Portobello Burgers

(p.s. only 4 days left to vote in the VegNews Awards... I'm nominated for fave vegblog and fave cookbook author. So, please vote in these last few days if you haven't done so already. Then I'll stop nagging!) :)
These burgers have become our summer Sunday dinner. If you listened to the VF podcast, you'll know that every Sunday I stock up at our local farmers' market, and every week I bring home plump, fresh organic portobello mushrooms.

I've been marinating and grilling the mushroom caps on our bbq. Basically, I create a simple marinade of a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar, a few glugs of ev olive oil, and one or two large cloves of garlic, grated into the oil/vinegar using a kitchen rasp. Gently and carefully pull the stems away from the caps (bracing the full cap in the palm of your other hand). I then also scrape away the gills of the mushroom. You don't have to do this, it's a personal preference for me. Sometimes the gills are a touch dirty, or if the mushrooms aren't very fresh, they can be a little mushy, so simply scrape them away with a spoon if you like. Place the mushroom caps (I usually have 4 or 5) in the marinade, and move them gently through to coat. Let sit for 1/2 hour or more, and move the mushrooms around again once or twice to distribute the marinade. Much of the marinade will get absorbed into the caps, but if there is some left, use a spoon to help distribute it around the caps. Then grill! About 5-6 minutes on each side until you have lovely grill marks and the mushrooms have become tender and juicy. Be sure to give each side of the mushrooms a lil' dose of freshly ground black pepper and sea slat. If there is still marinade left, baste the mushrooms with it during the grilling. (note: don't add the salt to the marinade - wait until grilling. The salt will draw the juices out of the mushrooms, so wait until they are on the hot grill to season.)

Serve up your burgers as you like, on buns, in pitas, or even in a whole-wheat tortilla, as per this post. Our local store (Choices) has just started stocking whole-wheat burger and hot dog buns (yay!) so I've used those in this photo. Now, these burgers are even more magically delicious if you also grill some sliced red onion with a touch of s&p and ev olive oil. Then, add any other condiments you like - though you may not want to mess with the taste of the mushrooms and onions all on their own!

Here, I've served the burgers with some oven-roasted organic potatoes and a fresh salad - all from the farmers' market. Summer is good, I will miss it.

But, to keep us from getting the fall blues, we will have a Salba giveaway this fall! Nice guessing by Heather and VegNextDoor. For the rest of you that weren't getting my clue from my last post, the hang' tough clue refers to this. I know, that was sneaky. But fun. :)

Will be back in a few days with giveaway details! Until then, get yourself some portobellos and get marinating and grilling!

Lemon Garlic Pasta and Simplest Garlic Bread

This Lemon Garlic Pasta is from ed&bv. I've posted about it before, and wanted to show you another pic because it's just so easy to do, especially on hot summer days. Plus...
... I've added and edit to the recipe, which I'll include in the next reprint. Before juicing the lemons, grate some of the rind using a kitchen rasp if you have one. Then, after pureeing/whisking the sauce (as you see here), add in a teaspoon or so of the lemon zest. It adds just that extra POP of lemony wow!

Also pictured is a slice of Simplest Garlic Bread from ed&bv, which I haven't talked about much - but need to! This really is the simplest garlic bread you can make. Here's the trick: Freeze your bread (sliced)! Then, remove bread from the freezer, and when still very frozen, peel a garlic clove or two and rub it against the slices of bread. Be sure the bread is just out of the freezer. Even if it thaws five minutes or so, this trick is not as effective. When very frozen, the bread acts like a grater and will wear through the garlic allowing it the flavor to absorb into each slice. Then, you either drizzle the slices with extra-virgin olive oil (or spread on some Earth Balance), sprinkle with sea salt/pepper, and add anything else you like! I tend to keep it simple with olive oil and salt, but sometimes add a touch of Parma or a scattering of chopped fresh rosemary... or some olives or sun-dried tomatoes.

I'll be taking a wee break to get a few things organized for hubby's party and also for school starting soon (hard to believe, huh? moms and dads out there). Since it will be late August before I'm back, if you haven't yet voted in the VegNews awards, please do so (polls close Aug 31st). Also, if you'd like to keep on with the luv, please add a review to Amazon... always can use lovely reviews from folks that are truly using my books!

When I return I have a giveaway to tell you about! Something I've arranged that's nothing to do with my books! And more than one opportunity to win! You'll just have to hang tough (hint) for a couple of weeks to find out more!

Dreena's Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie was always one of my favorites in pre-vegan days. So I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to create my own version!

I think because I wanted to make a soy-free version. I mean, I enjoy using silken tofu in many creamy recipes, but for pecan pie I knew I needed a filling that was a touch more rich and luscious. So, now I have a soy-free version... and it IS rich and luscious.

I've tested it a couple of times now. The first time I made it more traditionally mixing the pecans in the custardy filling. But you know what? When I bite into that pie, I want the custardy filling to stand apart from the pecans, at least in part. I prefer the pecans with some crunch, rather than plumping and getting softer absorbing some of the filling through baking. So, I make this my signature pecan pie, allowing some pecans to get a touch soft while adding a crunchy sugar-pecan topping.

Hubby's birthday is coming up so I think I'll make this again for our family get-together. I know he wants chocolate cake, so yeah, he'll get that. Guess we'll all be having our cake and eating it (and pie) too!

Need another pic?

A Whistler Story...

We just returned from a trip to Whistler (which explains my fewer posts). After almost a week there, I can tell all of you my vegan people that Whistler is unfortunately not vegan-friendly. You would think it should be, right?! Active people, healthy lifestyle, eco-friendly, living connected to the earth. All those active and 'sustainable' people are eatin' meat and cheese I tell you! Steak houses rule in Whistler, and since it is a hot tourist destination, and since most tourists are into living large and indulging heavily, there is no place for vegan fare.

We had been to Whistler before so I knew what to expect really. But, we had only spent a couple of days there before, so this time I was hoping to be able to go to a cafe for lunch. I didn't care too much about dinner hour. I had planned some simple meals and we stuffed the trunk with everything we needed, knowing that a dinner out was near impossible. But, a lunch break I was hoping for... as much as I love cooking, I'm entitled to a break during vacation, right??! Unfortunately, even the 'crunchy' cafes had NOTHING vegan. It was unbelievable. We also asked around - at the farmers' market and at a health food store. They explained that vegan and 'healthy' had been attempted in Whistler before, but wouldn't take because of the tourist population. Wow.

Speaking of the farmers' market, this was my one bright vegan light. There were a couple of stalls from Pemberton vendors, and they understood vegan. At one I was able to pick up a zucchini bread (much like a banana bread) and a small kamut bread. They were pricey, but I was willing to spend it at that point! I also expected to find a raw booth. One of hubby's colleagues gave him a business card of a gal that had a raw stall at the farmers' market, so I eagerly searched... then... like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow (and we got our dose of rain in Whistler!), there she was, Sarinda of Wild Planet Raw Foods.

Stock up I did! Here are a few pics of some of Sarinda's creations. Raw macaroons in the foreground, and raw granola in the background (and the granola I most enjoy as a night-time treat with ice cream - you shoulda' known, right?)

Raw onion crackers and raw tortilla chips. My fave are the tortilla chips, made with sweet corn... hubby's fave are the onion crackers. Sarinda also had nori crackers that were selling very well. I do not like the taste of nori. I've tried, but no matter what form, in sushi or crackers or whatever... it makes me feel sickly. But, I'm obviously in the minority because these nori crackers were a bit hit!

Apart from food, I must say that the air in Whistler is incredibly clean. After leaving and we drove into the Vancouver area, there was this heavy dense feel and smell in the air, and I realized just how much pollution we have, even though we are surrounded by much natural beauty. We did a 'tree trek' tour which brought us high into the trees and moving from area to area by suspension bridges. The air was indescribably clean and crisp. Here, you see a picture of some cables in the trees. Well... these cables are for something called "ziplining". See how high we are in the trees and with glacial waters running below us? Now, check out this next pic. See those very faint lines running through? Look at that tree on the right of the pic, there's a faint line close to the tree top. Oh yes, those are the same cables that people 'zip' on, like so! Freaky crazy and cool, huh?!!!

So, that's my short story of our trip to Whistler. No vegan dining, a little too much rain, but some good fun and very clean air! If you're going to Whistler, be sure to get there on a Sunday for the farmers' market and get to Sarinda's booth!

Pesto Shell Casserole & Vegan Freaks Interview

So many ways to enjoy pesto. Here I've spooned my Lemony Cashew-Basil Pesto (that I talked about here) into Tinkyada Brown Rice Grand Shells (cooked until tender).

First ladle a layer of your favorite tomato sauce in your baking dish. Then, after filling your shells, finish by ladling more sauce over top of the shells and bake at about 400 degrees until just hot, about 20 minutes. You can sprinkle on some vegan cheese, but really, you don't even need it. The lemon juice and cashews in this pesto give enough of a 'cheesy' flavor. In fact, I recently made a triple batch of this pesto for a large family dinner. My sister's hubby asked what cheese I put in the pesto!! So, forget the cheese topping on this casserole, and serve up portions with a touch of a very good extra-virgin olive oil... simple and delicious, that's all you need.

And... that triple batch I mentioned? Here it is. Enough pesto for you? Almost enough for me! :)

Are you aching for this pesto recipe yet? Well, if you listen to the Vegan Freak podcast, you can get this recipe through their show! (and if you don't listen, go do so! and subscribe to their show! and poke around their forums!)

I'm talking food with Bob and Jenna on this week's podcast, along with Dino Sarma and Joy Tienzo. They include links to recipes, including this pesto and also a chickpea tart recipe for listeners in cooler climates at this time of the year. I'm a big fan of Bob and Jenna's work, and always love to connect and chat with them. Thanks again, Bob and Jenna!

I'll be back again soon... until I do, a reminder to please vote in the VegNews survey if you haven't yet!

Sweet Eats, Recipe Post, & VegNews Awards!

Time to return to some sweets. As I say in ed&bv, "sugar 'n spice and all things nice, that's what vegan desserts are made of". Not regular desserts. Only vegan, since all things nice do not include dairy or eggs. Not nice for us, not nice for the animals. We've all got that now, right?!

Ok, so I start with a repeat. Last week my good friend's hubby had a birthday, and I decided to whip up a batch of Double Chocolate Almond Explosion Cookies from Vive. He has always loved these cookies, and so I wanted to surprise him with these goodies. He was pretty excited and said "cool, my favorite cookies... I don't know if they'll last more than a day". I said "hey, it's your birthday!" No limits on birthdays!! And... in case you don't have Vive, I wanted to share this recipe with you, so here it is! Enjoy! :)

And now I have a new sweet. This is Carob Cashew Pudding. The pic is a bit bright, but hopefully you get the idea of how luscious, creamy, and rich this pudding is. I think I have this one just about finished, I plan to test it again with chocolate instead of carob, just to see if the substitution works out just as nicely... sometimes chocolate and carob aren't quite as interchangeable as one might like, but since I like to give options for folks, I want to offer a chocolate as well as a carob version.

And, back to an oldie. These are Energy Cookies from Vive. Any of you that own Vive will notice that these cookies are NOT in the desserts section. They are found in the muffins & on-the-go snacks section. Why? Well, because, while these are certainly cookies in the manner of preparation, they aren't the type of cookie I'd 'finish a meal' with. These energy cookies aren't as sweet as other cookies you'll find in my books, and because they are meant to be 'energizing' cookies to have mid-morning or afternoon, or during an outing or trip, they are made without sugar (only maple syrup), and with wholesome ingredients including whole-grain flours, sunflower/hemp/pumpkin seeds, and raisins to help give your energy a boost! So, enjoy these cookies at any time, but please don't expect them to be a sweet dessert.

Before I sign off, I have 'awards' news... I have been nominated for two VegNews Veggie Awards for 2008. I have been nominated in the categories of "Favorite Cookbook Author" and also "Favorite VegBlog"!

I know the odds are stacked against me in both categories, but hey, why not be an optimist, hey? So, if you enjoy my cookbooks and my blog, then please show the love and vote, vote, vote! And, since I probably need only about, oh, 15 or 20 thousand votes or so, you can recruit your friends, co-workers, neighbours, children, spouse and family to vote too! ;) Don't forget that there are prizes, including "a New York City Urban Getaway, a Glam Girl Goodie Bag, a Marshmallow Madness Gift Pack, and a Vegan Cookie Smorgasbord". Get voting, the polls close on August 31st!

Oh, and one final note. For those of you that missed my radio interview with Dr. Melissa West, you can listen at your convenience here. (and I've also provided a link on the sidebar).

Enjoy the rest of your weekend my lovelies!