Vegan Cookbook Review & Giveaway: More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts Naturally

(If you just came for the VEGAN DESSERT COOKBOOK giveaway click here) 

For the rest of you, On With the Reviewing! (fanfare)

The book: More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts Naturally offers a complete course in vegan, dairy-free, eggless baking, and also serves as a quick reference for when you need a fancy dessert to impress your friends and family. 

The author Fran Costigan, a graduate of the New York Restaurant School and the Natural Gourmet Institute, is a nationally recognized culinary instructor, author, consultant, recipe developer and innovative pastry chef.

Even if you don't want or need a complete course in vegan, eggless, dairy-free baking and just want a sumptuous, gourmet treat made with all natural, minimally processed ingredients, this book is a great reference and kitchen companion.

Recipe sections are:

• Gels, Creams, Puddings and Sauces
• Cookies, Bars, and Little Bites
• Cobblers, Crisps, Biscuits, Muffins, and More
• Cakes, Fillings, Frostings, and Glazes
• Pies and Tarts
• Fruit, Beverages, Frozen Desserts, and Confections

Reference sections include a list of essential ingredients and tools you will need for the recipes in this book (a huge help for making recipe shopping lists!)

There is a detailed glossary of ingredients, explaining many different types of natural sweeteners, leavening agents and vegan gelling agents. Techniques for using tofu in desserts and how different kinds of tofu are used in different recipes is addressed. A very helpful section about pan sizes and how they affect baking times and products is included. 

The section of "Tips and Techniques for Making and Baking Desserts" is full of valuable hints for beginners. Any beginning baker or even experienced baker baking vegan for the first time could learn a lot from this book.

In the back of the book the fairly detailed list of "Resources for Ingredients and Equipment", is a treasure trove of suppliers of vegan products and professional cookware, bakeware, knives and resources for information on vegan and vegetarian nutrition.

The recipes are intermediate to expert level but if you read the book you will learn a lot and probably be able to master any of the techniques presented in this book.

This review copy was graciously provided by Book Publishing Company who is hosting "Luscious Vegan Desserts"  promotion now through the end of October.

You may click here to register for a chance at winning a free vegan dessert cookbook.

Smart Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich Vegan Sunday Brunch

1 toasted everything bagel
2 slices Lightlife Smart Bacon
1 large leaf red lettuce
Sliced tomato
Hummus

Spread hummus on both halves of the toasted bagel
Assemble the rest of the ingredients in the sandwich
Eat.

This was very good. Erik liked it a lot. It would have been FANTASTIC with some Vegenaise but I was going for a low fat thing so we used hummus.

It crisps up real nice in a lightly greased frying pan. Sizzles like bacon but theres no greasy film all over everything when you are done heating it up. I like that.

Conclusion: Crispy, sizzle-y, salty and chew-y mover over pork fat, this is definitely a winner.
2 g protein, No cholesterol, 1 g of fat and 6% of your daily sodium recommendation in every slice. I prefer fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted grains and legumes on a daily basis but this was a fun treat.

Erik says "It's not bacon but it's good. I'd buy it if it were on sale." It's$4.49 for a 5oz package.
Judith says "The taste of bacon without the vaporized pig all over the house FTW."

I can't wait to try it in some other recipes.

Book Review: Becoming Raw

The book is called Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets

It is co-authored by:

• Brenda Davis a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Becoming Vegan and has been a featured speaker at nutrition, dietetic, medical and health conferences throughout the world.
• Vesanto Melina a Registered Dietitian, specializing in vegan and raw nutrition and healthful eating.
  
• Rynn Berry a lecturer and author and the historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian Society.

You can find it and purchase it on Amazon.com












 When Rick Diamond contacted me and asked me if I wanted a review copy of Becoming Raw I jumped at the chance. So what if I've never reviewed a book before? How hard can it be? I can read. I have and can form new opinions about stuff. I have the internet to give me guidelines, don't I? I have a blog with at least 7 regular readers, right? What can't I do?


Two books for the price of one! The first 249 pages of this 375 page book cover the history of the raw food movement in the United States, the benefits of raw food and very easy to understand and absorb information about nutrition, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, acid-base balance and enzymes. There are sections about the many theories and myths associated with nutrition and factually deals with concerns about the safety of such raw foods as buckwheat greens, sprouted legumes and alfalfa, mushrooms and sea vegetables. I would be lying if I didn't say I learned a LOT from this book and want to read it again! They don't rely on anecdotal information. I like that a lot about a book.


The second part of this book is a stand alone cookbook. With staples like smoothies and nut butters; energizing breakfasts like raw granola; snacks foods including crackers, nut pates, raw cheese and dips: delicious lunch ideas like soups, salads and amazing looking dressings; hearty entrees like raw pizza, pasta and Thai spring rolls; scrumptious raw desserts like coconut macaroons and raw vegan tutti frutti ice cream, there are enough easy to follow recipes for any aspiring raw chef to get started with. Blender, dehydrator and food processor are required for some recipes but not all.

I love this book! Not only is the cover just beautiful and the whole book is printed on paper with post consumer recycled content, processed without chlorine, which saved
140 trees
5952 lbs of solid waste
51040 gall of wastewater
11,283 lbs of greenhouse gases
98 million BTW of total energy,

but it's exhaustive, comprehensive and the layout is easy to read and understand.
I have learned so much reading this and I definitely suggest it to any one considering a raw vegan lifestyle.
They give you the facts about raw and cooked food, good or bad, then allow you to come to your own conclusion about whether you want to adopt a raw food diet and to what degree and then give you some simple recipes to get you started.

I'd have to give it 5 hearts ♥♥♥♥♥ I love it that much! Thanks, Rick for turning me on to this book :)

Dairy Free Indulgence With Purely Decadent

Today I'm reviewing a non-raw product. I know, Gasp, faint, and drool on the doilies, Aunt Maude! I did the same thing last week with Gimme Lean! What the heck is going on? I'm vegan first, raw second. When I get my hands on vegan products I want to tell you, a vegan, what I, as a mid-low-high raw vegan thinks of them. So there. Oh, and anyone reading who is thinking "I'm not a vegan!" Yes, you are. You just don't know it yet. Stuff like Gimme Lean, and Purely Decadent will help you to realize it. You're welcome :)

I eat a lot of raw fruits and veges in my daily life and rarely eat anything that comes out of a package. Once in a while it's nice to have a treat. A guilty pleasure. A really, really rich and sweet, frozen treat.

In walks Purely Decadent's non-dairy, soy based, frozen dessert. I got a pint of the Peanut butter Zig Zag. (it's on sale at Fred Meyer, 2@$7. Not cheap but worth it for me. A little goes a long way).

"What is so good about this, this... Product?" you might ask and I will quote their website to answer your blunt and scathing question.

It's:

• Dairy Free Lactose Free
• Less than half the fat of Super Premium Dairy Ice Cream
• Contains only 65% of the calories
• Cholesterol Free
• No Trans Fats
• Certified Vegan
• Certified Made with Organic Ingredients

Yeah, I know. Those are good qualities, you might say. But what about the FLAVOR? The TEXTURE? the MOUTH-FEEL?

It doesn't have that GREASY feeling that I remember dairy ice cream having but I would be willing to bet someone couldn't tell the difference in a side by side taste test. This stuff is that good.

I like the fact that the entire package is made of paper so I can recycle it. I know there is no getting around the safety seal plastic but at least it isn't a whole plastic lid.

I had the peanut butter zig zag, as I noted before. It's creamy chocolate ice cream with a swirl of peanut butter and chocolate flake. Remember Magic Shell? The swirl in the middle is the consistency of a magic shell crust. It just works. Peanut butter and chocolate and chocolate ice cream? Purely Decadent, indeed.

My opinion? If you must indulge that sweet tooth on some processed frozen dessert, this is a perfect one to choose. Printable coupons, here.

Or you could always have raw soft serve :D

Raw Vegan Chili And Cornbread Summer Dinner Idea

This dinner takes about half an hour to prepare, not counting dehydrating time of about 4 hours, minimum. The corn and rice take about 20 minute each. they are just steamed... The chili and cornbread can be prepared early in the morning and will wait in the dehydrator until you are ready to eat. It couldn't be easier or more delicious.


Lightly steamed corn on the cob, Red lettuce with shredded carrot salad, Spanish style rice, raw chili, raw corn bread.











This is the second time I made this dinner and we really love it!


Spanish rice is:

2 cups vege broth
1 tomato pureed in the blender and strained through a seive to remove the seeds and skins
1 cup rice
Cook this like you would normally cook rice. Takes about 20 minutes.

Raw Corn Bread is:

8oz frozen corn kernels
half a carrot
rib of celery
3 tbs ground flaxseed
3 dates
1 tbs vinegar

Put all in FP and process until its a thick, chunky paste. Spread it on a sheet and dehydrate at 125F until it's as dry as you want. I like it thick and flexible for this recipe. Thin and crispier and it will be CORN CHIPS. Two recipes for the price of one!

Raw Vegan Chili is:

1 med carrot
2 stalks celery
1 bell pepper
2 roma tomatoes
2 leaves of kale, or more.

Chop everything into bite size pieces. Used the food processor with slicing blade to slice carrots, celery and pepper. Hand chop the tomatoes and kale.

Mix veges together in a flat pan. I used my 9x13" glass baking casserole. Put them in the dehydrator at 125F while you make the chili sauce.

Chili sauce:

5 roma tomatoes
1 avocado
2 tbs ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic
1 med yellow onion
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Mae Ploy Curry Paste. I looked it up, this curry paste IS RAW! Watch the vid on the website. The one they show used shrimp but the yellow curry does NOT! A Major Coup.

Pour this into your mixed veges and stir it up.
This is ready to serve now, or dehydrate it at 125 F until you are ready to eat it. It just gets softer and tastier the longer you leave it in the D.

I hope you try this and I really hope that you enjoy it. Please, take photos and let me know!

VEGAN Eggplant Manicotti Recipe

Filling
1 cup cooked nettles, drained very dry
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano & thyme
2 tbs vege broth (or enough to mix it all well
1/3 cup eggplant
1/2 cup chopped seitan sausage

Processes all together with s-blade in food processor and set aside.

Assembly
Peel a large eggplant and slice it in to long, thin slices, like lasagna noodles
Put 1 tbs of filling on the skinny end of the eggplant slice and roll it up. Put it in your baking pan seam side down. Keep doing that until you fill the pan, I manage to get 12 out of mine, yours may vary.

Sauce
1 cup agar cheese or sunflower seed cheese
4 tbs yeast
1 cup vege broth
1 clove garlic
Blend well and pour over the rolls.
Sprinkle quinoa over the top
Bake covered for 2 hours.

Shown with baby greens salad, a salad made from kale, cucumber, sauerkraut and a spoonful of veganaise, some leftovers, and a slice of bread with vegan buttery spread.















I thought this was very good and so did the man but our dinner guest found it mushy and yucky.

Raw Vegan Casserole Project Part Deux.

A continuation of this entry. In which I attempt to create a RAW Vegan Casserole due to inspiration from this Rawkin' lady

I don't know. It had a lot of sesame in it and that with the onions made it a little, well, strong tasting. However the texture was aces and with a small tweaking I could make this good.

Here are the photos:















Served with spinach salad and some seed crackers.

Vegan Dinner: Baked Breaded Tempeh Cutlets

I made dinner!














I took an 8 oz package of regular old tempeh and cut it in half then sliced each half to make four cutlets.


My new Favorite Marinade Recipe! I am so glad I wrote down the measurements.














1/4 cup ACV
1/2 cup vege broth
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp herbs de Provence
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt

Mix it well and pour it over cutlets in a shallow pan. Place thinly sliced onions on top (optional).
Let these marinate at least 4 hours








Remove them from the pan and put the marinade in a bowl to use later.





I used the crumbs from about 4 slices of bread. Two slices crumbled on the bottom of the ungreased 9x13" baking pan.
Place the tempeh cutlets back in the pan on top of the crumbs.

Two cups of finely chopped celery goes on top of the cutlets, then the other two slices of bread crumbled on top.
Mix the left over marinade with 1 cup of oat milk and gently pour the liquid over the whole thing. Cover and bake at 350F until it starts to get brown, about two hours














Serves four.

Extreme Close up!!














The money shot

Served with mashed roots, salad is red lettuce, collard greens and raw sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, and a healthy dollop of seed cheese.















This is comfort food with a twist. The breading on the tempeh tastes like a "traditional" stuffing because of all the celery and the tempeh is tender but holds together well.
Absolute Success

VEGAN BRINNER! Breakfast for Dinner Cruelty-Free Style: Banana French Toast w Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Bananas and Vegan Sausage

Oh, look a recipe for EGG FREE FRENCH TOAST!!!

I made the McDougall Banana French Toast but adapted it a bit, of course!










They were a HUGE hit! Even the boy ate some and complained that there weren't more.


















Here they are soaking in a pan. I let them set in the mixture all day because I used my own bread and it's pretty heavy.
My griddle is not so non-stick so I used some olive oil cooking spray.

I sliced bananas and sweet potatoes and threw them on the grill, too.
















I baked some hash browns. These are the boy's portion. He likes his plain and with the peels off













I made a larger pan of hashed potatoes and onions, with peels, for the grown ups, baked the same way.


I have an indoor grill.














This place is whacky, I tell you.














Banana, sweet potato and vegan sausage.


The recipe.

I made a loaf of bread but I put an extra tbs of sugar and a tsp of cinnamon in and deleted any oat or flax I may have used in a loaf of sandwich bread. I also put a tbs of vital wheat gluten because I have heard that it will make a lighter loaf of bread (it says it on the package) but I haven't noticed any difference.
Let the bread cool completely and slice in 1/2" slices.

Mix in blender:
1 lrg ripe banana
1/2 cup oat milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Blend until creamy. It should be about the consistency of eggnog and the next time I want eggnog, I am going here :)

Place bread slices in pan and pour mixture over the top. Cover and let rest until you are ready to cook them.

Cook on lightly oiled or non-stick griddle until brown. Turn and brown the other side and eat, eat, eat!

For baked hash browns grate one potato per person. Rinse the grated potato and mix with 1/2 - 1 tsp of olive oil per potato and bake on baking sheet for 30 minutes at 375 F.

Grilled bananas and sweet potatoes, simply slice them and toss them on the grill until the bananas are brown and the sweet potatoes are tender.

Slice your vegan sausage and grill it until it is brown and crispy.

Serve it all hot!

Like every recipe I have made from the McDougall book, it's fabulous. I am so happy to have a low fat, vegan, recipe for French toast that doesn't call for any eggs, because eggs are slavery, exploitation and murder!

Vegan Benedict AND some Roundish Bread I baked this morning in my New Silicone Baking Pans

This morning for Sunday breakfast/brunch I decided to make this easy dish:
Vegan Benedict
















I got this recipe from the McDougall* quick and easy cookbook that I bought at Goodwill for $3.99. I love that store.
















I changed it slightly.














VEGAN Hollandaise Sauce

1/4 cup peanuts. The peanuts I used were soaked then dehydrated.
1 cup water
blend the peanuts and water until smooth pour into a saucepan and add
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs cold water
Mix it all together with a whisk and heat slowly, stirring constantly until thickened. About 5 minutes on med heat.

The sandwiches

Toast six slices of bread
Plate the bread, two slices per plate and put a thick slice of tomato and avocado on each slice of toast.
Pour the hot hollandaise sauce on top of the sandwiches and serve immediately.















Serves three.

Fabulous Sunday brunch style breakfast. Wow. I mean, really, really good. The hollandaise was very convincing.

Those McDougalls are aces in my book. But they use honey. But I can get around that. I love cook books and this one is a real keeper. *


I baked a loaf of bread.














I made a double batch cuz I was gonna put it in two pans. But it fit in one pan. My mistake. Or not. It looks good, actually.














Next time I will split the dough and see how it works.




Footnotes:

* I guess I should link that to Amazon somehow so if you buy it through my site I will get paid but I'm not sure how. You can click through the green cloud type thing to get to Amazon and I will get paid that way. Cheers.

Home Made Flour Tortillas

These were so quick and simple to make! I can see why they have been a staple food for thousands of years!

Vegan Recipe! Home Made Flour Tortillas**

Makes 8 8-10" tortillas

1.5 cups flour*
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 + 1/8 cup warm water















Put your ungreased cast iron pan on med heat.

In a large bowl mix all ingredients well with hands and then separate into 8 balls. Dust the balls with flour and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Letting them rest is very important. It makes them easier to roll out nice and thin. A thick tortilla is just a thin biscuit. No one wants a thin biscuit OR a thick tortilla, so let them rest.

Roll each tortilla with floured rolling pin on floured board, or use your floured hands to press them out into rounds. With even pressure, roll outward in all directions to make a nice, round tortilla approx 10" across.
Lay it gently in your hot pan for about a minute and a half. It will bubble on top. Flip it and leave for another minute. Don't leave them too long or they will be crisp and not soft like you want them.
Put hot tortilla on a clean dish towel on a plate. Spray with a half second spray of olive oil cooking spray and cover with clean towel. Eat them as soon as possible for maximum freshness. If they get cold, re-heat them quickly in your cast iron pan and eat immediately.

Footnotes:

* I used white but I will try them with whole wheat next time
** I looked at a lot of recipes and other than varying the amount and type of oil they were all the same, so I didn't note a website.

Hail Seitan 4a The Vegan Sausage Presentation

Vegan Seitan Sausage recipe HERE




















I sliced the sausage and pan fried it with a smidge of olive oil. I also threw some sliced zukes and chopped red bell peppers in the pan.

The man had his on bread with bbq sauce, grilled zucchini and I think he snuck a slice of cheese in there.














That big white blob in the front of the photo is a glob of seed cheese. The salad is red lettuce, spinach, cukes, zukes, red bells, lemon juice and herbs de Provence. He puts dressing on his. I try not to cringe.

I made a wrap with flour tortilla*, grilled zukes and red bell peppers and some salad.






























Yumms! This seitan sausage was quick and easy to make. I think it is very flavorful, versatile and easy to store. Mine is in the fridge in a ziplock baggie. Yay! I am sure it will be even better after a night of chillin in the fridge.

I really need some juice.

Vegan Seitan Recipe is HERE!

Footnotes:
* This tortilla is left over from when my company was here last weekend. Normally, I wouldn't eat them. I haven't learned how to make them yet so I can't make my own, so i don't want any. God knows what they put in them. Ingredient lists LIE. That being said, there is a load of crap food that they left here, little time bombs waiting to go off in my face. Things that look delicious but they are really poison and I can't just THROW them away. Can I? I am going to dump a 2 liter bottle of diet soda down the drain today. Diet soda and Cake. Anyone want a CAKE? Fresh from a BAKERY.
I think i have gotten rid of all the baby shrimp that were everywhere. Lurking. Those things are small and they can hide. Waiting. They have all the time in the world...

Hail Seitan 4 :: Vegan Sausage

This is a sausage that you can enjoy eating AND enjoy watching being made.

Adapted from Bigmouth.

Preheat oven to 325F. Have a cookie sheet and a piece of tin foil* ready to bake the sausage.

In a large bowl mix:
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Seasonings:
(this is where I changed the recipe)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp fresh dried basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper

In blender liquefy:
3 sundried tomatoes
2 cup vege broth
1/2 fresh roma tomato
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs vege juice pulp (optional)

Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix well then knead for a minute or two.
















Form into a log, wrap tightly in foil ** and twist the ends. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 90 minutes.





























Unwrap and let cool completely, slice and serve or crumble for recipes.
















To store, wrap in foil or plastic. I don't know how long it will keep but probably quite a while. I'll say 5-7 days.

This really came out good. I like the chunks of tomatoes I got from using sundried and fresh tomatoes.

Let's see it again!
















I am going to serve it to the man in sandwich form. I will have some in a collard wrap with a bunch of other veges. Check this spot for photos of the presentation.

Here's to sausage!




Footnotes:

* One day I will find something that I can bake in the oven that isn't aluminum. I believe aluminum is a powerful cancer causer.
** should look like a good sized mission burrito

Giant Avocado! Get the Knife, Quick! And some pepper!

While shopping yesterday we came across these.















The one on the left is a normal Hass avo. The one on the right is obviously some freak of nature, but there were a bunch like it so I guess I just don't get out much re: avocados.


Cut in half. We were wondering if it would have a regular sized pit or a huge one.
Holy crap, that is friggin huge!
















"But how does it taste," you ask?
ZB tastes it for YOU!!












hmm. Tastes like avocado only bigger.

"What do we do with it?"
Salad-o-tize TM it!














Avo, napa cabbage, quinoa, sauerkraut, some pulp from juicing ginger and garlic (oh my, bod! delicious!), flax crackers and a sprinkle of Raw Parma. I am starting to like that raw parma stuff. I can't wait until i run out, I am going to make my own.

There is still like over 3/4 left. I made avo fries once. in the dehydrator. I wonder if I could make avo "steaks"?

Another Pulp Recipe! Vegan Vege Quick Bread, Raw Vegan Pizza and Marinating Tempeh

Using my regular soda bread recipe, but instead of almond milk and vinegar, I used the pulp from juicing this morning. It was celery, zucchini, kale, ginger, garlic and onion. The dough was a bit dry, so I added a little more water.

The raw:













Un-hulled sesame seeds (an excellent source of calcium, unlike dairy) sprinkled on top

And the cooked:














It was very moist. Like zucchini bread, but not sweet. Savory. I don't know if it would make a good sandwich, but hot with earth balance, it was a tasty treat. It would be very complementary with chili, along side a giant green salad, or toasted for a high fiber breakfast.


Today's lunch was a sauerkraut and sweet pepper mini pizza














Flax seed crust, smeared with seed cheese and piled high with home made sauerkraut and chopped sweet peppers


Tonight I am making tempeh cutlets for dinner. Here they are marinating with some zucchini slices.














The marinade is just ACV, water, garlic powder, a couple of drops of Tulsi tea and some horseradish powder. I had a horseradish root and it dried up. I tried to chop it in my mini blender and it CRACKED the little plastic carafe! Thankfully, the thing came with a bunch of them. I have read a couple of recipes but none of them really moved me, so I decided to fake it. I will let you know how it comes out.

Cheers!

Hail Seitan! Part Deuce: The Burgers ::AND:: Simple Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

See part one here
Seitan loaf after chillin' over night
















The loaf was quite firm after a night in the fridge. I made patties and baked them at 350 for about an hour. It may have been too long because the edges were a bit crispy, but over all, they were quite good, very meaty texture and a neutral, slightly spicy taste. A very good sandwich filling.


Patties in the oven















Condiments!

Vegan seed cheese and sauerkraut















Tomato, avo, onion















I had NO greens in the house for some reason. I suppose I juiced them all...

I put them on some homemade bread
The bread was small, so we put half a patty on each two slices. Your bread size may vary.
















Butternut squash soup on the side*
















Then we dressed and ate them!





























































I am calling it a success. There is more left over. The man suggested meatballs.

FOOTNOTE:

* The soup was just baked squash pureed with water. One squash, about two quarts of water.
smash it all together and blend it. Make sure to let the mixture cool before blending and don't try to blend hot things in a regular blender. The blender will explode and you will be burned. And you will have to clean soup off of the ceiling while nursing first and second degree burns.

Not fun.

I saw so many recipes for B nut soup. Some sweet and some savory. I couldn't decide which to make, so, like the burgers, we dressed it at the table. I put raw onion slices and ground cinnamon on mine, The man put onion, cayenne, salt and black pepper in his. YUMMM...