONNA HAPPEN LAST NIGHT

DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THE BBB HAVING A BREAKDOWN

TAKE CARE OVER THERE

ALOHA

HAVE FUN