Cool new eating ideas we've picked up here

Several things we eat now that we probably never would have tried back home:

Edamame' (ed-uh-'mah-may) Usually find them as appetizers at Oriental Restaurants. (Btw, no one says "oriental" here--the term is "asian".)
Anyway, edamame is just steamed soybeans in the pod--usually lightly salted. They are so good! I found them at the Trader Joe's and felt as though I'd found a treasure! Also, the good thing about soy, as most vegans know, is that it's a complete protein, like eating meat. It tastes kind of like peanuts and looks like peas in a pod. And, it's kinda fun to eat.

Soy milk Ok, I know you are all going, like, ewww!! haha. Well, the older I get, the more sensitive I've become to milk and milk products. I also believe that it's not the lactose in the milk, but the protein itself; as the lactose pills don't seem to help. But I am a big cereal fan, and wanted to find an alternative. I tried rice milk, but it just didn't do it for me...so... soy milk was the next alternative. The taste is definitely acquired, but doable. The only thing I can't do is brownies and soy milk, but I just stick with water when eating a brownie, as, 1. don't need the extra calories from milk, and 2. I know the pain that cow's milk causes is NOT worth the taste of the milk with the brownie.

Ground turkey There was a sale at the grocery store not long ago, so I thought I'd try it, as poultry is better for you than red meat. I have to admit, I wasn't impressed at first. I tried making hamburgers out of it, and it has kind of a gamey taste as compared to regular hamburger meat. I didn't want to throw out the remainder, so I ground it up and put it in spaghetti. It was a little better, but still didn't do it for me. Then I decided to add a little beef bouillon to the meat to help along the flavor. Aha! that was it! Now it tastes like a very mild beef. We've pretty much completely switched, except for hamburger steak. So tacos, spaghetti, and beef skillet fiesta are now all turkey based. Not sure how prices are back home, but here ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef.

Enchiladas Never knew how to make them back home, and never used soft corn tortillas. But, everyone here has some variation of enchiladas, and I've come up with my own version as "enchilada casserole". mmm-hmmmm. It is good. Maybe I will make them for the next get-together when we get back home and you can let me know what you think.

In 'N Out Burger Only THE best burger joint ever invented. Everything is fresh and homeade, like a mom'n pops, but it's a chain out here. Kind of like Chick fil A for burgers. The fries are also homeade and they have a window next to the drive-thru where you can watch them putting the peeled potatoes through a potato-dicer 'thing'. So much fun! In N Out also has great benefits for their employees and pay higher wage than minimum wage. So their employees tend to stick around and are very friendly. I've seen the same people working there as long as I've been here.

Indian Cuisine Most of you know that we have 2 house mates: Brian and Abraham. Brian is from MI, but Abraham is from India! yup, you guessed it--we have been treated to Indian food a few times and LOVE it! Their spices are good--a lot of hot, sweet spices, like curry and ginger. They have a great bread, called 'paratha', made with some kind of oil and grilled in a skillet. Looks like a pita or tortilla, but has a richer flavor (as it has more fat). My favorite Indian dish is "chicken tica masala"--a chicken dish made with yogurt and spices, served over rice. I know it sounds weird, but it's real good.

So, we have definitely had our culinary horizons broadened. Just gives me more meal ideas for when I get home. Now I just need to get a Trader Joe's in B'ham...