Spice Up Your Life!

Let's get SPICY today!... and, anyone up for some spicy 'show and tell'? (and noooo, not that kind of spicy s&t, you saucy naughty-minded bunch) :)

Dreena's first up, so here is my Warmly Spiced Quinoa Chickpea Stew with Figs from the foodtv.ca set of recipes. Though I've called this recipe a stew, truly it's a cross between a casserole and a stew. It's prepared like a stew on the stove top, but its consistency is not soupy, so is more similar to a casserole. Whatever you want to term it, this dish has a captivating bouquet of spices and seasonings, and I really want you to try it. Whether you love quinoa, or don't know what to do with it, or think it's bland... give this recipe a whirl!

And this isn't a "hot" spicy dish... this is an aromatic, earthy, slightly sweet-spiced dish with curry, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, and allspice. The quinoa and chickpeas are simmered in a wine and vegetable-based broth, married with onions, garlic, bell pepper, and spices. The dried black mission figs (purchase them organic if you can, in the section of your natural foods store where you find dried apricots, raisins, etc) are incorporated just as the stew is finishing so they can soak up the juices and get plump and moist. The finished dish is embellished with pistachios, and fresh herbs if you like. One-pot meals don't get much easier, nutritious, and tasty than this - lotsa' bang for your cooking buck!

**Notes:
1) I have posted edits to the foodtv.ca recipes. The link is also on the sidebar. I'm not certain when the edits will be completed on the foodtv site, so please refer to the link when preparing the recipes.

2) Also, please provide the link to these foodtv.ca recipes:http://www.foodtv.ca/Search/SearchResults2.aspx?query=dreena+burton&site=foodtv_recipes_live

on your own blog if you like, as well as on any chat boards/forums you frequent. I regularly hear, mostly from young vegans and college students, that they aren't able to afford new cookbooks. So give 'em this link! (as well as the link to my sample recipes.)

Now, it's YOUR TURN to show and tell! - - - I received an e-mail asking about how I organize and contain my spices. uh-oh. As I explained in my reply to this e-mail, I also do not have an ideal spice system. I have a rack holding 12 spice jars (can a spice rack really hold all the spices we use regularly?), then a drawer holding additional spices I use a lot, and then larger amounts of spices in my pantry (bay leaves, whole nutmeg, cumin seeds, etc). Certainly not idyllic. Knowing that many of you are superb organizers, and bursting with creative ideas... how do YOU organize your spices? If you have a blog, snap off a photo and post it! I'll update this post with a link to your blog! Will be fun to see who does what - and which set ups are very efficient!

Before I sign off, I want to mention another spicy bit! Robin Robertson has just released her new "Vegan Fire & Spice" cookbook. I haven't seen this cookbook myself, but if her sample recipes in VegNews are any indication, your taste buds will be smokin' with flavorful and fiery dishes from around the world. So, if you're one of those people that wants some heat, and enjoys exploring new seasonings and bold spices, have a look at Robin's new collection of recipes. (btw, I am awed by how quickly and steadily this woman can churn out cookbooks! She's phenomenal.)

Now, pull out your measuring cups and spoons and cook up this aromatic, flavorful quinoa recipe...

and go eat, drink & be vegan!

Acai on Oprah

Did any of you catch Dr. Oz on Oprah a week or so back, when he was talking about acai berries and some other uber-healthy foods? He praised the antioxidant value of acai (pronounced "ah-sigh-ee") and handed a blended acai drink to Oprah to try.

Here is a Raw Acai Berry Pie that I created a month or so back (I have quite a lot of photos to blog, just need to get the time to show them all to you!)

It's a new recipe (not sure for what, just waiting for the next project to reveal itself to me, I guess). I need to tweak it just another time I think, to help it firm up and set a touch more for cleaner and easier serving.

As I watched this Oprah show, I felt excitement to see Dr. Oz talk about foods such as acai, and salba (though he referenced chia, and showed a black seed, which I have heard isn't as 'clean' tasting as the salba brand). Yet, as I watched, I thought "they are talking about all plant foods - foods we eat as vegans - but no mention of the vegan diet". I was excited and frustrated all at once, because I know the term 'vegan' is perceived as so 'radical' that it would never make it into that discussion. WE know it's not radical. I eagerly await the day that mainstream can come to understand what we already know and live.

And, since Oprah was sippin' on an acai smoothie, I thought I would share my Acai Antioxidant Smoothie recipe with you. The recipe is from ed&bv, and is pictured here with my Hemp-anola (which is also good-for-you food, and just happens to be munchily delicious!)

One more peek at the pie... our older girl (who has always LOVED fruit) couldn't resist getting that blueberry in the middle....

Luvy-Duvy Cookies

Cupid drew back that bow, and struck my Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies this week:

I made cookies for our older girl's Valentine's Day party at school. I reduced the size a tad, and tripled the batch. There was a definite request for making the cookies look "special" for V-Day. I am no decorating diva. First to admit it. I think I'm too fast-paced and in 'multi-task' mode that intricate decorating irks me. I appreciate and enjoy seeing others do it... just don't want to do it myself!

So, I melted dark chocolate, let it cool down to just warm, then poured it into a small ziploc bag and squeezed it into the corner of the bag. Snipped the tiniest edge of the corner, and used that to pipe heart shapes on the cookies. That was fun, easy to do, and our daughter loved seeing them all finished!

Of course, I couldn't forget Mr. Man, so I used a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to form the batter of this cookie, and then piped on my V-Day message. I snuck it into his lunch in a ziploc container, so he would get the surprise at work!

So, I was feeling quite good about my cookie decorating day. "Not bad, not bad!" (I'm thinking of that line from Notting Hill.... the roommate that's looking at his butt clad in his grey boxer briefs in the mirror and saying "not bad, not bad at all... chicks dig grey". Loved that butt, er bit, in the movie). hee.

Anyhow, I was feeling proud as a peacock, and then I get this photo from Angela:

Now, isn't THAT gorgeous? THAT is decorating! Plus, not only did Angela decorate this cookie from scratch, and make the batter from scratch... she also used the gluten-free version of my cookies from ed&bv (the "Gluten-Be Gone Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies") to make this big ol' cookie! Who says gluten-free AND vegan can't be deliciously fabulous? Obviously her daughter was thrilled (and ahem, I didn't show this photo to our daughter -ha!)

What fun. Plus, a couple of days before Valentine's, I received a Vegan Love Letter. No... not *that* kind of love letter. No romantic or flirtatious intent. It was a vegan foodie love letter, for my cookie recipes. I don't know if you want your name mentioned, so I simply thank you again. That was a most special V-Day treat. :) I would dearly love to write a vegan book just for cookies... maybe someday... the words 'another cookbook' are the equivalent of four-letter words in this household right now - ha!

So, it was a luvy-duvy day all around. Though, I miss the days of Valentine's when we exchanged little cards at school, sometimes homemade ones, and that was it. Not little cards with a Hershey kiss attached. Or gummy worms. Or lollipops. Or gum or candy or sweethearts, etc, etc. I know the parents are well-intentioned and want to do something extra-special. It's just so overdone now. I remember the preciousness of simply bringing home my envelope of Valentine's and just enjoying going through them over and over. Don't you? No candy was needed - and that's from the biggest sweet tooth of all time! Though, my daughter received a tiny stuffie from a friend in lieu of a chocolate treat, and let me tell you, that has been with her every moment since V-Day!

One more luvy-duvy vibe before I sign off. Most of you know that Urban Vegan was featured in a NY Times story, along with her husband 'omniman'. Congratulations, Dynise! You are a big bright light in our lil' vegan world. Thank you for giving some good press to being vegan. "Yeah... props baby, vegan props!"

Nava's Butterscotch Apples (plus some V-Day ideas)

Today I'm on a 'blog tour' with Nava Atlas, as she has just released her new cookbook "Vegan Express". Congrats Nava! :) I had the opportunity to test a recipe from Nava's new cookbook and post about it for all to enjoy! (btw, the photography in Vegan Express was done by our well-loved Susan Voisin... totally cool!)

I was immediately and naturally drawn to Nava's recipe for Butterscotch Apples. This is a very quick dish that is immensely satisfying and comforting, and particularly suited to fall and winter when apples are seasonal. Though, as you all know (or should by now!), I am a saucy girl, and so when I looked at this recipe calling for 5 apples, I decided to instead use 3 to meet my saucy gal needs! The apples and butterscoth-like sauce are separately, but quickly, heated through and then gently tossed together. I topped the mixture with a dollop of soy yogurt and sprinkling of walnuts, as Nava suggests in her recipe... and of course, we (meaning mostly me) all know that some vanilla non-dairy ice cream would also be a blissful accompaniment!

With Valentine's Day approaching, this would be a lovely and simple dish to prepare for your sweetie, especially if you don't have a fondness for chocolate.

But WAIT! How can you NOT have a fondness for chocolate. Sensitivities and allergies I understand... but plain ol' disinterest? Scandalous I say!

So, in the spirit of all things good and chocolate for Valentine's, I have reposted my chocolate bark recipe from Vive so that you have time to make a treat for your special someone. You could also make my Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies, and decorate by piping some chocolate hearts on top (I plan to do this for my daughter's class, and will post some pics later). Or, try my Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, or something with a touch of red color like my Coconut Raspberry Squares.

Or, go all out my lovelies, and make THIS cake!

(p.s. vegan smooches for a sweet Valentine's Day to you all)

In The Kitchen with... Veggiegirl!

My adoptee has been busy in the kitchen with her vegan creations these past few months, hasn't she?

So, as part of the adopt-a-blogger event, I sported my baking garb and got prepped to make her "S'mores Muffins", since I knew our girls would love them with the little bits of vegan marshmallows tucked inside!

The recipe was a cinch. These muffins came together in about 10-15 minutes (and that's with my 3 yr old part of the scene and us working on a puzzle during the prepping)!

I made 9 muffins from this batch, which took just a little longer than Liz's 15-18 minutes (roughly 19-20 mins)... but then Liz's yield was for 10-12 muffins, so the longer baking time fits just right with the larger muffins!

I followed Liz's recipe pretty much to the letter, but with these slight modifications:
- used w/w pastry flour instead of w/w flour; just for a lighter texture
- used roasted cocoa powder (I wasn't sure if Liz used raw or roasted, but since roasted powder is darker and similar to cocoa powder in color, I chose the roasted)
- used combo of chocolate almond milk and plain soy milk for the 1 cup of non-dairy milk measure (since I had both opened in my fridge)
- used non-dairy chocolate chips instead of carob chips

The only other thing I did was add 1/4 tsp of sea salt to the dry ingredients. Adding a touch of salt to baked goods enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, so I always add about 1/4 tsp to a batch of muffins of this quantity, or a quick bread, or a small batch of cookies, etc.

The muffins baked up nicely and rose well. Though the name might sound like a cupcake, these are definitely muffins and are not at all that sweet. Since there is plenty of sweetness from the added chocolate chips, graham crackers, and marshmallows, Liz was wise not to overdo the amount of unrefined sugar, though I think 1/3 cup would work equally well as 1/4 cup if you wanted a muffin that's just a touch sweeter (I don't care for overly sweet muffins, but I know some of you enjoy them on the sweeter side).

Liz didn't add any oil to her recipe (I think because she often bakes low-fat treats for her family), and used some applesauce as a fat replacer to add moistness to the batter. This worked well, though if I can give Liz, my 'adoptee', one small suggestion from her adopting veg blogger, it would be to include a small amount (1-2 tbsp) of an organic canola, coconut (warm to melt first), or other high-quality vegetable oil to the wet ingredients. It enhances the moistness in baked goods, and also, since fat is a flavor carrier (ex: just think how tasty deep fried foods are), that bit of oil will heighten the other flavors in the batter.

Kudos to you Liz for your vegan culinary interests and achievements - especially as the young and relatively new vegan you are! Keep the recipe testing going, veggiegirl, and we all look forward to what you cook up next!

p.s. as a little 'surprise' to you, Liz as being part of this adopt-a-blogger event, I will be mailing you a copy of the "Everyday Dish" dvd. Since you already have my cookbooks, I thought some vegan cooking on tv might be in order. Hope you enjoy it!

My Early Cooking Days... and more foodtv.ca photos

My early days in the kitchen weren't always so pretty:

yep, not one of my brightest moments... placing a cookbook face down on a still hot element. So, before I launch into more photos of my foodtv.ca recipes, this pic is for all you young cooks and new vegans: cooking is a journey of learning and experimentation, successes and well, muck-ups! I'm still learning about food and cooking every day. Every day. And, as for kitchen troubles... just ask my kids how often our smoke alarm going off! (seriously, though, it IS a bit sensitive, yeah, that's it) ;)

And one of you 'new' and young vegans is Liz, or as we know her: veggiegirl. As I mentioned before, I have 'adopted' her in an adopt-a-blogger event. So, she will cook one of my recipes and post about it, and I will make one of hers (Liz, I have chosen her "S'mores' Muffins" unless you have another suggestion).

Since Liz has already baked quite a few things from my books, I thought I'd "challenge" her with a new savory recipe from my foodtv.ca set. So, Liz, what do you think about either the Walnut-Pecan Balls from my last post, OR... one of these recipes:

Peanut Thai Vegetable Stew. I posted briefly about this stew before, though I don't think my photo does the flavor of this soup any justice. It is creamy, lightly spicy, aromatic, and chock full of veggies... and tofu too. The big thing to note about this recipe is to add the spinach *just* before serving. Keep those greens green! If overcooked, they get gray and the flavor changes and isn't that pleasant. So, add the greens and stir through before serving until just wilted. If you have leftovers, try to scoop out any remaining spinach and eat it before storing the leftovers. Then, when reheating the leftover soup, you can add more fresh spinach again before serving. Really, this bit of effort is worth it!

Next up, Mexican Bean Soup with Chipotle Avocado Cream. This I also posted about before, and again, I just love this soup. It is spicy and flavorful, but without the spicy heaviness that chili sometimes has. It is lighter and fresher, and the dose of lime really livens the mix. Definitely make the Chipotle Avocado Cream (the chipotle flavor is very faint, and not spicy) to serve on top... and have some tortilla chips on the side for dipping too!

And, get your spoons ready! Or veggies. Or chips.... or yes, your fingers. 'Cause this Raw Aioli is that good, you'll be using whatever you can to scoop it up! Here, I've simply baked a yellow-flesh sweet potato whole, then split it down the middle and put on a dollop of the aioli. The sweetness of the potato against the rich, salty aioli is wicked good - good enough for a meal on its own!

Though, I was on a cooking streak and served these potatoes and aioli with a new spiced lentil 'n kidney beans recipe (I don't really have an official name for this dish yet) over brown rice and a hefty salad alongside....

Okay, skedaddle... go cook!... and eat, drink & be vegan!

(and Liz, have you decided yet?) :)

Food Network Canada recipes are HERE!

Some of you already know, but here's the official announcement: My set of vegan recipes is now online at foodtv.ca! YEAH!

You can do a search on my name, and you will bring up 20 recipes. But... there is another that doesn't come up in the search (should soon though). I'll get to that recipe in a minutes. Over the next couple of posts, I'll break down some of the recipes and give you some details and hopefully pictures too!

But first, here is the full list of recipes:*
1. Pumpkin Oat Muffins (wheat-free)
2. Salba Banana Muffins
3. Raw Aioli
4. Pesto Hummus
5. Cashew-Chive Spread
6. Classic Caesar Dressing
7. Walnut-Mustard Vinaigrette
8. Mexican Bean Soup (with) Chipotle Avocado Cream (these are 2 separate recipes but I initially paired them together) **and that should be 1 1/4 tsp of cumin seed - not 1 1/4 cup!!
9. Peanut Thai Vegetable Stew
10. Pureed Squash, Sweet Potato and Celeriac Soup
11. Warmly Spiced Quinoa Chickpea Stew with Figs
12. Olive Oregano Wine-Baked Tofu
13. Brazil Nut Pesto
14. Walnut-Pecan Balls
15. Sauteed Savory Crumbled Tofu
16. Lemon Dijon Green Beans
17. Fresh Blueberry Oat Squares (wheat-free)
18. Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies (wheat-free)
19. Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies (gluten-free)
20. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart with Coconut Crust

So, let's talk more about some of these yummy recipes! The pic above... those are the Walnut-Pecan Balls. I LOVE this recipe. Though, it was tricky to take this photo, because the balls look almost too 'meaty', and they're not. There is NO meat analogue in this recipe - no tvp, no ground round, etc. Just a combination of pecans, walnuts, quick oats, veggies and seasonings. And they are scrumptious!

There's a note in the recipe about the tbsp of wheat gluten in the recipe. The wheat gluten gives some stability to these balls, to keep them from crumbling. But... if you really want to avoid using the wheat gluten for whatever reason, you can do so. Just be even more gentle when you pan fry the balls to keep them in shape. Here they are just before cooking. These are still delicate even with the wheat gluten, so don't think of them like a faux meatball. Think of them as savory, buttery, melt-in-your mouth orbs of deliciousness that should be gently pan-fried and then placed ever so handsomely on top of your pasta and sauce.
Ahhhhhhhh.

These are also protein-rich, which bumps up the nutritional value... and of course, the flavor, imo(oh-so-humble)... of an average pasta meal, especially if you use a whole-grain pasta like kamut or whole wheat.

Speaking of pasta sauce this is my new favorite brand. Whenever Choices has it on sale (like right now!) I stock up. Darn it's good! The acidity of the tomato sauce seems to be better balanced with a sweeter edge, and I think that's why I love it so much. Our kids even like it, and that's a first for "red sauce". I couldn't find a website for the company, though.

....and, what's this on top of my jar? Well, though I'm not the most organized cook, I think this little gadget is one of the coolest, smartest tools to use in your kitchen. How many times have you pulled out your jar of opened pasta sauce and wondered "how long has this been open?". This magnetic timer pops on top of the lid, can be set/reset, and rids you of that 'ewww' factor! I picked them up at a baby store (meant for baby food jars I'm guessing). Two to a package. I'll look for the name and get back to you with it.

Now, for dessert you can try my new Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies. (This is the one recipe that currently is not included when you search by my name.) I posted about these cookies back in the summer. These are a little chewy, and little crunchy (from the cornmeal), and are really, really delicious! You won't believe they are gluten-free... give them a go!

I'll be back again with more details on some of the other recipes. Before I sign off, I have to say that I am ecstatic to see foodtv.ca include my vegan recipes on their site. If you are too, why don't you send a quick comment. I would love to create more recipes for foodtv.ca, and they are more likely to sign me on to develop more vegan recipes if they receive positive feedback. So, link through, scroll down and "tell 'em what you want, what you really, really want."

(you can thank me later for leaving you with that Spice Girls lyric for the rest of your day)

*Note that the yields may not be correct on some dishes. I have e-mailed a couple of edits to foodtv.ca, but I noticed another error (ex: Walnut-Pecan Balls should yield 25-30, not 4!... and the cookies above should yield about 12-16, not 8).

Vegan "Lovely-ness" for Valentine's

Boys and girls, it's February and Valentine's Day is fast approaching! Do you have a sweetie lined up for your sweetie? Well, if not, read on...

I was lucky enough to sample a few treats from the wonderful folks at Liz Lovely.* I have heard and read many great things about Liz Lovely's cookies, but had not yet had tried one. They contacted me asking if I'd like to try some of their new chocolate covered treats that they were developing for Valentine's (and perhaps these treats will be permanent items, I'm not certain).

I received three little sample packages. The first with 3 large chocolate covered pretzels, the second with 4 chocolate covered cookies, and the third was their Gingersnapdragon cookies (2 to a pack). Here you see the chocolate covered cookies next to the pretzels. I split one of the cookies in half so you could have a peek at the thick coat of chocolate on top of the oreo-style, mint-flavored cookie (unfortunately I zoomed in a little too closely so you don't get the full effect.) What's better than a chocolate treat but a chocolate treat dipped in chocolate?! And the pretzels are fabulous!... I love having that very slight taste of salty contrast underneath the thick layer of deep chocolate. They have some other chocolate treats which I didn't (but would love to!) try... including chocolate covered cashews, macadamia nuts, ginger, and almonds. I forgot to mention how attractive looking these chocolate treats are as well. Very smoothly finished with an even coating giving a very polished look.

Here is the Gingersnapdragon cookie. I photographed it next to the chocolate cookie, just to show you how BIG this cookie is. The package label shows a serving size is 1/2 of one cookie... and that makes sense, because if you eat one of these cookies in full, you *know* you've really eaten two or so average-sized cookies! There are other cookie flavors at Liz Lovely, and if you are a ginger lover, go for this one. It doesn't just have ginger flavor (as some ginger cookies do), but it carries some heat from the ginger... likely from the crystallized ginger that is pressed down into the tops of the cookies.

Just look at that, isn't it pretty with the crystallized ginger and sugar sprinkling all around? This is a soft cookie, just to let you know. I realize there are those of us that appreciate a soft cookie, and those of us that want a crispier, crunchier cookie... so if you are in the latter camp, just know that this is a soft, tender cookie (and I suspect the other flavors are the same... btw, have any of you tried the cowboy/cowgirl cookies? They also look incredible!)

Hellooooo??! boys out there: listen up! Your women would like some DECENT vegan treats... and we aren't all excited about flowers (ex: me), especially roses on Valentine's which are altogether predictable, and they wilt so quickly. Yes boys, plan in advance... shop and buy some treats now. Not the night before, or even worse, Valentine's Day itself. (ahem, you know who you are husband of a dear friend of mine) tsk, tsk. :)

And, why wait for a fellow to get these treats for you... heck, treat yourself and go check out the goodies at Liz Lovely today.

Now, if by some chance you procrastinate, or have very little cash to order treats, I'll repost my chocolate bark recipe in the next week or so... and I might have a few other ideas to get all sweet about.

*in case you're wondering, I am not receiving anything for this 'plug' of Liz Lovely. They kindly sent me a sample of their GingerSnapDragons, chocolate covered pretzels, and chocolate covered cookies. One taste was all I needed to share the good word.