The Veggie Queen Goes to Camp

You've heard that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well, the same thing goes for Jill.

So every year in July I take a week and go to family camp back in the woods in Mendocino at a magical place called Mendocino Woodlands. I stay in a rustic screened in cabin which I share with my husband and/or son, or some combination of the two of them. This year my 15-year old son Shane will go with me, while last year my husband Rick went.

The joy of going to camp is just being away with no strict schedule, other than meals which are optional. RIGHT! I do eat at every meal.

We (I am part of the kitchen staff and have been every year that I've gone to camp which is at least 8 now) make great food. In fact, the food at our camp is a big deal. We use fresh ingredients, all made with love and care. And here's the best part: we have vegan options at every meal. Now, how cool is that?

The bad part about the vegan options is that often we have meat-eaters who want in on the action because our food can be more appealing. Some campers become vegan for the week, and sign up as such so that they are assured the "good stuff".

So, I won't be blogging for at least a week while I trek through the woods, do some cooking and get rejuvenated. The timing is always perfect because it's less than a month before my junior college classes start. And my fellow campers are incredibly interesting people who love engaging in heady conversation, and sometimes just being and acting silly. It all works for me, especially nap time, whenever I want it -- well, not in the kitchen, of course.

I hope that you take the time to enjoy your week.

Nature's Treats While Walking the Dog

I get up and walk my dog every morning when I am at home. I love the ritual of doing it -- most of the time. I walk no matter what -- cold, hot, rainy, windy, sunny, foggy or anything else. I'd have to say that I most enjoy walking the dog when we both have our needs met.

This morning was a perfect example of that. Bear wants to sniff, take care of bodily functions and eat as much oat grass as he can find. I, on the other hand, want to get a bit of exercise, observe nature and forage for wild fruit, and eat s much as I can get my hands on while walking a dog.

Today was glorious as it's a bit overcast, which is much better than 80+ degrees at 7 a.m., and cooler. Before we even hit the creek path, I had picked a ripe blackberry (notice the restraint here -- just 1 blackberry), followed by an unctuous ripe fig from a tree that I affectionately refer to a "my fig tree", which just happens to be on someone else's property and hangs on the side of the fence that I can get to. Now, if I were only taller I could get more figs. And, if I didn't have the dog with me, I could really stop and pick. But 1 ripe fig was absolutely wonderful, and a good way to start out.

As Bear found one of the few patches of green oat grass,, I spied a small, ripe, dark red wild plum which I picked and ate. Delicious. But Bear did not want to leave his oat grass eating and move on. I said, "Bear, I think that you are more into eating grass than I am into picking fruit." He was now chewing on dead grass. But then, I realized that he was done with grass-eating and I would continue to consume small amounts of fruit throughout the walk, as I found it: a few more blackberries, a yellow wild plum, a pinkish wild plum and then the path ended. So, my fruit escapades were done.

Throughout the walk, I reflected on nature's abundance and how we need to appreciate it. It became apparent to me that eating refined sugar is not a good option when you can eat real fruit and have it be so satisfying. I do eat foods containing sugar occasionally but they just don't compare to what our mother has to offer. Please keep this in mind.

And if you get a chance to walk a dog, have a good time while you're doing it. It could change the way that you see the world. It has for me, and for that, I thank Bear.

this isn't about me: Cezanne's Carrot: “The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution!”

this isn't about me: Cezanne's Carrot: “The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution!”

You will find me, The Veggie Queen, and my website mentioned on this blog. I just love the quote and can only hope that the day is coming soon although, I suspect that a ripe tomato would more likely set off a revolution but any vegetable revolution, or evolution, will do.

At Work on My Next Book -- Pressure Cooking

I have started working on my next book which is about Green Cooking in the Pressure Cooker. I had a working title and a proposal for it, but those went out the window, along with the data on my computer. So now I get to start fresh. Maybe that's part of the title -- FRESH. I'd love to hear what you have to say about this.


One possible title was The Veggie Queen Cooks Green in the Pressure Cooker or Cooking Green with The Veggie Queen: Using the Pressure Cooker. At this point, I'll just keep writing.


I have some recipe testers lined up. I am debating about using recipes from you, and not just my own. Any thoughts?


The basic book will have about 100 recipes for making all kinds of whole food vegan basics such as vegetables, grains and beans. I am also going to do an advanced version for those people who already know how to use a pressure cooker and want to do more complicated recipes.


I may be biting off more than I can chew but because it's healthy stuff I know that it will be easily digestible. I am going for simple with this book -- getting the info into hands without worrying too much about how pretty it looks.



If you've got any great ideas, I'd love to hear them. Anything special that you'd like to know?

The Veggie Queen Makes More Raw Pie and the Delight of Ripe Fruit

Since the local cherry season has concluded, my next raw pie is likely to be nectarine or peach. Today I bought the slightly bruised fruit, which means that it's really ripe and ready to eat, to use for slicing, freezing and making more raw pies. Funny how the fruit was in fairly decent shape when I bought it but by the time that I got it home in my plastic bag inside my big farmer's market bag, it was kind of squishy. So, I had to do a lot of quality control to be sure that the fruit was still edible. OMG, it was so good that I think that I ate a lot of it in the process.

What I want to remind you is that your food will never taste better than what you started with, and this seems to be most evident with fruit. You cannot likely purchase really ripe fruit at your supermarket so find a farm stand, a farmer, farmer's market or CSA that can provide ripe fruit in season. It can't be beat. You don't even have to make raw pie with it.

But if you want to make the pie you can get some almond flour from Angie at http://www.nutnother.com. Imade a small pie and used 1 cup almond flour and 2 tablespoons agave syrup. I mixed it and pressed it into my pie shell. I then made cashew cream. Don't ask for specifics at the moment, at my computer is still indisposed. Top with the fresh fruit and a drizzle of lemon juice (which was unncessary with the cherries as their cut sides were down). I would also like to try this with halved apricots.

I have go now as I am getting ready to drool on the keyboard. Oh boy, do I love summer fruit.

Raw Cherry Pie, Vegetarian Summerfest in Pennsylvania and A Crashed Computer

As I prepared to leave town, I had an abundance of cherries so I made raw cherry pie. You would see the photo here but my tale of woe, in Pennsylvania, is that right before my talk on Mushrooms as Medicine (wish that you could protect computers with mushrooms), my computer was attacked by a virus. But back to the raw cherry pie.

I made a crust with almond flour and agave nectar. Next I made a raw cashew cream with just a bit of vanilla extract and orange zest and spread that inside. Next came the sliced, pitted raw cherries with the cut side down. And that was it. It looked beautiful and tasted great. And I really did take a photo but that has disappeared into the ether, at least for now.

I headed off to Johnstown, PA on a Tuesday night and arrived very early Wednesday morning. But my suitcase took a detour to Phoenix and Omaha (now why would you want to go there? I asked). It arrived at 2 a.m. 1st lesson learned -- always pack what you might need for the rest of day in your carry-on bag. I survived just fine, as I bought a toothbrush.

Everything seemed to be going great at the conference, which I will post about separately later, until Saturday when the aforementioned computer crash occurred. And still, it's not been the end of my life -- just a big bump on the current path.

People ask why I'm still smiling when a big chunk of my work (My mantra now involves the words "back up") seems as if it might be nonexistent? My answer, "What are my other choices?" So, I am smiling and enjoying life to the best of my ability. And I am very able.

Another Company Gobbled Up -- Say Goodbye to Larabar

It is with great sadness that I just read that the company that makes Lara bars was acquired by the organic arm of General Mills. I am not one who embraces corporate acquisition as it tends to put profit motives ahead of good, wholesome and pure products. I could be wrong but I am skeptical. And I truly have embraced Larabars despite the fact that they are incredibly calorie-dense. Even with that said, I must say that the bars have more than once come to my rescue as I travel.

I, in fact, have a few tucked away in my carry-on bag right now as I head out to the East Coast for Vegetarian Summerfest. When you are traveling, you never know when or what you'll get to eat, so...

I can only hope that since Lara herself will still work at the company, she will insist that they treat her namesake with respect. We shall see.

More on Cherry Picking

I met motivational speaker Tom Mitchell, Ph.D., who co-authored The Winning Spirit with Joe Montana, this morning at the farmer's market just as I was ready to leave. He is a former basketball coach and explained that cherry picking has something to do with a defender hanging back and making an easy play. Thus, cherry picking is when it's easy to get to the cherries. And I definitely had that happen with my cherries yesterday. The picking is the easy part -- the pitting, freezing, drying and canning take more work and planning. But I am still thrilled that I got to do it.

Now, to get to work on that raw cherry pie. I'm pretty sure that I decided to do it with some cashew creme as the filling in the nut crust.

And I am going to try out a new appliance that I received recently -- hint -- it has to do with pressure cooking. All good stuff but not as much fun as standing by a tree cherry picking.

Cherry Picking Home Grown Humor

I have been picking cherries with my friend Ellen a number of times in the past week. Most enjoyably we spent a couple of hours doing this just a few days ago and then for another hour this morning. This morning's picking on Ellen's neighbors' roof yielded about 40 pounds of cherries in a hour. (Wow. Thanks Ellen.)

I can't think of a better way to connect with your food than by picking it with your own hands. There is something about the repetitive motion and the silence in the fields, punctuated with the sounds of buzzing insects and birds, that brings you back to your primal self. I have said it before and I repeat it, "I am a gatherer, and I love it."

I also enjoy dealing with the fruits of my labor and figuring out the best thing to do with surplus. The choices are eating fresh, cooking, canning, drying and freezing. For many things, eating fresh is best but eating too many cherries can be painful. What I mostly do is freeze them but drying would be good, too, although I must get a dehydrator. Think that I will look for one on Craigslist or Freecycle.

Today I am going to make raw cherry pie with an almond agave crust. Yum, yum. (If it turns out great, I will share the recipe in my next post.)

On a completely different topic, this morning I went to buy something for the potluck for the last day of school for my son. I paid by credit card and the young woman laid a napkin down on the glass case and said, "These slips are funny and it's easier to sign them like this."
I said, "Not ha ha, funny, right?"
She replied, "No, they have no sense of humor."
"You obviously do," was my retort.
She shot back, "I grew it myself."
"That's really good," I said, as I fumbled for a dollar to put in the tip jar. Humor like that is priceless but the dollar would have to do.

You know how much I love the connection with growing things, and you can't beat home grown humor, or fruit for that matter.

Tomatoes -- Eat Local, Buy Local, Grow Your Own

As a follow-up to the tomato announcement of last week. The Progressive Grocer reports:

Salmonella Tomato Outbreak Spread to 16 States

Latest word from FDA is that retailers should only sell cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine, no matter the source.

The government agency said consumers should not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, raw red round tomatoes, or products that contain these types of raw red tomatoes unless they can be sure the tomatoes are from Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands, or Puerto Rico.

FDA told consumers to contact the store where they bought the tomatoes to confirm the products’ origin. “Consumers should continue to eat cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or tomatoes grown at home,” FDA said. FDA said its recommendation do not apply to cherry, grape, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, from any source.

FDA recommends that retailers, restaurateurs, and food service operators not offer for sale and service raw red Roma, raw red plum, and raw red round tomatoes unless they are from the sources listed above. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, may continue to be offered from any source.

Since mid April, there have been 145 reported cases of salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Saintpaul nationwide, including at least 23 hospitalizations. States reporting illnesses linked to the outbreak include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Salmonella Saintpaul is an uncommon type of Salmonella. (End of their report.)

This is just another reason to know where you food comes from and know the people who are growing it. Or grow your own.

Everyone needs to learn how to grow at least one plant. And if it could only be one, then a tomato is a great start. Especially in light of this recent disturbing news.

FDA Issues Tomato Warning -- Grow Your Own

I just read that the FDA issued a warning in New Mexico and Texas for tomatoes because there has been an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, a more unusual strain of salmonella. The report which I read on Food Navigator News says, "Since late April, 57 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in Texas (24 persons) and New Mexico (33 persons). Patients range in age from 3 to 82 years, and at least 17 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported", said the US CDC.

They aren't sure if the salmonella is linked to a grower, a packing plant or is geographical. What I'd recommend, as usual, is that you grow your own tomatoes or buy them from someone that you know. Shop the farmer's market when possible. So if there's a problem you know that you can go to the straight to the source.

My guess is that there won't be problems. Remember that buying from the industrial food chain seems to be part of a recipe for disaster. And likely, you will have better tasting tomatoes, the closer that they are grown to home. Out the back door may be best but if not, get them from someone you know who is close by.

Summer tomatoes -- oh, joy.

Bean-Eaters Will Rule the World

These economic times are more than a bit trying. In an effort to help the environment, I got a diesel car 5 months ago. Since then the cost of diesel at the pump has gone up more than $1.40 per gallon, the price of gas just a few years ago. So, money savings need to happen somewhere. And since I spend a great deal of my money on food (as human fuel), this is where I am learning to be even more economy-minded, as well as ecologically-minded.

For me, the best ways to do that are to eat low on the food chain, buy in bulk, sustainable or organic, and local, and cook in the pressure cooker. It's possible for me to do this with beans.

And since it's spring, the fava bean comes to mind. I was at the farmer's market the other day and someone was buying 4 large fava bean pods. I was quite amazed as there might be 1/4 cup of beans in there. She explained that she doesn't like beans. To that I responded, "Bean eaters will rule the world."

David, of Crescent Moon Farm, whose partner Jill is the farmer, said, "We already do." And while I am not sure about that, I do know that if you want to save money on food, turn to beans as a big part of your diet.

My local sustainably grown beans are expensive at $5 per pound or more. The interesting thing about that is that when you figure out the cost per 1 cup serving, it is often less than $1, which is often hard to achieve with animal protein.

And if you've read what I've written about the latest Carnegie Mellon study, if you switch to eating vegetarian just 1 day each week, it's the equivalent of eliminating 1160 miles of driving each year.

I like to make big batches of beans and store them in my freezer so that I only need to cook once for many meals. Just the other day I made a vegetable dish in the pressure cooker in 3 minutes and at the end added my frozen, cooked Hidalgo (must mean super yummy in Spanish) beans. It was very filling and really delicious.

Beans in the pressure cooker, especially the heirloom (older) varieties, cook quickly. I always presoak with a quick-soak, and the cooking time ranges from 4 minutes at pressure for pinto beans to 14 minutes at pressure for garbanzo beans. Soy beans take longer but I rarely cook them.

Most beans cost less than $2 per pound. You can easily make a big pot of vegetarian chili or lentil soup for less than $5 and feed yourself and your family well. I want you to become one of the people who rule this world. So, eat your beans today.

Mother's Day for The Veggie Queen

Unlike many other people around these parts (Northern California), I usually wait until at least Mother's Day to plant my small garden. I've found that when I do it any sooner, there is likely to be a frost and the plants often don't make it.

So, I patiently wait.

This year for Mother's Day we decided to do something different and attend the breakfast held for the Timber Cove Volunteer Fire Department. My mother-in-law, son, husband and myself were to travel up the coast (of CA) to Plantation.

Unfortunately my MIL didn't feel well so she stayed home. My teenage son decided that was reason enough to not go, so my husband and i went. I figured that there would be a hundred or so people willing to make the drive.

But I was wrong, there were about 300 people in all who were there. I actually even ran into people that I knew from more locally -- this is a good 1 hour plus drive, to a very beautiful spot. And most of the people took the time to go.

The food was completely uneventful and nothing to bother writing about. But they gave out cute little corsages and pinned them on the mothers. They had sparkling wine, delicious strawberries and an array of incredible rhododendrons to see, labeled with their names in a rainbow of colors.

When we got home from our adventure, I planted a cucumber and a tomato. My son made me a card that I will forever treasure, as simple as it was. He included a "slave labor" coupon in it to be used as I see fit. Hhhhm, I'll have to cook up some ideas and pull one out of my hat.

Earth Day Week -- The Veggie Queen Speaks Out

OK, this may have been my busiest week of the year with 9 events within 1 week, with 4 cooking classes in less than 48 hours. But boy, was it fun. Although this has not been a great spring for vegetables, so far, I still had an abundance of beautiful produce to show off.


On Wednesday, the day after Earth Day, it was pouring here. Before that, it had been freezing and frosting every night so say goodbye to some strawberries and asparagus (but not all) for a while.


On hand were asparagus, fava beans, green garlic, Spring onions, baby beets, sugar snap peas, a variety of herbs, and many varieties of lettuce from La Bonne Terre Farm in Healdsburg. Marie and Bert Villamaire grow amazing lettuce. I had varieties at my disposal such as the incredibly deep red Merlot, Oak Leaf, Speckles (a red-tinged) butter lettuce (a cousin to Freckles, a spotted romaine-type), and a few others that I cannot recall. I also had wonderful arugula from Healdsburg and my very own dandelion greens.


Additionally, I got my hands on some special Nebrodini Bianco mushrooms from Gourmet Mushrooms here in Sebastopol, CA. They are their newest cultivated wild variety and I must say that they are pretty spectacular. Some of these dense and meaty white beauties weigh 3 ounces or more. They remind me of GM's Trumpet Royale but they are even better. So, it's been a big week of cooking, sampling and turning people on to new and delicious foods, and the pressure cooker.


I did a cooking demonstration at Medtronic, a local corporation, that employs a lot of engineers. The pressure cooker definitely got their attention. They kept wanting to look at the lid and see how it works. It's an amazing piece of cooking equipment. I'd like everyone to get one, just so you can see how it can change your life -- at least in the kitchen.

And then I went on to do 2 more cooking demonstrations for another 70+ people, one for the Sonoma County Culinary Guild and the other for The McDougall program. Some of the same dishes, some different.

And I ended the week signing my book in Calistoga in Napa Valley, to raise money for a music festival that happens each summer. The event I did is called Kitchens in the Vineyard. All I know is that I sold a number of books, and it was brutally hot. It took a few hours of drinking copious amounts of water to recover fully. Although the next day I was so tired, I was sure that I hadn't really recovered.

After eating lots of greens, including my own tender little dandelions from my wonderful dandelion garden, I felt renewed and ready to go on, with less pressure this week -- in many ways.

Vegetarian Adventure Travel

I think that anytime you travel, it's likely to be an adventure -- there's always the possibility for something to happen. And this week with all the American Airlines flight cancellations, there are probably more adventures than usual.


It didn't affect me in my travels but I've had other things. I arrived at the airport for a 6 a.m. flight at 5:28 and they closed the baggage check-in. Granted the airport has 1 ticket counter and only 1 flight at that time but I had the issue of liquids in my bag. Luckily the guy behind me said that he'd carry my extra bag through security.


Then it turned out that he didn't have his correct boarding pass so he had to get out of line, with my liquids, in hand and get the pass. I knew he'd come back because his wife had already gone through and they were on their way to Oaxaca, Mexico. And he did return.


Other than two women sitting behind me drinking beer at 6 in the morning and talking and laughing raucously, the flight was uneventful. And that's a good thing.


And most of my day went the same way until I realized that I couldn't sleep in the afternoon although I needed a nap. (It didn't feel that way as my head bobbed during a dietitian's talk with the lights dimmed.) So I went for a walk.


As I headed out the door so did a tall man. We walked together and he introduced himself as Keith but with an awfully strong Aussie accent. He said that he was going to go for a walk, and I said that I was, too. So we walked down Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. Ugly area right near a strip club and nondescript fast food joints and office buildings. This was his only time in LA. Ugh.


I told him that he needed to get a cab and go to the beach-- Marina del Rey, Venice or Santa Monica. Keith was in LA just overnight because his American Airlines flight had been cancelled. He is in the Australian military and on his way to Virginia.


We had a good chat and he explained the economic state of affairs in Australia. We talked about fast food, and there's plenty there, along with kids who aren't so active. So be on the lookout for obesity in Australia.


At the very first light we came to Keith was confused about whether or not he could cross the street. It was green our way, so I said that it was fine. As I stepped into the street, a young man driving a BMW, busy on his cell phone, almost hit me -- as close a call as I've ever had. But we kept on walking, and I guess being tired made the incident not so big for me.


Keith asked if I'd like to take he and his buddies on a taxi tour of LA. And believe me, I wanted to but I am going out to eat at House of Vege in Lomita for dinner with others who want to eat vegetarian. If I hadn't helped set up the dinner, I would have gone with Keith and his friends -- as a friendly American thing to do. I am sure that he understood.


As for the vegetarian adventure travel -- anytime I go, it's an adventure but I am actually taking a small group to Umbria, Italy in September. If you'd like to check it out, take a look at http://www,bluone.com/. You can bet that it will truly be an adventure, because I know that every trip is.

The Veggie Queen Spreads Her Wings

While travel can sometimes be exhausting, it can also be an adventure. And those of you who know me, know that I love an adventure, which is party why the world of vegetables is so exciting.

These days you can get out in the world (at least the cyberworld) without leaving your cozy home by using the computer. You can now find my writing at http://www.vegfamily.com and http://www.boomercoffeehouse.com. I will also be writing for more consumer publications for the rest of year.

Fellow blogger and yoga practitioner, Jenni, wrote about my book The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment on her Hugger Food blog http://huggerfood.blogspot.com/2008/04/veggie-queen.html. She was only the 2nd person to notice and alert me to a mistake in one of the recipes -- the directions for the Roasted Asparagus, Potato and Mushroom Salad are really for a Beet and Asparagus Salad with citrus vinaigrette. If you are one of my lucky email newsletter readers you now have the corrected recipe for the recipe in the book. I think that next month I will send out the Beet and Asparagus Salad.

Last night in my Salads and Salad Dressings class at Santa Rosa Junior College, the students made their own recipes. About one quarter of the class chose beet salads. I find that fascinating.
One of my students used a pressure cooker for the first time to cook whole small to medium beets in less than 15 minutes. She said that it wasn't nearly as scary as she thought that it would be. In fact, it was easy. Hopefully I have another pressure cooking convert.

The Veggie Queen on the Subway

I am no stranger to New York City (Manhattan) as I grew up in New York, on Long Island. "The City" as we called it, was a big part of my teen years. I missed some school because the lure of it and riding the train was too strong, and classes were too boring to waste my time. As I was mostly an A student, I figured that I'd learn more from the adventure of NY than I would in a classroom.

One thing that I didn't do much of was ride the subway. It was pretty grimy then and you never knew what danger lurked. Besides, I love to walk so I did that as much as possible. Also, the subway can be very confusing to figure out, so why bother?

Well, on my most recent trip to "The City", I was instructed by my friend Fran to take the express train out of Penn Station. It was only 2 stops to go meet her. That was very easy. Buying the ticket to get on the subway proved to be a bit more difficult.

I learned that a one pass card is only good for 2 hours. So when I returned to the subway after meeting with Fran, with my pass in hand, it had expired. Then I tried to buy another pass (while I was in a hurry) and the machine didn't work. So I asked the woman in the glassed-in booth about it and she sent me to a different machine. I bought the pass and it didn't work. So that very nice woman let me through a special gate that was being blocked by a homeless guy's stuff. He got angry and called me names as I rushed to get on the subway.

In my haste, I forgot to notice if I was getting on the express train. And I did not. So, a number of stops later I arrived at Penn Station, a bit anxious, only to find out that I had to exit the station and go across the street and back in to catch my train to Long Island.

It was all an adventure, and I must admit that it was not nearly as much fun as it was when I was a teenager. But then again, the only way to pay at that time was with money or tokens. Now you need to "dip your card" which is a strange way of saying, "swipe your card". But maybe in New York, swipe is not a nice thing to say. In California, it's just fine. And we don't have a subway, so it seems that I am safe.

The Veggie Queen in New York City

I was in New York City recently where I had a chance to meet my friend Fran Costigan http://www.francostigan.com/, also known as The Dairy-Free Dessert Diva, on a cool, rainy early Spring day. But seeing Fran certainly brightened things up. And the fact that we were both completely engaged and chatting away while having a pot of tea in a tea salon at The Chelsea Market made the time fly by.

Fran took me on a tour of the market which is an old building filled with food-related shops and The Food Network Studios. While we were there someone was conducting a food tour of some of the shops, similar to what Fran and I did but ours wasn't structured.

Judging from what I saw, most New Yorkers are living on white flour and sugar -- there were at least 4 bakeries and a candy shop within a short distance of one another. My favorite stop, other than the expensive tea shop ($6 for a pot of tea), was Amy's Bakery which makes bread of many yummy types. I got a pumpernickel rye sunflower raisin breadstick that was truly delicious. The bread was dense but not heavy with a thick, chewy crust. I bought 2 of them and was actually pleased that I hadn't bought a loaf for I surely would have eaten it all.

The saddest part of meeting Fran was that we had so little time together but we'll meet again at Vegetarian Summerfest in June in Johnstown, PA. I would have loved to have tasted something that Fran baked. What she suggests is: Eat clean, green, whole and save room for good desserts! I concur.

Beet Salad for Easter -- Made Fast in the Pressure Cooker

Last Friday I took a trip to Tierra Vegetables farmstand to get beets but I actually only bought 1 beet. They grow Lutz, a large sugarbeet. My one beet was over 2 pounds. And I was really excited about cooking it. I just had a craving for beets and knew that anyone who really likes them would be thrilled, especially paired with bitter greens.

Luckily at our Easter dinner there were at least 3 of us, one of them my sister-in-law who is from England. She said that she doesn't cook fresh beets. Huh? Maybe if she knew that they would cook in about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker, she would do it.

Here's the recipe which comes from my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment which is available on my website http://www.theveggiequeen.com/.

Orange Scented Beet Salad
Makes 4 1 cup servings of beets plus ½ cup greens
3 minutes high pressure; 7 minute natural pressure release
Cooking beets has never been easier. They become so tender that you don’t even need to peel them.

1 ½ pounds beets, about 6 med.
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 large slices orange zest
2 tablespoons agave nectar, Sucanat or brown sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups spicy greens like arugula, mustard or a mix, washed and dried

Scrub beets. Remove tops, stems and tails and cut in half. Then cut into ¼-inch slices.
Put the orange juice, vinegar and the large slices of orange zest into the cooker. Add the beet slices. Lock on the lid. Bring the pressure to high over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain high pressure for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the pressure come down naturally for 7 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Test beets to be sure that they are cooked through. If not, bring back to pressure for another 2 minutes, and let come down naturally. Test again.

Remove the lid, tilting it away from you. Remove the large pieces of orange zest. Stir in the brown sugar and mustard.

Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and let cool for 5 minutes. Mix the orange zest and green onions with the beets. Pour the liquid from the cooker over the beets. Spoon ¼ of the mixture onto ½ cup of spicy greens on individual salad plates. Or you may chill the beets, without the zest and green onions, and let sit in the liquid for a day or two. Right before serving stir in the orange zest and green onions.

©2007 from The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

The Veggie Queen's Been Busy

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. I have been busy with article writing and recipe and personal development, one more fun and interesting than the other, you can ponder that. I was working on developing recipes with beer but I wasn't feeling so great so having leftover beer didn't do a thing for me. Of the 10 recipes that I did, only a few were well-loved and the rest were OK. Once I retest the recipe for the Beer Dark Chocolate Bread with alternate ingredients, I will post it here for all to make. It was quite delicious but it didn't make it at all on the health chart.

I was in Anaheim this past week at the Natural Products Expo. Almost anything and everything that you'd buy at Whole Foods or your local natural food store was on exhibit there. Michael Pollan was the keynote speaker. And for those of you who have not read previous posts, Michael and I have a history together. We went to school together and rode the same bus (in elementary school) from first grade until high school. We shared many an English class through the years and he's still a better writer than I am.

I was telling some folks that I know Michael when he happened to walk by at an industry reception. I invited him to sit down so we got to chat with him for about an hour. He said that after walking the show floor he'll stick to his assertion that we ought to be eating real food. I couldn't agree more. And in my opinion, if you are going to eat prepared food, choose the least processed kind that is also organic. But in general, you have to cook your food yourself if you want to eat for health.

Mollie Katzen was also at the show. She gave an interesting talk about how to change what's on your plate to increase health. She said that no one needs to give up anything but switch the proportions of various foods, choosing whole grains, beans, nuts and fruit most often. When I said hi to Mollie after her talk, she said to me, "I have your book." That was definitely a thrill.

I also met Andrew Weil, MD, twice at the show. I got his latest book on Healthy Aging but haven't had time to read it yet.

Spring is upon us here in CA and with it has come the first asparagus and artichokes. I have not yet transitioned much from broccoli and winter vegetables as I missed last week's farmer's markets. So Wednesday, I can get back to my schedule and get what's fresh. I experienced a severe lack of vegetables made worse by the following experience, which may be a reflection of how many people eat.

My father-in-law and his wife are visiting from Florida. They had family over for dinner (which I hadn't realized or I would have eaten prior). This was what was served between 4 and 8 p.m. Two types of potato chips, brie and Ritz crackers, shrimp with cocktail sauce, Swedish meatballs with ligonberry sauce, hot dogs and hamburgers with white buns, potato salad and onion slices. There was nothing green at all. Oh, and in my honor I got a small quiche (which is not something that I really eat). But what I really needed after all my travels was a huge salad. There wasn't even any lettuce for the burgers or I would have eaten it. And for the kids to drink, there were various types of soda. If this is the standard American diet (and I've been told that it is), it is no wonder to me, that people are obese and dying young.

Some people may call me a freak for eating well but I feel good and have lots of energy which I am sure wouldn't be the case if I ate the food served last night, even a few times a week. Ugh, I can't even bear the thought. People need dietary makeovers.

And the worst part, I am having Easter lunch with the same clan. My sister-in-law is cooking (and she's from England) and she's getting a ham. I am definitely going to eat before I go.

I Can Make You Thin But Why Would I Want to?

Last night I watched the I Can Make You Thin show on TV. The host Paul McKenna is a PhD, a hypnotist, and England's top selling non-fiction author. He has 4 golden rules for eating and he didn't make them up -- I probably did 20+ years ago. They are:

• Eat when you are hungry
• Eat what you want
• Eat consciously
• When you think you are full, STOP eating

He tells people to put down their forks and chew their food thoroughly. This is all sensible info. But he's lying about making people thin, and I don't think that is so important. Being thin isn't what counts -- it's being healthy and loving yourself, no matter what weight you are. If you are exercising and eating right, chances are you can lose weight and get to your ideal body weight, which might not make you thin.

I don't think that thin is your target. Not everyone ought to be thin, and some of us have it easier than others in the being thin department. But don't let that fool you because even some people who are thin (like moi) have been heavier at times in the past. 6 months or a year of inattentive eating does lead to weight gain. The same is true once you start paying attention -- the pounds can and will come off.

And no one is likely to dispute that eating lots of vegetables can help lead you down the thinner-than-thou road. Give it a try -- and fore go the Ranch dressing, unless you must, be do it consciously.

The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooker Sale

Tonight I am doing a pressure cooking class and with it I am having a sale on pressure cookers. I have been amazed at how many people are willing to venture into the PC world when there is a discounted price. I keep wondering if a lower price somehow helps dissolve the fear factor. I'd think that with all the talk about saving energy, that would be one of the main reasons that people would want to pressure cook, as well as it providing an easy way toward the healthier eating goal.

It seems to me that the talk about pressure cooking is heating up, and I am noticing many more newspaper and magazine articles, as well as blog posts. I can only hope that pressure cooking will catch on and that many people buy a pressure cooker and still don't know what to do with it. Then they can purchase my DVD Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes at http://www.pressurecookingonline.com/. I explain how to use the pressure cooker and demonstrate 14 recipes from breakfast through dessert.

If it weren't for my pressure cooker I am sure that I'd pack on the pounds and compromise my health, to boot. But if I can make steel cut oats for breakfast in about 10 minutes from start to finish, then it's easy for me to eat healthy food. Heck, I can almost make hummus from scratch in as much time as it would take to drive to the store and back. (OK, maybe it's a bit of an exaggeration but not much.) Delicious eating has never been as healthy and fast, as it is with the pressure cooker. I could go on and on but I'll save that for another post.

Nuts are Big at Safeway

I am not referring to the shoppers and their state of mind. But one of my local Safeway stores was just remodeled (after being built only a few years ago) and one of the most prominent features is a large nut bar. In addition to ordering nuts by the pound, or part thereof, there is also a station which will fresh grind nut butters for you -- ranging from almost to peanut, peanut and chocolate to organic peanut. I noticed that the price of the organic peanut was $5.99.

When I checked at the nearby natural food store where I shop,. their organic fresh peanut butter is only $3.49 per pound. I have a feeling that for most Safeway shoppers, having fresh ground nut butter is such a novely that they'll try it, and if they like it, they'll be back. But it seems expensive to me in the $4 to $8 per pound range.

Additionally, while I think that including nuts, seeds and nut butters in a vegan or vegetarian diet in moderation is just fine, I am not sure about including them in a SAD (standard American diet) due their high fat content. But truth is if the nuts or nut butters are replacing processed food, then that's a good thing.

Just the fact that Safeway has chosen to have a nut bar is quite interesting. I suspect that in addition to the high profit margin potential from the nut bar, they must think that nuts are an up and coming food item. I hadn't thought of them that way but maybe now I will.

I use nuts often as a way to add toasty flavor or texture to food, especially in salads or pasta dishes. One of my favorite things to eat is toasted bread with nuts or seeds in it, especially on the crust. Put on some avocado and maybe some sprouts, and I'll call it breakfast. Obviously I am a nutty Safeway shopper (not very often) of a different kind.

The Best Vegetable Class Ever

Just this week I taught a class titled Winter Vegetables Beyond Broccoli. Unlike many of my other public (versus Santa Rosa Junior College) classes, I didn't say what dishes I would be teaching but that I would include instructions for braising, baking, roasting, steaming and, my favorite, pressure cooking. So, it was a breeze for me to come up with recipes because I could survey my refrigerator, the market and the farmer's market to what was really in season.

I was so curious about why people chose to attend this class. The participants ranged from people who only boiled their veggies to those who were getting a CSA box from a local farm, and wanted to learn more ways to use what's fresh. I discovered that true to my thinking, that many people stick to using the vegetables that they know and love and rarely branch out and try something new.
This group got introduced to vegetables such as parsnips, featured in my Maple Vinegar Sauteed Parsnips, rutabagas, 3 kinds of sweet potatoes, potatoes in gold, pink and purple (that's their innards too), romanesco broccoli which is actually a type of cauliflower, Brussels sprouts on the stalk, white, gold and chiogga beets, watermelon daikon radish, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes, scarlet turnips, yellow or white carrots, wild and cultivated mushrooms and more.

I know that every attendee learned a lot and was introduced to at least 1 new vegetable. Some learned about 6 or more. I was having the time of my life. I live for A-HA vegetable moments, and they were there -- for almost the entire class.

And true to what I promised I made soup, sides and main dishes while baking, steaming, roasting, braising and pressure cooking. Here's to winter veggies -- I enourage you to stop and pick up some new-to-you vegetable the next time you see one. It may just lead to an enlightening vegetable experience which is my desire for you.

The Veggie Queen's Husband's Secrets for Health

The other morning my husband said, "I know that I haven't gotten sick because of vegetables, fruit and my medicinal mushroom capsules. And you can blog about it."


Everyone in my husband's office has been sick with some cold, other virus or the flu. Somehow my husband, who doesn't eat nearly as well as I do, has managed to ward off those bad bugs. He has been taking Mushroom Science medicinal mushroom capsules for almost a year now. They stimulate your immune system to keep it healthy at a very deep level.

Hubby has managed to stay healthier than most years by doing this - repelling almost every illness that has swept through his office. In addition to the better eating, he also takes a packet of Emergen-C each morning in the cold months, and Omega-3 capsules each day. That's the formula that is working for him. He also strives to eat at least 9 servings of vegetables and fruit daily, which he does often but not always.

His other self-care technique is using the neti pot daily with a special sinus salt that contains essential oils. And when it feels as if something is about to get him, he uses Sinus Buster with echinacea which is an intense but amazing product.

In addition to any of these things, I also suggest washing your hands more often than you think that you need to at this time of year. And take a few minutes each day for some relaxation and breathing.

I could go on and on about self-care techniques that might work but for now, I'm just happy to my husband has made a connection between what he puts in his mouth and his health.

Million Pound Match-Up Vegetables -- Frozen vs. Fresh

Rebecca Scritchfield at Balanced Health and Nutrition wrote about using frozen veggies as a way to get more of them in your diet. I think this is a great idea because many people buy fresh vegetables and never get around to using them. I do encourage you to buy them without sauces or salty seasonings, and organically grown when possible.

With a bag or box of frozen spinach in the freezer, you can whip up many different dishes -- from spinach quiche to spinach pesto with pasta.

Most frozen vegetables are picked fresh and flash frozen so they are often fresher than veggies that have been shipped a long distance and then warehoused for up to a week. Of course, buying in-season vegetables from a local grower is ideal but how many of you live in an ideal world? The goal is to eat vegetables, and lots of them every day. I say, do what it takes to reach that goal.

Read Rebecca's complete post: http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/million-pound-matchup-tip-invest-in-frozen-vegetables/ .

Michael Pollan and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

One of my claims to fame is that I went to school in New York with Michael Pollan from 1st grade on through high school. We shared many classes and rode the same bus to and from school for years. I am a bit surprised that he's become the voice for food but not at all surprised that he can write -- he always could.

A recent article about Pollan mentioned that he's a journalist and tired of talking about food, or at least his family is tired of hearing about it.

His latest book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto just came out. I haven't yet read it and I might not get around to it. I heard him in an interview on KPFA radio yesterday and how he sums up the book is in this haiku:

Eat food

Not too Much

Mostly plants

He and I are in complete agreement on this.

I promote a plant-based diet, and recommend that people choose good food and real food for the rest of their diet. Once again, we agree.

Where we differ is in our comments about dietitians, of which I am one. He says that dietitians are not promoting food but only nutrients. NOT TRUE, at least not for me. And in fact, there is a whole group of dietitians who are into food and culinary -- we are all about the food and eating. Suffice it to say that most of what we recommend is healthy eating but more importantly delicious eating. So, forget fake foods, go for the real stuff and learn how to cook it.

Now, if I could only figure out how to sell as many books as Michael Pollan. I, for one, hope that he moves onto some other subject. I read that he's writing a book about orchids and it's just fine with me.

The Best Minestrone He Ever Had

I convinced someone (we'll call her A.) to get a pressure cooker. It was rather easy to do that kind of convincing. She'd seen her mother use a pressure cooker almost every day she told me. With 11 kids, she had to do something quick to get food on the table. I can't even imagine the scene but I guess that it worked.

The first time that she told me about her pressure cooker use she said, "I fear that I'm turning into my mother." But I don't really think so.

This morning when I ran into A. she told me that she'd made minestrone and her husband told her, "It's the best minestrone that I've ever had." She added, "I don't think that he likes minestrone."

But judging from my husband's reaction to my New Year's Soup with barley, black eyed peas and sweet potatoes, I'd have to say that her soup success is because it's easy to make great soup in the pressure cooker. My husband really liked my soup, much to my surprise. I just wish that I could remember what I put in it.

The truth is that unless I am working on a recipe for reproduction for a class, an article or a book, I just like to experiment and cook. Writing it down defeats the creativity of the process for me. But in order to satisfy others, sometimes I take the time to record my steps so that a recipe can be reproduced. Often, though, when I am getting dinner on the table, I just cook.

So I am going to keep encouraging you to get a pressure cooker and get cooking. Then you can eat delicious fast food every day.

Can You Cook Brown Rice? and Trader Joe's

I shop at Trader Joe's for very specific items, many of which I could probably live without. One that I certainly will never buy is frozen brown rice. But while I was traveling one time, my husband shopped at TJs (that fact really surprised me) and bought frozen white rice for our particular child since my husband really doesn't cook and he rarely needs to.

There is a guy who works at TJs who works in the frozen food aisle. He knows me as the woman who is looking for the vegan items. He may actually know that I go by the name The Veggie Queen but he hasn't said so. There are others who work there that know that but...

Anyway, we had a discussion just the other day about how he felt lucky to work in the frozen aisle as he knows the area well. Jokingly, I said, "So when someone asks for the frozen whatever you know where they are." He said, "That's right. And if a product is out of stock, I know that, too."

"I bet that sometimes you can even tell them why the item isn't there," I added. Then he told me that the brown rice was out of stock. I think that he knew that it wouldn't affect me. We then had a discussion about what the world is coming to when people can't or don't take the time to make brown rice.

My suggestion was that when the brown rice is out of stock, they post a recipe right above where you'd normally find it in the freezer, along with a suggestion to go to the aisle where they sell rice and learn how to cook it. Cooking rice really isn't difficult, especially if you can boil water.

I know that a lot of people have rice cookers, and if you eat a lot of rice or don't want to take chances, then it may be a great appliance for you. You can even get one that is all stainless steel.

But if you want to cook brown rice on top of the stove in a pan, put 2 cups water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of rice, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat so that the water is just simmering. Let cook for 40 minutes without removing the lid or stirring. Take off the heat and let it sit for 5 more minutes, undisturbed. Then remove the lid, and stir in a pinch of salt, if you want to. You should have perfect rice.

Alternatively, you can cook brown rice in the pressure cooker by cooking at pressure for 22 minutes, and letting the pressure come down naturally.

And if you make extra rice, you can put it into containers or zippered bags and put them in the freezer. Then it won't matter if Trader Joe's frozen brown rice is out of stock.

Particular Child Leads Me to Pressure Cooker Learning

My son loves rice -- white rice, not the brown, black or red kind that I eat regularly. I've been busy writing an article on The Glycemic Index and there is a big difference between jasmine rice which is high GI and basmati rice which is lower GI. So, if my kid is going to eat white rice, then I want it to be basmati.

So, I went to the store and bought basmati rice in bulk. I cooked it the way that I do with other white rice in my pressure cooker which is 1 cup rice and about 1 cup water with a touch of salt. Bring it to pressure and let it cook for 3 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure come down and you've got great rice. But this time, that didn't happen. The rice was too wet.

My son asked me to cook it more. So I heated it again while I watched the rice stick on the bottom of my cooker. The rice did get drier but it still wasn't quite right.

So, I wondered what I might do, other than resort to buying the higher GI jasmine rice which is the kind that I had last cooked (before I got more tuned into GI). I searched the internet and found a clue as I watched someone making rice in the pressure cooker on You Tube. Try soaking the rice.

I soaked the rice for 1 hour and then drained it. Then I got my cooker really hot and then added the rice, water and salt. I cooked the rice for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. When the pressure came down I opened the pot. I discovered that I had perfectly cooked rice.

So, now I've discovered at least one benefit in having a particular (otherwise known as picky) child. He pushes me to learn more and better. And I am all for that.

Blogs and More Blogs

Well my blog recently became part of The Foodie Blogroll, along with many other food blogs. You can check out the entire roll by looking at the link on the right hand side of this page.

I am not an expert blogger but I've been doing it a while. I just received this info today, and I want to check it out. If you've thought about blogging and don't know where or how to start, it might be for you.

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Happy New Year.

Holiday Appreciation and Lots of Breathing

This morning as I was heading to the farmer's market (I do realize that I might be teasing some of you who live where it's cold and snowy, and for that I apologize), I was thinking about how grateful I am that the farmers bother to get up in the middle of the night, or very early morning, to be there to sell vegetables to those of us who care. I appreciate what they do so much. But what I was truly thinking about was a comment that someone made to me last night at a holiday open house about how Larry from Triple T Ranch and Farm is a character.

And honestly, what that brought to mind is how the people that grow our produce all have personalities. They are real people, and they will engage with you at the market. You can find out about them, and how interesting they are.

Related specifically to Larry is that just this week someone told me that she doesn't buy from their farm because they are USDA certified organic and that they seem so commercial. Their farm is less than 40 acres, yet here in Sonoma County it is considered a "big" farm. I tried explaining that I've been to the farm and that they do what they are supposed to do. I guess that she prefers the smaller farmers, and the truth is that sometimes I do, too. But given the choice of the supermarket, Whole Foods or the farmer's market, you are going to get a better product at the farmer's market. And you may also get to speak to a character like Larry, or maybe Ed or Les or your local farmer. Give it a try when you can.

Now, for the breathing... I just gave a presentation on putting happy back in the holidays where a woman told me that she felt like an out of control train that might derail. If you feel that way, then I suggest that you do what I did with my group -- I led them through a breathing exercise. Deep breathing helps you relax. And that's what most people need at this time of year.

The most gratifying part of my talk was when someone came up to me at the end and told me that she'd put into practice the deep breathing that I suggested 2 months ago. I said that when you have to stop at a red light, take the time to breathe, rather than stew about having to stop and that you aren't getting where you need to go fast enough. She told me that stopping usually only delays you a minute or two, and how much better she feels after doing the breathing. I left with a big smile on my face, as I took an extra breath or two, as a reminder to myself. I suggest that you do the same, whenever you feel the need.

Pressure Cooking in the Cold

I spent the morning on Saturday at the farmer's market demonstrating how to use the pressure cooker. I made an Indian-Spiced Root Vegetable Soup, using market-fresh ingredients that included onions, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and sometimes rutabaga, that takes only 5 minutes at pressure. You can make the whole recipe in less than 30 minutes, from start to finish, from chopping to a very hot bowl of soup.

I heard all the horror stories, the accolades and the people who just don't know anything about a pressure cooker. One man told me about his 2 electric pressure cookers. I guess those in the know really know.

Completely unsolicited, a man came up and told me that he'd taken a class from me at a store named Food for Thought (which hasn't even been in existence for about 7 years since it was gobbled up by Whole Foods) and that he uses my recipes, especially the one for risotto, every week. I was glowing after that.

In fact, I was probably glowing (red, that is) the whole time because it was so darned cold (for California, that is) that day. Ed Miller, the fruit vendor, of Twin Peaks Ranch told me that the market was only half as busy as usual, likely because of the cold. People may have also been at the mall and the grocery store, judging from the packed parking lots that I saw on my way home.

I had a great time at the market, showing off 3 of my Fagor pressure cookers -- the newest one being a Futuro which should be released here in the US soon. It has a different kind of shape to it -- a bit pot-bellied, fatter at the bottom so it's cute. But they all work the same, and that is very good news for a cold day. Hot soup, come and get it.

Wild Fermentation and More

This has been my week of learning and meeting allies in the movement to help people eat better food. I met Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Sandor Ellix Katz, fellow authors.

Miyoko and Colleen are fellow McDougall program http://www.drmcdougall.com/ teachers. Miyoko taught Japanese one day and holiday dishes the other. Miyoko's books are The New Now and Zen Epicure and Japanese Cooking--Contemporary and Traditional. Colleen just released her first book The Joy of Vegan Baking and has a great website: Compassionate Cooks http://www.compassionatecooks.com/ on which she features her weekly free podcast on vegan issues.

It was great fun to watch both Miyoko and Colleen, as it gave me a new appreciation for what it takes to present to a group. Sharing food tips and samples invites people in but you also need to capture their attention.

The day following those 2 meetings, I was a participant in a fermentation class with Sandor Ellix Katz, the author of Wild Fermentations and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. Sandor is a fascinating fellow, I don't think eccentric truly captures his spirit, and an article about him and the class will appear in the future on Jason Wyrick's website http://www.veganculinaryexperience.com/. (Jason occasionally teaches the McDougall program.)

Katz embraces the Weston A. Price philosophy and is likely not a big McDougall fan but I do know that we can agree that eating fresh, local vegetables is good, especially if they are fermented. Everyone needs to embrace their own philosophy and eating style. If it works well for you, then do it. If what you are doing doesn't work, try other methods.

Learning how to ferment vegetables is quite easy. Check out http://www.wildfermentation.com/ for more information about it. If you've heard of probiotics and prebiotics, these are the original forms -- they occur naturally, no pills, capsules or liquids needed. Also, you don't really need special equipment such as fancy crocks. I do my fermentation in wide mouth quart or larger canning jars set in a bowl to catch the liquid. If you want to know more about this from me, please feel free to email me at jill@theveggiequeen.com.

This is a very busy time of year but I hope that you will take the time to nourish yourself in a very caring and loving way with lots of fresh food. Busy often translates into not eating well and grabbing things on the go. Keeping healthier foods around helps with that issue.

I know that I tend to eat what I've got (since it's incredibly difficult to eat what you don't have) around. Lately, I've had lots of wonderful leftovers from classes -- things like Fruited Wild Rice, Indian-Spiced Root Vegetable Soup, Mediterranean Greens, Red Rice, Braised Tofu and Vegetables and more. Taking the time to cook for yourself, as if you are an invited guest, will actually turn you into one. This is my gift to you -- treat yourself like a queen (or king). It's what I do, and it works.

Wild Rice and Interesting Observations

I really like wild rice. I made my Fruited Wild Rice Dish for an Elderhostel class that I taught last week and then wanted to buy some for myself. What happened was very interesting, as many things are.

I headed to Trader Joe's. While there I was chatting with Linda, the demo lady. We talked about my new pressure cooking DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes which can be found at http://www.pressurecookingonline.com. I told her that my goal is to get people to shop just a little less at Trader Joe's and to cook more at home. I said that many people probably don't realize that they can make lentil soup in the pressure cooker in less time than it takes to drive to the store.

Linda agreed and then said, "If anyone is concerned about sodium or sugar, then there are lots of foods that they can't buy here." And that's the big downside of processed foods.

Together we walked over to the fresh case and Linda showed me a small package of sweet potatoes with cranberries that was about a pound. She remarked that it was awfully expensive at $3.99, and that it was too sweet for her.

Then I saw a package of diced sweet potatoes in a steaming bag for the microwave. It was 8 ounces and cost $1.69. I was amazed. A pound of organic sweet potatoes is about that much and those were conventional. I thought that was expensive.

Finally, I managed to find my wild rice which cost $4.99 for a 1 pound bag. Wild rice needs to be cooked with a lot of water and 1 cup of raw rice makes about 3 to 4 cooked cups. In the pressure cooker it takes 25 minutes at pressure and on the stove top it cooks in about an hour. I think that the taste is wonderful. It's a whole grain (although not a true grain) and has a fairly low glycemic index (GI). It's a good food choice.

So, when the young cashier, remarked that the wild rice was expensive, I was surprised. He didn't consider the package of Spanakopita for my son expensive at $3.99 but the rice for a dollar more was. He said, "But it's rice," as if that made it inferior to already prepared food.

I think that this is one of the current issues in society -- our priorities are not working. We don't think of good, whole food as important and want our food made for us.

I say, "Let's go back to basics and let our bodies work as nature intended them to." I believe that it will improve our individual health and that of our society.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pressure Cooking Online Website is Up

I am so excited about my new website http://www.pressurecookingonline.com . My goal is to convert as many people as possible to using the pressure cooker as an easy way to start eating healthier.


The only thing not yet available on that site is a clip of me showing you how to use the pressure cooker. But you can find one on My Space and also at http://www.simzproductions.com and click on clips and then TV. You'll find the Veggie Queen there.

If you sign up for my newsletter on my site http://www.pressurecookingonline.com you will get a free pressure cooking recipe. I also offer free information on using a pressure cooker.

I say, "Pressure cooking changed my life." And I am not kidding.

Update on Beans as Vegetables

The research presented by Sara Rose of Bush's Beans was fascinating. The research that they did showed that bean consumption is going down as beans don't always fit easily into the traditional family meal, as they are not thought of as a starch and aren't a traditional vegetable. So Bush's came up with a new phrase: Beans, The Vegetable With More. And their website http://www.vegetablewithmore.com has lots of recipes for what else? Beans.

I guess that maybe many vegetarians are making up for others in the bean department. Interestingly enough beans are an incredible food. Too bad that so many people hardly cook any more - as beans take only a few minutes in the pressure cooker. I just made a pot of rattlesnake beans with onions, garlic and smoked paprika. I had to stop myself from eating the whole pot of them, which must have been at least 3 cups worth. Instead I roasted some eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes and garlic and then mixed that with my beans. What a yummy meal, along with a salad. And then I had a couple of cups of beans leftover to either freeze for later or make into burritos or meal in a bowl with rice and other veggies.

Beans are so versatile. But with cooking skills declining, it's not surprising that people are eating less beans. I like the fresh ones best but if they'll eat can beans, so be it. At least beans are being consumed. They are a low GI food and fill you up. Eating too many may result in bloating and gas, so it's easy to have portion control.

I may never think of beans as a vegetable but if it gets some people to eat them more often, I am all for that.

Vegetable Steaming Bags and Beans

I've seen the ads for the frozen vegetable steaming bags but haven't used them because I eat mostly fresh vegetables, raw or cooked. But last night I had a chance to speak to someone who has actually tried the bags and said that the vegetables turn out great. I also read that now McCormick's, the giant spice company, now has bags that are preseasoned so eating your vegetables may not get any easier. I, of course, will stick with my tried and true cooking methods, often using the pressure cooker and seasonal vegetables. I do keep frozen spinach around and sometimes have a bag of corn in the freezer but that's usually about all, unless I've frozen something from the harvest.

Now, how about beans as a vegetable? I was speaking with Sara from Bush's Beans last night and she said that people respond to eating more beans when they think of them as a vegetable. I am going to hear more about that today as I gather with a group of dietitians who are into food and culinary. I can't wait to hear but I don't think that i am likely to think of beans as vegetables any time soon. Ifit gets other people to eat more of them, well maybe I could say it.

Mollie Katzen of the North Bay and Vegetables

Some people have dubbed me the "Mollie Katzen" of Sonoma County. After listening to Mollie on the radio this morning discussing her new book The Vegetable Dishes That I Can't Live Without, I'd have to say that those peopel are correct. Except that I actually preceded Mollie on taking up the strictly vegetable (versus vegetarian) mission and spreading vegetable enthusiasm. Unfortunately my audience isn't as broad as Mollie's. But I am thankful that some of you have read my cookbook,The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.

I, like, Mollie feel best when I can encourage people to eat more vegetables. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if you are vegan, vegetarian or a carnivore, as long as you are eating your 9+ servings of veggies a day -- in a delicious way.

With that in mind, I'd like to share a really simple recipe for Curried Winter Squash and Pear Soup. You can make it with or without roasting the squash first, but it tastes richer using the roasting method.

Curried Winter Squash and Pear Soup
Serves 4 to 6 (or just you 4 to 6 times)
Even though squash is sweet, it still tastes great paired with pear. If you like, you can add a pinch of cayenne for contrast, in addition to the lemon juice in the recipe.

3 delicata or other squash, roasted until soft in the oven to equal 1 ½-2 cups
2 teaspoons canola oil (optional)
1 small onion, diced
1 medium D’anjou or comice pear, peeled and cut into chunks
2-3 teaspoons or more curry powder
4 cups vegetable or other stock or broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Roast the squash in the oven at 350 degrees until a knife is easily inserted into the squash, about 25 minutes. Cool and scrape pulp from skin.

Heat the stock pot over medium heat and add the oil, if using. When the pot is warm, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until it softens. Add the pear and curry powder and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the stock or broth and simmer for 10 minutes until the pear is soft. Add the roasted squash and simmer for another 10 minutes to blend flavors. Using a hand blender, puree until desired consistency. Taste and add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve hot.

©2005, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD from
The Veggie Queen™: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment
www.theveggiequeen.com

Serve with a giant green salad and some wonderful bread or crackers such as Mary's Gone Crackers or Dr. Kracker crackers.

This is perfect for helping keep your vegetable intake up. Mollie and I are in this together, so watch out.

If any of you know Mollie personally, please let her know that I'd like to speak to her.

A New Corn Variety at the Market

I didn't have much time at the farmer's market on Saturday because I was busy buying fruit to make fruit salad for 35 for my mother-in-law's 75th birthday. I had hoped to get some melon and hadn't found any from my favorite farmers. I was almost ready to leave the market when I ran into a former student, April. She wanted to buy a copy of my book The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment (shameless plug here http://www.theveggiequeen.com/book.html) so I went to my car to look for one, knowing that I hadn't brought any with me. I did, however, have a number of them in packages that I was shipping so I ripped one open and it became April's latest purchase.

I headed back into the market and was at Cliff Silva's stand, Ma and Pa's Garden, where I saw some corn and bought a couple of ears. In a last attempt to buy melon I took a walk around the corner and to my delight I saw Larry Fields at a small table with melons. I told Larry that I was happy to see him and he said that he hoped that I would come by. (I don't know if this is true but it does feel good when people say that, doesn't it?) He offered me an ear of corn and asked me to take a bite. I did and it was incredibly sweet. Now, just having bought corn, I didn't really want to buy more but Larry said that I could have the ear that I bit (great marketing tactic, I told him) and then I bought another couple ears, along with 5 melons including musk, Charentais and another kind that I can't remember.

Larry was telling me how much he liked this new variety of corn. I must admit that it was sweet and delicious. It had a name like Miara or Maira but definitely something with an M. I couldn't wait to get home to eat it.

While I was chatting with Larry someone saw me there and knew who I was. He said that if I liked it that it must be good. (I have to say that I didn't know who the guy was and he could have been a former student, seen me at a cooking demonstration or seen my photo in the paper.) I am glad to have some produce influence and share what I like.

The corn was delicious in my pressure cooked veggie dish with peppers, potatoes, squash, onions, garlic and Mexican type seasoning. Yumm.

The fruit salad that I made for the birthday party was also a hit. And honestly all I did was pick out the fruit and cut it up. But the fruit was in its prime and that's what made it delicious. Please remember that you can't make dishes that taste better than the ingredients you start with. Go for fresh and quality.

A Fruitful Season for The Veggie Queen

I am about more than just vegetables. I am into all plant foods. This year there has been a bumper crop of fruit. Luckily I know a number of people that have trees and have been able to harvest all manner of fruit from peaches and plums to grapes, apples, pears and Asian pears, and I can't forget the figs. At times I have been overwhelmed with all of it. And at other times I have been thrilled to open my refrigerator and find a jar of homemade applesauce with cinnamon, as if someone else made it for me. (Ask me about my 5 minute pressure-cooked applesauce.)


The rhythm of the season is in full swing. I am sure that when canning was at its peak, mothers didn't have to leave their boiling pots to shuttle their kids from one activity to another. The Moms stayed at their task, cooking and canning until the project was done. But now, it doesn't work that way and with the advent of the modern freezer, sometimes canning doesn't seem worth it. Although unlike many people I do not have an extra freezer or refrigerator, so back to the jars and lids. If it doesn't fit in the space available, then I must can to preserve the harvest.


Pulling a bag of peaches out of the freezer mid-winter to make a tart, crisp or compote is a touch of sunshine in a sometimes bleak season. When I am up to my elbows in peaches on a hot summer's day, though, it's hard to think of winter and the enjoyment to come. There is always the dilemma that summer fruit brings but this year it has been exaggerated.


My wish and hope is that everyone can enjoy the bounty of the season in its abundance. And to that end, I hope to get some fruit dried in a solar dryer (built by a friend) so that I can have yet one more way to preserve the harvest for the coming months. It worked in the past and I have faith that it will continue to keep me satisfied in the future.