Vegetarian Star

Jamie Oliver has been trying to change America’s attitudes on food in his new ABC television series Jamie Oliver’s Food Resolution.

Jamie shared on Oprah.com some of what he considered kitchen essentials, and many, if not most items are vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Plant based proteins like garbanzo, kidney and cannellini beans are shelf stable and great in a salad, with crackers or vegetables or straight from the can.

Seeds, dried pasta, and couscous offer alternatives when you are tired of legumes.

And spices like cumin and curry offer a twist to foods when traditional salt and pepper doesn’t do the trick.

Visit the site for Jamie’s entire list of kitchen essentials, which you can download and print in PDF format to take on your next shopping trip.

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Mark Bittman, part time vegetarian and author of books like Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, recently appeared on the online television show about food and sustainable living, Cooking Up A Story.

Bittman discussed the importance of eating in the home and said people used to cook years ago.

Then frozen and other convenience foods took over and people, not growing up making things from scratch, looked at cooking “as if there was some sort of mystique to it.”

Take the mystique out of cooking and grab a few good vegetarian cookbooks at your local bookstore or visit an vegetarian online forum for more ideas.

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Miley Cyrus was not type casted in her latest movie, The Last Song.

Miley’s character, Ronnie Miller, is a teenager who seeks to reunite with her father one summer, all while falling in love in this coming of age film.

Ronnie’s also a vegetarian.

Miley was once. Before she ended that deal like a bad recording contract.

She was quoted as saying, “I like fried food. I wasn’t able to give up the meat. I want a steak or a burger from McDonald’s every once in a while. A double-double is just way too good. I’ve still got to eat. I’ve got the rest of my life to stay healthy.”

Is it too much to ask that she stay in character even though The Last Song has wrapped up filming?

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The book edited by Moby and Miyun Park on factory farming, Gristle, isn’t meant to be a vegetarian or vegan converting source.

As co-editor Park said, “This book isn’t about veganism, and it isn’t about bringing down the animal agriculture industry.”

In fact, some contributors are even part of the meat industry.

So why would Moby, a vegan for two decades, decide to partake in something that doesn’t outright condem using animals as food?

Moby answered to Philly.com:

“The book is about presenting people with the facts and ramifications of factory farming and large-scale industrial animal production. What people do with the information is up to them. There are so many different types of animal agriculture, from the pernicious to the relatively benign, so it’s hard for me to make any huge blanket statements.”

Bottom line is, Moby isn’t using Gristle to tell you if consuming or using animals to produce food is okay.

That’s a decision you’ll have to come to on your own.

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Mark Haddon. Photo: The Independent

“Life as a vegetarian is one long line of risottos.”

—-Author Mark Haddon, while reading a restaurant menu during an interview with The Independent.

Life can also be like a long line of portabello mushroom sandwiches, veggie burgers, salads or any other standard menu item placed there just to appease the vegetarians.

Even Forrest Gump couldn’t have stated it better.

You never know what you’re going to get–or how it’s going to taste.

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Last week, Paul McCartney rented a gourmet mobile kitchen for $7,000 to make those 480 vegetarian meals a day his staff is fed to keep the tour going.

This seven grand gig is just a temp though–Paul’s own mobile kitchen is currently still under construction.

A representative from the company that rented the kitchen to Paul said it was everything you would expect from a five star resort kitchen.

Paul has completely banned meat from his tour.

Five star kitchen for five star meals?

As fellow vegetarian Bob Barker might say, sounds like the price is just right!

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The White House was scheduled to welcome chefs from one of Planet Green’s latest shows, Future Food, this weekend for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

According to a news release, Homaro “Omar” Cantu and Ben Roche took the south Lawn to create a snack for egg hunters made from organic, locally sourced fruit.

The theme for this year’s hunt was Ready, Set, Go!, in conjunction with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign  meant to squash childhood obesity.

Hope your Easter was as much fun as in D.C.

If you threw your own hunt in the backyard, hope you used cage-free eggs.

Better yet, next Easter aim to completely take animal products out of your hunt and have children look for something equally delicious like avocados or potatoes.

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Missy Higgins has voiced support for Lentil As Anything, a pay by donation restaurant in Australia that provides job training and employment for refugees and homeless people at four sites in Melbourne.

According to The Age, the organization’s lease is set to expire at the end of this year and hints that higher rent tenants might replace it at its Abbotsford Convent site have been given.

The site employs 60 people and serves more than 500 vegetarian meals a day.

Vegetarian and activist Higgins said that as a “Melbourne institution” it bought a much-needed sense of culture and community to the convent.”

Convent Bakery owner and coalition member Arnold Salinas said that although his lease is good until 2016, whatever happens to Lentil as Anything could set an precedent for other businesses to come as the center is turned into a “shopping mall” atmosphere.

“Their driving force is not going to be any community spirit, it’s just going to be based on how much money can they really get out of their business,” he said.

Abbotsford Convent Foundation chief executive Maggie Maguire said the board is currently considering all options and that it has upheld the original vision for Abbotsford Convent, which was for an arts, culture and education precinct.

And although ACF’s budget is derived from leases and other events at the center “making a profit is never, ever a priority above our community,” Ms Maguire said.

Getting rid of healthy, good food and a place to restart for the less fortunate is never good for the community.

Hope the ACF and its tenants can come to agreement that benefits all.

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