A Much Needed Break!

Finally!!! I finally have a much needed break from school---one month. A whole month to relax, read and try complicated vegan dishes.



                                                            

It all began with Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman. I have read a few of Cushman's books and enjoy her style of writing and the way she deals with difficult issues. Finding Me is about a young woman, Kelli, who is mourning the death of her father. His death leads to Kelli uncovering secrets kept by her father for a very long time. Secrets that reveal who she is, hence the name, finding me. The premise was a good one, but after a while I was like, "Just tell everyone who you are, Hurry up!" It moved kind of slowly, but was worth it in the end. I also recommend Cushman's book-Chasing Hope. That was a perfect book! (Bethany House provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.)


                                                       

                                                                 

Last week, I saw one of my students reading a thick book and had to examine it closely. After reading the first few pages of the book I was hooked. I went home and loaded it onto my Kindle and spent the entire night reading. The Mysterious Benedict Society! Its a book written for kids, but I could not put it down, Adventure, puzzles, suspense and character development, all in a book for 10 year old kids. If you have kids or love to read get this book. I have even read book 2 in the series, blew my mind!



                                                              

Now on to the next best part of my break, trying new recipes. I recently received a copy of the book Salsas and Moles. When I think of Salsa one thing comes to mind-tomatoes. This book goes way beyond that! There are classic salsas, chunky salsas and hot salsas. I immediately turned to Salsas for Tacos. I love tacos, and will grasp any opportunity to make them better. There is the basic guacamole and Pico De Gallo which were most familiar to me. Then there were recipes for Spicy Slaw and Taco Stand Onions. The book makes suggestions for use of salsas and I would recommend topping some Gardein Fishless Fillets with the Spicy Slaw. Avocados and mangoes will be here in a few short weeks and I can't wait to use them to try other recipes in Salsas and Moles. (A free copy of this book was provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for my review),


An entire month to savor good books and good food!

Vegan, Vegan, What do you see?

Vegan, Vegan, What do you see?

I see vegan sausages.
I see vegan pizza.
I see vegan ice cream.
I see vegan food everywhere.

For too long being vegan in paradise meant that food had to be made from scratch all the time! Vegan convenience foods were no where to be found. This is changing, over the past few weeks I have been so pleased to find  the variety improving along with accessibility.

Field Roast Sausages

I first saw this item in Grand Bahama and was overjoyed to see it in my local Solomon's Fresh Market. This was awesome served in gravy over grits for breakfast and then simply fried with Patatas Bravas (a recipe I found on The Minimalist Baker's blog). It is very expensive, but good for an occasional treat.
                                                 

Daiya Pizza

I had taken to ordering a cheese-less pizza from my local pizza place, but never found this particularly satisfying. I then, started making my own pizza (Best Recipe Ever-Deep Dish Pizza in But I Could Never Go Vegan). I love making my own pizza, but there are times when I feel like eating but not cooking. Enter my new favorite, Daiya Pizza from SUPER VALUE Winton. When I saw this in the freezer I did a happy dance and even squealed. I had heard about it, but never had the pleasure. So worth it!! I had the Roasted Vegetable, but will be going back to try the others.


                                               

Now to the best part-- Ice Cream! I love Ice Cream! I have missed Ice Cream! Yes, I bought an ice cream maker and a ice cream cook book. Unfortunately, I have never been successful with this. I had the great fortune to try So Delicious Ice Cream while visiting Florida, so I was happy to celebrate my birthday with the almond chocolate bars. Dinner was made complete with the Mocha Almond Fudge flavor. The items are pricey, think over ten dollars for a pint of ice cream. This will be a rare treat for me. You can find this at Solomon's Fresh Market at Harbour Bay.

                                                    

I have seen some other items that I plan to try as soon as I can. I love cooking at home, but am glad to see the variety of vegan foods expanding.

A Good Food Day

                          

What makes a good food day for you?

On a day when I have been particularly virtuous I feel like I have had a good food day. You know what I mean oats for breakfast, and lots of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. The cookbook, A Good Food Day by Marco Canora seems to have pretty much the same ideas that I have about what good food is.

Good food simply makes you feel good.

Lately, I have been eating only foods that promise to make me feel good, this means that I have slowed down considerably in my consumption of sweets. A Good Food Day is by no means a vegan cookbook, but subconsciously, I think it acknowledges that a plant based diet is the best way to feel good. A good many of the recipes are vegan by chance or design and are pretty good. I veganized the Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Porcini Mushrooms and Baby Spinach (p. 155) by eliminating the cheese and using Earth Balance Butter. The flavors were like nothing I had ever eaten, rich and earthy. I plan to try a few more recipes, veganizing those that need that extra special attention.

The ideas of the author are ones that all of us could pay more attention to. Cook real, quality food and enjoy what you eat. I plan to do this more and have a few more good food days.

 

Words and Chocolate

My classes are off to a bumpy start, my students can smell summer around the corner, and my stress level is through the roof. Yet, two things that can always calm my frazzled nerves are a good book and some chocolate.

The chocolate lover's box from Vegan Cuts was phenomenal. My favorite products were Jen's Zen Chocolate Raspberry Spread and a Bixby Bar. This box did help me reach the conclusion that I do not like dark chocolate or anything matcha flavored.

The words flowed with books from Bethany House. Like a Flower in Bloom. This book by Siri Mitchell told the story of Charlotte Withersby who assisted her botanist father. Charlotte is more than just an assistant, she has become her father's lifeline, since the death of her mother. An assistant, by the name of Edward Trimble arrives just as Charlotte's father and uncle decided it is time she met a husband. Through a series of improbable events, Edward and Charlotte end up in love. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the Note from the Author about women, botany and the Opium War more than the actual book.The theological discussion about a woman's role a a help was fascinating and enlightening. The events of the story were unlikely and just seemed contrived, I will try other books by this author as I found the main idea engaging.

After enjoying Book 1 in the Canadian West Series by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan I anxiously awaited book 2, "Where Trust Lies."I was sorely disappointed. The story follows Beth Thatcher and her family on a tour of Canada and the U.S. This story basically annoyed me as I never liked Julie, Beth's sister who was featured in this book. I preferred reading about Beth's trials and triumphs in the Canadian West. I am not giving up on this series though and see lots of room for development.

A free copy of both books was provided by Bethany House Publishers. The Vegan Cuts Chocolate Lover's Box was not free, but was worth every PENNY!

February..A Time for Seitan and Chocolate!

It's February already!

The year is in full swing and I am swinging right along with it. My classes have begun again and squeezing in time to cook is hard. Yet, it has never been more important to me. The government implemented a new Value Added Tax (VAT) on January 1, 2015 and this spurred me to re-evaluate my spending. This evaluation led me to the conclusion that I am not eating out...ever. I have mostly been able to stick to this new rule, with very few slip-ups. So now I have less time to cook, but need to do it more than ever...sigh.

I have developed a new love for seitan. I had eaten seitan many years ago, when a friend prepared it for me. This convinced me that I did not like it, now I love it. What made the difference? Steaming! Boiling in my opinion, does not do seitan justice, just makes it all mushy. But steaming!!!! Wow!
Isa Does It! has a great recipe for sausage, Salad Samurai has a pretty good one that absorbs lots of flavor but my absolute favorite is found in my new favorite cookbook, But I Could Never Go Vegan!
Full of flavor! I love seitan (did I mention this?), but have found gluten flour to be expensive here. I ordered some from Amazon (Bob's Red Mill) and was pleased with the product and price.

Did I mention my new favorite cook book? But I Could Never Go Vegan! I had actually never heard of the author, but read about the cookbook somewhere and am so happy I took a chance on it. All of the recipes I have tried have been winners- Sunflower Sausage, Cornmeal Waffles, Seitan, Lentil Mushroom Meatloaf, Sausage Biscuits and Gravy. I am sure I said that I really like this book. I have even ordered it for a friend who is trying out the Vegan lifestyle. YAY!

February celebrates love and all things chocolate, which I happen to love. I ordered the Vegan Cuts Chocolate Lovers Box, despite my budget and some tummy issues. Who can resist chocolate, especially in February? I will fill you in on all the yummy details.

Happy February!

Cookbook Review- Relae

I am unsure if the word cookbook should be used to describe Relae: A Book of  Ideas. I am looking for ideas, I want to throw away the measuring cups, spoons and recipes, in favor of a more relaxed style of cooking. A little of this, a little of that, you know the way grammy did it. Well, I may be getting better at this, considering I made an awesome chickpea curry yesterday without a recipe in sight.

Back to the cookbook... I mean The Book of Ideas. I truly enjoyed the story behind this book. Christian Puglisi tells of his journey from chef at the restaurant of someone else to his own. His restaurant is like none I have ever heard of, the ideas are unique and fresh. I loved the story of how he found the space for the restaurant. Think, broken down, drug infested area transformed to hip and upcoming.

Though this is a book of ideas, I don't think the average vegan/person would enjoy it. Everything is just too weird! I didn't see a single recipe..excuse me... idea that I would like to try. This will be used as a coffee table book for me.

I did like the premise that Mr. Puglisi puts forward. He advocates for veggies first. The meat is more of a side dish in his restaurant. I love this, perhaps if we keep pushing meat to the side it will become totally unnecessary to the wider population.

A free copy of this book was provided by Blogging for Books.

Happy New Year!

2015 is here!

What are your plans for the new year? This year I want to cook more whole foods, while working on my Master's Degree I have started to rely on convenience foods. These tend to be expensive and not as satisfying. So, I resolve to cook more..fresh veggies..less fake meat...wholesome meals!

My cookbook collection has expanded to include The 40th Anniversary Edition of Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen*. This cookbook is actually vegetarian, not vegan. It does include many vegan sauces, spreads and other recipes. What is most intriguing about this book is that it is handwritten with hand-drawn pictures throughout. I loved the story behind the book, how it started out as a collection of recipes handwritten for use in a restaurant.

I would recommend this book for someone who is exploring a vegetarian lifestyle. I know just the person. My beloved nephew has decided to become a vegetarian, YAY. His mother, my sister is spending lots of time stressing about what to feed him. He swims competitively, so needs lots of fuel to keep him going. I plan to pass this book along to her, it includes so many basic recipes (hummus) that she can begin with. Hopefully, one day I will be passing on a Vegan cookbook to her.

At the beginning of a new year people are more open to consider life changes. I hope we can encourage a more compassionate way of living. Happy New Year!

*A free copy of this book was provided by Blogging for Books. Thanks!