Vegetarian Star

Lea Michele told Wonderwall that she loves making the trip to Whole Foods whenever she can and coming back home to cook.

“Well I’m a vegan so I don’t eat eggs or dairy but I make a pretty good tofu scramble for breakfast,” she said.

When it comes to a good tofu scramble, the rules are there are no rules.

When tossing crumbled soybean curd with plain vegetables isn’t working anymore, experiment and go wild!

Yes, that really can be done with tofu.

Blend a few teaspoons of nutritional yeast or tahini in the tofu mixture.

And spices like oregano and basil.

Saute vegetables before mixing with tofu to avoid extra water getting in the mix.

Best tip: Dry tofu out well before making by taking the cubes or the smashed crumbles and placing them on layers of paper towels or a dishtowel on a cutting board or plate.

Then, place more paper towels or another dishtowel on top of it and let it absorb the moisture and dry for several hours.

You can even freeze tofu, then unthaw for an extra crispy scramble!

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Rip Esselstyn

Rip Esselstyn recently gave an interview to Tonic and shared his favorite “must have” items from the grocery store.

Tonic’s question asked for 5, but just like you can’t stop taking those vegan cookies out the box and putting them in your mouth, Rip had to give a few extra.

“I’m a really big fan of broccoli,” says Rip of his number 2 choice. “Whole Foods Market has a frozen 365-brand of broccoli florets. I can freeze them and eat them again and again. I’ve become a big fan of frozen fruits and vegetables.”

Almond milk also makes the cut.

The author of The Engine 2 Diet that convinced his firefighter co-workers to eat vegetarian to lower cholesterol, lose weight and gain better health has just finished reading, “Born To Run,” a story about a tribe who ran 100 mile runs, fueling themselves on squash, beans and berries.

Is that what convinced Rip to add a “whole bunch of beans,” as number 5 on his list?

To read the entire interiew and learn what his other must have grocery items are, visit Tonic.

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Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry

Vegan chef Bryant Terry appeared on The Martha Stewart Show today and demonstrated his recipe for Spinach with Ginger and Chile.

The episode was meant to promote Terry’s mentor and local food proponent, Alice Waters‘ new book, In The Green Kitchen.

Part of the fun with trying new recipes is discovering an herb or spice you’ve never worked with fresh before.

Remember when you ditched the spice rack and headed for the produce section to check out those weird, finger looking plants called “ginger?”

Grab Bryant’s recipe featuring fresh chile, ginger and spinach at Martha Stewart.

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Pamela Anderson took a walk on the wild side this weekend, when she hiked 3 miles in Malibu to benefit the California Wildlife Center.

Anderson was also given the honor of releasing a pelican back into the wild that was rehabilitated by the center.

According to its website, the California Wildlife Center is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of a wide range of native species: from raptors and songbirds, coyote and deer, to marine mammal emergency response for the Malibu coastline.”

Since 1998, the center has cared for over 20,000 wild animals.

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Biz Stone was a guest at Farm Sanctuary’s Hoe Down this weekend, and shared a few experiences via Twitter.

The 140 character social media platform co-founder turned vegan after visiting an animal sanctuary in New York.

“These creatures are special just like all of us, and since I don’t need to eat them to live, I’m going to leave them alone,” Stone told SF Gate. “And then there’s the cruelty, which is awful. From then on, I have happily been vegan.”

Stone appearing at the country line dancing event to raise money for abandoned and abused farm animals isn’t his first act of activism.

While an employee of Google Inc. in 2003, Stone convinced execs to put more vegan items on the menu, something he said everyone enjoyed.

“I have found that when vegan options are provided in the workplace, many non-vegans will go for them either because they find them tasty or they appreciate the healthier choice.”

According to its website, ARAMARK, one of the nation’s largest providers of food services to businesses, has several hundred recipes for vegetarian and vegan food that could potentially be served at workplaces where employees demand such fare.

It is also the same company that is responsible for adding so many new vegetarian and vegan options in professional baseball fields this season.

ARAMARK can offer cage-free eggs and has partnered with the Monterray Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program to shift towards sustainable seafood purchases over the next 10 years.

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Chipotle first expanded its vegetarian market by offering the vegan filling in its Dupont Circle restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Then, New Yorkers got to sample the Garden Blend in their fajita burritos.

Now, according to the Sacramento Business Journal, Chipotle has claimed Roseville, California as its latest location to test the meatless variety, along with stores in Los Angeles and Denver.

Could the vegan filling one day be available in yourtown, USA, or will it be restricted to larger cities and regions known for residents that are more likely to be open to a meat-free variety?

“We’re still playing with the recipe,” said Chris Arnold, director of public relations with Chipotle. “We don’t have any data yet. But we have had a lot of interest from customers for something like this from all across the country.”

Chipotle has over 1,000 restaurants in 35 states in the United States and Canada.

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Dr. Andrew Weil, author and integrative medicine pioneer, discusses the dangers of pesticides in food, especially fruits and vegetables in this clip that also shows the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen,” list of produce you should always buy organic.

Organic fruits and veggies won’t be found in the $1 aisle, so when the budget is tight, it’s a good idea to keep this list handy to know what you can away with.

We should probably be following Dr. Weil’s advice on the dirty dozen, which is if he can’t get organic versions of them, he doesn’t eat them.

“A lot of these chemicals are toxic to the nervous system. Other may disrupt endocrine function in the body. They may increase risk of cancer and other chronic diseases,” Dr. Weil explains in the video.

Dr. Weil says data exists that shows people who eat organic have lower measurable pesticide levels in their tissues.

Like other data, the “Dirty Dozen” list is updated, and the Environmental Working Group has unveiled the 2010 list.

Dirty Dozen–Always Buy Organic
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes

Cleanest–Lowest in Pesticides, Buy Conventional When You Have To
1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantalouope
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

You can download the wallet guide and there’s an iphone application coming soon.

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Katie Couric‘s got a thing for a vegetarian sandwich from The Lunch Box on 9th Avenue in New York City.

The sandwich Couric’s co-workers call “The Veggie,” consists of “pepper jack cheese with avocado, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, carrots, cucumber, peppers and honey mustard on toasted multigrain bread.”

This was reported in an article from the New York Post on what  NYC’s top dogs chew on in between Blackberry messages–cause you know they don’t have time to take a regular lunch!

Simon Doonan, creative director at Barney’s is into vegetarian and even vegan offerings from Mangia on 57th Street, citing his favorite dishes as hummus, brown rice and the black bean soup bowl, of which he sometimes gets two helpings of.

Who said it’s hard to eat veggie and healthy at work unless you brown bag it?

What’s your favorite dish to grab “to go” when you can’t make it from scratch?

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