Wednesday, November 13, 2013

THAI-STYLE BEEF AND PASTA

Just when there's so much important information about Trans Fat...Sat. Fat...and of course we have been involved with the Low-Fat...Low Carb food education; I think the best way is to be informed, involved, but don't let it make you crazy to follow and go overboard on either one. Be sensible and know your food products which are good, or bad for you.

 Linking to: Asian Food Fest @ frozen wings

Trans fat can impact your heart more than any type of fat
No matter how many calories you eat per day, the amount of trans fat you should eat remains constant: as little as possible. Since avoiding trans fats altogether is difficult, the American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your daily calories come from trans fats. On an 1,800-calorie diet, you should consume no more than 18 calories per day in the form of trans fats. Since fat contains 9 calories per gram, this equals 2 grams of trans fat per day.

THE BAD FATS
Trans fats can often be found in processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as vegetable shortenings, some margarines (especially margarines that are harder), crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, and baked goods.


Trans fats are invented as scientists began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids are formed.

Trans fatty acids are found in many commercially packaged foods, commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn as well as in vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine.

Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.
Avoid using cooking oils that are high in saturated fats and/or trans fats such as coconut oil, palm oil or vegetable shortening. Instead, use oils that are low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil, olive oil and flax seed oil.   
        
Minimize using commercially packaged foods which are high in trans fats. Always read labels to look for trans-fat free alternatives.         
As saturated fats are found in animals products, use lower-fat version dairy such as 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk. Trim visible fats and skins from meat products.
 
Source:
 (and various health related sources from the Internet)
 
THAI-STYLE BEEF AND PASTA
Low-Fat, Low-Carb...lightened up, Asian Stir-Fry
 
1/2 cup scallions; sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons Peanut butter
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger   
                          
( I omitted the carrots and scallions, used sliced onions, and sliced fresh chilli peppers)    
                   
 
 Preparation:
Cook pasta.
combine all ingredients for Satay sauce.
Toss beef with teriyaki sauce in medium bowl. heat oil in wok or large skillet over high heat until hot. Add beef and stir-fry until browned, about 5 minutes. Add scallions and carrots stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add beef and: sprinkle with cucumber.

 
 
 



 





  
                                   



 




                                                     
                                                                                      
                                                                                   
                        
                                                   
                                                                                      
               
                                                     
                        
                                                
                        
 
                                            
                                                     
                                                                        
                                                     
                                                                      
                                                    
                                                                 
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    
                                                                             



23 comments:

Chris Scheuer said...

Sounds like a delicious dinner! Yes, sometimes I could go crazy with all the conflicting information out there regarding what's healthy and what's not. I just try to keep things fairly balanced, though that's not always easy. I'm so glad that there's things that taste fabulous but are still quite healthy like your pasta to keep us from going in the wrong direction :)

Laurie said...

it can all be so confusing and sometimes the info is conflicting, but this recipe sounds delicious!!

Angie Schneider said...

A simple and very delicious meal, Elisabeth. I have been trying (dang hard) to avoid unnecessary carb, esp. the simple one...and you know what? I haven't had a pasta in such a long time, I guess I am going too extreme...gotta make some pasta for the lunch!!

Kati said...

Hát ez fincsi lehet:) És ha zsírszegény még egészséges is:) Puszi:)

Chaya said...

We have been trying to eat healthier and transfats is our latest target. Thanks for the information and the delicious recipe.

trollanyu said...

Nagyon jó kis összefoglalót írtál a zsírokról, tényleg fontos, hogy tudatosan vásároljunk és figyeljünk rá mit eszünk:) Bár az én diétámban most éppen a kókuszolaj a főszereplő, én úgy gondolom, ha keveset eszünk, akkor mindent lehet, lehetőleg házi készítésűt, ja és margarint nem veszek már jó ideje. Az étel csodásan néz ki, hasonlót szoktam készíteni gyakran, mert isteni finom, gyors és mindenki szereti:) Remélem jól vagy, puszi:)

lena said...

hi elisabeth, i use canola oil and sunflower oil for most of my chinese stir fry and strangely, only uses olive oil for pasta or some western food recipes..i also have a bottle of palm kernel oil at home..which i sometimes use for deep frying as well..i'm not too sure and sometimes confused about palm kernel oil but manufacturers know how health conscious people are nowadays and here, most of our locally produced oil are labelled as ' cholosterol free" ..:)

thx for linking your post to asian food fest! The peanut butter sure is a nice addition to give this dish a thai flair. for your information , asian food fest november is just for Thai food. Last month was Japanese and next month will be west asia..

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Lena, I was happy to link up with your re: the Asian Fest, and Thai for this month. I do love Thai food and have a few nice recipes which I often make. This is a new recipe for me, and I did spray my wok with Pam for the beef not to stick.

I also use canola, and olive oil, and now I'm back to using pure vegetable oil, since I heard some canola oils are not pure...even some well known extra virgin olive oil is mixed and not pure. (a person could go crazy trying to figure out what's pure, and what's good)

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Erzsike, MO-i sütemény receptekben sokszor margarint látok, vaj helyett. Én sem használok margarint már jó régóta. Abban igazad van hogy ha keveset eszünk akkor mindent lehet. Jól vagyok, köszönöm kedves kommentedet! Puszi

Böbe said...

Nagyon finom lehet amit készitettél! Próbálok én is tudatosan vásárolni,margarint lecserélni vajra, még ha drága is ((-: De úgy hallottam, hogy meg is szüntetik a margarin gyártását az egészségre káros hatása végett. Örülök, hogy jól vagy, vigyázz magadra. Puszillak:))

Phong Hong said...

Elisabeth, your Thai Style Beef and Pasta is making me hungry at 4:40pm! Very tasty and filling dish that is a wonderful addition to Lena's AFF event. I haven't gotten down to any Thai dishes as yet. Hope to whip up something this weekend :)

Liz Berg said...

You are so right with your eating philosophy...try to eat right, but no need to go crazy. Being informed is half the battle...and you've shared some excellent information. Your pasta looks wonderful...and nice to know it's lightened up. What kind of beef did you use?

Happy weekend!

Kathy said...

This looks like a wonderfully delicious meal! I have been trying to eliminate transfats from my diet. Very interesting post, Elizabeth…great information!

Emma said...

Ok you had me at teriyaki sauce, peanut butter and ginger! Asian cuisine is my favourite kind and this looks wonderful.

And yes, so much conflicting info re: dieting .. am really over it and just concentrating on a balanced diet.

Dawn Yucuis said...

Love this recipe, it sounds delicious. Eating healthy I think is a must and I agree with you the best way to do this is to be informed.

mia xara said...

Hi Elisabeth, very light and tasty Thai food!!! Hope you and your family enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! XOXO

Daiana Molineris said...

Ciao Bella!!!!:-))
Come stai??
Wonderful your pasta...i love it!!!;-)
Strong Hug Elisabeth

Katalin said...

Finomat készítettél, mint mindig :-)
Boldog névnapot kedves Elisabeth! Nem tudom, hogy felétek tarják-e, de Isten éltessen sokáig!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Köszönöm Katalin! nálunk itt nem tartsák a névnapot...talán európaiak maguk között tartsák. Nem ist tudtam...vagyis nem is gondoltam a névnapomra, mert a családban sem ünnepelünk névnapokat!

Juliana said...

Looks delicious this Thai pasta...love the peanut butter sauce. Very informative post Elisabeth...I think that by cutting processed food and "junk" food we can eliminate most of the trans fat. As for the other fat, moderation is the key.
Have a great week my dear :D

Zsuzsa said...

Olivia may like this dish, she is a real friend to peanut butter and to pasta. I should try it. Hope you are well my friend. <3

Sissi said...

Teriyaki is not very Thai, but who cares? It looks gorgeous! You are right. We shouldn't go crazy. While transfats are definitely bad, we need saturated fats (I don't have children but recently a cousin told me doctors forbid margarine etc. for children under a certain age and actually tell parents to give regular small amounts of butter! Margarine has never entered my house, while butter - though very slowly eaten - is always there and of the best quality I can find).

lena said...

oh dear, i am certainly not aware of those not so pure canola oil..i think i will have tough time figuring out what is pure and what's not :))