The Kind Diet

"When diet is wrong medicine is of no use.  When diet is correct medicine is of no need." Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb

Alicia Silverstone is out to create world peace with her new book, The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.  For some this might be a highly radical idea, but this is something that I think about every day as part of the yogic principle, ahimsa.  Ahimsa can be translated as "non-violence" or non-harming." For those following the yogic philosophy, ahimsa must be upheld over all other principles.  It's kind of like the Hippocratic oath, "First, do no harm."  Many yogis believe that you should be a vegetarian or vegan to uphold this principle, as does Alicia Silverstone.

Although she does believe strongly in veganism, she doesn't come off too preachy or judgmental, which is nice to know that she practices what she preaches (kindness!).

The first part of the book is filled with tips and nutritional information about veganism and the vegan lifestyle.  Some of it I've heard many times (factory farms are the devil, etc.), and some of it all new.  A little voice in the back of my head (a librarian, I think), kept wondering why she wasn't citing her sources for information and if she was an authoritative source herself.  Regardless, there are good tips and information in the first half.

In the second half of the book are the recipes.  I've made 4 of them already and my husband liked all of them, and A.J. liked most of them.  I loved them all.  Unfortunately, I only got one picture during all this cooking.  That's the way it goes sometimes when you are cooking with a toddler.  Fortunately it was a picture of my favorite recipe in the book so far:  Pecan crusted seitan with rustic pasta!

Pecan Crusted Seitan

Marinade

3/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. umeboshi vinegar
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 c. shoyu
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. minced fresh tarragon or 1 tbsp. dried tarragon
2 tbsps. minced fresh rosemary

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade into a blender and blend until smooth.  Transfer the marinade to a shallow dish and add 8-10 pieces of seitan.  Turn to coat on all sides.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least 3 hours.

When finished marinating, mix together 2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 cup ground pecans (I ground mind in a mortor and pestle.  A food processor would probably work well too.), and 2 tbsps. finely chopped rosemary in a shallow bowl.  Dredge the seitan in this mixture.

Heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a pan,  and add the seitan to the pan.  Saute until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. 

Rustic Pasta

1/4 c pound pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, diced or thinly sliced on a diagonal
1/4 c. shoyu
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
5-6 tablespoons marinara sauce

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Salt the water and add the pasta; cook just until al dente.  Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the onions and cook for 7 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes longer, until the onions are transparent and turning golden.

Add the celery to the skillet and aute for 3 or 4 minutes.  Stir in the shoyu, salt, and garlic powder, the add the cabbage; saute for 4 minutes.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes longer.  Add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce and toss together.  Cook over medium heat for a minute or two and serve.