Vegetarian

Founders Fund chose to back Hampton Creek Foods as its first culinary startup investment.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals personifies the plight of apes used in Hollywood productions in its new advertisement.

Memphis, TN gears up for its yearly citywide vegan celebration on June 21.

Spring is toddling into summer with faltering steps this year, but the respites of warm sunny weather along the way bring to mind the comforts and pleasures of summer eating. Soups and hearty meals give way to salads and light fare that can be transported to the patio, warming foods give way to refreshing plates, and dried and canned goods give way to fresh herbs and produce. This simple salad of steamed baby potatoes, green peas and fresh herbs tossed in a creamy and vibrant Dijon mustard dressing is just the thing to give you a taste of summer comfort food — especially if you can get your hands of fresh garden peas, although frozen peas will also make for a lovely salad. The occasion for serving this dish was an opportunity to try some Nasoya vegan Nayonaise that was sent to me to sample. Now I tend to stay away from unfermented soya products generally, but I've never been overly fond of "traditional" jarred mayonnaise and, considering how rarely I use mayo anyways, I figured it was worth a try. First, I tried it with my famous Vegetarian Caesar Salad as it's a classic that I figured would be a fair assessment of the spread. Next, I wanted a potato salad and used it in the dressing with good results. Though it smelled a little odd when I opened the jar, the taste was mellow and pairs well with stronger flavors for a seamless taste experience. My verdict is that is stands up well to store-bought canola-based mayo and it's vegan-friendly and gluten-free too, made from expeller-pressed oil and fortified with Omega 3. I received the vegan nayonaise spread and the nayo whipped spread. You can learn more about Nasoya by visiting their webpage, facebook page or twitter feed. I am also offering a giveaway to my readers so they can access this mayo alternative. A randomly chosen winner will receive the same products that I tried. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post and mention a dish you would like to try with these spreads. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada. I will hold a random draw in two weeks. If you don't have a blog or email address associated with your profile, please include your email so I contact you should you win. Note: I received complimentary samples of the Nayonaise for consideration. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am receiving no compensation for writing this post. Creamy Herbed Potato and Green Pea Salad 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, scrubbed 1 cup green peas, frozen or fresh, boiled for about 5 minutes and drained 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped 1/2 cup vegan mayo or other mayo of your choice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (preferably coarse grained) juice from one small lemon freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste a few sprinkles of fresh or dried dill Begin by preparing the potatoes. Steam or boil them until they are tender, roughly 20 minutes. Set aside. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and black pepper and salt to taste. Cut the unpeeled potatoes in half and transfer to a medium bowl along with the peas and chopped herbs. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and peas and gently toss. Test for seasoning, and serve sprinkled with a bit of dried dill. Serves 4. More potato salads you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen: Warm Baby Potato and Asparagus Salad Potato Radish Salad Mexican-Style Potato Salad with Avocado and Jalapeño Potato Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing On the top of the reading stack: various stacks Audio Accompaniment: the ceiling fan and street noise© Copyright 2007—2013 Lisa's Kitchen. For personal use only.If you are seeing this post on a site other than foodandspice.blogspot.com, it is being stolen.

I‘ve always loved Vietnamese Salad rolls (g?i cu?n), and I’ve been making them off and on for decades, so I don’t know why I haven’t shared them with you guys before. If you haven’t had them, they are cool and refreshing, with a tender but slightly chewy rice paper wrapper surrounding thin rice noodles, lettuce, herbs, and your choice of other ingredients. For today’s version, I used shiso instead of lettuce for a more pronounced and complex herbal flavor. If this is your first time making salad rolls, allow yourself a fair amount of time to prep all the ingredients and make the rolls. This isn’t a weeknight dinner for a busy family with young kids kind of thing. It will probably take you a few tries to get the hang of rolling them up neatly, but don’t worry, even your failures will still be delicious. This YouTube video is worth watching to see the right moves – you can skip to about 2:00 in to skip the cooking of the meat she’s using. You could also try her more traditional peanut and hoisin dipping sauce instead of the sweet chili version below. Two of these rolls per person is a good sized appetizer; three and you are up into light lunch territory. Oh: the kind of rice paper you want is like this. It should say bánh tráng on the package and not be flavored with anything like sesame. Vietnamese Salad Rolls with Shiso and Tofu (G?i cu?n) – Recipe Prep Time: 1 hourCook Time: 20 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Yield: 12 rolls2 or 3 rolls Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and kosherFor the dipping sauce Juice of 3 limes 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1 clove garlic, minced 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 3" only, crushed and minced 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce For the rolls 12 rice paper wrappers 24 shiso leaves 1 bunch fresh mint, leaves only 1 bunch cilantro sprigs (leaves and tender stems) 1/4 pound rice vermicelli, cooked according to package directions and cooled 1 cucumber peeled, halved, and thinly sliced lengthwise, trimmed to 4" lengths 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned 1 pound tofu, pan fried as in this recipe, cooled, and cut into 24 pieces For the dipping sauce Whisk all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reserve. For the salad rolls Arrange all of the ingredients near your work surface. Fill a pie plate or other shallow pan large enough to hold one of the rice paper wrappers with very hot water. To make one roll, submerge a rice paper wrapper in the hot water for just a few seconds. It will still be fairly firm when you remove it. Don't worry, it will continue to hydrate while you arrange the ingredients. Place the wrapper on a flat surface. Near the edge closest to you, arrange 2 shiso leaves so they cover about 2/3rds of the width of the edge. Top with a few mint leaves and cilantro sprigs. Top with a small amount of rice noodles - this is hard to measure, but less than you think you should use. Now, in a line parallel to the first, but close to the center, place a slice of cucumber and a few pieces of carrot. Finally, parallel and close to the far edge, arrange two pieces of tofu. Begin by rolling completely around the herbs and noodles, slightly tucking under. Then fold in the edges like for a burrito, and then continue rolling to enclose the cucumber, carrot, and tofu. You want to use reasonably firm pressure but not enough to burst the wrapper. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in just a few tries! Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://herbivoracious.com/2013/05/vietnamese-salad-rolls-goi-cuon-recipe.htmlCopyright 2007-2013 / Michael Natkin / Herbivoracious.com. Related posts: Crispy Yuba (Tofu Skin) Rolls – Recipe Recipe: Vietnamese Sandwiches with Tofu (Banh Mi Chay) Vietnamese Vermicelli (Bun) with Ginger-Grapefruit Sauce – Recipe Review: Tamarind

Last year we reported on Beyond Meat™, a meat analog company founded by Ethan Brown and based in Cumberland, Maryland. According to Beyond Meat, their product will be offered at Tropical Smoothie as a substitute for chicken in salads and sandwiches in 338 locations across 36 states starting May 21. Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips are made with a blend of pea and soy protein. Let us know if you see this product in your local Tropical Smoothie!

Finally some much needed CLARITY from the "system" In their Spring 2013 Journal, America's largest managed care company and hospital system has taken a bold stand on the superiority of plant-based nutrition to promote health. This is big news and deserves widespread distribution. Please share this blog with your doctor. "Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients...encouraging whole, plant-based foods and discouraging meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods." Background. Although our medical doctors receive little if any nutritional training in med school, they are the primary gatekeepers when it comes to advising patients about what they should be eating. And since most of the doctors eat the Standard American Diet (the S.A.D.) themselves, naturally that is what they advise their patients to eat. That practice has resulted in the sickest nation on Earth with by far the highest cost of healthcare. But things are finally beginning to change. From the Spring 2013 Kaiser Permanente Journal The objective of this article is to present to physicians an update on plant-based diets. Concerns about the rising cost of health care are being voiced nationwide, even as unhealthy lifestyles are contributing to the spread of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. For these reasons, physicians looking for cost-effective interventions to improve health outcomes are becoming more involved in helping their patients adopt healthier lifestyles. Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods. Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA1C, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. Of all the diets recommended over the last few decades to turn the tide of these chronic illnesses, the best but perhaps least common may be those that are plant based...Despite the strong body of evidence favoring plant-based diets, including studies showing a willingness of the general public to embrace them, many physicians are not stressing the importance of plant- based diets as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses. This could be because of a lack of awareness of these diets or a lack of patient education resources. (See link below to view the complete Kaiser Pemanente Journal source document.) Click here to continue reading this article. —J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation

The health and fitness magazine interviewed Beyond Meat’s founder and CEO Ethan Brown.

The online network will will work to end food waste by enabling UK residents with green thumbs to share the fruits of their labors.

Delaware-area residents will be able to sample fare from veg vendors and listen to veganism’s leading advocates at this free event.