Friday, September 21, 2007

Quick hits

*Delicious Living magazine recently ran a list of the nine organic must-buys. The criteria for picking these products included pesticide level, impact on the environment and health benefits. I have to admit, a couple of items on the list surprised me. I had no idea that cotton was so chemical-heavy.

*I recently discovered the Web site Green Options. Its focus is on environmentalism, but there is a fair amount of vegetarian content to be found, including a collection of low-fat vegetarian recipes. I look forward to poking around further on the site.

*I went to a football game last weekend at my alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, and I was very pleased to see that the concession stands in Kenan Stadium offered a veggie burger. I didn’t try it, though, because I’d eaten beforehand, expecting there not to be anything substantial and vegetarian to eat.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Dilute! Dilute! OK!

It’s been a busy month - for the first time in years, I forgot to celebrate favorite author H.P. Lovecraft’s birthday on Aug. 20 - and things haven’t slowed down yet. And fall is such a whirl of worthy events. Off the top of my head, I can think of nearly half a dozen vegetarian-friendly events coming up in the next month or so … Maybe if I don’t have time to make it to these, you can -

Apple Festival, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at Bethabara Park, Winston-Salem. It’s not strictly a vegetarian event, but I always enjoy this annual celebration of one of the highlights of the fall harvest. You can enjoy music and crafts at the festival as well.

Very Vegetarian Society meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Miller Park Recreation Center. This meeting will feature Dinner and a Movie. The society will have its usual vegan potluck dinner, and view a screening of Power Shift, about alternative, sustainable energy.

Boston Vegetarian Food Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, Boston, Mass. OK, this is a far-afield dream. But, wouldn’t Boston in the fall be a nice place to be?

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, The Light Factory, Charlotte. This film is described as capturing “four generations of soapmakers and the inspiring legacy of the counterculture’s favorite cleaning product.” You can’t (well, shouldn’t) eat it, but you can do nearly everything else with this vegan-friendly cleaning product. And reading the blurbs on the bottle is great fun (and inspired the title of this post).

Readers, what events are you looking forward to this fall?

Friday, September 14, 2007

Organics and your tastebuds

I have to confess that most of the time, I can’t sense a taste difference between organic and conventional fruits and vegetables. The organic apple I ate yesterday didn’t taste appreciably better or worse to me than the last conventional apple I ate. There are a couple of exceptions I’ve found, however.

Organic potatoes taste so much better to me than conventional potatoes that it’s almost shocking. I can’t tell a difference when I look at them. But every time I fix an organic baked potato, I always think, “Wow, this is the best baked potato ever!” Somehow, an organic potato has a different texture than a conventional one—fluffier and airier—and just tastes more ... potato-y.

I always buy organic baby carrots, as they’re readily accessible and cost no more than regular baby carrots—they’re actually cheaper at Whole Foods than regular-price baby carrots at most grocery stores. However, I’ve found that, to me, organic carrots often have an oddly soapy taste. It’s not off-putting enough for me to not buy them, and I don’t always notice it, but it’s happened often enough to be something of a trend.

Obviously, everybody’s palates are different, but have you noticed a significant taste difference between any organic and conventional produce?

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Bunny Roll

Each evening as I arrive home, my three cats perform a ritual greeting that is one of the highlights of my day.

Bunny, a Japanese bobtail, is especially effusive as she rolls on the floor first for a tummy rub, then for a back scratch, and then for a tummy rub again. For a long time, I’ve said that there should be a type of sushi created in her honor, the Bunny Roll.

Well, as they say, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”

Here, then, is the Bunny Roll. It shows how fun and easy it is to make sushi at home. This is a small recipe that makes just two rolls; it can easily be doubled to make more. First make the rice filling. You’ll need:

1/2 cup sushi rice
3/4 cup water
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 scant tsp sugar

Bring the rice and water to a boil in a small pot, then cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Then, turn the rice into a glass bowl, sprinkle on the sugar and vinegar, and toss with a wooden spoon to mix. (Everything I’ve read says not to use metal bowls or utensils at this step - metal can leave an unpleasant taste in the rice. Ceramic, wooden or plastic bowls and utensils would probably work just as well, though.) Cover the bowl of seasoned rice and let cool to about room temperature.

While the rice is cooling, you can prepare the fillings. For the Bunny Roll, I used:

3 baby carrots, cut into thin matchsticks - because bunnies love carrots.
1 small avocado, peeled and cut into thin strip - because I love avocados. Toss avocado strips lightly in lemon juice to prevent browning.
Umeboshi plum paste - because everything tastes better with plum paste!

Once the rice is cool, assemble the rolls, using two sheets of nori (seaweed wrapper). This is difficult to describe, but not difficult to do.

To be authentic, you can use a special bamboo mat to roll the sushi. Or you can go very low-tech and use a paper towel. Put a sheet of nori on your rolling surface, shiny side down, with the edge of the nori aligned with the bottom edge of your mat or towel. Spread half of the rice over the sheet of nori. Leavie a strip about an about an inch wide at the top of the sheet uncovered, but cover the rest of the nori evenly with rice, all the way to the bottom and sides. It should be just a thin layer of rice.

Next, add your fillings in a thin, horizontal strip about halfway up the rice. For the bunny roll, spread about 1/4 tsp umeboshi paste across the roll. Next, layer on half the avocado, and then half the carrots.

Now, the hardest part - roll up your sushi by taking the bottom edge of the mat/towel and nori, and rolling it up and over the strip of fillings. Tuck the edge of the nori (but not the mat or towel) firmly down, and then roll up the rest until you come to the strip of nori without rice on it. Dip a finger in water and dab it along the edge of the nori, and finish rolling the roll. The wet seaweed will stick and keep your roll together. Roll the cylinder you just formed gently along the countertop to firm it up. Repeat with the other sheet of nori and remaining rice and fillings.

Use a serrated knife to cut your sushi rolls into bite-size pieces, and serve with soy sauce, wasabi paste and pickled ginger. This is best enjoyed with a cat sitting on your lap.

If you want to learn more about making sushi, the Post Punk Kitchen has lots of good information and recipes here. For an unusual twist on sushi, a video from Bryan Au shows how to make raw sushi - no rice, and wrapped in zuchinni strips.

Readers, what are your favorite vegetarian sushi fillings? (Or, even if you don’t like sushi, who is your favorite cat?)

Thursday, September 06, 2007

A Quick Hit

Whew, it’s been that kind of week—rush, rush, rush, and still behind. That has me thinking about meal short-cuts, naturally. A person has to keep her strength up.

So today I wanted to mention one of my favorite convenience products, Vogue Vege Base. Any time a soup, risotto or other recipe requires stock or broth, Vege Base does the job. It’s a powder, patiently waiting in the cupboard. Just a teaspoon is needed to create a tasty broth.

The Vogue Web site mentions other products, including an onion base and vegetarian “chicken” base (and a couple of non-vegetarian products that we’ll just ignore) , and has several intriguing recipes and use suggestions.

OK, I’m rushing off again…. Catch you next time. Meanwhile, what are your favorite short-cut ingredients?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Vegetarian gelatin

I avoid foods with gelatin and always buy vitamins and minerals in vegetarian capsules when I can. But it still bothers me that so many things—some, like medicine, which I can’t really avoid—contain gelatin. A press release I read recently reports that scientists have made advances in deriving gelatin from corn instead of animal by-products.

Although on the surface this is exciting news, producing this vegetarian gelatin results from modifying corn genetically. I don’t like the idea of genetically modified foods, so this tempers my enthusiasm. Personally, I don’t think we know enough about the consequences of mucking about with plant genetics to be sure that it’s safe or won’t have unfortunate nutritional consequences. And I don’t want fish DNA in my strawberries.

Still, in this case it strikes me as a lesser evil; I would rather ingest a pill containing modified-corn gelatin than gelatin derived from cow bones and hooves. What about you?

For now, you can read about cooking with vegetarian alternatives to gelatin here.

Veggies in the morning, Part 2

Did anyone catch the segment on teen vegetarians today on Good Morning America? If not you can read about it here. I didn’t see it, but from the transcript, it seems disappointing - focusing heavily on tired old issue - or non-issue - of getting enough protein.

Once more, with feeling:

As the Vegetarian Resource Group article on “Vegetarian Nutrition for TeenAgers” states: “North American vegetarian teens eating varied diets rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to support growth.”

Readers, do you still get the “Where do you get your protein?” question? If so, how do you deal with it?

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Veggies in the morning

The Vegetarian Resource Group - a great resource for reliable information on vegetarianism and veganism - just sent an e-mail announcement about a vegetarian segment tentatively scheduled for Wednesday morning television:

Katie, a 15-year-old Vegetarian Resource Group summer intern, and her mother are tentatively scheduled to appear on Good Morning America on Wednesday, August 29, 2007.

Good Morning America called the VRG office in search of a girl under the age of 16 who is or wants to become a vegetarian. They were planning a taped segment for the show during which they would interview the girl and her parents. Katie and her mother recorded the interview today.

Good Morning America is on ABC from 7 to 9 a.m.

Friday, August 24, 2007

No more Vegetarian Times?

*I was shocked to read today that Vegetarian Times may no longer exist. Sort of. Apparently they are trying out a two-issue name change to Greens: “Eat Fresh. Choose Organic. Be Healthy.”

This is a newsstand-only change for now, as I’ve already received my September issue and it had the usual Vegetarian Times masthead on the cover. I couldn’t find anything about the name-change test on the Vegetarian Times Web site.

I am not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it seems as if they are turning away from their focus and raison d’etre, as if they no longer want to be associated with vegetarianism or want to hide the concept. An executive says the magazine’s concepts won’t change and they won’t start running articles or ads for non-vegetarian foods. Still, I’m wary. And, frankly, I don’t like the new name they chose. For me, Greens brings to mind collards and spinach and a mother imploring her child to “Eat your greens!” rather than environmentally friendly living. I think Green, singular, would be a better choice, if they are determined to change. (And it’s not set in stone yet.)

On the other hand, I applaud the concept of living “green” on a wider scale besides just being a vegetarian, and maybe a name change could help bring in readers who don’t identify themselves as vegetarians, expanding the magazine’s reach and exposing more people to the concept.

On second thought, maybe I am sure how I feel about this. I don’t like it. What about you? Do you read the magazine? And what do you think about the possibility of a name change?

If you’d like to contact Vegetarian Times directly with your feelings on the matter, go here.

*In other news, I recently came across an article about a restaurateur who’s planning to create a chain of all-vegetarian fast-food restaurants. This excites me, although the chances of one opening in Winston-Salem are probably slim to none.
Labels: news

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Take me out to the ball game

Just now a friend pointed out a story I missed from in this morning’s paper, about PETA naming Philadelphia’s ballpark as the top vegetarian-friendly baseball stadium in America. The vegetarian cheese-steak does sound tasty. You can read the full article here.

PETA’s list of the Top 10 veggie-friendly major-league parks, as well as the ones with honorable mention is available here.

PETA also compiled a list of the Top 10 vegetarian-friendly minor-league parks. North Carolina can be proud: The Durham Bulls Athletic Park was No. 1, serving veggie burgers and dogs, veggie burritos, salad and fruit cups. The full minor-league list is here.

Sports fans, have you found any good vegetarian options at local sports venues?