iEat Green with Bhavani

Interview with Adam Weissman – 11.12.15

Adam Weissman, is an organizer with Global Justice for Animals and the Environment (GJAE), an organization addressing the threat posed by free trade agreements to animals; the environment; safe, ethical, and sustainable food; and the human rights of environmental defenders. He also represents GJAE in Trade Justice New York Metro, a coalition of organizations from diverse social movements working together to resist the NAFTA neoliberal free trade model.

Vegetarian Stuffing with Apples and Pecans

1 package Arrowhead Mills or Chatham Village Stuffing Mix

1 ½ cup vegetable broth or water

1/3 cup olive oil or butter, plus 2 Tbs

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 Gala apples (or Granny Smith), cored and cubed

1 – 4 oz package of baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 cup chopped pecans

1 Tbs. Poultry spice

1 t. chopped garlic

½ cup Fresh Herbs, (thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley)

Bring vegetable broth to a boil, along with butter or oil. Add stuffing mix, stir and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Meanwhile,

in 2 Tbs olive oil, sauté onions for 5 minutes. Add celery and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, apples and poultry spice, and cook another 5 minutes. Add pecans. Add the sautéed vegetables to stuffing and mix well. Add the fresh herbs and season to taste.

Bake covered for 20 minutes before serving.

Interview with Dana Gunders, staff scientist at NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council) – 11.05.15

Guest today was Dana Gunders, a Staff Scientist at the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and author of a new book called,Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook, where she shares her knowledge and many tips on ways to reduce ones food waste. Dana’s focus at the NRDC is on Food and Agriculture, especially when it comes to reducing food waste. She is the author of a widely distributed report “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill”. She also recently co-authored a report called, The Dating Game, revealing how confusing food dates lead to food waste in America. Her work on food waste has been featured by CNN, NBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and many other outlets. Please join me, as Dana shares her expertise with us, and helps guide us on ways to reduce our food waste.

Fat Free Linzer Tart

Makes 22 cookies

1 ½ cup oats, ground

1 ½ cup W.W. pastry flour

¼ t. cinnamon

Pinch salt

2/3^rd cup maple syrup

½ cup apple sauce

1 jar raspberry, apricot or other jam

Preheat oven to 350’ degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except jam, in large bowl. Make into 1” balls. Press down on greased cookie sheet, creating a flat cookie. Indent center of cookie with your thumb. Fill in center with raspberry jam.

Bake at 350’ for 15 minutes, turn cookie sheet and bake another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool before transferring.

Interview with Clara Lyle from Outstanding in the Field – 10.29.15

Today's guest is Clara Lyle, the primary photographer and blog writer for Outstanding in the Field. Back in the summer of 1999, Jim Denevan came up with the idea of setting a long table on a farm and inviting the public to an open-air feast in celebration of the farmer and the gifts of the land. It would be a traveling feast with a central vision of farmers, chefs, cheese makers, ranchers, foragers and winemakers in delicious communion with the people they sustain. He saw it as a terrific challenge, and as a mission. Since then, he has organized more than 600 Outstanding in the Field events, made twelve coast-to-coast tours of North America, visited all 50 of the United States and set their table in a total of ten countries. More than 80,000 people have come out to their events, to understand, learn from and celebrate the farmer. It sounds like a Slow Food event to me! Clara shares with us, first hand, what it is like to be at all of these events, and what sets them apart from the others.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Makes 44 cups- (30-40 servings)

2 Pumpkins, cut in  half, seeds removed

1 Tbs. minced garlic

3 Tbs. fresh minced ginger

5 t. salt

2 Onion, chopped

2 t. black pepper

4 carrots, chopped

5 potatoes, cut into chunks

2 can coconut milk

2/3 cup maple syrup

16 cups water    

3 t. ground dried ginger                      

Parsley for garnish

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. turmeric

½ t. nutmeg

Lay out the Pumpkin, cut side down, on an oiled roasting pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, until pumpkin is soft. Meanwhile, in large stock pot, sauté the onion, carrots ginger and garlic in a little olive oil. Add the spices and lightly toast for 2 minutes. When the pumpkin is ready, scrape out the pulp, leaving behind the skin, and add pulp to the stock pot. Add 16 cups water to cover the pumpkin by 3” inches, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and with an immersion stick, puree the soup until smooth. Return to stove, and add the coconut milk. If the soup is too thick, add some more water. Add the maple syrup. Adjust spices and salt to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Interview with Lucy Marston, Field Vegetable and CSA Manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm – 10.22.15

Lucy Marston is the Field Vegetable and CSA Manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm – a 400-acre certified biodynamic farm in the Hudson Valley. She grows for a 300 member CSA, on site farm store and 5 weekly farmers markets in NYC. Lucy came to Hawthorne Valley Farm as an apprentice looking to learn how to farm and then moved up to manage their production vegetable operation, which she has been doing for the past 3 seasons. Before coming to production farming she worked in farm-based education in Connecticut and California.

Vegan Moussaka Inspiration

Ingredients

EGGPLANT and POTATOES

2 large eggplants or 4 small ones (about 2 3/4 pounds), unpeeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

3 large or 6 small potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

TEMPEH FILLING
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped

2 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 8 oz. package Soy Tempeh, crumbled

3 portobello mushrooms- finely chopped

2 assorted peppers- yellow, orange and green- chopped

1 hot pepper, such as chili or jalapeno, chopped

2 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ t. ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
½ Freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

10 sundried tomatoes- pureed

½ broccoli, cut into small florets

1 tablespoon tomato paste 
1 bay leaf

CASHEW SAUCE
3 cups cashews- soaked for 2 hours in water

3 cups water

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tbs. Nutritional yeast

TOPPING

½ cup Breadcrumbs (use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe gluten-free)
½ t. salt

½ t. ground garlic

olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

rind from 1 lemon, grated

Vegan Moussaka Inspiration

Directions

Bake the Eggplant and Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil and lay out on large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Cover with parchment paper and bake until the eggplant is soft, about 25 minutes. On a separate cookie sheet, brush the potatoes with olive oil and lay out in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered until soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside.

Make the Tempeh Filling. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots, and cook, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about about 3 minutes more. Make a space in the center of the pan, by pushing all of the vegetables to the perimeter. In the center, pour a little more olive oil, and then add the tempeh to the center of the pan, and cook until browned., stirring frequently. Add the oregano, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the Portobello mushrooms, fire-roasted tomatoes, and salt, and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, broccoli and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes., stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and set aside.

Make the Cashew Sauce. Drain the cashews. In a food processor, pulse the cashews until finely chopped. Add the water, salt, nutritional yeast and nutmeg.

Toast the Bread Crumbs. Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil. Add the Breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon peel and salt, and lightly brown for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley.

Assemble the Moussaka. Lower the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 x 16 x 2-inch Pyrex casserole dish with olive oil. Scatter ½ of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the pan. Lay out the eggplant in the pan, overlapping the slices if needed. Spread half of the tempeh filling evenly over the eggplant, Lay out all of the potatoes on top of the tempeh filling, overlapping as necessary, and cover with the remaining tempeh filling. Pour the cashew sauce over the layered casserole and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned, about 45 minutes.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Interview with Jill Talve, Clinical Ayurveda Specialist and Pancha Karma specialist – 10.15.15

Jill Talve is a Clinical Ayurveda Specialist and Pancha Karma specialist. She is the owner/operator of EverVeda, an Ayurveda wellness Center in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY. EverVeda offers Ayurvedic Consultations, healing therapies, custom herbal medicines, Pancha Karma, cooking classes and a Meals that Heal© program, prepared meals specifically designed for the individual wishing to optimize their health. She is also on the faculty of California College of Ayurveda and a certified Yoga Instructor.

Jill is determined to give the best Ayurvedic care possible to those she is given the privilege to see, combining the past, present and future of healing in all its forms.

        Vegetarian Borscht

1 onion, chopped            

3 carrots, shredded

4 Beets, peeled and shredded

3 red potatoes, diced    

2 stalks celery, diced    

½ yellow bell pepper, diced

4 cups shredded cabbage                             

2 t salt                                                      

3 Tbs olive oil                                                      

2 t. chopped garlic

2 t. oregano

2 Bay leaves                                         

1 can organic cannellini beans, drained

1 jar organic tomato sauce        

10 cups water 

1 can organic diced tomatoes

½ t. pepper

½ t. red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh chopped dill

½ cup chopped fresh parsley  

2 cups broccoli florets                 

juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

sour cream (optional for serving)  

-------------------------------------                    

Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large stock pot.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add the celery and potatoes, and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add all, but ½ cup, of the shredded beets, and the carrots, along with the garlic, and cook for a few more minutes, until softened.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot of boiling water, along with the bay leaf, oregano, yellow pepper and cabbage. Add cannellini beans, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and herbs.

Lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Add broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes. Adjust spices to tastes, by adding more salt, pepper, oregano, or dill.

Add the remaining ½ cup of shredded beets, fresh lemon juice, and Apple cider Vinegar right before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Interview with Heather Forest and Larry Foglia, founders of the Long Island Community Agriculture Network – 10.08.15

Heather Forest and Larry Foglia are two of the founders of The Long Island Community Agriculture Network and were instrumental in building the Gateway Community Garden in Huntington Station. They are co-owners of Fox Hollow Farm, a small family farm in Huntington Station where they managed a CSA for 100 families, conduct agricultural education programs, and have been engaged in vegetable farming for over 35 years.

Heather Forest, Ph.D., is a storyteller, author, musician, and organic vegetable farmer. Since 1975, she has been Executive Director of Story Arts Inc., a Huntington NY based, not-for-profit cultural arts organization that is dedicated to the art of storytelling and to its educational applications. She is one of the founders of LICAN, the Long Island Community Agricultural Network and co-owner of Fox Hollow Farm Inc. of Huntington Station, NY, an agricultural enterprise that includes a CSA serving 100 families and which offers educational programs focused on food equity, organic gardening, and farming skills.  Heather holds a master’s degree in storytelling from East Tennessee State University and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University.

Lawrence P. Foglia, M.S., is a farmer, natural resource consultant and environmental educator who, for the past 35 years, has worked to nurture, preserve and protect the natural world.  As a Natural Resource Consultant he has been a project manager affiliated with both the Peconic and Nassau Land Trusts working to preserve and protect farms, farming and natural open space on Long Island. A founding member of LICAN, the Long Island Agriculture Network, he has been instrumental in helping to establish and build the Gateway Community Garden in Huntington Station, NY. He is founder and co-owner of Fox Hollow Farm Inc., a Huntington Station enterprise that provides land preservation consulting, has a CSA that serves 100 families, and offers educational programs on gardening and farming skills. He holds a master’s degree in Natural Resources from the Ohio State University.

Miso Vegetable Chowder

8 cups water

Olive oil

5 cloves garlic

1- 2”-3” piece of ginger

1 Tbs. Bonito Flakes

½ cake of tofu (soft or firm, whichever you prefer)

1 organic onions, chopped

1 Burdock root

1 organic carrot, washed and chopped 

1 organic celery, washed and chopped 

1 organic broccoli, cut into florets

2 Tbs wakame- soak in 1 cup of boiling water to reconstitute

6 Tbs white or red miso

1- 8 oz package soba or udon noodles, cooked according to directions

In large pot, sauté onions, carrots and burdock root in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, place 1 Tbs bonito flakes in tea ball or cheesecloth tied with string. Add the water to pot, along with tea ball with bonito flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and tofu. Drain wakame and add to soup. Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove 1 cup of broth only, and in a separate bowl, dilute the 6 Tbs of miso in the cup of broth. Add the miso mixture back into the soup pot. Add more miso if desired for taste preferences. DO NOT BOIL THE SOUP ONCE THE MISO IS ADDED!

Keep the noodles separate and add individually to each bowl, to prevent the noodles from getting over cooked.

Interview with Maurice Segall, Pro Bono Partnership – 10.01.15

Maurice K. Segall, Director, New York and Fairfield County, CT, Program (New York Office), provides direct legal services to nonprofit groups, coordinates and supervises the work of staff and volunteer attorneys, and frequently lectures on legal issues for nonprofits and attorneys.

He was previously an associate at Cummings & Lockwood and Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin and Kuriansky.  He is a member of the Connecticut and New York Bar Associations, the Advisory Board for the Fairfield County Community Foundation Center for Nonprofit Excellence and serves on the risk management committee of Family and Children’s Agency.  He has served on the Boards of several nonprofits including the Fairfield County Bar Foundation; the Wilton Library; Family and Children’s Agency, Inc; Connecticut Consortium for Law and Citizenship Education, Inc; Connecticut Legal Services, Inc; and Curtain Call, Inc.

Maurice is the founder and coordinator of the Fairfield County Bar Association High School Mock Trial Competition, now in its 26th year, and a recipient of the Liberty Bell Award from the Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar for outstanding community service, the first practicing attorney ever to receive this honor.

Maurice is admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut.  He is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Albany Law School of Union University.

Pasta Primavera ala Pesto with Sundried Tomatoes and Tofu

2 lb. pasta of your choice (Whole Wheat, Gluten Free, or Brown Rice)

1- Extra Firm 20 oz  pack of Tofu, pressed to remove water, then cut into small cubes

Salt and paprika

1 onion, chopped

4 carrots, cut into chuncks

1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized florets

2 cups green beans, steamed, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into large chunks

12 Crimini mushrooms, wiped and quartered

Olive oil

1 Tbs. + 2 Tbs. + 1Tbs. garlic, minced

1 t. salt to taste

½ t. fresh pepper to taste

2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

3 Tbs white wine

½ cup sundried tomatoes

1/3 cup white wine

1 cup pesto

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 Tbs. chopped basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan (for garnish and to serve with)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

¼ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Lay out tofu cubes on large cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss with 1 Tbs garlic, ½ t. salt and sprinkled with paprika. Bake in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions, al dente, reserving one cup of pasta water. Meanwhile, cover bottom of large wok with water, and set bamboo steamer basket up to steam the eggplant. Steam eggplant for 10 minutes until soft. Remove basket and set eggplant aside. Dry out wok, and cover bottom with olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and 2 Tbs. garlic, and keep cooking on medium heat until carrots begin to caramelize. Add mushrooms and broccoli, and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the wine and salt and pepper, and allow broccoli to cook for another few minutes, until soft. Add the steamed eggplant, sundried tomatoes, 2 cups of cherry tomatoes and green beans to the wok, with 1 more tablespoon chopped garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta, tofu and pesto and toss with the vegetables. Add the fresh parsley and basil. Add Red Pepper flakes, if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese and pine nuts (if using). Serve immediately.

Interview with Ashlen Busick, Kendra Kimbirauskas & Terry Spence of SRAP: Socially Responsible Agriculture Project – 09.24.15

Ashlen Busick- Community Organizer- ashlenb@sraproject.org

As the granddaughter of Terry Spence and neighbor to a massive hog operation, Ashlen has been immersed in the issues of factory farming from the age of 5. She joins the SRAP Team now, 20 years later, to lend her passion to the movement for sustainable agriculture.

Ashlen graduated with a BSBA from the University of Central Missouri and has worked as the Director of Fundraising and Development for the Central Missouri Christian Campus House. While in Warrensburg, she served alongside local non-profits as the secretary for Johnson County Cares and helped organize various community events for people in poverty and for environmental sustainability.

Her husband’s hire as the high school choir director for Trenton, Missouri brought her back to the northern part of the state and provided an avenue for her to join in her grandfather’s legacy of advocating for the small farmer.

Kendra Kimbirauskas, Chief Executive Officer- kendrak@sraproject.org

Kendra grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest. After earning her degrees from Michigan State University, she became a community organizer for the Sierra Club, helping communities threatened by factory farms. Kendra’s community organizing work took her to rural communities in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota before she moved to Oregon in 2003. Kendra took a brief hiatus from anti-factory farm organizing and worked on political campaigns for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. In 2005, Kendra co-founded the group, Friends of Family Farmers, an Oregon-based non-profit that organized to fight Threemile Canyon Farms, a 55,000-head dairy factory outside of Boardman, Oregon. In 2006, she began consulting work for the Grace Factory Farming Project and started a small farm in Colton, Oregon. Kendra later joined SRAP, and in 2012, she became CEO of SRAP. Kendra and her husband currently farm 70 acres, in Scio, Oregon where they raise heritage breeds of pigs, chickens, goats and turkeys. Kendra is an avid equestrian, and in her spare time, she’s usually riding her horse.

Terry Spence - tespence@nemr.net

owns and operates a livestock farm in northeast Missouri, near the Iowa border, where he was born and raised. Terry is president of Citizens Legal Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) and of Family Farms for the Future (FFFF), and is a certified level III volunteer water quality monitor for Missouri Stream Team # 714. He has been active over the last 18 years in organizing and working with groups throughout Missouri, and various other states which are facing the factory farm problem. He has presented testimony before the U.S. House Sub-committee on CAFO's, and at numerous Missouri Clean Water Commission Hearings, Missouri Air Conservation Commission Hearings, and has worked with various environmental organizations on a state and national level.

Terry was selected as one of the Thirty Heroes for each of the thirty years of the Federal Clean Water Act, and received the 2010 Justice Award from the Missouri Attorney General for dedication and commitment to Environmental Protection, and has served two terms as a member of the USDA Agriculture Air Quality Task Force. Terry is a former advisory board member at the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins and has presented an online lecture relating to Food Production, Public Health, and the Environment.

Terry is an independent consultant for the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project (SRAP) which focuses on working with rural citizens and groups throughout the United States that are being impacted by Industrialized Agriculture Operations. He also is associated with the Renewable Harvest Project of SRAP that focuses on sustainable alternatives that benefits small farmers and rural communities.

Pear Ginger Chutney

16 cups of peeled, diced pears

½ cup unsweetened, organic, pomegranate juice

1 Tbs. Lemon juice

½ cup ginger, grated

¼ t. sea salt

1/8 t. ground cinnamon

¼ cup honey

½ t. pepper

½ t. cumin

1 t. ground cardamon

½ t. garam masala

½ cup fresh cilantro

In a heavy saucepan, combine the pears, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, salt, ginger, cinnamon, honey, pepper, cumin, cardamon and garam masala. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are soft. Using an immersion blender, puree the chutney, either smooth or chunky. Add the fresh cilantro and serve as a condiment for samosas, potato pancakes, macaroni and cheese, or eat alone. Can be served hot or cold.

Interview with Robert E. Graham, Board Certified in Internal and Integrative Medicine – 09.17.15

Robert E. Graham is Board Certified in Internal and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Graham received his medical degree from the School of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hospital in New York City. Dr. Graham received a Master’s of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health while completing three additional fellowships in General Internal Medicine/Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School and Medical Education at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In March 2015, Dr. Graham presented a talk, “FAREWELLNESS: Back to Our Roots” at TedxManhattan where he described one doctor’s attempt to incorporate his roots in integrative and traditional medicine into our modern healthcare system with an emphasis on having greater respect for food, cooking, farming, meditation and their healing properties. Follow his work @FAREWELLNESS on Facebook and Twitter.

Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup

10 organic Potatoes, cut into large chunks

4 organic leeks, tops cut off, cleaned and cut

Olive Oil

1 cup Vegetable Broth

1 can coconut milk

¼ cup dried tarragon

1 Tbs. salt

¼ t. white pepper

Chopped Parsley for garnish

In large pot, sauté leeks in olive oil until they become soft. Add potatoes, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add more water if necessary, to keep potatoes covered. Add the salt, pepper and tarragon.

Remove pot from heat and puree soup until smooth.  Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth and continue blending, until thoroughly mixed. Add more salt and white pepper, if desired.

Return to heat, and cook for 10 more minutes, allowing flavors to meld together. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. May also be served as a cold soup.

Interview with Ava Chin, author of Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal – 09.10.15

Ava Chin is the author of Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal (Simon & Schuster), which won 1st Prize in the 2015 M.F.K. Fisher Book Awards for Excellence in Culinary Writing. Kirkus called Eating Wildly “A delectable feast of the heart,” and Library Journal chose it as one of the “Best Books of 2014.” Her writing has appeared in The New York Times (“Urban Forager”), the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Saveur, The Village Voice, and Eating Well, among others. A former slam poet, she is an associate professor of creative nonfiction at CUNY and a fellow at the New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University. The Huffington Post named her one of "9 Contemporary Authors You Should Be Reading."campaign

Spicy Eggplant and Seitan in Garlic Ginger Sauce 

Ingredients

1 pack of Seitan (1 lb, 2 oz.)

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 jalapeno peppers, diced small

¹⁄₄ cup Tamari

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp Aji Mirin

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

4 medium Japanese eggplants, sliced at an angle into 2" thick pieces

1 onion, cut into slivers

½ red pepper, cut into strips

½ green pepper, cut into strips

2 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. minced ginger

½ tsp. red chili flakes

1 tsp. sesame oil

¹⁄₄ cup diced scallions 

Instructions

Cover bottom of wok with 1” of water, bring to a boil. Place cut eggplant into bamboo basket and sit the basket over the water. Cover wok with lid, and steam eggplant until soft, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, mix Tamari, Mirin, honey, vinegar, and salt in a bowl; set sauce aside. Sauté seitan in heavy skillet with 2 Tbs. of olive oil. Add the 1 t. of garlic, 1 t. of ginger and jalapeno peppers and cook until seitan is golden brown. When eggplant is soft, remove basket from wok, and dry the wok over high heat. Add the other 2 Tbs. of olive oil to the wok, followed by the onions, and cook until translucent. Add the red and green peppers, garlic and ginger, and cook for a few minutes. Add the eggplant, ½ t. red chili peppers, and sautéed seitan, and stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in sauce and cook until sauce is thickened, 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle with dark, toasted sesame oil; garnish with diced scallions.