News and Chews

Wow, it's been a week since I last posted! We're having 'spring break'... which, in some ways is a break but other ways, very much not a break (you at-home moms and dads know what I'm talkin' about here)! I've enjoyed not having to bustle out of the house in the morning to school and preschool and back to preschool, and back home and back to school, and squeezing in grocery shopping, housecleaning, lesson, activities, and cooking in between! Phew! Yes, having a change of pace from that routine is certainly a welcome break. But, we've been trying to 'spring clean' in a sense, clearing out things we aren't using and getting to chores we've neglected... AND I've been testing new recipes, so it's been busy as ever.

So, let's catch up on some news and chews!

First, some news:
Many of you know I've been writing for VegNews for the last couple of years. Well, I'm no longer contributing articles for VegNews, in case you are looking for them in upcoming issues. I will, however, be contributing vegan cooking articles for alive magazine. I'm very excited about this, because they haven't had a dedicated vegan feature in the past, and so I hope to write for their magazine on a regular basis. alive is available in health and whole food stores across Canada, so the vegan exposure is a very great thing!

Next up in news: eat, drink & be vegan is a Finalist for ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award in the Cooking category. The award is announced on May 29 at Book Expo America... wish me luck! :)

Now, for the chews!

This is the Olive Oregano Wine Baked Tofu from the foodtv.ca recipes. Guys, this dish is wicked tasty, and might even convert the tofu-averse! And though I haven't yet tried it with tempeh, I think it would be smashing good!

We are enjoying tempeh more than tofu these days. Not only do I dig the earthy, nutty flavor and beany texture, but since it is fermented (and retains fibre, unlike tofu) it is much easier to digest. So, tempeh is making its way to our table more frequently, and as a result, you'll see more tempeh recipes coming from this cookbook author (I already have two insanely delicious ones that I will soon post about)! I think seitan would also be well suited to this recipe. Seitan is not my specialty. Why? Well, while I think it can be fun, and versatile and a great protein source, it's just not a food that my family ever likes. I have enjoyed the occasional seitan recipe, but not the kids or mister-man. Plus, though I've sometimes enjoyed eating seitan, I don't always feel the best after eating it. Maybe because it's such a concentrated and processed wheat product... perhaps it's my constitution... whatever, I'm not sure. What I do know is that if you want some kick-butt seitan recipes, then go to the experts - wheat-meat queens Bryanna or Isa and Terry. They'll serve up some winner seitan recipes for you! Now... back to our recipe at hand...

The tofu bathes in a marinade of white wine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, agave nectar sun-dried tomatoes, grapes (yes grapes!) and Moroccan dry olives. Do try to use these Moroccan dry olives, rather than kalamata or other olives. They lend a very distinctive taste that is superb in this dish. Also, do try to use organic grapes if at all possible. (they are part of the dirty dozen, remember). While the recipe calls for red grapes, I used organic green grapes this time, and they worked fine. Oh, and use 1/3 cup of grapes rather than 1/4, as per edits here. Serve it with a whole grain, or with roasted potatoes, or polenta. This is also a marvelous dish for those of you that cannot eat garlic and/or onions (I have heard from quite a few of you with this dietary restriction). Plenty of flavor in this dish with no garlic or onion to be found.

Speaking of spuds. What's this, what's this? This bowl of tater temptation is Vive's Lemon Rosemary Potatoes. I've posted about them before, check it out.

All the news and chews fit to print for now. So, please try out the tofu dish folks, I think you'll LOVE it!

I'll be back with more soon... stay tuned, stay vegan!

Christmas in July?

Phew! It's been a busy few days. Catching up on everything from laundry to e-mails (and sorry to those of you that have waited to hear back from me). Also clued up some editing on the front/back cover of ED&BV - and we may be going to print the end of the week. Ooooeeee! So, we're on track to have it in bookstores in mid-late October.

I also finished some testing on a new recipe for my next VegNews column. My articles appear in every second issue, so I work on any given piece about 4 months in advance of its printing. As you can imagine, this is often peculiar in the sense that you are trying to jump ahead to the season when the article will be in print. If I want to feature seasonal produce (ex: winter squash in the fall; basil in the summer), it's never abundant at the time of writing. So, it can be tricky when working with seasonal items.

This next article will feature some cranberry recipes. Of course, very seasonal for Nov/Dec. Not so much for July/August (though it's been so flipping cold some days this summer it's almost fitting)! I created and tested this Holiday Chickpea Tart in early July, and so one evening we sat out on our patio in the sunshine eating our holiday tart with cranberries. Hubby says "feels like Christmas"! I said, "I know, it's not very appropriate for this time of year"... but as my mom always used to say (and still does to this day)... "you either like it or lump it"!

Here it is just after baking. For convenience, I used a Wholly Wholesome whole-wheat pie shell to hold the filling. I've said it many times before, I love Wholly Wholesome products. Not all are vegan, but those that are vegan are lovely, wonderful, incredible! Love them!

So, here you are. A festive chickpea tart with walnut, spinach, and cranberries that will appear in the VegNews Nov/Dec issue. Great menu item for those of you that don't want a Tofurkey/Faux Turkey/Noturkey/Rubberturkey on the table (like me)!

I served it with my wicked Balsamic Maple Sauce that you will be able to get very soon as it is included in ED&BV. This sauce is so super good, that you will want to drizzle it on steamed veggies, sandwiches, grains, or to have with spring rolls, potstickers, etc, the list goes on because this sauce is nummy good stuff... and you know I'm a saucy girl!

I'll get back to seasonal food goodies next... in the meantime, since we're on topic of VegNews... my gentle reminder to vote! :)

Mr. Potato Head Returns

I again interrupt my break to bring you a photo of this New Potato Spinach Artichoke Salad with Pine Nut Dressing.

Those of you that have been around for a while, know about our love of spuds in our house and the reigning Mr. Potato Head!

This salad will appear in my next VegNews article (July/Aug) issue, and you're gonna' love it! The Pine Nut Dressing is earthy and tangy, and gives a slight creaminess that is still light rather than the typical heavy mayonnaise dressings used in potato salads.

The entire salad is superb! I personally love it still warm, but it is also ideal for packing to tote on picnics or casual summer lunches.

It's kind of odd working on food articles months in advance, trying to envision what dishes we'd most enjoy that particular time of year and what produce items are seasonal. Also fun right now though... it's getting me in the feel of spring and summer!

Ok, I have more writing to get back to. Will be back with you soon... (and remember what you need to do, um - rhymes with stick, pick, flick, trick, kick?!)