Big Vegan: Squash Quesadillas with Cranberry-Jicama Salsa

When fellow cooking teacher and cookbook author Robin Asbell asked me if I'd participate in the special online "potluck" release of her new book, Big Vegan, , I immediately said yes. I then got to choose a recipe from a well-prepared menu of items. I love winter squash so I chose the Squash Quesadillas with Cranberry-Jicama Salsa. I've known Robin for a number of years and like her work. Here is my recap of preparing the recipe.... [Read More...]

Are You Afraid of the Pressure Cooker?

I am diligently working on my pressure cooking ebook titled, The New Fast Food: The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in less than 30 Minutes. I know that the title is more than a mouthful but if you just remember The New Fast Food, The Veggie Queen and Pressure Cooks, or any combination of those words, that will be fine. Since I am immersed in polishing the book, I'm talking a lot about it. Yesterday I attended a publishing conference... [Read More...]

Pressure Cooker Orange Scented Beet Salad

I developed this beet salad for Cooking Light magazine way back in the late 1990s. It's still a winner today. You'll get the idea of how easy it is to use the pressure cooker. to make this recipe. Pictured here are gold and chioggia beets but red ones work just as well, albeit a bit messier. Beets in just 3 minutes? Yes, slice them thin. And if they're young, you don't need to peel them. At least I don''t, This recipe is perfect... [Read More...]

Fermented Foods: Time for Sauerkraut

A few years ago someone mentioned the book Body Ecology to me and rather than run out and buy the book (because I really don't need another book at all), I took a look at the website. I noticed the recipe for fermented vegetables and decided to give it a try, learning that fermented foods are important for good gut health. At Body Ecology they say that you can make the vegetables without salt. I tried and have to say that it didn't work out... [Read More...]

Michael Pollan and The Veggie Queen Agree on Vegtables and Cooking

The other day I went to see my former schoolmate, Michael Pollan, speak about his new book Food Rules. I find this ironic because in junior high and high school, I was the one who cared about healthy food, eschewing the garbage served in the cafeteria and bringing my own food to eat. I went on to get a graduate degree in nutrition and I think that Michael got a degree in English, communication or journalism. Michael Pollan became a famous writer.... [Read More...]

Without Mom Where Would I Be? With Food and Vegetables

Family meals growing up were always interesting, and they happened almost every night. My mother made dinner. With a meat and potatoes husband, most of the time, and 3 particular daughters, I am sure that it wasn't easy to make something that everyone liked. This is still the daily dilemma for many Moms today. Although now, if your child doesn't like something, you can open the freezer and hand them something to pop into the microwave. But... [Read More...]

The Road to Dietary Salvation is Dotted with Vegetables

This past week a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that it's not low carb, low fat, low-anything else that helps people lose weight and keep it off, but it's eating fewer calories. Many of you might not know this but at least 3 times in my adult life I have had to lose a significant amount (I am small so I won't share the number but it's been about 15% of my body weight). I did it by paying attention... [Read More...]

The Veggie Queen Sprouts Again

I have been following a partly-raw diet for most of my life. I have always eaten raw fruit and vegetables, and for at least 30 years, on and off, I have been sprouting. I love the simplicity of the jar method: you put the seeds in a jar with a screened lid or piece of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band soak rinse put in a bowl on an angle in a cabinet and then rinse twice a day When ready, place the jar in a spot with indirect sunlight and let... [Read More...]