Posts Tagged ‘Vegan’

A Great Carrot Gratin

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Posted 02 Mar 2011 — by chefshirle
Category Gardening, Organic Produce, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’ll admit it…I’m a Veg-aholic. I love all vegetables, even the lowly beet. I’m constantly on the look out for new ways of preparing old versions of veggie side dishes. So, after a day of cooking potato gratin for my clients and drooling over the decadence that IS all things “gratin,” I came home to a fridge full of carrots. The urge I had to make a gratin that night forced me to eye up those sweet, orange roots in a new way. I thought, “why not carrots instead of potatoes?”…and was pleasantly surprised at the creamy deliciousness that I had created.

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Sage Sizzle…No Shizzle!

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Posted 25 Feb 2011 — by chefshirle
Category Gardening, Herbs, Organic Gardening, Organic Produce, Vegan, Vegetarian

I had a bumper crop of Sage last fall. It seemed such a waste to just let it die off as winter approached and, as you might know, I have an issue with “wasting” herbs. (see my “Herb Preserve” post to see how far I’ve gone to save some herbage)

Anyway, I noticed the trend of frying herbs about 2 years ago and hadn’t yet experimented with this idea until last fall.

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Stop Monsanto’s Genetically Modified (GMO) Alfalfa-NOW!

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Posted 01 Feb 2011 — by chefshirle
Category Gardening, Organic Gardening, Organic Produce, Vegan, Vegetarian

HOLY HELL! Monsanto is at it again… Read this:

We just found out that “after years of bureaucratic wrangling, Secretary Vilsack and the Obama administration are only days away from approving Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) alfalfa. If approved, GMO alfalfa will fundamentally undermine the entire organic industry overnight. In addition, the USDA says American consumers don’t care about the contamination of organics.

Please join us in calling on Secretary Vilsack and President Obama to stand up for organic family farmers by rejecting the approval of Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa. Tell them to protect organic integrity and seed biodiversity over corporate profits.”

Go here and make your voice heard. It will only take a short second to save generations of Organic Farmers crops and livelihoods. DO IT!

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The Art of Making Seitan – 101

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Posted 31 Jan 2011 — by chefshirle
Category Megafaun, Seitan, Vegan, Vegetarian

I remember the very first time I tried Seitan, it was while I was attending Berklee College of Music in Boston and a friend of mine took me to this health food store on Newbury Street. She picked up a nondescript plastic container and opened the lid. Inside was what looked like chunks of brown meat. I asked her what we were looking at and she simply said “Seitan.” Of course, I thought she said “Satan” and replied back with a “Wha?” and a strange look. She then explained how the word was spelled, that it was a ‘wheat-meat’ made from gluten with a high protein percentage and she also explained that the store made their own from scratch. We took it back to her apartment where we made a stir fry. That first bite was wonderful. It tasted like, and had the texture of, meat. But it wasn’t meat. I was hooked.

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Radical Riffs: From Produce Sack to Pot Scrubber.

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Posted 16 Dec 2010 — by chefshirle
Category Kitchen Tips, Kitchen Tricks, Organic Produce, Recycled Merchandise

It began innocently enough, I had bought a couple netted bags of brussel sprouts, then came the net bag of small red potatoes. Next thing I knew it was clementine season and those little citrus gems came in a little net bag as well. And I couldn’t or wouldn’t throw the colorful bags away. They had to be good for some reuse, right?

Well, right on I was, one night at my kitchen sink…you see, I have a metal scrubby that I happily use on my stainless steel pots and pans, but I had nothing similar to scrub up my more delicate cookware. Until I started to look at that metal puff sitting there on my soap dish. Its construction seemed simple…layers of netted metal all rolled into a neat donut. Read More

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Katrina Ford of Celebration – Recording, Touring & Cooking on the Road

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Posted 12 Dec 2010 — by David Koslowski
Category Music, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian

Rockin’ The Stove has been enormous fans of the Baltimore band Celebration since the release of their 2005 self-titled debut on 4AD Records. The band creates mystical soul stirring music that in a live setting can put you into a trance, making you feel like you are attending a secret ritual. After releasing their fantastic 2nd full-length, The Modern Tribe and touring the hell out of it, Celebration has been keeping quiet for the past couple of years. They’ve been sneaking out a song or two here and there via their website as part of their Electric Tarot project. We caught up with vocalist/percussionist, Katrina Ford, to talk about the band’s upcoming LP Hello Paradise on Friends Records (December 22nd) and how she rocks the stove when they are on the road.

RTS: Hello Paradise will be your first album in three years, you’re no longer with 4AD and now on Friends Records. Can you tell us a little about this transition and how the new record differs from your previous work?

Katrina Ford: With 4AD, we had had a few years of touring and making records with our friends which was awesome, but because of their size and prestige, we had to do things we didn’t like so much. We come from the old school you know, ridin’ around in a dirty van, playin’ some kid’s mom’s basement selling 7″s and homemade patches. So, we were like the Beverly Hillbillies when it came to the business. We’d show up to these fancy places get fed and talk to lawyers, negotiate budgets with the behemoth, get our picture taken, go on press tours, it was all part of the package. We did that and we were given some great opportunities and had some fun.

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Birth Of A Baker

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Posted 04 Dec 2010 — by chefshirle
Category Baking, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’ll admit it from the get-go. I am NOT a baker. Never have been, and most likely never will be. For me, baking is way too exact, something you cant muss with during the assembling of ingredients. I’ve made loaves of Challah bread that you could have used as a baseball bat to knock one out of the park. I’ve made muffins that the Philadelphia Flyers would have loved as hockey pucks. Not good to eat, mind you. With baking you have to know what you are doing and be as exact as possible. This is why I cook as opposed to bake. I can add or subtract anything while I cook, taste testing as I go and adjusting to my hearts content. But not so in baking. This, my husband David finds interesting. While we have “tried” cooking together he, unlike myself, sticks to a recipe as if the world depended on it, whereas I don’t. Call it experience, call it rebelliousness, but I always see another way to prepare a dish. This frustrates him to no end.

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Berlin, Germany – Not Just Beer and Brats

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Posted 26 Nov 2010 — by chefshirle
Category Berlin, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian

Berlin Sign

Berlin, Germany…not necessarily the first place one would consider visiting when writing a veggie-vegan based food blog, is it? Germany, at least in my mind, is a pork-centric kind of place, where brats rule the day and wienerschnitzel is as commonplace as our mac and cheese. But man, was I ever wrong. Who knew that I would find more places than I could possible try in the ten days I visited, to experience Berlin’s veggie and vegan fare. It was mind blowing…from the very casual vegan Curry Wursts at Yellow Sunshine to the upscale (but oh-so affordable) dining experience of Cafe V, we sampled our way through what this city of eco-conscience, organically driven and free spirited people had to offer.

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San Sebastian, Spain – It’s Not All About The Pig

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Posted 26 Dec 2009 — by chefshirle
Category San Sebastian, Spain, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wine

Shirle’ in San Sebastian Spain

 

Spain, throughout its history, has been known as the capital of the pig. As far back as the 15th century, the Catholics decided to eat pig with a passion once they booted out the Islamic and Jewish people from the land. Since that time pork products abound here in every conceivable way imaginable. From the famous Iberian ham to the spicy chorizo sausage; Spain’s ownership of the pig has been its trademark in the culinary world.

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A Sweet Treat To Make In The Heat – No Cook Key Lime Tartlets

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Posted 23 Aug 2009 — by chefshirle
Category Desserts, Raw, Vegan

 Vegan Raw Key Lime Pie Tartlets

As we approach the final days in this Summer’s cauldron I am looking for ways to make great food without starting up the stove. This sweet retreat from the heat came at the perfect time. August rays were baking this girl’s will to create anything that had to do with stove, grill or oven. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for Fall’s bounty and cooler temps.

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