Martha Stewart's The Vegan Show with Biz Stone took place Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011 where Twitter cofounder, Biz Stone and Martha Stewart made Seitan bourguignon and parsley-leaf salad AND you'll also watch vegan fruit and nut bar-making with healthy-living guru Kathy Freston and Martha's Interview with Gene Baur, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary! Thank you to Martha Stewart for the Vegan Show! Check out the video here. French Meadow Bakery According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 1 in every 133 people in America have Celiac Disease, a condition in which the body is unable to process gluten. This restricts eating everyday foods made with wheat, rye or barley. Have you tried the delicious French Meadow Bakery Gluten-Free Tortilla and Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies? French Meadow Bakery The Soft Tortillas are hearty and nutritious, made with all-natural ingredients such as rice and tapioca, and are delicious in breakfast burritos, stuffed wraps, and veggie quesadillas. The Fudge Brownies are a chocolaty sweet treat packaged in a box of nine and purchased frozen. Check out the pictures below for some great Indulgences! French Meadow Bakery and Gratitude Gourmet are sponsoring a giveaway where 1 Gratitude Gourmet winner will receive a French Meadow Bakery Free Product Coupon (up to $9.99) and a $1 Off-Coupon, good for any 1 French Meadow Product. Just follow Gratitude Gourmet on Twitter and retweet this Gratitude Gourmet post with your unique comment. Good luck! Some recipes are below for your reference courtesy of French Meadow Bakery, and you can easily veganize these: Zucchini & Corn Quesadilla 1 medium zucchini, diced ¼ cup white onion, diced 1 cup organic corn 2 French Meadow Bakery Gluten Free Tortillas ½ cup shredded cheese Jalapeño sour cream (2 parts reduced fat sour cream with 1 part diced canned jalapeños) Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large sauté pan. Heat zucchini and onion until soft, add corn and season with cumin and cayenne pepper. Set aside. Heat tortilla in large pan, sprinkle with cheese and zucchini mixture and fold over in half. When cheese has melted, cut in half and serve aside black beans and jalapeño sour cream. Gluten-Free Fudge Brownie Trifle 1 package French Meadow Bakery Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies; thawed and crumbled 1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix ½ cup water 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 2 containers (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract In large bowl, combine pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth and well blended. Gently fold in 8 ounces of whipped topping. In a separate dish, combine remaining whipped topping and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Take half of crumbled brownies and layer on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with half of the pudding mixture and then half of the whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers once. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. BetterBody Canola Oil Canola Oil is a popular pantry item and can be used in a variety of recipes as you well know. BetterBody Canola Oil is uniquely processed to add nutritional benefits without the use of chemicals. Expeller-Pressed, this Canola Oil is lower in saturated fat than ALL oils yet higher in Vitamin E, D and Omega 3 and Omega 6 which are essential fatty acids that can reduce the risk of heart disease and inflammation. Other health benefits include zero trans-fats and cholesterol.Similar to virgin olive oil, Better Body Canola Oil has not been genetically modified. It is also light and delicious enough for the use of home-made salad dressings and sauces. For more information please visit, http://www.purecanola.com/ What are your favorite Canola Oil recipes? Per a recent Reuters article on Bees, did you know?
1. "Bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles or birds are estimated to do work worth 153 billion euros ($212.3 billion) a year to the human economy -- about 9.5 percent of the total value of human food production. Recent estimates of the contribution by managed species, mainly honey bees, range up to 57 billion euros. In the United States, over two million bee colonies are trucked around the nation to help pollination every year. 2. "Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees," Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, said in a statement. "Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature's services in a world of close to seven billion people," he said. 3. The report urged a shift toward ecological farming, less dependent on insecticides and more resilient to threats such as climate change. Food prices have hit record levels and are one factor behind uprisings in Egypt or Tunisia. 4. UNEP said farmers could be given incentives to set aside land to "restore pollinator-friendly habitats, including key flowering plants" as part of a shift to a "Green Economy." Are you looking for a great restaurant in Northern California Wine Country that serves gourmet vegetarian food? If so, then check out Healdsburg's Baci Cafe and Wine Bar which opened April 2010. Lisabeth and her husband Shari serve Italian and Mediterranean food, paired with wines from Sonoma, Napa & Italy. I ordered a bottle of 2008 Mueller Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Emily's Cuvée, and it was simply splendid. The wine is aged in 100% French Oak, and the official tasting notes include: "The 2008 Emily’s Cuvée has a deep, rich ruby color, loaded with raspberry and Rainier cherry aromas. Full bodied with tangy raspberry flavors and balanced acidity. Tannins are fine grained, soft and rich. Its extensive array of fruit flavors and aromas with subtle overtones of toasty oak will age gracefully over the next several years." You must try this! The Appetizer was a delicious, flavorful, and fresh 'Bruschetta all’Aglio': Pomodoro e Basilico Grilled Rustic Bread, Tomato, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil' - Each bite was a delight! I really enjoyed the artistic 'Salad Insalata di Barbabietole': Wood Oven Roasted Red and Gold Beets, Blood Orange, d’Anjou Pears, Shaved Fennel, on a Bed of Frisee with Blood Organge Jalapeno Dressing, Mint Infused Oil My Entree was the 'Gnocchi Rustico' (make sure you ask for the vegetarian version): Home Made Gnocchi, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Diced Butter Nut Squash, Pomegranate Reduction, Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I'm a red sauce person, and this already arrived with plenty of red sauce with which to enjoy the plentiful Gnocchi. Our Desserts included 'Torta di Cioccolata' - Chocolate Mousse between Two Layers of Moist Chocolate Cake - If you like Chocolate, this is your dessert! and 'Tiramisu' - Lady Fingers soaked in Espresso, Frangelico, Mascarpone, Cream - Totally delicious. The pictures are below, and I hope you visit soon and meet Lisabeth, Shari, and their great staff. Great News! Gratitude Gourmet has a Chocolate Mystery Box Club where you will receive a chocolate box once a month! All the chocolate is gourmet and vegan and comes in two sizes: 'Medium for $50 each month' and 'Party Size for $100 each month'. Prices include US Shipping, more information is here, and you can join below. Enjoy and Bon Appetit! Per a recent NY Times article: "Coffee yields have plummeted in Columbia and in many of Latin America’s other premier coffee regions as a result of rising temperatures and more intense and unpredictable rains, phenomena that many scientists link partly to global warming."
See the NY Times article for more information. Details include: "In 2006, Colombia produced more than 12 million 132-pound bags of coffee, and set a goal of 17 million for 2014. Last year the yield was 9 million bags. Brands like Maxwell, Yuban and Folgers have increased the retail prices of many grinds by 25 percent or more since the middle of last year in light of tight supply and higher wholesale prices. Profits of high-end coffee chains like Starbucks and Green Mountain have been eroded. Coffee futures of Arabica, the high-end bean that comes predominantly from Latin America, have risen more than 85 percent since last June, to $2.95 a pound, partly over concerns about supply, extreme weather and future quality, said George Kopp, an analyst at the International Futures Group in Chicago." Rice Select and Gratitude Gourmet are giving away a 36 oz. jar of Texmati rice to a Gratitude Gourmet reader in the US. To have a chance to win, just comment on Gratitude Gourmet's Facebook Page on a dish you would prepare if you are the Winner! RiceSelect™ is the maker of Texmati®, grown and packaged in the United States. Cook’s Illustrated, the official publication of “America’s Test Kitchen,” recently named RiceSelect’s Risotto Rice the top Arborio rice, giving it a coveted “Highly Recommended” rating. RiceSelect’ s other products include Jasmati®, Kasmati® and Sushi as well as Chef’s Originals®, Royal Blends®, Couscous, Orzo and Temati Medleys. RiceSelect’ s products can be purchased in more than 23,000 grocery stores in North America. Image Credit: Beanfields Did you know that the 5 Biggest Trends at the Expo West conference were: Hispanic, Low Sodium, Allergen-specific, Satiating, and Healthy Snack? All 5 trends are in 1 new product: Beanfields Bean & Rice Chips which made their Debut at the Natural Foods Expo West in Anaheim. - Hispanic (rice & beans are a staple of Hispanic diet) - Low Sodium (there’s a Naturally Unsalted variety) -Allergen-specific (free of the FDA’s top 8 ingredients that trigger food allergies) -Satiating (4 grams of Fiber per serving fills you up!) -Healthy Snack (4 grams of Complete Protein and 4 grams of Fiber) In addition to trying Green & Black's Chocolate, check out Green & Black's Chocolate second cookbook with baking recipes for cakes and cookies, cupcakes and muffins, breads and tray bakes, tarts and souffles. There are ideas for ice creams and what to bake for festive occasions. How about an Espresso Chocolate Bomb? You can veganize many of these recipes pretty easily as well. I had to share this Chocolate Karma with you! :-) Cook Natural Products produces Mara’s Pasta, from 100% whole wheat flour, and the conversion from wheat to finished pasta is performed by a family that has been in the pasta business for over 100 years. If you like wheat pasta, you'll be impressed! Cook Natural Products was founded in San Francisco in 1908 as Cook Flour Co and was an early force in the organic and artisan movements. Mara's Pasta is available in the following locations. Enjoy!
Do you enjoy hot chocolate? Santa Cruz Organic makes some great sauces for hot chocolate including Santa Cruz Organic Mint Chocolate, Santa Cruz Organic Chocolate, and Santa Cruz Organic Raspberry Chocolate. For an extra touch, add dark chocolate shavings. It's difficult to find Organic Chocolate Sauces, and Santa Cruz Organic has a great selection so you can have a different flavor every night of the week! Enjoy! Have you enjoyed Lunch or Dinner on the Napa Valley Wine Train? It's definitely a MUST-DO during your California Wine Country Visit. I love trains, good food & wine, and good scenery, and this experience has it all!
Prior to boarding the train, all riders were provided with 2 wines to taste: a 2009 Calistoga Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (stone fruits: apricot, peach, cantaloupe) and a 2008 Ragtop Red. For the Lunch courses, I chose the Baby Lettuce Salad with Candied Walnuts in a Honey Cider Vinaigrette, Sweet Pea Ravioli in a Melange of Roasted Peppers, Grilled Zucchini and Fresh Pesto, and a Chocolate Cake. This was followed with a nice cup of Coffee and a Chocolate Truffle. SWEET! :-) Enjoy the Pictures below. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
And the Finale from the 26th Annual Chefs' Holidays at The Ahwahnee January 13, 2011, Session 2 was Chef Michael Tusk, Quince San Francisco presenting the Chefs Holidays' 5 Course Dinner with Wine Pairings. I requested a Vegan Dinner, and it was exceptional! The Courses and Pairings were: 1. Roasted Cauliflower with Tofu - Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer, 2008 Monterey County 2. Vegan Vichis with Hazelnut Oil - Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay, 2008 Sonoma Coast 3. Vegan Polenta Ratatoullie, Chard, Bread - Gianelli Vineyards Sangiovese, 2008 Tuolumne County 4. Celery Root and Mushroom with Farro - Karly Zinfandel, 2008 "Warrior Fires" Amador County 5. Passion Fruit Sorbet with Chocolate Granola, and the pictures are below. The United Arab Emirates may have oil but it's running out of water. A Senior Safety Official said "The United Arab Emirates should conserve water by using less of it for agriculture" The UAE, which has seven percent of the world's known oil reserves, is among the top per capita consumers of water in the world. Abu Dhabi consumes 550 litres (145 gallons) of water per person per day compared to a world average of 180-200 litres. As a result, the UAE is encouraging farmers plant less water-intensive crops. The United States needs to review its water and agriculture policies. Animal agriculture has been very water-intensive. What are your States and Communities doing to reduce water use in Agriculture? You can read the full Reuters article here. I hope you had some Valentines Day chocolates to treat yourself, and as you may know, enjoying chocolate on a more regular basis is healthful. Check out John Robbins' Huffington Post article on chocolate's health benefits. He cites several studies including a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adding only half an ounce of dark chocolate to an average American diet is enough to increase total antioxidant capacity 4 percent, and lessen oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
Eat Pastry has a great line of Vegan Cookie Dough. I'm a fan of the Chocoholic Chunk myself, and their other flavors are: Peanut Butter, Ginger, Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk, and Oatmeal Raisin. If you're a cookie dough fan, this is definitely a Brand you have to try, and you can find it at these locations. Per co-founder Mirit Cohen of Gastronaut SF, a catering company serving meals featuring fresh, local food to private clients and online companies such as Yelp and Twitter, "It appears the higher up you go, the more health conscious you become. The Twitter and Yelp founders are both vegan - There's this thing with CEOs being vegan," says Cohen. Read the full SF Gate article here.
Here's a free Warm Season Vegetable Garden Class located in Campbell March 8 from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Location: Campbell Library,77 Harrison Ave., Campbell 95008
Thinking about growing some healthy, flavorful vegetables in your garden this year? Come hear Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw talk about what vegetables to plant and how to grow and harvest them. Special emphasis will be on how to start your plants from seed. Susan will share a variety of tools that make seed starting easy, along with catalogs to help you acquire your seeds and equipment. She will also share some of the planting and growing techniques she has developed over 40 years of vegetable gardening. Leave with a packet of seeds to get you started. The Santa Clara County Master Gardener Program has an Event: Making Every Drop Count--Using Water Wisely in the Garden
Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Free Palo Alto Demonstration Library, 851 Center Dr., Palo Alto, 94301, Map (PDF) Instructor: Master Gardener Bob Heller |