Today is my 4 year veggiversary. It was 4 years ago today that I gave up meat (including fish) and became a vegetarian. Within 7 months of this date, I would become a vegan. Some people think that this date “doesn’t count,” that it is not as important as the day one becomes a vegan. […]
Here is something that always confuses me when I’m watching a cooking competition on TV: the same chefs who can create wonders with whatever challenges they are faced with or strange combinations of ingredients they are given go stone-cold frozen when they are given a vegetarian, or worse, vegan challenge. They look at a block of tofu […]
The first time I ever tried Thai food, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it the second time I tried it either. There was a Thai restaurant near my job in Tribeca and everyone loved it. My coworkers always insisted we go there for lunch. To me, everything tasted like it was covered in […]
Just when we got used to non-dairy butter, now we are hearing we shouldn’t buy anything that contains palm oil. Why? Isn’t it vegan? Here’s the short story : “the increased demand for palm oil, which is grown only in tropical environments, is fuelling destruction of the rainforest habitat of Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, pushing those endangered […]
During my child psychiatry fellowship I had an attending physician I greatly admired. Dr. G. was one of the smartest people I had ever met. She was compassionate and caring, choosing to work with needy adolescents in a municipal hospital rather than make money in a private institution. Dr. G. exposed me to great books, films and […]
They say good things come in 3’s and that has never been more true than right now. I’ve done 2 reviews for places in New Paltz, NY before: the amazing, mind-blowing, organic eatery, Karma Road, and the hip, fun Italian restaurant filled with vegan and gluten-free options, Rock Da Pasta. Now this college town hits […]
On the 4th of July as we celebrate Independence Day of the United States, we should of course remember all those who are not free, humans and non-humans alike. And we should set an example for how easy and essential it is to liberate oneself from a lifestyle filled with cruelty so that one day all […]
Last summer I conducted multiple trials to come up with a gluten-free sausage that would not only taste great but would hold up on the grill. After many attempts, I came up with a recipe that I thought passed the test. But I knew I still wanted to play around and improve upon it. I […]
I’m proud to say that I have finally perfected the art of making veggie burgers and I need to go back and rewrite my older recipes to incorporate my new tricks. No more burgers that fall apart when you touch them. No more needing to coat them in flour or bread crumbs to give them […]
If you plan to visit Woodstock this summer…and you should…there are some things you should not miss. You definitely have to visit Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and see all the precious rescued farmed animals who are now living lives of safety and freedom. There is lots of shopping to do in town for t-shirts, memorabilia […]
“The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and deliciousNow you talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes“ Growing up, I loved burgers. In fact, when I was a kid, my Dad would take me for breakfast before he drove me to school. He worked nights so for him, this meal […]
So this is one of those recipes that I’m veganizing without ever having had it in its original form. If you asked me what a non-vegan Reuben sandwich contains, I couldn’t tell you one specific ingredient other than sauerkraut. I never did like cold cuts (and WOW, how that term, “cold cuts,” makes so much […]
This post is a tribute to a very special rabbit along with a recipe to honor her. And who better to tell you about Fiona than her own Daddy? Gary Loewenthal, co-founder of Compassion for Animals and founder of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, is one of my vegan heroes who does so much to make […]
Yesterday was the 29th anniversary of my grandfather’s death. My grandfather died weeks after I turned 17, right before I graduated high school and just months before he would have become a great-grandfather. He had been ill for a while, battling Parkinsons Disease and cancer. His last years were bad and not what I want […]
Confession: I have never been to a Memorial Day Weekend barbeque in my life. But not going to an outdoor event doesn’t mean you can’t make delicious grilled food indoors. This is a very simple recipe for a fresh, healthy and colorful meal. You can mix and match whatever veggies are your favorites. This makes […]
As my cooking skills evolve, I not only have been coming up with new recipes but I’ve been revising old ones. Since I only became gluten-free about a year and a half ago, some of my older recipes need gluten-free versions. And as I have pretty much eliminated processed foods from my diet, some of […]
Growing up, every Sunday my mother would make two things: chicken soup with matzoh balls and a huge pot of tomato sauce for pasta. This weekly ritual represented both her heritage and upbringing: Jewish but always raised in Italian neighborhoods. In fact, my mother’s childhood best friend, Dolores (whose brother, Jackie Vernon, is the voice […]
Sometimes I would get home from school and see a bunch of foil-wrapped, ball-shaped packets on the stove. I would get excited because I knew what was in them: stuffed artichokes. Oh, how I loved when my mother made stuffed artichokes! The funny thing is that I hated artichokes. It may have been the weirdest […]
It’s almost Cinco de Mayo. What will you be serving with your margaritas? Here are my suggestions and some new recipes. There is no better meal than brunch. Breakfast and lunch all mixed together. No food is right or wrong. I love it. Start the day with my Mexican Sunday Brunch feast (even if it’s […]
Yesterday I missed being fat. I actually had a moment when I said out loud, “I wish I was fat again.” Sounds ridiculous, right? Let me explain. Tom’s and my birthdays are coming up this month. We both needed new clothes and shoes so we reluctantly set out to go shopping. I say reluctantly because […]
As you probably know, most of the recipes on this blog are gluten-free. When I read how a gluten-free diet can help autoimmune disorders by reducing inflammation, I tried it out. At first I didn’t do it consistently and not surprisingly, I didn’t feel any difference. But when I got serious and completely eliminated gluten […]
When I lived in the Bronx, there was a great but strange Chinese take-out place. Great because they made some really delicious food; strange because the food they made so delicious was Italian while their Chinese food…well…not so much. And I lived in a very Italian neighborhood so there were a lot of authentic places […]
One day it feels like Spring, the next it feels more like Winter again. One day I’m posting salad recipes and today I’m back to warm, comforing foods like chili. This is my vegan take on Chili con Carne but instead of meat, crumbled tempeh is browned to give it that same “beefy” texture. The […]
Now that the Passover seders are over, we turn our thoughts to other poignant questions about life, freedom, peace and…what to do the rest of our matzoh (and which way are we really supposed to spell it: with or without the “h”.) Sure, we can eat Fried Matzo and Matzo Brei all week. We can enjoy […]
