The Vegetarian Guy
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Alu Methi Tikki
Filed under Eatable, George's Book, George's Notes, Market Reports, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan Food, VideosAug 2
Vegetarian traditions are found in cultures around the world, with India being the most prominent. As a young man, I journeyed there four times and experienced the marvelous cuisine first-hand in homes, temples restaurants and street cafes. I learned the value of treating every meal and each morsel with respect and appreciation. I also discovered a rich heritage of compassion toward fellow humans and animals.
The art of Indian spicing is legendary. My kitchen arsenal for preparing sub-continent cuisine contains a number of masala dabars * and other vessels to hold over forty spices. In addition, there are grinders, mortar & pestles, grinding stones and tawas* for roasting the various masalas*; however, there are many simple dishes from India which do not require elaborate combinations of spices, hard-to-find ingredients and equipment. Simple, fresh and sattvic*, Indian food can be a delightful and exciting addition to any home cook’s repertoire.
Alu methi tikki is one of the flavorful, yet easy-to-prepare, dishes from the Gujarat region of India. The recipe calls for fresh fenugreek, one of India’s wonder spices and well known for substantial health benefits; the fenugreek leaves impart a rich flavor into whatever dish they are used in. This vegetarian traditional recipe adds depth to any repertoire.Alu Methi Tikki
(Indian Potato-fenugreek cakes)Makes 10 cakes1 1/2 cups creamy new potatoes, chopped and steamed until tender1 cup packed fresh fenugreek sprouts or leaves, chopped if leaves1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped1/2 cup garbanzo flour1 teaspoon baking powder3 tablespoons lemon juice1/2 teaspoon sea salt3 tablespoons coconut oilMash all ingredients together, except coconut oil, and work into a dough. Form into 12 patties. In a griddle or saute pan on medium heat, add a small amount of oil. Place several patties onto griddle. Turn when golden brown and cook until second side is golden. Use remaining oil as needed. Keep warm. Serve hot with lemon or your favorite chutney.
Definitions:*Masala dabar is a covered round metal container, most often made of stainless steel, which usually has six little vessels inside for holding spices and an inside cover tray to keep the spices from spilling*Tawas is a flat iron skillet used for toasting spices or making flat breads like chapatis*Masala is a mixture of spices, powdered, whole or toasted and freshly ground, which is used as a flavor base for Indian dishes.*Sattvic means goodness. According to Ayurveda principles, every food item falls under the influence of a mode, or combination of modes of nature. There are three modes: Goodness, Passion and Ignorance (Sattvic, Rajarsic and Tamasic). For optimum health, they advise eating sattvic foods as much as possible. Sattvic foods are often defined as fresh, juicy, balanced in taste and energizing.
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Jul 23
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Jul 13
Oh, be still my heart: Vegetable Almond Quesadilla, Portabella Romescu, Benares Rice Pudding and the cherry on top–Hazelnut Torte with Hot Fudge Sauce–and all recipes are dairy-free! If there is a heaven, it is inside the covers of this gorgeous, easy-to-follow cookbook of legendary recipes–Vegetarian Traditions. Or perhaps even more heavenly, a kitchen full of cooks preparing these delicious dishes for you and your guests, so that all you have to do is think dreamy thoughts and treat your palate to a party. Vegetarian Traditions makes a gorgeous present that will be enjoyed for a lifetime. I was mightily impressed and felt immediate food cravings!~Ingrid Newkirk, PETA president and co-founder
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Jul 2
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
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Jun 26
The Vegetarian Guy is on Tour!Vegetarian Traditions is about connecting the dots with our food. Knowing what we are eating, respecting where the food comes from and incorporating it into our daily routine are three important elements in the book. More than a cookbook, this is a master-key to unlock the secrets of the cuisine which has made Inn Season Cafe the go-to source for delicious and healthy food in the Metropolitan Detroit area. The restaurant was at the forefront of a culinary revival and still stands out with their dedication to using the best local and organic ingredients. Without microwave ovens and other modern shortcuts, we cooked using only traditional methods of preparation, respecting the story behind each dish and using only fresh ingredients. Health is much more than just a recipe, it is a lifestyle.______________________________________________________________
Life is good in San Diego, especially for those who participate in the local farmers market communities. Every day of the week there is a market to attend where I immerse my thoughts in the wonderfully creative possibilities of food. I make it a point getting to know each farmer I shop with and they rarely disappoint. Phil Noble of Sage Mountain Farms is one of those hard-working farmers whose dedication to the community he services is apparent in everything he does. Over the last few weeks he has invited me into his stall at the Hillcrest Farmers Market to present and sell my book and share cooking expertise with his customers. This coming Sunday, May 30th, will be a special event where I share samples of my organic Hot Fudge Sauce over Phil’s certified organic strawberries (you will never know it’s vegan!) . If you are in San Diego, join me as we decadently enjoy the bounty in one of the best markets in San Diego!______________________________________________________________
I will be back in Michigan for one week only between June 5th and the 13th. I am looking forward to seeing and speaking with the people I shared so many years with conversing in the beautiful language of food. In addition to the bookstore events where I sign books and then talk about the food and the journey, I am especially excited at being in Inn Season Cafe, at the Royal Oak Farmers Market (with Don Cinzori of Cinzori Farms) and at the Birmingham Farmers Market (with Donny Hobson, market-master and farmer.)
______________________________________________________________Here is the Michigan event schedule:Saturday, June 5Royal Oak Farmers Market 8 to 12Sunday, June 6Birmingham Farmers Market 9 to 11:30Inn Season Cafe 12 to 3Friday June 11Inn Season Cafe 4-8Saturday, June 12Royal Oak Farmers Market 8 to 12Sunday, June 13Birmingham Farmers Market 9 to 1Bookbeat Bookstore Oakpark 2pm -
Jun 20
In one of his daily shows, Dr. Mehmet Oz talked about super foods and explained the benefits. One of the super foods he mentioned was “Greek greens,” otherwise known as horta. On the island of Crete, the tradition of foraging for wild greens can be traced back to Neolithic times. It is one of the nutritional secrets of the Mediterranean diet.
The weed-like greens are hardy and have extra-potent sources of vitamins and minerals. In San Diego, we have the benefit of having local seasonal Greek greens always available, such as spinach, Swiss chard, curly endive, lacinato kale, mustard greens and beet, turnip and radish tops. Often some of the greens such as Lamb’s Quarters show up at farmer’s markets because they sprout like weeds amongst other crops and the farmers have learned there is a market for them.According to Dr. Oz, Greek greens are a superfood and should be consumed as much as possible, if not daily.Traditionally they are prepared by boiling in a small amount of water until they are tender, then dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. In Crete, they serve horta with the nutrient-rich broth which then becomes “salsa” for dipping bread into. It is a common lunch item or side dish for dinner and features whatever edible green item is available from the fields or gardens.
As a child visiting my Greek grandparent’s house in Ohio, I remember seeing the horta on the table at almost every meal.
In the Spring, they would frequently enlist the whole family to gather dandelion greens, sometimes walking miles to an undeveloped field with the coveted weeds jutting up from the nutrient-rich soil.
Their search for Greek greens served as a link to the old country and culture of Crete while providing their family a highly nutritious super food. -
The Secrets Are Out
Filed under Eatable, George's Book, George's Notes, Inn Season Cafe, Market Reports, Readable, Vegan FoodMay 4
After an organic process encompassing eight years, my cookbook Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes From My Years at the Legendary Inn Season Cafe is at last available. While writing the book, I realized the story is much larger than just the favorite recipes from the restaurant. In addition to my own culinary journey, it is a tale of an entire community which ultimately honed their definition of good food by what we served. The secret behind our success turned out to be the local organic farmers and artisan vendors who made the delicious, energizing food possible. They are the life-blood of the ongoing food revolution in this country, of which we have been eager participants.
Every year as spring progresses toward summer, the Royal Oak Farmers Market starts to fill the stalls with the bounty of Michigan’s fertile land; has been a ritual shared by the residents of South Oakland County since 1929. I started going to the market in 1981 when we first opened the doors of Inn Season Cafe. Over the years, the farmers and I came to know each other; we shared family stories, cooking tips and arduous tales of the fickle Michigan weather. this
Frequently, if there was something special grown or found, they would save it for me knowing how much I appreciated the rare gems of the Michigan soil. When George Uhlianuk discovered a giant puff ball mushroom in the woods behind his farm, he would bring it to the market for me. Those mushrooms were not a commercial variety and could grow eight or nine inches in a day. They had to be consumed right away while still white or they would begin to age and develop a yellow hue around the edges, no longer fit to eat. When prepared at the peak of freshness, these mushrooms are a delicacy. Sliced and sauteed in olive oil with a touch of tamari, balsamic vinegar and fresh ground white pepper, puff balls satisfy a vegetarian’s rogue cravings for rich and meaty flavors.
In addition to fresh produce, the market was my primary source for planting and gardening materials. I would fill my earthen plots with perennials from farmers and growers who found new and unusual varieties every year. One spring, a farmer dove into his pond to gather Michigan irises for me. They still show their bright yellow blooms in the secret garden pond at my old house across the street from Inn Season Cafe.
Saturday mornings at the market were a weekly festival of shopping, talking, sharing and laughing. I developed many friendships over the years with like-minded folks who shared my passion for fresh food and market-inspired cooking.
After selling the restaurant, I began shopping at various markets throughout North America and found many of the experiences I had in Royal Oak to be part of a common thread. Aside from the tremendous difference in quality between produce purchased from local farmers and that purchased in a grocery or warehouse, we benefit on a societal and economic level by renewing the connection between farmers and communities. This is the magic of farmers markets.
I now live in San Diego enjoying the year-round harvest in the farmers markets. Yet, I still miss the excitement and anticipation of spring at the Royal Oak Farmers Market. Memories of full sensual immersion–the spring garlic shoots at Cinzori Farms, Randy Hampshire’s freshly-ground corn meal, Jim Burda’s succulent raspberries, Jim VanDenBerg’s sweet carrots, Don Van Houtte’s candy-like sugar snap peas, Maple Creek Farm’s nutrient-rich kale and Kate & Al Weilnau’s organic, hand-snipped asparagus. I think of those crisp and cool mornings at the market and I can feel the cooking inspiration swell inside of me.
My desire to share my feelings about the connection between the earth, farm and table was one of my motivations in writing Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes From My Years At The Legendary Inn Season Cafe. The book identifies the real heroes behind every great chef’s cuisine–the farmers.
The book has over 150 vegan recipes. Elegant entrees, soups, salads and melt-in-your-mouth desserts are in an easy-to-follow format accompanied by beautiful color photos.Each dish is packed with “super-foods”–energizing, healthy and delicious. Signed copies are now available for a limited time through my store. Just click on the “order now” button on this site.
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Sep 16
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Aug 6
This week, our editing team has been immersed in Inn Season Cafe recipes, cutting this, adding that. An exacting task, this is the final stretch of getting the recipes almost perfect. Needless to say, appetites are worked up looking at, talking about and documenting the foods that made Inn Season Cafe so popular for decades. There are no complaints when we break for meals and I am able to cook dishes with local market ingredients. We have convinced ourselves (without great effort) the satisfaction arising from partaking in beautiful fresh food, adds an edge to the often tedious editing process. Here is a sampling of the market finds and dishes created.
Quick chopped gazpacho
Fresh caprese style tomatoes
Tomato season is here!
Spinach salad with tofu and walnuts
Corn and leek cakes with chopped guacamole
Michigan blueberries are extra sweet right now.
Swiss chard tart
Almond and orange torta
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Aug 3
For lunch on the Akrotiri peninsula in Crete, a smattering of flavorful foods would be shared among family at home, or in tavernas and kafenions during frequent “volitas” or jaunts to town. It would be a welcome culmination to the busy mornings that had to be productive before the sun blazed oppressive noon-time heat, fueled by sirocco winds from the desert in North Africa. During these “kalokeri” (summer), months lunch always had a fresh tomato and cucumber salad with sweet red onions and sliced fresh feta cheese from sheep or goats residing down the road. Of course, this was dressed with olive oil from local trees and red wine vinegar from nearby vineyards. Cretan olives were cured a number of different ways, but my favorite was the method my grand uncle Kyriako would use. In the storage room behind his house, he would pile olives on a tarp with sea salt harvested from the sun-drenched sea rocks nearby in Stavros. The tide would wash in every ten days to fill the volcanic pockets with a fresh dose of Mediterranean sea water, conveniently evaporating to provide salt before the next swell. Kyriako’s olives were tiny, similar in size to Nicoise olives, but salt cured with a wrinkled skin. The size was deceptive because they tasted extraordinary and were very addictive. Meals were always accompanied by bread, not the white pasty Greek bread often seen at restaurants, but darker crusty loaves worthy of a good soak in the salsa of the salad. The noon-time meal often would have Kaletsounia (page 127), potatoes fried in, and dressed with, extra virgin olive oil (superb!), kolakithia keftedes (zucchini balls), various kinds of horta (boiled greens with lemon and olive oil), melitzana salata (eggplant dip), “fasolia gigandes” (butter beans), hard cheeses and local retsina wine of home made wine from grapes in the Vothono valley nearby. All of this would be followed by sun sweetened figs, fresh almonds in local thyme honey and “karpusi,” perfectly sweet watermelon from the field down the road. This was the mezzes lunch we would share with family and friends during visits to Crete. Often lasting for two hours, it was a time to share stories, histories and toasts to friendship. Although, quantities of food were not always large, we would fill up on exquisite tastes and good company. Lunch would be followed by a refreshing siesta to prepare for festivities in the evening. This was mezzes the way it was meant to be: enjoyable, stress-free and vibrant with nourishing foods.
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