Tuesday, May 26, 2009


Another winning dish from Vegan Brunch! Classic Broccoli Quiche

Monday, May 25, 2009


Raw Waldorf Salad – Recipe from Bryan Au's Raw Food in Ten Minutes
One of the dishes I'll be serving at my Memorial Day vegan BBQ


The rest of the menu:

Grilled Fruit and Veggie Skewers
Sweet Potato Fries
Creamy Cole Slaw
Amy's Veggie Texas Burgers
Tropical Fruit Salad
Shakes made with So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages and Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Chocolate Dream Pie topped with Soyatoo Whipped Topping

Thursday, May 21, 2009


Tofu Omelette I made from a recipe in Vegan Brunch. I'll be a monkey's uncle, if it doesn't look and taste the way I remember eggs!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009


Scrambled Tempeh and Roasted Butternut Squash from my new favorite cookbook, Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Saturday, May 16, 2009


Breakfast of champions! Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese Alternative on a poppyseed bagel ... Pure morning delight!

Friday, May 15, 2009


Pistachio Rosewater Cupcake from the amazing book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I make these all the time, and they are that good! How did I ever live without this book?

Thursday, May 14, 2009


I don't know exactly what this is, but it sure looks scrumptious! From SproutCraft, 324 Lafayette Street, Atmananda Yoga, 7th Floor, New York, NY

Update: It's a raw lemon coconut creme pie!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009


Vegan Chef's Choice – Pizza Research Institute, Eugene, OR

They're all moved into their new space on 5th and Blair. There's lots of room, with a big lovely courtyard. Summer dining is going to be extra special this year at PRI.

Monday, May 11, 2009


Roasted Veggies – Claire's Corner Copia, New Haven, CT

Friday, May 08, 2009


Cashew Cheddar Nachos – Real Food Daily, Los Angeles, CA
Yes, they're vegan!

Thursday, May 07, 2009


Bavarian Creme Donut – Ronald's Donuts, Las Vegas, NV



*Note: Not all donuts at Ronald's are vegan, but this one is!

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Debunking the "Master Cleanse" Myth

When a dear friend wrote and told me that she's consuming nothing but distilled water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper under the misguided assumption that she would be "detoxifying" her body, I was concerned. And when she told me that she's planning on doing this for a full forty days, I was horrified. Following is the letter I sent her in response. I share it here in the hope that it will prevent others from following the nutritional counsel of others who are ill-informed about human health and nutrition, yet very willing to make a quick buck selling books, gadgets, pills, potions, or other ineffective and often dangerous "quick fixes" to unsuspecting health seekers.

Dear One:

I hope you will read the following in the spirit in which it was sent: With total love and heartfelt concern for your well-being and a sincere desire for your most vibrant health.

It's not all good. I am very familiar with the "Master Cleanse," and it scares the crap out of me that you would do this for 40 days. You are in "ill health" (overweight) due to years of engaging in poor lifestyle habits, and you have been convinced that starving your body of nutrients (NO, the Master Cleanse "diet" is NOT nutritionally complete), for 40 days will solve your problem. This is simply not the case. It is far more likely that doing this for such a prolonged period will only create other health problems.

Since you seem to be inspired by what celebrities do, think about this: If I wrote a book in which I said that drinking your own urine was the key to vibrant health and weight loss, would you do it? If I told you in this book that you'd be regaining lots of lost nutrients by drinking your own urine, would you do it? If you read that Beyonce or Gwyneth Paltrow or some other celebrity was drinking her own urine to lose weight for a movie role, would you do it? I hope you wouldn't, but there are people who start each day with a nice tall glass of their own urine.

Here are some points I'd like you to consider:

1. You lost 5 pounds in 4 days, which is not surprising, because most of it is water weight. Unless you are extremely obese, the most fat you can safely lose on average, is 2 lbs/week. At best, what you are on now is a calorie-restricted diet. At worst, you are starving yourself of vital nutrients. Lemons, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water, do NOT contain all of the essential nutrients your body needs. You'd be much better off eating a low-fat, low-calorie (1,200 calorie) diet, consisting of ripe, raw, organic whole fruits and vegetables, rather than starving yourself.

2. The "cleanse" does not "detoxify" your body. Your body "detoxifies" itself. The body is an amazing organism that has the ability to heal itself of chronic dis-ease, given the opportunity to do so. The quickest way to achieve this is with TOTAL and COMPLETE rest. A water-only fast, which requires you to be in a completely restful environment (extremely limited activity, zero stress, low stimulation), and absolutely requires medical supervision is the speediest route. (Your body's vital signs must be carefully and continually monitored.) The second fastest way to do this is by adopting the purest, simplest diet possible, so that your body is not spending enormous energy resources performing the bodily function of digestion. (The way most Americans eat, this is what their bodies are spending most of their energy doing: Trying to digest the unhealthful overabundance of junk that is constantly assaulting them.) So short of a doctor-supervised water fast, the safest, quickest, and most simple thing you can do to regain your vibrant health is to eat healthfully. Period. What you are doing now is unsound and DANGEROUS.

3. Please don't take my word for this. You say you have done your homework. But it seems to me, you have not really done so. Read what others have to say about the "Master Cleanse" program. You can start here, and then you can honestly say that you have begun to do your homework:

http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/c/56/3124/real-deal-diet/

http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/zimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use/master-cleanse-diet-master-scam/

http://blog.healthyeats.com/blog/2009/04/15/celebrity-diets-master-cleanse/

4. You will eventually regain ALL of the weight you lost and likely even more, after you end the "cleanse" program. By starving your body, you are not training yourself to adopt healthier life-long lifestyle habits. When you reintroduce solid food into your diet, and return to a maintenance level of calorie consumption (as opposed to starvation level), you will gain weight. No doubt about it.

5. There are safe ways to lose weight, which offer a lifetime of pleasurable and healthy eating and lifestyle habits. It's simple math: Calories consumed vs calories burned. If you consume more than you burn, you gain weight. If you burn more than you consume, you lose weight. If you consume the correct amount of calories to meet your body's nutritional needs and burn the appropriate amount of calories, you will maintain your weight. Period.

There's a reason why the folks on the popular TV show The Biggest Loser don't show you these very obese people losing weight on a "Master Cleanse." It's because it's not healthy, and it does not teach these people how to live healthfully and maintain their new bodies once they achieve them. You'll notice they feed these people real food (while restricting their caloric intake), and then they work their butts off in the gym and on the trail to burn calories.

In my personal and professional experience, (and I've worked with some of the leading health and nutrition experts in the world), the safest, most effective long-term way to achieve and maintain your ideal weight and vibrant health are by adopting these strategies:

1. Eat a diet mainly comprised of whole, ripe, raw, organic fruits and vegetables, with minimal amounts of healthy fat from coconut, avocado, nuts, and seeds. (10% of total caloric intake per day.)
2. Eat enough calories to meet your body's nutritional needs. (Likely around 1,600 calories per day, but this depends greatly on your height, ideal weight, and activity level.)
3. MOVE! Exercise is the key to a lifetime free from excessive weight, depression, and bone loss. Get a pedometer. Wear it! Strive to take 10,000 steps each and every day. If you do this, you can't help but burn calories, prevent bone loss, and feel great! Indulge in activities you enjoy: Hiking, biking, tennis, dance classes, or whatever else it is you choose. Just get away from the computer, out of your seat, and MOVE!
4. Consume lots of water. If you are practicing #1, you are going to consume lots of water-rich fruits, which help to curb your appetite. You won't need to drink 8 glasses of water a day like most people, who are eating foods with low water-content and are constantly dehydrated. If you don't believe me, just see how much time you'll be spending in the bathroom peeing and pooping, once you are eating a diet largely comprised of nutrient-rich, water-dense whole fruits and vegetables.

While I don't usually endorse any one "diet," I do recommend that you read The 80/10/10 Diet by Douglas Graham. He has counseled thousands of people (including many celebrities) and has helped them achieve vibrant health, he has supervised thousands of water fasts, and most important, he has a deep and profound understanding of human nutrition and biology.

People who undertake "juice fasts," "cleanses," and "detoxes" are generally looking for a quick-fix to resolve a lifetime of poor eating and lifestyle habits. But there are no "quick fixes." Developing new, healthy diet and lifestyle habits and maintaining them over the long run, is the surest and safest way to achieve the vibrant health and body of your dreams. This is my wish for you, and I'm here to support you in any way I can.

Love and hugs,

Gail

Friday, April 24, 2009

Cuhrayzee Chocolate Shake


A dark, chocolatey, frosty dream, and oh, so delicious!

2 cups vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage
2 scoops So Delicious Dairy Free Chocolate Velvet ice cream OR Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk Chocolate ice cream
1 large ripe banana
1 Tbs. agave nectar

Blend all ingredients together. Pour into 2 tall glasses, and serve with straws. Add an extra dollop of ice cream on top to further indulge your chocolate pleasure. And for a thicker shake, blend in one or two more bananas.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Pledge 2GO Veg for Earth Day with FARM and Win!!!

Take the Veg Pledge for Earth Day, and you could win a one-month supply of So Delicious or Purely Decadent dairy-free ice cream and a copy of the wonderful cookbook, Vegan Planet!

Click here to enter!

Monday, April 06, 2009

Piña Colada Shake

Turtle Mountain broke my heart when they stopped making my favorite flavor, Raspberry á la Mode. But they've since redeemed themselves many times over with their line of Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk ice cream, (Mint Chip — yum!), So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt (Chocolate is to die for!), and now their new So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages. I played around with the beverages and came up with some enticing recipes. This simple Piña Colada Shake was sweetly satisfying, as I lounged in my backyard yesterday after doing some gardening. We had our first warm, sunny day, with the thermometer reaching a delightful 72°!

Ingredients:

2 cups Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk ice cream, Coconut
1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage, Vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
2 ripe bananas
2 medjool dates
2 paper umbrellas for decoration (optional, but fun!)

Directions:

Blend all together and serve immediately. Serve in tall glasses with straws. Makes 2 servings.


Friday, December 08, 2006

Four New Purely Decadent Ice Cream Flavors That Are Out of This World!

My favorite dairy-free ice cream company has done it again! As if having mouth-watering flavors like Raspberry A La Mode, Peanut Butter Zig Zag, Cookie Avalanche, and Cherry Nirvana wasn't enough! Now Turtle Mountain is introducing 4 exciting new flavors that will make any ice cream lover jump for joy! I had the opportunity to taste them, and I'm sharing my thoughts on these new delectables with you here, along with visuals to get you in the mood.




So Very Strawberry, is just that: Verrrrrrrrrrry strawberry. Strawberry fans will be totally enchanted with this scrumptious strawberry ice cream laced with a ribbon of sensously sweet strawberry sauce and packed with chunks of succulent, ripe strawberries.







Coconut Craze really is cuh-ray-zee! It's cool, creamy coconut ice cream infused with shredded coconut, bits of roasted almonds, and dark chocolate flakes. It's a tropical sensation that tastes a lot like a piña colada, though it contains not even a trace of pineapple.




It's hard to choose, but my favorite new flavor has got to be Pomegranate Chip. It boasts a luscious, juicy, refreshing taste almost like berries, and is bursting with a veritable explosion of dark chocolate flakes. Every spoonful is like celebrating the 4th of July in your mouth!







And finally, there's Cookie Dough—Imagine arctic clouds of vanilla ice cream infused with mountains of cookie dough and rich, dark chocolate chips. Cookie Dough fans will go head over heels for this flavor, and what's even more amazing, is that it's gluten free!

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine: The Perfect Holiday Gift

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine: Healing Recipes & Timeless Wisdom from Our Hearts to Yours
Thousand Petals Publishing
November 2004, $24.95 Hardcover
Second Edition
Written by Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi, and the Chefs of The Blossoming Lotus Cafe

A cookbook just shouldn't be this gorgeous. A book of recipes is a utilitarian thing— a simple tool to make life easier in the kitchen.

Not so with Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. It does not occupy a space on my bookshelf along with the dozens of other recipe books I own. Instead, it reigns supreme on my coffee table, the only book to hold this place of honor.

The "oohs" and "aahs" it elicits from vegan and non-vegan visitors alike, have become all too predictable. My husband and I place bets on how long it will take a guest in our home to become mesmerized by this book. Still, I maintain that a cookbook simply should not be so shamelessly enticing. The spectacularly vibrant photographs contained within its pages further reinforce my already obsessive love affair with food, and make me long to find myself in enchanting and magical places I've yet had the chance to visit. It's filled with subtle, exquisite beauty and not-so-subtle temptation.

The vegan and living food recipes found in Vegan World Fusion Cuisine are all made with pure and simple ingredients: whole, fresh, ripe, raw fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, unprocessed grains, unbleached flours, and unrefined oils and sweeteners. With names that are as imaginative as the multicultural dishes themselves, you can indulge in truly healthful and tasty creations.

Eternal Sunrise Smoothie is creamy, rich, and fruity, and the best smoothie I've ever tasted. (No kidding!) Satori Summer Rolls or Nooanda's Pistachio Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh served with Primal Peanut Sauce are as tantalizing as the names imply. Sicilian Seitan with Sundried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts makes me wonder why I ever thought that cheese was a necessary ingredient in Italian food. Star Lotus Persimmon Parfait and The Bliss of Krishna Tropical Rice Pudding deeply satisfy my almost insatiable sweet tooth. But don't be intimated by the exotic-sounding names. All of the recipes are easy and fun to prepare!

The engaging forward by Dr. Jane Goodall, inspiring quotations, brilliantly colorful photographs, and delectable multicultural recipes all blend together to illustrate the love and devotion that was poured into the creation of this book. With the sublimely flavorful recipes from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine you can create in your own kitchen, you'll feast on foods that will nourish and nurture your body, mind, and spirit, and serve love and healing energy to your family and friends.






Vegan World Fusion Cuisine has been voted Cookbook of the Year by readers of VegNews, and is the recipient of the 2005 PETA Proggy Award for Best New Cookbook, the Gourmand Award for Best Veggie Cookbook, USABookNews.com 2006 Award for Best Veggie Cookbook, and even Martha Stewart's Nautilus Award for Best new Book.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Outrageous Holiday Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving and winter holidays represent a time of joy and celebration marked by great feasting. Some of our warmest childhood memories are recalled by the tastes and smells of the holiday table. Sadly, the celebrating often ends when carnivores and vegetarians collide, but, this need not be the case. This simple recipe for pumpkin pie from The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond is a delicious example of an animal-free holiday dish that everyone can enjoy!

PUMPKIN PIE

1 1/2 cups soymilk* (vanilla or plain)
4 Tbsp. cornstarch - or - arrowroot
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup raw sugar or other sweetener
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves

In a large bowl, whisk together soy milk and cornstarch or arrowroot until smooth, then blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell, ready-made graham cracker pie crust, or follow directions below for a fat-free crust. (I prefer using an Arrowhead Mills graham cracker pie crust.) Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 45 minutes. Cool before cutting.
Don't forget to add Soyatoo Whipped Topping to each piece when serving, and for a truly decadent dessert, warm pie before serving and top with a scoop of Organic So Delicious Creamy Vanilla ice cream!

FAT-FREE PIE CRUST

1 cup Grape-NutsTM cereal
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate (undiluted)

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the Grape-NutsTM and apple juice concentrate. Pat into an 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes, then fill with pumpkin mixture. Bake an additional 45 minutes. Makes one crust.

*Update: I now make this pie with So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage, and the texture and flavor are even better!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Baked BBQ Tempeh

Summer, winter, spring, or fall, this recipe is hearty, fun and filling. It's a welcome addition to any potluck, picnic, or outdoor barbecue served open face on toasted buns.

1 red onion, cut in half moons
1 cup sweet potato cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup white potato cut into 1 inch cubes
2- 12 oz. pkgs. multigrain tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 T. olive oil
1 T. tamari
2 cups BBQ sauce

Lightly oil (or spray with oil) a large baking dish (9x13-inch or larger). Place the sliced onions and peppers in the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes to slightly roast the vegetables. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the vegetables to a plate, and set aside. Place the tempeh in the same baking pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and tamari. Pour the tamari mixture over the tempeh. Bake the tempeh at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, stir the tempeh, and return the pan to the oven. Bake the tempeh an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the tempeh is lightly browned and the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the oven. Add the reserved vegetables along with BBQ sauce, and toss gently to combine. Return the pan to the oven, bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Serve as a main dish or side dish, with grains or pasta, or as a sandwich filling.

Serves 4

Summertime Berry Pie

Since so many of my friends have asked me for this recipe, I've decided to share it here. Because I seem to be making this pie just about every other day, I've reduced the prep time by using a prepared, frozen pie crust shell from Maple Lane Bakery.

4 cups of fresh, whole, mixed berries (I have been using raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries from my garden)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice crystals
2 Tbs. cornstarch plus 1/4 cup cold water
1 ready-to-bake pie crust shell

Place berries and water into a small pot over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and add evaporated cane juice crystals. Stir and cook for five minutes. Mix cornstarch thoroughly with 1/4 cup cold water and pour over berry mixture, stirring constantly for about five minutes more until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Pour into baked and cooled pie shell, and refrigerate. If you want to be really sinful, top with Organic So Delicious Dairy Free Creamy Vanilla ice cream.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting