Chef Veggie at the Dirt Club

I had a wonderful time last Wednesday evening, meeting with the Dirt Club, a Lake Travis neighborhood gardening club. The wonderful host, Donna, asked that I come and speak about my personal chef business, about vegetarianism in general, and also prepare a few dishes for people to try.
The menu for the evening was:
Moroccan Tagine (A flavorful stew with root veggies and warm spices)
2 Vegetable Lasagnas (1 traditional with ricotta and Parmesan and another vegan-style with tofu and nooch (nutritional yeast)
Couscous with mint & parsley
2 appetizers - Tandoori Tofu bites & Roasted tri-color root veggie cubes
Hijiki Seaweed salad (a raw dish for the brave!)

Everyone was happy with the food and more people actually enjoyed the seaweed salad than I would have thought.
During my little talk, I explained my business and how much fun it is for both me and my clients. I spoke about why I became vegetarian and how local and organic food is important to me. I was also able to tell people about Greenling, since I'm a new Greenling ambassador who can help you get 10% off your first basket.


I left around 10pm and still had a long drive home, but was given a beautiful parting gift: a lovely hand-painted pot (The Dirt Club does fun things!) with a succulent.
I can't remember the name, something about the star shaped flowers. The pods drop seeds, so more little succulents are growing below.

Anyway, it was a great learning experience for everyone, including me.

Temptress...naturally?

Whoever thought hair dye could be tempting, healthy, and even make you into a dark-haired goddess more naturally?
For those of us who have a couple gray hairs peeking through but don't want to subject ourselves to a cocktail of chemicals, a henna-based hair conditioner is the answer.
And this isn't your grandma's henna...no green messy powder and saran wrap.

A company in Brazil, Surya (means the sun) has created a line of henna-based hairdyes that contain a wide variety of botanical Ayurvedic and rainforest ingredients like guarana, acai, jua, aloe vera, brazil nut, amla and much more.
Sometimes what a product doesn't contain can be just as important: No Ammonia, PPD, peroxide, parabens, resorcinol, gmo's, heavy metals or animal ingredients.
I don't think I have seen a hair dye this wholesome and it's guaranteed to cover white and gray hair on the first application. I know, it works!
And if you dont use it all in one application, you can save the rest for later.

But what struck me most is the packaging. On the front is a sadhu with white beard, but check out his cut arms! In his arms is a celestial nymph with henna colored hair.


What's this story?
In ancient India, there was a great sage named Visvamrita who was doing great penance and austerities, after a life as a king. This was making Indra, the head of the lesser gods nervous, so he decided to send of the most beautiful apsara to tempt him. Indeed, she was so beautiful and enchanting that she was able to pull Vishvamrita away from his yogic vision and they became lovers. Eventually, Menaka, grows to have true love for him, no longer wanting to be a temptress and the cause of his downfall and they separate, each back to a life of austerities.
She gives birth to Shakuntala, who later marries a king, and has a son named Bharata (which is what people in India recognize as the country's original name.)
Anyway, I think any woman likes this story because in general, it's our desire to be beautiful.
So if you have gray strands among your dark hair, get this product. You'll be an enchantress in 40 minutes!

The Hand of Buddha

buddhashand, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

This time of year most people are trying to keep on their New Year's diet, work out, or budget. How about trying something new?
I went to my local grocery store, Central Market, and what do I find in the exotic fruit section? Buddha's hand! This is a citron fruit from Asia...yes, yes, I know it's not local, but it's so cool.
The name Buddha's hand comes from when the "fingers" are folded tightly together to resemble hands in prayer. Most ones you find in stores are quite ripe and the fingers splayed out. So they look more like commercialism at it's finest...."gimme gimme".
Anyway, citron can be candied, makes great zest for anything calling for lemon zest, can be dried for citrus rubs, or you can do as they do in Asia...put it in your linen drawer to perfume your clothes.
Mine is sitting on our dining table with our Indian Buddha.
I can come by anytime and waft the warm citrus smell and pretend I'm back in an asrama again, with hands in prayer position and at peace.

Featured on AustinTidbits.com

Some way cool copy was written about my personal chef services on the hip and local
blog about Austin, AustinTidbits.com.
It's fun to have someone else write about my cooking :)
Picture is Seitan Picatta with lovely vertical haricot verts.

Happy New Year!

Well it's 2009 and after a fun Hawaiian vacation without much chance to cook,
I'm happy to be back in my kitchen.
So to bring luck and prosperity for the New Year, I decided to make some vegetarian black-eyed peas (sans hamhock), greens, and some cornbread.
Central Market had some nice fresh black-eyed peas that only take 15 minutes to cook.
Our garden is full of kale, tatsoi, spinach, bokchoy so instead of the traditional collard greens I made a green combo.
For the cornbread, I modified The Vegan Lunchbox recipe sent in by our own VNA members,
Amy and Candace. I just love sweet cornbread and agave nectar is just more affordable than maple syrup nowadays.
I have come to the realization that despite lots of smoked paprika and spices, black-eyed peas are not my favorite legume and next year I will probably not go Southern but with another tradition, from China: Noodles for Long Life.

This year I hope to post at least weekly. I have about 300 photos from last year and only a handful of blog entries, but soon that will change. I look forward to sharing with all of you Nature's bounty and wish you a healthy and happy 2009.

Cristina

Free The Chicken Noodle Soup

freethechickensoup, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

What's a vegetarian to do when they get sick since chicken noodle soup is not an option? Drink a green smoothie you say?
Yes, yes, that's all fine and dandy....but I don't like feeling cold.
So I make Free The Chicken Noodle Soup.
It's even free of soy and fake meaties.
What's the secret...love. :)
You will find the love when I finally publish a cookbook!

Happy & Healthy School Lunches

laptoplunch1108, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

It’s November now and you must have packed at least 2 months worth of kid’s lunches. Have you been caught in the routine of feeding the same ham & cheese sandwich on white bread, Doritos, and juice box to your child for lunch? Are you wondering how you can add more veggies to you child’s diet?

We all know that having the proper food will help your child’s body to grow and give him the necessary nutrients so he can learn. I’m here to help you think creatively about giving your child a healthy lunch, whether at school or at home. Please no Lunchables!
You’ll save $$$ too!

Let’s talk about how your kid brings his lunch to school. Prepackaged meals, Ziploc bags, juice boxes, and even paper bags create a lot of waste. Go green and get a lunchbox. Even before there was this buzztalk about the environment, that’s just what people did...used a reusable container, like a handkerchief, or metal box.
We recommend the Laptop Lunchbox because it is slim and has 4 different compartments and a sauce container, that fit neatly into the “laptop”. It easily holds a
variety of lunch goodies and all the food just looks so adorable that way.
Cute Japanese bento boxes or stainless steel tiffins from India, bring your lunch practically and in style. For hot soup, spaghetti and dinner leftovers, you’ll do yourself a favor by getting a hot food thermos. The Laptop Lunch brand offers a stainless steel version. Lastly, it’s important to get enough water. If you can break the habit of giving your child sugary juice drinks, I would highly recommend it. Even 100% organic juice just adds extra calories and sugar. A stainless steel water bottle or a BPA-free plastic one will keep your child hydrated. Having a point-of-use water filter at home will make it easier to give your child water with less contaminants than in the tap. Toss in a cloth napkin and you’ve got virtually nothing to throw away!

Now for what you can put in that nifty lunch box. 
 
*There’s no need to have peanut butter and jelly everyday. Your child likes it you say? Why not try almond butter, cashew butter, or even nut-free sunflower butter?
Try all-fruit preserves made without corn syrup. Go beyond grape or strawberry....they
might just like boysenberry!

*Dinner leftovers - These are the easiest to pack because they require no planning and are usually healthier than pre-packaged snacks from the store. Mom’s love is included!

*Give them some cooked rice, a couple veggie sticks, and some nori seaweed sheets
 and they can make their own sushi. How cool is that! Seaweed sprinkles with veggies and sesame seeds that make these taste extra good as would a tiny container of soy sauce.

*Try ethnic pocket foods! Tacos, quesadillas, samosas, eggrolls, pierogis,
 calzones, gyoza are all hand-friendly.

*Dips - Children like to dip. It’s a well known fact. Any veggies become more likely to be eaten if they can be dipped in a sauce. Hummus is high protein and saturated fat free. You can also make a ranch style dip by blending soft tofu with fresh basil & dill, lemon juice, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

*Soup - Nothing warms a child like soup. Make a huge pot at home and you can freeze individual portions. Most canned soups will be high in sodium. With a side of whole wheat organic crackers made with flax seeds you have the perfect lunch for on a cold day.

Desserts? You say your child won’t be happy without a Ding Dong?
Too much sugar lowers a child’s immune system and can cause blood-sugar related slumps and behavior problems.
If you must give something sweet, try fresh fruit or a homemade muffin made with
fruit and reduced sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners aren’t the answer easier.
Try brown rice syrup, agave or stevia. Nobody *needs* desserts and even Cookie Monster is now saying that cookies are a “sometimes” food.

The best way to promote healthy eating anytime is to eat healthy as parents and take time to eat together. Let them help you make their lunch. Wake up an extra 10 minutes early to make sure you have time or even better make lunches the night before.
Have healthy choices always available and don’t be tempted to buy foods that don’t support you or your child to eat better. Talk to your children about healthy choices, how
eating healthier makes you feel great, and how it makes everyone in the family happier.

For more vegetarian lunch inspiration, check out this awesome blog that has won many web and blog awards, The Vegan Lunchbox