The commercial store-bought Christmas is dying.
The recent downsizing of the economy has brought a new reality to the middle class that will probably never go back to where it once was. Poor folks have always known that if you can't afford it, you can't buy it, whereas middle class folks have lived a life of buy today and pay tomorrow. If you were fairly affluent, with a stable job and a modest home, there always seemed to be a better tomorrow on the horizon. Now that notion is beginning to crumble. A stable, long-term job is fragile and can disappear at any moment. Jobs tend to migrate to certain areas of the country, where the business climate is friendly. Other areas suffer (just look at Detroit!). Owning a home is both a blessing and a burden, and you may never re-coup what you paid for it. Borrowing money is almost impossible if you have a family, only poor people who've never applied for credit can get it---even though they can't afford the credit they qualify for! What have we done as a nation to stumble to this point? When the economy was rumbling along and things were booming, we weren't looking at the bottom line, saving for hard times that inevitably always come. We didn't do it as a nation, certainly. Many businesses and local governments did not save either, along with most of the population. Many people are broke and uncertain of their futures. Many people are looking to change their lives. Pay off credit debt. Save more money. Eat better, exercise more. Take better care of the things you own, as well as your personal relationships. Consume less.
And that's where the commercial store-bought Christmas comes in to play. Since the end of the recession in the 1930's, the Christmas season has always been a boon to retailers throughout the country. Many stores would not make a profit until December every year. Imagine an economic plan today where you tell a banker that your business model will loose money for about 320 days, but make a gigantic comeback in the last 32 days! Imagine the laughter! But, for years that was acceptable business practice for retailers and banks, because there was always progress and economic growth. After World War 2, the American economy exploded. Throughout the 50's and 60's, factories turned out more products than Americans and the world could buy with cash. We needed more people to buy more stuff. Hence, the beginning of the credit card! An amazing tool for buying more stuff than you previously could afford or need! Buying on Layaway was always options for poor families, but not quick enough. The credit card was perfect; buy now but pay later. Christmas shopping gradually became a season of excessive credit card use and over-buying. My wife and I used to charge 3, 4 or 5 thousand dollars a year buying Christmas toys for my kids, along with personalized gifts for every person we could think of in our immediate families. It would take us a year or more to pay off, before we would do it all over again next year! We would literally open gifts for 2 hours with our boys, if not longer. We would fill 3-4 giant lawn and leaf trash bags with boxes and wrapping paper. There would be so many toys around the house, it became difficult to walk without stepping on something (typically breaking said toy in the process!). It was really crazy, excessive and yes, even ridiculous.
But now Donna and I are re-thinking Christmas.
We think that it's more about enjoying the rare company of our grown sons, and their girlfriends if they choose to bring them. It's more about talking with my sister and brothers, and enjoying laughs with my cousins, aunts and uncles, more about seeing the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of the younger children in the family. It's more about cooking dinner with my mother, and wishing my father was still around, filming everything with his video camera.
I was recently grumbling about the fact that I had a beautiful Christmas tree with no money for gifts to put under it. Donna and I came up with the idea of giving each other gifts of things we would like to buy each other out of magazines or catalogs, and cut that image out, wrapping each item in its own box under the tree. On Christmas day we will exchange gifts, that I'm sure would make Tom Cruise's Christmas pale by comparison! There will be lots of laughs and surprises, and hopefully, memories that we will always look back on and treasure. I can't remember too many gifts that I received at Christmas, but I think I would always remember the year that Donna gave me a Ford F-350 Super Cab Truck with 4 wheel Drive, and a giant plow (hint hint!) I hope she likes the surprise I'm getting her from her favorite jewelry store! (The only problem with cut out Christmas presents is you can't return them! LOL)
So that's how we're rethinking Christmas in our house this year. We recommend that other people do it as well. We don't want to go into 12 months of debt for 1 day anymore. There's nothing that Donna and I need. We have love, and that trumps everything!
Merry Christmas to All!
Love, Rick and Donna
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Empty Nest Syndrome and the Vegan Diet
My wife and I recently became "Empty Nest" parents for the second time. I don't really count the first time, because my son Andrew was away at trade school in Conneticut. He frequently came home on weekends, or my wife and I would visit with him from time to time. He was only in school for a year, then he was back.
This time may be permanent.
While we were taking our middle son, Ben, to grad school in Georgia, Andrew decided to move out again. Fine. No problem. A little emotional for us at first, but we adjusted quickly. For the first time in a long time, my wife and I were free again--really, just like when we were first married. We quickly began plotting how we were going to rearrange everything in our lives. We began cleaning and sorting through the rubbish and old clothes in closets and basement. I made several trips to donate old clothes, excessive winter coats, unworn hats and gloves--all the accumulated STUFF that was slowly building up over 25 years (24 of them with kids!). I began to see a parallel between our old life of eating meats, chickens, fattening sauces, and junk foods, and comparing them to our present vegan diet. Like the clothes and discarded cd's and books, and old comics, the old way of eating was not healthy and needed to be discarded. Occasionally, I stray from my diet, I try hard not too, because the benefits to me outweigh the negatives. Even trying to be a 80% vegan is better than nothing.
We realized over the past few months that even the boys were trying to eat healthier, Andrew is even trying to follow a vegan diet! I laughed to myself when he came over recently (a few days after moving out). My wife gave him the remaining old food items from the freezer for his non-vegan room mates to eat, plus a few of our vegan things. I'm imagining now, that all my bananas won't be gone in two days, and my almond milk won't be empty when I go to eat my cereal. When Donna makes some of her outstanding vegan cookies, maybe I'll get to eat the whole batch over three days, instead of seeing the boys wife them out in a few hours! WHEN Donna and I go shopping at Whole Foods, maybe the stuff will last more than 4 days!
Or my son will come back for "a visit," and Mom will have a baggie of cookies for him, and give him the bunch of bananas I just bought. Isn't that what good Moms and Dads do?
I think about these things a lot right now to keep from getting depressed about this stage in my life, a feeling of not being needed anymore, a feeling that my kids are not kids anymore, but adults starting their own life journeys. When I begin to get depressed, I always come back to the food, and how it unites us as human beings, but more importantly, as families. I think of the shared meals and laughs around the kitchen table, eating spaghetti and meatballs, dinners at Chuck E Cheese's, Papa Gino's, and Gregg's. All the places that mattered to the kids when they were young. But we've all come a long way. We eat differently now. Local foods are important, and moving away from unhealthy trends is probably the next stage in our lives as well as many others.
I recently read an article in Time magazine that stated that more and more people were living vegan or vegetarian lives during the week, but going back to steak, and eggs, and bacon on the weekends. This trend is astounding to me, because more and more people are seeing the benefits of a plant-based diet, over an animal one. Veganism is slowly turning from an extreme lifestyle habit, into a life choice for heath. That's why my wife and I do it, and my kids will hopefully do the same.
But for right now, we continue to clean, de-clutter, and re organize. I don't feel unwanted anymore--especially when my kids call me for cooking advice, or come over to visit. I just don't want to give away ALL my bananas!
This time may be permanent.
While we were taking our middle son, Ben, to grad school in Georgia, Andrew decided to move out again. Fine. No problem. A little emotional for us at first, but we adjusted quickly. For the first time in a long time, my wife and I were free again--really, just like when we were first married. We quickly began plotting how we were going to rearrange everything in our lives. We began cleaning and sorting through the rubbish and old clothes in closets and basement. I made several trips to donate old clothes, excessive winter coats, unworn hats and gloves--all the accumulated STUFF that was slowly building up over 25 years (24 of them with kids!). I began to see a parallel between our old life of eating meats, chickens, fattening sauces, and junk foods, and comparing them to our present vegan diet. Like the clothes and discarded cd's and books, and old comics, the old way of eating was not healthy and needed to be discarded. Occasionally, I stray from my diet, I try hard not too, because the benefits to me outweigh the negatives. Even trying to be a 80% vegan is better than nothing.
We realized over the past few months that even the boys were trying to eat healthier, Andrew is even trying to follow a vegan diet! I laughed to myself when he came over recently (a few days after moving out). My wife gave him the remaining old food items from the freezer for his non-vegan room mates to eat, plus a few of our vegan things. I'm imagining now, that all my bananas won't be gone in two days, and my almond milk won't be empty when I go to eat my cereal. When Donna makes some of her outstanding vegan cookies, maybe I'll get to eat the whole batch over three days, instead of seeing the boys wife them out in a few hours! WHEN Donna and I go shopping at Whole Foods, maybe the stuff will last more than 4 days!
Or my son will come back for "a visit," and Mom will have a baggie of cookies for him, and give him the bunch of bananas I just bought. Isn't that what good Moms and Dads do?
I think about these things a lot right now to keep from getting depressed about this stage in my life, a feeling of not being needed anymore, a feeling that my kids are not kids anymore, but adults starting their own life journeys. When I begin to get depressed, I always come back to the food, and how it unites us as human beings, but more importantly, as families. I think of the shared meals and laughs around the kitchen table, eating spaghetti and meatballs, dinners at Chuck E Cheese's, Papa Gino's, and Gregg's. All the places that mattered to the kids when they were young. But we've all come a long way. We eat differently now. Local foods are important, and moving away from unhealthy trends is probably the next stage in our lives as well as many others.
I recently read an article in Time magazine that stated that more and more people were living vegan or vegetarian lives during the week, but going back to steak, and eggs, and bacon on the weekends. This trend is astounding to me, because more and more people are seeing the benefits of a plant-based diet, over an animal one. Veganism is slowly turning from an extreme lifestyle habit, into a life choice for heath. That's why my wife and I do it, and my kids will hopefully do the same.
But for right now, we continue to clean, de-clutter, and re organize. I don't feel unwanted anymore--especially when my kids call me for cooking advice, or come over to visit. I just don't want to give away ALL my bananas!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Why Fast Food Joints Are Killing Us
Americans are hopelessly addicted to fast food.
I just ate dinner at 5 Guys Burgers, or whatever the hell its called. I knew what I was getting into when we went, but Donna and I were hungry, so we went. My son, Andrew, told us that the place had vegetable sandwiches (it did!) and veggie burgers (it didn't!). They had fries, and ketchup. Sodas, the usual things. We placed our orders and sat down. If you've never been there before, I think they cut their own fries. A dry erase board on the wall denotes where the potatoes come from. In today's case they were from Ripley, Idaho. I guess someone finds that to be necessary information. Maybe they should ask where the fryolator grease comes from. There are boxes with shell peanuts that you can munch on while you wait for your burgers. They even have dunnage racks in the middle of the dining area with 50 pound bags of potatoes on them. I guess they'd rather seat the potatoes, than add a few more tables for customers!
The place was busy, and very noisy. There was a mixed bag of people, senior citizen couples, families, boyfriends and girlfriends. There were lots of overweight people there as well. About 5 minutes after we ordered, a bus pulled up and dropped off 50 people it seemed. It was so noisy, I could barely hear myself think. But dinner wasn't too bad.
I ordered a veggie sandwich with Cajun fries. Donna ordered the same sandwich (sans jalapeno peppers!) and plain fries. About 15 minutes later we got our order in two brown paper bags. They called our number out like at a deli. Each bag had a sandwich and about 5 pounds of fries in the bottom of each one. Our sandwiches fell apart without cheese in them to hold everything together. I have to say I hated the Cajun fries. The seasoning mix was powdery with lots of cayenne pepper and not much else for flavor. I enjoyed Donna's plain fries much more. Those Ripley, Idaho fries were pretty tasty!
As I looked around, though, I couldn't believe how busy the place was. I mean, a whole bus load of patrons, for a hamburger joint??? There were more than several obese people there downing burgers and fries, and drinking giant Cokes. Other than the loud music and the wall of grills and fryers, there really wasn't much to the place. Just 4 or 5 guys cooking burgers and dogs. I remarked to Donna that next time we'll bring a few slices of vegan cheese to add to our sandwiches, and maybe some red pepper relish. We'll split a plain fry, and save 3 bucks. But, hell, that almost seems like work to me, to go to a fast food joint and have to customize the entree! I might as well go back home and make the same thing for a lot less money!
I remember when my kids were young, we hosted a young student named Geoffrey from Paris, France for a few weeks one summer. I remember the first thing he wanted to do, the very first thing he wanted, was to go to McDonald's for a hamburger. When he actually got one, he was repulsed by it. Apparently fast food in Paris is just a step down from bistro fare, very well prepared, just quicker than ordinary food. In this country it's all about timing and food cost. There is no quality. He could hardly believe that you get your food in 1 minute! But when he ate it he said, "I dislike this 'amburger!" That kid from France knew in 5 minutes what took me 25 years to learn; there are no healthy fast food options in America. And it's killing nearly all of us. Hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, all are linked to foods served at many fast food operations. But as the economy slides little by little more, fast food restaurants are getting busier and busier, as evidenced by the restaurant we visited.
I don't know if I'll go back to 5 Boys Burgers or whatever the hell they call themselves. I'm getting sick eating at fast food joints. Not so much from the food, because Donna and I are getting good at requesting vegan options. I'm getting sick from watching what everyone else is shoving down their throats. Americans aren't very educated when it comes to the foods they eat.
I hope anyone who reads this will pause before they pull into a KFC or Micky D's. That pause may save your life!
I just ate dinner at 5 Guys Burgers, or whatever the hell its called. I knew what I was getting into when we went, but Donna and I were hungry, so we went. My son, Andrew, told us that the place had vegetable sandwiches (it did!) and veggie burgers (it didn't!). They had fries, and ketchup. Sodas, the usual things. We placed our orders and sat down. If you've never been there before, I think they cut their own fries. A dry erase board on the wall denotes where the potatoes come from. In today's case they were from Ripley, Idaho. I guess someone finds that to be necessary information. Maybe they should ask where the fryolator grease comes from. There are boxes with shell peanuts that you can munch on while you wait for your burgers. They even have dunnage racks in the middle of the dining area with 50 pound bags of potatoes on them. I guess they'd rather seat the potatoes, than add a few more tables for customers!
The place was busy, and very noisy. There was a mixed bag of people, senior citizen couples, families, boyfriends and girlfriends. There were lots of overweight people there as well. About 5 minutes after we ordered, a bus pulled up and dropped off 50 people it seemed. It was so noisy, I could barely hear myself think. But dinner wasn't too bad.
I ordered a veggie sandwich with Cajun fries. Donna ordered the same sandwich (sans jalapeno peppers!) and plain fries. About 15 minutes later we got our order in two brown paper bags. They called our number out like at a deli. Each bag had a sandwich and about 5 pounds of fries in the bottom of each one. Our sandwiches fell apart without cheese in them to hold everything together. I have to say I hated the Cajun fries. The seasoning mix was powdery with lots of cayenne pepper and not much else for flavor. I enjoyed Donna's plain fries much more. Those Ripley, Idaho fries were pretty tasty!
As I looked around, though, I couldn't believe how busy the place was. I mean, a whole bus load of patrons, for a hamburger joint??? There were more than several obese people there downing burgers and fries, and drinking giant Cokes. Other than the loud music and the wall of grills and fryers, there really wasn't much to the place. Just 4 or 5 guys cooking burgers and dogs. I remarked to Donna that next time we'll bring a few slices of vegan cheese to add to our sandwiches, and maybe some red pepper relish. We'll split a plain fry, and save 3 bucks. But, hell, that almost seems like work to me, to go to a fast food joint and have to customize the entree! I might as well go back home and make the same thing for a lot less money!
I remember when my kids were young, we hosted a young student named Geoffrey from Paris, France for a few weeks one summer. I remember the first thing he wanted to do, the very first thing he wanted, was to go to McDonald's for a hamburger. When he actually got one, he was repulsed by it. Apparently fast food in Paris is just a step down from bistro fare, very well prepared, just quicker than ordinary food. In this country it's all about timing and food cost. There is no quality. He could hardly believe that you get your food in 1 minute! But when he ate it he said, "I dislike this 'amburger!" That kid from France knew in 5 minutes what took me 25 years to learn; there are no healthy fast food options in America. And it's killing nearly all of us. Hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, all are linked to foods served at many fast food operations. But as the economy slides little by little more, fast food restaurants are getting busier and busier, as evidenced by the restaurant we visited.
I don't know if I'll go back to 5 Boys Burgers or whatever the hell they call themselves. I'm getting sick eating at fast food joints. Not so much from the food, because Donna and I are getting good at requesting vegan options. I'm getting sick from watching what everyone else is shoving down their throats. Americans aren't very educated when it comes to the foods they eat.
I hope anyone who reads this will pause before they pull into a KFC or Micky D's. That pause may save your life!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Cholesterol and the Vegan Diet
"My name is Richard Goudreau, and I am a recovering carnivore. I haven't had a meat dinner since mid April."
That sentence sounds almost like the beginning of an AA meeting for vegans, if there was such a thing. When I started eating vegan, my initial goal was to get off the medicines I was taking to control my high blood pressure and diabetes. The side effects of the pills was worse than the afflictions brought forth by those illnesses, in my humble opinion. I HAD to get off these pills! Four months later, I have dropped about 25 pounds (exercising very infrequently), and managed to cut my blood pressure medicine down to 80mg per day instead of 160mg. I no longer have to take Prilosec for my acid reflux, bye bye!!! I rarely get heartburn any more. Before I began eating vegan, my doctor was seriously considering putting me on a low dose of cholesterol medicine, to battle my cholesterol levels which were creeping up. My most recent numbers were 148 down from 175 the previous year. My LDL (bad cholesterol ) numbers were down to, 65 from 107 the previous year. I am still battling my triglycerides which have always been high, now 250 from 171 last year. My HDL (good cholesterol) numbers are pretty close to last year's numbers, 33 from 35 (which is pretty good).
Obviously, if I exercised religiously every day, these numbers would probably be even better, but I am overall happy with them. It has been only 4 months on this diet after all! It took me 49 years of unhealthy eating to get to this state of calamity. I can't complain about my progress, the numbers don't lie, I am getting healthier!
Look, a scientist or a nutritionist could probably tell you in medical hyperbole why a vegan diet is good for you, but I will say it simply: "If you eat foods with no cholesterol in them, sooner or later you will not have cholesterol problems. If you avoid animal based fats, you will loose fat. If you stop using dairy products, your lactose intolerance will go away. " I am feeling better than ever right now. I am at 205 pounds (down from 230 in April), and I hope to be under 200 pounds by Christmas, if not sooner. My goal weight is about 175 pounds, and not so unrealistic as it was a few months ago...
So now I am going to celebrate with one of my wife's delicious vegan double chocolate espresso chip cookies and a glass of almond milk. And I don't even feel strange or upset about this snack. It's becoming more and more of a habit with me. It's comfort food--VEGAN STYLE!
That sentence sounds almost like the beginning of an AA meeting for vegans, if there was such a thing. When I started eating vegan, my initial goal was to get off the medicines I was taking to control my high blood pressure and diabetes. The side effects of the pills was worse than the afflictions brought forth by those illnesses, in my humble opinion. I HAD to get off these pills! Four months later, I have dropped about 25 pounds (exercising very infrequently), and managed to cut my blood pressure medicine down to 80mg per day instead of 160mg. I no longer have to take Prilosec for my acid reflux, bye bye!!! I rarely get heartburn any more. Before I began eating vegan, my doctor was seriously considering putting me on a low dose of cholesterol medicine, to battle my cholesterol levels which were creeping up. My most recent numbers were 148 down from 175 the previous year. My LDL (bad cholesterol ) numbers were down to, 65 from 107 the previous year. I am still battling my triglycerides which have always been high, now 250 from 171 last year. My HDL (good cholesterol) numbers are pretty close to last year's numbers, 33 from 35 (which is pretty good).
Obviously, if I exercised religiously every day, these numbers would probably be even better, but I am overall happy with them. It has been only 4 months on this diet after all! It took me 49 years of unhealthy eating to get to this state of calamity. I can't complain about my progress, the numbers don't lie, I am getting healthier!
Look, a scientist or a nutritionist could probably tell you in medical hyperbole why a vegan diet is good for you, but I will say it simply: "If you eat foods with no cholesterol in them, sooner or later you will not have cholesterol problems. If you avoid animal based fats, you will loose fat. If you stop using dairy products, your lactose intolerance will go away. " I am feeling better than ever right now. I am at 205 pounds (down from 230 in April), and I hope to be under 200 pounds by Christmas, if not sooner. My goal weight is about 175 pounds, and not so unrealistic as it was a few months ago...
So now I am going to celebrate with one of my wife's delicious vegan double chocolate espresso chip cookies and a glass of almond milk. And I don't even feel strange or upset about this snack. It's becoming more and more of a habit with me. It's comfort food--VEGAN STYLE!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tomato Heaven
When I die, and hopefully go to heaven, I hope there is a garden full of sun-ripened beefsteak tomatoes waiting for me beyond the pearly gates! When I worked on the farm as a boy, I came to love farm-ripened tomatoes, still warm when I got home from the hot summer sun. In those days, I used to slice the tomatoes thickly, slather them with French's mustard, and place them between 2 slices of wonder bread. I still remember my eyes rolling back in my head as the sweet & sour flavors of the red tomato ran over my tongue. (They still do that to this day when I indulge in that very same sandwich). I remember buying cases of plum tomatoes from the farm, when my boys were young teens, and making tomato sauce with my wife, Donna. We always hoped that the 20 quarts of tomato sauce we made would last us until Spring, but invariably, we ran out every fall---the sauce was just too damn good! When yellow tomatoes first came out, I made a yellow tomato marinara sauce that I still use today. Recently, I've been impressed with the quality of grape tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes that are more and more readily available in markets across the country. I do find that the prices, though, are ridiculous---$5.95 for a pint of grape tomatoes! Are you kidding me??
This past November I had a colonoscopy. It was revealed to me that I have diverticulitus. To someone who loves raspberries, strawberries and farm tomatoes as much as I do, it was really almost like a curse. It's bad enough dealing with high blood pressure AND diabetes. Now this! When my doctor told me, I laughed and said, "Whatever." I'll just add it to my weak gene list!
Now, I am giving up crappy tomatoes forever. No more cellophane 3-packs in the plastic trays. No more orange tomatoes for 3 bucks a piece in January! No more overpriced cardboard-tasting tomatoes from Chile. Now, I will wait for the tomatoes of July and August, when the sun and the rain leave them full of flavor. Now I cut the tomatoes in half a squeeze out the seeds. See, you can't keep me away from a garden tomato!
I made the following recipe for dinner recently as an appetizer. It's simply a vegan take on the sliced tomatoes with mozzarella that everyone does in the summer. Hopefully, it will make you say, "Oh, yeah!" too! Try it out, and really savor those summer tomatoes, they aren't around for long!
Vegan Marinated Tomatoes and "Mozzarella"
10 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed dry between several layers of paper towels.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Drain tofu preferably for 8 hours or so to extract most of the water. You may need to change the paper towels and drain any accumulated water that collects on the plate or bowl you drain the tofu in. When the tofu is dry, slice crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half to make cracker-sized pieces of tofu. Place the cheese on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a sprinkling of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
To make reduced balsamic vinegar, pour vinegar into a small, non reactive sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce by almost half. Add brown sugar to taste. The vinegar should be thick and syrupy with a sweet and sour flavor to it. Set aside at room temperature.
1 large vine ripe native red tomato
1 large vine ripe native yellow tomato (if available)
6 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small bunch fresh basil leaves
To finish the salad; remove cores from each tomato and slice about 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Arrange alternating colors of tomato on serving platter, putting a slice of marinated tofu between each slice of tomato. When all the slices are arranged, go back and insert a fresh basil leave between each slice of tomato. Keep the tips of the basil leaves sticking out for presentation purposes. Drizzle the salad with the reduced balsamic vinegar, a little more olive oil, and more Kosher salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-3 people as an appetizer before dinner.
10 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed dry between several layers of paper towels.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Drain tofu preferably for 8 hours or so to extract most of the water. You may need to change the paper towels and drain any accumulated water that collects on the plate or bowl you drain the tofu in. When the tofu is dry, slice crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half to make cracker-sized pieces of tofu. Place the cheese on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a sprinkling of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
To make reduced balsamic vinegar, pour vinegar into a small, non reactive sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce by almost half. Add brown sugar to taste. The vinegar should be thick and syrupy with a sweet and sour flavor to it. Set aside at room temperature.
1 large vine ripe native red tomato
1 large vine ripe native yellow tomato (if available)
6 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small bunch fresh basil leaves
To finish the salad; remove cores from each tomato and slice about 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Arrange alternating colors of tomato on serving platter, putting a slice of marinated tofu between each slice of tomato. When all the slices are arranged, go back and insert a fresh basil leave between each slice of tomato. Keep the tips of the basil leaves sticking out for presentation purposes. Drizzle the salad with the reduced balsamic vinegar, a little more olive oil, and more Kosher salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-3 people as an appetizer before dinner.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fresh From the Farm
There's nothing more exciting for a vegan than shopping at a local farm for an endless array of vegetables, berries, greens, and regional baked goods. I feel sorry for people living in a large city who can't get to a farm, even if they tried. In our area of southeast Massachusetts, we are blessed with many diverse, local farms. Because farm land in New England is so expensive, farms tend to be a lot smaller than mid western farms. Many of the farms in this area are beginning to experiment with certified organic produce, which can be an expensive venture. I remember attending a meeting with Dr. Henry Wainer from Sid Wainer and Sons Produce company. His company is very large and influential in the area, and his relationship with local farmers is a cornerstone of his overall success. He has tried for years to steer farmers away from low cash vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, and cabbage, and try unique vegetables that chefs like myself are always looking for: great tasting field greens, microgreens, unusual potatoes, baby vegetables, and hybrid berries. at work, we buy organic herbs, seasonal greens, and a myriad of miniature seasonal edible flowers. While I find the prices to be ridiculously high, the quality and shelf life of these items are unmatched by produce from a wholesale supplier.
When I was about 14, my best friend at the time was a kid named Kevin. His father owned a 40-acre farm in Rehoboth, Massachusetts (my hometown!). Kevin offered me a job working on his father's farm, and I accepted without hesitating. I recall the rate of pay being a whopping $2.50 per hour! I didn't take the job for the money (a theme that has haunted me just about every job I've ever had!), I was really interested in how food grows. The symbiosis between the weather, the land, the temperature, the sunlight. All of that fascinated me. What a sap I was, working on a farm proved to be extremely hard work! There was always something to do, whether it was feeding chickens, or weeding the spinach patch, or planting strawberries, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, onions, potatoes, and corn. I though it was cool that my friend Kevin, was allowed to drive a station wagon all over the property. It would be another two years before I could drive! But the station wagon was essential for getting us around the property. There was no time to waste! As soon as school let out, I was working 6 days a week from 6 am until 5 pm, with a 30 minute break for lunch. Kevin would always go in to the house to eat lunch with his parents and older brother Frank. I was left alone outside at the picnic table to eat my bag lunch. I was a fat kid in those days, very out of shape. Within a few weeks at the farm, I began losing weight, even though I was eating huge lunches. As the days got warmer, and we began harvesting the fruits and vegetables of our labor, the work got more and more grueling. I recruited my younger brother Steve to help us for a while, but as the middle of August approached, and the peppers and tomatoes were coming in, I had to quit. My Mother was becoming alarmed at how much weight I was loosing, and truth be told, I was getting sick of the long, hard days in the sun, dusty, always thirsty, and always tired. I think Steve quit a week after me. He was never one to sit in the sun for a long period of time! That ended my days on the farm, but not my love of food. It was enriching for my soul, even at that young age, to see the Old Man's truck loaded with cabbage, corn, potatoes, zucchini, and leeks. I remember cutting spinach with a knife the Old Man gave me. The handle was knurled and weather beaten, but the blade was sharp like a razor. I loved cutting big armloads of spinach at ground level and stuffing it into a wooden bushel crate. It was satisfying to take something from seed a few months earlier, and actually pick it for someone to buy and eat. That made me feel good as a young man.
Fast forward 35 years. Now I don't work in a farm, but I am more aware of the work that goes into quality produce, more so than many of the Chefs who work for me. I'm not sure if many of them would have lasted as long on the farm as I did, or even have any desire to see where a pepper comes from, or how painful picking zucchini and eggplant can be when you have to do a whole acre. I think I'm one of the last Chefs that I know of who can actually claim to have worked on a farm, and I'm proud of that.
Now when I go to a local farm stand, I am amazed at the varieties of produce the local growers are selling. Pattypan squashes in greens and yellows, zucchini shaped like small bowling balls. Yellow and purple heirloom tomatoes, ruby red baby carrots, red spinach, pea shoots, and microgreens, all available for big bucks. As I bring my selections to the counter, I think about the road I've traveled to get to this blog site. I think about eating a large warm strawberry that I just picked at my friend's farm, the sweet red juice running down my face and neck. I think about how my eyes rolled back in my head and said, "Oh my God, this is so good!" That's what keeps me going as a chef today, when the flavors of something unexpected explode in your mouth, and the experience brings you back to a time when you were younger and everything was simple pleasure. Today, when I visit a farm for organic produce, I think back to the summer of 1975, when my journey with food as a profession began.
Next article, farm recipes anyone can do, Vegan style!
When I was about 14, my best friend at the time was a kid named Kevin. His father owned a 40-acre farm in Rehoboth, Massachusetts (my hometown!). Kevin offered me a job working on his father's farm, and I accepted without hesitating. I recall the rate of pay being a whopping $2.50 per hour! I didn't take the job for the money (a theme that has haunted me just about every job I've ever had!), I was really interested in how food grows. The symbiosis between the weather, the land, the temperature, the sunlight. All of that fascinated me. What a sap I was, working on a farm proved to be extremely hard work! There was always something to do, whether it was feeding chickens, or weeding the spinach patch, or planting strawberries, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, onions, potatoes, and corn. I though it was cool that my friend Kevin, was allowed to drive a station wagon all over the property. It would be another two years before I could drive! But the station wagon was essential for getting us around the property. There was no time to waste! As soon as school let out, I was working 6 days a week from 6 am until 5 pm, with a 30 minute break for lunch. Kevin would always go in to the house to eat lunch with his parents and older brother Frank. I was left alone outside at the picnic table to eat my bag lunch. I was a fat kid in those days, very out of shape. Within a few weeks at the farm, I began losing weight, even though I was eating huge lunches. As the days got warmer, and we began harvesting the fruits and vegetables of our labor, the work got more and more grueling. I recruited my younger brother Steve to help us for a while, but as the middle of August approached, and the peppers and tomatoes were coming in, I had to quit. My Mother was becoming alarmed at how much weight I was loosing, and truth be told, I was getting sick of the long, hard days in the sun, dusty, always thirsty, and always tired. I think Steve quit a week after me. He was never one to sit in the sun for a long period of time! That ended my days on the farm, but not my love of food. It was enriching for my soul, even at that young age, to see the Old Man's truck loaded with cabbage, corn, potatoes, zucchini, and leeks. I remember cutting spinach with a knife the Old Man gave me. The handle was knurled and weather beaten, but the blade was sharp like a razor. I loved cutting big armloads of spinach at ground level and stuffing it into a wooden bushel crate. It was satisfying to take something from seed a few months earlier, and actually pick it for someone to buy and eat. That made me feel good as a young man.
Fast forward 35 years. Now I don't work in a farm, but I am more aware of the work that goes into quality produce, more so than many of the Chefs who work for me. I'm not sure if many of them would have lasted as long on the farm as I did, or even have any desire to see where a pepper comes from, or how painful picking zucchini and eggplant can be when you have to do a whole acre. I think I'm one of the last Chefs that I know of who can actually claim to have worked on a farm, and I'm proud of that.
Now when I go to a local farm stand, I am amazed at the varieties of produce the local growers are selling. Pattypan squashes in greens and yellows, zucchini shaped like small bowling balls. Yellow and purple heirloom tomatoes, ruby red baby carrots, red spinach, pea shoots, and microgreens, all available for big bucks. As I bring my selections to the counter, I think about the road I've traveled to get to this blog site. I think about eating a large warm strawberry that I just picked at my friend's farm, the sweet red juice running down my face and neck. I think about how my eyes rolled back in my head and said, "Oh my God, this is so good!" That's what keeps me going as a chef today, when the flavors of something unexpected explode in your mouth, and the experience brings you back to a time when you were younger and everything was simple pleasure. Today, when I visit a farm for organic produce, I think back to the summer of 1975, when my journey with food as a profession began.
Next article, farm recipes anyone can do, Vegan style!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
A New Kind of Breakfast
TOFU "SCRAMBLED EGGS"
Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day.
I miss cooking a full corned beef brisket for St. Patrick's Day. Not so much for the corned beef and cabbage, but for the five pounds of corned beef hash and poached eggs I make the next day. (That stuff you buy in the cans at the supermarket? That can't be corned beef! That's not something anyone on earth would make if they tasted mine!) I miss Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce and a Western omlette with cheese from the Ritz Diner. Bickford's Baby Dutch Apple pancakes, Morin's banana praline waffles and Coco Lopez banana bread french toast with pineapple sauce (yummy!!!). My sour cream and pumpkin pancakes in the fall with warm Mrs. Butterworth's pouring over the edges. Danish made from scratch. Warm blueberry scones and cinnamon buns. Homemade crepes with brown sugar that my grandmother showed me how to make. Buttered toast, french toast, toast points dipped in egg yolks! All the thousands of breakfasts I've cooked, prepared and served, as well as the ones I've made at home. I miss all of it--and yet I had to move on. My weight was beginning to approach critical mass. I was having trouble completing a sentence without losing my breath. My blood pressure was high and on the rise again. I was getting beet red climbing a flight of stairs! My doctor was prescribing more pills. More quick fixes. I was already spending about $150 dollars a month on pills. I had to make a fundamental change in the way I approached the things I could eat for breakfast. I felt like I was primed and ready for a heart attack.
Donna and I decided that going vegan for breakfast would be a good start. But where to begin???
We started buying vegan cookbooks, but the breakfast sections are the smallest chapters. Many of the breads and muffins are dry, and get stale quickly (properties that real eggs prevent in the normal baking process.)
I was actually already a big fan of oatmeal. Whenever I ate it, I was never hungry until lunch time. I never snacked or felt the urge to nibble, until about 12 noon. Oatmeal seemed a logical first choice. So Donna and I began eating oatmeal every morning. I had to say goodbye to the light cream I used to use with it, now we were using soy milk. I came to find that soy products in some forms (like soy milk) kill me with gas, so I switched to rice milk. Bingo! I was still no longer hungry until lunch time, but we felt like we were eating healthier already. On a jaunt to Trader Joe's, we picked up some of their dried blueberries. They are simply the best on the market, even better than what I can buy wholesale. We started adding them to granola, and heating them with our oatmeal in the microwave. It gave a whole new character to the oatmeal, fruity, but still healthy. In time, we would experiment with sauteed apples, pears, and other fruits. But the blueberry oatmeal helped our taste buds progress to a point where we could begin trying other dishes. But after a few weeks of oatmeal, we were getting bored. We began experimenting with cream of wheat, cream of rice, and granola with soy yogurt (pass the Beano first !!!) . These items were satisfying, but lacking in the excitement category.
On a trip to Manhattan to visit our oldest son, Rick, we visited a vegan restaurant called The Candle Cafe. The menu was an eye-opener for us because they combined traditional lunch and dinner items with tofu scrambled eggs in a breakfast wrap. I was intrigued with the Southwest Scramble with peppers, onions, salsa, and cilantro, along with the Tofu "scrambled eggs" pictured above. They had Italian wraps with vegan "meats" , Indian platters with hummus and taboule--for breakfast?!? Miso soup and soba noodle salad at 9 am ??? Wheatgrass shakes? Tazo Raspberry Iced Tea instead of coffee? The place was packed with thin people (we looked enormous compared to most of the patrons) . They have been doing vegan food for a long time, so they were as comfortable producing their fare, as I am catering a menu I've done for 20 years. Obviously, to get some enjoyment out of our breakfasts, they were going to have to be a little out of the ordinary. Donna and I were energized again with new ideas.
We returned home and enthusiastically began frying tofu "eggs." I recreated my version of the southwest tofu scramble with a toasted bagel and tri-color homefries. A new passion was born. Sure, I can't quite turn them into a classical French omlette, but I have done versions with vine ripe tomatoes and spinach, mushrooms and vegan swiss cheese, and a curried version which was quite satisfying.
Every now and then, I still miss my western omelette with cheese, but the temptation to make it is fading like nicotine from an ex-smoker. Now we look forward to toasted bagels with tofu cream cheese, sliced vine ripe tomatoes, and basil chiffonade over the top. We never would have eaten a breakfast like that 5 years ago, but today we're game to try almost anything.
It really is a new kind of breakfast!
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