The Vegetarian Guy

In honor of Earth Day, I chose a collection of previous blog posts as a tribute to the connection we all have with the planet.  A small reminder that everything we do can be a celebration of the earth.

How to Shop at the Farmers Market

Locavores Do It Fresher

Topsoil Tales …or Nourishing From the Ground Up

A New Victory Garden

Food and music have always been intertwined, both reflecting vibrations of life.  Our quality of life, health and longevity are determined to a great extent by the food we choose as well as the music we listen to.  I am reminded of this every time I enter the Hillcrest Farmers Market.  Markets like this have been around since man first began living in communities–a social setting where people congregate to swap wares, stories and ideas. Indeed, democracy was founded in the marketplaces (agoras) of ancient Greece; they were the center of every village, town or city.

The sounds of the market contribute to the atmosphere that makes it so appealing.  People talking and farmers hawking their wares are a melodic background to procuring the fresh produce of the day. Often, markets will invite musicians to play, adding a festive tone.

In Hillcrest, one musician stands out among the many talented people I have seen perform.  He is Santiago Orozco, a native of Columbia who resides in San Diego and brings his thoughtful music to the markets of San Diego each week.  The positive message of his music intertwines with the market sounds in beautiful harmony, uplifting spirits and enticing people to return.  It is not uncommon to see people spontaneously break into a dance upon hearing his well-crafted Latin inspired rhythms.

Santiago’s views of music, life, food and community are full of compassion and generosity which are felt each time he strums his guitar and sings his songs.  His music complements my cuisine as it is full of flavor and vitality, at the same time re-assuring and comforting.

In his own words, Santiago talks about his life and music:

Santiago Todo Mundo…

“Life is music. The World is music. This story started in Colombian when I was 13 years old.  I started jamming with a old guitar that was in my home, without any expectations or intentions. Since that time life began to take me down the music path. One day I just woke up and realised my whole life was about walking, swimming and flying into the deep of the music ocean. With music, a passion  for travel started to light my heart. Learning about cultures, people, places, colors, flavors, and views, I started to find myself, and build music from the roots of my travels and experiences.

My music talks about life, the social situation,the people, the experiences, the feelings, love, moments, dreams, in fact, talks about the huge life of every person. It talks about the big World that every human carries inside himself. The beautiful song that everyone is in this short life. I am a singer, guitar player and songwriter. Drawing from reggae and Bossa nova, to Rumba, flamenco, Colombian Styles, ballads and a little bit of rock. Singing songs in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. My music is a mix of styles from all around the world, soft and calm or full of energy.

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I have worked many years in the music world, solo and with many bands. I am always mixing with the different rhythms of the world. I was born in Colombia, studied in Argentina, and have traveled in Brazil and the USA. I take music from every place and mix it to make a beautiful combination of flavors.

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The most important reason I make music is to give a message, a positive message for the crazy and hard moments of this life . I express many ideas and feelings in songs.  I find it wonderful to share music with travelers and people from different countries, to change the moment for them in their journey, but also for the locals too, for sure! Anyway, every person is a traveler and a walker in some way.  It doesn’t matter if  they go to other places or not.  I think it’s beautiful to share with people from other cultures. I am a traveler also, so I decided to make music with this spirit.  I feel that when you travel, your music get richer, full of colors and flavors. Always learning about the places where you are walking. I make music like a little trip, like a voyage.

My project its called “Todo Mundo” which means all the World, and that is just how I feel about the music, like it is all the World together, a mix, one heart beating, one air, one wave.  Playing from the organic street to stages, acoustic or electric, solo or with a band, my music invites the listeners to travel, dance, feel and think. We are Todo Mundo. We are music, our life is the best song play ever, the radio is the World……”

Opportunities arise throughout the year to celebrate.  Some of the biggest challenges a vegetarian host faces is developing a menu which will satisfy everyone–the carnivores and vegetarians alike.  Generally speaking, vegetarians are very easy to please.  They tend to be so food-deprived at parties, that when they attend an event where they can trust everything that is served, they are grateful beyond measure.  Sometimes carnivorous attendees who are new to my cooking decide they aren’t going to like anything.  I often hear cracks like “we stopped at McDonald’s on the way over” or “guess my diet will begin tonight.”  I’m proud to say, I never hear those cracks on the return visits!

With every event, I begin to “meditate” on the menu as soon as I know a party is imminent.  This past Christmas dinner is a perfect example to use in understanding my type of planning.  Because of the type of celebration it was, I looked to “tradition.”  In cooking, this translates into looking at where the dish came from and understanding what the original cook(s) intent was.  Over the years, this historical vision became a passion for provenance and a journey to discover vegetarian traditions in every culture I came in touch with.  The obvious Greek influence which came primarily through my grandmother and my aunt Irene, who were both excellent cooks, gave me a taste for the Mediterranean palate.  In my late teens and early twenties, I had the good fortune to visit and spend time in India, where I learned to cook dishes with ancient stories and also where every ingredient was connected to a healthy result.  All of this influences my menu decisions.  Even life changing events can play a part in menu planning.  My father passed away shortly before Christmas this year.  For me, he was a partner in celebration, always engaging and enjoying family gatherings.  I wanted to prepare a few things he would have enjoyed.

Once my menu and schedule for preparation is set, I prepare a shopping list to ensure I am not sending someone out for ingredients constantly, and then the cooking begins.  I began with the bread baking.  I made two different batches and proofed them together.  The first was a four grain loaf with oats, cracked wheat, quinoa and millet.   The second was a Tuscan baguette with home harvested fennel and corn meal which I sliced and used for a canapé base.

The next preparation was Eggplant bharta canapé.  A traditional Indian fire-roasted eggplant dip to which I added chilles, red amaranth leaves and lime. I served it on the sliced Tuscan baguette discs.

The centerpiece entrée was an Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan with Cavolo Nero (Lacinato Kale) and an almond ricotta.  I made it the previous morning to allow the flavors to meld and make cooking dinner on Christmas day a simple affair.

The other entrée was Asparagus Strudel and was baked just before serving.  Ten layers of phyllo dough were coated with a red pepper oil and maple syrup mixture and enveloped around fresh asparagus with a caramelized shallot and cashew nut puree.  I served it with roasted red pepper sauce.

On the side, I made some choices that would balance the meal through flavor, texture and visual appeal.

Muli Kofta, traditional Indian gram flour cakes made with grated daikon radish and greens.  Garnished with bundi and sweet pepper relish.

Organic Rigatoni pasta salad with pistachio-lacinato pesto.

Swiss Chard horta, Cretan boiled greens with extra virgin olive oil and lemon dressing.

Fresh tomato salad drizzled with balsamic reduction (see first picture).

To add a sweet finish to the meal, Sara baked my vegan Pecan Tart recipe  (She never cooked before last year, when I had to leave her to help take care of my father.).   The tarts were delicious with the right amount of sweetness and without the fatty finish.  When the meal was over, everyone relaxed, shared gifts and spent the evening in a state of joyful satiation—as my father would have liked.

It was another beautiful day in San Diego and we decided to go to Nature’s Express for lunch.  Just a block away from Balboa Park it is a perfect location for a light meal after a stroll through the beautiful park.   In spite of a variety of past experiences restaurants here, we had a good feeling about it.

The location has had many incarnations in the last 20 years.  First, there was the iconic Kung Food, next, The Vegetarian Zone, then an empty building.  After a number of years,

seemingly as an answer to the whispered cocktail wishes of San Diegan vegetarians, Eatopia in OB moved into the space to resurrect the name Kung Food and proselytize their brand of veganism.  Heavy in soy based meat substitutes they served in an egalitarian format that removed service and placed all the food equally in hot and cold steam table bins.  We tried to forgo our culinary and societal egos each time, but it was difficult.  The hot food was not color-coded and, instead of presenting the food at the table, they had someone dish it out mess-hall style with the not so enthusiastic line of “what do ya want?” often difficult to hear through the blaring reggae music.  We would then trudge with tray in hand to the counter, place our plate on a scale and get financially judged for the amount of food we were about to eat.  They even opened a fast food drive-up window on the side of the building to serve a burger-and-fries style fast food.  This was an exciting alternative to try out.  Time and time again, we drove up to the window and had to park for 20 minutes before receiving our “fast food” order.  At that point, our undercooked fries and sit-in-your stomach burgers were anti-climatic.  We tried–really tried, but to no avail.  I do give them credit for giving it a go.  From my own experience I understand how much effort it takes to pull off a good restaurant.  Apparently there was some managerial disagreement with the owner and they left the location in a huff.  The next incarnation was a non-descript lacto-veg restaurant with table service.  It was just ok, with mediocre food and a heavy dose of dairy products.  Not our cup of tea.

A number of months ago, it was a pleasant surprise to discover Natures Express entered the picture and was entirely vegan.  I was particularly interested and managed to drag others to try it.  We started with the fast food window.  It was dressed up Boca burgers, wraps and fries that were passable.  Our 13 year old companion tea-bird (with her discerning palate) particularly enjoyed the fries.

The other day, we worked up the courage to enter the main restaurant.  It was nice inside, with a good aroma and enthusiastic people.  They still had the steam tables, but it was self serve and the food looked pretty good.  First was a simple, but very fresh looking salad bar, next was the cold raw food bar with eight or nine different preparations and the final bar was hot food with another eight or nine dishes.  All the food was colorful, identifiable (very important!) and well labeled.  I could also tell they use good ingredients on par with some of the best vegetarian restaurants.  The pricing was set up by the plate, which allowed light and heavy eaters to pay the same price and not feel embarrassment for copious helpings.  In addition to the food bars, a cooler with prepared sandwiches was nearby as well as the full menu from the drive through.  They also serve pizzas in the evenings.  The servers were enthusiastic, helpful and available.  “Mundo” especially went out of his way.  Our expectations were low, but the food was well prepared, nicely spiced and good to eat.  It was still egalitarian vegetarian, but they have done it right.

As a final note, noticed the Nature’s Express sign was painted over and the San Diego location has been removed from the Natures Express website.  Are we about to experience another incarnation?  A call to the restaurant confirmed they are indeed changing the name to Vegolution.  If the food stays this good, they could name it whatever they want and it would still be all right with me.

July 2010 Update:

The restaurant has evolved into the  fittingly titled Evolution Fast Food.   They help to fill a void in San Diego, which trails behind many other cites in dedicated vegan restaurants.

Pomegranate is a neighborhood style restaurant at the edge of University Heights.  As a change of pace, we decided to have a dinner out to celebrate the last day of my son Spyros’ visit.  Entering the restaurant, we stepped into another world, chock-full of a spirit and hospitality unique to Russia’s feisty neighbor, Georgia.

In ancient times, Georgians were the fabled Scythians Herodotus wrote about.  In modern times, most of what we hear about is strife and unfortunate news.  Some of the cultures in the area are renowned for their unusual longevity, such as the Abkazians,who have been victims of recent political power struggles, thus threatening the lifestyle which has made them a rare example on the planet.  But, what we rarely hear about is the strength of the people and the amazing cuisine that makes them that way.  As John Robbins points out in his book Healthy At 100, this cuisine is full of foraged wild greens, mushrooms, roots and tubers, along with seasonal cultivated vegetable crops and preserved foods.

The menu at Pomegranate starts with a warning of the experience to come:

“Once upon a time in the West … on the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Louisiana Street, there appeared a Russian-Georgian restaurant.  Our food is robust, for heroes of the table, as our motto amply testifies: “Borscht by the bucket, vodka by the inch.” Our service is “Allegro ma non troppo!” As for parking, it is positively Darwinian:  survival of the fittest.”

Our experience at the restaurant did not disappoint as the food is flavorful and very generous in portions.  The walls are covered with graffiti by happy customers in languages from around the world.  One can imagine many of those scrawled quips were created under the influence of copious servings of vodka, Georgian beer or the special wines made from indigenous Georgian grapes.  The menu boasted 20 vegetarian items so we started with beautifully prepared vegan borscht, full of zest and a good texture.  Next, we grazed a salad sampler plate with a red cabbage slaw, a carrot slaw, a potato salad, a red bean salad and a green bean salad—all tasty.  We finished with a vegetable stroganoff and an eggplant “ratatouille” called Ajap Sandhali.  Both were outstanding.  Perhaps it was the spirit of the place that made everything so good, reminiscent of the family feasts I would enjoy in Crete with long tables of relatives.  Or, it could have been the feeling of authenticity–that we were in the midst of Georgians, celebrating their culture as participants, not just observers.  Whichever way I recall, it was a memorable dinner, for the food and the people.  I even took the opportunity to scrawl my own message, in honor of my father who loved this place.    On the way out, the owner and waitress both enthusiastically invited us to their Thanksgiving dinner, noting it will be home-style–family, friends and great food.

From About Georgia:

“Georgia is an amazing cluster of cultures, religions, fascinating landscapes and ancient history. The country where everyone can find something to his liking – from snowy peaks to subtropical shores, from deserts to lush forests, from cities to enchanting villages. Ethnic Georgians constitute a majority of the population. The official language is Georgian, one of the oldest languages in the world. Tbilisi is the capital and by far the largest city.”

“Georgian cuisine uses well familiar products but due to varying proportions of its obligatory ingredients such as walnut, aromatic herbs, garlic, vinegar, red pepper, pomegranate grains, barberries and other spices combined with the traditional secrets of the chef ‘s art the common products do acquire a special taste and aroma, which make Georgian cuisine very popular and unique.”

“The Georgian table is conducted in a wise manner in accordance with the ancient ritual. The head of the table “tamada” is elected as proposed by the host. The tamada must be a man of humour with an ability for improvisation and a philosopher’s wisdom. If there are many guests at the table he appoints assistants who in Georgian are called “tolumbashis”. The tamada’s toasts follow one another in a strict never violated order. The guest is obliged to listen attentively to each toast and appreciate the beauty of style and the purpot of the worlds said. If is not allowed to interrupt the tamada when he is saying the toats. The tamada’s assistants and other guests may only add something to the toast or develop its ideas. If you wish to say a toast, you must by all means have the tamada’s consent or else you will find yourself in an awkward position. This table ritual does not put restraints on the guests but maintains discipline at the table. The feast proceeds among jokes and is accompanied by a dance competition, table songs and music, quotations and aphorisms from the works of poets and writers.”

Beside the quick single pot meal or sandwich, cooking a dinner during construction is a rare event.  This evening was a birthday celebration for our nephew Graeme.  An evening of food and a game of the Isle of Kattan were in store.  I decided cook mostly on the grill and developed a menu around it.

The first course was fresh fire roasted babaghanouj with grilled toast points, oil cured olives and spoon able grilled artichoke hearts with tomato caper sauce.  While serving the appetizers I stepped out to work on the grill and the next course: fire from the fire.

I stuffed Anahiem chiles with coconut, ginger and almond, marinated them in a lime sauce and slow roasted them on one side of the grill. On the other side, I placed Serrano chiles that had been stuffed with freshly shelled and cooked fava beans.  Along the front laid large shiitake mushroom caps marinated with mirin, toasted sesame oil, tamari, garlic and lemon.  I was able to steal away for a few minutes to join the conversation and grab a couple of toast points dressed with babaghanouj and artichokes.

The next course was served and we all savored life on the edge, teetering between intense searing heat of the chiles and sweet, balancing fillings.  The salty tamari entwined with the sweet tang of mirin made fire touched shiitake mushroom caps a delightful diversion.

The main course was BBQ panir burgers, made of organic fresh curds, basil and onions.  Soothing and comforting, they were accompanied by grilled zucchini and vidalia onions

A meal like this does not leave much to be desired, but it was a birthday after all.  Whole Foods started carrying frozen vegan puff pastry, so I decided to combine it with some beautiful local organic peaches, sweet as candy.  To start, I slowly cooked organic can sugar with vanilla beans and a touch of maple syrup.  As it candied, the thinly sliced peaches went in with a shot of Gran Marnier, which I immediately flamed.  The tall flame warmed the kitchen in anticipation while the sugars caramelized around the barely cooked peaches.  Layered with the puff pastry and garnished with maple-cayenne pecans, we all devoured the warm, sweet and delicate confection in a matter of minutes.

“June Gloom” in San Diego is defined by days of sea mist, refreshing glimpses of the sun and mild summer weather. In the garden and at the markets, it is easy to imagine this area as a land of abundance and endless repasts. Soon enough the illusions come to an end as the sun peaks around the clouds with greater frequency until the long stretch of hot summer is here. Then it is hot and dry with endless blue skies, only relieved by cool coastal salted breezes that lightly caress the sweat of the day.

Sara and I are in the middle of renovating a house and my cooking has reverted to the “food and shelter” mode that has been a way of life over the last seven years of historic restorations and renovations. Instead of daily culinary rhythms, my cooking requires greater planning. One cooking event will create two to three meals and we consume more ready to eat foods including avocados from our tree, salads with arugula, baby kale, lettuce and herbs from the garden. Journeys to the market also bring more fresh fruit, salad greens and cooking greens such as amaranth, lamb’s quarter, chards and rapini.

We enjoy creating restorative spaces for people. Through both aesthetic and practical design, a home can be a lifestyle facilitator as well as an integral source of happiness. Nesting tendencies are natural and inherent, but a home can be much more than that. When designing a living space, the approach is two-pronged.

First, we find nourishment and revitalization through food and social interaction as results of making the kitchen as the center of a household.  Good food and how it is shared is fundamental to every cultural tradition and a primary marker for discovering quality in life. Ancillary facilities such as dining areas and kitchen gardens play supportive roles. Altogether, the kitchen, dining areas (indoor and outdoor) and culinary gardens can facilitate health and well being. Not only by making food preparation and serving it easier, but also by inspiring one to cook and entertain. Home cooking was a victim of a modernized of society. For a number of reasons, which we will not delve into presently, it was left out of the mix, thus opening the doors to replacements such as fast food and similar culinary atrocities. The current movement to re-introduce cooking into every home is a symptom of advancement in society with increasing awareness of the importance role food plays in physical, mental and spiritual well being.

My Greek grandparents used to tell stories of Nastradin Hotsas, the Turkish fool who cleverly tried to take the easy road in life. One such story, which parallels modern food issues, had Mr. Hotsas training his donkey not to eat, so he could save money. One day, just as they reached the top of the hill, the donkey dropped dead. Mr. Hotsas exclaimed with exasperation: “Just when he was successfully trained to not eat, he dies!”

The second focus is on rejuvenation. These areas of the house are bedroom suites, entertainment and exercise rooms. Fueled by restorative food and sharing with friends, these spaces help to recharge and tone daily life.

Addressing the overt and subtle functionality of these areas is 90 % of the design. Most of what remains are storage and infrastructure. Lately, even once utilitarian rooms have become rejuvenating areas. Basements have workout rooms, family rooms, play rooms and home theater. Even the garage has become an entertainment area utilized for hobbies and toys, for both man and child. Every part of a house plays a role in cycles of nourishment and regeneration. When exiting to the outside would, one should feel satiated, refreshed and ready to take on what the world has to dish out.

Every morning we harness our companion Tea-Bird and walk through the neighborhoods of Mission Hills. It is an area that was laid out in the beginning of the 20^th century exemplifying the Southern California lifestyle much in the same way as towns such as Pasadena. The railroad connected San Diego to the rest of the country in the 1880’s sparking a boom in tourism and seekers of fortune. Concurrent with the Belle Epoque in Paris, San Diego had its own renaissance before the sobering effect of The Great War. The founders of Mission Hills included names like Marston, Johnson, Nolen and, of course, Kate Sessions, who had landscaped Balboa Park. Kate Sessions’ original nursery, still in operation since 1911, is just down the street from us and is nestled among an eclectic mixture of Arts and Crafts Bungalows, Spanish Revival homes, swaying eucalyptus, towering palms and rushes of bamboo. Many homes contain architecture elements from the 1915 Pan American Exposition which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and started the Spanish Revival movement of home building on a national level. The building boom in Mission Hills coincided with the construction of the Exposition which began in 1911. San Diego was a city of 39,000 and the smallest ever to hold a world’s fair style event.

The streets of Mission Hills follow the original slopes of the terrain as the founders believed in the Arts and Crafts notion that living spaces should harmonize and work with the earth, not define it. This now historic neighborhood retains much of the original charm, which, in addition to the beautiful architecture, is greatly enhanced by wonderful natural landscaping most of the homeowners take pride in. As we walk down the sidewalks, each yard has fragrant flower, fruit trees, cacti and tender perennials. Common are creeping rosemary and bushy lavender which add savory fragrances as we brush by.

Beauty is not just the view, but how people live as well. Mission Hills is always full of dog walkers, runners, bike riders, kids and strolling couples, making it a friendly and social environment, greatly enhancing the storybook feel to the neighborhood. Here in San Diego, the sunshine and bright, often cloudless blue sky, are backdrops to the movie-set perfection of the neighborhood. I often marvel at the foresight of the small group of visionaries who designed Mission Hills. While the future is difficult to predict, they created a neighborhood that stands out from the crowd of poorly thought out developments and accomplishes much of their original goal. Every walk we take is different and stimulating, very good for creative thinking.

The Mission Hills Garden Walk is an annual event which offers the opportunity to see beyond the beauty of curb appeal and catch a glimpse of our neighbors’ lifestyles. We also enjoy meeting people who put their hands in the earth and use it as a canvas for organic expressions. Every home on the tour is unique, but one thing in common are outdoor living spaces, often as an extension of a kitchen, or an entertainment area of its own. Similar to the Mediterranean, the residents of Mission Hills frequently create spaces for casual gatherings centered about food. Alfresco dining and the chatter of company intermingling with fluid songs of mockingbirds are frequently part of the soundscape in Mission Hills. The star house on the tour, designed in the 1920s by William Templeton Johnson, even had a loggia-style bar that opened onto a patio overlooking fountains, a patio and a panoramic vista looking past an infinity pool added by subsequent owners. Houses like this help honor the ritual of food in a social setting. Like drinking from crystal making the beverage taste better, dwellings like this help us to savor both food and company. For the rest of us who cannot afford to live this way, the restaurant industry has thrived on the same principle.

Jenny, Sara and I walked through Old Town as we tend to visit tourist destinations when guests come into town.  The streets were bustling with families and bar hoppers.  Not many people shopping, but large populations in the bars.  Mexican food is abundant and many restaurants have women in traditional Mexican dress making fresh tortillas right on the street.  The rich aroma of toasted corn wafts throughout the entire neighborhood.  Each tortilla maker uses their own method.  Some use tortilla presses with wax paper, others roll with a pin, but the most impressive were those who formed each tortilla in their hands, perfect each time before they flipped it onto the griddle.  

Reminiscent of days when we cooked chapatis in quantity, I started to contemplate making tortillas for dinner.  As the evening approached, I made the masa ahead.  In addition, our neighbor Joe had given us Tabasco peppers, Italian mild peppers and habanero chiles, so I also decided to put up Tabasco sauce, Pepperoncini and Hot habanero sauce.  The kitchen air soon filled with spicy aromas laced with vinegar, causing the casual passerby to immediately start coughing.  Sometimes, that is what it takes to clear a room! 

The dinner menu took shape as tortillas were hand rolled and cooked one at a time.  The main course of corn, pepita and lime enchiladas with walnut sauce would use the fresh tortillas to help define the dish.  The filling was made with corn off the cob and pepita-cilantro-lime pesto with a fresh, green flavor.  The creamy walnut-shallot sauce was ladled on top of each filled tortilla and the dish was garnished with fresh local avocado. 

The home brewed Tabasco was served on the side, for those with a passion for heat.

Inspiration often can be unexpected as food is intimately entwined in the life of every person.