Pizza and Corn at the Beach

We are continuing to have a great time at the beach with ocean water bathtub-warm! I spent much of the mid-morning through early afternoon in the so-inviting water. It's sad that we have to leave tomorrow morning!

We had picked up some lovely white-and-yellow organic corn from the coop, but our condo didn't have a gas range to roast the corn on. It's been years since I've simply boiled corn, and today I just steamed it for maybe 8-10 minutes and served it with Earth Balance margarine, salt, and fresh lime juice. My Mom had made pizza; the corn and salad completed our nice dinner that all four of us enjoyed.

Thai Dumplings, Marinated Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Beach Dinner

This morning, my wife and I took my parents to visit the beach, where we rented an ocean-front condominium for the long Labor Day weekend. As we always have done, we stopped in Wilmington, NC at the Tidal Creek food cooperative, to stock up on some groceries. We love this coop; its produce section is certified 100% organic!

For tonight's meal, in addition to some nice fresh heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers, I picked up some prepared vegan Thai dumplings from a company called One Stop Natural and store-prepared marinated artichoke and roasted red pepper. It was a good thing; we got to the beach with just enough time for my wife and me to jump in the ocean for a short time before and immediately after sunset. By the time we had showered, my Mom was almost done preparing some food for her and my Dad, and I could quickly warm the dumplings (which turned out to be excellent, the best dumplings I've ever had!) and prepare the salad and toast. Not bad for being in a new kitchen!

Mushroom-Broccolini Saute with Rice Noodles, Sun Gold Tomato and Sweet Pea Green Salad, Hummus

I sauteed a mixture of mushrooms with broccolini and hot pepper. I soaked some wide rice noodles in hot tap water for a few minutes till soft, then washed with cold water, drained, and added to the saute for the last two minutes or so. I served with a salad of Sun Gold tomatoes, sweet pea greens, and an olive, as well as some hummus.

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I've not been cooking for the last few nights. On Wednesday after teaching math in the morning, I had a nice interview with Andrea Weigl over lunch at Tower South Indian restaurant. She writes a food column in the local News and Observer paper and had called, asking if I still hadn't repeated a dinner for my wife (I have not in more than four years!) and asked if she could feature me in a periodic column on chefs of the area.

I think the interview came out okay; her article will appear as the food feature in the first Sunday of September's paper. In next Friday's food column, she said she would mention my upcoming cooking class starting on (alas!) September 11.

Wednesday evening I taught a 3-hour photography seminar and was anxious to get home to watch Joseph Biden at the Democratic Convention, accepting the nomination to run for Vice-President of the U.S. Our friend Kathy of Faux Finish Artistry is visiting this week to paint a sky scene in my new library's ceiling and to start a sky in our entry hallway, as well as to suggest colors for the rest of our remodeling. My wife took her to Whole Foods Market to eat in their food bar, and brought home dinner for me.

I taught a 2-hour Lightroom class on Thursday evening, and again was anxious to get home, this time to see Barack Obama's acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for running for U.S. President. My wife took Kathy to Sage Vegetarian Restaurant and picked up for me to eat at home what I almost always get, their fabulous, rich pomegranate reduction with tempeh over rice.

Baby Bok Choy with Tempeh, Sweet Pea Greens Salad, Corn off the Cob

Vegan Apple Sage Sausage, Potatoes O'Brien, Sun Gold Tomatoes

Globe Artichokes, Shelled Beans with Sauteed Onion and Pepper, Uppama

Organic Tomato and Grilled Eggplant over Penne Brown Rice Pasta, Smoked Tempeh

Lettuce Wraps, Yellow Corn Shoots, Fermented Beets

Red Lentil Dhal with Jolly Green Eggplant and Zucchini

Smoky Tempeh - Mixed Rice

Organic Brown Rice Penne Pasta with Seitan, Fermented Beet

Sorry for my absence from my blog for a few weeks. I just last night returned from a rewarding and interesting visit to Germany (I minored in German in college and have been to Austria and Munich) and the Czech Republic.

The first week of the trip was to attend the World Vegetarian Congress, the bi-annual conference of the International Vegetarian Union, at which I gave the opening keynote talk and where I was re-elected to serve as a counsilor. We enjoyed the conference location of Dresden, near the Polish and Czech borders, and spent the second week visiting the Czech Republic (one day in the industrial town of Ústí nad Labem and two days in beautiful Prague) and other parts of Germany (Pirna near Dresden, Leipzig, and three nights in Berlin).

The food during the conference was pretty good but somewhat repetitive. There was always at least 6-10 side dishes and a few desserts, all vegan, of course. Typical dishes included potato salads, sauerkraut, tofu-based courses, soups, and pasta.

We stayed with several generous and kind Servas host families, and had a number of good home-cooked meals, such as a variety of Indian-inspired dishes in Ústí nad Labem, a paella main course in Pirna, and a tasty pasta dish in Leipzig. We enjoyed Lehká Hlava ("Clear Head"), as well as all-vegan Country Life, vegetarian restaurants in Prague, and Satyam (Ayurvedic and South Indian restaurant) and Samâdhi (having Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese food) vegetarian restaurants in Berlin.

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Tonight we had an early dinner - we're still feeling like we're six hours ahead of local North Carolina time. My wife went out to get some fresh vegetables, and I made a tasty organic brown rice penne pasta with sauteed chunks of seitan, onion, and a bit of jalapeno. Near the end of the saute, I added a few rosemary needles, alder-smoked salt, and dried dill weed. I had an unopened package of Bio Lacto / Deep Root brand (which I described in late March) organic, raw, fermented beet, which apparently keeps just fine for months. It was good, though my wife found it too sour for her taste.