Tacos Go Vegan

 The pandemic has hit the food industry, none more so than Mexican restaurants and food trucks. Yet it also has created a new kind of cuisine - vegan tacos. Chefs are using veggies when beef isn't available or is too expensive. The result - a tasty new idea that's quickly catching on.

Regular contributor and chef, Tejal Rao wrote about this phenomenon in today's New York Times Food section. Meat has had a dicey reputation in the last six months. Beef packaging plants have been breeding grounds for the virus along with the price of beef going up. Most restaurants had to change or rewrite their menus when beef prices tripled from three dollars to nine dollars a pound. Street vendors have it even worse, without the protection of a brick and mortar base. yet they can travel and have always catered to outdoor eating as well as to food trends, Some, such as chefs as Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta of Evil Cooks ,went for a pork filled one call al pastor, popular in the Yucatan where it originated. It starts with pork rubbed with a mix of burnt tortillas and cacao. The two have also tried it on soy. Now many chefs are turning to veggies which is nothing new. Indigenous peoples have been making tacos with veggies and even fruits and flowers for flavor for centuries. It was the Spanish colonists who introduced pork into the cuisine.

Vegan tacos have been part of the Los Angeles scene for the last decade. Plant Food For People started selling jackfruit carnitas for the past ten years. Jackfruit is a wonderful fruit when it's cooked. It can be soaked in different marinades and juices and rubbed with a paste of achiote seeds and chiles. The flesh is soft and shredded but fries up into bacon like crisps as if they've been roasted on a spit. Diners prefer it to meat thanks to it' flavor and crunch.Vegan taco stands are also in the more gentrified sections of LA thanks to ones like Vegatinos which also produces such meatless classics as taco suaderos or beef from the shoulder bone and chicharrin , fried pork bellies along with pozole -pork shoulder and birria goat meat stew. Now they're opening up a second vegan one in the San Fernando Valley. Flowers are also being used as fillings too. Former Nordstrom make up consultant ,  and pop up restaurant owner Stephanie Villegas is using hibiscus which can soak up flavors like a sponge when it's rehydrated. She also has thinly shaved seitan too as a filling along with potato ones with a smoky matcha salsa. Her eatery, Alchemy Organics also sells vegan taco kits that has fried and marinated seitan along with veggies , salsa and A Kernel of Truth tortillas.

Vegan tacos are an old treat that's gaining new popularity. They're a great stand in to beef , thanks to  versatile chefs and ingredients. Veggie filled taco will be here long after the pandemic has left.

A Soothing Holiday Drink Nana Mint Teas

This is the start of the hectic holiday season and with that comes frazzled nerves and a hectic schedule. The best way to unwind is with a drink. No, not the kind that's ninety proof but with a soothing mint tea.There's a whole new line out there that is the perfect way to unwind. Wissotzky Teas have come out with a line of minty spearmint teas blended with other flavors. Brew a cup and just sit back.

Wissotzky Teas are quickly becoming a power house in the tea industry. They have several different lines, from their wide variety of chai teas to their fruit ones and green tea selection. Now they have a brand new line with different flavors blended with the mild base spearmint. What is great about Wissotzlky's teas is that they can be also be served cold for a refreshing break from all those hot cups.Another plus about the Nana mints is that they're perfect for digestion. Spearmint is good for digestion and it's the perfect end to any calorie heavy holiday dinner.Have a decorative  bowl filled with the teabags on the table when you serve dessert. The flavors are chamomile, great for calming upset stomachs, lemon to wake you up,  andcitrus and ginger which is a must for a mid day wake up. There are also just green and black teas, simply blended with the spearmint for a clean refreshing taste.

I love these teas.What is great about all of them is that the spearmint is not overpowering as it is in other brands. Sometimes those teas taste like Lifesavers or Altoids. Wissotzky subtly mixes in the spearmint leaves. They're also natural. The ginger and citrus has orange peels while the chamomile is made from Polish, Egyptian and German cultivated flowers. The lemon is a delicate blend of lemon peels and hibiscus.. Even the green and black teas are from the finest Chinese green leaves and the best Indonesian and Vietnamese black leaves. That' what's so phenomenal about the flavors. They stand out in a very delicate, non-obtrusive way. I can taste the mint but also them. All of the Nana mints are perfect for breakfast  which is how I start my day.I also like them after dinner , especially if I've had a full carbohydrate heavy meal. The teas ease that full stomach feeling that comes with eating too much.

This holiday season, brew yourself any of the flavors from Wissotzky Teas. The blended spearmint is perfect after a full meal or a crazy day. The flavors are not only delicious but soothing during these hectic days.

The Fun Side Of Fermentation

Probiotics is the new buzzword in home cooking these days. Home chefs are discovering that fermenting has a variety of pluses for the body as well as giving a unique flavors to food and drink. Now fermenting is simple to do , thanks to a brand new cookbook that shows how easy it is.

Kombucha, Kefir And Beyond (Far Winds Press 2018) is a fun and informative book written by Alex Lewin and Raquel Guajardo..  Mr/Lewin is  graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, He teaches fermentation classes and workshops while Ms. Guajardo, also a graduate of second school runs a cooking school in Monterey , Mexico, with a specialization in fermentation.She started her own brand of kombucha and fermented vegetables which can be found in stores in several Mexican cities. The book begins with a full description of fermentation and why we need it. The authors delve into the history of it , and how it came about  - from our earliest days  as "drunken monkeys." They also provide the history of fermentation and its' many benefits and how it can improve your life and your health. A huge plus of the book is the guide to the tools needed for fermentation. They go into great detail about what bottles  and jars are needed for storage (luckily cider and beer bottles and their caps can be repurposed for this).There is a special page explaining kombucha supplies along with detailed pages regarding safety and sanitation.They also tell what kind of soap to buy - namely low residue , unscented dish soap.There are also pages  devoted to fermentations most basic ingredients  water and sugar.

The recipes are exciting to try. Mr. Lewin and Ms. Guajardo start off with easy recipes that novice fermenters can test out. There's the Indian  lassi that can be made savory , sweet or just plain. There's the salty fermented lemonade that can also be made with lime for a refreshing and all natural sports drink. Home fermenters will love a recipe for the cute sounding ginger bug that is responsible for ginger ale and ginger beer.Raw ginger provides an excellent substrate for the growth of lactic aid bacteria. Yogurt lovers will enjoy the recipes for kefir and yogurt.The chapters become more advanced with kombucha and its' honey based cousin, jun.A really interesting chapter is vegetable drinks. There's a beet kvass made from the brine of fermented beets. Best of all it can easily be made in a Mason jar. There is also a radish  brine , a fascinating mix of cabbages , radishes and such spices as cinnamon , and peppercorns with a dash of oak leaves.For those who love soda, there are recipes for the all natural ones that have the same amount of fizz and flavor without the health risks. Some are reflective of Ms. Guajardo indigenous Mexican roots. There is hibiscus soda made with just dried hibiscus flowers, sugar and filtered water and a homemade grape soda.  There is also a chapter dedicated to pre-Spanish recipes such as pulche , a precursor of beer and the pineapple based drink tepache.Home brewers will get a kick and a buzz out of the beer wine and even hooch recipes along with ones for fermented cocktails!

Kombucha , Kefir And Beyond  is a fascinating trip into the world of fermentation. It's also an easy guide into creating tasty and nutritious drinks that are a plus to any diet. Buy the book, try the recipes and get ready for the benefits of probiotics.