Kitchen Shaman’s Favorite Kitchen Tools

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 26, 2011 | Equipment, Kitchen Gadgets, Vegan Mofo |

microplane

One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is the microplane. They come in a couple of different forms, and whatever variety you use, they are great to have. Microplanes can grate ginger, and whole nutmeg, zest lemons, limes and oranges, and mince garlic. Once you grasp how to use this little gem to grate fresh nutmeg, you’ll never buy ground nutmeg again.

My next favorite handy tool is a mini food processor, or mini food chopper. I laughed at it when I first saw it. This handy Food Chopper Plus by Black & Decker makes quick work of mincing garlic, chopping cilantro, mincing onions, or any other chopping job too small for the regular sized food processor. read more

Eggplant Heaven, Baingan Bharta

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 25, 2011 | Entree, Recipes |

If you are a fan of eggplant, like I am, this traditional Indian dish will satisfy the cravings on any given day. Easy to make, it is a winner at the table every time. Make sure to check your pantry for the essential spices, turmeric, cumin, asefoetida (hing), and coriander.

Struggling with Inspiration

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 12, 2011 | Perspective, Vegan Mofo |

BBQ Seitan Burger Was it ambitious of me to take on writing five days a week through the month of October? I have so much to write about yet I sit here, looking for a topic, trying to find a subject on food, and the best I can come up with is that I am not as inspired as I want to be about food. Maybe it’s because I am tired, and maybe it’s because I’m not cooking as much. Still, I love to write, and am excited at the prospect of keeping this up through the rest of the month.

If any of you have ideas for topics, or something you would like to learn about food, please let me know. I’ll research the subject and write about it. Hopefully tomorrow I can sit down and block out some topics for the next two weeks. That’s only 12 more posts. I’m sure a seasoned and informed chef like myself can come up with 12 topics that you, the reader, would want to read. read more

Questions and Answers about Vegans and Vegetarians

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 11, 2011 | Food Knowledge & History, Vegan Mofo |

1) How do you get nutrients in a vegan/vegetarian diet?

2) Why don’t vegans eat honey?

3) Isn’t being vegan just like being a vegetarian?

These are the tops questions that come up in discussions about vegan cuisine. It is getting almost as old as the top three questions about being a lesbian (people don’t ask me these questions any more, we are a little more educated as a population).

1) How do you get nutrients in a vegan/vegetarian diet?

Nutrients are easy. Eat legumes, lentils, beans, split peas, dahl, fava beans. All these foods have high amounts of protein. Eat vegetables. Vegetables have loads of minerals that your body needs to function. Folic acid, potassium, calcium, manganese, and some I can’t quite pronounce. Eating a solid stream of plant matter keeps the body balanced and healthy. Fruits and nuts also help the body. Nuts have loads of protein and other minerals and vitamins. Fruit is loaded with Vitamin C, sugars, and fiber that the system needs to keep going. Some people say fruit has bad sugars. Not true. The body can process these sugars easier than the sugar produced by corn. read more

The Golden Spice, Turmeric

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 10, 2011 | Herbs & Spices, Vegan Mofo |

Abstract image of Indian tumeric powder from vegetable market.

Turmeric is called the Golden Spice. It is a root, a rhizome of a plant in the ginger family. Turmeric is used as a spice, a coloring, and an healing herb. Its uses date back at least 4,000 years.

Turmeric needs rainy, wet places to grow. Once harvested, it is boiled, dried in ovens, and then pounded into a powder. Once in powder form, it is used in the process of dying fabrics, and in the kitchen as a main ingredient in most curries, and subzies (vegetables).

The health benefits of the active ingredient curcumin are numerous. Its main function is an anti-inflammatory. It also aids in digestion, and is used as an anti-oxidant, destroying free radicals in the system. More research is being done on the benefits of turmeric. read more

Eating Green

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 9, 2011 | Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants |

There are days I am not cooking and on those days we get to eat out. There's a favorite restaurant of ours, Green New American Vegetarian, located in Tempe, AZ. Tempe is a college town, and the restaurant reflects the image. It's artsy, open, and in a strip mall. The clientele are college students and professors, and college dropouts who like to hang with the crowd. There's a little mix of other types, but mainly that's it.

To get to Green one has to know the football and baseball schedules of the University to avoid the traffic. And it is 15-20 minutes away from our house, depending on traffic and time of day. Early this summer we got wind that Chef Damon was going to open a Phoenix location. Phoenix is a big town, we could only hope it would be close to us. As the plans progressed we kept a watch on Facebook for any news. I actually figured out where the location was. I frequently drive down 7th st , and I kept noticing this same area under construction.

October Cooking Class: What’s in A Chili?

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 5, 2011 | Cooking Classes, News |

This month I'll be talking all about chilies in my cooking class at Luci's. Where they are from, how to use them, and tips on how not to burn yourself while preparing chilis.

Play with Your Food: Eggplant & Zucchini Towers

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 4, 2011 | Entree, Recipes, Vegan Mofo |

Lately I've been on a kick with making Veggie, or Eggplant Towers. Don't ask me why, it just came to me. I used to make them when I worked in Banquets a few years back, but I lacked the level of inspiration I have now. Inspiration led me to add Quinoa and Daiya Mozzerella style Cheese.

Farmer’s Markets: A Vegan Paradise

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 3, 2011 | Vegan Mofo |

roundzuchini The buzz words are local, fresh, and seasonal. Food that is grown in your own backyard. I have a fantasy that someday I can grow the food I cook. But alas, there are reasons for divisional labor in our society. It takes as much time to take care of the crops as it does to cook.

Enter the Farmer’s Market, a Vegan Chef’s paradise. There is seasonally fresh, locally grown produce, (and other products) ripe for the picking. I visit about once a month. I’ve changed where I go due to proximity, variety, and quality of produce. There’s still about five farmer’s markets I haven’t visited in the Valley of the Sun, but I’m working on it. read more

A Little Bit About Eating Vegan

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 2, 2011 | Perspective, Vegan Mofo |

I struggled for years with being full on vegan. I had all sorts of excuses. As the years progressed I would fall back to consuming meat and animal food products like butter, eggs, and cream. I love that stuff. It is my comfort food. The other reason was that I couldn't find any decent vegan food on the grocery store shelves. Frozen dinners and canned food usually had some animal food in it. It was near impossible to get good prepared meals. So I had to cook the food myself, or eat what was on the shelves.

Month: October 2011