Vegetarian Star

Iron Chef America-Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy. Credit: Healthy Happy Life

In case you haven’t heard, New York vegetarian restaurant owner Amanda Cohen did broccoli well on an episode of Iron Chef America that aired this weekend. The secret ingredient could be found paired with a crispy, orange tofu, which one judge said tasted, “nothing at all like the tofu I made when I was a teenager, when I was a strict vegetarian.”

Ironically, another judge liked the tofu and everything else but the secret ingredient. “I’m not so found of the broccoli.”

Sigh…You can’t please everyone.

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Iron Chef America-Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy. Credit: Healthy Happy Life

Amanda Cohen, founder and chef of New York city vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy, will be competing on Iron Chef America on August 29th, 2010 at 10 PM ET/PT against Chef Masaharu Morimoto in a vegetarian on vegetarian challenge.

To Cohen’s surprise, Moriomoto stuck to an entirely vegetarian menu during the challenge in which Cohen worked so hard her pants fell down.

“I can only hope that this moment didn’t make it onto national TV,” Cohen told Lunch Box Bunch about the embarrassing moment during an exclusive interview.

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Alton Brown | Credit Jen Segrest Wikimedia Commons

Alton Brown has seen to it that bluefin tuna will no longer be used on Iron Chef America.

The host of the Food Network show had previously said he would boycott Nobu restaurant until it removed the endangered species from the menu. Recently, however, Makoto Okuwa served up a dish using bluefin tuna belly, which prompted a food blogger to address Brown about the issue, according to LA Weekly.

(more…)

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Alex Guarnaschelli, the executive chef at NYC’s Butter restaurant, has made the rounds in the celebrity chef world, including competing against Cat Cora in Iron Chef America, and judging on the Food Network’s Food Network Challenge, Chopped and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

But none of these experiences beat preparing food for some of her favorite celebrities, like Prince, who has a thing for eating seasonal vegetables at 3AM.

From Popeater:

“I love Prince. He comes here whenever he’s in town. He’s a vegetarian, eats very late at night and we go back a few years with my 3AM vegetarian meals for him. Just bringing him plates and plates of local vegetables is one of my favorite celebrity interactions I’ve had. Watching this firecracker of a person eat my food is incredible.”

Although some data suggests frozen may be equal or better than fresh as far as nutrition goes, nothing beats a crisp, fresher from the garden local veggie like a green bean sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with organic herbs.

Whether you eat your veggies at 3AM or 3PM, what’s your favorite local treat to cook in the kitchen?

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"Iron Chef America" Michelle Obama Garden. Photo: New York Times

Iron Chef America will open its season premier on January 3 2009 at the White House using fresh produce from Michelle Obama‘s garden.

The Food Network show hosted by Alton Brown will feature White House chef Cristeta Comerford paired with Bobby Flay to compete against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.

The “secret” ingredient the chefs must use in their dishes is anything that grows in the White House garden.

Michelle will also use the opportunity to discuss encouraging children’s healthier eating habits and reducing childhood obesity.

“What’s exciting for us is this is the first time I can remember the White House taking an active interest in doing something about diet and health,” Batali said.

Looking forward to this episode.

Would love to see a cookoff featuring the Obamas and two chefs!

via nytimes.com

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Top Chef Tre Wilcox

Tre Wilcox is a renown chef who appeared on Season 3 of Top Chef.

He’s worked as a private chef, appeared in Iron Chef America on The Food Network channel, competing with the Rathbun brothers against Bobby Flay as their only sous chef.

But one of his biggest challenges to date was making a meal for hip hop guru Russell Simmons.

“Russell Simmons was one of my favorites,” Wilcox told nbcdwf.com. “He came back for more. He’s vegan, so it was a challenge for me.

Did Russell request Tre make his favorite vegan risotto?

Tre is currently the Executive Chef at Loft 610 in Plano, TX.

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Celebrity Chef Cat Cora, unlike Gordon Ramsay, doesn’t feel vegetarians are a pain at all.

In fact, sometimes The Food Network Iron Chef star and her family even, gasp, joins them!

From afterellen.com:

My wife is a vegetarian, so I have to ask: Do you find it annoying to cook for vegetarians or do you approach it as an invigorating challenge?
CC: I find it a fun challenge. In the Cora family, there are nights when we go all veggie, it is cleansing. So, I appreciate where vegetarians are coming from.

Cat’s no stranger to vegetarian cooking.

If you remember, Cat joined forces with Morningstar Farms to teach families to prepare delicious, quick, and healthier meals into the diets.

She said of the partnership:

“Morningstar Farms and I have come up with some easy ways to make eating well more manageable for the home cook. I want families to understand that good food doesn’t require hours in the kitchen.”

Cat also catered the vegan dinner served during Nigel Barker‘s screening of A Sealed Fate.

So cool that Cat practices what she preaches!

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