Monday, January 28, 2008

Takin' Care of (food) Business

Need to get caught up on quite a few things with you today, and then I'll get to this foodie pic!
*update*: recipe is now posted!


First, I've posted the pantry list that is referenced in ed&bv. It will remain on this page, along with the ed&bv edits.

Second, the ed&bv reprint is on its way, but the shipment was delayed. To those of you waiting for ed&bv, and that have commented here and through e-mail, etc, wondering about the delivery time... I am so sorry. There is nothing I can do about it, except give you these details that while the shipment was supposed to be in Vancouver last week, the shipper experienced delays, and so now it will not arrive until about Feb. 7th... which means, another 2-3 weeks wait for those of you that have ordered through amazon, etc. If I could ship you a book myself, I would... but I don't even have any stock in my house! So, please, be patient... and I'll try to make up for it with some food posts, and a couple of recipes to keep you going? Okay?! (*note to ed&bv winners Kristina and veganmomma: this also means I haven't mailed your copies yet. If you'd like a copy of Vive instead of ed&bv, just let me know. I do have copies of Vive on hand, and can mail one to you this week.)

Third, congratulations to Dawn Ratcliffe and Joe Espinosa for your leafleting accomplishments with Vegan Outreach last semester (Dawn handed out 16,595 brochures to college students; Joe 27,623!). You have both won a copy of Vive le Vegan!, and it should be arriving within a few days at your doorstep... enjoy!

Next, I've adopted. Not a child. Not an animal. A blogger! You see, I received a request from Kristen at Dine and Dish. She started this 'adopt-a-blogger' event pairing 'veteran' bloggers with newer bloggers. She mentioned there was one vegan request from a new blogger and she hadn't found a veteran match. So, I signed up... and little did I know, I had adopted veggiegirl! Over the next couple of weeks, I will make one of Liz's recipes, and she will make one of mine. Fun idea, huh? (though, I told Liz that I don't think I have too much to guide her through with blogging... she is quite the expert already!)

Now, to the food. What is this picture of vegan sweetness above? It's Maple Banana Loaf from TEV, but I chose to bake it in a larger baking dish (8 x 12; baking for less time, about 26-28 mins), rather than a loaf pan, making it more of a snack cake. I posted about this quick bread before, and it's really an easy recipe that uses only maple syrup as a sweetener, and is also low in fat (if that's something you're looking for in baked goods).

I'll post this recipe (hopefully by this evening) so you can try it, and will also include with some notes about subbing another flour for the portion of kamut flour in the recipe (there is a blend of whole-wheat pastry and kamut flours in the batter). I sprinkled a handful of chocolate chips on half of the batter before baking... just for some fun and variety. What's truly excellent in this loaf, if you're up for it, is mixing chocolate chips and a handful of lightly toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter before baking. Makes the loaf higher fat, obviously, but boy that banana-chocolate-nut combination is wonderful!

Okay, so check out the recipe, and stay tuned... (hint: Food Network Canada recipes soon to come!)

14 comments:

aimee said...

Oh, I love his loaf! I love the idea of making it as a "snack-cake". Yummy! Really looking forward to your food tv recipes!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

ahh, how fun!! you don't have to worry about me getting around to making one of your recipes - between ED&BV, Vive Le Vegan, and The Everyday Vegan, I have many favorite recipes of yours, Dreena!! :0D I'm so thrilled that we were paired up for the adopt-a-blogger program :0)

Food Network Canada is incredibly smart to feature your recipes - here's to vegan cooking!! :0)

Anonymous said...

I am going to make this today. Perfect for a cold, snowy day in the lower mainland with a cup of tea. Although this will be a nice treat today, is Spring comming soon???

Angie

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for participating :)

Carrie™ said...

I was going to ask you about the Food Network recipes. I've have been a bit of a FN junkie lately. Ace of Cakes is my new favorite. This loaf/snack cake sounds devine! Even though I don't like bananas, I love the flavour in baked goods, especially banana bread. I want to try this for sure!

Dreena said...

cool Aimee, thanks!

veggiegirl, I know... I think I have some catching up to do!! :) Still, I think I might have a 'challenge' up my sleeve for you... stay tuned!

Angie... I SO with you. I'm not a winter gal at the best of times, and I am ready for spring already!

Anonymous said...

So I made this banana loaf/cake this morning and I think I like it better than the loaf. It is a bit more tender and cakier than the loaf. Very good. Loved the quick cooking time. The chocolate chips of course make it that much better.

Angie

moi + toi PHOTOGRAPHIE said...

Food network canada! Awesome, i love watching it. When i had cable, it is all i watched.

What is my home page... Food network canada.

Haha, im a geek. Love jamie oliver!! (you too! lol)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

oooh, bring on the challenge!! I'm excited!! :0D

Anonymous said...

I'll have to try and have Jane (my wife) try this. Her recent lentil loaf left plenty to be desired.

Lane of VeganBits.com

The Little Mama said...

Mmm. Banana baked goods are always tops in our family. And I like to think they're healthier too... ;)
I'm so pumped for your Food Network.ca debut!
I made your Lentil Sweet Potato Chili for dinner, and it was a mega hit. Yum. It has been in the -30's here for the past week, and it's so nice to have warm food around!

Dreena said...

Angie, glad you liked it this way too!!

Candice, I do love Jamie Oliver too, and though obviously his shows aren't close to vegetarian, I really like how his newer shows focus a lot on his gardening and using fresh produce and preparing/cooking in the simplest of ways! Plus, who doesn't love that accent. ;)

Lane, hmmm, sounds like the lentil loaf was a savory one?... but then, legumes *can* be used in baked goods too!! Regardless, give this one a try, it's easy and comforting - and will make your house smell so wonderfully sweet & good!!

vegmomma, it's been freaking cold here lately - cold for Vancouver anyhow! Love that you loved the chili, btw!! yay!

Anonymous said...

I ordered ED&BV from Amazon on January 5 - and it still hasn't been shipped. So, the problem is with the publisher, not Amazon? I've been blaming Amazon; but I would be more pleased with Amazon if they could have told me why I have been waiting almost a month!

Dreena said...

anonymous, no it isn't a mistake by amazon... the responsibility is with my publisher, and I can tell you that they have apologized to me, and I am also apologizing to you and everyone else that is waiting and waiting. The 1st printing sold quickly, so the reprint was ordered, but it takes time, and then there was an unforeseen shipping delay. If I could do something to get the book to you quicker, I would. It sucks that you have to wait so long... I don't have stock either, so it's a bummer! :(