digdirt: "But the real issue is that there is no way to know for sure without measuring the pH and culturing the food and see what grows out. That is what was done in the testing article Carol linked. Note for example that it was 4 days before a notable drop in pH occurred in the testing and the amount of listeria steadily declined from that point on. That is why it is recommended that foods be left to ferment for a minimum of 7 days prior to consuming them. That insures the pH has sufficiently declined, the beneficial bacteria have sufficient time to develop and pathogenic bacteria that might have been there has declined." The listeria hysteria is becoming comical to me. My recommendation to those who want to enjoy 'half ferments' is simply don't follow the recipe that the researchers did. Omit the step where the filth is added. Kinda like home prepared cole slaw, don't spit a loogie in it before putting it in the fridge, It really is that simple. If you had even one documented case of food born illness from fermented vegetables, the conclusions of this 'research' might take on some meaning to me. This post was edited by sidhartha0209 on Sat, Sep 21, 13 at 11:39

I agree that I'd skip regular bread with an asian salad. You can buy the crispy wonton noodles at most grocery stores--saving the mess and time of frying them yourself, although, freshly fried is always nice. Besides making sure peanuts are okay with your guests, you may also want to warn them that the salad has fresh ginger in it--I'm fine with the grated spice, but the fresh? Can't eat even a little bit of it. I do love asian salads, but I get some funny looks from waiters when I order them with honey mustard instead of the usual ginger dressing. Maybe, to be on the safe side, you could serve the dressing 'on the side' and have another option for anyone who prefers to skip the fresh ginger?

aok27502- There are any number of vegetarian recipes that work well as substitutes for ground beef in recipes. These are three recipes I have in my file. #1 Ground Beef Substitute 1 c. lentils 1 c. rice 4 c. water Cook like rice and use as a substitute for ground beef. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #2 Ground Beef Substitute 1/2 c. quinoa* 1 vegetable bouillon cube (or beef flavored) 1 c. water 2 T. olive oil 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 2 t. minced garlic 1 (15.5) can black beans (UNdrained) In a saucepan, bring 1 c. water and bouillon cube to a b oil. Add quinoa, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed (approx. 20-minutes). Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over med. heat. Add onion, stirring to coat, then garlic. Saute until translucent. Add beans and bring to a simmer, until heated thoroughly. At this point mash some of the beans with a potato masher. Once quinoa is cooked, mix it into the beans. Flavor to taste or to the purpose you will be using the substitute. Makes six 1/2-cup servings. *If you happen to have red quinoa, it has better color than white quinoa for this recipe, but either will work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #3 Ground Beef Substitute http://veggieconverter.com/whole-food-vegetarian-ground-beef-substitute-recipe/

I always cook my rice first, because my very lean homegrown ground beef just doesn't have enough fat/moisture to property cook the rice, and I don't want it hard and crunchy in there. Here's my favorite recipe: Stuffed cabbage rolls Filling 1 pound lean ground beef 3/4 cup cooked rice 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup milk Sauce 1 cans (8 ounces ) tomato sauce 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 tbls Worchestershire sauce Mix all the filling ingredients, stuff the cabbage rolls, mix all the sauce ingredients and pour over top. Bake at 350F for about an hour, or put them in the crockpot all day on low. I usually put a bed of sauerkraut under them. Elery just made a batch with burrito filling (no beans), and used enchilada sauce for baking and salsa and sour cream when serving. And there's this, which I haven't tried yet: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Bacon and Cheese 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1/4 cup minced onion 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup beef broth 6 strips bacon Mix beef, onion, sage, cheese, bread crumbs, milk and salt. Roll up into cabbage leaves, pour beef broth over rolls and top with bacon strips. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Sweet and sour? Yup, got that too, from America's Test Kitchen! Sweet and Sour cabbage Rolls 1 head green cabbage, cored 1/4 cup long-grain white rice 2 onions, grated on the large holes of a box grater 1 1/2 lbs ground beef pepper 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 1 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree 2 cups water 6 tablespoons light brown sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 onion, peeled 8 whole cloves 12 small gingersnaps, pounded into course crumbs 1/2 cup raisins (optional) DIRECTIONS Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to boil in large dutch oven over high heat. Add cored cabbage and cook until outer leaves just begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to gently remove leaves (outer 20) one by one and transfer to a colander to cool. Remove any remaining head of cabbage and let cool. Do not discard water. Return water to boil over high heat. Add rice and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain the rice through a strainer, rinse it to cool, and let drain thoroughly. In a medium bowl, combine cooked rice, onion, beef, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Trim tough ribs from cabbage leaves and tightly roll 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture into each leaf. Shred the remaining blanched cabbage both the head and any remaining leaves. DIRECTIONS: Scatter half the shredded cabbage leaves in a large dutch oven. Arrange rolls seam side down snugly on top of the shredded cabbage. Sprinkle any remaining shredded cabbage on top of rolls. Combine diced tomatoes w/ juice, tomato puree, water (I use water left over from rice) 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pour liquid over cabbage. Stud peeled onion with cloves and submerge in liquid. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Discard clove studded onion. Sprinkle crushed cookies and raisins (if using) into the pot and shake to incorporate them without disturbing rolls. Simmer uncovered until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 hour. If you desire more liquid, add 1 cup of beef broth. Transfer rolls to serving dish and add remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to sauce and season with salt pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over rolls and top with sour cream and chopped parsley if desired. I like them all! Annie