033. Blair and Carolyn Warsham on Eating Plants Every Day

Apr 22, 2021

Listen to chef Blair Warsham and career journalist Carolyn Warsham, the husband-and-wife creators of the plant-based, cookbook Eat Plants Every Day, chat with Heather about how the American palate is changing to be more plant based and influenced by other cultures. Blair is the creative force behind the menu at San Francisco’s critically acclaimed plant-based restaurant, Wildseed, and this is the second cookbook for Carolyn. Find out which one of them went vegan after writing this book, and get inspired to clean and brighten up your diet.

In this episode, Heather, Carolyn and Blair discuss:

• Creating the plant-based menu at Wildseed in San Francisco
• Take the politics out of eating vegan, and focus on eating good food that is healthy and tastes good
• Better than Bouillon
• Umami flavor, found in tomatoes, mushrooms, cooked mushrooms, cheese 
• How Blair went vegan for 30 days, and discovered a lot in that time
• Recognizing that it’s not easy to be vegan in certain areas of the world, and even in certain areas of the United States
• Why this way of eating isn’t just for girls in yoga pants; the frat guys are also eating it too
• Blair’s dad’s blood pressure and sugar levels went down while they were visiting for one month and eating plant-based
• How to get protein through certain grains like quinoa
• Why eating plant-based makes you think more about what you are putting into your body
• Beyond Meat products
• How globalism is changing local palates
• Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter
• Gochujang, the Korean spice mix
• Blair and Carolyn’s favorite recipes from the book 
• How at Wildseed, they lowered the sugar content in the desserts by 30% and then noticed that the desserts were flying off the shelf. “You taste more of whatever is in there, rather than this sugar bomb. Things taste a lot brighter. Sugar masks the other flavors.”
• The six tastes in Ayurveda
• The book Salt by Mark Kurlansky – and how the priests in ancient Egypt were not allowed to eat salt because it was through to evoke sexual desire
• How to get kids to eat more plants
• Why some vegans won’t eat figs

Carolyn Warsham is an editor, writer, full-time vegetarian, and life-long obsessor over good things to eat. She co-wrote Eat Plants Every Day with her husband Blair Warsham, and previously wrote The Rich Table Cookbook with Sara and Evan Rich. The former global cities director for Eater, Carolyn's writing has also been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, Elle, Zagat, and many others. Instagram: @eatplantscookbook

Blair Warsham is the executive chef of Wildseed, a critically acclaimed plant-based restaurant and bar, in San Francisco, CA. A consultant for well-known restaurant groups across the country, Blair's resume consists of Michelin-starred restaurants such as The Restaurant at Meadowood and Campton Place, but he now likes to cook the way he eats, which doesn't include white tablecloths and fine china. Instagram @eatplantscookbook

Heather Grzych is the author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility and the host of the Wisdom of the Body podcast. A board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner, she bridges the worlds of conventional and alternative medicine to help women and men heal their physical and emotional lives. Heather is on the board of directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and has consulted with doctors, governments, and insurance companies. She offers virtual consultations and programs worldwide. www.heathergrzych.com  

Connect with Heather:

Instagram.com/heathergrzych

Facebook.com/grzychheather

 

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only.