Before I post my super duper okra recipes, I want to get you excited about okra. Though okra was voted most hated veggie, it can actually be quite tasty and nutritious! So I'm here to convert the haters to lovers!

oKra. Okra is actually incredibly healthy despite it's unappealing reputation. Okra is low in calories. One cup of raw okra only has around 30 calories. And in that low-calorie cup in a whopping 66% RDA of Vitamin K! Okra is also high is calcium, fiber, vitamin C, protein, folate, manganese and magnesium. Why munch not-nutrient-dense celery or iceberg lettuce for a low-calorie veggie when you can munch the much-more-nutrient-dense super food veggie okra!

Click ahead for the complete nutrition data on OKRA...

OKRA
serving size: 1 cup raw, chopped
(about 6 spears)
calories: 31
fat: 0 g
carbs: 7 g
protein: 2 g
fiber: 3 g
Vitamin K: 66% RDA
Vitamin C: 35% RDA
folate: 22% RDA
thiamin: 13% RDA
manganese: 50% RDA
magnesium: 14% RDA

Phytochemicals:
Okra - beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin

Low in calories and an amazing source per calorie of Vitamin K, fiber and Manganese. Okra is a stellar veggie that you have got to learn to love.

Even variety-hungry foodies have a few standby favorite recipes that get used almost everyday. Here is one of mine.

Morning Brew. Coffee-free. On a groggy morning (actually, any morning) I have a few favorite wake-up recipes. My favorite hot beverage is my Goji Berry Chai Tea. It's a delicious combination of soy milk, chai tea, goji berries, agave syrup and spices. It wakes me up and keeps me feeling energized through the morning. Pair it with a ginger green tea muffin and I am set!

Click ahead as I share my morning brew recipe (and morning routine) with you...

My Morning Routine

After rising I always head straight to the kitchen (just a few steps away - this is a NYC apartment remember) and I pour myself a sip of what I like to refer to as morning energy juice. Or just energy juice. If I have a lot of energy already, I will juice something myself in my Super Angel juicer. But usually, I grab a swig of fresh Acai juice. Or similar juice. Pomegranate, apple-ginger, grapefruit, lemon-green-apple, green-ginger, orange, kumquat-mandarin or pear lemonade juices are a few other favorites I drink in the morning. I love strong flavors like lemon, ginger, cayenne and citrus in the morning when I am feeling a bit groggy.

If I am super dehydrated I will chug some coconut water first. But I usually only drink straight-from-the-coconut coconut water first thing in the morning. The boxed stuff I drink later in the day.

*I always like to fill my body with fresh live enzymes first thing in the morning. It wakes up my digestive system up, and makes me feel alive all day.*

Then a bit later in my routine I will make a warm mug of my Goji Berry Chai tea. I pair it with something yummy. A muffin, vegan-morning-muffin, nuts, more fruit or cereal.

Here is the simple recipe for my tea:

Goji Berry Chai Tea
vegan, serves one

1 large mug
½ mug chai concentrate, pre-sweetened
½ mug soy milk
3 tablespoon water
cayenne
cinnamon
1 tablespoon dried Goji berries
optional 1 chai tea bag (black or green tea)
optional agave syrup

Procedure:
takes about 5 minutes total
Fill mug with about 3 tablespoon water.
Fill mug (almost to the top) with equal parts soy milk and chai concentrate.
Stick in microwave for 2 minutes.
Add 1 sprinkle cayenne.
Add 1-3 sprinkles cinnamon.
Add goji berries.
Stick back in the microwave for thirty seconds.
Add additional tea bag (for more chai kick) and additional sweeteners if needed.
Allow berries and bag to soak for a few minutes. Berries will be soft and inflated when fully soaked.

Drink and enjoy! Add more berries if you'd like, I always add a few more half way through my beverage.

Goji Berry Facts: Super Berry!

My review of Oregon Chai Beverage Concentrate

Here's the official results for my ongoing Most Feared, Hated and Loved Veggie Survey:

Most FEARED: Okra
Runners Up: Fennel, Artichoke

Most LOVED: Mushrooms
Runners Up: Asparagus, Spinach

Click ahead for MOST HATED VEGGIE...

And the most hated veggies, according to the 200+ survey participants are.....

Most HATED: Iceberg Lettuce
Runners Up: Brussel Sprouts, Kale

But what about those cool crunchy iceberg lettuce salads?
And a nice firm bitter tender brussel sprouts?
And a tender garlic or citrus flavored bowl of kale?

...well I do have my eggplant issues. We all have veggie issues.

As promised, more recipes featuring these veggies to come.

...what to do with OKRA???

Any ideas?

We are living in an age of connectivity thanks to technology. You can order a pizza on Facebook, tweet your latest great idea to all ten thousand of your followers, direct message the CEO of Starbucks, live chat with your mom in Hawaii, make a dinner reservation for six with a click of your mouse, text message your vote for American Idol and even read and reply to an email from your boss via your cell phone. But with so much advancement in food delivery, reality TV and tweeting, is it possible that our nation's health care system could be seriously lagging on the technology front? Do doctors need to play techno-catch up in order to please consumers? A new survey says yes.

A new 2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, unveiled some interesting new findings about how consumers view health care.

Twitter your BP to Dr. Tweet? One finding showed that 65 percent of consumers are interested in home monitoring devices that enable them to check their condition and send the results to their doctor. 42 percent want access to an online personal health record connected to their doctor’s office. Key Conclusion: Consumers embrace innovations that enhance self-care, convenience, personalization and control of their personal health information.

Sugar Dr. 7 in 10 consumers say they would participate in a wellness program if they were given financial incentives. Overall, consumers are not too happy. 40 percent of consumers have expressed discontent with the status quo, rating the U.S. health care system a D or an F.

Click ahead for more survey findings...

Reported Findings:

"The 2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers, conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, is Deloitte’s second annual study of health care consumers’ attitudes, behaviors and unmet needs. It offers health care industry leaders and policymakers a comprehensive and timely perspective about how Americans approach their health, health care and health insurance.

The study’s framework reflects a broad-based view of consumerism in six zones: (1) wellness and healthy living, including self-care and health management; (2) information sources helpful in consumer decision making; (3) traditional health services provided by medical professionals, hospitals and retail clinics, as well as prescription medications and medical devices; (4) alternative health services sometimes described as complementary medicine; (5) insurance coverage and other financial considerations; and (6) opinions about health care reform.

The transformation of the U.S. health care system requires a deep understanding of the role that consumers play – how they think and behave relative to the lifestyles they choose, the purchases they make and the assumptions they follow in preparing for future health problems and possible costs.

The survey’s key conclusions are the following:

* Health care is a consumer market: consumers find ways to navigate the complexities of the U.S. system by comparing service, quality and costs
* The health care market is not homogenous: it is comprised of six unique segments
* Health cost concerns are changing behaviors
* Consumers want holistic care and resources to pursue wellness and healthy living
* Consumers embrace innovations that enhance self-care, convenience, personalization and control of their personal health information

A sample of interesting findings include:

* Nearly 40 percent of consumers have expressed discontent with the status quo, rating the U.S. health care system a D or an F
* A quarter of consumers have skipped care when they were sick or injured; two in five of those consumers have done so because they simply could not afford it, were not covered by insurance or thought the costs were too high
* Three in 10 switched medications in the past year; 38 percent switched to save money
* 53 percent of consumers would like employers to be required to provide health insurance for employees
* 37 percent favor a mandate requiring every American to obtain health insurance either through direct purchase or through an employer or government program
* 7 in 10 say they would participate in a wellness program if they were given financial incentives, such as a reduced insurance premium or monetary reward
* 13 percent of consumers have visited a retail clinic this year and 30 percent said they would do so if it cost 50 percent or less than seeing a doctor in a doctor’s office
* 42 percent want access to an online personal health record connected to their doctor’s office
* 65 percent of consumers are interested in home monitoring devices that enable them to check their condition and send the results to their doctor"

For a full summary of the "2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers: Key Findings, Strategic Implications" please download the attachment at this link: http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0%2C1002%2Csid%25253d80772%252526cid%25253d252396%2C00.html?wt.mc_id=pr

Contributors to the Survey:

Paul H. Keckley, Ph.D
Executive Director
Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Laura Eselius, Ph.D, MPH
Senior Fellow
Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Dirt Candy is the new East Village, NYC vegetarian (vegan-friendly) restaurant from Chef Amanda Cohen. At Dirt Candy, it's all about the veggies. From a bright green spinach soup with smoked tofu dumplings and zing-worthy lemon confit - to a cheerful orange plate of really carrot-y risotto. Chef Cohen pays homage to the delicious things that come out of the ground- the "Dirt candy".

Veggie Guru. Amanda does with veggies what Morton's does with steak, what Morimoto does with sushi and what Batali and Lidia do with pasta. And Chef Cohen is in the Dirt Candy kitchen every service night. She even personally presents most of the entrees to her guests. Multitasker Award! The tiny humming kitchen is just a few feet away from the customers, so you can watch Amanda in action. Dinner and a show. Foodie style.

My Turn for Some Candy. So I wanted to see and taste for myself. Click ahead for more & my complete review of my Dirt Candy experience....

Dirty Business. I've heard a lot of buzz about Dirt Candy in the past few months, and to be honest a lot of it was not so kind. I read one headline on a vegan blog that hinted that Cohen really caters to the lacto-ovo vegetarians. There was even an incident where Dirt Candy's menu box was vandalized a while after opening. Rumors of the East Village Vegetarian Mafia were quickly whispered around the blogosphere. NYC can be a dirty city for a new restaurant on the block. Rest assured, my experience shunned all these silly myths. Chef Cohen was incredibly warm and gracious to each and every customer. And the vegan fare was just as flavorful and delicious as the non-vegan fare (according to my husband-who is very honest!)

My Review: Dirt Candy, NYC

Shelf Appeal: They say great things come in small packages, right! Well in this case, yes. Dirt Candy is smaller than my apartment, and that says a lot! It's quite a squeeze into the small space, I'd guess about 25 diners were on hand when I was there. But the seating is simple, elegant and modern. Cool modern mood-lit ceiling lights create a warm glow and the bustling kitchen-open to the dining room-creates an energy that not even the dining room at Le Bernadin can match. I was a bit scared to enter the tiny shoe-box dining room. But the staff magically makes you feel at ease. I'm still shocked how pleasant a dining experience it was for me, someone who hates feeling cramped. And the close-knit bunch of diners allowed visual sharing of the served plates. A new dish from the kitchen made every one's heads turn.

Label Check: 100% vegetarian. Most everything on the menu can be made vegan. TONS of the highest quality veggies around. There's no way that Amanda could get the spinach soup that green, the grapefruit that pink and the risotto that orange without using high quality, nutrient-dense, fresh produce. And high quality produce means delicious food (if you cook it right, which she does.) I'll admit I was a bit hesitant to crunch down on three giant fried jalapeno hush puppies, but I had to give them a whirl. Something about this place makes it OK to indulge in a bit of fried gourmet puffs. Yum. But everything else is incredibly light and healthy. Even the sweet potato sorbet at dessert was bright orange and rich in nutrients.

Taste Test: See below for specific reviews. But the flavors were pure, bold and memorable. I was sopping up sauce, soup and dressing with my bread side - it was that delicious.

Price Check: Two glasses of wine, a glass of champagne, two entrees, two starters, one appetizer, one dessert and a coffee for around $100. It was our Easter outings and well worth the price. I could easily go back and get an entree and starter and a half glass of wine for under $40. For the food quality, the prices are reasonable.

Last Word: Get this foodie experience while it lasts! ...I don't think Chef Cohen will be in this tiny shoebox forever. Dirt Candy could easily move up and outward. Be one of the first to experience Dirt Candy. It's fun, different, delicious and buzz-worthy. Finally, a place to chat-up brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes not chick'n and fake meat. My kind of vegan bliss!

Menu review breakdown.

I ordered:
Glass of Rose Champagne: Light. Crisp. Yum. Bright rose colored pink!

Jalapeno Hush Puppies: Light fluffy cake-like fried nuggets. Not as spicy as I would have liked, but and excellent 'snack' to go with my rose champagne. (Made vegan)

Spinach Soup with Smoked tofu-dumplings and lemon confit: OMG. This was probably my favorite part of my meal. I am a sucker for amazing soup. Bright green nutrient-dense soup that was full of flavor and warmth. My husband who doesn't like 'green juice' tried it and was in heaven. The lemon confit is already famous among bloggers. It sings and zings. I would LOVE this recipe. It is divine.

Crispy Tofu with Green Ragout,kaffir lime beurre blanc: Very fresh, light and flavorful. The tofu appeared to by crisped by a layer of wonton wrappers. My guess. I was expecting more of a fried tofu, but this was very lightly handled. It was on a bed of chopped snow peas and the brightest green brussel sprouts I have ever seen. Very lightly cooked. Almost firm, but in a good way! Less cooking-more nutrients in tact. And that lime beurre blanc was curry-esque and wonderful. I wish the tofu had been soaked in that sauce but I did a good job of soaking it around myself.

Chocolate Cake with sweet potato sorbet: Heaven, I was in heaven.Most of you know my obsession with sweet potatoes. Thus, this sweet potato sorbet really made me swoon. Bright salmon colored and sweet potato deliciousness abounding. I think I ate more than my 'half' of the sorbet part of the dessert-since my husband and I were sharing- but that's OK he ate most of the moist warm chocolate brownie-cake.

My husband (he is not vegan) got the Portobello Mousse and the Stone Ground Grits with tempera poached egg. He was oo-ing and ahh-ing the whole meal through. He loves mushrooms, and so that rich and savory mousse with little crispy bread crackers was perfect for him o munch. And I was shocked to see a man who hates corn rolling his eyes in delight after each bite of grits. He loved it! I suspect anyone would love that dish-even hardcore veggie-phobes. There was just a few sprinklings of greens-it was all about the stone ground corn and that amazing-tasting egg. And his coffee, french-press, was very good.

So, yes I will be back. I need to try that candied grapefruit as well as the carrot risotto. I am a risotto fiend, but was craving some tofu that evening. If it had been sweet potato risotto, I would have given in though. I also need to try another dessert. That popcorn pudding with the caramel corn on the side. So yum. And so healthy. And such a foodie experience. I really want to bring my non-vegan foodie friends and non-vegan chef friends to this place. Too bad it is a tough reservation! Snag one on OPENTABLE if you can.

Dirt Candy. I'm a fan.

images from Dirt Candy's website.

WWW.DIRTCANDYNYC.COM

It's tea thyme! These cookies just may be the perfect after-meal treat: Ginger Poppy seed Tea Thyme Cookies.

Soothing Ginger. These sweet and savory tiny sized tea cookies are flavored with the warm zing of fresh grated ginger. Add in some calcium-rich poppy seeds (13% RDA per Tbsp), a dash of lemon juice and a few savory chopped thyme leaves, and the result is elegant cookie bliss.

Tea Thyme. Nibble these cookies with your favorite tea (or coffee). With a soft moist texture, they are totally dunkable and incredibly addictive. But since they are mini, you can eat more than one without feeling bad. In fact, the tummy-soothing ginger will leave you feeling good.

Click ahead for the vegan recipe...

Ginger-Poppy seed Tea-Thyme Cookies
vegan, makes 24 mini cookies

2 cups white unbleached flour (wheat can be used too)
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup poppy seeds
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon agave syrup
3 tablespoon softened vegan butter or canola oil
2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon vinegar, (white or apple cider) OR 2 tablespoon Veganaise
Topping: White sugar, poppy seeds and thyme leaves
Optional: lemon zest for batter of topping

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl: flour, 1 sugar, poppy seeds, thyme leaves, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and Vital Wheat Gluten. Mix well.

Add in soy milk, agave syrup, butter or oil, lemon juice from 1 lemon, vanilla extract and vinegar.

You will have a soft cookie dough-it will be more liquid than traditional cookie dough.

Fold in grated ginger. 2 tablespoon chunks will be perfect. For ginger-LOVERS, you can add more.

Stick in fridge for twenty minutes to firm up.

After chilled, spoon 1 inch round drops of dough onto parchment paper or greased baking sheets. Make sure to make all cookie the same size so that they cook evenly. You can also make larger cookies, but I did the mini tea cookies and loved them.

Top cookies with a dash of poppy seeds, sugar and a few tiny thyme leaves.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Make sure edges turn crisp, but top remains white crusted.

Serve with herb, green, black or chai tea. Delicious as an after-dinner cookie. The ginger is incredibly nice to tummies.

TIP: For an extra soothing cookie, substitute ½ soy milk with a ½ cup of darkly brewed chamomile tea. Sweet dreams.

Veggie Challenge! Hated Vegetable: Brussel Sprouts. My recent survey showed that brussel sprouts are one of the most hated veggies out there. So I'm going to be posting a few recipes that turn the haters into lovers. Who could possibly resist the cheesy dill potatoes part of this recipe....?

Vegan "Cheesy" Dill flavors and Citrus-Braising makes any veggie delicious! This recipe for Cheesy Dill Potatoes and Citrus Braised Brussel Sprouts is a healthy and cravable answer to the question: What new veggie side dish should I make tonight?

Click ahead for more and the recipe......

This recipe is for all three types of brussel sprout people: those who love, hate and don't know they love brussel sprouts (yet). The emotionally-traumatized "I hate brussel sprouts" people can simply make this dish without the sprouts and call it Cheesy Citrus-Dill Potaoes. Or substitute a green veggie of their liking. Asparagus seems to be popular, according to my survey. It's OK #2's, we all have veggie issues. I have issues with eggplant...

To rev up your tastebuds and boost your nutrient-know-how for some brussel sprouts: Get the nutrition facts: Brussel Sprouts are a Super Veggie.

Silly Dill. Dill is a lot of fun to work with. You end up having fern-fingers. I used to hate the taste and smell of dill, but when paired with the right foods: a little citrus, some mellow creamy cheese, tender potatoes, ect. the dill can be incredibly refreshing and fragrant. I like doing a combo of fresh and cooked dill simply to mellow the flavor even further. Cooked dill can get a bit soggy like seaweed, so you want to try and chop in finely if this bothers you. Give dill a try and that 'first sniff' shouldn't scare you anymore.

Citrus Braised Brussel Sprouts & Cheesy Dill Potatoes
vegan, serves two

2 cups brussel sprouts
1 ½ cups red potatoes, cubed
1 bunch fresh dill
2 tangerines, temple oranges or sweet citrus
1 large white onion
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoon vinegar (any variety)
¼ cup vegetable broth
2-4 vegan cheese slice singles, (I only used 2 slices, but you can use more.)
*jalapeno cheddar flavor, rice vegan singles are my favorite cheese option.

Directions:

Prep:
Cut off brussel sprout ends. Remove loose or wilted leaves.
Chop into halves.

Wash and slice potatoes into ¾ inch long cubes.
Slice off long stems of dill herb bunch. Chop dill coursly.
Rough chop onion.
Squeeze one tangerine and rough chop the other.

In a soup pan:
Add oil and potatoes to pan.
Char all sides of the potatoes.
Add in Brussel Sprouts, onions, agave and half of tangerine juice.
Char surface of brussel sprouts.
Add in broth, mustard, vinegar, pepper, salt, garlic powder and half of the dill.

Reduce heat and cover pan with lid.
Allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Shake pan every so often.

Test doneness by inserting fork into potato.
When the veggies seem tender remove from pan into large mixing bowl.
Add vegan cheese slices and toss well. Heat will melt cheese.
Add in the chopped tangerine, remaining fresh dill and 2 tablespoon lemon juice.
Toss again.
Garnish with a cheese slice and fresh dill.
Serve and enjoy!

*TIP: Cooking the sprouts gently will allow more enzymes and nutrients to stay in tact!

Check out the Most HATED, LOVED and FEARED Veggie survey here: SURVEY SAYS!

Brussel Sprout Super Veggie Facts here: Brussel Sprouts - Super Veggie!

There are three types of Brussel Sprout people:
1) Those who liked brussel sprouts as a kid and still do.
2) Those who have had one too many bad brussel sprout encounters and will never be able to enjoy them.
3) Those who have had a few bad brussel sprout experiences and think they do not like them...but when given a deliciously prepared, tender green, braised-caramelized brussel sprout..could learn to uncover their hidden brussel sprout love.
Survey Says! My Most Hated Veggie survey showed that there are a lot of 2's and 3's out there.

Super Veggie! Everyone should try to love brussel sprouts. They are low in calories and fat-free. They are high in fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and folate. They are also a cruciferous (crew-sif-er-ous) vegetable, which means they are part of the cabbage family. Cruciferous veggies have been linked to lowered cancer risk, oxidative stress and heart-disease rates.

Click ahead for more nutrition info of brussel sprouts....

Who are you really? FYI, many of the 2's out there may very well be 3's who just don't know it yet! Hopefully, when you read about all the amazing health benefits of brussel sprouts, you will give them a try!

Brussel Sprouts
per 1 cup cooked lightly
calories: 60
fat: 0
protein: 4g
carbs: 12g
fiber: 4 g
Vitamin K: 270% RDA
Vitamin A: 24% RDA
Vitamin C: 160% RDA
folate: 24% RDA
potassium: 14% RDA
iron: 10% RDA
manganese: 18% RDA
Omaga 3: 270 mg

Phytochemicals: Indoles and Sulphoraphanes. These phytochemicals may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

About cruciferous veggies from web md:

*Reduce cancer risk
*Reduce Oxidative Stress
*Lower heart disease risk

Oxiative Stress study:
"Oxidative stress in the subjects' bodies dropped 22% during the period when they were eating lots of cruciferous vegetables."

The survey results from my Most Hated, Feared and Loved Vegetables survey are coming in. 147 people have voted, so far, and the results are quite interesting:

*Most Hated: Iceberg Lettuce, Brussel Sprouts.
*Most Feared: Okra, Artichoke, Beets, Jicama.
*Most Loved: Mushrooms, Asparagus, Spinach.

Hated & Feared Vegetable Challenge! As promised, I will be featuring recipes from the winning (or losing) hated and feared vegetables in upcoming posts. Making iceberg lettuce delicious will be tricky, but I know exactly what recipe to post - you'll love it!

Vote in the Most hated, feared, loved veggie survey!

Click ahead for a few interesting survey tidbits....

More Survey Tidbits...

*Only 2 people fear asparagus and only 6 fear those giant heads of white cauliflower!

*Only 12 people fear brussel sprouts, even though over 60 hate them!

*61 people fear the tiny green veggie known as Okra.

*Many people have commented that they don't even know what jicama is! (It's a crunchy slightly-sweet root. Similar to an Asian pear in texture and taste!)

*64 people love mushrooms most! But are they veggies or fungi...??? hmmm...

*51 people love spinach. Beating the classic veggie carrots by 3 votes!

*41 people actually love brussel sprouts the most!

*24 people hate tiny alfalfa sprouts!

*16 people hate mushrooms. Wow, have they ever tried chanterelle's???

*Only 9 people hate broccoli. I wonder is that was the same when they were four years old!

Remember you can still vote too!

Watch out for the FEARED HATED AND LOVED Recipes I'll post soon!

I am a self-taught cook, but I did manage to pick up a few cooking terms along the way. And one key cooking term that professional chef's, Top Chef cheftestants, and cooking-show guru's use a lot, almost as much as Ryan Seacrest uses the phrase "you are safe" on American Idol, is the cooking term braising.

So here it is, BRAISING 101.

You: Top Chef. It's important to know cooking terms (even if you are already using the technique without knowing the name for it) simply because saying "I braised the collard greens" sounds a lot better than "I cooked the collard greens."

Click ahead for BRAISING for VEGANS 101....

Braising Definition:
"Braising (from the French “braiser”), is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether or not additional liquid is added."

Real Person Explanation:
Braising is traditionally used when cooking meat, but you can also braise veggies and vegan protein like tofu. Basically you are high-heat charring the outside of the food item first, then you more slowly cook the food all the way through with a combination of liquid and dry heat.

Why Use the Braising Technique?

The braising technique brings out the flavor of the food, it seals in the flavor be using a lid on the cooking container, raising also caramelizes the outside and prevents burning the outside of the item, since you are not high-heat cooking the entire time.

Braising 101: Veggies

How to braise veggies. Example: Brussel Sprouts.

You'll need:
1 cup washed, de-stemmed and halved brussel sprouts.
1-2 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
¼ cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small soup pan and lid

Step one: Turn stove to high and place pot on burner.

Step two: Add oil.
When oil is heated, add brussel sprouts.

Step three: When oil is heated, add brussel sprouts and lemon juice.

Step four: Allow to cook for about 1 minute on each side.
Be sure that sprouts appear browned and charred, but nut burnt to a crisp.

Step five: Once all side of sprouts are charred, add in vegetable broth.

Step six: Reduce heat and cover pot. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, depending on sprout size.
Shake and toss sprouts often, but do not remove lid excessively.

Step seven: When sprouts appear tender and cooked through, remove lid and turn heat back to high.
Add salt and pepper and saute on high for a minute.

Step eight: Plate, season with lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and/or herbs.

ENJOY.
Be sure to say that your 'braised the brussel sprouts."

Braising Vegan Protein (like tofu)*

*Braising tofu, seitan or tempeh is very similar to the brussel sprouts. You want to remember to first char the outside, then cover and cook through.

*Adding in a small amount of a liquid veggie like onions, tomatoes or carrots is a great way to braise a protein. If you ann a ¼ cup onion to the pot for braised tofu, you can heighten the flavor and add liquid. less veggie broth (or water) can be used.

*Adding in an acid like lemon, orange or lime juice OR vinegar is a greant way to enhance the flavors of the food.

*You do not need a lot of oil to braise food. In fact, it is possible to braise with zero oil, but you will have to be very careful about burning the food or letting it stick. A good veggie broth or liquid would have to be used in the initial step. But the oil really allows for a delicious criminalization of the food.

*Sweet add in. I love adding a tiny bit of agave to my braised veggies or tofu. It helps to brown the edges and gives a very nice braised crust. Simply add a teaspoon of agave to the oil in the first step. Sweet onions or citrus (like tangerines) are also great to sweeten and caramelize the braised food.

*Great flavor enhancers also include: bay leaves, thyme, dill, black or white pepper, cayenne, sea salt, parsley and other fresh herbs and spices. You can add these items at different stages in the cooking process, depending on the recipe. Bay leaves should be added when the veggie broth or braising liquid is added.

If you have any braising tips to share please leave them in the comments section!

Goodbye Winter. Finally. The chill is finally melting away under the glowing spring sun. Shy pink tree blossoms have poked their heads through sturdy green buds. And my foodie daydreams have turned from hot soup to ice cold smoothies, crisp fennel slaw, and big bowls of fresh pineapple. But hidden away in my kitchen are stacks of half-used tubs of winter time cocoa. What to do!

...So with half a pack of vegan chocolate chips, a few candied walnuts and plenty of mint cocoa to go around, I whipped up some "Goodbye Winter" Mint Cocoa Cookies to celebrate the sun coming out....

Click ahead for more of this recipe adventure...

You Have Cocoa. I'm a sucker for buying a new package of cocoa at the store. On those cold winter nights, I was always asking: do we have cocoa at home? Better get more just in case. So, I've accumulated quite a cocoa collection this chilly winter season.

Post-Winter Cocoa Inventory: two tubs of mint cocoa from Trader Joe's, a tin of Mariebelle's Aztec Cocoa, some basic unsweetened cocoa, Spiced Cocoa and even some 80% Dark Chocolate Cocoa for my dark-chocolate obsessed husband.

Here's my recipe. Think of this rich chocolate cookie recipe as your last stand before and endless wave of spring and summer time lemon bars, strawberry smoothies and blood orange sorbet desserts.

These cookies are a bit chewy and almost like a brownie in texture. If you want something a bit more crispy, substitute the buttery spread with canola oil and remove the vital wheat gluten. But as is, this recipe is divine and reminiscent of winter. Eat them in a bold sunbeam and get excited about spring.

"Goodbye Winter" Mint Cocoa Cookies
vegan, makes about 16 cookies

2 cups white unbleached flour
6 scoops mint chocolate cocoa hot chocolate mix, sweetened*
*I used trader Joe's brand
*If you don't have mint flavor cocoa, add 1 teaspoon mint extract.
1 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, *candied
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
¾ cup soy milk
3 tablespoon Agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup softened vegan buttery spread
1 tablespoon canola oil

Candied Walnuts:
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raw walnuts, chopped

Directions:
First candy the walnuts:
Turn stove on high.
Use a saute pan and add oil.
When pan is hot, add agave, walnuts, sugar and salt.
Stir nuts and shake pan until the nuts darken in color and absorb the liquid.
Turn off heat and set nuts aside to cool.

Cookies:
Mix together all dry ingredients.
Add in wet ingredients.
Stir until a nice dough consistency is achieved. If needed, add more soy milk or flour to accommodate dough thickness.
Fold in chips and walnuts.

Spoon cookie dough onto greased baking sheets, or use parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.
Allow to cool before munching.

Last 'cocoa' night before spring sets in....

It's my Vegetable Challenge!

I want to know your most HATED, LOVED and FEARED vegetables. The vegetable winners (or losers) will be featured in an upcoming post.

Take the survey below to join in the vegetable challenge!

And I'm even going to think up some amazing recipes for the most hated and feared veggies....

Click ahead to vote.

There are three questions in the survey.

I read a news headline from CNN today that said:
"Nearly 1 in 5 Four year-old's are Obese."

Deep sigh. Heavy gloom in the pit of my stomach.
Another depressing statistic about health, bull-horned via the media. For a second I am saddened. But never shocked. Then, hope resurfaces.

Sad. Mad. Then hopeful. A while back, I decided that I wasn't going to waste my precious energy on negative facts, people or situations. I step back, think big picture and look beyond any gloom smogging up my view. While I'm no fan of obliviousness or ignorance, (everyone needs to be informed) I'm a much bigger fan of hope. Hope in life and in health.

"If it Bleeds, it Leads." The media regularly report (and love) negative statistics and stunningly sad stories because 1) it's their job. 2) it gets people to pay attention to them. 3) It Sells. Big time. But, no one, not even the media folks, like bad news, it's simply a part of life. When I hear a discouraging headline (i.e. the four-year-old's obesity stat.) I first get sad. Then get mad. (How are we letting this happen?!) Then, if I'm lucky, I end with hope.

A glimpse of my hope...
... it's kinda my version of The Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things"...:

"...farmers markets, sunny days outside, sweet potato biscuits you baked yourself, brown-bag lunches with "I Love You" notes tucked behind apple slices, whole grain bread warm from the toaster, waking up full of energy because you've been taking care of yourself, mint, lemon zest, basil, olive oil, garlic, gardening when the spring air hits the breeze, chai green tea on a rainy day, grocery shopping with your family on a lazy Sunday, a hot home-cooked meal after a very long day, discovering your favorite bright purple, green or crimson colored smoothie at the best juice bar in town...."

Where do you find hope?

Click ahead to read more hope thoughts and a photo of me at age four...

Me at age four, enjoying sunshine, a post-preschool nap and an apple:


Changing our Minds. Health is all about outlook. We need to focus on the positive and send the negative to the back of our minds. We do this in other areas of our lives, so why not health.

For example, If a child gets an "F" on a spelling test his parents immediately say: "Study More!" And studying hopefully ensues. And in the end, hopefully good results will come. Problem solved. If a four year-old is obese, we all get very upset and the media reports it with a hopeless attitude. But I say, fix this problem the way you would a spelling test. Focus on the positive. Healthy eating is not rocket science. If a four year-old is obese, there has to be some sever dietary problems in play. Parents need to take a serious look at how they can "Study More!"

Here's why I have hope for health in America: I think positive. Call me unrealistic, call me silly, but I do indeed have hope for health. I have seen people transformed from sick and unhealthy to vibrant, happy and healthy well people. Those who have experienced health would never go back to not taking care of themselves, a practice that is different for each of us.

Positive. Positive. Think Positive! The road to healthy living is actually a nice road. There's no glamour or beauty or happiness in being unhealthy. Doughnuts, cigarettes, super sizing-it and buttercream frosting is not the Rx for happiness (no matter what product marketing may communicate to you.)

Myprescription health and happiness?

The simple and slow road to living healthy and well everyday:

Fresh fruits and veggies, long walks to clear your mind and loosen your muscles, morning green tea after a long restful slumber, whole grain bread warm from the toaster, fresh squeezed juices and smells of herbs and fresh-picked produce, farmers markets, sunny days, brown-bag lunches with "I Love You" notes tucked behind an apple, waking up full of energy because you've been taking care of yourself, hot soup full of rosemary, potatoes and fresh carrots, mint, lemon zest, basil, olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce, steamed tofu glazed in a ginger sauce, reading a book on a rainy day, gardening when the spring air hits the breeze, grocery shopping with your family, reading Lunchbox Bunch books and laughing at the Paparazzi Peas, sweet potato rolls that you baked yourself, eating ripe red strawberries on a lazy afternoon just because they looked delicious, blended smoothies and taking deep breaths as you walk right past the long-lined fast-food joint.

"Healthy living is nice." And those four-year old's mentioned in the study probably don't know that yet. But I really hope someone will be there to teach them to focus on health and focus on the positive. And come to know healthy life experiences that enrich their lives.

If we can teach each other to focus on the positives of healthy living, I really think it's all going to turn out OK.

What do you think? Where do you find hope when you read these discouraging headines?

The past few weeks I keep hearing the word "RAMPS" pop up on foodie websites and blogs. NYMag reported that Tom Colicchio decided to add "RAMPS" to his Tom's Tuesday dinner menu last week. (Pickled ramps to be exact. Interesting.)

Ramp? Like the thing you skateboard off of?

No. Not that ramp. I googled "RAMPS, food" and found a whole world of message boards and blog posts about where, when and how to find and serve "RAMPS". The NY Times even did a "Hunting for Ramps" article a few years back.

Spring Ramp Search. Apparently there is a kind of cult following of people who go out foraging for ramps when they are in season from late March to early May. Instead of Easter eggs, foodies go ramp-hunting in spring!

Help! I asked my twitter followers: what is a RAMP?? And here are my fave replies from foodie twitter-ers:

"Ramps are very potent onions, in fact most ramp hunters sniff them out in the woods."

"I love ramps. Basically a stronger flavor wild leek/onion. I know they grow in Indiana and Kentucky & sprout right b4 morels."

"I had some pickled ramps in a wonderful tasting menu at Babbo. They are similar to scallions, right?"

Thanks for the comments!

Click ahead and learn about RAMPS with me!...

All About RAMPS

Essence: white truffle. yum!

What: In the leek family. Looks like a cross between a scallion and a leek. Floppy bright green tops, white bulb bottom.

Where: Wild! And in specialty stores...

Nutrition, (my specialty): High in Vitamin C! Good source of fiber, and low in calories.

NYTIMES quote from Ramps article (link above):

"Ramps are transformative, even magical. Once, as I was carting pounds of them back to the city, their intense garlic smell turned floral, almost like the scent of lilacs."

To see a video of RAMP HUNTING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC8GEDU114U

...I'm by all means not an expert on ramps-yet!
Please leave comments about your RAMPS knowledge. And if I find some ramps-I will post a recipe and taste-review for sure!

...NYC Greenmarkets must have some...

It's one of those days when you want to eat healthy, but don't have much time. And take-out or fast food isn't going to cut it. Well here is one super easy southern-style combo: chili and cole slaw. And if you've made the slaw the day before, this is a 2 minute meal.

Cool Crunch. Steamy Bite. Nothing beats the flavor combo of cool crunchy tangy-sweet cole slaw paired with a steaming hot bowl of smoky-spicy chili. Add a side of honey-butter cornbread and experience southern hospitality.

Amy is in the Kitchen! I love the Amy's Kitchen brand. And Amy's Organic Vegan Chili is perfect for this quick meal. Because unless you have super powers, there is no way you are going to whip-up steaming hot homestyle chili in under two minutes. A full review of Amy's Chili after the jump.

Simple Slaw. The perfect compliment to hot chili is my vegan cole slaw. This is a quick recipe that you can make ahead in a large bowl and store small portions for a quick, cool sweet side dish. Click ahead for the menu and Amy's Chili review...

Quick and Easy Menu: Chili and Cole Slaw
vegan, serves 1-2

You'll need:
1 chili bowl
1 can Amy's Organic Chili, (Spiciness varies, low sodium optional)
*2 servings per container, depending how hungry your are.
1 slaw bowl
1 cup Kathy's Vegan Cole Slaw
A big spork! (if you have one...)

Directions:
Pour Chili into bowl. Cover with venting.
Microwave on high for 1.5-2 minutes.
(Until steamy bubbly hot.)
*Stovetop method optional.
Plate and garnish with any of these optional toppings:
vegan cheese shreds
cayenne
pepper
crackers
parsley
cilantro
Vegenaise

Cole Slaw:
Recipe here.
Plate and top with fresh black pepper.

If you have some honey-butter vegan cornbread on hand, that's great too!

Enjoy...and get back to your busy day with a happy warm tummy.

My Review: Amy's Organic Medium Chili with Veggies

Shelf Appeal: Bright orange can. Yummy photo on front-actually represents what product looks like inside. San Antonio Texas flair. Ingredients label (vegan), no guess work. Thank you Amy.

Taste Test: Chunky firm beans, savory smoky flavor with a hint of spiciness. Veggies are satisfying. Heats through very well. Flavor doesn't taste like it came from a can. Bits of tofu (protein) are so satisfying. Such a warm big bite.

Label Check: per serving (½ can) there is a nice serving of 8 grams fiber, only .5g sat fat,6 g fat total, 6 g protein, 190 calories. 70% RDA Vitamin A and 10% RDA iron. Sodium is a bit high at 590mg. But if that concerns you, choose the lower sodium versions of Amy's products.

Price Check: Around $3. The price is right for all this flavor.

Last Word: Vegan comfort food to have on hand. Stock-up for less busy-day menu stress.

It's seedless tangerine season! With a little bit of Pixie magic, Ojai Pixie has been kind enough to bring citrus lovers everywhere: seedless tangerines!

...and FYI, they are all-natural seedless. No crazy genetics! No scientific engineering involved! more info after jump...

Those Darn Seeds! I love tangerines. I prefer them to oranges in many of my recipes simply because the flavor can be more intense. But those gosh darn seeds drive me crazy! Nothing ruins a bite more than a big bitter citrus seed. So, when I saw these seedless tangerines on sale at Whole Foods, I had to try them. And wow! Delicious and 100% seed free!

Less Seeds. All the Nutrients. Pixie tangerines are just as healthy as traditional tangerines. Packed with vitamin C, fiber, only 50 calories and lower in acid than traditional tangerines, according to the Pixie website.

Adorable! And the branding is pretty cute too. The company even mails out FREE bumper stickers and sells T-shirts on their website. They have quite a loyal Pixie-loving fan club out there! Sign me up! I'm a fan.

Click ahead to read my official review on Pixie Seedless Tangerines...

About the NO ENGINEERING INVOLVED:

From the Pixie website:
"Why don't Ojai Pixies have seeds?

The Pixie Tangerine arose from open pollination of a Kincy (King mandarin crossed with Dancy Tangerine) in 1927. This pollination led to fruit that is naturally seedless and was named the Pixie Tangerine. As with seedless Navel oranges, buds have been taken from this tree and grafted onto rootstocks to create all the new Pixie Tangerine trees.

The fact that a fruit or vegetable has no seeds does not mean that it has been irradiated or genetically engineered. Pixie tangerines have been neither irradiated nor genetically engineered"

Yay for that right?! Here's my review:

My Review: Pixie Ojai Seedless Tangerines

Shelf Appeal: In the fruit section-loose. Adorable cute Pixie-Ojai stickers. Bright orange color. Firm, yet nicely wrinkle rind. Smell deliciously fresh!

Label Check: Healthy as can be! From the Pixie website: "Pixies have a lower acid content than many other citrus varieties making them the ideal fruit for folks that are sensitive to acidic foods. We have found that Ojai Pixies are one of the easiest ways for adults and kids to fulfill their consumption of 5 daily fruits and vegetables that the USDA recommends in order to stay healthy. A medium sized tangerine is cholesterol- and fat-free and has on average approximately 50 calories. Tangerines are an excellent source of potassium (approx. 180mg), fiber (approx. 12 percent of the daily recommended allowance) and are of course packed with vitamin C as well as some calcium and iron."
NICE!

Taste Test: So easy to peel! And 100% seedless. Taste is sweet, tart, incredibly fresh, and all juice. The pulp is pretty minimal, so yay for that. I love the taste of these Pixie's!

Price: SRP $3.25 a pound. Not the cheapest citrus out there, but I waste so much tangerine juice trying to pry out seeds-these are very worth every penny!

Last Word: I'm a fan. I need a PIXIE bumper sticker. Yum.

PIXIE TANGERINE website

Tofu and rice doesn't have to just be tofu and rice.

Take it to the next level with fresh flavors and healthy ingredients. This recipe is super easy, vegan comfort food.

Canned Mandarins. Who Knew?! This recipe uses a can of mandarin oranges as a main ingredient - both the fruit and the canning juice are used to flavor the tofu and plump the rice. High in vitamin C and sweetly healthy, I love the delicate flavor of mandarins.

Smells Healthy! No surprise: rice and tofu is a healthy dish. But you can easily make it super healthy and super flavorful by adding in a few antioxidant-rich, wellness food flavors like garlic and ginger. This G & G combo will go right to your nose and perk up the gloomiest of days. Cashew nuts add an extra dose of nutrients and healthy fats. And don't forget the tofu! High in vegan protein, tofu makes any dish divine and satisfying.

Click ahead for this incredible (and incredibly easy) recipe...

Ginger Mandarin Rice with Cashew Tofu
vegan, serves two

1 cup white or brown rice
1 ½ cup water
1 can of mandarin oranges (in natural juice)
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup cubes tofu, firm
2 tablespoon salted cashews
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (opt'l)
fresh black pepper
*4 umeboshi plums, if available

Rice:
In a soup pan bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil.
Ad rice and 1 teaspoon garlic salt.
Stir well.
Reduce heat and cover pan.
Let simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
Stir well.
Add in ¼ cup of the mandarin juice, the chopped ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon agave syrup, 3 whole mandarin slices and a dash of black pepper.
Stir ingredients into rice.
Cover pan and continue to heat for a few minutes until liquid is absorbed again.
Remove lid and saute rice on high for about a minute.
Move to bowl and toss with rice vinegar.
Cover to keep warm.

Cashew Tofu:
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan.
Heat to high.
Add chopped tofu, remaining garlic, 3 tablespoon mandarin juice and 1 teaspoon garlic salt.
Cover lid and let heat and steam for a few minutes.
Continue sauteing ingredients until tofu looks fluffy, but not too browned.
Add cashews and recover pan for a few more minutes to cook.
When tofu is browned and fluffy and cashews begin to darken, your tofu is done.
*make sure all the liquid is absorbed.

Serve:
Spoon tofu over rice and garnish with raw mandarin orange slices.
Add fresh ground black pepper.
*If available, top with two umeboshi plums
Serve hot in a nice little bowl.
Enjoy!

Sarma Melngailis is the owner and founder of the successful raw vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine here in New York City. She also manages the raw vegan website One Lucky Duck. Sarma has taken the raw food movement from hardly visible to totally trendy. (And delicious.) I recently reviewed PFW's Lemon-Raspberry Cheesecake. And FYI, Sarma is cool. You can spot her on many nights, working on her Mac laptop at her restaurant, you'll know it's her by her wavy blond hair and the tattoo of 'one lucky duck' on her shoulder.

Sarma is a master-Tweeter. Maybe it's from all those Master Cleanse Tini's she drinks. I love reading Sarma's latest dream, dessert-tasting, green juice for dinner menu, mallomar bliss or 'hanging out by the bar' adventure.

A few of my favorite Sarma tweets:

"had a quart of green juice and two dried calimyrna figs for dinner. Woohoo."

"Looking down into the Hudson. Only a few feet away and its always so tempting to throw my phone into it."

"It's busy here tonight!! I'm stuffed in the corner at the bar on my laptop like a nerd. Drinking sparkling water w lime n mint."

"Had lots of green juice today, salad, choco ice cream and now a mallomar for dinner. Lately I'm all about mallomars."

"Working alone in corner of full PF&W n guy sits down thinking I'm his blind date n I thought he just wanted to talk. THAT was awkward!"

"I don't think that I'll ever not sleep w stuffed animals. Will that be weird when I'm 40? Cuz that's not so far away."
Follow Sarma on Twitter.

Click ahead to read more of my favorite Sarma Melngailis tweets from Twitter....

Sarma tweets:

"Just dreaming was on Top Chef n my team totally sucked n they wouldn't do anything. Way to wake up all stressed."

"Having a Master Cleanse Tini at the restaurant. Actually, on my second already. Was a long week. :-)"

"Trying new gazpacho at restaurant. It has mango avocado cream on top. SO GOOD!!!"

"Just walked home from 108th n CPWest to east 17th. Tired!!"

"I love it when u get a maniac taxi driver when u also happen to be in a huge hurry. Speeding over Mnhtn Bdg."

"eating a winter salad n working from my favorite corner. Winter salad will morph to Spring salad soon."

"Tom Cruise n I were poaching eggs together. He pulled them out w his bare hands n I was impressed. Dreams r weird."

"Going to sleep w my new pink teddybear in a purple tinkerbell shirt made for me by Camy. My bed is a zoo."

"Just got up n eating a ginger cream filled ginger cookie from the juice bar for breakfast w a huge glass water."

FOLLOW SARMA: http://twitter.com/sarma

image: welikeitraw.com

Oatmeal, made quick and easy, seems to be popping up all over the place: Starbucks, Jamba Juice and even pre-cooked in your freezer section! Well the truth is oatmeal is so easy to make at home. In just a few minutes you can be eating hot creamy oatmeal topped with fresh fruit, nuts and other creative toppings.

In your socks. Do you really want to be eating on-the-go oatmeal, when it is such an easy at-home breakfast? I prefer to be at home, in my socks and eating steaming hot oats out of a nice porcelain bowl - with my own non-plastic spoon. Plus, nothing beats fresh cut fruit on top of oatmeal.

Creative Toppings. Oatmeal is like ice cream. You can top it a million different ways. My fave? Fresh cubed kiwi, dried whole Bing cherries and thinly sliced roasted almonds. Add a dash of cinnamon and some creamy soy milk and I am in oatmeal bliss.

Healthy Bowl. Kiwi's are super high in vitamin C. Almonds are high in vitamin E. Cherries are high in vitamin C. And the whole bowl if full of healthy fiber. Plus protein from the soy milk. Antioxidant-oatmeal morning!

Click ahead for this Kiwi-Bing-Almond oatmeal recipe....

Kiwi Cherry Almond Oatmeal
vegan, serves 1

1 packet instant unsweetened oatmeal
1 cup water
¼ cup soy milk
1 handful sliced roasted almonds
2 kiwis, peeled and cubed
6-8 dried Bing cherries
a few sprinkles of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vegan buttery spread
optional: 1 teaspoon agave syrup

Directions:
Heat oatmeal and water in bowl for 1.5-2 minutes.
Add nuts, cinnamon, buttery spread, agave and cherries.
Stir well.
Put back in microwave for 20 seconds.
Add soy milk and top with kiwis and a few loose almonds and cherries.
Sprinkle another dash of cinnamon.
Enjoy hot! (In a real bowl with a real spoon.)

Other add-ins:
goji berries
blueberries
walnuts
nutmeg, strawberry jam
cranberries
fresh peaches
fresh apricots
papaya
pears
canned peaches
applesauce
almond butter
candied almonds
spiced nuts
cayenne
maple syrup
bananas
pomegranate seeds
fresh mango cubes

Need a Monday morning get away?

Click here for my Top Ten Wellness Travel Destinations List.
TOP TEN LIST.

Folded and Filled Sweet Bread. I'm always looking for a new way to turn ordinary dough into something extraordinary and savory sweet. I used the traditional Jewish Hamantashen cookie as my inspiration. I rolled out my dough and filled it with a delicious walnut-poppyseed-pear filling before folding it loosely.
This is a new vegan recipe I adore!
From Dough:
To Bread:
Walnuts, Pears and Poppyseeds: a delicious sweet bread filling. Love this! Soft bread with a crisp brown flaky crust oozing with caramelized walnuts, sweet pears and crunchy lemon poppyseeds. And the healthy pears, calcium-rich poppyseeds and super nut walnuts add for a delicious boost of nutrients.

Click ahead for my recipe! This one is a vegan original....

Pears Sweeten the Deal. The pears, were a last minute addition. Right before rolling out my dough, I decided I needed a bit of fruit in this dish, so staring at the ripe red Bartlett pears sitting in my fruit bowl, I thinly sliced one and warmed it with the caramelized nut mixture. What a pear-fect accent to this dish.

Anytime Bread. This is one of those recipes that your can make (or eat) at 6am or 6pm. It is delicious as a morning tea bread or even sweet enough to be an after-dinner treat. Heavenly dessert: warm it and serve with a scoop of STOGO vanilla soy cream.

Hamantashen Inspiration. I love Hamantashen, traditional Jewish, triangle pillow cookies with flaky folded cookie crust. They are filled to the seams with beautiful poppyseed, walnut or apricot spread. Strolling along NYC streets, I often see those beautiful 'Hamantashen' cookies in bakery windows. Unfortunately, most Hamantashen cookies are not vegan. Enter, my recipe creation...

Walnut-Poppyseed Pear Folded Sweet Bread
vegan, makes one large loaf

1 packet quick rise yeast
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup +a few pinches vegan dry sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup shelled walnuts, crushed
¼ cup poppyseeds, plus sprinkle jar
3 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 pear, sliced thin
canola oil spray
4-5 toothpicks, to secure filled and folded dough

Directions:

Bread Dough:
Add yeast packet to one cup of warm water. Stir well. Add 2 tablespoon canola oil, 2 tablespoon vital wheat gluten, ¼ cup vegan dry sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt.
Stir well.
Stir in 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour.
Flour a large cutting board.
Transfer dough to cutting board surface and knead for 5 minutes.
Add more flour if needed.
Coat your large mixing bowl with a spray of canola oil.
Once dough is formed into a smooth ball of dough, transfer it back into your large mixing bowl.
Cover with a clean towel and set in high warm spot to rise.
Allow dough to rise for 35 minutes.

While dough is rising, work on filling.

In soup pan:
Heat stove to med-high.
Spray pan and add 1 cup crushed walnuts.
(I crush my walnuts with the thick handle of a butter knife. Pound into crumbles.)
Allow nuts to toast for 1 minute, stir constantly.
Once nuts are toasted, add 3 tablespoon vegan buttery spread, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup sugar, remaining lemon juice, ¼ cup dry sugar, 3 tablespoon agave syrup and ¼ cup poppyseeds.
Stir mixture on high for a few minutes. Allow nuts and seeds to caramelize.
After a few minutes, remove mixture from heat and stir in pear slices. Pears should be sliced very thin about ½ inch long.
**Keep out about 6 pear slices and a tablespoon of walnuts for garnishing.
Allow mixture to cool for the remaining rise time- at least ten minutes.

Post-First Rise:
Punch out dough.
Transfer dough onto floured cutting board surface.
Knead for two minutes.
With a rolling pin, roll out dough to be about ½ inch thick.
Transfer dough to baking sheet.
Use parchment paper or a light spray of canola oil.
Poke with your finger, dents in the surface area of the dough.
Do not poke through bottom of dough.
Spray dough with canola oil, add 2 tablespoon raw poppyseeds to surface.

Once filling has cooled:
Add filling to top of dough. Quickly roll and fold in edges. Create a half-rolled bread. Secure filling in center by pinning sides of dough with toothpicks. The shape should be organic and free-flowing.

Garnish dough:
Take your garnish pears and walnuts and create a pretty design in center of filling. Poke a few loose walnuts into crust of dough.
Sprinkle a final layer of dry poppyseeds over dough. As much as you'd like.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon garlic salt over top of dough.
Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on the pear slices.

Second Rise:
Allow filled and folded dough to rise for a second time. About 15 minutes. Since the filling is slightly warm, you can keep the dough on the counter top.

Bake Bread:
Bake at 355 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is browned. Filling will need time to cool before cutting. Center may seem uncooked, but will harden upon cooling.

Serve warm, or allow to cool and harden in fridge before serving. Depends on what consistency you want.

There is a new children's book called That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians & All Living Things.

Written by Ruby Roth, the book explores the vegan and vegetarian side of life and attempts to explain to children the reasons why: we don't eat animals.

It's a controversial book which communicates a strong message about a vegetarian diet. The book has been endorsed by Jane Goodall, Alicia Silverstone and it also has some impressively cute illustrations.

What do you think? Is this merely vegan propaganda?

Click ahead for book/website excerpts and my thoughts...

Excerpts:

In regards to chickens:

"A chicken is no bird-brain! Chickens fall in love, want their families, and like to have fun. A hen doesn't lay breakfast eggs, but eggs she believes will one day be her babies.

That's why we don't eat animals."

In regard to pigs:

"Pigs are extremely intelligent and sensitive-so sensitive that they can even have their feelings hurt! Their excellent memories and problem-solving skills make them some of the smartest animals in the world. In many cultures, pigs are admired and considered symbols of good luck.

That's why we don't eat animals."

My thoughts:

As a vegan interested in kids health and proper nutrition, I like this book. I like the idea that parents can have a book to read their kids if they choose to. If a parent or family friend is vegan and wants to explain it to their children, reading a book - with illustrations really helps. I do not think this book is appropriate for a public education program, but for a family interested in exposing their children to a vegan state of mind at a young age, this is a book that fits the bill. And from my research, all of the statements made in the books about animals are true. Nothing spun too harshly here. It a brave step for such a young author as Ruby Roth.

Book website: www.wedonteatanimals.com

Some of my cooking book favorites.

Whenever I'm eating a pasta, veggie or fruit salad, it's always the red ingredients that makes my mouth water most. The cherry on top, the strawberry slice, the bright red tomato in my salad, or the red pepper flakes on my pizza - I'm ready for red.

Power Color: Red. So since I've had so much fun doing a Spring Green Fruit Salad, Winter White Salad, Surfer Sunrise Golden Salad and Power Purple Salad - I decided to create a delicious salad featuring a few of my favorite red ingredients.

Red Antioxidants. Red fruits and veggies are rich in antioxidants due to the dark red pigment colors. Buzz word: Phytochemicals. Berries are one of the highest ranking food varieties for-antioxidant power. And most berries are red.

Ripe'n Rouge. The red ingredients in this salad include sweet strawberries, tangy pomegranate seeds, ripe tomatoes, crispy baby bell peppers, red-skinned pears, red wine vinegar and some green sweet basil.

Red Red Menu. This salad is incredibly versatile: Serve it on toast as a red bruschetta, serve it over a green salad, fold in some Veganaise for a creamy side dish or eat it as is for some royal rouge refreshment.

Click ahead for the recipe...

Super Rouge Salad

1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 red skinned pear, cubed
4 baby bell peppers, red
8 leaves basil, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped into large cubes
3 tablespoon olive oil**
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon red vinegar
3 tablespoon citrus juice (orange, lemon or meyer lemon)

**Optional changes:
*for a fat-free salad, skip oil
*for a creamy salad, use 2 tablespoon Veganaise
*substitute oil with sliced avocado

I'm always jealous when my husband orders a sesame-crusted non-vegan dish - like salmon. Sesame-crusting is a common way to prepare fish, but I rarely see 'sesame crusted' tofu recipes. (Though I see cornmeal crusted tofu often.) So, I took matters into my own hands and created this recipe for Sesame Peanut Crusted Tofu, peanut-dipping sauce on the side.

Crusty Crust. This simple dish combines a few of my favorite flavors: creamy peanut butter, white sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, lime and sweet agave syrup. It's the perfect blend of sweet peanut flavor with enough garlic-chili spice to wake up your senses.

Tofu Buzz. There are a million ways to prepare tofu. But this is one of my favorites. I love the richness of the peanut sauce combined with the fluffiness of the steamed-sauteed tofu. Serve this tofu over a warm bed of brown rice and steamed veggies or colorful shredded cabbage and you have a healthy, happy meal.

Sesame Peanut Crusted Tofu
vegan, serves two

Ingredients:
2 cups diced tofu, extra firm
3 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
¼ cup white sesame seeds
3 tablespoon peanut or olive oil
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
garnish: chopped cilantro and fresh chopped ginger/garlic

Instructions:

In a soup or saute pan:
Add oil, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, agave syrup, lime juice and a pinch of sesame seeds.
Saute on medium-high heat for a minute.

Tofu:
Chop into cubes or thin slices and marinate in 3-4 tablespoon soy sauce soy sauce and 2 tablespoon water for five minutes (while you do the first saute above).

Add tofu to pan with the peanut mixture.
Stir/toss well over high heat for a minute to coat tofu.
Turn heat to medium.
Cover pan and allow steam and heat to cook tofu for a few minutes.
Constantly move covered pan around, to preventing burning.

Uncover pan and check for doneness of tofu. It should be fluffy from the steam and cooked through.
If the mixture looks dry, add a tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of soy sauce and re-cover to steam.

Once the tofu looks fluffy with a few browned edges, turn heat to medium-low.
Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and toss tofu a few times-gently.

Pour in sesame seeds. Allow the seeds to stick to tofu.
Add more or less if necessary to coat about ½ of the total surface area of the tofu.

Saute sesame crusted tofu for a few minutes- uncovered.
Sesame seeds should be crusted and lightly toasted.

Serve over a bed of fresh chopped cabbage or on a bed of steamed veggies and brown rice.

Garnish with garlic/ginger/cilantro.

peanut dipping sauce:
Make an extra round of peanut sauce by heating these ingredients in your pan:
4 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt/pepper to taste
Optional: add chopped garlic and/or crushed peanuts for a chunky sauce.
Miso paste is an awesome add if you have it on hand.
*add water to thin the sauce.

I used Vermont Soy Tofu in this dish.

Zen out your tofu. Instead of simply adding tofu to your green salad, combine the green-salad-and-tofu into one blissful bite that is pure green zen.

Easy to be Green. A super healthy dish, my recipe combines fresh fluffy firm tofu, crisp Boston lettuce, sweet cooked garlic and ginger, bright scallions, protein-rich edamame, soy sauce and an accent of sweetness from an agave-lemon salad dressing.

Healthy Zen. This salad is an excellent source of protein, antioxidants and fiber. A light bite that is rich in healthy fats and protein to keep you satisfied and zen-inspired, throughout your busy day.

Click ahead for the quick and easy recipe...

Zen Green Tofu Salad
serves one, vegan

1 cup extra firm tofu, sliced, I used Vermont Soy
2 scallions, sliced thin
5 garlic cloves, whole and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
½ cup cooked edamame
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Boston lettuce leaves
optional: add mushrooms to saute

Agave-Lemon Dressing
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 lemon, juiced
salt/pepper to taste

Saute:
Turn stove onto med-high.
In a soup or saute pan, add oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and scallions.
Saute for a minute. Add tofu. Cover pan.
Let simmer on medium for 3 minutes. Shake pan every few seconds.
Steam will cook tofu while keeping it moist.
Add 2 tablespoon oil-water mix if saute looks dry.
Uncover pan and add pre-cooked edamame.
Tofu should be fluffy and cooked through.
Add black pepper and saute uncovered for another few minutes.

In salad bowl:
Toss greens with agave-lemon dressing.
Grind fresh pepper on top.
Transfer greens to small serving bowl.
Top with steaming hot tofu saute.
Serve.
Garnish with additional edamame or fresh chopped garlic.

Optional Add: Side of brown rice for a larger meal.

Recently, I stumbled upon Vermont Soy, a new-to-me brand of 'artisan' tofu, when it was on sale at Whole Foods. Upon tasting this new brand, I didn't expect much more a traditional store-bought tofu, so I was blown-away when I tasted how light, fluffy and perfectly tender this tofu was!
Angel-tofu indeed.

Vermont Soy. Soy Artists. I hadn't heard of Vermont Soy before, but what a great company. They really take SOY to the next level: artistry. They call their tofu 'artisan' tofu, a snobby term to some, but they live up to the term! This is a tofu that a soy artist can be proud of.

Quality Tofu. Like anything, quality matters. Tofu isn't tofu just like an apple isn't an apple. The producer, grower, artist, chef, brand, ingredients and other variables involved make a huge difference in the finished product. Start with good stuff, you are more likely to end up with good stuff. Vermont Soy uses great organic stuff!

**Two Awesome Vermont Soy Tofu Recipes I posted:
Sesame Peanut Crusted Tofu
Zen Green Tofu Salad

Click ahead for my official review of Vermont Soy Tofu...
My Review: Vermont Soy, Artisan Tofu, Extra Firm Style

Shelf-Appeal: I like the packaging. It's a nice thin box with spring green images of a farm. Beautiful branding that communicates this tofu-experience well. You can see the tofu through the plastic bag, so you know what you are getting. Once you open the package, the tofu is vacuum packed in sturdy plastic. Very fresh when opened. Perfectly moist.

Label Check: Tofu nutrition, no matter what brand, is about the same. High in protein, copper, calcium, iron and phosphorus and nearly free of saturated fat. Around 60 calories per serving. Five servings per package. 6 grams of protein per 60 calories. About 40% calories from protein and 60% from fat. There is only 1 gram or 4 calories from carbohydrates. Not a low-fat product, but high in flavor, so a little goes a long way.

Taste Test: I love this brand of tofu. It cooks up very fresh and fluffy. It tastes like the same tofu I get at my favorite vegan restaurant. No sliminess or toughness here. Perfectly moist and tender. Easy to add your own inspiration ingredients.

Price: This pack was on sale at Whole Foods for $3.19. Note, that's on sale. I got about two large uses out of it. Considering a side of grilled tofu at my fave restaurant is $6, I'd say yay to the cheaper do-it-yourself option.

Last Word: Vermont Soy is my new favorite brand of tofu. I can't wait to try the soy milk. I bought the last pack on the shelf at WF and I am dreaming about when they re-stock. Dreaming of my next recipe: Angel-fluffy-cloud tofu pillows.

www.vermontsoy.com

Read my tofu vs. seitan post, here.

Colorful dyed Easter eggs are a tradition in many homes this time of year. As a vegan, I don't eat eggs, but for children and adults who enjoy the egg dying tradition, here is an easy recipe using all-natural ingredients to make earth-friendly, chemical-free Easter eggs. Click ahead for the recipe...

Plant and Spice based Egg Dye

INGREDIENTS

2 dozen eggs
2 orange peels
1 beet
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
¼ lb turmeric root, grated
2 cups spinach, chopped
10 teaspoon vinegar
Other ingredients for dyes: blackberries, concord grapes, pomegranate, strong coffee or espresso, blood oranges, cherries, paprika, portobella mushrooms.

Instructions:
Hard boil the eggs and let them cool. For each color, boil 3 cups of water, 2 teaspoon vinegar and one of the vegetable ingredients for 30 minutes.
The orange peels create a pale yellow-orange, beets create pink, turmeric root a deeper yellow, spinach makes a spring green, and red cabbage makes blue.

Burger season is almost upon us, and for me, that means pulling out a few recipes and "burgerizing" them. This time I decided to take my crowd-pleasing recipe for Sweet'n Savory Sweet Potato Pita Pockets and turn them into a delicious vegan burger - fit for a stove top skillet, or hearty enough for a backyard BBQ.

Get tan for seitan. Seitan, pictured right, is a high protein, lean, meaty vegan ingredient made from vital wheat gluten. It is perfect for those sun-filled backyard barbecues. You can lay back, work on your tan, sip a frozen lemonade all while some seitan skewers heat up the grill. Seitan is a strong vegan protein that even die-hard-meat-eaters will love (if they humble themselves to try it.) Thus, sticking a nice helping of sauteed seitan in these burgers was the perfect way to "wheat-meat" them up!

Thanksgiving, but not. I love the flavors of Thanksgiving, but sometimes with all the stressful planning, dinner prep and family coordinating it's hard to kick back and enjoy the food. Thus, here is a way to indulge in the healthy and delicious flavors of Thanksgiving without all the extra holiday hub-bub. This burger combines all those holiday favorites: sweet potatoes, stuffing, tangerines, cranberry sauce, almond-greens and some hearty protein from seitan (Tofurkey IS made of seitan).

Healthy Holiday. And FYI, the foods we eat at Thanksgiving which are represented in this burger, are incredibly healthy. More info.

Click ahead to experience my "Thanksgiving in July" Backyard Burgers....


"Thanksgiving in July" Backyard Burgers
6 burgers

Ingredients:
6 seeded rolls or standard buns*
*hearty buns work better than soft buns for this burger.
1 extra-large sweet potato or 2 small
1 ½ cups seitan, chopped
2 small vidalia onions
1 tub garlic hummus
5 garlic cloves
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 bunch parsley, de-stemmed and chopped
2 tangerines
1 small box/bag easy stuffing mix (dairy free)*
*or make your own with cubed bread and spices
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoon maple syrup
mixed greens
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and fresh black pepper
spray oil

Assembly per burger (bottom to top layers):
Bun, bottom half
Sweet Potato Mash, thin layer
Triple "S" Burger (Sweet-Potato, Seitan and Stuffing Burger)
Greens and toasted almonds mix, handful
1 thin vidalia onion slice
Cran-citrus chutney, spread chutney on top half of bun
Bun, top half

STEP ONE
Sweet Potato Mash (2 cups for burger patties, the rest for burger assembly.)
1 large garnet sweet potato (about 3 cups), baked
1 cup vidalia onion, chopped
⅓ cup garlic hummus
¼ cup fresh tangerine juice
1 ¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoon maple syrup, dark grade A
salt/pepper to taste

In a large bowl:
Add cooked sweet potato, hummus, parsley, onion, olive oil, tangerine juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
Mash and mix well. Re-heat to serve.

STEP TWO
Greens and Almonds:
2 cup organic mixed greens
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted in skillet
toss ingredients

STEP THREE
Cran-Citrus chutney:
½ can cranberry sauce (jellied)
1 tangerine, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon tangerine juice
mix well by folding ingredients with fork

STEP FOUR
Seitan:
In hot skillet, quickly saute 1 ½ cups raw seitan, with a drizzle of oil.

STEP FIVE
Seitan-Sweet-Potato Stuffing Burger:
2 cups Kathy's Sweet potato Mash
1 cup instant stuffing mix
Sauteed seitan

Fold seitan and sweet potato mash into stuffing mix until desired consistency is achieved.
Add liquid to loosen stuffing mix if needed.

STEP SIX
GRILL:
Form into patties and cool in fridge until ready for grill or skillet.
Grill about 3 minutes each side.

Serve hot!

Side of sweet potato fries? OK, maybe not. But my Vegan Cole Slaw would go great on the side!

Squash is a healthy and delicious veggie. It is incredibly easy to prepare. Low in calories and rich in nutrients, squash is the perfect 'diet' veggie.

Protein Packed Pasta. This recipe for Squash 'n Spirals Summer pasta is high in fiber, rich in nutrients and high in protein thanks to the addition of delicious green soy beans. Whole wheat pasta, fresh garlic, red onion, lemon and orange flavors are the perfect compliment to thick-cut summer squash rounds.

Squash it! Squash your fear of squash once and for all. You'll be amazed at how easy to clean, cut and cook squash is. And since squash has a mild taste and absorbs flavors well, it goes with many different foods.

Click ahead for my recipe for Squash 'n Spirals Summer Pasta...

Squash 'n Spirals Summer Pasta

4 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup edamame, shelled, steamed and salted lightly
1 lemon, juiced
1 red onion, sliced into thin circles
1 yellow squash, sliced into circles
1 green squash, sliced into circles
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Coarse Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 bay leaf
garnish: fresh chopped parsley and lemon circle slices

Instructions:
Put sliced squash, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf, thyme, 2 lemon slices and 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl to marinate. Add a few grinds of fresh pepper and coarse sea salt. Mix well, let sit for ten minutes.

Boil water to cook pasta. Cook pasta and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Steam edamame and add to pasta bowl. Toss well.

Squash Saute:
Heat 1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread in saute or soup pan. Add squash mixture.
Cook veggies until tender, but not mushy. Degree of doneness is up to you.
When veggies are done, add a few grinds of fresh pepper and sea salt.
Add veggies to pasta bowl and fold well. Do not mush squash though.

Serve warm or re-add to soup pan and allow pasta to re-heat for five minutes.

Serve with a lemon circle and fresh parsley for garnish.

Squash your fear.
Squash is super.

You should squash any hesitation you have about adding summer squash to your diet. Squash is a mild and delicious veggie that absorbs flavors very well and adds very few calories to a dish.

Squash your Diet. One cup of squash only has around 15-40 calories, depending on the variety and size. What a perfect veggie for keeping you satisfied yet keeping you well-nourished. Squash is a perfect diet veggie. Squash has a very high water content and is surprisingly rich in nutrients including manganese, fiber, folate, potassium and Vitamins A, K , B6 and C.

Squash Craving! You are dying to test out a squash recipe right? Well squash is delicious grilled, skewered, steamed, added to pasta or baked into a lasagna. Next up, I'll post an easy and nutritious squash pasta recipe.

Click ahead for the complete list of squash nutrition facts and an easy saute recipe.....

Squash, summer squash
one cup, raw

calories: 36
fat: 1 g
carbs: 8 g
protein: 2 g
fiber: 3 g
Vitamin C: 16% RDA
Vitamin K: 8% RDA
Folate: 9% RDA
Vitamin B6: 6% RDA
Manganese: 19% RDA
Potassium: 10% RDA
Magnesium: 11% RDA

Cool Fact: Though considered a vegetable in cooking, botanically speaking, squash is a fruit (being the receptacle for the plant's seeds).

Easy Squash Saute

1 large squash
a few squirts of lemon juice or vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt
pepper

Instructions:
Slice squash into cubes or circles.
Mix well wit ingredients.
Saute in skillet for a few minutes.
Do not overcook. Bite should be firm, yet tender.

Red Mango Bakery in Brooklyn, New York makes a famous Vegan Red Velvet Layer Cake. It's a tall beet-red stack of fluffy cake and creamy snow white frosting. I don't know how they make it. But I'm just glad they do!

Vegan Cake 2009. It's 2009, and vegan cake doesn't have to taste like cardboard and look like wheat bread. Most everyone loves cake. Even health-conscious, animal loving vegans. Let us all eat cake.

Red Mango Bakery. They are wholesale only, though they do a few specialty orders. Incredibly friendly staff. I found their divine slice of red velvet heaven at The Bean Coffee Shoppe in the East Village NYC. Also on hand from Red Mango was a Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake. It looked outstanding. Next extra special treat is going to be a slice of that!

Click ahead for my review of this divine Red Velvet Cake-sorry I can't hand you a forkful to taste-test!....

Vegan Bakery Finds. I am always thrilled when I find a new vegan cupcake, ice cream store, cake, pastry, doughnut or bakery. No I don't eat these treats everyday, but it's nice to know that they exist if I crave one.

Deprived Vegan Brides Everywhere. As a bride who sadly didn't get to eat her own wedding cake, because there were no vegan bakers nearby, I am incredibly supportive of quality vegan baking companies that I come across. Red Mango is one of them.

My Review: Red Velvet Cake,
Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn NY

Shelf Appeal:Sometimes giant slices of cake can get ignored at places like The Bean. But not this one. Standing tall, proud, and irresistible, this Red Velvet cake, proudly marked vegan, gets snapped up by patrons. With crumbly red bits sprinkled on top of the snow white frosting, how an a vegan NOT try this? I hope the 'vegan' sign doesn't deter non-vegan coffee patrons from checking out just how good a vegan cake can be.

Label Check: No nutrition label here. I do not know the calories, fat, carbs ect. But just from the taste I can tell that this cake is hardcore. Not low in fat or sugar. And the size is outrageous! Cheesecake Factory sized. Huge. But if eaten in moderation-split between friends, this is a knock-out special treat dessert to try. Get a slice and split it - some soy chai on the side. That's a happy afternoon. Vegans should not be deprived of super special cakes, if they crave it- I say let them eat cake! This one, in moderation...

Taste Test: Is "Yum" a verb? How about "Mmmm"? Because you don't eat this cake, you Yum and Mmmm it. Really. It's that good. The cake is fluffy yet has a desirable dense quality. It's not too airy or moist. It really reminds me of wedding cake consistency. The frosting is outstanding. A little on the sweet side for my taste, but I guess for Red Velvet you have to go all out. Icing is creamy yet more of a sugar frosting that a 'creamy' frosting. The red crumbles on top are so fun. This cake has some serious sweet-sensational factor, yet it's amazingly not 'heavy'. I think the dairy-free-ness helps keep it easy to eat. And FYI, it's not just me- the Yelp.com reviewers of The Bean all seem to mention the Red Velvet Cake!

Price Check: Around $6 a slice. For the size, I think it's fair. And where else can you get this in a corner street coffee shop? Get you latte, check your cell phone messages, sit in a comfy chair and eat Vegan Red Velvet Cake.

Last Word: I wish Red Mango Bakery was around when and where I got married! That's the beauty of big cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and NYC - you can always find someone doing something (like vegan cake baking) off-the-beaten-track out of passion. And eventually, if proven a success, it goes mainstream. Vegan wedding cake, Red Velvet Cake and PB Choco Cheesecake for all who desire it - is what I envision. Let them eat vegan cake! How Marie Antoinette 2009 of me.

More Photos in Slideshow:

Bright beautiful round melons are a hydrating treat for everyone. Melons are low in calories and high in a few important nutrients like Vitamin C and potassium. But sometimes shoppers shy away from buying melons simply because of their size, weight and mystery of what is on the inside!

mini orange-flesh melon bowl..

casaba...

Quick to Digest. It's true that melons are one of the most easily digestible fruits. By the time melon hits your stomach, it is almost completely digested from chewing and saliva. Thus, a lot of food combining believers think that you should only eat melon alone. Myth or fact? I'll discuss.

Many Melons. There are many varieties of melon. The most popular and common in the US are Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Casaba and Watermelon. Ahead, I'll discuss how to tell melons apart and a few tricks to pick out the best melon.

Casaba-trition. Casaba melon, pictured above, is high in Vitamin C, fiber, potassium and Vitamin B6. And it only has 46 calories per cup. Nice.

Click ahead for the 101 on Melon varieties, melon nutrition facts and a few fast and tasty recipes to jazz-up your raw melon bowl....

Tuscan Cantaloupe with blueberries:

Melon Nutrition
Melons range in calories from 40-80 calories per cup, depending on the melon type and its degree of ripeness. Riper melons contain more sugar.

In general, melons are high in fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, and a few B vitamins like B6. Cantaloupe melons are considered very nutrient-dense because of their high Vitamin A content. One cup on cantaloupe contains 120% RDA of Vitamin A. All that and only around 55 calories.

Melon Varieties

Casaba: Bright yellow rind, light whitish yellow on the inside. Seeds are easy to scoop out. Has a sweet pure flavor. Easy to add flavors to. Neutral sweetness. Very smooth and hard rind-a few creasing lines. Slightly oval shaped.

Cantaloupe: Rough criss-crossed tan rind. Becomes softer as it ripens. Inside flesh is bright honey-orange. Seeds are easy to scoop out. Sweet flavor with a very unique sweet accent all its own. Perfectly round.

Watermelon: Rind is green with white lines. Smooth. Hard. The inside flesh is bright pink-red. Very watery and grainy texture. Very sweet, yet the high water content cuts the sweetness. Crisper bite than other melons. Seeds are embedded and tricky to remove before serving. Seedless options are available. Oval shaped. Exotic seedless watermelons are smaller and round.

Honeydew: Whitish-green-yellow rind. Smooth and hard. Inside flesh is whitish green. Very succulent and almost ripe-peach like when at its height of ripeness. If cut too soon it can be hard and lacking in sweetness. Seeds are easily scooped out. Delicious dessert-sweet flavor. Perfectly round.

Melon Selection
It's easy: Smell, listen, feel.
Smell the melon. More aromatic smell is a ripe and flavor sign.
Listen: Knock on the melon. A hollow sound is a good sign.
Feel: Feel the rind. Look for a nice firmness with a tinge of tenderness. Too hard or too soft melons should be avoided.

Melon Digestion: Food Combining Controversy
The Food Combiners say this:
"Melons are such a perfect food for humans that they require no digestion whatsoever in the stomach. Instead, they pass quickly through the stomach and move into the small intestine for digestion and assimilation.
But this can happen only when the stomach is empty and melons are eaten alone, or in combination only with other fresh raw fruits.
When consumed with or after other foods that require complex digestion in the stomach, melons cannot pass into the small intestine until the digestion of other foods in the stomach is complete.
So they sit and stagnate instead, quickly fermenting and causing all sorts of gastric distress."Source: Daniel Reid."
My thoughts:
The 'other side' anti-food combiners, say that our stomachs can handle just about anything and eating melon alone is not necessary. I see truth in both sides. For optimal gastric comfort and efficiency I would say eat melon by itself or at least with other sweet fruits (like in a sweet fruit salad). But if you eat a few slices of melon at say a big buffet or event, don't freak out. The melon may not digest out of the stomach as quickly, but it will digest. The only time I could see a problem is if you are eating a big meal with a lot of melon. Then you will most likely experience some stomach discomfort that could have been avoided by not eating the melon.

Jazz-Up Your melon Recipes

Lime-Salt melon
Per melon
De-rind and cube, ball or slice melon.
Add the juice of 1 lime to melon. Mix well.
Top with a few sprinkles of course sea salt.
*Works best with sweet melons like honeydew.

Agave-Olive Oil melon
Per melon
De-rinds and cube, ball or slice melon.
Add 3 tablespoon honey or agave syrup to melon in bowl.
Mix well.
Plate and drizzle with a few teaspoons of olive oil.
Sprinkle with sea salt (optional)

Minted Melon
Per melon
De-rinds and cube, ball or slice melon.
Chop ½ cup of fresh mint.
In a large bowl toss melon with mint and a pinch of natural sugar or agave.
Plate and garnish with mint sprigs.

Spiced Up Melon
Per melon
De-rinds and cube, ball or slice melon.
Add melon, 2 teaspoon cayenne and a drizzle of olive oil to a bowl.
Mix well.
For spicy-sweet flavor add a few drizzles or a natural sweetener like agave.

Melon Skewers
De-rinds and cube or ball melon.
Add to skewers. A mix of melon varieties looks best.
Sprinkle skewers with any of the above ingredients.

Melon-addition ingredients list:
honey or agave
natural sugar
mint
olive oil
sea salt, course is best
cayenne

I love perusing the mushroom section at Whole Foods. White button, shiitake and portobella are the typical varieties. But there's always a few exotic varieties in stock as well. Today it was Chanterelle and Blue Foot mushrooms. The shocker is usually the price tag of these mushrooms. Chanterelle and Blue Foot: $29.99 a pound. So I have to ask: Worth it or worth skipping?

$30/lb Mushrooms. What's a Foodie to do? I always wonder if that is why the security guard at Whole Foods hangs out by the shrooms. Gosh, what if I dropped a giant Chanterelle on the floor. Would I be tackled? Anyways...

Lets take a look at the $30 prime suspects: Bluefoot and Chanterelle.

Bluefoot. No blue feet here. But a blueish-lilac speckled stem is what gives this elegantly clean mushroom its name. Bluefoot mushrooms have an intense woody flavor and hold their shape quite well after a quick saute.

Chanterelle. Ribbed and bright orangish-yellow. Resembles a giant piece if popped corn-with a long stem. Marshmallowy-looking. They cook up with an earthy flavor, less woody than the bluefoots. Incredibly aromatic flavor.

What do you think? Worth it or not? Click ahead for my analysis, more photos and my simple mushroom cooking instructions.....

$30/lb Mushrooms. What's a Foodie to do?
This is a seriously controversial foodie situation!
OK, believe it or not, you should not be shocked and deterred by the sticker shock of $30 mushrooms. Mushrooms are incredibly light for their size, so if you can purchase them piece by piece-do it. Thanks Whole Foods. Look, you're not going to walk away with a pound of chanterelles-unless you are cooking a heavy duty meal for special guests-then maybe.

The solution...

Indulge the mushroom connoisseur inside of you! The fabulous thing about pick-your-own mushroom sections is that you can buy a little bit and not spend a lot! Even with the $30 varieties. For example, I literally bought 3 large bluefoot shrooms and it cost around $2.50. Trust me, it was worth it. These mushrooms are so flavorful that just a few provide an intense flavor impact to a meal.

A few chanterelles cost me around $3.50. Thus I had a very gourmet mushroom tasting experience for around $6.

Michelin-Star quality Mushrooms. You'll easily find Blue Foot and Chanterelle mushrooms on the tasting menus of the most esteemed chefs. There is even a fine dining restaurant here in NYC called Chanterelle.

At Craft restaurant in NYC, there is a mushroom section on the menu. It looks like this at present:
mushrooms
Roasted
Hen of the Woods 13.
Baby Shiitake 12.
Oyster 11.
Trompette Royale 12.
Bluefoot 13.

How-to Cook Mushrooms

Cooking mushrooms is incredibly easy. The hardest part is the prep of cleaning and properly slicing the shrooms. Here are instructions for chanterelles and blue foots.

Blue Foot Tasting:
Rinse the Blue Foots well. Gently dry.
Blue Foots are naturally very grime-free, so scrubbing is usually unnecessary.
I like to slice my Blue Foots right down the middle for a half-cut look. Sliced too thin and you will lose some of the thick-bodied texture of the shroom.
Cook:
For fat-free shrooms, steam them with a pinch of salt.
For maximum flavor I like an olive oil saute.
Saute in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper for about 5 minutes. I like to cover the pan as they cook to 'steam' cook the caps and seal in the moist flavor. You can even add some shallots or fresh herbs to the pan if you'd like. But eaten 'unseasoned', these mushrooms are delicious.

Chanterelles are similar, but may require a bit more cleaning. I like to cook small chanterelles whole-no slicing. But the larger mushrooms I will slice into thin long strips. Simply saute lightly and they are done. And delicious.

Do not overcook mushrooms or they will become chewy, rubbery and lose their moist texture.

Healthy Fungus.
Don't forget that mushrooms are incredibly healthy.
Here's another mushroom post to feed your mushroom curiosity.

MORE Bluefoot Mushroom Photos:

I found this ethereal-looking white coconut on my last trip to Essex Food Market here in NYC. I had never seen a pure white skinned coconut before! So I had to buy one.

Mysterious Cloud Coconut. I don't know it's official name. White coconut? I'll call it a cloud coconut. Or angels breath coconut. It's so light and pure with its wispy blonde strands gracefully bowing outward. I've been doing extensive research trying to figure out where this exotic white coconut comes from and how it is different from a brown skinned coconut. And unfortunately, my research has left me with a lot of unanswered questions. If you google "white coconut" you will get either a pre-skinned Fresh Young Coconut (looks white) or the inside of a brown coconut. Sigh.

So check out a few more amazing photos of this mysterious fruit and please let me know if you have any insight to its origin!

Click ahead for more white coconut photos....

White Coconut Photos:

Any idea what this white-haired mystery food is???

I'll post the answer in a few hours!

Hint after the jump...

Hint: It's kinda like one of my favorite foods...but its also VERY different!

Here's my recipe for a purple-themed dish: Purple Power Antioxidant Salad. It's pure purple bliss. This salad has a complex Asian-influenced sweet-bitter-tangy flavor you'll love! Fruit. Veg. Flavor.

Power Lunch. Eat this salad as is, or on top of a pile of mixed greens. Add in some protein-rich 2-minute tempeh and lunch is a healthy flavorfest. This salad awakens your senses and perks up your mood. Sweet grapes, figs and plums provide a quick, natural, antioxidant-infused energy boost. Mother Nature's caffeine and vitamin pill is served.

Purple Ingredients. Bold Flavors. This salad has sweet black grapes, succulent purple plums, goji berries, caramelized dried figs, crunchy radicchio, red onion rounds, black sesame seeds and a squeeze of Meyer lemon juice. Flavor is ZING! Then to smooth the flavor, I've added a tablespoon of veganaise or plain soy yogurt. Click ahead for the recipe and more photos ......

Purple Power Antioxidant Fruit Salad
serves 3-4

1 ½ cups purple grapes, halved
2 black or purple plums
¼ cup shopped radicchio lettuce
1 small onion, thinly sliced rounds
3 tablespoon dried goji berries
6 dried figs, de-stemmed, thinly sliced
1 Meyer Lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon Veganaise or Soy Yogurt
1 tsp. Olive Oil, for figs saute
1 teaspoon course sea salt
1 teaspoon agave syrup

Figs:
Saute sliced dried figs and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet for 3-5 minutes, until slightly caramelized.

Mix:
Add all ingredients to large bowl and mix well. Serve right away or chill in fridge.

Serving Idea:
Serve over a bed of fresh mixed greens or as is.

Garnish:
Sprinkle top with black sesame seeds.

Check out these other color themed fruity veg salads:
Spring Green Fruit Salad
Surfer Sunrise Golden Fruit Salad
Winter White Fruit Salad

Grapes are great! Sweet-tart, juicy, portable for snacks and don't forget healthy. And even...trendy?

Power Fruit. There is that classic image of Kings, Queens, Goddesses and Pharaoh's being fed grapes. Grapes seem to be a luxurious and highbrow-worthy fruit. Grapes draped in an elegant bowl makes a snappy table centerpiece. Grapes are also a high-style snack! Giant frozen Globe Grapes have been popping up as poolside snacks for guests at trendy clubs and hotels like the Delano in South Beach Miami.

Product Power. Grape seed extract supplements, grape seed fortified cereal and grape seed oil are just a few heart-healthy themed products making trendy appearances on the market. Grape seed extract is used as a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory agent.

Super fruit. Grapes are high in vitamin C, vitamin k, copper, potassium and phytosterols. One cup only has around 100 calories. Grape skins contain resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant also the wine antioxidant.

Choose dark skinned grapes for higher antioxidant content.

Click ahead for the complete nutrition analysis....


Grapes
1 cup
calories: 105
carbs: 27 g
fat: 0
protein: 1 g
vitamin A: 2% RDA
vitamin C: 27% RDA
vitamin E: 1% RDA
potassium: 8% RDA
copper: 10% RDA
vitamin K: 28% RDA
vitamin B6: 6% RDA
iron: 3% RDA

FROZEN GRAPES: Simply freeze for a few hours and serve. Healthy, trendy and fun! Globe grapes look the coolest!

From http://health.learninginfo.org/grapes.htm:

A study that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition shows that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol as well as the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Naturally occurring antioxidants in fresh grapes known as polyphenols are believed to be responsible for this beneficial impact.

One polyphenol in particular, called resveratrol, has been shown to help protect against arterial wall damage by “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Contained in the grape’s skin, resveratrol is found in grapes, grape juice, grape jelly, and wine.

I heard this new study quip in the news last night and had to post it. And yes, this is a very high quality study. No junk science here. In the study, a research team led by Rashmi Sinha, Ph.D., from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, looked at people aged 50 to 71 who enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health study.
The findings:

"Study of more than 500,000 Americans found that those who consumed 4 ounces of red meat a day were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the ten years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk."

30% is a big number.
And 4 ounces is a small serving.

Click ahead to find out what a four ounce serving size means and why BBQ season isn't looking so "HOT".....

Four Ounces. One egg is an ounce. (That's after it's cooked.) Also an ounce: one slice of lunch meat. That "deck-of-cards" reference you have probably heard from a dietitian? Deck of cards sized meat is about three ounces, which is by USDA standards, one serving.

Four ounces is about the size of a hamburger that will fit in your palm. Most BBQ grill sized burgers are probably around 5 ounces (or more). BBQ season isn't looking so "fun-in-the-sun" now is it? Maybe switch up those beef patties for turkey burgers. Or be like me and use portobella tops and specialty veggie burger recipes.

"Bang" for a buck...
So lets say you go to McDonald's and order a burger off the dollar menu. Or maybe get one of those sausage egg things in the morning for a few bucks. Well that 4 ounce a day quota has already been "banged" out. You are officially a 30%-er. Scary.

Vegan-Self-Esteem
In a world that generally looks down on people who don't eat red meat, aka the Tony Bourdainers out there who hate "Sauce-on-the-siders" and veg-heads, it's nice to get a little vegan self-esteem boost. This study makes me feel great about being vegan for so many years and introducing my friends and family to sources of protein and nutrients that are no 'meat'. But it makes me a little scared for all my friends and family who do eat a lot of red meat. But hopefully they read this study and get a bit of scare-induced-veggie-eating.

My Last Scary Thought
So I know plenty of people who think that 4 ounces of meat is an appetizer portion. Gosh, I wonder what the study results would find for people who eat 8 ounces of red meat a day...or more. 30% scares me already. Also, I would also like to know how this study would be the same or different if all organic/grass-fed beef were used. Since it has been shown to be healthier than traditionally farmed meat.

I love my tofu. Break out the tempeh, tofu or seitan and live a bit longer!

Read the study findings in CNN'S article: "Want to live longer? Cut out red meat."