I checked out The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld and George Minot from the library today and was immediately impressed shortly after opening the book. Voluptuous recipes indeed! I didn't know vegan recipes could sound so sensual.
More than 200 gourmet recipes inside. The ingredients are simple, but when I imagine these recipes in my mouth I know the results will be sinfully wonderful. Inside you'll find recipes dishes such as: Warm Chickpea Salad with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes; hijiki "caviar"; herbed coconut chutney; jalapeno "sour cream"; asparagus potage with garlic "cream"- is your mouth watering yet?
These dishes would make wonderful party entrees or an elegant dinner at home. Very nutritious as well, lots of veggies and different herbs add flavor. None seem high in fat or sugar. Highly recommended! One of the best Vegan cookbooks I've stumbled upon.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Diet and Nutrition
Lately I've been picking my friends' and families' brains (this has been inspired by countless cookbooks, diet philosophies and alternative health books) about what healthy means. How does our society define physical health?
While meandering through definitions on the web (like Wikipedia) proper nutrition and regular exercise looked like key components.
Regular exercise is almost a given. There are better ways than others to break a sweat, but (for the most part) doing any amount of movement on a regular basis always seems better than none. Good to take the middle road here. Not too little, not too much. That always seemed to work for me, anyway. I know that too much exercise can create a great deal of stress on our bodies, but other than that I'm somewhat clueless.
Diet and nutrition are trickier words even. Raw foods, the USDA food pyramid (which almost everyone I know thinks is incredibly outdated), vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic, whole foods, low carb, cleansing, detoxing- which diet plan to choose when? How does one approach proper nutrition and healthy eating when there are so many philosophies to choose from?
Most of them sound pretty plauable, as well. I've gone raw for a while, done vegan, wheat-free, vegetarian...I've fasted, detoxed...but I usually go back to a mostly whole foods based diet. Not that I'm saying whole foods is better than any other diet, but it is generally the basis for many other diets I've been interested in.
I will note that my 'back to basics' type of eating habits (foods that aren't processed or fried, are organic and preferably local) make me feel much better than going out to eat, for the most part. Some dining establishments cater to those looking for 'healthier' eats, but usually eating out causes indigestion and bloating.
However, even though whole foods has been making my body feel pretty good lately, I think a cleanse or raw food fast is in order soon. Usually giving my body the ability to (deeply) pay attention to how certain foods and combinations of foods make me feel (at different times) steers me in the best direction.
While meandering through definitions on the web (like Wikipedia) proper nutrition and regular exercise looked like key components.
Regular exercise is almost a given. There are better ways than others to break a sweat, but (for the most part) doing any amount of movement on a regular basis always seems better than none. Good to take the middle road here. Not too little, not too much. That always seemed to work for me, anyway. I know that too much exercise can create a great deal of stress on our bodies, but other than that I'm somewhat clueless.
Diet and nutrition are trickier words even. Raw foods, the USDA food pyramid (which almost everyone I know thinks is incredibly outdated), vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic, whole foods, low carb, cleansing, detoxing- which diet plan to choose when? How does one approach proper nutrition and healthy eating when there are so many philosophies to choose from?
Most of them sound pretty plauable, as well. I've gone raw for a while, done vegan, wheat-free, vegetarian...I've fasted, detoxed...but I usually go back to a mostly whole foods based diet. Not that I'm saying whole foods is better than any other diet, but it is generally the basis for many other diets I've been interested in.
I will note that my 'back to basics' type of eating habits (foods that aren't processed or fried, are organic and preferably local) make me feel much better than going out to eat, for the most part. Some dining establishments cater to those looking for 'healthier' eats, but usually eating out causes indigestion and bloating.
However, even though whole foods has been making my body feel pretty good lately, I think a cleanse or raw food fast is in order soon. Usually giving my body the ability to (deeply) pay attention to how certain foods and combinations of foods make me feel (at different times) steers me in the best direction.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Visiting Eugene, OR- a vegetarian's paradise
Just got back from a short trip to Eugene, OR (we used to live there and love to go there to visit many wonderful friends).
There are soooo many restaurants with vegetarian options in Eugene. One of my favorite places in the world to go out to eat.
Went to a new restaurant called 3 Square. A little more upscale, but they had two vegetarian entrees. The drinks there are fantastic and the service superb. Food was top-notch.
Enjoyed our breakfast/lunch at the Glenwood off of Willamette. Always tons of veggie dishes served there. Can get busy (but the service is generally better than the Glenwood on campus and the new interior at the Glenwood on campus is awful. Think dark brown/maeve /muddy interiors- makes you feel depressed while you eat).
Eugene is so incredibly vegetarian friendly. Sure to delight vegans as well.
There are soooo many restaurants with vegetarian options in Eugene. One of my favorite places in the world to go out to eat.
Went to a new restaurant called 3 Square. A little more upscale, but they had two vegetarian entrees. The drinks there are fantastic and the service superb. Food was top-notch.
Enjoyed our breakfast/lunch at the Glenwood off of Willamette. Always tons of veggie dishes served there. Can get busy (but the service is generally better than the Glenwood on campus and the new interior at the Glenwood on campus is awful. Think dark brown/maeve /muddy interiors- makes you feel depressed while you eat).
Eugene is so incredibly vegetarian friendly. Sure to delight vegans as well.
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