Monthly Archives: October 2011

Kitchen Shaman’s Favorite Kitchen Tools

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.

The first chopper I used like this one came from former roommates, and though I berated the tiny little work horse, once I tried it, I fell in love. When the roommates moved out I mourned the loss of this time saver.

This little gem runs a good $25.00 on the retail market. I live in an area with an abundance of Goodwill thrift stores. We went last weekend on 50% off day, and I found one, in good shape. I tested it out and I’m in heaven. No more hand breaking knife mincing with garlic and cilantro. After a full day of chopping at work, sometimes I need the time savers at home.

My next favorite tool is the rolling pin. I don’t get to use it much these days, with the partner being gluten free, but on the same Goodwill trip, I found a very nice, well-weighted rolling pin. I hope to use it often when I finally tackle cooking gluten free vegan desserts and pies.

As a chef, you would think that I want to spend lots of money on my tools. But with perfectly good equipment, discarded by those who no longer need them, why spend the extra bucks? Shop smart when looking for kitchen tools. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get good quality machines. Read reviews on products, and then see if any of the thrift stores in your area have these items. It can go a long way in saving both time and money.

Eggplant Heaven, Baingan Bharta

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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.

Credit for this recipe goes to Manjula’s Kitchen. I’ve altered a few things, but the flavors remain the same.

Baingan Bharta

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 4 oz

Baingan Bharta

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned
2 medium sized tomatoes, rough chop
1/4 inch of ginger, grated
1 green chili (jalapeno or serrano)
3 tbsp oil
Pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Process

Roast the eggplant, either on the grill or in the oven, until the skin starts to blacken (approximately 35-40 minutes). You want the eggplant to be soft and squishy on the inside, but still able to peel away from the flesh.

Let cool and then peel off the skin. Chop into small pieces and set aside.

While the eggplant is cooking, blend tomatoes, ginger and green chili in a blender.

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high, and stir fry the red bell pepper for a minute. Remove the bell pepper from the pan and set aside.Put the pan back on the heat.

Add the cumin and asafoetida in the same saucepan you used for the bell pepper. After the seeds crack add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt. Cook without stirring for a few minutes until the oil starts separating from the puree.

Add the eggplant and cook on medium heat. Keep stirring and mashing the eggplant as it cooks.

Remove from heat and add the bell pepper, fresh cilantro, and Garam Masala to the eggplant. Mix gently.

Serve hot with basmati rice, and pickled condiments.

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Struggling with Inspiration

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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.

Food is my passion and my love. It should be easy to write about what I love. They say if you want to be a successful writer, write about what you love, and I love food. This article may not be about food with a recipe or with information or history, but it is about the process of writing about food. I stated last year that I would write about the process of becoming a food writer. The struggle is part of the process.

So with these thoughts I’ll leave you with a photo of some amazing food that I’ve created.

Questions and Answers about Vegans and Vegetarians

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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.

2) Why don’t vegans eat honey?

Vegans do not eat ANY animal product, including honey. Most vegans do not wear clothing made from animals. That includes leather and silk. (Silk is a product of the silk worm, which are killed in the process of obtaining the fiber.) If you think that is limiting, then think of the animals that are put through brutal practices in order to produce meat and clothing.

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

Vegans and vegetarians do NOT have the same diet. Vegetarians consume eggs, cheese, honey, and other foods made from or processed through animal products (like non-vegan sugar). They wear clothing and accessories made from animals, and they do not usually hold the same radical political views that vegans have. So no, vegans are not vegetarians.

I hope this answers some questions about veganism and vegetarianism. I’ve been collecting information for the better part of 25 years. I have crossed paths with many folks who eat both diets. And I’ve learned so much just from reading and having conversations. Information combats ignorance and prejudice. Wouldn’t it be a great thing if we could help remove the stigma surrounding veganism.

The Golden Spice, Turmeric

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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.

Since ancient times, turmeric has been honored and revered. Today is has been pushed aside in favor of modern medicine. I’ve been taking turmeric as an anti-inflammatory for two years now, and have not had any adverse side affects, unlike when I was taking an over-the counter medication to control pain and swelling. It amazes me that we call the Ancients “barbarians” when they seemed to know more about natural medicines than the modern world.

I use turmeric in many dishes. It is one of the main spices in my vegan Potato Salad. It goes well in Curried Rice, and in most of the other Indian dishes I’ve been experimenting with.

If you want to add a bit of zing to your food with the added knowledge that it is good for you, get turmeric into your diet.

Information for this article came from: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/turmeric-000277.htm

Eating Green

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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. Finally, like a lightening bolt hitting my brain, I knew: that’s where the new Green would be. Three miles from our house. I found the Super Secret Location (it’s kind of like finding the Bat Cave). Then they posted that the bakery and coffee shop, Nami, was open. A vegan bakery in Phoenix that has a chance of surviving. And after a day or two, it was posted that the restaurant itself was open. Strawberry Mint Soynami We were in heaven. Not only do we get to save gas to eat at one of our favorite places, we also can have Tsoynamis more frequently. Last week we hopped on over to support the local vegan eating scene. We started with the Artichoke Gratin, with both corn chips and pita chips. I’m allergic to the corn, she’s allergic to the wheat. Then, the partner ordered a gluten free Secret BBQ Chick’n po-boy. What makes it gluten free? It comes with corn tortillas, not the bread roll. I had the Texas Moo-shroom Po-boy, “pulled” mushrooms in a thick spicy BBQ sauce. Messy and delicious. It is usually a four napkin sandwich.We took our time eating and digesting. And I finally got to meet the Mad Creator of the Valley’s favorite American vegan food. The decor is much more urban than the Tempe location.

Secret BBQ Chick'n Po-boy Moo-shroom Po'boy

The current art was Signs. All big with funny and interesting statements on them. My favorite part was the back wall with car doors, and a spiral staircase leading upstairs. The staff at green are always friendly and helpful, and since this was the new adventure, enthusiastic about educating new diners on their particular vegan cuisine. After consuming our lunches, we strolled over to Nami and got to have lovely Tsoynamis.

Nami (bakery & coffee shop) and Green (restaurant) are in two separate buildings on the same property. I met the lead baker who had Chedder and Chive scones out for sale as well as a selection of cupcakes, cookies, and other pastries – even a daily gluten-free option. She’s using the Daiya cheese in the scones. I was too full to try one, but they looked heavenly. We ate our tsoynamis and soaked in the atmosphere of Phoenix’s newest contemporary eatery. If you are ever going to be in the Phoenix area, and want a great vegan meal, drop me a line and I’ll take you to Green, where the food is fantastic and the ambiance fabulous.

October Cooking Class: What’s in A Chili?

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This month I’ll be talking all about chili’s, where they are from, how to use them, and tips on how not to burn yourself while preparing chilis. Sign up now for the class by clicking on the flyer.

Play with Your Food: Eggplant & Zucchini Towers with Quinoa and Peppers

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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. Try these with your favorite Salad, or serve them as the vegetable side with an entree like Orange Glazed Tofu, or Southwest Tofu Sticks (Recipe is coming, I promise).

Play with Your Food: Eggplant & Zucchini Towers with Quinoa and Peppers

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Yield: 4 each

Play with Your Food: Eggplant & Zucchini Towers with Quinoa and Peppers

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 Zucchini, sliced and roasted
1 Yellow squash, sliced and roasted
2 Eggplant, sliced and roasted
2 Red pepper roasted, peeled and cut into strips
2 Green pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
2 Poblano/Pasilla pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
1 package Daiya Mozzerella Style Cheese

Process

Cooked Quinoa:

Rinse and drain 1/4 cup quinoa seed. Bring to a boil 1/2 cup water. Add the quinoa, cook until quinoa opens up and is a bit sticky, about 15 minutes. (It's good if it's like sushi rice).

Pre-heat oven on Broil. Prepare all the vegetables. You want to cut them thick. 1/2 an inch is good. I usually get three slices per squash. and 4 out of the eggplant.

Coat with a little oil, assemble onto a baking tray (sheet pan). Roast until the peppers blister, the squash looks squishy, and the eggplant takes on a little brown color. It might be necessary to remove each vegetable type separately.

Cool the ingredients down.

To Assemble: Use eggplant as the base, then quinoa, then peppers, then the zucchini. I use two eggplants, with the squash in the middle. Add the mozzerella style cheese on the layer above the zucchini, and then put some on top of the last eggplant to give it that "broiled" look. Cook in the broiler for 5-7 minutes, or until the "cheese" browns!

Serve with a red pepper couli, or butternut squash puree.

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Farmer’s Markets: A Vegan Paradise

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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.

The last trip yielded very fresh, lovely cucumbers, round squash, and tasty herbs. I love going and talking to the farmers, and the makers of the food. For a Chef, it is a hands on, tactile experience I appreciate. Our society is so very removed from the actual production of our food. The markets give a wonderful opportunity to get in there and talk to the folks who make the food we eat. As a Chef Instructor, it’s great to stand in front of the class and let them know that the food they are eating came from locally sourced farms.

It’s not always possible, but when you can support your local farmer’s markets, and local grocers. It’s better for the local economy, and for you.

A Little Bit About Eating Vegan

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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.

The journey of becoming a chef taught me technique, knife skills, and a love of all food. I rediscovered what I once knew as a child, when I stayed at my grandparents farm. I love to cook, and I love vegetables, salads of all kinds, and fruit. I am really fond of fruit. I’ve taken these skills and applied them to my own kitchen. But for those down days, when I’m tired, or haven’t had time, the partner buys prepared foods. And thank goodness for Amy’s Kitchen, a small company that started in 1987, with a small distribution. They have grown into delivering to major grocery stores, and smaller independent markets. We usually have several entrees and several cans of chili and soup in the house, just in case.

But as an almost vegan, I also have dining choices, which 10 years ago, especially in larger markets, was virtually impossible to find. Unless you went to a local burrito joint and ordered a rice and bean burrito, finding vegan take-out was a challenge. (If the beans weren’t cooked with lard, and the rice cooked with chicken stock).

Today, I have not only one, but half a dozen choices in Phoenix. Smaller restaurants like Green New American Vegetarian, and the chains, like Pei Wei serve fine vegan food. There’s new places that pop up and show us staying power, like Pomegranate Cafe, that serves raw, vegan, and vegetarian food.

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen at home. As a vegan and a chef, I have no reason to be eating prepared meals. I make tried and true dishes, like Portabello Mushroom Burgers, or Orange Glazed Tofu Cutlets with Steamed Broccoli and cauliflower, or something as simple as Stir Fry and Rice. I also have a passion for creating new dishes for the non-foodie Partner to try.

I am especially grateful for the explosion of vegan food blogging. I would still be floundering a bit for recipes and inspiration without this delightful community. I discovered The PPK and Vegweb early on, and they are still my go to websites for recipes and information, although search engines on the internet have come a long way with finding recipes. I do have a list of my favorite food writers/bloggers that I check in with on a regular basis. Without all of you, I would not be as confident cooking vegan cuisine. We’d still be eating mainly rice and bean burritos and veggie sautes. Over the years I have conquered my fear of tofu and have delved into the depths of grains and legumes. I’ve come to love split peas and dahl and my all time favorite, the chickpea.

As this month progresses, I’ll be writing more about each of the dishes I create, and a bit of history behind the food we eat.

Enjoy!