MY LAST POST UNTIL AFTER THE 18TH-- A VARIETY OF STUFF!

I'm off to Princeton, NJ and New York for a week, with my sis! I'll blog when I get back!


LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NON-PLASTIC IN WHICH TO STORE YOUR HOMEMADE SOYMILK? These are 1 qt./L Frigoverre glass storage jugs (made in Italy), and they were $4.99 each (Cnd) at London Drugs. Tight lid and easy to store; sturdy glass. Online sources for various kinds of glass storage jugs/pitchers in the US:

kaboodle.com has a wide variety of glass refrigerator storage jugs.

Set of two 1 L jugs similar to the ones above, but with colorful lids at freshfinds.com.

kitchenworksinc.com also has a variety of storage pitchers.

SWEET POTATOES ON MY MIND....

Here's a yummy, no-fat soup we had for lunch the other day:



BRYANNA'S SPICY BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO SOUP (WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)

The combination of black beans and sweet potatoes is always enticing, but especially so in this soup with Caribbean flavors.

3 cups cooked or canned (2/ 15 ounce cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup low-sodium vegetarian broth (don't use more-- trust me!)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules OR 2 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pkg. (60 g) Yves Veggie Pizza Pepperoni (or any spicy vegan "sausage" or "deli slice"), cut into slivers
4 green onions, chopped
12-14 ounces sweet potato, peeled and diced

Mix together the beans, broth, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, garlic granules, allspice, and thyme in a blender or food processor. Puree coarsely. Pour into a medium-sized soup pot. (You can also do this right in the soup pot with a hand immersion/stick blender.)

Add the bay leaf, veggie pepperoni slivers, green onions, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, stirring now and then. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 273.1 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 513.8mg sodium; 842.1mg potassium; 50.6g carbohydrates; 14.1g fiber; 4.2g sugar; 36.5g net carbs; 17.5g protein; 4.7 points.


I had a craving for latkes (potato pancakes) the other morning, but with some sweet potato in them, so I made this fat-free version and served them with poached apples. Below this recipe is a similar recipe for the more traditional panfried version.



BRYANNA'S FAT-FREE SWEET POTATO LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

This recipe makes delicious latkes even without the eggs and oil, and the sweet potatoes and red potatoes lower the GI (glycemic index) rating. Serve them with applesauce and Tofu Sour Creme(homemade or commercial), but some people prefer ketchup! For special occasions, serve them with cranberry sauce. They are great for breakfast, or any meal of the day.

5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and grated
3 cups grated, peeled sweet potatoes
1 large onion, grated
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

After grating both the sweet potatoes and the potatoes, squeeze and twist them in a large square of cheesecloth or cotton cloth to get all of the liquid you can out. This is important!

Mix the squeezed, grated potato, grated sweet potato, and grated onion together well in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix well.

You can cook these on several large nonstick skillets, lightly-sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray, over medium-high heat. However, the easiest way is to use a nonstick electric pancake griddle-- this accommodates quite a few pancakes and they cook evenly.

Place 1/4-cupfuls of the potato mixture onto the preheated griddle or skillets. flatten them into thin pancakes with a spatula. Cover pans with lids or foil, or use inverted cookie sheets over the griddle. Cook until the bottoms are golden-brown, then flip them over and cook, uncovered, until the second side is golden-brown. Serve hot.



Alternate Cooking Method:
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Flatten the pancakes as instructed above on nonstick cookie sheets, lightly-sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray. Bake them for 15 minutes, then turn the pancakes over and bake 5 or 6 minutes more.

Servings: 6
Yield: 30 pancakes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 202.6 calories; 1% calories from fat; 0.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 388.2mg sodium; 1125.5mg potassium; 46.5g carbohydrates; 5.9g fiber; 3.9g sugar; 40.6g net carbs; 5.5g protein; 3.3 points.



TO MAKE THE POACHED APPLES....

I peeled and cored and cubed 3 large apples and mixed them in a covered microwave-proof glass casserole with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. I microwaved them on high, covered, for 5 minutes, and then uncovered for 3 minutes.

THE HIGHER-FAT VERSION OF SWEET POTATO LATKES.... (PS: you can serve these simply with applesauce or the other suggestions in the recipe above, if you don't want to make the grilled pears)



BRYANNA'S VEGAN SWEET POTATO AND YUKON GOLD LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES) WITH MAPLE-PECAN GRILLED PEARS (CAN BE GLUTEN-FREE)

This is a delicious fancy brunch or breakfast dish any time, but would be particularly good during Hannukah. This recipe can be multiplied as needed. (NOTE: nutritional info does not include the Tofu Sour Creme.)

THIS RECIPE WAS FROM MY NOW-DISCONTINUED VEGAN COOKING NEWSLETTER, THE VEGAN FEAST. BACK ISSUES WILL BE FOR SALE ON MY WEBSITE SOON!

Latkes (Potato Pancakes):
2 cups grated peeled sweet potato (the orange kind)
2 cups grated scrubbed Yukon Gold potato
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup wholewheat flour (or other whole grain flour)
1/2 Tbs baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

freshly-grated black pepper to taste
2 Tbs oil for frying
Maple-Pecan Grilled Pears:
3 medium ripe, but firm pears
1 Tbs Earth balance, melted
2 Tbs maple syrup
3 Tbs lightly-toasted chopped pecans
To Serve:

Tofu Sour Creme(homemade or commercial)

You might want to make the Grilled Pears before you start the pancakes:
Peel and core the pears and slice very thinly. Place them on a cookie sheet and toss with the melted Earth Balance. Broil about 3-4" below the heat source of your oven broiler until the pears start to brown around the edges. Stir gently and broil further, but don't burn them or make them too soggy.



Remove from the oven and scoop into a shallow bowl. Drizzle with the maple syrup and add the pecans; mix gently. Set aside.

To make the Latkes (pancakes):
After grating both the sweet potatoes and the potatoes, squeeze and twist them in a large square of cheesecloth or cotton cloth to get all of the liquid you can out. This is important!



Place the squeezed potatoes (both kinds) in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add to the potatoes. Mix well.

Now divide the potato mixture into 9 equal "balls". This is not liquidy like the eggy sort of latke batter. Press the balls bown on a flat surface to make pancakes.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and pan-fry the latkes in the hot oil over medium-high heat until golden and crispy. Serve hot with the Grilled Pears and Tofu Sour Creme.



Servings: 3
Yield: 9 pancakes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 506.0 calories; 33% calories from fat; 19.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 571.1mg sodium; 1140.5mg potassium; 82.4g carbohydrates; 11.2g fiber; 27.4g sugar; 71.2g net carbs; 6.9g protein; 10.9 points.

ONE LAST TREAT:



Chocolate panini.... bread, Ricemellow Creme; vegan, organic, fair trade chocolate; and low-sugar apricot jam. Yum!!

Enjoy!

CHAI BROWNIES WITH GINGER GELATO

I should be blogging a little more regularly from now on (except for being away for the week of May 12th). Due to some family obligations, I decided to stop publishing my quarterly vegan cooking newsletter, the Vegan Feast, after five years. I'm kinda sad, because it was a great experience, I met some wonderful people, learned alot, and ate really well, but something had to go! I will be offering individual back issues for sale in the near future, so, if you are interested, check here and on my website now and then!

Last night we took dinner over to a friend's house and I made a dessert I had been thinking about doing for a week. The brownies are a veganized, whole grain version of one I saw in a magazine, with a few other changes. I have made a number of other desserts with chai spices, and this sounded intriguing. I was a little worried that the brownies would be too dry (they were dryer than my other brownies, but not overly-so), so I decided to pair them with a really gingery version of my vegan gelato. It worked! All of the diners gave the dessert a thumbs-up! Give it a try!



BRYANNA'S VEGAN ALMOND-CHAI BROWNIES (WHOLE GRAIN)

These were inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light magazine. They aren't dark brownies-- if they were too dark, the chai spices would get lost in the chocolate! They are delicious served with the Ginger Gelato (recipe below)!

GLUTEN-FREE NOTE: I think this recipe would work well, maybe better, with a gluten-free flour mix, and I plan to try it that way next time I make this!

1/4 cup almond milk, or other nondairy milk
2 chai tea bags (I used rooibos chai teabags-- see photo below)
1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz.) organic, fair trade, vegan semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
Dry Mix:
1 tablespoon Ener-G or Orgran egg replacer powder
1 1/2 cups wholewheat pastry flour
1 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup organic, fair trade unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup packed brown sugar, or Sucanat or Rapadura
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional:
1/2 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil or spray a 9-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with cooking parchment cut to fit.

Heat the milk in a very small saucepan (like a little butter-melting pan) OR in a microwave just to boiling. Remove from heat. Add the tea bags, pressing down into the milk. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a tea-strainer into a measuring cup, pressing the teabags with the back of a spoon. If it doesn't measure 1/4 cup, add more milk until it does.



Pour into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Add the chocolate and Earth Balance to milk/chai mixture. Microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until the chocolate and Earth Balance are melted. Stir or whisk until smooth. Cool slightly.

In a blender, combine the water and flaxseeds at high speed until the mixture is "gloppy" like egg whites and you can only see flecks of flaxseed. Add the egg replacer powder and blend until it thickens a bit. Scoop this into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Fold it into the chocolate mixture until it is well-mixed, but fluffy.





Combine the Dry Mix ingredients together with a whisk in a medium bowl. Add the Dry Mix to the chocolate/flaxseed mixture, along with the toasted almonds, stirring just until combined. It will be thick.



Spread evenly into the prepared pan-- I had to use wet fingers to spread it out. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan on a rack. Cut into 20 pieces, and loosen the edges. Cool before eating. Remove from the pan to a serving plate. Keep covered after they cool.

Servings: 20
Yield: 20 brownies

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per brownie): 140.1 calories; 29% calories from fat; 4.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 76.7mg sodium; 134.0mg potassium; 24.1g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 13.8g sugar; 21.5g net carbs; 2.5g protein; 2.7 points.



The gelato in my little Donvier hand-crank ice cream maker ("No salt or ice needed; freezer bowl and paddle do the work")

BRYANNA'S VEGAN DOUBLE GINGER-ALMOND GELATO WITH AGAVE

Adapted from a recipe in my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen". Tapioca starch makes this gelato smooth and custardy without the mouth-feel of a "frozen pudding".

This is a very ginger-y gelato. If you want to tone it down a bit (but, why?), omit the candied ginger.

NOTE ABOUT NUT ALLERGY: if allergic to nuts, use soymilk or rice milk, omit the cashews and add 1/4 cup more milk of choice and 1/4 cup oil.

MIXTURE #1:
Ginger-Water:
1 cup water
1/4 cup grated peeled fresh ginger
Additions:
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
MIXTURE #2:
1 3/4 cups almond milk (I used plain Almond Breeze)
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup light-colored organic granulated sugar
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (don't substitute other starches! See Cooking Tips below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
ADDITIONAL: (you can omit this if you want a milder ginger flavor)
1/2 cup chopped organic candied ginger

Mixture #1:
To make the Ginger-Water, simmer the water and ginger in a small saucepan, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve. Measure. You should have 3/4 cup. If you have more, simmer again to reduce it to 3/4 cup. If you don't have enough, add water to make 3/4 cup. Pour it into a small mixing bowl.

Whisk in the agave nectar and vanilla. Set aside in the refrigerator.



Mixture #2:
Blend all of the Mixture #2 ingredients in the blender until VERY smooth and frothy (make sure that it doesn't feel grainy). Place this mixture in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until thickened.

OR (MICROWAVE OPTION) place the mixture in a large microwave-proof bowl and microwave on HI for 2 minutes; whisk; cook 2 minutes more; whisk; and cook 1 minute more.

Whisk Mixture #1 into cooked Mixture #2. Chill the gelato mixture thoroughly, and then freeze according to directions for your ice cream machine.

When the mixture is about 3/4 of the way frozen, add the candied ginger.



When the gelato is frozen, scoop it into a quart container, cover and freeze for several hours before serving.

Servings: 8
Yield: 1 quart

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 201.2 calories; 19% calories from fat; 4.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 91.3mg sodium; 105.7mg potassium; 42.5g carbohydrates; 0.5g fiber; 29.5g sugar; 42.0g net carbs; 1.8g protein; 4.3 points.

Cooking Tips
TAPIOCA STARCH:
Easy to find in Asian grocery stores or the Asian section of large supermarkets.
Available at http://www.bulkfoods.com/ and many online Asian food purveyors.


Enjoy!

FOOLEEYA-- A YUMMY BEAN DIP; AND A NEW KITCHEN TOY

Dinner last night-- tabbouleh, olives, crackers, Syrian bean dip, and raw veggie dippers

You can find the recipe for this simple, but really delicious dip, made with inexpensive yellow split peas, at the end of this post!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while-- many things keeping me from blogging!

Yes, I have a new kitchen toy! I wanted to get a better indoor grill than the one I've had for a few years (many improvements have been made in grills recently!), so I read reviews and came to the conclusion that a Canadian-made one called the Breville Ikon Removable Plate Grill was the one I wanted! It actually beat out the Cuisinart grill in several reviews! But, it can be pricey, so I searched around and got it for a great price-- about $55 less than at London Drugs!-- at a bridal gift online store in Montreal, Caplan Duval. There is free shipping within Canada, too! (Americans, check it out on the Breville USA website. There is a "retailer locater" on that page.)

BTW, don't confuse this with the Ikon Panini Grill, which does not have removable plates, and a flat plate!

Why did I want a new grill? I wanted one that had higher temperatures, more cooking space, and one that I could cook pancakes on so that I could eliminate an appliance from my over-crowded shelves! This grill is also very nice-looking! The plates are nonstick and dishwasher-safe.

So far, it has exceeded my expectations, cooking not only the ubiquitous veggie burgers and sausages, but kebabs, quesadillas, no-fat has browns, panini, vegetables, pancakes (Use the highest heat setting for pancakes), etc. It cooks very quickly, and you can adjust the heat. It has a drip tray for grease, and you can even tilt the grill a bit with the flick of a switch so that more fat drips out into the tray! You can also adjust the height of the top plate so that food delicate foods are not squished, or if you want the the top plate just hover ing over the food, rather than touching it.

As with all appliances I use often, I leave this out on a shelf near my stove, so that I get as much use out of it as possible. If I buy it, I use it! The other day I used it to quickly and effortlessly heat up tortillas to serve with chile. I'm sure I'll be find more and more ways to utilize this great appliance! (And, no, I'm not selling it or getting anything for endorsements!)

Here are some pictures demonstrating things I have cooked on it, and the different positions for the top plate:

Pancakes:





Panini:





Hash Browns:



Breakfast Quesadilla:





Features:











NOW, THAT RECIPE....



BRYANNA'S SYRIAN-STYLE BEAN AND ONION DIP

This delicious dip (or spread) is my take on a Syrian dish called Fooleeya, which is made with dried fava (or broad) beans. I have a hard time finding dried fava beans in my area. However, I have noticed that cooked, pureed dried favas taste alot like cooked, pureed dried yellow split peas, so I use the split peas as a substitute, with good results. (They are cheaper, too!) The onions cooked with the peas lend a lovely sweetness to the puree. Serve with crackers, flatbread, or raw veggies. Serve at room temperature.

1 cup dried yellow split peas
3 cups water
3 medium onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil (divided)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
Garnish:
1/4 cup (more or less) chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Optional:
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Place the split peas, water and onion wedges in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium-low, cover and cook for 30-60 minutes, or until the peas are softened and the water is almost absorbed.

Pour the mixture into a food processor and process until smooth (Take the pusher out of the funnel and cover the hole loosely with a folded clean tea towel, so that steam does not build up inside the processor.) Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process briefly again.

Scoop the mixture onto a large , flat bowl, or plate with a bit of a depression in it (see picture). Smooth the mixture out. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and use the back of a clean spoon to spread the olive oil around evenly. Allow to cool to room temperature, then sprinkle with the garnishes.

Serve with raw vegetable dippers, crackers or flatbread. Leftovers should be refrigerated in a covered container, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 165.5 calories; 37% calories from fat; 7.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 478.6mg sodium; 331.4mg potassium; 20.2g carbohydrates; 7.1g fiber; 4.1g sugar; 13.1g net carbs; 6.6g protein; 3.1 points.

Enjoy!

BEAN BROWNIES BOMB OUT! (BUT I'M NOT DEFEATED!)-- OH, AND A LITTLE BRAGGING...

Just another day at the (home) office: Tina regards me doing overtime on the computer, from her "bed" in one of my file boxes.

ABOUT THAT BRAGGING...




My recipe for Vegan Italian Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Crepes is included in the Vegan.com Top 10 Recipes of 2008! And I'm in very good company!


This is a recipe from my book Nonna's Italian Kitchen.

OKAY, ABOUT THOSE BROWNIES...

Have you heard about Black Bean Brownies? I just heard about them last week. There's a recipe making the rounds of the Internet, which just happens to be vegan, and I heard good things about it. It sounded intriguing, even though it used packaged products. This is the recipe (there are other versions online, but most contain eggs, and the only vegan one I found looked too gooey for my taste).

The recipe is just a can of black beans, pureed, mixed with a box of brownie mix. So, I bought my first box of (organic) brownie mix, and a can of black beans. You puree them with the liquid in the can. I was a bit leery about this, as I usually don't like the taste of the liquid and, if I use canned beans, I rinse it off. I should have listened to my instincts!

It was easy to make and I baked them as usual. Here's what they looked like:



...that is, before I dumped them! Yes, as you can see, we only tried a little bit of them, but DH and I agreed that they were awful! The texture wasn't bad, but it tasted so beany. But not "nice beany"-- it was "nasty beany"! I was right about the liquid. Yuck! I honestly don't know why they are so popular.

Not to be deterred, I invented my own from-scratch vegan version (using home-cooked beans, BTW), very chocolatey, and we loved them, omni friends loved them, and no one could tell there were beans in them!


My own recipe for Black Bean Brownies

I'm afraid that I'm saving this recipe for my newsletter, the Vegan Feast, which I am madly trying to finish! (And I'm afraid I am not taking subscriptions anymore-- this will be the last issue!)

Have a good weekend!

HOMEMADE VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS! (WELL..I HAD A LITTLE HELP)

I've been waiting to have a little time to try this-- a kit that gives you the ingredients you need to make vegan marshmallows that are firm and fluffy and taste justlike the "real thing"! Alice Leonard from New Zealand has a vegan baking and confectionery business, Angel Food:

Alice sells vegan marshmallows, which has taken no small amount of devising since we found out that Emes Kosher Jel was not really vegan, and other kosher jels wouldn't work. Clever lady that she is, she devised a kit that could be easily mailed out internationally to give those of us who don't live in beautiful New Zealand a chance to try her marshmallows, AND have the satisfaction of making them ourselves.

Here's from the Angel Food website:

"Marshmallows Kit

Fresh marshmallows are the best - and when you make your own, you can eat them as fresh as fresh can be! The world of vegan cuisine is littered with the shattered corpses of those who tried to veganise marshmallows. (Ain't that the truth!--BCG)

Just replace the gelatine (blerrgh!) with agar? Not so simple! Now, Angel Food takes the angst out of the situation with our new make-your-own-vegan-marshmallows kit. It contains all the specialist ingredients for making about 50 good-sized drool-worthy marshies (plus the recipe, of course). You just need to add sugar, water, syrup, vanilla essence and starch or coconut, and you're away!

The kits are only available by mail order and online purchase, and yes, we ship world-wide!"

Alice will send you a bright cardboard envelope containing two packets of ingredients (and the instructions are on the inside of the envelope) that will make these professional-looking fluffy treats-- 36 really big marshmallows, or 50 regular-sized ones, so, for about $8, it's a good price! (You supply your own sugar, vanllla, and a little bit of syrup.)

If you dry the marshmallows in the open air, not touching, for 24 hours, you can then store them in an airtight container for 2 weeks!

Now, I'm not a marshmallow fanatic-- I can live without them, and have done for some years! But, many, many of my readers love them, and I used to love S'Mores as a kid. I thought I would make a vegan version of S'Mores with my homemade "marshies", as Alice calls them, and organic chocolate, etc.. I figured that my grandchildren would enjoy them, too!

Now, I am not a candymaker-- I love experimenting in the kitchen, of course, but not usually with candy thermometers and lots of sugar! However, I assembled everything on my counter and followed Alice's instructions. It takes a little time, but it's easy and the results are fantastic!


This is the contents of the first packet beaten for about 5 minutes with water to a stiff "fluff".


This is the sugar, water and syrup (I used agave nectar) mixture boiling to hard ball stage.

There is another mixture consisting of the contents of the second packet and some water, that you eventually mix with the syrup, and then beat into the white "fluff" with some vanilla.

It certainly looked and felt like real marshmallow batter! Here it is first poured into the pan:


A couple of hours later-- real marshmallows!







NOTE: I used a 9" square pan because I didn't have the 10" square pan Alice called for, so mine are quite think. I cut 36 large marshmallows, but 50 smaller ones, as Alice recommends, would probably be better. You can roll them in coconut or starch.

VEGAN S'MORES (OR "SOPHISTICATED S'MORES", AS I LIKE TO CALL THEM!)



Instead of graham crackers and Hershey bars, I used PC Organics Chocolate Digestive Biscuits (vegan, organic digestive biscuits, which are similar to graham crackers, but round, with organic dark chocolate on one side). You heat the marshmallow (more about that below) and then sandwich it between two of the biscuits, with the chocolate sides in. The hot marshmallow melts the chocolate, and-- sweet, gooey bliss!

Instead of the above, you can use your favorite vegan, organic chocolate and vegan graham crackers (Health Valley has some vegan ones), or vegan digestive biscuits (you might have to make them yourself-- here's a recipe, but you'll have to sub for the milk and butter).

About heating the marshmallows:

Alice wrote:
"My son Mack and I have actually toasted the marshies, on a beach over a tiny little fire tucked into a rock shelf. They were more delicate than I remember standard marshies being when toasted, but they did crust on the outside and melt in the middle."

The wood fire in our heater had gone out, so I couldn't try toasting them on a skewer. One recipe I saw on the internet said you could microwave them, but DON'T! These ones melted in seconds! I ended up placing them on a cake tin and putting them under the broiler for a short time (watch carefully!). They didn't brown, but got soft and hot.



Do give these a try! Enjoy!

HOME FROM SEATTLE VEGFEST 2008!

Starting one of my workshops at Seattle Vegfest last weekend.

I was honored to be invited to present two workshops last weekend at Seattle Vegfest. What a wonderful event! It's so nice to be with so many vegans and vegetarians, to see so many interested people, and to be able to taste so many new foods! The intrepid and incredibly hardworking organizers and volunteers worked so hard to pull off this great 2-day vegetarian event. Vegetarians of Washington signed up over 600 new members on Saturday alone! What a coup!




VegofWa's intrepid leaders, Stewart and Amanda!

I demonstrated two easy Italian dishes on Saturday morning-- Pasta alla Puttanesca, and Easy Tuscan Beans with Spicy Vegetarian Sausage (see the recipes at the end of the post). On Sunday I demonstrated two easy pie recipes-- French Strawberry Pie and Chocolate Banana Creme Pie. Both demos were well received. There were cooking demos and lectures going all day, both days, all free with the $5 entrance fee-- quite a bargain when you consider all of the food samples you could scarf down throughout the day!

Vegfest was so busy that, at times, one could hardly walk down the aisles! But everyone was polite and helpful, and the mood was generally upbeat and exciting!

I didn't have alot of time to browse, but I did make it to most of the booths. A couple of products particularly intrigued me:


Toby's Tofu Paté, which is like a delicious deviled egg mixture, but vegan! There are 5 different varieties. Unfortunately, they are not sold in Canada.



And the second product:

Bella Diva's Vegan Savory and Sweet Butters are whipped almond oil and cocoa butter blended with specialty flavors. It doesn't really taste like butter, but it's very tasty and rich. For vegans who want a raw spread, or who prefer not to use margarine, even a good one like Earth Balance, or who just want something different, this is a delicious new product. It is certainly better for you than coconut oil! There is a plain version, and also Praline, Orange Almond, and Blackberry, sweetened with agave nectar. Check out their page for the ingredients, etc..


Bella Diva's CEO, Lisa Chambers

Here are some more pictures from Vegfest (and see more here, on Stuti's blog). I'll be blogging a little more about products, etc., in the near future.

VegFest Bookstore, run by The Book Publishing Co., my own publishers (that's Bob with the ponytail!)





Doing one of my demos:



Chat Mingkwan, author of Buddha's Table: Thai Feasting Vegetarian Style, and Vietnamese Fusion, two great cookbooks. He's a teacher and cooking tour guide as well!





Manitoba Harvest Hemp products booth (the Hemp Bliss! people!)-- their organic hemp milk is creamy and delicious!





MORE VEGFEST SHOTS:


A Vegfest clown for the kids!


The Field Roast booth!


Small Planet Organic Tofu-- delicious marinated tofu!


Steve Meyerowitz, the Sproutman!

My publisher, Bob Holzapfel, of The Book Publishing Co., took his sister, me and DH, Steve, the Sproutman, Chat, and Tofu Cookery author, Louise Hagler out for a lovely dinner at the upscale Seattle vegetarian restaurant, Carmelita, on Saturday night. The food was generally really good, but these are the dishes we really liked (sorry the photos aren't very good-- the lighting was pretty bad!):


Roasted Cauliflower appetizer-- very crispy!


Pumpkin Risotto


Smoked Mushroom Soup


Stuffed Chickpea Crepe


Coconut Panna Cotta with fresh pineapple

RECIPES FROM MY ITALIAN WORKSHOP, Saturday, March 29th at 10:40 AM:

BRYANNA’S SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA Serves 4

This dish with the unrefined name "Spaghetti in the manner of a prostitute" is exceedingly popular-- perhaps because of the speed and ease of its preparation; perhaps because of the wonderful flavors. Anchovies are replaced by miso in this version.

From my book Nonna’s Italian Kitchen.

NOTE: This pasta dish is not eaten with cheese.

1 lb. spaghetti or spaghettini (can be whole wheat)
2-3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1" piece of dried hot red pepper
2 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes, chopped OR a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained (save juice)
2/3 c. pitted and sliced black calamata olives
1 T. capers
2 T. light soy or chickpea miso
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Put on a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

In a large heavy skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper and cook just until the garlic starts to change color slightly. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers and let simmer while you cook the spaghetti to the al dente stage. (If you are using canned tomatoes and the sauce is too dry, add some of the reserved tomato juice.)

Mash the miso in a small bowl with some of the sauce, then add it back to the sauce and stir well. Taste for salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta, toss well and cook for a minute. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.


BRYANNA’S QUICK AND EASY TUSCAN-STYLE WHITE BEANS WITH SPICY VEGETARIAN SAUSAGE
Serves 4

This can be made with leftover homemade spaghetti sauce, or a good jarred sauce, canned or frozen cooked white beans, and commercial spicy vegetarian sausage. Nothing could be easier, but it’s a very delicious and satisfying meal. Serve with, or on, crusty bread.

This is an easy adaptation of a recipe in Nonna's Italian Kitchen.

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
about 3 and 1/2 oz. spicy veggie sausage (I used one Tofurkey Italian Veggie sausage or 1 Field Roast Italian Sausage), thinly sliced
3 c. cooked, drained (or 2 cans, drained) cannellini, or white kidney, or Great Northern beans
1 c. vegetarian broth
1 c. tasty homemade or vegetarian tomatoey spaghetti sauce
pinch dried red chile flakes
1 tsp. crumbled dry sage ( or 1 T. chopped fresh)—do not use powdered sage
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled (or 1 T. fresh, chopped)
lots of freshly-ground black pepper
salt to taste

In a medium pot or deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Saute the garlic briefly, then add the “sausage’ slices and brown briefly. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the flavors are mixed.

Serve with crusty bread, or, for a new twist on the “beans on toast” theme, serve it on the toast.

Enjoy!

QUICK UPDATE ON VEGAN BROTH BEFORE I HEAD FOR SEATTLE VEGFEST

I'd love to see you at Seattle VegFest this weekend! It is a great event, very inexpensive, with loads of free workshops and speakers! It takes place at 10am - 6pm at the Seattle Center's Exhibition Hall.

I will be demonstrating easy Italian recipes on Saturday, March 29th at 10:40 AM, and Desserts on Sunday, March 30th at 12:15 PM, in the Blue Room. Directly after my demos (11:30am – 12:00pm on Saturday, and 1:10pm – 1:40pm on Sunday), I will be signing books at the VegFest Bookstore, which is a good time to chat with me. Hope to meet you there!

MORE INFO ABOUT THE EVENT HERE.

I'll be back home on Monday!

Before I head off to pack, though, I'd like to quickly mention some new VEGAN "Better Than Bouillon" broth bases, or pastes, from Superior Touch. At least, they were new to me! I bought the "No Beef Vegan base" and the "No Chicken Vegan base" at my local natural foods market, Edible Island, in Courtenay, BC. (Unfortunately, their "Mushroom Base" contains dairy products!) They have a "Vegetable base", too, and it comes in an organic variety.





I did the "taste test"-- made a cup of each kind (it only takes a teaspoon of the base in a cup of boiling water) and DH and I each drank half of each kind. Delicious1 especially the "No Chicken". Rich and satisfying. I will definitely be using this whenever a powdered broth is not necessary!

Enjoy the weekend, wherever you are!