A little DC FYI: You can get truffled fries at the Poste Brasserie for $4! Dee. Lish. Us.

For your viewin’ pleasure: a tomato that appeared in the garden last week.

This is a test button. It should add an event to your calendar that takes place from 2:15-2:45 on October 2.

I have to applaud Gold Star Chili of Cincinnati. In their quick takeout line–in an airport, no less–they offered a vegetarian version of their signature dish. Now veggies have an (almost) equal opportunity to clog their arteries and broaden their arses with chili cheese fries, chili with garlic bread, and Chili 3-Ways.

The latter is what I got, as you can see here. I say the veggies don’t quite have the same opportunity to acquire those sophisticated Western maladies because the vegetarian chili is full of  (what else?) vegetables instead of meat. It’s hard to see, but they include corn, onions, peppers, mushrooms and other goodies included in the not-too-picante sauce. The “ways”, if you can’t tell from the photo, are Spaghetti, Cheese, and of course Chili. Continue reading →

Check ’em out! A chef uses her CSA “take” each week.

So far she’s done some interesting things with squash and blackberries in Week 1, and rejoiced over herbs, potatoes, onions, and green beans in Week 2.

Preservative. It’s the 12-letter 4-letter word of the food world. You’ve got your more innocuous ones, like lemon juice, but most sound like a chemical used to clean industrial machinery (as in “Jennings! Can you grab that can of butylated hydroxytoluene? The gear’s all gunked up again!”) Not very appetizing.

In a report on food additives from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, many of the substances on the list are preservatives. And of these, CSPI suggests one avoid or cut down on most. Continue reading →

I’m back! Hope you liked the guest post from Alynn. I met her last week at a raw foods dinner she put on. I’d experienced raw offerings at places like Java Green, Everlasting Life Cafe, and A Quest for Fresh, but this was more than marinated mushrooms and chopped kale. We had sushi rolls, avocado dip, fruit salad, “plum” pudding, eggplant “manicotti,” brazil nut crust pizza with a zingy sundried tomato sauce, and several creamy coconut confections for dessert.

I’m sure Alynn wouldn’t want to reveal all her secrets (and, to be honest, it would take me quite a while just to type the things I learned during the course of that afternoon), but I thought I’d pass on a few teaspoons of raw info and recipes from the pro.

First, a few things I learned about raw eating:

• Raw cuisine is made with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that are eaten fresh or dehydrated at temperatures of no more than about 110 F. According to Alynn’s café’s website, it is “uncooked, live, unprocessed, being in or nearly the natural state, energetic, with natural enzymes, vitamins and amino acids.”

• Raw sushi rolls can be made with chopped cauliflower instead of rice! Make like regular sushi rolls using strips of veggies and a schmear of mashed avocado dip (avocado, apple cider vinegar, salt), and roll up with nori.

• For a tasty “plum” pudding, puree fresh figs, a tad grated fresh ginger, and lemon juice.

• Make a refreshing summer drink with water and any herb (mint, rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, etc.) by combining and letting it sit outside for a day and a night. The sun will make it into tea, and the night will cool it off (plus the moon will imbue it with lunar energy, Alynn explained–a nice bonus!) Drink the next day.

(Recipes next…) Continue reading →

Here’s the food log for today, June 12. Catch Day 1 here or our profiles here if you missed ’em.

Sherita

Breakfast
Oat groats with rice milk bananas and raisins
Sprouted wheat toast with coconut oil, which is better than butter.

Lunch
Thai Kitchen’s pad Thai noodles. I buy these because they’re vegan and I just add hot water. I don’t microwave so it’s great for me.

Dinner
Marinated spinach. This is a raw dish. The marinade is Bragg’s liquid aminos, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. I blend this and pour it over the spinach and put it in the fridge overnight. Delicious!

Rhea

Breakfast
Yogurt with service berries (from a neighborhood tree – very local!)
½ bagel with strawberry cream cheese
Coffee with cream and sugar

Lunch
Pizza (1 slice cheese, 1 slice just veggies)
Side o’ mashed potatoes

Snack
Mixed nuts and dried apples

Caramel kettle corn

Dinner
Salad (community garden & Clagett Farm greens, bell peppers, sauerkraut, ground flax seeds, tahini dressing*)
Sprouted grain tortillas
Virgin Mary (tomato juice, horseradish, hot sauce, spices)

*For this tahini dressing, I mixed Annie’s Goddess Dressing—which is too vinegary for me–with tahini, lemon juice, tamari, and water. If you make your own from scratch, throw in some minced garlic and parsley.

Kobayashi

Breakfast
6 Morningstar vegetarian sausage links, seasoned.
1 cup of blueberries & raspberries
16 oz. protein shake w/ mango, pineapple, and orange juice
2 slices of 12 grain bread

Lunch
1 veggie burger
1 avocado
1 serving of lebanese salad
2 slices of oat wheat bread

Late Afternoon Snack
2 banana
1 packet of almond, cashew, and raisin mix
1 bottle of acai & pomegranate juice.

Dinner
2 cups boiled edamame
1 servings of chickpeas and bulgur wheat salad
1 serving of quinoa, raisins, veggie salad
2 mangoes