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BLOSSOMING LOTUS VEGAN WORLD FUSION CUISINE
Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom From Our Hearts To Yours

Mark Reinfeld is the founding chef of the Blossoming Lotus Restaurants and a recipient of a 2006 Platinum carrot award given by the Aspen Center of Integral Health to ‘Americas Top Healthy Gourmet Chefs’. He is a recognized authority in the field of healthy cuisine. Mark is the coauthor of Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, winner of 9 national awards. His latest e-book, 7 MINUTE CHEF Volume 1 available at www.7minutechef.com shows us how simple it is to create delicious life giving cuisine.

Mark, tell us all about Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. How did it come about, who put the recipes together and what special forces came to bear to produce such a gorgeous and unique vegan cookbook?

Bo Rinaldi approached me with the idea of writing a cookbook, after he had a connection with Dr. Jane Goodall and felt that she would endorse the work. We facilitated the recipe creation and testing. Over 20 people contributed in the form of artwork, recipe development, testing, photography and design. It was a very mystical process how all of the pieces came together in the way they did. Martin Gray, a famed sacred site photographer contributed his photos, other great artists and an amazing food photographer and designer help give it the wonderful appeal.

What does bringing peace to life mean to you?

By including more plant-based foods in our diet, we bring more peace into the world. Peace in our bodies, peace to other creatures, and peace to how we interact with the Earth.

How did the Blossoming Lotus Restaurant get started?

I had started a personal chef service called the Blossoming Lotus in Malibu, CA in 1997. After several years of consulting, when I arrived on Kauaiin 2002, I met Gabriel Zingaro and Bo Rinaldi. We formed an initial partnership that turned an internet café into a vegan café. From there, our partnership expanded to include over a dozen more people. We moved into a larger venue around the corner with over 80 seats, a stage for nightly entertainment, an outdoor tropical courtyard and more. The original location now houses the Lotus Root, our juice bar and bakery. Bo also opened a Blossoming Lotus Café in Portland Oregon, in a yoga studio called Yoga in the Pearl. Our vision is to expand to open locations around the US and beyond!

To give readers a very good idea of your stunning recipes name your favourites and any interesting morsel of info about them.

There are a lot that our favorites. Suryas Fire Gazpacho is a delicious fire roasted tomato gazpacho. Super Shakti's Spanikopita is a vegan version of the traditional Greek favorite. Big Momma Freedom Chocolate Cake and Mysterium Tremendum Mint Chocolate Chip cookies are great desserts. There are amazing live food items, like pates and soups and desserts.

What awards has Vegan Fusion won?

The book has won 9 National Awards including

Gourmand Award - "Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the USA"
Martha Stewart Omnimedia Nautilus Award – “Best Book by a Small Press”
PETA Proggy Award – "Best New Cookbook"
VegNews - "Cookbook of the Year"
USA.Booknews.com – "Best Veg Cookbook"
Nautilus Award Finalist - "Health and Healing"
Foreword Magazine - Finalist "Best Cookbook"
Coalition of Visionary Artists Award Finalist - "Alternative Health"
National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards - Award-Winning Finalist in the Cookbook category

You also have a celebrity following.

Yes, many come in to visit our restaurant. The book was endorsed by Dr. Jane Goodall who wrote a beautiful foreword to the book. Also Pierce Brosnan, Deepak Chopra, John Robbins and others wrote beautiful testimonials in the book. We have testimonials from people like Weird Al Yankovich and Peter Falk.

What’s Hawaii like for veganism?

It’s great to have access to all of the tropical fruits and coconuts. We are the only vegan restaurant on the island of Kauai and one of only a few on all the islands. The ancient Hawaian culture was more plant based, with the inclusion of fish. Today, it’s more commercial. There are many of us here involved in the restaurant who are vegans. The climate also lends itself to eating raw.

What's your experience with veganism Mark and making the world a better place?

I became vegetarian while living on a Kibbutz in Israel back in 1990. I spent time alone in nature and seeing cows and goats and chickens and decided that I didn’t want to eat them anymore. I then began phasing out dairy and eggs, mainly because of how I felt after I ate them. Then I read Diet for a New America and found out what was actually going on in those industries. It helped strengthen my resolve to go vegan. I was involved in some forms of animal activism in the past. For me I began to realize that preparing delicious vegan food was a great way to introduce people to this way of eating and living. Blossoming Lotus was born out of the desire to give people food choices that leave a lighter footprint and create a more gentle world.

What's your advice to people who want to go vegan?

Start where you are and proceed in a way that is comfortable and gentle with yourself. Some people can make the change immediately and wind up returning to consuming animals because they weren’t ready to make a complete lifestyle switch. I think its important not to feel like there is deprivation involved. Having delicious vegan food to enjoy makes the transition a lot easier. Some people can make the transition immediately and stick with it. Also education is important. Reading books like Diet for a New America will reveal what the practices of the Meat, Egg and Dairy industries are really about. This knowledge can strengthen your convictions. Also interacting with others who share a similar view will strengthen you.

What are your ideas on expanding the circle of compassion to encompass non-human animals?

I feel like there is a lot of violence in the world. Many people are compassionate towards family and friends and even those they do not know. It takes another leap to extend this to all life forms. To me, anything we can do to lighten our footprint on the Earth and bring more gentleness and love into the world is a good thing.

Any last thoughts?

I would like to let everyone know that we are due to publish Vegan World Fusion Cuisine in a soft cover version. We are changing the title to Vegan Fusion World Cuisine and it will distributed internationally. Ask for it at your local bookstore.

We have also completed our second book, this time in electronic format. It’s called 7 Minute Chef and is available as an instant download on to your computer from www.7minutechef.com. It goes into the basics of vegan natural food preparation.

We are also excited to announce that we are working on a new cookbook, The Complete Idiot's guide to Raw Foods, by Penguin Books. The release date is set for Summer of '08. People can find out more about our projects by checking out our blog on http://sevenminutechef.squarespace.com/ and signing up for our 7 Minute Chef e-newsletter that includes free recipes, tips, current events and more on living an inspired vegan life. You can sign up at http://www.veganfusion.com/newsletter.php

We are also sponsoring a worldwide vegan recipe contest. The winner receives an all expense paid trip for two to Kauai. Please check out http://www.veganfusion.com/call-for-entries.php for more details.

I would like to give thanks to you and everyone that is working to make the world a better place. You are doing a great work in educationg people on animal issues. Food is so universal and fundamental to our human experience. If we bring the energy of nonviolence more and more into that arena. I think the effects will be far reaching.

Vegan Fusion is available here.

REVIEW: BLOSSOMING LOTUS VEGAN WORLD FUSION CUISINE
Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom From Our Hearts To Yours
Authors: Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi and the Chefs of the Blossoming Lotus with a Special Forward by Dr. Jane Goodall.Thousand Petals Publishing
www.veganfusion.com
Reviewer: Claudette Vaughan

The first thing that graps your attention about this award winning vegan cook book is its sheer beauty. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. It has captured the concept of peace on earth, through a mainly Buddhist influence while still respecting all religions, and that’s what veganism is all about ultimately. Sure, vegans will say that veganism is the best kept secret but these experienced chefs and vegans, Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi and all the other chefs at Blossoming Lotus, have produced a true work of art here.

Everything from the quality paper, the stunning photographs and the several healing messages throughout the book such as heal ourselves, heal the planet and of course the recipes suggests a higher hand is at play here, and isn’t that what veganism is all about?

The Blossoming Lotus is a famous vegan and living culture restaurant based in Hawaii. They tell us that in this cookbook you will learn how to prepare exciting meals with pure and simple ingredients.

Here is a sample of a few of their stunning recipes.

There’s a section on Appetizers, Snacks and Spreads.

Try: Roasted Red Pepper Homus, Baba Ganoush, Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Pineapple Macadamia Salsa, Papaya Pine Nut Salsa, Basil Pate, Cashew Cheez, Dehydrated Flax Crackers, Mediterranean Sunflower Seed Dip to name but a few.

Soups: Here’s a few examples.

Broccoli Bisque, Split Pea and Roasted Parsnip, Coco Purple Potato, Black Barley Corn, Live Corn Chowder, Live Garden Veggie, Live Lavender-infused Carrot Ginger and Live-Melon Soup.

Dressing and Sauces

Pecan Vinaigrette, Caesar, Sesame Shitake, Live-Lemon Miso Tahini, Live-Tomato Basil, Live Maple Balsamic, Live Papaya Seed Ranch, Mystic Marinara and Green Goddess.

Salads and Sides

Roots, Rocks, Reggae, Roasted Root Vegetables, Amazing Grace Apricot Corn Bread Stuffing, Mother Africa’s Spicy Kale and Yam, Transcendental Tropical Ratatouille, Hindi’s Bindi Masala, Jewel In The Lotus Green Papaya Salad, and Mt Carmel’s Couscous Salad.

Wraps and Sandwiches

Gaia’s Grilled Tempeh Reuben, Nirvana’s Nori Roll, St Teresa’s Tender Loving Care, Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich and Rabbi Moshe’s Neat Ball Hero.

Breads, Pizza and Pasta.

Himalayan Stuffed Bread, Toltec Tofu Stuffing, Pasta Primavera, Spelt Foccia Dough, Sunchoke and Fennel Stromboli, Korn Bread and Pesto Perfecto.

Tempeh, Tofu and Seitan

South West Tempeh Chili, Moroccan Tempeh with Couscous Pilaf, Kind and Gentle Holiday Loaf, Sweet and Sour Tempeh, Mexican Seitan and Black Bean and Seitan with Tomato and Pinenuts.

Casserole Grain and Bean

Spinach Coconut Rice, Ulu Lasagna, Kasha Varnishkes, Barley Corn Salad, Sprouted Quinoa Pilaf and Rainbow Casserole.

Desserts

Chocolate Cake, Vegan Cheezcake with Pineapple Topping, No-Bake Cookies, Mango Ginger Bars, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whip.

Breakfast Juice and Smoothies

Tofu Scramble, Three-Grain Porridge, Live Sunflower Fig Dessert, Papaya Sunrise Smoothie, Lemon Gingerade, W2heatgrass Tonic and Maple Cayenne Lemonade.

At the back of the book there’s a Resource Guide for vegan education, animal rights, permaculture info and world peace organizations.

The Abolitionist wholeheartedly embraces and recommends this fabulous enlightened cookbook.

John Robbins, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Childs, Deepak Chopra, Baron Baptiste and Dr Jane Goodhall have all written beautifully about Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. It has won numerous awards and it has a wisdom all its own.

Vegan Fusion is available here.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is for the purpose of legal protest and information only. It should not be used to commit any criminal acts or harassment. The Abolitionist-Online does not encourage any illegal activities.

food,disease,animals and trees - john toomey