What’s New About The New Vegetarian?

The New Vegetarian makes its big entrance!

The New Vegetarian is finally out! After the long process of writing, testing, editing, and then just anxiously waiting, my book is finally getting shipped from Amazon and making it onto bookshelves. Whew!

The latest part of the process is, of course, doing interviews and teaching about the book. Just like when my first book came out, I am finding that I learn from the questions and the perspective that others bring to the book. It’s really great fun.

So, when asked, what IS new in the New Vegetarian, I had to think. Firstly, the title originally came to be because it is a series that Chronicle Books (my wonderful publisher) has done for some time. The New This, the New That. When it was suggested, I took it to heart. I’ve been doing the Veg thing for many years, and I thought, yes, let’s really make it new.

The book speaks to a new wave of vegetarian, something different from the sincere-but-clunky way we were doing it 20 years ago. Something more sophisticated, and definitely more global. When Americans go out to eat, they say, hmm, do I want Italian, Chinese, or French? And depending where they live, it might even be, are we up for Ligurian, Szechuan, or Provencal, because travel and immigration have made us much more educated about the foods of the world. Vegetarians have always embraced the foods of other cultures, especially when we could mine them for meatless dishes that were already all worked out and loaded with flavor. So, I filled the book with the kind of exciting, international fare that both foodies and healthy eaters would find appealing.

Another thing that is new in the veg world is the interest of omnivores in eating meatless. The bad economy has suddenly spawned an interest in saving money, and skipping meat is one way to cut back. The environmental crisis is motivating people to look at the carbon footprint of their food choices, and the veg way is a great way to cut the tonnage of carbon that you bestow upon the world. Add the health benefits of skipping all that sat fat and you have committed meat lovers making the effort to eat the meatless meal now and then.

Veg food is just another choice, a healthy alternative. It’s mainstream. I think that’s GREAT. I’d love to be a part of bridging the divisions between the “diet-style camps.” In my professional life, I cross between the high end gourmet world and the crunchy-granola world, and the two are getting more blended all the time. There is no reason that we can’t all enjoy great food. If my recipes can bring everybody together at the table, and delight the omnivores and vegetarians, alike, then I am thrilled. I know they can, because I have been doing it for years.

So, come on in and try the New Veg way, everybody is welcome.

Here is a recipe from the book for you to try. It’s hard to pick, so I went with something seasonal, with my favorite kind of winter squash. It’s a crowd-pleaser, with luscious cheese, crunchy nuts and flaky pastry.

Braised Garlic-Squash Tart with Aged Gouda

(with permission from Chronicle Books, from The New Vegetarian)

The lusty flavors of braised squash, aged gouda and toasted hazelnuts make this tart irresistible. Kabocha is sometimes called Japanese Pumpkin, and is a dark orange, low moisture squash that holds up well for this, but Red Kuri or Hubbard squash would do just as well.

Serves 6

CRUST:
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 stick butter, chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water, approximately
FILLING:
1 1/2 pounds kabocha squash, peeled and cubed
2 medium shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces aged gouda, shredded
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off, coarsely chopped

1. Make tart shell: In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Using the coarse holes of a grater, shred cold butter into the flour and toss with your fingers to coat. Cut until mixture is full of coarse lumps. Quickly stir in ice water just until it sticks together and form into a ball. Chill for 1 hour. Roll out and fit into a 12 inch tart pan.
2. Preheat oven to 400. Prick shell all over and bake for 10 minutes, until edges are browned, cool on rack. While baking, sauté squash in olive oil over medium high heat, stirring. After 5 minutes, add garlic and stir. Add wine and cover for 5 minutes, checking at the end to see if pan is dry. When squash is tender when pierced with a paring knife, uncover and cook until liquids are evaporated. Take off heat and cool squash.
3. To assemble, Sprinkle some cheese in the shell, top with squash, cheese and nuts. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden on top.

You’re Never Too Young To Start Vegging

There’s always been a conventional wisdom, or lets call it a myth, that kids can eat junk and get away with it. The concurrent myth is that kids should not go vegetarian, because their bodies are developing, or some such nonsense. So, they can run amuck eating sugar and chips, but skipping meat is bad.Their developing brains need high fructose corn syrup and beef, and any parent who doesn’t provide is damaging their youngster.

Unfortunately, this odd dual thinking is setting up some kids for a lifetime of bad health. And according to a recent poll by the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) only 38% of the parents surveyed realized that cholesterol plaques start forming in childhood, not just later in life. 70% of the respondents also said that they were not good examples for their kids, because they had bad eating habits.

“There is overwhelming evidence now that atherosclerosis, a build up of plaque in the arteries, starts in childhood, not when you’re 50 or 60,” says David J. Driscoll, MD, professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. We know this from autopsies performed on children who die of accidental deaths, he notes. Other studies on young soldiers who died in Korea and Vietnam showed that by their early 20s, many already had the beginnings of atherosclerosis, “Some of them with pretty significantly advanced disease.”

Add to this info the recent endorsement by the American Dietitians Association, in which they gave the thumbs up to a veg diet for all stages of life, including children and pregnant women, and you have some really good reasons to keep on driving when you see those golden arches.

So what do kids need to go veg? Well, many kids like simple foods like pizza, mac and cheese, and PB and J’s. All of those can easily be made whole grain, lighter in fat, and perfectly healthy for developing bodies.(check out the mac and cheese and pudding recipes in my previous posts, in the links below)

Kids, just like adult vegetarians, need to eat lots and lots of vegetables and fruits, especially green leafy vegetables. Kids like fruit, so keep a steady stream of fruity things on they menu. They need plenty of plant proteins, like peanut butter, nuts, seeds, beans, and cheese and dairy can work for some of it. Whole grains as much as possible, good fats from olive oil and nuts, and some grass fed dairy. The easiest way to make sure they are getting their vegetarian specific vitamins is to serve fortified non-dairy milks. Soymilk, rice milk and others have put together fortification that makes sure vegans who drink a cup a day are getting pretty close to the RDA of B12, calcium, zinc and other vitamins that vegans might be lacking.

I’ve got to come clean, I don’t have kids. But, I do cook for other people’s kids-for pay, no less. I’ve cooked for kids who only ate buttered noodles and fruit, and kids who loved mushrooms and organ meats, so I get it that they are all different. But they can be swayed, inched toward healthier choices. The big difference with kids today and kids of old is that they have way too many bad options. My Mom made one thing for dinner and we ate it gratefully. There was no screaming until a special pot of fluorescent mac was produced, or for that matter, swinging by the fast food joint. We thought we were losing out, sometimes, but getting a home cooked meal every night was a great start in life.

The Whole Grain Conundrum, with a Recipe

People are so slow to change. You might think, that with all that you hear about whole grains, that people were adopting them. All those ads for cereals and crackers, touting their grainy goodness and the new RDA of three a day must be getting through to people, right?

A recent poll commissioned by the Grain Foods Foundation found that 98% of people consume one serving of grain (not necessarily whole) per day. The average number of servings is around three, and only 11% of that is whole.  So while math is not my strong suit, I think that means that most people are not eating whole grains at all. 11%of three servings adds up to a serving of whole grains about twice a week.

So, despite all the efforts of the great folks at the Whole Grains Council, writers like me, and all new products and the advertising, we are barely making a dent.

What’s up people?

Healthy eating has always had an image problem. Brown, coarse, tasteless, or too strong tasting, all bad adjectives to apply to food. And seriously, not all that applicable to whole grains today. Sure, I cook farro and brown rice, with their insane time commitments of an hour or 45 minutes on the stove-ooh how hard core. But even the complete non-cook can now buy such camouflaged products as Wonder White Wheat Bread (suspicious, but legally a whole grain) and the like. What is so hard about eating whole grain cereals for breakfast ? Seriously, raisin bran and oatmeal are not freaky health foods.

I am as usual, baffled by the vox populi when it comes to making healthy choices.

So, in the spirit of making it easy, let’s talk about the fastest possible ways to get whole grains on the table.

First, when buying prepared products, like cereals, breads and pastas, be a savvy label reader. As someone who really loves whole grain bread, I am always let down when a bread claims to be whole wheat or multi grain but is mostly white flour. All food labels are in descending order by weight. Whole wheat should be the  first ingredient. If it says “enriched flour” or “wheat flour” first, it is not whole grain bread. If it has high fructose corn syrup high on the list, it is probably not all that great. The Whole Grains Council has a seal, so that is a very simple tool-look for the Whole Grains Council seal and see how many servings of whole grains they say it has.

Boxed Cereals. All those ads on tv are for boxed cereals, and that seems to be the easiest way for people to  get some grains. My husband’s grandfather ate raisin bran every morning and lived to be 94. He was not a health food enthusiast. Cheerios, Wheat Chex and all sorts of familiar, non-threatening cereals are out there, easy to find. Just read labels and look for whole grains. the big scam on cereal labels is the multiple listings for sugar. Because of that rule that things must be in order by weight, using six kinds of sweetener means that they can list them lower down. that is why molasses, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and other -oses are all in one little box of cereal. Add them up and they make the cereal into a sugar bomb, not a whole grain health food.

Of course, you could always cook a little bit.

Saffron Gives The Rice a Golden Hue

Saffron-Coconut Brown Rice with Pistachios

Short grain brown rice cooks up soft and comforting, especially with a touch of coconut milk to give it richness. Sweet fruit and crunchy nuts make this a fab side for curries, or a fine lunch on its own. Makes a great leftover.

You could also make this with millet, which takes less time to cook, and has a mild flavor that would take a back seat to all the other tastes in this dish.

Serves 4

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 medium orange
1/4 teaspoon salt optional
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pistachios optional

1. In a heavy bottomed 1 quart pot with a lid, put coconut milk, water and rinsed rice. Use a paring knife to remove the orange zest, leaving the white pith behind, in large strips, and add to the pan, reserving the fruit. Add salt and saffron. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 35-40 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
2. When all the water is absorbed, toss in the apricots and let the pot stand, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Pare the white pith off the orange and slice across the sections into rounds. Serve the rice garnished with orange and pistachios.

Italian Vegetarian Night

The New Vegetarian is not officially out yet, but the “tour” has begun. Thursday’s class, The Italian Vegetarian, was a fabulous start for the book, and the food was a hit!

The class was offered at Sopra Sotto in Rochester MN, a store that specializes in all things Italian. The store is inside the Shops on University and very close to the famous Mayo Clinic. In fact, the Mayo is one of the reasons that the unique store exists. The back story is that the owner, Maureen McNally, was being treated at the Clinic years ago for cancer, and while she was there, promised herself that if she ever got well, she was going to follow her dream. Well, she got well, and the store is a thriving dream-the kind you like to see. Sopra Sotto is unlike most cookware stores, in that it focuses only on Italy, and it sells more than cookware, with a large selection of ceramics, leather, photography, and other Italian products. It also provides a small espresso bar and some food and pastries that bring in all the local Italian expats, as well as lovers of real espressos.

Maureen introduces me to the class.

Once the class got going, I made Ligurian Hummus in Endive and Radicchio Leaves, a puree of edamame, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. A lively salad of Mache, Oranges and Pistachios followed, and then a lighter version of a Tuscan Bean Salad with Kale and Gorgonzola Bruschetta. But the big finale was the Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Broccoli Raab Sauce and the Cracker Crust Pizza al Aglio. We were quite safe from vampires that night, with about five bulbs of garlic gracing the meal. (A large part of that were roasted whole cloves on top of the pizza, which were sweet and mild.)

Explaining how gnocchi work

The students were a fun group, many with Mayo connections. A patient, a doctor, and other veg-friendly guests were all very interested in eating the Mediterranean way, with no meat. The cuisine of Italy is ever so loveable, and the meatless cuisine is one of the most popular in the World. And of course- Pizza!

Placing the Super-thin Crust on the Stone

All in All, a great way to introduce the New Vegetarian to the people at Sopra Sotto! Many thinks to Maureen and the helpful assistants at the store.

MANGIA!

The First Event for the New Vegetarian!

Writing a book can be compared to having a baby. If having a baby took two years, involved a large team of people, and had a long stretch of time in which the mother has very little to do with it, that would be a good analogy. All your friends are excited about your imminent book, and ask about it when they see you, but two years is a long time to sustain that. “Is your book out yet?” goes on for a long time, if you know what I mean.

So we are entering the home stretch, I am in the car on the way to the hospital, practicing my breathing. The book is about to come out!

So last night was a very fun way to start the “new baby” phase of the book, when it needs alot of attention. The little screamer needs to be introduced to everyone I can find. I’m going to be dragging that newborn to meet and greets several times a week. Of course, since the book is not a baby, I don’t have to worry about exposing it to H1N1 or something, so I think the analogy is breaking down here. Still, since this is my second book, I know that I am going to go from zero to sixty in the next few weeks.

So, to get back to last night, I attended the Heartlink Gala, where my brand new book was part of a lovely package in the silent auction. It was a wonderful evening, in part because the Heartlink organization is such a good cause. It was the 40th anniversary of a charity that sends pediatric heart surgeons to poor countries, to set up self-sustaining programs that save children who would otherwise die. These surgeons train doctors to do the operations and to keep doing them long after the visiting surgeons leave.

I am very proud to announce that my package, including books, wine from Solo Vino, a lovely flower arrangement and professional photography, and a dinner for ten prepared by me, went for:

$2,250!

In this economy, I am so glad that I was able to help sell the package, and spent the evening chatting up all the prospective bidders who stopped by the table. They were all very charming people, out for a good cause.

On the vegetarian front, I did meet a number of people who had vegetarian family members and who were interested in the topic of veg food. I also got to eat a special vegan meal involving a little tower of roasted vegetables, which was a pretty good effort for a hotel kitchen. I don’t know if the successful bidders will want a veg meal, or will pick something from the New Whole Grains Cookbook. We wanted to have the option for the omnivores. Don’t worry, once I get in there I will plant the seeds of eating lower on the food chain. I always do.

The Vegetarian Food Pyramid(s) and You!

The USDA has, over the years, tried to come up with ways to educate the public about nutrition. It’s been a process, and the earliest guidelines, in the early 1900’s were in response to the common problem of malnutrition. The USRDA’s of nutrients didn’t come out until the 40’s, which were a time of wartime shortages, so the government issued guides were educating the public about very new ideas. In the ensuing years, we became a society where people die from overeating, not undereating, and the problems that need to be addressed have changed. So, the food pyramid was designed in 1992 to give us a visual aid for balancing our diets. That, too has become more complicated, with a new version coming out every few years, to much discussion and debate.

Vegetarians have never really had a great relationship with the omnivorous USDA  food pyramid, where we are supposed to plug in dairy and eggs in the meat slots and call it good. So, a few versions of the vegetarian and vegan food pyramid have been put together, by different groups, and guess what? They are all a little different. Some give a bigger place to whole grains, and some are more liberal with olive oil, but they all have something to add.

One of the first was designed by Oldways, an organization dedicated to educating the public about tried and true, ancient diet-styles, like the Mediterranean Diet. The Med diet continues to stand the test of time, with new studies backing it up.

http://www.oldwayspt.org/vegetarian_pyramid.html

Taking a look at the base, which is divided in thirds, with fruits and veggies, beans, and whole grains each taking a spot. That layer is “eat at every meal.” I’m betting that eating beans at every meal might be a challenge, unless you put soymilk on your cereal or eat tempeh bacon for breakfast. Beans actually means legumes in general, so peanut butter and soy can easily fill that slot.

Next level up, in the “eat daily” category are nuts and seeds, egg whites, soymilk and dairy, and plant oils. This differs from some of the other pyramids because the Med diet emphasizes eating olive oil every day. At the top point are eggs and sweets, to eat only occasionally. Then, off to the side, in Med fashion, is a glass of wine, and a recommendation to drink plenty of water. Yes!

Contrast that with the American Dietetic Association’s Vegetarian Food Pyramid. It’s a little more specific, and designed to break out calcium rich foods, even if they might fit into other categories.

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/governance_5105_ENU_HTML.htm

In this pyramid, the base is grains, at 6 servings a day, but up the side of the triangle are calcium rich foods, with 8 servings a day, in which the foods also belong to the group they are next to-like grains, vegetables, etc. The second level is protein rich legumes and nuts, at 5 servings, then Third level is vegetables at 4 servings, and fruits, with 2, and the tip is fat, with 2 servings.

Of course, these kinds of visual representations have to simplify things and are really more about the overall impression. You can take the broad strokes of “did I eat some at every meal?” of the Oldways pyramid, or you might find adding up your servings over the day to be more informative.

If you are eating a vegetarian diet and wonder if you are doing it right, try keeping a food diary for a week, or longer. Then add up your servings each day and compare it to the recommendations. This is a great way to get a feel for how you tend to eat. If you see a need to strive for more leafy greens or whole grains, you will be more aware after the week.

When you hear that the veg diet is really good for you, it is always with the caveat “properly planned” thrown in somewhere. It’s not just veg diets, everyone needs to plan for a balanced diet, so as not to be at the mercy of random food choices. It’s not hard, and easy enough to get into good habits.

And the Pyramids can be a good tool for visualizing your plans.

Peanut Butter, the Vegetarian’s Pal

How Fun is That?

It

Meet my new friend, the peanut butter maker at my Coop.

He, let’s call him grind-ey, makes extra special peanut butter, because it contains the peanut skins (more about that later) doesn’t have any added trans fats or sugars, and is much less likely to contain aflatoxins. It also can’t be from that nasty factory where the salmonella peanut butter was made.

Peanut butter is that lovable old friend, you

took it to school in your lunch, you keep a jar for emergency snacks, and as you’ve gotten more sophisticated, you’ve learned to use it in spicy sauces and creamy soups. It’s everybody’s friend, but vegetarians have a special place for it in their kitchens.

Yep, good old peanut butter is portable, spreadable, cookable and an easy way to get a quick protein fix. And if a little voice in your head is whispering about the high fat content, shush it. The fats in PB are mostly monounsaturated, with some polys thrown in, and are associated with lowering bad cholesterol and boosting the good HDL kind. Beyond that, PB is actually a great weight-loss tool-a study at the U of Perdue showed that folks who snacked on a couple of Tbs stayed full for 2 1/2 hours, and the same amount of calories from a carb-based snack didn’t satisfy nearly as well.

In one study published on the journal Obesity, the subjects who ate nuts at least twice a week were 31% less likely to gain weight. So even though your fave spread gets 71% of its calories from fat, it gets 15 % from protein, giving a 2 Tbs serving 8 grams of protein. It’s also got a filling, healthy 2 grams of fiber, 3 mgs Vitamin E, 49 mg magnesium, 208 ,g potassium, and .17 mg B6.

Oh, and that peanut skin I like ground into my peanut butter? It’s a potent source of resveratrol, the same compound that gives grapes and wine their stellar reputation. It seems that both peanuts and grapes have developed the same chemical to fight fungal infection, and when we consume it, it helps prevent cancer. The skins also bring higher amounts of all the minerals, and that slight bitterness adds a nice complexity to the sweet, rich flavor of the butter.

A unique antioxidant in peanut butter is the polyphenol p-coumaric acid, so it even protects your cells from oxidative damage. It’s also got a few more antioxidants hiding in that creamy spoonful, making it a very protective food-even before you slather on the raspberry jam. In fact, peanuts beat carrots and apples in antioxidant levels, and have you noticed how good peanut butter is on a slice of apple?

Peanut butter is also associated with lower risks of gallstones, colon cancer, and alzheimers, so keep on spreading it on thick.

Decadent Thai Peanut Sauce

The rich flavor of the freshly ground peanut butter demanded a serious treatment, so I concocted a slightly spicy, coconut and red curry sauce. Thai Kitchen curry pastes are fish-free, so look for them to avoid non-vegetarian ingredients. This sauce keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge, and is great for dipping, stir fries, or even slathering on sandwiches.

1 teaspoon canola oil

3  shallots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste (to taste)

1 cup coconut milk (reduced fat is fine)

1/2 cup peanut butter, pure and natural

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar or other sweetener

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 pinch salt

In a small saucepan, heat the oil and saute the shallots until browned. It’s not alot of oil but the sauce will be really oily if you add more. Add the garlic and saute for a minute, then add the curry paste and work it all together, cooking until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk, then work in the peanut butter. Simmer for a minute, then stir in the soy sauce, sweetener and lime. Simmer over low heat until thick, the oil will start to separate when it is done.

Happy National Mushroom Month!

The untamed morel is only found in the wild

Time to pop the cork, I know you have all been waiting for the big September party that is Mushroom Month. I know, we already missed a couple of weeks, so we have to make up for it.

Vegetarians would do well to learn how to harness the magic of mushrooms. The peculiar chemistry of the fungus makes it both deliciously meaty tasting, and in many cases, potently medicinal. The mushroom is blessed with a number of free amino acids, including the glutamic acid used to make MSG. Shiitake mushrooms also contain guanosine monophosphate, another meaty-tasting chemical. These chemicals work to give the mushroom “umami,” a flavor or sensation of meaty, satisfying fullness that is prized by the Japanese. Drying mushrooms concentrates this umami even more.

For medicinal use, you may have seen Maitake or Shiitake mushrooms in pill or extract form. These and a few other mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, and studied for their immune-boosting and cancer preventing abilities.

Nutritionally, the mushroom is fat-free and high in protein and B12, making it a great food for vegetarians. That, combined with the meaty texture and health benefits, make a big roasted portobello a common vegetarian entrée ingredient.

In the great recycling scheme of the natural world, mushrooms occupy a fascinating niche. Existing invisibly as a fine network of fibers underground or symbiotically on a host, the organisms whose fruits we know as mushrooms live off the living and the dead. While that might sound creepy, these natural wonders produce some of the tastiest things in the produce aisle.

The mushrooms we buy are actually the fruiting bodies of much larger networks of microscopic fibers, called hyphae. Each specific mushroom grows this network next to the food it is capable of digesting, so a matsutake will only be found near a wild red pine, and a straw mushroom will only grow on rotting rice straw. Some other varieties are less picky, living on decomposing leaves or animal dung. The “mycorrhizal” symbionts, like truffles and chanterelles, live in happy balance with their host tree, synthesizing sugars from the environment and sharing them even as they borrow other nutrients. A few parasitic mushrooms eventually kill their host plants.

The “saphrophytic” mushrooms that eat decomposing matter have proven to be the easiest for humans to grow. Most of the mushrooms we buy are cultivated, using decaying matter as a growing medium. Yes, those black crumbs at the base of your button mushroom are manure, but it’s heat-sterilized manure, if that makes you feel better. Shiitake mushrooms thrive on decaying oak, and were cultivated by the Chinese as early as the 13th century. The happy confluence of harvesting rice and the predilection of the straw mushroom to grow on the leftover stalks made the straw mushroom as ubiquitous in rice growing countries as the button is here.

Symbiotic mushrooms are the hardest to tame, and are still stalked in the wild. Morels, chanterelles, porcinis, hedgehogs, and the famously expensive truffle are among this elusive group. That is why you only see them once a year in their fresh forms, if even then. Mushroom hunting is a dangerous but rewarding activity, best left to well-trained hunters who can tell a delicacy from a fast-acting poison.

The unique biology of the mushroom makes it a joy to cook with. Mostly water, but with no fat, your mushroom will yield completely different textures depending on how you handle it. Raw, most mushrooms are soft and springy. Seared, they can develop a snappy crust that holds the concentrated juices inside. Chopped and cooked over lower heat, the mushroom pours out its liquids and becomes meltingly tender-but if you keep cooking, it will reduce down to an intensely flavorful essence and become firmer as you go.

The mushroom is your “umami” resource, and if you play around with it, you can really amp up your vegetarian cuisine!

Is Cheese Addictive, or Just Really Tasty?

Oh the things we have to worry about.

The September issue of Vegetarian Times has an article entitled:”Confessions of a Cheeseaholic” by Hillari Dowdle. Full disclosure, I have written many times for VT and love the magazine. I totally appreciate the challenges of keeping the magazine appealing to everyone who doesn’t eat meat, from the flexis and post-heart attack newbies to the lifelong whole fooders to the committed vegans. Just cutting out meat doesn’t make us a homogenous group, at all. Our ragtag coalition come to their meatless lifestyles for reasons ranging from animal rights, religion, the environment, and personal health, or a mix of all of the above.

So when I saw the headline, I thought, uh-oh, this is going to really take a dig at the ovo-lactos.

Luckily, I was wrong. In a careful reading, the piece is a balanced and informative rumination on what really goes on in industrial cheesemaking, and suggests that the overly cheese-dependent vegetarian needs to take a look at her diet. It’s not a diatribe against eating cheese, and even ends with Anna Lappe making a reasonable suggestion that those who eat too much cut back, and seek out high-quality, sustainable cheese.

That said, as someone who lives in Minnesota, affectionately known as the “Land of 10,000 Treatment Centers,” I think that using the term addiction might be a little strong. This is where people come who have hit rock bottom with addictions to hard drugs and alcohol, and rock bottom is usually a place where you have lost jobs, family, homes and self-respect because of the addiction. There are also treatment centers for eating disorders, which should be taken just as seriously.

The case made in the article, backed up by Dr Neal Barnard of the PCRM is that cheese is a very concentrated source of “casomorphins,” which affect the brains opiate receptors just like heroin. He calls cheese “dairy crack.” I suppose that a person eating cheese three times a day might be having a dysfunctional relationship to it. But crack is something that has no redeeming value at all. None. And dairy, provided you are not hitting the casomorph pipe too hard, can be a healthy part of your diet.

We can get hooked on chocolate, whose theobromines activate the same receptors in the brain as marijuana and love. We can abuse caffeine, sugar, alcohol and even fat to make ourselves feel better. Heck, recent research even finds that salt is a mood elevator of a sort, which may account to the crack-like addiction our entire culture seems to have with it, which is actually killing people every day by sending their blood pressure through the roof.

It’s all about balance.

So if you are an ovo-lacto and you are eating alot of cheese, take a look at that. In my experience, when folks first give up meat, they tend to switch to cheese as a protein source because it is familiar and easy. And don’t forget, delicious. But no one food, not tofu, not almonds, not brown rice, should be eaten at every meal.Make an effort to have a day or two a week where cheese is minimal-just opt for Chinese or Thai for a change, and see how that goes. If a luscious red curry tofu leaves you shaky with your jones for the white stuff, maybe you are a little hooked on the cow.

Hopefully if you are a cheese abuser, you can make an effort to opt for beans, nuts and creamy peanut butter some of the time. If it really has a hold on you, you may want to follow the advice of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and give it up completely. The vegan lifestyle may be your sobriety when it comes to dairy. Only you can decide.

For the rest of us, we should not worry needlessly about casomorphins. All sorts of mood changing chemicals are in foods and most people can handle it. Eat good, grass-fed, farmstead cheeses in small amounts, appreciate them, and eat a balanced diet of plants. Go vegan if that works for you, it can be a great way to live.

Just remember that eating is a celebration, and happiness and pleasure are as valuable as any vitamins.

Are Snack Foods Secretly Healthy?

Sprinkling the Seasoning on the Corn

Snack Away!

Studies presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society extolled the newly found virtues of popcorn and other whole grain crackers and snacks, because they have “surprisingly large” amounts of antioxidants known as polyphenols. “We found that, in fact, whole grain products have comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables,” said lead researcher Joe Vinson, a chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Note that they said Whole Grain. Popcorn has always been a whole grain, even when it is doused in butter. The antioxidant info is not all that new-I cited a study from Cornell when I was writing The New Whole Grains Cookbook, in which the antioxidant levels of wheat and corn were found to be the same as those in spinach and broccoli. That was back in ‘05, and antioxidants are still hot.

The thing with whole grains is that they were always known to be part of keeping you healthy, but it was the fiber that got all the credit. Nature’s Broom, taking away all the bad stuff, that was the role of whole wheat bread. And fiber could be gotten in fruits, veggies, or powder form, so why bother. Now we get the whole picture-the fiber and the antioxidants and nutrients work in synergy to protect you from the inside out.

In fact, according to Leonard Marquardt at the University of Minnesota Department of Science and Nutrition, the synergy between all the elements in whole grains is lifesaving. Basically, when whole grains enter the digestive system, the fiber absorbs the bad stuff and moves it along. As that is happening, all the antioxidants and nutrients are protecting the body from any toxins that are being swept away. At the same time, starches in the grains feed good bacteria and create a healthy pH in the gut, as well as breaking into compounds that are associated with lowered risk of many cancers. That’s the miraculous truth about whole foods- you can’t take them apart and make them into pills or extracts and expect the same results.

We were made for real food.

So here we are, with a secretly healthy snack, popcorn. I know, it is awfully good drenched in butter, fluorescent yellow cheese products, caramel and other high-calorie coatings. And when faced with snack choices, sometimes a bag of cheesecorn is actually a little better than potato chips. A drizzle of sweet on a big bowl of popcorn can head off a sugar craving and fill you up. With all those antioxidants, no less!

So, if you want a fresh tasting snack that just seems like misbehavior, try this vegan-friendly corn, which can also be made with cheddar powder. Expect to get messy, it seems to work best to eat right over your own bowlful.

Olive Oil and Herb Popcorn

I dug out the hot air popper for this-I prefer to hot air pop and apply oil after it is done. That way I get the flavor and adhesive quality without burning my good xvoo. If you don’t have one, just pop in a small amount of oil and proceed.

1/2  cup  popcorn

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or cheddar powder

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4  teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using cheese, taste for salt when done)

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

Set up to pop the corn. In a small cup, mix the yeast or cheese and the herbs and salt (if using.) In a small saucepan, put the oil and garlic over low heat. Pop the corn, keeping an eye on the garlic- just bring it to a sizzle but don’t let it color. Take off the heat. In a big bowl, drizzle the oil over the corn and toss, then sprinkle on the seasoning and toss again. Serve hot.