After 1.5 years of writing ...]]>
A page spread from the Herbivoracious cookbook

In journalism, they say “don’t bury the lede”, but today I’ve got three of them:

• The cookbook will hit stores on May 8th, 2012 (if you are new here and thinking “what cookbook?” look here)
• You can pre-order it this very minute on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound
• I’m quitting my day job

After 1.5 years of writing and testing and shooting and meeting and eating and editing and strategizing and even occasionally arguing, the book is at the printer right now. The team at Harvard Common Press has done an incredible job of designing the book so that it will be both lovely to look at and easy to use. Click on the page spread image above and you’ll see what I mean. The final stats: hardcover, 368 pages, 150 recipes, and 80+ full color photos.

I tweaked recipes until the last possible moment, making sure everything is dialed in just how I want it to be when you get your hands on it. It is an amazing feeling to have gone through this process with all of your support. There were definitely days when things weren’t going right in the kitchen that I would take a step back and remind myself how many of you have reached out to encourage me over the years. Obviously not every dish is going to be to everyone’s taste, but I feel confident that if you pick a recipe in the book because it sounds good to you, you are going to end up with something you will be proud of.

One thing I’ve emphasized through the whole process is that this isn’t just a cookbook for vegetarians. Almost everyone I talk to these days, regardless of their diet, wants to eat less meat. In fact, meat and poultry consumption in the US is down 12% over the past 5 years. I think there is a general recognition that meatless meals are good for your health, the environment, and animal welfare. I hope and believe that this book will be of interest to anyone who loves food.

When folks plan a vegetarian meal, they are often unsure what to do for an entree, so I’ve included over 40 main courses. You’ll be able to build a satisfying, healthful, and most of all, delicious meal around these main dishes, with a large selection of appetizers, salads, soups and side dishes. Chapters on breakfast and some unusual desserts round out the selection.

The book will officially hit the stores on May 8th, 2012. Harvard Common Press is doing an amazing amount to support it. In an era where tours are mostly on the author’s own dime if they happen at all, they are sending me on a multi-week tour all over the US, which is an indication of just how strongly they believe in this book. The dates and cities aren’t completely nailed down yet. I can’t wait for the opportunity to connect with all of you folks in person! If you would like to be on the email list so that you get each week’s new recipes and updates about the book and events, just sign up right here:

And yes… I’m quitting my day job. I’ve been a professional software engineer since I was 16 (yep, really… my first paid gig was writing accounting software for construction companies with my old pal David Harpe). I’ve had the opportunity to work for George Lucas making dinosaurs and Terminators, and for the past 12.5 years I’ve been at Adobe, working on After Effects with a group of people that have become some of my best friends in the world. It isn’t easy to step out of that womb. But my passion for food has simply grown to the point where I can’t keep squeezing it in on nights and weekends. As much as I love cooking for friends and family, writing, and interning at restaurants, it has become clear to me that I need  cooking to be my full time focus.

So I’m taking the leap. Am I nuts to give up the security of a good paying, mostly 9-5 job with great friends for massive uncertainty? Probably. Still, March 1st will be my last day at Adobe. After that, I’ll be spending several months improving the blog and promoting the book, and then I plan to open a restaurant of my own in Seattle, probably starting with a series of pop-ups while I develop the menu and find the right space and team.

Here we go!

No related posts.

A pressure cooker is a normal high-quality stainless steel pan with a fancy top which seals shut at the beginning of cooking and traps vapor inside allowing the pressure to build and internal temperature to rise higher than what ...]]>
Cream of Stinging Nettle Soup

Today I’m excited to bring you a guest post from Laura of Hip Pressure Cooking. I’ve fallen in love with my pressure cooker over the past couple of years, and I’ve come to rely on Laura’s site as the definitive resource for how to use it. She doesn’t make pressure cooker recipes simply to speed things up. For her, it isn’t a useful recipe unless the dish comes out as good or better than it would on the stovetop or in the oven. Laura is Italian, and you can imagine an Italian woman would take a lot of heat for suggesting that traditional foods like polenta can be made successfully in a non-traditional way! So you can be sure assured that her recipes don’t just work, they knock it out of the park.

For today’s guest post, she shows us how to make a cream of stinging nettle soup, which is perfect timing because nettle season is just about to get going, at least in my part of the country. If you don’t forage for them yourself, check out your local farmer’s market, as nettles don’t typically appear in grocery stores. Take it away, Laura…

Introduction to Pressure Cooking

Pressure cookers considerably shorten the cooking time of just about anything – including soups!

A pressure cooker is a normal high-quality stainless steel pan with a fancy top which seals shut at the beginning of cooking and traps vapor inside allowing the pressure to build and internal temperature to rise higher than what can be achieved with conventional cooking – resulting in faster cooking, more intense flavor, and better preserved vitamins and minerals!

Technology has made modern pressure cookers safer (with redundant safety mechanisms), faster (more pressure) and quieter than ever- no more whistling, shhshing or unexpected bursts of vapor while under pressure.

How Much Faster?

How about…

• Soaked chickpeas ready in 33* minutes  vs. 3 hours (or more) of simmering – black beans need only 20*!
• Pasta and Sauce cooked together, with al dente results ready in the time it would take to get a pot of hot water to boil.
• Almost any veggie steamed to perfection with just 5 minutes or less under pressure (with exception of potatoes, pumpkin and beets)
• A veggie stock can be cooked at pressure for only 5 minutes, and then the residual heat of the pressure cooker will keep cooking it for 10 minutes or more (no energy!).
• A steamed dessert custard can be fully cooked without curdling in 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the container)

*Cooking time includes time to pressure and open – in other words, from start to finish!

Why is Pressure Cooking Good for Vegetables?

Pressure cooking prevents the oxidation of veggies, using the steamer basket preserves the water-soluble vitamins, the sealed top keep the vitamins from evaporating away, and the quick cooking helps to retain more minerals that could be destroyed by longer cooking times.  The result will be more flavor, more color and a retention of up to 95% of vitamins and minerals (vs. regular cooking, which only retains about 40%).

So What Can it Do?

You can use a pressure cooker to cook vegetables, fruits, dessert, grains (meat and fish, for the omnivores) and it is famous for how quickly it can cook beans! A pressure cooker will let you cook in the following ways -including combining traditional cooking techniques with this super-fast cooker:

• Brown – this is the first step in many recipes, like risotto, and can be done before the lid is placed and pressure cooking begins, or after it is removed.
• Boil – just add enough water to cover the food by half.
• Steam – insert the accessory, or a metal-foldable steaming basket with 1 cup of water.
• Braise – brown the food in the pan, and then add 1/2 a cup or less of liquid (wine, milk, broth, water).
• Stew – throw everything in, cover with liquid, and close the top.
• Steam Roast – place the food suspended with rack, trivet or steamer basket with just 1-2 cups of cooking liquid.
• Reduce – after the lid is removed, cook on high flame to reduce liquids if desired.
• Water Bath  (Bain Marie)– place a heat-resistant bowl (ceramic, Pyrex, stainless steel), covered in aluminum foil on steamer basket inside pressure cooker with 1 cup of water on the bottom.
• Perfectly Cooked Rice – add the correct proportion of rice to water, bring to pressure and turn off the pressure cooker.  The residual heat and vapor will cook the rice perfectly.
• Extract Juice -  place fruit in steamer basket with container underneath.

Show Me!

Though the recipe below does not require a pressure cooker – you will find that once you discover the taste and speed at which your food is ready that you won’t ant to put it down.  Making this recipe “the regular no pressure way” would have you use a stock you made beforehand (instead of making it on the fly), boiling the potatoes for 30 minutes and tossing in the nettles during the last 10 minutes.

Picking & Washing Stinging Nettles

A web search will yield a host of bloggers picking nettles with tongs, gloves and anything possible to avoid getting stung.  The reality is that if you’re getting stung, the nettle is really too old to be picked and cooked.  The soft, young nettles which have not yet bloomed will not prick you and.. if you are brave enough to stick one in your mouth they have a very strong and refreshing flavor of cucumber – just taste it though, stinging nettles are not a raw food.  There may still be some traces of “formic acid” which is the “sting” one would get from red fire ants which is destroyed during cooking.

The youngest pieces can be picked and the leaves and stalks can be used… though the slightly older will have slightly more woody stems that will need to be separated from the leaves.

To wash, simply put them in a colander and then submerge it in water (either in a bigger bowl or sink).  Swish them around so any dirt will fall to the bottom and then strain out and shake them a bit to get out any excess of water.

You will need a lot of nettles to make this recipe (about two colanders full). Nettles are very thin, weigh nothing and will practically disintegrate during cooking. You can supplement your foraged nettles with equal amounts of baby spinach to get to the right weight.

Crema di Ortiche - Stinging Nettle Soup (Pressure Cooker)
Vegetarian and gluten-free
Serves 4-6 

• 7 oz. or 200gr of Stinging Nettles (or mix of Nettles and Baby Spinach),
• 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 small Scallion, sliced
• 1 small (or half of a large) carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk Celery, roughly chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, medium dice (with skin on)
• Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper)
• 4 cups or 1lt Water
• 4 Tbsp. Cream or Yogurt

Special equipment: Pressure cooker; immersion Blender or blender

1. In the pre-heated pressure cooker melt the butter and soften the scallion, then add the carrots and celery and lightly brown them.  Next,  add the potatoes, salt and mix everything together.  Lastly, add the nettles.  Let them rest on top of the water and do not stir them in.
2. Close and lock your pressure cooker.  Turn the heat up to high until it reaches pressure.  Then, turn the heat down to low and count 5 minutes cooking time at HIGH pressure.  When the time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Cold-water-quick release – bring your pressure cooker to the sink and pour water over the top, tilting it to avoid having water get into the valves.  For electric pressure cookers, open with the Normal release – twist the valve to release pressure quickly.
3. Puree the contents of the pressure cooker and serve with a spoon of yogurt or cream for flavor and garnish.

Related posts:

1. Indian Lentil Soup with Fenugreek (Methi Dal) – Guest Post Recipe
2. Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus and Fava Beans – Recipe, Including Pressure Cooker Variation
3. Jack of All Cakes – A Guest Post from LemonPi
4. Cold Carrot Soup “Myhrvold” – Recipe
5. Farro and Chickpea Soup – Recipe

Now we’ve caught on that they are wonderful when pan-fried, deep-fried, broiled, roasted or ...]]>
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shiitakes and Smoked Paprika

Brussels sprouts are oddly fashionable these past couple of years. They have two things going for them:

1. Underdog status. A lot of people hated them because they were boiled to death for much of the 20th century.
2. But they are actually delicious when prepared well.

Now we’ve caught on that they are wonderful when pan-fried, deep-fried, broiled, roasted or otherwise subjected to high heat for shorter periods of time. (Of course, I actually still love them steamed or boiled and served with good sweet butter as long you don’t overcook them.)

I think you’ll enjoy this version, which has just 7 ingredients, of which 5 are pantry staples. It comes together in only 10 or 15 minutes. The shiitakes and smoked paprika add to the earthy complexity of the nearly-charred sprouts

Wait a second, you don’t consider smoked paprika and Maldon salt to be pantry staples? Ok, you need to change that. Those are two ingredients that will change your life as a cook. The smoked paprika takes any dish and makes it taste like it was cooked over an open wood fire, and the Maldon salt adds a magnificent flaky saline crunch that is ideal for a finishing touch. It takes many dishes from good to great. Trust me, even if they seem a bit overpriced, a little goes a long way and your food will improve dramatically. If you use Amazon Prime, this 2-pack of Maldon salt is a better deal.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shiitakes and Smoked Paprika
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and kosher
Serves 2-3 as a side dish

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, sliced about 1/8″ thick
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered (about 9 ounces / 250 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Flaky salt such as Maldon

1. Line a plate with paper towels. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, and when it shimmers, add the mushrooms caps in a single layer. Cook until well browned on one side, about one minute, then flip and cook the other side. When the second side is browned, remove with a slotted spatula to the paper towels, leaving as much oil behind as possible. Season with a sprinkle of Kosher salt.
2. With the skillet still on medium high heat, add the brussels sprouts and toss to coat with oil, adding a bit more oil if needed. Cook, turning occasionally, until tender and many surface have dark brown spots. I like mine almost charred.
3. Add the smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt and the reserved shiitakes. Toss, then taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter, finish with black pepper and a few grains of flaky salt and serve.

Related posts:

1. Recipe: Panko-Crusted Egg With Cherry Smoked Asparagus, Smoked Paprika, And Sherry Gastrique
2. Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Seeds and Toasted Coconut
3. Homemade Smoked Chile Con Limon (Mexican Sour and Spicy Condiment) – Recipe
4. Brussels Sprout Gratin – With Heretical Technique – Recipe
5. Bucatini with Smoked Asparagus and Gorgonzola – Recipe

On some level ...]]> I‘m not the type to go around making a big deal about the fact that I don’t eat meat. But if I’ve hung out with someone for awhile, they will eventually notice. Their first question is usually, “Why are you a vegetarian?” The next one is “But where do you get your protein?”

On some level I think this is kind of a funny question. I’ve been a vegetarian for 27 years and I’m apparently in good health, so it is unlikely that I’ve got a protein deficiency. Heck, for that matter around 40% of the people in India are vegetarian and seem to be managing well enough!

I think on some level this question is symptomatic of the larger issue of nutritionism - the idea that we need to have a scientific understanding of every calorie, every gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein, mineral and vitamin that goes into our body. I’m not saying there is no value in a basic understanding of what science and medicine have learned about food. But hominids have managed to eat just fine for millions of years by paying attention to what their bodies wanted. There probably isn’t a need to make it much more complicated than that, except to avoid eating too much junk food that has been engineered to trick and subvert your body’s basic sense of what is good to eat. You don’t have to have lived many decades to notice that nutritional advice changes constantly anyhow.

Nonetheless, this is the age we live in. Almost everyone I talk to is sold on the idea of eating more meatless meals, and protein is a valid concern that needs to be addressed. So let’s first take a look at some of the best sources of vegetarian protein, then examine a common misunderstanding about protein combinations, and finally, we’ll look at a typical day’s vegetarian meals and see how they stack up.

The standard recommendation is to eat about 0.8 grams of protein per day for every kilogram of body weight (about 0.37 grams per pound). For me, that comes to around 55 grams of protein per day.

Now this table is not meant to be complete, but I just want to give you an idea of the protein levels in a serving of a few common vegetarian foods, using what would be a typical serving for me (not necessarily the package serving size, which is often absurdly small so they can report low calorie totals).

• 1/3rd package extra firm tofu – 13 grams
• 1 cup cooked lentils – 18 grams
• 1 cup cooked pinto beans – 12 grams
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa – 13 grams
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice – 6 grams
• 1/4 pound dried pasta – 14 grams
• 2 slices bread – 5 grams
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter – 8 grams
• 1/4 cup almonds – 8 grams
• 1 ounce cheese – 7 grams
• 1 egg – 6 grams
• 1 cup broccoli – 4 grams
• 1 cup tomato sauce – 4 grams
• 1 cup soymilk – 9 grams
• 1 cup whole milk – 8 grams

So you can see, there are plenty of rich sources of protein available. I threw broccoli and tomato sauce in there because people don’t often think about the fact that there are small, but usable amounts of protein in foods we don’t even think about.

Speaking of common misunderstandings, if you first thought about vegetarian protein in the 1970s, you probably heard about the importance of combining grains and beans in the same meal to make “complete” proteins. Proteins are made from various amino acids, some of which our body can make and others that we must ingest. Some foods are higher in some amino acids and lower in others relative to the proportion we ultimately need. The thought was that they had to be consumed together to get the full nutritional value. Subsequent research has thoroughly dismissed this idea. It is sufficient to eat a variety of foods over the course of a day without getting bogged down in worrying about amino acid profiles!

Let’s look at a typical day sof meals for me and see how I’m doing. Keep in mind I’d never normally give this a moment’s thought:

• Breakfast: 2 slices of bread (5 grams), 2 tablespoons sunflower butter (8 grams)
• Lunch: falafel sandwich with hummus (16 grams)
• Snack: 1/4 cup mixed nuts (6 grams)
• Dinner: 1 1/2 cups rice (6 grams), Chana Mushroom Masala (12 grams), Cucumber and Radish Raita (6 grams)

So that gives me 59 grams, without even taking into account any extra bits of protein from vegetables in the meals, side dishes, plus miscellaneous snacks. (I tend to eat sort of continuously throughout the day. High metabolism I guess. Or I just really like food.)

How about one more day, just to be sure that wasn’t a fluke:

• Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups Flax Plus cereal (8 grams), 1 cup soymilk (9 grams)
• Lunch: 1 1/2 cups rice (6 grams), Thai green curry with 1/3 pound tofu (13 grams)
• Snack: 1 muffin (2 grams)
• Dinner: my Triple Smoky Mac & Cheese (at least 25 grams)

For a total of 63 grams of protein.

So there you have it. Without worrying about protein at all, just eating a variety of food that I love, I’m getting more than enough.

I guess I should end with the obvious caveats. This is what works for me. Every body is different. Your needs may vary depending on your age, gender, build, genetics, activity level and zodiac sign. Talk to your doctor before beginning any program of diet and exercice. Past performance is no guarantee of future investment results. Patients taking persniquaquon (TM) should discontinue use and contact their doctor if purple goo starts draining from their eyeballs.

What about you? Do you worry about protein? Do you think I have this right or am I totally off base?

Related posts:

1. Umami-Packed Vegetarian Broth – Recipe (Also Vegan)