Kurma

Brand New Edition of Classic

There's a new cookbook just about to roll off the presses. It's a brand new reprinted, updated edition of the classic 'The Higher Taste - A Guide to Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet'.

The original paperback edition, reprinted numerous times, sold over two million copies (2,857,000 to be exact). I was asked to provide the recipes for this brand new edition.

The new pocket-sized edition is made up of six sections:

1 Health and a Meatless Diet
2 The Hidden Cost of Meat
3 Factory Farming and Compassion
4 Karma and Reincarnation
5 Beyond Vegetarianism
6 Recipes

Here's a listing of the great new recipes it contains:

Asian Lunch:
Hot & Sour Tom Yum Soup, Stir-fried Hokkien Noodles with Asian Greens & Tofu, Salad of Vietnamese Greens, Curry Puffs with Quick Tamarind Chutney, Thai Sticky Rice with Mango

Indian Dinner:
Jaipur-style Quick & Easy Mung Dal, Rice with Green Peas and Almonds, North Indian Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes, Creamed Spinach with Curd Cheese (Palak Panir), Griddle-Baked Bread (Chapati), Hot & Sweet Pineapple Chutney, Walnut and Raisin Semolina Halava

Middle Eastern Banquet:
Turkish Pilaf with Currants and Pine Nuts, Lebanese Eggplant Dip (Babagannouj), Chickpea & Sesame Paste Dip (Hummus bi Tahini), Couscous with Vegetable Sauce, Israeli Chickpea Croquettes (Falafel), Lebanese Bulgur-Wheat Salad (Tabbouleh), Fruit Compote with Fragrant Syrian Milk Pudding

European Winter Banquet:
Old Fashioned Cream of Pumpkin Soup, Vegetables au Gratin, Herbed Bread Rolls, Italian Market Salad, Carob Fudge Cake, Spiced Hot Apple Juice Drink

Latin American Buffet:
Mexican Green Chili Rice (Arroz Verde), Sweet Potato Soup with Corn and Chilies, Cheddar & Jalapeño Chili Biscuits, Cheesy Bean & Tortilla Stacks (Tostadas), Chilled Papaya Refresher (Refresco de Papaya)

Greek Dinner:
Greek-style White Bean and Vegetable Soup (Fasoulada), Warm Vegetable Salad with Greek-style Oil & Lemon Dressing, Crusty Bread, Cheese, and Kalamata Olives, Greek-style Eggplant Casserole (Moussaka), Nut Pastries in Syrup (Baklava)

Light & Healthy Entertaining:
Moghul Cumin Rice (Jeera Pulao), Moist Vrindavana-style Vegetable and Badi Stew, Malaysian Sweet, Sour & Hot Salad (Rojak), Grilled Polenta Squares with Spicy Tomato Concasse, Grilled Ciabatta with Syrian Roast Pepper & Walnut Dip (Muhammara), Moist & Luscious Maple Fruit Muffins

Vegetarian World Food:
Gauranga Potatoes, Crispy Curd Cheese Fritters (Panir Pakoras), Mung Beans, Rice & Vegetables (Khichari), Koftas in Tomato Sauce, Puffed Fried Bread (Poori), Mixed Vegetables in Creamy Karhi Sauce, Simple Thai Rice, Stuffed Italian Flat bread (Focaccia), Rich and Tasty Lasagna with Grilled Vegetables & Sun dried Tomatoes, Spinach Risotto, Mozzarella and Tomato Pizza, Quick Cherry Cheesecake, Saffron-scented Rice Pudding (Chaval Ksira), Classic Rose Lassi

Posted by Kurma on 6/3/06; 11:34:42 AM from the Travel dept.

"Thousands of people who say they 'love' animals sit down once or twice a day to enjoy the flesh of creatures who have been utterly deprived of everything that could make their lives worth living and who endured the awful suffering and the terror of the abattoirs."

- Dr Jane Goodall, Ph.D, conservationist and primatologist

I received a letter today asking why strict vegans do not use silk. I explained the following:

There are four types of silk processing. Only one permits the pupa to mature, metamorphose and escape. In India this is called Ahimsa silk. It has a nice raw 'nubbly' sort of texture.

I also found an interesting article from which I have lifted this excerpt.

"In most eastern cultures, including Indian, silk has long been regarded the chosen fabric to represent prosperity, culture and tradition. Not many of us know how silk is made or even think about it. Many of us even take it for granted, just like I did, until a little while ago when I really learnt what goes into making it.

The silk industry is not exactly a 'saatvic' one; pretty comparable to the fur industry, if not worse.

The first stage of silk production is hatching the silkworm eggs, which have been previously examined and shown to be free from disease. Larvae are then fed cut-up mulberry leaves and after the fourth month climb a twig placed near them and spin their silken cocoons. The silk is a continuous-filament fiber consisting of fibroin protein secreted from two salivary glands in the head of each larva, and a gum called sericin, which cements the two filaments together.

Most pupae within cocoons are killed by steam or fumigation to prevent adult emergence, which would cut and tangle the silk filaments. Cocoons are later softened in hot water to remove the sericin, thus freeing silk filaments for reeling. Single filaments are drawn from cocoons in water bowls and combined to form yarn. This yarn is drawn under tension through several guides and eventually wound onto reels. The yarn is dried, packed according to quality, and is now raw silk ready for marketing.

However, all is not lost for ardent silk lovers. There’s Ahimsa silk, of course! In making of Ahimsa silk, the cocoons are left alone for seven to 10 days. Once the worms mature, they are allowed to pierce the cocoons and fly away as moths. Only then does the manufacture of silk begin. Each cocoon is checked individually to ensure that the moth has escaped before the silk thread is spun. The result, although not as lustrous as regular silk, is a much softer fabric. But the arduousness of the process increases the cost of production, and thereby the price for the consumer"