The Vegan Manifesto

Winner of Book Give-Away

2012-01-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

So, how has the first week of 2012 gone for all of you? I feel the cogs of change turning faster, moving towards fruition for the hopes and goals I put into motion in 2011. I am really excited about 2012 - my book, "Say Cheese: Vegan Alternatives to Make You Smile," which will be out on the shelves in early summer (we're doing the photo shoot for it in a couple of weeks), and Vegan Mash-Up, the new public television show produced by Delicious TV, which will begin to air around September. I'm about to embark on another book as well, and am trying to decide between two concepts to pitch.

But one of my goals for 2012 -- and actually, the rest of my life -- is something that has nothing to do with career or veganism. A few weeks ago, my husband, youngest daughter (almost 16) and I saw a documentary called My Reincarnation about a Tibetan Buddhist master and his son. His son has been declared the reincarnation of a spiritual master, but just wants to live a normal life as an Italian (they immigrated to Italy after leaving Tibet). There are many nuggets of wisdom tossed out to the audience during the film, but one stuck with me: the importance of being present in time. Growing up in the 70's, the notion of being in the "here and now" was like a stuck needle and I simply tuned it out. But over the years, I've learned how much I am not "here." It seems that whatever I am doing, I am always somewhere else, thinking about the other things I should be doing, the conversations I should be having, the event I have to prepare for. Whatever the task at hand is, whomever I may be speaking to, I have not always been fully present. True, with three children -- two of them still in high school -- work and multiple activities, I have, like many busy people, felt the need to be omnipresent in space and time. This is stressful in the least, and in the worst, means we miss the boat on what is really going on.

Somehow, after decades of being aware of this notion in the back of my mind, it suddenly clicked with me. Somehow, instantaneously, it made sense. And most amazingly, I found myself falling into it. My breathing slowed, my focus sharpened, and I began to enjoy each moment more. A silly, simple serenity has begun to infuse my days as I truly listen to the people I talk to, not thinking of the project I need to finish, and give each moment of the day its due attention.

I loved every one of the comments posted in response to my book give-away, and I truly wish I could give a copy to everyone. But for the reasons above, Barbara's comments about serenity, patience and openness resounded with me, and therefore she is the lucky winner! Congratulations, Barbara, and please send me your contact information so I can send you a book. You can email me at miyoko@miyoko.com.

To the rest of you, thanks for your comments - I truly found each of them precious. I'll be giving away a copy of my cheese book in a few months, so keep tuned!

Happy 2012!

Mochi for Strength, Prosperity, Good Health and Happiness

2012-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

O-zoni with shiitake, daikon, tea-infused tofu, nameko mushrooms,, kabocha squash

When the Japanese look at a full moon, they see a rabbit pounding mochi, or sticky rice cakes. Actually, we call it o-mochi - honorable rice cakes. There's a whole ritual surrounding the making of mochi, and my children, despite growing up in America, were lucky enough to witness it every year at the Japanese-bilingual school in San Francisco they attended. To the beat of taiko drums, naked men in loincloths - seriously - dance around a wooden vat pounding freshly cooked mochi rice with mallets. The pounding is rhythmical, and eventually, the rice turns into a sticky, stretchy and smooth mass. These mochi warriors bare their skin in the midst of winter in order to ensure a prosperous New Year. The freshly made mochi can be eaten right away dipped in roasted soybean flour (kinako) or soy sauce, then wrapped in nori, or allowed to dry to be cut and cooked another time. Children in Japan look forward to eating o-mochi like American kids look forward to Christmas cookies or Halloween candy. I remember stuffing myself eating o-mochi, and was tickled to see my son gorging on it as a child as well. Would we have as much childhood obesity in this country if the idea of a treat was mochi instead of ice cream?
Of course, you can make fresh mochi at home now with a mochi-maker without even taking off your clothes. Or you can just buy it from an Asian grocery or natural food store. The Asian variety is always made with white rice, while the kind in the natural food store is made from brown rice and is not as smooth in texture. I actually love the rustic, chewy consistency of brown rice mochi, and made my New Year's soup (ozoni) with that.
Of the many special New Year's dishes served in Japan, the most popular and central is o-zoni, a soup or stew featuring o-mochi. Throughout Japan, there are many varieties, from the sweet, adzuki-bean base in Tottori to light, vegetable based ones in Kyoto. The recipe I offer here is based on the one I grew up with in the Tokyo area where chicken stock is typically used. It's a light, savory and totally satisfying way to start your day.

O-Zoni
6 cups vegetarian chicken-flavored stock
1/4 cup sake
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, hatch mark made on top for decorative purpose
1/2 small kabocha squash, seeds removed, sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced daikon
8 ounces nameko or maitake mushrooms, optional
1 bunch kale or spinach, lightly steamed or blanched
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 - 3 pounds mochi (depending on how much you want to eat), cut into rectangles (a 12-ounce package of mochi from the natural food store can be cut into 6 pieces)

Combine the stock sake, soy sauce and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the shiitake, mushrooms, kabocha squash and daikon, and simmer for another 5 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat. Cook the mochi as directed in the photo caption below. To serve, put 1 or 2 pieces of cooked mochi in a bowl, then pour the soup on top. Add some of the pre-cooked kale or spinach, sprinkle with green onions, and eat! Have a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year!

To cook mochi, bake in a 425 degree oven until it puffs up, or do like the Japanese over an open flame. The Japanese like it a little charred, crispy on the outside, chewy and gooey on the inside. Cook it over a low flame, flipping over several times, until it cracks in the middle and puffs up. It's ready! To eat, put a piece in your ozoni soup, or dip both sides in soy sauce and wrap a piece of nori around it. I have to go grill another piece now because my daughter is asking for another one!

Noodles for a Long Life and a Book Give-Away

2011-12-31T15:06:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'm giving away a copy of my Japanese cookbook. Read on!
          There's only hours left before the start of a new year, and I'm doing all I can to catch my breath as I come down from the holiday frenzy of the past few weeks. I'm exhausted and looking forward to a quieter, fresher, newer beginning. The crazy pace between Thanksgiving and Christmas in America is a vast contrast to Japan - there, Christmas is but a token holiday when people eat Christmas Cake but plug along at work in anticipation of a big bonus. The real big holiday in Japan is New Year's, and much work and excitement lead up to that. I remember as a child counting the days to New Year's, my mouth watering in anticipation of sticky, chewy mochi.
        In some ways, it seems like a saner approach. Here, we party all night and start the New Year wasted. Compared to us, the Japanese New Year's is practically a spiritual experience, despite the fact that they are probably the least religious people on the planet. It starts on New Year's Eve with a a bowl of noodles, which gurantees longevity. Then everyone gets bundled up and sets out for "hatsumode," or the first (and in most cases, the only) visit to a shrine or temple, just past midnight. You might visit even a few, and do your best not to confuse which rituals to perform at a temple versus a shrine (a temple is Buddhist, a shrine, Shinto). Trains run all night long. There are crowds everywhere, young and old. This is probably going to be the only time you'll offer a prayer all year, but at least it's done at an auspicious time.
        New Year's Day is a blast. Housewives actually spend days preparing the feast, and there is indeed a bounty, especially dishes with mochi, or o-mochi in Japanese. O-mochi is pounded rice cake, and unlike in the US where you can get different flavors, there's only one kind there: plain. But it's what you do with it that's so special. First and foremost is o-zoni, a soup or stew made with o-mochi. A favorite way of eating for kids is mochi that's grilled until it puffs up and crispens, then coated in soy sauce and wrapped in nori. Mmmm. Makes me hungry just thinking of it, and luckily, I only have to wait until tomorrow to eat it.
         The day is spent eating, drinking sake, visiting friends and relatives. In fact, all of Japan shuts down for the first few days, and the celebration just continues -- you just keep on eating, drinking, visiting. My daughter always talks about the 12 days of Christmas, but it generally doesn't last more than a day. In Japan, sometimes New Year's trickles out for almost all of January.
          If you want my book, comment below about how you plan to start your New Year. Get your plans or resolutions in by January 7 (that's generous!) and then I'll announce the winner. Today, I offer a simple recipe for a bowl of warming noodles, and wish you readers all a long life. I provide below the guidelines to a good bowl of noodles, which starts with a good homemade broth. Otherwise, the recipe is as flexible as you like. You can top it with almost anything, although tempura, wakame, abura-age (fried tofu), and a few non-vegan items I won't mention, are traditional. It's a 15 minute recipe, although you'll need a couple of hours for soaking. Easy, and guaranteed to lengthen your life.
         Tomorrow, as I won't be partying all night, I'll post about o-zoni.

Japanese Udon for Long Life (serves 4)

Udon with broccoli rabe sauteed in sesame oil
and seasoned with soy sauce

First, prepare the broth (tsuyu) by soaking for 2 hours or more:

4 cups water
1 3" x 5" piece of konbu (a type of seaweed)
1/4 cup smoked dulse (optional)
10 dried shiitake

Bring this to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then strain. Discard the konbu an dulse. Slice the shiitake thinly and add put in a pot along with the broth. Add the following:

2 - 4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sake

You can use this broth over Japanese soba (buckwheat noodles) or udon (fat, wheat noodles). Both are generally available either dried or refrigerated. If using dried, you'll have to boil them according to package instructions, just as you would dried pasta. If using the refrigerated, pre-cooked kind, you can cut corners and just put them directly into the simmering broth until hot. Top with any of the following ingredients and serve piping hot. If you like a little bit of spice, sprinkle on some shichimi togarashi, a spice blend of seven different peppers, available at Asian grocery stores.

Topping Suggestions:

Vegetable Tempura (there's a great recipe for this in my book)
Wakame, soaked in water until reconstituted
Sauteed veggies or mushrooms
Baked tofu, sliced
Sliced seitan
Chopped scallions

Udon with Wakame

Barking Up the Peppermint Tree

2011-12-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well, the mad baking has begun and I have amassed several cans of cookies already: Chocolate Almond Polenta Puffs, Florentines (I'll give out this recipe in the next day or two), Cinnamon Bing Cherry Cookies, Ginger Orange Stars, Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwiches. But each year, my kids (now in high school and beyond) ask me if we couldn't just make some cookies decorated with icing, cookies so fun and colorful that they just sing out, "Ho, ho, ho!" But truth be told, I hate sugary icing. This goes beyond "royal icing" which graces such lively holiday cookies, but to cupcakes and cakes iced with frostings made with powdered sugar (which encompasses most vegan cakes). Maybe it's because of my early exposure to French and Austrian pastries, which are less sweet but much richer, than their American counterparts. In America, "buttercreams" are made with just a small amount of butter or its equivalent, then cups and cups of powdered sugar, whereas in France, a buttercream is exactly that - made of lots and lots of butter with just a little bit of sugar. The result is a creamy, light, rich concoction that is hard to stop eating. So perhaps I'm an icing snob, but show me a cookie or cake iced with a powdered sugar-based icing and I'll find an excuse to turn it down.
But alas, as an understanding parent, I felt it was my duty to provide them that holiday pzazz and glitter. So I took a classic holiday treat -- peppermint bark -- and made a cookie version. A dark, rich chocolate cookie glazed with a vegan white chocolate with a hint of peppermint, topped with colorful sprinkles -- one look and my daughters' eyes popped with delight, and got even larger after biting into the festive-looking, rich treats. The white chocolate is delightful without the peppermint as well, and can be used as a base for a not-too-sweet buttercream, so if you're going to make it, you might want to double the recipe for it.

Peppermint Bark Cookies
Chocolate Cookie:

1 cup oil or vegan butter substitute

1 cup maple syrup

2 cups flour

½ cup cocoa

4 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and maple syrup until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour and cocoa. Mix into the butter mixture. Mix in the melted chocolate and combine well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with parchment and flatten slightly with the spoon. Bake for about 8 – 9 minutes. Gently pull the parchment paper off the baking sheet onto the counter and allow the cookies to cool completely before icing. When cool, pour the white chocolate onto each cookie. Sprinkle with colorful sprinkles if desired. Let the icing set before transferring to cans for keeping. If you are going to stack them, place parchment between each layer.

Peppermint White Chocolate

8 ounces cocoa butter

1 cup powdered or regular sugar

1 1/4 cups soy milk powder

1/2 cup water

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Liquid lecithin

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Melt cocoa butter with sugar in a double boiler. Dissolve the soy milk in the water. Add to the cocoa butter mixture along with lecithin and vanilla. Stir until completely emulsified. Allow this to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour until it is thick enough to pour on top of the cookies without running off. Use a teaspoon to drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top of each cookie. It should be a consistency that will naturally run a little to cover the top of the cookie but not run off.

Hooray for Cooking Shows (Vegan Ones!)

2011-12-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a Dexter fan, and while I look at the clock a dozen times on Sunday night in anticipation of 9 o'clock, when I plop down on the couch, I can never remember what channel Showtime is. Is it 736 or 543 or 536 or 576...and it's inevitably a couple of minutes past 9 by the time I find it, just when he's slapping the mosquito on his arm in the fabulous open. But Food Network and Cooking Channel - I can't get those numbers out of my head. I know exactly what they are (747 and 182), and I don't skip a beat going back and forth at commercial breaks.
Now, I'm talking actual cooking shows, not food shows or competitions like Iron Chef, Chopped or Restaurant Impossible. Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Down Home with the McNeelys -- just real cooking. Not that I like what they cook -- usually slabs of some poor animal -- but the successful cooking show hosts all seem to be having fun in the kitchen. This is one reason a year ago I started Miyoko's Kitchen. Produced for local cable, the show aims to make vegan cooking fun and accessible for mainstream audiences by taking the fear out of kale and tofu. It's a small production made by a wonderful group of volunteers at the local community access station, but of course, I'd like to reach a bigger audience.
Then recently, an opportunity arose for me to be part of a show for Delicious TV. Vegan Mash-up is the name of the new show designed for public television, and is the brainchild of Betsy Carson, the producer of Delicious TV. What's unique about this show is that it features not just one, but three chefs on a regular basis, plus a guest chef each week as well. The three regulars? Real stars: Terry Hope Romero of Post-Punk Kitchen fame, Toni Fiore, star of Totally Vegetarian, which has been on PBS for years, and me. Each of us will be cooking in our own kitchens in different parts of the country, but putting together a cohesive meal. And to really make things sizzle, a guest chef on each episode will add some action.
This is the kind of creative programming we need to get folks excited about switching to a plant-based diet. Delicious TV is starting with a six-episode series, and needs your support to get this project launched. Please take a moment to check out the trailer (http://www.indiegogo.com/Delicious-TVs-Vegan-Mashup) and then share it, tweet it, email it, spread the word, and if possible, support it. With your help, the show will grace television sets from Tennessee to Maine to Montana to California and reach out to a broad audience that will learn the benefits of vegan cuisine.
And one of these days before next season, I'm going to learn what channel Dexter is on.

Duo of Desserts

2011-11-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Musing: With Thanksgiving just 3 days away, I guess my "philosophical musing" should be about gratitude. Granted, I could make the effort and really write something pithy about the concept of gratitude and what I'm grateful for. Or I could wax poetic about the virtues of a vegan Thanksgiving over what the rest of the nation eats, or bemoan the plight of our feathered friends who can't escape being the centerpiece of the holiday spread.
As I write this, however, the savory aroma of simmering UnTurkey fills my nostrils, chestnuts for the stuffing are roasting in the oven, and I've just stashed away several dozen freshly baked pumpkin rolls, one of my family's favorites (I have to hide them in the back of the freezer so that they don't disappear before Thanksgiving.) Even as I prepare this Thursday's feast, another compartment of my brain is already planning menus for Christmas and all the other occasions from now until the end of the year. In other words, I have only one thing on my mind: food, glorious food. So please pardon my inability to contemplate greater things -- I have pies to bake.
By Thanksgiving, I'm usually a little tired of pumpkin pie, having baked it several times since Halloween. Every year, I try to put a new spin to it -- pumpkin tiramisu, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin chiffon crepe cake --beautiful new costumes for the old gal. The last couple of years, I've opted for my homey and delicious pumpkin bread pudding with brandy creme anglaise sauce, and I'm making it again this year. Of course, people need choices, so I always serve several desserts, and this year I've decided to resurrect a couple I haven't made in years -- my refreshing cranberry walnut tart with a gluten-free, crispy walnut crust, and a holiday classic-- my maple-laced vegan pecan pie. We used to sell hundreds of each in the restaurant back in the days of Now and Zen, and I grew a little tired of them. But it's probably been 10 years since I last made them, so they will taste totally fresh when my fork digs in on Thursday.

So, onto the recipes:

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Be sure to cover the top with a good amount of whipped coconut milk or other vegan whipped cream. The contrast between the sweet and tart filling and the creamy whipped topping with the crispy crust is unbeatable. The crust is baked separately and the filling is made on the stove. You can make this up to a month ahead of time and freeze.

Wheat-Free Walnut Crust

Light, crunchy and easy to make. It is also low in oil, deriving most of the fat from the walnuts.

1 1/3 cups walnuts, ground

1 cup brown rice flour

pinch of salt

3 Tbs canola oil

4 Tbs. Maple syrup or agave nectar

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the center then add the canola oil and sweetener. Mix well. Pat into lightly greased or lined pans. Poke the bottom all over with a fork, then bake at 350 degrees for about 12 – 15 minutes until light and crisp. Allow to cool then fill with cranberry filling.

Cranberry Filling

1 lb. fresh cranberries

¾ cup agave

¼ cup orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon orange zest

about 4 tablespoons arrowroot

Bring the cranberries, agave, juice and zest to a boil in a heavy pot. Simmer until the fruit bursts, about 10 – 15 minutes. Dissolve the arrowroot in a small amount of water and add to the cranberries, stirring until thickened. Allow to cool slightly, then pour into the walnut crust. Let cool completely, then spread the entire top with whipped coconut cream or other vegan whipped topping.

Pecan Pie

This takes a good hour or more to bake, which can lead to a burnt crust. To prevent that, start with a frozen pie shell. You can make your own and freeze it for a few hours before using, or just buy a frozen vegan shell from the store. I originally published this recipe in my book, The New Now and Zen Epicure.

2 1/2 cups pecan halves or pieces
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1 3/4 cups maple syrup
1 frozen 9" pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes until slightly crispy but not burnt. Puree the cashews and water in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add the arrowroot, vanilla and salt and process again briefly. Pour the maple syrup into a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a fast simmer, and cook for at least 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour this into the cashew mixture in the blender and process to combine. Pour the mixture into the frozen pie shell and top with the toasted pecans. Bake for about 45 minutes until the top has risen and is dry to the touch. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Countdown to Un-T Day

2011-11-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is still almost two weeks off, but we've been eating Thanksgiving fare for several weeks already.
It started a few weeks ago when I had an idea that I could improve upon the tried-and-true UnTurkey. Well, my family declared that my attempt may have been new but was not quite improved. We still managed to gorge on it along with stuffing and gravy. Then I taught a holiday cooking class a couple of weeks ago, which meant more UnTurkey -- this time, the trusted old recipe. Of course, along with all of the fixings came several side dishes, including potato-celeriac puree, green beans with citrus pomegranate sauce, and the spectacular Brie en Croute, spilling out with the gooey, oozey cheese (this will be featured in my cheese book coming out next year.) Having eaten the UnTurkey for the past month, including in every leftover form imaginable, my family is not drooling over thoughts of gravy as we approach the big day. But who knows - this is a household where Christmas music has been playing since the beginning of October. And no one says they're tired of that, yet.

Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle rising in the oven

I did manage to improve on one old recipe, however - one I published in Vegetarian Times many years ago. Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle - light and fluffy on the top, like molten chocolate lava on the inside, it has become my new favorite for the holidays (okay, maybe more for Christmas than Thanksgiving.) Like a real souffle made with eggs, this rises in the oven above the rim of the ramekin and falls just as fast, but you won't have trouble eating it right away. In fact, you won't want to wait when it comes out of the oven. Just sink your spoon in and scoop up all that warm, chocolatey goodness.

Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle

19 ounces tofu, regular

8 ounces dark chocolate, melted

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipped coconut milk (refrigerate canned coconut milk for at least 24 hours, then whip the solidified portion, and measure 1 cup after whipping)

1/3 cup egg replacer

2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine the tofu, chocolate, maple syrup, cocoa powder, Grand Marnier, baking powder, and vanilla, and process until smooth and creamy. In a medium bowl, whip the egg replacer with the water until soft peaks form. Fold in the whipped coconut milk gently. Then gently fold in the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. Pour into 11 – 12 oiled ramekins, filling them about 3/4 full, and bake for about 25 minutes until the top have risen above the ramekins. Serve immediately.

It's Nacho Business

2011-10-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Musing: Actually, it is. Especially if you're craving some gooey, creamy queso for your chips (but more on chips and cheese later).

Most of us feel that what we put into our mouths is our business, and our business only. We don't like to be told how or what to eat. But if we take a moment to think about it, what we eat affects just about everything and everyone around us. The environment. The cost of national health care. The well-being of animals.The health of our children. The juicy cheeseburger seemed like a great option because it was only 99 cents. Sure, 99 cents for you, but thousands of dollars for others. How can this be? The 150 gallons of water, 55 square feet of rainforest destroyed, the cost to national health footed by taxpayers -- that's the real price. A vegan diet is by far the most environmentally sound, healthful, compassionate way to eat. Not to preach. Just food for thought. And now onto the food for our stomachs.

The Recipe: "It's Nacho Business" is also the name of an episode of Miyoko's Kitchen - my cooking show - which recently won a 2011 WAVE Award for excellence in local cable programming. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it in two parts on YouTube (here's the link to Part One - you can find Part Two easily). In it, I make a low-fat Mexican feast, replete with the carbs and what seems like cheese - but it's not. The chips are smothered in a low-fat "cheese" sauce based on butternut squash and non-dairy yogurt. Spiked with a bit of chipotle, it has a hint of smokey heat. Of course, if you like more heat, you can always add more chipotle. It's a hit in my cooking classes and demos, including World VegFest in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, and 125 enthusiastic 125 Whole Foods employees last week in the McDougall Program. It's one of those vegan comfort food substitutes that truly satisfies. This recipe, along with many other cheese recipes, will be in my upcoming book, "Say Cheese: Vegan Alternatives to Make You Smile" (Book Publishing Co., 2012).

Smokey Chipotle No-Queso (Nacho Cheese)

1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed

3/4 cup soy yogurt

3/4 cup water
1/2 onion

4 – 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 cup raw cashews

3 tablespoons tapioca flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

Place the butternut squash, yogurt, onion, water nutritional yeast flakes, cashews, tapioca flour, half of the chipotle and salt in a blender and process until absolutely smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and gooey. Stir in the remaining chipotle in adobo sauce to taste, according to how hot you like it. Serve over tortilla chips - baked ones, if you're keeping your fat intake low.

It's Almost That Special Time of Year

2011-10-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Musing: I was reminded that the "special time of year" was fast approaching when, the other day, my daughter created a Pandora station with Christmas music. I'm not going to write anything pithy here about the holidays or their true meaning; I'll let that debate go on elsewhere. For me, the only contemplation I do at this is the time of year is about food and menus and gatherings. A bountiful table is a good thing, and I love to have them surrounded by friends an family. But I also like to enjoy the holiday without killing myself while creating the feast. Over the years, I have spent many holidays too tired be able to taste anything when we actually sit down. Somehow, at the moment when the magic is supposed to culminate, when everyone else is oohing and aahing and completely enraptured by epicurean delights, wine and conversation, my eyes glaze over and the fireworks turn into a puff of smoke that quickly dissipates.
Thus, I've developed rules that help me in planning feasts that don't leave me catatonic on the actual holiday. I'm going to share them over the next few weeks. One of the most crucial things I've learned is this: make only one complicated, multi-ingredient dish. Let this dish be the star. Keep all of the other dishes simple, clean and seasoned to highlight that particular ingredient, and so that they complement the one star dish. In this way, you can create a banquet with many dishes, each of which takes only minutes to prepare. By keeping side-dishes fresh and simple, they also work together in a culinary symphony of well-orchestrated flavors. When I get carried away and start fantasizing about all these spectacular side dishes with many ingredients and steps, I have to remind myself that for a holiday banquet, it's the orchestra as a whole that matters, not the individual instruments. If I make all of the parts too complicated (and labor intensive!), they tend to clash (and I end up on the floor).

Filo Pouch with Roasted Butternut Squash, Fennel, Turnips, Caramelized Onions and Quinoa

The Recipe: The good folks from Supreme Master Television came over a couple of weeks ago to shoot two episodes with me for their vegan cooking show, Vegetarianism - the Noble Way of Life. If you've heard of Loving Hut, the worldwide vegan restaurant chain, this is the organization behind them. They tirelessly promote veganism 24/7 through their restaurants, publications and television station. I had done a few episodes for them a few years ago (still on YouTube), and was delighted when David Smugar approached me at San Francisco's World VegFest about doing a couple of more, one for World Vegan Day (Nov. 1) and the other for Thanksgiving. For the World Vegan Day episode, we decided on a cheese dish (yes, I'm promoting my cheese book every chance I get!) and we shot a Caprese Salad featuring my Buffalo Mozzarella, featured a year ago in this blog. For Thanksgiving, I made a pumpkin soup in a miniature pumpkin and a Filo Pouch with Roasted Veggies and Quinoa. You can catch both episodes on their web station - the former will be aired 4 times on November 1, and the latter 4 times on Thanksgiving Day. But of course, if you'd like to make these dishes for Thanksgiving, you just need to follow the recipes below. In case you hadn't guessed, this would be the "star" dish for your holiday table - you only need to surround it with simple but beautifully prepared veggies and salad.

Filo Pouches with Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa

Makes 8 servings

Relatively easy to assemble, these fat, crispy pastries are filled with a savory concoction of roasted butternut squash, fennel, turnips and caramelized onions, all tossed together with quinoa and nuts. Served with the Mushroom Thyme Sauce, it is befitting of a royal place on your holiday banquet table.

1 pound box filo (phyllo) dough, available in the frozen section of supermarkets, thawed according to package instructions

1/3 cup olive oil for the filo, or cooking spray

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock or water

2 onions, sliced

2 ½ - 3 cups diced butternut squash

2 cups diced turnips

2 cups sliced fennel bulb

3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup walnuts, pulverized in a food processor to form crumbs

½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons slivered fresh sage leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves

salt and pepper to taste

All of the following steps can be done simultaneously.

The Quinoa:

Place the quinoa and stock or water in a 2 quart saucepan. If using water, add ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Cover, and turn the heat onto high to bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the quinoa is light and fluffy. Set aside.

The Roasted Vegetables:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the vegetables and toss with 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the vegetables onto a sheet pan in one layer and roast in the hot oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until browned and tender.

Caramelize the Onions:

In a saute pan, heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and sprinkle them with sea salt. Cook the onions for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and very brown. It is fine if they stick to the pan – this helps the caramelization. Finally, add a tablespoon or two of water to deglaze the pan, and continue cooking for another couple of minutes until the liquid is absorbed by the onions.

To complete the mixture, combine the quinoa, veggies and onions in a bowl. Add the walnut crumbs, pine nuts and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix it all very well.

TO ASSEMBLE THE POUCHES:

Place the filo on a dry kitchen towel and spread them out. Cut the filo sheets down the middle in half so you have two stacks about 8 inches wide and 11 inches long. Keep the stacks covered with a towel so that they do not dry out. Place one sheet on a dry surface and brush lightly with oil, or use cooking spray. Place another sheet on top and brush with oil or spray. Repeat twice more, so that you have used four sheets. Place about a slightly heaping cup of the veggie-quinoa mixture in the middle of the stacked four sheets of filo, and gather the filo around it, twisting at the top to form a pouch. Repeat the procedure to make 7 more pouches. Lightly spray or brush oil on the outside of each pouch. Place them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Mushroom Thyme Sauce

1 quart mushroom stock, either homemade or store-bought

2 – 3 tablespoons soy sauce

½ cup raw cashews

1 cups water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot, dissolved in a little water

Place the stock and soy sauce in a 2-quart saucepan and heat. Combine the water and cashews in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Add the thyme to the stock mixture. Pour in the cashew mixture and simmer until slightly thickened. Mix in the cornstarch or arrowroot mixture to thicken more until a glaze consistency is reached. Serve with the Filo Pouches.

Of Figs and Tempeh and Fancy Culinary Terms Like "Sear"

2011-10-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

In some pools, you swim up to the bar. In my pool, you swim up to the fig tree.

The Musing: Seared ahi or some other sea creature - a delicacy on so many menus. Do you know that according to scientists there will be no fish left in the sea in 50 years if we keep eating them at this rate? True -- and truly frightening. Hard to enjoy that tuna after reading this, huh? Luckily, there's a bounty of other things -- of plant origin -- that can be seared to delicious heights.

The Recipe: When we moved to our house about 6 years ago, I was delighted to find two very prolific fig trees. Every fall, I am joyously confronted with the quandary of what to do with the profusion of the luscious fruit. The last two summers have been unseasonably cool here in Northern California, so the harvest has been late and not quite as bountiful. But there are still enough figs on the trees to occupy a few weekends making jam, glazes and sauces. Of course, I eat and use them on a daily basis, in everything from smoothies, salads, desserts and simply enjoying them off the tree. Last night, I turned them into a savory sauce for tempeh. I first simmered the tempeh in a seasoned broth, then seared them in oil so they became crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside. The sauce, a beautiful balance of the sweetness of figs, the mild acidity of balsamic vinegar tempered by some vegetarian chicken stock and infused with a hint of fresh rosemary, cooked while the tempeh simmered, and it all came together at the same time.

I love tempeh, but find that for many, it is an acquired taste. Simmering it in a seasoned broth minimizes the "funky" flavor some object to, and makes it more palatable. Topped with the fig rosemary sauce, this is an unbeatable combination. I served it over a bed of quinoa with a side of braised Brussel sprouts.

Seared Tempeh with Fig Rosemary Sauce

The tempeh is juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and the sauce is a beautiful balance of fall flavors.

The Tempeh:

1 lb. Tempeh, cut into pieces about 2” by 3” and then split in half to make them thinner

2 cups vegetable stock

½ cup red wine

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

10 peppercorns

1 bayleaf

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan with a lid, cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

The Sauce:

1 onion, finely minced
1 - 2 tablespoons oil or water for sauteeing

1 lb. fresh figs, diced

½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup vegetarian chicken stock

2 sprigs (each about 3 inches long) fresh rosemary

Heat the oil or water in a shallow saucepan and saute the onions, covered, until translucent. Add the figs, vinegar, sugar and sea salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Add the stock and cook for an additional 10 minutes or so. Add the rosemary and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. The sauce should be thick.

To serve:

Heat a skillet, then add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan generously. When the oil is hot, add the tempeh pieces, making sure not to crowd the pan. Over medium heat, cook the tempeh for several minutes until well browned on the bottom; don't attempt to flip them before they are browned. Flip and cook the other side until well browned. Server over a bed of quinoa or brown rice, topped with the sauce.
PRINTABLE RECIPE

Just Two Little Words: Chocolate Mousse

2011-10-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Musing: Chocolate Mousse. Two words that speak to just about everybody, across all ethnic groups, dietary proclivities, age groups and religious beliefs. No one complains about having to eat chocolate mousse. It's practically a unifier. Serve chocolate mousse, and red and blue cross over to make purple.

The Recipe: So I jump back in after months of not blogging (never had a good track record for blogging consistency, anyway) with these two little words. Why? Because they need no explanation. But also because blogger Miso for Breakfast recently asked about my recipe for the Chocolate Dream Mousse I published in the New Now and Zen Epicure 10 years ago, and I thought it was indeed a great subject.
I've been making chocolate mousse since I first encountered it as a child, fully expecting a moose-shaped chocolate (like an Easter bunny). Oddly, or maybe not much so, I have more memories of my experiments with chocolate mousse than any other food. There was the Christmas in college when I didn't go home (3000 miles away), and a friend and I did our best to stave off loneliness by sharing Christmas dinner together. The only detail of our meal that I recall was the ultra-rich, butter-laden chocolate mousse I made using a recipe from Julia Child. For years, I approached each dish of chocolate mousse with a bit of trepidation, recalling the time in Japan when I entertained friends for dinner, and served chocolate mousse for dessert. Drinking, laughing, and savoring the first few bites of my mousse, I suddenly bit into a piece of garlic -- the strangest taste combination ever. My face flushed over and I lost track of the conversation as I spent the rest of the evening wondering if any of my guests had had the same unsavory experience but were too Japanese to say anything. I've since learned to clean up better between cooking savory dishes and dessert.
Over the thirty or so years I've been experimenting with vegan chocolate mousse, I've come up with perhaps a dozen or more versions. The first ones inevitably were tofu-based, and were more or less glorified puddings. In fact, the Chocolate Dream Mousse contains tofu as well, although it is lightened up by a copious amount of cashew creme. It's a great recipe, and since then, I've improved on it several times, but I really think I have the ultimate recipe now -- which is why I call it the Ultimate Chocolate Mousse. My quest to further perfect it is over - everyone I serve it to dreads seeing the bottom of their dish (and not just vegans). I'm not going to pretend that it's a healthy recipe, however - perhaps a bit better for you than one made with unsalted butter, but it's still basically made with high-fat ingredients. Ever-so rich yet light and creamy, and just airy enough, it's so good that it has helped me overcome my fear of garlic-flavored chocolate. I'm going to share this recipe today, as well as the one from my cookbook 10 years ago.

Ultimate Chocolate Mousse
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. Vanilla
5 ounces dark chocolate
3/4 - 1 cup coconut milk solids from chilled coconut milk (refrigerate can of coconut milk for at least 24 hours, then drain water from can)
2 - 3 Tbs. powdered sugar (optional)
1 Tbs. Orange liqueur (optional)

Note: To make this dish, you must first refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. This will separate and solidify the coconut cream solids from the water. Measure only the solid coconut cream. For a darker chocolate mousse, use about 3/4 cup of coconut milk solids. For a lighter, milk-chocolate flavor, use 1 cup.

Puree cashews with water and maple syrup until absolutely creamy. Melt chocolate over a double boiler and add to the blender with the cashews and puree together. Allow this mixture to come to room temperature and thicken slightly. It should thicken as it cools slightly to become like a runny pudding. Do not allow it to harden.

Meanwhile, in an electric mixer, whip the solid part of the chilled coconut milk until light and fluffy and resembles whipped cream. Add the vanilla and the optional powdered sugar and whip again. (For a truly bittersweet mousse, do not add the sugar). Add the chocolate mixture to the whipped coconut cream and fold gently but thoroughly. Mix in the optional orange liqueur. Pour into ramekins and chill for a couple of hours until firm. If desired, top with additional whipped coconut cream. Makes about 6 servings.

And now here's a slightly healthier, but still a rich concoction --

Chocolate Dream Mousse from The New Now and Zen Epicure

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

1 1/4 cups nondairy semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted over a double boiler

24 ounces silken tofu

6 tablespoons Dutch cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 tablespoons maple syrup, agave or sugar

Puree the cashews and water in a blender until thick, smooth and creamy. Put the mixture in a medium size bowl and set it aside. Place the tofu in the blender, and add the melted chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and sweetener of choice. Puree until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour the mixture into the cashew creme and fold it together with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into ramekins or wine glasses. Makes 8 servings.

The Politics of the Coop

2011-03-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Snookie (left) and Ugly Betty forage off of the kitchen

Most people think of eggs and chickens as commodities, packaged neatly in cartons or plastic and enjoyed as omelettes or with fried with a crispy coating. We think of them as pets. Last year, my husband, who has been evolving from lawyer to gentleman farmer, decided to get chickens. At first, my reaction was, "Great. One more thing to take care of." Don't get me wrong - I love animals. But with my life as crazy at it is with two cats, a demanding dog, and even more demanding kids, I wasn't sure I wanted to take on one more responsibility. He ignored me and went ahead and built a large coop and run (bigger than many people's backyards), took a class on how to care for them, and then got himself some chickens. On the weekends, he spends hours watching them. The funny thing is that now I do, too.

We live next to open space and being new to this chicken business, weren't aware that the fox that had moved into the neighborhood could climb trees and get into their run. So we lost a couple of chickens the first few months (we cut down the branches, which solved that problem). That left us with Snookie, and she was all alone. We started bringing her in the house so she would have company. She adopted us right away, jumping all over us, roosting on our shoulders, pecking at Chloe, our German Shepherd. She even traveled with us once to our cabin where she found a shelf in the closet to roost at night. Once, when we all decided to go for a walk, she came running after us, determined to tag along. The only problem was the poop - chickens aren't so easy to toilet train. It turns out that you can buy chicken diapers, but we thought that Snookie would probably be happier if we got her her own flock. After my husband found a few chickens that needed a home, Snookie had no interest in hanging out with her human family anymore. She was too busy showing the new ones around - she was now the queen hen, clucking up a storm, telling everyone which nesting box to sleep in, where the good worms were, when to go back to the coop at dusk. She was like a tour guide and drill sergeant, and it was fascinating to watch her.

Eventually, Snookie and Ugly Betty started laying eggs. They would kick the others out of the coop and take turns laying an egg in the same nesting box. One would always keep the other company during this ritual, which happened 4 to 5 times per week. Then they would go back to pecking for worms. One day about a month ago, I heard some loud clucking and ran out to find Ugly Betty collapsed on the ground. She had been attacked by something, most likely a raptor. Her neck was slightly injured, but she was still alive. For the next couple of weeks while she was recovering from the trauma, the other chickens, especially Snookie, rallied around her. They all protected her in the corner nest box so she would feel safe and would surround her when she eventually ventured outdoors again. They not only protect their young as is well established; they watch out for each other. Ugly Betty has since recovered fully, but hasn't gone back to laying eggs.

A few days ago, my husband brought home three new chickens from a lady that had to get rid of them because of neighbors' complaints about noise (I don't get it - I love the sound of their clucking). Immediately, the pecking order needed to be established. Snookie went at it with the new golden chicken named Linda; it was immediately clear that Linda was the feisty leader of the new threesome. Although Snookie backed off due to Linda's size, Snookie didn't give up. The next day, we heard some extremely loud clucking and ran out thinking that it was another predator. No, it was just Snookie at the door of the coop announcing to the world that she had laid an egg. Thirty minutes later, we heard another chicken clucking loudly. This time, we found Linda at the coop door shouting to the world that she, too, had laid an egg. Clearly, in the chicken world, the ability to lay is a status symbol. The competition was on to establish who would rule the roost.

I'm not sure what chickens do with their eggs. Brooding has been largely bred out of them, so most of the time, they lay and then just go back to their other business. Without a rooster, the eggs are not fertile, so they don't turn into chicks. Without human intervention, I wonder about their ability to continue to propagate. I should probably read a chicken book to find out.

At one time, man's relationship to the chicken was so symbiotic that their behavior crept into our language. "Pecking order," "cooped up" , "rule the roost," "brooding," "flew the coop," "don't count your chickens until they hatch," "don't be a chicken'" -- I would argue with only the last one. Chickens are indeed vulnerable, but utterly dignified.

When you get a chance to watch these fun creatures, the idea of thousands of chickens with their beaks cut off crammed in little cages piled on top of each other, suffering, becomes even more disgusting. Actually, embarrassing. Doesn't show a lot of dignity for the human race. Unfortunately, chicken consumption continues to increase as people erroneously believe that it's a healthier, lower-cholesterol alternative to red meat. I'm going to be taking up this issue in a light-hearted, non-threatening way in a future episode of Miyoko's Kitchen where Snookie will co-star.

If you're a vegan like me, you probably won't have a lot of use for any eggs that get laid. In fact, I'm hoping you'll check out my earlier blog on my Omega 3-packed egg-free meringue made from flaxseeds. Here's an animoto of the process - gives you a 15 second idea of the steps involved. In the meantime, I continue to wonder about the politics of my feathered friends: will Snookie continue to rule? Or will Linda manage to oust her? I better go find out.

Intensely Cooking

2011-03-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

So, after a week of whipping up buttercremes, stacks of cake layers and tarts galore, I embarked on a week-long culinary journey with nine brave students, four of whom had gone through the baking intensive the week prior. On the first day, we tackled stocks -- not just your ordinary vegetable stock, but a chickenless chicken stock and a "seafood" stock (yes, sea vegetables are food from the sea, and hence "seafood") from which we made bouillabaisse, the famous saffron-laced French fisherman's stew. I introduced uses for ingredients such as yuba, the skin that forms on soy milk when heated, that can be transformed into "meaty" textures like vegan fish and chicken, all without using isolated soy protein or TVP. The sneak preview into my cheese book continued as we made sharp cheddar, gruyere and buffalo mozzarella, and from which we made cheddar sauce, a gruyere mornay sauce for some lovely linguini and Caprese salad (yes. in the middle of February, a local store had a great deal on organic heirloom tomatoes from Los Angeles).

What a hardy, fun group of students! Standing all day mixing, stirring, flipping, frying, steaming, baking. But a talented group they were, and turned out one beautiful dish after another. I'd like to share some of them with you -- and yes, the students made these!

Vegan Cheese Platter featuring Lemon Peppercorn Chevre, Sundried Tomato Basil Cheese, "Gruyere", and Eggplant Pate

SF Fab Cakes with Aioli and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Zen Kabobs

Savory Gateau de Crepes with Spinach, Kabocha and Duxellees

Intensely Baking

2011-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Black Forest Cake with Fluffy Vanilla Buttercrem

Did I just forget I had this blog? Sometimes I wonder and marvel at the other oh-so-prolific bloggers. The past few weeks have been indeed busy -- writing and filming episodes of Miyoko's Kitchen, teaching two week-long vegan intensive courses, working on my vegan cheese book. And then suddenly, it's been six weeks since the last post.

The intensives were fun and intense. Guess the name says it all. Not only I, but all of the students were tired at the end of each day. The first week was vegan baking. My approach is classic, so we made a lot of European-style pastries -- Black Forest Cake, Tiramisu, Gateau des Crepes. The desserts were also made without any palm oil, which has become a vegan favorite these days, but a fat I prefer to avoid not only because it is highly saturated but because the jury is still out about the environmental impact of palm plantations. Liquid oils, or sometimes even no oil, can yield fabulous results that do not fall short in flavor or appearance. One of the biggest hits was the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercreme, the base for most of our icings, which has no powdered sugar or palm margarine. The students also got a sneak peak into my vegan cheesebook (slated for publication in March 2012) when they learned to make recipes like vegan mascarpone and cream cheese, from which we made tiramisu and a rich, dense cheesecake. Here are a few more pictures to tempt you...

But I think the star of the week was my flaxseed meringue, which is an omega-3 packed mound of white fluff that can be folded into mousses and terrines and piled on top of pies, just like the stuff made from eggwhites. This is just plain fun and amazing, sort of like a science experiment. Basically, flaxseeds are simmered for 20 - 30 minutes, strained, and the resulting goop chilled. Afterwards, it whips up just like meringue. Here's a photo:

Light, fluffy, airy, and wonderful for lightening up tofu-based puddings. The only shortfall is that it doesn't hold up to heat, so you can't bake it. But I'm working on it! And just because I can't hold back, here's the recipe:

1/3 cup flaxseeds

3 cups water

Combine the water and flaxseeds in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until it is thick and gloppy looking. Strain through a sieve. You should have about ½ cup.

Allow to cool completely. This can be stored in the refrigerator for one week.

When you are ready to whip it, place the mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip on high for about 7 – 8 minutes until it resembles meringue. Fold gently into puddings, mousses, or purees to lighten and add an airy texture. If desired, you can sweeten it with a little agave or powdered sugar to taste.

Alright, now I've told you a bit about my vegan baking intensive. Tomorrow, I'll try to be a good blogger and share some experiences from the cooking intensive.

The Other Christmas Dessert

2010-12-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

It's funny how societies will adopt the tradition of another and give it a unique spin. Case in point: Japan has no tradition of Christmas, but it's probably the best season for selling cakes. What is Christmas to the Japanese? Christmas Cake. You say what? You know, Christmas Cake -- sort of like a strawberry shortcake with "Merry Christmas" written on it. Well, don't feel bad if you've never heard of it, because I hadn't either when I moved back there in 1980. When I was a little girl in Japan, Christmas seemed to be something magical and ethereal experienced only in a far-away land where everyone had blonde hair and blue eyes. By the time I moved back after college, the Tokyo marketing geniuses had managed to work Christmas, Valentines and Halloween into the otherwise lackluster Japanese calendar. And Christmas Cake was born.

Christmas trees are a whole other issue. One year, I hunted all over Tokyo to find a tree. I finally managed to find one that looked like Charlie Brown's -- a little lopsided and missing a few branches. But it served the purpose and I gladly hauled it back on the subway to my little apartment where I decorated it and baked my own Christmas Cake.

Of course, my own Christmas Cake was not a strawberry shortcake, but a Buche De Noel - a Yule log. Japan has those as well, but not vegan ones like mine. As far as desserts go, a Buche de Noel embodies the magic of Christmas more than any other cake in my mind. And they are made almost magically with just several dozen twists of your whisk; unlike Christmas Pudding (see my earlier post) which takes up to nine hours, a Buche de Noel can be baked up in less than an hour, so you still have time to make it if you want. You can just run to the store, pick up the ingredients, and make it by Christmas Eve. It's that simple. And did I mention delicious?

Flourless Buche de Noel decorated with vines, marzipan mushrooms and snow

Actually, you can make it as elaborate or as simple as you like. The simplest way is to bake the flourless chocolate layer (yes, it's gluten-free!), then fill it with a store-bought vegan whipped topping or icing, roll it up, then dust it with powdered sugar. The elaborate way would be to bake it, make and fill it with my White Chocolate Buttercreme (in my upcoming dessert book only, but I've provided an easy recipe for whipped creme from coconut milk), frost it with the Ultimate French Chocolate Buttercreme, make marzipan mushrooms, a few leaf decorations...you get the idea (it begins to sound like Christmas Pudding in epic proportions). Still doesn't take nine hours. And ever so worth it. So if you're done with your Christmas shopping and want to give it a whirl, you'll find the recipe below!

1 lb. dark or semi-sweet chocolate
28 ounces medium tofu
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Puree the tofu with the other ingredients until smooth, and then add the melted chocolate and puree again until combined well. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment, grease the sides, and pour in the mixture, smoothing well. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes until the top has formed a "skin" and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean . Allow to cool completely before filling and rolling. Flip the pan over onto a large sheet of parchment, then peel the bottom parchment (now on top) off.

The quickie method: To fill, you can just use a store-bought vegan whipped topping or make the following "Whipped Creme". To roll, cover the entire layer with your filling of choice, then carefully roll it up. It will crack, but you can cover it up with icing or sprinkle with powdered sugar. The cracks actually make it look more log-like. You can cut a slice off diagonally from the end and then add it to the side to make a branch as well. Dust the whole thing with powdered sugar to replicate snow, and be done with it. Start to finish, with time for cooling, you'll spend about an hour. Or you can ice it further with a chocolate icing (try my Ultimate French Buttercreme below!)

After filling, roll the log using the parchment as a guide.

Coconut Milk "Whipped Creme"

You need to start with chilled cans of coconut milk (and not the”lite” variety). Because I never know when I'm going to need to make one of those special occasion desserts, I always have a couple of cans of coconut milk in my refrigerator!

This is merely the methodology, not the quantity. You can make as little or as much as you want of this. To make for easy whipping, I generally use at least one can.

Chilled coconut milk (chill the cans overnight in the refrigerator)

2 teaspoons of vanilla per can of coconut milk

2 Tbs. Agave or 3 – 4 Tbs. Powdered sugar per can of coconut milk

When you open the cans of chilled coconut milk, you will see that it has solidified. Remove the solidified part with a spoon, placing in a mixing bowl. Depending on the brand or particular can, you will find that there will be more or less of the solids. This is why I usually have several cans in the refrigerator; however, I find that most cans have at least 50% solids.

With an electric mixer, whip the coconut milk solids until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and sweetener, adjusting to taste, and whip again. It will whip until it is firm enough to use in a piping bag.

Ultimate Chocolate Buttercreme

½ cup raw cashew nuts

¼ cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

12 ounces silken tofu

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs. Vanilla

1 to 2 Tbs. Brandy or rum (optional)

First, melt the chocolate. Chocolate can me melted either on the stovetop or microwave. Either way, the chocolate should never be allowed to get hot. Imagine a bar of chocolate melting on the dashboard of your car on a summer day – chocolate melts at about 80 degrees, so it never needs to feel warm or hot. You also want to make sure that the bowl you use is absolutely dry – even a drop of water can render a grainy chocolate.

To melt in a microwave: Combine the chocolates in a dry glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Remove, stir with a wooden spoon, and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Again, remove, stir, and repeat if necessary. As you stir, the chocolate will melt. Repeat this until it is completely melted.

To melt on the stove: Place the chocolates in a glass or metal bowl, or the top of a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, place the bowl over a pot with a smaller diameter that has about an inch of water in it. Bring the water to a simmer and begin to stir the chocolate with a wooden spoon. When it begins to melt, turn off the heat, and continue stirring until completely melted, making sure that it never gets hot to the touch.

Top make the Buttercreme:

In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews and water and blend until absolutely smooth and creamy. With the blender running, add the oil a little at at time, almost a drop by drop, until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add the tofu, meled chocolate, vanilla and rum or brandy, and blend again until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture, which will be warm, into a metal bowl or shallow dish and chill in the refrigerator for several hours until cold. After it has been chilled, you can whip it with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

One Quiet Weekend Before Christmas

2010-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Where there's no television, computer, or wireless connection, there is peace. And cookies.

We began the weekend with some slight trepidation. Rorie, one of our neighbors near our mountain cabin,emailed us earlier this week to let us know that it had been vandalized. Our cabin is in a little town in the Sierra called Washington, California, that still thinks it's the 1850's. George Hearst, the notorious father of William Randolph Hearst, had a claim there back in the day when Washington was a swaggering gold rush town boasting a population of 3000, with multiple brothels, saloons and hotels. Today, Washington's downtown is basically one colorful block with a general store, the original Washington Hotel that once lodged the likes of Wyatt Earp and Grover Cleveland , a saloon, a two-room school house with 8 students, and a gold store. There's also an ancient-looking stone building with bizarre, bug-eyed statues in front that houses something called the Washington Historical Society, which seems concerned with a more recent history than the gold rush -- its walls display hundreds beer bottles from the last few decades. Wander into the saloon across the street and you'll swear that time has stopped as you watch a group of scraggly men with skinny, white, three-foot beards, dressed in flannel with stained suede vests downing their whiskey. Indeed, many of the 150 or so denizens of this once prosperous town live as though it is still the glorious wild, wild West. A town where the nearest sheriff is 30 minutes away will naturally attract folks who live as they please, including ones who partake of some of what the Washington Historical Society has to offer at 8 am in the middle of town, and others who grow a certain crop on their land, and whatever disputes arise are mostly settled amongst themselves. Other citizens, members of what I call the Washington Improvement Society, would like to see certain aspects of their charming town cleaned up and would welcome a new sheriff in town, patrolling the street, thumbs in his pockets, a shiny silver star on his vest.

What everyone agrees about, however, is the beauty and wonder of the South Fork of the Yuba River, which runs through Washington. Its aqua waters, shimmering with flecks of gold under the hot, summer sun, are as clear as clear can be: in places you can see twenty feet down to the bottom. Meandering through huge granite boulders and slate outcroppings, some of which form natural water slides and tunnels, with dramatically changing scenery around each bend, The Yuba offers some of the best swimming outside of Hawaii. It is Mother Nature's Water Park.

We love it up there, and were dismayed to hear that someone had broken into our beloved place. So we left our teens at home with a friend who agreed to keep them out of trouble, and we drove up Saturday morning. We were expecting the worst, and were surprised that the exploits of the thief were not as bad as we had imagined: whoever it was had kicked open the front door and stolen some tools, motorcycle helmets, camping gear, and a flat screen TV. We had gotten the TV just a year or so back; in all our years up there, we resisted television, and only last year, had finally caved in to our teen-age daughters.

But it was not meant to be after all. After straightening out the place and fixing the door with the help of Larry, Rorie's husband, we were left to ourselves on a snowy afternoon in the quiet of our cabin, with our only company a pile of old National Geographics and Gourmet Magazine (and our dog, Chloe, who frolicked in the snow). It was, essentially, The Way Things Used to Be. No internet or wireless connection, no computer, no digital devices of any kind, and once again, no television. After flipping through old issues of Gourmet (did you know that this magazine no longer exists?), I thought I'd make cookies. I hadn't brought much food up there, except for some produce we picked up at a farm stand along the way, so I pecked through the pantry and found odd bits of things I could use. I made one kind with the dried bing cherries we had picked up at the farm stand, and another with a dark chocolate bar from the pantry. They were both scrumptious, and we filled up cookies and soy milk and were too full and relaxed to bother with dinner.

The chocolate cookies - made with ground almond, melted chocolate and some polenta -- exploded and dissolved in our mouths with their delicate crispness and crunch. After eating a few, I packed the rest to take back, but they didn't last: my husband demolished them on our ride home the next day. Oh, well. I guess our girls get enough sweets as it is.

Nobody near us to see us or hear us

No friends of relations on weekend vacations

And we won't have it known, dear

That we own a telephone, dear.

(Tea for Two)

Chocolate Almond Polenta Puffs

It might be fun to add a tablespoon of instant coffee to these to make them mocha flavor. I haven't done that yet, but don't let that stop you!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup lightly packed almond meal

½ cup polenta

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

½ cup canola oil

½ cup Sucanat or Rapadura (evaporated cane juice)

5 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, melted

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Instant coffee, optional (for mocha flavor)

Combine the almond meal with the flour, polenta and baking powder in a bowl and mix well with a whisk to distribute all ingredients. If using coffee, add with the dry ingredients. Add the oil and mix well; it will look crumbly and wet. Add the evaporated cane juice and mix to incorporate, then mix in the chocolate and vanilla and combine to form a sticky, dark dough.

With your hands, form 40 balls. Keep washing your hands so the balls don't stick. Place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment. Bake for about 10 minutes. They will feel slightly hard on top when they are ready. While warm, they will easily fall apart, so allow to cool a bit before popping one in your mouth.

What's the Pudding?

2010-11-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

Last year's Christmas Pudding (Miniature version) set aflame

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start planning what to eat for Christmas. Yes, the cookies will be baked, but what I get excited about is pudding. Good old Christmas pudding. Not just lore from A Christmas Carol, Christmas Pudding is a rich and indescribably delicious dessert ("pudding" simply means "dessert" in the British vernacular). The indescribable part refers to trying to explain it to folks who have never had it -- most people envision the dreaded fruitcake of yore when they hear that it's made from bread crumbs, raisins and other dried fruit. And then you mention the suet. Yes, lovely suet -- rendered beef fat. Mmm...yum. "No, thanks," is the usual reaction. No, no, I say imploringly, it's nothing like fruitcake, and I don't use suet. Fruitcake is baked and dry, while pudding is steamed. For hours on end - I steam mine for about nine. It takes but a few minutes to mix all of the ingredients together, but hours for all of the flavors and textures to meld into a beautifully dark and mysterious looking mass. Next, you soak it in brandy or rum, wrap it well, and let it sit for days, weeks, months, or even a year. In fact, some cooks make their pudding this year to serve at Christmas next year (talk about planning ahead). Like a fine wine or cheese, it actually improves with age.

Is it worth it? Toss some brandy on it before serving, light it with a match, and bring it to the table blazing in all of its glory -- there's really nothing like it. The flavors are truly complex, deep, sophisticated, with layers of zesty fruit, spices, brandy, all enrobed in a buttery richness.

But the nine-hour steaming ordeal deters me from making it a yearly ritual. Last year, after a several-year hiatus from pudding, I finally succumbed to the urge. When I told Kate, an English friend of mine, that I was thinking of making pudding, she immediately asked if I would make her one. I must explain here that years ago, I fell in love with the idea of pudding after reading about it in some ancient cookbook, and then set about to make a vegan version, but in truth, I have never actually tasted "the real thing." So I was a little nervous as to whether my version would fly in a British crowd, and was shocked when she reported later that it had been possibly the best pudding she had ever had. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kate asked me if I would be making pudding again this year. So I invited her over, and together, we made pudding. We even dug out remnants of last year's pudding from the depths of the pantry and nibbled away. Delicious!

But the suet. How do you get past that? Basically, any sort of saturated fat will suffice, so you can just substitute another somewhat artery-clogging, but nevertheless vegan, alternative like coconut oil, palm oil shortening, or buttery Earth Balance. I use a combination of coconut oil and Earth Balance with excellent results. And at last, the recipe.

Toss the dried fruit below with 1/4 cup rum or brandy and allow to sit for about a half-hour.

1 lb. raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup sultana raisins
1 cup other chopped dried fruit of choice - mango, pineapple, papaya, cranberries, etc.
1/4 cup rum

Meanwhile, coarsely pulverize in a food processor:

1 lb. good quality whole-grain bread

Put the bread crumbs and raisins in a large bowl along with the following seasonings:

1 tsp. salt
Grated zest of one lemon
Grated zest of one orange
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger, or 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves

In a mixer, cream together:

8 ounces saturated fat of choice: Earth Balance, coconut oil or palm oil (or a combination)
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
1/4 cup brandy or rum

Now work this fat/sugar mixture into the bread crumbs/raisin mixture using your hands, mixing everything really well. Finally, add the egg replacer:

1 Tbs. Ener-g Egg Replacer mixed with 3 Tbs. water

And mix again well. Lightly oil and then line a 2-quart ceramic pudding or glass bowl with a double layer of cheesecloth with the edges hanging over. Pack the mixture in it well. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and place in a large pot. Fill the pot with water half-way up the bowl and then cover the pot, either with a lid or with aluminum foil. Now turn the heat on to bring the water to a boil, and then turn down very low to a low simmer. Put on a good movie or go about some other business as you steam this for 5 - 9 hours. Make sure that the water doesn't run out -- I usually replenish it a couple of times. Other than that, no particular attention is required. Over the long steaming, the pudding will get darker and darker as all of the ingredients sort of melt into each other. If you're serving it right away, let it sit for an hour before inverting onto a plate. Otherwise, leave the pudding in its bowl and just cover well and store in a cool, dark place for as long as you like. As I mentioned, it improves with age, so it's best to make it at least a few days before serving. If you plan to make it way in advance, it's a good idea to baste it with a little rum or brandy every few weeks.

Now, to serve it, you'll need to steam it again for about an hour before serving. I've also microwaved it for several minutes; this works great if you are serving just slices. But to display it in all of its flaming glory, it's best to steam it the whole thing again for an hour. Then invert onto a platter, pour a few tablespoons of brandy or rum on it, light it with a match and carry it proudly to the table.

It's delicious by itself, but even better if you pass a little brandy sauce or vegan ice cream.

Kate packing the mixture into traditional pudding bowls

Pudding after 7 hours of steaming. Notice the darkening of color.

Will the Real UnTurkey Please Stand Up?

2010-11-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

For years, when I had Now and Zen Bistro, and then later when The UnTurkeys were flying out of our facility to stores nationwide, I had no time to plan my own Thanksgiving. During the restaurant days, we'd get started on our multi-course UnT-day feast weeks in advance. UnTurkey with all of the fixings - it didn't get better. One year, I even had a customer seated on a five-gallon bucket in the kitchen - he had driven up to San Francisco from Santa Barbara without reservations and didn't care where he sat as long as he had UnTurkey, so he munched happily away in the bustle and madness of the kitchen.

Now that I have the luxury of planning our Thanksgiving menu weeks in advance, I find myself approaching the holiday ever so casually. The planning part is easy -- after all, the menu, aside from a few tweaks, is pretty much the same every year. Of course, it starts with UnTurkey. One year, I thought people might like a change and I served something else. Uh-oh. In our house, tradition rules. I'm allowed a few culinary diversions, but the basics have to stay the same. Yesterday, I finally got around to making the UnTurkey, and today, I got a head start on dessert. I don't know if anyone else is as behind as I am, but there's still time to make the UnTurkey.. And here's my recipe - don't be daunted by the length - it's actually easier than you think. One thing is really important - the Light Yeast Seasoning. This easy-to-make seasoning made from nutritional yeast and herbs is a wonderful poultry flavor and broth substitute, so make a lot of it. I use it in so many recipes, not just for this. It's used in every component of the UnTurkey - in the "meat", the "skin", the gravy and the stock, so make that before you get started with anything else.

Makes one very large UnTurkey, enough to feed 12 and still have leftovers for sandwiches and UnTurkey Noodle Soup.

Light Yeast Flavoring:

1 cup good tasting nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. sage
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder

Pulverize all ingredients in a blender until powdered. Store in a jar in a cool place.

For the UnTurkey:
6 cups water
1/3 cup soy sauce
½ cup Light Yeast Flavoring

8 cups vital wheat gluten

1/2 cup garbanzo flour

Step 1 - In a large bowl, combine the water with the soy sauce and Light Yeast Flavoring, then mix in the garbanzo flour and wheat gluten, mixing well, until a soft, pliable dough is formed. If dough is too wet, add a little more wheat gluten. Form into an oblong ball and place on a greased sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until puffy and light brown.

Step 2: Transfer to a large pot and cover with water. Add to the water a half-cup of soy sauce and another half-cup of the yeast flavoring. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for an hour or more, adding more water to make sure that the gluten is covered. Make sure that it is at a simmer and not a rapid boil in order to avoid too much expansion and large air pockets. Do not discard the liquid – it will be used in the gravy and can be used as stock for UnTurkey Noodle Soup the day after Thanksgiving. When the seitan is cool enough to handle, cut a piece off the bottom to serve as the bottom of the turkey when formed, and then split it. Here's what it should look like when split down the middle. Now, you'll prepare the yuba and a mound of stuffing, upon which this will be draped.

Step 3 - The Yuba "Skin": Get your roasting pan out. Brush it with oil so that everything doesn't stick. You'll need to soak 2 - 3 sheets or rounds of yuba. Wait a minute, what's yuba, you're thinking. It's actually the skin that forms on soy milk when heated, and can be purchased either dried or frozen in Asian grocery stores. This is what forms the delectable and crispy "skin" of the UnTurkey. You can use either the dried or frozen, although the latter is better all around. If using dried yuba, soak for 5 – 10 minutes in water until soft and pliable. If using frozen, thaw and soak for only a minute or two. You'll see it transform from yellow to a milkier, lighter color. Now remove your yuba from the water and spread it out two layers in your roasting pan so that the edges go over the pan. Place in the middle the piece of UnTurkey that you cut off. If necessary, slice that in half to create a flat surface about 3 - 4 inches wide and 8 inches long.

Step 4 - Make the stuffing. Actually, you should make the dressing while the UnTurkey is cooking in the pot. You can use any recipe you like, or the one below.

Traditional Dressing:

4 Tbsp. oil
1 large oni

on, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced

1 lb. mixed mushrooms, sliced, tossed with oil and roasted in the oven

1 ½ lbs. Bread, cubed and dried in oven
1 Tbs. rubbed. sage
1 1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 1/2 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Celery seed
1 tsp. salt
2 cups UnTurkey stock

Heat the oil in a pan. Saute the onions, celery, and mushrooms briefly. They should still be crisp . Combine with the remaining ingredients, moistening with stock as desired.

Once you have the stuffing, mound it on the piece of UnTurkey that you have placed on the yuba. You'll have something that looks like this:

Step 5: Now, drape the split UnTurkey over the mound of dressing -- this is studded with succulently roasted mushrooms. You'll now have this:

Step 6: Fold the overhanging yuba over the UnTurkey as neatly as you can. If necessary, you can use drape another layer of yuba over the top. Now, you'll have to season and flavor the yuba to create a tasty "skin". Brush all over with the following mixture:

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup white wine

2 – 3 Tbs. Light Yeast Flavoring

Step 7: You're ready to bake! Or if you're not, you can wrap well and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to several months (Easter?). Otherwise, cover loosely in aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour; remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes until brown and crispy. Baste again. Now, all you need is gravy!

Gravy:

5 Tbsp. Oil
1/2 cup. flour
4 cups reserved gluten stock
2 – 3 Tbs. white wine
several dashes soy sauce
3 - 4 Tbsp. Light Yeast Flavoring

Heat the oil in saucepan. Add the flour and cook for two minutes. Add the reserved gluten stock, white wine, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. For more flavor, an additional tablespoon of the Light Yeast Flavoring may be added.

Lastly, here's a photo of a real turkey perched on my back fence -- I wonder if the flock will drop by for dinner? Happy Free the Turkey Day!

Being Busy and Productive

2010-11-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am about the most unprolific blogger out there. Sure, I write blogs in my head as I go about my business, but I have just been so busy developing other ways to promote a plant-based diet...like the TV show I've been telling everyone about. This has been an idea in my head for many years, but I've finally found a great team to help bring it to fruition. Yes, look for it soon on your local community access station and YouTube - I'll keep you posted! (Maybe I'll even start using Twitter.) The show is not just a straight cooking show on vegan foods, but has a whimsical, comic twist about all the crazy things that go on in my kitchen while yummy things are being made. In the first two episodes, veteran actor and former radio broadcaster (not to mention my acting teacher at Marin Actors Workshop), Terry McGovern, is my co-star, bringing all of his good humor-appeal to the screen. With the creative technical team of Andrew Colteaux (Director), Cheri Mathison (Editor), Rick Banghart (an Emmy nominated audio genius), and Dave Tansey (Camera and idea man), and the support of the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, the show promises to bring lots of playful fun while delivering an important message. We will be "premiering" the first episode on December 1 in San Francisco at the weekly dinners hosted by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society. Yes, I'll keep you all posted!

I'm also getting back into the swing of things and teaching more. This Sunday, November 14, I'll be offering a demo on holiday cooking for the SFVS. It's only $6, so come on down - it's from 3 - 5 at 3600 Geary Blvd. in San Francisco.

Finally, if you're looking to avoid the dark, gloomy days of February, have fun and learn something in the process, join me for a week-long intensive in vegan cooking or baking. The best thing about these courses is that they are somewhat customizable - let me know about something you'd really like to learn and I'll try to work it in!

Miyoko's Vegan Cooking and Baking Intensives

Sponsored by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society

Have fun while you Immerse yourself in the exploration of gourmet vegan cuisine or pastries. Both courses will be held in February 2011 and are limited to 10 students each, so sign up early! All classes will be held in San Anselmo, just twenty minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Baking Intensive (February 7 – 11, 2011, approx. 9:30 – 5:00):

==========

Spend a week with Miyoko exploring the art and science of gourmet vegan baking. Learn to bake everything from basic cookies and cakes to classic European-style pastries, tortes, mousses, buttercreams, toppings and icings. By the end of the week, you'll know enough to open a bakery!

Partial Syllabus:

Flours and their Alternatives, Gluten-free baking, Egg substitutes for binding and leavening,Understanding the Chemistry of Baking

Sweeteners, Oils, Dairy and Egg Alternatives – Liquid Sweeteners and Sugar, Dairy Substitutes – Tofu, Nut milks, Coconut milk, flax seeds; oils and butter replacements; egg alternatives

Cakes: Basic Vanilla and Chocolate Sponge Layers, Flourless and Gluten Free Cake layers, Black Forest Cake, Triple Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake (Gluten-free), Cheesecakes, 21 Carrot Cake, etc.

Icings, Frostings, Buttercremes, Fillings, Mousses: Vanilla Buttercreme, French Chocolate Buttercreme, Walnut Buttercreme, Coconut Milk Whipped Toppings, Oat Fondant, Ganache, Caramel Topping, French Chocolate Mousse

Pies and Tarts, Fillings and Crusts – Classic, Wholewheat, Cookie Crumb, Raw Nut Crusts, Fresh Fruit Tart, Pastry Creme (two kinds of pastry crème), puff pastry, morning breads

Cookies – Classic American-style cookies such as No Toll Chocolate Chip, and European-style shortbread and cookies

Sweet Doughs – Morning Pastries, Croissants

Tuition: $625 covers full week of classes and all materials
Early Bird Discount of $75 if you register by December 31
To Register, email Miyoko at miyokoschinner@gmail.com or call
415-336-1817

Cooking Intensive – A Classic Approach to Vegan Cuisine (February 14 - 18, approx. 9:30 - 5:00)

Do you yearn to cook classic dishes with the “Wow” factor? Do you like slow food, but want it fast? Let Miyoko share her secrets for gourmet cuisine featuring local, sustainable produce. Sauces, Soups, appetizers, “cheeses”, healthful “meaty” substitutes, as well as interesting ways to make vegetables the center of your plate, will all help arm you in feeding and entertaining everyone. This course will not only introduce you to fabulous recipes but cover the techniques behind creating great dishes everyday on your own.

Partial Syllabus:

Introduction to equipment, ingredients, basic pantry to help make your vegan kitchen efficient.

Making Meat Substitutes and Stocks: Making and Using Seitan – UnSteak, UnChicken, UnTurkey, Ground Seitan, Sausages, Truffled Seitan, Fried UnChicken, Stuffed Breast of Turkey, Bolognese Sauce

Cooking with Tofu and Yuba: Freezing, pureeing, stewing, mashing, baking, marinating, Yuba “Chikin”, Roasts

Stocks, Broths and Soups : Chickenless Chicken Stock, Mushroom Broth, using Seitan broth, basic cream soup principles, etc.

Gourmet Vegan Cheeses: Brie, Mozarella, Sharp Cheddar, Gruyere, Parmesan, Ricotta, etc.

Appetizers: Flans, Terrines and Pates, Baked Appetizers in Pastry,

Sauces: Classic Bechamel and Mornay, Reduction Sauces such as White Wine Sauce, Rich Brown Sauce, Mushroom Madeira Sauce, Pureed Vegetable Sauces, using nut creams

Vegan versions of Classic Entrees – Crepes, “Boeuf” Bourgignon, Pastas, Risottos, Paella, Farro

The Perfect Summer Starter

2010-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Summertime...and the livin' is easy. Especially if you can imagine being in Italy and feasting under a grape-covered arbor filtering the Mediterranean sun. The table would be graced with all of summer's bounty, including the signature summer salad, insalata di Carprese, made with slices of succulently ripe tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil, drizzled with just enough fragrant olive oil to make the going down even easier. Alas, these are those rare instances when even I have wished I could just have a bite of those tomatoes with the creamy cheese...

I don't know about you, but I have found few vegan cheese substitutes that truly satisfy. Daiya comes the closest for grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza, but their two flavors, cheddar and mozzarella, come only shredded, and still have that funny aftertaste. I did have a Caprese salad featuring a raw nut mozzarella at Cafe Gratitude once that was excellent, but while the cheese was delicious, it really didn't look nor have the texture of Mozzarella. Overall, my preference for vegan cheeses is for ones made of nuts, not only because of the richness and flavor, but because of the probiotic content. But aside from the cheeses at Cafe Gratitude and the all-too short-lived Roxanne', most raw nut cheeses I've experienced are all too reminiscent of incense and hippiedom. Recently, I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen in my quest to create truly divine vegan cheeses, and recently tested three varieties on unsuspecting guests-- "Gruyere," "Brie'" and "Boursin". Next on my list was buffalo mozzarella, especially at the prodding of my 14-year-old, who kept mentioning that she'd like to have some Caprese salad. In fact, she was instrumental in helping me analyze the difference between dairy cheeses and some recipes for vegan alternatives by pointing out that the real thing has a bite or sharpness, not a tangy-ness that comes from the lemon juice that is so often used in vegan cheese recipes.

What I came up with is the following. It is indeed a raw nut cheese, but the finishing touches are what make it look and taste so remarkably close to the real thing. I've served it as part of a Caprese salad now to several people and they say they can't tell the difference. Probably a real connoisseur would be able to tell, but it's pretty damn close. It works well in a panini or a sandwich with roasted vegetables and pesto. On a pizza, you'll want to add a quarter cup of oil to the mixture to help soften it - it doesn't get stretchy and gooey, but it does have that melted consistency.

Fresh Mozarrella di Buffalo a la Cashews

2 cups raw cashews, soaked for several hours in water

½ cup Rejuvelac

pinch of sea salt

½ - ¾ tsp. Xanthan gum
optional: 4 Tablespoons canola or refined coconut oil (for meltability purposes - not needed if using for Caprese salad or otherwise serving cold)

2 Tbs. Agar agar flakes

2/3 cup water

Step 1. In the morning (or the day before):

Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the Rejuvelac and salt. Blend, stopping to push down and scrape as necessary, until absolutely creamy and smooth. Add ½ teaspoon of the xanthan gum and reprocess until it thickens and looks gooey. Place in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit at room temperature for 8 – 24 hours, depending on the temperature of your room. Mozzarella has a mild flavor, so be careful not to let it sit out too long lest it develop a tang. You want it to develop some flavor and depth, but still be mild.

Step 2. In the evening or the next day:

Place the cheese back in the blender. Dissolve the agar agar flakes by mixing with the water in a small pot and bringing to a boil; allow to simmer, stirring with a whisk, for several minutes until completely dissolved. Pour the agar agar into the blender and blend until completely incorporated. To achieve a “stretchier” consistency, add an additional quarter to half teaspoon of xanthan gum.

Step 3. Forming the Balls:

Have ready a bowl filled with a quart or so of cold water and a teaspoon of salt. Using a small ice cream scooper, form little balls of the soft cheese immediately after Step 2. Drop into the water. They will harden almost instantaneously. Refrigerate for up to one week.

Not At All Fishy Tacos

2010-07-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

My husband came home, and as husbands are wont to do, announced what he'd like for dinner. "Fish tacos. Do you think you can come up with a vegetarian version?" Having been a vegetarian for most of my life, I suffer from a disadvantage when asked to recreate certain dishes - specifically, not ever having eaten it in my life. Fish tacos falls under that category, since they came into vogue long after my conversion, although the few recipes I perused enticed me with the freshness of the ingredients (other than the fish part, of course). I had recently developed a vegan version of scallops (which I have eaten in my life, many years ago) made from yuba, or the "skin" that forms on soy milk when heated (I know, that sounds really appetizing!), but decided immediately that it would be too firm as a substitute for fish. I had some odd, white, puffy-looking dried mushrooms I had procured from a Chinese grocer, and decided to try those, as well as some tofu and fresh maitake mushrooms. We decided that the maitake mushrooms were fabulous -- flaky, tender and almost "fishy" -- while the tofu was an acceptable second place. The puffy mushrooms - labeled "shiitake", although they are most definitely not -- were too chewy and well, kind of hairy in texture -- and lost out entirely. Overall, the tacos, adorned with pickled onions, a corn salsa, red cabbage, avocado and chipotle creme, were sensational. And I even managed to take a photo! Although there are several components, fear not as they all go quickly and easily. Perfect for a warm summer evening with a beer!

Start by marinating the onions. For this, you'll need the following:

1 red onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. coarse grey sea salt
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

Combine everything and let it marinate for at least a half-hour to soften the onions. The paprika gives it a wonderful smoky flavor. While the onions marinate, you should have time to make all of the other items.

You can then make the Chipotle Creme. You'll need a vegan sour creme - I make my own by draining homemade soy-cashew yogurt (meaning I place it in a colander lined with cheesecloth for several hours until nice and thick), to which I add a little lemon juice. You can also make it by pureeing silken tofu with a little salt and lemon juice, or just buy a commercial brand (of which I think there are two).

2/3 cup vegan sour creme (homemade or store bought)
3 tbs. vegan mayonnaise (Vegenaise is recommended)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped fine

1 Tbs. lime juice

1 - 3 tsp. lemon juice (if your vegan sour creme is not very sour)

1 tsp. coarse grey sea salt

Mix everything well and set aside.

Now you can make the salsa.

3 ripe tomatoes
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ear sweet corn
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 - 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 - 2 Tbs. lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp. coarse grey sea salt

You'll want to char the skins of the tomatoes. If you don't happen to have your grill fired up, you can just throw them directly over an open flame on your stove. If you have an electric stove, place them under your broiler, turning them, to blacken the skin (not all of it, just about 50% of the tomato). Now chop it all up. Cut the kernels off of the cob and combine all of the ingredients.

Okay, now we get to the red cabbage, which is really easy. You'll need about 3 - 4 cups of shredded cabbage ( a sharp knife helps). Squirt it with the juice of one lime and let it sit for a few minutes. You want to soften it a bit but not pickle it.

Have 1 - 2 avocados sliced up and ready to go.

Finally, we get to the maitake mushrooms, the star of these tacos. Plan on using about 4 ounces per person. As they are costly, you can substitute oyster mushrooms as well. Unfortunately, the unhealthy part of these tacos is that the mushrooms are deep fried - if you object to that, I offer an alternate method* that isn't quite as good but works.

Make a light batter by whisking together:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup masa harina
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
pinch of baking soda

Pour into this 1 cup of ice cold water, and mix quickly. Don't overmix. Tear the maitake into large morsels and dip into the batter, shaking off excess. Have your oil hot and ready to go -- you'll need a couple of inches of oil in a cast iron skillet or fryer. To test whether or not the oil is hot enough, drop a drop of batter into it. If it rises quickly, it's ready. Fry the mushrooms for 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown, drain on paper towels, and pile into warm tortillas with the cabbage, avocado slices, marinated onions, salsa and chipotle creme. Don't forget the beer!

* For the non-fry method, Combine all of the dry ingredients above except the baking powder. Make a mixture of 1/4 cup water with 1 Tablespoon oil, and toss your mushrooms in it to moisten. Then dip in the flour mixture, shaking off excess. Bake at 400 degrees until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.

My Love Affair with Cashew Creme

2010-06-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

In my early twenties, even as a vegetarian, I probably clogged more than a few of my arteries with the amount of heavy cream I used in my cooking. I loved rich, creamy soups, sauces and desserts, and butter and cream were staples in my fridge. In fact, dairy is perhaps the hardest thing for people to give up when they go vegan, presenting an even greater challenge than giving up meat. Usually, people make the switch from dairy to soy milk, but soy just doesn't seem to cut it - it's not rich enough and has that soy "off" taste. So what else is there?

That's where cashew creme comes to the rescue! Made in about 30 seconds in a high-speed blender, cashew creme can be used in dishes sweet to savory from desserts to soups and sauces. And while using nuts may sound like a high-calorie alternative, consider that cashew creme has about 200 calories per cup to heavy cream's 820. That's less than one-fourth of the calories of heavy cream, not to mention the total lack of cholesterol. Sure, it may not be something you want to pour over your cereal when a lower-calorie alternative (like almond, rice or soy milk) may be available, but it is unbeatable when you need that extra richness.

So how do you make it? Very easily. Start with one cup of raw, unsalted cashews (cashew pieces are fine) and place in a high-speed blender with about 3 cups of water. Blend for about 60 seconds until it is absolutely white and creamy. It can now be used in a variety of dishes, but here are two basic sauces to give you an idea of its possibilities.

Vegan Bechamel Sauce (Basic White Sauce)

Pour the Cashew Creme in a saucepan. Over medium heat, allow the creme to come to a low simmer. It will thicken beautifully on its own without the addition of flour or needing to first make a roux. Season it with salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste for a basic bechamel sauce. If desired, a clove of garlic can be added while pureeing the cashews.

Creamy Pesto Sauce

In Italy, heavy cream is frequently added to pesto sauce (typically made with lots of olive oil) to make it creamy. This sauce features cashew creme as a lower-fat and calorie alternative to olive oil to yield a similar creamy pesto sauce.

In a blender or food processor, combine and process briefly:

2 cups packed sweet basil leaves
3 - 6 cloves garlic
2 - 3 Tbs. nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbs. miso or 1 tsp. salt (the miso contributes a cheesy flavor)
2 Tbs. pine nuts, optional

Pour into this 1/2 to 1 cup Cashew Creme until the desired consistency is reached. If desired, this can be gently heated in a saucepan until warm; it will thicken slightly when heated.

Pour over pasta and enjoy.

Ah, To Rise Again

2010-04-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

As we approach Easter, I have to admit I'm not talking about anything highly spiritual here - I'm talking about rising from the floor after you've done your 300th squat. That's part of a torturous CrossFit workout called "Murph" that has you run a mile, do 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, followed by another mile run. Murph is one of the more extreme CrossFit workouts, and doing it a couple of weeks ago left me sore and miserable for five days, but it made me reflect on the fact that a little over two years ago, shortly after my 50th birthday, I couldn't do even one pull-up. In fact, like many other middle-aged people, vegan or otherwise, I was on the long but downhill approach to the Big End. I was probably in better shape than many people my age - after all, I exercised moderately and ate a fairly healthful, plant-based diet -- but after passing the half-century mark, I felt for the first time in my life that I was actually getting older. My mortality somehow felt more palpable.

Then I discovered CrossFit. No, it's not quite like discovering Christ, but since practicing it fairly diligently for two years, I do indeed feel as if I have been somewhat born again. At least I now have the sense of getting younger, which, I realize, is chronologically impossible, but biologically somewhat possible. I know, because now I can keep up with, or surpass, a lot of people in their twenties and thirties.

Getting back into an intense exercise regimen made me re-examine my diet as well. The more I worked out, the healthier I wanted to eat. It was somewhat a natural navigation for me. As a long-time vegan chef, it had been awhile since I actually examined what I was putting into my body, other than following the basic rule that it had to taste good. But suddenly I found myself gravitating to a higher concentration of veggies and fruits than ever before, leaving behind some of the richer, "fun" foods I had grown to love. The combination of the exercise and improved vegan diet for me has resulted in an energy level that I haven't had in years. Occasionally, I still get tired. But only very occasionally.

I'm not in any hurry to meet my maker. In fact, I plan to continue getting younger for a few more years. And as Easter and Spring are the time of rebirth, and at the special request of good friend and vegan shoe designer extraordinaire, Nancy Dong of Kailia Footwear, I present to you an Easter Menu with recipes. One thing to mention - Nancy lives in Italy and thus some of the recipes have an Italian flair - and admittedly, a couple of these recipes have flavor, rather than athletic performance, in mind.

Salad of Mango, Orange and Avocado
Herbal Shiitake Bisque
Manicotti or Ravioli with Creamy Cashew Ricotta
Truffled Seitan
Ultimate Chocolate Mousse

Mango, Orange and Avocado Salad

A salad that bursts with flavor.

First, marinate the onion for 1 hour or more to soften and flavor:

1 red onion, sliced as thinly as possible

½ cup sherry vinegar

½ tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. Agave nectar

Combine the vinegar, salt and agave nectar. Toss the onions in this mixture and allow to marinate for at least an hour. The onion will wilt and soften and sweeten in flavor.

For the salad:

2 ripe mangoes, preferably Manila (these are buttery and smoother in texture)

2 sweet oranges

1 head frisee or butter lettuce, washed and torn

1 avocado

½ cup Marcona almonds

Peel the mangoes and cut the flat sides off of the seed. Slice thinly. Cut the rind off of the oranges, cut in half, removing any white parts from the middle, and slice thinly. Likewise, cut the avocado in half, twist, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh and slice thinly. Combine with the frisee or lettuce and the almonds. When you are ready to serve the salad, remove the onion from the marinade and combine with the salad. Toss with the dressing below and serve immediately.

Sherry Vinaigrette:

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbs. Agave nectar

½ tsp. salt

Herbal Shiitake Bisque

A fragrant and delicate soup.

2 cups dried shiitake
1 large onion, minced
2 Tablespoons oil or broth for sauteeing
3/4 cup white wine
1 - 2 cups mushroom or vegetable stock
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. fresh chervil
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
1 Tbs. fresh tarragon
1 Tbs. fresh savory
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cup original flavor almond milk

Soak the shiitake in 5 cups of water overnight. Remove from the liquid, reserving liquid for soup. Slice off the stems, and thinly slice the caps. Heat the oil or a small quantity of broth in a pot and saute the onion, covered, until tender. Add the shiitake, soaking liquid, stock, white wine and salt, and bring to a simmer. After about 20 minutes, chop and add the fresh herbs and almond milk. Simmer gently for another 4 - 5 minutes Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Manicotti with Creamy Cashew Ricotta

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender, combine and puree until creamy:

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup water

Pour half of this in a bowl (to be used for step 2). To the remaining cream in the blender, add an additional

1 cup water

And whip until milky. Pour into a small saucepan over low heat. Add and cook until thick and creamy until it resembles a béchamel sauce:

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbs. Nutritional yeast

Salt and white pepper to taste

Step 2:

In a bowl, combine and mix well:

The reserved cashew puree from step 1

1 lb. tofu, mashed

2 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup slivered basil

A few drops lemon juice

1- 2 Tbs. Nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1 bunch chard or spinach, steamed and chopped, OR 8 oz. Sliced mushrooms, sautéed

Fill cooked manicotti or large shell pasta (or roll lasagna noodles to create tubes).

Step 3:

Prepare the Grilled Tomato Concasse or substitute a fat-free or oil-free tomato sauce.

6 – 8 large tomatoes

3 – 4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. agave or sweetener of choice

Salt and pepper

Two sprigs of rosemary

6 fresh basil leaves

Grill the tomatoes over an open flame or under a broiler, turning every minute or so, until the skins are blackened and the juices are beginning to ooze. Chop or mash the tomatoes roughly, skin and all, and place in a sauté pan with the garlic, sweetener, salt, pepper and herbs. Simmer for about 10 minutes, adjust seasoning as necessary. No oil is necessary in making this, but a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil may be added at the end for flavor if desired.

Step 4:

To assemble and bake, pour a little sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the stuffed manicotti or shells in it neatly. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top and spread evenly. Pour the cashew béchamel on top. Bake for about 30 minutes until hot and the cashew crème is golden brown in spots (like cheese).

Truffled Seitan

Meat-eaters have moaned in delight while eating this. Serve skewered as an appetizer or as filets for dinner. This makes a bunch, by the way, as you might as well make a lot when something wonderful requires a bit more work; you can freeze some of it and have it on hand for another special dinner. For an Italian Easter, serve in place of lamb, which are sweeter in the field than on our plates.

6 cups mushrooms (mixed crimini and shiitake or just crimini), roughly chopped

½ cup olive oil (or less)

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup red wine

3 – 4 cloves garlic

2 ½ cups water or stock

5 cups vital wheat gluten to make soft dough

Puree the mushrooms with the oil, soy sauce. wine and garlic in a blender until creamy. Whisk in the water or stock, then mix in the vital wheat gluten until a very soft dough appears. It will not be as firm or stretchy as bread dough, but more like biscuit dough. Divide into 5 loaves and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring to a boil a large pot of water. After baking, transfer the seitan loaves to the pot and simmer for about an hour. At this point, the seitan can be sliced and marinated overnight in the truffle marinade, or refrigerated for 2 – 3 days before marinading.

When ready to marinade, slice the loaves thinly into fillets (less than 1/4”). Marinate overnight in the following:

Truffle Marinade:

2 ½ cups red wine

1 ¼ cup mirin (sweet sake)

1 cup soy sauce

¾ cup olive oil

3 – 4 Tbs. Truffle oil

1 bulb minced garlic

Combine all ingredients. Marinate fillet of seitan overnight in this mixture. When ready to use, sear seitan on both sides in a hot, lightly oiled skillet. Skewer and serve as an appetizer or use in the exquisite Truffled Seita Rolls with Duxelles and Asparagus.

Ultimate Chocolate Mousse

I've experimented with and tasted a lot of vegan chocolate mousses over the years, but I have to say that this is the best – it is definitely one of those “I can't believe it's vegan”-type of desserts. Amazingly, it is also a cinch to make.

1 cup cashews

1 cup water

½ cup maple syrup

2 tsp. Vanilla

10 ounces dark chocolate

1 ½ – 2 cups coconut milk solids (see explanation below)

¼ cup powdered sugar (optional)

2 Tbs. Orange liquere

To make this dish, you must first refrigerate at least two cans of full-fat coconut milk overnight. This will separate and solidify the coconut cream solids from the water. Measure only the solid coconut cream. For a darker chocolate mousse, use about 1 ½ cups of coconut milk solids. For a lighter, milk-chocolate flavor, use up to 2 cups. The coconut milk solid must be chilled when using.

Meanwhile, in an electric mixer, whip the solid part of the chilled coconut milk until light and fluffy and resembles whipped cream. Add the vanilla and the optional powdered sugar and whip again. (For a truly bittersweet mousse, do not add the sugar). Add the chocolate mixture to the whipped coconut cream and fold gently but thoroughly. Mix in the orange liquere. Pour into ramekins and chill for a couple of hours until firm. If desired, top with additional whipped coconut cream. Makes about 10 servings.

Caring about Health Reform Costs

2010-01-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter used to drive me crazy with those "what if" questions, such as "What if you were stuck in a desert without food or water for several days and finally managed to return to civilization, but the only place to get food was McDonald's. Would you eat a burger?" This scenario is actually not that far removed from reality, as McDonald's can be found in the remotest places, even near deserts. But in this case, her trick question has an easy answer, as even McDonald's offers salads nowadays (albeit not great ones).

But you don't have to go to the Sahara to starve. There are deserts within our own cities where real food is simply unavailable. Visit any inner city neighborhood and you will see a wasteland of corner liquor stores and fast food joints but nowhere to buy fresh food. I have lived in a couple of such neighborhoods in my life, once as a student in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, and later, starting out married life, in the Bayview-Hunters Point area of San Francisco. This was our first home, purchased in an area we could afford. While most of our neighbors were wonderful multi-generational families who had been in the area for decades, there was a large project at the top of the street, and we went to bed each night to the relaxing sound of gunshots and screeching cars .

We shopped for food in other neighborhoods and on Saturdays at the large farmers' market. It didn't occur to me to think about the dearth of real grocery stores in the area until one of my neighbors, a young single mother who later became a San Francisco firefighter, started coming around at mealtimes to see what we were eating. She was fascinated that I cooked with so many fresh vegetables, even though her 85-year-old grandmother, who lived next door to us, grew collard greens in her back yard. She said that she couldn't afford to eat fresh vegetables, and besides, you couldn't get them in the Bayview, anyway (that's when I had a "duh" moment).

What could be cheaper than vegetables, I thought? What did she eat? Although she was in her early twenties, she was extremely overweight, as were her two children. She did eat canned vegetables, she said, because that was what they sold at the one "grocery" store in the area (I would call it more a diaper store, since they had more options for that than about anything else). But as a busy single mother, she and her kids often resorted to dining at one of the many fast food options available in the area. In fact, she said, it was cheaper to eat there than prepare meals at home. Hmmm. Something seems deeply skewed here, I thought.

A sad but remarkable statistic today is that 50% of children show early signs of heart disease by the time they are 12. Unfortunately, these numbers are higher in inner cities where healthy food options are few. Diabetes is also frighteningly high, as well as a condition called "just plain being out of shape" where kids are out of breath playing ball. Today, the big political debate is about health care reform. But what eating reform? If we thought more about what we put into our mouths, health care costs would plummet.

A wonderful woman and crusader of low-income children once asked me what I thought about the high-brow eschewing of anything not organic or locally grown. She viewed this as frivolous snobbery. Sometimes you just have to feed people who are hungry, she said. This is definitely a good point. And it may be true if you are the Red Cross and just need to get nutrients into a populace suffering from famine, like sticking an IV into a whole population. But choosing food based on the sticker price may actually be the most expensive option; underneath the sticker price lies the "hidden" costs of your food choices. You buy cheap hamburger meat or drumsticks now and pay much more for it later in medical costs when you are diagnosed with heart disease, cancer or diabetes. But not only that: that double cheeseburger is cheap because both beef and milk products are largely subsidized by your tax dollars, along with chicken, pork and other commodities that can be sold at significantly lower prices than needed to produce them, thanks to large government subsidies. And we haven't even mentioned the impact of factory farming and large-scale agriculture on the environment and climate change - another way you will end up paying. So how much is that cheap hamburger really?

I realize that intangible costs don't mean a lot when what's in your wallet is limited and you just need something to eat. We do need to overhaul the infrastructure of how food is produced and distributed in this country, to make fresh, healthful food available to everyone at affordable prices. But at some point, we have to realize that by seizing the responsibility for our health by choosing the right foods, we are going to save ourselves a lot of money in the long run. Maybe you feel your voice won't be heard in the big debate about health care reform, but your food choices will impact your own health reform. I think that's a good start.

Confessions of a Chef

2009-12-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

So...November started out on a good note. By the 11th, I had posted four blogs for the month, a record since starting in August. I even promised to post Thanksgiving recipes over the next couple of weeks. But then something happened...I got busy in the kitchen cooking and not writing. But I did do another kind of writing - actually writing down some of the recipes I had made. You see, I am one of those cooks with the terrible habit of creating things in the kitchen and not keeping a record of it. The recipe is fresh in my mind while I am making it, and I am confident that I will remember and be able to recreate it a year later. This combination of laziness and overconfidence in my ability to recollect can create problems in a professional situation like a restaurant or food production facility where someone has to make something you made but didn't bother to write down. I know I have annoyed more than my share of sous chefs and bakers with this trait.

I have done worse things, however. I have promised and sold products that didn't quite exist (yet) to national grocery chains. The concept existed, but not the actual thing. Back in the days of Now and Zen, riding on the success of the UnTurkey, I came out with UnChicken and UnRibs. I had an idea for UnSteak as well, but hadn't gotten around to developing it. That didn't stop me from getting around to selling it to major natural food distributors and buyers of stores like Whole Foods. It was a whole line and they needed all three, I told them. And then the orders started coming. My staff was terrified. How were they going to produce something that hadn't actually been invented yet? Actually, I was getting pretty scared myself. I did have a rough idea of how I wanted to make it, and so I got cranking. My production supervisor followed me around the plant writing everything down to make sure that we would know how to make it the next time around. As I pulled out ingredients, measured, mixed and reveled in the alchemy of mass food production, I kept my fingers crossed that this first batch would turn out. After all, we had to ship out in a few days.

And somehow, it did turn out. Succulent and tender, marinated in red wine and garlic, the UnSteak actually became my favorite of the three products. Of course, I don't recommend this approach for anyone going into the food business. There are logistical nightmares involved, such as packaging, which requires not only nutritional labeling but actually knowing what ingredients are in it (we were only able to pull this off at the time because the initial orders were small and we were printing our own labels--we could not have done this later in our growth when we ordered packaging by the tens of thousands). And it doesn't make your staff love you. Trust me.

Chefs often imagine dishes they want to create, doing a virtual tasting in their minds, and then delve into their kitchen to test their theories. Menus are often designed that way; you see what's available and in season, come up with a concept, then hope it all works out. More often than not, with familiar ingredients, and in smaller quantities, it does. Just don't try it for 300 cases.

Well, this wasn't what I set out to write about at all. I'm not even sure how I got on a topic I hadn't thought about for years; somehow, the blog took an unforseen fork in the road right around the third sentence. I actually had meant to write about how much I ate over Thanksgiving. But I can do that tomorrow after I eat some more leftovers.

And this month...six blogs! And maybe even a few pictures...

Tradition

2009-11-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

Around this time of year, I look forward to curling up in bed with a pen and a pad of paper where I plan out my Thanksgiving spread. Yes, the centerpiece of my table is always the UnTurkey, but the other dishes must also compete for attention. Once was a time when what graced the table of the average American home was pretty set -- in addition to the hapless bird, there were mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes dotted with marshmallows, creamed spinach, pearl onions and so on. I don't know who wrote the Thanksgiving Menu Book for Most Americans, but that's just how it was for as long as my great-grandfather's memory serves me (and he was Irish American). But then several years ago, things began to change. Chefs began coming up with the New and Improved Thanksgiving Menu Book, featuring exotic twists and turns on the old classics, including ethnic versions. Peruse any of the ever-proliferating food magazines or websites at this time of year and the options will addle your mind and leave you staring at a menu several pages long, or a blank page, unable to decide what to make at all.

I do most of my food research in my head. In other words, I curl up in bed, as I mentioned earlier, and I start to think about the flavors I want to savor and how I can turn them into actual dishes. It's a lot of fun. So I was about to start attacking This Year's Menu when I thought I'd ask my husband's opinions on a few ideas. He quipped,
"What's wrong with some of the items you always make? Pumpkin soup in the little pumpkins, the pumpkin rolls, your brussell sprouts, you know."

"But we have those every year. They're so traditional," I replied.

But of course, he was right. What's wrong with tradition once in awhile? After all, it's only once a year I make those pumpkin rolls, and carve out those little pumpkins to fill with soup, and overstuff the UnTurkey with the delectable bread stuffing that I could eat happily all week long, and pour gravy over everything...so why do I need to come up with something new, different and exotic for Thanksgiving?

And so somehow, the 2009 Thanksgiving Menu Project came to a speedy resolution.

So here are the classics from my home, rounded out with a few items that change from time to time:

The UnTurkey (for recipe, go to www.unturkey.org)
Miyoko's Traditional Bread Stuffing, Gravy and Cranberry relish
Pumpkin Chestnut Soup in Miniature Pumpkins
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (sometimes with added celery root)
Orange Maple Yams - a light and refreshing version of yams with no marshmallows!
Braised Brussel Sprouts
Pomegranite, Pear and Pine Nut Salad
Braised Cauliflower and Chanterelles
Gourds Stuffed with Almond and Kale Risotto (recipe on earlier blog)
"Scallops" of King Oyster Mushrooms
Pumpkin Rolls

And then dessert...last year I made, in addition to traditional vegan pumpkin pie, a vegan pumpkin tiramisu. This year, I've decided on pumpkin teasecake and apple-caramel pie, a couple of old standbys that just make you want more.

Over the next week, I'll be posting recipes for most of these recipes, hopefully with some photos. But now I have to start making the grocery list...

Visions of the UnBird

2009-11-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, someone in my neck of the suburban hills apparently let loose a couple of turkeys. Or so the story goes. Where they came from, no one knows, because they are not native to California, but flocks of them are now everywhere. Everywhere, as in my yard, drinking from the pool, blocking my driveway, flying away from my dog and one of my cats, Merlin, who has now learned the art of stealthily stalking a turkey 10 times his size. They roam in packs, leave sizable excrement in my courtyard, climb all over the roof, cackle and caw, and never cease to amaze me with their antics and beauty -- especially when the males are in a courting mood and display their plumage like a Japanese fan.

They have the ability of raising the ire of some folks as well. Last year, I saw one neighbor chase a flock out of his yard, threatening to reduce their population by Thanksgiving (I don't think he did). In my house, especially around this time of year, they add to the holiday ambience, providing natural decor right out my window. While, we inside, of course, dine on UnTurkey.

The UnTurkey was one of my claims to fame, a product that once sold nationwide, holding title to being, according to the natural food industry's biggest market research company, the second leading turkey alternative in the country. It's always a chuckle to tell people this, as most people wouldn't know what even the first was (Tofurkey, for god's sake). Of course, we thought it should be first -- after all, it was somewhat shaped like a turkey, stuffed with a delectable bread stuffing reminiscent of your grandma's, all enrobed in a succulent and tasty "skin" made from yuba (but maybe that's why it was second -- perhaps vegetarians didn't want to be reminded what was being replicated). After I sold Now and Zen in 2003, the UnTurkey made several more appearances at holiday time under the banner of the company that bought it, but then disappeared two years ago when the company folded.

One day, while surfing the net, I came across www.unturkey.org, a website that bemoaned its loss from the marketplace and stalwartly promised its followers to provide instructions on how to make it in their own kitchen following the recipe in my first, no-longer-in print, cookbook. I was thrilled! I didn't even care that they had plagiarized my recipe without my permission! Well, the good folks from www.unturkey.org are back again this year, posting even improvements to my original recipe, doing their bit to save a few more turkeys. So check out their site and embark on your own UnTurkey cooking adventure!

Every year, it's a struggle. Whether to make the traditional bread stuffing (so good, and only enjoyed once a year) or something unique and interesting. So I usually settle the question by making both. The same goes for the Thanksgiving centerpiece -- I guess I could get creative and put a different main entree on the table each year, but in my opinion, Thanksgiving is not the time to mess with tradition. So it's UnTurkey all the way. And would you mind passing the UnGravy?

To Soy or Not to Soy

2009-11-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

People frequentlly ask me about whether or not soy products are beneficial or harmful. Certainly, there has been much controversy about this topic in the news with seemingly conflicting studies. Some studies showing the positive impact of soy isoflavones, or phytoestrogens, in reducing menopausal symptoms, cancer risk and heart attacks, have led food companies to make health claims on their products. At the same time, other studies have indicated that soy products do exactly the opposite, that is, that their estrogenic effect can actually trigger cancer, especially in the breast and prostate.

So what is a person to believe?

Yesterday, while teaching a holiday cooking class for one of Dr. John McDougall's workshops, I had a chance to hear him talk about this very topic. Actually, I've heard snippets of his talk before, but am usually in a hurry to pack up my gear and get home. Yesterday, I decided to stick around and hear the whole thing. He went through the host of studies showing both sides of the soy study, but pointed out one important fact that the general public tends to ignore: these studies were all conducted with isolated soy proteins. In other words, they weren't feeding people or rats tofu or tempeh, but large amounts of a chemical substance made by taking soy apart, extracting and isolating one component of it. Isolated soy protein, or textured vegetable protein, is not something that grows or occurs naturally, but is a thing that is concocted in a laboratory. You can't make isolated soy protein in your kitchen, and it would be difficult to cook with it even if you could buy it. However, it's increasingly present in food products these days as the star ingredient in most meat analogs and protein bars. Because of America's obsession with "getting enough protein", this highly processed chemical has been touted as the vegetarian's answer to not withering away. But can you really call these products food?

Most scientific studies are in fact done with components of food, not food itself. Scientists are forever trying to isolate the very substance in any food that might or might not triggr a particular response. But we as human beings don't eat that way. Part of the problem in interpreting these studies is that everything is lumped together under the same umbrella called "soy foods", not distinguishing between traditional foods, such as tofu, and isolated soy protein. Some of these studies using large amounts of isolated soy proteins do indeed show some adverse results, including higher risk for cancer, reduced ovulation and sperm count, and testosterone levels. But empirical, population studies of societies that have consumed traditional soy foods for centuries would suggest that they have a positive impact on cancer, heart disease and bone health. Dr. McDougall states that actually these societies enjoy lower rates of cancer and hear disease not because of a few ounces of tofu or other soy food daily,but beacuse they have a predominantly starch-based diet. Yes, the Japanese and Chinese consume soy products almost on a daily basis, but not in any significant enough quantity to have any impact one way. In other words, tofu, tempeh, miso, natto, yuba and other traditional soy foods -- that is, soy foods that have been eaten for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, things that you can actually make in your kitchen -- are simply foods. Not a miracle or panacea. And not a poison. Simply food.

And food is what we should eat. Not isoflavones, or protein, or vitamins, or minerals, or any component of a what was once a whole food but has been taken apart and isolated in a laboratory. Here's my rule of thumb: if you can't make it in your kitchen, don't eat it. (Yes, you can make tofu in your kitchen. You may not want to bother, but you can if you want. But you couldn't make isolated soy protein in your blender even if you wanted.)

Besides, food just tastes a heck of a lot better than chemicals.

How Many Vegans Does It Take to Make a Cupcake?

2009-11-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, the answer is it depends on the cupcake. Is it a raw cupcake, made from ground almonds and dates, promising eternal youth? Or a macrobiotic on made with brown rice flour and apple juice as a sweetener, promising to be as dry in the mouth as it looks? Or a decadent concoction piled high with sugary icing, sinful enough to tempt any kid-at-heart, made from the pages of some of the popular vegan baking books today?

The many approaches to a vegan diet generally reflect the philosophy behind why the person chose to go vegan. I've heard a lot of vegans, especially young ones, say, "I don't care about eating healthy. I'm doing it for the animals." But wait. You don't eat meat because you don't want to hurt animals, but remember 1) you want to be around long enough to take care of the animals, and 2) a lot of processed vegan foods (meat substitutes made from chemical soy proteins, sugary snack bars, etc.) use more energy and resources than whole, natural, unprocessed vegan foods (things you can make in your kitchen, not a laboratory), rendering the planet less sustainable, eventually compromising the environment for both you and the animals.

But now I'm lecturing. All I really want to say is, like your grandmother, eat your vegetables. Be a vegan or vegetarian that actually eats vegetables. It's scary, but I know a lot of them that really don't. They start the day with some vegan pop tarts, go on to a Boca burger (is ketchup a vegetable?), and then have a plate of pasta with olive oil for dinner. Yesterday, I was in the produce section of Safeway and overheard a middle-age lady tell an acquaintance she ran into that she was going to go vegan the first of the year. Her acquaintance actually fit the part of the stereotypical picture the general public has of a vegan - gaunt with long, scraggly hair, sort of hunched over and unhealthy looking. I fully expected him to congratulate his friend for finallly taking the step, but he quipped, "Why are you doing THAT? I was vegan for awile and I got really sick. You have to remember what your heritage is, where you come from.   We've been eating meat and potatoes for generations - that's what people like us are supposed to eat."

At this point, I wanted to jump in and ask him what the heck he had been eating when he was a vegan. But I knew.  If he had previously eaten a meat-and-potatoes diet and simply taken away the meat, his already unhealthy diet was probably going to stay pretty unhealthy. Whether you're vegan or not, the daily fare of many people is fairly limited in variety, featuring the same staples day after day.  Variety is the spice of life, and according to the Japanese Health Ministry that recommends eating thirty different foods per day, it's also the spice of health. In other words, eat from a wide variety of foods each day, including several kinds of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fermented foods, and sea vegetables. Yes, sea vegeables, AKA seaweed.

Sea veggies are packed full of nutrients, even more so than their land counterparts, and are really not as weird as one might think. So, here I offer up instructions for something I call "Green Rice" that features a readily available variety of seaweed called wakame. I offer this as a way to get some veggies into the diet of those only-starch-eating vegans (or anyone!) as a tasty way to eat rice. It's not really a recipe, but just simple instructions that can be modified.

Green Rice

Go to an Asian grocery store and buy some wakame, a dried seaweed sold in little packets. The variety that is in little pieces (called cut wakame at times) is best. This can be reconstituted in water and will increase about ten-fold and can be added to salads, but it can also be used in a powdered form in this easy dish. Start with hot, cooked rice (short grain).  Take about a cup of the dried wakame and place it in a blender. Pulverize until powdered. You will have on about 1/4 cup now. Now, for each cup of hot rice, mix in about one tablespoon of the wakame powder and season with a little salt or soy sauce, and if desired, a drop of sesame oil. Serve. If you think about it, that 1cup of wakame you started with was equivalent to about 10 cups of fresh or reconstituted wakame, which is already more nutrient-rich than many land vegetables. If you eat one cup of green rice, that's like eating 2 1/2 cups of this very nutritious vegetable, and you won't even know it.  And please, eat your veggies!

A Change in the Seasons

2009-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we harvested a basket of tomatoes from our yard and spent the late afternoon capturing summer's flavors, to last us into the winter, in a pot of tomato sauce. Indian summer in California - the sun was out and it was still t-shirt weather. Sunday morning, we woke up to a grey sky and cool winds; autumn had snuck up on us overnight. Our jackets and boots came out for the first time in months, and we headed off to West Marin to make apple cider at our friends' Ciderfest. Ken and Amanda hold this event every year in tthe backyard of their Olema bed and breakfast. Under two monstrous apple trees, their muscular branches heavy with fruit, folks talked and laughed as they gathered apples and tossed them into the crusher. Bottles filled up quickly, but there seemed to be an endless supply of apples. We had to leave early, but not without our gallon of cider.

On our way home, I knew it was time to stuff the gourd-like squash that had been sitting on my counter for a few weeks. This year, my husband planted Zephyr squash, a highly prolific yellow and green squash with a gently-crooked neck, which is tender when picked early but turns into a gourd if left on the vine too long. While we had thrown many of the younger ones on the grill or roasted them in the oven, I had a basket of ones that were approaching gourd state and were about to be relegated to autumnal decorations.. At this point, they become almost impossible to cut, so I prebaked them until tender enough to get a knife through. I stuffed them with an almond and kale risotto, and my family all requested a repeat of the dish for Thanksgiving (hopefully, the vines will still be producing then! My husband is fairly confident that they will.). Naturally, you could use other squash as well, but the Zephyr squash with the hard-baked skin made for fun eating, and the empty shell looked like a prehistoric spoon.

Zephyr Squash Stuffed with Kale and Almond Risotto

8 Zephyr squash, about 6 - 8 inches long

2 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 cup arborio rice

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable or vegetarian chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine (optional)
6 cups chopped kale
1 tsp. rubbed sage
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a 350 degree oven, prebake the zephyr squash for about 15 minutes until you can get a knife into it. Place the squash on a cutting board, rotating to find a sided that will allow the squash to sit and not roll over. Slice off the top of the bulbous part of the squash at a diagonal and scoop out the seeds. It will look like a large spoon (even more so after you have eaten them).

While the squash are baking, you can prepare the risotto. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the oil and add the diced onions and minced garlic. Over medium-low heat, saute the onions and garlic until tender, adding a little salt to flavor. Add the dry arborio rice, and continue to saute for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add a half-cup of the stock and stir until mostly absorbed. Keep adding a half-cup of stock at a time, stirring almost constantly; this will prevent the rice from sticking and yield risotto suspended in a creamy sauce. After you have added about 2 cups of stock, add the wine, sage and kale. Continue by adding the final cup of stock in two increments, until the rice is somewhat tender but still has a hard core. Add the almond meal, stir well, and remove from heat.

Spoon this mixture into the the hollowed-out squash. Sprinkle almond slices over the risotto and return to the oven to bake for about a half-hour.

A Personal Sacrifice or a Planetary Sacrifice - You Choose

2009-10-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

Our gym hosted its first annual "CrossFit Games" last Sunday. It was pretty exciting to see participants from ages 16 to their mid-forties stretching their athletic skills to limits unknown to even themselves. Each athlete competed in three tough workouts that had them lying on the floor afterwards for longer than usual. I was saved from having to test my own limits by virtue of the requirements of parenthood, which involved driving my kids around to various activities. But I got to watch for a little and cheer my gym-mates on.

While standing on a street corner cheering during the final two-mile run, I struck up a conversation with a competitor who had already finished the race. Naturally, we discussed what it takes to be a CrossFitter. This athlete, who happened to win the overall men's category and is an amazing athlete, is in training to be a Navy Seal. Humbly, he spoke in admiration of another athlete who is totally committed, body and soul, to achieving the highest level of fitness possible for a human being -- and believe me, this person, of whom the future Navy Seal spoke, is indeed a Boy Wonder, a superhero in the making. His utter focus and dedication practically paralyze others, and have involved many sacrifices in his life.

So, how much is someone willing to sacrifice for super fitness?   Many of the athletes last Sunday would answer, "Sure, I'm willing to sacrifice doughnuts, beer, wine, cookies, chips, pasta and junk food, if it'll help me get 40 pull ups." (As I mentioned in my last blog, achieving elite fitness, according to CrossFit, involves adopting the Paleo/Zone diet, where you eat only meat, nuts and seeds, vegetables, and some fruit. No starches, sugar, alcohol, or junk food are allowed.) But do they know what else is being sacrificed?

The day before the games, I taught an "Eco-Cooking Class" to a group of ladies who, by the way, have nothing to do with CrossFit. While making penne with chard and fennel and lemon cream pie, we talked about the impact of our food choices on the environment. According to a 2006 report by the United Nations, more than 18% of greenhouse gases are produced by livestock. This is more than all of the cars, planes, ships and other modes of transportation put together.   Of course, most of this is due to factory farming, leading some to think that "sustainable" livestock management (grassfed beef, etc.) is benign. But think again. Cattle still produce methane, a pollutant whose impact on global warming is twenty-times worse than CO2.   According to the report, as meat consumption worldwide increases, the damage could double by 2050. A little nugget for thought is that the acreage needed to feed someone who consumes meat twice a day is about 7 acres; the acreage for a vegan is one.

I know most folks take global warming seriously. We recycle, drive less or drive hybrids, buy locally and do other things to minimize our personal impact. All of this is important. And believe me, I am no treehugger angel -- I recently took one of those "What's your global footprint?" tests online and discovered that even as a vegan, living in a house with solar panels and radiant heat, driving a hybrid and frequently buying clothes in consignment shops, that if everyone in the world lived like me, we would need two-and-a-half earths. My lifestyle choices are, simply put, just not good enough.

I know that I want to be as healthy and fit as I can be.   Many folks I know will sacrifice personal vices to achieve those darn pullups. But should we go as far as sacrificing the environment to achieve them? I guess that's a personal choice.

Animals Eating Animals

2009-09-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not talking about your dog or cat. I'm talking about the animals I train with at the gym. For the past couple of years, I've been involved in a regimen called CrossFit where people don't just work out, they become "elite athletes." I'm definitely fitter now at 52 than I was at 32, thanks to CrossFit and the wonderful coaches at TJ's Gym. The grueling workouts are always varied, functional, high-intensity, and performed for time. They are also named after Navy Seals and other heroes of combat. To give you an idea, a workout called "Murph" starts out with a one-mile run, followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another one-mile run. Of course, you are always timed, so you don't do 10 pull-ups, rest by the cooler for 2 minutes, then attack ten more. Some would call it self-inflicted cruel and unusual punishment, and it's not unusual for an athlete to be flat out on the floor recuperating after a workout. But oh, do you feel great after you get up off that floor!

Now, CrossFitters perform indeed like animals, but they eat like cavemen. Those athletes that buy into the whole program eschew processed food, dairy products and grains, whether whole or refined, and ascribe to the Paleo diet where they try to replicate our hunter-gatherer ancestors by eating free-range meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruits - period. As part of our workouts, we frequently run by by Cafe Gratitude, a vegan raw cuisine restaurant, and McDonalds, known to be not-so-raw or vegan. Now, a CrossFitter would probably dine at Cafe Gratitude over McDonalds, but then they would go home and have a slab of steak to get that extra protein.

Lurking in the midst of these would-be hunter-gatherers is me, the lone vegan, and several other vegetarians. CrossFit claims to have empirically-based, scientific evidence that supports the superiority of their health claims. Naturally, I am often found arguing about the benefits of a vegan diet, presenting a host of scientific, empirical evidence on the health and longevity of populations that eat a predominantly plant-based diet (often high in grains and carbohydrates). In fact, it has been my personal goal to provide empirical proof by being an example of vegan fitness. In the CrossFit world, I am practically a senior citizen, but (not trying to boast now), I can lift weights as heavy as those who are two decades younger. While I never think about where to get protein --neither do cows, deer or other herbivores -- I do think about where to get all of my greens for the day. Being vegan alone won't make one strong or healthy -- many vegans eat a diet that is no more healthy than those that eat at McDonald's. If you're a vegan who subsists on cupcakes and soy ice cream, you may not last through a CrossFit workout. My own vegan diet has changed over the years, from one based on meat substitutes and other fun, but not necessarily healthy, vegan processed foods, to one that is primarily focused on fresh, local fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

The bottom line is that we should try to eat something like our paleolithic ancestors did in that we should opt for natural, unprocessed, local foods, but we can achieve maximum health without slaying animals (besides, the domesticated animals today are nothing like the ones hunted thousands of years ago). A plant-based diet means exactly that -- eat mostly plants, in as natural a form as possible. So, have a cupcake now and then, but if you're going for maximum health and longevity, don't base your vegan diet on junk. And if you just can't resist the junk, just try incorporating more greens and fruits into your diet -- I guarantee that over time what you crave will begin to change.

And now, a recipe that both my Paleo-diet CrossFit friends and vegans alike -- not to mention everyone else in between -- can eat. This is a simple but refreshing fall salad, featuring pears, which keep falling off the tree, and the mint in my yard.

   Pear and Mint Salad:

   2 large pears, slightly tender to the touch (please don’t use overly soft ones – they should be tender but still slightly crisp)
                2 lemon cucumbers, or if unavailable, 1 regular cucumber
                1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
                2 cups roughly chopped escarole leaves (romaine or radicchio may be substituted)

                Ume Lime Vinaigrette:
                1/3 cup lime juice
                1/3 cup agave
                1 Tbs. Umeboshi paste (available at natural food or Asian grocery stores)

To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together. If you are not using a whisk, first thin the umeboshi paste with a little lime juice to make it easier to emulsify.

For the salad, the pears and cucumbers should be sliced to be a similar size. I prefer them to be fairly small, so I would generally cut them into quarters and then slice thinly. Combine all of the ingredients, except the dressing in a bowl, and then add the dressing to taste, tossing well.   Serve immediately.

The Taste of Summer

2009-09-04T18:05:00.001-07:00

My computer crashing a week ago has severely limited my time in front of a machine when I could take some extra time to post a blog. And now, as I enter the Labor Day weekend, I feel too ominously the fast fading of summer. To capture what's left, my daughters and I are headed up to our cabin by the Yuba River in the California gold country, where the water is turquoise and glistens with gold speckles. We're about to hit the road, and I want to leave behind another taste of summer, the kind that you can spoon and put in your mouth. It's a recipe that captures the essence of summer and features zucchini and basil, both of which grow prolifically in my garden. You can enjoy it either hot or cold, so be sure to make this before the season ends. The trick to capturing the flavor of zucchini is to grate and salt it first to rid it of water. Read and cook on:

1 ½ onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbs. olive oil or a little water for sauteeing
2.5 – 3 lbs. zucchini
2 tsp. salt
6 cups vegetable stock
½ cup raw cashews
½ cup packed basil leaves

Grate the zucchini with a large-hole grater and place in a colander. Mix with the salt and place colander in a sink or over a large bowl to allow zucchini to "weep" for 20 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the diced onion and garlic in olive oil or a small amount of water, covered, until tender. With both hands, squeeze the zucchini to rid it of as much liquid as possible and add to the pot with the onions. Add the stock and cashews, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until tender. Puree in a blender with the fresh basil leaves, doing this in batches if necessary and combining it all in the pot. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve. Can be served chilled as well.

Mastering the Art of Vegan French Cooking

2009-08-22T21:48:00.001-07:00

I just got back from seeing Julie & Julia. Absolutely savored it from beginning to end. (Okay, so the lobster killer scene was a bit hard for me to stomach.) Julia Child was my idol, too, and I read Mastering the Art of French Cooking from cover to cover in my cramped Tokyo apartment when I moved there after college. As a vegetarian (not yet a vegan), I couldn't make many of the dishes in the two volumes, but it didn't prevent me from melting pounds of butter for the ones I could make, or imagining how I might make a vegetarian version of bouillabaisse (which I have, by the way!). What an inspiration she was - her laughter, her humanity. In this day and age with the godlike stature to which we elevate so many chefs, her foibles remind us that anyone can learn to cook.

Hopefully vegetarian! And that's what I did for several years in my tiny Tokyo kitchen (smaller than Julie Powell's in the movie) -- cooking up vegetarian, and eventually vegan, versions of everything from Boeuf Bourguignon to Pate en Croute, a pastry-enrobed pate that was oh-so-1950's and yet oh-so-delicious. With my then-husband, I threw dinner parties every Friday night without fail, initially inviting friends, and then friends of friends, and then friends of friends of friends, until eventually, I found myself on the Japanese department store circuit teaching cooking in their food courts, developing recipes for companies and writing cooking articles. As anyone who has watched Japanese game shows knows, the Japanese love anything off-beat, and the fact that some half-American young girl was making French pastries with tofu was weird enough.

So...in tribute to Julia Child and Julie Powell, here's my version of Boeuf Bourguignon, published in my first Now and Zen Epicure (1991). And it doesn't take three hours! And don't be shocked by the non-French ingredients - they give the dish the depth and flavor needed. (I actually made a video of this, produced by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society -- will try to post it soon)

Tofu Bourguignon

1 lb. tofu, frozen for at least one week (you can freeze for up to a year)
1 1/4 cups red wine
5 Tbs. mirin (available at in larger grocery stores)
5 Tbs. soy sauce
2 - 3 Tbs. miso
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. red wine or balsamic vinegar

Thaw the tofu, then press gently between the hands to extract as much water as possible without breaking it. Slice into 3/8-inch slices, then cut so they are about an inch-square. Mix the red wine, mirin, soy sauce, miso, garlic and vinegar, and marinate the tofu squares in this for 30 minutes or more. Remove the tofu one piece at a time and squeeze lightly to extract some, but not all, of the absorbed marinade, into the bowl. If you press too hard, you will end up with a tasteless piece of tofu; if you don't press enough, the tofu will taste too "winey". Afterwards, there should be about 1 1/2 cups of marinade. If you have too much, just sprinkle some back on the tofu. Now, have ready:

1/2 cup flour
3 Tbs. oil

Dredge each piece of tofu in the flour. Heat the oil in a large saute pan and saute on both sides until brown and crispy. (One of my students on a low-fat diet told me he had good results spraying with olive oil and baking.) Remove the tofu pieces and set aside.

In the same pan, saute until tender:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Then add 12 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup peas or asparagus tips

and continue to saute until the juices from the mushrooms begin to ooze out (yes, unlike the movie, you can crowd the pan with mushrooms for this recipe!).

At this point, add the remaining red wine marinade to the mushrooms and simmer gently for ten minutes. Finally, add

2/3 cup plain soymilk (don't use vanilla, please!) mixed with
2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
the sauteed tofu pieces

Simmer for an additional 2 - 3 minutes, and then serve immediately alongside fettucine or rice.

Bon apetit!

What are you eating today?

2009-08-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is a question I think about several times a day. Certainly, not only what I eat, but what others eat -- my kids, people standing in line at the grocery store, the hard-core paleo diet athletes at my gym, people who call themselves foodies, mainstream chefs whose only interest in vegan meals is lower food costs, other vegans. For most of history, people simply ate what was locally available in their country or region. Rarely, did they question the advantages or disadvantages of one food over another, and hardly would they have imagined the possibility of adopting a diet that was entirely different from their cultural peers. Though there have been individuals and spiritual followers over the centuries who advocated certain foods as more healthful or humane, to most people, food was simply food, a necessity to serve as nourishment for both the body and soul.

Today, however, despite the current recession, we are in a historic era of riches, and dietary choices abound: you can be a raw-foodist, junk food addict, gourmand, Zoner, no or low-carber, macrobiotic, vegan, vegetarian, fishatarian, locavore, slow foodist, or a combination of the above. You can switch loyalties as well, leaving those in the group you left behind to judge you. And that is the other thing we have come to do: judge those who eat differently from us. We observe others and judge who they are by what they eat. If we eat mainly for health reasons, then we judge those whose food choices don't fall into our particular food groups. If our main interest in victuals is for the excitement they offer our tastebuds, then we pity those who just don't know a really good barbecue or foie gras or cheesecake. Or perhaps we choose our foods based on their global footprint and balk at the sight of processed, packaged foods. I am guilty on almost all fronts -- unwittingly, I shake my head when I see a mother buying soda, pop tarts and frozen meals, or an athlete on a protein-based diet unaware of the environmental impact, or a foodie who can't imagine how expansive a vegan diet can be. And then I realize how silly it all is when I think about people who don't have the luxury to ruminate over food choices at all but simply need to be fed - anything. The philosophy of food is indeed complicated, with moral, social, environmental, health, economic and other implications, the excessive pondering of which can frighten us to stop eating - period. So, while I debate these issues in my mind frequently, most of the time I simply think about what I'm really in the mood to eat, what's going to taste really good for lunch or dinner. And that is mainly what this manifesto will be about -- an exploration of the culinary possibilities of a vegan diet with a few ideas and opinions thrown in. I have long learned that the vegan police don't do a very good job of welcoming newcomers to the fold, that being judgmental does not win converts. No, I'd rather cook for you and convince you through your tastebuds. Let's sit down over some wine and savor what's on our plate. The talk can come later.

So, what are you eating today?