Vegetarian/Vegan

Rum Rebellions, Vegan Cookies and Boozy Brunches - The New York Times in 60 Seconds

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by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Dec 2nd 2009 @ 12:00PM

Photo: _lem, Flickr.

Brunch isn't all bloody mary's and mimosas -- an increasing number of bars are offering more cocktail varieties for daylight drinking.
The cocktail heard around the world: A "rum rebellion" is happening in bars across the country, pink umbrella and all.
One sister loved the vegan Banana Everything Cookies; the other found them chalky. And that's the way the cookie crumbles. ...
Sam Sifton describes San Domenico's reincarnation, SD26, as "the restaurant equivalent of a second wife."
Get in the spirit of the season with plenty of recipes for winter libations.

Filed under: Newspapers, Vegetarian/Vegan, Drink Recipes, In 60 Seconds

Ginger Juice - Feast Your Eyes

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by Alexa Weibel, Posted Nov 5th 2009 @ 10:00AM

Photo: sweetbeetandgreenbean, Flickr.

Now that we've learned how to peel ginger with ease, this ginger juice recipe seems less daunting, especially with its powerful health benefits. Prized for its piquant flavor, ginger is a medicinal treat in addition to being a tasty one -- to list just a few of its talents, it treats stomachaches and indigestion, reduces toxicity and aids mild lung disorders.

Kickstart your day -- and immune system -- with a shot of the stuff by passing diced and peeled pieces of the root through a juicer. If deemed too spicy for more sensitive palates, mix the juice with water, other juices or sweeteners like lemon, sugar or agave.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Filed under: Trends, Vegetarian/Vegan, Feast Your Eyes

Oprah Goes Vegan With Gardein

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by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 22nd 2009 @ 12:15PM

Gardein is the latest plant-based protein line that is animal- and dairy-free. The product's "meaty texture" comes from a blend of soy, wheat and pea proteins, vegetables and grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet and kamut). In fact, the name Gardein is a combination of "garden" and protein."

Gardein is getting a lot of press these days because of Oprah Winfrey. Chef Tal Ronnen, who created Oprah's vegan 21-Day Cleanse menu, also helps Gardein in its development of different flavors, textures and variations.

Here is a list of where to buy Gardein near you.

Tried Gardein? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan

Five Must-Have Vegetarian Cookbooks

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by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 3:30PM

The cookbook shelf of a former vegetarian. Photo: emdot, Flickr.

Whether you're a full-fledged veg or a pro-greens protein fiend, vegetarian cookbooks are the door to a world where beans, greens and grains are celebrated. These books will introduce you to a whole new pantry of ingredients. Just as a meat eater might strive to make use of the entire animal, vegetarian cooks grab inspiration from far and wide and turn every bit of edible, natural earth into a grand culinary experience.

What follows after the jump are five vegetarian cookbooks that any veggie lover must have, covering the staples of meatless cookery -- secret recipes from restaurants, classic culinary bibles, respected names and haute vegetarian food. Which do you think will reign supreme?

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan, Books

Vegan Wine Guide

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by Gretchen Roberts, Posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 2:00PM

Vegetarian vineyards? Photo: Tambako the Jaguar.

Gretchen Roberts writes the wine blog Vinobite, has passed the introductory course at the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying for her sommelier certification this fall.

A couple of weeks ago, I gushed about the Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé Cuvée de la Pompadour, a sparkling rosé made with organic grapes and animal-free products. Other well-known examples of vegan wineries include Frey Vineyards and Girasole Vineyards.

What makes a wine vegan? After all, wine is made from grapes, not beef. Where animal products do come into play is during the fining process. After fermentation, most wine is filtered and fined, which is basically removing all the sediment and leftover dead yeast cells and such from the fermentation process. Most winemakers use animal products like egg white or isinglass, but vegan wines are made with non-animal products such as clay.

Want to find out if your favorite brand is vegan? It's not always easy. Winemakers aren't required to disclose ingredients like the information on Oreo cookie labels, so you have to do some nosing around. One great source is the Barnivore Vegan Wine & Beer Guide, a community project listing of vegan and non-vegan wines. Cheers!

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan, Drink Recipes

Montel's Daughter Advocates for Vegetarian School Lunches

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by Emily Farris, Posted Aug 25th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Following in the footsteps of her famous father, talk show host Montel Williams, 14-year-old Wyntergrace Williams has taken to the airwaves to solve other people's problems. But instead of counseling couples or advising addicts like Montel has done, the younger Williams is advocating for vegetarian meal options in public schools.

Williams' promo spot debuted last night during ABC Family's show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." The 30-second PSA is part of a campaign to urge Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to include more vegetarian and vegan options in public school lunches. The CNA is up for reauthorization this year.

According to healthyschoollunches.org (the site that Williams is working with), though some schools are able to offer innovative school lunches that include numerous vegan and vegetarian options, some of which are even environmentally sustainable, many schools only meet the bare minimum nutrition requirements set forth by the CNA.

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan, Ingredients, Celebrities

'Top Chef Masters' -- Zooey Deschanel, Vegan

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by Michael Thomas Hastings, Posted Aug 6th 2009 @ 11:00AM

Zooey Deschanel
Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Who knew someone as adorable as Zooey Deschanel could be so difficult? Truth be told, when the actress and singer showed up as a guest judge/elfin dinner hostess last night on "Top Chef Masters," we were counting the moments until she threw the inevitable curveball: "I'm a vegetarian."

When she added "no eggs or dairy" -- never uttering the word "vegan" -- and professed her intolerance for soy or wheat, we sensed the evil guiding hand of the show's producers, eager to ratchet up the tension for the five remaining celeb chefs. The only way they could've played it up more would have been to have her break plates and pull a "Mommie Dearest" at the dinner table: "I told you, no gluten ingredients EVER!"

No such luck. The star of the heavily Bravo-promoted "500 Days of Summer" was a model of apologetic demureness when she met the cooks pre-meal, although she did decline Michael Chiarello's request to sing couple of a cappella songs in exchange for his culinary handiwork.

Behind her back, the Italian cuisine maestro was the most outwardly offended by the restrictions, calling them "off-putting."

Filed under: Television/Film, Vegetarian/Vegan

Flashback to the Seventies: Dilled Pea Salad

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by Bruce Watson, Posted Jun 11th 2009 @ 3:00PM

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

When I was a kid, pea season was a mixed blessing. On the bright side, it meant that we would get fresh sweet peas on the table. Whether from our family garden or from a local farmers' market, the just-harvested peas were invariably sweet, crunchy and delicious. On the other hand, our regular servings of fresh peas translated into hours spent on the porch shelling the bright green pods. Even under the best circumstances, it was dull, tedious work.

My mother's pea salad recipe, which combines the sweetness of peas with the light flavor of dill, tended to overshadow the peas with a heavy helping of sour cream, mayonnaise and scallions. My modified version, included below, lets the flavor of the peas shine through, but retains the original's cool summer flavors.

Get the recipe for dilled pea salad after the jump.

Filed under: Retro cookery, Vegetarian/Vegan, Ingredients

Marvelous Morels

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by Rebecca Flint Marx, Posted Jun 3rd 2009 @ 1:00PM

Like ramps and asparagus, morels are synonymous with spring, and an edible reminder of the season's brevity. It feels less like morels have a season than a quick, annual engagement: catching them at the farmers market is like catching a solar eclipse, or Tom Jones at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

Morels are wild mushrooms that grow in forested areas throughout many parts of the country, and generally begin appearing sometime in April. They're usually available until the early summer, but their season can vary by a week or two depending on the region and the amount of rainfall. They're slender, knobby things with intricately ridged and wrinkled skin, and look like they sprouted from the pages of the Brothers Grimm. Their homely appearance belies their heavenly flavor, which is expressed to spectacular effect in the company of dairy, fat and and asparagus. Scrambled eggs are thus an ideal way to enjoy morels -- think of it as less an egg dish than a vehicle for delivering the best of the season to your very happy stomach.

Read the recipe for scrambled eggs with morels, asparagus and spring onions after the jump.

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan, Ingredients

Rumble in the Jungle: A Tofu Takedown Rundown

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by Rebecca Flint Marx, Posted May 11th 2009 @ 4:00PM

As one of New York City's most well-appointed concert venues, the Highline Ballroom gets its share of long lines. But the 180 people milling outside its entrance yesterday afternoon hadn't come for the music. They'd come for the soy.

Soy doesn't exactly scream "ruthless fight to the finish," or summon images of a marauding vegetarians. Yet the stakes at the first-ever Tofu Takedown were high enough to inspire even committed bacon lovers to attend the spirited competition, which was organized by Matt Timms, the hungry genius behind the chili, salsa, fondue, cookie and bacon takedowns.

Seventeen amateur cooks gathered in the ballroom to battle it out for tofu supremacy with entries that ranged from so-called "Ethiopian empanadas" to salted caramel tofu gelato. Somewhat surprisingly, sweet far outnumbered savory, demonstrating just how far tofu has come in its role as an ingredient for dessert.

Filed under: Vegetarian/Vegan