I'm enjoying New Orleans while here at a conference. Great city, great weather, fantastic food - unless you are vegan. This is a challenging city to find vegan options. I am not opposed to eating seafood when that is my only nonplantstrong option and when in great seafood cities. NOLA would qualify as a seafood city!
But the seafood here is fried, covered in sauce, and nary a vegetable in sight. But with a little creativity, a vegan can survive and eat well :)
Salad is essential. Fortunately, even the finest restaurants will have a dinner salad.
NOLA has wonderful red beans and rice. It may have been cooked with ham or bacon grease, but you can avoid the sausage. Tonight at a great seafood place, I had red beans hummus for appetizer!
Breakfast in New Orleans are killer - cheese grits, steak and eggs, fried eggs on top of pancakes. Yikes! But I found a great little place this morning and had breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, and fresh orange juice. And of course, wonderful coffee. Sides can be a great menu option and cheaper than the giant omelet meal with cheese, eggs, and sausage...My breakfast bill was $7.00. There was no main entre course on the menu under $8.00.
I've had catfish, fried oysters, crab fingers, and lump crab, but otherwise - plantstrong.
I searched for vegan or vegetarian restaurants on my Veg Out phone app, but there was nothing! That qualifies NOLA as a nonvegan friendly city. But if you scour the menu and get creative, you can find some good options to keep you on your path without too much deviation.
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Friday, March 18, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
School Lunches
I'm finding that as I continue my plantstrong journey, I see outlets for furthering exposure to others. #1 is school lunches, especially in urban core schools where obesity and Type 2 Diabetes are rampant! As I look into this, I'm finding some interesting issues and opportunities. Here are some thoughts.
There is a national Farm to School advocacy effort. One national organization is FarmtoSchool.org and they work to connect local farmers to school districts to help bring healthy and fresh foods to school lunch tables. Apparently, NJ has an effort going with a state Farm to School program in the NJ Dept. of Agriculture. NJ is, after all, the Garden State, and super tasty fresh produce is available in abundance here! There was a recent conference in the state and this website has a great deal of info on "how to" connect farm to school and build a supply chain.
The US Dept. of Agriculture is about to implement new nutritional regs for school meals as part of the 2010 legislation for Healthy Kids. School Districts will have to work with their food suppliers, cafeteria kitchens, and state offices to revamp menus to make them healthy. Some districts are way ahead of the curve. Here in NJ there are several vendors that already take advantage of bulk produce buying and stock the cafeterias of hundreds of schools Informative article in the Courier Post today
One of the issues about fresh food is cost. The NJ vendors quoted prices of $2.75 and $2.50 for lunches purchased in schools. These prices provide students with options such as turkey blt, fruit bar, and fresh veggies. Apparently when kids are paying for their lunch, there are many more options than the prepared standard tray that urban school kids get. In the school where I volunteer in Camden the kids all get the same lunch preloaded onto a tray. While this year's fare is a big, big improvement over last year - adding whole grain buns and fresh fruits - it is far from great. In Camden, kids are on free lunches. The government pays for their lunch. According to the USDA, reimbursement rates for free lunches are $2.72. If the kids in Voorhees can pay $2.75 and get fruit bars and Cesar salads, why can't the kids in Camden have the same?
I also came across a story about how diet can be a big factor in AHDD and that diet not drugs should be the first line of approach. Every urban school district needs to give more attention to nutrition since they are the primary food source for many children during 2/3 of their potential meals for the day. I realize that education is priority #1 and they have a great deal of difficulty managing success. But as a school DISTRICT that is the administrative operation, the question of how food is supplied, the source, and the content needs to be addressed.
Many areas around the country have CSA - Community Supported Agriculture co-ops. Schools can be co-op members and schools can help parents learn about joining and overcoming the inequities of urban food deserts.
We tend to be so silo-ed in our work. The school people are busy over in their area. The CSA and farm people are busy growing crops. The Food to School folks are a bridge, but they need support from parents, administrators, teachers, and students to get nutrition on the table in our schools. Here is an example group that I follow in Los Angeles - School Garden Co-Op. Even DonorsChoose has gotten involved in supporting agriculture/nutrition in schools as part of the causes they enable support for.
Vegans and plantstrong advocates could be a huge support network for this work. Get involved!
There is a national Farm to School advocacy effort. One national organization is FarmtoSchool.org and they work to connect local farmers to school districts to help bring healthy and fresh foods to school lunch tables. Apparently, NJ has an effort going with a state Farm to School program in the NJ Dept. of Agriculture. NJ is, after all, the Garden State, and super tasty fresh produce is available in abundance here! There was a recent conference in the state and this website has a great deal of info on "how to" connect farm to school and build a supply chain.
The US Dept. of Agriculture is about to implement new nutritional regs for school meals as part of the 2010 legislation for Healthy Kids. School Districts will have to work with their food suppliers, cafeteria kitchens, and state offices to revamp menus to make them healthy. Some districts are way ahead of the curve. Here in NJ there are several vendors that already take advantage of bulk produce buying and stock the cafeterias of hundreds of schools Informative article in the Courier Post today
One of the issues about fresh food is cost. The NJ vendors quoted prices of $2.75 and $2.50 for lunches purchased in schools. These prices provide students with options such as turkey blt, fruit bar, and fresh veggies. Apparently when kids are paying for their lunch, there are many more options than the prepared standard tray that urban school kids get. In the school where I volunteer in Camden the kids all get the same lunch preloaded onto a tray. While this year's fare is a big, big improvement over last year - adding whole grain buns and fresh fruits - it is far from great. In Camden, kids are on free lunches. The government pays for their lunch. According to the USDA, reimbursement rates for free lunches are $2.72. If the kids in Voorhees can pay $2.75 and get fruit bars and Cesar salads, why can't the kids in Camden have the same?
I also came across a story about how diet can be a big factor in AHDD and that diet not drugs should be the first line of approach. Every urban school district needs to give more attention to nutrition since they are the primary food source for many children during 2/3 of their potential meals for the day. I realize that education is priority #1 and they have a great deal of difficulty managing success. But as a school DISTRICT that is the administrative operation, the question of how food is supplied, the source, and the content needs to be addressed.
Many areas around the country have CSA - Community Supported Agriculture co-ops. Schools can be co-op members and schools can help parents learn about joining and overcoming the inequities of urban food deserts.
We tend to be so silo-ed in our work. The school people are busy over in their area. The CSA and farm people are busy growing crops. The Food to School folks are a bridge, but they need support from parents, administrators, teachers, and students to get nutrition on the table in our schools. Here is an example group that I follow in Los Angeles - School Garden Co-Op. Even DonorsChoose has gotten involved in supporting agriculture/nutrition in schools as part of the causes they enable support for.
Vegans and plantstrong advocates could be a huge support network for this work. Get involved!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Mushrooms and Pine Nut "Gravy"
Invention in cooking can turn out well or really suck!
Tonight, it turned out really well!
I love pesto, but on a no-oil plantstrong, vegan regimen - you have to be inventive to sample flavors you love. I don't eat the faux vegan foods - like the vegan cheese everyone raves about. OIL and CALORIES I can skip. But I do love pine nuts, italian flavors, and mushrooms. Here is my latest creation
Italian inspired Mushrooms with Gravy
Tonight, I used red and white qunoa as my pasta. You could use whole wheat or Jerusalem artichoke pasta instead. I make a full cup of dry quinoa so I have leftover to make a salad tomorrow :).
1/2 C white quinoa
1/2 C red quinoa
2 C vegetable broth Pacific Natural Organic
Put all in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, simmer, cover for about 15-20 minutes. Check out the "learn to make: quinoa" recipe on Whole Foods recipes at their web site or on the iphone app!
First - 8 oz of mushrooms. I used white pearl. I also like brown pearl or crimini. Cut them up, slice them up or throw them in whole. As you like it!
I use a spoonful of veggie broth to coat the bottom of the saute pan, and add the mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat. About 5 minutes or so and they start to soften and release water. Add more veggie broth if it evaporates. Push the mushrooms around to coat their surface in the broth so they don't stick to the pan.
I also added about 1/4C white wine for flavor. My current favorite is Eco Domani Pinot Grigio. The best < $10 wine around!
While the shrooms are cooking, start the "pesto gravy."
First you make a roux or paste-like base:
I didn't have any fresh basil, but next time I'll definitely have some.
I used a half bag, 1.5 oz of pine nuts Melissa's Organic
Add a teaspoon full of chopped garlic (I use the prechopped organic kind that is already a little creamy) or 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic depending on how garlic-y you like it.
Add your fresh basil here. Or do as I did and use about a 1/4 tsp or so of dried Italian seasoning.
Chop in a food processor and blend till creamy. You may need to add just a bit of veggie broth or wine to keep it from being dry.
Turn this out into the pan with the mushrooms. There should be liquid in the saute pan and that will turn the roux into gravy. Stir until the roux and liquid are mixed into a nice sauce. Add 2 sliced and halved Roma tomatoes and cook on low heat. You don't want to turn the tomatoes to mush, so keep the heat low.
Meanwhile, finish the quinoa and put your serving onto your plate. Top with the mushrooms, tomatoes and pine nut gravy.
Enjoy!
Tonight, it turned out really well!
I love pesto, but on a no-oil plantstrong, vegan regimen - you have to be inventive to sample flavors you love. I don't eat the faux vegan foods - like the vegan cheese everyone raves about. OIL and CALORIES I can skip. But I do love pine nuts, italian flavors, and mushrooms. Here is my latest creation
Italian inspired Mushrooms with Gravy
Tonight, I used red and white qunoa as my pasta. You could use whole wheat or Jerusalem artichoke pasta instead. I make a full cup of dry quinoa so I have leftover to make a salad tomorrow :).
1/2 C white quinoa
1/2 C red quinoa
2 C vegetable broth Pacific Natural Organic
Put all in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, simmer, cover for about 15-20 minutes. Check out the "learn to make: quinoa" recipe on Whole Foods recipes at their web site or on the iphone app!
First - 8 oz of mushrooms. I used white pearl. I also like brown pearl or crimini. Cut them up, slice them up or throw them in whole. As you like it!
I use a spoonful of veggie broth to coat the bottom of the saute pan, and add the mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat. About 5 minutes or so and they start to soften and release water. Add more veggie broth if it evaporates. Push the mushrooms around to coat their surface in the broth so they don't stick to the pan.
I also added about 1/4C white wine for flavor. My current favorite is Eco Domani Pinot Grigio. The best < $10 wine around!
While the shrooms are cooking, start the "pesto gravy."
First you make a roux or paste-like base:
I didn't have any fresh basil, but next time I'll definitely have some.
I used a half bag, 1.5 oz of pine nuts Melissa's Organic
Add a teaspoon full of chopped garlic (I use the prechopped organic kind that is already a little creamy) or 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic depending on how garlic-y you like it.
Add your fresh basil here. Or do as I did and use about a 1/4 tsp or so of dried Italian seasoning.
Chop in a food processor and blend till creamy. You may need to add just a bit of veggie broth or wine to keep it from being dry.
Turn this out into the pan with the mushrooms. There should be liquid in the saute pan and that will turn the roux into gravy. Stir until the roux and liquid are mixed into a nice sauce. Add 2 sliced and halved Roma tomatoes and cook on low heat. You don't want to turn the tomatoes to mush, so keep the heat low.
Meanwhile, finish the quinoa and put your serving onto your plate. Top with the mushrooms, tomatoes and pine nut gravy.
Enjoy!
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