Have you been thinking I've disappeared? Maybe run off to a spa to edit in luxury?Well, no I haven't abandoned you, and I'll be posting more regularly again. The process of book writing is a curious thing. Just when I thought I had a tiny break, I was juggling details again. You see, once I submitted my manuscript, it went through editing with my publisher. Through their review, they'd e-mail for extra information on recipes or for clarification within a section of the book. Then, when their editing is complete, I receive stacks of chapters with the changes along with the newest version for me to then review. I then go through to ensure the changes read correctly, and are otherwise okay from my perspective. Now, I've sent all the edits (well, I have a very small batch left) to my publisher, and now the book goes for final design work. I then get that "final" version from design to go through once more to check for any small inconsistencies/typos, etc. Then, we're off to the printer!
So, for now I have some breathing room, until I receive the book from design to review... and then, I'll be breaking for a short while again.
I have such a backlog of photos to show you and cooking tidbits to share. I don't know where to start!
I'm going back about a month here. To another pizza night. Again, I used a premade whole-wheat pizza shell. I didn't have a decent sauce to top the pizza, so I searched my cupboards and fridge for options. I had about 1/4 jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge. So, I poured off some of the liquid, and pureed the red peppers. Yep, right in the jar with my immersion blender. If you don't have one of these hand blenders, what are you waiting for? This is one of my must-have kitchen tools. Immersion blender and food processor. Gotta' have 'em!
Anyhow, the roasted peppers had a lot of flavor with some garlic in the jar, so this made for a zippy pizza sauce! Then, I sprinkled on capers and leftover chickpeas from this dish. Added a scattering of vegan cheese and then topped it with very thinly sliced onion, and freshly ground black pepper. I kept the veggie toppings to a minimum on this pizza because we were having a generous salad with our dinner.Here's the pizza with our salad. The salad is drizzled with a new Creamy Basil Dressing that will be in ED&BV.
There are two options for the dressing, one "semi-raw", and the other purely raw. Either way, it is fabulous, and great with an entree such as this that is very savory.
Here's more of the dressing...
mmmmm I just love it, but I am a huge sucker for fresh basil. I cannot grow it fast enough as I can pick it, so I opt instead to buy heaping bags at the farmers' market when I can. How I love summer!
Btw, none of you guessed my food photos on Pam's website. There are two from our food photos for ED&BV... take a guess which two!
14 comments:
Dreena, thank you so much for all your hard and timely work. I know you'll be rewarded soon when we're all praising the new recipes.
I too am a huge basil fan, so the dressing sounds awesome.
As for the pictures- here's my guesses: The bean(?) dip in the very last fresh dish, and the chocolate dessert topped with blueberries. I'm probably off, but that's my guess.
-Teresa
I still don't see how you do it!! I have been wanting to illustrate books and can't even get my sketchbook open before I hear "i am hungry, she did this she did that" lol You are my idol, hope that doesn't make you feel weird, but you are. My guess would also have to be the dip and i was going to say chocolate bark but one looks like milk chocolate so I am also going with the pie.
i thought for sure that i spied your peanut lime hummus in those pictures, but i don't know which is your other pic!!!
Both the mushroom soup and the chocolate pie also look "dreena-ish" to me!
chocolate blueberry pie & the little thin chippy things with beet & lettuce?
I can't think what they might be called other than chiipy things - too much sun today!
so excited for book - sounds SO fab
wow, you've certainly been EXTREMELY busy!! you deserve major relaxation time - I appreciate the fact that you are still keeping up with your blog posts, despite the time and devotion that your new cookbook requires. I am literally counting down the days until 'Eat, Drink and Be Vegan' will be delivered to my house (since I pre-ordered it) - thanks again for being such an amazing fellow vegan blogger!! You truly are an inspiring, exceptional individual, Dreena!! :0)
thank you for sharing your photo shoot details and for continuing to blog when you're busy with family and book publishing. I'm looking forward to cooking from your new book. My guesses for your photos are the mushroomy soup and the chocolate pie with blueberries.
Hi Dreena, I looked at the photo's and guessed the hummus, and the mushroom soup. So how did I do? I am so excited about your new book. Your posts are driving me crazy... not really, just a bit of drooling going on.
Oh, I can guess how stressed you're feeling right now! The process of editing is a tough one... but we'll all be rewarded with the end result!
As for the pictures, I'm guessing the chocolate brittle and the chocolate/blueberry pie. (I don't know why I zeroed in on the sweets...)!
What a fantastic idea for the pizza. I love making things out of random, found ingredients, especially when they turn out to be recipes you want to make again!
Teresa, you are most awesome, always leaving such kind comments. Ahhhh, and you know me all too well, you guessed spot on!!
3veggies, that's very sweet. Really, I'm just as crazed and frazzled as every other mom! And yes, I am often interrupted with "emergencies". :) While I was editing last week and we had some nice weather, several afternoons I had the girls playing in their little wading pool while I sat with my stack of edits. How many times I got up to get water, snacks, referee squabbles, etc... yep, we are all master multi-taskers. And you also got it right - the two hummus and the choc pie!
Boy oh boy, Michelle, you guys really know my stuff! That *is* my Peanut Sesame Hummus, and yes the choc pie... definitely a "Dreena" recipe! mmmmmmm chocolate.....
Hi Angela, oh, very close. The pie is mine, but the 'chippy' things, nope. I think they might be some sort of wild rice pancake or latke. They look good, huh? Not vegan, but something like that would be good - a wild rice savory pancake, yummy!
Hey veggiegirl. That's lovely of you, thank you. I am squeezing in relax time where I can, and now that school is out it isn't as crazy with running out the door to school and activities with the girls, so that helps! I can't wait for you to get ED&BV too... thanks. :)
Hi anonymous, good guesses, you've got the pie right. The mushroom soup isn't mine, the other one that's mine is the two dishes of hummus. Thank you for those good words, too.
Ha ha, veg-a-nut, as long as you have a napkin handy to catch the blog-viewing drool, you're just fine! :) You got the dip right, and with all these guesses for the soup, I now have a hankering to make a light savory mushroom soup. Power of pictures...
Yeah Judy, that's one of the reasons I love pizza so much, it can be personalized countless ways... and always works for night when you don't know what to make for dinner. Just pull stuff out of the fridge/pantry, and you're in business! And I would do that roasted pepper sauce again, it was tasty!
Yay! Another new book from you. I am so excited. When does it come out, approximately? And are you planning another baby to come out at around the same time (you know, like your other books)?
Hi Signy, thanks! Ha ha, nope, no baby to coincide with this book... it should be in stores the end of Oct or very early Nov - and I'll be sure to update more on availability as we get closer to printing and distribution.
Beautiful. I look forward to the information.
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