The Vegetarian Guy

In 1981, I visited a 300 acre organic farm in Southern Michigan which housed the Creative Health Institute.  It was there that I was exposed to the early years of Live Foods as directed by the late matriarch of the movement, Ann Wigmore.  The farm grew the grains which became the sprouts in the food; full of life-enhancing enzymes, it was both energizing and healing.  The Creative Health Institute was, and continues to be, a remarkable healing center where life-giving practices are embraced.

Raw or live foods are rooted in traditions which date back to our human origins.  Before refrigeration, fermentation and enzymatic growth in food was widespread in the cuisines of world, including Roman garum sauce, Chinese soy products, Japanese pickles, Korean kimtchie, Indian dosas, Thai fish sauces and Indonesian tempeh. Sometimes cooked, sometimes raw, these foods contributed significantly to the diets of the cultures they came from. The modern raw food diet originally drew inspiration from the proto-Christian Essenes most commonly known as the sect of John the Baptist, a desert-dwelling Judaic group who used the sun to dry their sprouted manna bread.

Raw living foods help stimulate the immune system and facilitate the flow of chi energy throughout the body.  There are countless people who claim it clears the mind, balances the body and heals many illnesses.

The most common endorsement I hear is that the raw foods increases energy in daily living.  Whether one embraces the diet entirely or includes a percentage of raw food, the benefits are real.

There are probably more raw-foodies per capita in Southern California than any other part of the country.  No doubt the weather and year round availability of local fresh foods plays a significant roll.  The sensual pleasures of the palate are plentiful with thoughtfully prepared raw cuisine.  I have seen many raw food chefs to be very good with presentation and flavor.

The farmer’s markets in San Diego feature a number of live food vendors.

Here are some of them:

GreenFix Smoothie Company

Peace Pies

Koral’s Tropical Fruit Farm

Macadamia-Sunflower Hummus is a versatile recipe suitable to serve with any cuisine.  Serve it as a dip or use it as a spread in a sandwich or on a cracker.  The Basil Leaf Rolls are just one of many dishes I have used the hummus with.

Macadamia-Sunflower Hummus

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

2 cups water for soaking

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Place the nuts, seeds and soaking water in a container for 2 to 8 hours. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Serve cold or room temperature.

Basil Leaf Rolls

10 large lettuce-leaf basil leaves
5 tablespoons Macadamia-Sunflower Hummus
1 San Marzano Roma tomato sliced into thin 1/4 inch wide strips

Rinse basil leaves and spin-dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean cloth.  Spread 1/2 tablespoon hummus evenly on each leaf.  Place a tomato slice on one end of the leaf and roll it “roulade-style.”  Repeat with each leaf. Slice into 1/2 inch wide rolls.  Serve right away.

Alu Methi Tikki

Vegetarian Traditions Video

Quotes from Amazon.com reviews:

All “secrets” are shared in this book. I believe this based on the quality of his recipes and the thoroughness of his descriptions. Also, if you get to meet him in person, you’ll get a sense that George is down to earth and one of those sincere, full of integrity, and patient individuals we don’t get to meet often enough. He poured everything he has in this book and it shows.

~CM

He’s holding up a beautiful fresh vegetable for you to admire, inspiring you to make the most of it in the recipe. He’s sharing memories, history, and wonderful photographs, all so engaging that you’ll read through it like a novel!  The layout of one recipe per page with the ingredients listed on the side, makes it user-friendly. The recipes are cleary written and simple to follow. The seasonings perfect. Move over Moosewood!

~JB

This has become one of my favorite cookbooks and I’m not even vegetarian. The recipes are written in such a way that they are very easy to follow, and the author has included a brief description of each recipe that is both interesting and informative.

~JG

It is a crowd pleaser for sure and i have even turned some self defined die hard meat eaters onto it at dinner parties. Highly recommended!!!

~NB

As Detroit natives, my family and I had been Inn Season Cafe fans for years. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when a friend informed us that the cookbook had just come out. This is not just a book for Inn Season fans, it’s a great cookbook for anyone who is vegan or looking to eat healthier — or just looking to expand their culinary horizons, for that matter (many of the recipes feature international cuisines and flavors). I am also gluten-free and many of the recipes are gluten-free or easily adaptable. The brown rice salad (p. 73) was a huge hit with the whole fam (veg and non-veg alike). This is a wonderful all-around cookbook, and one that I’m sure I will cherish for years to come.

~Beth

My current favorite market in San Diego is the Sunday Hillcrest Farmers Market.  Each week it is a new adventure where I explore the bounty of San Diego produce.  In addition, there are the many farmers, vendors and market goers who share a similar vision of food, the makings for beautiful friendships.

One minute I will be waxing poetic with Barry Koral about his avocados, passion fruit and loquats; the next, I am discussing 10,000 year old farming practices with Barry Logan of La Milpa Organica.

This day I also spend time with Phil Noble of Sage Mountain Farm and Colin Archipley of Archi’s Acres VSAT program.  These friends teach me a lot about the produce as they handle it, use it and eat it every day themselves.  This helps to remove degrees of separation between the land and me.

This week, the early summer harvest is in full force.  Before the hot, arid and rainless summer reduces quantities, it is a phantasmagoria of greens, reds, oranges, yellows and blues–as in blueberries.

With my bags overflowing, I return home to prepare a lunch with the day’s haul. The meal is simple, just a vegetable plate served with whole grain bread. Overall I spend about 30 minutes preparing.

I start by grilling citrus-herb marinate asparagus (with lemons from Koral Tropical Fruit Farm) and Eight Ball globe zucchini from Sage Mountain Farm with tomatoes from JR Rodriguez farm.

In a heated skillet, I flash a little extra virgin olive oil with fresh Sage Mountain crooked neck garlic and crushed red pepper.  I quickly added red amaranth and Magenta Spreen lamb’s quarters from La Milpa Organica, then cover and simmer until tender.   In a smaller covered skillet I slowly cook slivered sweet spring torpedo onions from Sage Mountain with squash blossoms from La Milpa Organica and a small amount of aged balsamic vinegar and Celtic sea salt.   Finally, I make a roasted tomato salsa with fresh basil from Archi’s Acres.

It all comes together into a colorful vegetable plate highlighting the regenerative energy of the food in combination with the vibrant natural colors inherent in vegetables straight from the field.   A fitting culmination to another rewarding journey to the farmers market.

Every day I enter the kitchen, my temple of food, and prepare meals for the family.  I prepare dishes from scratch inspired by fresh produce from the local farmers market. It is a daily meditation which I find energizes me and stimulates my creativity. I am often reminded of the samsara wheel in Eastern philosophies, which signifies the endless cycles of life and death, birth and rebirth that are at the core of living on the planet. The small part I play at the farmers market, in my garden and at the helm of my stove are all part of an earthly process of regeneration which helps me experience vitality and growth.

Each time I visit the farmers market, my creative energy is triggered by the spectacular produce and its infinite potential.  This week was no exception.  Sage Mountain Farm had fresh butter-like asparagus, elephant garlic shoots, spring onions and lucious red radishes which all came together as an asparagus and radish-green tart.

Barry Koral of Koral Tropical Fruit Farms had bright orange kumquats fresh from his trees which I turned into a sweet and colorful marmalade.

Kumquat Marmalade

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While purchasing my weekly supply of red walnuts, Nicolina Alves of Terrabella Ranch shared a recipe she created for Grapefruit Pops using the two kinds of grapefruit she was selling.  An option for the sugar is organic evaporated cane juice.  This is Nicolina’s recipe:

The pupusa is a flavorful savory, perfect as an appetizer or addition to a meal.   Similar to the stuffed corn arepas of Venezuela and Gorditas of Mexico, they are unique to El Salvador with a two thousand year history confirmed by excavations at the Pompeii of the New World.   So basic to Salvadorian cuisine that November 13th is celebrated as “National Pupusa Day.” There are many long-standing  traditions around the world which are vegetarian or easily adapted, a number of which can be found in Pre-Columbian dishes. Central and South American societies have provided us with some of the most versatile ingredients and super-foods known to man. Pupusas are made from a masa dough. The dough is flattened in the hand, then gently formed around a filling to make a ball. I fill my pupusas with a cilantro pesto made with pepitas, chiles and lime, and serve them with a zesty Pico de Gallo style salsa made from diced tomato, lime, onion, garlic, green chile, cilantro and sea salt. While making them, I reflect on where the dish came from and the cultural tradition behind it, giving the food a story and identity.  The background music in the video below is performed by Santiago Orozco and is a beautiful complement to preparing and serving pupusas.

Pupusas

Makes 10

Masa

2 1/2 cups masa harina

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups water

Mix ingredients together, cover and allow to rest for an hour.

Filling

1/2 cup pepitas

1 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, packed

1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

Preheat oven to 375.  Place the pepitas evenly on a baking sheet and cook for 9 minutes.  Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Transfer and reserve.

1/2 cup water

Canola oil for cooking

Add water to masa dough, knead together and form into 10 balls.  Take one ball and use your hands to flatten into a 3 inch wide patty.  Place 1 tablespoon filling in the center and gently work the the dough around the filling to form a ball.  Flatten the ball back to 3 1/2 inches wide by 3/8 inch thick, rinse hands and repeat. Heat cast iron skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet.  Cook 4 to 5 pupusas at a time until golden brown and turn over, cooking again until golden brown.  Serve warm with salsa.

Fresh Salsa

3/4 cup tomato, diced

1 Anaheim chile, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup sweet onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped and packed

Mix together all ingredients.  Serve cold or room temperature.

Superfoods for better living!

I prepare food based on culinary traditions from around the world.  The dishes are healthy, full of flavor and enriched with the vitality of the freshest local ingredients.

Springtime is an ideal time to jump start your health by adding the wonders of the early Spring “super foods” to your diet.  At local markets across the country, the farmers are bringing in their bounties–a reflection of the powerful, regenerative energy of the earth. Every Sunday I marvel at the variety of freshly harvested produce at my local farmer’s market in San Diego–the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market.  One of my spring favorites, organic asparagus, disappears early, so I try to arrive before the large crowds and am always thrilled to find I haven’t missed them.

Asparagus, one of the healthiest vegetables,  acts as a diuretic and is full of vitamin K and folates.  It helps to lower blood pressure, reduces arthritic inflamation, promotes cellular rejuvenation and has anti-cancer properties.  The perfect resume for a vegetable.

Otherwise known as “baked-in-parchment,” en papillote is a wonderful method for cooking vegetables quickly while infusing flavor and retaining nutrients.  I thought we would cook my treasured asparagus en papillote for a quick lunch. The entire process took 30 minutes and that included preheating my Wolf oven to 400 degrees convection.  If you do not have a convection oven, preheat it to 425 degrees.