Now here’s a holiday we can all get behind. According to PETA (maybe they invented it – anyone know?), today, September 30th is this year’s “Hug A Vegetarian Day!” You know what to do…
Get out there and share your veggie pride!
Here’s the PETA Hug A Vegetarian Day site for the occasion. Rather adorable, don’t you think?
Anyway, here’s wishing you a great day of fantastic, cruelty-free dining and friendship. Sending you a *virtual hug* 
A few weeks ago, Hurricane Irene — downgraded to a Tropical Storm — tore through the Northeast well inland, hitting New Hampshire and even Vermont. Not something we see often in these parts. Ice storms on the other hand… pretty common.
The result? Flooding, downed trees, busted dams, torrential rain, and a couple days without power (not nearly so daunting as in the middle of winter!).
And, there was another result, noticeable a couple days after the soaking rains had moved on: a bumper crop of new and varied mushrooms all around my property. Check these beauties out!
Anyone good at identification? Just curious; don’t worry, they’re not getting anywhere near a dinner plate! LOL. I just think they’re spectacular. Always been a fan of mushrooms.
After several reschedulings, the much-anticipated Sanjay Gupta CNN special “The Last Heart Attack” featuring President Bill Clinton, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dr. Dean Ornish finally aired.
The message is a powerful one in favor of regular screenings and a plant-based diet. Clearly an important wake-up call to many that deserves to be shared with friends and family. I hope you’ll recommend they watch…
Having received a review copy of Chef AJ’s new book Unprocessed some weeks ago, it’s about time I get down to saying a few words about it. Which, aside from finding that elusive chunk of so-called free time do so, is not hard at all. In other words, I’m really enjoying this one and can definitely see myself leaving it handy for the recipe ideas.
The book begins with Chef AJ’s story from childhood, when the food was good and wholesome, thru how it changed to the more Standard American Diet when she left the fold (and the sad times that followed), up thru making the choice to eat healthier and more simply (and the happiness that brought her).
Chef AJ cites her influences as, among others, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Dean Ornish, and, of course, The China Study by T.Colin Campbell, PhD.
Reading the works of these well-known vegan authors and advocates cemented her understanding of the hazards of added oils, sugar, and salt. The result was a clean and vibrant diet which she explains with ease and confidence in the first part of the book and which shines through in the remaining two-thirds comprising a collection of recipes, both her own and others’.
To my mind, this is a great first book to send a friend or family member as it’s filled with encouragement and guidance that is sure to have them at least taking their first inquisitive steps along the journey to health and well-being. The recipes are right up my alley too, with no added oils, sugar, or salt (though a few use low-sodium tamari, which is actually still rather high in it).
There are lots of dessert and snack recipes and soups and meals that feel ripe for entertaining guests. I’ll try to present a couple with pictures in future posts. In the meantime, when Chef AJ was asked over on Vegan Done Light’s Facebook page to name some of her favorites, she responded, “My favorite entree recipes are the white bean and kale lasagna and the sweet potato nachos.” -Chef AJ
A couple weeks ago, I had an unfortunate bout of the “dropsies.” No, not dropsy as in the old word once commonly used for edema (swelling), rather the colloquial kind whereupon you clumsily drop everything you touch. Sadly, two of my favorite pieces of kitchenware met their fate in as many days.
The first to swim among its brethren was my beloved Pisces coffee cup from, heck, at least my teenage years. The next day, my garlic dish for grating fresh garlic with no risk to the knuckles and easy-peasy cleanup. Both, gifts from Mom.
The front of the mug says “The Fishes” on the top piece, Pisces at the base. Here’s what the back reads:
Pisces, February 19 – March 20
Jupiter – Planet
Water – Element
Virgo – Complement
Generous, Sensitive and kind, You are an imaginative person
- i.e., Elizabeth Taylor, Caruso & Jackie Gleason,
Gem – Aquamarine
Flower – Jonquil
Color – Azure
Numbers – 9, 12, 33
What’s kitchen item have you broken that made you the saddest? What’s its story?
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