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Taste of India, Charleston, SC, Teaches Us How To Make Bhindi Masala

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 29, 2014 in Charleston, I-26, I-526, Indian, Vegan | 0 comments

This is a video shot by VegginOutAnd About! at the Taste of India Restaurant in Charleston, SC, on how to make Bhindi (Okra) Masala:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tablespoons high quality olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup freshly chopped tomatoes, plus a tablespoon for garnish
1 cup fried okra
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili powder (you may use cayenne)
1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 cup onion sauce
chopped cilantro for garnish

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Roti Video from Taste of India, Charleston

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 6, 2014 in Charleston, Ethiopian, I-26, I-526, Indian, Vegan | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

In this video Taste of India Restaurant in Charleston, SC demonstrates how to make Roti in a Tandoori style oven.

Natural Imports of Asheville, NC is the Go To Market for Authentic Japanese Culinary Fare

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Nov 19, 2013 in Asheville, NC, Features, Grocers, I-240, I-26, I-40, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles, Organic and/or Non-GMO | 0 comments

By Danielle Bussone

Once in a blue moon I’ll discover a truly unique gem of a resource that I simply feel duty bound to share with the world. Natural Imports of Asheville, NC, is one such discovery. Natural Imports is a purveyor of traditional Japanese culinary products of the highest caliber. Great care is taken to assure excellence, offering foods of a medicinal quality, prepared in time honored traditions by skilled Japanese craftsmen. Mass production and quicker, low-quality methods are threatening the livelihoods of these Japanese artisans, who prepare foods using the principal of Ishoku Dogen, “medicine and food have the same source.” You’ll find no mass market food and no arsenic laden Chinese seaweed here, only traditionally crafted products and sea vegetables grown in deep waters of Japan, protected for centuries with organic, sustainable practices.

Natural Imports Interior

Bruce MacDonald, now semi-retired, is the founder of Natural Imports. His daughter, Crystal, has been his partner and business manager since its inception in 1993, since she was 19 years old. Crystal speaks fluent Japanese and is a wealth of information about all aspects of how the seaweed is harvested, the medicinal and nutritional ingredients of every product, the sustainability practices of her suppliers and any glitch that effects the ecosystem and thereby affecting the quality of their products. She is a dynamic powerhouse who stays on top of all issues pertaining to Natural Imports.

Crystal MacDonald

Crystal essentially grew up in the business. Her parents divorced when she was young and she spent summers working at Commodities, a Japanese import store Bruce owned in New York City, where she learned about Japanese food. Bruce had previously worked for Erehwon in Boston, which was the original importer of natural foods in the US and subsequently for Erehwon West in California and later for Bread and Circus, which was sold to become the original Whole Foods Market.

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Tampa Bay’s 4th Annual VegFest, 2013, Beats the Heat and Packs In the Crowds!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Nov 14, 2013 in I-275, I-4, I-75, Tampa Bay, FL, Tampa, FL, Veg Fests, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

By Stacy Perry

Tampa Bay’s Fourth Annual VegFest, 2013, was held in Tampa’s Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park. It was organized by Florida Voices for Animals, a non-profit formed to “raise awareness about animal cruelty issues” and to give the public ways to help. This was my first year to attend and it was pleasantly busy, conveniently happening on the same day as a nearby breast cancer walk was finishing. Hungry participants of the walk floated over to check out what was happening in the park — ahhhh, serendipity. Well-behaved dogs on leashes were invited to the event too.

Tampa Bay VegFest T-Shirt

There were several food booths on one end of the venue, selling Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Mexican, specialty popsicles, frozen banana ‘ice cream’, and baked goods. If there was something non-vegan at this festival, I didn’t see it.

Gone Bananas “Ice Cream” Vendor

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EVO of Worcester, MA Voted Best Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant Five Years Running!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Sep 10, 2013 in American, I-290, Worcester, MA | 0 comments

by Pegge Bochynski

Situated approximately 45 miles southwest of Boston just off the Mass Pike, Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a crossroads and destination city. It’s a convenient connecting point between Boston to the north and Hartford and New York City to the south. Students from around the country and the world attend its many colleges and universities, including Clark University and the College of the Holy Cross College. The Worcester Art Museum is a must-see and Mechanics Hall, one of the top four concert and arts venues in North America, hosts musical events year round. Worcester is also home to a number of fabulous restaurants, including EVO Dining, an award-winning eatery with an eclectic menu that features tasty vegan and vegetarian fare, as well as gluten-free and meat-based dishes.

Founded in 2008 by Albert Maykel III and his sister Celeste Maykel-Zack, EVO is adjacent to Living Earth, a grocery store, specializing in healthy, organic products, which was established by the parents of the Maykel siblings more than 35 years ago. Albert is well-known in the area as a master chef and was honored as Worcester’s Best Chef and Iron Chef Champion in 2013. The restaurant was voted the best overall restaurant in 2012 and 2013 and the best vegetarian and organic restaurant for five years straight.

EVO’s interior is spacious and the décor contemporary. Two large brightly lit, bubbling water panels behind the bar mesmerize patrons, and the open kitchen is full of hustle and bustle as the cooks serve up a wide variety of dishes. We were assured by our waitress that vegan and vegetarian offerings are prepared in a separate area from the meat dishes. Upon request, most menu items that contain meat can be prepared as vegan or vegetarian entrées. She also mentioned that the wait staff is specially trained so they can knowledgeably answer questions concerning EVO’s various vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options. Finally, she noted that much of the produce the restaurant serves comes from local farms, including one owned and operated by the Maykel family.

Because there were two of us for lunch, we sampled only a few dishes. We started our meal with the Golden Vegetable Egg Rolls ($9), which consisted of crispy fried wonton skins filled with carrots, cabbage, onions, celery, and spices, and accompanied by a citrus-infused ponzu dipping sauce. Each crunchy bite was worth the price.

Golden Vegetable Egg Rolls

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Chai Pani, Decatur, GA

Posted by FullDISHclosure on Jul 31, 2013 in Decatur, GA, I-285, Indian | 0 comments

Chai Pani Indian Street Food Lights Up Decatur, GA

by Amanda Trevelino

If your local farmer recommends a restaurant for vegetarian fare, there probably is no need to look further. Even if the Huffington Post tells you it’s one of the “Top 10 Cheap Eats in the US,” or if The Atlanta Journal Constitution calls the place “one of the hottest restaurants around.” A farmer knows best.

So when Farmer Joe took his team for a lunch break at Chai Pani near Atlanta’s eclectic Decatur Square, we knew we could believe it’s claims of sourcing seasonal, organic produce from nearby growers. Except, that is, for the special items that husband/wife, chef/owners Meherwan & Molly Irani import from India or the spice blends and chutneys they make in house. “There’s no artificial ingredients in anything – ever,” they claim on the menu. (more…)