Features | Veggin' Out And About

We are sorry to report that Uncanny Kitchen is now closed for business. Uncanny Kitchen – Southwest Virginia’s Most Socially Responsible Restaurant!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Aug 10, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, American, Features, I-81, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 5 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Not the tiniest detail was overlooked in creating Uncanny Kitchen, hands-down the most socially responsible restaurant in the region. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

The secret to the appeal of Uncanny Kitchen is in the partnership between owner David Basinger and his girlfriend of three years, Lisa Sykes. If David is the chef and the creative culinary mind behind Uncanny Kitchen, Lisa is its social conscience and marketing force. Aside from their talents, experience and market savvy, these two are a couple of seriously nice people!

David with freshly baked bread

David, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Western Culinary of Portland, OR, has had opportunities to work in large restaurants and run the kitchens of high-dollar establishments in other areas of the country. He preferred, however, to bring his talents home to serve the community he grew up in, offering wholesome, delicious food at affordable prices.

It is important to David to connect with the farmers in the area. When he was at culinary school, one of the things he liked best was the opportunity to join the co-op. He was instrumental in the development of the Farm To Table program in Portland. He often volunteered at Sauvie Island, where the school had some land. He peeled potatoes or turned compost on his off time. He’d pick berries and volunteer with Sauvie Organics who gave him plants to grow at the school. He came to see the value of working within a community of agricultural entrepreneurs and he liked this model of doing business. (more…)

“Eat Your Vegetables” Joe Yonan’s New Cookbook To Be Released In August!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 6, 2013 in Features, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 5 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Joe Yonan at Richmond Vegetarian Festival

If you live anywhere near our nation’s capital, enjoy good food and do not live under a rock, the name Joe Yonan is probably as familiar to you as the White House or The Washington Post. Joe Yonan came to the Post as Food Editor in 2006 and added Travel Editor to his repertoire a few years later. He has twice earned for The Washington Post the James Beard Foundation’s award for the nation’s best newspaper food section. Yonan has also won honors for his Cooking for One column which inspired his book, “Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking For One” (Ten Speed Press, March 2011). He co-authored “The Fearless Chef: Innovative Recipes from the Edge of American Cuisine,” with chef Andy Husbands (2004). Yonan writes a weekly column Weeknight Vegetarian as well as other food and travel features for The Washington Post.

Last year Yonan took a break from the Post and spent some time in southern Maine learning to homestead on his sister’s and brother-in-law’s farm. Each day he had his hands in the soil learning everything he could about growing his own food. When he wasn’t up to his elbows in dirt he was working on his new cookbook, “Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook,” due to be released August 6 of this year by Ten Speed Press.

Veggin’ Out and About’s restaurant reviewer, Danielle Bussone, caught up with Joe Yonan at the annual Richmond Vegetarian Festival in mid-June where he demonstrated how to cook a recipe from his new book, “Eat Your Vegetables.” His simple pasta recipe, Fusilli With Corn Sauce is prepared in less than fifteen minutes. It is a refreshing burst of summer flavors, yellow onions sautéed in olive oil and freshly picked sweet corn. The aromatic addition of raw basil chiffonade adds a fragrant complexity to the dish. The best way to truly describe it is, “Yum!” (more…)

Veggin’ Out and About Is Changing Its Icon

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 5, 2013 in Features, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 3 comments

Veggin’ Out and About’s original intention was to review restaurants across the United States. However, we are finding we are developing a global audience and are receiving tips about excellent restaurants worldwide. Also, we have received comments that our current logo suggests a political bent to our blog, which is simply not the case. We are changing our Icon to better reflect our mission of plant-based travel. Artist, Tokuko Takamatsu of Tokyo, Japan created this Icon for us. Look for it in all our future posts!

Richmond Vegetarian Festival, June 15, 2013 was a blast!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jun 25, 2013 in Features, I-64, I-95, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA, Veg Fests | 8 comments

Richmond Vegetarian Festival was all a vegetarian festival should be. Rich and I drove the 300 miles from Abingdon, VA with our monster, Phoenix, happily settled in the back of our Subaru Forester. We stopped en-route in Charlottesville, VA and reviewed a marvelous Afghani restaurant called Ariana Grill Kabob House (see post). We sat outside and enjoyed our meal while Phoenix basked in the attention of passersby, her favorite activity. After checking into our clean, dog-friendly hotel, (Candlewood Suites near the airport) that evening, we visited India K’Raja, renown as Richmond’s best Indian restaurant since 1995, and for good reason (see post).

On the day of the festival, which took place in the verdant Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park, we arrived just before noon, which is when it was scheduled to begin. The gods were smiling on us as the weather could not have been more perfect with lots of sun, shade trees and a cool breeze. The event was free of charge and parking was plentiful. Even the parking lot was lovely. We were immediately greeted by animal rescue groups which had plenty of trained and health-certified adoption ready animals to take home. They had children’s bathing pools of ice for animals to help themselves to a cool drink at this pet friendly event. Towards the end of the event we saw a Labrador climb in and make use of this pool’s original purpose! We had to walk past these groups quickly and with resolve as we already have our maximum limit of monsters (the collective name for our beloved animals) in our home. (more…)

2013 Charlotte VegFest

Posted by Danielle Bussone on May 12, 2013 in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Features, Veg Fests | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Today, May 11th, Charlotte VegFest celebrates it’s second annual gathering of health and animal rights enthusiasts. It is held from 12pm to 5pm off Commonwealth Avenue in Plaza Midwood in Charlotte, NC. Rich and I made the rainy 3 hour trek to Charlotte with high hopes but low expectations. After all, it’s only Charlotte’s 2nd VegFest. We were delighted to discover at 12:30 the place was already packed with vegans, vegetarians and the veg-curious sampling the wares of venders offering raw cookies, juice bars and vegan salads and pastas. We visited organic spice purveyors, yoga instructors, macrobiotic chefs, raw and vegan chefs and numerous animal adoption and rescue agencies. There were also recycling and green energy agencies represented. The turnout was fantastic! Every hour or so there were speakers discussing issues concerning health, fitness, and what we as individuals can do to reduce global warming. Shabaka Amen (Fitness & Nutrition), Dr. Michael Smith (Naturopathy Physician), Leilani Munter, race car driver, and Gene Baur (co-founder and President of Farm Sanctuary) were on the program. We connected with numerous establishments which cater to the plant-based diner and have plans to return in the near future to do restaurant and chef reviews as well as cooking videos. Even the weather cooperated! Just as we tooled into Charlotte and found a good parking place, the skies cleared and we enjoyed a sunny day made perfect by a light breeze. On the way out we stopped and had a fantastic vegan lunch at Fern. Just the ticket after a long drive and a few hours perusing the tents at the Charlotte VegFest. We are already looking forward to next year’s festivities!

Beautiful and Functional Vegetable Steamer by Grim Pottery!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on May 7, 2013 in Features, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 2 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Debbie Grimm’s Veggie Steamer

I am excited to share with you pictures of my new vegetable steamer created by Virginia potter, Debbie Grim Yates of Grim Pottery. It is both beautiful and functional. Just add a couple inches water to a medium stock pan. Set the steamer on top and fill it with your favorite steamed veggies and put on the lid!

Inside Deb’s Veggie Steamer

You may want to put in your longest cooking veggies first, such as carrots and potatoes and add the quick cookers a little later. Bring to a boil and in a few minutes you have wonderful steamed veggies. The steamer is so lovely, you can serve directly from it. What I like best about it is you don’t lose the wonderful nutrients which are released from the vegetables as they cook. Most steamers have holes in the bottom so these nutrients are lost into the water of the sauce pan. In this one, the steam is released in a hole in the lid and the juice from the vegetables is saved with the vegetables. This has become my favorite new cooking tool!