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

Detox Day One: Veggie Day

So we (Antonio & I) started our spring cleaning detox, working to flush the toxins out; combined with some yoga & extra meditation, I think this something my body has been needing this, a kick-start as finals go into full gear. Here's the link to the detox info.

Today is veggies only day (raw or mostly raw, only water & herbal tea, no salt, oil, extra fats etc).... even I--as a vegan obsessed with getting my veggie intake--can only take so much raw veggies alone (at least the raw foodist gets some nuts & fruits in the mix). Anyway, the day is almost over & was survived with help from a packet of organic seaweed (sea veggies!) which, by the way, can help reduce fat intake by 75%! For only 10 calories a sheet & no salt, I knew this was always a great snack :) I also subsisted on various crudites.

Tomorrow, thankfully, will be fruit day! That means smoothies, fruit juice, & a big bowl of fruit salad all day... I can def. subsist on an all fruit smoothie or two; that's often a breakfast favorite of mine that fills me up till way past lunch :D

Saturday will be fasting day; lots of herbal tea, two glasses of fruit juice, & curling up with a warm blanket (Keep warm! Being cold makes us hungry because food warms us up)... I'm actually getting up extra early because I could NOT resist attending the Harvard Culinary Society Taste Tripping party! hmm...

...I'll keep you updated on the process. :)

My Thursday Night Dinner Date: New Rafiki Bistro near Harvard Square

So I was just alerted as to the soft-opening next Tuesday of Rafiki Bistro, a health-oriented up-scale bistro with a focus on using all-natural, eco-friendly & organic products. If you know me, you know that the words health-oriented, all-natural, eco-friendly, & organic are music to my ears... the only thing that could improve such a phrase would be the word 'vegan'. Sure enough, they not only have numerous vegan options (from vegan scones to vegetarian chili to lentil burgers) but they offer tofutti cream cheese! I've just become a recent convert to tofutti cream cheese: I love real cream cheese & so I was amazed this stuff was such an amazing replica of the yummy taste with way less fat & calories (& suffering)!

Anyway, I digress. As soon as I saw my email I knew this was going to be our next date night dinner for next Thursday... though I am just as compelled to go there by myself for a cafe trip (they have free wifi!) for some fair-trade tea & delicious vegan baked goods.

I suggest everyone check out their menu & website. I, for one, am very excited about this opening & will post as soon as I get the chance to try it out for myself!









Rafiki Cambridge Bistro
1682 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.661.7810