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Sunday, February 29, 2004

Falafel...not a character in Harry Potter! 

The 'Burger' for this recipe comes from Jackie, 'part of the loaf' at The Daily Bread who has graciously agreed to let us use it, thank you Jackie.



Southwestern Falafel Burgers with Ancho Chile Relish and Onion



Ingredients

1 16-ounce can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/3 cup parsley coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh coriander coarsely chopped
2 diced red peppers
salt to taste

Topping

2 hard rolls sliced and grilled slightly
1 fresh ancho pepper roasted
1 small ripe tomato, diced
salt and cumin to taste
4 1/4 inch slices of onion

Preparation

In a food processor blend the chick peas with the next 6 items being careful to not over blend, it should retain some coarse texture. Form the mixture into 2 patties and set over the grill on medium for 3-4 minutes per side or until grill marked and golden brown.

Roast the whole ancho pepper over the grill flame turning it to evenly blacken all sides. While still hot, place the roasted pepper in a sealed plastic bag and allow it to cool completely, this will steam the pepper and makes removing the charred skin easy and at the same time impart a wonderful smoked flavor. When the peppers have cooled remove the stem, skin and most but not all of the seeds and membranes - the heat is in the membranes so the more that remains the hotter the taste. Dice the pepper and add the diced tomato with a pinch of salt and cumin to make a fresh relish topping.

Grill the onion slices at the same time and you're ready to assemble your southwestern falafel burger with ancho relish and grilled onions.

Serves 2
vegan

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Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Score One for the Environment, Everglades Cleanup...  

The Associated Press released a story Tuesday 2/24 announcing the start up Monday in southern Florida of the long awaited South Bay Pumping Station. The station is to fill the world's largest man made wetland, 26 square miles, which will in turn, filter water drained from agricultural districts to the north as they flow into the Everglades. The Everglades is actually a river, the Kissimmee River and in some places 50 miles wide. The Everglades flow south into Gulf waters off the southern tip of Florida; at times only inches deep this great grass covered sweep of water is home to countless species of wildlife, birds, insects , panthers and of course Florida's signature carnivore, the alligator.



The project co-sponsored by the State of Florida and the Federal Government under grants directed in part by the Department of Environmental Protection is a major component of the larger project to cleanup and restore part of the sprawling Everglades ecosystem which once stretched through a series of lakes from present day Orlando south to the tip of Florida.

Monday's commencement of pumping was nearly delayed by a decade last year when new legislation threatened to bench construction. Environmentalists and a few key legislators resisted the Executive threat by countering that halting the pump station's construction would jeopardize the estimated $8.4 billion Everglades Restoration Project.

The pump facility at South Bay will be able to provide water as a medium for cattails, floating plants and algae that naturally filter phosphates from agricultural sources which pollute the water and have slowly eroded the health of the Everglades. The man made marsh is expected to complete its task by 2006.


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Monday, February 23, 2004

Nathalie Dupree’s Mississippi Caviar 

Back in the early 90s I was traveling a great deal for my employer. I had the pleasure one evening of enjoying dinner at Nathalie Dupree’s restaurant in Virginia. I was served an appetizer called Mississippi Caviar and was so taken by the rich flavors that I asked my server if I could possibly have the recipe. She came back a few moments later and presented me with a copy of Nathalie’s recipe! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do and, guess what? It’s totally vegan. Nathalie has given us permission to post this recipe to The Green Cutting Board, so thank you Nathalie for allowing us to share this with everyone.

Ingredients
3 (16 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped hot peppers
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup drained, chopped pimento
1 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt
Hot sauce
Tortilla chips
Preparation

Combine peas, bell peppers, hot peppers, onion, pimento and garlic. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil and mustard and pour over the bean mixture; mix well. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce. With a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the bean mixture slightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Drain the "caviar" well and serve with pita or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

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Thursday, February 19, 2004

Country Cooking and Country Boys... 

Back on the road for more of our tour of Tampa Bay's Guide to Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants, this time Country Boy Family Restaurant at 1353 Main Street in Dunedin. Lunch is a happy time for most diners at family restaurants because, if you're lucky the grill is still up for breakfast items like omelets or French toast as well as grilled sandwiches and by 11 AM the soup of the day is piping hot. The result is that a sleepy, late rising tourist and a busy local half way through their work day can each have their individual preference; vegetarians to can benefit from this grill time switch over.

Country Boy performs this mid day breakfast/luncheon magic with aplomb. Open at 7 AM and sporting a rich variety of full breakfasts and sides including steak n' eggs or gyro n' eggs, waffles, grits, assorted muffins and biscuits with gravy. Available also, lunch including Greek and Italian specialties as well as an impressive selection of sandwiches - how could anyone miss finding just the right food to satisfy.

We walked in and were immediately greeted by a cheerful hostess who quickly found us a cozy sunlit booth. Our waiter was right behind with menus and a pleasant request for our drinks selections - I had noticed a sign just inside the entry bearing the proud Message "Bloody Marys all Day" - which of course would put any weary traveler at ease. We settled for water with lemon and turned our attention to the extensive menu. Nancy decided on a mushroom omelet substituting a country biscuit for the eggs and I chose the veggie wrap: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onions and Greek dressing on the side. The waiter seemed perplexed by the substitution and politely replied that he would inquire if the omelet without eggs would present any special difficulty for the kitchen, he quickly returned with the happy news that eggs were out and the biscuit was in, no problem, that's what we like about country places, no fuss, just food the way you want it and lots of it.

The omelet was served with a killer plate of home fries, toast and jelly. The biscuit tasted homemade and rich served warm with a lot of sauted mushrooms, vegetables, topped with fresh feta cheese, it was delicious. My wrap was another matter, not to say that it was bad, but by comparison to wraps we've tasted at vegetarian restaurants it lacked personality; simply diced vegetables in a fresh spinach wrap with a side of Greek dressing it didn't satisfy. I ate half of the wrap, most of Nancy's potatoes and determined to rescue the remaining half-wrap by taking it home and giving it a new life, adding black beans or hummus, maybe both and a shot of hot sauce for the road. Lesson, never read into a menu what by experience you know is not there, the wrap was exactly as advertised; designed for customers on a low fat diet, what was I thinking!

All-in-all we were more than pleased with the Country Boy Family Restaurant; their willingness to accommodate special requests and the quality of service, great food and their clean, well-appointed dining room will certainly merit many return visits, and Perhaps Country Boy will include Nancy's Eggless Omelet on their permanent menu; you can vote for at 727 734-9108.

The message at the bottom of their menu says, "If you are not satisfied, tell us- if you are, tell a friend!" Gentle readers; consider yourselves told.

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Friday, February 13, 2004

A Brunch For Two, Happy Saint Valentines Day  


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A Bit of Heaven on Earth in Palm Harbor 

Today we continue our survey of Tampa Bay area vegetarian friendly restaurants and businesses designed to help our winter visitors enjoy their stay on The Sun Coast. We set out early for breakfast at Consciousness Blossoms, a small brightly decorated bistro style restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. They specialize in organic, vegetarian and vegan cuisine and the menu is surprisingly varied with many fresh options and side dishes to choose from.

Nan had Tofu Scrambled with diced veggies for $6.75 and a side of European style fried potatoes - like southern fries but chunked rather than sliced - for an additional $2.75 and cranberry juice. Her breakfast was served with generous slices of a yeasty multi-grain country toast and real butter or soy spread if you request - they're very accommodating. I chose a Belgium Waffle ( they have Traditional or Buckwheat ) which was served 'hot' not warm for $4.25 and a cup of rich black coffee $1.25

Consciousness Blossoms is owned and operated by followers of Sri Chinmoy a spiritual teacher from Bengal. Sri Chinmoy is perhaps best known for his love of art, sports and music and the special role these arts play in the enrichment of human consciousness. After eating at Consciousness Blossoms I can truthfully say that they have extended the art to great food and service.

The menu includes eggs and dairy but no meat and a delightful selection of fresh smoothies as well as Mango Llasha and Chai. They serve a full lunch replete with awesome wraps and more traditional country table favorites like a soy bacon BLT and my favorite, the Vegetarian Reuben; we'll see if we can persuade them to share their recipe in a future edition of The Green Cutting Board. I never thought I would taste a real Reuben again after I left the mid-Atlantic for the deep south.

I asked our hostess to name their most popular dish and the general consensus was the "Neatloaf", haven't tried it yet but we will!

Bottom line, whether you are a vegetarian or not Consciousness Blossoms is a treat for the palate as well as the soul and most certainly worth a visit. They also offer catering from their location at 3390 Tampa Road in the Heart of Palm Harbor 727 789-1931.

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Monday, February 09, 2004

Baked Alaska...not what you might think 



The Governor of Alaska has for the second time overRULED (and we use the term loosely) his constituency by allowing the aerial hunting of wolves which commenced this January, Read our story Dec 4, 2003. Governor Frank Murkowski has once again set aside the decision of Alaskans who have twice voted to ban the hunt. Way to go Frank...think California. Read the complete story

governor@gov.state.ak.us


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Sunday, February 08, 2004

It's Cold in Florida and we have the pthaw 

Curried Split Pea Soup

Serves 2
vegan

Ingredients

1 small sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbls olive oil
1 small potato, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 1/2 C vegetable stock
½ C dried split green peas
½ Tbls Braggs Liquid®
1 bay leaf
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
black pepper and salt to taste

Preparation

In a heavy saucepan heat the oil, sauté the onions and garlic. Add the potatoes, carrots, vegetable stock, peas, Braggs, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, curry, pepper and salt. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve with diced potato, onion, garlic and apple sautéd to a crisp brown in veg/soy oil.


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Friday, February 06, 2004

Welcome Toronto, CA Vegetarians 

February in Florida if you've been here marks the beginning of spring, especially if you visit the "Sunshine Coast" of Tampa Bay. With the coming of spring there appear two perennials: "Snowbirds" and "Baseball"; here in Dunedin we have both in spades; snowbirds et al from Toronto and elsewhere and a newly refurbished Blue Jays spring training camp. Today The Green Cutting Board begins its series on all that the area has to offer in terms of dining, services and accommodations. If you visit our beaches or our bleachers you will find good eats, good baseball and plenty of sunshine.

The first location to tempt you with their vegetarian Hot-Spotality is Firehouse Subs, 1547 Main St. Dunedin, FL 34698, Phone: 727 736-7827 Fax: 727 736-7820. We stopped there today and checked it out. Here's our review.

Upon entering this bright, well appointed Sub-space we were immediately greeted by the staff at the service counter in a tone of genuine southern hospitality: "How may I help you"...a good sign, this. We studied the menu board for a few pregnant moments which I must say were thankfully respected by the staff. Though the menu offers just one ovo/lacto-vegetarian sandwich the staff was immediately responsive to our request for a slight modification; we asked for a "Veggie Sub" to go: sans the mayo (that egg thing).

Sauteed Mushrooms
Bell Peppers and Onion
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo
Mustard
Italian Dressing
topped with: Provolone, Monterey Jack and American Cheese

Having ordered we waited less than 3 minutes before the hostess asked our preference for season sauces while presenting us a host of hot sauces the likes of which not even our Cajun cousins from Louisiana would recognize.

The "Veggie Sub" menued by this Jacksonville enterprise is a taste to be relished however you order it, the bonus is this, you can get it your way.

An Editorial sidebar: when we informed the staff at Firehouse Subs that we were surveying hospitality venues for the Toronto, CA Snowbird contingent, the manager, without entreaty came foreword and graciously introduced us to a visiting vegetarian couple (John and Sydney) from New Hampshire whom she described as regulars; enough said, enjoy!


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Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Reinventing the Egg...or How to Lay One Madison Avenue Style 

Vegetarian Eggs?

During a recent trip to a local supermarket a new product caught my eye. Packaged in clear plastic trays and nestled among the other paper and foam containers was something labeled "Vegetarian Eggs". Priced at $3.24 a dozen these were no mere eggs, rather the label announced proudly that these eggs were laid by hens to which "No animal by-product will ever be fed", therefore by some logic that seems suspicious at best and more likely purposefully obscure these hens are "vegetarian" and subsequently produce "Vegetarian Eggs". Now, I am not a scientist, and I do not claim to possess a deep understanding of chicken dietary preferences but, chickens don't eat meat!

The company is Egg Innovations and you can view this anomaly live, on the web as we speak. Vegetarian eggs would be what... eggs that are OK to consume if you're vegetarian and don't eat animal products, no. Eggs that are free of animal product (not produced by animals), no. Perhaps eggs that ovo-vegetarians can eat, no, they eat eggs weather they are vegetarian or not, the eggs that is not the vegetarians. Look, I don't want to waste my time or yours gentle reader by pursing this silly topic much beyond the point that it seems obvious; all this company is trying to do is cash in on the side market of vegetarians who might be attracted to a product that is already organic compliant. The truth is vegetarians are amongst the very best informed consumers. Vegetarians read and reread labels and take responsibility for their consumer choices and isn't it about time that food suppliers pay attention to that single fact; when a product says vegetarian we would like it to be vegetarian and not some convoluted play on words meant to obfuscate and mislead...or is that counting our chickens before they're hatched.

Please feel free to copy this editorial letter and send it to stores in your area that carry these products.
Editor, The Green Cutting Board Press, 2/4/04

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Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Tortilla Meets Tahini. All's well that Falafels. 

Falafel Wraps with Tahini Sauce
by Nancy

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups canned, cooked chickpeas
1 small onion chopped
1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 Tbls chickpea liquid (stock)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbls flour, plus 1 Tbls flour for coating
1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
4 Tortillas
Tahini Sauce

1. Place cooked chickpeas in a blender. Add onion, parsley, garlic, stock, soda, spices, salt & pepper. Process until smooth. Place in a glass bowl & refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Shape into 12 balls. Dust lightly with flour and fry in hot oil, turning frequently until browned & crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Tahini Sauce

3/4 Cup tahini
5 Tbls lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 Cup water

In a blender, combine the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Slowly pour in the water and blend until smooth. Makes approximately 1 1/2 Cups

Assemble the wraps


Serve with a bright salad vinaigrette


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