Fourth of July Tapas Party

Black & Green Olive Tapanade w/ Roasted Garlic on Melba Toast

One of the best things about being home for the summer was having access to a fully stocked, recently remodeled kitchen. Using the new convection oven was epic and always having the grill by my side was something I began to take for granted. Of course then, any opportunity to utilize the beautiful new kitchen I took. In particular, my parents dinner parties were a favorite time to try out some new recipes.

Here's a look at a few other tapas dishes from our Fourth of July Party:

Sauteed Spinach w/ Caramelized Onion in Puff Pastry

Grilled Eggplant Baba Ghanoush

Spicy Hummus w/ Chickpeas and Cayenne

The Rise of the Veg Community

So I have to say that in the almost 7 years I've been a vegetarian/vegan, I have yet to notice such a peaking interest among so many varied people as now. More than ever, vegan options are popping up on menus, student populations are advocating for Meatless Monday's, and vegetarianism in general is making the headlines multiple times a day.

Among the numerous articles I could post, this one from the Daily Princeton illuminates how vegetarians are slowly creeping to outnumber the omnivorous. A change in consciousness is occurring among the youth who cannot remember the days before McDonald's and all forms of processed animals products, at a time when food, health, and the environment is more important than ever.

Another prime example is the prominence of vegan/vegetarian chefs and veg-friendly options in fine dining establishments.

Vegan Chef Chloe Coscarelli is among such, having won Food Network's cupcake wars with her Vegan Raspberry Tiramisu Cupcakes. Though I've made these luscious cupcakes twice now (pictures to come soon), I must say they are a bit sweet for my taste. Still, others have gobbled them down and the win alone is a great win for veganism.

One dish of Chloe's I did absolutely adore was hers was the Mexicali Sliders with Cajun Yam Fries! [Picture Above] I reproduced these for my family, and even my meat-eating parents asked for the recipe to make again. The texture of the sliders was just right and went perfect with a big, cold slab of fresh guacamole. I definitely suggest you try one of her recipes out! I'm going for the Beach Cookies next in an attempt to recreate Harvard's infamous (infamous to me at least!) coconut bars, yum!

The Power of Plants!

So after a long hiatus, I return. I spent the summer months cooking up new recipes, checking out amazing vegan eateries and farm fresh foods, and really discovering a lot about the role each of us has to ultimately determine our health through simple life-style choices.

My mother has, for as long as I can remember, always had health issues... high blood pressure, heart problems: my grandma died of a heart attack and my mother had one too. This summer my whole family and I included worked together towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.... and by the end of the summer, my mom's blood pressure was lower than it had ever been, and her doctor was talking about taking her off her medication! The individual has immense power over their own life, even over those things we think out of our control... we make our own reality and this is just a small, amazing testament to that.

With that in mind, here's just a few links to some new studies and videos supporting this idea in relation to health... showing us how a plant-based diet has the potential power to reverse even some of the worst medical conditions. What we decided to subject our bodies to determines how our bodies grow, or fall.

Bill Clinton on how a plant-based diet has helped him lose 24 pounds: "So I did all his research and I saw that 82 percent of the people since 1986 who have gone on a plant-based, no dairy or meat of any kind, no chicken, turkey—I eat very little fish, once in a while I’ll have a little fish; not often—if you can do it, 82 percent of the people who have done that have begun to heal themselves"

Time's food writer Mark Bittman's Vegan Before Dinnertime (in Food Matters): "Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal … and my sleep apnea indeed went away. All these good things happened, and it wasn’t as if I was suffering so I stayed with it…. I have not eliminated anything completely from my diet."

Some books to check out:

The China Study

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery

The Engine 2 Diet

Walgreens is now selling fresh fruits and veggies at stores in Manhattan, Denny's now has a vegan veggie patty on their menu, and the support for flexitarian options such as Meatless Monday and Time's food writer, Mark Bittman's, Vegan Before Dinnertime.

And its no wonder since 3 out of every 4 Americans is expected to be obese by 2020 and the environmental impacts of factory farming (not to mention the horrible, abusive conditions for the farmed animals) are becoming more and more evident everyday...

Three Days Eating as a Vegan

Thought I might give the short introduction to life as a vegan: delicious, healthy, and a great variety

Day One

Breakfast: Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices on it, a few strawberries, and a cup of gunpowder green tea
Lunch: Bean burrito with sauteed bell peppers and onions, guacamole and chips + sparkling water
Snack: Three-bean salad
Dinner: Vegan french toast + spinach salad w/ sliced fresh strawberries, walnuts, and beets w/ balsamic vinegar
Late-night Snack: Darjeeling tea

Day Two

Breakfast: Smoothie (frozen strawberries, frozen blackberries, fresh banana, apple juice, flax seed), small vegan bran muffin
Lunch: Curried cous-cous with peas, crasians, sauteed red onions, and softened apples w/ brown sugar + sparkling water
Dinner: Fried tofu marinated in hoisin sauce + lentils & brown rice
Dessert: Vegan chocolate chip cookie :D
Late-night Snack: Fresh Strawberries

Day Three

Breakfast: Steel-cut oats with flax seed, maple syrup, kiwi slices, and cinnamon
Lunch: Collard Greens with fresh garlic and red onions braised in vegetable broth with tomatoes and red pepper flakes, stir-fried veggies (lima beans, edamame, onions, carrots, and button mushrooms) w/ rice noodles
Snack: Golden Delicious Apple
Snack: Soy double cappuccino from Equal Exchange Cafe
Dinner: Falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, whole wheat pita, and ciaro salad from Falafel Corner (own pita :) )
Late-night snack (still to come!): Whole wheat bagel with tofutti cream cheese, spinach, and sundried tomatoes

New Vegan Frappuccino's at Starbucks

When I heard that Starbucks was starting their new DIY frappuccino program, and that it included the possibility of making your frappuccino vegan, I--of course--was very pleased. It's always great to hear that more and more mainstream places are offering vegan and vegetarian fare. This short article by the Observer's restaurant critic describes this new surge in vegetarian fare, particularly in the upper escalón of the industry, as the haute vegetarian revolution.

Anyway, so I went today to go try this DIY frapp for myself. It really was great the amount of choice now (of course, this is at Starbucks, the place that already seems to have way too much choice to begin with). Do note, some of the flavors and bases may not be vegan. For example, the light base is non-vegan, there is milk in it. So be sure to ask the barista beforehand.

It was only after receiving my order that I remembered why it was I hadn't gone to starbucks in about two years.... even if they are offering vegan fare, it still sucks. I got the plain coffee base, but the soy they use is vanilla so it just taste of vanilla... in fact, like a blended vanilla soy milkshake. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. It was packed with sugar, with little substantive taste. Also a bad idea to grab one for a pick-me-up, because it works instead as a downer (headache included) once the sugar wears off... only about 30 minutes after.

I guess I learned my lesson. The frappuccino is what it is, and still not any better because it's vegan. But if the sugary, high-calorie, icy dessert is your thing, then I'm glad you at least have the option of getting it cruelty-free now. More choice, in my opinion, is always better.

Three Day Challenge

So it's finals time... I'm basically out of commission until next Saturday at noon. By that time I will be done (hopefully) with two more essays and two finals. I've just completed two, one due today, one due Wednesday.

After that it will be blog-city for the rest of summer starting with our four day trip to NYC (which you can be sure will be all about food!... I've already made a list of where I want to go...). Until then, I wanted to give a short update:

1. GUAC OFF! I'm entering the Harvard guacamole making contest next Wednesday; hopefully it will go well. I was planning to enter my house Top Chef, but off course my house (Leverett) sucks and decided not to do it...

2. I'm trying to show how easy it is to be a vegan so I'm going to do a three-day round up of my meals, basically what a vegan eats from day to day :) Started off good so far with a vegan thai tea with boba & a Mediterranean wrap from boloco!

Tapas at Toro

La Especialidad de la Casa. Grilled corn with alioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cheese

Over Restaurant Week, Antonio & I took our friends out to the South End to enjoy some Tapas at Toro. With a lovely oak-stained wooden interior, Toro exudes an old-world, traditional Spanish vibe that seeps through into the modern world by way of Beatles' music & its eclectic customers out for a mid-day brunch. It's a small space but open & airy enough that you could spend hours in there (and, in fact, we ended up doing so).

As to be expect from a Spanish restaurant, garlic is a favorite and prominent ingredient in most dishes. I thought it pair great with their Spanish-style Bruschetta. Many of the items were moderately priced for the amount you got & while simplistic in ingredients, everything was fresh & worked great together.

Oh yeah, and they are very accommodating to vegans as well. I ended up not opting into the Restaurant Week menu, but I think it turned out to be a better deal anyway since my portions were a bit bigger. If you are coming here for an afternoon lunch or evening dinner, since it is quite small, be prepared to put up with some slow service. We didn't really mind, but it's not the type of place you can sit down for a quick meal.

Here are some of the pictures from my meal (the top picture is obviously not vegan, but I had to include it because its a great picture & their house special; the last dish is amazing):

Marinated olives in bay leaf, lemon and spices


Fried potatoes with alioli and spicy tomato sauce

Marinated wood roasted eggplant, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with sherry vinegar and olive oil

Toro $$$
1704 Washington St.
Boston, MA
617.536.4300