A Quick Guide to Quinoa

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 18, 2014 | Grains, Ingredients |

Quinoa has rapidly become one of the hottest foods in the culinary industry, and in the whole foods/super foods society. 2013 was declared the International Year of Quinoa and raised awareness about this ancient grain from South America.

Years ago, when I started writing about food and where it came from, very few people knew what quinoa was. I was working in a large resort with access to all sorts of wonderful ingredients and quinoa was one of our go-to grains for vegetarian meals. We prized its versatility and nutritional value. I learned how to handle quinoa in many different forms.

Julia Child’s Birthday

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 15, 2014 | Celebrity Chefs |

My love of food and cooking started at an early age. I can trace the roots back to when I was in the playpen in the family room and my mom was working on her art or in the kitchen (but not cooking). PBS was on and there was “The French Chef,” Julia Child, with her French cooking techniques and that voice, telling me over and over how to boil, blanch, and sauté. I absorbed how to boil a chicken and truss it up, or debone it. How to make Coq au Vin, and other succulent and decadent French dishes like Crepe Suzette. It would take half a lifetime to climb my way into a Classic French Restaurant as a line cook, but the love was there at age three and four. read more

Road Trip Food

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 11, 2014 | Road Trips, Videos |

Road trip food for a vegan can be challenging. Fortunately I have the skill set to pull off a pretty sweet cooler for traveling. Things that get packed before we slide out of town include, but are not limited to watermelon, jicama, oranges, hummus, carrot and celery sticks, tomatoes, olives, breads and tortillas, nuts and seeds, chips both potato and corn. This is just to get us started.

5 Tips for Vegan Road Trips

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 8, 2014 | Travel |

Most people are lucky. When they go on road trips they can stop for snacks at any one of the many convenience stores and truck stops dotting the highways of America. Most people can live on jerky, Subway sandwiches, and fried chicken. And a candy bar or two.

Not me. Not vegans. When traveling we have to make sure that there are coolers stuffed with all sorts of vegan snacks. This means that three days prior to traveling, I’m going over my road food list.

Ginger-Spiced Peach Compote

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 6, 2014 | Breakfast, Recipes |

It is peach season and that song comes to mind by the Presidents of the United States, “millions of peaches, peaches for me.”

But what to do with such abundance? The expression used is “putting up.” In the past this meant cooking, canning, and preserving the summer flavors of peaches, summer squash, and string beans in jars so that when the cold of winter has us bundled up and huddled around the hearth, these flavors can be enjoyed, triggering a sense of warmth and sunshine.

Sweet, Sweet Peaches

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 4, 2014 | Food Observances |

millions of peaches Peaches are a favorite food of Americans. There is peach pie, peach cobbler, sweet peach tea, peach turnovers, peach compote, and peaches & cream pie.

Ever stop to think how this wonder fruit got to the shores of America? Peaches were long believed to be from Persia. The name for peaches around the world reflects this origin. Dig around a little deeper into the history of peaches and we find that peaches actually originated in Northwest China – at least according to scientific testing that backs up millennia-old Chinese folktales. read more

Bake and Destroy – Bad Vegans Deserve Good Food Too!

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Aug 1, 2014 | Books |

Bake and Destroy (Page Street Publishing, 2013) is a refreshing breath of air in a sea of new cookbooks touting the plant-based diet. Read the title again, Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans. Remember when I talked about not all vegan diets being healthy? I don’t have to be a good vegan to cook from this uncomplicated, straightforward cookbook. And neither do you.

And Natalie Slater does not disappoint.

Agua Fresca de Sandia

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 30, 2014 | Recipes |

August may be a hot humid month, but don’t despair; it is also National Watermelon Month -- that means refrigerating, slicing and eating as much watermelon as you want.

I’ve found lots of delicious ways of consuming one of my favorite foods. Here in the Southwest we have Agua Frescas. Drinks made out of fruits that are chilled and served up to thirsty residents. Most Latin or Mexican markets carry them. They are starting to become more common in standardized grocery stores.

Month of Watermelon!

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 28, 2014 | Food Knowledge & History |

Yes, it’s almost here! August is National Watermelon Month. We’ve been enjoying this luscious, rich, vibrant fruit all summer, but August is the month to celebrate it every day.

Did you know that there are more varieties of watermelon than what we usually eat? White, yellow, and red are just a few of the options you can choose. Watermelon has been domesticated for as long as humans have been eating it, but where did this vine originate?

August Food Observances

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 25, 2014 | Food Observances & Holidays |

Looking towards August, there are several food observance days approaching that you may want to, well, observe. July is nearly over and it was National Ice Cream Month, but did you know that there is a National Root Beer Float Day? That’s right, August 6th. And if you don’t eat conventional ice cream don’t worry. I’m sure if you go to the grocery store, they’ll have a soy or coconut based ice cream to plop into your root beer. As a kid I could never get enough of these cool summertime treats.

Author: Kitchen Shaman