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Tarmo Hannula
SEPTEMBER 24 - 30, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
THE MIXING BOWL
VEGAN STANDARD Bay leaves added to this vegan rice and peanut butter casserole add
just the right subtle flavor to make it interesting.
Bay Leaf and Carrot Casserole By SARAH RINGLER
P
eople and food—can you believe it? Babies discover right away the power of food; they cry and someone tries to feed them. Later, some children use food as a way of asserting their individuality sometimes to the chagrin of their parents. I remember when my granddaughter was a baby, she
avoided any food that was green. Out of concern for her health, it used to drive me nuts. She has grown to about 5 feet 10 inches and I still think it’s rare for a green vegetable to cross her lips. As adults, we can set our own diets. Sometimes it’s for health or spiritual reasons but other times, it comes as a trend. About 20 years ago, a man who called himself a Breatharian came to Santa
Cruz on a lecture tour. There was a lot of advanced publicity that inspired interest as well as a big dose of skepticism. Before he could even give his talk though, he was exposed eating at the McDonald’s on Mission Street. Personally, I can eat a fairly wide variety of food but I have friends who have dietary restrictions. When they come for dinner, it calls for greater creativity.
I have a few friends who are vegan so I have collected recipes that I hoped might appeal to them. Here is one recipe that has been a standard at our house since the ‘70s. It is from “The Lifestream Cookbook,” out of the Lifestream Natural Food store in Vancouver, BC. Any short grain brown rice can be used but Lundberg, a California organic grower, makes some wonderful blends that add ➝ 10
