Native Foods Blog

Cauliflower Brain

By Chef Tanya

Native Foods Tribe Leader & Chef

 

It resembles the brain and all I know is that eating this dish makes me think a lot, so by deduction I assert to assume that it is good for the brain. I’ll call it brain food. Farmers’ Markets are loaded with them, and might I add don’t just buy one! Here’s why…

 

Cauliflower = 
     
I verbally discuss this recipe at Farmers’ Markets, at parties, in the bank lines and on airplane rides as some of you that have met me at any if these know.  I thought to blog the recipe story so that  many may share the wealth of the power of the cauliflower.

 

First preheat oven to 425°. Remove brain stem/core and break cauliflower into 1 ½ -2 inch pieces.

 

 

Place pieces on non-Teflon coated baking tray, this makes a nice crusted finish that you’ll never get with Teflon and it’s always scared me any way.

 

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over top.

 

Put in oven for 50 minutes and forget about it. So NOT 40 minutes! When you look and think it’s done at 40, wait until 50 minutes, honest!

 

Remove from oven, let cool just enough so you don’t burn your tongue and have at ‘em. You can do the proper thing and put on a platter and serve, but if you are home alone, don’t hesitate to baking tray partake.

 

You can toss with pasta, top on grains and greens or I love them on a fresh Farmers’ Market salad with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Use your imagination (other brain)!

 

How I Came to Know and Love Native Foods

by Angie Weaver

I ask guests at the restaurant, "How did you hear about Native Foods?"  Some just wander in, try the food,  and find a new favorite restaurant, but time after time, guests tell me that a neighbor, friend, colleague, sibling, or significant other told them about this fantastic vegan restaurant that they had to try because it would blow their minds.  I have a story of my own.  About 14 years ago, my friend and I had a mission to go to all the vegetarian restaurants in Southern California.  Mind you most were in Los Angeles and I lived in Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains.  I was a newish vegetarian  and I wanted to sample from the cornucopia of delectable cuisine that brave, inventive restaurateurs had come up with.  Any chance we had, we would make the drive to LA.

 I was also part of a great organization called Earth Save Inland Empire(started by John Robbins).  Our group would get together for  vegetarian potlucks and speakers would come and give talks about the environment or the veggie lifestyle.  On one occasion, I was delighted to hear that Howard Lyman would be giving a talk to our group. 

 Howard is so great.  He is known as the Mad Cowboy (yes, also a delicious Earth Bowl @ Native Foods--See Picture Below).  He has written several books like Mad Cowboy and No Bull, but maybe best known as the fourth-generation cattle-rancher turned vegan who was sued with Oprah Winfrey by Texas cattlemen  for libel when he talked about the realities of factory farming and Oprah said she would never eat another hamburger (GO OPRAH!).  After an informative discussion, there was a question-answer session with Howard.  Someone in the crowd asked Howard, "What is your favorite restaurant?"  Howard answered that it was Native Foods in Palm Springs.  My friend and I looked at each other with excitement  because we knew exactly where we were headed  the following weekend.  We ate at Native Foods and had the best food EVER!  I had tempeh for the first time in my life and it was incredible.  We went there many, many more times over the years.  I just wished there was one a lot closer, so I could go every day.

 
me with the MadCowboy Bowl today at Native Foods...yep, you guessed where the name came from

 Fast forward a few years later and now I'm attending Cal State Long Beach.  Native Foods opens a location in Westwood and I couldn't be any happier.  I drove to that location all the time and I loved  it because I actually got to watch the chefs make my Mad Cowboy Bowl by peering over the railing.  I thought, I would love to work at Native Foods.  Six and a half years ago, I was living in Costa Mesa.  My mom called me and said she was driving down Bristol St. and saw a sign at the Camp that said Native Foods.  She said, "Isn't that the place you took me to in Palm Springs awhile back," and I said, "Yes, Whoa! Mom, are you sure?" So half because I didn't believe her and half out of excitement, I immediately got in my car and drove over to the Camp and looked at the menu taped to the window. Yes, indeed, that was my Native Foods, but it was under construction.  I called the number to apply for a job.  I got interviewed by Tanya and hired.  I admired Tanya from a far as a customer, but now I was going to get to work with her and learn from her.  Tanya has talent in every bone of her body and you find that out with every meal you eat or cooking demo you attend at Native Foods.  Boy, did I feel like a lucky duck to be working at my favorite restaurant.  I've had the opportunity to meet so many genuinely, amazing people who frequent Native Foods.  Many of whom I call my friends.   I think I can say with great certainty that we have the best guests of any restaurant.  By some ironic twist of fate, I would meet the best guest of all at Native Foods...my husband, Greg.  He would dine in the restaurant 4 days a week, so, like me, he got a job at his favorite restaurant and naturally we got to know each other.  Our love blossomed at Native Foods over our shared ideals and love of tempeh.  From my experience, beautiful things can happen at Native Foods!

Are you faux real?

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Tribe Member

 

Well, yes, I believe I am… and so are all those beautiful handbags that grace the pages of Vogue and Bazaar every month.  They are very real and very pretty. Fashion is such a wonderful art form because it is accessible to everybody.  Now I realize that not everyone has the same budget, but everyone does indeed have the same free will to choose what they will adorn their individual temple of flesh with on any given day. That being said, you might never guess I harbor such a love for fashion since most of my time I am dressed head toe in black whether for work or play.

 

Truth be told, I am more of an accessories gal: handbags, sunglasses, and shoes primarily.  And one of my most favorite guilty pleasures is perusing fashion magazines… the guilt stems from spending money on magazines as they are a total waste of paper… so luckily my lovely friend Jordan stockpiles her old magazines until we meet for dinner every month or so and then unloads them on me.  I, in turn, release them onto my friend Ali after I am finished so it gives me that feeling of reusing and recycling so I don’t feel too bad.  And that in fact brings me to the topic on hand… Shall I reuse and recycle when it comes to fashion?  Why of course!  Even when it comes to leather, wool, and other animal derived materials?  Oh brother!  A rock and a hard place.

 

A few years ago, I would have immediately said “No way!,” followed by some witty and slightly grotesque remark about wearing a deceased animal on your person… you get the idea.  These days I am much more inclined to take a step back and assess the bigger picture.  Here I am standing in the Jewish Women’s Council Thrift Shop staring slack jawed at a black Balenciaga First Handbag (made of lambskin) hanging discreetly between a canvas tote and vinyl duffle bag… I flip the price tag over… $56.25.   I feel slightly lightheaded and confused and then my mind starts arguing with itself (this is a beautifully designed bag my friends!).  You couldn’t possibly Holladay!  Where is your mind?  That is a good question. 

 

My mind is assessing the pros and cons.  This bag came from somebody who made a charitable donation (or simply had to justify buying a $1200.00 bag by getting rid of another) to an organization who will now receive my $56.25 (minus the hourly wages of the two employees and other minor overhead), which they can use toward their community outreach programs.  For me this is a much better option than purchasing a brand new polyurethane handbag from Target that was made who knows where by who knows whom.  It is just conscious consumerism.  Know where it comes from.  And if you feel better purchasing that vegan handbag from China rather than a vintage leather satchel from the Goodwill down the street, I say RIGHT ON!  Be in the know.  Evaluate the end result.  Make conscious decisions. (By the way, I did not purchase the bag based on my own conscious decision at the time that I had far too many bags for my own good)

 

 

Side Note:  Etsy.com is wonderful place to purchase all sorts of things (including handbags!) directly from individual artists.  A win win in my opinion.

Watch Your Language!-Defining Milk and Cream

 

There are so many new and exciting non-dairy products that many like to purchase for their enjoyment on cereal. As one customer told me as being lactose intolerant since the 70's about the availability of creamy soymilk,"I was so excited to be able to have oatmeal and cereal without only fruit juice on top" or another comment I liked upon the advent of chocolate soy milk,"Wow I've tried to drink it (dairy choc milk) for years but I just can't stomach it..this is great. 

Many people now have grown up with dairy alternatives regularly available and there are so many fun choices. Have you tried the So Delicious coconut milks available? They are very creamy but not so strong coconut tasting so that you may use in dishes or drinks without affecting the flavor. I'm old and I've always used the term coconut milk and I never thought it was cow's milk. So, I  can't tell you why, but in April the national Milk Producers Federation petitioned the FDA to stop non-dairy food producers from using the words "milk, cheese, ice cream, sour cream, or yogurt" on their labels, even if it says "cococnut, soy, almond, oat, rice, hemp, hazelnut, etc. in front of "the word."

They are saying it is a misappropriation of "traditional dairy terms." In their argument they are defining milk as "the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows." They ae very concerned about justice and do not want these dairy alternative companies to be permitted to represent their products as something they are not. Shame on the coconut (hey, that would be a good name for a band)!

Apparently the FDA is siding with the dairy producers and have sent letters to the non-dairy producers telling them to watch their language. What will they be sending next, soap bars? Well maybe it's time for us to send letters? We should all scream about defining milk and cream.

Travelin' Plans-

By Chef Tanya

Well this one is with India in mind. I've tried to go a few times since the 80's but numerous occurances have led me to wait. Let's see what happens with this plan! Three places I need to go when I'm there for sure.

1. Animal Rahat- Animal Rahat is leading the country in educating people about treating their animals better and creating better condition for their working animals as you may know India has a lot of them. Cows tilling and pulling carts as well as burros. They work on simple things that people can do and it's a  beautiful thing. Peta has been helping this group and I was lucky enough to get this shot from Ingrid in the field.

Ok so dogs, cows and coconuts??? This is my dream trip all in one place! Please check out Animal Rahat and learn more and visit too. Maybe we can all go together, I'll look into it! 

2. I don't know if anyone wants to join me here but I think this place is amazing. In the Rajasthan and a quick train ride from Bikaner. Yes it's the Karni Mata Temple dedicated to rats. There's a whole historical story about it stemming from a healing saint lady and the place is filled with miracles. No diseases have been spread by rats here for hundreds of years and they don't over run the town, they only are living in this temple, that alone is pretty miraculous. I've always heard when they live in conditions that humans make dirty is when the problems start, so this proves it's up to us!

Rajasthani ‘Rat Temple’ Check out the video of the sacred rats of Karni Mata Temple:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-OU308eqq4

3. Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune- I've been a fan for many many years now. They say yoga can heal everything. BKS Iynegar is in his 90's and does headstand (inversions) everyday for an hour still. He was the pioneer of proper alignment to adjust the body for health and cures. If you take yoga classes you should experience an Iyengar class to refine your alignment and understand how that affects your practice. Iyengar yoga teachers have to study intensely and can take three years to complete their training. Btw, I just heard they are making headway (no pun intended) with MS and inversion practice. I heard of one local L.A. man with MS is actually showing signs of reducing the lesions in the brain that it creates. Who knows, let's keep watching those medical journals, in the meantime it can't hurt to practice! Try an Iyengar class if you haven't already.

Read about our buddy Scott Jurek in NY Times!

By Chef Tanya

Last time I saw Scott I think he told me he runs to Native Foods when he's in town! Great guy.

Check out the great article by Mark Bittman, congrats Scott Jurek!

Whew....100 miles a day running on a vegan (yum!) diet

I think we'll send him some tempeh & seitan!   Cool article in New York Times this morning...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/sports/13runner.html?ref=todayspaper

What does soup have to do with "Restaurant"?

by Jesse Marshall
Native Foods Tribe Member

Everything! The word Restaurant is a gift from France, Restaurer, or translated to restore. In the 16^th century this term referred to a rich, decadent soup – meaning a food which restores. It was in 1765 that this new description was used for an eating establishment in Paris, specifically for a soup seller named Boulanfer. It wasn’t until 1782 a restaurant that we would recognize, with individual portions, menus and set operation hours opened in Paris. Oddly enough called the Breand Taverne de Londres or The Great Tavern of London. This was conceived by Antoine Beauvilliers who also went on to write, in 1814, what became a standard cookbook! 

Why are we "Native Foods" and what does that have to do with a vegan restaurant? 

Everything! We are Native to all countries and cultures, Native to the earth, Native to Life! Chef Tanya is Native Foods and the concept came to her at a very young age when she befriended a dairy cow on a family vacation. Until Native Foods opened in 1994 being vegan or vegetarian was stuck in the 70s with bland and boring Spike Seasoning mixed in. She confronted this perception using organic, fresh, local, flavorful ingredients and made everything inhouse! She still makes our Tempeh and Seitan from her recipe she developed while in college. Like Boulanfer, Chef Tanya also opened with an array of flavorful soups.

The most popular being the Three Sister Stew and you can find this amazing recipe featured on the back of our menu. She currently is spending most of her time in the restaurant that started it all, Palm Springs, perfecting new recipes and summer specials. The worst part about my recent move to Westwood is being so far from Palm Springs. Loyal fans know the best time to dine in Palm Springs is during recipe creation time, Chef Tanya routinely solicits feedback and last round the lucky diners in Palm Springs got to taste the Oklahoma Burger weeks before the rest of us! 

Dear Liver, I love you.

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Tribe Member

 

(The liver is AWESOME.  And I hate to say because I don’t like to play favorites AT ALL, but I think it just may be my most favorite organ.  Hence, this be my love letter to the fairest organ of all.)

To begin with my dear liver, I just cannot live without you, literally.  Without you, I would probably last anywhere from 1 hour to 3 days tops.  How could I go on without you?  You clean my blood on a daily basis, synthesize fats and proteins to provide me with energy, and detoxify my entire system from the bad stuff I sometimes willingly consume to the bad stuff I involuntarily ingest like environmental toxins.

Not only that, but you play a major role in metabolic function and hormone control as well as helping out the old gall bladder by producing bile to enable the whole digestion process.  Golly!   You are the raddest!

 

Since you take such good care of me every second of the day, I really want to reciprocate.  I would never want you to feel as if your love is unrequited!  So I do my best to provide you with your favorite foods, ones that support you in all your processes and keep you happy (as well as plenty of water to keep you flushed and clean):

 

Carrots (contain beta carotene and and carotenoids which help to protect the liver)

Beets (contain beta-carotene, healing flavonoids, and other carotenes as well as folic acid.

Broccoli (contains B and C vitamins, folic acid, and natural sulfur compounds needed for detoxification)

Garlic (contains selenium and glutathione which act as antioxidants)

Tomatoes (contain vitamins C and E and are a good source of the antioxidant lycopene)

Avocados (help the body to produce glutathione)

Lemon is helpful in general cleansing of the body.

And we cannot forget those Dark Leafy Greens!  All kinds!

 

Holy cow… I pretty much just listed all the ingredients for the OC Raw Chopper Salad (one of my top three favorite menu items at Native Foods).  Thank you Raw Chopper for being SO delicious AND nutritious.

 

Ok, back to you my one and only liver.  By far, the most wonderful thing about you is you don’t hold a grudge.  You forgive and forget.  If I fall into a state of neglecting you due to stress or poor diet, you have the ability to regenerate lost tissue (as little as 25% of a liver can regenerate into a whole liver).  Yay!  Who doesn’t appreciate a second chance?  You really are the best liver. 

Love always,

Holladay

 

 (Always remember that the human body is amazing and complex.  We have the power to transform and heal our bodies through exercise, diet, and our unbelievably powerful minds and we truly, truly, truly are what we eat.  Now stop what you are doing, go to your nearest Native Foods, and for the sake of your liver, eat an OC Raw Chopper.)

 
The OC Raw Chopper!

What a difference a week makes Part 2

By Chef Tanya Petrovna

 

What broke me away from my cow and pig friends at Farm Sanctuary  (www.farmsanctuary.org) was all the Natives in So. Cal, Weird Al being one of them, waiting for the Cinco de Mayo tamale pie special.  So I left to go cook ‘em up which was followed by a fun filled day of mariachi music, beer and what did you think of those Chili Lime Yam Chips? Weird Al gave his thumbs up approval! I can only hope to one day be as talented a chef as Weird Al is a musician.

  
  
After lots of beer, Weird Al’s Tamale Pie, and Baja Surf Tacos I headed over to the UCLA Anderson School of Business to be a guest panelist at their Food 2.0 Sustainability Consortium.  Just kidding about the beer part!! Professor of social entrepreneurship and co-founder of Ethos water, amongst other great things, Jonathan Greenblatt, made this happen.  Did you know Ethos water was developed to help fund clean water projects for people around the world (very cool)? That evening I learned what Stuart Rudnick and Bill Moses are doing with their money, and how the great South Bronx Garden Projects creator Majora Carter is in the lead to create green collar jobs to fight poverty and fight for environmental justice.  I had to ask her about when she whipped out the Tibetan flag carrying the Olympic torch through San Francisco!

 

Akasha Richmond from Akasha’s restaurant in Culver City, Ann Gentry from Real Food Daily and I had a blast discussing the pitfalls, perils and pervasive joy serving organic and vegan food.  Akasha’s isn’t vegan but she does sport some fab vegan options.  I’m pretty sure most of the cocktails with fresh organic juices are vegan too! She talked about her organic seasonal vegan strawberry rhubarb tarts so I immediately went down the next day and got some and may I tell you all to do the same!

 

 We Are One, Eat Peace, etc.!!!