The Food Section Goes Vegan

 Veganism is fast becoming an embraced lifestyle. It;s evident in today's New York Times Food section.Regular contributor and chef Tejal Rao has created a new newsletter for those eschewing meat. There are some recipes in today's Food section.

Ms Rao has three interesting ones. There's a Persian buttermilk cucumber milk ardoogh khiab which is more vegetarian thanks to the addition of buttermilk and yogurt, You could try her tofu larb or salad for these hot days.It's chock full of herbs and basmati rice . For something more familiar try  the salad pizza that also is topped with white beans. The dough is store bought and would be great during the fall too.

Signup for this new newsletter if you want some tasty veggie filled recipes. They're a great way to go meatless .They're also the path to eating better,

Get The App

 Apps rule our lives these days. We shop , seek advice and track our lives. Now we ca

n dine with them. 

I recently uploaded the Taco Bell app on my phone. There are a lot of pluses. Yiu can easily order from your house or car and then pay from it.Taco Bell offjers a lot of  bonuses too.I've already received free fries and a bean burrito. I/ve just downloaded Blaze Pizza and was delighted to see I have a free soda coming my way. 

Download apps from your favorite eateries. . They're an easy way to order and save money Do it today.

A Quick Word About Edamame Pasta

 If you want a quick and tasty summer meal look no further than Aldi.This is their Simply Nature brand edamame spaghetti. It's a quick cook nnd really good tasting.

The texture is like regular wheat based kinds with a slightly beany flavor. I had it aglio olio,with olive oil and garlic. You can try it with a quick salsa crudo too

Here is the salsa crudo recipe

2 to 3 cut plum tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 leaves shredded basil leaves

1 crushed garlic clove

cooked pasta

MIx the first five ingredients about an hour before cooking pasta.Let sit Boild edamame pasta , Drain and toss with sauce.The pasta will heat up the sauce.

Enjoy with crusty Italian bread!

Coming Back Slowly

 The pantry is opening up. There may not be daily posts until the early fall.My arm is encased in whar's known as a Sarmiento cast (I know, it sounds like a cheese , right?) which resembles a football player's shoulder pad. 

I've missed writing about some of the NY Times reipes as well as creating my own. My bother had to see to my earing needs and he's become quite good at it (but he has had the same culinary background as me.HEre is his vegan spinach salad.

Bill's Vegan Spinach Salad

4 -5 slices of Morningstar Farms soy vegan

8 ounces washed spinach

half a cup of halved grape tomatoes

 1/4 cup of olive oil

two tablespoons red wine vinegar

sprinkle of oregano

Microwave bacon for two minutes until crisp. Break into bite sized pieces. Toss them in with the spinach and tomatoes. Add oil and vinegar. Toss . You can add oregano if you want. SErve with a crusty slice of Italian or French bread.

NOTE: you can also add olives and capers too if you want along with subbing in vegan bacon bits for the strips

Off Til October

 Sorry to say Foodie Pantry will be closed until the fall.Another bad fracture right below the original

Grill Those Veggies

 It's grilling season and that means plenty of dogs and burgers along with chicken steak, and seafood on the barbecue. Yet it also means veggies too. There's nothing like a nice side of grilled asparagus or fresh from the coals corn. Any veggie, even an avocado can be turned into a barbecue delight.

Steven Raichlen, the man most associated with the PBS favorites Primal Grill and Barbecue University wrote this informative guide in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Chef Raichlen is usually associated with grilling all things meaty  however here he goes for all things veggie. Like grilling any kind of meat or seafood , cooking and cooking times vary. What works for sturdy cauliflower will nor work for delicate asparagus and vice versa. Chef Raichlen breaks them down into categories which will make for easier grilling and more delicious dishes. There is also direct and indirect grilling. The first is perfect for soft vegetables such as mushrooms and zucchini along with bok choy and kale . Indirect grilling is done for meatier veggies like cauliflower or potatoes, both Idaho and sweet. It's cooking them in a closed grill (like the Egg) over a medium heat.

Chef Raichlen also includes some recipes as well. There is a delicious grilled zucchini that's also pretty.It's slicing the zucchini on a mandolin outfitted with a finger guard. This will turn the gourd into ribbons and then pushed onto wood or metal skewers . They should resemble old fashioned ribbon candy. Oil the grill with vegetable oil first to prevent sticking. You can add barbecue butter .a tasty blend of melted butter, barbecue rub or spice mix ,garlic and lemon zest. This would be a great side with chicken. Another recipe calls for corn with sesame soy butter. The butter is a mix of melted butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin or honey.  The cobs should have their ends cut off on one end while the husks should be pulled down and then tied with butcher's string. They're then basted with the soy sesame butter and browned three minutes on all side. After they're cooked, baste with more butter nad sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives.

It is grilling season but instead of meat try veggies. They're a nice side or change up from the usual chops or wings. Get some green on the barbecue this summer.

Yan Can Still Cook

 One of the biggest celebrities to come out of the Nineties was Martin Yan. He was the star of PBS's "Yan Can Cook", much like Julia Child was in the Sixties. Where did he go? He's still atound.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna interviewed him in today's New York Times Food section,He now has hos own YOu Tube channel with a modest audience. There are the same fans from thirty years ago along with a new generation of home chefs. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area where the PBS station there KQED reruns his shows.His background is humble. He left his home in Hong Kong to work for a family friend in their restaurant. He was thirteen, sleeping on the kitchen floor and working long hours .A church elder helped him secure a student visa to Calgary where he could attend university.It was at that city's TV station where his career began.CFAC-TV needed a filler so he filled in with a segment on Chinese cooking.The rest is history.

There were other CHinese chefs such as Joyce Chen and Cecilia Chiang who also started around the same time but Chef Yan's exuberant style made him stand out. He took his viewers inside an egg roll factory and into the kitchen of a dim sum factory. He had more access to these places because he spoke the different dialects that make up the Chinese language. Also he showed how to cook straight forward dishes as opposed to more complicated ones. This help draw in more people.As time went by he did introduce more intricate recipes. He built  a lucrative career ranging from cooking specials to speaking at schools companies and even festivals around the world.He wrote cookbooks and opened  restaurants in China and the USA.He has helped the careers of Ming Tsai , another PBS chef and  Brandon Jew.

Martin Yan may not have thhat glittering star power of Julia Child or Jacques Pepin. He does have staying power thanks to online media. He can still cook and do it well.