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!

Baby Bok Choy on the Grill

It's grilling season, and do you think that as vegans, we don't enjoy the bbq? Well, if you think that bbq = grilled meats, it's time to expand your culinary horizons!

This is actually the first summer that we have had a bbq. Before now, I used my small indoor grill, and even prop it outside during the hot months. But, there is no comparison to using a full bbq... and, since it really is an outdoor oven, you can grill and cook so many things!

Last week I looked at the baby bok choy in my fridge and thought... why not? It was the easiest prep, and the bok choy was just succulent! (btw, I generally prefer baby bok choy, pictured right, to regular bok choy. The leaves are more tender, and the flavor is much milder without a 'cabbage' flavor, and since the stalks are so tender, you can cook the leaves and stalks as one, rather than chopping the leaves away from the stems to cook separately.)

Here's what I did to grill those beautiful bok choy leaves:

- Of course, wash the bok choy before using. Separate the larger leaves from the inner core, and trim the thick white ends.
- As you get close to the small leaves, keep them intact with the core so they won't fall apart.
- Toss all the leaves in extra-virgin olive oil.
- Preheat your grill on medium-high heat, and place boy choy leaves on the grill, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (just a touch of pepper).
- Close grill and let cook for a few minutes. Open grill and turn leaves. At this point, they will need just another minute or two. If the leaves have wilted and have a nice bright light green color, they will be just about ready. Let a few grill marks set on the leaves or stalk.
- Ready to eat!

As you can see, when I grilled this baby bok choy, I also had other veggies that I grilled and served with pasta. I actually grilled the veggies in advance and then simply placed them on a pampered chef stoneware bar pan and warmed them through. You can do this in the oven, or again, on your bbq! (If you want to do the same, reheat the veggies until just warm enough to toss with the pasta... don't overcook).

The bok choy was irresistible, and my husband and I kept reaching for extra leaves to nibble on as we worked through our bowl of pasta. Try it, with pasta... or all on its own!

Also, a reminder that tomorrow morning (Wed, 8-9 am PST), I'll be on Dr. Melissa West's radio show with on Contact Talk Radio. We'll be doing a cookbook giveaway, so call toll free at 1-877-230-3062 with any questions or just to say 'hi'! :)

Radio Interview - Dr. Melissa West

On Wednesday, July 9th, from 8-9 am (PST), I'll be doing an interview with Dr. Melissa West on Contact Talk Radio. Listeners can call in during the hour toll free at 1-877-230-3062, so if you have any cooking or baking questions for me... pick up your phone and call! :)

We will also be doing a cookbook giveaway to a listener! Please visit Dr. Melissa West's show information to learn more.

I'll be back with food real soon, and will post a reminder about the show later as well.