Vegetarian Traditions
Stories • Recipes • Travel • Farms • Traditions
A Culinary Journal by Chef George Vutetakis
For more than fifty years, I’ve explored the people, places, and traditions behind remarkable plant-based food—from
San Diego and Michigan farmers’ markets and the Inn Season Café to villages in India and tropical farms in Peru.
I invite you to discover recipes, culinary travel, farming traditions, ingredient histories,
and the joy of cooking with nature’s abundance.
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Latest Stories
New recipes, culinary journeys, farmers, traditions
and stories from my kitchen.
Roasted Peach Ginger Compote
For generations, preserving the summer harvest has been one of the great culinary traditions of orchard regions around the world. While many peaches become jams, preserves, or pies, this roasted compote is my way of capturing the remarkable flavor of the Okanagan’s freestone peaches in one simple recipe that lets the fruit remain the star
Inn Season Cashew Cardamom Cake
Of the desserts developed during those years, Cashew Cardamom Cake remained one of the most requested. It stayed on the menu rotation through much of the café’s remarkable 39-year history and became a favorite for birthdays, celebrations, and countless memorable dinners shared with family and friends
Detroit City of Chefs III Dinner
When filmmaker and chef Keith Famie called to share his vision for Detroit City of Chefs III, his excitement was contagious. This new chapter, he explained, would spotlight Michigan’s growing movement toward vegetarian and plant-based cuisine. ChefJimmy Schmidt, renowned chef and three time James Beard Award recipient, was already on board, and Keith invited me to join in shaping the story.
Pistachio Cavolo Nero Medallions
These medallions capture the essence of autumn: earthy, bright, and full of texture. Toasted pistachios and Cavolo Nero kale create a deep green color and nutty aroma that feels both rustic and elegant.
Ricotta Al Forno
A classic Sicilian baked ricotta reimagined with almonds—silky, aromatic, and entirely plant-based.
Roasted Harvest Vegetables
Inspired by Michigan’s autumn harvest, this mix of root vegetables brings color and sweetness to the plate. A light herb-garlic oil infuses each bite with fragrance and warmth—the flavor of a garden after a good rain
Almond Ricotta Al Forno
This almond ricotta serves as a seamless substitute for traditional cow's milk ricotta. The use of almonds is not new to Italian cuisine, which has a long history of incorporating them into various foods and beverages, making them a natural choice for dairy alternatives. This recipe takes inspiration from the Sicilian 'Ricotta Al Forno.' The cheese is baked with a selection of herbs, extra virgin olive oil, and flaky sea salt, along with other Mediterranean flavors. It emerges from the oven sliceable yet meltingly tender, offering endless delicious possibilities.
Roasted Baby Cauliflower
When cauliflower first appears at the farmers markets in Michigan, it is a sign that autumn is near. Neatly wrapped up in their green outer leaves, young cauliflower heads are stacked high on the tables when the market opens its doors. These “baby” cauliflowers are often very sweet and lighter in cruciferous flavors, which become bolder as they mature. Vegetables are often the stars of a meal when freshly harvested. They carry the identity of the soil, the touch of the farmer and, frequently, the dew from the morning’s harvest.
Sourdough Griddle Cakes
For those of us who love sourdough, the starter lives and breathes as a fixture on our kitchen counters. Each day, it is fed and then expands and bubbles with lively energy. Like all naturally fermented foods, it becomes part of the household–like a guest to be cared for and appreciated. Fermented foods are a common thread in all the great cuisines of the world. In addition to its nutritional attributes, fermentation was a form of food preservation and extended shelf-life long before refrigeration.
Mushroom Walnut Roulade
Finger foods are convenient and easy to handle, making them ideal for occasions where guests can enjoy them without the need for utensils. The Mushroom Walnut Roulade is the perfect combination of umami and sweet flavors–they were always a big crowd-pleaser when served at Inn Season Cafe. A balanced and satisfying culinary experience, they’re sure to be a hit at any gathering!
Hearts of Palm Farm & Ceviche
As beads of sweat trickled off us, the farmer calmly and expertly trimmed a palm frond down to the heart. Harvesting hearts of palm requires careful dexterity and thick leather gloves to protect hands from long thorns that can pierce the skin from many angles. The primary tool for harvesting is a very sharp machete-type blade for detailed skinning of the outer stalk in order to reveal the succulent inner heart.
Beloved Carrot Cake
Although my cookbook, Vegetarian Traditions, contains 150 of my favorite recipes during my tenure at Inn Season Cafe, the ever-popular Carrot Cake is not one of them. This was the most popular dessert for many decades and is the most requested recipe on my blog. A decadent, moist cake with a healthy density that works well as a sheet cake, round-layered cake or even a wedding cake.
Skordalia With History
During the peak of summer in August, when the hot Sahara-born Sirocco winds blanketed the countryside, Aloni-sites were where families gathering for the cool breezes coming off the sea from Kalathas. Men would sip on cafes, while women would sometimes bring a bowl of fresh-picked almonds to crack and catch up on the seemingly endless tasks of the day.
Fire Roasted Poblano Chile & Pepita Pesto
Nutty toasted pepitas with crushed garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice, brightly flavored cilantro and smokey fire-roasted poblano chiles provocatively meld together to create an explosion of flavor in any dish that it is served with.
Kypopita-A Cretan Garden Roulade
When planning my gardens, I always consider the ancient Cretan tradition of foraging wild greens. This is one of the secrets of Mediterranean cuisine which adds a special culinary touch and superfood vitamins and minerals from the earth. Some of the greens I plant are different kinds of sorrel, green amaranth, lamb’s quarters and Swiss chard. Fresh fennel also grows wild all over Crete. The Greek name is Marathi. This is the root word for marathon, since the plains of marathon were likely populated with the delicious herb and root.
Pumpkin Walnut Baklava
This dessert was first introduced to the public in 1997 when I was chef and owner of Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak, Michigan. It quickly became a favorite, especially in the Autumn when Michiganders share a collective passion for all desserts crafted with pumpkin, sweet spices and maple syrup.
Cranberry Bean Ragout
For this recipe, I used fresh cranberry beans at Food Field Farm’s stall in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Similar to pintos, they cook to a tender creamy texture. This recipe is a simple medley of vegetables and beans. If you can’t find fresh beans, cooked from dry or canned may be substituted.
Awe-Inspiring Bourbon Pecan Pie
Looking to wow them for the Holidays, or a dish to make any random occasion special? Here is a recipe that is sure to please and satiate the cravings for the comforting foods of our youth.
Asparagus En Papillote
En papillote (baked in parchment) cooking method infuses flavor and helps retain nutrients. Stuffed parchments can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. Cooked just before serving, this method highlights the wonderful flavor and slight crunch of fresh-cooked asparagus.
Alu Methi Tikki
The art of Indian spicing is legendary. My kitchen arsenal for preparing sub-continent cuisine contains a number of masala dabars and other vessels to hold over forty spices. In addition, there are grinders, mortar & pestles, grinding stones and tawas for roasting the various masalas*; however, there are many simple dishes from India which do not require elaborate combinations of spices, hard-to-find ingredients and equipment. Simple, fresh and sattvic*, Indian food can be a delightful and exciting addition to any home cook’s repertoire