It's What You do that Counts

light Summer white baby eggplant stew

tomato, eggplant and mushrooms

While it is somewhat meaniful that French Chef Alain Ducasse took meat off his famed Paris restaurant, it is what you do for you and your family that really counts.  With billions of consumers, what we do is powerful.
Alain did it as a statement on conserving planet resources.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/chef-alain-ducasse-takes-meat-menu-article-1.1932467

baby white eggplant

I suggest working with nutritionally more dense foods that offer sustainable growing opportunities as well as a low foot print to cost of production to market, THAT will conserve resources when it all catches on at a national, international level.  And, oh YEH!  you will feel the difference in eating more nutritionally dense food and your body will be marvelous!

While you are all reading the article and giving this a thought I put my time to making a super good baby white eggplant stew.

Wash and cut 3 cups of baby eggplant in half.  Peel and thinly slice and onion.  Slice a cup of mushrooms. Finely dice two cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of fresh ginger and 2 teaspoons of poblano or jalapeno chile.  Open a small 4.5 oz can of chunky tomatoes in juice and begin. Saute the eggplant and veggies in a large pan over medium heat.  Season lightly. Add the tomatoes and juice with 2 teaspoons low sodium soy, 1 generous tablespoon oyster sauce and almost cover all with water.  Simmer very slowly about 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning. Serve with a touch of rice and a sprinkle of chopped green onion and cilantro or basil to soak up the sauce and enjoy.  If you want more heat, crushed red chili pepper flakes do the trick!

The Vegetable Alchemist.

Cauliflower: a flower like no other!

oven roasted chickpea and cauliflower

Take anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular plus, phytochemical, body detox, vitamins C, K and folate and put them into one and you get Cauliflower.

I like it raw, pan seared or lightly roasted.  Here I combined, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, curry and chickpeas in foil in the oven til just past raw, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees and finished with a handful of slivered green onion and cilantro.  No mess, easy clean up and delicious.  Memorable for sure.  Good for a stew one day and cut into smaller pieces for a great sandwich or cold salad with drops of oil and touch of seasoning.

The Vegetable Alchemist.

Does Your Food Function for You ?

When you think of eating, what do you want your food to do?  To get right down to it, as a percentage of 100 how functional is it for your body?   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_food

Should it, offer enjoyment, fill the stomach, show a little flavor that sparks your day, help you to live healthy? I  believe it should do all with no side effects.  Side effects are not often sited as coming from food.  Side effects can be bloating, additional weight, poor skin, drowsiness, muscle tension, headaches and more.  Crazy, no?

Well not so crazy if you have any of those side effects and you and your food are at odds.

Think about it.  And while you are considering your choices make a simple Miso Soup with an upgrade of ginger and a touch of bonito flakes for flavor and body minded goodness.  Yes, you can buy a mix but generally they have way to much salt to preserve the ingredients which causes bloating and swelling. For a  simple fresh version take 4 cups of water and stir in a tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger. Bring to a simmer.  Add and dissolve 3 tablespoons of mild yellow miso, 2 tablespoons each of soaked dried seaweed and chopped green onion.  If you have it, a half teaspoon of bonito flakes rounds out with additional flavor.

Sometimes sipping a big bowl of tasty Miso Soup does a lot to help you think while your body enjoys the effect of this wonderfulness !  The Vegetable Alchemist.

A Few of My Favorite Things

red and curly kale, green tea and apple cider vinegar

The kitchen refrigerator and cabinet has changed the last years to something of more substance than the routine groceries of cereal, pasta, rices, dairy, meats, poultry, and sweets.

My front and center weekly big purchases are now Apple Cider Vinegar, Green Tea and Green Leafy Vegetables.  The reason is simple, I have changed my focus from ethnic and regional dishes to developing new ones or adapting old recipes to those that benefit what my body needs to stay healthier and more fit!  Sure I can make a Pasta Carbonara or a Cog au Vin.  But once I saw that there are more efficient ways to eat and keep my weight in check, my body in better working order, and I just feel great....then time to upgrade reasoning and recipes.   Scads of new discoveries ahead.  But first,time for a run !

The Vegetable Alchemist.

Time for an Enterprise $

Eating is a billion dollar plus enterprise.
Where can I fit...with a low, low carbon footprint and a healthy following of great tasty nutrient rich edible body smart food? 

I just have to keep at it and figure it out and create my following.

Step by Step. 
As the movie says, if you want to find your nitche and succeed you have to 'go the distance.'

Have a good day.  Eat wisely, think sustainable food for a sustainable active life.

The Vegetable Alchemist.

Slaw

two cabbage, kale and yellow pepper slaw

Sometimes I think SLAW is as awesome and versatile as Crazy Glue!

Dress it, blend it, layer it, salad it, sandwich it, stuff it, accessorize it.  Use it warm, hot or cold, but keep it crisp and fresh keeps it sexy.  Balancing stronger vegetable flavors with spices, herbs, mustards and fruits offers extensions enough for a lifetime of combinations.

Slaw, you almost can't have a great healthier body without it. The Vegetable Alchemist!

Quinoa Burgers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chili, pesto and arugula flavors......

Any way they stack up, respect the quinoa and you have a fabulous meal.

Easy to digest, loads of energy and just good food! 

the Vegetable Alchemist