Food Festival: Veggie Fest 2011

Food festivals are abundant during the summer months. Festivals celebrate great food and ingredients and anything goes from garlic festivals, bbq and rib fests, wine and cooking, strawberries and so much more. Veggie Fest held on the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center on August 13 & 14, 2011 in Naperville, Illinois.

This festival no different than others, except that it celebrates veggies and vegetarianism..and it's FREE! But you don't have be a vegetarian to enjoy and appreciate this festival! It's a great time to spend with your family and introduce them to local farmers, play games and activities, listen to live music and of course, EAT!

Veggie Fest's boasts a diverse food court with about 21 vendors. "You'll get to choose from an incredible assortment of delicious vegetarian cuisines. If you're already a vegetarian, it'll be a fun treat knowing that every single booth is offering something you can eat! If you're new to vegetarian food, you're bound to find something that makes you say, "Wow, I didn't know vegetarian food could be so good!" And if you're not eating dairy, don't worry -- you'll find plenty of vegan food also." The food court showcases vegetarian cuisine from Asian, Mediterrenean, Middle-Eastern, Italian, Caribbean countries, as well as desserts.

Food is a very interactive subject. Veggie Fest will feature "three Chicago area restaurants plus a number of chefs from commercial enterprises who will be doing demos this year."


Karyn Calabrese of Karyn's Fresh Corner
Veggie Fest 2011 is proud to feature local Chicago’s own Karyn Calabrese of Karyn’s “Fresh Corner” and “Karyn’s Cooked” presenting a food demo at Veggie Fest. Karyn is a successful entrepreneur and popular holistic health expert based in Chicago. At 64 years old she looks nearly a generation younger and enjoys boundless energy and great health.


Chicago Soy DairyChicago Soydairy manufactures all of their own products in our their own facility using an entirely vegan staff. Most food companies contract others to produce products for them, making it very difficult to completely eliminate the possibility of cross contamination. Dairy products, animal products, tree nuts, and peanuts never even enter our facility, giving our vegan and allergy-sensitive customers peace of mind. Chicago Soy Dairy will be serving up samples while demoing their products. http://www.chicagosoydairy.com/

Come to Veggie Fest this year and experience something new and fun with your friends and family.

Contact:
4S 175 Naperville-Wheaton Rd

Naperville, Illinois, 60563
630.955.1200 or 800.222.2207
veggiefest@sos.org

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Crispy Tilapia Fillets w/ Steamed Asian Vegetables

I love cooking with Tilapia. It is a white fish that lends itself to whatever flavors you choose. It can be cooked medittereanean style in olive oil, capers and cherry tomatoes. It can also be done cajun style, blackened with creole seasonings or simply dusted with flour and fried crispy, like in this easy recipe. There are so many ways to cook this fish. Also, a great plus is that it is fairly inexpesive and a great must have for quick and easy meals.

For the steamed Asian vegetables, I simply used frozen, pre-mixed stir-fry veggies you can find in any grocery store. I always have frozen vegetables handy for days when I need to get meals done super-duper fast and I have no time to cut and chop and dice. What's great about frozen vegetables is that the veggies are flash frozen at the peak of it's freshness so the quality is quite good, even in generic brands. Also, you can steam the vegetables right in the bag and not have to use another pot. PLUS!!

Crispy Tilapia

6 Tilapia fillets
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 TBL of kosher salt
2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 TBL of dried oregano
4 TBL of vegetable oil

Steamed Vegetables

1 lb bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 tsp of sesame oil
2 TBL of soy sauce

Heat a non-stick saute pan with the vegetable oil in high heat. In a large plate, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano until all the ingredients have been fully mixed together. Take each fillet, pat dry, and lightly coat in the flour mixture. Place 2 fillets at a time in the saute pan and cook until golden brown. Do this until all the fillets are done.

Take a microvable bowl and place the bag of frozen vegetables in the bowl, poking 3-6 holes in the bag. Steam in the microwave for 5 minutes. Carefully take the bowl out and cut the top of the bag, slowly as the steam will escape. Place vegetables in a serving bowl and toss with sesame oil and soy sauce. Serve alongside the crispy Tilapia fillets.