About Me

     My name is Jeff and I have been a vegetarian, well mostly vegetarian for about twenty years.  I started eating a vegetarian diet one night when I caught a glimpse of myself eating chicken wings in the mirror.  At that moment I realized that eating meat was no longer for me. 
     Over the past ten years I've been eating seafood on occasion.  It began one night when I was invited to diner with clients of the country club I worked at in Santa Fe, NM.  I was waiting tables at the time and became close to a couple that frequented the restaurant.  They invited a co-worker and me over to diner, we accepted.  The evening was delightful, we toured their large and historic home and then sat down for dinner.  My host Katherine put a plate with salmon down in front of me.  It never occurred that I needed to tell them that I didn't eat meat, I assumed that we had already discussed this over the past year.  I looked across the table to my friend Anne with a slight panic.  She mouthed, 'just eat it!'.  So I did, and that was that, I started eating fish on occasion.  I'd like to note that I am originally from a small New England fishing town and currently reside in Newport, RI.  The ocean and seafood are as much a part of my surroundings as they are a part of my culinary history.  I am now eating far less since I briefly met Sylvia Earle at a screening of her film Mission Blue on the harbor here in Newport.  A movie I highly recommend if you are interested in the health of our oceans.
     While I indulge in the occasional oyster, clam or lobster; I do this in moderation.  The majority of the time I eat a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy, however, when possible I try to eat a vegan diet.  I find that I am at my optimum health when I leave out animal products altogether.  But alas, I am just a regular person trying my best to eat healthy without giving up some of my favorite comfort foods.  
     If you are a seasoned vegetarian or new to the diet, like me you may find yourself missing a number of foods that you 'used' to eat.  There are vegetarians who do not like to eat vegetable based meals that either resemble or taste similar to meat based dishes.  I am not one of those people.  I don't mind my meat eater friends consuming meat while I dine with them, after all it's my choice not theirs and there is nothing I dislike more than people forcing their beliefs on others.  My only hope is that if people eat meat that they do it mindfully, by purchasing and consuming meat that is killed and processed in a humane way.  Even better, that they kill and process their meat themselves, but that is a different topic for another day.  
    I have found myself from time to time longing for dishes that had meat as it's main ingredient.  Fortunately we live in an era of vegetarian substitutes and have the ability to re-create these dishes, sometimes even improve upon them!  Have you ever wanted Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon or a chicken pot pie?  Well, you can have them.  I have been able to recreate a similar bourguignon and a vegetable pot pie that rivals its chicken counterpart.  There are a number of meat substitutes on the market and I use a variety of these products when necessary to create the correct taste or texture for a recipe.  I discuss the ones that I use when needed and also take time to talk about other products that I use, such as nutritional yeast flakes, a wonderful cheese-like alternative and a particularly wonderful addition to tofu in a breakfast burrito.  I will try to post as many recipes as I can but sometimes I find it necessary to talk about the dining experience itself or current trends in cooking.  While I do want there to be an emphasis on vegetarian recipes, I also think there is an opportunity to discuss other topics, like wine and cocktails, soy sauce or amino acids , or even just the wonderful plethora of great cooking in the world around.
    I currently reside in Newport, RI and while it is a small island town we have easy access to wonderful grocery stores (40 minutes drive - ugh!) as well as a new year-round farmers market at the Newport Vineyards.  I try to cook organic as much as possible, however when I can't I prefer to use local ingredients.  Sometimes I use non-organic ingredients as well, this is often due to the fact that there isn't an organic alternative or simply the taste I am looking for only comes in this form.  I do not pigeon-hole myself to any specific stereotype or limit myself as one particular type of cook, I simply cook food that I like to eat with as much mindfulness to its ingredients as there is to its taste.  I do not hold a culinary degree, however I do have degrees in Environmental Design and Landscape Architecture and will hopefully be getting a certification as a Master Gardner this winter.  Someday I would like to own a farm where I grow much of my food and a restaurant to feed friends and family.  I love to cook and much of my experience and technique comes from reading a lot of cookbooks, watching a lot of cooking shows, and a lot of experimentation.  While I can not guarantee everyone will like every recipe, there is always room for personalization in every dish.  
    Since it is November what better way to kick off this blog with the mother of all vegetarian dilemmas - Thanksgiving.  Every vegetarian knows that this holiday with the family can be so disappointing food wise.   Nothing is worse than an attempt by a meat eater to give you a vegetarian substitute to turkey.  I've tried the Tofurky holiday roast and it is terrible.  A friend of mine refers to it as Tofucky, and that seems more appropriate. Lasagna with mashed potatoes and gravy as a side just doesn't cut it anymore.  
     I usually prepare a meal of just sides and indulge this way each year.  I am often asked for my stuffing and gravy recipe by friends and asked to bing it over when I am a guest, and to toot my own horn, they are generally preferred to the meat versions.  My stuffing recipe is a variation of my mothers recipe and some of you will like it while others won't.  My mother always made stuffing with sausage and the giblets form the turkey. I have found that sausage substitutes and mushrooms can re-create both texture and taste in a classic stuffing dish while shiitake mushrooms make a marvelous gravy.  Over the next couple of weeks I will share these recipes and it is my hope that you bring them with you to your Thanksgiving dinners or prepare one for that vegetarian guest, I promise they will not only be grateful, they will become your new best friend!  

Till next time - The Mindful Vegetarian.

*note: this is a first attempt so be kind as I am trying to figure out how to format this blog.