Back to The Vegetables -- Shaping Your Plate

A conversation with Sarah Martel of Health Transitions helped me figure out the best way to tell you how to eat. I am an intuitive person and eater. I can muddle through almost anything by trusting my gut.

But I know that not everyone can do this. As I explained to Sarah how I've been unable to articulate my healthier way of eating, she told me that she's simplified it. She tells people that we are made up of 70% water, so if you eat 70% of the watery, less concentrated, foods such as vegetables and fruit, and 30% of the other food such as beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains and other dense foods, that it works out just right.

So yesterday when I put my cooked red rice into "my bowl" (yes, I try to eat out of one special, beautiful ceramic bowl), I realized that I clearly put in too much. I took half of it out, leaving about 3/4 cup, and then added my tofu and many vegetables equaling about 2 cups (leftover from my Winter Vegetables Beyond Broccoli class the prior night), and topped it with curried cashew creme sauce. That was breakfast. And I felt satisfied for hours.

So, whether it's your plate or bowl, take a look and determine if you've got the best proportion of food on it? Is it close to the 70/30 ratio that Sarah mentioned? If not, I'd suggest that you work toward that. It takes practice and sometimes things get out of whack but luckily, there is always the next meal or snack. And snacks, well that's another story (or blog post). Be on the lookout for kale chips two ways.

Nourishing the Nation with Alice Waters

Thank goodness there are people who can tell me when to turn on the TV. If I were like many of my friends, I probably wouldn't even have a TV but I have a teenager, and the two go hand in hand. Also, my husband likes to watch movies.


In any case, I found out early enough on Sunday that Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse restaurant, and now Slow Food and the Edible Schoolyard, fame was to be on 60 minutes. It was a coup of sorts that finally the media cared enough to listen to someone, and not just any someone, talk about (in her words the best that I can recall) how our food is making us sick.


When Lesley Stahl, the interviewer, said that people called Alice elitist, Alice responded by saying something such as "good food should be available for everyone." When they were at the farmer's market (this must have been filmed during Slow Food Nation which was held in September) looking at my favorite Bronx grapes for $4 per pound, Lesley asked Alice about being able to buy food like that, at that price.


Alice said that some people want to buy Nike shoes but she chooses to spend her money on good food. Hip hip hooray. (Obviously, Alice can afford both but likely doesn't wear Nike shoes no matter what.)


For some people food is a choice and for others it is about enough calories in the day. We have to straighten this out so that we insert nutrition into the equation somewhere, some how, for everyone. Think of how we might clean up the health care system at the same time -- now that's a concept.


The final part of the interview was Alice recommending that we have an edible landscape at the White House to show that we care about nourishing our nation. We need food for all, and a return of the Victory Garden. Let the White House lead the way.

Flax Baking Contest Over -- Winner Announced Next Week

If you entered the Flax Your Muscles Baking Contest I want to thank you. You will hear something about it next week. We had some great entries, with one of them a flax treat for horses. Now, that's creative. Perhaps you didn't know that flax is great for dogs and cats. At Flax USA, they make pet products, too, but you can just give your flax to your pets.

Stay tuned for upcoming contests and giveaways on this blog. I have a copy of The Toddler Cafe by Jennifer Carden that will go to a good home.

The Registered Dietitian Lens I Look Through -- National Registered Dietitians Day

I have been a Registered Dietitian for 25 years. That's a quarter century. But you can't tell it by looking at me (at least I don't think so), most likely because I practice what I preach, although I prefer the phrase, I walk the talk.

My career as an RD has been quite varied -- possibly more so than for many other dietitians. I am sure that it's because I love wearing hats and have quite a varied collection. I wish that I could juggle (for real) but I only juggle jobs and responsibilities.

Here's a not-so-brief rundown of the breadth of where I've been in the RD world and where I am and what I do today.

I started my career as a dietitian in private practice. My specialty was perinatal and pediatric -- I loved working with pregnant women, new mothers and children. I especially enjoyed working with the pregnant women and helping them shape their eating habits for when they had their babies. My internship training was in that field and I knew that's where my heart was. Starting a private practice was not the usual RD route for an inexperienced RD but with a bachelor's degree in business, I figured that I could handle it. And I did. I maintained an active practice for 10 years.

Throughout my career I have always held more than one position. (If you've heard of Barbara Sher, you will recognize me as a scanner. ) I started my speaking career while I had my practice and have been doing it ever since although my focus and topics have shifted.

I also began consulting for corporations shortly after beginning my career and continue to do that and it encompasses a wide range of places from HMOs to private schools and manufacturing facilities.

My first "real" RD job was at an HMO called Maxicare. It was a great job that allowed me to see clients with a variety of needs, offer corporate wellness services, teach health education classes, ranging from stop smoking and stress management to weight management and cholesterol control and others in between. I also was allowed to develop materials and even wrote a book. (Unfortunately it was before personal computers and I wrote on company time so wasn't able to keep a copy for myself.)

One of my HMO colleagues taught nutrition at Cal State Northridge and when she switched offices, and I took her place, she offered me that job. I loved it and taught one general ed nutrition class each semester. I also started teaching cooking classes as a way to further my nutrition message.

When the HMO company started to tank, I was laid off in the 2nd round and found myself adrift, although I still had my practice and my teaching. I ended up as the Master Food Preserver for Los Angeles county and learned about food preservation -- how to can, dry, pickle, etc. Interesting topic, not a very good job for me. Luckily, I moved to Northern California and found a new job.

I worked for WIC in Sonoma County for 2 1/2 years. I was hired to develop classes for pregnant women, infants and children, and breastfeeding women. I loved the teaching but didn't care much for the paperwork. But the job paid the bills and I only worked part time while I also was teaching at Santa Rosa Junior College and doing freelance writing.

My job at the college changed from teaching nutrition to teaching cooking and I found my niche, translating good nutrition into food. I also continued to write about food, farming and cooking and develop my speaking skills.

A few years ago I wrote my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment, which I call a lighthearted look at vegetables with more than 100 seasonal recipes.

I have now been in Sonoma County for 20 years. During this time I have consulted for companies such as Amy's Kitchen frozen foods (I recently produced their very successful 2 week diet plan), worked on a heart health research project at Kaiser Permanente hospital, also worked on a project to revamp the cafeteria at Kaiser, have given farm tours, done many cooking demonstrations for HMOs and corporations, teach cooking for The McDougall program, continued freelance writing and teaching cooking at the college and at other cooking schools. I also speak to a wide variety of audiences (and can do that for you).

I have 2 websites: http://www.theveggiequeen.com/ and http://www.pressurecookingonline.com/, this blog and my other blog: http://www.pressurecooking.blogspot.com/. I sell products that I love on my websites and I am always on the lookout for great new ideas to keep people eating well with an eye toward health. I am currently working on developing an herb and spice blend for everyday use.

Late in 2007, I produced and starred in a pressure cooking DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes, which is 75 minutes long and comes with a 16 page recipe booklet with 14 recipes. I continue to do freelance writing online and in print with a foodie and environmental focus. In 2008, I became a fellow of The Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy. I have appeared on radio and TV, and have been quoted in many national magazines. All of this is in a day's work, and I love it.

My dietitian's lens colors everything that I do. I offer people in many settings a fun and interactive way to learn about nutrition. But I'll never cram it down your throat; I prefer that you take small bites and savor the flavor.

Here is what other Registered Dietitians are blogging about:

Beyond Prenatals - Food vs. Supplements and Real Advice vs. Fake Advice
Annette Colby - No More Diets! A Registered Dietitian Shares 9 Secrets to Real and Lasting Weight Loss
Ashley Colpaart - Dietitians working in food policy, a new frontier
Diana Dyer - There and Back Again: Celebration of National Dietitian Day 2009
Marjorie Geiser - RD Showcase for National Registered Dietitian Day - What we do
Cheryl Harris - Me, a Gluten Free RD!
Marilyn Jess - National Registered Dietitian Day--RD Blogfest
Julie Lanford - Antioxidants for Cancer Prevention
Renata Mangrum - What I'm doing as I grow up...
Liz Marr - Fruits and Veggies for Registered Dietian Day: Two Poems
Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen - Family Nutrition ... It's our "Beat"
Wendy Jo Petersen - March 11 is our day to shine!
Diane Preves - Registered Dietitians and the White House Forum on Health Reform
Andy Sarjahani - Dr. Seuss Tribute continued: Green Eggs and Ham and a Sustainable Food System
Rebecca Scritchfield - Big Tips from a "Big Loser"
Anthony Sepe - RD Showcase: Registered Dietitian Day, March 11, 2009
Kathy Shattler - RD Showcase for Nutri-Care Consultation
UNL-Extension, Douglas/Sarpy County - Nutrition Know How - Making Your Life Easier
Monika Woolsey - Dietitians--Can't Do PCOS Without Them!
Monika Woolsey - In Honor of National Registered Dietitian Day
Jen Zingaro - My life as a Registered Dietitian

First Ever Pressure Cooking Radio Show -- Save Money, Cook Fast

Steve Garner, The Veggie Queen, John Ash

Recently, I was the guest on KSRO's Good Food Hour, the longest running food show in California. It's been on for 22 years.

I was the first for a couple of things:

1. Show on pressure cooking in their history


2. Live on-air pressure cooking

I think that the time is ripe for people to invest in a great new (old fashioned but improved technology) way to cook. It has all the elements that make it work: it's energy efficient, it doesn't require great cooking skills, the food comes out delicious and nutritious, it's fast, and you can easily turn $2 worth of ingredients into an amazing pot of soup. Add another dollar or two and you can have stew.

I prepared Shane's Fabulous Lentil Soup and my soon-to-be-famous Market Fresh Breakfast Potatoes, Tofu and Vegetables (with Small Planet Tofu) right at Bassagnani's, where people stopped by for samples.

As you can see from the set-up, I didn't have much room for cooking. But I had a great time with Steve Garner and John Ash. They called the photo that we had taken of the 3 of us, "A Rose Between 2 Thorns". I wouldn't quite put it that way since John and Steve are great guys. I thank them for thinking of me and putting me on the air to cook under pressure. It was great fun.

My only lament is that they don't have it recorded for download. Maybe next time that will happen, and there may be far less pressure.

The Road to Dietary Salvation is Dotted with Vegetables

This past week a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that it's not low carb, low fat, low-anything else that helps people lose weight and keep it off, but it's eating fewer calories.

Many of you might not know this but at least 3 times in my adult life I have had to lose a significant amount (I am small so I won't share the number but it's been about 15% of my body weight). I did it by paying attention to what I put in my mouth and eating as many vegetables as I could. And you know that I really like vegetables so...

In my opinion (and by this time if you've read previous posts you know that I absolutely have one), the easiest way to eat fewer calories is by filling yourself up with vegetables and other plant-foods. I put vegetables first because you can eat almost unlimited amounts of the more watery or dense green vegetables such as (I'll start with those in season here in Northern CA) greens, think collards, Swiss chard, kale, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, onions, leeks and garlic, and then the warmer weather vegetables such as summer squash, cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant, radishes and many more.

The vegetables that are still good for you but present issues due to their higher caloric nature are potatoes, carrots, parsnips, corn, peas and winter squash. There are some that fall between these categories. Beets and celery root are the only two that come to mind.

As for the other plant foods such as beans and grains, the beans will give you more bang for your buck and fewer calories, depending upon how many you eat. In-season fruit is wonderful, in moderation. This time of year in the Northern hemisphere in the U.S. we don't have an issue with this as we are in "apple-pear-citrus" season so the temptations are few.

My message is not something new for me and not something that I've studied for endless hours. I know that it works because I practice it myself. I eat lots of food and I maintain my weight. I eat salad almost every day. My husband now does this, too. And not just a small amount but at least 3 cups each with dinner. See how you can squeeze in extra vegetables such as those sprouts that I've been raving about for a while now. Add greens to your cooked vegetables. Shoot for eating a bunch or two or three a week.

I don't have any magic and I'm not going to give up my vegetable evangelism. I've now shared my story on the road to salvation. I hope that you'll come along.

If you like what I write you can subscribe to my blog by signing up in the box on the right hand side of the page.

More on Flax Your Baking Muscles Recipe Contest

In an attempt to avoid restating everything about the contest, here are more details.

You may enter more than one baked recipe that contains flax but you can only win one prize. Recipes must be original and will become property of The Veggie Queen and Flax USA.

Grand prize is a 12 month supply of flax (ground or whole seed; you choose). Three runners up will win three 12 ounce shakers of Ground Flax Sprinkles and three packages of Roasted Golden Flax Seed Snacks.

Your recipe must contain at least 3 tablespoons of flax, in any form. You may use any type of flour in the recipe, and gluten-free recipes are welcome and appreciated.

Bake something vegan, lowfat, fat-free or any other alternative baking, if you like. You can use sugar, stevia, agave, or other natural sweeteners. The critical decision for the winning recipe is that it has to taste great.

Savory recipes are appreciated just as much as the sweet ones.

Standard recipe format works well and we encourage it:
List of ingredients in order of use, instructions, how many it serves or makes, the usual stuff in a recipe. A note about how you came up with it or why you really like it is good, too.

You must be 18 to enter. You do not need to be a blogger. Please post the name of the recipe on this blog in the comments section and send the entire recipe with your name, email and phone number to flax@crierpr.com.

The winners will be chosen on March 10th and notified by March 16th.

Happy baking.

Flax Your Baking Muscles Contest Starts Today

Time to "Flax" Your Baking Muscles!

If you bake with flax and have a great recipe, put it to the test to win a year's supply of flax from

FlaxUSA, the country's leading producer of ground, roasted and whole seed flax from America's flax heartland, North Dakota.

Never tried baking with flax? Well it's time you did! Flax is a great substitute for eggs and butter, not to mention the most potent plant based source of heart-healthy Omega 3s. Click here to learn more on how to bake with flax.

If you don't want to click above, let me give you a brief heads up on baking with flax from my experience:

5 tablespoons of already ground flax, or grind 3 tablespoons in a blender or spice grinder, mixed with 1/2 cup water substitutes for 2 eggs in baking. It works best as a binder, and not as well as a leavener. So no Angel Food Flax cakes -- yet.

Do not mix the flax long before mixing with other ingredients or you could end up with a very stiff, yet sticky mess.

Use golden, not brown, flax in lighter colored baked goods. Flax works well in cookies, cakes, muffins, quick breads, yeast breads, and more. Let's see what you come up with.

Your recipe must be original, or so highly adapted that you are not accidentally "stealing" some else's recipe. The recipes will be judged on use of flax, and most of all taste. Since this is a vegetarian blog, I prefer recipes without meat, especially in cupcakes. Your recipe can be for sweet or savory baking. So thinking out of the box (but not too far) is encouraged.

Entering is easy. Just post the title of your recipe here on this blog in the comment section (so that this blog doesn't get clogged with recipe text) and send a copy of the actual recipe with your email address, blog URL, if you have one, a photo (optional) to flax@crierpr.com. All recipe submissions become property of The Veggie Queen and FlaxUSA.

I will test the recipes with Stephanie Stober, the "Flax Queen" of North Dakota (and co-founder of flaxUSA). Grand prize is a 12 month supply of flax (ground or whole seed; you choose). Three runners up will win three 12 ounce shakers of Ground Flax Sprinkles and three packages of Roasted Golden Flax Seed Snacks.

The contest starts today, February 24th and ends March 11th, so get cracking - or baking as it were.

Winners will be notified on March 16th. If you have any questions, please email me or post a comment.

Looking forward to reading about your wonderful creations. Good luck.

The Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure with John Ash

I am rushing off to the farmer's market to buy ingredients so that I can appear on the radio this morning. I will be demonstrating live, how to use a pressure cooker to make 2 of the recipes on my DVD Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes. I will be on KSRO, 1350 am here in Sonoma County, on the Good Food Hour with John Ash and Steve Garner at 11 am PST.


I will be making Shane's Fabulous Lentil Soup and Market Fresh Breakfast Tofu, Potatoes and Vegetables. I have not yet done live radio pressure cooking but I am sure that all will go just fine. It's a beautiful day and we will be out at Bassignani's Nursery in Sebastopol on a live broadcast.


I am really excited to see what gems appear at the market this morning to go into my vegetable dish. That surely will help relieve the pressure.

More on Healthy Eating, Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

I am thankful that I have my husband Rick to teach me new tricks, or is it the other way around? If I didn't have him, I'd have to rely on my dog as the subject for many of my stories. And when it comes to eating habits there's not much to learn from my dog. He pretty much eats the same dry food every day, except sometimes I remember to put the flax oil, ground flax and/or seaweed sprinkles on his dry kibble. Otherwise, nothing new there. But for the husband, on the other hand, there's often progress toward healthier eating, even if it's in baby steps.

My husband has always asked for flour tortillas - the white kind, very pliable, can be rolled well and have plenty of fat. I have managed to switch him to the organic olive oil brown type that they carry at Trader Joe's. It turns out, though, that when I bothered to read the label, they weren't really much different than the white organic type, or than the regular flour ones. I've tried buying the healthier white tortillas, made by a number of different companies, but my husband complains, something that the dog rarely does. (And if he does, I am able to ignore him.)

I prefer corn tortillas. My favorites are Food For Life sprouted organic corn tortillas and also locally produced hand made organic corn tortillas, which I buy at the farmer's market. I like the latter so much that I was reluctant to share them. But one day my husband saw me eating some yummy looking soft taco, with one of my mish-mash fillings containing vegetables (think tempeh and broccoli or sprouted garbanzos, onion and potato), and asked for a bite. After that he told me that he liked those tortillas and would eat them instead of the flour type, although one cannot make burritos with corn tortillas.

I also eat Alvarado Street Bakery sprouted wheat tortillas, Food for Life Ezekiel tortillas or some other dark version but my husband flat out rejects them. So I still buy the others that he likes when it's burrito time. Now the problem is that I have to share the oh-so-delicious corn tortillas (at $5 per dozen) with him. But in the interest of his health, I am happy to do so, at least most of the time. At least I don't have to share all my great finds with the dog.

The Veggie Queen's Vegan Valentine's Day

Most of my favorite foods are naturally vegan because they are "real food", not processed. They include all kinds of vegetables, especially beets and greens at this time of year, chocolate, dates and other dried fruit, and, of course, chocolate.

I have always liked chocolate and my favorite has always been dark. When I was a kid and could have candy bars, I liked Mounds best because of the dark chocolate but always wished that Almond Joy came in dark chocolate. Now it does but it's just so inferior to the single origin and very dark bars that one can get these days.

I have written about chocolate a couple of times for Natural Food Network magazine and I don't seem to tire of the subject, especially if there is tasting involved. Just like most other plant foods, but possibly even more so, chocolate is complex. The flavors can often be compared to wine in their descriptions.

When I've done chocolate tastings in my vegetarian cooking classes, everyone tastes something different in the bars. One that I really liked and found fruity and deep, someone thought tasted like mushrooms.

And when someone asks what something tastes like, I've come to answer that I cannot know because I am not in your mouth. And I will stand by that.

I tried a lot of chocolate at the Fancy Food show and was most impressed by the Amano chocolate, among others. If you can find it, give it a try. Or hold your own chocolate tasting with your friends. Remember, the dark chocolate is vegan, and that's got to be good.

Do You Want to Eat Healthier -- For Real?

Last night I taught a private pressure cooking class for a group of runners. The host thought that it would be fun to get her friends interested in pressure cooking because they're all busy and want to eat fast. But do they want to eat healthy? And more importantly, what do they think that even means? And what do you think that it means?

I know that I live in some other reality where I am choosing between red rice or quinoa for breakfast, of all things. Should I eat it with tofu or tempeh? And include nettles or the beautiful purple kale that is new to our farmer's market?

This is a far cry from a bowl of dry cereal with a splash of milk and a banana, which is something I rarely eat. But many people do. So where is healthy on the continuum of life? Does it mean never eating any white products such as pasta or sourdough bread? Only eating organic?

Honestly, I don't know the answers to these questions. I know that the more that I think about it, the more questions I have.

What do you think? What's your best suggestion or tip for "real" healthy eating? I really want to know.

BTW, the menu for the evening was White Bean Soup with Sage, Red Rice with Braised Tofu and Vegetables, Maple Winter Squash Puree, Winter Greens Salad with Beets and Avocado with Blood Orange and Smoked Olive Oil Vinaigrette and Winter Fruit Compote for dessert. All easy, delicious and, dare I say it, healthy.

Match Meat Crab Substitute a Hit with The Veggie Queen's Cooking Class

A while ago I got samples of "fake meat" from Match Meat in St. Louis. I was a bit freaked out when the UPS man dropped off a large box with a picture of a pig on it, reading BBQ. I wasn't sure what to think. I had completely forgotten that I was going to get Match "meat".

I had spoken to Allison Burgess, the owner and founder, of the Match(TM) about her vision and what Match (TM) was all about. She sees it as a way to get meat eaters to eat less meat, thereby saving animals' lives. And if my class is at all typical of most meat eaters, she's got a hit with her product, especially the "crab". All I did with it was form it into patties, sprinkled with a bit of Old Bay seasoning, and pan saute them in a bit of pure olive oil.

If I'd had more time I would have made more traditional "crab cakes" but I was in a hurry. When asked which of the foods the students in my class last night liked best, a significant number responded by saying, "The crab." I was quite surprised.
They had many foods to choose from: chicken Match meat saute, tempeh 3 ways, quinoa pilaf, millet with mushrooms, sauteed greens, chocolate mousse, Thai tapioca and brownie cookies, plus an impromptu dish of Mexican stir-in (another meat sub).

I hope that Allison is successful in her quest because it will help people with their health, and benefit the planet. If you live in the St. Louis area, you can purchase a variety of Match meat at retail and in a whole host of restaurants. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, eating this kind of "crab" won't make you crabby.

Organic Steel Cut Oats at Jamba Juice

As I walked from my car to the bank, I passed Jamba Juice. Since I don't drink juice, especially not gargantuan smoothies with more than a meal's worth of calories and sugar, not associated, with dark chocolate, I usually don't pay attention to the place. But there on the window was a big poster for Steel Cut Oats and how they've gone beyond instant oatmeal. And to sweeten the deal they are organic and topped with brown sugar (you're supposed to laugh now). They're cooked with soymilk, which seems an odd choice to me but maybe they think that it's what people want, and maybe they do.

The juice joint was packed at 5:30 p.m. I don't understand it, and I know that it wasn't for the steel cut oats because those are only available until 11 a.m. They did offer 3 different toppings for the oats: fresh banana with cinnamon brown sugar crumble, blueberry and blackberry compote with brown sugar crumble and apple cinnamon with an apple compote and brown sugar crumble. These are certainly a step up from instant and for $2.95 might be a decent deal. If I'm ever traveling or find myself starving near a Jamba Juice, I might give their organic steel cut oats a try. But honestly when I'm home, with 3 minutes at pressure in my pressure cooker, for far less than $2.95 I could invite you and a few of your neighbors for breakfast, and we can use organic agave and fruit in-season to top our bowls.

First Light Farm CSA Delivers in Sonoma County

Although I have only met Nathan Boone once I can tell you from my experience with farmers, that he is the real deal. One look at his First Light farm, which wasn't even named when I visited, revealed that his fields are planted and grown from, and with, his heart.

I am pleased to announce that he now has spaces in his CSA and will deliver to Santa Rosa and points beyond. He's looking for people to host drop off points, and if you get 10 people to join his community supported agriculture program, you will get 50% off your membership. IMHO, getting 10 people to do anything, especially if it involves money, is tough.

So, rather than think about the money you could save if you could only get 10 people interested, think about the incredible nutrition that you'll receive by signing up with Nathan at First Light Farm.

There are also other local CSAs such as Tierra Vegetables and Laguna Farm but First Light is the proverbial "new kid on the block" and I want to support Nathan's vision. And quite a vision it is.

Since I eschew CSAs because it doesn't allow me to support many farmers, I won't be signing up. I will still frequent the farmer's market. But if you don't, and have been considering having more fresh vegetables in your life, this might be the solution.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me jill@theveggiequeen.com or contact Nathan. Eating locally grown food is one of the best things that you can do for yourself and the planet.

Win a Fagor Duo Pressure Cooker and Read my Blog Post

The Meal Makeover Moms are now pressure cooker converts. They are giving away a pressure cooker to one of the people who comments on their blog. Read the post by clicking here.

I hope that you win the pressure cooker. If you don't, maybe you aren't aware that I sell pressure cookers on my website, along with my pressure cooking DVD which is what I think helped "The Moms" get over their pressure cooker fear.

Pressure cooking is easy and with a new pressure cooker it's pretty foolproof. Let me know what you think by posting a comment here. You can also read my pressure cooking blog.

Next month I think that I might be giving away a pressure cooker set. Still thinking about it. Any thoughts? Any questions? Do I hear shrill screams? I hope not. I mean it when I say that pressure cooking can change your life.

Back to Blogging -- The Fancy Food Show and More

After 2 days of standing on my feet and managing the kitchen at SOMA mushroom camp where we served an all-out mushroom meal to 240 happy people, I attended the Fancy Food Show, where I walked the floor of Moscone Center for many more hours.

Luckily at Moscone, I was buoyed by chocolate. I mean lots of chocolate. One of the first booths that I arrived at was Newtree chocolate. They have a functional and nutritional line (right!) that contains roasted flax and rice crisps which are made to resemble a bar made by Nestle. This is quite unlike the bars from my youth as they are made with Belgian chocolate, high quality ingredients and each bar likely retails for around $5. But they score high on the tasty scale, and if you're going to eat something decadent such as chocolate, you really want the good stuff, which for me, is at least 65% cacao content. (They were included in my story on the new chocolates that I wrote for Natural Food Network magazine last year.)


After starting off with chocolate, I was on my quest for new beverages and found 2 very new ones at O.N.E., a company now known for its coconut water. Their newest products are Coffee berry which is just what it says, with the caffeine content of green tea, and cashew fruit. They are unlike any other fruity beverage and worth trying if you are looking for fruit juice. (I don't drink much fruit juice.)

Next I encountered old-fashioned sodas called Fentimans. I generally don't drink soda but had to try this because they had one with dandelion and burdock root, both of which are good for your liver. (They don't make any claims about their drinks.) It was tasty, as were all their products, most of which are ginger-based. If you're going to drink a sweetened carbonated beverage this might be a good choice.

Aloe drinks were prevalent. And I also saw a drink made from with hibiscus, and another with rose juice.

I could go on and on about what I saw but will now just write a short round-up. Be on the lookout for more gluten-free products, tea of all types, especially in biodegradeable bags and packaging, more chocolate than you'd ever want to eat (and I mean ever), exotic fruit in lots of different items and the next great thing. It just could be roasted flax from Flax USA in North Dakota (which I will be giving away in March for National Nutrition Month).

And if you want to get an amazing tea maker, to go with all that tea be on the lookout for the Analon one that has 6 different settings for your type of tea. But you better start saving your pennies now for later, as it comes with the hefty price tag of $350.

The one thing that I did get while there was an amazing grinder called The Spice Ratchet which I will be selling along with my new herb and spice blends which are in the works.

I am still sorting through all my Fancy Food show information so expect to hear more, hopefully before you see it on store shelves.

John Ash Encourages Sprouting and So Does The Veggie Queen

If you read my previous post you know that I had the privilege of taking a cooking class with John Ash. The most amazing part of the class for me was when John talked about sprouting arising from his hippie days.

I have known John about 20 years and I just can't imagine John as a hippie. I'd have to see the pics to believe it. But I did see his sprouter from those days, and it is very cute. He said that he's had it for many years but it was in just fine shape. They sell a similar one on Amazon for $10.95.

John also encouraged people to sprout with the simple method: quart glass Mason jar, cheesecloth and a rubber band. I have used that method often but sometimes substitute a paper towel for the cheesecloth. I also have a green plastic sprouting lid and a wire mesh lid that fits into a quart jar ring.

I tried my green plastic lid most recently, inspired by Ash who encouraged everyone to go out the next day, Saturday, and start sprouting. He brought his "home-grown" fenugreek sprouts to the class in their sprouter. It was a touching moment.

John also talked about how he's not a gardener and how sprouting fulfills that desire to grow something. That's just my style, too. I had no idea we had that in common.

I was remiss in following Chef Ash's directions to start the next day, as I started sprouting on Sunday, not Saturday, by soaking some French green lentils, along with broccoli, radish and mustard seeds, in a quart jar with my new, green sprouting lid. I found that the holes in the plastic lid made pouring the water out a bit more difficult. I also removed the lid to add water to do the twice a day rinsing.

By day 3, the sprouts seemed ready so I took them out of my kitchen cupboard, where they had lived upside down in a bowl, and put them near a light-filled window so that they could get cholorphylled up, and get green.

This morning I had a half-full quart jar of my own beautiful sprouts. I have been sprouting for possibly as many years as John but I'm not sure as he is a bit older than I. I can tell that having,and growing, sprouts satisfies some deep needs for each of us.

And now, on to the next batch -- I have a 1 pound bag of spicy mix so I had better get to it. Might throw in some red quinoa, just for kicks. Oh, the possibilities are almost endless.

Growing sprouts is very exciting and provides almost immediate gratification, if you can wait a few days. It's hard to realize that each bean, seed or nut actually contains the energy of an entire plant that will yield many more. Give it a try.

A photo will appear as soon as I learn how to use my new camera.

10 Things that The Veggie Queen and John Ash have in Common

I was going to write a post specifically about 1 subject when it dawned on me that John Ash and I share a number of characteristics which I wanted to share with you. Not quite as interesting as Letterman but...

Here goes:

1. Our names start with the same letter
2. We both live in Sonoma County -- Santa Rosa to be exact
3. We're writers
4. We encourage people to use local ingredients
5. We're each cooks and not bakers or gardeners
6. We're each irreverent when we teach and love to share stories
7. We've shared the same behind-the-scenes person, who we both adore
8. We support local and encourage others to do the same
9. We encourage farming without poisons, or the Cide sisters as John refers to them (pesticide, fungicide and herbicide)
10. We've both been sprouting in our kitchens for many years

And it's the last one that I will really post about next time. So, be on the lookout for more about sprouting.

Relish Culinary Mushroom Cooking Class with John Ash

It's rare that I get to sit in a cooking class. I am usually the one at the front of the room doing the talking. But I just had the chance to attend a cooking class by local, and big deal, chef John Ash. I have known John almost as long as I've been in Sonoma County, which is about 20 years.

Three times I have been a finalist in the KSRO recipe contest that he and co-host Steve Garner have each year. This year I was the grand prize winner for my Spicy African Sweet Potato, Tomato and Ground Nut Stew recipe. The topic was peanuts or peanut butter and this recipe contains the latter. Read my post for more info about my winning.

As a result of the win, I got tickets for a cooking class at Relish Culinary in Healdsburg, a cute little town in Wine Country, just 15 minutes from where I live. The tickets were originally for a Wild Game class with John but I was not wild about that idea so I waited for something more apropos. And mushrooms it was.

Next week is SOMA Mushroom camp where I am the sous chef -- 2nd in command, putting out dinner for about 200 people. This is my big cooking gig of the year. I know a bit about mushrooms and if you want to learn more in-depth information by reading about them on The Veggie Queen site.

I wanted to be anonymous in the class but Relish owner Donna del Rey introduced me fairly early on. Then John mentioned that I am a Registered Dietitian and he deferred to me more than once. I felt quite honored.

John did a great job entertaining and educating the group about mushroom cooking and used a variety of mushrooms from Gourmet Mushrooms in Sebastopol plus dried wild ones that included porcini, black chanterelle and candy cap. The food was rich and delicious and accompanied by fine local wine.

Chef Ash (someone asked a question of him as Mr. Ash and I felt kind of strange calling him John at that point) shared his tips and techniques for making food taste great such as adding sugar to balance flavors and using citrus juice to perk things up. He even commented on his irreverence in teaching, which appeals to my sense and sensibility (if I have any).

It was a divine evening for me. I even had my friend and assistant Ellen accompany me, and she drove. This made winning the recipe contest even better.

I am going to do another post about John Ash and sprouting, so watch for it.

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