The Food, The Weather, The Scenery, The Bliss!I Must Be Dreaming (or in California!)

This past week I took a long overdue mini-vacation to Nevada City, California. I flew into Oakland, instead of the closer airport in Sacramento, because the fare and the rental car were so much less expensive. I actually enjoyed the extra two-hour drive, and it gave me the opportunity to stop in for a meal at Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley. After waking up at 5 AM to make my first flight to Seattle (where I changed planes), and getting into Oakland at about noon, I was feeling pretty hungry and already worn-out. So a menu full of juices, smoothies, and elixirs with names like "I Am Rejuvenated" and "I Am Enlivened" seemed like just the ticket to energize me. I also thought that choosing the "I Am Accepting" bowl of steamed Bhutanese red rice tossed with kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, scallions, and herbs in sesame-ginger sauce would not only be delicious, but would help ground me for whatever adventures (or misadventures, read: traffic) might greet me on the rest of my journey.


Just a scant two or three miles south of Nevada City, lies the city of Grass Valley, where I had planned to stop and pick up a few essentials at the BriarPatch Co-op. I was stunned at how large and beautiful this store was for such a small town. There are only about 12,000 people living in Grass Valley and perhaps 3,000 more in Nevada City.


The co-op had everything I could possibly want or need, including a lovely selection of my favorite So Delicious coconut milk beverages, yogurt, creamer, and kefir and Soyatoo Whipped Topping! (I bought some of the rice Soyatoo one night and in lieu of dinner, enjoyed it with a pint of large, juicy, sweet, and delicious organic strawberries! I thought the rice whipped cream tasted just as good, if not better than the soy.


I was treated to outstanding hospitality by managers Liza and Kurt at the delightfully quaint Outside Inn, where I rested in spectacularly colorful surroundings. "The Celestial Room" contained all the comforts of home including a mini-fridge and flat=screen TV. It even had glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling!


After such a long day of travel, I fell soundly asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! I awoke to the sounds of birds gaily chirping and the sun shining! I couldn't wait to check out what would soon become one of my favorite hangouts in Nevada City—a a funky little vegetarian cafe called Fudenjuce!


It's large menu of fresh organic juices, wraps, salads, rice bowls, vegan soups, smoothies, and organic coffees and teas kept me coming back for more. Seth took great care of me, and made the most scrumptious hot carob beverages, Hawaiian smoothies, and Morninglory Breakfast Wraps!


My furry new feline friend, Minnow, kept me company while I waited for my breakfast to arrive.


One of the tastiest meals I had in Nevada City was at Ike's Quarter Cafe. It's by no means a vegetarian restaurant, but they had some impressive vegan offerings like vegan French toast and tempeh jambalaya. The dish I ordered is called the "Back to Health Plate," but eating it was so much more inspiring than the name implies. It's a large bed of gingered greens topped with tempeh in a perfectly seasoned roasted tomato sauce. It's served with a green salad with roasted tomato vinaigrette, and I ordered a slice of delicious gluten-free vegan cornbread to go along with it. I could kick myself for not having my camera along with me when I ate there!


This tiny town boasted both an oxygen bar and a raw cafe! I truly enjoyed my 30-minute vanilla oxygen experience at The Spot Oxygen Bar one evening after dinner. And the heavenly raw Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake topped with Coconut Creme at The Fix was intoxicatingly delicious.


The Fix Raw Food Cafe and 33 Degree Boutique are housed in an impossibly adorable, modern-retro corrugated barn, where you'll find everything from eclectic jewelry and fun organic clothing to gourmet living foods all under one roof.





Even more deliciousness at The Fix! Raw chocolate truffles and blackberry white chocolate cheesecake?



After all those incredible breakfasts, lunches, and sweets, it's amazing that I could still be hungry for dinner! Well, there's always room for vegetarian sushi, isn't there? There are two sushi restaurants in Nevada City, and I chose Sushi Q because it looked so warm and inviting.


I was really happy that I did, because the sushi chef, Tokisan, was extremely accommodating and happy to prepare my special "Gail rolls" of inari, avocado, and cucumber. He did an amazing job, and they were even more delicious than the rolls I am able to get here at home!


Have you ever had a Thai massage? I never had, but it just seemed like my visit to Nevada City wasn't going to be complete until I had this experience. So I headed down Broad Street and made my way to Jindana Thai Therapeutic Spa.


I truly had no idea what to expect, but if I had to describe it, I'd say that Thai massage is like someone doing yoga to your body. Actually, yoga is one of the six points of Thai massage: Yoga, Exercise, Meditation, Reflexology, Acupressure, and Healing Art. It's quite unlike any other experience (massage or otherwise), and it's also quite wonderful! My massage therapist, Alex, had magical hands (and feet—I'm not kidding!), and as with any good healing modality, afterward, I felt both relaxed and invigorated and noticed a freeing of blocked energy within my body. My broken toe (don't ask), was significantly less painful the following day!

Nevada City boasts its own decent-size natural foods store, too: California Organics. I decided to try their restaurant, The Organic Grill for dinner on my last evening in Nevada City, as I was in the mood for vegan fajitas. They were quite yummy.


Brilliantly beautiful artwork by local artist Gary Dini covered was on display at the restaurant. His sculptural paintings combine acrylic with collage that utilizes costume jewelry. Each piece was more dazzling than the next.



Lest you think that all I did in Nevada City was eat and lie around letting someone else do lovely things to my body, I actually did do quite a bit of walking around town with my friend, Dana.


It was on such a walk that I discovered an amazing cocoanut tea at Gold Mountain Tea Shop, pictured below with Sol Sprouting Goji Rose Chocolate Love Spirals, (which I discovered at Fudenjuce).



On one sunny day, we took a lovely little hike along a meandering river. It was a little tricky to do with a broken toe. But Dana was a great sport, and she let me lean on her shoulder when we were walking downhill, so that I wouldn't further injure myself on any jagged rocks.


This was the view as I headed down Broad Street leaving Nevada City on Thursday morning. It took my breath away. I didn't ever want to leave this heavenly place.

After all that good eatin' it's a wonder I was still excited to get back to Oakland and have lunch at Manzanita Macrobiotic Restaurant. But this is a food blog, and therefore I must eat to write! On such a delightfully bright and balmy 65-degree-day, it was a joy to have lunch outdoors in the middle of winter. (I can't remember the last time I was able to do that!)

Chef Tenzin is a master of macrobiotic cuisine, and I knew this was going to be my last meal of the day...


So I ordered the larger "Full Meal," which included all of the following: Bean-Cauliflower-Cabbage-Broccoli-Miso Soup, Long Grain Brown Rice with Millet, Roasted Kabocha-Turnip-Yam, Garbanzo Beans with Onion-Leek, Steamed Kale with Shiitake-Beet Sauce, and a Mixed Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette.


On this trip I also met with two people I have known and admired for many years. Allison Rivers Samson, owner and founder of Allison's Gourmet and Tony Plotkin, president and owner of Grainaissance. But more about that in a later post.

Red Rose Petal Parfaits

If there is anything more romantic than a red rose, I simply don't know what it could be. We have a large red rose bush in our backyard that is so visually stunning, it seems almost dreamlike.


And when the roses begin to come into full bloom, I can't resist cutting one and placing it in a small vase in my bedroom.


I've learned that I must place my rose somewhere out of Thelonious's reach or else he will eat it, as he is so shamelessly demonstrating with this pink rose. (Can't say that I blame him!)


I love painting roses, whether on glass or paper. I even sport a rose tattoo, (which I won't reveal here).



I find the fragrance of a rose as intoxicating as lavender, and its flavor as sublime. So what could make a more romantic Valentine's Day dessert than one which captures the essence of red roses? I had all the ingredients necessary to put something incredibly sweet and delicious together, and came up with this idea: Red Rose Petal Parfaits!


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups evaporated cane crystals
1 cup of Organic Red Roses (I buy them from Mountain Rose Herbs.)
1 cup water
1 pint Purely Decadent Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, until syrup has thickened. Remove from heat, and when cooled, strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour syrup into a squeeze bottle and place candied rose petals into a container with a tight-fitting lid. When ready to serve, alternate 2 scoops of ice cream with rose petal syrup in two parfait glasses. Top each with a few candied rose petals. Refrigerate remaining syrup and candied rose petals for up to two weeks. Candied rose petals can be enjoyed as a sweet treat, just like candy, and the syrup is divine on crackers or English muffins!

Viewed from above, you can really see the lovely candied rose petals.


I hope you'll enjoy these on Valentine's Day with your sweetheart.

Tempting Tempeh Too Good For Words Burgers

Eugene, Oregon has become quite the vegan magnet. It is the long-time home of Turtle Mountain, makers of the most incredible dairy-free ice cream, beverages, and yogurts on Earth, Holy Cow Vegan Cafe on the U of O campus, Lotus Garden Chinese Vegetarian restaurant, The Divine Cupcake, Holy Donuts, which has its own brand new storefront with an impossibly adorable outdoor courtyard, and two new vegan food carts: Viva Vegetarian Grill and Cornbread Cafe. Eugene is also the home of vegan chef extraordinaire Beverly Lynn Bennett, who together with husband Ray Sammartano, is also the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking.

Always on the prowl for tasty vegan recipes I can "McDougallize," when I came upon Beverly's recipe for Tempeh Too Good For Words Burgers, it sounded too tempting to pass up.


Instead of cooking the onion and mushrooms in olive oil, I sautéed them in water. And instead of cooking the patties in a skillet with more oil, I baked them on a nonstick baking sheet in a 375° oven for 10 minutes on each side. For a gluten-free version, you can use wheat-free tamari and garbanzo bean flour instead of wheat or spelt flour. They'll still be just as delicious. Served up on toasted hearty whole grain buns with a side of tasty baked yam fries, this was one quick and satisfying weekend meal. And in case you're wondering if I ate mine naked, I could have, but didn't. I topped my burger with grilled onions and organic ketchup.

Win a 32GB iPod Touch from Turtle Mountain

I was excited to learn that my favorite ice cream company is holding a Twitter contest for a brand new 32GB iPod Touch! I already own an iPod G2, so I had to find out just what makes a 32GB iPod Touch even better. I didn't know, but OMG, I need one of these! In addition to all the great music features, you can store tens of thousands of photos, record and playback voice memos, and with built-in Wi-Fi you can rent and play movies, browse the Internet, check your email, find the nearest vegan restaurant (you can even find yourself, if you're lost), and access over 100,000 apps. Sheesh, all my iPod does is play music! I'd love to win this baby!

Contests like this remind me of the joke my mother once told me about the old Jewish man, who, after years of never winning the lottery asked God why he never wins. God replied, "First you have to buy a ticket, Morty."

While winning a $300 toy might not be as good as winning the lottery, at least you don't have to buy a ticket to win. All you need to do is follow @So_Delicious on Twitter, and tweet the following message:

Follow @So_Delicious and you can win a 32GB iPod Touch! #So Delicious Coconut milk products are the best! http://bit.ly/8Y5Ekn #contest

A 1 in 5,000 shot at winning is not too shabby, either. There's nothing to lose, and you could win yourself a nifty little gadget.

Balsamic Bliss

It takes a lot to get me excited, even when it comes to food. But at this weekend's Good Earth Home, Garden, & Living Show at the Lane County Fairgrounds, along with everything having to do with sustainable living, there was an entire pavilion dedicated to food and beverages. I had no trouble grazing my way through the exhibit hall, stopping to indulge in Turtle Mountain's full line of coconut milk beverages, ice cream, yogurt, and kefir, Theo Chocolates' dark chocolate bars (the Ginger Rose bar is intoxicating), and Klickitat Canyon Organic Wines. But my favorite new find has to be Bistro Blends' line of barrel-aged balsamic vinegars. There are five flavors to choose from, one more sensational than the next: Heirloom, Very-Berry Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, and Black Mission Fig.


I couldn't resist coming away with one bottle each of the blackberry and fig flavors. Are they pricey? Well, yes, I'm not gonna lie. At $12 for a 6-oz bottle, (apparently, these smaller bottles are a show special), they're certainly not cheap. But they are worth every penny for such an extraordinary culinary indulgence. The blackberry flavor is deeply rich and fruity, and the black mission fig with just a hint of vanilla, tastes indescribably fragrant.

Even after sampling to my heart's content at Bistro Blends' show booth, I couldn't wait to get home and break into a bottle with Mark. He chose the blackberry, which we enjoyed with a fresh loaf of ciabatta I also picked up at the show.


How exciting to find something so tantalizingly delicious to enjoy as part of a low-fat vegan diet. Both of these vinegars will be amazing drizzled over fresh fruit, salad, and Purely Decadent vanilla ice cream. And I look forward to exploring all of the other ways I can come up with to enjoy them. I'm already imagining the amazing cole slaw the blackberry flavor will make! Stay tuned for the recipe ...

And here's some exciting news: Bistro Blends will be back in Eugene at the Lane County Home & Garden Show on March 11th through the 14th. Mention that you read about them in my blog, and they'll extend a discount to you!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili

I've never been a fan of canned chili. And since I never tasted chili that didn't come from a can (at least as far as I can remember), I thought I simply wasn't a fan of chili. So when my friend, Marr, emailed me this recipe the other day, I had to stop and think about it before hitting the ol' delete button. Rich with flavorful ingredients and without even a drop of added fat, this recipe sounded too delicious not to try. And with a couple of minor adjustments, like using chipotle chile powder and doubling the amount of black beans, this meal turned out to be hearty, warming, and satisfying: in short, a real winner!


Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small yam, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 tbsp chipotle chile powder (if you use regular chile powder, you may wish to double this amount, as chipotle is very hot, so I use less)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper, a few twists

Directions:

Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of water for 3-4 minutes, then add sweet potatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, and celery, and cook until onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low, and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine well.
Simmer, partially covered and stir occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until flavors have mingled and vegetables are fully cooked. Makes 4 servings.

Chow Down Chow Mein

Chow mein is typically made with fried noodles. Since I'm adhering to a McDougall-style, low-fat diet, fried noodles are not an option. Nevertheless, this soft-noodle Chow Mein was delicious, and it brought back memories of tasty take-out dinners from my favorite Chinese restaurant in New York City.


Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Chow Mein noodles
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into very small cubes, and marinated
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped
1 6-oz can bamboo shoots
1 6-oz can water chestnuts
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 large bok choy leaves, sliced into bite-size pieces
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tbs dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon evaporated cane crystals
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 cup mung bean sprouts
water for stir-frying, as needed

Marinade:

4 Tbs vegetarian oyster sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
Ground pepper, to taste
2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

To prepare the marinade, Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the cubed tofu for 20 to 25 minutes. Turning the container occasionally to coat all pieces.

Prepare noodles according to the package directions, drain, and set aside.

You may wish to rinse the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts under cool running water for several minutes to remove any tinny taste.

Heat the wok and add 1/4 cup water. When pan is hot, add the minced ginger and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry briefly, and add the other vegetables except for the mung bean sprouts. Stir-fry briefly, and add the marinated tofu and noodles.

Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar, and pour into wok. Stir to coat, and then add in the bean sprouts. Cook for another minute, and serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Moroccan Couscous with 8 Vegetables and Tfaya

Mark and I tried to see Avatar on Sunday, but of course, it was sold out by the time we got there. (No, we didn't think of buying our tickets ahead of time, as we rarely ever go out to the movies.) So when we got back home I started flipping through TV channels, when I came upon the Create TV cooking show Gourmet Adventures with Ruth. Described as a show in which viewers can "travel the globe alongside host and editor/food icon Ruth Reichl, her Gourmet colleagues, and celebrity guests as they visit exotic cooking schools and experience the local foods and traditions," it certainly looked interesting to me! In this episode, actress Lorraine Bracco was traveling with Ruth through Morocco and learning how to prepare some of the local cuisine. I landed on this channel just as she was learning the fine art of making couscous from scratch from a lovely old woman. It whetted my appetite for couscous.

Couscous is made from two different sizes of the husked, crushed, unground semolina. Creating this delicate little grain before it can even be cooked is a painstaking process still performed in the traditional handmade fashion, only in rural villages. First the couscous is formed by rubbing and rolling together large grains of hard wheat semolina with finer grains in a large earthenware platter sprayed with salted water to raise the humidity of the semolina. Then the couscous is dried in a midūna, a latticework basket made of palm or esparto grass. Next it is transferred to a finer weave basket for more drying. After a short time, the couscous is returned to the midūna for more rolling. Then it is sieved numerous times to form a uniform grain. The couscous is then left for four or five days to dry in the sun with occasional light sprays of water. It must be completely dry before storing or cooking.

During this episode, I was reminded of the spicy delicacy, tfaya, which I can only remember having eaten once many years ago. This delectable topping of caramelized onions and raisins pairs beautifully with couscous, and was easily made fat-free without the butter traditionally used, and without detriment to the flavor.

You can find a similar couscous recipe to this one all over the internet that is made with seven vegetables, instead of eight (if you include garbanzo beans in the vegetable group). But I love parsnips and couldn't resist adding them to mine. This dish is so rich and flavorful, you won't believe it doesn't contain a drop of added fat.

Couscous Ingredients:

1 medium red onion
2 Tbs. vegetable broth
4 cups vegetable broth
2 carrots, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled
2 turnips, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
pinch of saffron
pinch of curry
2 cups couscous grains

Directions:

Cut all of the vegetables into large, bite-size chunks. In a large pot, sauté onion in 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth until lightly browned. Add the rest of the broth, and bring to a boil. Add carrots, parsnips, turnips, and sweet potato. Simmer for 15 minutes. Lower heat, and add zucchini and pepper. (At this point, prepare tfaya, or it can be prepared in advance and reheated before serving.) Cook vegetables for 20 minutes more. Then add beans, tomato sauce, and spices. Stir to combine, and cook until heated through.

In a separate small pot, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5-7 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve with vegetables and tfaya on top.

Tfaya Ingredients:

2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1 cup raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes, then drained
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

Directions:

Mix the sliced onions, raisins, agave, and spices in a medium saucepan. Add the water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for a half hour or longer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and golden. Add more water only if the liquids evaporate before the onions are cooked. Once the onions are cooked and richly colored, reduce the liquids to a thick syrup. Turn off the heat, and set the caramelized onions aside. If prepared in advance, reheat the onions just prior to serving.

Book Review: The Indian Vegan Kitchenby Madhu Gadia

I think I've said this before elsewhere in this blog: When I was in India, it was astounding to me how difficult it was for a predominantly vegetarian country to wrap it's collective brain around the idea of veganism. More than once I bit into a piece of paneer in a dish that was ordered without cheese. And I'm sure that many a curry was served in a cream sauce or cooked with ghee, even though it was requested that no dairy be used in the preparation of my meals. But that's history, and I'm told that things are slowly changing in India, and people are beginning to learn that the dairy they consume does not generally come from happy, well-treated cows.

Author Madhu Gadia, a registered dietitian living in Ames, Iowa, admits how difficult it was for her to think and cook outside the lacto-vegetarian box, not realizing how extensively and automatically she added dairy products to the dishes she prepared and enjoyed. It is our good fortune that she took the time to research vegan nutrition and create this beautiful book with more than 150 delicious and authentically Indian vegan recipes.

Newcomers to Indian cuisine will appreciate her glossary of spices and other unfamiliar ingredients, list of basic kitchen equipment, tips on cooking techniques, and perhaps most helpful, a list of online retailers for those difficult-to-find ingredients. As a long-time Indian-food lover and aficionado of curries, I appreciated the new world of dishes this book made available to me, like Stuffed Mung Been Pancakes (Bharva Cheele) and Dried Fruit Rice (Meva Chawal). For me, finding a vegan recipe for Badam Barfi (a sensuously sweet almond pastry made with edible foil) was like finding hidden treasure! The challenge for me was going to be preparing these delicious dishes without the oil used in most recipes, while maintaining the integrity and the full flavor of each.

One of my favorite Indian dishes ever is Vegetable Korma, which is typically made with heavy cream. Needless to say, I haven't tasted a decent korma in decades. Madhu's recipe for Creamy Vegetable Stew (Subji Korma) used cashews to give the dish its characteristic creamy taste and texture. To maintain my McDougall diet program, I omitted the three tablespoons of canola oil called for in making this dish, and still the result was incredible. Otherwise following Madhu's directions, the onions, green beans, cauliflower, carrot, peas, and peppers cooked to perfection, delicately, without risk of being overcooked. It was delightfully fragrant served on a bed of basmati rice.


Next, I tried making a dish I had never eaten before, Pav-Bhaji, which literally translates to "vegetables on a bun," but Madhu refers to as "Veggie Sloppy Joe Sandwiches." Made with potatoes, onions, cauliflower, green peppers, peas, carrots, and tomatoes, the dish is seasoned with pav-bhaji masala (one of many different masala spice blends) and lemon or lime juice. It's absolutely fascinating to me how very different each dish tastes depending on the type of spices used. And once again, I omitted the oil called for in this dish, replacing it with water, and still it tasted delicious. I didn't have the heart to eat my pav-bhaji on an American whole wheat bun, so I opted to scoop mine up by the "spoonful" with torn pieces of whole wheat chapati.


I hadn't realized that "dal" is the generic name for all dried beans, peas, lentils, legumes, and pulses, and is used interchangeably for both dry and cooked beans. Madhu has included recipes for more than a dozen dals, and because I had some pink lentils on hand, I chose to try her Ginger-Spinach Pink Lentils or Andrak-Palak Dal. It required the use of asefoetida which has a very strong and pungent odor, but imparts a very distinct yet pleasing flavor to dishes. Asefoetida powder smells so awful, it's also known as "stinking gum" and "devil's dung," so it's important to store it in a tightly-sealed container, or it will stink up your whole kitchen. I choose a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for this purpose. Of the three dishes I tried, I must say that I liked this dish the best of all. And that's pretty remarkable, because I never thought of myself as a huge fan of dal, when there are so many other tasty Indian dishes to be savored. But the combination of ginger, lentils, spinach, and tomatoes along with cumin seeds, coriander, cayenne, and yes, asafeotida, made this dish powerfully flavorful and satisfying. Again, I did without any of the cooking oil, and don't believe that I sacrificed any of the flavor. Served along with a plate of nutty-tasting brown basmati rice, I felt as though I was eating something sinfully rich, though it was deliciously hearty and vibrantly healthful.


I look forward to trying many of the delectable-sounding desserts and beverages in The Indian Vegan Kitchen as well as the flat breads, salads, chutneys, and more of the curries. This is a lovely book filled with exotically inspired recipes that will bring a great deal of eating pleasure to both vegans and non vegans alike.

New Year's Eve Raspberry Sparkling Cider Fizz

I recently discovered Viviane Bauquet Farre's recipe for Raspberry Champagne Fizz at her Food & Style blog. With a minor tweak or two, it sounded like it would make a dazzlingly delicious and festive vegan New Year's Eve dessert, and I couldn't wait to try it!

I wanted to prepare one or two ahead of time, not only to try it out before New Year's Eve, but also to be able to share the recipe and photos with you. To quote Viviane, "The result is simply sublime."

For the raspberry coulis:

1 12-oz package frozen raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons evaporated cane crystals
2 tablespoons Chambord or Cassis liqueur (I used Chambord)

For the fizz:

2 pints Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean ice cream (Coconut flavor would be fabulous, too!)
1 pint fresh raspberries, as garnish
1 bottle Sparkling Cider (You could also use champagne or sparkling wine, as suggested in the original recipe. This would not only up the alcohol, but it would also make it more fizzy.)

Step 1: To make the coulis, place the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and liqueur in the bowl of a food processor and process at high speed until very smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into a large squeeze bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use (for up to 3 days).

Step 2: To serve, squeeze a little raspberry coulis into a martini glass. Top with one or two scoops of Purely Decadent, depending on the size of your glasses. Garnish with the fresh raspberries. Top each glass with sparkling cider, wine, or champagne at the table. Watch it fizz, and enjoy!

Mad About Mu Shu

I'm crazy about Mu Shu. I think it's one of the most fun dishes you can order at a Chinese restaurant. Building your own little wrap by filling a wafer-thin pancake with hoisin-soaked shredded napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, green onions, and tofu, and topping it with sweet and spicy plum sauce before rolling it all up is an almost meditative experience.

The recipe for Moo Shu Vegetable Wraps in The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook was every bit as fun to make, tastier, and healthier than any Mu Shu I've eaten at any restaurant. Flour tortillas substituted nicely for the mu shu pancakes. (If someone knows of a vegan mu shu pancake out there, please let me know the brand name!) Freshly minced garlic and ginger added the perfect zest, and cornstarch thickened the homemade hoisin sauce to perfection.


What a spectacular display the veggies made when first added to the pan! To prepare, shred some vegetables, and thinly slice some red bell pepper and mushrooms. (I used baby bellas.) Place about 1/2 cup of water in a large pan, add all the vegetables with a teaspoon or two or minced fresh ginger and garlic. Stir frequently for a few minutes. Add a few tablespoons of soy sauce, some crumbled tofu, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water to thicken. Stir for another five minutes or so, until sauce is thickened. Warm tortillas, and place a line of the Mu Shu mixture down the center of each. Top with plum sauce, roll up, and enjoy!


Served up on a tortilla, waiting to be topped with plum sauce, wrapped, and devoured!

An Alfredo Sauce by Any Other Name

... would still taste as creamy, rich, and delicious! That's why I was knocked over by Emily Barth Webber's recipe for Fettucine in Cream Sauce with Summer Vegetables featured in the July 2007 McDougall Newsletter. Yes, I realize it's not summer, but the brightly colored mix of broccoli, red bell peppers, spinach, yellow squash, mushrooms, and tomatoes made me feel like it was summer! Blended raw cashews made the sauce as rich and creamy as any Alfredo, and pad Thai rice noodles made a very nice substitute for fettucine pasta. Here's a money-saving tip: I buy my rice noodles at any one of several Asian markets we have here in town. They're about one quarter the price I'd have to pay for the brands found at supermarkets and natural food stores.


Chef Eric Tucker's Fettucine with Braised Garlic Cream has long been one of my favorite go-to pasta dishes. I love the way my kitchen fills with the fragrance of rosemary as the garlic is roasting in the oven. You'll find the recipe for braised garlic here. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly sealed glass jar. Once you have the braised garlic on hand, the sauce is a snap to put together. And it tastes sinfully rich, even though there's only a smidgen of fat from the light soy milk in this recipe.


Instead of using fettucine noodles, I substituted Mrs. Leeper's Gluten-Free Organic Corn Pasta. My local Fred Meyer store is discontinuing them, so they had them on clearance at 50% off. I'm sorry they're not going to be carrying them anymore. But it was such a great deal, I snagged every package they had left.

Mini Mexican "Pizzas"

Lately I've been falling in love all over again with autumn squash: Acorn, kabocha, butternut, Australian butter, munchkin, and my favorite, butternut. So when I came across Erin Dame's recipe for Mini Mexican Pizzas in the McDougall newsletter archives, I knew I had to give it a try!

And I wasn't disappointed. These tasty little discs of joy were flavorful, spicy, low fat, and surprisingly filling! I highly recommend you give this very simple dish a try. You may just fall in love with butternut squash for the first time or all over again!

And here's a recipe for Adobo Seasoning, since I could not find a store-bought brand that didn't contain tricalcium phosphate.

Ingredients:

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Grind all the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder.

There's Pad Thai, and Then There's Pad Thai

Every time I've ordered Pad Thai at any Thai restaurant anywhere in the world, it has pretty much tasted the same. Sure, there were slight nuances in flavor, and sometimes on less fortunate occasions, the noodles would be undercooked or stuck together in a big blob. (Apparently there's some trick to not over- or under-cooking the noodles.) But generally speaking, unlike Panang Curry, which seems to vary widely in flavor from place to place, Pad Thai sauce always tastes pretty much the same to me. Not that I don't love it. It's just that when it comes to the overall flavor, ordering Pad Thai has always been predictable. And that's not a bad thing.

But I recently read that there are as many ways to prepare Pad Thai as there are snowflakes. Okay, well maybe not that many ways, but according to Chat Mingkwan, author of the treasured vegan recipe book, Buddha's Table, "Each chef has a signature version of this quintessential Thai dish, differing in ingredients, techniques, and leading flavors." Hmmm ... verrry interesting.

Since we stopped eating out at Thai restaurants when we started the McDougall diet several months ago, Pad Thai is one dish I've been starting to crave. How fortunate that I found Mary McDougall's recipe for Pad Thai hiding within the pages of The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook.


The flavors in Mary's dish were more subtle than the bang-you-over-the-head zestiness (and the fried tofu) of the restaurant-style dish I am accustomed to. But it had a lovely mix of flavors, and didn't leave me with the heavy feeling I sometimes experienced after eating the often oil-drenched dish served at restaurants.

But I still wanted to try to find a recipe that came a bit closer to reproducing that restaurant-style flavor. So I tried the Stir-Fried Thai Noodles recipe from Buddha's Table. Leaving out the oil and the peanuts, it tasted delicious, but still not like the classic restaurant dish. Which is fine by me. I'll just have to keep experimenting. Both times my noodles cooked perfectly, too. I don't know if it was beginner's luck, or just my ability to follow directions precisely.


I think that next time I prepare this recipe I'll use half the tamarind liquid and sugar. The recipe will look like this:

Ingredients:

8 oz. dried chantaboon rice noodles
1/4 cup water
2 Tbs minced garlic
3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/8 cup evaporated cane crystals
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 Tbs tamarind liquid (available at Asian grocery stores)
2 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 Tbs paprika or chili powder
3 Tbs minced preserved turnips (available at Asian grocery stores)
1 pkg Smoked Tofu or Baked Thai Spicy Tofu, sliced thin
3 cups mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup juilienne red bell peppers
1 whole lime cut into quarters for accompaniment

Soak the rice noodles in warm water until soft and pliable, about 30 minutes. Check the water temperature occasionally. If it is no longer warm, refresh the water. (I did this twice.) Drain and set noodles aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet on high heat. Add water and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the soaked and drained noodles and stir until well coated.

Add the sugar, soy sauce, tamarind liquid, vinegar, and paprika or chili powder. Stir-fry the mixutre until thoroughly combined and liquid is absorbed. Stir in the tofu and preserved turnips. Check the noodle texture; it should be cooked and soft. Add some water if the noodles are too dry or too tough. (If they fall apart easily, they are overcooked. But this wasn't an issue for me, I think because I didn't over "cook" them in the warm water.)

Stir in the bean sprouts, red bell pepper, and green onion. Continue stir-frying until heated through and well combined. Adjust the flavor with more soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar to taste. Transfer to individual plates and garnish with crushed peanuts, if desired. Serve with fresh bean sprouts and lime wedges to be squeezed over dish. Serves 4.

Three Greens Ribollita

Brrrr ... Baby, it's cold outside...unseasonably cold! Last night it got down to 11°! But I'm not complaining because it's been sunny and dry, which is also quite uncharacteristic for this time of year.

I can think of no meal more warming and satisfying on a wintry day than a big bowl of ribollita. The word ribollita literally means "reboiled," and it's a hearty, classic soup from Tuscany. Like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins and was originally made by reboiling leftover minestrone from the previous day and pouring it over remnant chunks of bread.



There are many variations of course, but the main ingredients include cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, spinach, onion, tomatoes, cavalo nero (black Tuscan kale), and of course, bread. These days the broth is often made from chicken or beef stock, doused in olive oil and sprinkled generously with Parmesan cheese. I was fortunate on my first trip to Italy many years ago to dine at the only vegetarian restaurant in Florence at the time, Il Sedano Allegro. It was there that I tasted my first bowl of ribollita, and fell helplessly in love with it.

One of my favorite vegan chefs and cookbook authors, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau prepared her vegan Three-Greens Ribollita Soup for the McDougall Celebrity Chef Weekend back in June of this year. I followed the recipe precisely, except I noticed the absence of tomatoes in the ingredients list (probably a typo), so I added a 14-oz can of diced tomatoes. The soup was nicely thickened, and tasted phenomenal with hunks of lightly toasted French bread. I can't wait to have it again for lunch today! Of course, I'll be reboiling it.

The Kind Diet

"How can he be possessed of kindness, who to increase his own flesh, eats the flesh of creatures?" ~Thiruvalluvar, Tamil Poet c. 2nd century BC


Vegan actress and animal-rights activist Alicia Silverstone's new book, The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet offers a bounty of helpful ideas for choosing and preparing foods that are good for our bodies, the animals, and the planet. Meals are planned around those foods which provide optimum health and vitality, focusing on fresh, organic, plant-based ingredients. It would make an absolutely lovely gift for anyone who is looking for a way to eat more deliciously and healthfully, regardless of where they are on the vegan spectrum.

Photo © Lindsay S. Nixon and Happy Herbivore.
The Kind Diet is broken down into three levels: Flirting, Vegan, and Superhero. In "Flirting," Alica makes simple recommendations for weaning off the standard American diet with ideas like replacing a few meat-based meals with vegan ones and exploring the myriad of transitional vegan foods available. In the "Vegan" section, she presents a road map for how to build a vegan meal plan.

Focusing on ingredients like sea vegetables, mochi, agar-agar, umeboshi plum vinegar, and Gomashio, along with fresh, local, seasonal whole foods, the "Superhero" level is based on a macrobiotic style of cooking, which has long been associated with improved health. Alicia's own vibrantly beautiful, trim, energetic, and glowing appearance makes a powerfully convincing argument for how choosing these foods is indeed, a very kind thing we can do for ourselves. And readers need not be overwhelmed by the aforementioned exotic-sounding ingredients. They are readily available online, and most can be found at your local Asian grocery or natural foods store.

Excitedly, I spent the first night with my copy of The Kind Diet scanning all of the recipes, as I usually do with any new recipe book. The photographs were utterly mouth-watering, and I immediately honed in on the recipe for Nabeyaki Udon. Made with sumptuously thick udon noodles, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, (I could not find the latter, so used twice as many shiitake), gently cooked carrots, broccoli, leek, bok choy, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, and dandelion greens (which I also couldn't find, substituting delightfully fragrant jasmine greens, instead), and smartly seasoned with shoyu, ginger, and lemon juice. I also added one sliced red bell pepper, which made for an even more colorful and delicious dish.


I didn't think I was a big fan of polenta, having always found it rather bland and dry. But Alicia's Polenta Casserole with Seitan looked and sounded too good not to try.


I'm very glad I did, because this dish was one of the best dinners we've had in the last few months, far from being bland or dry. It made a polenta lover out of me. And since Alica suggested that a side of greens would make it absolutely perfect, I went back to one of my favorite go-to recipes, and served it up with Bryant Terry's Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux. It was perfect!


The Kind Diet contains a glorious selection of desserts that will satisfy any sweet tooth. Lemon-Poppyseed Pound Cake, Mixed Berry Cheesecake, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are just a few. I decided to try something that sounded light and fruity, Candied Ginger Pears. Made with brown rice syrup, pear juice, lemon, and ginger, it was a lovely departure from the usual cakes, cookies, ice cream, and pies.


Oh, and if you're wondering if I was able to remain true to the McDougall diet, while enjoying the recipes in this book, the answer is yes! None of the recipes I prepared contained any oil, and only a bit of tahini or whole nuts. Speaking of nuts, Dr. McDougall has an insightful article about them in his most current newsletter, which you can read here.

Hopi Corn and Chili Stew

I lived in New Mexico for five years, and I left a piece of my heart in the sunny Southwest. The time I spent there is brimming with memories of endless skies, meteor showers, pueblo-style architecture, the magical view of the Milky Way from the Adobe and Stars Bed and Breakfast, shopping for Native American art and jewelry on the Santa Fe plaza, hot air balloons sailing over my house, Christmas luminarias, moonrises over the Sandia mountains, coyotes howling outside my bedroom window, roadrunners, jackrabbits, and magpies moving swiftly past my car, chile ristras hanging outside quaintly painted wooden door frames, and the heavenly aromas of Navajo fry bread and New Mexican sopapilla. I don't think one can live in the Southwest and not feel immersed in Native American culture. While living in New Mexico, I traveled to Arizona and Colorado often—from Tucson to Kingman and Crestone to Boulder. For a short time, the Southwest was my stomping grounds, and I was able to enjoy the culinary influences of the Native American people who lived there.


The Hopi Indians have inhabited the dessert highlands of northern Arizona for the last 1,000 years. The name Hopi, is a shortened form of what these people call themselves, Hopi'sinom, or "People Who Live in the Correct Way." The catholic encyclopedia lists the name Hopi as having been derived from "Hopita," meaning "those who are peaceful ones." Hopi is a concept deeply rooted in the culture's religion and spirituality, and its view of morality and ethics. It involves a state of total reverence and respect for all things, to be at peace with these things, and to live in accordance with the instructions of Maasaw, the Creator or Caretaker of Earth.

Starch-based foods like corn, beans, and potatoes have always been an important part of the Hopi diet. Mary McDougall's rich and flavorful Hopi Corn and Chili Stew plays on these staple foods beautifully. It's another deliciously hearty, warming, low-fat vegan dish. I wish I'd come across this recipe while I was still living in New Mexico!