Tag Archives: cookbook

The Great Vegan Grains Book Review

I consider myself lucky to have received a copy of The Great Vegan Grains Book recently. Just published, it is the latest from vegan masterminds Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen. You may remember them from such blogs as Vegan Appetite and Have Cake, Will Travel. Both blogs are fairly quiet these days, but both were around back in the days when vegan blogging was new and exciting.

I’m in my busy season right now with craft fairs galore but wanted to try out a couple of dishes and get a quick review up. Tami and Celine are two of the nicest vegans I know from the internet and I love using their cookbooks. In full disclosure, this book came to me for free but I haven’t been paid nor asked for a review.

The Great Vegan Grains Book features Celine’s gorgeous photography and an eclectic mix of recipes that feature grains ranging from the familiar rice to the more exotic einkorn. There’s a solid introduction with information on a variety of grains that includes cooking times and liquids for every one used in the book.

First up, I made the split pea and rice artichoke mujadarra (seen above) which was fabulous. I never use split peas except in split pea soup and this dish was so light and fresh I loved it. I also had the roasted corn and barley chowder, which was again light and fresh. I’d make this next time in the late summer when the fresh corn is high, but the mujadarra will be a winter staple.

I just received a bottle of Bar B Cutie bbq sauce from the man behind the I-40 Vegan (another blog from back in the day) and can’t wait to try the BBQ Bulger Burgers next. I’d highly recommend The Great Vegan Grains Book to anyone interested in expanding their bulk bin adventures beyond rice and quinoa.

20 Days of Handmade: Vegan Food Gifts Giveaway

If I’m talking handmade, I would be remiss to not mention Joni Marie Newman’s great book Vegan Food Gifts. I love this book! It is chock full of great handmade food items and ideas for gifting them.

There are instructions for easy to make envelopes and bags, templates for gift tags, and tons of recipes for both ready to eat items and mixes.

Mashed Potato Candy? Peanut Butter Balls? Chicken Noodle Soup in a Jar? You bet. I’m looking forward to trying the lavender lemon curd next.

There’s also an entire section on canning with detailed instructions for beginners. So if you’ve been afraid to start, you can finally get your pickle on.

I am thrilled to be giving away a copy of Vegan Food Gifts! To enter just leave a comment below describing a favorite handmade gift memory. It doesn’t have to have been successful, just memorable! I’ll choose a winner on December 13th. US only, 1 entry per household please.

Support Handmade: Tami Noyes of Vegan Appetite

Vegan Appetite is one of those blogs I read back in the day, when there were only about 10 vegan blogs floating around and it was an outright event when new posts went up. It wasn’t until some time later that I got to know the author, Tami Noyes, through forums and facebookeries. She is a delightful person and I’m pleased to have some of her cookbooks in my collection.

Her first, American Vegan Kitchen, came out in 2010. It contains my favorite muffin recipe that I have ever made, the delicious Cinnacrunch Muffins. You should buy the book for this recipe alone, but wait! There’s more! You’ll also get a great burger bun recipe, the cheesecake pictured on the cover, the All American Incrdiburgers, and many more!

Tami Noyes has also published a few books co-authored with the amazing Ms. Celine Steen, among them Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day.

The chickpea shawarma is a must and I loved the beet barley burgers. And you don’t have to make just sandwiches. There are recipes for various meats, spreads, and toppings that can be used however you like. I highly recommend the bierocks if you love you some rye bread and sauerkraut.

You can buy any of her cookbooks over at Herbivore and keep the small business love rolling. And check out Tami’s blog now for a preview of their upcoming Great Vegan Protein Book and a giveaway!

Food That Looks Like My Cat: Applesauce Bread

A friend recently sent me a great old spiral bound cookbook from the Sandwich Community Hospital in Sandwich, Illinois titled Ladies Auxiliary Favorite Recipes.

I remember this type of cookbook well from my youth. A group would gather recipes from the community and send them off to be spiral bound as a fundraiser for the VFW ladies auxiliary or the volunteer fire department. Each person would get credit on their recipe and if you bought the cookbook you would know most of the people inside. And had likely tried a few dishes as well.

I’ve decided to veganize some of the recipes from this cookbook to see how they turn out, starting with Mrs. J. Leonard’s applesauce bread. I’ll have a recipe and review posted here tomorrow. After the loaf came out of the oven, smelling quite autumnal, I noticed that it bore a resemblance to a certain ginger cat.

And indeed, the applesauce loaf from the Ladies Auxiliary Favorite Recipes is a very close match for George. Stay tuned tomorrow for the recipe!

Vegan Recipe Tester Photos

I am pleased to be an official vegan recipe tester for Isa Moskowitz’s upcoming book. I’ve just gotten back into the swing of testing and made two great dishes last week. Above is a lentil samosa and below is an amazing vegan carrot cake. The frosting is my new favourite frosting and I could eat it by the spoonful.

These recipes may not be available yet but there’s nothing stopping you from swinging by the PPK to get the recipe for butterscotch cupcakes with coconut bacon. Get down! Bake ’em up this weekend and then invite me over for tea.