Why Eat a Vegan Diet? Guest Post by Maggie Sloan

Maggie Sloan has a degree in nutrition and  will be contributing to my blog on a regular basis. Her blog is Vegan Fat Kid. Here's what she has to say. Why did I start following a vegan diet? I'm from Alabama and it's absolutely unheard of for anyone to be vegan in this state. Occasionally you'll find some vegetarians, but rarely any vegans. Alabama is known for it's large obese population with very high rates of health-related... [Read More...]

Want to Learn Pressure Cooking Basics?

My new pressure cooking ebook will be coming out sometime soon (hopefully before March 1st). Meanwhile my pressure cooking colleague in Italy, Ms. Laura of Hip Pressure Cooking has a beginner's series on her website that I hope you will check out while you are patiently waiting for my ebook. My goal is to get you successfully using your pressure cooker, and I know that Laura can do that for you. I might even have a guest spot in her series. Just... [Read More...]

Time to Ferment Old Fashioned Pickles

Even though we've had the coldest summer in 40 years (yes, you read that right) in Sonoma County, there are still cucumbers to be had. In fact, there are many cucumbers which I patiently await so that I can make pickles. Currently, Crescent Moon Farm of Santa Rosa has both kirby cukes and cornichons for pickling. I bought 4 pounds of them and I am ready to go to work. See my notes below from my presentation at the Freestone Fermentation Festival... [Read More...]

Five Goals That Can Help Improve Your Health

1. Eat more veggies and fruits As the Veggie Queen™ you knew that I'd probably tell you this but alas, it is true. You want to work your way up to eating a minimum of 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. An easy way to do this is to snack on veggies (and sometimes fruit) between meals, include a salad every day and maybe have some vegetable soup for lunch or dinner. If you just cannot manage this, then drink some vegetable juice... [Read More...]

Reflections on Celery Root

When I was doing my cooking demonstration at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival I brought a couple of vegetables for show and tell. One of them was a celery root. It's amazing how I can stump almost an entire audience with a vegetable. Only a couple of people in an audience of one hundred fifty had seen celeriac (or celery root as it is also known) before. I am sure that even fewer knew how to eat or cook it. The outer peel of celery root... [Read More...]

What’s Up with the Fungi?

by Jill Nussinow Press Democrat: Healthtime Don Lareau, of Occidental Mushrooms, agrees with Law about getting mushroom products often but thinks that eating them is preferable to pills except for the unpalatable mushrooms. For example, he suggests taking Reishi (ray-shi) or Turkey Tail as tea or tincture. Lareau therefore is in the first stages of making mushroom tinctures. Until those are ready, you'll find Lareau at the Sebastopol Farmers'... [Read More...]

Tempting Tempeh

by Jill Nussinow Delicious! Tempeh (pronounced "tem-pay"), an ancient Indonesian soyfood staple, is a relative newcomer to the U. S. vegetarian culinary scene. It's a terrific source of complete protein, with 5 to 6 grams of protein per three-ounce serving, as well as a good source of iron and vitamin E. It's also rich in fiber, containing 2 to 8 grams per three-ounce serving. Traditionally tempeh is made at home in Indonesia by... [Read More...]

Flavor Boosters for Low Sodium Cuisine

by Jill Nussinow The Michigan Dietetic Association Shaking the salt habit can be tough for many people, especially when used to the taste of processed and "fast" food. Making the switch involves taste bud adjustment and learning to heighten food flavors without the salt shaker. Try some of these savory solutions for boosting flavor while slashing sodium: Go green – Use herbs whenever possible. Add dried herbs early in the cooking... [Read More...]