Author: Kitchen Shaman

Stevia and the Sugar Debate

leaf-74187_1920There is a debate running about sugar and alternative sweeteners. The general agreement is that refined white sugar is unhealthy for our bodies. It contains empty calories and active agents that rot our teeth and help increase the rate of diabetes in our population. Yet we continue to purchase and consume sugar in mass quantities. The artificial sweeteners aren’t healthy for you either, causing side effects like cancer.

Along comes stevia, a plant from South America that took thirty some odd years to appear in American grocery stores. So what is the big buzz about stevia? It is a plant. You can use it much like curry leaves, right from the plant itself. It takes less amount of stevia than regular sugar to sweeten products. You can purchase stevia from your local market, it comes in the form of white powder, packaged in a box. read more

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The Fear and Passion of Cooking

julie and juliaWe just finished watching the movie Julie/Julia again, and the “Making of” on the DVD. I saw the movie when it came out in 2009, but didn’t think to read the book. I read the book in December, and found it funny, interesting, and a great story about learning how to cook. So I had to watch the movie again.

During the “Making of” part on the DVD, they mentioned how Julia Child was a fearless human being, and that cooking makes you fearless. The discipline demands it from you. read more

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How to Make Simple Syrup

This syrup is a great base for making lemonade, or any other sweetened home-made drink. I’m going to try it out with the Ginger-beer recipe I found over at Trinigourmet.com.

Simple syrup can keep for a long time. So don’t worry. If you want to make a big batch (like I’m going to for the ginger beer) use a bigger stock pot. Just remember to keep a close eye on the stuff.

This goes great with Fresh-made Lemonade.

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Watermelon as Gazpacho

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.

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Weekday Vegetarian as an Option

This is a guest post written by my Partner, D’Marie.

I have been a vegetarian for a long time, approaching twenty years now. I have been a full on vegan for three or four and wheat free for two.  This has been a long process, not an overnight change.

Even the initial decision to become a vegetarian, back when I was in college, was a gradual one.  I decided to slowly weed out different types of meat from my diet so that I could, one day, become a full vegetarian. At that point I couldn’t imagine becoming vegan.  And, because the idea of leaving behind meat was such a scary one, I was even slow on that count.  I remember explaining to friends that I was allowing myself to eat red meat only two days a week at first and poultry the rest of the week. read more

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Worth the Trip? Veggie Grill in Hollywood

Our final excursion into Southern California vegan cuisine was the Veggie Grill. We went to the one in Hollywood, on Sunset Blvd, nestled inside a large retail building that included movie theatres. Again, we had difficulty with parking, but with it being Sunday and movie theatres in Hollywood at mid-day, it made sense that parking would be an issue.

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Books by Chef Johnna

  • Delectable Vegan Soups -------------------------------------------------------
  • Things Vegans Fry: Crunchy Comfort Food for Vegans

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