Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, I participated in a regional meeting of Slow Food leaders from the New York area, at a very prominent “Slow Foodie” restaurant in the city. The menu had been pre-selected, and was a beautiful display of artisanal foods, beginning with Grilled Bread, Local Cheeses and Charcuterie, followed by Roasted Chicken, Grilled Arctic Char, Roasted Heirloom Vegetables, Hand Crushed Potatoes and a Winter Squash and Farrow Salad with Feta Cheese. I let the waiter know that I was vegan, and he said no problem, they would be able to accommodate me (and a few other vegans at the table) At first, when my plate arrived, I was excited to see a beautiful display of colorful vegetables, but my excitement quickly waned, as I took my first bite. What I had in front of me was a plate of boiled vegetables with nothing added, all grouped together by color, and in the middle was a mound of boiled greens. Even if I was on a medicinal diet, I would not have wanted to eat a plate of boiled vegetables! Why not roast them, stuff them, or steam them, so they have some flavor left in them, and how about a little sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish? I also asked for a salad without the cheese, but they said they couldn’t do that? How can we ever expect to help meat eaters transition to eating less meat, if this is what they are going to be served instead? As a Vegetarian/Vegan chef for over 40 years, I have dedicated my life to creating flavorful, beautiful, meatless entrees that will satisfy the carnivore, omnivore, pescatarian, flexitarian or vegan. And it is not difficult!  Why, in this day and age, especially at such a high end restaurant, can’t they come up with a more flavorful, creative entree to serve to their vegan guests? To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I think they should be ashamed of themselves!

So, this July 14-16th, at the Slow Food Nations event in Denver, iEat Green and Slow Food North Shore will highlight some of our favorite vegan entrees, using whole, plant based foods to create full flavored, beautiful dishes from around the world. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the event, but in the meantime, come on out to our Slow Food New Years Party on January 29th at the Oyster Bay Brewery, and sample some of our delicious food!

There is a buzz in the air, as people plan to come together this Saturday for the Women’s March on Washington, or one of the 386 solidarity sister marches taking place in  cities across the country! The purpose of the march is to let our new government know, on their first day in office, that we all stand together to support and protect women’s rights, human rights, religious freedom, sexual orientation, people with disabilities, people of all colors, races, and immigrants, and that are numbers are too large to ignore! We will be a force to reckon with, as we organize from the ground up to protect the disadvantaged, to defend our democracy, and to support diversity in our communities (and in our food system!) If you haven’t yet signed up to attend one of the marches, please do so, or if that is not your thing, then please hit the phones and write letters to your senators and representatives. We need to let our voices be heard! Check out the website, IndivisibleGuide for actions you can take.

This week, my guest on the Progressive Radio Network is Tanya Steel, to talk about her new post as the Editorial Director of Clean Plates, a healthy food and wellness content brand. Tanya is a longtime food journalist. Formerly Editorial Director of Epicurious, Gourmet Live, and Gourmet.com, Tanya joined Clean Plates in 2016. She is also the Award Director for the Julia Child Award, and conceiver of the annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner” with First Lady Michelle Obama, now in its 5th year at the White House. Formerly, Tanya was an editor at Bon Appetit and Food & Wine, and has written for many publications, including The New York Times. She has authored two cookbooks, the award-winning Real Food for Healthy Kids, and The New York Times’ bestseller, The Epicurious Cookbook. Her third book, tentatively titled Eat The Past: A History of Food for Kids, will be published by National Geographic Kids in 2018. Tanya won a James Beard Award for Journalism, and was inducted into the Digital Hall of Fame. With the help of a talented team, she has won dozens of awards including Webbys, ASMEs, James Beards, and an Emmy. She is the exhausted but proud mother of teenage twin boys. It is my pleasure to introduce Tanya Steel to all of you, and to talk about her work with Clean Plates! Please join us on Thursday!

Remember, my show is recorded live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in, navigate to PRN.fm and click the “Listen Live” button on the left. Also try downloading the PRN mobile app, and take the station with you wherever you go! If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call in number is 888-874-4888.

If you can’t tune in at that time, you can listen to the show in the PRN archives, or through a direct phone line to my archives. Just dial 1-701-719-0880, and you can listen to the past 5 weeks of shows! Of course you can also access the shows through my website, or through iTunes. Please “like” iEat Green’s Facebook page and feel free to rate the show and leave comments on iTunes and on my website. Thank you all for your support.

With love and gratitude,

Bhavani