Eating Vegetables When You're Busy

It's been a while since I've written, and I know that I've been eating lots of what's fresh and in-season although more of it is a blur than usual. Considering the insanity of my schedule of late, it amazes even me that I've managed to do that. So, I want to share a secret -- have a routine and stick to it as often as you can.

I usually shop at the farmer's market twice a week: on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday. (I know, you may not have these options.) Once a week would probably carry me through but since I can buy fresh more often, I do. I don't use all that I've purchased on Wednesday by the weekend, so I then reassess my needs and buy based on that. Or at least I do, in theory. The reality is that if the Romano beans look great, I buy them. If a certain summer squash appeals to me. It's mine. I am swayed by what I see and that works for me. It's better to let what's fresh guide my meals than have it the other way around. That way -- no winter squash in July.

Shopping at the market is an easy way to make sure that the vegetables are here to cook with when I want them. (Having food around to prepare will always be to your benefit. Think of where you'd want to be if disaster struck -- in the place with the fully stocked pantry or the mostly bare one?) If you've read any posts lately you know that I am heavily into pressure cooking.

The reason that I've been busy is that I've been working on the finishing touches of my DVD: Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes. I thought that it was going to be 30 minutes and it turns out that with the 14 dishes that I prepared, it runs an hour and 15 minutes. More for you and right now, more work for me. But it's a constant reminder of the great fast food that I can make in my pressure cooker, which I do, almost daily.

Whether I run to the store for prepared food (which I don't do often) or to buy ingredients or cook a meal at home, I have to devote at least 20 minutes. One way, I burn gas and don't get something as fresh as possible, and the other way, I am part of the process of what goes into my mouth. I get to put love into the food. And that's important to me. What do you think about this?

Corn, Chiles and Tomatoes -- Summer's Here

I got a big surprise at the farmer's market this morning. Larry of Triple T Ranch and Farm told me that they might be the only one at the market since Paula the market manager said on the radio that the market would be cancelled.


Well, that's certainly not the case. Many vendors were there. And Jill at Crescent Moon Farm had told me on Saturday that they would have corn today. And they did. People were buying it like crazy. In the time that Carey of Neilsen Farm got her few ears and while we talked the remaining corn was purchased by just a few shoppers. Jill also had 3 kinds of chili peppers -- Cyklone, black Hungarian and cayenne. I bought the cayenne the other day and it was hot and sweet and wow.



I also got tomatoes and there were lots of them today. I came home and made wonderful vegetable soup in the pressure cooker. What an Independence Day treat.

Vegetables for Breakfast

I feel so much better when I eat vegetables in the morning. I know, it's kind of strange. And I'm not asking you to do the same but you could try it and see.

In Japan, I hear that they eat soba noodles and in China, they eat jook which is a rice porridge. Both are savory. And so in an effort to not get so hungry before 10 a.m. I eat a higher protein veg breakfast that either has tofu, beans or lentils and veggies. I serve it over any grain that I happen to have already cooked, or add lots of veggies and eat as much as I want.

I make my breakfast bowl in the pressure cooker and it takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. The one that I made this morning was especially delicious as it had ginger, garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, part of a cayenne pepper, tofu, Romano and wax beans, Costata Romanesco squash, broccoli shoots and curry powder. I topped it with a very interesting Asian salt from McCormick. I liked it so much that I ate 2 bowlfuls.

I got my bowl from Scott Wilson who makes pottery up near Lake Tahoe. It's a substantial bowl and I like to eat almost everything out of it. It's similar to portion control but the portion is larger. When I really want to limit my portions, I use a very small bowl. This one reminds me to have beauty in my life. And that is incredibly important. Add in some gratitude and good food, and that's a wonderful life.

Belly Fat and Stress Hormones

Oh, I read this story this morning in my local paper and figured that people are thinking that they've got it made -- all their belly fat woes will be taken care of with the magic hormone-blocking pill. Then I read the following post on Ethicurean and felt good that I wasn't the only one who realizes that knowing why you have belly fat or pack more of it on won't change anything. Change comes from within. If you've got stress, manage it. Change your life, if you must. After all, it's your life.

by http://www.ethicurean.com/ Ethicurean @ 5:47 pm on July 1st, 2007.
NEWS
Stressed-out, supersized mice: Researchers have found the neurochemical pathway in mice that makes them fat when subjected to chronic stress and a junk-food diet. They’ve also found how blocking those signals can prevent fat accumulation and shrink fat deposits, “while stimulating the pathway can strategically create new ones, possibly offering new ways to remove fat as well as to mold youthful faces, firmer buttocks and bigger breasts.” Why even bother trying to decrease our stress levels, or change our diet, when we can manipulate our brain chemistry instead? (first seen in the Washington Post, and today in The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA

While vegetables might not be the complete answer, certainly eating more of them might help boost your antioxidant and phytochemical intake, possibly effecting your hormones in a positive way, and help you eat less "junk". Remember that eating vegetables has many benefits -- but reducing stress may not be one of them. Although, getting rid of belly fat may help make you feel better so...

The Veggie Queen Lets Off Steam -- Pressure Cooking Joy

It amazes me that I chose the hottest day of the year to film my pressure cooking DVD but perhaps it was a reminder about why I choose to pressure cook -- it's a chance to let off steam, literally, and get great tasting food with not much work.



My ambitious schedule included 16 recipes but I had to cut it down when I got too hot and tired to do the last one which was for Curried Vegetables to serve over Alter Eco purple Thai rice. I did make the rice and it doesn't look nearly as good on film as it does in person but heck, it takes only 3 minutes at pressure, the same as white basmati or jasmine rice. The time savings amazes even me.



I bet that the crew was happy to be filming food versus plastic surgery. I'm sure that the plastic surgeons don't provide food after each section is complete. I started with breakfast and went straight through dessert. The leftovers could have fed a small hungry village almost anywhere in the world. I didn't let them go to waste as I fed my assistant Ellen and her family, my husband and me, and put some in my mother-in-law's freezer as payment for letting me use her kitchen (while she was out of town).



It'll be interesting to see the finished product. Any ideas for a title? Currently it's The Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure: Delicious Dishes in Minutes. But until the cover goes to the printer, I am open to suggestions.

Anxiously Awaiting New Potatoes

I will reluctantly admit that I am somewhat of a potato addict. And while many in this country choose to eat them as French fries, that's not the way that I like them best.


I most enjoy potatoes baked, grilled or as a non-creamy potato salad. While filming my pressure cooking DVD (still untitled, so if you have any ideas, please send them my way), I made my Garlicky Green Bean and Potato Salad. It takes just 3 minutes to cook, and has a dressing with garlic and lemon juice. And it's wonderful.


Because of the timing for filming, I couldn't wait until our local potatoes popped up but got California Yukon golds. I would have preferred to have made red, white and blue potato salad, and have been assured by one of the potato growers that they might have them by July 4th. But I've found that they usually appear later than that.


It took me many years to realize that potatoes are really more of a summer crop although I think that most people eat them in the winter. I like them all year round but try only to eat the local ones which don't last all winter (maybe in a root cellar but not in the dark of my garage).


I know that there are some people who say that potatoes aren't good for you. And that may be true for some people, especially those of you who have blood sugar problems. It doesn't mean that you can't eat them but that there are better choices for you. And if you do eat them, watch the quantities. Also, you may not know it but potatoes that are chilled and mixed with an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice will cause less of a rise in blood sugar than potatoes eaten hot and plain. Of course, there's no need to discuss mayonnaise-laden potato salad or French fries, here.


If you enjoy potatoes as much as I do, and can eat them, then be on the lookout for new potatoes, in whatever colors and varieties you can find them.

I wrote this entire post and then went to the farmer's market in Sebastopol. Larry, of Triple T Ranch and Farm and the produce stand that was formerly Bob's Fruit Truck, both in Santa Rosa, called me over when I was at his booth. He showed me a bucket. And in it were yellow Finn potatoes. I let out a whoop and then went behind the table and got down on my knees and started picking through them. My inner potato fantasy has been satisfied and I know that there will be more to come. I'm off to cook now.

Seeing My Students at the Farmer's Markets

What a joy it is for me to be at the farmer's market and see my current and former students shopping there. Sometimes I might see as many as 4 of them in just a few minutes. It makes me feel as if I have done my job getting people out to buy fresh and local food.


Yesterday I saw April again who now rides to the market on her bicycle or carpools with a friend. She is taking steps to decrease her "carbon footprint" and that's impressive. Another student, Nathan, rides his bicycle to work all week, and also shops the market. If he sees me when he first gets there, he stops by for the market tip of the day.


I've thought about setting up a booth at the market, like the advice booth in the Peanuts cartoons, to tell people what is great that day. April was lamenting that the pea people weren't there yesterday. Lucky for me, Carey Nelson was at my Sunday market. And once again I am "rich in peas" (which was something was son used to say when he was little).


As for my students, if I can get at least one a semester to go the farmer's market regularly, it's worth all my cajoling. Often, I think that when they see the beautiful produce that I bring in to class, that they get to use, they know that it's in its prime and they want to get it. I mean, it's not as if you can buy zephyr squash (they are mostly yellow with a little light green), Suyo long cucumbers or truly ripe peaches at the store, all of which can be found at the market.


We are also lucky enough to have a great local farm stand. And I've seen my students there, too. I guess that my evangelical tirades about eating fresh and local are working. I am hoping that everyone can get the concept but it has to happen one person at a time. This is the time of year to check out the farmer's market.

Apricots, Peaches and Cherries, Oh My

Here in California we are into the stone fruit season with an abundance of wonderful, fresh, ripe apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apriums, pluots and other new stone fruits that are crosses -- the names that I can't remember. Also, there are cherries.

This year my friend Ellen had a bumper crop of cherries and she made a pie. I don't really eat pie but I do love the fruit inside. I prefer fruit crisps for their taste and higher nutrition value with oats, nuts and cinnamon and other spices which enhance rather than enrobe the fruit. I am not into crust. But oh, the cherries -- which Ellen gave me a bag of since I didn't want pie. I am savoring them. They are ripe and deep red bings.

Amazingly, that same day I was able to pick Ranier-type cherries from my late friend Jon's tree and ate far too many before going out to dinner. They taasted much better than dinner. I realize that I could sit and eat cherries for much of a day, if I had the intestinal fortitude. And I mean that seriously since cherries, like all fruit, have a lot of fiber. So when you eat too much of them, you know it. Therefore Mother Nature has created something of a perfect system, unlike that of manufactured food such as potato or other chips, where it's almost impossible to eat too much fruit without suffering the "natural consequence".

My favorite summer salad contains stone fruit, lettuce and bitter greens with spring onions and a raspberry or strawberry dressing, topped with toasted sunflower seeds and ripe avocado. It is divine decadence and so satisfying. And the good part is that you can eat quite a lot, in fact, pretty much all you want without feeling stuffed. I urge you to try this and see how you feel.

Bean Anywhere New Lately?

I am definitely on a bean tear. For me, part of the joy of teaching is that it keeps me doing what I talk about -- eating lots of great food. I have leftovers that I pretend someone else made for me. They are what I want to eat, and wish that I could find in restaurants -- the more low key and standard kind than upscale and pricey. I think that everyone deserves to eat tasty, wholesome food that provides incredibly nutrition such as freshly cooked dried beans, sprouted corn tortillas (made by Food for Life), some spring onion and cilantro with a bit of local hot sauce. Yum, yum.

So, let me tell you what I've been up to and thinking about. I want to mention beans again. The Rancho Gordo beans are relatively expensive at $4.95 per pound. When I mentioned the price at the demonstration that I did at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, I think that I heard a gasp. When I went on to say that it turns out that they cost 70 cents per cup, people became more interested. I also mentioned that it's likely that many of the animal products that they eat such as fish, seafood, and meat all cost more than $5 per pound, and that you'd be hard pressed to feed a family on a pound of that while you could do so with the beans. A pound of the Cellini beans makes about 7 cups (it varies with the variety cooked).

Getting people to see that buying a latte for $3 is expensive while the beans are not, is tough. But it's only one of many of the challenges that I face in my teaching. I am up for it.

Today I cooked brown tepary beans from the Tohono O'odham Nation tribe in Arizona. They are small but so delicious. They are native beans which have sustained that Native American tribe for many years. They're available from http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com.


And that brings me to another interesting project that I came across at the farmer's market in Santa Rosa.

There is a woman who has been coming there and giving away heirloom seeds for people to grow and save. Agreeing to take some home got me out of my comfort zone as I don't consider myself much of a gardener although I do grow a number of summer vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and occasionally peppers and/or eggplant. She calls what she does Seed Stewards http://www.seedstewards.com. I am kind of excited to see how these plants turn out, and if I can give them enough care.

I would love to grow some heirloom beans but know that I lack the space to do so. I only keep encouraging farmers I know to do that. Jill Adams at Crescent Moon farm told me that they will be growing 8 or 10 varieties of dried beans this year. I am very excited about that. And my friends at Tierra Vegetables will hopefully have the amazing pink beans that I bought last year, if all goes well with the crop.

And the best part about beans is that they are made for pressure cooking. So, now on to my pressure cooking DVD. And you will hear more about that, and beans, I am sure.

Contemplating Beans and What That Means

Part of my presentation and cooking demonstration at Kaiser in Santa Rosa mid-May was about beans. I used some wonderful beans from Rancho Gordo called Cellini which is a large white runner bean. They are "meaty" and delicious but take a while to cook. I was happy to have used the pressure cooker, and they still took 10 minutes after being presoaked. Yet they were delicious.

Now, about soaking. Someone asked me about whether or not you need to soak beans. I answered that when you soak beans and you then dispense of the water, you get rid of some of the indigestible carbohydrates which can cause gas. The best way to presoak is to put 3 inches of water above the beans, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Pour off the water, and then cook. If you add a piece of kombu seaweed, it may help make the beans easier to digest. And even if the seaweed doesn't do that, it will add important minerals that you need to get daily.

The other way to make beans more digestible is to eat them more often. Yes, that's what I said -- EAT BEANS MORE OFTEN. If you eat small amounts of beans every day, your body will likely adjust to the fiber in the beans. The key is to not eat a large portion of beans at once, if you don't eat them regularly. The indigestible carbohydrates may end up fermenting in your intestine, causing flatulence. This may not be a problem for you but possibly for the people around you. It is a natural occurrence but you can lessen the effects.

Another way to make beans more digestible is by sprouting them before cooking them. You can do this by soaking the beans in a glass jar overnight. Then drain, place a piece of cheesecloth on top of the jar, turn it over and put it in a bowl in a dark place and rinse the beans twice a day. When they have sprouted a little tail, which takes a day or two, then the beans are ready to eat or cook.

I also want to address the myth of beans being fattening. I was sitting across from an older friend who told me, "Beans are fattening." He said this while he was eating roast beef and I was eating pasta with pesto. I said, "This pasta is fattening. Beans are not." I am often amazed at what people think about food and what will make you fat.

Of course, if you eat too many beans you might gain weight. But that's not what I'm contemplating today.

Vegetables Improve Your Sex Life

Did I get your attention? Do vegetables sound sexier now? I think that's part of the problem with veggies -- they don't get much respect and they aren't somehow tied to sex. But did you know that eating lots of antioxidants can keep you healthier and that can lead to better sex more often? (How's that for a big jump but it would make a good headline, wouldn't it?)



Vegetables need a better image and I think that maybe people would eat more of them if they had it. Anita Levine Goldberg, FNP (nurse practitioner at Kaiser in Santa Rosa) and I were talking at the farmer's market in Sebastopol about how Kaiser farmer's market customers wanted fruit not vegetables. I said that I think that they are intimidated by vegetables. And many people are afraid to go to the farmer's market to shop because they don't want to ask questions and have to learn more to eat their veggies. Granted, it is easier to be on automatic pilot. But if you learn and change what you do, that will some day become automatic pilot for you.

Try eating more vegetables and see what happens -- you never know what it might lead to. You may just end up feeling better and having more energy, and that's good, too.

Peased to Meet You

This morning I put on my pea shirt with the slogan, "Peased to Meet You", with the hopes of finding peas at the market. I parked in a different place than usual and guess what? I saw the Nielsen Ranch sign and got excited at the prospect of potatoes. Boy, was I surprised when I saw that they didn't have potatoes but instead had peas, both English and sugar snap (edible pod), and favas (which are not of interest to me because they are too much work). Carey wanted to know if I could stand at her booth and advertise peas with my shirt. (I didn't do that but mentioned my peas to numerous shoppers.)


Her husband Robert told me that he just finished planting potatoes 2 days ago and that they'll have 14 varieties this year, including red, white and blue for July 4th. I am looking forward to it so I might be able to make my red, white and blue potato salad.


I bought both types of the delicious peas which was a great start to my market morning.


Although, I was quite tired from doing a cooking demonstration last night for Women's Night Out at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, I got to the market early. About 100 hundred women were at the Kaiser event and I'd have to say that it was a success. I got home around 9, had to unpack and it left me dragging a bit.



At the market, I still had enough energy to help my friend Larry of Triple T Ranch and Farm, after I snagged a number of baby artichokes. Oh, I just love the veggies of spring. Larry also had beautiful red spring onions, asparagus and a new crop that's similar to broccolini (which is trademarked) called Happy something which I just call happiness or "beyond broccoli". I will eat well in the next few days.


At Orchard Farm I got some "mandrake" carrots that really looked like people pulled from the ground. No mistaking that one of them was a male carrot. (If I had a camera, I'd show you.) They were sweet to eat and interesting to see.


In addition to great veggies, there was summer fruit: apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines and sweet as can be strawberries. At last night's event which was called Greens, Grains and Chocolate: The Path to Women's Health, we finished the evening with organic strawberries and dark chocolate. The local strawberries were incredibly sweet.


My fellow presenter, Melanie Larsen, MA, RD, asked me to address the issue of buying in season. So I went on a few minute rant about shopping at the farmer's market and buying locally. I explained that it's next to impossible to get really ripe strawberries (or any fruit for that matter) at the supermarket or natural food store. They don't travel well. In fact, one of the peaches that I bought this morning had to be eaten as soon as I got home because it got bruised, and I was pretty gentle with it. Just imagine what would happen with commercial shipping and handling.


I want to continue to encourage you to buy as fresh and local as you can. And if you can get your produce unsprayed or organic, that's even better, especially for strawberries and other produce on the Environmental Working Group's Worst 12 list (Check out it out at http://www.foodnews.org). I know that cherries are on it and I have been told by Brenda, who works the cherry booth where I buy, that no harmful chemicals have been used by her "uncle". I hope that's true. I justify my eating them this way: they are fairly expensive so I don't buy lots at a time, and they aren't in season for that long so I don't have continued exposure, should I be poisoning myself unwittingly. I am paying attention and like everyone else, I have to make choices about what I eat. Fresh, ripe cherries are hard to resist.


Now, I shall turn my attention back to my sweet and delicious peas, which I added raw to the Quinoa with Spring Onions and Herbs that I cooked up last night. This is real food at its best.

Happy Mother's Day

To everyone who is a mother (and even those who are not), have a wonderful Mother's Day. I find that it is the one time a year that I try hardest to indulge myself. This morning I bought roses at the farmer's market. I am not talking about the long-stemmed modern kind that emit almost no scent but the ones that not only look but smell wonderful.

They are nestled in a vase (that was my grandmother's) numerous feet from me and I can smell them. They have perfumed the air. Their colors are beautiful and range from light yellow to apricot to lavender and the double colored Double Delight which has an aroma to match its white and fuchsia beauty.

If you're lucky, at this time of year (at least here in CA) you'll find peas of all types -- English, snow and sugar snap, the first of the cherries, peaches, nectarines and apricots. It's finally the true end of the apple, pear and citrus season. And I am thankful.

Last week I went to the Pleasant Hill Farmer's Market and did a cooking demonstration. The highlight was trading my book for a bottle of Deep 6 wine from Periscope Cellars http://www.periscopecellars.com. I love the name of the cellar and the wine and the winemaker works here in Sonoma County.

The Veggie Queen cookbook comes in handy for many things, and trading for wine is one of them (which you'd find out if you read this blog often enough).

Since I live in wine country, it's easy for me to meet winemakers and I know a number personally. I am incredibly lucky and I know it. If you are ever planning a trip to Sonoma County, I'd be happy to steer you in the right direction regarding your food and wine interests.

Happy day to you.

Spring in Chicago

I am speaking of both the weather and the restaurant -- one was cold and the other was warm and attentive.

The $55 per person menu at Spring in the Buckhorn district– four savory dishes and a dessert – offers an imaginative twist. It is not pre-set but rather selected and composed by the chef on an individual basis and based on items from the regular menu. If more than one guest of a party orders the chef’s tasting menu, all receive different items allowing everyone the opportunity to sample a vast variety of dishes.

There we were, 4 wonderful culinary women, sharing fantastic food, prepared by Chef Shawn McClain, a James Beard award-winning chef, and treated like queens by our wonderfully entertaining waiter, Jeff, and drinking sparkling Spanish cava in honor of my birthday (what an excuse) and just being alive.

We started with an amuse bouche, which was different for the fish eaters versus the vegetarians. The veg version -- a bite to be chewed and then sipped finished with a burst of flavor that was a sure sign of the delight to follow.

I wish that I could recall all that we ate but we had 16 different dishes and I was so focused on our conversation and the laughter that ensued, that I can only recall bits and pieces. Two standout dishes were the Spring Garlic and Potato Soup with pickled veggies hiding in the bottom of the bowl, and the smooth and silky vinegared barley underneath a dish made with octopus. I must get that barley recipe. Every dish was packed with flavor, some more exciting than others. The restaurant is known for its fish dishes but my friend Fran and I were served wonderfully imaginative vegetarian fare.

Desserts were delicious but a bit of overkill, as we were all quite sated. I ate just a bite of dessert. The small shots of hot chocolate were the perfect end to the meal.

When we were done, and said hello to Chef "McDreamy", as Jeff called him, he suggested that we eat at Green Zebra, the chef's vegetarian restaurant. I wish that we had had the time to do that.

Another trip to Chicago is in order but it will not be in the Spring -- it's just too cold for me there. And I guess that leaves out the latter Fall and all of Winter. But I do see Green Zebra on the horizon -- and another peek at Chef McClain would be pretty good, too.

The State of Food -- Chicago IACP Conference

The opening session at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference was a discussion about the state of organic food. On the panel were Sam Fromartz, author of Organics, Inc., Michael Abelman, former farmer in Santa Barbara, and author of a couple of books, Jim, the marketing guy, from Chipotle Grill and Howard, the guy from Kraft.

Sam introduced the guys and talked about how to keep ideals in a capitalist system. Everyone else gave their view of it and what they do in this regard.

Jim from Chipotle had visuals of pigs in CAFO which are confined animal feeding operations. Those poor pigs were stuck in their own little prison cells, next to other inmates, for their whole lives. Steve Els, the driving force behind Chipotle Grill, figured that there was a better way and found Niman Ranch and their small farms. Jim showed photos of the happy hogs out on the farm -- a much better image to keep in mind, if one is going to eat pork (and that is truly a much bigger topic). He also mentioned that when they raised the price of their carnitas by a dollar that they sold 4 times as much. That is amazing. I guess that people really are willing to pay for better food. Good stories.

Then we went on to Howard from Kraft who unfortunately seemed out of place. He was dressed in jacket, tie and white shirt. He was the Kraft spokesperson and this is what he said. "It's all about the consumer. We are helping people around the world to live and eat better." Yes, that's just how I think of Kraft. He went on to talk about their Back to Nature brand, and Boca, how they have organic salad dressing and the best one yet -- Kraft Organic Macaroni and Cheese. I can't say much about that, other than wow.

Michael Abelman said that organic is only the 1st and most basic step. He used the term "organicrats" for what has happened in and to the organic industry. He told us that we must consider the ecological, spiritual and social values and learn to know the people that grow your food. The industrial food system is broken. He suggested that we make pure food available to all. And to that, I say, "Amen".

Chicago Eats

Traveling is hard on me. It's not just the time or temperature change, but having to go through security at the airport where you just about have to get undressed and redressed before you gather yourself together to sit at the gate and wait for the plane, all while feeling thirsty or plunking down $2 to $3 for a bottle of water. I opt for the water, at almost any cost, although I don't care for drinking out of plastic bottles. I guess that I could choose beer but it doesn't truly quench thirst -- at least not while traveling. But on to my travels to Chicago.

My first day there I had the chance to take a tour with about 45 other food professionals. It was fascinating despite the snow, rain, slush and overall cold weather.

Our first stop was at Bleeding Heart Bakery, the first certified organic bakery in the country. Run by a young, tattooed woman with talent, they offer many baked products from scones to Mexican brownies. Many are vegan and those that I tasted were pretty darn good. The place was not big enough for our crowd but we did get a brief kitchen tour in small groups. The baking staff is going to be helping a new pizza place get off the ground and that will provide them with more baking space. Well, worth the visit when you are in the area (I couldn't tell you where I was.)

Our next stop was to an ice carving plant. In my mind I kind of dismissed this part of the tour as boring. Well, I was wrong. I had no idea how interesting ice could be. From making it to designing it and then actually carving it -- it's all an art. And a fascinating one to observe. Later that evening we got to see an "ice bar" in action.

Then it was on to lunch. We were treated incredibly well by the staff at Quartino, an Italian place done up just right. The very un-Chicago thin crust pizza was tasty, as were all the small dishes, although there was far too much white bread for my liking. They did provide us with lots of food, in a wonderful atmosphere.

Vosges chocolate was the perfect after lunch stop. We were met there by Katrina Markoff, the young woman in charge of Vosges, who shared her story of her chocolate empire. The unusually flavored truffles are divine but expensive which seems just right. Most interestingly, my purple and black clothes matched the store's interior. I looked like a Vosges spokesperson.

Finishing our tour we stopped at Goose Island Brewing which was in a nondescript industrial part of the city which is perfect for this type of business. I mean, you really don't want people knowing where you make the hooch, do you? This was the largest regional brewery that I'd even seen in action, and I have been to a few. The range of beer was amazing, from a silky Belgian style to a hearty IPA, and many types in between. As at most breweries, there were lots of high energy young guys working there and handing out sample tastes and larger as if there were no tomorrow. For us, there was still the conference opening night reception.

That was held at the Merchandise Mart and it was wonderfully interesting -- from molded jello body to the mannequin designed from greens and so much more. After all that food and drink, I needed a good night's sleep. But that took days to arrive.

"Crap" Carbs not Good or Bad Carbs

This past weekend was the busiest farmer's market of the season. I am sure that spring has hit and people have taken notice as I arrived at the market just after 9:30 a.m. and the asparagus was all gone, even the stuff for the ridiculous price of $10 a pound. I needed it for a class but...

I ran into Brad Larsen who was one of the instigators of the Healthy Cafeteria project at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa. He was speaking to me when up walked another person into health, Steve of Santa Rosa Strength http://www.santarosastrength.com. Brad mentioned a clip from NPR about someone comparing diets and saying that the message that people got from the Atkins' diet was to cut out bad carbs such as white flour and white sugar. The part that they didn't get was to skip the beef and brie as good food. The part that they didn't get was to skip the beef and brie as good food. In any case, Brad mentioned "crap carbs" and I much prefer that to good and bad.

People have a lot of issues surrounding what's good and what's bad. And some like to eat what's labeled "bad" just because it's verboten. So, "crap" carb seems more appropriate since I said, "I don't really know anyone who wants more crap, do you?"

It's the same white flour and white sugar, pasta and such that needs to be eliminated.

Brad told me about how he went and cooked for his brother for a week and helped him clean out his kitchen and institute whole, healthy eating, that his brother said that the food tasted better than worms. Now, that is no compliment.

And if you are used to eating pasty white food most of the time that's filled with sugar, salt and fat, then perhaps "real" food tastes like worms. But I will take the "real" food any day for it makes me feel nourished, and it's good fuel for my body. I can't imagine my body wanting to perform on a diet of "crap" carbs all day long. Can you?

Organic French Fries and Weight Loss

This morning while flipping through the coupons in the Sunday paper I saw an ad for organic frozen French Fries. The worst part about it was that they were touting the fact that they provide more in their bag than other leading frozen brands. I certainly encourage people to eat organic foods, and, yes, even with French Fries it would be better but they are not on my list of recommended foods. If you've got to eat them, do oven fries and make them yourself. They'll likely taste better and be better for you. Ugh. What will they come up with next in the organic department? It's getting insane.

Related to this reversely is that I saw someone at the first Sebastopol farmer's market of the season. I hadn't seen her in a number of months. I said hello and realized that this woman (who shall remain nameless so we'll use the letter A. unless she chooses to be known) had lost weight. I asked her if she'd lost some weight and she said, "Yes. I lost 68 pounds."

"How did you do it? " I asked. She told me that she cut out white flour and white sugar. This goes back to the blog in which I wrote about "crap carbs". A. got it. Good for her. She said that she'd like to lose more and I suspect that she will now that she's understood the concept: processed white flour and sugar products are not good for you. It doesn't matter if it's sourdough bread or pasta. None of them are good as part of your regular meals.

But enough ranting...I just want to say that it was a joy to go to the first Sunday market. And since last year was such a vegetable bust due to heavy rains deep into the spring, this year was a joy -- asparagus, lettuce, greens, onions, garlic. Oh, I am getting hungry. Time to develop some new recipes.

Dairy-Free Dessert Diva Makes Vegan Twinkies on Nightline

My friend Fran Costigan will be my roommate at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in Chicago in a few weeks. The most exciting part, other than the fact that we like each other, is that she was just filmed for news show Nightline demonstrating how to make vegan "twinkies". Her new website http://www.francostigan.com also looks great.

I met Fran at an IACP conference in Phoenix where we ended up sitting next to each other at lunch. We both pulled out our special tags so that enable us to get vegetarian meals at these conferences. Really nice of them to think of that for us foodies who prefer "real food". The sad part is that often the food is prepared by hotel or convention center catering services and what they offer to feed us is woefully inadequate, especially if you are a vegan.

My sister just told me about a lunch that she went to where all the other people got sandwiches with fillings such as roast beef or turkey with bags of chips but what they had for the vegetarians was a plain salad with tomato. No bread to go with it, nothing else. I told her that it must be a plot to starve the vegetarians and maybe they'll go away. She said what she thinks is more likely the truth -- they just don't think about it. One of my hot buttons.

Why don't they think that vegetarians care? Maybe it's because most meat eaters don't care as long as they get their food, be it lousy sandwiches or not. This is not truly the case since there are conscious meat eaters but it's almost an oxymoron. If they were really conscious, wouldn't they choose not to eat meat? (I do realize that I am being a bit judgmental but I can be since I am the writer here.)

Back to Fran... She's wonderful and I love what she does to make truly tasty vegan desserts that anyone wants to eat. Too bad that we won't have an oven in our hotel room. Oh, but she is teaching a cupcake class immediately before boarding the plane. Maybe I could talk her into saving one and bringing it for me -- in case it's one of those instances that there isn't much for this vegetarian to eat.

Fair Trade Products from Alter Eco

You know when you meet someone and get that warm, fuzzy feeling? You can feel that what they do is from the heart? Well, that has happened to me more than once with Mathieu from Alter Eco http://www.altereco-usa.com/, a company that has fair trade rice, quinoa, coffee, tea and chocolate available in the U. S. I spent quite a while speaking to Mathieu at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim in March. He is an amazing young man (he's only 32), who credits the success of the company to his French cousin (he and his business partner are also French) whom he calls a genius.

Matthieu holds up a box of the Thai purple sticky rice and tells me that he does what he does for the man whose picture is on the side of the box. "I took that photo," he says with pride. Feeling that his heart is in his work, and it is making a difference, just about brings tears to my eyes, right there on the convention center floor. When you hear something so heartfelt, doesn't it touch you deeply?

And to make it even better, the products are truly wonderful. They include a Thai red rice, the purple sticky rice (already mentioned), regular and red quinoa, and more. I walked away with a bar of dark chocolate with almonds from the El Ceibo cooperative in Bolivia. It's organic and fair trade certified. On the back of the package is the story about the origin of the product. With my purchase, I am helping to support 800 families of the cooperative in the Bolivian Amazon. (This is the kind of Amazon I truly want to support.)

Having always had a desire to join the Peace Corps and make a difference, perhaps this is my way to contribute to a better future for others. Heck, I hear that they are taking older volunteers now and perhaps I will get that chance in the future. In the mean time, I am going to support Alter Eco and their Fair Trade products. I hope that you will do the same.

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.

Chatting with Dan Piraro of Bizarro

I met Dan Piraro for the second time since last summer at the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim. This time I actually had a conversation with him. He is not only brilliant when drawing his cartoons, he is a funny guy -- pretty blunt or direct, too. I like that.

Perhaps he was happy to have a conversation with someone who just wanted to talk about life -- not necessarily about his cartoons, although some of them are just hysterical (at least to me).

Dan is an animal activist, and he recently designed the product label for So Delicious Kids Popsicles. In our conversation Dan said that he wasn't such a great fan of kids, as such, except for the fact that they are human beings. He loves his 2 daughters very much and seems relieved that they have grown up somewhat, the youngest being 19. But he's done having kids despite having a beautiful young wife.

I wasn't writing while talking to Dan and can't remember all the funny and poignant things that he said but I walked away laughing. And when I did I had a poster in my hand, signed to my son Shane. I told my contact at Amy's Kitchen about the poster and took her over to meet Dan. Michelle was thrilled.

If you want to feel more connected to Dan he suggests the you support Farm Sanctuary http://www.farmsanctuary.org. Also read Dan's strip Bizarro in your newspaper, if you are lucky enough, that they include it. It will likely give you a new perspective on a number of issues -- he's got plenty of "vegan" cartoons.

The Buzz on Brussels Sprouts and Other Veggie Tales

Most of my Saturday mornings involve a trip to the farmer's market, at least during the winter. (And when I am not busy mushroom hunting.) Today I learned that fresh, organic Brussels sprouts create a stir. Even those who have found them foul in the past often want to give them another try. So, the buzz at the market today was about the sprouts, not the first-of-the-season asparagus as I had expected. Maybe the small amount of asparagus available didn't make tongues wag but the Brussels sprouts were the catalyst for at least 5 conversations, mostly with strangers.

Every time I spoke to someone about the sprouts, someone else either asked a question or chimed in. One woman shared that she roasts her sprouts for the best flavor. I told her that I have done that, too, with great success but I have found that the key to terrific Brussels sprouts is to precook them by blanching, steaming, microwaving or boiling. By doing this you are eliminating the sulfur compounds which account for a bitter taste and stinky odor.

The key to great Brussels sprouts is to get them young and fresh. The best size is about a 1-inch sphere but a little larger or smaller is fine. Best to err on the small side. The bigger the sprout, the more pieces I cut it into before cooking. After doing the precook, I either add a little olive oil and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, or sauté them on stovetop with a bit of oil and garlic (you can certainly omit the oil in a good nonstick pan) or best yet, put them in a pressure cooker with a bit of veggie stock for about 1 minute at high pressure and then quick release the pot. I like to finish my sprouts with a splash of balsamic vinegar or a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of chopped, toasted nuts such as hazelnuts. They are so tasty that you have to remember to buy more than you think that you need. I call them "the vegetable that people love to say that they hate" but the truth is, when prepared properly, they are incredibly delicious.

The Omnivore's Dilemma -- Not for This Vegetarian

My father and I have been having quite an online discussion about Michael Pollan, of The Omnivore's Dilemma fame, with whom I went to school from elementary to high school. Dad and I agree that Pollan is teaching those who can afford to learn the truth about their food supply. Others may not have the luxury.
But I had a thought about that. I wonder what kind of effect it would have on lives and health, personal and planetary, if just one day a week was reserved for whole grains and legumes, with a few veggies, of course. I imagine everyone cooking up a pot of brown rice and another of lentils (or their favorite bean) and that's what they eat for the day. It has to be less expensive than almost any other food -- fast or slow, and equally or more nourishing. You can likely feed a family of 4 for less than $5 including a bag of organic carrots or some other veggie. Now, how difficult is that?

Certainly the problem with our eating, as Pollan pointed out in a 10,000 word New York Times piece on food called Unhappy Meals is that what most people are eating is not food, per se, but something processed. We must get back to the basics which I have been espousing for far too long with the sound of my voice echoing. (What's the sound of one hand clapping?) Pollan, on the other hand, has a large audience. I can only hope that people will not only listen but make the requisite changes to upgrade their diets. This may involve going back to simpler, peasant-type fare. Funny but when I mention polenta to my culinary students, they often don't realize its humble beginnings. Now you pay $10 and up for a plate of it paired with a simple sauce. Not so funny but interesting.

Dad and I both agree with Pollan on a few points that he makes: eat more "food", the real stuff, get out of the supermarket whenever possible and support local farmers, eat mostly plant foods especially leafy greens, and if you are going to use meat, use it as a flavoring, a la Thomas Jefferson, with whom I share a birthday. (I'm also a TJ fan for many other reasons.)

Pollan suggests that cooking is also crucial but my Dad leaves that up to my mother, who has mastered making fresh food taste great. For those who need to learn, there are ways. Many of them call first for boiling water. And how hard is that?

You can always read my cookbook or watch my DVD to learn more. In the meantime, master cooking a pot of rice and beans or lentils. It could change your life.

Latest Book Review for The Veggie Queen cookbook

I am convinced that my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment has taken on its own life as book reviews keep popping up on the web. The latest of them was written by Ryan MacMichael of VegBlog http://www.vegblog.org/, a blog of cookbook reviews.

Although I am a cookbook author and recipe writer I still like to read other cookbooks to get ideas and see if I've managed to stay on track with my recipes, as if they go out of style. I have never understood that part of cooking. We may use new ingredients in new ways but the basic recipe is often the same.

For instance, just this past week I made 3 different grains and had them all in the refrigerator. I pretended that I had died and gone to heaven when putting together my lunches and dinners using red and white quinoa, wild rice with mushrooms and Thai Purple Jasmine Rice from Alter Eco, the best of the 3. I paired one of those with my not-quite-yet-famous 2 Minute Tofu and Veggie Du Jour (pressure-cooked, of course) and voila -- an easy breakfast, lunch or dinner.

To get the most out of cooking, I suggest that you make a big batch of a grain, 2 or 3 each week and refrigerate or freeze for later use. You can do the same with a main dish of beans, tofu and veggies. This makes it easier to eat at home than going out and tastier than most pre-frozen food (although Amy's Kitchen makes some great tasting frozen vegetarian and vegan meals).

Use what little time you have for cooking wisely to make great choices such as whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, red rice, black rice, and now purple rice, wild rice, millet or buckwheat. They lead to interesting meals and better nutrition. Oh, and the carbs, these are good carbs. If you don't believe me, then give them a try.

Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure while Mushroom Hunting

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going on a mushroom hunting foray. And the pressure cooker once again came in handy. The drive to the Sonoma coast took about an hour and a half. The pot luck dilemma revolves around the best way to be sure that your food is hot. My pressure cooker made this possible.

I had intended to make wild rice and mushroom soup but changed it to a wild rice and mushroom dish when I discovered that my chef friend Patrick Hamilton a.k.a. Mycochef was making Thai soup. So I served wild rice with Trumpet Royale Mushrooms and Black Chanterelles with Balsamic Vinegar Glaze. It was black on black but quite tasty, especially with a sprinkle of Salt and Truffles that our resident mushroom ID guy, Darvin, brought along.

Wild rice takes only 25 minutes in the pressure cooker, cutting the time by more than half. I wasn't sure what would happen when it was left in the cooker for more than 4 hours. I let the pressure come down naturally, very naturally as the pressure cooker sat for at least 3 hours in the car, waiting for hungry foragers to return. Lo and behold, when I opened the pot the 4 quarts of cooked wild rice was still hot, not warm but hot. A fellow Sonoma County Mycological Associaton (http://www.somamushrooms.org/) member, Linda, asked how I managed to have hot rice at that point. I mentioned the pressure cooker. But when I saw the rice which was a bit mushier than I had wanted, I wished that I had made soup. Not many critics, though, and it was eaten up.

It was a beautiful day and many people, with a large group of first-timers, found a variety of mushrooms. Included in my haul were black chanterelles (but very few), two types of hedgehogs, chanterelles and winter chanterelles, also known as tubies or yellow foot for the color of the stem and one lone candy cap to add to my already dried collection.

The real and best work began when I arrived home and started sorting and cooking. And more about that another time.

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.

Diet Pill or Diet Change?

Front page news today, February 8, 2007:
FDA approves Diet Pill Sale Without Prescription

While this news is nothing shocking, it sends me into a fury. Instead of people (not you, of course) taking some responsibility for what they eat, they'd rather pop a pill. I know that it's asking a lot for people to have to think about what they put in their mouths and the effect that it will have on them.

The drug, Alli (a lower dose form of Xenical), will be available in the summer but by then it will be too late to lose weight to look good in your swim suit. So, why not start today by eating more vegetables every day? If you lose just one quarter pound a week between now and summer, you can say goodbye to 4 pounds. And if you lost 1/2 pound a week, that would be 8 pounds.

The cost of the pills is estimated to be 2 to 3 dollars per day. Spend it on food and you don't have to be concerned with side effects including flatulence, diarrhea or oily stools. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Of course, drug company Glaxo-Smith Kline will have a website and provide information and education so that people can learn how to eat better while they take this "drug". Oh, did I mention that when you stop taking the drug, you stop losing weight?

If you want a drugless approach, food is the answer. Ask me, I'm an expert.

Veggie Queen Mistake: Oprah not Real Simple

In the last newsletter I sent out I wrote that tofu has become more mainstream, appearing in the Real Simple magazine that I spied at my mother in law's house. Well, I was wrong. The magazine that I saw was Oprah, not Real Simple. I know that MIL subscribes to Real Simple and since both magazines are large sized, I got one confused with the other. Please forgive me, I do know the difference but...
The good news is that when tofu is featured in Oprah, I know that it has become more mainstream. That's good.
In a class the other evening I made a tofu dish in the pressure cooker and converted a student into a tofu eater. She said that she really liked it. Now, I've got to tell you that the kind of tofu that you choose will make a difference. My absolute favorite tofu is Small Planet Tofu http://www.smallplanettofu.com but you may not be able to get it where you live. It's available in the west, Alaska and Hawaii. Tofu Phil plans to offer it for online ordering.
I also recommend Wildwood tofu here on the west coast. Look for smaller regional tofu makers
in your area.
Check back for more on tofu -- choosing it and using it.

No Trans Fat, Now What?

I realize that writing about fat might disgust you but the issue of trans fats is a a big deal. New York City just banned them in restaurants. The food industry has now switched from partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats) to interesterified fats which are totally hydrogenated fats. This can be confusing.

Recent research has shown that not only do this new fats lower your good cholesterol and raise your bad cholesterol but also raise your blood sugar. Not very good news, is it?

My recommendation is to stick with regular oil as an ingredient or to avoid added oils whenever you can.

This goes back to my vision of eating mostly whole foods which don't contain trans fats or interesterified fats. They contain what came in them naturally.

In a meeting this morning with a fellow Registered Dietitian she said that she went to a meeting at Oxford University and the take away message was for people to eat more greens, grains and beans. Now, that is easy, isn't it?

The Veggie Queen Revamps Kaiser Permanente Cafeteria

For just over 7 months in 2006 I worked as a consultant on the Healthy Cafeteria Innovation Project at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, CA. It was an exciting challenge to take a mostly burgers, fries and grilled cheese type cafeteria and turn it into a place where I could actually go to eat.

Working with a small group of Kaiser employees, we implemented changes that will hopefully change the state of health of the hospital and medical center staff. It will not as greatly effect the health of patients' families and other hospital visitors but hopefully the changes will not go unnoticed.

Our first step was upgrading the salad bar to contain local, organic and sustainable greens such as spring mix, romaine lettuce and spinach. Gone was the iceberg lettuce. Other local, organic veggies were also included when in season. We switched the salad dressings from commercial to lower fat and fat-free made in-house. New toppings such as ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast and more appeared. Unfortunately, these changes resulted in a price increase but not so much that people stopped eating salad. Still, this created a bit of an uproar because we removed the cheese and bacon bits --uh oh.

The next phase was when most of the change occured. The cafeteria started offering vegan hot specials three days each week. The soup base was switched to a clean product which was often vegetarian. The bread went from white to organic whole grain (Alvarado Street Bakery) and the tortillas for wraps are whole grain, too. Sandwich fillings changed to the "healthiest" turkey, lower fat cheese, tofu salad and other veggie fillings. Burger buns went whole wheat, and the burgers (while still there -- sigh) got an upgrade to organic and grass-fed. This time the changes and their resulting waves (or is that a riptide?), were felt and heard about far and wide. There was an audible buzz.

And as usual, those who make the most noise appear to be in the majority but that's only because they are louder. We heard lots of comments, both positive and negative. And I felt really good about the changes that we made.

Although I am no longer doing this work, I hope to resume later this year. Just imagine healthy food in a cafeteria. Or if you happen to be in Santa Rosa, stop by the Kaiser cafeteria and you can experience it.

Cooking at SOMA Mushroom Camp

I cannot imagine having much more fun than slaving away in the kitchen with some of the most interesting people that I know -- mushroom hunters. I am a member of the Sonoma County Mycological Association http://www.somamushrooms.org and every year they put on a camp. This year, and last, I had the privilege of working in the kitchen, producing a gourmet meal for the 200 or so campers. This year the theme was Mexican. (More about that later.)

I was the sous chef (same as last year) to Patrick Hamilton, the Mycochef.
We were assisted in the kitchen by a great cast of characters, including Mark Todd, a.k.a. The Cheese Dude. Add in me, The Veggie Queen, and you realize that it's good to have a special name in the kitchen. Fellow family camp head chef, Dee Dumont, was of great assistance. But special name or not, we had lots of help and it was needed.

Prior to camp, our idea of a Mexican-themed meal drew complaints. While in the kitchen, making mini-candy cap tamales, all hand-tied, I was wondering who thought that up? (It wasn't me.)

Our meal was way beyond rice and beans, and in my opinion, the slaw with candied pumpkin seeds and oranges along with the roasted veggies and chard, saved the day. There was far too much meat for my liking but it must have been good because people loved the food, and said that there was too much of it. And there was but what's wrong with that? We had leftovers to go which many of us liked.

It must have been the Lagunitas Brewing beer donation that had the bunch of us working so hard.

In the few moments that I had outside the kitchen, I did get to speak to people. An interesting discussion ensued with Jeanne Porcini (her official mushroom title) about avocado toast. What? you might ask. It's toast that has avocado on it. I eat it for breakfast. She gave it to her kids to eat, years ago, and wonders why it's not more popular. I do, too, since it's what I eat at least 3 days a week, as long as I have avocado around. (I only eat one a week for my waist's sake.)

Now that they say that a large part of the avocado crop was frozen, and the price will skyrocket, I will likely switch to my other favorite morning meals-- either Bob's Right Stuff Cereal made my special way in the pressure cooker or my pressure-cooked 3 minute veggie tofu conglomeration served over grains, or not. I usually eat a savory breakfast for it makes me feel better.

Mushrooms for breakfast anyone?

The Veggie Queen Says: Healthy Food is NOT Expensive

I don't often go to the "regular" supermarket but when I do, I often learn something. Yesterday, while standing at the checkout line, the woman standing 2 people in front of me put her package of asparagus and red grapes on the conveyor belt. I overheard her comment about how expensive the asparagus was. The cashier looked at the register and said, "It's $6.99 a pound."

The woman looked at the cashier with a serious expression and remarked, "It's expensive to eat healthy food." The cashier concurred. I wanted to launch into my whole talk about how eating food in season isn't expensive and if you would just think about what grows here now, you wouldn't find it expensive, but I kept my mouth closed. It was really tough for me.

Observing a usual supermarket shopper gives me a good perspective on why people think that healthy eating is expensive. The woman probably spent upwards of $10 just for her grapes and asparagus. She could be eating avocadoes, cauliflower, greens, citrus and other winter crops now, and far more of them than she procured for far less money.

Eating packaged foods is expensive, compared to almost any fresh food, possibly even out-of-season asparagus. PLEASE eat food as close to its natural state as possible and in-season. Or if you can't do that because you live in a harsh climate, then eat frozen fruits and vegetables. You only get one body, and it needs care.

Repeat after me: Eating Healthy Food is NOT Expensive if you make good choices. And I hope that you do. If you have any questions about this, please send me an email at jill@theveggiequeen.com

Coupons as Sociology

My mother always looked at the store coupons that came in the newspaper on Sunday. And I do the same. She looked to see what she could save money on. While I attempt to do that, there are very few items featured in the circulars that contain items that I actually use. Since my diet is based on whole, not processed foods, I don't buy much of what I see featured but I look at what's advertised as a reflection of others and what they may or may not be buying.

What I noticed today is that there is a proliferation of portion-controlled items such as chocolates and cookies in smaller packages. The 100-calorie packs are very popular and I think that's good, especially if it keeps one from eating the whole darn package of whatever it is. (This is not necessary with most vegetables, especially the green ones [avocado being an exception].)

I read about The Goodness of Quaker, something to smile about for 130 years, in an ad for chewy or crunchy granola bars. I'm not sure that people ought to be smiling about granola bars although they certainly beat out candy and lots of other items featured therein. I guess that I am still a bit astounded that Quaker has made a business selling branded oats which to me are just a commodity and bulk item. I don't need to see someone's smiling face to have it in my bowl in the morning. But once again, these circulars and coupons are not aimed at me.

Tropicana boasts 2 servings of fruit in every bottle of their 10 ounce juices, sold in a 6-pack. What happened to eating fruit? It would be far better to eat 2 apples and feel full rather than swig down a small bottle of juice. I mean, look at the size of sodas and other drinks these days. Somehow the calories consumed in beverage form don't seem to count, at least in our heads but certainly it matters to our bodies.

Did you know that the beverage area is one of the fastest growing areas to make money in the food business? Other than tea, they are losing money on me. I avoid consuming my calories as drinks whenever I can, which is often.

I could go on and on about clipping coupons to save money buying items that one hardly needs but would good would that do? Instead, visit your local store that sells in bulk and cook up a batch up of unbranded oats or beans, buy a hundred calorie handful of nuts, and forget the packaging.

Read the coupons for their social value to see how we can save our society and health.

The Veggie Queen Travels

Yes, it's true. I went away. This time it was purely for fun and relaxation, needing lots of the latter after a truly busy year. My family and I took a cruise vacation. We last did this 4 years ago and found that it was a great way for me and my husband to be alone while our son was safe and entertained. I like it because I don't have any of my usual routines that include work, cooking, cleaning, driving and the like. We took a Carnival cruise to Mexico. I'll sum it up here:

I came back tanned, relaxed and rested, until we entered the chaos zone at the Oakland airport. But that was a minor price to pay for many days of mostly stress-free living.

I did have some food issues such as eating breakfast. I like what I like, don't you? Well, I'm not someone who eats bacon, eggs, sausage or hash browns for breakfast. I also don't eat standard breakfast cereal with milk, or usually pancakes or French toast. (I know, you're wondering what I do eat.) If pushed, I will eat oatmeal but I prefer other hot cereals but only now when it's winter, not when it's 80+ degrees outside (as it was in Mexico). Still, I did eat oatmeal but I had to smuggle raisins into the dining room from the casual place upstairs. I learned to ask for the bananas, blueberries and strawberries that go with the pancakes (hold the pancakes, please. I felt like Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces asking for his toast.). One day I got a piece of the worst not-very-whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly just for something different. But that was only a minor glitch, but not a good way to start every day.

Lunch and dinner were somewhat better as there were more choices, especially at lunch where they had stations set up in the casual eatery. I often choose the Chinese where there were lots of fresh veggies, or the salad bar with many different types of salads that almost made up for the lack of anything too green except Caesar salad (which is too greasy, gooey and cheesey for me), I saw more iceberg lettuce than one ought to see in the entire world.

The first night's Indian Vegetarian Dinner was the best and should have been repeated nightly or at least every other night, for my satisfaction. They did serve Indian at the lunch buffet once and I'd already eaten which was fine since I had a veggie samosa for dessert.

Our dining room waiter, Jaime from the Philippines, was a good singer and dancer and knew how to provide good service. His assistant, Wanida from Thailand, was so cute and nice, We had a great table by the window and enjoyed our quiet section of the dining room a lot.

My favorite port of call was Zihuatenejo, where we spent our time at La Playa Ropa (the clothes beach?) enjoying food, drink, the ocean and getting my hair braided.

I took all the yoga classes offered on the ship, which was 4, one for each day at sea. While they were not my regular routine, or type of class, it was great to do it although balancing on a moving vessel is quite difficult, at least for me.

It's been quite chilly here in the mornings and I already long for those 80 degree days and my time being served but I made quite a wonderful New Year Good Luck Soup. I gave some away already and have been asked for the recipe but I still haven't written it down. It does contain black eyed peas and greens for the luck. May your travels and New Year be filled with luck, health, happiness and abundance. Ahhhh...

Vegetable Power

I am not talking antioxidants here but something that often seems even better. Yesterday was a pumpkin pie eating contest at Tierra Vegetables www.tierravegetables.com. Tierra is affectionately nicknamed The Cheers of Farmstands in my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment. All the judges in the contest were kids, one of them being my 13-year old son. But the problem was that it was too close to Christmas and the pie makers must have been busy so they didn't show up. (Last year there must have been close to 15 pies.) So while one of the parents ran to the store to get a premade pie, the other parents hung around the farm stand and shopped. This is where the veggie power comes in.

I was eyeing a large Graffiti Purple Cauliflower. My son wanted it (I am not sure why since he doesn't really eat it). And so did I but it was too big. A woman standing there was also admiring it. I asked her if she'd like to share it, and she said yes. Yippee. We both had what we wanted. Now, isn't there power in that? But it gets better.

Another woman, this time one of the moms, asked. "Are you the person that does something with vegetables?" She may have said The Veggie Queen but I'm not sure. She said that she read my blog and had commented on it. Then I recognized her as Kate from Sky Saddle Winery http://www,skysaddle.com, that zin that I had (written about here previously) that was so jammy, yummy, unctuous. Well, Kate told me that she's a vegetarian. It was getting even better.

I asked if she might want to trade wine for a copy of The Veggie Queen cookbook. And we made a deal. Now, it was truly my lucky day as Kate happened to have a bottle of Sky Saddle organic, biodynamically produced wine in the car because she had intended to ship it to Scotland but it turned out to be prohibitively expensive. I didn't have any copies of my cookbook in the car but I knew that Evie at Tierra had some so I borrowed a copy and voila, Kate and I were both happy. So there's the power of vegetables for you.

I suggest that you hang around veggies as much as possible, as they can definitely enhance your life, in many ways beyond the physical.

Thanks-- calls and emails to The Veggie Queen

This morning I received a call from a woman who lives in a remote area of California who had borrowed my DVD Creative Low-fat Vegan Cuisine from a friend. She was watching it, got the 800 and was convinced that she needed a copy of my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment. She said that she used to have a bookstore nearby but it closed. And she doesn't use the internet. She's got 4 children and needs to lose a bunch of weight. She wanted to know what you put on your pizza if there is no cheese. I told her about Follow Your Heart vegan cheese, that actually melts, but I can also eat pizza with homemade pesto and veggies, or summer fresh frozen tomato sauce and veggies, or caramelized onions, black or kalamata olives and fresh thyme. The possibilities are endless for me. But you don't have to be a vegan to eat healthy food. Nor do all vegans eat healthy food but it is easier. And for me it's OK to veer from the path every once in a while.

Ray Sikora, an amazing woman and animal rights activist who was living in New Mexico when I met her this past summer at Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA, says that vegans who cheat are cheegans. I don't need any labels for you. What you choose to eat is completely up to you. But I must encourage you to make the healthiest choices possible. The best way to do that is to eat lots of veggies, of course.

So, in this season of excess, please see if you can eat an excessive amount of vegetables. It's best to go with those in season - root crops such as parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery root and more, cruciferous veggies such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and more, plus shiitake mushrooms, ginger and garlic for your immune system. Maybe in my January newsletter I will share my "secret" recipe for immune-boosting soup.

Until then, Happy Healthy Holidays and a cheery New Year. And if you want to send me an email just to say hi, or how eating veggies has changed your life, I'd love to hear from you.

Wake UP and Eat -- Biodynamic Farming

My sister Donna and I are working on a project together called Wake UP and Eat which will one day become a book and DVD. (Later in 2007.) Please view the website at http://www.wakeupandeat.com.

The following is my adaptation of what she wrote just the other day (December 2007):
Thanks go to Allan Balliett of Shephardstown, West Virginia, who runs the Fresh and Local CSA there. We were recently fortunate to sample his "biodynamic" greens and meet Alan in person near our home in Maryland.Biodynamics, for those who may not have heard of it, is a way of growing food that seeks to ensure that our food provides vitality. The system, which was largely a reaction to the growing use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, predates today's "organic" food by decades, having been first developed in the early 1920s. Biodynamic farming shuns all chemicals including pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers and instead stresses the use of various types of compost and natural cycle planting.

Alan and his wife brought bins of fresh greens including several types of kale (curly and Red Russian), Bok Choy, lettuces, Napa cabbage, Tatsoi, collards, cardoons, broccoli and more. His happy customers waited for his truck to arrive and sprang out of their cars to gather around the array of wonderful produce. Once we were handed our goodies, we immediately tore off some of the Red Russian kale and found it sweet and flavorful. As we were walking back to our car, Alan smiled and reminded us to "eat it right away" to get the most of its "life force". Not long after, stopping first to walk through the woods in search of late Fall oyster mushrooms, we got to taste the biodynamic greens. The kale was lightly sauteed until it was just tender and brightly colored, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper, and sure enough, it was undeniably sensational kale and truly, as we ate, we could almost feel our bodies being nourished.

Coincidentally, my lunch today was pressure cooked tofu, oyster mushrooms, onions, garlic and ginger with wilted spinach (I'm saving my greens for a potato and greens gratin), a bit of peanut butter and some hot sauce. Not the same "life force energy" but still incredibly nourishing.