Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Wow! Now this is news.

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Wow! Now this is news.: Wow! Now this is news. Yesterday was our 33 rd Wedding Anniversary.   We went to see a movie and to get something to eat.   When we...

Wow! Now this is news.

Wow! Now this is news.

Yesterday was our 33^rd Wedding Anniversary.  We went to see a movie and to get something to eat.  When we started this new whole food diet we decided that we could have a treat on special occasions.  This being one we thought we could try some meat or fish.  After the movie we talked and settled on Sushi.  We started out with a soy roasted green beans… delicious.  Then it was Tempura Scallop Skewers no big deal… in fact the taste kind of put both of us off.  Next we had Roasted shrimp, again neither of us really liked the flavor, and last we had Caterpillar rolls which we both like.  I couldn’t eat them and Kathy ate the rice and avocado.   Hmmm!  What can this mean? 

Well, we both wanted to really enjoy this meal as it will be a long time until we have animal protein again.  On the way home we talked about how disappointed we both were with the meal.  Kathy suggested that I buy a really good steak and grill it myself, so I could enjoy that roasted meat flavor that we both were craving.

The news gets worse.

On the way home we stopped at our local Bashas’ and bought a beautiful, Black Angus, Ribeye, Beef Steak out of the case.  I took it home, let it come to room temperature and lit some pure Mesquite chunk charcoal.  When the coals were good and hot, I blistered two Poblano chiles and while they were finishing in a paper bag I grilled the steak to perfection!  After letting the steak rest for about 12 minutes I cut into the steak and it was just right.  I took a bite and thought, hmmm… no big deal.  After a few more bites I gave up and let my dogs have the rest of the steak.  This is quite a change for me as I have always loved a good grilled steak.  I have to admit my tastes are changing.  I enjoyed my oatmeal with a little honey and a few nuts this morning much more than anything I ate last night?

What it means… I’m not sure but it certainly is worth some extra thought. 

More to come, Mad Coyote Joe 

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: A Few Thoughts on Flavors, Tastes and Cravings and...

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog:Confessions of a One Time Meat Eater!  A Few Thoughts on Flavors, Tastes and Cravings and...: A Few Thoughts on Flavors, Tastes and Cravings and the use of Flavor Accelerators! I’m guessing that we have been eating a plant bas...

A Few Thoughts on Flavors, Tastes and Cravings and the use of Flavor Accelerators!

A Few Thoughts on Flavors, Tastes and Cravings and the use of Flavor Accelerators!

I’m guessing that we have been eating a plant based whole food diet for about a month now.  I’ve lost 15 pounds and Kathy is at about 12.   My energy is better than it’s been in a long time we are learning new tricks in the kitchen everyday. 

When this adventure started I was amazed at how delicious the different dishes we were coming up with tasted, but in the past several days I’ve been having a problem… if I eat the same thing for a few days I quickly tire of it’s taste, to the point of losing my appetite (now that’s a first.)

I’ve given this quite a bit of thought and I think I know what’s going on.  As a cook and food writer I’ve spent many years thinking about food, and how to make it taste great.  One of the first tricks I learned when I started cooking was the use of flavor accelerators.   What are flavor accelerators you might ask?  These are the ingredients and techniques that cause you to love certain dishes; they can cause you to overeat, even when it hurts.  Salt, sugar, fat, vinegar, alcohol, in combination and used in myriad ways; the crust on cobbler, the crunchy skin on fried chicken, the gooey, sticky BBQ sauce that has been caramelized onto hickory smoked pork ribs, are all extreme examples of flavor accelerators. 

In our new diet I find that flavor accelerators are what is missing.  It’s like listening to music very loud for years and then turning it all the way down, you need to retrain your ear.  

If you make a salad and put home made ranch dressing on it you can eat the same salad night after night.  We are making some very delicious dishes but without the flavor accelerators.  What this is causing seems to be that we need to keep creating new things and mixing it up at every meal. 

This is a real challenge but I think we’re up to it.  Another thing is happening, I’m no longer overeating.  When I’m full I just don’t want the extra food.  Now if the meal was dripping with a rich butter sauce or a cheese I would eat until I was very full and then some!  I think we’re on to something here we are eating more natural portions, which has to be a good thing!