I'd like to dispel the myth once and for all, that being vegan is about deprivation. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I LOVE to eat. While I'm eating breakfast, I'm already thinking about what I'll be having for dinner. Given the choice between great sex and a decent meal, I'll always pick the food, unless of course, there's some way to combine the two activities. That's why I would never choose a diet that in any way short changes my taste buds. Since I became vegan, I have enjoyed a much greater variety of tastes and textures than I ever dreamed possible as an omnivore.
However, I fully understand anyone's reluctance to believe that this could be true. Since earliest childhood, we have been conditioned to regard eating vegetables as punishment so that we can be rewarded with foods that are really bad for us. Remember your mother's incessant refrain? Eat your spinach (corn, brussel sprouts, whatever) and then you can have your ice cream. If you're an unfortunate soul like me, as a child, you only ate vegetables that came out of a can, so you know that being forced to eat that stuff truly was a form of torture. Just thinking about those pale, soggy, overcooked peas, carrots, and lima beans still makes me want to gag. What child in her right mind wouldn't rather consume milk from a cow disguised in the form of a creamy, sweet, frozen dessert?
But I'll never forget the first time I tasted a real vegetable. I was ten-years-old and had been invited to a friend's house for dinner. Lying there right next to the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, was this strange-looking bright green stuff. I remember cautiously bringing the first bite to my lips and furtively fondling the tender florets of gently steamed broccoli with the tip of my tongue. The crunchy taste and texture seemed wonderfully exotic to me. I ran home that night excited to share this amazing new food discovery with my mother. "Mom, you gotta make broccoli, you gotta make some broccoli!" I cried. But once my mother learned that she couldn't buy broccoli in a can, that was the end of any hope of ever of eating this delightful new food at our house. I don't think I ate broccoli again until I was old enough to vote.
Let me assure you that even if you don't like broccoli, a diet that is completely free of all animal products is not about limitation or deprivation. It's a virtual gastronomic celebration.
You want convenience? I wrote the book on veg*an convenience foods. (Seriously, it's called, So Now, What Do I Eat?) Have you ever tried Rising Moon Organics' Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli, or how about Turtle Mountain's Mint Chip ice cream made from coconut milk? You will think you've died and gone to vegan heaven.
And if you're feeling truly ambitious, try this undeniably delicious recipe for Tofu-Spinach Lasagna. If the tofu filling doesn't taste a lot like real ricotta cheese, then I'll eat my grass skirt. This favorite dish has made converts out of quite a few disbelievers. Try it, and let me know what you think.
YOU WONT BELIEVE ITS TOFU & SPINACH LASAGNA
1/2 lb. lasagna noodles
3 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb. soft tofu, patted dry
1 lb. firm tofu, patted dry
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk (Original or Unsweetened)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. basil
2 tsp. salt
6 cups homemade tomato sauce or 1 48 oz. commercial sauce
1 pkg. Vegan Gourmet or Daiya Mozzarella, shredded (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain carefully and set aside. Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside. Place the tofu, maple syrup, soymilk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Cover the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles. Follow that with a layer of half the tofu filling and half the spinach. Continue in the same order, using half the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and the remaining tofu filling and spinach. End with the remaining noodles covered with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until tomato sauce bubbles. Sprinkle with vegan mozzarella, if desired before returning to the oven. Serves 6 to 8.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Monday, June 01, 2009
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
and Tempeh Bacon from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
So far, every dish I've made from Vegan Brunch has exceeded my expectations. How does Isa do it? The tofu scramble, omelet, quiche, and frittata recipes have all done a great job of imitating the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of eggs. I can't wait to move on to the pancakes, waffles, and crepes. Stay tuned ...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
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
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Thursday, May 07, 2009
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
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!
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!
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.
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!
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