Thursday, May 23, 2013
"WHOLE GRAIN VEGAN BAKING" BLOG TOUR-- REVIEW, BOOK GIVEAWAY, & A RECIPE, OF COURSE!
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE (CHECK OUT THE OTHER BLOG POSTS ON THE TOUR FOR MORE SAMPLE RECIPES, REVIEWS AND PHOTOS)
WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK! Comment on this post and 2 contestants will be chosen randomly to receive a copy (US and Canada only, I'm afraid). CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THE WINNERS ARE CLAUDIA AND VEGINTRAINING-- I'LL BE IN TOUCH!
If you are laboring under the impression that whole grain baked goods are dark, heavy, and too "healthy" to actually taste good, and that VEGAN whole grain baked goods must be even moreso, "Whole Grain Vegan Baking" will change your mind in a hurry! The authors are both experienced and innovative vegan bakers, so you will be in capable hands! (Celine Steen is the co-author of “Vegan Sandwiches Save theDay!”, “500 Vegan Recipes”, “The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions”,
and “Hearty Vegan Meals”. She is the founder of the award-winning blog Have Cake, Will Travel.
Tamasin Noyes is the co-author of “Vegan Sandwiches Save theDay!” and author of “American Vegan Kitchen” and “Grills Gone Vegan”. She is
the founder of the blog Vegan Appetite .)
I was honored to be invited to participate in this "Blog Tour" for Celine and Tamasin's new book, but it was difficult to select a recipe for this post from such an array of goodies! The breakfast chapter alone beckoned with delectable recipes, from Lemony Spelt Scones to Chocolate Sesame Granola and Chocolate Stout Spelt Doughnuts, to Breakfast Pie Pastries, to yeasted Lemon Ginger Rolls (can you tell that I love chocolate and lemon?). But there were still chapters of quick loaves and muffins; artisan yeast breads, rolls, bagels, pretzels and pizza; a jam-packed (not to make a pun) snack chapter of crackers, quiches & tarts, flatbreads, bars and cookies; and the one many of us may open first, "Perfectly Wholesome Desserts". Lots of photos, too-- groan!
You know that I am not a "purist" when it comes to baking-- I have nothing against some unbleached white flour once in a while! I use a great deal of whole grains and whole grain flours because they are nutritious and full of flavor. But this book is so full of variety that I'm sure it will move you (and me) well beyond whole wheat flour and oats.
I almost had to do the eeny-meeny-miney-mo thing to choose my recipe for the Blog Tour, but, in the end, I chose the following cornbread recipe for this post. It's jazzed-up with jalapeño peppers and one of my favorite baking additions, dried cranberries. I sincerely love cornbread and this one not only sounded interesting, but it contains only 1 tablespoon of oil! I also liked the combination of whole wheat pastry flour, cornmeal and corn flour, which is finely-ground cornmeal. (Chapter One is full of baking tips and information about the various flours and other ingredients.) Using the two varieties of corn products gave the bread a smoother texture than most cornbread, but still with a bit of graininess.
We enjoyed this cornbread with some of my vegan Habitant Pea Soup for a hearty supper. It was moist and very flavorful (and yummy heated up for breakfast the next day with a drizzle of maple syrup!). Now I have lots of experimenting to do with more than 100 recipes in this book-- poor me!
Bravo to Celine and Tami for producing such a lovely, inspiring and user-friendly cookbook!
SPICY CRANBERRY CORNBREAD (WITH MY NOTES: BCG)
From "Whole Grain Vegan Baking" by Celine Steen & Tamasin Noyes
Yield: 6 servings
A wee bit sweet,
a wee bit spicy, and all very savory, this cornbread has the perfect crust thanks
to the hot cast-iron skillet. Cornmeal is packed with nutrients, minerals, and
amino acids. Plus, it tastes great! Start with this recipe, then tweak it to
your taste. Double the scallions, jalapeños, or cranberries to make it your
own.
11⁄2 cups (355 ml) unsweetened
plain vegan milk, more if needed (I used soy milk: BCG)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple
cider vinegar
60 g (1⁄4 cup) unsweetened
applesauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure
maple syrup
18 g (3 tablespoons) minced
scallion (I didn't have any, so I used minced leeks, green & white parts: BCG)
18 g (2 tablespoons) minced jalapeño peppers (I used rinsed pickled jalapeños: BCG)
15 g (2 tablespoons) dried
sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 tablespoon (15 ml)
neutral-flavored oil
120 g (1 cup) whole wheat pastry flour
60 g (1⁄2 cup) corn flour (see
page 10) (grind some yellow cornmeal to flour in a clean, dry coffee/spice grinder if you don't have any: BCG
88 g (1⁄2 cup plus 2
tablespoons) coarsely ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black
pepper
12 g (1 tablespoon) baking
powder
Nonstick cooking spray (or oil from a pump-spray bottle: BCG)
Put an 8-inch(20 cm) cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or
gas mark 6).
Combine the milk
and vinegar in a medium-size bowl: The mixture will curdle and become like
buttermilk. Stir in the applesauce, syrup, scallion, jalapeño, cranberries, and
oil.
Combine the
flours, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a second medium-size bowl.
Whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until
combined, but do not over-mix. If the mixture is too dry, add additional milk 1
tablespoon (15 ml) at a time as needed. (I didn't need to add any extra: BCG) The mixture should be pourable.
Carefully take
the skillet out of the oven and coat it with cooking spray.
Pour the
cornbread batter into the skillet and put it back in the oven.
Bake for 33 to
38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let
cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy!
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41 comments:
Everything I've seen from this book looks great!
I would love to try more vegan baking! This would be a great book to own.
Oh, yum--this cornbread will be on my table as soon as tomorrow night... maybe with that "Habitant"-style pea soup, too! Sounds just perfect for the cold, thunderstorm-y weather we're having here in Quebec.
Thank you for the giveaway!
This book is certainly tempting!
Looks like a terrific book. I love vegan baked goods.
I can hardly wait to try this recipe! This is my kind of breakfast item! Sweet and spicy - always nicey! :-)
That sounds like a great book! I have started to use only whole-grain flour in baking; I'm using any leftover white flour for playdough :-)
Thank you for the giveaway !!! This cookbook looks very interesting.
Ooh, I love the idea of a spicy/sweet corn bread. Thank you for the giveaway!
This recipe looks tasty!
This book looks interesting.
I can't believe I haven't bought it yet as I love Hearty Vegan Meals, but sure, I'd love to win it.
I am looking forward to learning more about whole grain vegan baking. I do not do well with refined white flour or refined white sugar.
Looks like a great cook book!
As a longtime reader of Celine's lovely blog, I am continually impressed with her. I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since they announced the project! I'm sure it will live up to every expectation and more.
This cornbread recipe sounds terrific! I love corn flour, and I'm sure using it in cornbread gives great results.
I'm looking forward to having this book in hand, it really seems to be a fantastic resource.
I would love to learn more about vegan baking. So far I only know how to make cornbread and muffins. Looking forward to trying some new recipes.
This looks like a wonderful book! Can't wait to try this recipe.
The cornbread recipe looks so good! I would love to win the book.
That cornbread picture literally had me salivating! Thank you for the recipe, I plan to make it tonight, haha! Also, thanks for a chance at a copy of the book.
I'm excited about the other recipes and what the other bloggers think. Thank you for the post!
Everything here looks so yummy! This book would be great to have!
tofucat@aol.com
I love to bake! I've faced some challenges with whole-grain vegan baking though. I think I need a copy of this book!
Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who eats leftover cornbread with maple syrup for breakfast.
gaia (at) cinci (dot) rr (dot) com
I've been looking for a vegan baking book and I think I've found it!
Thank you for sharing the recipe...I love cornbread! Definitely would like to try it with chili, maybe chocolate chili...? Also maybe as cornbread sticks to dip in soups and chilis and pestos and things. Yumza! :)
This cookbook looks awesome...all the recipes I've seen so far look so good.
the granola looks so good!
I've had this book on my Amazon.com wishlist since before it came out. I can't wait to own it one day!
I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with baking. I love fresh baked goods, but I hate when I have the inevitable baking failure. I have been cooking for decades, but baking is still a challenge for me. I would love a user friendly baking book. Plus I totally love the authors! Pick me!!!
Well the cornbread looks fantastic, and I would love to see what else is in this book! Thanks for the chance to win :)
mmm, bread...
I bought Blue Corn Meal. How cool would this look when made with that? Dark red cranberries against the blue cornbread! Must try this!
Mmmm...cornbread. Cornbread is awesome. Cranberry cornbread sounds even more awesome. Want!
This sounds like an interesting take on cornbread.
This cookbook sounds great. As a new vegan, I'm looking for lot's of recipes to expand my choices. This one would be a great place to start.
I love Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, and I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this, too!
psuke.ksc@gmail.com
I love the idea of whole grain cooking.
justaudrey(at)live(dot)com
Cornbread is seriously my favorite and I've been feeling a bit deprived since I haven't had success with a whole grain vegan version. Thanks for sharing this recipe and for the giveaway! No more deprivation for me :)
Yum! I would love to win this! Thanks for the chance :)
Thanks for posting a recipe! I would love to win the book - yum!
This cookbook would be so great to own! That corn bread recipe looks devine.
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