Spicy Peanutty Greens & Pasta

I tried this for supper with fresh Swiss chard from Lia's garden. Very good!!

Ingredients
olive oil, as needed
1/2 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups kale, chopped small
1/2 pound pasta
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, as needed to thin
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy goes great with this recipe)
1+ tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce 1/2 (15 ounce) can white beans or garbanzos
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Boil a pot of water for pasta. You'll want to start cooking the pasta according to package directions right before you add the tomato sauce (see step 3).

2. In a large pan or wide pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and throw in the onions and garlic. Cook to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the kale and mix in with the onions and garlic.

3. Pour in the entire 15 ounce can tomato sauce, stirring to coat the kale. Add a little more sauce from the smaller can so everything's coated, but don't get tricked into adding too much; the kale will shrink down significantly.

4. Reduce heat and simmer the mixture 6-8 minutes covered, stirring frequently, until kale is tender-crisp. Stir in peanut butter and chili garlic sauce. Add beans, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5. Simmer for another couple minutes until everything is creamy and well-blended. Drain the pasta and combine thoroughly with the sauce, stirring to coat.

Serve hot, and garnish with fresh kale leaves and crushed peanuts if you wish. This is a lovely recipe, with the tomato neutralizing the bitter of the kale and the peanut butter adding subtle sweetness. I added onions and garlic, kicked up the heat, doubled the amount of kale, and substituted tomato sauce for tomato juice, and added optional beans.
The overall effect is a heartier sauce that's more appealing to a wider audience, plus it's a powerhouse of nutrients and protein.

Source of recipe: This recipe is adapted from Matthew Levine's Spicy Tomato Peanut and Kale Pasta, which can be viewed here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7918.0 . I found it on page 134 of Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan.

Makes: 2 large servings, Preparation time: 10 mins, Cooking time: 12 mins ' Share This Recipe

Sexiest Vegetarian 2011

from: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00041679.html

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) annually compiles a list for the Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities, and Russell Brand is taking the crown this year.

Beating the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde and Anne Hathaway, the "Arthur" star shared the title with Kristen Wiig.

The 36-year-old husband of Katy Perry has been a vegetarian since the age of 14. While on "Live! With Regis and Kelly" recently, he explained to host Kelly Ripa that he does not even consume fish oil. "I'm vegetarian. I think it's cruel to squeeze oil out of a fish... Cause they're lovely little guys, aren't they? You shouldn't eat animals; it's mean to them!"

37-year-old Kristen, meanwhile, became a vegetarian to help her stay fit. The "Saturday Night Live" veteran, who recently stars in "Bridesmaids", spilled in an interview with Women's Health that she maintains a healthy lifestyle by eating a lot of tofu and soy in addition to running and doing yoga.

Last year, the title of Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities went to "The Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper and "Tron Legacy" beauty Olivia Wilde.

Road Trip Vegetarian Style: Los Angeles to Naples

from: http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-healthyroadtrip-20110626,1,1094636.story

For the junk food junkie, a road trip can be a dream journey. Between the fast food outlets and the glop at gas station minimarts, travelers may find themselves on a never-ending sugar/trans-fat wallow.

But on a monthlong road trip from Los Angeles to Naples, Fla., to visit friends and family, my wife, Landry, and I decided to go another direction: We would eat healthfully. It was a challenge, but not an insurmountable one if you knew where to look. Our goal on this trip was to find those hidden, healthful dining oases. As a bonus, we hoped we wouldn't gain weight. Bye-bye, guilt.

About 18 months ago, in an effort to achieve a more healthful lifestyle, we made big changes in our diets. I became a vegetarian, and Landry became a vegan, cutting all animal products, including eggs and dairy, from her edit.

As we laid out our plans for our 5,516-mile journey, we plotted our stops based on where we could find health-food stores, vegetarian and vegan restaurants and Whole Foods markets to stock up in between.

Our route directly followed major freeways: Interstate 10 from L.A. through Tucson; past El Paso and up Interstate 20 south of Dallas to Atlanta; and south on Interstate 75 to Naples.

We hit bumps along the healthful highway only twice: One night as we drove through Midland, Texas, the only healthful option we could find was a plain baked potato and salad at Wendy's. On another afternoon, we gave in to our grumbling bellies and ordered veggie sandwiches at a gas station Subway outside San Antonio. But overall, like modern-day explorers charting new territory, we made some notable discoveries that may serve as a new healthful road map for travelers who want to travel the green highway.

Tucson
This Arizona desert city was our first major stop. We took a 10-mile detour off the freeway for lunch at Lovin' Spoonfuls (2990 N. Campbell Ave., [520] 325-7766, http://www.lovinspoonfuls.com). As we were driving through a not-so-nice part of town to arrive at its strip mall location, we wondered whether we had made the right choice. Once inside the air-conditioned restaurant, though, we found modern decor, friendly people and a tempting menu. The house specialty is the Route 66 bacon cheeseburger, a grilled soy patty topped with crispy soy bacon strips and melted vegan cheese. The highlight, at least as far as Landry was concerned, was the chocolate truffle cake. Divinely creamy and darkly fudgy. You'd never know it was vegan.

Arlington, Texas
In major metropolitan areas, we had no trouble finding a vegetarian restaurant or a grocery store that carried organic produce. In the hinterlands, salads are a fine choice, although they are not always organic. So we veered north on Interstate 20 near Midland the day after our Wendy's experience to stop at the huge Whole Foods store in Arlington (801 E. Lamar Blvd., [817] 461-9362, http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com). Whole Foods, founded 150 miles south in Austin, always felt like a homecoming. We stocked up on vegetarian and vegan dishes such as tofu curry over brown rice, spinach cakes and organic fruits and vegetables. We loaded our score into our cooler and hopped back on the highway, happy to have satisfied a craving.

Atlanta
Atlanta surprised us. This may be the land of deep-fat friers, but we also found several vegan and vegetarian restaurants. World Peace Cafe Atlanta (220 Hammond Drive, Sandy Springs, Ga.; [404] 256-2100, http://www.worldpeacecafeatlanta.com) is a haven in the midst of the bustling metropolitan area. Volunteers staff the café, which was built through donations. All tips go to create a meditation center. (In the tradition of the Buddhists, meditation contributes to world peace.) The tofu scramble was laced with turmeric, cumin and other tasty spices and was delicious, but my favorite dish was the vegan cranberry-orange pancakes. We ate here several times and felt good about doing so for reasons beyond the food. After all, how many places can you eat pancakes and contribute to world peace at the same time?
R. Thomas' Deluxe Grill (1812 Peachtree St. N.W.; [404] 872-2942, http://www.rthomasdeluxegrill.net) is a longtime Atlanta vegan favorite. Decorated with Chinese paper lanterns, bamboo curtains, seashell wind chimes and a chirping canary, the restaurant is more aptly described as outdoor seating in a heated tent. Its menu has offerings as diverse as tempeh (a soy-based meat substitute often used in things such as vegan burgers and bacon) and quinoa (a South American "supergrain" with a texture like couscous) served 24 hours a day. We showed up at 6 one morning and found that the Thai Express — a bowl of quinoa topped with sautéed broccoli, red cabbage, carrots, scallion and cilantro in a spicy peanut sauce — was a delicious breakfast choice. When we ordered, John Vo, a manager, who has been at R. Thomas for 19 years, said: "Laughter is still the best medicine, but quinoa is a close second." No argument from us.

Naples, Fla.
We weren't expecting many options in Naples, so we again stocked up on prepared vegetarian and vegan dishes at the local Whole Foods. But to our pleasant surprise, we found some notable options. Food & Thought Farm Market & Café (2132 Tamiami Trail, [239] 213-2222; http://www.foodandthought.com) brought us back several times during our visit for flavorful prepared and takeout dishes, organic coffees, smoothies and vegan desserts for breakfast and lunch. It offers both a market and cafe with outdoor patio seating under pleasant trees. Plus, the fruits and vegetables are picked daily from Food & Thought's own certified organic farm. Our favorite dishes here included the Holy Yamoli sandwich, with yams, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion and vegan mayo, and the Bunny Wrappit, a raw vegan lettuce wrap made with sprouts, avocado, tomato, vegan cheese and cucumber. Less adventurous souls can order a raw vegan Caesar salad and be safe and happy.

Austin, Texas
On the way home, we made a point of stopping in Austin. We figured that a city whose unofficial motto is "Keep Austin Weird" must have some good vegan and vegetarian food. Alternative eating, after all, often follows alternative thinking. Here, we found a food truck called the Vegan Yacht that parks just a few blocks from Whole Foods' flagship store on 6th Street and around the corner from a tasty raw restaurant called Beets. The Vegan Yacht (1001 E. 6th St., Austin; [512] 619-7989, http://www.theveganyacht.com) menu includes mock chicken "sammies," organic "TLTS" (tempeh/lettuce/tomato) sandwiches, quesadillas and wraps, but what caught my eye was the mock chick'n wrap. One reviewer on Yelp recommended: "Get the fake chicken wrap thingy with the apples. I wanna bathe in it. It is not fast food. So much love and care is put into your meal — it will fill up your insides with joy and tenderness...mmm. It's like eating Al Green." Who could resist such a recommendation? This flour tortilla stuffed with mock chicken, diced apples, local sprouts, organic shredded carrots and creamy avocado was amazing.

We also chowed down at Beets Café (1611 W. 5th St.; [512] 477-2338, http://www.beetscafe.com). Beets is a "living foods" cafe that serves raw and yummy meals and desserts. It was the inspiration of Chef Sylvia Heisey, who worked for 16 years in the corporate world before opening Beets in late 2010. Nowadays, she can be found enthusiastically discussing the benefits of raw foods with customers and encouraging them to try her fruit or vegetable smoothies, fresh salads and nut milk "i-screams." We split a raw pizza rustica, with a sprouted sunflower seed crust topped with spicy almond nut cheese and tomato sauce and loaded with marinated mushrooms and other vegetables. The combination of crunchy/seedy crust and fresh vegetable toppings was so good that we contemplated going raw then and there.

Greater Phoenix
Green Vegetarian (2240 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe; [480] 941-9003, http://www.greenvegetarian.com) is in a busy storefront near Old Town Scottsdale and the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. It serves some creative vegetarian dishes: The Apricot Miso bowl sounded tempting, as did the Singapore Tofu — curried tofu tossed in a spicy orange soy glaze over rice noodles. But we just had to try the Texas "Moo-Shroom" Po-Boy, a tangy mock meatball sandwich smothered in tomato sauce topped with melted mock mozzarella. Licking my lips, I thought, "Take that, Texas."

Los Angeles
We made one last stop before finding our front door. Since we were getting into town around dinnertime, Native Foods (now with seven locations; http://www.nativefoods.com) was calling our name; it was an ideal place to celebrate our four-week accomplishment. The creativity and passion of chef Tanya Petrovna shows through on the menu. The sweet potato fries, the Very Voluptuous Veggie Pizza and chocolate Good Luck Cupcakes are daily staples, but the Gandhi Bowl is my standard order, which is perfectly blackened tempeh with steamed veggies, organic greens and curry sauce over brown rice.

We pulled into our driveway and reflected on our sojourn: We had not only maintained our weight over the journey but we also had discovered a growing health-food consciousness across the country. For us, the road trip had evolved. It wasn't the junk food jamboree we remembered from our childhoods. It was better.waswas better. travel@latimes.com

Local DJ Website

If you need a DJ in Timmins, OntarioJust wanted to do a quick post about this excellent DJ company that we have in town here in Timmins, Ontario. It is Party Marty run by Marty Vien, his wife Stephanie and there is also Party Marty Junior run by the Vien boys.
if you need a DJ in Timmins, Ontario i would highly recommend them as they are fun, professional, they have the equipment and the ideas to make any special event unique and highly successful. Your guests will have a blast, guaranteed!
Here is their website
http://www.djtimmins.com

Carrie Underwood Goes Vegan

from: http://www.tinygreenbubble.com/eco/celebrity-activists/item/1975-carrie-under...

Carrie Underwood has always been one of our favorite spokesperson/role models for vegetarianism. Firstly, she’s beautiful and everybody wants to be like her. Secondly, she’s not pushy or obnoxious and clearly believes that what you eat is a personal choice, just like us! So it made us extra happy to hear that the country music songstress and American Idol winner is taking her animal cruelty-free lifestyle one step further and taking the leap from vegetarianism to veganism.

We also like Underwood’s journey to veganism because its’ a realistic one. She didn’t try to give up all animal product or even all meat all at once. She gave up red meat at the age of thirteen (she’s now twenty-seven), but didn’t feel like she could adopt a fully vegetarian diet at the time. We don’t blame her – Oklahoma, where Underwood grew up would be a nearly impossible place to eat entirely meat-free. Then when she moved away from home at twenty-one, she became a full vegetarian. Now, at twenty-seven, she’s taking the next step. We always say meat-free is a journey.

We also love the example Underwood sets for being meat-free in a non-meat free family. Underwood’s husband, NHL star Mike Fisher eats meat. And you know what? They still seem to be happy together! Hopefully, though, Underwood can at least make sure that Fisher is reducing the amount of red meat in his diet for health reasons. No matter what your thoughts on animal rights, we all know that the typical American diet contains a flat-out unhealthy amount of meat.

Vegan Chycken Kabobs & Quinoa

from: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3049

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 in. Pieces
16 cherry tomatoes
8 (12-inch) metal or wooden skewers

Method
Prepare a grill for medium heat grilling. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, lemon juice and pepper.

Thread chycken, pineapple, pepper and tomatoes onto skewers. Remove 1 tablespoon honey-mustard mixture and brush skewers with it. Grill, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Arrange skewers on a platter over quinoa and serve with remaining honey mustard on the side for dipping.

Tofu and Veggies One Pot Meal

From: "Vegan Family Meals" by Ann Gentry (Andrews McMeel, 2011)

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
For the vegetables and tofu:
1 medium onion 2 cups bite-size broccoli florets 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 head green cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed 3 ounces fresh shiitake or other mushrooms, stemmed about 1 cup water 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 (5-inch) piece ginger, peeled 2/3 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine) or dry sherry or sweet marsala 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce 1 (14-ounce) container firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1/2 bunch watercress, stems removed

For the rice:
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 4 cups cooked short-grain brown rice 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds For garnish: 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1 sheet nori (seaweed) cut into thin strips (optional)

Procedure:
Quarter the onion through the stem end, leaving the quarters connected. Remove the peel. Place in the middle of a large skillet.
Arrange the broccoli, squash, carrots, cabbage, sugar snap peas and mushrooms in clusters around the onion, keeping each vegetable separate from the other and arranging so that the colors are balanced and attractive.
Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pan. Cover and turn heat to high.
Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the squash is crisp-tender, about 12 minutes

Meanwhile, finely grate the ginger over a paper towel or sheet of cheesecloth, and then squeeze the pulp to extract 2 teaspoons of ginger juice.
Place in a bowl with the mirin and tamari. Add the tofu, and toss to coat. Spoon the tofu mixture over the vegetables, and simmer uncovered until the tofu is hot, about 5 minutes.
Add the watercress and simmer until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, and set it on a trivet in the middle of the table.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and sesame seeds, and cook just until heated through, about three minutes. Divide the rice among four bowls or plates, and invite diners to select vegetables.
Spoon some of the cooking liquid over each serving. Pass the scallions and nori strips for garnish.

Mrs Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.