Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking: cookbook review

Once you start cooking from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes With a Kick, you will never complain about bland vegan food again. Whether you're looking to spice up your own diet, or prepare fabulous foods to impress omnivore family and friends who may think vegan food is boring, Celine's newest recipe collection will provide the recipes you need to create beautiful and seriously flavorful vegan food.

Although not a gluten-free cookbook by any means, if you need your food to be gluten-free, (or soy-free or oil-free), Celine has you covered with clearly marked recipes and instructions that make it easy to find the kinds of meals you're looking for. In a hurry and need a fabulous dish you can make in 30 minutes? There are recipes for speedy, richly flavored dishes, too. In addition to instructions for creating the sumptuous dishes, there's a generous section called Staples, with directions for making homemade versions of, in Celine's words, "striking spice mixes, umami-packed broth, bright and tangy finishing sauces, and more." I admit to being someone who typically eats a pretty simple diet, and maybe you are, too, but when you are craving a flavor-intense meal, this is the book you need.


We tried several of the recipes, and were not disappointed. The first one we sampled was Tamarind Miso Soup, and it was an eye-opener. The tamarind paste completely changed the flavor of the vegetable-packed soup from what we were used to. I wish my photo had turned out as well as the soup, but, unfortunately it did not, so words will have to suffice.


Next, we sampled Smoky Kale and Chickpeas With Miso Peanut Drizzle. I think we've had this at least three times since receiving the book. Need I say more? Seduced by the great flavor and ease of preparation, we had to force ourselves to move on and try other recipes. I think this will become a standard in our dining repertoire. (You can find the recipe reprinted on The Vegan 8 blog.)



The next selection was Five-Spice Teriyaki Bowl, served over gluten-free buckwheat noodles, and cooked by my husband. He must have neglected to read Celine's recipe introduction warning about the "warm, yet pungent licorice-like flavor of five-spice powder." She cautioned about star anise and fennel haters, of which I AM ONE, but he added the full two teaspoons of five-spice to the pot anyway. This was his first (and maybe last) time cooking with five-spice powder. It didn't end well. The dish was beautiful and 'fragrant', and even though I only had one mouthful before exhibiting intense irrational behavior, I could tell that others might find it excellent. My husband sure liked it. I've been trying for years to teach myself to like anise and fennel, but I'm not there yet. I could have enjoyed a quarter or possibly even a half teaspoon, but not two. Not two. Remember, you can always adjust the seasonings you're adding to a dish to accommodate your personal preferences.



Last night I made Red Curry Veggies, and we loved it. One of the reasons I chose the recipe was because it featured green beans, and we had a bagful of fresh green beans from our son and daughter-in-law's garden. I also had a zucchini from my neighbor's garden which I used instead of the eggplant in the recipe, and a few pieces of leftover air-fried tofu from the night before which I threw in just because. The curry was excellent, and will probably show up at our next meal for company.

I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking.  

Just a note: The cookbook has one of those nifty bindings that allows it to stay open while you use it.

Author Celine Steen, is the talented writer, recipe creator and photographer behind the popular vegan blog, Have Cake Will Travel, as well as the author or co-author, and photographer of 12 vegan cookbooks including The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, Whole Grain Baking, and Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher, Page Street Publishing Company. I was not paid to write the review. All opinions are my own.

This post may contain Amazon links. 

But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan: review and recipe for Maple-Miso Tempeh Cutlets

Printed by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.

So, vegans, have you ever had a friend tell you they would love to invite you for dinner but they have no idea what they could make? What they don't realize, is a lot of us feel the same way about them. We agonize over what vegan dishes we can make to appeal to our non-vegan family and friends. I feel pretty lucky that my non-vegan dinner guests have been extremely accepting (or at least they are good liars!) of my vegan cooking, but I still spend a lot of time thinking about what foods would be most appealing. If you're always trying to come up with tasty vegan foods for omnivorous guests, Kristy Turner has a solution for you. Her new cookbook, But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan, 125 Recipes to Win Everyone Over is filled with recipes meant to delight the non-vegan eater. Of course, we vegans benefit from her creativity, too! Not only are the recipes satisfying, the book itself is a beauty. It's easy to read, and filled with gorgeous photos by Kristy's husband, Chris. Follow my link to amazon.com and 'look inside the book' for a generous preview of Kristy's compendium of general cooking-related information, as well as many of her recipes. Then order a copy for your bookshelf!

Photo credit: Andrea Zeichner

I sampled four recipes when I received my copy. The first one I tried was Kung Pao Cauliflower. I was craving Chinese food, and Kristy's version of Kung Pao "chicken" was mighty appealing. After enjoying the dish myself, I can easily see serving it to family; I can't imagine anyone not liking it. It's supposed to have green onion strands beautifying the dish as a garnish, but unfortunately, I took the photo before remembering to add the onions, so just picture it delicately graced with green onions. Delish!

Photo credit: Andrea Zeichner

The next recipe to catch my attention was Mushroom-Kale Skillet Hash. The end result was toothsome, but I had a bit of a problem following the directions for this one. The potatoes kept sticking to the pan, and refused to crisp up, even though I turned the heat down and added a splash of broth, as directed. They also took forever to soften — maybe I had mutant potatoes. I eventually decided to cook the kale in a separate pan and add it to the potatoes after they were finally cooked, because it didn't look like there was any way the kale would soften in that potato-filled pan. It all worked out in the end, and although I ran into a bit of trouble during the preparation, we definitely loved the final result.

Photo credit: Andrea Zeichner

My next delicious recipe adventure was Chinese Chickpea Salad. I may have taken a few liberties with some of the salad ingredients, but nothing major. It looks like I added some arugula, and used peanuts instead of almonds — and the original recipe was topped with crumbled rice crackers, which I didn't have. However, the basic idea of crunchy salad with cabbage, toasted chickpeas and miso-ginger dressing is what matters, and it was perfect.

Photo credit: Andrea Zeichner

The last dish I'll show you is Maple-Miso Tempeh Cutlets — I've even got the recipe to share. Tempeh is one of those foods that some people, even vegans, don't like, but, if there's one tempeh recipe that might tempt the recalcitrant, this may be it. It was wonderful the day I made it, and great the next day as cold leftovers. I'm thinking of bringing it to a family dinner this weekend. Either this or the Chinese Chickpea Salad — or both! Do you have a favorite dish to make when cooking for non-vegan family and friends?

Kristy and her publisher have allowed me to share a recipe with you, and I've chosen the fabulous Miso-Maple Tempeh Cutlets. I hope you'll try it. As I mentioned earlier in the post, you can see more of Kristy's recipes by looking at her book on Amazon.

Photo credit: Chris Miller. Printed by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.

Maple-Miso Tempeh Cutlets
Serves 4// Prep Time: 5 Minutes // Active Time: 20 Minutes // Inactive Time: 20 Minutes
Though it would be nice if the whole family were cool with you replacing the turkey or ham or whatever poor animal has to be the centerpiece of the holiday meal with something vegan, that’s not likely to happen. Not right away, at least. What we always do is bring along a vegan main dish that’s just for us (and the other vegans/vegetarians at the gathering). The rest of the family can still have their traditional main dish and you don’t have to sacrifice your lifestyle choice. Although I could bring a store-bought faux meat dish, I like to bring something homemade (I’m going to get far fewer jokes about some tempeh than if I’m heating up a “tofurkey”). These tasty tempeh cutlets, glazed in a savory maple-miso sauce, are best enjoyed the day they’re prepared. If you need to prepare them somewhat in advance, steam the tempeh and prepare the sauce so that all you need to do on the day of is cook the cutlets in the sauce.

• Two 8-ounce (225 g) packages tempeh ¼ cup (60 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
• ¼ cup (60 ml) liquid aminos (or gluten-free tamari)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons white soy miso (or chickpea miso)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Chop each tempeh block in half horizontally, then chop each half diagonally so you
   have eight triangles. 
2. Fill a large shallow saucepan with a couple of inches of water and fit with a stea
   mer basket. Place the tempeh triangles in the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Bring to a
   boil, then reduce to a simmer. Steam the tempeh for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the triangles once halfway through. Remove the steamer basket from the pan (keep the tempeh in the basket) and set aside. 
3. Dump the water from the saucepan. Combine the vegetable broth, liquid aminos, maple syrup, miso, sage, and thyme in the pan and stir to mix. Add the tempeh triangles
4. and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Let the tempeh simmer in the sauce for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them once halfway through, until the sauce is absorbed and starts to caramelize. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Tip
For a killer Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich, slice one of the triangles width-wise so
that you have two thinner triangles. Use those in the sandwich.

Credit: Recipe from But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!: 125 Recipes to Win Everyone Over 
© Kristy Turner, 2016. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own. The blog post contains Amazon links.

V is for Vegan: book review and recipe

 
V is for Vegan by Kerstin Rodgers, first published in 2015 in London by Quadrille Publishing Limited, is available in the U.S. as of March 1, 2016. It's filled with a collection of exotic and exciting international vegan recipes that range from easy to complex. 

The introduction provides a clear description of what vegans do and don't eat, and a brief history of veganism. The next 27 pages form a section called "Knowledge is Power," where you can find ingredient descriptions, and instructions for making many of the unusual "flavor-booster" ingredients that are required in various recipes. For example, there are recipes for vegan parmesan, preserved lemons, pink pickled onions, pickled green grapes, macadamia dukkah, baechu kimchi, candied zucchini strips, etc., plus directions for making staples like tofu, stock, cheese and nut milks. You can go to Amazon.com to 'look inside the book' to survey the chapter if you want to get a real taste for the breadth of information it contains.

Carrot, Pepper, & Lentil Tagine

The recipes are alluring, but maybe not for everyone. You probably wouldn't come home on a weekday and attempt to throw together one of the dinner recipes. Chances are great you will first have to hunt down ingredients, perhaps marinate or blend something ahead of time, plus you'll need to give yourself plenty of time to prep and cook the actual dish. Not everyone wants to open a coconut to make soup or curry, even if it's more authentic than opening a can of coconut milk. And a few of the recipes that I picked out to make based on their title or photo, contained ingredients I've never heard of. What, for example, is a glug of verjuice?

Carrot, Pepper, & Lentil Tagine

On the other hand, if you're looking for a selection of recipes for special occasions, you will find plenty to choose from in V is for Vegan. Chocolate Sichuan Pepper Fettuccine with Porcini & Black Olives, Three-Topping Polenta Party and Pizzette with Roast Pumpkin, Red Onion, & Sage beckon. Because my blog (and I) specialize in easier to prepare dishes, I tried to pick one of the more straightforward recipes to try, and selected Moroccan Carrot, Pepper, & Lentil Tagine. Even in this recipe there were unusual ingredients like ras el hanout and orange flower water, which we don't usually have on hand. I found  recipes for ras el hanout on the Internet, and chose one that contained 14 ingredients, all of which I had in my spice drawer. I also found a hack for the orange flower water. My husband made the dish, and he was in the kitchen for a long, long time, prepping and cooking. The finished dish was good, but not as fabulous as I was expecting, considering the amount of effort that went into preparing it. The next recipes I have picked out to try are Eggplant Baked With Miso Glaze, and Hibiscus Flowers in Blue Corn Enchiladas with Pickled Purple Cabbage. Don't they sound good? The eggplant recipe is Japanese, and fairly simple, while the enchiladas look a bit more complex. I just have to find dried hibiscus flowers!

Fava beans are BIG

I think my favorite section of the book may be the snack section. There are quite a few possibilities here, and one that caught my eye was Ful Medames Dip. I think I was attracted to the recipe because of a ful medames I enjoyed many years ago in a wonderful Middle Eastern restaurant in Toledo, Ohio. I always intended to recreate it but never did. The original dish was made with whole fava beans, and was not a dip, but the dip recipe was perfect.

Ful Medames

The recipe was easy to follow and the results were excellent — every bit as delicious as the one I remember. I liked the recipe for ful medames so much I requested permission to share it with you, and it appears after the review.

I think V is for Vegan would be best suited to adventurous cooks, both beginners and experienced, looking to explore, and learn to use, uncommon ingredients to create gourmet international dishes. There are simple recipes to be found, but the emphasis is on more exotic, colorful fare, and chances are good you will find yourself looking for unfamiliar ingredients.

A problem I encountered with the book was the somewhat difficult to read type — especially the fractional ingredient quantities, and notes at the beginning of recipes. The darker colors used as backgrounds on so many of the pages add to the reduced legibility. Also, some of the directions are a bit confusing and, in my experience, the cooking times can vary quite a bit from the the times given in the recipes.



Thanks to the publisher, Quadrille Publishing Limited, for allowing me to share the following delicious recipe:

Ful Medames Dip
“Ful” are dried fava beans, a legume made infamous by Hannibal the Cannibal. You can make this Egyptian dip with fresh or frozen fava beans too. Think of it as a funkier, sludgier hummus.
(Serves 4 to 6)

• 1 scant cup [100 g] dried fava beans or 14-oz [400-g] can of fava beans
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra to garnish
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Sea salt, to taste
• Handful of parsley

1. If using dried beans, boil them in water for 30 to 40 minutes (no need to pre-soak), then drain. Otherwise, drain the can. 
2. Add the beans, tahini, oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and some salt to a food processor. Whizz to combine (or mash everything by hand).
3. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle over more olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley. 

Andrea's Notes:
1. I used a can of organic, low salt fava beans, rinsed and drained. If you decide to cook dried beans, I suggest looking up recipes. I had originally planned to cook the beans and when I searched instructions, most of the recipes I consulted suggested soaking the beans — some for two days!
2. I use oil in cooking, but don't like to add it to dips that contain other high fat ingredients like tahini. I added one tablespoon of oil and one tablespoon of water instead of two tablespoons of oil, and drizzled about a teaspoon over the top of the finished dip, but I think you could omit the oil if you wanted to.
3. Out of sheer laziness I used dried parsley instead of going out in the rain to pick fresh. It wasn't bad, but I recommend fresh.

............................................................................................................

Kerstin Rogers is a chef, author, food and travel writer. V is for Vegan is her third book. She writes a blog called MsMarmiteLover where she shares her recipes and food knowledge. I have to warn you that the blog is not a vegan blog, but there is much to learn there.

V is for Vegan was sent to me without cost, for review. I didn't get paid to write the review and all opinions are my own. The post contains Amazon links. 

A selection of dips from V is for Vegan. Photo by Jan Baldwin, 2015. Quadrille Publishing Limited.

Isa Does It — review

It's ridiculous how long it's taken me to write a review of Isa Does it. I thought I'd get it done before the holidays to encourage people to give it as a gift, but although I, myself, bought multiple copies to give as gifts, I never wrote a word about the book. There are lots of reasons I could mention, but rather than casting blame on my own sloth or other issues, I choose to blame the weather. Yes, there has been so little natural light here that all the photos I take suck, and I don't want to post them. Sometimes it feels like I'm living underground.

Muffin pan mini omelets.

But, excuses and issues aside, you know, there's always another gift-giving occasion around the corner — a birthday, Valentine's Day, first day of spring — so if you haven't yet found the perfect present for your best vegan friend, I might be able to help you. Or you might just want to purchase a copy for yourself. Read on.

Before I say anything about the recipes, I have to say a few words about the physical book. It's one of the prettiest cookbooks I've seen in ages — and not just because it has beautiful photos of so many of the recipes. It's true that the photos are wonderful, but the design of the whole book is just so appealing — I love the substantial, matte, pastel colored paper, the quirky but logical page layouts and the sumptuous full-page photos. It's the sort of book that you'll want to page through sitting in front of the fire as much as you'll want to cook from it. Even as I sit here writing the review, I keep looking through the book admiring the pages, and picking things I might want to make for dinner. The book's appeal expands even further when you add Isa's humorous, chatty, down-to-earth writing — there's lots of helpful 'how-to' and ingredient stuff at the beginning, an engaging introduction to each recipe, plus many helpful hints along the way.

Sweet potato and red curry soup with rice and purple kale — a favorite.

For those of you trying to avoid various foods in your diet, there's a list of substitutions for things like gluten, soy and nuts. The book isn't specifically geared to allergies, but really, there are so many recipe choices you shouldn't have much of a problem finding plenty of options. One exception might be for those relatively new to avoiding gluten in baked goods. You may need to do a little research to find some of the dessert recipes useful.

Okra gumbo with chickpeas and kidney beans.

We've tried quite a few recipes so far, sometimes following the directions and sometimes sort of following them.

Shroomy hot and sour soup.

For example, my husband made hot and sour soup subbing carrots and cauliflower for the cabbage, and adding mung threads instead of chow mein noodles. Recipes, after all, are guides, and Isa's recipes hold up well to a few ingredient changes.

Smokey Incan stew.

Mostly, we've really enjoyed the recipes we've tried, though we don't always agree — for example, I loved the mini omelets, my husband not so much.

Goddess noodles.

Two things worth noting — the servings tend to be very generous, and although we are hearty eaters, we often end up with tons of leftovers. And sometimes the ingredients are more (for lack of a better word) extravagant than I like. For example, the Goddess Noodles, which serves four, calls for 1/2 cup of tahini. My husband, who can be a rather strict recipe follower when making something for the first time, used the full amount, and I could barely eat it. I make tahini sauce often, and love it, but never quite that much per serving. This is not meant as a negative, just as an observation.

Lentil-miso gravy (over mashed potatoes, of course!).

I highly recommend Isa Does It as a worthy addition to your cookbook collection, or as a beautiful gift for anyone with an interest in cooking delicious vegan food. The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and depend on readily available ingredients. Honestly, I can't keep my hands off the book — it's gorgeous and inspiring, and I want to make everything!

Full disclosure: I was sent a free, review copy by the publisher. I did not receive payment for the review. All opinions are my own.

Naturally Sweet and Gluten Free: review, recipe and giveaway

Today's my day to host a stop on the blog tour for Ricki Heller's new cookbook, Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free. I just want to say before I begin, that you need this book. Whether or not you have food sensitivities, you probably have friends who do, and how great would it make you feel to be able to make your friends a fabulous dessert they can enjoy? Not to mention that you will love the desserts, too, because this isn't just a great gluten-free dessert book, it's a great dessert book. Period.

Seriously, Ricki is the wizard of healthy, allergy-free desserts — maybe because she's had lots of practice in dessert-making and-eating. With a monster sweet tooth, she's struggled all her life with sugar cravings. When health issues forced her to rethink her diet, she developed new recipes that were both indulgent yet suitable for her new way of life.

Ricki says, "As more and more of us seek a healthier diet and lifestyle, finding a dessert that tastes great without contributing in some way to ill health can seem like an impossible task. After all, isn't a 'healthy dessert' an oxymoron? We're left wondering: is it possible to enjoy authentic desserts without consuming any of these unhealthy foods? With this book, I hope to prove that you can have your cake and great health too!"

A pan of freshly baked butterscotch blondies, cooling.

There are 100 recipes for wonderful desserts that look and taste amazing. Everything from cheesecakes to cupcakes to butter tarts to bundt cakes, whoopie pies, cookies, ice cream and raw cookie dough bites have been perfected for your table. In addition to the recipes and lots of gorgeous photos, there are more than 30 pages of information covering topics like supplying the pantry, ingredients, tips and techniques, and kitchen equipment. Speaking of ingredients, it's true that if you are already cooking and baking to accommodate allergies or other health issues, your pantry may be stocked with foods many people have never heard of, but many of our pantries may be missing some of the less typical ingredients. If using recipes with unusual ingredients has you worried, fear not, Ricki provides loads of substitutions for less common items. Don't have coconut sugar on hand? It's OK to use regular sugar. You may even find that expanding your pantry to include a few new ingredients, can be a good thing.

One of my favorite recipes from Ricki's first cookbook was Butterscotch Blondies. (recipe to follow) In fact, I was so fixated on the blondies that I almost couldn't make anything else. (Click here to see the old recipe on her blog.) In her new book, Ricki has updated the recipe to make it gluten-free and allergy-friendly without compromising the yummy flavor and great chewy texture. Of course, the blondies were the first thing I made from Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free, and it took a lot of will-power to make myself try another recipe rather than making the blondies again and again. (I didn't have goji berries so I used dried cranberries, but next time I'm thinking of using dried bananas.)

But, in the interest of maintaining a balanced diet, ahem, I whipped up a batch of Easiest Almond Cookies. When I was a child, my family used to go to Philadelphia's Chinatown every Sunday night for dinner before visiting my aunt, uncle and cousin in West Philly. To complete the meal, I always ordered an almond cookie for dessert. When I saw Ricki's recipe, I was eager to revisit my childhood memory. Ricki doesn't place an almond in the center of her cookies, but I just had to press one into each cookie so they would look like the ones from the Dragon Gate restaurant. Ricki's cookies are chewier and a little less sweet, but just as delicious as the ones I remember.

When I first saw Ricki's recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, on her blog, I was skeptical, to put it mildly. Rather than being made with a stick of butter, it's made with sweet potato. Eewww, right? I was so surprised by the ingredients, I had to try it for myself, and now it doesn't even seem weird to me. The taste and texture are fabulous, and everyone I've served it to loves it as much as I do. Actually, no one has a clue the frosting contains sweet potatoes — and I don't always tell.

Sellers Publishing has given me permission to share Ricki's recipe for Butterscotch Blondies, and I've provided links to the other recipes mentioned in my post. In addition, the publisher will send a free copy of the cookbook to one of my readers, randomly selected from the commenters. If you want to be eligible to win, please be sure your comment is connected to an email address so I can contact you. The book drawing is limited to North America, but please don't let that stop you from leaving a comment. I love comments! If you live in North America and wish to be entered in the drawing, please type 'book' after your comment. The contest is open until midnight, Oct. 19.

Butterscotch Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Goji Berries                Makes 16

These are a favorite dessert in our house. They are rich tasting and chewy, and the combination of lucuma with coconut sugar and coconut nectar is, I think, very reminiscent of butterscotch. I love using dried, super-healthy goji berries in these bars, but dried cherries or cranberries work just as well. In fact, feel free to stir in any additions you like, as long as you keep the same proportions. For instance, one alternative I really enjoy is pistachios and chopped dried apricots. ~ Ricki

• 1 cup (135 g) Ricki's All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix (see page 22)*
• ¾ cup (75 g) whole oat flour (to make your own, see page 35)
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) lucuma powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda
• ¼ tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
• 1 tsp (5 ml) xanthan gum (use only Bob’s Red Mill brand if you are concerned about a corn allergy)
• ⅓ cup (25 g) coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water
• ½ cup (120 ml) coconut nectar
• ⅛ tsp (.5 ml) pure stevia powder or
• ¼ tsp (1 ml) pure plain or vanilla stevia liquid, or to taste
• ⅓ cup (90 ml) sunflower or other light-tasting oil, preferably organic
• 1 Tbsp (30 ml) pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp (1 ml) rum, butterscotch, or brandy flavoring (optional)
• ½ cup (100 g) unsweetened carob chips or dairy-free dark chocolate chips
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) dried goji berries, cherries, cranberries, or dried fruit of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F (170˚C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan with parchment paper, or spray well with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, lucuma powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. 
3. In a large bowl, mix the coconut sugar and water until the sugar begins to dissolve. Add the coconut nectar, stevia, oil, vanilla, and flavoring, if using, until well blended. Gently stir in the chips and gojis.
4. Pour the dry mixture over the wet ingredients and stir to blend. You will have a thick and sticky batter. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through baking, until a tester inserted in the center comes out just barely clean (a moist crumb or two is fine). Take care not to overbake, as these will dry out! The top may fall a little as it cools; this is fine. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting into squares. May be frozen. 

*You can use your favorite GF flour mix, Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix, etc.

This material is copyrighted. Please do not reproduce without the publishers permission.

Full disclosure: I received the cookbook without cost. All opinions are my own. I was not paid for my review.

Chloe's Vegan Desserts — review and recipe

If you've ever wished for a desert to impress your non-vegan friends and family, or if you, yourself, are pining for the sweets you used to enjoy before you became vegan, this book was written for you. I never was much of a dessert person, and can't think of anything I miss, but even I was impressed by my results when I tried two of Chloe's recipes. I practically fainted when I saw my cookies come out of the oven, they were so beautiful, and gasped when I tasted one, it was so extraordinary. All my anti-fat-and-sugar rants went down the drain. Maybe a little fat and sugar at the right time and place isn't such a bad thing. Maybe.

I recently invited some friends over for dinner, and it seemed a good time to try one or two of Chef Chloe's desserts. I figured if it didn't work out I could blame Chloe, and if it was a success, I could share the credit. There were eight of us, and although the recipe for chocolate cream pie was for a nine-inch pie, I decided to use my eight mini tart pans to make individual desserts. Chloe provides a gluten-free option* for most of her recipes, and although there was a gluten-free suggestion for the crust, I decided to make my own gluten-free crust with almond flour and sorghum flour. I followed the directions exactly for the filling, but deviated a bit on the whipped cream, using just two tablespoons of powdered sugar instead of 2/3 cup, and adding a spot of vanilla. I have my limits on how much sweetness I can stand, and for me, the lesser amount of sugar was plenty. Sorry to say, I completely forgot to decorate the tarts with shaved chocolate, as directed in the recipe, but never mind — the tarts were exceptional even without it— rich, creamy, chocolaty and satisfying. My guests included vegans, vegetarians and omnivores, and I can tell you there wasn't a crumb of this dessert left on anyone's plate. The ooos and aaahs were a testament to Chloe's skills.

The week before the party, I made a batch of chewy ginger-molasses cookies, then froze them. I pulled them out for the party in case anyone didn't want a tart. (Ha!) At first, my guests claimed they were too full to eat any more; the cookies looked so professional, everyone thought they were store-bought. Trust me, I'm not a professional when it comes to baking, and my cookies NEVER look this good. Thank you Chloe! When I said I had made them, people began to sample them, and they were quite a hit. My cookies look a little different from the ones in the book — maybe because I made them gluten-free.* Mine spread and are flatter. The taste was wonderful and the fragrance intoxicating; the cookies are fabulous, and I don't think anyone would suspect they were gluten-free or vegan.

Chloe's Vegan Desserts is a beautifully produced book with recipes for everything from cakes, cookies, bars, pies, mousse, ice cream, gelato, pudding, and panna cotta to rich dessert drinks of every kind. Pumpkin whoopie pies? Coconut sorbet with cashew brittle? Black and white cookies? Yes, they are all here. You can find everything from homey cookies, to gorgeous cakes for special occasions, and there are beautiful photos to illustrate almost every recipe.

*The book is not written as a gluten-free dessert book, but Chloe says most of the recipes can be made GF by substituting gluten-free flour for the wheat flour, and she notes at the bottom of appropriate recipes how to make them gluten-free. She specifically recommends Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour. I'd never used Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix before, but in the spirit of following Chloe's recipes as she suggests, I purchased some. I have to say, it worked really well, and it was so easy. Many of the recipes are naturally gluten-free, and require no changes. In addition to GF baking, you can also easily bake soy-free with Chloe's recipes.

The publisher of Chloe's Vegan Desserts, Atria Paperback, has given me permission to reprint the recipe for chewy ginger-molasses cookies. I recommend the recipe highly. I think once you try the cookies, you may just want to buy the book.

Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Excerpted from Chloe’s Vegan Desserts; makes about 34, 2½-inch cookies
"These Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies have the perfect balance of sugar and spice. Molasses gives them soft and chewy centers, which I prefer over traditional crunchy ginger snaps. Plus, ginger aids in digestion, making these the perfect after-dinner cookies!

Make-Ahead Tip: cookie dough can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to one month."

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two or three large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
3. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat margarine, sugar, molasses, and water until well-combined. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of dough at a time, and roll the domed part of each scoop in sugar. Place them onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the pan.

Makes about 34, 2-1/2-inch cookies.

*For a gluten-free alternative, substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum.

Note: When I made the cookies with Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix, the dough was pretty sticky and I had a hard time getting the cookies the same size, but I noticed that as the dough rested, it became much easier to shape into balls. If you make these as a gluten-free version, I suggest letting the dough sit about 10 minutes before shaping, or even pop it into the refrigerator for five minutes. Form the dough into balls and dip into the sugar, flattening slightly. Leave plenty of room between the balls because the cookies will spread. It would have been helpful to have a few tips on baking gluten-free other than just to use gluten-free flour and xanthan gum.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of the cookbook for review. I was not paid to write it. All opinions are my own.

Bravo! by Ramses Bravo: cookbook review

There are so many versions of "healthy diets" it can make your head spin. Most people, no matter what they eat, will probably say they eat a healthy diet. Whether omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, or whatever combination you can come up with, there are dozens of variations on every kind of diet, each of which is considered "healthy" by a devoted group of followers. For example, in my neighborhood's online newsletter, in response to a new resident's inquiry about finding healthy eating choices in the 'hood, someone suggested a restaurant where he could find a barbecued pork sandwich served on a bed of coleslaw instead of bread. Another suggested a bakery where all the pies are vegan and raw. Both people considered their recommendations healthy, though they are worlds apart. (I was a little miffed, however, by the respondent who said that local restaurants shouldn't be providing healthy food, they should be offering food that people liked!)

I've tried out quite a few diet variations myself, and was always convinced the new one was healthier than the last. I've been vegan for a long time, and there have been many incarnations of my vegan diet, as well. I'm not vegan primarily for health reasons, but I still try to eat what I consider a healthy, well-balanced diet. I eat lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables. I eat a mix of raw and cooked food, the proportions of which vary by season, and I eat a diet that tends to be low in added fat, salt and sugar, but still includes those things. I've always believed that some added fat and salt can be part of a healthy diet, though sometimes I cook without adding them. Most desserts I eat tend to fall into the fresh or dried fruit variety, but that doesn't mean I won't bake a cake or cookies with fat and sugar.

When I was asked to review a copy of Bravo!, the cookbook by Ramses Bravo from the TrueNorth Health Center, I was interested but wary. The recipes contain no animal products, which fits with my dietary preferences, but none of the recipes contain added oils, refined carbohydrates, salt or sugar (known as the SOS diet). Oils are supplied by avocados, nuts and seeds, and sweetness is supplied by fruit. I know a lot of people are avoiding salt, sugar and oil, and if you are interested in the ideas put forth by T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, and others who advocate a diet free of sugar, salt and oil for optimal health, read on. Many people consider the SOS diet to be transformative for health.

Yellow corn chowder, page 53

After a forward by T. Colin Campbell and an explanation of the TrueNorth Health Center philosophy, (which you can read on Amazon), the book starts with a chapter on how to be an organized cook, that includes tips, lists of tools and two weeks of daily menus. The next chapter contains recipes for basic preparations for foods that are used in other recipes in the book. The main recipes follow, with chapters for breakfast, soups, salads, dressings, vegetable dishes, bean and grain dishes, entrées, sauces and dips, and desserts. The recipes seem very creative and attractive, as well as healthy, and there are lots that I'd like to try, like Bravo pizza with polenta crust, red lentil loaf with bell pepper coulis, apple-pecan cobbler and mango-banana pie. I do think I'd have trouble with the daily menus because there are so many dishes that rely on other recipes being made first. For example, I'd need gargantuan quantities of home-made vegetable broth, and previously made coconut-vanilla granola to make some of the recipes. (In fact, vegetable broth plays prominently in many of the recipes, which makes sense as a flavor enhancer.) Perhaps if my diet were more consistently based on recipes such as these, I'd develop an organized way to have the necessary items on hand.

We tried two of the soups, yellow corn chowder and tortilla soup, and were pleasantly surprised each time by the satisfying results. The soups looked and tasted great, and we didn't miss the oil or salt. We cheated a little on prep time by using very-low-sodium prepared stock instead of making our own, though I'm sure the home-made version would have been even better.

I'm pleased to be able to share the recipe for tortilla soup with you, with permission from the publisher. We used sweet potatoes instead of white because that's what we had, and it worked out really well. We also added kale, which we have growing in our garden. The second night we added brown rice and butter beans for a more complete dinner soup.

Tortilla soup - 6 servings (page 52)

• 6 corn tortillas
• kernals sliced from 2 ears of fresh corn or two cups of thawed frozen corn or drained canned corn
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, scrubbed and diced
• 3 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 12 cups vegetable broth, preferably homemade
• 10 fresh epazote leaves, sliced into strips (optional)
• 2 ripe avocados, sliced, for garnish
• 10 sprigs cilantro, for garnish
• 1 lime, sliced into 6 wedges, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2. Slice the tortillas into small strips. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until crispy.
3. Put the corn, celery, carrot, shallots and garlic in a large dry pot and cook over medium heat fot 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oregano, granulated garlic and granulated onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. 
4. Put the tomatoes in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. Add the tomatoes and potatoes to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in the broth and increase the heat to medium high. Simmer for 15 minutes. 
6. Stir in the epazote and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with the avocado, cilantro, and lime. Serve immediately.

NOTE: This recipe results in a brothlike soup. For a thick and creamy soup, put the soup and baked tortilla strips in a blender and process on high until smooth. Serve immediately garnished with avocado, cilantro and lime.

Per serving: calories: 269, protein: 6.7 g, carbohydrates: 47.2 g, fat: 8.3 g. calcium: 99.5 mg, sodium: 147.9 mg, omega-3: 0.1g

Full disclosure: The book was provided to me free of charge. All opinions are my own. The recipe is reprinted with permission.

Celebrate Vegan — Book review and giveaway

If you follow the Urban Vegan blog (and you do, right?), you know that Dynise Balcavage provides her readers with clever, beautiful and delicious recipes that are usually surprisingly easy to prepare. You can cook the recipes for every day meals, but feel perfectly comfortable serving them to dinner guests. In her second cookbook, Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes for Occasions Big and Small, Dynise shares her collection of elegant but (mostly) easy, vegan, seasonal recipes, for celebrating special events from around the world. She's covered everything from the most typical U.S. celebrations to holidays like Timkat, the Ethiopian Epiphany, for which she provides recipes for Ethiopian collards, mini injeras and spiced lentils. Accompanying each recipe or group of recipes, is a short, informative discussion about the holiday, as well as chatty, personal anecdotes that weave Dynise's vibrant personality into the menus.

I was one of the lucky recipe testers for Celebrate Vegan, so I can tell you first hand how good the recipes are. I made the three Ethiopian dishes mentioned above, and they were great. Here are photos of some of the dishes I've tried, and the holidays associated with them.


Cinnamon-date scones - Snow Day (Hey, why not treat a snow day as a holiday?)


Paté aux champignons éxotiques - Bastille Day


Cecina - World Vegetarian Day


Mushy peas (OK. This one wasn't my favorite, but my husband liked it.)


Hot and sour carrots and lentils - New Year's Day


Tofu with broccoli and black bean sauce - Chinese New Year


Mega-Israeli salad - Hanukkah


Spicy tomato-lemon dressing - Girls' Night In

(You can find recipes for the hot and sour carrots and lentils, and the tofu with broccoli and black bean sauce in the sneak peek feature for Celebrate Vegan on Amazon.)

To make your recipe choices especially relevant to your needs, Dynise has coded the recipes as fast, frugal, kid-friendly, make ahead or omnivore-friendly, and marked them with icons for easy identification.

If you'd like to win a copy of Celebrate Vegan, leave a comment on this post, and I'll randomly choose a winner Dec. 11.

UPDATE: This contest has ended and a winner has been selected.

Full disclosure: I received two free copies of the cookbook from the publisher, and I'm giving one away. I earned my copy by participating in the recipe testing. I was not required to write a review. I am not an affiliate of this company. All opinions are my own.