Back From Chicago

Yes, in a blast of diesel train exhaust, we returned to Ann Arbor on Friday night and thence to London yesterday. We had a fantastic five day stay in lovely downtown Chicago, taking in an architectural boat cruise, city bus tour, three museums, Navy Pier, many great restaurants and lots of shopping. We came home with empty wallets, but full of the conviction that we will go back some day, because we love this city. One of the best meals we had was at the well-known Chicago Diner, which is "Meat free since '83." We will be adding it to the list of our Favourite Restaurants scroll down and look to the right). This and Jazzy Veggie, which we also had a chance to try this week, have been on our list of "Restaurants to Try" since we started.

In case you missed it, the Aussies declared "Victory for the Vegetables" this month. This article in the Sydney Morning Herald heralds the new thinking in chef circles regarding meatless meals, giving special mention to the MM movement, of course. One chef had this to say: ''Rather than take the attitude that vegetarians are a pain in the arse, [chef Liam Tomlin would] make vegetables the star.'' Thank-you! (I think.) At the same time, Redbook Magazine was heralding Peaches as their "Superfood" for August. Coincidentally, we were lucky enough to stumble across a great little farmers' market in Chicago where we happened to find our favourite "Red Haven" peaches. We bought a basket of these and a basket of apples to keep handy in our hotel room. So delicious.

And speaking of delicious, this week's recipe is coming to you just in time for the last few weeks of barbeque season, sad as that may seem. Buy organic firm or extra firm tofu, cut in half so you have two slabs about an inch and half thick and press between two cutting boards. This is S.O.P. for tofu veterans, because it helps the tofu to soak up whatever sauce you are using. We even thought to take a picture of the finished product this time, so you could see the results. Consider having some fresh peaches for dessert - a perfect summertime meal. Have a great week!