Ellen Kanner blog of Vegan recipes and stories for a plant-based diet to nourish body and soul.

A Taste of Honey

June 23, 2009 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

Yesterday, our back yard was hectic with bees, zipping back and forth in the sunlight, turning the air golden and making me briefly and fizzingly optimistic. Bees are indicative of a healthy ecosystem. They provide plant pollination, fertilizing up to a third of the crops we eat. When you look at it that way, they’re…

Food, Inc.

June 18, 2009 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

If you eat the Standard American Diet (or as I call it, the Silly American Diet), Food, Inc. Robert Kenner’s documentary about America’s food industry may be hard to stomach. Go see it, anyway. Because we can’t be healthy if our food system is sick. With the help of Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and…

And Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes

June 15, 2009 by Ellen Kanner 2 Comments

“Don’t eat a beefsteak. If you do the eyes of that cow will pursue you through all eternity.” This isn’t me talking or even PETA’s latest ad campaign. The line comes from James Joyce’s 1922 classic Ulysses. Ulysses takes place in the course of one day, June 16, 1904, when Leopold Bloom, Joyce’s hapless hero…

Edgy Veggie Meets Crackerman

June 12, 2009 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

Serendipity can happen in the kitchen, with a surprising but happy-making combination of flavors, or it can happen elsewhere, with a surprising but happy-making combination of people. With Crackerman, I got both. Crackerman, aka Stefan Uch, has Michelin star chef creds and a gorgeous wife, Theresa. Together, they make Crackerman crackers. He is also the…

A la Recherche du Poivrons Perdu

June 4, 2009 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

Yesterday involved several deadlines, punctuated by numerous interruptions and emergencies, all of which fritzed me out and put me a couple hours behind. I’m sure this never happens to you. The good news was at least I wouldn’t have to scramble for dinner. I had the makings of a Mexican-themed meal — some black beans…

Killer Joe

May 19, 2009 by Ellen Kanner 2 Comments

Harvard Women’s Health Watch says moderate coffee consumption can improve cognitive function and improve endurance performance. It’s rich in antioxidants, too. I like antioxidants, I like cognition and endurance. I also like coffee. I try not to drink it, though. I try really, really hard. I limit myself to a cup a week and won’t…