Recipe Post: 3-Bean Curry Tomato Soup

This is a soup I have loved for a long time, since I first created it for Vive le Vegan!  3-Bean Curry Tomato Soup.

Why the love?  Well, it's full o' beans.  Just like me.  :)  With all those beans and veggies and spices, you know it is good for you!  And, you feel good after eating it.  Plus, it comes together in a snap, and you'll have enough to freeze for dinner another night.

As much as I love this soup, it's not always a 'first-choice' soup in our house.  Why?  My picky-poo's love to pluck out every visible piece of onion and mustard seed and tomato.  I mean, they are good eaters, but they despise onions and whole spices, and find a way to eat the soup and leave the tomato behind.  :-(

Are your kiddos the same?  I know change will come, but by that time they'll have been through teenage years and I'll be too knackered for cooking!!

Just 2 more days to vote!  Thank you for supporting me.  And, if I don't make it to the tippy-top, that's cool.  Cool with me, not gram and poppy.  They'll be PISSED! ;)
But seriously, thank you... and *also* thanks for those of you that threw in some votes for WholeFoodsVeganMomma, she's jumped up a couple of spots... keep her in the 25!  Link.

Happy Sunday!  Go make some soup, the recipe is now posted!

A Favorite: Chickpea Ratatouille

It seems I've been testing new recipes forever.  Now that I have this new book completed, I can leisurely get back to some of my very favorite recipes.  Like Chickpea Ratatouille.  This recipe is from Vive le Vegan!, and will always be in my top-picks.

I only wish I had photographs in that book.  It was early in my cookbook career and I didn't have the greatest impressions of food photography and styling from my first cookbook, so I didn't push for any in Vive.  If I could go back, that Chickpea Ratatouille would definitely be in color!

I've posted about this recipe before, but you should have a new photo.  I made it just this past weekend, and loved every bite.  We usually have it with rice, and a side salad, but I could eat it straight up.  Crusty bread is also good on the side, and leftovers are amazing in salads, to top pizza, or in lunch wraps.  

We haven't had very any hot weather yet this year, so it was no biggie for me to crank up the oven for this casserole.  But, if it's hot your way, you can let your bbq do the baking!  Just keep an eye on it occasionally and adjust the heat settings if needed, as bbq settings can get very hot.

If you don't have Vive, you can dig in here!

Wellness Show + Sunflower Lentil Pie

(Update: Please note the change of time in my cooking demo - it's been pushed back a half-hour now to 2:00.)
Any of you attending The Wellness Show? I'll be doing a cooking demo (well, baking really!) on Sunday, Feb 8th at 2:00. So, if you're at the show on Sunday, stop by and say 'hi' after! Here's the full schedule of presenters on the different stages, if you'd like more info.

Now, on to food! I've been posting a lot about new recipes lately, but today I have an oldie but goodie from my second cookbook, Vive le Vegan. Here is my Sunflower Lentil Pie with Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce. Both recipes are easy to make, though it does make for lighter work in one meal to prepare the tahini sauce a day in advance.

To make the pie, you first cook the lentils until tender (with some onion), and then process that mixture with the seasoning, quick oats, and sunflower seeds. The lot gets transferred to a lightly oiled pie dish, as shown here before baking. Then bake, wait... and serve! Tahini sauce is particularly good with this pie, but you could also drizzle with a balsamic-oil slurry or a vegan gravy.

I like LOTS of the tahini sauce. I'm on a tahini kick right now anyhow. But, a note to you newbie vegans... I must tell you that when I first tasted tahini I thought it was repulsive! I couldn't imagine how people could find it marginally palatable! But, tahini has its place in cooking, and can be spectacularly delicious in sauce when combined with some choice ingredients that help balance its natural bitterness. So, give your palate a chance to develop with the flavors of new ingredients, and try a few recipes to help the process. Speaking of which, this Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce can be found here (scroll down to the second recipe).

Back to the pie. We often have a few slices of this leftover, and it makes a delicious and satisfying sandwich filling... or, can be used as a pate or sliced and reheated and layered in a wrap, or as a 'veggie burger' replacement. Mostly we use the leftovers as sandwich filling, it's substantial and tasty. If you have Vive, give this one a try!

Sweet Curry Chickpea Casserole (with some changes!)

Before the holidays, I made a version of my Sweet Curry Chickpea Casserole from Vive, so I thought I'd show you how I changed it up!
This is a one-pot dish, and you basically chuck all the needed ingredients into a large baking dish, stir through... cover up, and bake until done (okay, you stire once or twice during baking, but that's all the additional work from you)! You can then relax, sip champagne and sample decadent truffles while having a pedicure. Wait, that's what I like to pretend I'm doing after prepping... really, I'm tidying/doing laundry/cleaning dishes/vacuuming, etc... you know the score, you're doing it too! :)

So, when I made this dish, I had some black beans in the pantry as well as chickpeas, so I did a combination of both types of beans. Instead of yellow-flesh sweet potato, I used orange-fleshed sweet potato, since I didn't have the yellow tubers on hand. I decided to reduce the onions to make the dish a touch more kid-friendly, and also increased the amount of diced apple. I had a handful of fresh green beans in the fridge needing attention, so I trimmed and chopped those cuties and mixed them in as well. The other change I made were using curry powder instead of curry paste (um, my curry paste had been sitting in the fridge a little tooooo long, and I didn't want to chance using it)! Here you see the mix of ingredients, and I really liked how the black beans and orange taters gave such vibrant color!...

While it cooked, I put on a pot of brown basmati rice and let that do it's thing. Don't you love the smell of brown basmati rice??... gives a sweet, nutty, popcorn aroma through the house! To serve, simply scoop up a serving of that delicious rice on one side of a bowl, and then a hefty ladling of the casserole on the other side of the bowl (sprinkled with some fresh parsley - or cilantro, if you're a fan!), and dig in! Oh, I should mention that a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice on each serving sort of livens up all the flavors and makes it that much more delicious!

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe: Gingered Pear Crisp

As promised from my last post, I have added a dessert recipe on my recipes page for your Thanksgiving menu! Go get my Gingered Pear Crisp from Vive le Vegan!

This dessert is easy to make, and also offers a sweet finish to a meal that isn't heavy or rich. Be sure to serve this crisp warm, with either non-dairy ice cream... or better yet, Celestial Cream!

(Thanks to Sanja, who publishes the Coconut and Raspberry blog, for the delicious photo!) :)

Enjoy your vegan feast!

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!

Chickpea Sensation Patties

Unlike my last post, these patties won't hold up on the grill. But that shouldn't keep you from making them, because these Chickpea Sensation Patties from ed&bv are really delicious.

They are a combination of chickpeas, brown rice, and oats blended with sauteed veggies and seasonings including thyme and a scattering of capers. And this is how I like to eat them - not in a bun, but served on their own, with warm Balsamic Maple Sauce (*get recipe through vegan.com link, scroll down after rolls) on the side. They are just so moist and flavorful, that for me, a bun (or wrap or pita) is just not needed. Instead, serve a side of spuds with these patties - like Lemon Rosemary Potatoes from Vive, and a salad. You can't go wrong with that.

Then, if you're needing to keep that sweet tooth happy, maybe a reminder that it's time to bake up a mountain of Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies like so...

More Recipes!

Remember this Warm Potato Spinach Salad with Pine Nut Dressing?

If you have ed&bv and haven't made it yet - get to it! It's delicious and can almost be a meal on its own (throw in a handful of white beans and make it even more of a meal). Whatever, it is sensational, and since I've just posted the recipe, you can all make it! Get to scrubbing those taters!

I've also posted my Quinoa Spring Salad from Vive. This has been a popular salad for many folks I know, and so I wanted to share it with you for your summer bbq's and picnics.

And isn't this a gorgeous photo?! It's not my own, I have to give credit to Walking The Vegan Line (thanks for the pic). :)

More nummies to come... stay tuned, stay vegan!

Recipe Palooza!

A review of my Sample Recipes revealed that I had far too many sweet treats posted and not enough savory dishes and entrees. (Yes, I love the treats, but really, we need real food recipes too!)

So, the recipe party begins...

After posting the Cashew Banana Ice Cream, I have since posted:


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts (from ed&bv)

Peanut Passion Sauce (from ed&bv)

Chickpea Ratatouille (from Vive)

Kalamata Walnut Tapenade (from Vive)

I will be posting more recipes in the next couple of days... including a couple of summer salads and a new, unpublished recipe. (hint: oh-geez)

So... get cooking... especially those of you that don't have my cookbooks. No excuses, right?! :)

What will I do with this leftover Chickpea Ratatouille?

Make pizza, of course!

Many of you love Chickpea Ratatouille from Vive, but you know how sometimes you have leftovers, but not enough to make a full meal out of? When I find myself in this situation, and I don't want to just refrigerate the extras for lunches... often I freeze the leftovers until I decide how I might 'make it over'.

This time, I realized I had two Vicolo pizza crusts in the freezer (they are packaged in 2's), I realized these nutty, spelt and cornmeal-based (and wheat-free) crusts would be a splendid base for the chickpea ratatouille. If your leftover ratatouille is a touch 'liquidy', you can either simmer to reduce it, or spoon it onto the crust leaving behind the extra juices.

Then, embellish with your favorite toppings, that will complement the ratatouille base. We added some sliced olives, capers, and a fine shred of Sheese (we like a fine shred, but too much is very strong and overpowering, the Sheese varieties are all quite sharp and pungent).

I have more to share soon. Last week was insanely busy. I can't even explain how much I ran and juggled with a birthday, my mom visiting from Newfoundland, preparing for a recital, school activities, etc etc. It was a blur of a week, but was also rather exhausting. So, I leave you with a brief post today, and will be back with more good stuff soon!

And the pizza was fantastically delicious, you must know!

Cashew-Chocolate Crumb Chocolate Ice Cream Pie for 14th Anniversary

That's 14 yrs hubby and I have been married, not 14 yrs that I've been blogging. Goodness, if I reach a 14 yr blogging anniversary, someone intervene, please! Makes me wonder though where will we'll be online in years to come...

I'm digressing already and I've just started typing! Let's get to the food. So, as I said last week hubby and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. Wow, that's a long time, and I have been blessed every day to be with him. xo honny.
The boy loves his chocolate. Yes he does. So, I made my Cashew-Chocolate Crumb Ice Cream Pie from Vive. I do love ice cream pies. You can make them a few days in advance... plus, they're easy to 'hide'! He had no idea I made it.

Normally I use chocolate ice cream in the centre, but I opted for vanilla this time round. Both are great, really just personal preference. I think I do prefer the chocolate ice cream myself... for a triple chocolate threat hit!

So, we start with the chocolate cookie base. Get yourself some chocolate cookies (ex: as Nature's Path Deep Chocolate Cookies or Newman's Own). Whiz up in your food processor until very fine/crumbly. Mix with the crust ingredients, which include cashew butter. Bake for a wee bit, then remove and cool.

Once cool, soften ice cream, and then scoop into the crust. Distribute as even as you can, but it doesn't have to be smooth. Now, pop this into the freezer to get the ice cream good and frozen again.

Make the chocolate-cashew topping, combining the choc chips, cashew butter, non-dairy milk, etc, and let cool a bit. Yum, this is so thick and rich!

Once that ice cream is frozen again, pour the topping over and tip back and forth to cover - again it doesn't have to perfectly cover - looks pretty a little uneven. Back to the freezer it goes until you're ready to serve.

Then, when you want to serve, get this pie out for 5 mins or so to soften enough to cut - 'cause it's a bugger to cut very frozen! (and believe me, I know. Usually too impatient to wait, I find myself trying to hack into it.)

Then, sit back and ahhhhhhh enjoy! You know what this pie reminds me of?... especially with the vanilla ice cream option...? those Dairy Queen ice cream cakes... with the choc layer, vanilla layer, and then those choc crumbs in the centre. I never realized it when I tested the pie for Vive, but after making it with the vanilla ice cream this week, it brought back memories of those DQ cakes....

with that, I might just have to change my mind. Think I like the vanilla version best of all.

Celebrity Patties & Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce

When you're feeling extra special, perhaps like a celebrity in your own little circle, make a dish fit for your celeb status! These Celebrity Adzuki Bean and Rice Cakes are easy to make, and are even easier to eat! Scrumptious, especially with the Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce generously ladled over top. Both recipes are from Vive.

Now, I know adzuki beans are not the most common bean. If you aren't cooking them from dry form, you may not find them canned. So, feel free to sub in another small bean. I did! For this batch, I used canned black beans, and they worked beautifully. Just darker than the reddish adzuki beans, but that darkness just provided a lovely contrast to the vibrant Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce. I also used quick oats in place of the breadcrumbs - about 3/4 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs. But, I like the patties nice and tender, so if you want them firmer, go ahead and use more quick oats, anywhere from 1 - 1 1/2 cups.

Here are some photos of the process making the sauce. It's quite easy, actually. You simply place some cut yellow peppers in the oven and broil for about 12-15 mins. Then, place in a bowl (as pictured) and cover with plastic wrap to steam. After about 15 mins, remove the plastic wrap and use your fingers to slip off the skins on the peppers. You can see a couple of peppers here where I've already removed the coarse blistered skins.

Once all done, pop the peppers into a deep cup and blend with the remaining ingredients using your handy dandy immersion blender. (all good vegans MUST have a hand blender and food processor! Dreena cooking rule #1) !

Now, in my recipe I list 3 med/large yellow peppers for this recipe. This should yield 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of those slices of roasted peppers. Be sure to measure your yield of peppers before blending the other ingredients! I had about 5 small yellow peppers, and my yield was closer to 1 cup. I needed to adjust the vinegar and dijon mustard measurement, reducing slightly, to compensate for a smaller measure of peppers. The roasted peppers give natural sweetness to the sauce, but if there aren't enough then the vinegar and dijon can be a touch strong, so measure your yield, then adjust to taste!

Btw, you can also serve these bean and rice cakes in a pita with ketchup, vegan mayonnaise, lettuce leaves, etc, and pair with some home fries...
and that yellow pepper sauce... holy deliciousness! I've used it to toss in pasta, or kept it thicker (using less water) for a dip. Make a double batch, why don't you? Yellow peppers are usually very reasonably priced this time of year, so now's the time!

One more thing. You'll notice three Flickr badges on the right, scrolling down. I have been uploading more of my photos into sets for each cookbook. So, if you are ever curious about a photo for one of my recipes, you can either search my blog, or click through to Flickr and check the set for that cookbook. Hopefully the recipe you're looking for will be there, and if not, it might be soon!

White Bean Hummus

Hey my blogging buddies! :)

Are you overwhelmed with back-to-school details? Aren't these first couple of weeks in September a little nuts?! Getting back into regular routines, attending to details for school and activities. I've been a little absent commenting back to you on my posts, and I apologize for that, but this last week has been pretty hectic. Nevertheless, I'm hanging in there, and will always be sure to get to your questions here and by e-mail as quickly as I can!

Now, let's get to what gets us through these busy days... yummy food! Any of you that have been around a while know I love using beans in recipes, and I particularly love to create recipes for bean spreads, dips, and hummus. Well, ED&BV will have an entire chapter devoted to hummus! Oh, yes, for all us garbanzo-loving vegheads... and some dips using other beans for those of you that don't share the chickpea love. (tho' I'll never understand why and how one cannot love the mighty chickpea!)

Like this White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil. This hummus is creamy and herbaceous, and utterly delicious. Plus, for days when you are running to and fro with school and activities... and packing lunch after lunch, this hummus is a cinch to make.

You just need a small amount of fresh basil (1/4 cup) and fresh thyme (2 - 3 tsp), so you can use herbs growing in pots on your patio, or from those small packages in your grocery store. Then, you simply need pantry staples like canned white beans, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, and a few other basic ingredients to whiz up this wonderful, healthy hummus. To finish off the hummus, I like to drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over top. So good! Carrie tested this white bean hummus recipe for me many months back, and you can also check out her post about it.

So, what other recipes will be in this hummus chapter in ED&BV? (I know, I'm such a tease). Well, there's Chipotle-Lime Two Bean Hummus, Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, and Kids Dynamo Hummus for starters. While I know many of you love the Creamy Hummus recipe from Vive, we all need to spice things up a little from time to time, right?

Tomato-Lentil Tortilla Pizzas

What's on the menu? Pizza of course! How many variations can I make... countless!


This time, I used a whole-wheat flour tortilla as a pizza shell. I've detailed this technique in both TEV and Vive. Basically, you pre-bake a flour tortilla until crispy and lightly golden. Then, you can top with whatever you like. Because the crust is very thin, it lends itself well to heartier 'sauces' and spreads, like hummus and bean dips. Also, because it is thin, using ingredients that don't release too much moisture is best - otherwise the crust, especially through the middle, can get soft and mushy.

I had leftover Tomato-Lentil Pasta Sauce (recipe from Vive). This is a hearty sauce, but since it needed thickening for this pizza, I simmered it to reduce it down and remove most of the moisture. It was thick enough that the crusts kept their delightful crispiness.

I served a large fresh salad with the pizza, so I kept the toppings to a minimum. Added a scattering of grated Vegan Rella and also some of this soy feta. I think I've mentioned this feta before (?). While it doesn't exactly mimic dairy feta, with a noticeable tofu texture, it does offer a salty/sour/piquant taste that is enjoyable to use in small amounts on certain dishes - like this one. Then, a few sliced olives, and after baking, I added the fresh basil leaves.

Easy, delicious, satisfying.

If making tortilla pizzas yourself, note that most brands have hydrogenated oils, check ingredients to find one without those nasty fats!

Banana Oat Bundles

Have you had your bundle today?....


If you own Vive, have you tried the Banana Oat Bundles yet? Unless you really dislike bananas... what's up... why haven't you made them?!

These are like a little muffin, full of banana/oat-y goodness, and are just the simplest thing to make. (and leave your kitchen smelling sa-weet!)

You can also pass them off as "cookies" to your kids, especially if you throw a handful of chocolate chips in the batter. They aren't as flat as most cookies, and certainly have the texture of an oat-y muffin, but they are small enough to fit in those little munchkin hands and be a cookie!

Other bonus: you can whip this recipe together in about 10 minutes, and then into the oven they go. I puree the ripe bananas in a mini-food processor to make a very smooth puree which stirs very well into the dry mixture, and prevents any larger bits of bananas in the batter (if you aren't fond of that). Also, as you might guess, these are wheat-free.

I need to make these again soon. This time with some choco chips. Maybe a few pecans too. Go on, bundle up!

What? You don't have Vive but really want to try them. Okay, okay... here they are. No more excuses now, okay? Go bake.

Easy Falafels

Falafels + tahini sauce = yummy.

but... sometimes:

making falafels from scratch + making tahini sauce = too much work for one day!

Finally, I've found some prepared falafels that I like! You see, I've tried the dried mixes where you add water, mix up, then form in patties and fry. They are oddly spicy to me, and I always have leftovers that I don't use because they just aren't worthy of a second meal.

Then, I come across these refrigerated prepared falafels by Pita's in our local supermarket (Save-On). I'd give you a website for more info, but I wasn't able to find one. Too bad, because these are tasty "instant" falafels. Even though I'd take homemade falafels over prepared any day, the blend of ingredients in these is not too spicy, and pairs perfectly with a homemade tahini sauce.

Speaking of tahini sauce, I've posted my Tahini-Tamari Sauce from TEV and my Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce from Vive on my recipe page. Why both? I can't choose which one I like best, so you can choose which one you want to use! The Tahini-Tamari sauce is more lemony with parsley, and the Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce is a little richer with more toasted sesame oil. Personally, I often choose the Tahini-Tamari Sauce for falafels, and then the Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce for other dishes (like my Sunflower-Lentil Pie or Moroccan Chickpea Patties from Vive, or as a salad/sandwich dressing).

Whichever you choose, they are simple to make. I whiz them up with my handblender, directly in a jar (this is one of those 'Nuts to You' larger nut butter jars). This pic is the Tahini-Tamari Sauce, and you can see the flecks of parsley blended in - nummy!

These falafels are a snap to prepare. Just have to place them on a baking sheet to reheat. No need to fry them, because they already been fried to get a crispy coating before packaging. But... they aren't too oily or greasy - just have a nice crispy coating that gives a crunch to bite into.

I served them in these very thin flatbreads instead of pitas (just less bread so I can enjoy the taste of the falafel more). I had picked these Mountain Bread wraps at Capers in Vancouver, and haven't seen them in our local area. Checking out their website, I'm now jealous to see all the varieties they have - oat, corn, barley - wow! These were great for the falafels, and would work nicely for any type of wrap. But, if you can't find them, use whole-wheat tortillas instead. Or, if you can find whole-wheat pitas that aren't too thick and bready, go for those.

So, the falafels are served up on the flatbreads with the tahini sauce drizzled over top. We also had salad and leftover home fries to add to the meal.

And what's that in the corner of the plate? Cranberry sauce! Yep, cranberry sauce. Trust me, this works. I wanted something to contrast the spice and savory flavors of the falafel and tahini sauce, and the cranberry sauce did the trick! Much like a mango chutney with Indian food. Anyhow, this was my own cranberry sauce from E,D&BV, but you can buy a prepared cranberry sauce or relish - there are some on the market now that are quite good and made with natural sweeteners.

I hope you can find some of these 'convenience' foods in your area. Makes for an easy falafel dinner.

Choco-Cinna-Nut Biscotti

This week I wanted to bake an old favorite. I wasn't feeling muffins, or a quick bread, or scones, or even cookies (I know, shocking!). Ok, well I was kind of feeling cookies, because I made these Choco-Cinna-Nut Biscotti from Vive.

I substituted a sifted whole-grain spelt flour for the all-purpose flour, for a healthier take on biscotti. I've posted the recipe with the note for using spelt flour. You see, I knew I would need a bit more spelt, since I almost always do when substituting it for white flour. But, I didn't measure it. I just used two cups on the generous side. When I baked the two biscotti logs, they spread out just a bit more than they should have. Nothing major, the biscotti still worked beautifully, they were just a tiny bit flatter than I would have liked. So, if you make the same substitution, try about 2 1/4 cups spelt flour to replace the all-purpose (this note is also within the posted recipe).

After making these, I wanted to get back and come up with other variations. They are fun to make and even if you don't dip them in hot tea or coffee, they are still a nice nibbler, or you can have them with your 'soy-frappuccino'... (do they make these? I don't know, I'm not a coffee drinker.)

You may not be in the baking mood with the summer heat, but if you get the baking itch like I did, try out these biscotti. A little cocoa, a little cinnamon, a little nutty, and a whole lot yummy!

Oh, remember the guessing game yesterday? Well, I decided to make it a little contest to win a copy of the Everyday Dish dvd! So I drew names from those that guessed correctly on both of my photos (the chocolate pie and hummus dips). There were 3 fully correct guesses, and Teresa you won! I'm a sneaky vegan momma (just ask my kids)... you never know when I'm going to throw a treat out there. :) Teresa, e-mail me and I'll send you the dvd!