Thursday, October 12, 2006

Veggin’ on the Road

I spent part of the past week out of town, so now that I’m back I wanted to just quickly mention one of my favorite vegetarian road-trip destinations. Sometimes just a short drive can bring you to a whole new world. For example, take Starr’s New Southern Cuisine in Mocksville. Although it’s not obvious from the name or the first look at the menu, Starr’s is extremely vegetarian-friendly. The kitchen stocks veggie burgers, veggie “bacon” and veggie “chicken” patties that can be substituted for meat in many of the menu items. So, yes, you can have that fried green tomato BLT - great with a side of sweet-potato fries - or the sweet-potato ravioli with flash-fried collard greens. And they’ve added fried dill-pickle chips to the menu since the last time I was there. Clearly, it’s time for a return visit....

Friday, October 06, 2006

Quinoa

A food that I’ve recently discovered and enjoy cooking with is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). It’s been around for 6,000 years—the Incas called it the “mother grain”—but it seems to have only recently begun to catch on in modern American cooking. I first tasted it several years ago at Spirits on the River, a Native American restaurant in Asheville, but it took me a while before I started cooking with it.

Quinoa is technically not a grain, but it’s treated as one in cooking. It’s high in protein—12 percent to 18 percent—which makes it a particularly great addition to a vegetarian’s diet. And it’s a complete protein because it contains all eight of the essential amino acids. Quinoa is also a pretty good source for iron, calcium and Vitamin E. It’s gluten-free and is considered easy to digest.

Its flavor borders on bland, so it makes a great base for salads and casseroles, providing nutrition while other ingredients can supply the balance of the flavor. It has a slightly nutty taste (particularly if you toast the seeds before cooking). I’ve successfully substituted it for rice and couscous in recipes—my most recent use was substituting it for bulgar wheat in tabbouleh. You could also use it in place of oatmeal for a protein-rich breakfast.

Uncooked quinoa looks like tiny seeds, but once it cooks, it takes on a much different appearance—the germ twists outward and forms a tiny, white, curved “tail.” It cooks much like rice—boil 1 part quinoa in 2 parts water for 15 to 18 minutes until it’s soft and fluffy, but with a bit of a crunch left.

The seeds have a bitter coating called saponin, which needs to be rinsed off before using. Most of the quinoa you’ll find in the supermarkets is already prewashed, but some of the saponin could remain, so it’s best to rinse it yourself, too. Make sure you use a colander with VERY small holes, or you’ll lose some of your precious quinoa down the drain!

Here’s a recipe for a tart, fruity salad that I adapted from a recipe in the October 2006 issue of Natural Health magazine. The original called for rice, but I used quinoa instead.

Minty Orange and Cranberry Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 c. champagne (or white wine) vinegar
1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (about one orange)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained, sections cut in half
2/3 c. dried cranberries
2 T. chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Boil quinoa in water for 15 minutes, until soft. Let cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together next six ingredients (vinegar through pepper). Pour over cooked quinoa and toss gently to coat. Add orange sections, cranberries, mint and almonds. Toss gently until well mixed. If you let it sit for a while in the refrigerator, the dressing with rehydrate the cranberries and soften them.

You can also find quite a few quinoa recipes here: http://cgi.fatfree.com/cgi-bin/fatfree/recipes.cgi?quinoa

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

What’s cookin’

When the weather starts to cool down in the fall, I get the urge to get cooking in the kitchen. This season, I’ve been trying out the newest addition to my cookbook collection, ExtraVeganZa: Original Recipes From Phoenix Organic Farm, by Laura Matthias (New Society Publishers, 2006). And so far, this book is a winner.

The recipes often make novel use of ingredients. For example, the Vegetable Mochi Casserole has a topping of grated mochi. Mochi, a dense, chewy Japanese food made of brown rice, is usually cut into small squares and baked. It puffs up and gets crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I would never have thought to use it as a casserole topping - but it is an inspired idea! The seasoned mochi bakes up gooey and crisp—almost cheese-like but even better—the perfect casserole topping. The other elements: a garden’s worth of steamed vegetables; tofu chunks; and a creamy, cashew-butter sauce - complement it well. A friend said it may be the best thing I’ve ever cooked.

Now, don’t let the mochi mentioned above scare you off. If you don’t want to venture into using unfamiliar ingredients, there is still plenty here for you. Fern’s Carrot Cabbage Kale Salad makes a colorful, tasty and tremendously healthy side-dish out of readily available ingredients.

It’s a good thing that the first part of ExtraVeganZa makes it a pleasure to eat your vegetables, because the second part, called “Dessert Island,” is filled with wild indulgences. I started at the beginning, making the Mandarin Orange Spice Cake. It turned out so deliciously that I fully intend to forge ahead, through the Chocolate Lavendar Cake, the Chocolate Red Velvet Cake, the Hazelnut Pear Cake.... As you can see, the flavor combinations range from the traditional to the unusual. Several of the desserts use flower flavors, such as lavendar and rose.

And that leads to the brief but fascinating third section, on “Eating With Your Eyes.” Matthias discusses ways to make food visually appealing, including using natural food dyes and edible flowers.

As is fitting for a book concerned with the visual appeal of food, it is beautiful. There are color photos of several dishes, the layout is clean and easy to navigate, and the indexes are accurate and helpful.

More information about Phoenix Organic Farm and the cookbook is available at http://www.phoenixfarm.ca/index.htm

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Cassandra’s take on the fair feast

As Julie said in her post, we ventured to the Dixie Classic Fair on Saturday, looking for fun and vegetarian food. We spent 10 hours at the fair and didn’t come close to feeling devoid of eating options.

THE vegetarian find of the fair for me was the Louisiana Kitchen’s marinated and grilled vegetables: mushrooms and thick slices of zucchini, squash and onions. They were wonderfully seasoned and grilled to just the right consistency. I would’ve been happy with this dish if I got it in a sit-down restaurant—it was that good, and completely unexpected. (This booth can be found in the long row of food booths nearest Yesterday’s Village.)

Another substantial vegetarian meal could be had at one of three Greek-food booths scattered around the fairgrounds (two in the food area and one on the midway). In addition to a large Greek salad, they offered cooked vegetables (onions, squash, peppers and broccoli) on a pita, with lettuce, tomato and tsatsiki sauce. The pita was tasty, but a word of warning: it’s quite messy! No wonder they give you a big pile of napkins.

You might not expect to find any vegetarian options at a food booth called Mr. K’s Chuckwagon, but there are actually some there as side dishes for their main reason for being, steak bits (a big draw for my carnivorous friends). You can get a garden salad, sauteed mushrooms or new potatoes with chives (very yummy, but not exactly in the health-food category, since they’re swimming in butter).

There are quite a few booths offering roasted ears of corn, but my preferred one was Shucker’s near Yesterday’s Village. They offer a topping area where you can sprinkle your corn with such things as parmesan cheese, lime juice, lemon pepper, chili powder or hot sauce. You can even get it dipped in chocolate or mayonnaise (yep, you read those right). I didn’t try either of those interesting options, but friends who did said that both taste better than you’d expect.

Contrary to popular opinion, you CAN eat something totally healthy at the fair. In Yesterday’s Village, you can get a fresh apple (Granny Smith, red delicious or golden delicious) peeled and cut in a few seconds into a spiral on a really nifty metal contraption. And it’s only 75 cents!

Another out-of-the-fair-ordinary option could be found at the Fountain of Life Luthern Church booth. They make a fruit wrap: a crepe spread with Nutella and filled with bananas and strawberries. I totally intended to go back and try this unusual fair food, but it got late and we didn’t make it back by there. Oh well, I certainly had my fill of other foods, as my scale could attest when I got home!

And I didn’t try this, but the Vienna Civic Club offers an egg sandwich on its menu.

Feasting at the Fair

“A fair is a veritable smorgasbord” sings Templeton in the movie “Charlotte’s Web.” And truer words were never sung by an animated rat. With its roots as a celebration of agriculture and the harvest, it’s natural that the fair has an incredible array of things to eat. Yesterday, Veggin Out co-conspirator Cassandra, Carl, Tim and I spent 10 hours at the Dixie Classic Fair - and we still didn’t get to sample all the goodies.

My first food stop was at Louisiana Kitchen, a concession near the entrance to Yesterday Village. The woman working there assured me that the red beans and rice are purely vegetarian; and they are purely tasty, too. It’s a simple dish, but well-seasoned, satisfying, and healthy - especially as fair food goes. It was one of the best food choices I made all day.

Next, it was on to Smitty’s, a concession in one of the Yesterday Village cabins. Smitty’s offers all things apple: Apple cider, hot or cold; apple fritters; apple pies; caramel apple chips.... But I was after an apple dumpling: an apple baked in pastry, drizzled with syrup. It’s just wouldn’t be the fair if I didn’t get one of those, or two of those. It’s a tradition.

Another tradition at the Dixie Classic is the way community groups and churches set up in the permanent, brick concession area to raise money for their good causes by selling food. Much of it is in the down-home, seasoned-with-fatback style - but not all of it.

At one stand, Tim asked whether the pinto beans had meat in them, explaining that I was looking for vegetarian beans. The woman behind the counter laughed and said, “Good luck. This is the South, you know!” She wasn’t being unfriendly, and there is some truth to her words - but happily, it isn’t the whole truth. We moved on, and at the Fountain of Life Lutheran Church’s stand, the kitchen assured us that the pintos were vegetarian. A bowl of them with cornbread is another delicious, healthy meal.

But the most vegetarian-friendly stand we saw in this area was the one run by the U.S. Equine Rescue League. Their menu includes veggie burgers; macaroni and cheese; such vegetables as yams, slaw and sauerkraut; grilled cheese sandwiches; and, yes, pinto beans cooked without meat or lard.

Back out on the fairgrounds, another community group adds to the flavor of the fair each year. The Exchange Club, which works to prevent child abuse, sells peanuts roasted in the shell. Their volunteers offer samples to passers-by. They’re yummy and fun to eat, and I generally end up with a bag or three to take home....

We saw but could not sample myriad other delights, such as pizza with cheese and vegetable toppings; fruit smoothies; vegetable fried rice and vegetable lo mein; deep-fried vegetables and deep-fried Twinkies.... OK, I’m going to stop now. I would say I have to go eat breakfast, but for some strange reason, I’m not really hungry yet today.

Friday, September 29, 2006

World Vegetarian Day Oct. 1

Sunday, Oct. 1 is World Vegetarian Day, to lead into October as World Vegetarian Month. It was begun in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society as a way “to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.”

If you’re not a vegetarian, it’s a good day to give going meatless a try. If you are a vegetarian, it’s a good day to share information with friends who might be curious about your lifestyle or to do some reading yourself to learn more. Or if you’re vegetarian, maybe try going vegan for the day.

You can find out more about the day here and get some tips on things you can do to celebrate—such as holding a potluck dinner or dinner party for friends or putting up fliers.

Want to send friends an e-card to mark the day? You can find several at this site. Cute!

I couldn’t find any local events planned to celebrate World Vegetarian Day, which is a shame. If you know of any—or have some ideas of things to do—please share them!

Coming up: Julie and I will let you know what vegetarian treats you can find at the Dixie Classic Fair.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Hot Diggity Dog

Who knew that Winston-Salem’s own hottie, Texas Pete, makes a vegetarian chili? Well, my omnivorous friends did, that’s who. At morning coffee one day, we got to talking about hot dogs, which led to chili. And then John mentioned that Texas Pete’s chili has no meat in it.

But even after I read the ingredient list - on a can procured from the pantry of another meat-loving friend - I was skeptical. It all looks OK … except what is that “natural flavor”? As experienced vegetarians know, “natural flavors"can be just about anything, and often are derived from meat or other animal products. Unless the packaging states that the product is vegetarian or vegan, there is only one way to know: Do a bit of research.

In this case, I asked Texas Pete itself, using a handy “contact us” link right on the chili page. And a few days later, one of Pete’s representatives wrote back to let me know that “The natural flavor listed in the ingredients is not derived from meat.”

So I stocked up – the sauce is inexpensive, too—and had my first chili dog in more than 20 years (a veggie dog, naturally). That was good! It’s exciting to find out about a great product, and it just goes to show that you can pick up vegetarian tips anywhere, even talking with meat-eaters about their favorite toppings for hot dogs….

Attack of the mystery meat

Most vegetarians have probably encountered this situation before: You order a vegetarian dish from a restaurant, and as you’re eating it, you discover a bit of chicken or beef in your dish.

This happened to me recently. I was eating my tofu-filled entree when I came across a small piece of chicken, and then another one. My pleasure in the dish immediately diminished. The chicken pieces had probably sneaked in there accidentally on the grill, because the cook wasn’t paying close enough attention to keeping the dishes separated.

When this happens, there’s the question of what you should do. Do you send the dish back and request a new one? Do you just pick out the offending piece(s) of meat and continue eating? Do you immediately get up and leave the restaurant?

In my case, it happened to be a takeout meal, so taking the dish back to the restaurant wasn’t a very viable solution. I ended up removing the small chicken pieces and eating the rest of the dish very carefully, keeping a close eye out for more. The dish was still good, but I enjoyed it a lot less than I would have had the chicken pieces not been in there.

I think the answer to how you react to this situation probably depends on a variety of factors: how strict a vegetarian you are; whether you think the restaurant will be understanding of your problem with the dish; and the situation. My preferred method would be to quietly speak to the manager, explain that it was upsetting for a vegetarian to find meat in their dish, and request a new dish. Some restaurants will be more understanding than others and more willing to make things right—that’s just the nature of the beast. My experience will, of course, have an effect on whether I return to the restaurant in the future.

If I were at the restaurant for some type of special occasion where I didn’t want to draw potentially negative attention to myself—say, a first date, a business meeting or a friend’s birthday celebration—I would probably push the meat to the side and keep quiet. And I would be less likely to visit the restaurant again.

Of course, if I ordered tofu pad thai and got chicken pad thai instead, I would most definitely send it back—there’s a difference between a stray piece of chicken and getting the entire order wrong.

What do you do in this situation?

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Let’s Talk Tofu

Poor tofu, butt of so many jokes and victim of so many misconceptions. I’m convinced that many people who say they don’t like tofu simply don’t understand it. So I’d like to properly introduce you, because once you really know tofu, there’s a good chance you’ll love it.

Tofu, a.k.a. bean curd, is made from soybeans. It’s a valued part of many vegetarians’ diets because it is high in protein and because it can enhance so many kinds of dishes. Plain tofu doesn’t have a lot of flavor on its own – and that’s what makes it so versatile. The magic lies in knowing how to use it.

The first thing you need to know is that plain tofu comes in two main types – silken tofu, sometimes called Japanese style tofu, and regular or “Chinese” style tofu.

Silken tofu has a soft and silky-smooth texture. It is most useful in recipes where it will be blended. It makes a great base for a savory party dip; and it is equally at home as a main ingredient in a sweet dessert mousse. It comes in aseptic packages, like little bricks, which last for months without refrigeration.

Regular tofu is generally found refrigerated, floating in water-filled packages. It is the type to choose when you want more texture in your final dish – say, if you’re going to marinate it and thread it with veggies on a skewer for a cookout, or season and broil it as a cutlet.
Choosing the wrong tofu for the task can lead to disappointment. Say you use regular tofu for a dish that is going to be blended – it probably won’t get as smooth as it should, and you’ll end up with a grainy chocolate mousse pie. Or if you try to put silken tofu on a skewer, it’s likely to end up falling into the coals at your cookout.

Both types come in a range of firmnesses – from soft to extra-firm. Choose the firmness that matches your intended use. (I usually just buy the firm or extra-firm varieties. The firmness seems to be less important than choosing the right tofu type, silken or regular.) And low-fat varieties are now available. They seem to work just as well as the full-fat kinds.

When you open package of tofu, drain off any liquid before proceeding with your recipe. If you have any left, store it in fresh water in the refrigerator. Many sources recommend that you change the water every day to help keep the tofu fresh. But even if you do that, try to use it up quickly. It doesn’t tend to keep for long once the package is open.

When you go shopping for tofu, you’ll also find that natural-foods stores carry a tremendous variety of tofu that has already been flavored and prepared so that it is ready to eat straight from the package. We’ll talk about those later – it’s the plain tofu I wanted to introduce today. Here’s a quick recipe to get you started:

Onion Dip
1 package silken tofu (Mori Nu is the brand most often available here.)
1 envelope dry Lipton (or other) onion soup mix. (Lipton’s mix is vegan, according to an extensive list from PETA of name-brand vegan products at http://www.petakids.com/accvegan.html)

Crumble tofu into a blender and blend until smooth.
Add dry soup; blend just enough to mix thoroughly.
Enjoy with chips, veggie sticks, etc.

This is tasty with just the two ingredients. If you want to get fancy, add a tablespoon of lemon juice for extra twang, and/or a tablespoon or two of oil for extra richness. For people who want to consume fewer animal products, blended silken tofu (without the onion soup added, but with a bit of lemon juice, salt and oil) can replace sour cream or mayonnaise in many dishes.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Drop that spinach!

Here’s a news story that could affect you whether you’re vegetarian or not—and especially if you’re Popeye.

One of the things I pretty much always have in my refrigerator is a bag of prewashed spinach. I use it to make salads, to put in wraps, to toss into a pan of scrambled eggs. It’s healthy and super-convenient.

So it was particularly vexing and alarming when I read that the FDA is warning people not to eat fresh bagged spinach because of an outbreak of E. coli. So far there have been 50 cases in eight states, and one person has died. Most healthy people can fight off the bacteria, but it can cause kidney failure and death.

Reports seem to conflict over whether it would do any good to wash the spinach first—so better safe than sorry, I’d say, and just not eat it until they can narrow down the cause. And to be on the safe side, it’s best to go ahead and wash all of that bagged, prewashed produce. Yeah, it defeats some of the convenience aspect, but it’s better than getting sick.

Some grocery stores are pulling spinach off their shelves, but others probably aren’t aware of this FDA alert, so you might want to mention it to the produce manager if you’re at the store.

It’s disheartening to realize that we have to watch out for such healthy foods, too, but cases such as this also make me more convinced that we need to pay more attention to the foods we eat in general, develop safer food-production methods and grow more of our own food when possible.