Vegan Cookbooks by Bloggers

With all the new cookbooks coming out, I thought I'd compile a list of those that were written (in the past year) by bloggers that I follow. Some I own, and some I will purchase as soon as I can.

Let's start with one that will be coming out in September:

(photo from Amazon)

Blissful Bites by Christy Morgan. You can find her blog here. She is a vegan-macrobiotic chef based in Dallas, TX. Check out her blog and find more about the classes she offers and more great recipes. She seems  very friendly and I wish I'd been able to meet up with her when I was in Dallas, but time didn't allow it.

And the most recent buzz has been all about this cookbook, which just came out:

(photo from Amazon)

Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny. This is one busy woman, I tell you! She's a mother to two of the cutest little girls and cooks up a storm. Sarah is one of the wittiest blog writers out there. Even if the particular post doesn't interest you, her writing will. She'll keep you reading. You can read her blog here.

And now onto one of the best vegan dessert makers:

(photo from Amazon)

Vegan Desserts by Hannah Kaminsky. I have one of her previous dessert books and it's amazing. She is by far one of the best creators of vegan desserts I've found. She also is one of the best food photographers! You'll be drooling just looking at her pictures. She contributes to various magazines and also has a crafty side. Check out her blog here.

This cookbook got a lot of buzz when it came out (yes, I own it for Kindle):

(photo from Happy Herbivore blog)

The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon. This is one popular lady. She currently lives in St. Maarten, which is quite a difference from her previous home of NYC. This book has a lot of recipes that are fairly easy to make and are delicious. Watch out....she's got another one on the way! Visit her blog here.

The following book got a lot of buzz too:

(photo from Post Punk Kitchen)

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She's already written several vegan cookbooks. This gal must be busy. She's from Brooklyn and has worked with Terry Hope Romero on a lot of projects. Check out  her blog here.

And well, this lady, is pretty famous already:

(photos from Global Vegan Kitchen)

Vegan on the Cheap and Party Vegan by Robin Robertson. She has several vegan & vegetarian cookbooks under her belt already and contributes to many magazines. Does she ever take a break? Robin lives in Virginia. Check out her blog here.

And now for the raw segment:

(photo from The Sunny Raw Kitchen)

Delightfully Raw by Carmella Soleil. I've followed her blog for a while now. She always seems to be traveling and posting beautiful photos from wherever she goes. She's got a few other e-books on her site. Check out her blog here.

I believe there is a cookbook in the works from Amber at Almost Vegan!!

And that's the lineup for today! I'll have to do another post for bloggers with e-books only available on their websites. That will be for another day.  Good job to these fellow bloggers (I guess they're not really fellows at all.....oops)! Keep the vegan cookbooks coming.......I'd love to write one someday.

So go out and support your "fellow" vegans/bloggers.....buy their cookbooks! You can help, by tweeting about this post and/or posting it on YOUR facebook or blog.

Eat smart,

T.

Upcoming Book Reviews!

Between being sick and being busy at work, I haven't had a whole lot of time to blog.  (at least on my beer blog, it can be quick posts with pictures....easily done from my phone, on the go!)

I just wanted to let you know that Book Publishing Company has a great new campaign this month!

Live Delicious, Eat Vegan

You can enter to win free cookbooks and they've got a great video on the site too! Check it out here.  You can also visit their Facebook page here. They were kind enough to send me some books for review (thanks, Rick!) They have a ton of raw & vegan cookbooks....go check them out.

Some of the upcoming books I'll be reviewing are: 

The Natural Vegan Kitchen by Christine Waltermeyer

Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina

Asian Fusion by Chat Mingkwan

Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Steve Meyerowitz

Hopefully I'll be able to get to some of these next week.....I've been so busy, I haven't had time.

Eat smart,

T.

Mushroom Barley Burgers

This is going to be a short post.  Not sure why.....I've definitely been cooking. Hmmm.....perhaps I've just been making things I've already made and didn't want to re-post the same old stuff.

I bought a new cookbook the other day: Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger.

So far, I've only made one burger, the Mushroom Barley burger and it was delicious!  Nice and crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Just how I like 'em :) Can't wait to try more burgers. I served it with my Potato Salad Oregano.

I also made Ani Phyo's Raw Sushi "Rice" this morning, to use up my jicama.  It's really tasty....although I haven't made anything with it yet. It's waiting in the fridge for me, but I had to taste it. And I made her Chinese Chickenless Salad for lunch.  Excellent!! Both are from Ani's Raw Food Essentials.

And here's a picture of some spiralized veggies in my salad the other day:

Oh I wish I had an Excalibur Dehydrator! Hahahaha......well, maybe one day.  I don't have any room for it at all in this apartment. I keep staring at all of Ani's awesome looking raw recipes for crackers, etc....maybe I'll have to try them on the lowest oven setting....in the Fall :)

Today was my exercise day off. Only walked about 2 miles.  I just can't NOT walk on my day off.  It doesn't feel right.  Anyway, I did my weights workout tonight.  I think this workout routine is working for me. I feel pretty good.

Giveaway:

LeslieLovesVeggies is  giving away an awesome Energizer Emergency Power Kit. Enter now!
An Opera Singer In the Kitchen is giving away a $50 CSN gift card. Enter now!

And in the next few days, I'll be doing my own CSN Stores giveaway......stay tuned!

Eat smart,
T.

Book Review: Speed Vegan and other things

So the folks at Book Publishing Company were kind enough to send me a few books for review, and the first one is Speed Vegan: Quick, Easy Recipes with a Gourmet Twist by Alan Roettinger.

In the beginning of the book, Roettinger explains what kinds of appliances and kitchen gadgets you really need and what you could possibly do without, but would make things easier.  Then he goes on to tell you what you should keep in your vegan pantry (if only I had an actual pantry....). And the recipes are divided into the following:

Jumpstarts (purees, pastes, and sauces)
Snacks
Soups
Salads
Pasta and Grains
Vegetables and Legumes
Sweets

He lists a few online stores in the back of the book, but there are several vegan stores online he does not mention unfortunately.  He's got a couple of nice color photos in the middle of the book, but again, I really prefer to have lots of color pictures. Somehow, it makes the recipe seem easier and I can see what it's supposed to look like when I'm done.  I've tabbed several recipes to try, including White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale, Grape Tomato and Garbanzo Salad, Asparagus with Sesame Seeds, and Miso and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  They all seem to use items that I'd have on hand without having to make a special trip to the store for special ingredients.  I made the Quick Beet Slaw, which, as it turned out, was not quite as quick as I'd hoped.  It took me forever to grate the beets by hand, as well as the carrots and turnips (I used turnip, since I didn't have radishes).  And boy, was it messy!  Next time I will use the food processor, even though it doesn't have a grater attachment.....it will just be easier.  But, it was a delicious salad! I love the raw veggies and the dressing was excellent. Great for a summer day. Here's the recipe (with permission from the publisher), and you'll see my adjustments in parentheses:

Quick Beet Slaw
from Speed Vegan


Makes 4 servings


1 medium-size beet, scrubbed or peeled and grated
1 carrot, grated
1 roasted red pepper, quartered and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced (I left it out)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I only had freeze-dried)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 radishes, grated (I used 1 large turnip instead)
1/2 cup flax oil (I used water)
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
Grated zest of 1 lime (I used lemon)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (I used lemon)
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Combine the beets, carrots, red pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the basil, and all of the celery and radishes.


Put the flax oil, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour over the vegetable mixture. Toss well. Eat.

I'm looking forward to trying those other recipes, especially the salads....they look like they'll be nice and refreshing for our hot weather.

Other things I've been eating:

Quick gluten free pasta mixed with Daiya shredded cheddar and a little almond milk, with garlic, salt, and pepper:

A beer sampler from the Avenue Pub:

Tex Mex rice, inspired by Bankrupt Vegan's Tex Mex Dip. Mine was a mix of brown rice, black beans, guacamole, and taco seasoning, eaten as a meal:

Mama Pea's Chocolate PB Protein Cookies (I used Sunbutter and agave and didn't have any protein powder!):

And that's it for today.  I've been walking a ton lately....and it was 88 degrees yesterday! Gotta go do my next walk of the day....

Blogger of the Week: Peas and Thank You She's always got the cutest pictures of her kids, so if you're a family person, this site's for you! And of course she always includes some great recipes with great pictures :)

Eat smart,

T.

Another Raw Pie: Chocolate Mousse/Strawberry

Don't forget to enter my very first giveaway here!!

I recently bought another raw "cook" book: "Raw Food Made Easy" by Jennifer Cornbleet.  It's published by Book Publishing Co. in Tennessee.  I already had this particular book, but the publishing company offered to send me any books I wanted to review here.  I will be reviewing the books they sent me sometime over the next month (Vitamin D:The Sunshine Vitamin and Sweet Utopia).  But since I already had this book, I thought I'd give a quick review.  

First of all, this book doesn't require much more than a blender and/or food processor, which is great, because I can't afford a dehydrator.  I like how she gives you a list (in the beginning of the book) of basic "kitchen staples" and equipment you'll need.  She also explains how to soak nuts and seeds, which is a big part of the raw food diet.  Now there's only a very small section of pictures in the middle of the book.  I always like my cookbooks with tons of color pictures, so that would be my only negative comment.  Yesterday, I tried my first recipe: Chocolate Tart with Strawberries.  Wow!  It's so good. It basically combines two of her other recipes in the book, her Almond Crust, and her Chocolate Mousse.  This is the first time I've made chocolate mousse out of avocados and it was even kid-tested last night with much success! Overall, this looks like a great book and I'm looking forward to trying more recipes. I only wish it had more pictures.

Update: You can find this chocolate mousse recipe on Jennifer Cornbleet's own website.

Other giveaways:

I just entered to win 5 FREE product coupons from Turtle Mountain, but I need YOUR help. Go to HeatherEatsAlmondButter & comment to win. Be sure to mention that I sent you. (that way we BOTH win)

A Life Factory bottle giveaway at the HealthyVoyager. (these bottles are cool!)

So....

Eat smart,

T.

SHEESE. FAIL.

Ok, people, I tried....I really tried.  I just can't do it.  I can't eat the Strong Cheddar Style Sheese.

I ate it alone.
I ate it on a cracker.
I put it on some rice to melt.
I put it on toast to melt.
It did not melt.
It smells bad.
It tastes bad.
I tried.

There's my Sheese poem for the day.
I'm so sorry.  I really wanted to like it, especially because it's so expensive.  Thank goodness I have my Dr. Cow as a backup.

If you know a way I might like it, please PLEASE let me know.
(this is what happens when you don't vote on my vegan cheese poll...I have to test for myself!)

On to good food.  Made a variation of my Indian dish today for lunch.  Still not spicy enough for my husband.  Oh well.  Again, I tried.  I need some good red chili paste or something.  What has a LOT of kick and is vegan? (& is not a fresh pepper, because I'd have to use gloves and that's a pain)

Tanya's Gobi Curry:
(see here for my original Indian dish)


Instead of potatoes, use steamed cauliflower (lower calorie and tastes just as good).  Make sure it's not too soft though, you don't want it to totally disintegrate into the food.

Cook onions and celery in a little water to start, before adding some grated carrots and the chickpeas.  


This time I used a new spice I bought: Sharwood's Hot Curry Powder (it's not spicy hot though....sigh.) instead of the garam masala.  


I cut up a fresh tomato into small wedges and added that with the grated carrots.  


Otherwise, the recipe is still mostly the same....so go have a look at the original!

The exciting news: I got my copy of 1,000 Vegan Recipes yesterday!!  I won it off of OneFrugalFoodie's blog.  Thank you to Alisa from OneFrugalFoodie and to Robin Robertson (the author of the book) for their help in getting that sent out again after a problem with the first shipment of it!

A quick addition.....I made a version of VeganYumYum's Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Home Fries yesterday. Delicious!  I made them in the oven instead, as baked fries.  And I forgot the sugar, which turned out fine. No oil, except for the spraying of the pan and I left out the celery root, because I didn't have any.  Great flavor...will make again!

Well, I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Until next year,
Eat smart,
T.


CWF8PXWRCXKZ

It's almost Thanksgiving!

I won! I won!  Yup, I won a copy of "1,000 Vegan Recipes" by Robin Robertson!!  I won it from Alisa's OneFrugalFoodie blog.  Check it out!

Next on the list is lunchboxbunch. They've got a great Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe Series going on.  This is a great time to go have a look.

VegWeb's got a great Thanksgiving page that you can't pass up!

And now is also a great time to adopt or sponsor a turkey.  Here's a link to Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-a-Turkey project.

And while you're looking at farm animals, check out Windmill Hill Farm's Alpacas (yes, it's my parents' farm!)

I've got cranberry breads in the oven right now! Here's my list so far for my "erev" Thanksgiving:
(long story, I must have my own personal Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night)

Butternut Squash Dip & Veggies (from LunchBoxBunch)
Celebration Roast
Tofurkey Roast
Stuffing (my mom's recipe, but vegan)
Maple glazed carrots and parsnips (from Vegetarian Times)
Cranberry bread
Sweet Potato-Spelt biscuits (from A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving)
Cranberry Orange Sauce (from A Bountiful V. Thanksgiving)
Cucumber salad
Maybe even some root veggies around the roasts in the oven (turnips, leeks, onions)


Unsure about dessert, maybe pumpkin cupcakes and/or pumpkin pie.  Maybe Orange Clementine Quick Bread.  We'll see....

What are YOU having for Thanksgiving?

Eat smart,
T.

e-cookbooks

Today I came across a great blog: HappyHerbivore.  I ordered all 4 of her e-cookbooks, because they are vegan and lowfat/fat free!  Please check them out.....they will only be for sale for a limited time, as her first "real" cookbook will be coming out shortly.  You can find her e-cookbooks here.

And then you have Nava Atlas' Thanksgiving e-cookbook, A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving, which you can find here.  Just in time for the holidays!

If you know of any other e-cookbooks that are vegetarian or vegan, please leave me a comment about where to find them and I'll also add them to this post!

Other e-cookbooks:

Hannah Kaminsky (author of My Sweet Vegan, which I own)
Kristen's Raw e-books

Eat smart,
T.