Monthly Archives: April 2011

April 19, 2011 · 2:56 pm

JACKPOT – All Hail Kale

I feel like I hit the jackpot…let me explain.  At the moment my favorite restaurant meal is the All Hail Kale salad at Veggie Grill with grilled (not blackened) tempeh.  The other day I was craving it and thought, “Why not Google ‘All Hail Kale Veggie Grill Recipe?'”  Well, what do you know…the recipe was on the web!!!!!!  JACKPOT!!!!  It looks like preparing this salad is a bit involved, so I will still buy it when I go to Veggie Grill, but I am so excited to make it for BBQs and parties this Spring and Summer.

I found the recipe on gardenstotables.com:

Since obviously we at GardensToTables are big fans of using the plants we grow or get at the farmers’ market to their highest potential, we talked to Ray White, operating partner and “grillin’ guru” for The Veggie Grill, and he was kind enough to share the recipe for their very popular All Hail Kale. Those who’d like to experience The Veggie Grill will find four locations in Southern California – with more to open in the next few years. (Click “read more” for recipe.)

Photo of Ray White Courtesy of behindthefoodwordpress.com

I myself had never done any research into the founders of Veggie Grill, so when I saw this post I decided to Google Ray White.  I found a very interesting interview of Ray on Behind the Food.  Who knew that Ray White and Tanya Petrovna started Native Foods together???  To read the interview click here.

Without further ado, here is the recipe…

~

INGREDIENTS – serves 8

6 bunches kale
2 cups quinoa, cooked
2 cups corn salsa (recipe below)
2 cups red cabbage
8 oz walnuts
3 cups Ginger Papaya dressing

Ginger Papaya Vinaigrette (1 1/4 quarts)
1 oz fresh ginger root
1 cup lime juice
1 ½ cups fresh papaya
½ cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs. sea salt
3 cups canola oil
1 ÂĽ cups evaporated cane juice

Corn Salsa (1 quart)
8 cups Roma tomatoes
1 cup red onion
½ cup cilantro
1 cup roasted corn
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 oz. lime juice

Kale:

Remove spines from kale and chop into 1″ squares. Rinse kale in cold water and  dry. Place kale in 3″ rectangular container add dressing and Quinoa, toss thoroughly, make sure all kale is coated. Refrigerate overnight

Ginger Papaya Vinaigrette:
                   
Peel ginger root and papaya, combine with all ingredients to blender (except oil) blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle oil while continuing to blend until dressing emulsifies, add to container and refrigerate

Corn Salsa:

Chop cilantro, in large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well

Finished Kale Salad Procedure:

To prepare salad add 4 cups marinated kale to plate, swirl 2 ozs raw chopped cabbage around kale, topped with 2 ozs corn salsa, 1 oz walnuts and drizzle 2 ozs dressing topped with shredded carrot

~

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

1st photo of the All Hail Kale salad courtesy of vegan.com 

2nd photo of the All Hail Kale salad courtesy of  blogs.ocweekly.com

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Filed under Gluten Free, Raw, Recipes, Restaurants, Salad, Sauce / Spread / Jam / Yogurt, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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April 18, 2011 · 2:12 pm

MY CRAZY SEXY LIFE

I am thrilled to tell you all that today an article I wrote titled “Nutrition Intuition for Kids” was published on CrazySexyLife.com.  Crazy Sexy Life was founded by Kris Carr of “Crazy Sexy Cancer” and “Crazy Sexy Diet” fame.  She is an amazing person and a huge inspiration to me.  I am sure it doesn’t hurt that Kris also reminds me of a dear family friend, Marcia McWilliams, whom I  adore.

The publishing of this article has been in the works for quite some time now and I received word on Friday that it would be published today.  Hopefully this is the first of many more articles to be published through Crazy Sexy Life.

To read my article on Crazy Sexy Life click here.

Have a great day!  I know I will 🙂

 

Crazy Sexy Life photo courtesy of vimeo.net

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April 16, 2011 · 2:14 pm

GUEST BLOG – Gluten Free CrĂŞpes by Allyson of Manifest Vegan

Today’s Guest Blog is from Allyson Kramer of Manifest Vegan.  Manifest Vegan was named by VegNews Magazine as one of their Top 10 Picks for Veg Blogs (In their July-August 2010 issue)! 

“Manifest Vegan was created in September of 2009 to help get rid of that pesky stereotype that vegan food is un-palatable, overly digestible, and well…. limited to only tofu and salad. Although I love tofu and salad of all sorts, I aim to show you all so much more. Vegan eating is easy, and really not limiting at all.  With Manifest Vegan I want to bring inspiration into your kitchen with recipes for deliciously compassionate eats!”

A few days ago I was asked by a very sweet gal if I could make a crĂŞpe that was, of course, both vegan and gluten free.

Here’s one variation of a crêpe recipe I have been kickin’ around for a while.  It’s a touch lighter and airier than an “eggy”, glutinous crêpe; but, it is still very delicious.

This recipe works great for both sweet and savory filled crĂŞpes.

 

Gluten Free Vegan CrĂŞpes

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup potato starch
  • 1/3 cup sorghum flour
  • 3 tsp enerG egg replacer, dry (not mixed with any water)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Sift together cornstarch, potato starch, sorghum flour, enerG egg replacer powder and salt.  Stir in non-dairy milk, water, and olive oil. Whisk  for about 30 seconds until thoroughly combined.

Making crêpes is very similar to making pancakes… except one thing I have always done was refrigerate the batter before using. I actually stumbled upon this technique by accident while making my first batch of vegan crêpes, about 10 years ago. Wow, time flies, eh?  I made up a gigantic amount of batter for those crêpes, and since I was cooking them only for myself, I wound up using only a bit of it. Not being wasteful, I refrigerated the rest of the batter to use the next morning for breakfast. The crêpes the next day were 100% better than the batch the day before. They cooked up nice and golden brown and more even textured (less “holey”) than the one’s I had made the day before

Since then I have discovered that many people make crêpes this way… so I guess there’s a method to that madness.

Anyways, refrigerate your batter for at least a couple of hours (preferably overnight).  Lightly spritz with cooking oil, or smear with a touch of margarine as often as needed during the crêpe making process- if you are using non-stick pan, omit this step.

Preheat the pan over medium-high heat.

Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot pan while tilting the pan to make the batter form a circle (do this off of the heat). This part is kind of hard to explain in words, but is very easy to do. Basically you are trying to create an even and thin layer of batter as quickly as possible so that the crĂŞpe ends up thin and delicate and shaped like a circle. After all these years, I still have trouble getting them to form perfect circles every time. :\

Cook until the crêpe is lightly browned on one side and then flip. This usually takes about a minute or so. The edges will curl up nicely and you will have no problems getting a thin spatula underneath it to flip. Don’t force it though, like a pancake- they will be messy if you get impatient!

Cook the opposite side about 40 seconds to another minute, or until lightly golden brown.

Repeat until all batter is used.

Fill immediately with whatever your heart desires and wrap it all up.

Serve immediately…

I chose to saute up some shiitakes, criminis and oyster mushrooms with about 3 tsp of fresh thyme. Once the mushrooms were nice and tender I threw in about a handful of fresh baby spinach and cooked it just until it wilted. I wrapped it all up in the crĂŞpe, and- keeping with my crazy Autumn obsession- topped it with a puree of acorn squash, miso, and a few tablespoons of almond milk. Then I topped the whole thing with some sliced almonds.

My son opted to have his filled with peanut butter, sliced bananas, strawberries, and flax seed with a touch of powdered sugar sprinkled on top. I really should have gotten a photo of that, but it was gone in an instant.

Here’s another shot of my savory crêpe:

 

Honestly, I could probably stick any old thing in a crêpe and still find it palatable. I kinda have an obsession with crêpes. I seriously don’t make these things nearly as often as I should.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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April 15, 2011 · 2:00 pm

VegNews CONTROVERSY

I had plans to post a recipe from a Guest Blogger today, but sometimes the news must take precident.  Our Guest Blog from Allyson of Manifest Vegan will now run on Monday…it’s a good one.

Many of you may or may not be aware of the photo controversy concerning VegNews Magazine.  When I first heard about it I was shocked and saddened (Read the article below from Quarry Girl for further information on the issue).

VegNews has issued a response to quarrygirl.com’s investigation.  To read VegNews’s response to the controversy click here.  It is always important to hear both sides of the story.

While I understand why people are upset, I will remain a reader of VegNews.  I understand the financial constraints that they are working under and I see how hard they have worked to help further veganism, for which I am very appreciative.  I truly think that their hearts are in the right place and I believe their justification for using stock photos on occasion.  According to VegNews. it is their future goal to use exclusively vegan photos as soon as it is financially feasible. 

I want to thank quarrygirl.com for bringing this issue to light.

Please read the article below by quarrygirl.com as well as the response from VegNews (click here) and then share your views in the comment section of my post.  I’d love to know what you think.

~Gretchen

________________________________________________________________________

RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

Investigation and Article by quarrygirl.com (To learn more about quarrygirl.com click here)

April 13th, 2011

Do you like looking at pictures of meat? How about a juicy beef burger, covered in egg mayonnaise with cow fat dripping off? Perhaps some soft, meaty chunks of chicken breast in chicken stock and cream? What about a pork sausage, oozing in pig fat, fresh from the slaughterhouse? OK, let’s tone it down a little. Perhaps you like to look at egg mayonnaise potato salad, made with eggs from those poor battery hens that are dead basically from the moment they are born. How about creamy mac and cheese made with real cow’s milk, pulled painfully from their sore and tender udders, infused with antibiotics, pain and anguish?

If so, you can find all this in the nation’s premier print and online vegan magazine, VegNews. Surprised? Shocked? Read on…

 vegribs RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

real meat ribs have bones removed with photoshop to appear vegan

We’ve always been fans of VegNews, since back in the mid-2000s when we’d wait with bated breath for the US Mail to deliver our copy. We’d eagerly flip through, reading all about the latest veg stuff, salivating over the amazing pictures, trying out a vegan recipe, and maybe even discovering a restaurant in our home town through one of their reviews.

it’s sad, then, that the pictures we’ve been drooling over for years are actually of MEAT! Veg News has written tens (possibly hundreds) of articles extolling the virtues of a vegan lifestyle, while purchasing rock-bottom priced stock photos of MEAT, EGGS, DAIRY and other completely non-vegan things. You doubt this? See below:

 vegnews realribs RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

stock photo of real meat ribs. a doctored photo of this appears on veg news.

We started searching for more examples of Veg News using meat photos next to “drool-worthy vegan recipes,” and the results were disturbing…

The vegan burger?

 vegnews burger RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

Not vegan at all!

 veg RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

a real meat burger on a stock photo site, as seen on vegnews.com

The soul satisfying seitan stew?

 vegnews seitan RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

Veg News “seitan stew”

It’s actually a picture of “chicken breast soup”!

 vegnews chicken 570x379 RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

Get your barf bags ready!

Oh, and it’s not just the website! We spot checked some photos from the magazine, and every single one was made from real animal products…

 vegnews mac RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

Real mac and cheese

 vegnews dog 570x404 RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

According to istock, this hotdog is real meat! Flipping the photo doesn’t fool us!

 vegnews potatosalad 570x488 RANT: VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

“Veganize it!” (very apt)

So, we’ve established that there are many, many pictures of MEAT in both the VegNews print magazine, and online. Why does this matter? After all, a picture is just a picture, right? Unfortunately, this situation exposes a clear issue with the editorial integrity of Veg News. They are KNOWINGLY publishing misleading pictures of MEAT dishes, and passing them off as vegan. If they will stoop that low (and appear to have been doing so for years) what else can we not trust about this formerly erstwhile publication?

Let’s look at the events of today that we think implicate a much deeper editorial issue, and in our opinion discredit not only everything Veg News is doing, but everything they have done. Here’s how it went down:

One of our readers emailed to say that he had noticed a photograph on the home page of VegNews.com that was from istockphoto.com, an inexpensive royalty-free photography vendor. He recognized the photo as being a real MEAT beef burger and immediately, emailed them and left a comment on the post saying that the burger was meat rather than vegan, expecting to be thanked for doing them a favor.

Minutes later, his comment mysteriously disappeared. So he left another, which was also deleted. He emailed again, and got this response:

“Thank you for your interest in VegNews. However, your inappropriate and mean-spirited commenting has violated the policy of VegNews, and we have and will continue to remove any future comments. Please know that we welcome constructive criticism from all viewpoints, and rarely unpublish comments from readers.

Should you have any constructive feedback, feel free to email me directly. I’d love to hear from you.”

We investigated the “policy” from a link on the home page, and were directed here. We didn’t see any reference to comments that called out meat pictures, so we left a very nice comment: “just want to let you know that this burger is not vegan. It’s a stock photo of a real beef burger” on the same post. Twenty minutes later, this comment was also deleted.

Our conclusion, therefore, is that VegNews has serious editorial integrity issues, and cannot be trusted. Indeed, we’re mailing back our award tomorrow. This is a very sad day.

Finally, how does this harm animals? Well, not directly – I mean, cows, pigs, chickens and who knows what else were clearly killed as part of the chain of events that led to the photo, but the laziness and outright lack of respect from Veg News toward animals and vegans undermines everything we stand for.

Animal suffering is prolonged and made worse enough by hypocritical meat eaters who never want to see inside the slaughterhouse just as it is by people in our community who deceive and lie. The devil within is much worse than the devil outside.

** UPDATE: Many of you are asking us how you can cancel your Veg News subscription. If you’re sure you want to do this, the “policies” page above gives the following information. Feel free to cancel, as we did.

….if you are dissatisfied with VegNews for any reason, you are welcome to a subscription refund at any time. Simply call us at 760-291-1546, or send us an email at vegnews@pcspublink.com.

Images courtesy of quarrygirl.com

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April 14, 2011 · 2:04 pm

THE ROAD TO PERFECT HEALTH – Book Review

By now I think you all realize how important it is to me that my reviews be unbiased reviews…I do not just hand-out a thumbs-up simply because someone has sent me a product or book to try.  That being said, I am really impressed by Brenda Watson’s The Road To Perfect Health book.  This is such a comprehensive book…it is HUGE!

In this book Brenda Watson thoroughly explains our gut and why it is such a crucial player in the health of our body.  I am someone who believes that people really need to take charge of their health and if something doesn’t feel right, they need to investigate further.  Doctors can be such amazing members of our health team (or they can be dismissive), but there is no member more amazing than the person experiencing the symptom firsthand.  This book helps a person do just that.  The Road to Perfect Health takes a multitude of illnesses i.e. from eczema to cancer and explains the possible origins, how to test for the ailment, and possible solutions for healing the ailment.  This book helps people take their health in their own hands…i.e. you know what tests to ask your doctor for.

At the moment the book is only available through a PBS pledge at the $195 level:

“This ultimate package includes “The Road to Perfect Health” DVD, 5 CD set, 2 DVD set, book, “Probiotic Guide Booklet with Self-Test Questionnaire” and “Digestive Function Medical Analysis and Test KIT 50% Coupon.”

There are also packages at a lower price point, but they do not include the book.

Click here for more information on how to get the book.

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April 13, 2011 · 2:21 pm

ASK GRETTIE: Sports Gel Alternatives

Here is my latest column over at Chic Vegan…

I am training for my first marathon in July. I depend on Gu packets and Shot Block packages to get me through my runs. From what I’ve read on your blog it seems that they are processed, syrupy no-nos, and now by eating these I feel like I am undoing the steps I’ve taken before my run!

What do you recommend as fuel during hard workouts and long runs? What can I put in my pockets for my main event? 26.2 miles is a long way and I want to support all my hard work the best way I can.

Thank you so much for all you share!

~ Rhea

Congratulations on tackling a marathon!

When it comes to exercise nutrition questions I always pull out my very well used copy of “Thrive” by Brendan Brazier. Brendan is a Professional Ironman Triathlete and the Formulator of Vega. I highly recommend this book.

You are right to question the commercial sports gel products on the market. As you stated, many of them contain artificial colors and flavors, and are not always made with the highest quality ingredients. It is super easy and way less expensive to make your own gel. Brendan suggests blending dates and agave nectar as a healthy nutrient rich substitute to the sports gels currently available in stores.

The basic recipe calls for 4 dates and 1/4 cup of agave syrup and makes about 3/4 cup which will fill two 4-ounce gel flasks. You can flavor the gel with anything you’d like.

Let me know how the marathon goes.

Happy training!

Grettie

Do you have a questions for Grettie? She is here to answer any of your health and nutrition related questions! Email her at askgrettie@chicvegan.com .

Image of Brendan Brazier courtesy of GLiving
—–

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Filed under Althletics, Chic Vegan Column, Education, Gluten Free, Published Work, Vegan, Vegetarian

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April 12, 2011 · 3:04 pm

KRISTEN SUZANNE – eBook Giveaway Update

Hello Readers,

It looks like I neglected to leave a link to Kristen Suzanne’s original post.  In order to enter the contest you need to leave the comment on her blog, not Veggie Grettie.

CLICK HERE to go to Kristen’s blog.

Here’s to health!

Gretchen

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April 12, 2011 · 2:07 pm

KRISTEN SUZANNE eBOOK GIVEAWAY

Kristen Suzanne of Kristen’s Raw is having an AMAZING giveaway to celebrate the new look of her blog!  She has written 12 ebooks filled with recipes and is planning on giving a whole set to three of here readers.  Here’s what you need to do to enter…

WANT THE CHANCE TO WIN?

It’s simple to participate. All you have to do is answer the following question (BOTH PARTS!).  CLICK HERE to go to Kristen’s original post and then leave a comment in the comment section. The contest will end Wednesday night, April 13th @ 11:59pm. I’ll enter everyone’s name who answered the question into a drawing and announce the winners on my blog Thursday, April 14th.

QUESTION: Where is your favorite place to travel in the United States and Why?

Want another chance to win? Tweet a link to this blog post and come back to let me know in a separate comment.

Want another chance to win? Facebook a link to this blog post and come back to let me know in a separate comment.

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April 11, 2011 · 1:56 pm

MACARONI and CHEESE – Vegan, Dairy, and Gluten Free

My kids LOVE macaroni and cheese.  When my family became dairy free and my daughter became gluten free on top of that, I knew I needed to come-up with a yummy dairy and gluten free version.  Thank goodness for Daiya brand cheese!  It melts so well and provides my mac and cheese with such a great flavor.  This recipe is also made that much better by the fact that So Delicious makes an amazing unsweetened coconut milk that totally replaces the “regular” milk in this recipe (and any other recipe).  I can’t give So Delicious enough praise…their products are truly amazing!!!

I know this is a good mac and cheese recipe because the neighborhood boys (neither dairy OR gluten free) completely devour it whenever I make it.

One word of caution…Daiya is high in fat (at least it is not the animal-based kind!), but not nearly as high in fat as dairy based cheese.  This is definitely a “treat” meal in my house.  I recently spent some time up in Northern California because my dad had a DOUBLE knee replacement (he is such a rock star!).  My kids were troopers while I was gone, so I promised I would make them this mac and cheese recipe when I came home.  I think they thought it was a very fair trade-off for having mom gone for so long.

INGREDIENTS
16oz package of elbow macaroni (I used Quinoa)
2 pkgs shredded Daiya Cheese (I use one pkg cheddar and one mozzarella)
2 1/2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste ( approx.1-1 ½ tsp)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta about 5 minutes until it’s just tender. Don’t cook all the way or it will fall apart when you bake it.
3. Drain pasta and transfer to glass baking dish.
4. Bring the Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk to a low boil.


5. Add the Daiya cheeses, pepper, and salt to the warmed milk.  Allow everything to melt (stir constantly so it does not burn).

6. Pour the melted milk/cheese mixture into the pasta and mix well.

7. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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April 8, 2011 · 1:24 pm

CHINESE BROCCOLI

My father-in-law is an AMAZING cook.  Once a week we go over to my in-laws house for a home-cooked Chinese feast (we are so lucky!) and the table is piled with plate after plate of lovingly prepared dishes.  Somehow he is able to prepare vegetables in a way that showcases their natural flavor without any overpowering accompaniments.  His vegetable dishes are so darn good!

This is how my father-in-law makes Chinese broccoli…

INGREDIENTS

Chinese broccoli (I usually make one bunch)

Oyster sauce

~

My in-laws usually purchase a huge pack of Chinese broccoli and split it with me.  If you are unsure of where to buy it, go to your local Asian market and they will be sure to have it.  When you bring the broccoli home, soak it in water to ensure that it is clean and then cut 1/4 of an inch off the bottom of each stalk.

Place the prepared broccoli in the steamer for 5-6 minutes (until they are tender, but still retain some crunch). 

Remove the broccoli from the steamer and drizzle some oyster sauce on top.  Serve immediately.

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