The Wild Vegan Cookbook

The Wild Vegan Cookbook: A Forager's Culinary Guide (in the Field or in the Supermarket) to Preparing and Savoring Wild (and Not So Wild) Natural Foods, by "Wildman" Steve Brill.

OK, who reading that immediately leapt to the thought that the book was published by Harvard Common Press? No, you didn't. Put your hand down.

Not that the publisher has anything to do with the University. It puts out cookbooks and parenting guides. Still.

Anyway, here's what it says about the Wildman:

Leading American foraging expert “Wildman” Steve Brill has been guiding foraging tours in and around New York City since 1982. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and Today, and has been profiled in numerous publications, including The New York Times.

Claire Hopley of the Amherst Bulletin has this to say about the huge book.

At 445 pages plus a lengthy section of tables and weights and measures, this book is quite a tome, and readers new to foraging will be amazed at how much there is out there that we can eat. OK we know about mushrooms and crab apples and wild blueberries; we know there are fiddleheads in the spring and blackberries in the fall. But who knew about Curly Dock and Wineberries? Who knew that daylily and cattail shoots were edible, or where to find wild cabbage or knotweed -- the latter described as "one of the premier wild foods of Spring?" Who knew that common spicebush berries taste like allspice?

This book is an encyclopedia of answers to these questions, and also a fascinating compendium of recipes. You don't actually have to go out and gather stuff from the wayside -- often you can buy or grow cultivated forms -- but this being the season for wild mushrooms, you may want to check out the many mushroom recipes.

Harvard Common Press trade paperback
528 pages
List price: $27.95

The book was originally published in hardcover as The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook.

Battle of the Best Vegetarian-Friendly Cities

Which cities are friendliest to vegetarians? You got choices.

GoVeg.com has three lists, large American cities, small American cities, and Canadian cities.

America's Best Vegetarian-Friendly Large Cities

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Seattle, Washington
3. San Francisco, California
4. New York, New York
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Minneapolis, Minnesota
8. Austin, Texas
9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10. Chicago, Illinois

America's Best Vegetarian-Friendly Small Cities

1. Asheville, North Carolina
2. Eugene, Oregon
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Norfolk, Virginia
5. Santa Monica, California
6. Santa Cruz, California
7. Boulder, Colorado
8. Madison, Wisconsin
9. Athens, Georgia
10. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Canada's Best Vegetarian-Friendly Cities

1. Vancouver, British Columbia
2. Victoria, British Columbia
3. Toronto, Ontario
4. Montréal, Québec
5. Calgary, Alberta
6. Ottawa, Ontario

You can find more about each of those cities' vegetarian delights by clicking on the links at the page.

PETA has a list that's similar in concept but limited to ten large North American cities.

1.Washington, D.C.
2.Portland, Oregon
3.Albuquerque, New Mexico
4.Atlanta, Georgia
5.Seattle, Washington
6.Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
7.San Francisco, California
8.Los Angeles, California
9.New York, New York
10.Toronto, Ontario, Canada

International Vegetarian Union

Happy Cow, the subject of yesterday's post, is a member of the International Vegetarian Union.

Based in Britain, the IVU is a huge organiation with a long history.

The International Vegetarian Union is a growing global network of independent organizations which are promoting vegetarianism worldwide.

Origins

The International Vegetarian Union (IVU) was founded in 1908 when the first World Vegetarian Congress was held in Dresden, Germany. The idea for IVU came from the French Vegetarian Society, the first Congress was organised internationally by the British Society and locally by the Dresden Society with support from the Deutsche Vegetarier-Bund. Since then a series of World Congresses have been held all around the world, and in 2008 IVU returned to Dresden for the Centenary 38th Congress. See the list on the right and full details at The History of IVU.

Membership

The International Vegetarian Union is a non-profit making organisation.

• Full Membership is open to any non-profit organisation whose primary purpose is to promote vegetarianism and is governed exclusively by vegetarians.
• Associate Membership is open to any non-profit organisation which advocates vegetarianism.
• A Supporter of IVU may be any individual, family or organisation that supports the aims and objectives of IVU, regardless of whether they are vegetarian or not.

For the purpose of membership of IVU, vegetarianism includes veganism and is defined as the practice of not eating meat, poultry or fish or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs.

Objectives

The aim of the IVU is to promote vegetarianism throughout the world. In order to achieve this aim the main objectives are:

• To encourage the formation of local, national and regional vegetarian organisations, and co-operation between them.
• To promote both World and Regional Vegetarian Congresses to publicise and develop interest in the vegetarian cause and to give opportunities for vegetarians to meet together.
• To raise funds to support member societies wherever possible.
• To encourage research into all aspects of vegetarianism and the collection and publication, in all media, of material on all aspects of vegetarianism, by IVU itself and by all member societies.
• To represent the vegetarian cause on appropriate international bodies and to speak on behalf of the global cause when appropriate.

If you seriously want to persue these interests, the IVU is having it biannual World Vegetarian Congress in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 1-6, 2010. American readers may want to wait until 2012 when it will be held in San Francisco.

Zilli's Cooking Empire

Aldo Zilli holds the world record for the most times a pancake is flipped in 1 minute. He flipped it 117 times in the minute.

What more do you need to be a Celebrity Chef in the modern world? Oh, very well. He's also appeared on One Man and His Hob. Still not impressed? Then you're probably not British, where Zilli is a one-man industry. One Man and His Hob featured him traveling around the UK, doing outdoor cookery on his portable hob, stove to you and me. That's in addition to his appearances on various other cooking shows and Celebrity Fit Club.

And his restaurants, like Zilli Fish and Zilli Cafe. And now Zilli Green.

Award winning Italian chef and restaurateur, Aldo Zilli will launch his new and innovative vegetarian restaurant, Zilli Green in Soho on the 14th February 2010 - the first ever Italian vegetarian chef with a fusion mind from across the world.

His former flagship restaurant, Signor Zilli will be entirely remodelled and re-branded to celebrate Aldo's commitment to healthy living. What's more, it will reinforce the message that vegetarian food doesn't have to be dull or tasteless - but exciting and delicious with quirky flavours and combinations. The menu will be an experience to share

Head chef, Enzo di Marino, one of the UK's most exciting, talented up and coming vegetarian chefs (who trained in the Abruzzo region of Italy before working internationally, including Japan) will create a wide selection of quality seasonal dishes with vegetables naturally sourced from trusted local producers (and prepared in a dedicated meat and fish-free kitchen). Observing Aldo's ethos of producing great tasting healthy cuisine with a contemporary twist, Zilli Green features dishes inspired by travelling the world. ...

A selection of classic palette cleansing desserts with a healthy twist includes Dairy-free tiramisu cake, Peach and mango crème brulee and an eclectic range of organic ice-creams. Organic wines and freshly squeezed juices will also feature in the downstairs bar.

Another release says that "While all the dishes are vegetarian, individual menu items are also labeled as vegan, vegan option, and gluten free when appropriate."

High end vegan cuisine seems to be rarer in the UK than it is in the larger American cities, so this is a welcome trend.

Oprah's Favorite Vegan Cookbook

The news has taken the nation by storm, leaving a trail of broken hearts, weeping,a nd gnashing of teeth. No, not that Oprah Winfrey will be ending her show in 2011, but that Oprah won't be doing her annual Favorite Things show this year.

And yet, Oprah has been spending all year announcing favorites, so maybe we won't have to make do on scraps of hope. Huliq News has spent every waking hour parsing Oprah's every word to produce a list of Favorites.

And what's on that list? Nothing less than Oprah's Favorite Vegan Cookbook. Which is - ta, da! - The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen.

Product Description
A former steak lover himself, Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. By applying traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine, he found that he could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat.

The Conscious Cook shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food.

About the Author
Chef Tal Ronnen is the most celebrated vegan chef working today. In the spring of 2008, he became known nationwide as the chef who prepared vegan meals for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse. He has since catapulted to fame, catering Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's vegan wedding, Arianna Huffington's party at the Democratic National Convention, and the first vegan dinner at the U.S. Senate.

Nutrition for Vegetarian Children

Emily Sohn in the Los Angeles Times gave a number of good tips for ensuring that children who want to be vegetarians continue to get a full complement of the vitamins, minerals, and esential dietary components.

Some of the major points:

Protein needs range from 13 grams for toddlers to 34 grams for middle-school students and about 50 grams for teenagers. However, most Americans get too much protein, including vegetarians.

Dairy products and eggs are complete proteins that, like meat, contain all essential amino acids. These foods also provide calcium and vitamin D, essential for healthy muscles and bone development, especially during growth spurts and adolescence. One large egg contains 5 grams of protein, a cup of milk has 8 grams, and a cup of yogurt has 11 grams.

To get complete proteins from plant-based sources, you need to combine foods such as beans, rice, corn, nuts and tofu, but dietitians no longer believe that you need to eat those foods at the same meal. Eating a variety of foods throughout the day works just as well.

Vitamin B-12 is one of the nutrients that vegetarians most commonly miss. Essential for making DNA and maintaining healthy nerve and red blood cells, it is plentiful in seafood and beef and is found in lesser amounts in milk and yogurt. Vegans can get it from fortified cereals or supplements. Doctors often recommend B-12 supplements for breast-feeding mothers who are vegan.

Iron, which is abundant in meat, is present in a harder-to-absorb form in beans, tofu, spinach and raisins. Absorption is enhanced by consuming a source of vitamin C at the same time as a vegetarian source of iron, says Ruth Frenchman, a registered dietitian in Burbank and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Assn. (Pair a cup of orange juice with a peanut butter sandwich, for example.) ...

Calcium and vitamin D are found in leafy greens and fortified soy milk or juice. Make sure to look at the labels on dairy-free versions of milk and yogurt and on organic cereals because they're not always fortified with added nutrients.

Fat: A baby's brain needs enough fat to develop properly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends full-fat versions of milk, yogurt and other foods until age 2.

Vegan Yum Yum

Hot blogger Lauren Ulm, whose Vegan Yum Yum blog won the 2008 VegNews magazine Veggie Award, and the 2008 Veg Blog Award, now collected the recipes the appeared there and more into a cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday.

Product Description

Put the yum into your meals with more than 85 mouthwatering vegan recipes!

When Lauren Ulm went vegan, she faced the typical onslaught of questions from acquaintances and more than the occasional wince from unsuspecting dinner guests. Vowing to prove that vegan food can be decadent and delicious—and not a bland stand-in for 'normal' food—she created a blog, veganyumyum.com. What began as a hobby became an obsession, winning her not only legions of vegan and non-vegan foodie fans, but also the 2008 Best Veggie Blog Award from VegNews magazine.

Here in her debut cookbook, Lauren shows that vegan food is anything but dull, with her creative and quirky twists on everything from crowd-pleasing appetizers to indulgent desserts, from easy weekend breakfasts to speedy weeknight dinners, plus holiday- and company-worthy fare you can serve with pride.

With most ingredients both readily available and budget-friendly, Vegan Yum Yum shows anyone how to go gourmet the vegan way.

About the AuthorLauren Ulm, "Lolo," is a vegan foodie and founder of veganyumyum.com who lives in Boston with her husband and two cats. She is not a chef, has never been to culinary school, and she's not a professional photographer (but she has fun pretending!) When she went vegan in 2002, the kitchen became her favorite room in the house, and still is today. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and has been featured in Vegetarian Times.

Health Communications Inc
290 pages paperback
List price; $18.95

There's a press release as well, one that gives recipes. Press releases are fair game, so I'm copying the recipes here for you.

Hurry Up Alfredo

One day I came home from running errands and I was starving. I felt like pasta with a creamy sauce, but I didn't have the patience to make a roux. I decided to make a blender Alfredo because I was so hungry that I didn't care how it turned out. Not only was it delicious, my husband and I now make it on a regular basis. It's fast and easy, and you probably already have all of the ingredients. It's a great compromise between "I don't feel like cooking" and "I don't want to eat toast for dinner."

While I like to use the wide fettucini-style rice noodles, whatever pasta shape you have will work wonderfully. You don't even need pasta to enjoy the sauce: You can pour it over a huge bowl of steamed organic broccoli and it will be divine.

2 or 3 servings

3 cups of any small pasta shape

Sauce
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 cup soymilk
2 teaspoons Dijon or stone-ground mustard
3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 rounded cup raw, unsalted cashews
2 to 4 garlic cloves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
black pepper, to taste

Optional Add-Ins
2 tablespoons of fresh herbs (your favorite)
2 cups steamed broccoli florets or any other veggie

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the noodles. Cook until tender but not mushy, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a blender and blend on high until very smooth. If your blender is having issues with grinding the nuts smoothly, you can strain the sauce. (Or you can keep them as is and pretend it's a "textural feature".)

When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them well. Add the noodles back to the (now empty but still hot) pot and pour as much sauce as you want over them. Turn the heat on and gently stir until the noodles are piping hot, adding in your optional veggies or herbs if you're using them. Serve immediately.

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Cannellini Bean Soup with Pan Fried Croutons

I created this soup after I had a similar one in a restaurant in my neighborhood. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I deconstructed it and recreated it in my own kitchen. It's very simple and fresh, but bursting with flavor. Crispy fried croutons pair perfectly with soft beans and tender kale, while little grape tomatoes give bursts of sweetness. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite soups, and you can prepare the croutons for any recipe you like.

2 servings

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 shallots, peeled and sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 to 3 kale leaves, torn
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
16 grape tomatoes, halved
Fresh lemon juice, for seasoning

Pan-Fried Croutons:
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
3 slices whole wheat bread, sliced into 1/2" cubes

Melt the Earth Balance in a skillet and add the bread cubes. Let the bread cook, absorbing the margarine, until golden brown. Toss and brown all sides of the bread and then remove it from the pan when it's rich brown and crispy. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the shallots and sauté until tender and lightly colored. Pour in the vegetable stock and heat until simmering. Add the kale and salt and cook, covered, until the kale is tender but still dark green. When ready to serve, turn off the heat and add the tomatoes. Let them sit in the hot soup for 1 to 3 minutes to cook slightly before serving. Check the seasoning and adjust, if desired. Add the pan-fried croutons at the last moment, with a small squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
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Mini Baked Donuts

I set out to create a vegan doughnut recipe that didn't involve frying. All you need is a "petite doughnut pan," which should be available at kitchen stores or online. Look for something nonstick. My standard party dessert has been cupcakes up till now, but now that I know how easy doughnuts are to make, I've been converted.

Makes 20 donuts

Dry Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (scant) nutmeg
1 tiny pinch or shake cinnamon

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Egg Replacer for 1 egg
4 tablespoons vegan margarine

Glazing
1/2 cup powdered sugar (lump free!)
1 tablespoon soymilk
Bowl full of sprinkles (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350º F

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly. Combine the wet ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium low heat and mix until the margarine is melted. This mixture should not get too hot; you should be able to stick your finger in the mixture and feel slightly warm. If you burn yourself, 1) it's not my fault! and 2) it's too hot for the dough!

Add the wet ingredients to dry ones and mix until just combined. It should form a very soft dough or thick batter.

Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out the dough into your ungreased nonstick mini-donut pan. Smooth out the top of the dough with your fingers, clearing off the post in the middle of each one. This will make for more even, prettier donuts, but isn't crucial.

If you over fill, your donuts will come out looking like they have muffin tops. While not the end of the world, it's not very donut-like either.

Bake for 12 minutes until the donuts are almost browned on top, and a tester comes out clean. Invert a hot pan over a cutting board or cooling rack to release the donuts. Allow them to cool completely before decorating, with the exception of the powdered sugar donuts. If you let them cool loosely covered with plastic wrap, the donuts will stay soft and fluffy.

To Glaze with Sprinkles
Whisk the soymilk and powdered sugar together. Dip the "bottom" half of the donut (the side with the nicer shape) into the glaze, let some drip off, then dip glaze-side down into sprinkles. Transfer to a wire rack that has been set on top of some parchment paper. The excess glaze will drip through the rack onto the paper for easy cleaning later.

To Chocolate Dip
This is the easy part. Melt one bar of your favorite dark chocolate in the microwave. Remove from the microwave and stir every 15 seconds until chocolate is smooth and barely warm to the touch. I should mention that you should be very careful not to get any water in the chocolate or it could seize, and no one likes that!

Dip your donuts one-by-one into the chocolate. Place the donut on your wire rack and decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

For Striped Donuts
Dip the donuts into the powdered sugar glaze first, then drizzle with melted chocolate.

For Powdered Sugar Donuts
Roll warm donuts in a bowl of powdered sugar. Yum!

10 of Britain's Best Vegetarian Restaurants

The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom has picked 10 vegetarian restaurants as its award winners for 2008. The Times of London has more info on each restaurant in an article on its website, but here's the listing.

Joint winner: Dandelion & Burdock, Sowerby Bridge
Joint winner: The Waiting Room, Stockton on Tees

The Red Lion, Suffolk, Winner of Best Pub Award
Canteen, Cardiff
Demuths, Bath
Relish, Hebden Bridge
The George, Brighton
The 78, Glasgow
InSpiral Lounge, London
The Bean Inn, Cornwall

Rose Elliot's Top 10 Vegetarian Cookbooks

Rose Elliot is the author of over 50[!] cookbooks, including Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Cookery, a patron of the Vegetarian Society, and a recipient of the MBE for services to vegetarian cookery.

So I guess we can take her for an expert on vegetarian cookbooks.

Here's the short list of titles. For more information about each, take a look at the whole article on the Guardian's website.

1. The Café Paradiso Cookbook by Denis Cotter
2. New Vegetarian by Celia Brooks Brown
3. Japanese Vegetarian Cookbook by Patricia Richfield
4. Vegetarian Thai by Jackum Brown
5. Fresh Flavours of India by Das Sreedharan
6. The Cranks Bible by Nadine Abensur
7. The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
8. Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman
9. Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian
10. Colin Spencer's Vegetable Book

Remember that vegetarian is not the same as vegan. And that Elliot is a UK writer, although you should have little trouble finding most if not all of these books in the U.S.

I Like Food, Food Tastes Good

If there's a candidate for the group with the worst eating habits in existence, touring rock bands would seem to be right up there with the guy who eats whole bicycles.

Guess I'm wrong, though. Modern indie bands talk the talk and eat the eats, making mostly vegetarian or vegan delicacies even while on the road.


Who knew? Kara Zuaro. She started collecting recipes for the awesomely titled I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands after interviewing Death Cab for Cutie and discovering their vegan sausage and peanut butter sandwich. Some were upscale (Patrick Phelan's Swanky Mac N Cheese, featuring lobster and white truffles); some were weird (a combination of onions, peppers, cheese, eggs and refried beans that Silkworm calls a Cheesy Sleazy); some are indescribable (because they don't make sense even when described: NOFX's El Hefe says "make some mac and cheese, then mix in a can of nelly chilly ... word). Zuaro wrote the recipes in the musicians' voices, so your tolerance may be limited if you're like, you know, an adult.

Maybe this is a book to offer to your college-aged kid, to get them to cook something healthier than take-out and ramen (although Strung Out's Rock 'N' Ramen secret is using two Ramen flavors). As you would expect, the recipes are mostly pretty simple and straightforward (there's one for a bologna sandwich).

I started out married life depending on a cooking for college kids cookbook and it helped almost every day. I Like Food, Food Tastes Good may not be the only cookbook to rely on but if it gets read all the way through, that's got to be a good thing.