Lucid Food: Pushing the Palate of Sustainability

Join Louisa Shafia, author of Lucid Food, and the non-profit Just Food for a book release party at Jimmy’s No. 43 on Thursday, January 14th from 6:30 to 9:00.  The party will feature tasty recipes from the book, great company and all proceeds benefit Just Food. Click here for more info.

At first glance, Luisa Shafia’s new cookbook, Lucid Food, is dazzling. The vivid pink of rhubarb, slices of a fall tart lounging on a vintage cutting board, Arabian night style graphics swirling around the edges pull the eye in. Right from the start, you can tell this isn’t your average lentils and buckwheat health-conscious cookbook (not that those foods don’t have a place). Lucid Food is an exciting guide to eco-friendly eating, with original recipes that are both intriguing and delightful.

Take the Tofu Bahn Mi – the sandwich whose pork-counterpoint has caused a craze in New York City. My vegetarian co-worker was thrilled that someone had taken the time to adapt this meat crazy sandwich for her and for others, like myself, trying to cut down on meat. This sandwich was equally as scrumptious; it’s really all about the pickles and spice for me.

Lucid Food isn’t solely for veggies. Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab with Fennel or Orange and Chicken in Pomegranate Walnut Sauce will satisfy any carnivore’s cravings. But vegetables really steal the spotlight. The book seems to reflect how we should eat: little meat, lots of veggies and tons of variety.

One of the book’s best attributes is that it is divided by season. For those of us frequenting the farmers’ market, it can be tough to leaf through cookbooks for just the right winter or summer recipe. Lucid Food makes it easy, with plenty of ideas for every time of year. Winter recipes feature hearty cold cellar staples like celery root, squash and cabbage, while the summer section goes wild with berries, peppers and tomatoes. The lovely photography makes your mouth water awaiting each season and the food it brings.

Not only does Lucid Food give you a plethora of recipes, it offers a solid background in food labeling terminology and ideology. There is a fantastic list of recommendations for which foods are most important to buy organic such as berries and bananas, and others where the organic certification is less important. Also included are many creative suggestions on how to green your kitchen, such as soaking beans overnight, and eliminating paper towels.

Lucid Food is an innovative look at different ways to celebrate each season’s bounty. Recipes like Warming Asian Rutabaga Soup and Puntarelles with Anchovy Dressing push boundaries and make you try new ingredients. The book contains many items which I have never cooked with but am eager to try. Louisa Shafia takes seasonal cooking to a new level, one that makes responsible cooking exciting to all.

Sophy Bishop is the Program Assistant at Sustainable Table.