Roast Beast Is A Feast I Can't Stand In The Least

So, what do we eat for Christmas?  Go get the entire menu in my latest true/slant article.  I also talk about this dinner in a recent interview with the Toronto Vegetarian Association.  I so enjoy chatting with the folks from TVA.  This time it was with Lisa and Colleen, and as lovely as they are, I manage to corrupt the conversation with stories of our 'drunken Santa' family tradition (don't worry, we've made him 'clumsy' these days), and also our PJ Fairy.  What?  She hasn't visited your home?  It's time for you to meet this cozy winter fairy. ;)  Get it all in the interview.  (btw, feel free to 'buzz up' any of my t/s posts that you fancy!)

For more chit-chat about celebrating the holidays vegan-style, check out Dr. Melissa West's Returning to the Body Mind show on December 23rd at 11 am EST/8 am PST at http://www.contacttalkradio.com/.  If you can't catch it live, the show will be available here on Christmas Eve.

That should fill your Santa boots for now!  Have a warm and wonderful Christmas and holiday season everyone... be back in the New Year!  xo and ho ho ho!

Someone's Feeling Like Santa

Ho ho ho!

Are we all scurrying about getting ready for Christmas? All you moms out there feeling tired trying to get every detail in order and, like me, probably waking in the middle of the night with 'to-do's' that trigger your brain and you're BOING! awake?! Yes, it's the 'most wonderful time of the year', after all.

Ok, sarcasm aside, I do love that this time of year we have fun sharing with each other, in whatever way that is. Like yesterday, I had a nice long chat with a friend that I hadn't talked to for a while. We joked about our stress of the holidays, and had a great time sharing our tired woes!

Plus, I am really loving the joy I see in my girls with what's beautiful about this time of year. Their fun in decorating the tree, their excitement to see other's homes decorated, and the adorable things they say about Christmas. We have been lucky so far with our girls with Christmas gifts... this year, our 6 1/2 yr old wrote a 'list'... the first time ever. It had just one thing on it - a panda bear. She really wants a stuffed panda bear (and as you moms out there know... just what you need more of in the house... stuffies, right?). Anyhow, I feel fortunate that her list wasn't '&', '&', '&'.... just one thing that is special for her. (Mind you, she's counting down the days, is bouncing off the walls, and has already hung her stocking... right at our fireplace... open at the top, saying "so Santa can fill it all the way up"!) Anyhow, she wrote a panda bear on her note and mailed it some weeks back. Recently, I think she's realized that she didn't specify with Santa what size Panda she would like. I think she's concerned that she might get a little panda figurine. So she asked "mom, does Santa know I want a big Panda". I said "I'm sure Santa will do his best to get you a special Panda". She replied "can we ask God to talk to Santa so he'll bring a big Panda?" Funny. Um, excuse me god, I don't think Santa really understands what I'm looking for... can you clear it up for me?

So, in the spirit of the season and to balance my state of sleep-deprivation meets excitement, I am sharing a few things here.

First, I have posted more recipes from ED&BV. You can find the recipes for Chocolate Mint Melties, Cashew Ginger Tofu, Thai Coconut Corn Stew, Raspberry Cornmeal Pancakes & Celestial Cream. Ahhhh yes, dig in folks! I've also reposted my Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, which is in the archives. (btw, if any of you get a nice photo of the Cashew Ginger Tofu, I'll use it on my recipes page)

Next, my recipes for Food Network Canada are finished! YES!! So, in late January/early February, you will be able to get your paws on 20 new recipes at foodtv.ca - whooopeee! I'll fill you in with more details once the time approaches.

Next, a few of my favorite things. If you have some last minute gifts and aren't sure what to buy, have a look at this list from last year, and also consider these ideas, that can be given in combination with each other, or as an 'extra' to a gift you have...

Kitchen Rasp - any cook would love to receive one of these handy gadgets. Even if they have one already, it won't go to waste - sometimes you want one for use in sweet recipes and one for savory uses.

Maple Butter - I use maple butter in a couple of new recipes in ED&BV, and I really love it. It's VERY concentrated, basically is pure maple syrup boiled down to a thick butter, so you get an intense maple flavor in a small amount.

Lemon Squeezer - Nifty gadget that you will actually USE! I have one, and it's very handy, and makes a great little gift.

Heat-Proof Spatulas - we all love these, and need 'em!

Any of these items pair beautifully with uh... my book, ha!

Sahale Snacks nuts. These are terrific, though note that a couple of the flavors might be spicy for some. My faves are the walnut and pecanblends. Wonderful!

Cocoa Camino chocolate bars. Dairy-free varieties - especially the mint variety, which has these little bitty sugary minty bits that make the bar OMG outstanding! Try them in the Chocolate Mint Melties!

Speaking of which, I now sport my Santa hat and will give away 2 signed copies of ED&BV! Enter your comment for a chance to win, rules are here. I will do the draw during the holidays and announce the winner in the New Year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

(p.s. if you are wondering "Dreena, what are you eating for Christmas this year? Check out this post, that's what we're having - yum, can't wait! Plus, I'm using my Classic Cranberry Sauce recipe from ed&bv, and also adding a new tofu recipe that I've submitted to foodtv.ca, you'll be able to get it soon. Not sure about dessert, have to think about what I'm doing there, but as for our main meal, it's all described here. If you're still thinking about dishes to make, this holiday tart that I created for VegNews would also be a festive dish.)

Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons

...or in this case one decent recipe out of two muck-ups!

You see, over the holidays I tried two new recipes. First - a cranberry sauce with dates. Second - white chocolate truffles.

The cranberry-date sauce was quite tasty, and I liked it, but I'm a bit of a cranberry sauce purist and so the dates thickened the sauce too much. I preferred the alternative cranberry sauce that I created which was far simpler and with fewer ingredients. So, as a sauce I didn't care for this date version, but thought "hmmm, as a mixture for date squares??..."

In the meantime I also tested some white chocolate truffles. Total wipe out! I'm talking complete and utter disaster! Now, I have been testing some very rich and far-out-fabulous chocolate truffles since about October. I thought I could sub the vegan white chocolate for the dark chocolate without much trouble. How wrong I was. The white chocolate mixture just ended up in a very thick, sticky type of sauce. I didn't want to chuck it, because I hate to waste ingredients, esp including vegan white chocolate which I order from the US (vegan essentials), and can be pricey with exchange/shipping.

So, I took out my Delish Date Square recipe from Vive, and I used the exact recipe for the crust (bottom and top), and then for the filling, I smoothed on the cranberry-date mixture, and then poured on some of the white chocolate sauce. Really, I should have used maybe 1/2 the white chocolate sauce, because as you can see, they were quite rich! Ahh, but it's the holidays after all, and we can justify all these rich, sweet treats.

How pleased I was with the results! White Chocolate Cranberry Date Squares. I would have liked these squares very much even with just the cranberry-date adaptation and no white chocolate - may work more on that sometime, but for now I'm happy to not have transformed two recipe flops into one recipe success!

btw - I'm not going to post our Christmas dinner, since most of us are tired of holiday dinners by now. But, if you do want to check it out, I posted it last year here. It is fabulous. Once a year we go all out making this meal, and it is 100% worth it. All the recipes are in TEV.