The Fuzzy Chef & Friends

Cajuns make a type of fried rice they call "Dirty Rice".  It consists of cooked rice, fried with chicken gizzards & livers, sausage, peppers, onions and spices.  Since I avoid meat, I developed a version which uses no meat products and, while not authentic, is still quite tasty.  We call it "PG-13 Rice" since it's not quite "dirty".

Click through for recipe.

Apparently being veggie, or at least pretending to be veggie, or at least talking about being veggie, is back in vogue.  I just got this month's Sunset Magazine and half the recipes in there were vegetarian -- and the food focus of the issue was food for camping.  Even the recipes which were meat had "or tofu" in the ingredients, although how one would "shred" cooked tofu for taco salad is beyond me.

Celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon, too.

Having been around a bit, this feels really familiar.  Kinda like 1993.  We were in a recession then, too, weren't we?  Makes me think that, if the economy ever recovers, everyone who's a 25-year-old vegan now will be all steak and "new comfort food" in 2015. 

Of course, since we are talking about a lot of newly minted vegetarians, there's the usual dietary flailing about.  Meat substitutes, tons of tofu and pasta, unsustainable combination diets, and mostly not knowing how to cook.  This is another repeat of the 90's; if you don't like to cook, you're not going to stay a veg.  It requires too much thought and time in the kitchen. 

Nowhere is this more in evidence than Portland, Oregon, the nation's City of Vegetarians (not the Vegetarian Capitol, which for historical reasons is Ithaca, New York).  With the rest of us squares eating meatless meals, Portland has to do one better, and now every restaurant in Stumptown has a vegan section on the menu.  Alongside the "gluten-free" section.  It's surreal; nowhere on Earth has so many special diets which don't involve ordained religious leaders.

It's also the only place where someone will call me a caveman for eating eggs.  Anne Hathaway would fit right in.

As a non-meat-eater myself, this swing toward the herbivorous pole is certainly convenient.  I don't have to check restaurant menus in advance to make sure I can eat something, except for a few ethnicities.  Even the French Laundry now has a vegetarian option.  But I can't get too comfortable, since I know it'll swing back with a vengeance once people can afford more meat again, or when a new diet fad hits.

Besides, you know what?  The vegan cupcakes are surprisingly good.

Yes, it really is that color.

You, too, can make delicious, vegan, nutrient-rich soup which looks like a pot of melted Carmine Red crayons.   I've had raves about this hot borscht from people who weren't sure about the whole concept of beet soup but tried it anyway.  Christmas Eve was no exception; our guests ate over a gallon of the soup.  Better yet, I was able to prepare it ahead and it was done and waiting 3 hours before guests arrived.

Just don't spill it on a white shirt.  Recipe follows ...

The battle of the titans!

In the left corner, we have Sri Chinmoy! This recently deceased quasi-Indian cult leader, marathon runner and flautist, through his restaurants such as Ananda Fuara in San Francisco, brings us the Neatloaf, a popular savory main dish of mysterious ingredients!

In the opposite corner we have Prabhupadha! The late founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, otherwise known as Hare Krishna, brought Vishnavism and surprisingly good Indian food to millions of people worldwide via his empire of temple-restaurants and three cookbooks. Today he brings us the Nutloaf!

Two bald Indian former cult leaders. Two 1970's-style vegetarian meat-substitute main dishes. Two hours to cook. Two heavily greased baking pans. Which one will win? Click and find out.