The Vegetarian's Guide to a Paleo Diet

(First published on Examiner.com at: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-30849-Austin-Vegetarian-Food-Examiner~y2010m1d17-The-Vegetarian-Guide-to-a-Paleo-Diet )

My previous article introducing Paleo diets and vegetarianism touched upon some of the dictates of healthy eating and following an unprocessed foods lifestyle. 

See here for the introductory article: Paleo Diet and Vegetarianism

Here are some additional thoughts and ideas thanks to Paleo followers in Austin: Arun Dev, Ryon Day, Stephanie Cantu, and the very useful blog “The Label Says Paleo”.

Paleo Breakfasts

Try to make your breakfast as colorful as possible. Meals should be beautiful and stimulate more senses than just taste. Here are some suggestions:

• Bell peppers come in a rainbow of beautiful colors; red, green, orange, yellow, brown/purple! Slicing or dicing these and briefly sautéing them with diced onion in coconut, avocado, or another healthy oil, then scrambling some eggs in, results in a beautiful breakfast that stimulates the mind and the body.
• Add a (very small) side of a low-glycemic load fruit such as cantaloupe, honeydew, or some berries
• Bananas are preferably avoided due to their high-glycemic index
• Slice some mangoes; add it on or to the side of your eggs (cooked any style). Throw in a dash of walnuts. (Walnuts are a great source of healthy Omega-6). A healthy and tasty breakfast is ready!
• Avoid breakfast bars and cereal bars – they are nothing but highly processed substitutes. Try fruit-based, date-based, or fig-based bars instead, from local Austin store “The Daily Juice”. Whole Foods also carries other brands. 
• There is no universal law that says that certain foods must be eaten in the morning or cannot be eaten in the morning! It might be the perfect time to break out some of the leftovers from dinner, or if you aren't hungry, to skip a meal.
• Making a batch of hard-boiled eggs makes for a fantastic grab-and-go breakfast. 
• Avoid carbohydrate-laden foods such as breads and bagels (grain elimination, remember?). These will result in up-and-down blood sugar, and a loss of energy during what should be the most productive part of your day.
• If you are addicted to rice/pasta, try quinoa – it’s a healthier substitute for processed pastas and rice! Quinoa cooks easily enough and can be eaten with a lot of different side dishes, ethnic foods, etc.
• Try using sea salt instead of iodized salt.
• Organic milk and dairy is but the first step. Drinking raw unprocessed milk is probably better.
• Make Whole Foods, Central Market, the Farmer’s Market and other such places your daily/weekly haunt.


Breakfast Recipe (Courtesy of Arun Dev)

Coconut and Chocolate Pancakes

2 eggs
1 can Coconut Milk (get one without Guar gum)
1/2 cup Almond Meal/Flour
1 cup Shredded Coconut
A pinch of Baking Powder (optional)
A pinch of Sea Salt
A pinch of Cinnamon
1/2 tsp of Vanilla extract.

In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, the can of coconut milk and stir in the almond meal and shredded coconut. Add a pinch of baking powder (get one without modified Corn Starch), sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla and mix well. If you like chocolate pancakes, add the Ghirardelli chocolate powder to the batter. 
Now comes the fun and challenging part. Heat a non-stick pan and add a few drops of coconut oil. Start with small pancakes as these are not easy to flip without breaking. Cook for a minute or two and once you see the sides of the pancake starting to brown, flip the pancake. These pancakes are very delicate so don’t be discouraged if the first one or two break. Once you have flipped the pancake, allow it to cook for a minute or two on the other side. Carefully remove and serve hot.
Serve with fresh fruits (strawberries, blackberries) and nuts (walnuts, pecans).

For more recipes, ideas and as a useful resource, checkout the Label Says Paleo blog.

Home-made Italian meal

Spent last weekend in San Jose with family.  Vikram's cousins whipped up an awesome Sunday lunch.  Minestrone soup, spinach and cheese ravioli with Rao's eggplant sauce, fettucine with creamy pesto and a green tea Mochi (yeah that part was not Italian).  The 8-grain sour dough bread we picked up at the Evergreen Farmer's market in San Jose was a yummy complement too!

Have fun looking at the pictures below and drooling :)

Vegetarian does Mexican --- Part 1

(Also published on Examiner.com at this link: http://www.examiner.com/x-30849-Austin-Vegetarian-Food-Examiner~y2010m1d2-Mexican-food-in-Austin-vegetarian-style)

Having just returned from Cancun, I had to write about Mexican and Tex-Mex food in Austin. It’s obviously tough to distinguish between real Mexican and Tex-Mex fare here. But some restaurants are “different” i.e. probably a little more authentic and true to Mexican cuisine.
I am sure Austin, especially South Austin, has more to offer in terms of Mexican cooking, but for now, my top 3 picks are:
- Fonda San Miguel
- Manuel’s
- Polvo’s
(And no, for loyal Austin residents, Chuy’s – the Tex-Mex restaurant - doesn’t figure on that list.)
Fonda San Miguel, the highly-ranked and critically acclaimed Austin restaurant has a Sunday brunch buffet that gets crowded even as doors open and is a vegetarian’s delight as well. The chef sometimes stands beside the buffet explaining the various dishes to patrons. Once, when asked about the different style of cooking and flavors used in the food, he explained, “This is inner Mexican cuisine, not like any other Mexican fare you get in the US.”

As the Fonda San Miguel website says: “The Fonda San Miguel Brunch contains a sumptuous variety of dishes ranging from the more traditional to exciting takes on ancient recipes. Along the front table are large clay ollas (vats) filled with meat dishes often cooked in moles and pipians (sauces made with ground nuts, spices, fruits and seed). Several tables are filled with bowls of salads with zesty seasonings and fresh local vegetables and fruit. The dessert table is not to be missed with the likes of arroz con leche (rice pudding), capirotada (bread pudding) and flan almendrado (almond flan)”.

While the website doesn’t list the price, the brunch has typically been in the $40 per head range, approximately.

Manuel’s will probably always be a favorite for me in Austin. The staff can sometimes be overheard advising newer servers/waiters that their cuisine is “more Mexican and not Tex-Mex”. You can just as easily find some of the usual Tex-Mex fare on their menu, as you can find some very different Mexican dishes as well. As a vegetarian, do inquire about the broth they use to cook their rice. As I recollect, at one time, they warned me that the rice was cooked in chicken broth. In more recent times the servers have been telling me the rice is vegetarian.

The very delicious Tortas de Papa (grilled potato and corn masa cakes with sautéed corn, garlic, cilantro and salsa tomatillo) and the Chile Con Queso (queso blanco melted and mixed with tomatoes, onions and poblano peppers and served with tortillas) are excellent appetizers. The Tortas De Papa ($7.5) can also be an entire vegetarian meal. The Chile Con Queso ($7.5) is unique and unlike the yellow cheese dip you get at other Tex-Mex restaurants. A vegetarian favorite entrée is the “Flauta” with black bean and white cheese ($9) - grilled enchiladas served with your choice of salsa. (The salsa verde seems to make it a truly delicious combination. )

Polvo’s is a charming little local restaurant in South Austin and is a huge attraction for weekend and evening crowds, making it a very crowded little restaurant. Their chips and salsa bar is not free, but offers up a variety of truly delicious salsas. Once again, it’s easy to find more Mexican fare on their menu, as opposed to the usual Tex-Mex dishes, like the. My favorite vegetarian appetizer there is the Papas Monterrey ($5.99) (freshly cooked potatoes and sautéed onions and jalapeños), which have a spicy-tangy taste to them. As for the vegetarian entrees, everything rocks and many menu items can be customized for vegetarians.