http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/ en Copyright 2010 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:34:45 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Isn’t it interesting how certain ingredients seem to come in and out of popularity as time goes by? There are certainly carnivorous examples of this phenomenon—think bacon or pork belly—but vegetables get the star treatment now and again too. Last winter I mentioned that squash was having its day; this winter, it seems that Brussels sprouts are the veggie du jour. I’ve had absolutely fantastic Brussels sprouts at restaurants all over New York City. Otto, Mario Batali’s casual pizzeria, is justly known for its sprouts with vin cotto, a deeply caramelized, decadently oily, and mildly yet intriguingly sweet treat. They’re so good I recently had them twice in one weekend, once on Friday, once on Sunday. But Mario has a competitor in Danny—Danny Meyer, that is, owner of Union Square Hospitality Group. When I got to visit his new Maialino restaurant, a Roman trattoria perched on picturesque Gramercy Park, I was treated to an order of Brussels sprouts, pecorino, and chestnuts. These sprouts were so outlandishly delicious, I swear they tasted just like potato chips. Restaurant chefs are on to something, since sprouts are easy to cook at home as well. Quarter them and throw them in the oven for a quick roasted treat; halve or quarter them and put them in a stir fry; or, my personal favorite, slice off the ends, peel apart the leaves, and sauté them like winter greens. Watch as they get appealingly and irresistibly caramelized, then pop them in your mouth while they’re still warm. While bacon is a classical pairing with Brussels sprouts, I find them incredibly tasty with hard cheeses like parmesan or even just a bit of oil and a sprinkling of salt. So next time you see Brussels sprouts either in a restaurant or in your local grocery store, give them a chance—they’ll be a far cry from the overcooked steamed specimens you might remember from childhood. Here’s to the ingredient of the moment, and here’s to next season’s star, whatever that may be… http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2010/02/brussels_sprouts.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2010/02/brussels_sprouts.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:34:45 +0000 Now and again I get mails from people annoyed/slighted/surprised that a veggie restaurant doesn’t cater sufficiently for vegans, if at all. My personal opinion is that veggie restaurants that don’t cater for vegans are missing a trick. Vegans are really easy to cater for: when I ran a café with my sister, we made sure that most of our veggie dishes were suitable for vegans. As a vegetarian, I love vegan food and probably cook a vegan meal for my family two to three times a week. I don’t like cheese or eggs with everything. When I eat out, I worry about the provenance of the cheese and the eggs anyway, so I’ll always choose the vegan option if there is one. However, vegetarian restaurants are at liberty to run their places as they please. If you are vegan, it makes sense to check with the place beforehand. You might then avoid the veggie lasagne or jacket potato with cheese that the rest of us have to put up with. If you do find a place with great vegan options, please don’t keep it to yourself – put the place on the site if it’s not there already and post a review. Then we can all benefit. http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/12/should_veggie_restaurants_cate.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/12/should_veggie_restaurants_cate.html Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:07:40 +0000 One of the best things about the change of seasons is that NYC restaurant menus subtly shift from incorporating last season’s ingredients to featuring the bounty of the months to come. As I reflect back to this past summer, I remember how chock-full menus were of salads featuring summery ingredients: a particularly memorable peach-and-frisee concoction at Perry Street; a watermelon, ricotta salata, and arugula medley at 24 Prince. But with the coming of crisp air, shorter days, and turtlenecks comes a whole new wave of restaurant delights to look forward to. This fall, I’m eager to see what restaurants will do with the winter squashes that featured so prominently last fall and winter. Moreover, this year I’m especially excited for mushrooms in all their glory. Recently, I’ve had some particularly delicious mushroom-centric plates—a sauteed mushroom and arugula salad at Riposo 46; a genius wok-stirred maitake mushroom masterpiece at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts—and I get the sense that mushrooms will be the next umami powerhouse to become ubiquitous on menus across town. But the greatest thing about NYC as a restaurant town is that, ultimately, I haven’t a clue what fall will bring. Perhaps it will be savory uses of the dozens of varieties of apples grown nearby; perhaps it will be a resurgence of healthy leafy greens like kale and swiss chard. The possibilities are endless, and I’m looking forward to discovering how chefs around town interpret fall in New York. How about you? What are you most looking forward to with the arrival of autumn? http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/11/the_fall.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/11/the_fall.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:08:33 +0000 I've tried various methods for making vegan soft cheese but recently tried this one and it really work well.....so I thought I'd pass it on. It's easy but you need to start the preparation 36 hours before you want it! Line a mixing bowl with a thin tea towel and pour in a tub of soya yoghurt. Add a pinch of salt and mix in. Gather the tea towel together and tie it loosely to form a bag then hang this up to allow the liquid to fall into the bowl. Leave it for 24-36 hours. Open up the tea towel and spoon the yoghurt cheese into a shallow serving dish to give a depth of around 2cm. Put the dish in the fridge until required. I topped the lebneh (Turkish yog cheese) with a mix of parsley, olive oil, zest of a lemon, a crushed garlic clove and some pine nuts and pistachio. Delicious served with crusty bread and a simple tomato salad. I reckon there are loads of ways to use this cheese - it handles just like Philadelphia so could replace this in any recipe. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who tries something creative with it...... http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/11/soya_lebneh_yoghurt_cheese.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/11/soya_lebneh_yoghurt_cheese.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:37:43 +0000 The Barn and Sandra and I thought we’d get away before the glorious weather faded. We decided to travel by our trusty tandem ‘Daisy’ to La Maison du Vert in Normandy. And what a good choice that was. Apart from the rather rude awakening on the ferry to Caen at 4.45am the ride was fantastic. Normandy is beautiful and on a bike you really get a chance to savour the sights, sounds and smells of an area. It was also pretty flat! We arrived at Debbie and Daniel’s place mid afternoon to be greeted with a glass of organic local cider and a (we thought) well earned slump in a garden swing seat. Bliss….. It just got better and better from there on in. La Maison du Vert is a haven for veggies and vegans in France – wonderful food and a beautiful garden to laze in. Daniel labours away in the veg area and they are almost self sufficient in vegetables. With my interest in local food this was an unexpected delight. We were also able to do lots of really interesting walks around and about the Hotel. We reluctantly said goodbye after three nights but found our way back to Caen was even better than the outward journey – 20km along a disused railway track and through villages and lanes that we had all to ourselves. We sat on the beach at Ouistreham and watched the sun set before whiling away a couple of hours before the ferry got in. It was a truly enjoyable experience. ]]> http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/09/what_i_did_on_my_holidays.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/09/what_i_did_on_my_holidays.html Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:27:47 +0000 More and more, I’ve found myself going to wine bars, not only for an evening drink but for my evening meal as well. In the past, whenever I’ve been to a wine bar late in the evening, I’ve frequently noticed their menus and wished I hadn’t yet eaten dinner. Often chock-full of tasty, shareable vegetarian bites, wine bar menus can offer high-quality, reasonably priced meals for a vegetarian in search of something other than pasta. Consider Riposo 46, one of my favorite wine bars in New York City, conveniently located a couple of blocks away from my apartment in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. In addition to a convivial, friendly atmosphere and several good wines by the glass, Riposo 46 has a delicious, vegetarian-friendly menu. From tiny snacks like marinated olives to sumptuous cheese plates piled high with condiments (grapes, jellies, stewed figs, and much more), I’ve had several enviable meals for reasonable prices there. And I haven’t even yet tackled their creative salads and veggie-topped flatbreads, which are always enticing when I’m there. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I found similar success at a wine bar/restaurant called Proof. Wine-friendly bites like a beet and aged goat cheese salad, a shaved asparagus and parmesan salad, salt-studded flatbread, and a generous bowl of mixed olives made for a memorable meal (set off expertly by their tasty wines, of course). So the next time you’re searching for an inexpensive destination with options for vegetarians and carnivores alike, give a wine bar a try. You might be surprised at what you find there. http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/09/wine_bars.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/09/wine_bars.html Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:46:55 +0000 first programme on the BBC iPlayer ]]> http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/the_future_of_food_changes_to.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/the_future_of_food_changes_to.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:12:45 +0000 I was elected Chair of New Forest Transition around a year ago. Although the whole ethos of Transition is very much non-hierarchical I thought I might be able to bring to bear a little influence when it came to discussions about diet. The intimate connections we, as vegans, know about between the meat/dairy industry and environmental destruction are not so well known to mainstream omnivores. Alas, in common with many other veggies/vegans in the Transition movement I was sadly mistaken! I drafted a set of suggested guidelines for how we should run meetings which included that where food was provided (we often meet at either the local authority or the National Park offices) it should be veggie or, preferably, vegan. The guidelines were accepted without murmur but then, as far as that bit was concerned, pretty much ignored. My choice of not eating animal products was largely seen as a bit of a joke. Ho hum. So I was wonderfully surprised the other day, when I went to a meeting organised by one of the New Forest villages, to hear the speaker talking about the need to cut down our meat and dairy consumption. My surprise became even greater when one or two comments from the audience echoed this thought. Surprise turned to borderline incredulity when the audience members identified themselves as Beef Farmers!! The speaker was none other that Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association. We had all gathered to watch Rebecca Hosking's magnificent film 'A Farm For The Future'. This film makes the dire position of British farming abundantly clear and I would commend everyone to watch it if they can. I have it still my DVD hard drive and can dub off copies for anyone if they send me a blank DVD and an SAE. Maybe, just maybe things are moving on and those of us who have seen the light already might be joined by many more in the months and years to come. -- Richard Barnett The Barn 112 Lyndhurst Road Ashurst Hampshire SO40 7AU 023 8029 2531 07791 990351 "If you want to travel fast go alone, if you want to travel far go together" - African Proverb http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/transition_and_meat_eating.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/transition_and_meat_eating.html Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:38:29 +0000 This week I visited a vegetarian restaurant I’ve been meaning to go to for a while. Actually, I haven’t every truly wanted to go, and I’ve been feeling guilty about not going for a while. But I dutifully corralled a friend and checked it out, and lo and behold, I left vaguely disappointed. It started me thinking about why I tend to enjoy non-veggie restaurants more than vegan or vegetarian places. As I left the restaurant feeling slightly sick, despite having had only a salad and a couple bites of my dining companion’s risotto, I realized that that’s one of the reasons why I tend to eschew veggie restaurants: I usually don’t feel so great when I leave. Perhaps it’s the unfamiliar ingredients, perhaps it’s the elaborate preparations, but I actually think it’s because food at vegetarian restaurants tends to be so darn heavy. It’s as though many vegetarian chefs try to overcompensate for the lack of meat in a dish by making their food “hearty”—perhaps TOO hearty—in other ways. And so as those three bites of risotto sat like a rock in my stomach, I realized that’s why I tend to prefer non-vegetarian restaurants: their food is often much “cleaner,” lighter, and more enjoyable for me. I realize that not all veggie places operate this way and that there are plenty of delicious vegetarian restaurants out there. I also realize that if you’re a vegetarian craving truly hearty food, a veggie restaurant may be right up your alley. But it may be helpful to keep in mind that meatless dishes at non-vegetarian restaurants can, at times, be superior to what you’d find on an all-vegetarian menu, simply because the chef doesn’t feel he or she has to compensate for lack of meat. At the very least, it’s something to think about. http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/vegetarian_vs_nonvegetarian_re.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/vegetarian_vs_nonvegetarian_re.html Fri, 22 May 2009 06:50:52 +0000 here 13 Breathtaking Effects of Cutting Back on Meat *By Kathy Freston www.alternet.org/authors/8188, AlterNet Posted April 22, 2009 The meat industry contributes to land degradation, climate change, air pollution, water shortage and pollution, and loss of biodiversity. My first post on the effect of eating meat on the environment provoked quite a bit of discussion, so in honor of Earth Day, I thought I should follow up with more information about how our natural resources (e.g., air, water, and soil) are depleted and devastated by animal agriculture. Of course, Earth Day is also a good time to remember that animal agriculture only exists at astronomical levels because people are purchasing vast quantities of chicken, beef, pork, and fish. The market for meat (i.e., we, the consumers) drives the depletion and destruction. 1. Excrement produced by chickens, pigs, and other farm animals: 16.6 billion tons per year -- more than a million pounds per second (that's 60 times as much as is produced by the world's human population -- farmed animals produce more waste in one day than the U.S. human population produces in 3 years). This excrement is a major cause of air and water pollution. According to the United Nations: "The livestock sector is... the largest sectoral source of water pollution, contributing to eutrophication, 'dead' zones in coastal areas, degradation of coral reefs, human health problems, emergence of antibiotic resistance and many others." 2. Water used for farmed animals and irrigating feed crops: 240 trillion gallons per year -- 7.5 million gallons per second (that's enough for every human to take 8 showers a day, or as much as is used by Europe, Africa, and South America combined). According to the UN: "[t]he water used by the sector exceeds 8 percent of the global human water use." As just one example, "[O]n average 990 litres of water are required to produce one litre of milk." So drinking milk instead of tap water requires almost 1,000 times as much water. 3. Emissions of greenhouse gases from raising animals for food: The equivalent of 7.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the UN report. Concludes the UN: "The livestock sector is... responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions." That's about 40 percent more than all the cars, trucks, planes, trains, and ships in the world combined (transport is 13%). And "The sector emits 37% of anthropogenic methane (with 23 times the global warming potential-or GWP-of CO2)... It emits 65% of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (with 296 times the GWP of CO2). These figures are based on the power of these gases over 100 years; in fact, over 20 years-a more important timeframe for dealing with global warming-methane and nitrous oxide are 72 times and 289 times more warming than CO2. And Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC (which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore) has been saying that the 18% figure is probably an underestimate. 4. It takes more than 11 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie of animal protein as it does to make one calorie of plant protein. 5. Soil erosion due to growing livestock feed: 40 billion tons per year (or 6 tons/year for every human being on the planet-of course if you don't eat meat, none of this is attributed to you; if you're in the U.S. where we eat lots more meat than most of the world, your contribution is many times greater than 6 tons/year). About 60% of soil that is washed away ends up in rivers, streams and lakes, making waterways more prone to flooding and to contamination from soil's fertilizers and pesticides. Erosion increases the amount of dust carried by wind, polluting the air and carrying infection and disease. 6. Land used to raise animals for food: 10 billion acres. According to the UN: "In all, livestock production accounts for 70 percent of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of the planet." And "70 percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feedcrops cover a large part of the remainder." And "About 20 percent of the world's pastures and rangelands, with 73 percent of rangelands in dry areas, have been degraded to some extent, mostly through overgrazing, compaction and erosion created by livestock action." 7. According to the UN, animal agriculture is a leading case of water pollution. The main water pollutants in the US are sediments and nutrients. Animal agriculture is responsible for 55 percent of the erosion that causes sedimentation, and for a third of the main nutrient pollutants, nitrogen and phosphorous. On top of that, animal agriculture is the source of more than a third of the United States' water pollution from pesticides, and half of its water pollution from antibiotics. 8. Livestock are also responsible for almost two-thirds of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems. 9. Grain and corn raised for livestock feed that could otherwise feed people, according to the UN: 836 million tons per year (note that the more commonly used figure, 758 million tons, is metric). That's more than 7 times the amount used for biofuels and is much more than enough to adequately feed the 1.4 billion humans who are living in dire poverty, and the number doesn't even include the fact that almost all of the global soy crop (about 240 million tons of soy) is also fed to chickens, pigs, and other farmed animals. 10. An American saves more global warming pollution by going vegan than by switching their car to a hybrid Prius. 11. Razing the Amazon rainforest for pasture and feed crops: 5 million acres of Amazon per year. Former Amazon rainforest converted to raising animals for food since 1970 is more than 90% of all Amazon deforestation since 1970. 12. According to the UN: "Indeed, the livestock sector may well be the leading player in the reduction of biodiversity..." And "livestock now account for about 20 percent of the total terrestrial animal biomass, and the 30 percent of the earth's land surface that they now pre-empt was once habitat for wildlife." And "Conservation International has identified 35 global hotspots for biodiversity, characterized by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious levels of habitat loss. Of these, 23 are reported to be affected by livestock production. An analysis of the authoritative World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species shows that most of the world's threatened species are suffering habitat loss where livestock are a factor." 13. United Nations scientists, in their 408-page indictment of the meat industry, sum up these statistics, pointing out that the meat industry is "one of the ... most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global," including "problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity." Perhaps it's time to explore vegetarianism. Click here for tips. Happy Eating! ]]> http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/the_case_for_vegetarianism.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/the_case_for_vegetarianism.html Thu, 21 May 2009 08:35:10 +0000 Breakfast. It’s supposed to be the most important meal of the day; something to be savored, something that will perk you up, something that will leave your palate and your stomach satisfied until lunch time. Maybe, though, you’re like me. You hate making breakfast. You don’t want to wake up in the morning and spend time cooking and then eating your morning meal before you have to run (maybe you’re like me and you don’t want to wake up in the morning, period). That makes breakfast something that’s best enjoyed when someone else makes it for you! Unfortunately for most people, that is an all too infrequent occurrence. However, with a little forethought, you can turn into one of those “healthy breakfast eaters” and save your sanity, and your sleep time, in the morning! Smoothies Smoothies are a quick way to pack in lots of nutrition in the morning, particularly if you like to eat fruits or leafy greens (and you should). It’s nice to be able to throw everything into a blender and even nicer to be able to take a smoothie on the road. I’ve got a few different smoothies that I use in the morning. One is for sustained energy, one is a workout smoothie, and one is a green smoothie. I usually focus on the first two since I prefer to eat my greens in a salad and, to be honest, green smoothies always scared me. However, I have found a few that I can bring myself to call good and I’m going to share one of them with you. Granola Mixes Another fast way to get a good breakfast is from granola, but I’m not talking about the kind you just pick up in the store and pop in your mouth. That’s cheating! What I’m going to show you is how to make your own granola mixes in just a few minutes. Once you’ve made your mix, put it in a bowl and eat it then or take it with you on the road for later. To make your own granola mix and keep it interesting, you will need the following, all stored in separate containers: The Base Baked and sweetened oats – this is a basic granola that can be purchased from the bulk bins in many health food markets, Whole Foods, and Sprouts (see recipe below if you want to make your own) Fruits Dried raisins Dried cherries Dried apricots, chopped Chopped dates Dried blueberries Dried mango slices, chopped Dried banana slices, chopped Dried coconut Nuts and Seeds Raw pepitas Raw sunflower seeds Chopped raw almonds Chopped smoked almonds Chopped Brazil nuts Chopped walnuts Toasted sesame seeds Spices Ground cardamom Ground cinnamon Cracked pepper Chipotle flakes Ground cloves Ground allspice That’s a lot of containers, but if you fall in love with granola for breakfast, it will be worth the space and time it takes to place each ingredient in a container and label it. Purchase small quantities so you can store them in small containers and not overwhelm your kitchen with granola ingredients. To make the granola, take one cup of The Base. Choose two dried fruits and add a tbsp. of each. Add 1 tbsp. of seeds or 2 tbsp. of chopped nuts. If you use any of the spices, choose one until you become familiar with their flavors and feel comfortable mixing them. Add in ¼ tsp. of any of the spices except the cloves and allspice, which should only be added in 1/8 tsp. quantities. If you mix the spices, try to keep the spice mix at no more than ¼ tsp. per cup of the base so the granola does not get overwhelmed or taste powdery. Mix your choices together and eat it right away or store it and take it with you! Keeping all these ingredients around and separated will allow you to make a different granola combination for at least a month, keeping your breakfast healthy and interesting. Fruit and Nuts This seems like an obvious breakfast solution, but so many people with whom I speak look at me like I’m a bit crazy when I tell them my typical breakfast is a banana, an orange, and a small handful of Brazil nuts. When mangoes come in season, it’s usually a banana and mango instead of a banana and orange. Don’t pass up eating fresh fruits and nuts in the morning just because it’s a simple idea! Prepping the Night Before Many people don’t mind cooking at night, they just don’t want to wake up early to cook in the morning if it’s going to take more than a few minutes. One way around this is to do most of the preparation at night and leave the last remaining bit of a recipe for the morning. For example, if you want pancakes in the morning, you can make the batter at night and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. Once you’re ready for breakfast, you only need to griddle the batter into cakes and you’ve got a five minute breakfast. The same goes with waffles and even crepes. Just prepare the filling at night and again, store it covered in the refrigerator. Jason’s Super Workout Smoothie 4-5 dates 3 tbsp. of raw peanut butter 1 tbsp. of cacao nibs Option: 1 tbsp. of hemp protein 1 banana, peeled 2 cups of raw almond milk or hemp milk Place the dates, then the peanut butter, then the cacao nibs, then the hemp protein, then the banana, and then the almond milk in the blender and blend on a medium speed until everything is smooth. Jason’s Favorite Granola Mix 1 cup of The Base Chopped dates Dried raisins Raw pepitas Chopped smoked almonds Chipotle flakes Homemade Granola Recipe 4 cups of rolled oats (do not use quick oats) ½ tsp. of salt ¼ cup of agave nectar or maple syrup 2 tbsp. of water Lightly coat a baking pan with oil. Warm the salt, agave nectar, and water until it just starts to simmer. Pour this over the oats and stir them quickly so the sauce is evenly distributed. Allow this to sit for about five minutes. Gently press the oats into small clumps and place those on the baking sheet. Bake the oats at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes. The Green One 1 cup of kale leaves 1 cup of watercress 2 green apples, cored 1 cup of blueberries 1 cup of raspberries Option: 1 tbsp. of matcha green tea powder 2 cups of almond milk Jason’s Favorite Smoothie for sustained energy 2 bananas, peeled 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk 1 tbsp. of sweet agave nectar Either ¼ cup of crushed ice or ¼ cup of frozen black raspberries (usually purchased from Trader Joe’s) Put the ice or raspberries on the bottom of the blender, followed by the bananas, then the sweet agave nectar, and then the almond milk. Blend these on a medium speed for about 30 seconds (until pureed). I generally put the ingredients in this order because the ice/raspberries get blended best this way. Place the kale, then the watercress, then the apples, and then the berries in the blender. If you are using the green tea powder, place this in next. Finish the smoothie off with the almond milk and blend everything until it is smooth. ]]> http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/04/breakfast_in_five.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/04/breakfast_in_five.html Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:27:06 +0000 Most New Yorkers agree that one of the best things about NYC is the fact that any hungry resident or visitor can get pretty much any type of food he’d like any time the craving strikes. And it’s true—whether you’re craving Lebanese or Thai, Korean or Israeli, New York has an authentic restaurant to satisfy your yen. While I like to take advantage of this extraordinary breadth of offerings by trying out new restaurants and new styles of cuisine as often as I can, one of my favorite ways to make the most of New York is by focusing on one dish and attempting to find the best example the city has to offer. Most recently, my dish has been vegetable dumplings. I’ve had an insatiable craving of late, and I’ve made it my mission to locate New York City’s best veggie dumplings. I’ve had soft, pillowy parcels at Chiam in Midtown East; half-moon-shaped packets at Heng 2 Thai Bistro in Hell’s Kitchen; and pan-fried jade morsels at Ging on the Upper East Side. And while each was tasty in its own way, I don’t feel I’ve yet encountered the absolute pinnacle of veggie-dumpling-dom. Soon, I may venture to Chinatown to see what Canal Street has to offer. So the next time you’re in NYC (or try it now if you happen to live in a place with a wide enough selection of restaurants), pick your favorite food or your latest craving and try to find the best version you can. Whether that’s pizza, tacos, sushi, or cupcakes, I promise your search for the best will be a most rewarding journey. http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/04/veggie_dumplings.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/04/veggie_dumplings.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:08:48 +0000 www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2007/08/campaigning_with_the_brakes_on.html The issue I have with the Food Chain campaign is that even with all the information now out in the open there is no mention of suggesting a reduction in people’s meat and dairy intake. They do want to get schools to change their menus and provide ‘less but better quality meat and dairy’ but what they want me as a supporter to do is send them money to campaign for a shift in subsidies away from factory farms and to support small-scale farming in the UK to develop home grown feeds. To me this is only half the solution. If meat and dairy is to be produced on a less than industrial scale the output will not feed the insatiable appetite of carnivorous diners. The same UN report called for radical action to reduce consumption so why does the FoE continue to fail to grasp the nettle. It only strengthens my view that the ‘right’ to eat as much meat as you want is the greatest barrier of all as we look urgently for ways to reduce carbon emissions. FoE – you still have the brakes on as far as I am concerned. ]]> http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/03/cutting_down_on_meat_and_dairy.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/03/cutting_down_on_meat_and_dairy.html Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:06:38 +0000 Dear Reader , When you go to a restaurant and order from the menu, you should understand the thought process behind every dish you order. This write-up is all about backstage of the end product called menu. Menu planning and compilation is one of the interesting jobs for a chef. It asks for a lot of dedication, study, research and visualization. I was always skeptical about whether my guests will accept the ideas and innovations which I want to show them. Moreover it’s always a challenge to introduce a foreign menu in a stand-alone restaurant in the city. When I say foreign menu I meant which is not Indian. One side we need to keep the Indian palate happy at the same time chef’s capability and ideas to be explored as well. How will you do two things together? Thankfully people of Bangalore know about the food especially those who are diners and patrons of restaurants. The Second important bubble in the menu is vegetarian option .Again not an easy one. One really needs to crack his head to get the right dish. Usual format of the menu is Appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, pizza, main course Veg and non Veg, dessert, tea and coffee. And I followed the same. The above format was for lunch and dinner. Addition to the lunch menu was the sandwich /burger menu. And separate lounge all day starters menu. Altogether I put 50 dishes in the menu out of those 27 vegetarian dishes from the appetizer to the dessert. And in the lounge menu 12 starter are vegetarian out of 21. Another aspect of Menu Planning is the supplies and commodities. Suppliers and distributors in the locality, who can arrange the ingredients as per your requirements in quantity and quality. The entire menu depends on the suppliers you have in your market. But to get some French, Italian, Lebanese or Greek ingredients one need to import it and it is really expensive Then the question of food cost comes into the picture. So for now all the data required is been collected and thought process begins. A First draft of menu is made. In this draft a lot of discrepancies are there like combination of sauces, selection of different meat items, availability of commodities etc. A second draft of menu then made rectifying the earlier mistakes and then came the Final draft before printing. Menu trials – This is the time when I get the result of my thoughts. Every dish was be made and was tasted by a group of people whom you think can judge best. And then we get to know about the apprehensions and aptness of the food. Well this thing went on for almost 15 days and every single dish was made twice thrice and maybe more than that to train the staff as well. Some of the menu items are from my experiences, in which I learnt and confident about, some of them are those whose base is very common but end product is different and some of them are absolutely new in trend and taste and are called signature dish. The challenge for a chef is to convince people about its taste .So it justifies the number of trials. I am sure by this time you would have got an idea of what chefs do in kitchen before you get to know about the place and food. http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/03/menu_planning.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/03/menu_planning.html Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:31:13 +0000 In my humble opinion, one of the greatest things about eating vegetarian food is that you’re not often left uncomfortably full at the end of a meal—which means there’s always room for dessert! I have a raging sweet tooth, and I love traveling around New York discovering the best desserts the city has to offer. Sometimes, those desserts are found in restaurants. I’ve had a scrumptious olive oil cake at Bar Stuzzichini and an ethereal maple panna cotta at Mia Dona. The giant chocolate mousse-stuffed fortune cookie at Tao is a meal in itself, and the gelato at Otto is worth going out of your way for. Most good restaurants in New York have dedicated pastry chefs, and the quality of the sweets you find in places around town is incredibly high. But if you’re not in the mood for a fancy plated dessert, or if you’re simply not in a restaurant at all, the city’s innumerable delicious bakeries offer another option. My favorite cupcakery is Billy’s Bakery, which offers incredible banana cake, carrot cake, and classic cupcakes. If you’re in the mood for something French, try the mini fruit tart at Ceci-Cela—you won’t be disappointed. Or grab a chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery, a cookie so massive and rich few people can tackle the whole thing at once. If you’re vegan, try the sweets at Babycakes—you won’t miss the dairy and eggs one bit. While the dessert course is not exclusively the privilege of vegetarians, I find that since I tend to eat lighter than my carnivorous friends, I’m almost always up for a sweet treat after dinner. And I just happen to live in a city where there are delectable sweet treats on nearly every corner. How lucky am I? http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/02/desserts.html http://www.vegetarian.co.uk/blogs/2009/02/desserts.html Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:36:18 +0000