I have a new obsession! While perusing cookbooks on Amazon, I stumbled across a book entitledJust Bento, by Makiko Ihto and the associated blogs: Just Bento and Just Hungry. I am a sucker for cover art, and this cookbook mesmerized me: cute, color-coordinated, and veggieful! So, of course, I bought it immediately.
The purchase is indicative of more than just my impulsive spending habits, however. A quick glance at the product description and Ihto's blogs reminded me of a few important things:
I have a stash of under-utilized Japanese ingredients residing in my pantry,
I have terrible lunch-packing habits ,
It would be fun to make nutritional lunches every day, and
Veggie Horizons is seriously lacking in lunch recipes (probably because of #2)
So, I've decided to jump on the bento bandwagon and make it happen!
But First, What is Bento?
According to Ihto, bento is simply a meal served in a box. There is a long and storied tradition of bento in Japan, but I think that I should let the experts tell you about the history and philosophy of bento-making, rather than trying to appropriate a tradition that I may not fully understand.
So, with a nod to my cultural limitations, it seems that most anything can be a bento box, or go inside of a bento box. Personally, bento-making appeals to me because the process places an emphasis on utilizing a variety of textures, colors, and techniques to make a highly nutritious and attractive lunch. The concept of constructing a satisfying meal while incorporating many different vegetables is enticing to me, since I rarely eat an honest lunch as it is. Furthermore, one has to fit all of one's lunch into a relatively small container (See this article to help you determine what size of bento box is right for you), helping to control portion size. What could be healthier (physically and psychologically) than a vegetable-based lunch that's compact enough to fit comfortably into your purse? Nothing.
Note: Ihto discusses at length something called"Charaben" or "Cute Bento," which are elaborately decorative bentos made by competitive Moms and Bento Artists. Though I am certainly in love with such culinary craftiness, I highly doubt that I will have time to make anything like this before work in the morning.
My First Bento
Well, here it is! I know it's not as cute or exciting as the bento on Just Bento. Also, the components are not Japanese at all. However, I think this bento box respects the principles of bento-making pretty well. My first attempt features three kinds of vegetables, a serving of whole grain, and a serving of protein, though it omits the cornerstone of the Japanese Bento (rice).
The two teir bento box I got on Amazon.com for $7.00!!!
Though I suspect that getting into the habit of bento-making might be easier if I start off by using ingredients and combinations with which I'm already familiar, I'm hoping to make Japanese Rice Balls (onigiri) sometime this week, and then try out an authentic Japanese bento combination!
So when you have a dog with separation anxiety (like I do), you stop being able to eat at restaurants where dogs aren't welcome. Thank God I live in north county San Diego, one of the most dog friendly areas around, and thank God it's Southern California and the temperature rarely dips below 50.
In my quest for quiet patios with good food, I have discovered Sam's Pizzeria. Sam's is a sweet little family owned restaurant in Del Mar with a view of an estuary and the ocean. I didn't have very high expectations the first time I went. I was just excited to be out of the house, with Bounder in tow, of course. But one bite of the lasagna converted me.
As if it wasn't enough to find a vegetarian lasagna on an affordable restaurant's menu, the sauce was perfectly seasoned. The cheese was delicious. And the meal came with garlic bread. I was sold.
While the location makes it impossible to forget you are in California, the food at Sam's reminds me of home. The food is hearty and delicious. The homemade salad dressing is perfectly seasoned and the garlic bread isn't greasy. My favorite dishes? The vegetarian lasagna, the pesto ravioli, and the manicotti.
I have to say that, for calling itself a pizzeria, Sam's pizza isn't the best. The crust is very light and airy, which can be nice, but something about the crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings just doesn't work. For pizza, I'll still stick with Oggi's.
Readers, I have a confession to make. I adore Indian food and have been cooking it at home for years. But Nichole, you ask, why haven't we seen any recipes from you for Indian meals? (Note: Carrie did put up a lovely Sweet Potato Samosa Recipe.) Honestly, I have been depriving the Veggie Horizons audience of recipes because I've been too lazy to type them up. (For Shame!)
But I shan't be lax in my duty any longer. There are over 375,000,000 vegetarians on the huge Indian subcontinent, and they hail from the many ethnic and religious communities the make up India's extremely diverse population. To say that there is a single definition of "Indian cuisine" is like saying that there is a single type of "European cuisine."
There's an almost infinite amount to learn, but novice cooks need not face the task alone. From Indian Cuisine blogs to books, there are many wonderful resources out there. Some are very authentic, some not so much. However, in my opinion, if what you're cooking tastes good, then a little Indian-American fusion here and there never hurt anyone.
On that note, I'd like to present my personal Indian cooking bible: 1000 Indian Recipes, by Neelam Batra. I discovered this book about five years ago (long before I was hip to the blogging scene), and have probably used it once or twice a week since then. Well, maybe less often in the past two years or so, because I've memorized so many of the recipes by heart. Anyway, I love it for the following reasons:
The early sections of the book offer lots of information about how to stock an Indian-Cooking friendly kitchen. Chapters include information on basic ingredients and procedures (including making one's own paneer cheese, ghee, and garlic-ginger paste), as well as detailed explanations about the spices used throughout the book and possible substitutions
An intuitive and clear organization with a fabulous index searchable by both the Indian and English words
Um.... 1000 Recipes! One of my life goals is to try them all (except maybe the meat ones).
A final piece of advice for beginners before we get to the recipe of the day: Do. Not. Buy. Spices. At. The. Grocery. Store.
Seriously, don't do it. You will get ripped off so severely you will never forgive yourself. Find an Indian Grocery Store, take your 1000 Indian Recipes spice list, and stock up. You will be shocked at how affordable spices are at the Indian Grocery Store, and the prices on dried legumes and flour aren't bad either. The only caveat is that spices do go stale after a bit, so buy smaller containers if you're not planning on cooking Indian regularly. Okay, now you're ready!
Yogurt Curry with Onion Pakora
This recipe is a slight adaption of "Nani Mama's Yogurt Curry with Onion Fritters" in Neelam Bartra's 1000 Indian Recipes. Make the fritters first, and then add them to the curry sauce at the end. The recipe for the pakora precedes the recipe for the yogurt curry sauce.
Onion Pakora or Onion Fritters
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala
1/2 cup chickpea flour (aka gram flour)
1 small onion, finely chopped or minced
1 small potato, peeled and grated
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, including soft stems
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried, ground fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ajwain seeds
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 to 2 cups of peanut oil for deep-frying
Directions:
Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl and mix in the onion, potato, ginger, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, ajwain seeds, baking soda, and salt. Add the water as needed to make a semi-thick mixture.
Heat the oil to 350F or 375F on a frying thermometer or a small teaspoon of batter dropped into the hot oil bubbles and rises to the top immediately.
Use a tablespoon to drop 1-inch uneven balls of the mixture carefully into the hot oil and fry as many pieces as the wok can hold at one time without crowding, turning each piece a few times with a slotted spoon until crispy and golden on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
Set aside until it is time to add them to the curry sauce.
Yogurt Curry with Onion Pakora
Ingredients:
15 to 20 Onion Pakora
3 cups nonfat plain yogurt
3 cups water
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
Chopped cilantro
Directions:
Prepare the pakoras. Then, in a blender, blend together the yogurt, water, chickpea flour, and curry leaves until smooth. (Blend well, or the yogurt will curdle while cooking.) Transfer to a bowl and mix in the coriander, turmeric, and salt.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion and ginger, stirring, until golden about 1 minute. Add the black mustard seeds and continue to heat until they begin to pop.
Add the coriander, fenugreek, asafoetida, and tumeric. Stir momentarily. Then slowly add the yogurt mixture, stirring constantly, and continue to stir until it comes to a boil, 2 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully and reduce the heat if the sauce starts to boil over.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and watching carefully, until the sauce looks smooth and silky and traces of oil are visible on the top of the surface and the sides, 30 to 35 minutes. (At this point the sauce should be somewhat soupy; it will thicken after the pakoras are added.)
Add the pakoras and simmer another 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the pakoras to soften as they absorb the sauce.
Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with chipped cilantro. Serve with rice or flat breads.
"You work with my Mom (P- K-) and she introduced me to your blog a bit back. My name is Sara I'm her vegetarian daughter who lives on the beach. My son just started Kindergarten this year and there is a big bake sale I volunteered to participate in on October 1st. October first is also World Vegetarian Day to kick off Vegetarian Awareness month (October)! I will have my own little special spot at the bake sale with a variety of Vegan/Vegetarian baked goods made by me, so siked about this! I wanted to tell you that I did a "test" batch of your chocolate chip cookies above, to see if they were something I would want to offer. Let me just tell you, OMG DELISH!!! They are so chocolately and chewy and perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and they will definitely be making an appearance at the school bake sale to celebrate World Vegetarian Day!" ~Sara
And if this warm and much appreciated praise wasn't enough, she also sent along a photo post-bake sale, showing off her wonderful Vegan/Vegetarian table. You can see our cookies on the left!
Thanks for reading Sara, and thanks for keeping us updated. If you've tried out any of our Veggie Horizons recipes, let us know how it went! We'll put up your pictures and comments as well!
As for myself, today I would like to engage in a little bit of self-indulgent reflection. First, I'd like to share some specific reasons that I believe the vegetarian lifestyle is a good choice for me. Secondly, I would like to write very candidly on the real challenges that I face on a daily basis. In short, let's talk about veggie motivation and veggie reality.
First things first. The reasons to go vegetarian are almost too numerous to name (but we'll give it a shot).
Physical Benefits: Vegetarian diets are some of the healthiest diets in the world.
Vegetarians are at lower risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, diverticulosis, renal disease, some cancers (including lung and breast), and gallstones (Source).
A vegetarian diet decreases exposure to food-borne illnesses and damaging free radicals (Source).
Vegetarians consume larger quantities of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and grains, thereby increasing their consumption of many essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants (Source).
Environmental and Social Benefits: Vegetarian diets reduce the negative impact of man on the environment, and help funnel resources to those that need them most.
Farmland used for meat production produces millions of tons more carbon dioxide and methane than does farmland used to produce vegetable foodstuffs (Source).
Each animal slaughtered for food consumes 16 pounds of edible vegetable food stuffs (corn, grain, soybeans, etc.) for every pound of edible flesh. This grain would be put to better use feeding human beings (Source).
Here is a great article from Green Living Ideas that sums up many studies of energy consumption for food production, particularly as it relates to livestock. It includes many links to relevant, peer-reviewed research studies.
Morality: This is perhaps the trickiest motivation of them all, and perhaps the most compelling. However, if you just don't care about the suffering of animals....then you don't care. But if you do care, this argument is pretty compelling. (Warning: This Video Contains Graphic Material)
When taken together, I think that the combination of these facts is so compelling that it would be difficult to defend an omnivorous diet. In fact, it might be difficult to defend anything but a vegan diet under these terms. (Visit PETA for a comprehensive if somewhat impassioned explanation of all of the above phenomenon.)
So........... why is it so hard then?
For me, the desire to consume meat (or the lack there of) has never been much of a factor in determining whether or not I will maintain a veggie lifestyle, or whether I will backslide into meat consumption. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed well-prepared meat in the past, but I don't crave it regularly (probably due to the fact that I've either been, or nearly been, a vegetarian since I was 14 years old).
The Context of Food
The real issue is, and always has been, social pressure. Personally, I believe that the resistance from friends and family comes out of three fundamental social contexts:
(1) Meat Eating and the Herding Culture
Meat eating is the keystone of herding culture (of which the Abrahamic cultures are descendant). This sentiment is particularly explicit in the creation myth of Adam and Eve, wherein God grants the infamous progenitors lordship over all the creatures of the Earth. Therefore, in the Christian (and Judaic and Islamic) tradition, man is not only destined by divine right, but obligated by the creator, to dominate animals. In this context, man has the right and privilege to use animals as he sees fit, without any obligation to the animal.
(2) Concept of "Man as Hunter"
One of the most frequent nonsectarian arguments against vegetarianism comes from the idea that man has been hunting and consuming meat since time immemorial, and thus meat consumption is biologically and evolutionarily predestined. In the world of Anthropology, this is a hotly contested issue. However, after having read many books on the subject (see the bottom of the post for a list), I think that there is ample evidence to challenge this age-old assumption. Some of the most compelling arguments questioning the identity of "Man as Hunter" include: fossil and biological evidence that links the human digestive system more closely to that of fruit eating apes than that of wolves or tigers; the relatively late appearance of the tools man uses to hunt in the archaeological record; and archaeological evidence that indicates a high predation rate among early humans (i.e. people were being eaten by animals more frequently than they were eating animals). All that aside, the "Man as Hunter" argument resembles (or perhaps follows from) the first in that it considers the use of animal bodies for consumption as the naturalright of man as an omnivore.
(3) Habits are Hard to Change
Contexts (1) and (2) are really important, but they operate mostly in the background of people's everyday lives. If they're invoked at all, it's usually only to defend the continuance of habitual action. Consider this: if you've spent your whole life communing and taking pleasure at a dinner table that features meat and animal products, it's not only difficult, but perhaps even painful to move away from the habits and nostalgia of meat eating. If you come from a family where food is important, this can be a very big deal. For example, when I went Vegan for a couple of months, both my Dad and my boyfriend were very upset with me, for different reasons. My Dad felt that by rejecting meat, I was rejecting his personal food tradition, ruining all of our future holidays, and trying to push my strange morality onto everyone else. My boyfriend was frustrated because he didn't know what to make for dinner on a daily basis, and felt that my choice made it difficult for him to eat the things that he liked to eat (read: bacon).
That's why it's hard to be a vegetarian. It's hard to act against society's deeply rooted ideas, assumptions, and habits, especially when they manifest in the feelings of the people that you love. It's hard to face your parent's anger and frustration when they don't understand why you are being "difficult" and "picky." It's hard to say no to the pot roast that your grandmother lovingly prepared for you. It's hard to make one dish for you, and one for your spouse, every night of the week. It's much easier to take the path of least resistance and do what they ask of you.
Making it Happen
But no one said it would be easy. So, a couple of pieces of advice for World Vegetarian Awareness Month, from a very human vegetarian:
No one's perfect. I know that I've had my share of back sliding over the years (mostly in the form of prosciutto and fresh mozzarella). If you fall off the wagon, watch that PETA video, take a deep breath, and get back on. One slip up doesn't mean that everything is lost.
Sometimes people in your life will be supportive of your choice, sometimes they will not be supportive of your choice. Remain calm, try not to argue about it, skip the turkey, and bring sweet potato casserole to Thanksgiving.
Try to be as compassionate to people as you are toward animals. Be patient and respectful of people who do not understand or accept your lifestyle, and demand that they respect and be patient with you as well. Lead with your fork by making delicious vegetarian food.
Have fun! Vegetarianism isn't all doom and gloom! It's a celebration of life! Think about all of the delicious food that you can eat! Check out the Recipes tab for some of the food that Carrie and I make on a regular basis, and explore the web! There are a zillion delicious vegetarian options out there, so don't be afraid!
Happy Saturday! It’s the weekend, and that means yet another cupcake recipe! The following is a recipe I adapted (from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World) in honor of my friend’s birthday. She's lactose intolerant and loves rosewater, so these vegan cupcakes suit her perfectly. The rosewater makes them taste a little exotic, but are they actually very easy to make. If you want a more traditional vegan cupcake, try Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Butter Cream Frosting or Orange-Mocha Cupcakes.
Vanilla-Cardamom Cupcakes with Rosewater Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners
In a small bowl, whisk together almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside until it begins to curdle.
In a large bowl, beat together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Sift in the flour, cardamom powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Mix until there are no lumps in the batter.
Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 the way full and bake in the oven 20-22 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before frosting.
Frost with mounds of Rosewater Buttercream Frosting.
Rosewater Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1/4 non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (like Earth Balance)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons rose water
1 tiny drop red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Cream together the shortening and margarine.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and rosewater, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tablespoon rosewater at a time, beating after each addition.
Add red food coloring and vanilla, and continue to beat for 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer, or 7 minutes by hand.
Cool in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
Readers, I sense you're incredulous. I know, I know..... the Burgh doesn't have the greatest gastronomic reputation. The only national attention our restaurant scene receive involves the manner in which we put french fries on our beef and fried egg sandwiches, and how many hot dogs we sell. But those of us living here know that something else is happening, and the proliferation of farmers' markets and organizations like Pittsburgh Slow Food and Grow Pittsburgh are proof!
Pittsburgh is growing....... vegetables, that is. The Burgh is getting a food face-lift from urban farming and the people who support it. These organizations are planting gardens in abandoned lots, teaching children about the origins of the food they eat, and imparting to urban communities a greater measure of health, self-sufficiency, social empowerment.
I was lucky enough to attend the Grow Pittsburgh's "A Taste of Grow Pittsburgh" Fundraiser on Sunday, September 18th, and it was a wonderful experience. The Mattress Factory, an incredible and unique installation art museum in Pittsburgh's North Side, hosted the event, which featured food, wine, and beer from Grow Pittsburgh's restaurant partners.
Participating restaurants either purchase fresh ingredients from Grow Pittsburgh's farms, or support the organization financially. The fare was awe inspiring, and included everything from spicy vegan sushi and fresh mushroom quiche to gourmet cupcakes and scones.
Not only was "A Taste of Grow Pittsburgh," a gastronomically exciting event, but it shows the myriad of culinary possibilities available to communities that value local foods, and work together.
