Vegetarianism. What exactly is a vegetarian? You talk to any old school chefs and they’ll balk at the idea of someone not eating meat. My Missus is a veggie but she eats seafood and…..bacon. I know. I gave up trying to figure that one out ages ago. I still pull the piss though. Believe it or not she’s not alone, we know a couple of these types. (The bacon eating variety). Even though she labels herself a ‘fishetarian’ I still find it funny. Back when I was a yut, being a vegetarian meant you didn’t eat any meat, dairy or eggs. Seems the definition has had several rounds of changes since then and the term Vegan started the rounds as the more strict version of vegetarianism.. I found this great article about the meaning of vegetarianism. To quote:

Vegetarian

This is a general term. About 5 percent of the current U.S. population considers themselves to be vegetarian, although a number of varying dietary habits fall into this category. Usually this term refers to someone who doesn’t eat any kind of meat, including beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and seafood. However, there are many people who don’t quite match this description, but still use this label.
These include …

Pollo-Vegetarian
Pesco-Vegetarian
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian
Lacto-Vegetarians
Ovo-Vegetarians
Vegan
Macrobiotic
Fruitarian
Raw or Living Food Diet

Fruitarian? The first time I heard this term was in the film Notting Hill when Hugh Grant’s prospective girlfriend said picking an apple from a tree was murder. Have we lost the plot? I’ve heard of  Lacto/Ovo….can you just imagine being at a cocktail party and someone asks you why you’re not eating and you say, “I’m lacto-ovo-vegetarian”? Now, that wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility here in La La land but anywhere else, you might get a slap.
While I’m certainly not any of these, I do appreciate delicious food, even ‘vegetarian’ food. I’m a meat eater who loves veg and while having a penchant for stuffing meat, (Mr. Keyes!) I also have a penchant for soy proteins especially seitan. Strange? Not if it tastes good!

Los Angeles, being “The mecca of health and fitness” (according to Gold’s Gym), has a lot of delicious vegetarian/vegan/macrobiotic restaurants around town. I like eating at said restaurants not just because they’re healthy but more often than not, they’re using organic, sustainable & seasonable ingredients, which is a major plus in my book. While I’ve only eaten at a few of these restaurants I thought it worthy to write about them, especially since I hit up two this past weekend.

I mentioned recently about the Real Food Daily restaurant here in LA, which is my #1 go-to healthy place, which I frequent about once or twice a month. I’ve been going there for years and overall I just really like their food even though it’s totally vegan. If only I could learn to cook these soy proteins as well as they do! Tacos, meatloaf, burritos, soups and desserts—everything is meat, dairy and egg free using foods grown exclusively with organic farming methods. The owner, Ann Gentry must be doing something right ’cause the place I go to in Santa Monica is always jointed.

Last weekend we also ate at M Cafe de Chaya in Culver City, which serves macrobiotic food without any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry. They have everything from sushi to salads & sandwiches to soups and of course healthy desserts. Being a macro eatery they serve fish but I’ll let you read up on that yourself. This was my second time going there and I really liked it, especially their Seitan Katsu Bowl. I don’t know what katsu sauce is but it was tasty!

Another macrobiotic restaurant we’ve tried, which came recommended to me by Meg, a fellow blogger, is actually in my Venice hood. Seed is both vegan and macro and serves delicious curries, tempeh burgers, salads and of course, amazing desserts. Now that I’m thinking about it we’ll have to pop in to try their seitan. I’m telling you, this protein is tasty. Don’t believe me–try it with my jerk recipe and you’ll be sold!

I love having the option of going to a restaurant like these and getting the type of food I want at the drop on a hat. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a drive thru with these healthy, vegetarian & sustainable options?

What a dynamite weekend we had! On Friday night we were invited to our friends, Van & Kelly’s house for some homemade pizza from their brand new wood burning pizza oven. Two years ago we spent Thanksgiving with them–you may remember the spread they put on for nearly 30 of us! They love to entertain so they built an amazing outdoor kitchen (my dream!) which we were excited to check out. One word: MUSTARD!

The deal was they’d make the dough, sauce and provide the cheese, salad & wine. (Did I mention they just got back from a wine trip to France & Italy? Result!) We were to bring the toppings and the beers. It was a lot fun getting creative with the toppings. We brought over grilled veg, roast chicken, broiled balsamic radicchio, Prosciutto, homemade peanut sauce, fresh herbs and shredded carrots. Sounds crazy right? We made a veggie pizza, a chicken & veggie pizza, a hot pepper (straight from their garden) & Prosciutto pizza, a Thai pizza (using the fresh peanut sauce, shredded carrots, Thai basil & cilantro), a radicchio pizza (using the shredded carrots to balance out the bitterness from the radicchio) and well, a mix of everything really for the others.

What a perfect idea for a dinner party even if you don’t have your own wood burning oven. Everyone gets to take a turn making a pizza which is great craic really.

Here’s the standard recipe for homemade pizza:

RECIPE:
Makes 4 pizza crusts

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups flour + additional for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the yeast and warm water in a mixing bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes approx, or until the yeast becomes active (it’ll start to bubble). Once it’s ready, add it to an electric mixer and gradually add in the olive oil, flour & salt. Mix with the dough hook until the dough comes together. Remove from mixer and on a floured surface (to prevent sticking) roll into a large ball. Divide the dough into 4 equally sized balls and place on an oiled oven tray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put the tray in a warm dry place until it rises, 45 minutes approx.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

When ready to make your pizzas, sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and roll out the dough to a thin crust using a rolling pin. Be sure to dust your rolling pin with flour to also prevent from sticking. NOTE: The dough rises when baking which is why you want roll it into a thin crust prior.
Place the pizza base on a floured oven tray and add your toppings.

As for how long your pizzas take to bake, just keep an eye on it. I like the bottom of mine to be crispy but not burned.
TIP: The key here is to have your meat and vegetable toppings already cooked. You’re basically baking the dough and warming up the rest so there’s no worry if the meats are cooked through or not.

We had such an amazing time as always. Thinking about asking Santa for a pizza oven—I say I have two hopes: No hope and Bob Hope. Good thing Van & Kelly live close by!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I got a call yesterday from my friend and celebrity trainer, Valerie Waters, asking if I had any lentil recipes. As fate would have it, I not only had a bag of lentils sitting on my counter, I had a recipe in mind which I was planning to whip up this week. Looks like great minds think alike. (If you saw my FB post yesterday this would most definitely make sense!)

I’ve made this dish before using bulgur wheat, which also turned out great. Val wanted a gluten-free option so I omitted the bulgur and added eggplant. Come to think of it, adding garbanzo beans (chick peas) or even peas would be smashing like.

RECIPE:
Serves 6ish

1 1lb bag of lentils – picked through and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken or veg stock
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp sun-dried or regular tomato paste
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large red onions, sliced
1 – 2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 medium eggplant – diced
dash of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Begin with caramelizing the onions. Heat a large saute pan on medium heat then add in 2 – 3 tbsp oil. Saute the onions for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until they are very brown, raising the heat towards the end to caramelize them.

When the onions are done, transfer to a plate until needed. Add the eggplant to the same pan with 2 tbsps of olive oil and a dash of cinnamon and a tsp of salt. By using the same pan, you’ll get hints of the sweet caramelized onion flavour in the eggplant. Saute on medium heat for 15 mins approx, or longer if necessary, until the eggplant is soft and cooked through.
TIP: If the eggplant has soaked up all the olive oil, add a another drizzle to keep from sticking. (Eggplant tends to soak up oil right away.)

While the eggplant is cooking, bring the stock to a boil. Add in the bay leaf, allspice, ground chili powder and tomato paste. Stir well and taste–you can add in more spices if you prefer. Add in the lentils and reduce to a simmer covered, for 15 mins approx, or until the lentils are nearly tender.
Add 1 tsp salt and pepper.
NOTE: This is where you’d add in the bulgur wheat, if using.
Continue to simmer the lentils for an additional 20 mins approx, with the lid on, adding a little water if they become too dry. You want the lentils to be soft but not mushy so keep an eye on them. When done, stir in 4 tbsp of olive oil to prevent clumping.

Fold in the eggplant. Spoon individual portions and top with the caramelized onions.

This Syrian and Lebanese dish can be served hot or cold and is usually accompanied with yogurt, though I’ve never tried it that way. I’m quite happy with them hot, especially with the sweet caramelized onions on top! Tasty!

NOTE: As I was typing about the peas, I realized I had some frozen peas in the freezer so I thought I’d try it out. I sauteed them in a little stock, drained them then added them into the lentils. Added a lovely bit of colour wouldn’t you say?

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

Did everyone have a good Halloween? Now what to do with all those pumpkins? You could try this idea–

(How cool is that?)

Or you could make some tasty dishes such as these:

Fresh Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers
Pumpkin Risotto Cakes
Pumpkin Banana Bread

I’ll be making some more pumpkin recipes soon so keep checkin’ back.

Cheers!

Nothing like being called up last minute to do a bbq for new clients, but as usual I was able to pull it off without a hitch! (Thank God!) The host couple were friends of friends, who were visiting from Australia on business for a couple of weeks. Call it a Hello/Goodbye barbecue. I love these types of small causal gigs where I get to showcase my personality as well as my food. I adapted a bunch of previously posted recipes and turned them into this simple afternoon barbecue. Here’s a few pics from the day of yours truly in action.

MENU:

ANTIPASTO PLATTER
Trio of Hummus: Roast Sweet Pepper, Basil-Artichoke & Lemon-Parsley
Cheese & Salamis
Assorted Flat Breads & Baked Pita Chips
BUFFET
Mini Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions
Sweet Soy Glazed Chicken Skewers
Grilled Skirt Steak with Cilantro Pesto
Grilled Asparagus Spears with Tomato & Herb Infused Olive Oil
Roast Mini Potato Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
Baby Spinach Salad with Shaved Fennel, Pear & Gorgonzola with Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

DESSERT
Fresh baked cookies and customized cupcakes! Perfect ending to a great day!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

If I had a penny for every time I heard “I don’t have time to go to the farmers’ market”, well you know the saying. True, though they are rampant here in SoCal, they’re on during specific times that may not be convenient for everyone and if you live in more rural areas you may not have access to them at all. I get it. But I’m still pushing for LOCAL ORGANIC food, no matter how you can get it. A lot of supermarkets nowadays are carrying some organic produce so it’s defo becoming more accessible to Joe Public. This, very conveniently brings me to the latest craze in this movement, CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) and box schemes (as it’s called across the pond). It’s the most convenient way to get fresh, local and seasonal organic food delivered from farm to your doorstep. Literally.

We recently signed up for our CSA box program from Farm Fresh to You, a 240-acre farm located in the Bay Area as well as in the Imperial Valley (closer to Los Angeles). They also work with local area farms to ensure year round variety. I’ve been told we are receiving produce within 24-48 hours of being picked. Can’t beat that, especially since I don’t have to leave the house to get it!

Another beauty about shopping this way is that you’re more apt to try new foods. Since you’re getting seasonal food you’re bound to end up with ingredients you’ve never used before, which broadens your horizons and taste buds. In our first box we received lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, a variety of sweet peppers, grapes, cherry tomatoes, oranges and apples. I’m telling you, the grapes were the best I’ve ever had and overall the quality was great. Though I use a lot of red bell peppers in my cooking, sweet peppers are not so common for me to use. That’s what I mean about trying new things–it forces you to think outside the box, so to speak.
(Check back on Saturday for a recipe–I made a delicious roasted sweet pepper hummus for m’lady.)

I bet you’re thinking it’s got to be expensive, right? First off, let me say your health is worth every penny. Secondly, it’s not bad! Every other week we receive a small mixed box of fruit & veg which costs us $23, though we do tend to plow through it in less than a week. We’re considering trying the regular box, which is $31.50 or switching to weekly deliveries. Do you think that’s expensive? I can easily blow 20+ quid at the farmers’ markets per week, what about you? Think about how much you spend a week at the grocery on produce, whether it’s organic or not. Then think about how “fresh” your produce from the grocery really is. Some food travels hundreds of miles before you get it and goes through many stops along the way, with every stop getting a piece of the “money pie.”

(Image and great article: Consult Mark Blog. Click photo to read article.)

In an article published by The New York Times, some shoppers are even becoming shareholders in local farms cutting out the middlemen completely. Hmmm…maybe I should look into that! But for now I will stick to shopping at my farmers’ markets and with the box schemes.

Have I peaked your interest? Here are some links I’ve put together to help you find an organic box delivery in your area.

USA:
Local Harvest helps you find local organic farms, farmers’ markets, Co-op’s, CSA’s and more.
Ireland:
Sustainable Ireland Box Schemes
Absolutely Organic
Bord Bia find local farmers’ markets
England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland:
Soil Association find local CSA’s
SmarterFitter a great blog post highlighting fruit & veg boxes. Here’s my favorite part about their post referring to why it’s worth it:

• We get to eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• We get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Our food doesn’t come packed in a whole bunch of extra earth-polluting plastic like it does at the supermarket
• We get to support local farmers
• We get to feel good about the food we eat and where it comes from

Couldn’t agree more!

Are you a member of a CSA? How do you feel about it? Recommend your favorite to our readers!

And if you live in California, here’s a coupon for new customers (use promotion code #6164) for $5.00 off  your first delivery from Farm Fresh to You. Don’t forget to mention me! Cheers!

It seems the day after a bank holiday it’s a little hard to get back into the swing o’ things. Usually these long weekends are packed with too much good food and lots of drink, notorious for leaving us feeling a little heavy and drained. Here’s a refreshing way to recharge the batteries, get some good nutrients back into the body and beat the heat without costing much. It might sound like a strange combo but it’s surprisingly delicious. Thanks to my good friend and celebrity trainer, Valerie Waters for sharing her recipe with us!

RECIPE:
Serves 2

2 big handfuls of fresh raw spinach
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 banana
1 cup of water

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Since we’re using frozen mango there’s no need for ice but of course you can use fresh mango if you’d like, just add in a little ice to get the smoothie consistency. I’ve made this with mixed berries, which also tastes great and I like adding in protein powder especially for my vegetarian Missus, which makes a great after-workout snack. Who knew spinach would be such a great base for a smoothie?!

You may recall my first experience with Real Gourmet Burger from last October. That was quite the experience seeing those ginormous burgers coming from the kitchen. Back in Dublin a few weeks ago I knew I fancied hitting the place up again -it was that good the first time around. Impressive that a burger joint left such an impression on me since I don’t eat a lot of burgers. Though this time ’round we weren’t near Ballsbridge, but as luck would have it we ran right into the Dun Laoghaire spot by chance on our way to the farmers’ market in Dun Laoghaire, south Dublin. This time I felt like a seasoned pro. The place was jointed which is always good to see. We sat at the counter near the kitchen where I had a birds eye view of the monsters coming out. I tucked  into a beef burger this time  and I wasn’t disappointed. Damn tasty, so much so that I decided to keep some on my shirt for later! If you’re ever in Dublin I would defo recommend giving this place a go.

As a tribute, tomorrow I’ll be posting my version of the Portobello Burger the Missus had back in October (pic below). Wonder if I can get it as high…stay tuned!

Until now, relish was considered a veg at Major League ballparks. Now look how far we’ve come in America’s game! Though I’ve never been to Dodger Stadium, this gives me good reason to start cheering for the men in blue (that’s what they’re called, right?)

A perfect fit for a low-carb lifestyle, olives are loaded with healthy monounsaturates. In general, these fats are considered to be healthier as compared to the others. They have the same amount of energy but they reduce blood cholesterol levels which reduces the risk to the heart. The juice of the olive, otherwise known as olive oil, acts to keep cholesterol from sticking to our artery walls and is a delicious source of antioxidants. Olives also contain polyphenols, which is what gives them their taste and aroma. Research indicates that these polyphenols may have antioxidant characteristics with potential health benefits such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This would explain why people living in Mediterranean countries, where consumption of relatively high amounts of fat is prominent, tend to have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States where similar levels of fat consumption are found. Interesting, no?

RECIPE:
Serves 4 (with leftovers)

1 whole Organic chicken, portioned (2 breasts – 0n the bone , 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced
6 oz oyster mushrooms
1/4 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Preheat skillet on medium high heat for one minute. Season each chicken piece with Salt &Pepper. Add olive oil to pan, sear chicken for 2-3 mins on each side, until golden brown. Once browned, remove to a roasting tray. Deglaze saute pan by adding the white wine and scraping all the caramelized bits from  bottom of pan for 30 seconds. Add wine mixture to chicken along with all remaining ingredients.

Cover roasting pan with foil, pop in preheated oven for approx 1-1 1/2 hours. Check chicken after one hour to see if chicken is fork tender otherwise cook for the additional 30 mins.

To Finish: Sprinkle fresh lemon zest over top of dish just before serving.

Open a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio and tuck in.

The Business!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.