 Photo Credit: Chef Coscarelli I've been a great fan of Chef Coscarelli's work for awhile, and she has just written a great post on her Favorite Vegan Eats in San Francisco and New York. I've been to a few of these locations and now have a reason to try others! Which restaurants and dishes are your favorites? Add Comment  In The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude, Brian Patton shares 100 vegan recipes, including cocktails, breakfast sandwiches, Bourbon Tempeh Sliders, and desserts such as Sailor Peanut Rum Ice Cream. There are appetizers and nachos, pizza and tuna-like sandwiches as well as plenty of salads, pasta, and main dish choices. Just note the book's language is a bit racy... so it's a cookbook for adults. As for a recipe I'm featuring on this article, I love SPICY and FLAVORFUL food so I've included Brian's Jambalaya Recipe at the end of this article. Check out Brian's Story: Patton taught himself the craft of cooking by preparing meals for his parents and his culinary education continued when he moved to Los Angeles and found a cooking job where he learned the ins and outs of professional cooking. From there, he was hired by Veggin' Out, a vegan home delivery service, where he eventually was promoted to the Executive Chef position he enjoys today. As the only meat eater when he first started working at Vegin’ Out, Patton decided to see what would happen if he became vegan for one month. “After this animal product–free month, I had more energy and I lost about eight pounds, so I thought I’d give it another month, and then another month,” writes Patton. “My energy continued to skyrocket. I was becoming healthy on the inside, which was beginning to show on the outside: my complexion improved, the whites of my eyes got whiter, and after ten months, I’d lost sixty pounds!” Patton has been a vegan ever since, but as a regular dude he still wanted to eat sandwiches, sliders, onion rings, pizza, and to enjoy a cocktail or two, so he started compiling easy, failure-proof vegan recipes that worked with his lifestyle. Then in late 2006, he began sharing them on his very own cooking demonstration show on YouTube called the Sexy Vegan, where his fun and lively style quickly developed a large and loyal fan base. You can visit Brian online and watch his fun cooking videos here: http://www.thesexyvegan.com. Enjoy the JAMBALAYA Recipe thanks to Brian! Serves 4 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced red bell pepper 1 cup diced yellow onion 3 cloves garlic, minced Salt 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 4 Pretend Chipotle Sausages (see recipe) Pepper 4 cups cooked brown rice 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish In a pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the veggies are soft. Add the thyme, cayenne, oregano, onion powder, and paprika, and stir to coat the veggies. Cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill, grill pan, or medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the sausages with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, and place on the hot grill or skillet. Let brown for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the sausages on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices. When the sauce is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place rice in the bottom of each bowl, ladle some sauce over the rice, and top with the sausages. Garnish with the parsley. PRETEND ITALIAN SAUSAGES Toss these with some Tomato Killer and sauteed peppers and onions, and throw them on a crusty Italian roll. Classic. Makes 8 sausages 1/2 pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour (see WTF, page 24) 2 tablespoons Seitan Seasoning (see recipe, page 208) 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 tablespoon chickpea flour or all-purpose flour 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF, page 25) 3/4 cup water 1/4 cup diced yellow onion 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 1/2 cup drained freshly cooked or rinsed canned white beans (cannellini, navy, etc.) Extra-virgin olive oil (optional) In a small pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chunks easily fall apart when you put a fork through them. Drain the potatoes well and, while they’re still hot, gently mash with a fork until there are no chunks left, or pass through a potato ricer. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, whisk together the wheat gluten, seitan seasoning, chili flakes, fennel seeds, and chickpea flour. In a food processor or blender, puree the tamari, water, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and beans. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, add them and the bean mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mash it all together with your hands to form a soft dough,making sure there are no dry parts remaining. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before using. You can also wrap it in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for later use. It will last for 5 days. Form the dough into a loaf-like shape and cut it in half. Then cut those halves in half. Finally, cut the halves of the halves into five-sixteenths...just kidding, cut them in half. Now you’ll have 8 portions. Roll them into cigar-like shapes, 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Loosely roll each portion in foil and twist the ends of the foil to seal the packet. Remember to leave some room for expansion. Using a steamer basket, steam for 1 hour. If you want crispier outsides, after the sausages have steamed, fry them in a skillet or grill them with a little olive oil for a couple of minutes, until browned. VARIATION: Pretend Chipotle Sausages Omit the chili flakes and add 1 or 2 chipotle peppers (depending on how hot you like it) to the food processor or blender before you puree the wet ingredients. Excerpted with permission from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude ©2012 by Brian Patton. Published with permission of New World Library http://www.newworldlibrary.com  Thank you to my good friend Juliet Lamont for letting me know about Oakland Veg Week April 15-21 which will consist of vegan cooking demonstrations, talks on vegan nutrition by celebrated speakers Jack Norris (co-founder of Vegan Outreach) and Nathan Runkle (founder of Mercy for Animals); a free screening of Vegucated; and a grand finale celebration where attendees can sample some of the most delicious vegan fare available. Oakland City Council member Nancy Nadel, Alameda County Supervisors Wilma Chan and Keith Carson, and Rep. Barbara Lee are all pledging to be veg for the week, and some of their staff are too. The city and county are both officially proclaiming April 15-21 to be Oakland Veg Week, and Oakland Unified School District will encourage students to try vegetarianism for the week. This reminds me a bit of how I setup a Vegetarian Day in my Hungarian Peace Corps City during the first Earth Week I planned for the city. The School only served vegetarian meals that day - if you know Hungarian fare, that required some negotiation :) Happy Oakland Veg Week!!  by Guest Writer Hema Kalsi Rawsomely Vegan is truly an awesome wholesome meal book. It is for those of us looking to provide a nutrient rich meal. The awesome part lies in the fact that the meal is easy to prepare. As a working professional with a child I am continuously exploring for ways to provide a well balanced nutrition rich meal that is tasty yet not time consuming. Rawsomely Vegan’s recipes provide this with a little bit of pre-planning in terms of having the core ingredients at hand. No need to stir continuously or worry about over cooking, it really makes eating simple and healthful. The book starts with a section on ‘Stocking your kitchen’. I would say once you have stocked your kitchen with the right herbs, seeds and spices preparing the meal is a breeze. One thing that I would have liked here would have been some suggestions as to where to get some of these ingredients from. However, the more one starts creating with these recipes the easier the stocking part should become. The book has about 300 pages worth of recipes with sections on: juices & smoothies, soups & salads, dips, spreads & sides, entrees and deserts. Not just that, each recipe includes nutrient information as well, which I found a bonus! Here is a sample that is simple,easy-breezy and delicious all at the same time: Savoury Spiced String Beans Nutrients: Apart from proteins,high in Vitamin A,C,K and folate Serves:4 Ingredients: 1tsp savory herb seasoning (herbamare or italian seasoning or curry spice), 2 tbspns lemon juice, 2tbspns olive oil plus extra for garnish, 1/4th tspn salt, 2 cups string beans, sprig parsley for garnish Method: – Stir together seasoning, lemon juice and salt – Place string beans in a large mixing bowl and pour the sauce to coat the beans – Marinate for 3 hrs at room temperature or leave overnight – [Alternately, the author suggests, put the beans in a dehydrator for 2 hrs at 110 F] – Serve at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil & a sprig of parsley To sum it up I would say: Eating wholesome without cooking is awesome and the author Mike Snyder provides a variety of options for the same. Finally while the book is about raw vegan cooking it is not just for vegans! Healthy snacks, juices and meal options that are easy-breezy make me one happy Mom! About Guest Writer: Hema Kalsi is lucky to live in the Silicon Valley at the heart of where it all happens! Where technology and nature co-exist & thrive.  Chocolate Sampler + Crystal Bracelet We're pleased to announce 2 FUN Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate & Jewelry Combinations shipped together: 1. Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate Sampler + Red/Purple/White Crystal Bead Bracelets (Limited Edition) *** Vegan Chocolate Sampler & Red/Purple/White Crystal is available when ordering online. Note: the crystal bracelets are VERY LIMITED in quantity. 2. Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate Sampler + Red Crystal Bead Necklace See our Store for more details.  Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate Sampler By Popular Demand, Gratitude Gourmet has just released 2 Chocolate Sampler Boxes in time for Valentines Day! The Gratitude Gourmet Vegan Sampler in a Merlot Gift Box features Fresh, California-made Hazelnut Chocolate Praline 2pcs, Fruit Pate 3pcs, Orange Baton 3pcs, Chocolate Covered Pretzel 4pcs, and Chocolate Covered Coffee 10 beans. The Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate Sampler in a Merlot Gift Box features freshly-made chocolate confections with 2 pcs each Lavennise, Chocolate Hazelnut Praline, Fruit Pate, Salted Caramel, Almond Toffee, and 10 pcs of Chocolate Coated Coffee. All Chocolate is Fair-Trade & Small and Large Orders are available. Order in time for Valentines Day.  Gratitude Gourmet Healthy Food Box Join our Gratitude Gourmet Healthy Food Box Monthly Delivery Program, and Receive Free Shipping on deliveries to your home or office. As an added bonus for joining now, you will receive one delicious box of Gratitude Gourmet Vegan Chocolate Pralines as our Valentines Day Gift to you. The Gratitude Gourmet Healthy Food Box Monthly Delivery Program brings you and your family convenient, healthy food items containing vegan and mostly organic sweet, healthy snack, cereal, and soup product surprises for $19.99 each month with free US shipping. The Food Products alternate each month for a fresh surprise. Subscribe on our Gratitude Gourmet Home Page by Clicking HERE, and your first box with your Chocolate Valentines Day Gift will be delivered as soon as possible. Enjoy!  Join our Gratitude Gourmet Healthy Food Box Monthly Delivery Program, and Receive Free Shipping on deliveries to your home or office. As an added bonus for joining now, you will receive one delicious box of Gratitude Gourmet Chocolate Pralines as our gift to you for the Holidays. These are convenient, healthy gifts containing vegan and mostly organic sweet, healthy snack, cereal, and soup product surprises for $19.99 each month with free US shipping. SUBSCRIBE on our HOME PAGE HERE, and your first box with your Chocolate Holiday Gift will be delivered as soon as possible for the holidays. Enjoy!  Dr Roizen and Mary Vincent - Napa, CA Dr. Roizen, Institute Chair, Chief Wellness Officer Wellness Institute Cleveland Clinic, founder of eleven companies, co-inventer of a drug recently approved by the FDA, and author of a series of highly popular #1 New York Times bestsellers, recently visited Napa, California to celebrate the California Walnut Harvest Festival and spoke on a variety of topics including US Health, Disease Reversal, Genes, and how the increase in chronic US Disease is affecting US Economic Competitiveness/ Jobs. I videotaped Dr Roizen's complete presentation, and a portion of it is below for reference. Please note that since the presentation took place in the evening at a winery, the video is dark, but you can hear Dr. Roizen's important insights. I've covered Dr Oz and Dr Roizen's great work before with Rocco the Cowboy Story and Video. Dr. Roizen was the 'Enforcer' and ensured Rocco ate healthfully and exercised regularly, and as a result, Rocco's heart disease was reversed by going Vegan. Dr Roizen also states in the video that you affect genes and cancer by your food choices and the importance of meditation. He also mentions the importance of Lifestyle Treatment for Breast and Prostate Cancer, and Studies show that Food Changes, Walking, Tobacco Avoidance, and Mediation reduced tumor size. I also spoke with Dr Roizen and shared Gratitude Gourmet's mission, and he responded by saying that at the Cleveland Clinic it's impossible to find a piece of red meat. Stay tuned for more videos and news from this event. All California Walnut Harvest 2011 Stories and Videos by Gratitude Gourmet 1. Dr Roizen speaks on US Health, Disease Reversal, Genes & US Economic Competitiveness 2. Dean and Deluca's Chef Touhy’s Walnut Emulsion Recipe 3. Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's Turkish Walnut-Garlic Spread with Hot & Sweet Peppers & Pomegranate Syrup 4. California Walnut Orchard Visit - Farmer Introduction - Walnut Shaker 5. Chef Todd Humphries Recipes: Celery Salad & Walnut Bread Pudding 6. Videos: Trefethen Winery Stories - California Walnut Harvest |
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