Almost a year ago, I had The Veggie Queen website reworked to include a blog. You can search this site for previous posts, of which there are more than 100 and possibly even more than 200. I lost track long ago. My most recent posts have all been published on The Veggie Queen website.
I have not abandoned you and hope that you will come join me where I currently post quite irregularly. I shoot for at least once a month but since I have been working on my next cookbook, The New Fast Food: The Veggie Queen Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less Than 30 Minutes, time has been limited. I hope to get back to more regular blogging when my ebook is released and the manuscript is happily resting with the publisher. Stay tuned...
You can also catch up with me on Facebook and Twitter.
Feel free to email me with any questions. I look forward to having you around.
Showing posts with label vegetarian cookbook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian cookbook. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, November 29, 2009
If It's Winter, it Means Squash
I recently reported that I bought a new-to-me squash. That doesn't happen that often. And I couldn't remember the name so I had to write it down. It's called Aunt Thelma's Sweet Potato Pie squash. I still must do some research and find out more about it (it's in the photo and is the largest squash in the back with a butternut-type color, wedged between 2 delicatas). Nathan Boone of First Light Farm and now Oh Tommy Boy's potatoes sold me the squash and told me that there really is an Aunt Thelma.
I cooked the squash and here is my report. The squash was easy enough to cut and the color was a lot like a butternut. I couldn't tell much about its texture until it was thoroughly cooked. And when it was, it was soft and perfect for soup. It did not have the intense sweetness or dense texture of my favorite squash which is the delicata. I am sure that I prefer a number of other squash over Aunt Thelma's Sweet Potato Pie squash. And when I make Sweet Potato pie, I prefer having sweet potatoes in it. It's one of two dessert recipes in my cookbook, The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.
Since I also really like squash soup, this squash was just fine. I liked the size of it but I'm not likely to buy one again. Good thing that I have a few delicata squash put away for future use.
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Veggie Queen Brings Color to Thanksgiving Table
I should have gotten a hint about my husband's eating habits when the first salad that he made me contained iceberg lettuce, a rock hard tomato, cucumber and green pepper. He probably thought that he'd done fine but not in my world. Over the years, I've helped my husband upgrade what's in the salad bowl (see What's Up Doc, a sidebar story in my cookbook, The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment). Rick still avoids "the weeds" (all the bitter things that I really like) but will eat almost any dark green lettuce put in front of him, in copious quantities now, even asking for salad nightly.
While I've done wonders with Rick, of his own volition, of course, the same is not true for the family wherein he grew up. My mother-in-law, whom I love dearly, informed me that everything was OK for Thanksgiving because she got the rolls that everyone loves (store bought white, bake and serve dinner rolls), the boiling onions and the celery and radishes. I've come to learn that my husband's family is all about the "white stuff": white bread, mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey. I am, of course, all about the vegetables, especially since I am a vegetarian.
My incredibly sweet MIL told me that she bought me some (frozen, I am sure) fettuccine Alfredo to eat for Thanksgiving. She somehow cannot grasp the concept that I am vegan. She used to buy me frozen lasagna but I told her that I didn't like it. She also does not understand that while I am not specifically gluten-free, I eat few gluten-containing foods because I feel better eating this way.
Since I joined the family, I have been infiltrating Thanksgiving with color. I am not sure which is harder for them to take: the actual colorful vegetables or me and how I am "different". I've been trying for years to get my niece and nephew to eat my roasted root vegetables, which often contain pink and purple potatoes. They think that I am a bit odd. And while that may be true, I am not going to give up on offering them vegetables.
I made my usual Curried Squash and Pear Soup, roasted root vegetables and Fruited Wild Rice, all of which are in my cookbook, The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.
This year I also included a Match Meat vegan holiday roast that I made with the "chicken" flavor stuffed with cooked wild rice and "sausage" Match, made almost according to the recipe with some tweaking. Tasted good but not a preferred every day food for me.
I was able to get Brussels sprouts on the stalk so roasted a nice batch of those. Luckily my son also likes them, which drives Rick, my husband, crazy as he likes to say that he "hates" them.
I've turned more than one B.s. hater into a tolerater but...
I don't have high vegetable hopes for my husband's family but I am still going to bring the color to Thanksgiving. I just can't help myself.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Please Pop Over the Pears, Drop off the Apples, Leave me Persimmons
In addition to picking produce, which I am happy to do almost any time, I love it when I open my front door to find bags of it. It's often a surprise -- yesterday, my friend Anet dropped off a bag of large Bartlett pears. Hopefully later today someone will show up with some Gravenstein apples.
I had the good fortune of picking figs a couple of weeks ago but didn't realize that their end was so near. (Thank you Carl for your generosity.)
When I went to get a few more baskets the other day, I had to work hard to discover 9 large figs tucked under the leaves of the tree. I traded some of them for other produce and have been eating the rest of them. I never met a fig that I didn't like. Good thing that they are loaded with potassium, fiber and calcium. Unfortunately, they also have plenty of sugar so best to be careful when eating them, or the tummy lets you know.
I do not turn down homegrown produce when someone asks since I am often sure that I can put it to good use. I do request, though, that you don't leave me the not-so-good stuff, such as baseball bat sized zucchini or other summer squash. I will accept smaller squash and with them I will make a batch of my Grilled Asian Squash Salad. My assistant, and friend, Ellen just made these on her George Forman grill and said that they were very good. They also received rave reviews from Jenna of Kid Appeal who wrote a wonderful post about my cookbook and will be giving a copy away (so click on the link). When squash are in season, it's best to cook them up as fast and as often as you can.
Grilled Asian Squash Salad
Serves 4
When the squash is prolific, you always need another way to serve it. This dish is especially easy and delicious. Even people who say they don’t like squash usually find it irresistible.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari
4 summer squash of any kind, cut lengthwise into quarters
1 large onion, cut into rings
3 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as cilantro, Thai basil or parsley
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Chopped cilantro or other herb, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, tamari and half the garlic and ginger in a bowl or zippered bag. Mix in squash, onion and herbs. Let marinate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Place veggies on a screen on your grill over hot coals or gas or inside on a grill pan. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Turn carefully and grill for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Reserve the marinade. Once the squash is grilled, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Mix with cooked onion rings, reserved marinade and remaining ginger and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve as is, or cool to room temperature.
Serves 4
When the squash is prolific, you always need another way to serve it. This dish is especially easy and delicious. Even people who say they don’t like squash usually find it irresistible.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari
4 summer squash of any kind, cut lengthwise into quarters
1 large onion, cut into rings
3 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as cilantro, Thai basil or parsley
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Chopped cilantro or other herb, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, tamari and half the garlic and ginger in a bowl or zippered bag. Mix in squash, onion and herbs. Let marinate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Place veggies on a screen on your grill over hot coals or gas or inside on a grill pan. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Turn carefully and grill for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Reserve the marinade. Once the squash is grilled, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Mix with cooked onion rings, reserved marinade and remaining ginger and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve as is, or cool to room temperature.
If you want to do any produce drops, just let me know. I'll even meet you at the farmer's market in any Sonoma County town or city, or I'll do the picking. Produce is my game, The Veggie Queen is my name. Actually, my name is Jill but I do answer to Veggie Queen, with or without the The.
I hope that you are enjoying your summer produce as much as I am.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Family Foodies CBC Final Answer
Here is the final installment of the CBC, cross blog conversation, with Family Foodies.
FF: I would love some suggestions for “fake meat” products as an foray into vegetarian eating. What are some of your recommendations?
TheVQ: Having just been on Culinate, at the Table Talk Meatless chat with @Kimodonnel from The Washington Post's A Mighty Appetite, here are some suggestions that we discussed: Boca Burgers (my meat-eating husband likes these), Field Roast sausages and roast, Tofurky brats and Italian sausages, as well as Gimme Lean and Lightlife products.
Many people like using the Morningstar Farms products but they seem overly processed to me. I try to stay away from eating soy protein isolate, and prefer items based on beans and grains. But many people new to the veg world go for the meatier tasting items which often contain more processed soy. There are also all the soy hot dog products that kids often like. And once you get them in the bun with stuff on them, it's hard to tell they are not meat (but what do I know about that?).
My husband used to like Yves Veggie Pepperoni so much that he called it turkey pepperoni. As an aside, I will tell you that on his own my husband decided that pepperoni is gross and no longer eats it. I consider that progress.
FF: I see you have a cookbook devoted to pressure cooking, and your blog bio says you are a pressure cooking advocate. Can you talk about your passion about pressure cooking and what you recommend for someone who has never used a pressure cooker?
The VQ: First, let me clarify that my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment is about vegetables throughout the year, and has a chapter on pressure cooking. I have a DVD on pressure cooking, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes that comes with a recipe booklet. What follows is my pressure cooking story.
I fell in love with pressure cooking when my son was about 2 or 3. I didn’t have a lot of time yet I wanted to feed him nutritious foods. He was a vegetarian, mostly vegan, from birth. He loved lentils, especially as soup. The first item that I perfected in the pressure cooker was Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup which has both red and green lentils. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, including prepping the ingredients. Using my pressure cooker made me feel like a great mother. So I learned to cook other things in it. Shane also loved beans, especially black and garbanzo beans. They take 6 and 12 minutes, respectively, after they’ve been presoaked. I would always make extra and freeze them.
If you are new to pressure cooking, or just want to see it, take a look at my pressure cooking website to see my video clip from my DVD. You’ll see how easy it is to use. Did I also mention that using a pressure cooker helps preserve some nutrients, and that the food looks and tastes great? You can also read my pressure cooking blog or see me on You Tube at TheVQ.
I think that using a pressure cooker is perfect for a family to make cooking fast, easy and delicious. Food tastes and looks better than in a crock pot, and you can wait until late in the afternoon and decide what to have for dinner on a whim, and actually get it on the table on time. I highly recommend it.
I hope that I’ve answered your questions. If anyone has questions, please feel free to comment here and I will get back to you.
Thanks for this great conversation.
FF: I would love some suggestions for “fake meat” products as an foray into vegetarian eating. What are some of your recommendations?
TheVQ: Having just been on Culinate, at the Table Talk Meatless chat with @Kimodonnel from The Washington Post's A Mighty Appetite, here are some suggestions that we discussed: Boca Burgers (my meat-eating husband likes these), Field Roast sausages and roast, Tofurky brats and Italian sausages, as well as Gimme Lean and Lightlife products.
Many people like using the Morningstar Farms products but they seem overly processed to me. I try to stay away from eating soy protein isolate, and prefer items based on beans and grains. But many people new to the veg world go for the meatier tasting items which often contain more processed soy. There are also all the soy hot dog products that kids often like. And once you get them in the bun with stuff on them, it's hard to tell they are not meat (but what do I know about that?).
My husband used to like Yves Veggie Pepperoni so much that he called it turkey pepperoni. As an aside, I will tell you that on his own my husband decided that pepperoni is gross and no longer eats it. I consider that progress.
FF: I see you have a cookbook devoted to pressure cooking, and your blog bio says you are a pressure cooking advocate. Can you talk about your passion about pressure cooking and what you recommend for someone who has never used a pressure cooker?
The VQ: First, let me clarify that my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment is about vegetables throughout the year, and has a chapter on pressure cooking. I have a DVD on pressure cooking, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes that comes with a recipe booklet. What follows is my pressure cooking story.
I fell in love with pressure cooking when my son was about 2 or 3. I didn’t have a lot of time yet I wanted to feed him nutritious foods. He was a vegetarian, mostly vegan, from birth. He loved lentils, especially as soup. The first item that I perfected in the pressure cooker was Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup which has both red and green lentils. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, including prepping the ingredients. Using my pressure cooker made me feel like a great mother. So I learned to cook other things in it. Shane also loved beans, especially black and garbanzo beans. They take 6 and 12 minutes, respectively, after they’ve been presoaked. I would always make extra and freeze them.
If you are new to pressure cooking, or just want to see it, take a look at my pressure cooking website to see my video clip from my DVD. You’ll see how easy it is to use. Did I also mention that using a pressure cooker helps preserve some nutrients, and that the food looks and tastes great? You can also read my pressure cooking blog or see me on You Tube at TheVQ.
I think that using a pressure cooker is perfect for a family to make cooking fast, easy and delicious. Food tastes and looks better than in a crock pot, and you can wait until late in the afternoon and decide what to have for dinner on a whim, and actually get it on the table on time. I highly recommend it.
I hope that I’ve answered your questions. If anyone has questions, please feel free to comment here and I will get back to you.
Thanks for this great conversation.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Veggie Queen's Favorite Fall Salad For Thanksgiving
I actually have 2 favorite fall salads but this is the most special of them because it uses fresh pomegranate arils (seeds) in it. This salad gets people's attention which I like. No one will say that it's boring. If there are any ingredients that you can't get, substitute, except for the pomegranate seeds which is essential.
Bright Autumn Salad
Serves 4
Most of these ingredients are native to my area of Northern California. If you cannot find them, substitute the most colorful and freshest seasonal fruit. You are aiming for a colorful salad that is sweet, tart, crunchy and bitter. I imagine that the Native Americans living where I do would have served this for their Thanksgiving meal using local, wild bitter greens instead of endive or radicchio.
1 medium head radicchio or 3 small heads of Belgian endive, sliced into shreds, or arugula (any bitter green)
2 fuyu (firm, flat Asian) persimmons, seeded if necessary, and diced
½ POM wonderful fresh pomegranate, cut, arils (seeds) removed to be used to equal 2 cups (save the other half to make more salad or just double the recipe)
2-3 kiwi, peeled and diced
¼ cup or more dried cranberries
¼ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds
1-2 tablespoons raspberry or other fruit vinegar (optional)
Cut the bitter greens or reds into shreds. Put on a plate.
In a medium bowl, combine the persimmons, pomegranate, pineapple guava, and most of the cranberries and almonds. Arrange the combined mixture over the shredded bitter greens. Top with the remaining cranberries and almonds. Drizzle fruit vinegar over the top, if desired, right before serving.
Enjoy.
Bright Autumn Salad
Serves 4
Most of these ingredients are native to my area of Northern California. If you cannot find them, substitute the most colorful and freshest seasonal fruit. You are aiming for a colorful salad that is sweet, tart, crunchy and bitter. I imagine that the Native Americans living where I do would have served this for their Thanksgiving meal using local, wild bitter greens instead of endive or radicchio.
1 medium head radicchio or 3 small heads of Belgian endive, sliced into shreds, or arugula (any bitter green)
2 fuyu (firm, flat Asian) persimmons, seeded if necessary, and diced
½ POM wonderful fresh pomegranate, cut, arils (seeds) removed to be used to equal 2 cups (save the other half to make more salad or just double the recipe)
2-3 kiwi, peeled and diced
¼ cup or more dried cranberries
¼ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds
1-2 tablespoons raspberry or other fruit vinegar (optional)
Cut the bitter greens or reds into shreds. Put on a plate.
In a medium bowl, combine the persimmons, pomegranate, pineapple guava, and most of the cranberries and almonds. Arrange the combined mixture over the shredded bitter greens. Top with the remaining cranberries and almonds. Drizzle fruit vinegar over the top, if desired, right before serving.
Enjoy.
Monday, July 07, 2008
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?
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?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, December 07, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The Veggie Queen Featured in Community Market Newsletter
Last week (OK, it's really a couple of them now) after my trip to the farmer's market I went to Santa Rosa Community Market http://www.srcommunitymarket.com/, my local, vegetarian natural foods store. I picked up their newsletter and their feature story was about me and my book The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.
Along with the interview is my recipe for Asparagus, Oyster Mushroom and Tofu Stir-Fry. As I am currently growing oyster mushrooms at home it will be easy to pair them with my farmer's market asparagus and some great tofu from Small Planet http://www.smallplanettofu.com, I'm ready to prepare my own recipe. I hadn't looked at it in so long, it didn't even seem like mine, which is a far cry from the time period when I was writing The Veggie Queen cookbook, and every recipe was fresh on my mind and in my face daily.
I feel as if I have put that baby to rest a bit and I am going to now forge ahead with my DVD Pressure Cooker project. Stay tuned for more details. In the mean time, keep those fresh veggies cooking -- under pressure or not.
Along with the interview is my recipe for Asparagus, Oyster Mushroom and Tofu Stir-Fry. As I am currently growing oyster mushrooms at home it will be easy to pair them with my farmer's market asparagus and some great tofu from Small Planet http://www.smallplanettofu.com, I'm ready to prepare my own recipe. I hadn't looked at it in so long, it didn't even seem like mine, which is a far cry from the time period when I was writing The Veggie Queen cookbook, and every recipe was fresh on my mind and in my face daily.
I feel as if I have put that baby to rest a bit and I am going to now forge ahead with my DVD Pressure Cooker project. Stay tuned for more details. In the mean time, keep those fresh veggies cooking -- under pressure or not.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Veggie Queen Teaches Veggies at Elderhostel
About 8 times each year I get the opportunity to teach Elderhostel groups at Bishop's ranch in Healdsburg. The groups range from about 20 to 35 very interesting people who are over 50+ years of age. People who have experience, some more than others. It seems, though, that I have something to teach them. I enjoy my chance to do show and tell, especially with people who hail from areas of the country, other than here in California.
One couple thanked me for my presentation. The husband said that they couldn't get greens in Ohio in the wintertime, while the wife told me that they have 7 farmer's markets in their area. Surely, they must be able to find something green such as collards, mustard, kale, Swiss chard and more. Perhaps salad greens are unavailable but surely there's something healthy to eat.
Today I showed the group how to make Red and White Quinoa with Mushrooms, Greens and Herbs, Salad Mix with Greens, Reds and Oranges with Simple Citrus Dressing and 4-Minute Pressure-Cooked Winter Fruit Compote.
Someone asked me if they could cook the compote without a pressure cooker. So I went explained why the pressure cooker works so well for cooking fruits and vegetables. The fruits and veggies keep their shape and color and the flavorings added, in this case cinnamon sticks, lemon and orange zest, and juice or wine, get infused into the dish. You get flavor, texture and shape not available with regular stove top cooking. If you want to know more, just let me know. And if you want to be informed about when my Pressure Cooking DVD is available, please sign up for my email newsletter by going to The Veggie Queen website at http://www.theveggiequeen.com. I offer recipes not available in my book or on my website on a mostly monthly basis. And because I'm a vegetarian, there is no SPAM.
Whether I am teaching young or older, I enjoy showing and telling about new things. Today that included watermelon daikon radish, Moro blood oranges and green garlic. You never know what I've got up my sleeve. Hopefully it's not too messy.
One couple thanked me for my presentation. The husband said that they couldn't get greens in Ohio in the wintertime, while the wife told me that they have 7 farmer's markets in their area. Surely, they must be able to find something green such as collards, mustard, kale, Swiss chard and more. Perhaps salad greens are unavailable but surely there's something healthy to eat.
Today I showed the group how to make Red and White Quinoa with Mushrooms, Greens and Herbs, Salad Mix with Greens, Reds and Oranges with Simple Citrus Dressing and 4-Minute Pressure-Cooked Winter Fruit Compote.
Someone asked me if they could cook the compote without a pressure cooker. So I went explained why the pressure cooker works so well for cooking fruits and vegetables. The fruits and veggies keep their shape and color and the flavorings added, in this case cinnamon sticks, lemon and orange zest, and juice or wine, get infused into the dish. You get flavor, texture and shape not available with regular stove top cooking. If you want to know more, just let me know. And if you want to be informed about when my Pressure Cooking DVD is available, please sign up for my email newsletter by going to The Veggie Queen website at http://www.theveggiequeen.com. I offer recipes not available in my book or on my website on a mostly monthly basis. And because I'm a vegetarian, there is no SPAM.
Whether I am teaching young or older, I enjoy showing and telling about new things. Today that included watermelon daikon radish, Moro blood oranges and green garlic. You never know what I've got up my sleeve. Hopefully it's not too messy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
