I like food, plant food, that is — I like to plant, grow and eat it. I like to serve it to others and recycle it to contribute to next year’s harvest. I like working and being outdoors, walking and hiking. I like to study Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, especially the first five books, the Torah. Most of all, I like to think about all these things and what they have to say about the meaning of life. I started my blog when I decided to explore veganism, and it has led not just to recipes and farming but to a reexamination of the biblical text from a different perspective and to thoughts about ethics, ecology, evolution, animal rights, the human place in creation and more. I explore and refresh my own spirituality through these projects.
I love potatoes and consider them a great vegetable despite the bad rap they’ve gotten in recent years. I know the arguments about their role in spiking blood sugar — but the peel counteracts that. Whole foods – that’s the key. Ingredients
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I often serve Matboukha as a salad in the typical Middle Eastern style with pita (or Challah) for dipping. It is a delicious and versatile cooked tomato salad. I have also used it for Shakshouka, a Middle Eastern dish in which eggs
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I saw a beautiful picture of Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna and thought I would like to make it for our Vegan Thursday entrée along with some roasted green beans, red pepper and cabbage slivers. Butternut Squash is often used in dishes
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In an earlier post about Fatoush, made the old-fashioned way, I wrote about “value-added products.” There are some good ones out there, and here’s one I love: a “Salad Kit” from Eat Smart, which I get at Costco. Most of the bag
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As the only vegetarian cafe in the area, I have many health-conscious customers. Increasingly they ask for gluten-free products. Most of my food happens to be gluten free naturally, but for those who want some kind of bread with their meal, I
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For many, Tabbouleh is an acquired taste. A staffer convinced me at one point that Americans would be more likely to appreciate a less green Tabbouleh, so we added lots more cracked wheat. Now I prefer the more traditional version with lots
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Two cuisines have inspired my cooking, first with vegetarianism and now with veganism: Middle Eastern and Indian. I have much more experience with Middle Eastern food since I have not only visited there but have had many Middle Eastern friends who shared
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Cauliflower is moving onto the list of “superfoods” these days, but it has always been a favorite part of dishes in the Middle East. I love this spicy chickpea dish with cauliflower. I picked up the recipe on the internet — I
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Back: Kefta. Front, L to R: Cauliflower & Zucchini Salad, Spinach Salad, Moroccan Carrot Salad. Center: Harif / Harissa. Red Lentil Kefta is one of my favorite foods! Kefta are typically made with cracked wheat and shaped into ovals. They may contain meat
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Harif (Hebrew – means “sharp”) or Harissa (Arabic) is our Red Hot Sauce. Chili Arbol gives it its red color. It is fiery but flavorful. I make my sauce in a VitaMix, which blends it a little more than the traditional methods,
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