Sacred Chow

It wasn't as bad as we thought it'd be.

2012-01-27T11:37:00.002-05:00

So we went in this cold, drizzly morning, to the imposing building. The lady who met us was very friendly and kind. We went through line by line, showed what makes sense and what doesn't, and then ended with smiles.

The anticipation of it all was far worse than the actual experience. Funny that, right?

It all comes back to my (possibly insane) belief that the universe takes care of us, and things end up working out. OK, so there are struggles and hardships. That's standard for the experience of life. However, at the end of the day, you do your best, you keep pushing, keep fighting for what you need, and only then can you be satisfied with knowing that even if things don't work out perfectly, you've done everything in your power to make it right. You've used all your energy, creativity, and ability to sort things out.

Sure, things aren't perfect. They never are.

But there you go.

That's life.

I /still/ don't ever want to own a restaurant.

2012-01-26T19:44:00.002-05:00

This week has been utter and complete purgatory for me and bossman. We can't go into the kitchen and cook the entire time we're here. Instead, we need to sit astride a mountain of paperwork to answer to an audit of doom. Thankfully, there's nothing there that's sketchy, but it's still painful to have to do, because you're talking about papers that are years old, and are not as organised as they are now. It means painstakingly going through each transaction, line by line, penny by penny, and making sure that it's all accounted for.

Meanwhile, there's folk on staff who aren't thrilled with each other. The wait staff, thankfully, has been angelic. Every single one of them has proven to me time and again that there are people out there that truly /get it/. Who really understand that vision of making less violence, making more kindness, showing our love for humanity through food. They treat each other and our customers with respect and kindness. They treat this space with the reverence of an altar of peace deserves. OK, so I'm being a touch hyperbolic. I think I'm allowed a touch of poetic license for having to look at numbers until I'm cross-eyed.

The problem is that a kitchen is built on ego. Well. A "usual" kitchen, in any case. It's a place where men flex their importance, and show how much they can take. Crassness, rudeness, and violent tempers are nurtured and encouraged. It's a horrible place to be. When you come from a place of ego, "make less violence" doesn't quite sink in. That's when we start to notice that the person may not be a good fit, and we have to part ways. Part ways where we wish the person the best, but understand that at the end of the day, we have to nurture kindness and love.

Meanwhile, this pile of paperwork that happens when you run a place doesn't care that you've got a thousand other things on your plate. It keeps building, and threatening to engulf you in its arms. And somehow, you keep just past the point of getting swallowed up.

And yet, there are folk who think that I'm mad enough to wish this on anyone, much less myself.

I'm not. This is /not/ my idea of fun. I watch bossman go home each night, shoulders held high to be strong for everyone else, and carry us on them. I watch what happens to him, day by day, as the depravities of the world keep wearing away at his armour. And I know that even though I /could/ do this, I don't /want/ to. I have passion, and drive, and love. I don't, however, have those strong shoulders to bear the weight of my loved ones or those that wish me ill.

Don't ever think that owning a business is just making the books balance. Don't ever think that it's just about finding good staff. Or that it's about having a good concept. All those things mean nothing if you're not strong, tenacious, and just a little crazy.

And I may be crazy, tenacious, or strong. But not at the same time.

That's why I've got my business partner/boss. Because we treat each other as equals. He places as much weight on my own opinion as he does his own. Bossman is just my affectionate nickname for him. I know we're equals, but I know that it gets his goat when I call him my boss, or call myself his assistant.

I'm rambling. It's been a long week. And it promises to be a long and painful audit tomorrow.

That's why I have my friend.

Organic /can/ be accessible.

2012-01-23T16:18:00.003-05:00

Our friend Max at Living Maxwell has made an entry on his blog about a dinner for two (at home) for less than $15. He even posted a picture of the receipt from the store, so that he can show that he wasn't making idle boasts, and that he really did manage that feat for that price. A similar meal in a restaurant would have easily ran to $15 per person.

That being said, I think that his receipt highlights something important: organic food is no longer for just the elite and wealthy. The prices for some of the things he bought are comparable to the conventional versions, and in New York City, there are a bunch of different places that are happy to sell them to you at those prices. Furthermore, I'm noticing that even at the regular grocery store that's near my apartment in Washington Heights has organic food in it, priced similarly to what I'd pay further downtown.

Mind you, if you didn't have the money for the tomatoes and the walnuts, that meal would still have been excellent with some beans of your liking, or some tofu. It would have certainly been delicious with just the veggies and the quinoa, but I think Max wanted something a little more elaborate and varied.

In fact, were you to make the sauerkraut yourself at home (which is fairly easy to do), you could bring down the cost even further! But look at the price of his avocados, and the Kalamata olives. Both those items are priced at roughly the same as conventional versions. Same with the quinoa. For the record, that small amount of quinoa cooks up to a whole lot of food. It seems pricey when you cost it per pound, but when you get it home, you only need a very little bit to make lots of food.

There's this quote that the lovely Colleen Patrick Godreau says all the time: "Don't do nothing because you can't do everything." If you can't afford to get all the food that you purchase as organic, do the best you can with your budget and time constraints, and get what you can. If you can't cook at home every night, then do so once a week, and expand from there! It doesn't need to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Eating healthy and supporting organic foods can be workable, if you're willing to be creative, like Max has, with a simple shopping trip, and a few spices from home. It takes a bit of planning, but it's well worth the effort.

Thanks for the blog post, Max!

Plain

2012-01-18T20:36:00.002-05:00

There's times (rare though they be) when I want a particular vegetable with nothing on it but a bit of salt, and possibly some olive oil. I don't want any spices, herbs, or complex flavours. Sometimes, I just want the pleasure of eating that vegetable as it is, with no adornments.

It was a couple of weeks back, but I recall how pretty it looked. Bossman was hungry, and I had cooked up a pumpkin for something else. I scooped out the pumpkin from the shell, and put it in a bowl, with a bit of salt. Then, I added some steamed kale, and a bit of steamed red cabbage. The colours looked so vibrant and vivid in the bowl. I tossed the kale with a bit of sesame oil and salt, and left the other veg just plain.

Of course, he ate every bite, and enjoyed it.

It's funny how those things work out. I'm surrounded by really amazing food all the time. Whether it be at the restaurant or at home, everything I eat is fairly complex with regards to its preparation and spicing. There's multiple layers of flavour and spice that go into every dish. This goes double for the Indian food that I tend to make, which is inspired (though not constrained) by South India, which tends to layer on the spices. You generally start with hot fat, whole spices, pop the spices in the fat, then add aromatics, then add powdered spices and any chiles you have, and then add your food, and herbs of your choosing when everything is done cooking. It's layers of intricate flavours, all combined with skill and grace. And I'd say that 99 days of 100, I'm quite happy to settle in with a plate of intricately spiced things.

However, some nights, when I get home, I want plain steamed veggies, or a bit raw veggies with a touch of lemon juice and salt. Sometimes I crave plain boiled potatoes with just a hint of salt. No fat of any kind, but just the plain potatoes. An onion sandwich. A tomato, fresh from the market, with the smell of the sun on its skin. A ripe, juicy Macintosh apple (it's my favourite type). Some daikon, that's been lightly steamed with a bit of ginger and soy sauce. Broccoli, steamed in the microwave for about five minutes, with a grinding of black pepper. Cucumber, with a bare hint of rock salt.

OK, so I'm a bit of salt fiend, but you get my point, right? The next time you get something home, try it plain, without any adornments, and then see what works with it. Sometimes, just having it neat is quite pleasurable.

Be who you are.

2012-01-09T15:58:00.002-05:00

This story brought me to tears. Not just of the sadness of a little boy whose own parent is being a bully to him, but for the big brother who stands up for his little brother.

I hope that were I in the same position, I'd do the same thing. I know for a fact that my little sister certainly would. I remember my mom getting annoyed phone calls from her school bus driver when she was in elementary school. Her concern was not that it was her fight or not; it was more so that justice be served. She would stand up for the person who she felt was in the right whether or not it was anything to do with her.

I'm fairly certain that I would. I've been the recipient of such bullying behaviour in the past, and I know what it feels like to be tormented by someone much bigger than me, and with so much more power than I have. It's not a comfortable place to be in.

I understand that parenting is the hardest job in the world. I don't deny it. However, there comes a point when good people cannot stand silently by while injustice continues. If a kid has certain tendencies, no amount of your disapproval is going to make them more "manly" or "lady-like". All that's going to happen is that your child will drift further and further away from you, to the point where you aren't an important part of their lives, and you lose your child.

I can tell you unequivocally that the folk who were nasty to me when I was growing up, with demands that I "act more manly" have lost any shred of respect that I had for them, and my regard for them is nonexistent. As an adult, I've grown to realise that those people are petty, insecure, small-minded jerks, who do not deserve my regard.

And that's what you're setting yourself up for when you bully a child into fitting into an ill-suited mould: you're making yourself become unimportant in that person's development. Cry "sissy" long enough, and you will eventually be ignored.

I give major kudos to the big brother in the story for standing in between the bullying father and his sensitive little brother. May all of us have kind, and loving people like that in our lives!

In my dreams...Add some extra greatness!

2011-12-30T21:09:00.001-05:00

A Vegan Restaurant

Eat Drink Montclair wrote: "How about we add some extra greatness to Montclair? I have heard rumors of a vegetarian or vegan restaurant that used to be in Montclair, but then it had to move to Parsippany for lack of patronage. I think that day has come to pass. The vegetarian community here is pretty well sized. Just find a spot smack dab in the middle of our 10+ yoga studios and you’re golden. In my dreams, Sacred Chow will open their second spot here in Montclair, as they are my favorite place in the city. I’m still dreaming about that Brownie Sundae with fudge and sprinkles from the other night.

If you can make , you can just as easily make .

2011-12-27T12:35:00.002-05:00

I was sitting next to a gentleman, while flying from La Guardia to Midway in Chicago, who professed an inability to cook. He said that it baffled him how people could make all kinds of interesting things, and all he could ever do was make a pizza. I asked him, "You mean the kind that comes frozen, right?" with a wink. He admitted to using the premade ingredients, but made put everything together on his own. I said, "You do realise that the leap from pizza to casserole is a very short one, right?"

It was like a lightbulb had turned on!

The thing is that we sometimes underestimate our own abilities, because we never saw how what we already know can be reconfigured into new things. In future, I will endeavour to try to relate the recipes I write to things that most people should be familiar with. "If you can make pasta, you can make quinoa." And then, "If you can make a salad, you can make a pilaf." And finally, "If you can microwave a baked potato, you can steam veggies very easily."

If I didn't have that conversation, I wouldn't have thought of phrasing my recipes in such a way, so that they are indeed more accessible. So, let me make those recipes for you, so that you see what I mean.

If You Can Make Pasta, Make Quinoa

2 cups of quinoa, rinsed well, and drained

12 cups of water

A good bit of salt

In a large stock pot, add the water, and enough salt that the water tastes like sea water. Quinoa is often thought of as bland, because it isn't salted enough. Don't worry though. We're going to rinse off the quinoa once it's cooked. While the water comes to a boil, wash the quinoa several times in plenty of cold water, to remove the surface stuff that's not good to eat. Drain the washed quinoa well.

When the water is rolling and boiling, drop in the quinoa, and let it cook for 12 minutes. If you have a crappy stove, as I have had to work with on many occasions, you may need as much as 20 minutes Essentially, you want the quinoa to be cooked through, and go from a tiny little seed that's completely opaque to one that is translucent and where you can see the little swirly thing inside of it. You don't want any white dots in the middle of the thing. The white dot means it's still undercooked.

When it's done, drain off the liquid, and rinse it under cold running water to stop the cooking and get rid of the excess surface starch.

... You Can Steam Veggies

Take 1 pound of vegetables of your choice. Prep them however you like. If this is one of those store bought packs of fresh veggies, I won't tell anyone. In a casserole dish, put in about 1 inch of water. Add the prepped veggies. Cover with some kind of cover, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. They'll be done to perfection.

... You Can Make a Pilaf

Making a salad is essentially a process of taking a bunch of ingredients, combining them with a bit of fat, some herbs and spices, and tossing them together. A pilaf is more or less the same thing, only involving spices rather than just herbs.

1 portion of the cooked quinoa

2 TB oil

3 cloves of garlic

1 TB curry powder, garam masala, or your favourite herb or spice blend

1 handful of nuts

1 portion of steamed veggies

Salt and black pepper to taste

In a small pot, sautee the garlic in the oil over medium heat, and add the spices, nuts, and salt . Cook until the spices are fragrant and lovely. It should take about three to five minutes. Pour the spices and nuts to the cooked quinoa and the steamed veggies. Add pepper to taste, and toss through to combine all the ingredients together. Adjust seasoning to your taste, and serve hot.

The point that I'm trying to get across is that if you break down more complex recipes into smaller, more familiar steps, it starts to gel in your mind, and become way easier to work with.

Sometimes you have to look for it.

2011-12-21T11:11:00.002-05:00

I learned a long time back that not everyone is going to express love to me in the way that I want or need. It's a hard lesson to learn, but an important one. Sometimes, I need to look for the way that the person is expressing the love, find it, nurture that spark, and add my own spark to it.

Sacred Chow – 100% vegan

2011-12-08T20:34:00.001-05:00

Sacred Chow – 100% vegan

227 Sullivan St.
New York, NY 10012

On the recommendation from a good friend we decided to go with Sacred Chow’s Sunflower Lentil Paté and then ordered a handful of Tapas. Ethan and I loved everything we had. We’re pretty big fans of Sacred Chow and think they deserve much more recognition among the vegan restaurants in NYC. Anyhow ;) … here we have a picture (taken from Sacred Chow’s website – our pic was too blurry) of their Sunflower Lentil Paté.

So, so, so, so good. Creamy, light and bursting with flavor. The texture was thicker than I expected, unlike other paté that I’ve had before. It was delicious!

Next up are the tapas! In order of appearance: Shredded Tofu Spa Salad, Sautéed Shiitake Mushroom with South Indian Dip (THIS WAS AMAZING!!), Root Vegetable Latkes with Indonesian Date Butter, Dijon Marinated Raw Kale, and Roasted Black Olive Seitan (SOOO GOOD!).

Did we get dessert?! You know us too well! ;) We got the Chocolate Truffle Cake with strawberry ganache & pralines. Very, very good. We also had the Sinner Bar – coconut caramel dipped in chocolate but for some reason I don’t have a pic of that one. You can sort of see in there, in the background of the cake pic. I think Ethan fell in love with the Sinner Bar. He was a little protective of it. ;)

We had actually been to Sacred Chow a few weeks prior when we were in the city for a vegan wedding party (yay!). Naturally we “snapped” a few pics of our brunch. Oh my heaven… the brunch menu at Sacred Chow is mind blowing. I ordered the Better Than Biscuits & Gravy. One of THE best breakfast meals I’ve ever had. Ethan was delighted with his meal as well. He had……….

somewhere in the digital mess, is a picture of an amazing Sweet Potato Hash. RUMMAGE RUMMAGE RUMMAGE. Gonna have to get back to you soon.

Sacred Chow all Gussied up: Gr8 review 2!

2011-12-05T17:32:00.008-05:00

December 4, 2011

Sacred Chow

I've been in New York the past few days, enjoying the beautiful weather and trying lots of new restaurants!

This weekend I ate at Sacred Chow for lunch. It was my first visit and I had heard so much about their Orange Blackstrap Molasses BBQ Seitan. You can order it as an appetizer or as a hero with a side of carrot and cabbage slaw and a half sour pickle. I opted for the latter. It's served with sauteed onions and steamed kale on a whole wheat baguette. The sauce is stellar and the sandwich is incredibly filling. And I love half sour pickles, they taste like salty cucumbers, still incredibly crisp and fresh.

The space is fairly small so it's best to visit during off peak hours. They also have a great tapas menu, fresh juices and a killer dessert list. Next time, I must save room for their Brownie Sundae!

For perfectly steamed millet and quinoa

2011-11-30T16:23:00.003-05:00

Use a rice cooker! I'm serious. I was in a hurry, and decided to just try it out to see what happens. I used 6 "cups" of the millet & quinoa (50-50 mix), and filled the water to the 8 cup line, just as if I were making brown rice. I hit start on the regular white rice cycle, and let it go. At the end of the cycle, the rice pot beeped, and I had perfectly steamed millet and quinoa, cooked at the same time. They were cooked to perfection, and not sticky at all.

I find that if I make quinoa or millet by itself, they don't cook up as nicely. The quinoa tends to the overcooked stage, with the little swirly thingies falling out. The millet tends to the mushy, and sticky as heck side, with the whole thing becoming a globby mass. No thanks! From now on, I shall cook it in the rice cooker, and wind up with fluffy, tender, perfectly done millet and quinoa. From there, it's easy enough to use the grains just like you'd use rice.

If you don't have a fancy rice cooker with all kind of cycles, fret not! I did it with the rice cooker at work (which just has an on and an off button), and it came out perfectly there too. I just did the same measurement: 6 "cups" (and by "cups", I mean for you to use the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker; if you lost it, 1 "cup" is equal to 3/4 cups by dry measure, so do the conversions as necessary) of millet & quinoa, with enough water filled to the 8 cup line. If you have a larger cooker, I'm sure you could do 8 "cups" with water filled to the 10 cup line with similar results, but I'd suggest you don't experiment with this one. I know it may be tempting, but I've tested this out a few times, and it's always worked out with this ratio.

It gets better

2011-11-28T19:27:00.002-05:00

Even if everyone else tells you that something is wrong with you, we still think you're wonderful, just as you are.

In Belarus: Cliff's Great Grandma Leah

2011-11-28T14:33:00.003-05:00

+ Grandma Lilly 2 the right, Great Aunt Helen in the middle & Baby Aunt Rose 2 the left: from bellicose Belarus.

rejointed + chickpea-rice flour recipe: g.f..

2011-11-26T22:04:00.017-05:00

here's a little story bout me joints that i'd like to share w ye all.

i had been a avid weight lifter, 4+ hours every other day, as well as a long distance runner, 10+ miles on the days i wasn't lifting, and a committed vegan that loved his seitan sandwiches - especially my labor intensive hand-made seitan that i placed onto, my almost equally as labor intensive, hand-made sour-dough bread. this amazing bread was soured from a whole wheat yeast starter aka the mother, for those who grow their own starter. my starter was an old one, handed down through many generations to a friend of mine from Denmark. My friend, Rima, who I met while attending the Natural Gourmet Cookery Institute, gave me some of her mother, which i nurtured & fed 4 many, many years till a nyc black-out killed her. Rima also gave me an outstanding sour dough bread recipe that she was given from a friend of hers from Italy. Of course, this recipe was handed down thru the generations as well. I felt extremely privileged to have both; and boy this sourdough bread was out-of-this-world fantastic. it was combined with wheat berries & herbes de provence, which added an incredible chewy, crunchy texture along w the glorious taste of provence. the dough needed to rise & be punched down & kneaded 4 three days b4 it would be put in2 a mold 4 its final rising, and thereafter baked. mouth puckering sour & delicious like no other sour i have ever tasted b4 or after: w a thick, hard crust that almost felt & tasted like the hard crust found on many cheeses. this was the most flavorful sour i have ever tasted. when chow was on hudson street, we used to make this bread quite often, and 4 a while, we made sour dough bread sticks that were very, very popular.

near this time, my right shoulder joint began to ache like crazy, so i went to an upper extremity specialist to see what was up. he recommended surgery to remedy the joint pain that he claimed was commonly known as pitchers arthritis (from baseball), and told me that the success rate was 99%; i had the same surgery 4 the left shoulder as well. in both instances i was able to begin weight-lifting 3 weeks after surgery. i was happy, happy to be back at the gym.

then my elbows started to ache, and i went to another upper extremity specialist, and was told that i had tennis elbow, but that the rate of success was closer to 80%, and that recovery, if successful would be 6+ months. at this time, my baby boy had been born, and all i wanted to do was hold him, and also, i loved chopping veggies, as I was speedy fast. but i could not continue to lift weights, chop & hold huxley, carry groceries, heavy flour... something had to give. so i stopped the gym. it helped but not really.

then my fingers, then hips...oh man, i thought, maybe this is just the nature of my life now, and in2 the future. after all, i recalled, i had uncles, grandfathers...that suffered tremendously from the aches & pains they declared were from arthritis; so then, ergo...

oh but my baby boy, i really needed to have him close to me, in my arms, close to my face, to smell his breath, to feel his heart, to hear his gurgles...

then i started doing some research 2 learn more bout the liquid that lubricates the joints. i thought, "why wasn't the synovial fluid working to lube my joints probably? what leads to this? then i thot of cross referencing synovial fluid w gluten, and i discovered that for many folks there is an adverse interaction btn the two which often can cause joint pains. "B.S.!" i thot. of course, i couldnt imagine being wo seitan or my sour dough bread, or many other wheat based favorites. but i restricted any gluten intake, just for good measure. well, who would've guessed it, all my joint pain wi a week was remedied, not 80%, but 100%, not in 3 weeks, but in 1 week. i couldn't believe how well i was feeling, not one ache, no pain. of course, sadness too, no wheat; but eventhough, it was extremely liberating.

i do occasionally taste the amazing bbq or black olive seitan on the most delectable toasted whole heroes at chow, or i'll consume a whole wheat bun w a veg burger, but i do pay. it starts w my fingers, then goes to my elbows. but of course then, i stop, and the pain goes away again in a day or two or three.

it is a tad difficult, but i am fortunate to be building more and more recipes w dino that r incredible and gluten free.

for instance, the dough recipe for pies, tortes or tarts that we invented, or cake recipes, lb cakes.... are just fantastic that it is hard to conceive that wheat is not a part of the recipe, but alas, it is far from it.

i am grateful to be able to carry groceries, and chop, and...not have joint pain. hux is nine now, so i am no longer carrying him around in my arms. but he did say the other day in a pondering way, as we were walking down the street w my arm around his shoulder: "dahhhdid, do u think that there is another father & son anywhere in the world that are as close as we r? what do u think dahhhdid? there can't be right dahhhdid?" " we r pretty close," i said to hux, " so i bet ur right." w excitement, he said, "right dahhdid, right!" "absolutely huxley, absolutely!"

i worked real hard to make this perfect, so that u can do the same too. enjoy & good luck! any questions, please feel free anytime!

(chickpea-rice flour dough): makes 5 g.f. crusts at 1/2 lb each.

2.5 cups chickpea flour
2 3/4 cups rice flour
1/2 cup sticky rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup corn or arrowroot starch
1 t xanthan gum
1 T baking powder

w a wire whisk,& in a stainless steel bowl, mix above 2gether well.

make a hole in middle of flour, push flour aside & upwards.

add, 1 & 3/4 cup of earth balance.

put on vinyl or latex gloves.

push the flour mix on top of the solid fat, then rub the margarine in2 the mixed flours till lil balls of various sizes start coming 2gether. rub it gently in btn both hands till very well combined.

then make a hole again. next get 3/4 cup chilled water, use ice to speed the process. empty 3/4 cup chilled water, w/o ice, in2 the cup used for the solid fat, add 1 T of vinegar.

add to flour & fat mix. use a rubber spatula at first, then hands. bring 2gether till supple & soft, but not wet, roll, & shape in2 a log, then cut in2 5 equal pieces, use scale, @ 1/2 lb each.

oil & flour pie plate, spring form, tart shell, press w fingers in2 desired form. gently fork holes in2 bottom, rub a small amount of jam over holes, place in freezer till frozen.

time to make pie, & feel rejointed!

never give up on urself. there are myriad possibilities. just know that u'll be there; u will: 100%! REJOICE, REJOICE, REJOICE!

Another Fab Yelpster Review! (I am an addict!)

2011-11-25T19:05:00.002-05:00

11/23/2011
I try to come here every time I'm in New York. On trip, I ate here three days in a row. And had the same waitress each day! (She probably thought we were nuts!)

But the vegan reuben sandwich is the best--I am an addict!

Everything here is delicious, yet it feels healthy and soulful at the same time. Prices reasonable for NYC and vegetarian/"health" fare. My only complaint is that it is small, and can be a little slow at time. But it's well worth it!

a stage of stooges: give thanks, it's not urs! (happy tofu day!)

2011-11-23T19:07:00.007-05:00

human life is truly wondrous; a unique, resilient & amazing species. we have the ability 2 be so circumspect & mindful; a rare gift from the g*d's. i am thankful, thankful, thankful 4 my sense of compassion towards all forms of life; that a sacred chow lives solely due these rare gifts. and here i am in downtown nyc, far away from the hideous crimes perpetrated against my fellow beings.

how can it be that any other thing is more precious than the life of a newborn; yet it is meaningless through-out our criminal world. my heart dies when i think of a mother anywhere w/o milk 4 her newborn. i can see her looking down in2 his precious eyes, her pleas to the same g*d's: "please, please let my tears nourish his life." but his life is fading, and her tears r only tears. there is no milk b/c there is no food b/c ferocious greed is more precious than life. he withers in her arms only feeling pain; this is all she knows.

debates for a u.s. president: "no, no, no - if they r poor they should be rich therefore if they r not, they deserve nothing from the government." over & over, these privileged A-holes cant seem to stop themselves; her hair & lip-stick; his stammering on foreign policy; his humpty-dumpy, over-consumption; his constant changing of political positions, yet he's a front-runner. again & again... "no abortion, no gay marriage, send 'em back to where they came from..." it's all so boorish & tedious. and then there's mr. pres, w/ no real spirit of a fire in his belly - and the baby dies... oh mr. pres, oh mr. pres!

oh my, it's hard to breath, it is just unfathomable that they are all going home to carve up a dead fellow being, suck on its neck parts, chew on its bones, and various body parts; and then, "the audacity" of their thankfulness. where is the mindfulness? the grace? the sense of being connected to the all.

well then, that's where this amazing lil idea called sacred chow fills in the blanks. yes vegan! yes vegan! yes vegan! truly we can, truly we can, truly we can bond 2gether and make it happen: less violence, less judgment, less hatred, less rhetoric! sit down, contemplate where ever you are, connect to us, come, come, come, and let us be enlightened by one another. give hope to the tears, that the food then the milk will be on its way to the millions of mothers' falling tears. we r here 4 you mom, & dad,& lil baby kid. we love u, and we r so sorry that this world is letting u suffer so.

but yes, give thanks 4 ur kindness, gentleness, & ur courage to make change happen - despite the moneyed intensity opposed to ur values for all life worth being: harmonious, harmonious, harmonious; not just 4 a few insects on the stooges political stage. no, no, no! step down ye dog-sh*t on the bottom of my shoe. step down!

give thanks that this is not the stage we stand on. yes give thanks!

make less violence happen: we r all sacred! chow 2 all!

(happy tofu day!)

Yelp out loud!

2011-11-21T20:07:00.006-05:00

11/21/2011
After three years of living down the street, I FINALLY tried Sacred Chow and am SO glad that I did. It and Ben (thank you!) helped my transition to becoming vegan easy, as their amazing cooking and his advice through the menu in incredible! ESP the olive seitan, roasted tempeh, and that amazing fajita special that I hope that you will make again soon! I have become a regular and am extremely thankful for this local establishment- its dishes and amazing servers that make stopping in to SC brighten my day! :)

11/19/2011
MY FAVORITE!!! Among all the restaurants in Manhattan, this is the one that I love the most! The majority of the dishes are SO tasty, and I don't really mind ordering the same dishes over and over again. The 3 Tapas deal is the best option to try more dishes in smaller portions - try the kale with Dijon mustard, it is surprisingly delicious! The desserts are also very good: some are healthy style (which I LIKE), and some are house-made decadent piece of heaven!
The place is simple but comfortable, and the huge windows make it very lit and perfect for an indoors Sunday brunch. Their brunch menu is SO good, I definitely recommend every dish there: banana french toast, walnut waffles, the scrambles, and sandwiches, etc - all delicious!

11/15/2011
Yum. This place was good for Brunch. There was quite a few options on the menu that really jumped out at me. I ended up getting the French Toast. It was delicious. My girlfriend got the Tofu Scramble (her favorite). If it's busy, the wait can be a bit long. I enjoyed this place enough to want to come back. I am a fan.

11/14/2011
The best vegan food in nyc, period. Get the better than biscuits and gravy and you won't be sorry. Any of the smoothies and shakes are delicious, and the desserts are always a heavenly medley of something or other.

11/14/2011
I haven't been to Sacred Chow in ages, but I finally tried brunch yesterday and it was great. (Although it was beyond packed and we had to wait 45 minutes for a table.) Our seitan sandwich and tempeh hash were delicious.

11/11/2011
Fantastic all around. Perfect food for your non-vegan friends. Although the menu items might not jump off the page-- they will jump off your dish. Amazing flavors. I asked myself, is this really vegan?! Amazing! A little bit pricey for the amount and types of food you get, but you are definitely paying for quality, and you can taste that!

Overview: The Kale Caesar is to die for. I tried a lot of things off their menu, one thing better than the next. Simply delicious.

11/7/2011
Only basing my review on brunch visits because i've yet to order any lunch items.

I've had 3 different items off the brunch menu and all were delicious! ESPECIALLY the vegan french toast!! I can't even describe how good it was.

This is one of my favorite restaurants due to the fact that they take everything into consideration. Organic, local when possible, compostable waste products, etc......these things should all be commonplace, but kudos to Sacred Chow for making it happen.

"Sacred Chow: trailblazer 4 the Tav HaYosher in the U.S.!"

2011-11-15T21:04:00.005-05:00

Yum: Sacred Chow! A Downtown Manhattan Ethical Treat.
Posted on November 15, 2011 by ULT

When I walk through the door of Sacred Chow, and look at the Tav HaYosher displayed proudly on the front door, I am always excited and honored to eat there.

All vegan, all delicious, and with many gluten and soy-free offerings, Sacred Chow was one of the trailblazers for the Tav HaYosher in the United States.

Sacred Chow not only boasts unbelievably delicious food, but they also make a staunch commitment to using food to make the world a better place. Additionally, the people behind the counter would be pleased to speak with you about the intersections between food and activism. How cool is that?

Sacred Chow serves Tapas-style, and the best way to get the widest variety of tastes is to choose three items from their variety of delectable dishes. They’ll bring the three plates out to you on a multi-tiered platter.

I’m particularly partial towards Mama’s Soy Meatballs with Sicilian Sauce—steaming, rich, and perfectly seasoned tomatoes complete this incredibly desirable and hearty dish, and the so uniquely delicious Roasted Root Vegetable Latkes with Indonesian Date Butter. If you go before the end of the season, you’ll get in on Sacred Chow’s rich mulled pumpkin wine. Feel free to sip this next to a warm piece of their banana chocolate-chip pound cake served with hot chocolate sauce.

Did you know that you can also go there for a Shabbat meal? You can pre-pay and they will wait on you, Shabbat style. They even have a sign up in the bathroom that requests their customers to leave the light on during Shabbat hours for the convenience of their observant customers.

No, but seriously. Go here. You will be inspired by the deliciousness of the food, the friendliness of the staff and ownership, and their firm commitment to justice.

Join us on our blog as we countdown to the most fantastic, hip, whimsical, justice-filled party of the year, the Uri L’Tzedek FesTAVal! Each day, we will feature some of the amazing restaurants that have been ethical trailblazers in the restaurant industry and have signed on with the Tav HaYosher. Stay tuned for kosher restaurant secrets, little-known-facts, delectably delicious dishes, and more!

By the way, they’ve got a fantastic Thanksgiving prix-fixe menu., reprinted below:

THANKSGIVING PRICE FIX MENU:

Choice of Soup or Stew. Protein, Vegetable, and Grain of Day. Slice of Pumpkin Pie. Glass of Sangria: $45

Soup or Stew. Protein, Vegetable, and Grain. Slice of Pumpkin Pie: $42

Protein by the Pound: $12

Protein: Classic Nut & Grain Loaf (gf). Vegetable: Sweet Potato Mash. Grain: Mac & Cheese. Hummus: Sage Pesto. Beans & Rice: Japanese Kidney Beans & Kabocha w/Kombu. Soup: Silky Pumpkin Bisque. Stew: Sweet Potato-Tempeh Stew w/Tofu Dill Cream.

Desserts: Old English Pudding Cake, Classic American Pumpkin

http://utzedek.org/blog/2011/11/15/yum-sacred-chow-a-downtown-manhattan-ethical-treat/

Love for Bryanna Clark Grogan

2011-11-15T17:46:00.001-05:00

Recipe here.

Thank you for being you, Bryanna. You're like a culinary mad scientist, with your finding ways to make everything work out really well. You are a goddess, and we love you. <3

"Sacred Chow: I idolize you!"

2011-11-05T23:11:00.001-04:00

Saturday, November 5, 2011

After the Marathon orientation was over I wandered aimlessly around the village. It's what many people who are there are doing. Nothing's changed in 40 years and I like it that way. So my wanderings take me past the old "Googies" bar. It looks all slicked out Irish Pub style now but the bar itself looks like it did from back in High School. High School? Maybe I'm not remembering it right. Maybe. Since it is actually "Miller Time" I thought about grabbing a brew for old times sake but really, I didn't want to hassle with Barnivore, (a searchable listing of which beers and wines are vegan), and do a bunch of research at the moment. It's actually quite easy to use, just enter the name of the beverage or click on a letter but I wanted easy-ier. Perhaps another time for reminiscing.

A few doors further south, more importantly, I found Sacred Chow. This place has been on my radar.

I most definitely had a hankering for kale. A la nutritarian Dr. Fuhrman.
After having that Arepa a few hours ago I was looking for a home made, sit down, comfort food meal. I love sampling in house made seitan. And here it was. BBQ. What a bullseye.

It did seem like so much food but my waitress, (whose name I neglected to get but who was super sweet and helpful), suggested the Souper Hero. $14 for half a hero and side of kale caesar? Done. And a beer. Yes, what goes better with BBQ than a beer. Didn't even have to pull out Barnivore. No questions about chicken broth or other silliness. Just relax and put the mind in a good place.

Sacred Chow is a small place. It wasn't crazy the night I went and there were actually 2 open tables. I would imagine that this place ends up with a line out of the door, (and possibly down to Googies), on a busy night but I was lucky. The tables weren't packed in. I liked the vibe.

The meal surpassed my expectations in both size and flavor. I was truly impressed by a sandwich and a salad. The bread, which in my opinion can make or break a sandwich, was perfectly suited to the consistency of the filling. It had a nice toothiness but neither too hard to cause contents squirt or too soft to fall apart after soaking up the sauce. The seitan was excellent, having just the right amount of "meatinesss" without being rubbery or too soft like a matzoh ball. The onions were cooked to a sweetness and the tomato based BBQ was sweet without being clawing.

The kale salad also was surprisingly better than I had expected. The kale had picked up the flavor of the Caesar dressing and was nicely coated without being drenched. But, but but the croutons were the surprise. Less like tofu cubes and more like thick heavy bread in consistency. My hat is off to the chef on this simple meal that raised the barre.

The best part was that after eating half the food on the plate I was full. I can't imagine how much food a full sandwich and full salad wold have been. I had enough for a meal the next day. I do think I'll be back!

http://martysnycveggiereview.blogspot.com/2011/11/sacred-chow-i-idolize-you-nyc.html

Here's our tasty pick: "Sacred Chow!"

2011-11-05T22:45:00.007-04:00

October 25, 2011

You’ve seen Part 1, you waited with baited breath for Part 2 [or, you checked both of them out just now]…so without further ado, here’s our tasty pick for Part 3 of VTB does NYC: Sacred Chow!

I had been dying to check out Sacred Chow ever since seeing it in Alicia Silverstone’s “eating my way through NYC!” video. So imagine my delight when I found out that it was just a few blocks away from our hosts’ apartment!

Remember the Vegan Meatball Hoagies recipe we posted a few weeks back? Well it was partially inspired by the Omnivore’s Sacred Chow order of Mama’s Soy Meatball Hero.

I, on the other hand, ordered yet another waffle [what can I say, I'm a sucker for brunch]. But this was not just any waffle, it was a wheat-free, Omega3 Waffle topped with fruit & coconut crème fraiche.

AMAZING! Not only did this brunch satisfy my morning hunger, it also served as sufficient fuel for an entire day of tourism. It was nearly 6 hours before my next meal, but I remained full & energized the entire time!

Go. Eat. Enjoy.

ONE AFTER-THOUGHT ON “VTB DOES NYC: PART 3:" Robyn on October 26, 2011 at 9:20 am said: "Oh how I love and miss Sacred Chow! YUM!"

http://veganstastebetter.net/2011/10/25/vtb-does-nyc-part-3/

Mushrooms

2011-10-26T11:40:00.002-04:00

There's times that I want to use mushrooms in something, and I'm nervous about them exuding too much liquid, so I avoid using it, unless I do something to them before I cook. I find that roasting in the oven just does the trick without making me stand there over the stove, and baby them. If I put whole mushrooms on the stove, I need a fair bit of fat to get them going, and once I do get them going, they leech out way more water than can be evaporated at any reasonable amount of time.

In the oven, however, I find that when spread out well on a baking sheet, the water evaporates faster than it can form (and puddle around the mushrooms). I don't have to do anything at all to them; just clean them in cold water (no, it won't waterlog them) and then throw them onto a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, at 350F. Once they're cooked, there'll be a pool of mushroomy liquid in the bottom, and the mushrooms will be sufficiently dried out and cooked to use in pretty much anything I want to use them in. The liquid can be used as a mushroom stock, or to flavour various things into which you want to impart a meaty, earthy flavour.

FOOD IS POWER. EAT THE POWER. FEEL THE POWER. FOOD IS LOVE!

2011-10-25T19:41:00.007-04:00

Feel the power move through u: The power of the sun; a power, an energy, a force guided 2 bring the world in2 balance.

We r the power, & w this power - everything is possible. Let's find the ways 2 make less violence happen - so we can end starvation, stop global warming, halt poverty, put down dictatorships... We have much 2 do.

We have an eternal intelligence, molded by electrons, from the strength of solar storms that have traveled through the Universe, in2 the uterus, & out in2 the world: We, & all life, come in2 being from the same molecular source.

But we r the power of a brave consciousness - we seek freedom & peace 4 all of our fellow beings. This is our true endeavor.

We r sacred beings, we r respectful towards all life.

We r a glowing, burning, yearning power.

The sun, the Universe, the uterus, the Earth - our journey in2 mindfulness, & love.

Food is power. Eat the power. Feel the power. Food is love!

LIQUID LOVE!

2011-10-21T10:36:00.013-04:00

Being respectful & kind towards every source of life: Ourselves, our fellow beings, the Earth, the air, the water, the Universe, our journey b4 Earth life began, & our journey thereafter - Is the sweet angel song of our humanity. So in our daily meanderings, let us will in2 our mindful reveries: A pure generous goodness. I close my eyes, I visualize my feet, & see my body as an active volcano - Powerful fires, burning liquid energy.

We must change the way we & others perceive the world around us - Our inner-volcano burns w LIQUID LOVE. I visualize my feet again: Touching the Earth, the volcanoes bedrock, where our shared power collects truth & love from ancient sources deeper wi the Earth's core, summon these sources in2 our being: Feel them brewing, swirling, shifting, bringing 2 life a collective molecular power: LIQUID LOVE - the energy 2 create a concentrated force - a declaration 4 human-global equality. Our feet r deeply plugged in2 the core, extracting LIQUID LOVE: Up, up, up thru the body in2 our minds eye - exploding in words, deeds, movements. LIQUID LOVE is our companion now, vicariously spilling forth un2 our fellow earthlings.

Circumstances of all sorts, work 2 suppress the gathered sourcing of our LIQUID LOVE: The core reason 4 humanities being. Pay no mind 2 these affairs. Close ur eyes, project the destiny, it is right under our feet! Envision the power, pull it forth & amass the LIQUID LOVE.

Do not despair, or digress due 2 "our" media folk spouting forth life's impossible misery & inequities. No, no: Pull forth LIQUID LOVE, summon it up in2 ur being - let it dance within - we r its power: Reach deep down in2 the our common molecular core, let the fire burn! It is well known, that "our" government/political-dictator folks disregard most of "our" fellow beings. We exist in dire & unthinkable situations: Yet, the despots desire the small power, & seek out a type of greed that is both foisted & accepted by them & 4 them. Yes, they accept & know the heavy toll & agony that is hoisted upon the billions of lives that their fellow beings endure. But the endless suffering & torment of the billions, deliver the small power of imperialism 2 a tiny small-minded group of "our" fellow beings; and these folks relentlessly create a mass media distraction 2 maintain their imperial power.

Do not be distracted, do not wander: Feel the power! Summon forth our reason 4 being: LIQUID LOVE!

And as often heard in "our" many Houses of Worship: "Love thy neighbor as thyself!"

Indeed we must!

"Love it here!!!" Ain't nothin' more 2 say!!!

2011-10-19T21:27:00.005-04:00

Updated 3rd Yelp Review- 10/19/2011

Here I must say again... I seriously LOVE this place. Since the last times I visited I wasn't a vegetarian, but I am now and love this just the same. The ambiance is great.

Top 3 favorites: curried steamed broccoli, Korean tofu cutlets, and peanut soba noodles.. when I say you need to have these, I mean YOU NEED TO HAVE THESE. We always go for 3 for $18 and get 6. We're overachievers, we are. Hostess/waitress has always been great to us, it's nice to see the same face there and she remembered us too! How exciting for us!

I would not suggest the meatballs, not my taste. But the three up there ^^ NEED TO BE TRIED.. Just saying :) I make my boyfriend drive us to NYC just for this place and I will do it again soon. Love it here!!!

Listed in: local veg food.

2nd Yelp Review: 3/27/2011

A second time around and it was delicious.
This place is so tiny and "hipster." Even though it's tiny and there isn't a lot of room from the table next to you, it's such a nice place. The hostess/waitress is so sweet and very helpful. She is usually the only person sitting and waiting on people, from the 2 times I've been there anyways.

We ended up getting the tapas again (6 total). We got 2 of the same things as last time, the curried broccoli and the soba noodles = AMAZING! I love broccoli so anything with broccoli, I'm all for it. We also got the Korean seitan, southwestern tofu puffs, cilantro pesto hummus, and Greek roasted cauliflower. Some of them were only there for the daily specials (tofu puffs, hummus, and cauliflower). I loved the Korean seitan!!! It was amazinggggggly good. It was so tasty, I was sad when we didn't have any left. I love the tapas idea because we got to try so many things at once.

I also got the Sky soda, Cherry Vanilla- YUM.

The only downfall to this place is the size, it's just tiny so when you get 6 plates, the table can be very small with 3 drinks on the table. BUT try it! I love this place even more the second time.

First Yelp Review: 12/6/2010

This place is really small but delicious. I am a meat eater myself but my boyfriend is a vegan and this was good for both of us.

We both ordered the 3 for $18 tapas and got 6 different things.. it was a ton of food. He also got a small salad (which are not small at all but tasty). I loved the broccoli! Def my favorite thing out of it all. I wouldn't recommend the beans and rice but everything else was really great. Mamas soy meatballs. Noodles. Roasted olive he loved them.

They have a student discount which is awesome!

Fixing Mistakes, continued

2011-10-19T17:02:00.002-04:00

Today, we'll be talking about a few tweaks that you can make to a dish, to ensure that it comes out tasting perfectly each time. There are those times when you've spent a long time following a recipe to the letter (from a cook that you trust), and the final result seems a little bland, or lacking in brightness, or missing a little something or other. There are things that can be done to round out sharp edges, add sharp edges, or generally tweak your dish to make it work out wonderfully.

Dish seems a little too heavy, even though it's not swimming in fat.
There are times when you'll follow a recipe that seems relatively light, but for whatever reason, the major thing is that you feel is heaviness. This has happened especially in cases of soups, but also in fresh dishes. There was this one salad I made, with a peanut dressing. Perfectly delectable on screen, lovely in theory, but a little plodding and heavy on the tongue. I wanted to eat it, because it was loaded with all manner of good things (grated carrot, grated cabbage, shredded beets, granny smith apples, walnuts, peanut dressing), and lots of fresh herbs (cilantro, scallion, ginger, etc). It had acid in the dressing, so I didn't think that it needed more, but it was definitely lacking something intangible.
I started by adding in the zest of a lime. That started its work. Then, just before eating it, I squeezed on the lime juice, even though the salad already had a bit of acid in. For some reason, that last-minute addition of the fresh lime juice (and I know for a fact that lemon juice/zest will do the same thing) just brightened things up immensely.

You've used tomato from the tin, and the whole thing tastes of tinned tomato.
I've done this more times than I can count, and each time it happens, I swear that I'll never use tinned tomatoes again, and that I'll only use tomatoes when they're in season, and what an idiot I am for trusting something from the bargains section of the dollar store, etc etc. Then I'll see a large #10 tin of tomatoes at the store for like $2, and I'll get tempted, and promptly forget the problem in the first place.
For whatever reason, I've found that using a few drops of vanilla extract in the dish seems to offset that tinny taste. Tomatoes are about the only thing I'll ever buy tinned, so I'm not sure if that trick will work for other tinned veg. Overall, I find tinned veg to be pretty horrible in any case, so I steer clear. I'd sooner buy frozen, if I can help it.

The dish is excellent in every way, except it's too hot spicy (from chiles or pepper).
Traditionally, I'd say that a pinch or two of sugar should sort it out, however, the other day, I learned something new for savoury dishes. A wine reduction (preferably a white), with a bit of miso and nutritional yeast (if those flavours would complement your dish), a hint of coconut milk, and a generous bit of cornstarch seems to do the job just as well as sugar, and doesn't add any unwanted sweetness to your meal.
I made a rice and beans dish at home, which I'd managed to mangle with way too much chile. I could swear up and down that the stuff wasn't the extra hot ground red chiles I buy from the Indian store, but the wimpy ones that I get from the local grocery store (I don't even know why I'd have the wimpy one at home; that stuff is foul). It tasted great, except for the fiery burning that I felt up and down my body.
Instead of adding sugar (because 1. I hate sugar, and 2. I don't keep any in the house, and 3. If my beans tasted sweet, I would be committing acts of violence upon my own person), I decided to use up a bit of white wine I had lying around (there was some leftover Pinot Griggio I had from a party), and reduce it down, because I didn't want the rice & beans to be too watery. Once it reduced by about half, I whisked in a bit of white miso, and nutritional yeast, and turned off the heat. I whisked in a bit of cornstarch dissolved in coconut milk, and turned the heat back up. When the whole thing became like a thickish sauce, I folded it into the rice and beans, and all was right with the world. The heat was nice and controlled, while still perking up in the background, and I didn't have to resort to using sugar.

Cake mistakes!

2011-10-18T22:40:00.004-04:00

Okay, so the buzzer went off, and u didn't hear it ring. Consequently, u 4got u even had anything in the oven. U talk on the phone, nibble here & there, read a bit of the Times..."HOLY SHEET! THE F**KEN CAKE! It 's burnt, it's burnt... Is it totally burnt? Yep, it's burnt!"

Well y'all know the saying: When the world hands u lemons: Make lemonade! (Or lemon pudding cake)!

Never give up on ur cake. Now, u may need to reconfigure how u r gonna present the cake. B/C surely, don't call me surely, it will not be a pretty round thing - like the one u had in ur mind. No, she sang that song. Yes she did! "Amazing Grace!" I can do anything! "I am women hear me roar!" "Yes I've paid the price, but look how much I've gained!" Not in my tookus though! Time to re-imagine! I am Julia Child! I am Jackie Kennedy! I am! I am! I am! I am Grandma Moses Big Tookus! No, Maybe not Grandma Moses, maybe just Big Tookus Moses! All right then: Next! Time to lose weight. Weight? Wait, no way! I am women hear me roar! Yes, persistence is transgender! And happily married homosexuals! And Muslim drag queens! Betty Davis? What a dump! No, no, no Ms. Thing: I am not Humpty Dumpty! And, and, and it's not over, it's not over... No, no, it's not over till... Time 2 re-create!

Let this burnt, but not totally burnt through cake, cool down some. Of course I am coming from the vegan point of fixin food. And by the by, this applies to a cake that just won't harden up as well. No matter how many times u stick that toothpick through, it comes out wet, wet, wet... U have measured wrong, too much liquid, not enuf dry... 4got some leavening...

Relax ladies! The solution applies 2 both botched scenarios.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place into a food processor: 1 to 1 & 1/2 lbs of mashed up hard tofu; a dry sweetener, 1/2 to 1 cup; extracts of desire, 1 tablespoon; nutmeg, a few pinches; Earth Balance, bout 3/4 cup; 2 tablespoons of tahini; 3 tablespoons of maple syrup; 1 tablespoon vinegar; starch like arrowroot or corn, 1/3 cup; 1 tea of agar- agar; soy, almond or coconut milk..., 2 cups. Start processor, let it spin till creamy, creamy, creamy. During the spin, place 2 cups of same flour w 2 teaspoons of baking soda in fine strainer held over a bowl, shake into bowl till silky & fine, remove strainer; then w a wire whisk - mix, mix, mix. Break a part burnt cake into small bites or cut into squares, then place in dry bowl. If the problem is that the cake is too wet, u will still have cakey parts on the outside, place cake in separate bowl, mash up, break a part... (w wet version, use only 3/4 - 1 cup milk).

Pour the liquids from processor into bowl w dry ingredients, w a wire whisk, mix till totally incorporated. Then take the "Cake Mistake" and mix it right in to the batter; then pour batter into a ceramic bowl, pie dish, square...Bake in the 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes - till nicely browned. The "Cake Mistake" should be a touch shaky. Let sit a bit, then place in freezer till hardened & chilled through.

All done! Add ice cream; fruit chutneys; warmed or chilled: syrup reductions, glazes, chocolate, vanilla, lavender... sauces, on & on...

It ain't over till u say it 's over!!!! I will climb Mt. Sinai, sit my big tookus down, and watch the sun rise and set, and I will eat my custard cake w a friend. We'll talk about Infinite Jest & cake possibilities. I'll smile like Moms Mabley. I will, I will, I will... I will eat my success w my friend in his finest dress. She'll have pretty napkins too!

Fixing as you go along.

2011-10-18T13:54:00.000-04:00

There are times, while cooking, when you realise that everything hasn't quite turned out like you'd expected. You thought you could eyeball the recipe (more or less), and did so. All of a sudden, the ratios are all off, your tongue and brain are both berating your eyes for missing the mark, and it looks like everything is about to go belly-up. These moments can be frustrating and disheartening, especially to a new cook. The trick is to not panic. Or realistically, to panic, but recover quickly.
There's a couple of things you can do before you start cooking to avoid disasters in the first place. There are also things that cannot be salvaged, and should not be salvaged. If you've burned your spices to an absolute crisp, just toss them out, and start over. Better to lose a few cents in off spies than to go through with the whole thing and end up with a horrible tasting disaster that now cost you a lot of time and effort. If your oil smells rancid, or when you start up your skillet, you smell something rancid, throw out that fat, and start over. Clean the pan thoroughly, and try again.
Rancid oil cannot be covered up, no matter how much you'd like to think so. I was once using a cast iron skillet that I hadn't touched in a while. I also foolishly left a small pool of oil on it for too long. Instead of doing the sensible thing and cleaning it off first, I made up a batch of dosa. A rancid smelling batch of horrible dosa. A rancidness that just did not fade, no matter how many changes of oil I'd put in. Once I gave the skillet a good scrubbing, all was well. But then, there was a batch of 15 dosa that had to go in the bin, because I'd been too foolish to stop while I was ahead, and just start over.
This goes double for burnt spices. I'd started off a lemon rice, and let the mustard seeds go too long. They weren't just popped, they were little blackened bullets of charred mess. I bull-headedly kept going, and burnt the hell out of the cumin seeds and the urad daal too. Y'see, when the pan is too hot for the one spice, it follows that adding more spices will mean that you have even more burning, and not less. I don't know /where/ my head was. In any case, I managed to thoroughly burn the seven hells out of the spices. I kept going.
Bad move.
The final dish tasted absolutely inedible and awful. It wasn't worth salvaging. It couldn't be salvaged. If I'd had any sense, I'd have stopped the instant that I saw the oil smoking too much. If I'd had less sense, I'd have stopped when I realised that the mustard seeds went from just a little heavily browned (which is fine) to outright black char. I could have pitched the spices, and been OK with a fresh pot of oil and a bit more spices. Sometimes, it's important to know when to stop, so that you can save yourself much more pain down the road.
Or, there was the one time I'd made a walnut date crust. It seemed awfully fatty when I was putting it into the pie pan. I didn't listen to my instincts, and stop. I just kept going. In went carefully layered fruits, arranged in concentric circles, with a bit of sweetener in between. The whole thing was a disaster and a half. I should have realised that when the recipe says soaked DATES, that date puree will not do. When the crust felt too fatty, I should have stopped, re-calibrated things, and kept going.
Long story short, before you take any of these tips on how to save your almost disasters, please understand that I'm not condoning you keep chugging along when things have gone to hell and back. Know when to stop. It'll save you a lot of tears.
But all that aside, there are times when things aren't going quite according to plan, when you can stop yourself, tweak a bit here and there, and move forward. It'll work out just fine in the end.
Your hummus is way too thin, and you're out of chickpeas.
The prevention for this is to set aside about a small handful of chickpeas, while you make the hummus. If your hummus is just fine, and perfectly thick, just blend them separately with a bit of your hummus, and mix the lot together. Far more frequently, however, you'll need to add more chickpeas, because you overshoot perfect and creamy. In fact, it's so common that I've powered through huge amounts of tahini in doing so. That's the fix-it solution, by the by. Tahini. Lots of it.
Suppose you're making hummus, and your processor is merrily chugging along. It's taking too long for your liking, so you splash in a bit more fat or water to smooth things along. The processor kicks up speed, and demolishes the stuff in it. You open the lid, and the hummus isn't thick and creamy but droopy and runny. You promised to bring hummus! If you don't bring hummus, they'll take away your vegan card! (It's true. By the by, if anyone wants to know what to get your favourite vegan blogger with a sense of humour about his own veganism, get him that t-shirt. It's wicked cute.)
Start, bit by bit, adding more hummus, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or any other toasted nuts you like. It'll add a richness and creaminess that will make your hummus taste far superior to other hummus that folk have eaten. It thickens up quite beautifully If you want to avoid over-adding water, there is another trick you can use to make the processor cream the chickpeas easier, and not have to add too much water.
Cheat and use a little bit of white beans in your mix. For every 2 cups of chickpeas that you soak overnight, soak 1/2 cup of white beans in a separate container. (Or, do what I do and soak the full 2 cups of white beans, and follow up the hummus making with rosemary & white bean dip). Essentially, you're looking for a 4:1 ratio of chickpeas to white beans. For whatever reason, the white beans seem to cream up much easier than the chickpeas. I don't know why. I discovered it by accident, when I made a batch of hummus after making a batch of white bean dip (and not clearing out the last 2 inches or so of white beans left in the processor).

Your roux based sauce is too thin.
The way to prevent this is to carefully measure out the fat and the flour, and make sure that the liquid is proportionate to the colour of your roux. Here's an easy way to remember how to work your roux: 1 TB of fat and 1 TB of flour will thicken up 1/2 cup of liquid when the roux isn't too dark. This means that you'll need to actually measure out a level tablespoon of fat and a level tablespoon of flour, so that you've got the proper thickening going down. The reason that I mention the darkness of the roux is because the darker roux don't tend to thicken as well as the lighter ones. This is why it's best to work best with medium low heat, and gradually get to the colour you want, so that you don't end up overshooting the mark, and get something that doesn't thicken correctly.
Suppose that you did indeed overshoot the mark, and your gravy/cream sauce/sauce is too thin. Don't use a slurry of flour and water. It'll require that you cook the thing for much longer to work out the raw flour taste. Don't use a flour/fat mixture that you whisk in. Just make more roux. It'll be fine. Get out a separate little pot, throw in a bit more fat, and a bit more flour, whisk for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flour taste, and whisk in the too-thin sauce, and pour the mixture back into the thin sauce. Bring it to the boil, and you're set.
If you've run out of flour, whisk a bit of cornstarch with some water (about 1 TB of water with 1/2 TB of cornstarch), and pour that slurry into the thin sauce. The reason that cornstarch will work well is because cornstarch comes up to cooked stage much more quickly than flour.

Your rice isn't cooked to done-ness (while some of the grains are).
This happens from time to time, when the water to rice ratio is off. It's happened more times than I care to remember. What I tend to do is add a bit more water, put it into a pyrex dish, and microwave it (covered) for about 10 minutes. That's usually enough to get the last few stubborn grains to finish cooking. If they're still not done, sprinkle in a bit more water, and let it go another 7 minutes in the microwave.
The reason that I suggest using the microwave as opposed to the stove or putting it back in the rice cooker, is because the microwave tends to cook rice on the drier side. The stoves and rice cookers tend to need more liquid, and tend to steer the whole mess towards a mushy mass. The microwave, on the other hand, tends towards a bit drier.

This is, of course, just a start. There are plenty of other things that can go wrong along the way, and I'm sure I'll mention more in future. I wanted to mention these simple things, so that you all can get more confident in your kitchen.

Random tip: Reuse pickle vinegar

2011-10-14T11:40:00.002-04:00

I was reading the Kindle edition of a really old cookery book. Frankly, most of the recipes were too imprecise and/or filled with lard for me to make much use of them, so I casually flipped through for any non-recipe text in there. I've found that any cookery book, regardless of the main recipe content, will frequently have some darned good advice in it, so I read all the extra bits, like the intro and the rest.

In this one, there was a sort of after the recipes section that contained plenty of down-home, thrifty advice, like don't throw this or that away, and use it for other uses (like old underwear can be used for wash rags). Again, some of the advice was a bit odd, and I ignored it. Until I came to the bit about reusing pickle vinegar for salad dressing.

Huh. I'd never even considered it. I tried it out, and wouldn't you know it? It tasted far better than using just plain vinegar! And it would be fairly obvious, because the vinegar has all the flavourings that they use to spice up the pickles themselves. What a cool idea!

This isn't so much to share this tip that I wrote this blurb. I wrote it so that you go back to the cookery books in your house, and read all the bits that you'd usually flip past, while in the search of the recipes. They contain lots of good solid advice, and if you find a little treasure like that, share it with others. There's a certain cook who shall remained unnamed, who does meals in a certain time frame, and has TV shows, books, and product lines galore. I didn't much care for her style of cooking. However, while flipping through one of her books, she mentioned a trick for measuring spices. She said to put into your hand a tablespoon of sugar, so that you know roughly what a tablespoon of stuff looks like. Then, use the inside of your palm to measure spices. This way, you're not fiddling about with measuring spoons forever, while trying to crank out dinner in a hurry.

Mind you, for a restaurant, that wouldn't work, because our food has to be perfect, and consistent. People get upset when you change a particular recipe. But for home, it's ideal! It means that you can focus on understanding how the whole dish comes together than trying to make something perfectly the same every time, and you can get things moving quickly.

I would not even have picked up the book had I not been at an in-law's house, where they had all her books. I had some idle time, so I read the intro to a couple of them, and picked up a few handy hints along the way. Those parts of books are written to be read. Please go dust off a book whose intro you haven't read, and give it a browse. You might be surprised (pleasantly) to find what new things you've learned!

"Can you make a pasta dish?" "What if there's gluten free folk?"

2011-10-11T13:28:00.002-04:00

Whenever someone calls for catering, my (and bossman's) first question tends to be "Are there any people who keep gluten free?" For some, it's the last question they'll ask. For us, it's the first. I tend to want to know early on, because if there's even one person who's gluten free, I'll try to steer the customer to get the entire menu gluten free. Why? Because then there are no awkward questions. There is no room for error, or mistakes. It's just all safe for everyone to eat, and that's the end of that. It's the same reason I err on the side of the strictest Kosher standards, because I want everyone to be comfortable. It's also why we stick to the strictest definition of vegan.

On that note, let's talk food, shall we? It's getting cold out (OK, so the past couple of days have been stunningly beautiful, but I'm anticipating cooler weather soon enough), and earthy, hearty flavours are perfect. The apples are coming in, and there's excellent local apple cider to be found at the grocery stores up here. This is the time to really take advantage of it.

Braised Red Cabbage & Fennel

2 TB canola oil
2 bulbs of fennel, sliced thin
2 lbs of red cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 cup sucanat
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup apple cider (or, 1/2 cup white wine and 1/2 cup apple cider)

In a large pot, heat the canola oil over high heat. Add the sliced fennel, and sautee until slightly browned. Add the sliced cabbage, and toss to combine with the fennel and oil for about three minutes. Add teh sucanat, salt, black pepper, cider vinegar, and apple juice. Let the liquids come to a full, rushing boil. Drop the heat down to medium, and let the cabbage braise until it's tender, and changes colour from light purple to a deep dark purple.

Beans, Beets, and Buddies

2011-10-10T12:28:00.003-04:00

This year, during the fast, I decided that I'd set a goal for myself to reach out to at least one person whom I haven't kept in contact with (even though I swore up and down that I'd never forget them, and we'd stay in touch). In a way, for me, it's almost as if I were doing wrong by them by not keeping up my side of the acquaintanceship. Mind you, things like facebook and twitter give an illusion of keeping in contact, but in reality, there are many folk with whom I have not had a good conversation, even though I deeply enjoy their company, and love talking to them. I felt guilty, and pledged to do something about it.

So I did. I reached out, and sent an email to a couple of people, as of Wednesday of last week. Today, when I got back to work, my inbox was filled with love from the people whom I'd lost contact with. If I am strictly honest with myself, I will likely end up losing touch with those same people again, but for now, our two souls have connected, and a small spark of kindness has been released into the world. There's just something about writing a letter to someone which (to me) is a lot more personal and meaningful than pressing a "like" button on something. I don't expect all my correspondences with people to always be deep and meaningful, but when they are, I enjoy them.

I'm not sure why I felt the need to share that, but I hope you didn't mind my little diversion into personal life, before I get to the beans of the matter (I don't think I'd enjoy getting to the meat of any matter; beans are quite lovely, thank you).

Beans and beets. Specifically, black beans and beets. Why had I never considered this before? Mind you, I'm personally not a huge fan of beets on their own. They're kind of challenging. The colour bleeds all over everything, they make a right mess of your counter tops, and if you stain your clothes, that stain isn't coming out (PS how /do/ you clean off beets stains from a white shirt without harsh chemicals?) any time soon. Black beans, on their own, are tasty ,but a little monochromatic when you're talking textures (and when aren't you talking textures, right?). Especially when combined with brown rice, the black beans feel a little alone.

This is why so many black bean recipes are loaded with onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Anything to get into that texture, and break it up a little. However, beets, in my opinion, are a lovely choice. Black beans sometimes depress me, because that beautiful black colour doesn't last. It seems to bleed out into the water (especially if you soak your beans before cooking), and the final beans are a dark brown, instead of black. With beets, it's the opposite problem. The vivid garnet and purple colours leech into the cooking water, and stain /everything/ that same colour, and the final 'do looks just awful.

However, when black beans and beets are combined, something magical happens: the two colours reinforce the other! The beans no longer bleach out, and the beets don't stain everything that awful medicine looking colour. Victory! This particular recipe is very simple, because I'm looking to make it for the beans and rice special (for which I may not use garlic, onion, soy, gluten, sugar, or black pepper).

6 cups of black turtle beans
3 large beets, diced
16 cups water
1 tsp thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Salt, to taste

OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup of red wine

Simmer the beets and the beans together, until the beans are tender. If you chop the beets into 1 inch cubes, they'll cook at roughly the same amount of time as the beans. Add the thyme, nutmeg, wine (if you're using it), and salt. Let the beets and beans simmer together for another 10 minutes, or until the wine's alcohol-y smell has evaporated off. Serve with crusty brown bread, or brown rice.

With earthy flavours, like beets and black beans, I find that a little thyme and nutmeg complement each other beautifully. Please be careful with thyme. You can very easily overpower the dish if you're not careful. The wine helps round out the flavours, and gives just a touch of sweetness, while deepening the earthy flavours. If you don't drink wine, feel free to use about the same amount of apple juice or cranberry juice for the same results.Beets and mild sweet flavours go together very nicely.

Also, I've had about a thousand and one dishes that feature black beans and cumin and coriander. I wanted something completely different from stuff I've had before, so that I can challenge myself to think of different ways to use familiar ingredients.

Of course, feel free to augment the stew with shredded red cabbage, sliced carrot, tomatoes, or diced turnips.

Tofu Saag Paneer

2011-10-07T11:12:00.003-04:00

There's this ubiquitous dish on most Indian restaurants, called saag paneer. Often times, it's hard little cubes of what feels like rubber, covered in a green goo of some kind, with about an inch and change of fat floating on top. And yet, people eat it with great relish. I don't get it.

Saag paneer, when made right, is little cubes of Farmer's cheese, deep fried, and served in a spiced spinach puree. It can be quite lovely, if you were to do things properly, but when it comes to mass quantities, the dish suffers. Fortunately for me, and the patrons of the restaurant, it improves when made vegan, and healthy. Rather than using tender, soft spinach, which should really be eaten raw, I use a combination of tender and hardy greens, like spinach, collard greens, and kale. That way, when I puree the greens together, I don't let a loose sauce as much as I get a textural wonderland. Rather than using farmer's cheese, I use little cubes of tofu, tossed in a bit of oil, and baked until they puff up into little balls. They're very cute to look at on the tray.

This way, I'm not deep frying anything, while still getting the taste and texture of deep fried tofu. And, rather than cooking down everything until it's homogenised, I cook things separately, so that they retain their texture and taste. The dish is transformed to something totally tasty, and much easier to eat with roti. That slumpy mass you get at restaurants should no longer be tolerated. Fight back!

FOR THE GREENS
10 oz (roughly 1 bunch) of spinach, washed WELL, and plunged into boiling water for 10 seconds.
8 - 12 oz kale, roughly chopped, and plunged into boiling water for 1 minute
8 - 12 oz collard greens, roughly chopped, and plunged into boiling water for 1 minute

Drain the water from the greens well. You don't need to squeeze them, but you can if you'd like. In a food processor, combine all the greens (in batches of 1 handful at a time), and pulse until they become chopped very finely. Set the greens aside in the fridge, so that they cool down.

FOR THE TOFU
2 lbs of tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp salt

Don't bother to press the tofu. Just chop it up into cubes, and toss it in the oil and salt. If you prefer, you can use a mister or a nonstick cooking spray. I prefer just using oil, because there isn't too terribly much of the stuff I'm using here. Either way, get fat and salt onto the tofu. Lay it out onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment. The parchment is important, because the tofu will want to stick. Leave plenty of room between the cubes of tofu, or else they'll go mushy instead of crispy.

FOR THE SPICES
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp cumin seed
3 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 medium (tennish-ball sized) onions, sliced thinly (red works great, but use any onions you have)
3 - 12 cloves of garlic, minced
2-inch knob of ginger, grated
Pinch of cinnamon
Scrape of nutmeg
1 tsp of oil
salt, to taste

In a large, nonstick skillet, pour in your oil, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds. Let the lot heat over medium high heat, until you hear the seeds pop and crackle. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, and bay leaf. Sautee around until the fragrance becomes too delicious to stand anymore. Add the sliced onion, minced garlic, and ginger. Let the lot sautee over medium high heat, until the onions become lightly browned. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir everything for about 30 seconds. Add the chopped greens, and turn off the heat. Toss through to combine, making sure to thoroughly mix through the spices.

Add the cubed roasted tofu, and gently toss to combine. The tofu will become tough from the cooking, so no need to be that gentle! Just give it a toss. It'll be fine.

Now here comes the best part.

WALK AWAY!

The dish isn't ready for you yet. Now, you must exercise self-control by walking away, and letting the whole mass sit around, undisturbed, for at least an hour. Why? Because you want the tofu's skin, which formed in the oven, to permeate with the liquid from the greens and the spices and onions and such. You want the spices to mellow out a bit. You want the whole lot of it to taste and smell fantastic, while still having a bit of cohesion. You want to make a batch of roti, to be perfectly honest, and I'm giving you the chance to do that, with the excuse of, "Dino said so, so it must be right." Either way, this works out best if you make this at the beginning of your dinner preparations, and then come back to it much later, after it's sat around a bit.

I won't tell anyone if you sneak a few healthy spoonfuls, for "quality control". I do the same thing.

Creamier Hummus

2011-10-06T15:07:00.002-04:00

There's a couple of things that you can do to ensure that your hummus comes out ultra super creamy and tasty. You can increase the fat, increase the cooking time, or increase the liquid (to an extent). All of the techniques leave you with a different kind of hummus at the end, but regardless, they're all tasty.

First and foremost is the option of increasing the amount of fat you put in. This can mean more olive oil or tahini than the recipe calls for. There's a couple of considerations to this method. For one thing, the tahini is going to thicken the hummus. It'll give it a mild bitter edge if you're too generous with how much you put in. Mind you, your chickpeas can take a lot! They can probably take much more than you think that they can, and still be extremely tasty. I've gotten away with (for about 1 lb of chickpeas, soaked, boiled, and drained) up to a half cup of tahini, and had it all come out very well! Just bear in mind that tahini is (1) expensive, and (2) mildly bitter. If you're already adding in bitter things, like bell peppers or walnuts (both of which can bring out bitter flavours if you're not careful), you want to ease on up with the tahini, and bump up the oil instead.

Unfortunately, adding extra oil to the mix means that you'll end up with a slightly more runny hummus. Again, this is OK, as long as you've got enough chickpeas and tahini to balance out. If you do end up (mistakenly) adding too much oil, throw in a handful of almonds to thicken things up. It'll take a little longer to grind it down until the hummus is smooth, but it's OK. You'll get there.

Finally, you can add a bit more water. Like the oil, you're still working with ingredients that will give you a more runny product, so please be careful when you add water.

I mentioned cooking time for a very good reason. For the best hummus ever, use dried beans, that you soak overnight in cold water, then drain the next morning, rinse well, then boil the beans until they're tender. You want the beans to cook until they're all the way tender. Don't stop until everything is cooked through. The problem with tinned beans is that they aren't built to break down. Something about the masses of salt that they're packed in makes it difficult for the beans to grind down to a smooth paste. They'll grind if you give them a long time in the food processor, but they'll take an awfully long time. It's not pleasant at all to have chunks of chickpeas left in your hummus.

Yes, it takes a lot longer, but the payoff is well worth it. Please soak your beans in cold water, then boil them the next day. Why does't pressure cooking or quick soaking (wherein you soak the beans for 1 hour in boiling water, drain, then boil over the stove) work as well? The beans don't get as thoroughly hydrated in quick cooking methods as you would when you're being slow and deliberate. That extra time that you spend in the soaking and cooking process will give you thoroughly hydrated beans, that are cooked all the way through to the middle, perfectly. No problems with stubborn beans that won't grind down properly.

I'll also note here that if you want to increase the lemon flavour in your hummus, please consider using the zest of the lemon, along with the juice. If you add too much lemon juice, you'll end up with a hummus that's closer to a dressing, than a creamy dip. The zest of the lemon will increase the lemony taste without increasing (too much) the acidity of the whole mix.

At the end of the day, I'd rather you were eating any hummus at all, because it really is a tasty and healthy treat. So even if it means you buy the tinned chickpeas, or use peanut butter or almond butter in place of tahini because your local store ran out of tahini and won't be in stock until the next week (this actually happened once), or you end up making it runny because you're using a blender (which you shouldn't be doing, but how am I going to stop you from doing so?), or you don't have any mechanical grinding tools, so you sit there and pound with a pestle and mortar, or a potato masher. However you get the stuff into you, go ahead and do it. I'll probably still enjoy it immensely, with either bread, sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, sliced apples, or my greedy face.

Hummus
2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed, and boiled until tender
3 - 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 lemon, juiced and zested
2 TB cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed or ground in a pestle and mortar
Salt, to taste
1 cup water, in reserve
1 bunch parsley
3 TB olive oil, for topping

When your chickpeas are cooked to perfection, drain them well, and rinse them off in cold running water to cool them off completely. Add the garlic to the food processor, and give the blade a spin to chop up the garlic. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Let the food processor run until all the ingredients are combined thoroughly. Add water, 1 TB at a time, until desired creaminess is achieved.

Top with ground cumin, chopped parsley, and olive oil. Serve with bread, sliced vegetables, or a big spoon. :)

Turmeric Cooking

2011-10-05T16:31:00.001-04:00

Working with turmeric can be a bit of a challenge, because it really is a strong dye. You spill that stuff onto your counter, and you've got a pretty long-lasting horrible looking stain. If you do manage to spill some onto your white dress, apron, or otherwise, just rinse it lightly in soapy water, and dry it out in the sun. It may take one or two dryings to get it to completely bleach out to white again, but it'll get there eventually. Or, as my mother says, "You could use Oxyclean. That stuff cleans everything."

For the record, it was also my mother who mentioned that drying in the sun will clean turmeric stains.

But this isn't about how to stain with turmeric. It's about how to cook with it.

Turmeric likes fat. Its colour gets much stronger, and more intense when there is fat present. It goes from bright yellow, to a more burnished, brownish-reddish-orange that looks very tempting. When combined with some kind of alkaline food, it'll turn a more reddy-orange. However, for whatever reason, there are multiple recipes that call for turmeric to be added raw. Ew. It's got a very odd taste when it's raw. In fact, there's recipes that I've seen that call for large quantities of the stuff raw. Eeeeeeewww.

Please, if you're using it, just toast it in a tiny bit of fat. You need not drown your recipe in fat, but a little goes a long way to making the colour and flavour be so much more enjoyable. In fact, the next time you see tumeric in a recipe where there's also some fat, just say in your head "and toast it in fat".

Here's how it works.

Start with your hot pan or pot with fat in it. Add your whole spices (cumin, coriander, sesame, etc). When the seeds pop, turn off the heat, and add your turmeric. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir it all around. Then, add it to whatever it is you're cooking.

Mind you, I'm aware that there are South Indian recipes that call for boiling the turmeric with the veggies, or daal. This isn't necessarily wrong. I'm just right.

Peel a head of garlic FAST

2011-10-04T13:56:00.003-04:00

Video

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Essentially, you take two stainless steel bowls of roughly equal size. Take a head of garlic. Smash it with the heel of your palm to break it apart into individual cloves. Dump the lot into a bowl. Cover the top with another bowl. Shake shake shake. I tried this at home with a couple of different things. Since the concept seemed to be tumbling garlic together, I tried this with a tupperware box. No dice. It seems like the round shape of the bowl keeps things moving. I tried this with a plastic salad bowl with lid. Still no dice. It needs to be /two/ bowls. I tried this with two plastic bowls. It was getting better, but I had a couple of cloves still tightly holding onto the skin.

Two stainless steel bowls, of comically large size later, and I had a head of perfectly peeled garlic. I think part of the peeling process is the smashing with the heel of your palm. I tried with just loose garlic cloves that were lying around, and they didn't work as well. The other part is agitating against the stainless steel bowl, which has a bit more grip than plastic or ceramic. It clings to the garlic, and not the skin. Also, with the cloves of garlic smashing around, and hitting each other, you've got a bit more abrasion going on than you would if it were one or two cloves of garlic.

Try it out, with two large stainless steel bowls, and you'll be happy that you did. Next step is to chop them. Or, to leave them whole. Or, to run them through a garlic press. I got one of these garlic presses a few months back, for a review copy, and have been impressed thus far. The cost seems to be fairly reasonable. The thing about it is that the OXO doesn't like unpeeled garlic. With this method, you can use the OXO, which does a fine job of getting the garlic into your cooking pot (rather than all over your counter, or stove, as the old style ones used to), and is easy to press without a lot of effort.

Frankly, I'm quite happy to use an entire head of garlic in my meals, but if you're not, there's a trick to storing peeled garlic. Just place an absorbent paper towel (lightly crumpled) in the bottom of a tupperware container that's just big enough to store the garlic cloves. Dump in the peeled garlic. Cover the lid tightly, and place it in your vegetable drawer of the fridge. It'll last a good few days, and won't get all wet and gross on you. Mind you, it is still best to use your peeled garlic immediately, but if you can't, you can buy yourself a couple of days of insurance.

If you do want to use the whole head, and don't want a SUPER strong garlic odour, just add it into your hot fat, at the beginning of cooking, rather than towards the end. Add it even before you add onions. The sharp bite will cook out, and the garlic will get more mellow. When you eat the final dish, it'll be garlicky without being overpoweringly garlicky.

Final note: do not let the garlic get more than a medium brown while you cook it in the hot fat. Burned garlic is bitter, and extremely unpleasant.

Bring each other kindness

2011-09-29T11:22:00.002-04:00

This story had me shedding a tear of my own.

Short story shorter (for those who don't want to click through), a man wrote his experiences of being tormented in school by bullies. Tell me, to how many of you does this sound eerily familiar?

The bullying began in the 7th-grade and continued through to the day I graduated the 12th-grade. Although I didn’t come out of the closet until I was 35-years old, I was constantly ridiculed and called names including fag and fudgepacker. No matter how hard I tried, from going to school dances to dating girls, I was always seen as weak. I sang in the school choir and I was active in various clubs, which was seen as gay. Despite my participation in these activities I was a pretty shy kid. I wasn’t very good at gym and I was always picked last for games. I was excited when I discovered tennis and made the tennis team. But, alas, tennis, the bullies claimed, was a gay sport. I couldn’t win for losing! It didn’t help that most of my friends were girls – although, as it turns out, it was those girls that were the very people who kept me from going over the deep end. Those girls saved my life.

It's scary how close Kevin's words ring true for me, and I'm very sure, many of you. When I think of what culture means, with its implication of "shared experiences" and the like, this is not what I have in mind, but for many of us, this was the culture we experienced while going through school. It's sickening to think that it's still rampant today.

When I made the choice to go vegan all those years ago, a big part of it was living my life in reflecting the peace that I feel towards all beings, human and animal alike. I don't think it's right for people to have to suffer the indignities of physical or emotional torture. I don't think it's right for violence against our fellow beings who are sharing our time on this planet, to continue unchecked. It's not OK.

However, as with many stories, where the hero sticks it out (and, if you can see this, Kevin, you are a hero), things get better, and a ray of hope shines through. The very next day, Kevin got an email from one of his former tormentors, asking for forgiveness.

Whether or not Kevin chose to forgive (and you'll find out, if you click through) is immaterial. Forgiveness is as much an act for the forgiver as it is for the forgiven. When we seek to better ourselves, we must remember that we are imperfect. We are going to make mistakes, and learn from them. However, if we don't at least make an attempt to make amends, and to move forward, we hold ourselves back from evolving as people. We hold ourselves back from making peace, and making more kindness flow through the world.

I know that when I was in a position to forgive a former bully, I have done so. It wasn't for that person's sake; it was for my own. I needed to let go of that hurt and pain that I'd been holding on to all those years, and make peace with it; indeed, to make peace with myself. However, if that person had not come forward to ask me to forgive, I may have never had the opportunity to heal.

That's the thing about atonement. You are doing something good for yourself, but you're also doing something good for that other person. This is a time of celebration. The new year dawns open, and hopeful. In a week, we'll be in Yom Kippur, and it's time for us to reach out to those people that we've wronged, even if it's been a very long time since we've even thought of them. Kevin's bully approached him after thirty-five years, and Kevin could still vividly remember the hurt and pain he suffered. That's why it's so important to have a day of atonement. It forces you to step back for a moment, and really think about what you can do to clear the air, and move forward.

We can't move forward without looking back.

L'shana tova!

Creme de la Creme: Tofu-style

2011-09-27T22:33:00.006-04:00

Get urself 3 lbs of firm tofu, mash it up with ur hands in a bowl of choice, place tofu in food processor. Depending on ur desired degree of sweetness, next add anywhere from a 1/2 cup to 1 & a half cups of cane sugar (or other dry sweetener of choice); then 12 ounces of coconut cream, not milk; and a 1/4 cup of desired oil or earth balance (or perhaps rich, decadent cocoa butter if ur so inclined) add 2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup, & same amount of tahini; then 3/4 cup of corn starch (or other starch of choice); & 1 tablespoon of vanilla ( or other desired variation); add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg; & 1/2 teaspoon agar- agar powder; finish w a few pinches of salt. The recipe is done, unless u come up w other variations, but keep the liquids near the same amount. (Maybe cocoa powder or peanut butter; a banana or toasted nuts...) Whiz away till creamy as creamy can be, near 3-5 minutes. Stop processor, every now & then to scrap down the sides. It should not be grainy. If so, whiz some more. And it must be thick enough to hold on a spoon, it shouldn't drip over. If it drips over, u can add an extra 1/2 lb of mashed tofu, or place in freezer for a half hour or so: If it hardens up, it's good to go. Of course, give it a taste. If u have added less sugar, u may want more, along w other amount variations. If u taste a delicious sweet cream, and it holds up on a spoon, u r ready 4 the dance.

Pour in2 pie shell; over a baked 1" high cake; pour in2 a deep dish bowl...and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Chill well in freezer if u want or need 2 consume quickly. Check in half hour to 1 hour. It shouldn't wiggle, and should, but doesn't necessarily need to be: Cold. Top, if u'd like to, w ganache, fresh fruit w glaze, nougatines... The variations r endless. Omit the starch & agar powder, pour over granola, spread on muffins... But it needs to be chilled till it hardens up a bit. And lastly: Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Veg & Daal

2011-09-20T12:06:00.002-04:00

When I was a young one, and I didn't eat vegetables as readily as I do nowadays, my mother used to quietly slip some into the daal. I loved daal (as most Indian kids do), and loved it even more when my mum would mash up the rice, so that the whole lot became very easy to eat. It's sort of like how mothers in the USA slip veggies into pasta sauces that they serve their kids.

However, over time, I've grown to appreciate what a good idea that is for adults as well as for youngsters, and I've taken to making more grown up versions of it. For young children, whose teeth are still developing, you want things to be on the wetter side, and on the soft side. They're not going to appreciate very under-done veggies for the most part (if your kid is an exception to this, please give them a hug for me; it means that you have a particularly un-fussy young person in your life). As the child gets older, and her or his tastes develop, they start enjoying very crispy raw veggies, just barely cooked veggies, and all kinds of other things that they would have had a tough time with as kids.

It's why I've taken to updating the daal and rice with veg of my youth by adding raw veg to the end of the cooking of the daal. As in, I'll boil the beans, spice them up, make sure everything tastes right, and then turn off the heat. Then, I'll add whatever veggies I'm looking to add to that meal. This works especially well for dark leafy green veggies—which all of us should be eating every day—which cook rather quickly with a quick blast of heat (from the residual heat left in the pot of daal).

This does a few things. For one, it makes it much easier to get my complete meal in one go. I don't have to fuss about with a separate side dish when I'm in a rush. Everything's in one bowl, so I'm good to go. For another, it makes a very neat textural contrast. When cooked well, rice and beans tend to meld together beautifully. They provide this lovely creamy texture that cannot be matched. It's a very comforting texture, which is why so many cultures love to eat rice and beans together. However, to be perfectly honest, it can get a little monotonous. By adding the veg into that mix, you get this whole new textural experience. It's nice.

Of course, as all dark leafy greens do, it adds a good boost of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. You're getting a nice hit of vitamin K, A, and C, along with calcium and iron. Since vitamin C helps the absorption of iron, you're getting even more benefits from adding the leafy greens in. This means that you'll not only get the iron inside the greens, but also the iron in the brown rice and the iron in the beans much more easily than if you ate just the rice and beans. Since vitamin K and A are fat soluble, and daal is cooked with a bit of fat, you're getting the benefits of the whole shebang in one bowl!

Awesome, isn't it?

It's interesting to me to look back on things that my mother did, and see how smart they truly were. Mind you, if I were eating a proper Indian meal, I'd have the beans, the rice, the dark leafy greens, the root veg, the squashes/gourds, and raw vegetables in a meal. Each one would be in small little bowls, that I would mix with the rice as I'm eating, and I'd have a completely balanced meal going in one plate.

However, when I'm in a rush, and don't really have the time to have all those different components every time, it's nice to have something that I can have on the run without having to worry about getting all my nutrients in order. When I have the time, I certainly do make all those different varieties, and enjoy sitting down to them. When you're making small quantities of those things (enough for just one meal), you don't really need to spend too terribly long. However, there are those days when even those quick things to put together are too time- and labour-intensive to bother with.

On those days, it's daal, rice, and dark leafy greens.

How your roasted veg should NOT look if you want to peel them easily.

2011-09-16T16:00:00.003-04:00

From September 16, 2011

See those two sets of veg? I should have let them roast longer. When you're roasting vegetables to make the peeling happen, please take the time and let the skins completely get ballooned away from the flesh of the veg. This makes it so that the skin comes off easily, and the vegetable get a lovely roasty flavour.

I was impatient, and pulled them out when I saw most of the skin ballooning out. Bad idea. It took a herculean effort to wrest the skin from the veg. It was ridiculous. Please learn from my mistake, and let them go for as long as they need, turning the pan (or the veg) as necessary so that they get cooked evenly.

Why can't they be like the mushrooms, which roasted up beautifully?

From September 16, 2011

Chilly Weather Stuff

2011-09-16T12:13:00.003-04:00

It's starting to get chilly, and it's times like these that you don't really worry too terribly much about cranking up the oven, and doing some serious roasting and baking, because your apartment could do with a bit of warming up anyway. Last night's dinner was really simple, but rather nice. We sliced up some eggplant, spaghetti squash, and broccoli, blasted them with a bit of nonstick cooking spray, and roasted them in the oven. The broccoli was done in 25 minutes, but the eggplants and the spaghetti squash took about 1 1/2 hours. Again, I wasn't bothered, because the big hard work of it all was slicing everything in half, and laying it on the baking tray, then chucking it in the oven.

The other thing is that since these are not finicky creatures, I didn't bother to preheat the oven. I just let them park in there as the oven heated, and they got done to a turn in that time. I didn't have parchment paper last night, so I also gave the baking sheets a hit of the spray, but if you do have parchment, you can skip the spray stuff completely. While those roasted away in the oven, I did some simple cabbage with a bit of curry powder, garlic, and oregano. Something about that mix just does lovely things to the smell. At the end, I sprinkled on some sea salt, and ground cumin. It tasted incredible. Then, I whipped up a quick white bean & chickpea dip (we used cucumbers for dipping) with white beans and chickpeas, rosemary, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and a bit of water to thin it out as needed.

The reason I'm not mentioning huge gobs of fat in everything is because we were having dinner at a friend's house, and both of them are trying to watch their calorie intake, so that they can keep the pounds under control until Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays show up, with their obscene amounts of food.

Frankly, none of us really missed the fat. The bean dip provided that creamy addition to the meal, and since everything was simply roasted, it was already bursting with caramelly flavour. And the best part is that the actual prep time was nonexistent, because everything kind of sat in the oven until it was done to a turn. For dipping, we used that Oyster Mushroom sauce you get at the Chinese market, and some Tamari with garlic and lime juice. It was quite possibly the most surprisingly filling meals I've eaten in a while. It was all vegetables, but it was filling!

We went through one medium head of cabbage, three broccoli crowns, five cucumbers, four pounds of tinned beans, a head of garlic, five enormous eggplants, and one large spaghetti squash. For all that, we went through about 1 teaspoon or so of oil. It got to where the fat was so low that it added negligible calories to the meal. Score.

Just because it's getting colder doesn't mean it's time to go into hibernation mode!

Double the onions.

2011-09-13T12:15:00.001-04:00

What's the secret to divinely good food? Enough onions! I made a soup today, at the restaurant, and took a taste (for quality control, of course). It completely knocked my socks off (and I wasn't even wearing socks!). It had happened quite by accident.

I started sauteeing enough onions to make a large batch of soup. But then, when I went to the walk-in fridge, I realised that we were painfully short of the dark leafy greens that I wanted to use in said soup. It was going to be a riff on the classic Vichyssoise (potato leek soup), but instead of leeks, I used onions, and instead of plain potatoes, I was using potatoes, collard greens, and spinach, and then blending the lot together.

I also realised that I didn't have quite as many potatoes as I thought. This would mean that I had about triple the amount of onions that the recipe usually calls for. I cooked the onions down further than I normally would, and let them get a nice medium brown colour. I also added a bit of garlic to boost the flavours. When I added the last finishing touches, and gave the broth a taste, it was fantastic!

Then, when I finally pureed the lot of it together, I was in absolute heaven. All those extra onions gave the soup a really nice, bold taste. I'm not sure that I can do this every time, but once in a while should be fine.

Three 3s

2011-09-12T14:49:00.003-04:00

The lovely ladies at Our Hen House gave a talk at the PA VegFest, and mentioned their Three 3s, which is three reasons to go vegan, three tips to transition to veganism, and three favourite resources. For the Hen House ladies, they needed to give a talk, and needed to keep it short, so their Three 3s were like little sound-bites. For us, we'll likely ramble a bit more, because this is me you're talking about, and I like to ramble. Feel free to skim, or read it all, or add your own!

Mind you, these are my own personal reasons, and don't reflect everyone here at Chow, or every vegan. Each vegan will have her or his own opinions. Get three vegans in a room, and you'll have five opinions on the same subject. :)

Three Reasons To Go Vegan

1. It's really fun & easy! Once you realise that eating vegan simply means opening up your eyes to the vast array of plant life (most of which is stunningly delicious), you start discovering new and interesting ways to fill your tummy. Once I went vegan, I began to introduce myself to vegetables that I'd ignored in the past, and began trying grains and pulses that I'd ordinarily pass by because they're "too expensive".

Cutting out the animal products made it so that I could afford a higher quality of food, and not really worry about watching myself carefully. Yes, quinoa can easily run about $3+ per pound, but how many pounds of quinoa can you really scarf in one sitting? That stuff expands like mad, and it's very filling. Splurge and enjoy it!

2. Animals are not there to be used by humans; they have their own wants, needs, and lives, and my life shouldn't interfere with theirs. This thought of peaceful co-existence spreads to my desire to see to it that all people, regardless of the shape they take in this lifetime, deserve to be treated fairly, and it's my responsibility to see to it that I do my best to reflect that. I'm not always 100% successful, but to strive for that is a noble goal.

3. I feel more at peace with my life, and the choices I make on a regular basis. When I was a vegetarian, and ate eggs and cow's milk, I always had an uneasy feeling in my soul that something wasn't quite right. Why was it OK for my needs/wants/desires to trump the needs/wants/desires of those animals to be left alone? Why is it OK for a system of living to thrive where the things that I consume are the products of suffering, of both human and nonhuman animals? It wasn't. I didn't feel comfortable with it, which is why I made the leap over to the vegan side.

I couldn't comfortably answer the questions of "what happens to the male cows, male goats, male chickens, who don't "produce" the products (milk, eggs, etc) that people want to eat?" I couldn't comfortably answer the questions of, "What happens to "spent" chickens, goats, or cows?" I was vegetarian from birth, for religious reasons, so I'd never really examined the reason to be a vegetarian until I got to school, and the other kids were asking me why my lunch didn't have any meat in it. Once I began to question my parents, and we all sat down to discuss it, I realised that my religion disallowed the eating of animals, because killing animals for food is not OK.

I was comfortable at that point, until I kept asking questions, like the ones that made me uncomfortable. When I finally came to the conclusion that the questions I was asking /are/ valid, and that silently continuing wouldn't do anymore, I made my change. Again, I'm not perfect, and won't ever say that I am. However, I'm striving to live by my ideals, and it makes me feel much more at peace with myself and my conscience.

3 Tips to Transitioning to Veganism

1. Find other vegans, and soon. If you live in the middle of nowhere, get online, and start subscribing to blogs, news sites, and podcasts. Find every vegan cooking show, food blog, website that you can possibly find, and read them voraciously. Find vegan forums, and start making friends there. This goes double if you're in a place that's hostile to vegans. If you're a teen vegan, this is especially important, because your family may make you feel like you're stupid, or too young to know any better, or find any number of reasons to belittle you and your ideals. There are others out there like you, and they're just a few keystrokes away. We're here. Find us!

2. Start finding recipes that are already vegan to begin with. I haven't eaten cheese in well over five years. If I have a Daiya grilled cheese sandwich, it tastes and feels just like what I remember. Why? Because it's been a /very/ long time since I've had the stuff, and eating the stuff now reminds me of the experience enough that it's not going to be off-putting for me. The same thing goes for soy milk. I hadn't had dairy milk in a very long time by the time I tried soy milk, and found it to be satisfying. (For the record? Nowadays I find that I like the taste of Trader Joe's Almond Milk far more than any other nondairy milk for just drinking. I've heard the same from other folks.)

The point is, that if you look at this as a "OK, now I will be exploring all those things I'd ignored in the past", rather than "I can't have ____", you'll feel like you're on an adventure, rather than on some kind of great big self-denying, self-sacrificing, martyr thing. It becomes fun. Indian, Chinese, South American, African, and even some Eastern European cuisines all have excellent foods that are vegan to begin with. They also often involve ingredients that you can find relatively easily. If you can't find specific spices or ingredients, substitute! I've found that with cooking, it's easy enough to have some wiggle room, as long as you've got a bit of confidence in doing so.

This is why I suggest that you join those vegan forums and cooking websites. Ask questions! People are very eager to share what they know, and will be more than willing to guide you along the way.

3. Take food with you. I've gotten into the habit of taking food with me regardless of how long I anticipate the trip to be. Why? Because vegan food can get pricey, if you're not prepared. For example, if I were to go to a typical Falafel Hut on MacDougall, and snag myself a vegan falafel sandwich, I can pay about $2.50 for that. It's tasty, and reasonably filling. However, water costs another $1. We're at $3.50. For that same $3.50, I can buy an onion ($0.50/lb), some beans ($1/lb), some brown rice ($1/lb), and spices (I'd only need a few scant pinches of this and that), and put together an entire dinner for me and my husband, with leftovers. Mind you, it's nowhere near as fast as paying that $3.50, but it starts to add up rather quickly.

And the $3.50 is the best case scenario. Often times, while running around, the cheapest option is a bag of potato crisps (very unhealthy, very salty so I need more water) for about $1. But then, I'm hungry again fairly quickly. I'd sooner spend that same money, and buy some unsalted nuts, some seeds, some raisins, and toss them together as a sort of a trail mix. If you're feeling a bit more extravagant, throw in some dates, some almonds, some dried fruit of various sorts, and you've got yourself a much more nutritionally dense snack that will keep you moving.

If I am to stop somewhere and pick up individually wrapped snacks of some sort, I'll spend a fortune. If I buy the large packs at the store when they come on sale, I can wrap them up in my own little reusable containers, and not pay nearly as much.

Why do I mention this? Because often times, when I was a freshly minted vegan, I had trouble finding places that had something that I could eat. Then, on the way home, I'd feel hungry again, and feel tempted to stop somewhere and snag something. I'd think, "It's only a couple of bucks here and there", and think nothing of it. All of a sudden, I'd look at my expenses at the end of the month, and have a heart attack over how much I'd spent on random junk I bought outside. It was ridiculous! There was absolutely no reason for it either, because my house was always well stocked.

Even if it means that you buy some bread, some peanut butter, and some sandwich bags, packing a peanut butter sandwich is way cheaper than you'll ever spend on anything from outside your house. Throw on some banana, or strawberry, and you've got a serving of fruit, protein, and grain all in one. The point is that if you set yourself up for success, you'll find yourself keeping on top of your needs more, and you'll see your vegan lifestyle go much more easy than if you depend on the kindness of strangers.

Mind you, I say all this even though I live in New York City, where the local bodega has like three different brands of soy milk, and pretty close to /every/ restaurant you walk into will have vegan options. I just don't fancy spending that kind of money, or going hungry. You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry!

Three Favourite Resources

1. Vegweb.com is an excellent resource for anyone who's into cooking. It's where I learned to make my own bread. It's where I learned how to make pineapple upside down cake (that even the omnis were pleased with). It's an enormous repository of information.

2. Google. I'm serious. Type in "vegan _____ recipe", and see what happens. I've gotten to where I don't bother with cookery books so much anymore, because the Googles is so good at ferreting out good finds for me.

3. Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast. This is like your aunt who's a mad vegan scientist. She has made recipes for so many things that I lost count. She's a complete genius when it comes to cooking, and making things work. Give her site a shot, and see what you find.

Ginger

2011-09-02T18:14:00.002-04:00

So Mini Preefer gave the corrected Korean Tofu Cutlets a try. "Huh! That's a really nice taste of ginger!" Kiddo has a pretty good palate, apparently. I'm glad he noticed, because we had to increase the ginger by four times, notice that it was still too weak, then double that amount! Why?

Ginger is a finicky little rhizome. When it's bought fresh fresh fresh, it tastes strong and pungent, and gives this delightful spicy kick. The smell of grating ginger is refreshing. It clears the palate really well, as well as adds its own contribution to the eating experience. In short, it's a cool little plant.

However, if you let ginger sit around, and get lazy, its tastes get lazy too. Ginger begs to be used immediately. However, when it's cooked, the whole ballgame changes. The sharp pungency starts to mellow out extremely fast. When cooked, ginger becomes very tame, very quickly. For that reason, when I cook, I tend to add it towards the end of the cooking process, rather than along with the garlic and onions. If I specifically want a milder taste, I add it towards the beginning. Just knowing these little tricks can make it so much easier for you to incorporate ginger root into your cooking.

This is why when you're throwing a knob of ginger into your juicer, a very little goes a long way, whereas when you toss some in with your stir-fry (or, in our case, our BBQ Seitan, or Korean Tofu Cutlets) at the beginning of cooking, the taste is rather mild, and works more in the background than in the forefront.

It's the same like with garlic. When you chop up garlic very finely, and cook it for a long time, its sweeter notes come to the fore, and the garlicky taste sort of fades into the background flavours, and everything just tastes fantastic, but you can't quite tell why.

I mentioned all that to say this: the Korean Tofu Cutlets are roasted in the oven for a looong spell. During that cooking, the sugars caramelise, the chiles intensify, and the ginger gets more and more quiet. In the recipe we were using, the ginger was barely making any sound. You couldn't taste it in front of the rest of the stuff.

Here's your helpful hint. For long-cooking dishes, double the amount of ginger you think you'll need, then double it again.

Everything right is wrong and now right again.

2011-09-01T16:49:00.002-04:00

Today, we were reviewing the recipes, and realised that many of them weren't nearly as good as they could be. The Korean Tofu Cutlets, for one, were ending up way too sweet, without enough spice, and you could hardly taste the ginger. What's the point of putting it in there if you can't taste it? The latkes were ending up falling apart. The yuba crunchies (that go atop the Four Seasons Salad) were ending up on the greasy side, even though they're not deep fried! What gives!?

We went ahead and poked around until we got things just right. Then we wrote down copious notes as to how to get it just right. And then we tested it again and again, until it was just right. It's days like these that remind me why I love cooking in the first place. It's like the greatest mystery novel ever: "How can I get that to taste like it did that one time, no not that time, the other time", but without the annoying cliffhangers, or diversions. When Bossman and I are working together, to perfect and refine the recipes, it's like the best parts of Chemistry class (the labs) and the best parts of toddling around behind my mum when she was in the kitchen, and asking me my opinion on how to refine such and such dish.

On the other hand, it's also massively rewarding, because I know that it'll mean that the people eating it are going to enjoy it so much more.

Y'see, recipes go through a sort of radioactive decay. Over time, like a game of Telephone, you start to lose the exact measurements, the exact techniques, the ingredients, etc. Every now and again, regardless of whether it's at home or in a professional kitchen, you need to tighten things up to make sure everyone's on her or his toes.

For example, there are recipes that I've made so many times that I'm a bit lax on the measurements. "Eh, it could use a titch more pepper", or "Why don't I add less cumin?" Then, as time goes on, the original recipe, though still bravely sitting around, starts to fade at the edges. Things get tweaked in the interest of expediency or time, and now the food no longer tastes right. The last incarnation (which, fortunately, didn't go out to the customers) of the Tofu Cutlets was just /sweet/ and nothing else. No ginger, no chile, no sesame. Just sweet. Gag.

We looked at the recipe, and realised that some of the kitchen folks would bump up the chiles a little, while others would use a different amount of maple syrup, and different amounts of fats. It was a mess.

The two of us went in, pens blazing, to fix those egregious errors. We tasted, we blended, we gingered. I know ginger isn't a verb. It is now. When you bump up 1 TB of ginger to 1/2 cup, it's a verb. Mind you, this is for 9 pounds of tofu, and it cooks a long time, so it's not like you're biting into a bag of gingery gingerness.

Sorry. Got carried away.

Anycow. We replaced some of the maple syrup with a bit of sucanat, twiddled the amounts of sesame oil and canola oil, and added a touch of salt, a bit more chile, and baked it way longer than before.

Perfection. Utter and complete perfection.

Until one of the guys tried to recreate it, and rather than laying down the slices of tofu in one neat layer, stacked a couple, because he had extras. And again, the blurring. So again, with the explaining and refining and making sure everyone gets everything right every time, so help us G-d. And again we go flying into the sublime. It's now crispy on the outside, slightly chewy, a little sweet, a bit salty, a light hint of ginger, a good kick of spicy, and ever so tasty. This is exactly what food should be. And then, served atop the steamed kale? Excellent.

This is why I cook.

Happy 1000th post!

2011-08-31T17:09:00.002-04:00

Wow. I can't believe it's actually been a thousand posts since we started blogging here. To celebrate, I'll explain a few questions I've gotten from a couple of customers either via email, or in person.

Why isn't the menu split into Protein and Complex Carb Tapas anymore?

For one thing, all foods have protein. Continuing the myth that only certain foods have protein makes it seem like vegans need to watch their intake of protein and do all kinds of gymnastics to lead a healthy, happy life. Whether it be soy, gluten, or beans, nuts, fruits, seeds, whole grains, or vegetables, as long as you're eating a varied and colourful diet, you'll be fine.

But aside from that, having the differing price structures was confusing to some, and not representative of the labour or expense of the food involved. A plate of the BBQ Seitan doesn't cost us near as much as a plate of the Sesame Steamed Collard Greens. When we were looking at the menu, and realised the unfair pricing, we decided to make a change, and shift it so that those things that cost us less will cost you less as well. :)

How do you come up with your ideas for food?

It depends! Sometimes, I or Bossman will get inspiration from reading food blogs, magazines, or watching TV or movies. Sometimes we'll think of something that we had pregan (pre-vegan) and want to make it vegan. Other times (in fact, this is the most common way), we'll discover a recipe from another culture or country, where all the ingredients are vegan to begin with!

Then, we toss ideas back and forth, refining and perfecting, until we both are satisfied with the concept. Then, one or both of us will execute it, and taste for seasoning frequently. Once it's perfect, we'll have the wait staff and kitchen staff taste it, so that everyone is on the same page as to how that dish should come out. Finally, I'll put it out as a special.

It's why sometimes it takes a bit of time for completely brand new recipes to appear on the specials menu. I love to explore different foods, but I'm not going to make something here that isn't going to be perfect for our customers. I can experiment all I want at home, but at work, it's all about ensuring that everything is exactly as it's meant to be.

What's your kitchen like? Is it anything like the ones we see on TV/movies?

I get this question frequently, and I'd have to say that working here is like working nowhere else that I've ever been. There isn't a stressed out boss, shouting at everyone to get things done. Bossman doesn't work that way. He's about making less, not more violence. Instead, he tends to collaborate, ask for input, and then come to an understanding of how best to work with the folks we have, and how to make sure that the customer is happy.

Granted, there are times when either I or he have to make policy changes that are absolutes. However, it's done in such a way that it's (again) not angry, but matter-of-fact. "This is what needs to get done, and here's why." Similarly, the kitchen tends to work in a fairly genial atmosphere. Even when things are a little hectic, because of the volume of food that needs to go out, we're still polite to each other, and say please and thank you frequently.

Why?

When you permeate your work place with loving kindness, and gentle attitudes, you foster an environment where people are happy to be there. I work hard at my job, but at the end of the day, I am happy doing what I do. I'm proud of the food that I make, and of the people that Bossman and I are reaching.

My mom always believed that you should cook only when you're in a good mood, and keep the anger and negativity out of the kitchen. Good words to live by. Not only does it prevent you from making mistakes, or hurting yourself (if you're distracted or angry, you have more chances of not paying full attention to your work), it also makes the food taste better. Call it confirmation bias if you will, but every time I step into the kitchen with the thought of, "This is going to be part of someone's life as they eat it, and I need to fill my thoughts with good things", my food ends up coming out fantastic.

I hope you enjoyed the little peek into the thinking that runs this place. If you have any more questions for me, or if you're curious about anything else Chow related, feel free to leave a comment here, or email sacredchow at aol dot com.

Thank you to all of you for reading along, and sticking with us all these years!

Love,

Sacred Chow

Uphill both ways, right?

2011-08-30T18:25:00.002-04:00

There's times (like today), when I had to get up way too early to get to work on time (long story, get into it later), and there's a lot of work to catch up on (thankfully, food actually sold when we were open during the before and after of the storm—either our customers are the awesomest, or our food is awesome; I suspect it's a lovely combination of the two), and the dish guy just quit, and then everything comes crashing down in a wall of too much to get done with not enough time. The pie's in the oven, the food is made, and all that jazz, but there's still a bunch of stuff to get done (including vetting out the new dish guy) before leaving, which is starting to get stressful for all parties concerned.

Fortunately, in moments like these, I can stop myself from panicking, and say to myself "This too shall pass, some day, we'll find something that works". Granted, on days like this, it's difficult to believe, because everything that could go wrong, has done so, spectacularly so.

There is a ray of sunshine, however. The pie turned out fantastic.

Yes, it is gluten free.

What to do for the hurricane?

2011-08-26T10:45:00.002-04:00

I used to live in Florida, before moving to the promised land (New York, NY), so I know a thing or two (or five) about hurricanes. Every time one would hit, I would inevitably get the call from work to come over and help put plastic covers over the computers, and to generally get stuff off of the floor that could get flooded. Granted, they had double pane bullet resistant windows, but that's not the point. In the event of an actual breakage, and masses of flooding, you don't want your insurance company having any excuse to tell you that you didn't perform due diligence to protect your property.

Then I'd go home.

Anyone who knows me and my family knows that my mum (on average) keeps enough food in the house to last this and then next ten coming apocalypses (apocalpsi?), regardless of how long they take. I didn't have to think about those sorts of things in the past. Now, it's me and the husband living alone, and although I'll be off in DC with my family this weekend, there are a few things that I think that anyone who's preparing for a hurricane needs to have on hand.

1) Booze. Seriously. Nobody wants to be stuck indoors, and feel bored. Might as well have an excuse to party down a bit. When you see the thunder and lightning, and the winds whipping through, have yourself a drink. If you don't drink alcohol, take this as an excuse to get those awesome sparkling ciders or sodas that we've got peppered throughout the city. Even the Bodega by my house (which is very oddly stocked) in Washington Heights (OK, it's Inwood. I'm on the border, people!) has some rather neat sodas that are made right here in New York. This is a very good time to acquaint yourself with them.

2) Nonperishable food that will actually make you feel like you ate something. Yes, crackers are nonperishable. Yes, tortilla chips and salsa are nonperishable. However, after eating them, you don't feel like you've actually had anything. However, a nice peanut butter and banana sandwich will hit the spot. Jam is nice too, but I've never left the stuff out of the fridge for any length of time, so your mileage may vary.

3) Sandwich material, and a cooler packed with those little freezer packs. If you don't have those little freezer packs, freeze a few zip top baggies in the freezer, and use those instead. Get some tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, your favourite hummus, some pita bread, some regular bread, your favourite condiments, and keep them at the ready to pop into a cooler, should you lose power. Making a sandwich and eating it will fill you up more than snack foods. When my parents and I would go on long drives, we'd do exactly this, because it keeps a good long time, and it means that you don't have to worry about stopping off at a rest stop where the only vegetarian option is to go grazing on the grass that they keep outside.

4) Fruit, be it dried or otherwise. Bananas keep. Apples keep. Pineapples keep. Watermelon keeps, and is massively delicious. All manner of dried fruits keep rather well.

5) Nuts. I'm a huge fan of those giant bags of nuts that you get at Subzi Mandi in Jackson Heights. They have them very inexpensively priced, and will keep in the freezer for when you get power back on.

6) Water. In fact, freeze a few gallons before the storm hits, and keep it in your fridge, so that it keeps things cold in the event of a power cut.

7) A full charge for your mobile phone, laptop, ipod, headphones, and any other device that you can keep fully charged. Boredom sets in fairly quickly when you are trapped in your apartment for any length of time. This is also a very good time to introduce yourself to your neighbours, who may very well have that one thing you forgot to get, or wouldn't mind coming over to hang out when the winds are whipping through.

Aside from the usual stuff, like candles or flashlights or what have you, I hope that this list keeps you from getting too terribly bored. All in all, I find that it's best to be over prepared than under prepared. I can't remember which hurricane it was (Katrina?) that ripped through Florida, but it left us without electricity for the better part of two and a half weeks. I didn't have water for a week. Trust me when I say that I was not looking cute, but I didn't smell too terrible, because we'd though to fill our bath tub before the storm hit, and were able to take sponge baths in the dark.

Also, grilled vegetables give me PTSD flashbacks. Let's never speak of them again.

My gameboy (yes, I still have it) was one of the things keeping me sane when I'd finished reading every single book we owned. But the other thing was the bread (the worst possible mega chain brand you can find, because that sucker is filled to the brim with preservatives galore, and will keep through everything that could happen) and the gas stove kept me fed. For those of you without a gas stove, you can buy those little portable gas stoves at the H Mart in Koreatown. They're like $30, and are good to have on hand for any kind of emergency. Granted, it won't cook as fast as your regular range, but that's OK. Having a plate of piping hot home fries, some tofu scramble, and a bit of tea in the morning feels lovely after all that partying.

Please be safe, and relax! This is one of the few times you'll get to disconnect from the world at large. Enjoy a bit of it.

"just make a note"

2011-08-10T13:28:00.003-04:00

So yesterday, a water main broke, a little bit up the street. There was all of a sudden no water in the pipes. Nothing. Then it came back, then it stopped, then it came back again, and round and round it goes, where she stops, nobody knows. Of course, having never seen such a thing happen before, I go into a blinding panic. Bossman looked cool as a cucumber, and said, "Just catch the water in a bucket, and then filter it through a fine mesh strainer. It won't be drinking or cooking water, but it can be used to wash hands, as needed. Then, just make a note about it, and put it up."

There is a certain level of nerves of steel that makes it possible to own and run a business. Bossman's got that. Granted, we'd not be able to do many of the things we normally do, but it wasn't some insurmountable thing. We could still clean up after ourselves, and wash hands with the water in the buckets. We could also leave a bucket in the washroom for the customers to wash up as needed. In other words, aside from the nerves of steel, one needs to also have ingenuity. There will come challenges that will present themselves in a regular basis.

We once had a customer who was dead set on having the sunflower lentil pate. For one thing, she was allergic to garlic, and the pate is one of the few things on the menu that doesn't have large quantities of garlic in it. For another, she was also gluten free, and couldn't have soy. There goes other large pieces of the menu. It's understandable why she was counting on that particular dish happening for her.

I didn't have any sunflower seeds, however. Our delivery of the seeds and such wasn't arriving for a couple of hours yet, and the person was also allergic to peanuts, so there were other things that were falling off of the list. I offered to make the pate (since I already had the beans and sauteed onions ready and waiting) with almonds instead. She said that it would be fine. I apologised for the delay, and booked it back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, there was a scoop of lentil pate with sliced veggies ready for her. She seemed pleased.

So throughout the day, we're calling 311, calling the landlord, calling rabbi to pray for us. Suffice it to say that the day was tense, if not outright nerve-wracking. And then the water would come back on, but only give this brown stuff. Ugh. No thanks. So again, we wait some more, and keep filtering the water we did have collected. About 3:00 the water finally turns back on for good, and we all breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately", it was a very slow day, and everyone wanted takeaway or delivery.

Running a business also involves luck.

Still wish there were more people coming in, though.

The world is waiting.

2011-08-06T15:25:00.000-04:00

What's the best that we can do?

Determine to find our unique way to make less hunger, cruelty & impoverishment happen.

Not an easy mission in our thug powered world. Think of how we behave as we pass vehicle crashes on highways: traffic slows, we get angry for the slow-down, then as we approach miles up the highway, closer to speed freedom - we slow down too, & "rubber neck" (stretch our heads) out of the car window to check out the gory details; and then, we quickly speed on forward. It seems to tantalize us: another beings pain - their degradation, impoverishment, sad predicament - we are relieved that this is not our plight; yet, we experience a degree of delight in the viewing of the carnage.

When we purchase our food choices, most of us, are so far removed from how the product made it's way to the markets' shelves or the plate before us: our consumption equation does not rest on whether our choice will harm our mental or physical being, our fellow beings, the planet. We primarily live in a cost ratio world: moving on from the car wreck - we are herd ourselves into the highest & lowest of the culinary kingdoms to consume our power over the food on our plate - speeding forward, with knife & fork, disregarding the dripping cruelty, blood lust, greed, carbon destruction & related health issues.

Most of our fellow beings live in terribly cruel, tortured, violent, impoverished and inhumane conditions. We know this. We all know this. Yet, we consume despite the harm being done, and we turn our backs. If all of us are not living in safety, then there is no safety. Is it possible to bring safety & change to our fellow beings living in such dire cruelty? If we live in a democracy, our voices & deeds have the power to make the impossible: possible. Let's make change happen!

What's the best that you can do? Find your voice, the world is waiting.

"You're the only ones with NOTHING!"

2011-08-03T14:26:00.002-04:00

"Can't you like maybe hide something somewhere that's non-kosher, so I have something to report? You're the only restaurant that we Kosher that has /never/ had a single violation of any kind." Of course, rabbi was joking. Of course he doesn't want us to have non-kosher stuff in the restaurant. But he said how other restaurants all have minor little hiccoughs, whether it be about grape issues, wine issues, etc. Us? Not a single violation ever.

Why?

When you're a vegan, you're doing lots of reading of labels. Does it contain whey? What about ablumin (egg white)? What about weird natural flavours (like the ones found in certain brands of tomato juice) that come from all kinds of animal ingredients. No thanks! Then, when you're Kosher on top of vegan, you're not only looking for the Pareve symbol, but you're again double-checking to make sure that there's no eggs or fish in there.

That being said, it avoids a lot of issues. At Chow, all wines are Mevushal. This means that regardless of your religion, you are allowed to open the bottle and pour it (non-mevushal wines may not be opened by folk who aren't frum [observant of shabbos, and observant of Pesach], or indeed an open bottle may not be set in front of folk who aren't frum). All the food is vegan. All the food is Kosher. Why? Because then you don't have to ask all these questions.

Ironically, we follow the strictest Kosher and vegan rules, because it is so much easier to do so than to not follow them!

Let it be, and it shall be.

2011-07-30T21:44:00.006-04:00

It's so wonderfully pleasing to see that a Constitutional Law question:"Is 'A' Sacred Chow truly possible?," which was scrutinized during a Con Law discussion in law school; is in fact, now, a joyous reality!

As law students, we pondered: "How we, as gifted human beings & American citizens, could utilize our special nature to make less violence happen?" Well, we make less violence happen through our myriad daily deeds & actions.

I now can see -- that we, together, must first focus on ourselves; we need to make substantial progress on making less violence happen within our being: for a safer, more harmonious self; this then miraculously breeds a healing dynamic that brings the power of love & humanity to our big mama world. It is wondrously amazing! Let it be, and it shall be. Although, any degree, however manifested, is indeed: an act of G*D.

We live with an enormous amount of poverty, disease & stress that is purposely perpetrated by our planet's governments upon her citizens; which tragically works against our humane inclinations. Thus, violence, on many different levels, swallows our true sense of humanity; consequently, a life behind bars, and a prison industry beckons.

So: Is "A" Sacred Chow truly possible? Yes: I truly believe in "A" Sacred Chow, as do many, many others. Make less violence: Eat plant proteins!

And as gifted beings, we came here, to Mother Earth with our fellow beings, to find our common humanity, and to take the path that leads to less violence.

Together: You, me, "A" Sacred Chow, and the power of love & our humanity -- a conquering force. Oh, my sweet, precious Earthlings: Let it be, and it shall be.

Much love & peace, Cliff

Reclaim your bread!

2011-07-11T11:22:00.003-04:00

I was ravenous the other day, and nothing was going to do the trick of satiating my roaring tummy like a piece of warm bread, dipped in a bit of olive oil, salt, garlic, and herbs. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough bread to feed me and the customers, and it's not fair for me to eat all the bread when there are so many other things here that I can eat, especially since I have access to plate, forks, knives, etc. and someone who needs a sandwich because they're on the go is better served with said bread. I was not to be deterred, however.

As we all know, bread stays fresh for just about the day that it's baked. After that, it becomes hard, and seemingly inedible. This is when you use that bread for breadcrumbs, crostini, croutons, etc. In fact, crostini, croutons, and breadcrumbs taste best only when made from day old bread.

Actually, let me clarify this, in case I get anyone angry at my previous statement. As we all know, good bread stays fresh for about the day it's baked. Horrible bread, filled with all kinds of chemicals, and stabilisers, and the taste of disappointment, will stay fresh for days and days. If you refrigerate horrible bread, it'll stay fresh for weeks. I'm serious. I had bought some really rank, awful sliced white bread from an unnamed major company. It stayed screaming fresh for like two weeks in my fridge. I was so creeped out that I quietly screamed inside as I saw my family eat the stuff.

Ever since working here at Chow, I've become a bit of a snob about baked goods, because I'm surrounded by only the best of the best. Bread should be baked earlier that day, and devoured as soon as humanly possible. It should grow hard within a day or so, at which point you use it for other applications, and use a fresh set of bread the next day. When you toast a piece of bread, a most heady aroma of wheat, yeast, and love should fill the air. It should be soft and puffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. It should be poetry.

But none of this was going through my brain, as I searched for something to sate my appetite for bread.

Suddenly, it came to me. I used to read Heloise's Hints books as a kid. My mum got a bunch from a yard sale, or when someone was moving and left her all their books. If you haven't read her books, go find the older ones. They're fantastic, and bursting with ideas to make your life easier in the home. Anyway. I recall a trick she had to revive day-old bread. This is why I'm saying to read the old ones. The newer ones wouldn't address it, because how many people actually keep bread for only a day? I digress.

She said that you should take the bread, and wrap it in a damp towel overnight in the fridge. The next morning, you put it in the oven, and you have refreshed bread. I tried it, and was amazed at how well it worked! Mind you, it's fairly easy to tell when said trick has been used. The crust will be very crackly, instead of smooth and even. It's fine for if you're looking to dip bread in olive oil etc., but not so good for sandwiches, as the crust will form shrapnel that goes flying all over the place. Also, because the crust is so crackly after being revived, biting into a loaf with fillings will mean that the fillings will also end up all over the place.

At that moment, however, I wanted to eat the bread, and not make a sandwich from it. This was perfect. I was impatient, so I didn't bother to wrap the thing in a towel overnight. Instead, I sprinkled the surface of the bread with water, and made sure that the outside was slightly damp (not soaking wet). Bake it for about 12 - 20 minutes (depending on the size of the loaf) at 350 F (325 if it's a convection oven) until it's lightly toasted outside, and steamy and fluffy on the inside. A longer skinnier loaf will need less time than a fatter loaf.

Then, when it's done, go to town, and eat.

"When you open up your generosity to others, the universe finds way to bring it back."

2011-06-28T14:37:00.002-04:00

There's a couple of stories for this post, so please bear with me if you don't care for the more rambly of stories. There's the story of how I got to Chow, and the story about the $6 hero special.

It was a viciously slumpy month for us, and we hadn't had many people coming in. Neither of us could figure it out. The food was good. The people working here were friendly and kind. The wait times to get said food was reasonable. So what gives? This is about the time that we started getting aggressive calls from the deals websites, where you would offer X amount of food for 1/2 the amount of cost.

What they don't tell you is that the business only sees about 1/2 of what you paid for that voucher. The site offering the promotion keeps the other half. It's essentially like a loan, but with even worse rates than the worst loan shark ever. You're selling food for half the amount that it's worth, and then only seeing half of that money that you sold the voucher for. However, when you're in a tight spot, you start to consider those things feasible.

I reached a point of frustration, and said, "What about the folk who come here every day? If we're willing to sell our food for a fraction of what it's worth, and consider it promotion budget (advertising budget), then why can't we just offer the savings directly to the customers?" "Good point", he said. So we hatched the $6 hero deal. You get just the sandwich (no cheese, no Chow Slaw, no pickle. Which also means that the packaging is slashed by 75%, because now you just need to pack the sandwich in a piece of parchment paper, some foil, and a paper bag if the customer wants. With the regular heroes, it's the slaw, placed into a ramekin with its lid, the pickle, wrapped in foil, a fork, because you need something to eat the slaw with, and then the bag to carry that whole shebang with you. Yipes!

At the end of the day, it was cheaper for us too. And it made it so that people got to try our awesome sandwiches. And it meant that we could give people exactly what they wanted. It also meant that during our historically slow times (between 12 and 2), we could get more people to come in. The response was spectacular. People loved the fact that they could get a Kosher, vegan, organic sandwich for the cost of a couple of cups of coffee at certain national branded coffee chain. What's even better is that if you really did want the pickle or the slaw, you could request the stuff and pay a little extra, at your option.

So Cliff said, "It's like when you open up to the world with generosity, the universe brings it back to you."

It inspired us to really take a look at our menu, and look at the things that have gone down in cost, things that are easier to have made, because now everyone knows how to do them, and where we could offer lower prices and keep the "extras" on the side. We went through and pulled back the cost of a couple of the tapas, decreased the cost of the hero (now $10 instead of $12, and the cheese is $2 extra; so many people didn't get the cheese that it didn't seem fair to charge them for something they didn't want). We also decreased the cost of some of the desserts (cupcake, pound cake, etc).

Again, it was about opening up our arms, and letting folk know that we're thinking about them. Since we started getting a better price for our organic sugar and flour, we could afford to cut back the cost of those two things.

So now, a sandwich costs $10 (normal price), and a cupcake is $2.75. For a little more than what you used to pay for just a sandwich, you get a sandwich /and/ a dessert. And so now, people are actually ordering them way more frequently than they ever have before.

Which kind of brings me back to how I started working here in the first place.

It was back in November of 2007, and Steve and I had just moved to New York city. He had a job at the time, and was pulling in decent money. I didn't have to work, but I didn't want to faff about the house, doing nothing at all. However, I did love to cook (always had) and had a few copies of my cookery book with me. My Steve had let me know that a friend of a friend was working for NYU SEAL (an animal rights club), and they needed help with cooking for about 50 people, on a $50 budget.

In Manhattan.

Also, nobody could afford to do it from a restaurant, because they didn't have that kind of money.

Also, they wanted it vegan, and local, and seasonal.

Also, they couldn't afford to pay me.

I wasn't bothered about the money. I just love a challenge like that. I let Ashleigh (this was the person in charge of the food) that not only could we feed everyone who came, but we could feed them rice, beans, salad, and a vegetable dish, along with some kind of apple crisp. Yes, for less than the $50.

She was thrilled, and offered to buy me lunch at my favourite restaurant: Sacred Chow. Every time I came up to New York, I would jump in a Taxi and ask to be taken to Sacred Chow for at least one meal there. And at the end of each meal, I'd get a sinner bar. When Ashleigh offered to take me there, I jumped at the chance, so that the two of us could meet in person, and chatter away at each other about the food.

Apparently, she could offer a kitchen in one of the dorms nearby. It was fairly ill-equipped, but we'd have a lot of helpers. Also, the helpers had plenty of heart. I realise that this all sounds like a bad movie script, but it all really did happen.

You see, when you grow up poor, one of the things that you realise early on is that you can't always offer money to a cause, even though you may feel strongly about its goals. So you offer your time, your talents, and your heart. My mother was very good at this. Every week, when the Hindu temple in South Florida was a house that the community bought together, and filled with an altar and the things needed for a temple, my mother would pile us all into the car hours before the services started, loaded with food (at least a rice dish, and sometimes a rice dish and a vegetable dish), and all the kids. We'd get there very early, clean everything up, make it look presentable, and set out the floor mats for the people to come in and sit on. Then, we'd leave hours after everything was done.

Whatever the other people did or didn't think of it, whether or not they gave her any credit for it, whether they were jerks (and they were) or decent humans (rare, if ever) about freely asking my mother (who had a budget about 1/10 of what most of them worked with) for food (seriously), my mother was there every sunday, with large amounts of food. Why? Because she knew how to take a few dollars, and make them feed lots of people. I share that talent.

Ashleigh and I chatted for at least a couple of hours, in the empty restaurant.

SLAM!

Someone had slammed the door to the basement.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

"You guys should NOT be eating here. The owner is a HORRIBLE man, and exploits his workers." (Side note: turns out she was stealing. How charming, right? The boss is a lovely man, for the record.)

STOMP STOMP STOMP.

She reached the door. She walked out, and slammed the outside door.

The outside door that has one of those hydraulic things that keeps it from slamming.

Made impotent by the uncaring door, the girl kicked the door with all her might, and stormed off. Ashleigh and I looked at each other in stunned silence, and burst out laughing. The waitperson apologised profusely for that particular little scene, and we both let her know that it was too funny /not/ to laugh at.

At the end of the meal, I approached the waitperson, and said, "OK, so it looks like you'll need a new worker."

She asked me to drop off my resume the next day.

The rest, as they say, is history.

What I'm getting at is that I was at the right place at the right time. I was there, because through some weird unconnected events, I was giving of my time and talents to a cause I believed in. They didn't have much money, and had to feed many people on very little money. The food turned out fantastic. Everyone was very impressed that we managed it for such a small amount of money.

Fast forward to a year or two later. Ashleigh called me to place an order for catering from Chow for her SEAL organisation.

I met my darling husband, because I was sitting in a vegan chat room a few years back, and sharing my cooking techniques with people. They would say, "Dino, I've got ____, ____, and ___, and I'm hungry now. Can you tell me what to do with that?" And I would. I'd give them about five or six different options for the stuff they had around the house. Then they'd come back in 30 minutes, and rave about how the food was so good.

Later, when I needed a vegan wallet, and mentioned it in passing (because carrying the leather one was making me a little ill whenever I thought of where it came from), Steve piped up and let me know that he makes wallets, and that he'd be sending me one, for free, "... because you help so many people out in so many ways, and I'm happy to do this for you."

Five years later, that gesture of kindness turned into a marriage that's given me more love and happiness than I could have ever imagined possible. And now that it's legal for us to get married, we've booked the Judson church, where Steve proposed to me (again) on Pride Sunday to ask me to officially marry him.

I said yes.

"I don't care about the credit; I just want to be heard."

2011-06-27T14:30:00.003-04:00

We had a customer who got a sandwich that she didn't like. Usually, in this situation, the waitperson would offer them a new one, offer to take it off the bill, or (in the case of delivery) send a new one to their house. Unfortunately, today was one of those particularly busy days, where there simply wasn't enough time to get out to her house to send a new one (she had ordered the sandwich to take with her).

She called up to let us know that the entire thing was just not to her satisfaction. The waitperson offered her a full refund. "I don't care about the credit; I want to talk to the chef. I just want to be heard."

How many times do we interact with people who just want to be heard? Often times, it's just being heard that will make a bad situation bearable. I was at an event a few years back where pretty much everything that could go wrong went so spectacularly wrong that the entire thing was ruined for me, and I vowed to myself never to darken their doors again. I wanted someone to listen to me rant and rave (this is before I had my blog, and you wonderful readers who are so lovely to listen to my rambling), so I called up the management. Since it was an event that my work was throwing, it's not like they could offer me a refund. Since the event was already over, and I was not in the mood to leave the house, they couldn't offer to fix it either.

I didn't care about the money. I just wanted to be heard.

The manager patiently let me vent my spleen, and apologised. She said that on the event day, pretty much all the staff that they count on (because, let's be honest: most places have like one or two people without whom disaster strikes) were out sick, and that things started going wrong one after another.

But all said and done, I felt like I got good customer service, because the person actively listened to my complaint, and let me know that it wasn't my fault, and that it would never happen again. At the end of the exchange, I felt better, and the manager knew that I wouldn't be spreading horrible things about her location.

I can't even count the number of times that it's happened with my family or my friends too. There are times when I'll have lunch with someone /solely/ because we're good listeners to each other, and it helps us to process our feelings, and get them out of our system. There are even times when Bossman and I chat to each other about various things going on in life.

It's not about the money; it's about being heard, and feeling that your thoughts are reaching someone who cares about what you have to say.

When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen! All I ask is that you listen. Don't talk or do - just hear me.

Advice is cheap; 20 cents will get you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper, and I can do for myself; I am not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy. But when you accept as a simple fact that I feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can stop trying to convince you and get about this business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.

And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them.

Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because G*d is mute, and he doesn't give advice or try to fix things. G*d just listens and lets you work it out for yourself.

So please listen, and just hear me.
And if you want to talk, wait a minute
for your turn - and I will listen to you.

Bursting w Gay Pride!

2011-06-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Mucho, mucho love 2 all u same-sex loving couples all over the world; & especially 2 those wondrous couples living in the Great State of N.Y.! Lovely joy: Freedom rings! Place the ring on his finger; take the vow 2 love her till death do u part: Perfect husbands; intelligent wives; delicious summer weddings! Happy Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay Pride! Sacred Chow is bursting w Gay Pride!

"It's not you, it's her."

2011-06-24T17:30:00.003-04:00

So this morning, Bossman snapped at me over something trivial. Understandable, seeing as how he'd just finished off a fairly busy night, and had a bit of a rough morning, navigating the privations of Unnamed Party Superstore on 14th to buy cartloads of aluminium trays for a catering order that's coming up.

He's also been frustrated with a mutual (mutual to me and him, that is) acquaintance. She's been grating on him for the past couple of months, and early this morning, she kind of pushed the wrong button at the wrong time.

Add to that the fact that it's been steadily (and blessedly) raining. While the temperature has been absolutely lovely, it has been a twitch wet out. All these things end up adding up to a perfect storm of annoyance, which manifests itself in ways that are unintended.

A lesser man would have let it go at that point, and pretended it never happened.

Bossman, however, is not a lesser man.

A certain unnamed child whom we all know and love had an Incident at school, where the teacher humiliated him in front of the whole class (again, over something fairly trivial), and made said child cry. When confronted on it by Bossman, she responded politely, but curtly (which is completely out of character to the warm, kind woman she'd been all year), and pretended like she never did anything untoward.

This is what's typical of most people.

It's really close to the end of the day (or what I hope will be the end of the day; it's been a rather long one), and he said, "It's not you, Dino. It's her." I knew exactly what he was talking about, and then we both laughed and moved on. That's what's typical for Bossman.

I feel like as I live longer, I learn more and more. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you might have been in the wrong. In fact, sometimes, it just takes admitting it to immediately seal any unintentional (or intentional!) wounds. Why? Because so many of us are so scared of being wrong that we would rather lose the person than lose that iota of pride.

However, I must disagree. You don't lose pride, or face, or anything else when you admit to something. You gain dignity. You gain the gratitude of the person who felt the slings and arrows (small though they may have been). You gain the knowledge that at the end of the day you /were/ right.

You were right about being wrong.

When I left home, and struck out on my own in New York, I did it in such a way that left my mother with hurt feelings. "Why didn't you tell me, so I could help you?" Not "why didn't you tell me so I could stop you". It was a sticky time. Fortunately, I ceded to her, and said, "What's done is done, and I'm sorry for that. What can I do to make it right?" "Come visit me in Connecticut."

Done.

I took frequent visits up to my sister's house in CT, and enjoyed myself tremendously. My mother and I grew ever closer. She moved to Arizona a couple of years back, but we do still keep in touch. I don't want to even think of how badly it could have gone, had I insisted on being "right".

I chose to be with the person.

A warm blanket from G-D.

2011-06-24T09:18:00.024-04:00

There r a few things that I am feeling terribly grateful for, at this particular moment, so I wanted 2 express 'em.

One: I love my son Huxley, truly, w all of my heart, soul & mind - every second of every day. The time that I spend w Hux is exquisite; so fresh & loving. Of all the special & exciting wonders, discovered & undiscovered, in our magnificent world: Hux is a wonder 2 behold - his face, his laugh, his humor, his intelligence, his chess game, his kindness, his wittiness, his easiness towards friends & strangers. There r the 7 wonders of the world; & then, there is Huxley, my 9 yr old son.

Two, but very close 2 One: Sacred Chow. Growing, maintaining, & sustaining sanity...building Sacred Chow in to a biz that can finally w/stand the ups & downs of a very turbulent market, is nothing short of a miracle. If anyone of you know the history, most folks would have written Chow's obituary and filed it away many years ago. My whole being was forced 2 walk sideways in darkness, along a very, very narrow mountain passage-way; my hands frantically trying 2 grab hold onto anything that felt secure; here & there, I'd stop, breath, & thank the greater powers 4 my resilience, but not my predicament. However, I didn't stop. And being able 2 dig out from what felt like a very deep grave, & 2 feel the sun & love life & others again, and, 2 have reverence 4 the universe - is nothing short of an act of G-D. I have gained more than I dreamed was possible. I now see, going thru torturous times & not giving up, even though most have written u off as mad - brings you 2 a place of peace, love, serenity, & freedom. Thank you, Universe! Thank you, Sacred Chow! Thank you, 2 the core of my inner-being 4 that secret tiny lock-box that we all store deep inside: Thank you 4 allowing ur vibrations 2 be heard above all those head-trippy surface psycho-social emotional big baggage ticket items, which seem larger than the Empire State Building. Above all, if u manage 2 move carefully on that mountainous path, and 2 listen 2 the angels gliding all around u, and if u can really see the vision, and u somehow know u will get there - despite the head-triply stuff: U will. And once u r there, u'll find a glorious, joyous, wondrous, stupendous, miraculous....u. Message: Don't give up!

Three but equal 2 One: My dear, wonderful, supportive in every way conceivable: Mom, Harriet Preefer-Reitman. And since I must wind down, and get my tookus (Yiddish 4 a persons ass) a movin' & a groovin' 2 the miracle on Sullivan Street, like right now: I must stop. But, I need 2 say, although my earlier times w my mom were fraught with tears & hate filled innuendos...every thing, every thing, every thing, all of life's ups & deep, deep downs, take us 2 where r supposed to go. It's all preparation. So hold on to the edge, walk very carefully, and most importantly: Hug ur mom! Let her know that she is truly one of those rare, special moms: A warm blanket from G-D. And tell her: Thank you, thank you, thank you MOM, I love u!

mAkE lEsS vIoLeNcE: eAt PlAnT pRoTeInS!

2011-06-23T01:15:00.014-04:00

True, true, true...
2 eat and not feel blue:
The only thing I do,
is dream of love & u.

U, u, u: Only u, u, u.
Nite & day,
Every day,
U, u, u.

Think of peace,
Freedom, love & peace:
All the time,
& in time,
It'll change ur mind.
U'll know deep down,
w a focused plan -
U can stop slavery,
& the carnivore cans.
It starts w me, & then w u,
& then w them:
4 a brand new end.

Spend ur love,
On world out there,
Once u do,
Folks will love u too.

Dream of days,
Where all the kids r free,
Free 2 be,
Never hungry.

Send ur love,
2 the meany men,
2 the folks who hate,
Don't deliberate.

Let's find the ways,
2 make life free.
Do it now,
Eat the sacred chow.

... because you helped me clean up so much.

2011-06-21T18:23:00.003-04:00

"So I was mad at you for a moment for leaving that mess, but then I wasn't anymore. Know why?"

"Why, Bossman?"

"Because you've helped me clean up so much in other ways."

We've got an odd working relationship. Odd in the sense that it's not normal.

The norm in most industries is to have one person take all the credit for the hard work of others. It's infrequent that you hear those celebrity chefs on TV, the CEOs of major corporations, the presidents of countries, or anyone else in positions of power actively try to give credit to all the invisible people who make life easy. My boss is odd in that respect: he does offer credit where credit is due. He tells me (and the others working here) that we make the place run, that our ideas are valued, that /we/ are valued.

There comes a point when you've got to give people their due props for doing the right thing. I do so with my husband, with my family, my friends, etc. How often do I do that with my boss? Not enough! I guess I need to (as we all do) really step back and recognise that we're not islands. People are social creatures, who depend on each other for various things. Aside from signing my pay cheque, my boss is also infinitely patient, kind, and passionate about his work. It means that I'm working with someone who genuinely enjoys my company, my contribution to the food here, and my opinions.

It's nice to be wanted.

Above and beyond that, he's got this space where people feel like they've got an embarrassment of riches. I can't count the number of times that someone will come in (with gluten, soy, or sugar allergies), and say, "I can really have all of THIS!? That's amazing!" Of course it's amazing. Every time we make something, it's with the thought of "how many people can we make this safe and delicious for?" "How many seats can we make at the table, so that everyone can come and share a meal?"

How can you help but to look forward to coming to work?

So maybe it is an odd dynamic. But in a world gone mad, who wants to be sane!?

Sweet Potato-Cassava Dill.

2011-06-20T21:26:00.006-04:00

When I was a student in cooking school, our soups teacher wanted to see what her students had in them. When we arrived in class, there were vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs of every sort laid out on a few large working tables. She then entered, and said: " Class, today you are making soup from your head. Figure it out and begin, you have 45 minutes.

Today, at Sacred Chow, we had run out of soup, so I decided to make the soup from soups class. And since it's so interesting, delicious and simple to make: I wanted to share it here. And take note: No gluten, sugar or soy!

Also, I really love the soups name, its sing song polysyllabic sound & origins. The soups roots are African- South American- Caribbean; and it's song: Sweet Po ta to Cas sa va Dill, just makes me sing and smile. If I changed it to say, cassava w sweet potatoes & dill, or any other variation, it just wouldn't have the same rhythm & soul.

Sweet Potato-Cassava Dill

1/4 cup, olive oil
3 large peeled onions, chopped fine
3 1/2 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into medium cubes
3 1/2 lbs of cassava, hard ends chopped off, & its cylinder shape cut into smaller pieces, then peeled till the slight yellow film from the skin is removed & only the white of the cassava remains. Cut into small round cylinders, then cut in half length wise. In the middle will be a woody vein. Cut into smaller pieces, to avoid injury, and remove veins. Then cut into similar shape as sweet potato.
24 ounces, coconut cream
1/4 cup, nutritional yeast
3 tablespoon, sea salt
2 teaspoon, black pepper
1 teaspoon, nutmeg
1 gallon, boiled water
1 bunch dill, place in a bowl of warm water to remove any grit, swish back & forth, let sit so grit falls to bottom of bowl. Remove dill gently from bowl, so you don't disturb grit. Let water drip free. Remove stems, & mince.

Place soup pot onto heated stove, let pot sit on heat for 2-3 minutes.
Next, throw in a few pieces of the chopped onion, if they sizzle, throw In the rest.
Mix onions well w oil, & sear till onions soften.
Next, place the cassava & sweet potato into pot, mix well w onions.
Place next 5 ingredients in pot, mix well. Then slowly pour in water. Stir pot carefully, and cover for 45 minutes or so, till sweet potato & cassava are soft.
Taste to see if more salt or pepper is needed.
If it tastes wonderful, add dill, stir, & serve.

This soup also works well as a bisque. So it is perfect to place it in a blender or use a stick blender, & blend till creamy. For extra texture, boil some cassava separately, and add to bisque.

Serves 15-20.

Bleat like a zygote.

2011-06-19T00:46:00.004-04:00

In our most competitive race, it took a certain tangle & squiggle 2 bleat like a zygote. So u see, each one of us pushed & shoved ourselves 4ward till we entered the human race. It is an instinctual drive that then manifests itself in the spirit of our being. Here 2, we must squiggle our way 4ward 2 ascertain our true destiny & purpose. It's not any easier than our race 2 the zygote. But here, we have the opportunity 2 mix up the instinctual w the cerebral. Come 2 the table, sit, relax, contemplate ur journey. Make less violence: eat plant proteins.

Separate is not equal!

2011-06-10T16:30:00.032-04:00

Time and time again, "democratic" western governments, particularly the U.S., prop up &/or shield corrupt, heinous dictators, 4 decades; & provide them w billions of tax dollars; while big biz digs 4 big profits & pays slave wages; & the dictators squirrel away considerable amounts of the wealth; & the majority of their fellow citizens live in dire poverty; & the tyrants henchmen r directed 2 commit atrocious crimes against humanity. Then suddenly something changes: And the "friendly" dictator falls from western grace. And the next government to come, perhaps, will hold free elections & move towards a "western style" democracy; or maybe, a new hungry wolf will come to power. Either way, nothing much will change for the majority of the republics citizens. Western powers only beat their war drums loudly when a strategic interest is at play. Quite telling is the chaos that has been engulfing the Syrian regime 4 the last few months. The regime has been killing their fellow country-folk 4 their uprisings against the regime's oppression. In this scenario, the west has remained relatively quiet. However, when a very similar uprising started fomenting against the oppressive regime in Libya, which has considerable oil wealth, the west immediately decided 2 aid the rebellion 2 topple the Libyan oppressor. And forthwith, western airman in fighter warplanes were ordered to bomb the dictator out of Libya.
Similarly, we read about billion dollar companies all over the globe, producing toxic products & by-products that irreparably harm consumers, our planet, the 7 seas, our fellow beings, our water supply, soil... While these harmful products r regulated, governmental approval & tax incentives allow 4 their massive proliferation, fossil fuels, rare earth minerals, fast junk food, cigarettes..., and provide unimaginable profits that flow directly into the government's pocket-book: Toxic tax $'s!
Unimaginable profits are also the end-game 4 communist China. China has the world's fastest growing imperialist agenda; the Chinese communist government is as big as big biz can get. Freedom 4 Chinese citizens 2 profit wildly has become a part of China's communist manifesto; but should any individual, tourist or citizen, speak out against any issue that is deemed harmful 2 the Chinese "communist" government: He or she may end up in a Chinese prison for a very long time. Unlike western democracies, autocratic regimes such as China & Russia, do not provide constitutional protections for their citizens. Nonetheless, the mantra of most governments worldwide, powered by big biz is: Profits, profits, & more profits.
So tyrant leaders thru democratically elected ones, & their powerful big biz lobbying kings & queens: Keep on the war-path 2 protect their wealth & profits at all costs. Similarly, big corporations often hide the truth about life threatening problems engendered in production of their output. As w these corporations, tyrant regimes & western governments interests tend to be vested in power & profit, as evidenced by the recent nuclear disaster in Japan. This resulted from government & big biz joining forces 2 concoct rich tax incentives 4 poor municipalities; a governmental nod 2 loosen construction regulations, & 1,2,3,4 nuclear power plants were allowed 2 be built in various tsunami prone regions. W/o the proper safeguards in place, the eruption of a major earthquake & tsunami created one of the most deadly nuclear disasters.
Once the power is in place, & the wealth well protected; the majority of humanity is deemed disposable. The folks with the wealth and the power work very hard to keep their power and wealth. In most western republics, the power stays with the politicians whose hands trade favors with the money that controls them; from Presidents to Prime Ministers to most members in government. But there r some western governments that r quite admirable in their ability to find a more equal path for all of their citizens, but far too few. The Scandinavians seem to be doing it almost right; just a small % of folks have much more than the majority. But despite this, the majority of the citizens in these republics r well fed, sheltered, educated and guaranteed health protection. This sense of safety is almost unrecognizable beyond these republics borders. W constitutional safeguards guaranteed, the mantra, in this beautiful corner of the world, is: Human dignity 1st.
In America, the disparity in wealth is reprehensible. In the wealthiest cities, there r folks that have nothing to eat, no place to live, and if they have fallen very ill, their only medical solution is getting better. A tyranny, a democracy: This is pure evil no matter where it is happening. But in the States, as in most western democracies, the wealth is available, pursuant 2 constitutional guarantees, to assure that all of the citizens have equal, not separate, housing, nutrition, health-care and education; yet the scales of justice are grossly out of whack. On a freezing N.Y.C. night, it is painful to see homeless folks huddling together, appearing so hungry & cold w seemingly no place 2 call home; & then juxtaposed nearby, u see & hear other folks, laughing so loudly, exiting one of N.Y.C.'s most exclusive & expensive night-clubs, in very fine clothes, & totally oblivious 2 the huddling, freezing, hungry folks under their feet. It's so out of whack: Dickensian poverty b4 our eyes.
The U.S. President has been well-schooled 2 fully comprehend the unconstitutionality between his White House world and this dire poverty. However, it's the promise of profits 1st, not equal dignity 4 all citizens, that wins elections, & keeps the tyrants, kings & presidents in power.
So 4 today, 2moro & the days ahead of us: Come 2 the table, sit, & contemplate the Sacred Chow. Give thanks 4 ur blessings. Let's think of the ways in which we can make less violence happen; & by doing so, little by little: That beautiful corner of the world will slowly make its way around the world. Make less violence: Eat plant proteins! Open ur mind: Come 2 table, sit, eat, & share ur ideas 4 constitutional challenges 2 wealth inequality. Unless, as a country, we work like a team, we will never work right. The degree of wealth inequality is unconstitutional; such a stratum, which clearly creates 2 class types: one class that has access to excellent health care, housing, education and nutrition; and a 2nd class that is either given an inferior choice or no choice. Equal access to the same excellent medical care, education, nutrition & basic housing is a fundamental right. This isn't about access to a hair salon, but rather crucial life issues from birth onward that create unequal & separate classes. A similar constitutional challenge can be found in the seminal Supreme Court case : Brown V. Board of Ed. This constitutional challenge created language applicable 2 wealth inequality. The Supreme Court concluded: "Separate school systems 4 kids w different skin colors is inherently unequal, & therefore unconstitutional." Here, an unequal class is created from the moment a child is born based on the child's parents wealth. These fundamental rights can not be based on the child's parents wealth, but rather on the U.S. Constitution, which states separate is not equal. Thus, separate access to education, shelter, nutrition & health care is not equal. To provide anything less is deny a persons right 2 equal protection under the constitution. And any institution that receives any degree of federal funding from hospitals thru universities, that deny equal access based on wealth status would be in violation the commerce clause. "Separate is not equal!" And thus, would be in violation of U.S. Law. Come 2 the table, sit & let's contemplate the idea of the Sacred Chow; and let's ponder the constitutional challenges that await the scrutiny of the U.S. Supreme Court on issue of wealth inequality, like skin color, which denies equal access 2 rights that r constitutional. "Separate is not equal!" Come 2 the table!

I like onion sandwiches.

2011-06-10T11:18:00.002-04:00

I came into the office with my breakfast, and bossman gave me an odd look. "I like onion sandwiches," I said matter-of-factly. He agreed that onion sandwiches are indeed a lovely treat.

My mother used to say that I would take forever to make yoghurt rice (and I still do, with my own home made soy yoghurt that I make every few days). It's significant, because in a South Indian home, yoghurt rice is a very common snack, meal, finish to a meal, whatever. You have it when you want something fast. I liked it with lots of chopped vegetables (tomato, onion, cucumber) and spices (mustard seed, cumin seed, urad daal, toasted in fat) and curry leaves. In other words, yoghurt rice would take me 15 minutes to make, while most people are content with yoghurt + rice, which takes five minutes to make.

I tell you all that to tell you this: my onion sandwiches are no different. I like things just so. First, I liberally rub a baguette with a clove of garlic. This gives the bread a most tempting garlicky taste. I split the bread in half, and fry the cut sides in olive oil over medium-high heat, so that they get a nice crispy crust on the inside, and get pillowy and warm on the outside. This way, when I bite in, the outside is not toasted, but soft and fluffy. While the bread is toasting, I slice off a couple of slices of white (and if I have it, red as well) onions, and salt them. I let them hang out in the salt until they're a little tender. If you slice your onions thinly enough (as you should), they should be salted in about three minutes.

On a warm summer day, it's a most refreshing treat.

Mixed rice

2011-06-08T16:21:00.003-04:00

In South India, there's a tradition of what we call "kalantha saadam" (literally, mixed rice). It consists of a couple of basic spices, asafoetida, ginger, and then something else to mix through the rice. Today, at the restaurant, I made a version of coconut rice. Here's how:

8 cups rice, cooked

2 1/2 TB canola oil

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp cumin seed

3 big pinches asafoetida

4 cm chunk of ginger, grated

2 cups toasted sunflower seeds

2 cups of coconut (either grated fresh coconut, or dried coconut, toasted in the oven for five minutes)

Salt, to taste

Chiles, to taste

In a pot, heat up the oil. Add the mustard seeds, and wait for them to crack and pop. They'll likely have at least a few end up on your stove. This is not a problem. Add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida. The house will begin to smell fragrant and lovely. This is a Very Good Thing. Add the grated ginger, and the sunflower seeds, and toast for a few seconds.

Add the coconut at the last minute, and turn off the heat. You want the coconut to cook as little as possible (especially if it's fresh). At this point, add some red chile flakes, a bit of salt, and black pepper if you like.

Toss together with the rice (gently) so that all the rice grains are evenly coated in spices. It's absolutely lovely when served piping hot, with your favourite salad on the side. Lovely!

Fat is good, but not something you want too much of.

2011-06-07T12:28:00.002-04:00

I was making a corn chowder yesterday, and I didn't want for it to have heinous amounts of fat, nor did I want to throw in starch (like wheat starch, corn starch, etc), because it doesn't really add much to the party with regards to flavour or nutrition. Interestingly enough, I was just talking to my mother over the weekend about how the cost of coconut milk has skyrocketed, and how it's getting prohibitively expensive.

Then, I started to do some digging. Every site that I see promoting silken tofu says that you can use the pureed stuff in cream soups, but then leaves it at that. Does that mean that you puree it, and then dump in a bunch of it? Do you puree it in the food processor, and use it as a thick creamy thing, or do you puree it in the blender, and let 'er rip with a bit of liquid of your choice, and stir it in? Can you cook it down, or should it be relatively uncooked? How about freezing or thawing or boiling or all kinds of other considerations? How much should you use?

First and foremost, let me make one thing clear: you don't /have/ to use silken tofu. You can, if that's what you have, but if you don't have any, or don't feel like tracking any down, just use whatever tofu you have lying around in the house, or whatever is cheapest at your market. You're throwing this into the blender to blend down to an absolute puree, so it doesn't really matter.

I'm just sick of all these recipes demanding that you use a particular thing, when it's not even necessary. Y'know, like those ones that ask you to use MELTED MARGARINE.* What is melted margarine? OIL. So why not use oil? It's infuriating. In the same way, since you're going to be blending the heck out of it anyway, just use whatever you have, and the heck with what everyone tells you to do.

Secondly, remember that tofu, when frozen, changes texture. This goes for pureed tofu, but far less so than for fresh tofu. This means that if you are going to be using tofu to replace cream, please use exactly however much you need, and use it up. Don't use frozen tofu. I wish that I didn't have to make this distinction, but I do, because not everyone is familiar with the stuff, and won't know not to do so.

Finally, if you are going to be using extra firm, or firm tofu, please don't cook it too terribly much. If you've ever had tofu that's been put into miso soup, and sat there, you'll know that the texture changes completely. For the best results, keep your tofu cream aside, and stir it in just before serving, or at the last minute to the pot of soup. If you do have silken tofu, and you grind it, you'll have more leeway to work with to make the magic happen.

How about the ratios? How much tofu to how much liquid?

Here's the exciting part. Yesterday, for two cups of coconut milk, I used about four pounds of tofu! Two cups is about the standard size of coconut milk can that you see in the store. This means that the coconut milk that you bought for however much can be stretched out with tofu and water to make far more than what you started with. To scale this back, it works out to about 1/2 cup of coconut milk per pound of tofu. This should provide you with enough cream to stir into a pretty decent sized pot of soup. This also means that you can scale this down further. You can use 1/2 lb of tofu for 1/4 cup of coconut milk, or 1/4 lb of tofu for 2 TB of coconut milk.

This means that people with less than normal food processors, or blenders (I'm looking at you, people with mini choppers who use them as food processors*) can still do the job, because you can scale down as far as you need to or scale up as needed.

So. Recipe time, right?

Corn Chowder

1 tsp canola, peanut, or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 tsp thyme
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 ears of corn, taken off the cob
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (or, lots more if you're like me and love black pepper in chowder)
2 cups of water

Tofu cream
2 TB coconut milk
1/4 lb tofu

In a stock pot, sautee the onions over medium high heat until they become translucent. Add the thyme in with the onions, and stir everything around until the herbs are evenly distributed with the onions and the fat. You do this so that the essential oils from the thyme have a chance to release their flavours efficiently.

While the onion cooks, chop up the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Since there's only two potatoes, you should be able to do this relatively quickly, even if you're a slow chopper. When the onions are cooked, add the diced potatoes, and stir the veggies around in the pot until everything is evenly combined. Drop down the heat to medium low, and put the lid onto the pot. While that hangs out and cooks slowly, take the kernels of corn off of the cob. When the potatoes have cooked for 7 minutes in the pot, add the corn, water, salt, and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium high again.

While the water comes up to the boil, combine the coconut milk and tofu in a blender. Blend until the tofu is pureed smooth. Add water (from the soup pot) to thin out the tofu cream, until it resembles the consistency of a thick heavy cream. Turn off the heat once the potatoes are tender. Let the whole thing sit for about five minutes to cool a bit. Stir in the cream, and serve immediately, with a rain of lovely freshly ground black pepper, chives, or soup crackers, as suits your fancy.

The reason that I'm a fan of using tofu instead of all coconut milk is twofold: for one thing, the tofu adds protein to the mix. Yes, I am well aware that the coconut milk, corn, and potatoes all contain protein of their own. However, the tofu does have a good fair bit of concentrated protein that will boost up the whole thing. Also, the tofu means that I can reduce the amount of fat that I'm using. In the past, for a recipe like this, I would have cheerfully used 1/2 cup of coconut milk. I've managed to cut back on the coconut milk drastically, and still keep that rich, creamy texture that I like. I've also not gone off the deep end to the other extreme, where I'm afraid of fat. Coconut milk and olive oil/canola oil/peanut oil are healthy fats. When used in moderation, they're good for the body, and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins. They are a vital part of your diet. While you don't want to overdo them, you also don't want to avoid them completely.

Besides. Fat tastes good. Just because I'm eating healthy doesn't mean that I have to eat like I'm sick, right? I can still enjoy the things I like while making minor substitutions which improve the overall food, while not going to any extremes. I hope you will also agree with me, and give the recipe a try! Corn chowder is absolutely delicious, and the perfect way to use up all that lovely corn that's coming into season.

*For the record, I'm using these lines in a humorous fashion. It's not meant to offend, or to seriously call into question how people like things, or do things. Sometimes, in the written word, the tone is not always clear. Let me make it clear now that it's meant to be taken in a jokey manner, and not in a ranty manner.

Classic Coconut Buttercream Layer Cake. Vegan & G.F!

2011-06-06T23:58:00.012-04:00

I just love experimenting. And in the last few weeks, I have been feeling freer than I have felt in ages. Oh, there are many good reasons. Building a biz ain't no easy joy ride. Struggling, no matter the circumstance, is painful. When Chow opened on Sullivan St., after moving from Hudson, the day we opened the door, the tax man cometh, claiming that the closed down Chow on Hudson was a restaurant, & therefore owed sales tax near $400,000. He was willing 2 negotiate, however, as I had just built out an entire space from scratch & customers were not finding their way to the till: I had but a nickel & a dime. Not a good starting point to negotiate from. Feeling like Sisyphus w his giant boulder being pushed down the mountain every time I was a few more feet ahead, did not lend itself 2 a laser-like focus on growing the new biz. To the contrary, I felt like I was being drowned & could barely breath; the directions 4ward, pulled from my hands, I was completely lost. I had moved the biz, placed my bets, and was left w but a couple of pennies. More or less, I was totally impoverished, financially & emotionally. Vendors, staff, Con Ed, insurance, Verizon...had to get paid; the landlord just wouldn't stop posting his 3 day notices to vacate. "How could this happen? I mournfully thought, every second of every day. "No! Please! I am pleading w u higher holy power: No more begging, borrowing, lying and stealing!" But on it continued or Chow would have died. All was definitely not going according 2 Hoyle!
But I would not let go, no matter how heavy the burden; and woe-man, it was heavy beyond measure. Most folks with any degree of self-respect, or annihilation anxiety, of which I had plenty, would have closed the doors & moved 2 the mountains; or to the top of the Empire State Building, and down she goes! The tax man never relented, but there was nothing 2 give, so I stalled & lied 4 over 4 years. I also went to multiple hearings and wrote a brief, as I am an attorney w 2 bar exams behind me. Not exactly a walk in the park.
In my inner, inner, inner, deep down, down, hidden waaaaay far back in a stored away fantasy place: Chow was a global enterprise. But I was a broken down truck on the side of the road. Despite it all, I maintained a Sisyphean stance, cheered on by my number one guy, my favorite person in the whole wide world, who believes more than anything that his daddy can push the biggest boulders up & over the top of any mountain.
Fast 4ward: Issue w the tax man, resolved! Chow, strong as Hercules! The darkness, flickers w tons of candles. Feeling safe? Hmmm? Safer!
Life unravels mysteriously b4 us, & what seems & feels like "the end" is really just a new beginning; the rivers of creation, here in life & its movement in2 the ever-flow, expands & builds the heavens endlessly. If we r fortunate enough 2 live in a democratic republic, & have an adult or 2, in our childhoods that fill us w a degree of positive imaging & love; then the lessons we need 2 learn along the way, will happen, if we listen carefully, and believe, from the core of our being, that we exist w a purpose that transcends the impossible. The impossible is not impossible! But still, our creation, our purpose, our meaning, our being... life: Ends, 2 begin again. A journey in2 the never-ending.
And what about the classic coconut buttercream layer cake, vegan & G.F.? It's delicious! Better than I ever imagined, or perhaps that is the way I imagined it. Yes, delicious, free of cruelty, safe 4 celiacs, vegans, kosher, lactose intolerant folks... Nice!

Halva-Nutella Hero.

2011-06-06T00:13:00.019-04:00

When I hiked in the Negev Desert, in southern Israel, I always chowed down, after my hikes, on this amazing sandwich made from crusty, chewy bread, that was spread thick, w something like a hazelnut nutella, & then enclosed w a dense slab of sweet-vanilla halva. Oh my! I could have eaten this wonderful, texturally pleasing, palate sensation, it seemed, 4ever. It was one of the most satisfying, enjoyable mouth-feeling combinations I had ever concocted.
I love thick chocolaty-nutty textures. I adore fresh, chewy, crusty, teeth-pulling breads. And halva, for me, has such a sensually exciting taste & texture. Combining these 3 foods 2gether created an experience I continue 2 salivate over.
The bread was outstanding just by itself, as was the spread & halva. But the neutral taste of the bread along w its exceptional chew made it perfect 4 spreading this peanut buttery smooth, thick nutty chocolate cream; & then, positioning in between, this sweet wedge: the sawdusty dry, super-rich, hard-crumbly halva.
The Negev is an outstanding place to go hiking: swift gazelles glide by; Bedouins on camels mysteriously slink thru; glorious colors bounce off the Mountains of Moab & the Judean Hills; there r caverns filled w wonderfully soft limestone powder 2 hike thru; sudden rainstorms create stunning Wadis; lone indigenous inhabitants build little wood-fueled fires under large round pans, in which they bake & sell 2 travelers, warm, tightly rolled up, charred-speckled, tube bread...But nothing beat: Stopping 2 rest after a long hike, & chowing down my Halva-Nutella Hero.

Comfort their darkness.

2011-06-05T03:24:00.004-04:00

Let me hold ur hands in mine, my sweet friend: I adore u. We r a part of the glorious, fortunate few: Here, 2 love life & 2 help each other help others, in their darkness. W hands united, we commit our lives 2 finding the ways, big & small, 2 making less violence happen. A sacred vow placed in2 the spirit of our souls; star dust enters gravity, the universe nods its approval, sperm meets egg: Birth. Life, reason, mindfulness heard: " b4 the next journey in2 the far reaches of the beyond, beyond: Here, comfort their darkness, shower them w warm, nourishing, sustainable love, & sacred chow."

Juicing for your stomach

2011-05-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

I ate stuff that I really shouldn't eat (fatty, starchy, horrible, but tasty) last night before bed, and this morning, my brown rice and steamed broccoli loving tummy let me know in no uncertain terms, that he is unimpressed. He also let me know that if I try that again, he's going on strike. Ouch!

I wanted something to settle my stomach, and didn't feel like going to the drug store to get medication (which probably wouldn't have done that much for me anyway). I decided on a juice. I know that ginger is really good for settling upset stomachs, among a million other things it's good for. In went about two inches of ginger. I know that kale and other dark leafy greens are alkaline, and will counteract the strong stomach acids that are likely causing the upset in the first place, so I threw in a few leaves, along with the stems, of kale. I know I really dislike the taste of juiced greens, so in went a couple of apples, and five or six carrots too. I didn't care for the colour, so I threw in a small beet for good measure.

I could feel it work immediately. My stomach isn't completely settled yet, but I can smell things without feeling nauseous. Good to know for the future.

I can feed you!

2011-04-13T11:17:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, being vegetarian was *WEIRD* and unusual. When at a friend’s house, I’d often have to sort out my meal ahead of time, so as not to worry the parents about what I’d be eating. It was just a fact of life, and one I’d come to accept. This morning, as I was cleaning out the inbox of Outlook at work, I saw an email for Bossman. It was from a friend of his son’s at school, asking about setting up a play date. (I didn’t know people still did that. Awesome!) The parents wrote back and forth, and one line struck me: “I know (MiniBossman) is vegetarian … what does he usually choose as a snack?” No sense of panic, as my parents would have gotten as a kid (“WHAT DO I FEED HIM!?”), but a matter-of-fact question about what’s cool to feed the kiddo.

Man, how much things have changed. The mom wasn’t whining about having to make a special trip to the grocery store to pick up something. She wasn’t saying how it’d be sooooooo hard to make something SEPARATE (because of course, if you eat meat, that is all you can ever eat, on everything, all the time, ever ever ever, and if you dare to have something without meat in it, your body will shrivel up and die of painful death; or at least, that’s how some folk make it seem) for him. Instead, it was, “I’ve got _________ that I think is safe. Is it?”

I just think it’s very encouraging to know that more people are starting to realise that eating plants isn’t difficult. In fact, I’ve noticed the same thing with my friends who are omnivores. My husband and I will go over to a friend’s house for a party, or other get-together, and none of them will have any problems at all with finding stuff for us to eat. In fact, I’ve been impressed, on many occasions, with what they’ve managed to turn out. This is a far cry from going to my BFF’s house back in 2000, and her being the only one of my friends who consistently kept her house well-stocked for my needs. She always had plenty of pasta, garlic, spices, herbs, potatoes, and hummus, bread, and crackers in the house at all times. Granted, the family liked to eat those things too, but it was especially nice that she’d make sure to keep such things in stock so that any time I came over, there’d be something for me to make.

How awesome is it that we can all sit together and share in something that bonds us, without fuss or trouble?

What have your experiences been with getting vegan food at friend’s or family’s houses?

what a beautiful sabbath!

2011-03-12T16:22:00.007-05:00

2day is a physical off day from sacred chow.

huxley and i walked around a bit, felt the warmth of the late winter sun. we skipped, ran a bit, put our arms around each other while we walked and spoke softly bout things huxley currently loves: wizard 101, a online wizard game, the books he's reading: a series of unfortunate events by lemony snickets.

we went to the library and returned a few books and the lemony snicket film; and made a deposit in2 huxley's savings account: his pass-book said he made .03c in interest! it started getting a little cool, so we headed home.

we realized how lucky we were even though sometimes we feel unhappy. we spoke bout how many folks, here in our great country, are in so much pain, w no place to live, and not much to eat. felt so sad bout the folks wounded, trapped and in pain in japan. and we spoke bout the many awful govts globally that silence, hurt and kill their citizens.

we spoke bout why we r vegans: 2 make less violence happen. we talked bout our unbalanced planet: too many have so very little, and a few have way too much; and disasters and disease happen wo a warning, sweeping love away in a flash. we stopped, and sat on a stoop to pray 4 the folks everywhere, at that moment, experiencing horrific pain. we prayed 4 more love and less hate. we hugged each other tightly and said that we were embracing the whole world w our 2 hearts filled w love, and hoped that it would penetrate, somehow.

we knew that our reason for being was 2 try to find ways 2 be gentler, and hugged each other again, and thanked each other 4 being here and making our lives more gentle. we thanked the universe for the seed that made its way to the egg that became hux; we thanked the universe for the seed that made its way to the egg that became cliff; and we thanked life for making sacred chow.

we go to thy table and can eat the food divine: the sacred chow.

what a beautiful sabbath!

peace & love.

thinkin' bout buildin' life wo picklin' my fellow beings!

2011-03-10T10:06:00.009-05:00

in the market 2day, i saw jars upon jars of passover fish, stuffed & pressed compact in2 gelfite balls, lids tightly closed, prices screaming: "buy me!"

in my mind, I saw the fish struggling 2 stay in the sea, & the person pulling the line, unconcerned, thinking:"wow, what a great catch!" "it'll bring in lots of $!" "gotta make a livin!"

then i thought bout how everything: pigs, cows, worms, bad debt, u, me, r commodities: right up 2 being stuffed, pickled & pressed in2 the coffin being closed tight behind us. "gotta make a livin!"

i pondered how we can build life/biz w/o salivating about pickling and commoditizing each other and our fellow beings?

let's ponder 2gether.

here at thy table, we meet to feed on food divine, and ponder the sacred chow.

mucho love & peace 2 all!

3+ hour Health Dept Inspection Yields:

2011-03-02T19:03:00.002-05:00

point .36 x's ur weight gives u amt of protein p.d.

2011-02-25T17:55:00.001-05:00

: Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods
FOOD	AMOUNT	PROTEIN(gm)	PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh	1 cup	41	9.3
Seitan	3 ounces	31	22.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	29	9.6
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	18	7.8
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	15	6.7
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	13	6.4
Veggie burger	1 patty	13	13.0
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12	4.2
Veggie baked beans	1 cup	12	5.0
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	12	5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked	1 cup	11	6.2
Tofu, firm	4 ounces	11	11.7
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	10	5.7
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	9	3.5
Tofu, regular	4 ounces	9	10.6
Bagel	1 med. (3 oz)	9	3.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	9	6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked	1/2 cup	8	8.4
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp	8	4.3
Veggie dog	1 link	8	13.3
Spaghetti, cooked	1 cup	8	3.7
Almonds	1/4 cup	8	3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain	1 cup	7	7.0
Soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	6	4.0
Bulgur, cooked	1 cup	6	3.7
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	6	3.3
Whole wheat bread	2 slices	5	3.9
Cashews	1/4 cup	5	2.7
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	5	2.4
Brown rice, cooked	1 cup	5	2.1
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5	13.0
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4	6.8
Potato	1 med. (6 oz)	4	2.7
Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005 and manufacturers' information. The recommendation for protein for adult males vegans is around 56-70 grams per day; for adult female vegans it is around 46-58 grams per day (see text).

Perfect Plant Protein Cheesecake

2011-02-25T12:45:00.016-05:00

(Makes 2 10" spring form type cakes w 1/4 inch crust (g.f. or otherwise) pushed up the side a bit or more if you like or poured over a 1/2 fav cake or make 3 tarts: Each feeds 8-10 folks.)

3 lbs Tofu, firm, preferably Fresh Tofu, mashed w hands in bowl.

1 refrigerated can of Thai Organic Coconut Milk, thick cream only.

1 1/2 cups, Wholesome Cane Sugar (can vary based on needs)*

1/3 cup Earth Balance (can vary a bit)*

2 tablespoons of Tahini

3 tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

1/3 cup of either Corn, Potato, Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour

2 teaspoons of Agar Agar Powder

1 teaspoon of Nutmeg Powder

2 teaspoons, Vanilla X

3 Tablespoons, Pure Maple Syrup (can vary based on needs)*

1 teaspoon, Sea Salt (can vary based on needs)*

Place all above in a food processor for 5 minutes or more till very creamy (if grainy, needs more time) and thick.

Done!

Taste your cheesecake cream.

Now decide what you might like in it. (* and/or if it needs more of what you may have left out from above.)

Ricotta style: mash up lb of tofu in a bowl, blend well w above mixture, or half the mixture; or half a lb of mashed tofu in2 one third of the mixture.

Or berries, fruits, grains, nuts, cooked tapioca pearls, or other extracts...

Place into spring form w crust (Halva is stupendous!) of choice, and bake 40 minutes. Let cool. For very fast results: Cool in freezer.

When cool, take paring knife and run it around cake to easily loosen cheesecake from spring form. Open spring form.

Cheesecake is ready to slice when bottom of the pan is cold.

Are you done?

You may want to add a topping?

Also makes great custard: Best baked in a water bath.

With custards or cheesecakes: Drizzles are great!

Also delicious with a bit of cocoa butter. The butter requires some recipe adjustments.

More about Halva Crusts, Drizzles, Toppings and Cocoa Butter later.

Let Ahimsa Flow!

Serving Up A Bit Of Yum, Plate By Plate

2011-02-02T17:02:00.002-05:00

see, article w lovely pictures @ http://appetiteforgood.com/2011/02/01/sacred-chow-sings-the-eco-vegan-gospel/

BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

This article is written by guest contributor,

Danielle Binler.

At Sacred Chow, you’ll initially be suspect of the waiters’ patience and yogi-like demeanor. I led an interrogation worthy of praise from Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s characters during the “Ordering the Chicken” scene in Portlandia, and still this waiter had a smile on his face and no sarcasm in his voice. The waitress in Portlandia acts like it is completely normal to be interested in the breed of the chicken you are about to consume, what its diet consisted of, and even what its name was. Similarly, the waiter at Sacred Chow encouraged more questions instead of getting agitated by the neuroticism that comes along with being aware of what you put in your body. I’m hoping that’s what an eco-vegan, kosher, healing, and low-carbon lifestyle does to a person. You won’t find any chicken on the menu at Sacred Chow though (sorry, omnivores). This restaurant sings its eco-vegan gospel loud and proud, uses only organic ingredients that are grown locally or are fair-trade sourced, and offers gluten free, sugar free, and wheat free options.

After much deliberation, I finally settled on three of the tapas, which come as a deal for $18 instead of $7 each. The tapas were artfully displayed on a tiered plate rack. First, I had the sautéed Shiitake mushrooms with South Indian dip. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection, and pine nuts were sprinkled on top to add a bit of crunch to the otherwise meaty texture of the dish.

Next I had the grilled Western tofu, which was served with a mustard and garlic sauce with a hint of cayenne and a side of greens. The texture of the tofu was not too gelatinous or rubbery, more on the crumbly and spongy side. The sauce was very flavorful, and brought the tofu to life. I loved this sauce, and learned that Sacred Chow even sells their sauces by the pound. So, you can bring a little eco-veganism home with you and add their sauces to your own tofu or stir fry creations.

Then, I had the vegetable of the day, which was roasted pumpkin, rutabaga, and sweet potato on a bed of greens served with their vegan Caesar sauce, which is made from miso, lemon juice, garlic, and mustard. This sauce had quite a kick to it, so if you really like garlic and spice, your trigeminal nerves will be thanking you.

After loving each tapas dish more and more with every bite, I decided it would only be appropriate to indulge in dessert. Next time, I think I will order dessert first, because this was my favorite part of the meal and I wish I had more room for it! Behold: custard tart with a coffee swirl, chocolate glaze, and pomegranate seeds on a coconut sweet rice flour crust. The fresh pomegranate seeds were juicy and tart, and balanced out the sweet and flaky coconut crust.

The food was delicious, and knowing the kind of hardcore eco-vegan ethos Sacred Chow subscribes to made me feel a little less guilty about ordering dessert. Sacred Chow also supports Farm Sanctuary and Our Hen House, which are both organizations dedicated to combating the abuses of factory farming and ending the exploitation of animals. Additionally, Sacred Chow regularly donates to entrepreneurs through Kiva, which is a platform for micro-financing and creating relationships beyond financial transactions across the globe. Sacred Chow also supports local artists, and has a rotating series of artworks on display. If you are vegan, kosher, have a gluten allergy, or simply want to venture into the world of yoga and tofu, Sacred Chow will show you the way. Namaste.

Local food, nyc, sustainable food, vegan
Serving Up A Bit Of Yum, Plate By Plate

Evan ThomasReplyFebruary 1, 2011 at 6:05 PM
I’ve never tried a vegan tart before; they sure make it look appetizing!

FrancescaReplyFebruary 2, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Wow, Danielle, you’ve made me actually want to go out of my way to go to a vegan restaurant. What a feat! Great job!

Misoooooooooooo

2011-01-07T11:55:00.001-05:00

So I was googling around on how to sort out a kombu broth for miso soup. Turns out that all you have to do is soak the kombu in water overnight, and you're set. So I actually tried it. I broke off what I thought was a tiny piece of the kombu kelp, and put it in about 1 1/2 litres of water overnight. The next morning, the thing had grown to fill the container!

I guess I didn't need quite so much. Next time, I'll cut it in half.

Another suggestion I read was to throw in a shiitake mushroom (dried) along with the kombu, and let the lot sit overnight. If you do try this suggestion, please make sure you wash it well. Otherwise you'll end up with a fair bit of grit in the bottom of the container. This goes for the kombu as well. Wash that thing under cold running water, to wash off the excess salt, and clear off any grit that's on the surface.

The point is that the next morning, all I had to do was to heat up the broth, add a tablespoon of miso paste, some sliced scallion (1 stalk), and 1/4 cube of tofu (cut into tiny tiny cubes--it was so cute!), and a touch of salt (I like things salty), and all was right with the world. I always have a pot of piping hot rice, because my rice cooker keeps the rice hot for three days without drying it out. It made a lovely breakfast.

What's even better is some enoki mushrooms put into the bottom of your soup bowl. They cook when you pour the hot miso soup over it.

The Japanese are definitely on to something. On a cold morning like today, when the snow is falling in fat flurries, there are few things as comforting as a bowl of piping hot miso soup, a bit of brown rice, and a couple of nice condiments to round out the meal nicely. It's also super quick to sort out, and fairly filling.

Red Lentils

2011-01-06T11:29:00.001-05:00

Red lentils are like this magical bean. Why? They cook in about twenty minutes or so, and you don't need to soak them. They're also loaded with fibre, protein, and a respectable bit of iron. They’re also fairly low in calories (around 170 if you start with 1/4 cup of dry red lentils, which is a decent serving portion). And they /cook in 20 minutes or so, without soaking/. Please keep that in mind.

This means that during those weeknights that you’re running late, there’s really no excuse to call for delivery of bad junk food (or, for that matter, good junk food; it all costs a fortune). I live up in Washington Heights/Inwood, where vegan options in restaurants are fairly limited. It’s why when we do order delivery, it’s from this Chinese place that does every kind of mock meat you could think of, and then some. The food is not greasy at all, and when you ask for tofu, they don’t mess about. They give you some serious tofu load.

However, dinner for two can easily run $20. Ouch. Throw in tax and tip, and you’re talking around $25. Mind you, they’re extremely nice people. When I call up, the lady knows that I’m going to ask for vegan food, and knows my address. This year, however, I have resolved to stock my pantry with staples that I can whip up in a hurry, even if I’m running a bit late from work (since I work at Chow, it takes about 45 minutes, door to door, to get home).

I always have garlic and onions in the house. This is non-negotiable. In the rare times that I don’t, the bodega downstairs carries it. Even though it’s four flights of stairs down, I can deal with it. I also always have a few kilos of red lentils in my cupboard. Why? Because there are many a time when I get home, and am too tired to really do any cooking, but I don’t want to call in for delivery and spend a fortune.

Most places that you go, you can get red lentils for anywhere between $1 and $2 per pound, depending on which neighbourhood you buy from. If I’m in Jackson Heights, or in certain areas of Brookyln that cater to Middle Eastern folk, I can snag red lentils for around a dollar a pound, give or take. Anywhere else, and you’ll be veering towards the two dollar per pound range.

At the end of the day, however, it’s well worth the expense. If you’re looking to feed six people, you can easily do it for under $10 with red lentils on your side. A pound of decent onions should run you about $0.50, if you’re not shopping in the really expensive stores. Garlic is pretty cheap too. A tin of diced tomatoes would be about (if you’re spending a lot) $1. A pound of the red lentils (max) would be $2. All said and done, you haven’t even broken a fiver. Snag some bread, and you’re out another $2, give or take. If you’re in the mood, grab a lemon, some lettuce, a cucumber, and a bit of parsley, cilantro, or whatever other fresh herb you like. All told, you’ve got a good fair bit of food.

Combine the cucumber (sliced), lettuce (washed and shredded), herbs (washed, and chopped fine) together in a large bowl. Smash a clove of garlic, and mince it up finely. Add the juice and zest of the lemon to the garlic. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper, and you’ve got a lovely low fat dressing.

Take a nonstick pot, and throw in a few drops of oil. Add a diced onion, a few cloves of smashed garlic (don’t bother chopping them; the flavour will be more mild) and cook over medium high heat until the garlic and onions are softened. You don’t need to bother browning them, because that takes too long. Throw in your red lentils, tomatoes, and just enough water to come up about half an index finger’s length above the red lentils. Set it to cook over medium high heat with a lid on, until it comes to the boil. Drop the heat to medium low, and clean up after yourself. If you rub the bread with a clove of garlic, then drizzle on a few drops of oil to the outside, then toast it under the broiler for 30 seconds to a minute (just before serving), you’ll get a lovely garlicky bread.

Once the red lentil stew does come to a boil, set a timer for 20 minutes. Then go off and relax for a bit, while dinner comes together. By the time the red lentils are cooked, you’d have had time for a quick freshen up in the washroom, and a bit of time to clear off your table.

Taste your red lentils to check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as necessary. Remember that tinned tomatoes have a bit of salt in them already, so it’s best to wait for it to finish cooking before fussing with any more salt.

This is also a good base from which to build different soups. It takes up other aromatics (that you’d add with the garlic and onion) with the greatest of ease. Peppers, chiles, celery, carrots, whatever you have. When the lentils are cooked, you can add any variety of frozen or fresh vegetables you have. The point is that it’s very easy to put together, and should be one of the first things you really get comfortable with cooking, because it’s so forgiving. That’s the reason I didn’t provide specific amounts: you’re meant to customise this to your needs and liking.

Ginkgo Nuts

2011-01-04T17:39:00.002-05:00

I remember sitting in freshman biology class in college, and the teacher explaining the major divisions of the seed bearing plants: pinophyta (pine trees, etc.), cycadophyta (often mistaken for palm trees, but are their own division), gnetophyta, magnoliophyta (flowering plants), and ginkgophyta (the ginkgo tree). Of all the divisions, the ginkgo is the only one with a single surviving species. Nothing else stuck out about the ginkophyta division, than the fact that it was its only member, and that it's ooooooold.

Nothing stuck out, until I tried the ginkgo nuts that Boss Man picked up from an excursion to Chinatown. You can find them all over the place in Chinatown, and they're relatively inexpensive. Inexpensive though they be, they're delicious.

They've got a firm texture, as well as a fairly neutral flavour, which happily soaks up whatever you're cooking with. What do we do with it at Chow? As if the Risotto wasn't Asian inspired enough (what with the flavourings of miso paste, and shoyu), in went the ginko And all of a sudden, the texture has a whole different dimension to it.

Risotto, as you may know, does have a tendency to be a bit on the soft side, which is why things like gingko nuts, vegetables of various shades and textures, nuts, etc go so well in risotto: the texture contrast is exquisite. Boss Man went on a trip to Chinatown this morning to get more yuba, a couple of other things, and passed by a little old lady peeling ginkgo nuts. He bought some from her, and she was so excited for him.

And now you can be excited for the risotto.

Yes, of course we can do that.

2010-12-30T17:15:00.003-05:00

Just give me notice so it'll be even better.

I had someone call up, because her friend was in the hospital for some heart thing or another. She asked if I could do something without salt for her. "Of course we can" was the answer. Why? Because I had a bit of notice to sort something out. We made her hummus, lentil pate, a couple of vegetable dishes, some noodles, brown rice, and stuff to eat with all those things. She also was able to get a few desserts, because we do have desserts without salt or sugar. No problem at all.

Another time, someone came in, who had gluten and garlic allergies. The beans are safe, but she wanted something a bit more. That meant that the lentil pate was safe. Usually. Unfortunately, because my vendor ran out of sunflower seeds, I didn't have enough pate made, because I was waiting for the sunflower seeds to arrive. What a mess! The lady thought she'd have to get just steamed vegetables (which, though delicious, aren't "special" enough for an occasion like eating out with a friend). I explained to her the situation, that I have boiled lentils, and browned onions, and everything else for the pate ready and waiting for the sunflower seeds, and would she mind it terribly if I used almonds instead? Fortunately, she didn't have a tree nut allergy, and all was right with the world.

The other day, Boss Man said that he had a customer ask for something with no fat. This means no nuts, seeds, etc. Tempeh is fine, seitan made without fat is fine, and all vegetables and fruits are fine. He ran to the kitchen, and whipped up a steamed seitan dish (made in apple juice, and lots of different spices) with some steamed veggies and sent it up. It came out so delicious, because the juice cooking down formed this beautiful sauce that just made everything perfect.

We're chefs. We enjoy a challenge. If there's a food restriction that you have, let us know, and we'll make it. In fact, we can often whip up something on the spot, if it comes down to it. However, when we have prior notice, we can truly shine, and give you lots of different options. Let us shine for you! Tell us what you need, and let us sort it out before you arrive, so that you don't have to wait on your meal. We're happy to do it.

i'll never trust the snow again!

2010-12-28T19:22:00.003-05:00

picked hux up at his friends, last pm, on east 39th and the river. man was it chilly cold walking down from grand central 2 lower east 39th! hux put his ds in2 his coat pocket and off we went. hux was like a ping pong ball in the snow. he was over-joyed w the powder, its softness and chill."It feels like switzerland!" he said giddily. i couldnt get him 2 stop. i was saying 2 myself, "just let the kid enjoy..." but it only goes so far when it's freezing! yet the power in letting a child feel so free is thrilling 2 see! when we got home, he cried out in pain, horror, and more pain: " the ds slipped out of my pocket!," and he started 2 cry uncontrollably. it was 8pm, i was feeling so foul: just wanted 2 take a bath and feel sorry 4 myself. nope, out we went to search, back and forth, back and forth: in vain however! he screamed and punched the sky. he cried out: " i'll never trust the snow again....ever!" he was banging the huge snow-drifts w both hands, sinking in, wailing so loudly... but never once about how cold it was! we came home ice cold and red and warmed up in a steaming hot tub. in the morning, hux wanted one more "college try." i said;" it's like trying 2 find a needle in a haystack type-of-chance!

in the am, i was hesitating bc i really wanted 2 get 2 chow early, new ideas percolating, so much 2 do, snow storm related stuff... and i said 2 myself: "helping hux look 4 his ds gives him an assurance of certainty, unconditional love, that some things u can count on. i want him 2 be able 2 give joyfully 2 others: and he will if u show him how." so out we went. still, there were big mountains of snow, however now, they were dirty-grey and wet. yet he climbed and fell down, climbed and fell down; back and forth, back and forth: We didnt find his ds. i said: "probably shoveled away till spring." letting go and just doing it 4 him, felt liberating, and he felt better 4 trying. he also rolled a big snow ball and placed it in the freezer, and excitedly said: "this one's a keeper!" i think he's beginning 2 trust the snow again.

consume sacred chow: the notion that all beings r here, on earth, in equal measure. vow 2 find the way, whatever the circumstance, 2 less violence. we r in life 2gether, many different forms readying ourselves 4 our flight in2 the edible unknown: all! protect urself, and those u love, or u'll be sucked down in2 the nothingness: the creeks of cholera. let us use sacredchow.blogspot.com as a channel 4 plant-based thinking & cooking: seeking & learning less violence in every step we take. peace and love, love and peace...

You kept cooking AFTER that?

2010-12-23T16:18:00.002-05:00

I taught a private cooking class, and had to dash out at the end to get home and cook for the husband. I told the person as such, and got the reply "I cant believe you went home and cooked more!!!!!"

Believe it, dear student of mine.

When you find something that excites and entices you, it's best if you stick to it. I found this job just two weeks after moving to the city. I'm not sure what Boss Man was thinking when he hired me, but I'm endlessly thankful that he did. I love it here. He and I can talk food for hours without getting tired of it. We explore paths formerly untested. We revel in food. Why? Because we love every minute of it.

And, when I get home, I keep cooking for me and my husband.

Cooking for me isn't a job. It's not a chore. It's not something to get past. It's my lifeblood. It keeps me going. It makes me happy. And more than that, cooking for others is connecting with those people on a very intimate level. Something that I used my hands to create is being integrated into you. It's why we at Chow treat our food with such reverence: food matters.

It's so liberating to meet people who "get it".

That's why I love it here so much. Boss Man "gets" it. When I tell him about how much cooking is a passion, he understands with all his being, and shares in my sentiments. Then he promptly makes something earth-shatteringly good (pomegranate & chocolate pie, anyone?) like it's a simple thing.

The new year is fast approaching. I implore you to step back for a minute, and ask yourself if you're doing what you truly love. If you are, let me know what it is. I'd love to hear about it! If you're not, what are you waiting for? We have such precious little time on this planet. You deserve to be doing something that makes you feel fulfilled. Get out there and do it!

Warm wishes for the holidays from the Sacred Chow family!

When the lights turn on

2010-12-14T13:08:00.002-05:00

When you're a restaurant, you need to report your total credit card, cash, and tax due on said items every day. So suppose that today, in credit card sales, I made $100 total, before tips. I then made another $100 in cash, before tips. So ostensibly, (as I used to in the past, like an idiot) you'd calculate $100 + $100 = $200. 200 with the additional 8.875% tax rate for New York city comes to $217.75, right?

WRONG.

The numbers written on the credit card batch on the slips every night are the total, including tax. This is the same with the amount of money written on the bottom of the cash tickets, which is what's added together at the end of the day, and recorded on the sales report for the day. So while I know how to calculate the additional taxes very easily [(Total cost * 8.875%) + (Total Cost)], and you're set. Fairly straightforward, and easy enough to throw into Excel, so that it does all the work for me.

But what about the other way around?

And there were crickets chirping in my brain. So I tried every combination I could think of, to no avail. How did I know my numbers were wrong? I have a calculator with a "minus tax" button, that does the calculation for me. So a quick button press, and I knew I was consistently coming up with the wrong answer. I finally did an Internet search on it, and found this lovely website here:

http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_deduct_tax.htm

All of a sudden, it was like this huge lightbulb turned on in my head. I made a quick Excel formula, dragged it through the subsequent cells, and all the numbers added up! Backwards, forwards, upside-down. All of it was beautifully added to the totals, and the numbers just work. It's been a good long while since it's happened that nicely. Generally, when I'm wrangling numbers, I tend to get different answers if I don't have a perfect formula to work from. Instead, I end up getting the spread of data, from all over creation. Not a good thing when you're dealing with the tax man.

And the thing is, it could have all been solved with a quick Internet search. Why did it take so long for me to figure out the exact method that just works every time? I don't know, but I suspect that I wasn't quite ready for it yet. I've found that over time, if I'm not ready for something, it just won't come. I can try everything in my power to sort it out, but it just doesn't happen. I'll swear, I'll walk away and come back, and all those other techniques. But if it's just not the time for it, I'll still be stuck behind the wall, and unable to cross that barrier.

Today was different that way. It was a record cold day. Just by chance, before heading out for work, I did a quick check of the weather report, and saw that the temperature was below freezing, and we had a dusting of snow going down. Immediately, I threw on some tights, heavy jeans, heavy~ish shoes, t-shirt, zip up jacket, 2nd zip up jacket, and long trench coat (it keeps my legs and trunk warm). Just to be on the safe side, I packed my scarf into my bag.

I walk out, and it was the perfect set up. I was warm all the way into the subway. I got into work, and was informed that we're out of beans and hummus. Guess what? I'd boiled chickpeas /and/ beans yesterday. When things are going right, just follow the momentum, and go with it.

I attacked the financial stuff, and reached the familiar fumbling block. I decided to do an Internet search, on the off chance that someone else out there has wondered the same thing as I. And by sheer dumb luck, there it was. Now I feel like I can conquer anything.

i'll never trust the snow again!

2010-11-30T18:49:00.016-05:00

picked hux up at his friends, last pm, on east 39th and the river. man was it chilly cold walking down from grand central 2 lower east 39th! hux put his ds into his coat pocket and off we went. hux was like a ping pong ball in the snow. he was over-joyed w the powder, its softness and chill."It feels like switzerland!" he said giddily. i couldnt get him 2 stop. i was saying 2 myself, "just let the kid enjoy..." but it only goes so far when it's freezing! yet the power in letting a child feel so free is thrilling 2 see! when we got home, he cried out in pain, horror and more pain: " the ds slipped out of my pocket!," and he started 2 cry uncontrollably. it was 8pm, i was feeling so foul: just wanted 2 take a bath and feel sorry 4 myself. nope, out we went to search, back and forth, back and forth: in vain however! he screamed and punched the sky. he cried out: " i'll never trust the snow again....ever!" he was banging the huge snow-drifts w both hands, sinking in, wailing so loudly... but never once about how cold it was! we came home ice cold and red and warmed up in a steaming hot tub. in the morning, hux wanted one more "college try." i said;" it's like finding a needle in a haystack type-of-chance!

in the am, i was hesitating bc i really wanted 2 get 2 chow early, new ideas percolating, so much 2 do, snow storm related stuff... and i said 2 myself: "helping him look 4 his ds gives him an assurance of certainty, unconditional love,that some things u can count on; i want him 2 be able 2 give joyfully 2 others: and he will if u show him how." so out we went. still, there were big mountains of snow, however now, they were dirty-grey and wet. yet he climbed and fell down, climbed and fell down; back and forth, back and forth: We didnt find his ds. i said: "probably shoveled away till spring." letting go and just doing it 4 him, felt liberating, and he felt better 4 trying.

consume sacred chow: the notion that all beings r here, on earth, in equal measure. vow 2 find the way, whatever the circumstance, 2 less violence. we r in life 2gether, many different forms readying ourselves 4 our flight in2 the edible unknown: all! protect urself, and those u love, or u'll be sucked down in2 the nothingness: the creeks of cholera. let us use sacredchow.blogspot.com as a channel 4 plant-based thinking & cooking: seeking & learning less violence in every step we take.

china-style thanksgiving seitan roast

2010-11-09T21:12:00.005-05:00

(The above photo of the seitan served 20-25 people. The recipe below serves 2-3. Adjust accordingly.)

Vegan Recipe: Slow-Roasted Stuffed Holiday Seitan

http://livingmaxwell.com/organic-thanksgiving-ideas

If you want to have a vegan Thanksgiving, below is a recipe from Cliff Preefer, the founder and chef of Sacred Chow. As I mentioned in my video review of Sacred Chow, Cliff can make dishes like no one else. The guy is simply extraordinary. I asked Cliff to put together a Thanksgiving special for readers of livingmaxwell and this is what he came up with – a slow-roasted stuffed holiday seitan.

–

Seitan is the protein, or gluten, part of wheat flour. You are washing off the starch and leaving behind just the protein. If you’re using whole wheat flour, you’re going to be washing out the bran and germ as well, so it’s kind of pointless. Just use all purpose.

The starch that you wash off can be saved to thicken soups, stews, puddings, etc. Treat it just like corn starch and think of it as a pre-mixed slurry. If you’re not saving the water, throw it in the garden for compost or flush it in the toilet. It’ll clog your sink or bath tub.

For the flour, try to find hard red winter wheat flour because it has the highest protein content. It’ll give the best results with regards to the amount of seitan that you end up with. If you’d like to scale back, it works just fine. You can do any combination of bread flour and all purpose flour, as suits you. Please don’t use flour with any additions (pre-mixed flours).

10 cups unbleached white flour

3 – 3 ½ cups cold water

1 recipe stuffing (see recipe)

1 sheet fresh yuba

¼ cup yuba mix (2 TB paprika, 2 TB nutritional yeast, 1 TB garlic powder, 1 TB onion powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper)

Sift flour into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add 3 cups of cold water and knead well to make a dough. You may need more or less water, and more or less flour, to make sure that you end up with a dough that’s more or less smooth. It can be a little sticky.

If you’re mixing by hand, you’ll need to knead for about 10 minutes to develop the protein/gluten. The more you knead, the more protein develops.

Pour in enough warm water to cover the dough and let rest for 5 minutes. This begins the process of washing off the starch and/or bran and germ (if using whole wheat).

Set up two large pots. One with warm water and one with a colander placed over it.

Remove dough from the resting bowl and place in a large pot with warm water. Make sure that the dough is completely covered with warm water. Think of this process as if you’re washing a t-shirt. Start kneading the dough. Grab, knead, grab, knead.

The water will begin to get white and thick. Transfer the dough to the colander set over the 2nd large pot. Once drained, place back into first pot. Again, submerge the dough with warm water. Knead, grab, knead, grab. Transfer to the colander, and drain again. You’ll need to repeat this process about five times, until the protein completely separates into wheat muscle. Yes. It looks like muscle and is totally cohesive.

At this point, you have the actual seitan itself. Place into cold water, let sit for 15 minutes. This will allow it to drain off any final bits of starch and allow the seitan to completely firm up.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place and mold plenty of alumimum foil into a roasting pan. Next, spread and pull the seitan into a rough rectangle, lift and place in pan. Try to flatten it as much as you can. Stuff with Seitan Stuffing, and roll up into a log. Cover with a sheet of fresh yuba. Wrap tightly. Truss with twine, and cover in marinade. Roast in the oven for 60 minutes, basting with extra marinade every 10 minutes. After the first 30 minutes of basting, sprinkle the roast with yuba mix each time, so that the color starts to build slowly.

Stuffing

1 cup arborio rice (or any short grain rice such as sticky rice)

2 cups water

5 dried shiitake mushrooms

4 TB vegetable oil, split into 2 TB and 2 TB

2 shallots, thinly sliced

¼ lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, caps cut into ½ inch pieces

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 scallions, coarsely chopped

1 – 2 Chinese sausages (see recipe), or use store bought vegan sausage. sliced ¼ inch rounds

8 oz can of water chestnuts, drained and sliced 1/8 inch thick

2 TB cooking wine or dry sherry

2 TB soy sauce

2 TSP sugar

¼ cups chopped cilantro

Place rice in water. Bring water to boil. Cover. Return to stir the rice every 5 minutes, then re-cover. Continue the process for 15 minutes. When water is completely absorbed, remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put dried shiitakes into medium bowl and cover with boiling water until softened (about 20 minutes). Chop caps into ½ inch pieces. Carefully pour soaking water into a cup and stop before you reach grit.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a deep skillet, add the oil and shallots, and cook until translucent. Add fresh shiitakes. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add dried reconstituted chopped shiitakes. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Set aside.

Sautee the sausages in remaining 2 TB of oil, along with scallions, and cook until the sausages are lightly browned. Add water chestnuts, cook and stir until heated (about a minute). Add the mushrooms, and ¼ cup soaking liquid that you reserved, soy sauce, sugar, and bring to a boil. Add steamed rice. Stir to incorporate, stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper.

Sausage (makes 5 large sausages)

2 cups vital wheat gluten

¼ cups nutritional yeast

2 TB sticky rice flour

1 TB onion powder

2 TB fennel

1 tsp black pepper

1 TB paprika

½ tsp red chile flakes (adjust as needed)

½ TB oregano

1 TB hickory salt

1/8 teaspoon cloves

½ cup olive brine

2 TB water

¾ cups white wine

2 TB garlic, chopped

¼ cups vegetable oil

2 TB soy sauce

1 ½ TB tomato paste

Combine all the dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Mix wet into dry. Knead together until firm. If it’s too sticky and wet, add more vital wheat gluten. When combined, split into 5 large logs. Wrap in foil. Steam for 30 minutes (covered). Unwrap, and let chill.

If you have leftovers, they freeze perfectly.

Marinade

3 cups water

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cups sesame oil

2 TB ginger

2 TB garlic

2 TB paprika

2 TB chili powder

3 TB corn starch

Combine in a blender until smooth. Use to baste seitan roast.

Serves 2-3.

————

Have a great Thanksgiving!

more love, less violence = the "secret"

2010-11-08T19:40:00.005-05:00

I was at Sacred Chow just this past weekend... and it was so crowded I actually had to wait for a table! This place has really caught on... the "secret" is out and people are flocking to it now! Back when I started going in 2007, I was the only person in the place!

http://aveggiegirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/cold-days-tofu-brunches-november-8th.html

vegan tapas towers!

2010-11-08T19:30:00.004-05:00

photo added by Nick G. in the glam white hat above.

(wanderlust...sacred chow!)

2010-11-07T21:56:00.023-05:00

rantingsteve‎: Pondering lunch at Sacred Chow...

GirlieGirlArmy‎: On our way to Sacred Chow... best tempeh and kale dishes ever. And yes, all we talk about is their brunch. Typical NY'ers.
DragynAlly‎: Vegan dinner...@ Sacred Chow

cherylp3: I'm at Sacred Chow!

A brunch favorite of Monica’s and mine: Breakfast Sandwich from Sacred Chow in Manhattan’s East Village. A fluffy vegan buttermilk biscuit housing a generous tumble of tofu scramble, vegan cheese that we suspect is Daiya, and tempeh bacon. blog_scuse_me

Make change happen!

2010-10-25T17:37:00.003-04:00

Sacred Chow lives, from a food/nutritional/health/earth/communication/
political point of view, 2 make sure that there is less violence, less disease, less carbon world-wide; 2 reach out 2 as many folks as possible, Sacred Chow is 100% kosher & allergen-sensitive. It boils down 2: "Sacred Chow really wants 2 change our world!" Chow is sacred: And Sacred Chow is here 4 all of us 2 come 2 the table, 2 chow down together, and partake in this sacred mission. Make change happen!

2010-10-19T18:22:00.001-04:00

Sacred Chow
Vegan
Tracey Edwards
18 October 2010
Rating: 5

Sacred Chow is a lovely little bistro on 227 Sullivan Street in New York City, USA. I checked it out on a recent visit, following a recommendation on Facebook. It ticked all the boxes for me!

The selection of salads, sandwiches, tapas, desserts and drinks was vast. I almost couldn’t decide what to try.

In the end, I plumped for Mama’s Soy Meatball sandwich. It was absolutely yummy. I washed it down with a Celery Beet Juice (fresh squeezed). Then…I just had to have the Brownie Sundae, brownie topped with hot fudge sauce, soy ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. It was all beautiful!

The best thing about Sacred Chow are their vegan and eco credentials. They provide all organic, vegan, Kosher, and ethically produced foods. They gather their ingredients locally. It just has a lovely chilled out vibe, I adored the place.

http://www.onekind.org/live_onekind/eating/eating_out_reviews/

Russell Simmons & Simone Reyes like their Chow Sacred!

2010-10-05T18:47:00.007-04:00

Russell Simmons has gone from founding a hip hop music label to creating an urban clothing line to now a reality TV show featuring the ins and outs of his daily life.

Running Russell Simmons premiers November 2nd on the Oxygen channel and chronicles Russell’s life and his staff, including one of his closest assistants Simone Reyes.

Reyes, like Russell, is a vegan and animal rights activist who’s used her publicity to draw attention to various causes, whether that’d be Tweeting about the delicious meal of tempeh hash, vegan frittata, soy buttermilk biscuits and tofu scramble from Sacred Chow restaurant to getting the message out about lost animals and yes, commenting on Lady Gaga’s meat outfit. Read what Reyes had to say about it below, and see a sneak premier of Running Russell Simmons at: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid82588784001?bctid=615494214001.

From Global Grind (On Lady Gaga):

“IF you are talking about rights you must address the rights of ALL LIVING BEINGS- all who suffer. Meat= Suffering. Period. So if you are going to make a statement about not wanting to be treated like “piece of meat” then don’t disregard the plight of the animals that you have draped around your body.”

“Those were animals who had a family, a yearning for a life of peace, a natural instinct to raise her young, a desire to feel sunshine on her face and a plea to not be tortured and a trembling body terrified of being killed – all so that you can have a heart attack on a plate for dinner.

http://vegetarianstar.com/category/reality-tv/

Spicy Veg Pickles

2010-10-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

Dear brilliant folks at Sacred Chow ~

I absolutely adore your restaurant and in particular the pickled veggies.

I searched high and low online for a recipe similar to the one I'd expect you make, but was unsuccessful.

Might you be willing to share the recipe?

I promise I'll only cook it and eat it and give credit to Sacred Chow whenever friends ask about the delicious dish, and will never post it online or anything like that...

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Your loyal and devoted customer,
Tzivya

Hi Tzivya,

Thanks for the kind words. Flattery will get you everywhere. I'll post the recipe to our blog as well, so you can share it with your friends who want to know how you made it.

6 Cups Water
1 1/2 Cups Vinegar
1/4 cup Salt
2 TB Garlic, Chopped
3/4 Cups Sugar
2 Jalapeno chiles, sliced

That's the brine. What you do is get it on the stove, and let it come to a full, rushing boil, and make sure that all the sugar and salt is completely dissolved. Then, turn off the heat, and let it chill in the fridge overnight, until it's cold. This is what ensures that you don't cook the vegetables going into the pickling brine. Do not, under any circumstances, try to add the veg when the brine is hot. This will only result in tears.

Then, you can use any vegetable you have handy: radish, cauliflower, bell pepper, cucumber, green tomato, or any others that your imagination can come up with. If you want to, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds, and a 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds, but that's not strictly required. We don't do all that, and the pickles are still delicious, because you can taste the flavour of the vegetable without the brine overpowering it.

Let the pickles sit in the cold brine for at least 3 days (if you can resist). If you absolutely must have a taste, wait for 24 hours, and then give it a shot. Of course, if you prefer a less spicy version, feel free to cut back on the chiles, remove the seeds, or omit them entirely.

The recipe scales up and down beautifully, so feel free to cut it in half, or double it.

Hope you enjoy it. If you do end up making a batch, please take a picture, and send it along! We'd love to show it to others.

Baked Potato Soup

2010-10-04T13:10:00.003-04:00

It's a cold day (out of nowhere), and we're out of soup. I had baked off some potatoes for something else, and had a few leftover. Hmm. Baked potato soup it is!

4 medium sized Idaho Russet Burbank Potatoes, baked
1 medium onion, diced finely
1 TB oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, whatever)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 TB coconut milk
4 - 6 cups of water (just enough to cover the potatoes)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start in a pot with the onions and oil. When the onions are just cooked through, add the baked potato. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes in the pot, and toss the mashed potatoes with the onions and oil. Pour in the coconut milk, curry powder, and just enough water to cover the potatoes. (Alternately, you could dice up the baked potatoes, and you won't have to bother with a potato masher.) Let the water come up to a full rolling boil, and drop it down to a simmer. Let it cook for 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are really really tender. Turn off the heat, and blend it down to a smooth puree with a stick blender.

Sprinkle on salt and black pepper to your taste (I like a lot of pepper and a good hit of salt).

For whatever reason, I'm eating a bowl full right now, and it's warming me from my toes to the top of my head. Something about a bowl of piping hot soup feels like a warm fuzzy flannel blanket when it's cold out. And since this is a smooth one, I can easily pop it into a to-go coffee containers, and drink it, and feel it energising me from the inside.

And the cool thing is that it's such a simple (yet tasty) recipe.

If you wanted, you could also stir in some nutritional yeast and give it a different dimension. If you had any thyme or rosemary, it would totally bring it up by leaps and bounds. And, think of the other possibilities: it serves as an excellent base for other vegetables. That way, you can have a creamy vegetable soup without all the calories of throwing in loads and loads of cream.

Like, if you steamed off some broccoli, and pureed it with the soup, you'd have a baked potato with broccoli soup (which, come to think of it, sounds pretty awesome. I'll be back in a few minutes.), which you can garnish with a bit of a broccoli floret. A bit of chopped sundried tomato, and you'll have little tangy, tart little bursts going off. A touch of red chile, and you'll be warmed up way faster. Roasted red peppers would be great for a creamy red pepper soup.

The possibilities are endless, and easy to execute.

Hiding

2010-09-30T13:03:00.002-04:00

He doesn't hide anymore. He used to. But not since emerging from that depression.

It was about three years ago when I started working here, and I didn't notice anything off until about a couple of months of working with him in the Office. A vendor would drop in for a visit, and he'd send me in his stead. Customers would come in, asking a question about a specific dish, and he'd send me, or just tell the waitperson the answer.

Constantly hiding, cringing away from outside contact. It was a scary time. The change didn't really hit home until yesterday, when a customer recognised us both, and waved hello. Ordinarily, he'd wave back, and beat a hasty retreat to the basement. Yesterday, he stopped, and chatted with her for a few minutes, and then and only then, came back to the Office.

The other day, I was making a soup or stew or something or another, and the accounting people were on the phone, responding to an email I'd sent. Again, in the past, he'd have me answer the call, talk to them, and then tell him what they told me. Then, he'd think it over, come up with new questions, and have me start the whole process from the start. I said, "Just take the call, please. This is going to burn if I walk away." He did, and about half an hour later, he relayed what they'd talked about. Thank goodness he did take that call, because he brought up so many more points than I'd have known to ask, and had a very productive time of it.

Either way, it's like he's emerged from his cocoon of self-imposed exile, and it's very nice to see. Because now that he's not hiding anymore, he's also reaching out to people who drive him forward. He reconnected with an old customer, Elke, who was the force behind the repainting project. She's such a dynamic person. In a couple of hours, she can manage the job of three people.

And because he's now reaching out to more people, he's also searching, exploring, and finding all sorts of new and delicious foods to make. We've been stretching our creative boundaries, and it shows. Gone are the staid, the obvious, and the tried-and-true. He managed to create a gluten free, sugar free, soy free burger sandwich. I don't even know where he got the idea, but there it was, and it flew off the shelves. He made a gluten free quiche. And we don't have all those fancy flours (sorghum, or millet, or quinoa) and binders (xanthan gum) lying around. And yet it was divinely delicious.

Now that he's reaching out, others are reaching in, and the combination is wonderful for all of us.

Gluten Free Quiche

2010-09-23T15:54:00.002-04:00

Yes, we managed it. I kvetched and I complained, and I badgered relentlessly.

"We keep doing Entree specials with gluten. It's not right!" With all the hundreds of gluten free recipes that man uses on a regular basis, it made absolutely no sense why a simple quiche crust should cripple his creativity. "OK, let me check the Google." He checks the google. Xanthan gum. Something about millet flour. What the heck is sorghum?

"Just make something up! You created a gluten free brownie. A gluten free truffle cake. Go pull something from your imagination. I know you can do this."

He grew thoughtful. "If I use that tart pan, and get some cornmeal ..."

"Yes! Use the tart pan. Get the cornmeal."

As we speak, said gluten free quiche is merrily baking away in the oven. There is absolutely no reason to think that you can't do something until you actually try. Then, if you fail, you analyse why you failed, and try again. Then once you succeed, you begin to fine-tune, and perfect. Once it's perfect, you make sure you can replicate your results, consistently. Then you try something new, and more exciting.

And never say "I can't."

Vegan Quiche

2010-09-23T13:41:00.002-04:00

Never say you can't do something

2010-09-22T13:53:00.003-04:00

He's not one to lecture. That's not his style. He prefers to remind gently, and let you do the math yourself. "Remeber when we first started out, Dino? How difficult it was, and being stretched in a hundred different directions? I'd ask you if you could do something, and you'd say 'I don't think I can do that'." I do. This morning was a prime example.

He'd made this list of products to give this guy who's finding us new wholesale accounts. He wanted me to reorder the list. I was whining, because the list wasn't automatically numbered, as would be the norm, but manually numbered. This makes it a pain in the behind to make any such thing happen. Also, Word has that charming habit of randomly flinging your text in random directions when you so much as sneeze at it.

I pouted, I whined, and I made it happen.

Funny how that works.

He's never let me think there's something I can't do. If I claim lack of expertise in the area, he tells me to go /acquire/ it. "Can't __________" is simply not an option. Not when there's so very much that needs to get done. This isn't denial of physical constraints. He never expects me to push myself to beyond what I can physically do in the time alloted. This is more about limitations I place on myself, for whatever reason.

Sure, it'd be easier to give things up as a lost cause, and just take it as it comes. But then, as I've told Preefer countless times, "What's the point of working at something if it's easy? Anything worthwhile takes effort, and time, and perfection." So there I was, using the auto-number feature, removing extraneous spaces, and sorting things out in the manner requested.

I guess I really can do it.

Regrets

2010-09-19T09:29:00.002-04:00

Decisions.

Boss man tends to agonise over them. He asks for the opinions of all the people he knows, then does nothing. Then he goes through a second, third, fourth, and thirtieth round. Then he still does nothing. Finally he'll be backed into a corner, throw up his hands, and do what he wanted to do in the first place. Before he has to let someone working at Chow know that it's just not working out, he gives them like fifty "last time" warnings. He'll put himself out, so that the customer isn't getting crap, while that person continues to deteriorate.

Then, looking back, he has no regrets. He might have doubts, but definitely not regrets.

I, on the other hand, tend to make snap decisions. I sat bolt upright in bed one night, while living in Florida, and said, "We're moving to New York." A month later, we did. If I've got it into my fool head that I want to do something, I go and do it. In the end, it works out, but in the long run, there are unforseen consequences to those actions that I have to face for not thinking things through enough.

Looking back, I have no regrets. I have annoyance at the consequences, but definitely not regrets.

What's the major difference between the two of us?

I have no responsibilities to others. He does. Between his son (huge huge monumental responsibility), his family, his business, the workers in his business, and himself (notice how I list him last? That's how parents think.), he's got a world of responsibility on his shoulders. I, on the other hand, am responsible for the well-being of myself and my husband (again, notice the order). Sure, I'll see to it that my husband is fed first, and I eat only when he's had his fill. Sure, I'll stay late at the office, until the work is done. I don't, however, lose sleep over whether or not my son is learning all he needs to learn at school. Whether my business is going to fly or flop. Whether I'll finally be able to take a pay cheque after all these years.

Boss Man is strong and confident, but when you've got all these lives that you're responsible for, how else can you behave, but to be cautious? I sometimes lose patience over my perception that Boss Man isn't making snap decisions fast enough, but if I pull back and look at the bigger picture, I realise that it's actually because he's thoughtful, and careful. When you've got a kid to raise, and people to pay, and everyone to take care of, suddenly the snap decisions turn into more like slow, plodding ones. If you didn't devote that much time and care to it, people's lives are at stake.

I'm reminded of my mother, who does the same thing. To make a decision, she takes a very long time. She'll ask everyone for their input, and just sit and think on it for a few weeks. When she's formulated a plan, she'll put it into action. Then, when all the pieces have fallen into place, she'll act decisively and quickly.

And looking back, none of us have had any regrets.

Catching up

2010-09-16T17:53:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, I'll be sending a stack of documents over to our new accountant. They work as a team, and keep everything electronically organised, and do /everything/ for us. And, they're happy to accept the documents via email, fax, or regular mail, or they'll send someone to pick up the stuff monthly, weekly, daily, what have you. In other words, slowly but surely, we're starting to get these things cleared up.

What does that mean? We can finally start drawing up a budget with which to repaint the restaurant, spruce it up a bit, and make it a comfortable place to come with large groups, small groups, or alone. And it only took three years.

I started working here in 2007. Things were pretty shaky. The books were messy, the menus were hideous (does anyone remember those awful spiral bound things? ew.), the website was an atrocity, and there was no system for getting things done. I'd come in to have food (before I worked here), and they'd be out of whatever it is I was wanting the most at that moment (generally, ginger soba noodles, soup, and a sinner bar to round things out). The service was okay, but not great. Food would take a fair bit of time to come up even when it wasn't crowded.

When I did fall into a manegerial role, I started with the easiest thing first: those menus. Once that was sorted, then I attacked the website. Then, I started in on making a catering menu. Piece by painful piece, boss man and I made things happen in such a manner that the kitchen is tight, service is outstanding, and we keep on each others case when we're slacking.

A prime example is when we're creating the daily specials. Preefer's so used to it by now. "Hey, how 'bout we do that seitan sausage." It's gotten to where he says it for me, "But that has gluuuuuuuuten!" Or when he's making dessert? "Can we make that sugar free and gluten free?" Or when it comes to soup, "Does it /really/ need that soy in there?" Why? Because we push each other to do the best that we can do, the most exciting food that we can produce, while still keeping an eye on labour, costing, portion control, the whole nine.

And now we're able to do that with our books too. It's a nice feeling.

Eggless Tofu Salad, Ariix Style

2010-09-14T15:08:00.003-04:00

My friend Joanne from Canada makes this eggless egg salad that's stellar. She graciously agreed to share it. The reason I bring it up is because I whipped up a quick batch today, because I was hungry, and nothing looked good (you know those days). I was starting to need something protein filled, because my energy was flagging a bit, and my tummy was rumbling a bit. The soup wasn't completed yet, and I /really/ wasn't in the mood for firm tofu (which is how the grilled tofu is, since it's frozen and thawed). It was just one of those days.

From memory, I whipped up a quick batch. Of course, I used our own Soy Milk Mayo for it, because I'm not trying to go spend $5 on a jar of the commercial vegan mayo. For this particular batch, I totally forgot the dijon mustard, which would have made it perfection. I also skipped the tamari, because I couldn't find any. :P I just added salt instead. I also added some chopped New York Half Sour Pickles. Because everything is better with half sours.

1 lb firm tofu, crumbled
1-2 rib(s) celery, thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced, or 2-4 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 cup Vegan mayonnaise (or to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
black pepper and salt to taste

Mix it all together and put in the fridge for a few hours to let
the flavours blend. Serve in sandwiches, or on a bed of lettuce,
etc.

Sacred Chow

It wasn't as bad as we thought it'd be.

I /still/ don't ever want to own a restaurant.

Organic /can/ be accessible.

Plain

Be who you are.

In my dreams...Add some extra greatness!

If you can make ________, you can just as easily make ________.

Sometimes you have to look for it.

Sacred Chow – 100% vegan

Sacred Chow all Gussied up: Gr8 review 2!

December 4, 2011

Sacred Chow

For perfectly steamed millet and quinoa

It gets better

In Belarus: Cliff's Great Grandma Leah

rejointed + chickpea-rice flour recipe: g.f..

Another Fab Yelpster Review! (I am an addict!)

a stage of stooges: give thanks, it's not urs! (happy tofu day!)

Yelp out loud!

"Sacred Chow: trailblazer 4 the Tav HaYosher in the U.S.!"

Love for Bryanna Clark Grogan

"Sacred Chow: I idolize you!"

Here's our tasty pick: "Sacred Chow!"

Mushrooms

FOOD IS POWER. EAT THE POWER. FEEL THE POWER. FOOD IS LOVE!

LIQUID LOVE!

"Love it here!!!" Ain't nothin' more 2 say!!!

Fixing Mistakes, continued

Cake mistakes!

Fixing as you go along.

Random tip: Reuse pickle vinegar

"Can you make a pasta dish?" "What if there's gluten free folk?"

Beans, Beets, and Buddies

Tofu Saag Paneer

Creamier Hummus

Turmeric Cooking

Peel a head of garlic FAST

Bring each other kindness

Creme de la Creme: Tofu-style

Veg & Daal

How your roasted veg should NOT look if you want to peel them easily.

Chilly Weather Stuff

Double the onions.

Three 3s

Ginger

Everything right is wrong and now right again.

Happy 1000th post!

Uphill both ways, right?

What to do for the hurricane?

"just make a note"

The world is waiting.

"You're the only ones with NOTHING!"

Let it be, and it shall be.

Reclaim your bread!

"When you open up your generosity to others, the universe finds way to bring it back."

"I don't care about the credit; I just want to be heard."

Bursting w Gay Pride!

"It's not you, it's her."

A warm blanket from G-D.

mAkE lEsS vIoLeNcE: eAt PlAnT pRoTeInS!

... because you helped me clean up so much.

Sweet Potato-Cassava Dill.

Bleat like a zygote.

Separate is not equal!

I like onion sandwiches.

Mixed rice

Fat is good, but not something you want too much of.

Classic Coconut Buttercream Layer Cake. Vegan & G.F!

Halva-Nutella Hero.

Comfort their darkness.

Juicing for your stomach

I can feed you!

what a beautiful sabbath!

thinkin' bout buildin' life wo picklin' my fellow beings!

3+ hour Health Dept Inspection Yields:

point .36 x's ur weight gives u amt of protein p.d.

Perfect Plant Protein Cheesecake

Serving Up A Bit Of Yum, Plate By Plate

Misoooooooooooo

If you can make , you can just as easily make .