No Mac n Cheese Growing Up

OK. So I had a kind of strange childhood but I thought that everyone did. Didn't you?

I just heard two friends talking about what they ate for dinner when growing up -- casseroles, ground beef and tomato sauce, possibly macaroni and cheese. I never had macaroni and cheese as a kid. I am sure that the reason for most of this was that my father didn't like it, or never ate it. He hated casseroles and most mixed food although I do remember tuna casserole once in a while. But what I remember most was being served steak or roast beef (or as I called it, roast beast). I couldn't stand the stuff and I am sure that it inspired me to become a vegetarian. And for that I am thankful.

Some people see me and remark about how clear my skin is, and it must be because I don't eat meat. I'd like to think that years of eating lots of veggies has given me an antioxidant advantage that shows in my complexion and overall health. I suspect that gentics plays a big role, too.

Or maybe it's just that I didn't eat macaroni and cheese while I was growing up and instead I ate my veggies. So, tell me what do you think has changed since then? Mac and cheese still isn't so good for you and the veggies are. Eat extra veggies today to make up for your mac and cheese childhood, if you had one.

Sizzling Tandoor - Santa Rosa

Sizzling Tandoor has been on Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa for many years. I read that recently someone new began running it and that on Wednesday and Saturday they offered South Indian cuisine. It has been many years since I have eaten there since we've had other Indian restaurants pop up in town -- one being a fast food type place right near the junior college that is much more convenient and doesn't require service and waiting for food (which doesn't work well with our son). But Shane was out so we headed to Sizzling Tandoor on the spur of the moment on an early Saturday evening.

There were only a few occupied tables. It was quiet unlike so many restaurants these days. There are Indian artifacts hung on the walls. The lights are a bit bright but environmentally correct flourescent bulbs.

The menu is extensive. My husband asked if I'd like samosas or pakora for an appetizer. And since I know that the pakora is usually deep fried, I picked samosa. And yummy samosa they were with a delicious potato and pea filling. A small dish with three chutneys (a sweet dark one, green cilantro and then a yellow lentil) arrived with the samosa. I only ate half of mine, anticipating other delicious food to come.

I ordered Masala Dosa which is like a big crispy crepe filled with potatoes and onions. It came with a coconut chutney and a bowl of lentil and vegetable soup (which seemed to be prepared in the pressure cooker because it was so hot that it took more than 10 minutes before the temperature was tolerable for my mouth). The dosa was delicious and filling. It had some tantalizing spices and also little bits of something that I thought were possibly lentils. I had to ask and a man who seemed like the owner and/or chef told me that they are roasted split dahl or lentils. He also showed me some tiny black mustard seeds. I ended up taking about half my dish home, even though my husband Rick ate some, and wanted more.

He ordered Chicken Vindaloo and a dish of rice. He said that his dish was very spicy and there wasn't enough chicken but it was really tasty. He also brought food home.

We were both too stuffed to eat dessert. I couldn't even think about it. The meal cost about $40 (including tip) but we used our Sonoma Express so it was less. On a scale of 1 to 10 forks, Sizzling Tandoor rates at least an 8. I will definitely go back -- soon, I hope.

Willow Wood Restaurant -- Graton, CA

This past winter I went to Willow Wood's upscale sister, Underwood Restaurant, directly across the street in downtown Graton. My late friend Jon really wanted to go to Willow Wood but it was closed for remodeling so... Underwood's food was tasty and well presented but also expensive, with entrees in the $20 plus range.

To do something special for Jon's parents we took them out to Willow Wood which has been open for a few months now. I'd been there for a breakfast meeting but didn't eat or really look at the menu but had an idea that things had changed. The interior of the once mildly funky place had been opened up. The tables now match, as do the chairs. The interesting items for sale are relegated to a small, unobtrusive wall. Local art hangs on brightened up walls. And the menu has also changed.

They still offer their wonderful black bean soup by the cup or the bowl. But I guess that somehow they needed to pay for the fancy upgrade and the prices have gone up. And alas, to my husband's dismay, the hamburger is not on the dinner menu.

There were 5 of us for dinner and the tab was $125 and my husband anad I ordered sandwiches. Our son ate the black bean soup and Ceasar salad. Jon's mom ate lemon crab risotto (which they need a good cooking lesson about) and Jon's dad had a half roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed greens. We also shared an antipasto plate which was an ample appetizer (filled with cheese and meat).

I had visions of an opulent eggplant sandwich but that's not what I got for $10+. A small piece of artisan bread had been cut in half. Inside was one small slice of eggplant, a few crumbles of goat cheese, a nice slice of freshly roasted red pepper and that was it because I requested the very fatty aioli be put on the side. With my sandwich was an ample amount of very, tasty red potato salad with a viniagrette dressing. There were a couple of cornichons on the plate which were a nice accompaniment.

I cannot speak much about my husband's turkey and Swiss sandwich but he was also disappointed in the size of it. Shane had so much Ceasar salad that he needed more dressing and could not finish all the greens. It was huge and very pretty with the whole inner leaves of romaine lettuce.

The risotto didn't look very good at first glance with the rice grains not looking very congealed. First I thought that they mistakenly used long grain rice but it must have been the crab that I saw. Jackie said that she really didn't like it so I tasted it and the risotto was flat and without body (which is to me a crime at almost $20).

The desserts fared much better with a fruit and pastry dessert in a small dish topped with vanilla ice cream (and 4 spoons) and a coconut creme brulee, definitely disappearing. I tasted one bite of the fruit which was fresh and delicious but cannot directly comment on the creme brulee which Shane easily and happily ate.

This visit to Willow Wood was disappointing and we won't be back any time soon. On a scale of 1 to 10 forks, Willow Wood gets a 6.

Fresh China -- Santa Rosa

It's unusual for me to eat in restaurants often but when I do, it seems to happen in threes. My first local visit was to Fresh China restaurant at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa. I met my veg friend Barbara there since they have a special vegetarian menu (which you won't get unless you ask for it). There wasn't much veg on the regular menu but the veg menu had so many choices that it took us a while to decide what to eat.

Barbara doesn't like spicy food so that ruled out many dishes that I would have usually ordered since we like to share, especially when eating Chinese food. We finally settled on Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in ginger sauce and Seasonal Vegetables with Coconut Curry Sauce and a bowl of brown and wild rice.

Having just made a pot of brown and wild rice earlier in the week I realized that many restaurants make a lot of money on selling rice at $2.50 a bowl but we wanted some anyway.

The dishes arrived at our table quickly, served in rather odd plates which were deep dish pyrex pie plates (the one that I use most at home when making fruit crisp or baked tofu). Everything seemed fresh except the rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms and there were lots of them. The portions were large. We ate as much as we could and still had about half of each dish left over.

Something didn't seem right about the food and it took me a while to figure it out. The presentation was sorely lacking -- not only in the dish department but in the lack of color and shape in entrees themselves. The shiitakes were served whole which not only made them difficult to eat but they didn't look at all interesting. There wasn't one bit of green in that dish. It was brown and white. Imagine what a strip or two of green onion would have accomplished. The seaonal veggies were not especially seasonal since they included both asparagus and winter squash. There was far too much sauce on that for it to be attractive as it was bright yellow and gloppy. And again, there wasn't any color. I mean since it is summer a few slices of red pepper could have added both color, taste and some seasonality. On a scale of 1 to 10 forks, I'd give Fresh China a 7. I might try it again but it will be a while.

Vegetable Commuinity - Your Local Farmer's Market

I spent a couple of hours this past Monday morning cooking for a friend who is grieving over the loss of her sister. She said that no one brought her food so I thought that maybe it would be good for me, and for her and her children, to cook. I made brown and wild rice (it comes that way) in the pressure cooker and it took less than 30 minutes. While that was cooking, I prepped the veggies for the Summer Veggie and Quinoa Soup, and got my food processor and the ingredients together for Spiced Gravenstein Appple Slaw. When the rice was done, I cooked the soup which takes less than 10 minutes to cook and finish, using the pressure cooker. When I washed up from the 2 quarts of soup, I made Sweet and Sour Tofu with Summer Squash and Pineapple. It seemed like enough food to keep them eating well for at least a few days.

I was told by an acquaintance that the reason that no food appeared for my friend Marilyn is because we just don't have community the way that we used to. And while I agree that is true, I find that shopping at the farmer's markets gives me a connection to people that would not likely occur at the supermarket.

A couple of weeks ago, I arrived at the market later than usual and the last bag of onion sprouts had been sold, to the woman standing in front of the booth. Not only did she sell me her bag but she also gave me a jar of Meyer Lemons with xylitol (which I have not yet had a chance to try). Candie told me about her Mexican restaruant and gave me her phone number. I'd never met her before.

Just last week another woman (whose name I do not yet know), saw me buying cabbage to make the appple slaw and shared her recipe for fresh sauerkraut, which is basically finely cut cabbage with salt, weighted with a plate and left on your countertop for 5 days. I guess that you pour off the juice and drink it, and then eat the sauerkraut. For those of you who don't know it, fermented foods are good for your internal flora. My next book, co-authored with my sister, will have information on this. Check out the preliminary website at www.wakeupaneat.com.

Anyway, back to the farmer's market. I spent the next 40 minutes shopping with the unknown woman at various stalls. She is selling her house and moving to Australia soon. But while she is waiting she will eat well -- making dishes from locally grown food. And I encourage you to do the same.

My First Cucumber

This past week has been difficult. Our family lost a very close friend. He was only 44 years old. Oh, right, I am going to write about my cucumber plant. And plants remind me of life and there we go - Jon is gone. But my cucumber arrived.

My poor Amira cucumber plant has had come problems this year. The Master Gardeners that I spoke with attribute it to the lack of bees for pollination. My plant looked very good to start. There were lots of little cucumbers. But each one got yellow and then shriveled. I had almost given up hope of having cucumbers although I noticed that a few of the most recent ones had finally grown a bit larger. For that, I am thankful. While examining the plant (you can tell that I am a small scale gardener not a farmer), I felt under one of the leaves and there was a perfect 8-inch cucumber. It became part of my husband's lunch.

I am so glad that I continued to water, feed and talk to my plant even when things were looking bad. Now I am anticipating more cucumbers in the future.

I also picked my first Copia tomato. It is an orange and yellow striped medium-sized (at least for me) variety. I had to verify the color with Cliff, the farmer that sold me that plant. The tomato didn't look like it would turn red but I just didn't know. Copia was tasty but not the best tomato that I've had. This year the black Brandywines seem best but the season is still young. And there are many more tomatoes on the way.

We are at the height of the season for fruit and veggies here in Sonoma County. My friend Cynthia saw me at the farmer's market and asked what I am into these days. And I answered, "Melons." "Not veggies?", she inquired. Of course, those, too, it goes without saying.

Last year at the market I introduced Cynthia to Romano beans - the flat Italian green beans. Now she eats them and has also bought the yellow ones and likes those, too.

A big part of my enjoyment comes from introducing people to new foods, especially new vegetables. Try them all, I say. And remember to enjoy life; you never know how long you have.

Barilla Plus Pasta - Plus What?

I don't know why but it amazes me that I must (and I stress must) read almost every package label. I bought some Barilla Plus pasta which seems innocent enough, touting "more nutritious, naturally delicious" on the front, a good source of fiber and protein, contains ALA Omega-3. Well, all that sounded great.

The pasta tasted pretty good, too, for one that's partially whole grain. While the pasta water was boiling I noticed the side panel listed the amounts of protein in various products such as chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp and more. It wasn't until after I ate the pasta that I started wondering why it was so high in protein.

Well, to start, they were comparing 1 cup of UNCOOKED pasta with cooked animal proteins. But I thought it best to read the label to see the pasta ingredients. In addition to semolina, it contains a grain and legume flour blend that has lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barley, egg whites, ground flax seed and wheat fiber. I read it again to be sure that it really said EGGS. And under the ingredients, it is repeated: Contains: Wheat and Egg Ingredients.

Usually pasta that contains eggs says something to that effect but not this kind. I just wanted to remind you to read labels if you want to be sure of what IS or ISN"T in your food.

The good and bad part is that this pasta tasted way better than many other whole grain pastas that I have tried. One of my other favorite kinds is the Trader Joe's whole wheat pasta with no added eggs. It is lighter and flavorful and makes a great accompaniment to my Oil-Free Pesto or Un-Meatballs.

Too Much Zucchini? Try Summer Squash “Vichyssoise”

Summer Squash “Vichyssoise” by Jill Nussinow, MS, RD --The Veggie Queen
Serves 6
I like this soup because it tastes so fresh, is low in fat and can be served hot or cold.

2 teaspoons olive or canola oil (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
1 ½ cups diced new potatoes
3 ½ cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon chicken flavored or vegetable broth powder
4 cups sliced summer squash, use a mixture of pattypan, zucchini, scallopini, crookneck or Ronde de Nice
½ cup chopped basil
1 cup multigrain, rice or soy milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Basil sprigs, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put in the potatoes and about ¼ cup water to keep the vegetables from sticking. Cook for about 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Add the remaining water, garlic, broth powder and squash. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil and cook another 5 minutes or until the squash is soft. Blend with an immersion blender or in the blender or food processor, in 2 batches, until smooth. Return to the pot, if using a blender or processor. Add the milk and heat through. Serve immediately or chill and serve cold. Garnish with basil sprigs.

If this soup is not flavorful enough for you, add lots more basil or your favorite herb or spice.

Fancy Food Show, NYC and then Mendocino

I have had many travels so far this year. I am now happy to be at home for a while.

After my sojourn to Vegetarian Summerfest I went directly to the Fancy Food Show in New York City with my mother. Good thing that I had bulked up on all kinds of fresh food because the Fancy Food Show is all about cheese, chocolate, salt, vinegar, salsa and other tasty items. One of the most intriguing was a fruit (vegetable) called Peppadew. It looks like a small red pickling pepper and it has a spicy and addictive kick to it. I also perused the specialty salts and ought to have them in stock by September. I viewed some wonderful looking spices from Spain that come in grinders but are not yet available here. (Maybe a trip is in order.). And I got to stop by the Dr. Kracker both and see the great new crackers and small packages that are available. George promised me at tie-dyed Dr. Kracker t-shirt and he delivered. Yippee.

At Family Camp in Mendocino, I got my cookng fix, helping to prepare vegan food for a small contingent of vegetarians and many other campers. I made meatless meatballs from a recipe straight from my head, and helped devise a decadent and delicious version of mango mousse as a way to use very ripe mangoes. My mushroom gravy quickly vanished. And I had a chance to be creative with vegan cobbler because someone at camp had some interesting "allergies". As always I had a great time in the kitchen. But a few days is all I can take of that. Somehow, though, because most of my other meals were prepared for me, and we had dishwashers, it seems like less work than making 3 meals a day at home.

I am actually thrilled, though, to be in the midst of summer produce and have been eating real tomatoes, including the first two ripe Green Zebra tomatoes from my garden. Oh, time to go water it now.

Vegetarian Summerfest 2006: Vegetarians on a MIssion

Johnstown, PA truly is pretty much in the middle-of-nowhere in western Pennsylvania. Getting there isn't easy. It's 2 hours east of Pittsburgh. Yet, 500 or so vegetarians, mostly the radical vegan kind (this is a joke which is a tough thing to tell in print), get there from all over the United States, plus Canada and perhaps even from other countries.

The speaker line up was impressive, not just because it included me, but Howard Lyman, Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D., Erik Marcus, and more took to the podium. If you want to see who was there so that you can plan your trip for next year, take a look at http://vegetariansummerfest.org/.

In addition to lectures there are also cooking demonstrations, short talks, entertainment and exercise classes. I did make it to one (just one unfortunately) early morning yoga class and part of a wand exercise class. Just walking from the Living/Learning Center at The University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown to the cafeteria would seem like plenty of exercise were it not for the unlimited quanity of food served at each meal. While the non-veg among us (and there were some) didn't get their meat, egg or dairy fix, they did not go hungry.

In addition to 2 salad bars, there was fruit available at every meal, and at dinner there were 2 buffet lines of cooked foods, a stir-fry station and a raw food line. There was also dessert at both lunch and dinner. Usually I need to eat between meals but with exhibitors such as Primal Spirit and their Primal strips and Lara Bar with Lara bar samples, I was never hungry. There were only 4 hours between the end of lunch and the start of dinner. Although I usually like to eat early, dinner at 5:30 when lunch ended at 1:30 (perhaps with cooking demo tastes in between) was too much for me. Yet, I didn't skip a single meal except on the day that I arrived when I skipped both breakfast and lunch but not by choice. My next few days of eating got me back into balance (or I should say tipped the scales the other way).

If you have the time to attend Summerfest, look into it for next year. It's an amazing vegetarian/vegan experience - like summer camp for your mind and body.

Vegetarian Summerfest Here I Come

On the road again, almost. I will be heading to Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA. It's 2 hours east of Pittsburgh. I'd been so busy until about a week ago that I actually had no idea where in PA I would be heading. Even though I won't be driving (I am going to take a shuttle if my plane isn't late), I do like to know where I am in time and space.

My topics at Summerfest are Spice It Up: For Flavor and Nutrition, and Mushroooms: Combining Taste, Culinary and Medicinal Uses. I will also be participating on a panel about careers in the culinary arena. I do hope that I can add something to that.

What I am most looking forward to is not cooking for a few days with the promise of vegetarian meals without having to search them out. I also hope to get to a yoga class or two but they begin at 6 a.m. and I will be in an altered sleep state so that remains to be seen.

I have devised a plan when traveling to be sure that I stay healthy. I take along a bag of sea palm fronds (yes, seaweed), a box of Mary's Gone Crackers crackers or Dr. Kracker crackers, plenty of water, a few packets of Emergen-C and some Rainbow Light Deep Defense tablets. Usually I have some dried fruit (this time some delectable Deglet Noor dates dried right on the stalk), a couple of Lara Bars, Clif Nectar bars or Luna bars in case I get stranded in an airport without food worth eating (which is most of them). It is much better to be prepared than to not eat and be cranky.

I'll report on my Summerfest experience when I return. I hope that I don't have too much to say about thunderstorms (which are predicted for Wednesday, July 5th) and lots to say about what I learned.

Blackberries, Tomatoes, Zucchini - It's Summer

You can call me a purist - please. This morning while walking my dog Bear, I picked my first ripe blackberry and ate it. While it wasn't the sweetest or tastiest blackberry I've ever eaten, it was remarkably delicious just because it was there for my picking.

A few days ago my friend Patrick picked 2 Costata Romanesco squash from his garden and gave them to me. What a wonderful gift. I took the smaller of the two and made a simple dish of it by cutting it into half-moon pieces with one half a sliced torpedo onion and adding it to my little packet of Thai Kitchen Garlic and Vegetable Instant Rice Noodle Soup in the last minute of cooking. A few shots of my sister Donna's hot sauce and it was an easy dinner. If I had some chopped cilantro and cubed tofu to add, it would have been even better but that's life. still yummy as it was.

Yesterday I bought my first of the season locally grown vine ripe tomatoes. It's still early here and if I am lucky I may have ripe tomatoes by mid-August but only if the weather heats up a bit.

The food that Mothe Nature provides is just the best. Last night my husband and I went to a store with an incredible salad bar (Oliver's market in Cotati, CA). Rick ordered a veggie burrito while I heaped the salad into one of their fancy paper-like containers. In addition to the usual salad bar options there were many others such as shredded Mexican chicken, marinated tofu, lentil salad, quinoa, Asian noodle salad, Creole potato salad and much more. About two thirds of what I took was greens, carrots, cucumbers, red and green onions and then I went for the adidtions. At $6.99 a pound, I managed to take almost a pound of salad. It cost more than the burrito but salad, especially the greens, is essential and delicious food which our bodies crave.

I have been reminded of this more and more as I travel. Because between my trips I have found it more difficult to get the oomph to shop and cook. This means more restaurant meals. In the past week I have eaten at Cafe Zazzle in Petaluma (CA) where they serve some incredibly tasty Zazzle slaw for $2 for a large bowl. I keep thinking that the cabbage and other veggies contained therein can make up for the creamy dressing. But the food at Zazzle if fresh, delicious and mostly less than $10. I recommend it.

A bit less successful was a trip to a new Middle Eastern restaurant, Pita Cafe, in Rohnert Park. My son Shane said that his rice pilaf was the best he'd ever had, and the salad served with his dish (lamb schwarma - YUCK) was plentiful and fresh. I had the mezze plate with whole wheat pita (for which they get extra credit) but nothing really was outstanding nor was it terrible. There was tabbouleh, hummus, dolma, felafel, mummarah, baba ganouj. I am not sure what didn't work but I was not wowed. It seemd like Middle Eastern food for the Mid-Western palate which isn't to my liking. I wanted to taste some exotic spices - sumac, zatar, cumin, a little cayenne. It was missing zing. Maybe the rice pilaf had it but Shane didn't offer any to me. I'd try the place again since they just opened but this time was just OK (which is about 2 stars out of 5).

I am excited by the foods of summer and I am anxiously awaiting my own cucumbers and tomatoes and more of Mother Nature's marvels.

Way With Words

Twice in the past week I have had people tell me (in email, of course) that they like my way with words. I certainly hope so since I am a writer. Two people thought that what I wrote was funny. Sometimes I use food-related metaphors and don't even realize it. I said, "My computer spit out the message twice but it got eaten up."

I've thought about trading my cooking teacher gig for writing and performing stand-up comedy. But I already do that when I am teaching so I might as well just continue. I just got it, I can do comedy cooking classes like comedy traffic school, or at least bill my classes that way. Or perhaps, I will just sit here at my computer and be witty with words.

I can work on my next book, Wake Up and Eat, or even the one after that, The Veggie Queen Spices it Up. The options are endless. Or I can...

The words keep on flowing, and for that I am thankful. if you need an witty words written for you, just let me know.

Walnut Creek Farmer's Market

A day at a farmer's market doing a cooking demo and selling books is always interesting and most often fun. Sometimes, though, it is just fantastic. My day spent at the Walnut Creek farmer's market (http://www.cccfm.org/pages/wc.htm) with Lesley Stiles, demo coordinator, was like a dream come true.

Lesley was incredibly organized, having all the necessary produce for my recipe when I got there, an EZ up tent, along with a great spot for me under a stand of trees. It was hot but the breeze was nice. We were stationed on a corner and Lesley seemed to know almost everyone who came by. She helped me pass out the salad that I made and lured people over to by books. It was one of my most successful market days.

A dietitian friend, Vivian Cohen, stopped by to say hello, as did Jill Reyman who just finished her diet tech program at Mills College.

The best part of the day, though, was when two guys came by and each took a sample of salad. They then said, "If you'd like a massage just stop by." I thought that I might have only been imagining that they said that to me.

When I was done selling and giving away salad, I wandered over to Ed and ?, oh my goodness now I've forgotten his name, just a few steps from my nice spot, to see if they were serious about their offer. And indeed they were.

I didn't realize how stressed I was until the two of them started to touch my upper back and shoulders, hands and arms. I had 4 hands rubbing me, and we chatted while I sat in the chair. I moaned a lot and did a lot of deep breathing. And about 45 minutes later, I realized that I was expected at home and had to leave. Most likely an all-afternoon massage might not have been enough but I was more than thankful for what I had received -- and all because of my desire to give away some salad. I know that veggies are powerful but I find that I never quite know what they'll bring into my life. I am incredibly thankful.

If you go to the Walnut Creek Farmer's Market, I strongly suggest a chair massage under the trees, it may transform your day. Tell them that The Veggie Queen sent you. (When I find their contact info, I will post it in my blog.)

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I overheard this at the farmer's market this past Sunday and it is classic. I suspect that it will make you laugh. I did.

A mother said happily to her young son, sitting in a wagon, "Would you like to plant some Hollyhocks?" as she was holding a plant, intending to purchase it.

He responded with joy and glee, "I want to plant some pollywogs."

I turned to the woman and said, "That's every boy's dream, to plant pollywogs."

We both laughed, as did my 13-year old son Shane. It's always important with children to clarify what you really said.

The 4-year old boy probably had visions of planting pollywogs and shortly thereafter having full grown frogs.

Overhearing and participating in conversations at the farmer's market is often a great form of entertainment.

Google -- Food to LIve For

Sometimes I feel as if I am the luckiest person in the world. I do very interesting things in very interesting places. I had the chance to go to the Google campus in Mountain View, California. I say it like this because I told a class that I went to Google and they thought that I was searching on my computer.

Truth is that in March at the Seaweed Convivium in Philo (see Seaweed and More Bread in My Life in this blog in March) I met Renee Rohrig who works as a chef at Google. She is in charge of the vegetarian and mostly vegan food in the No Name Cafe on the Google campus. We arranged a meeting where I could come and see and taste the food that she prepares for the employees.

When I tell you that the food looks and tastes great, I mean it. There are 6 cafes at Google. And they have many different types of food. If you are lucky enough to work there, the food is FREE. Although I don't even know exactly what they do at Google, I'd think about working there just for the food.

Renee doesn't really interact with the employees to ask them what they do but from her perspective she said that she sees the same people playing volleyball and sitting around regularly. Her impression is that they don't do much work but I think that they do a lot of thinking. They must need all that fresh food to keep their brains sharp so that we can just enter words on a screen and find what we need.

But what we (being the rest of us) really need every day is food as fresh, attractive and delicious as what they serve at Google. If you want to know more, just ask me. (I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement when I entered the campus so I am not sure what I can divulge.)

Most impressive were the fresh shots of wheatgrass at lunch and kombucha cockatils in the morning. Free food also means mostly free reign for the chefs which results in food that makes showing up at work worth it.

I hope that I get invited for a return visit to see what's on the menu next time.

Third Corner, San Diego - Wine Galore

One very interesting stop in San Diego was at The Third Corner, a restaurant in a wine shop. They serve small plates, tapas style and you get to choose your wine from their truly fabulous selection of wine from around the world. Since I was alone, I didn't eat there only because I can truly only drink a glass of wine with some food and that's my limit (at least according to the chart that they sent me with my license renewal). I was also on my way to someone's house for a visit. But I enjoyed perusing the wine selection and viewing the menu. When I get back to San Diego, I'll take a friend and check out the food and ambiance. They are only open for dinner. It will give me another reason, other than yoga and the coop to return to Ocean Beach.

Dining Out and Being Green

Having had the chance to travel a bit this year, I have eaten in a number of restaurants -- actually more than I care to. By now, you probably know that I like fairly simple and very fresh meals that I prepare at home. But when I was in San Diego recently someone suggested that I eat a restaurant named Region.

They are a certified green restaurant. I like that idea but I found the menu far too meaty for me. The chef, Michael Stegner, focused on the meat and didn't have a vegetarian entree on the menu, and other than salad fthere were few vegetarian choices. I called ahead and asked what they could make me and it was going to be pasta with any of the available veggies. I figured that would be fine. (And it was delicious with mushrooms and snow peas albeit far too oily.)

What I didn't ask about were the prices. When i saw that most of the entrees were in the $25+ price range it made me feel like I come from some hick town but the truth is that I live in Sonoma County which is Wine Country. Region did not appear to be an incredibly upscale place but maybe it is. Or maybe being green boosts the prices.

In any case, the food was fresh but not especially plentiful. I expect more greens in a $7 salad since at wholesale a pound of great lettuce probably doesn't cost more than $4. By now, you know that I am a salad fiend.

The meal did end on a very sweet note, as I ordered the strawberry rhubarb crisp. It was as good or better than what I would make at home. I would have preferred it without the vanilla ice cream but that was my only gripe there.

I guess that eating at Lark in Seattle gave me a great meal by which to gauge others. Region didn't live up to that for me. If you eat there, please let me know what you think.

Also while in San Diego, I ate at Kung Food -- a vegetarian, organic restaurant and salad bar that has a drive-through window for burgers and fries. It's pretty close to the airport so I stopped there for some sustenance for my trip home to Santa Rosa. Their food really hit the spot. For less than $10, I ate a very filling burger, topped with mushrooms and grilled onions, and a salad. They also offered entrees by the pound (I think around $7) to eat there or to go. I would highly recommend that you stop there for tasty, fresh and filling food that will fit almost any budget.

Angels and Healthy Food

Yesterday I left the safe confines of Sonoma County and headed to the big city, San Francisco, to attend a workshop about Healthy Food in hospitals, cafeterias and other institutions held at UCSF Medical Center. The event was from 1 to 3:30 which couldn't be a much worse time of day for me and the traffic coming home.

I am working on a project to help make the food in the local Kaiser Permanente Cafeteria healthier. It's a concept that just has to happen. But the logistics of making this change are not simple.

I parked in the huge public garage, made sure that I had my cup for tea (as requested by the green team running the event), grabbed my brief case and headed off. It wasn't until I was leaving the conference room and heading back to my car that I started searching for my keys.

I realized within a moment of looking that I just did not have them. I must have left them on the trunk of my car. I knew that no one would steal my car and just hoped to find my keys.

And I did. Some Good Samaritan left them on the front seat with a note and a smiley face, saying that they had found them. The only problem was that they had now locked them in my car.

I had to get the security guard. He showed up but had to get another security guard to help. The two of them managed to get my car open in about 25 mintues.While watching the security guard antics, a chef colleague walked by. I asked him a few questions and I had a chance to learn more about making healthy changes in a cafeteria. He told me that he now uses local, organic produce and while it costs more, people love it.

I got a late start out of SF and managed to get home without too much time in traffic. Having an angel find my keys and leaving them for me makes me realize that all roads lead to healthy food.

Big Time Score

I went early to the farmer's market today as my son needed to get to school early (most likely to do the work that he says that he doesn't have). It gives me the opportunity to get my hands on the "god stuff" right away.
First I got a basket of organic strawberries. And then the rest came to me all from Little (what a misnomer) Larry from Triple Ranch and Farm here in Santa Rosa. He kind of whispered, "Look at this" and held up a beautiful carrot. I had just run out of the real ones (not the precut bagged ones) for my husband's lunch this morning. I had to buy a bunch of those which he hand selected for me. I also scored a purple kohlrabi, small white spring onions and salad mix. Yippee. More yummy salads will be coming my way.
Last night I went to a meeting on spices and created a dish that I called Moroccan Spiced Quinoa. It was pretty tasty last night. The little bit that I had leftover will become today's lunch as I have to drive to San Francisco for a meeting. I'll get to see if the dish is the same or better. Can't wait.
Two more markets are starting tonight. And yours might be happening soon. Find your local farmers and make them your friends, you never know what they might whisper in your ear.