abandoning my poor blog

So it is apparent I am currently abandoning my food blogs for the time being. My life has taken a complete 360 and I am just not focused on making food or even thinking about food like I used to. Much is due to the many life changes I have gone through in the past few months.

Most influential was the ending of a near-7 year relationship with my boyfriend. I left the relationship for many, many reasons and will not get too far into it here. It was a good choice that probably should have been made a lot sooner, and I am really happy with my decision. This event did, however, turn my life on its head. Being with someone that long can really make you lose a part of yourself, or at least repress it. There are so many complicated elements that make up who I am. The person I was becoming with him was great, for the most part; I was a good, accepting girlfriend, I was interested in health, I was eating well, vegan for two years, non-drinker for two years.

I started to feel other parts of myself coming out, though. First I broke being vegan (again and again), then I started drinking again. I broke up with the boyfriend and just...well, I can't really explained what happened. Everything I knew about my life just exploded, and I was the one who detonated the bomb. And it was great.

Where does this leave me now? Honestly, I am not interested in health and diet the way I was a few months ago. This sounds terrible, I know, but I'm just being honest. Haha, not that many people read this, or anything. Anyhow, detaching myself from the situation, I would say that I am destroying everything that I was for the past 7 years, starting new, figuring out who I am, who I want to be. I'm being reckless, I am having fun, I am eating like a 21 year old frat boy, I am staying up late. It may not be the best 'cleansing' but it is what I am doing nonetheless and I feel good about it.

I spent a lot of time cooking for the ex over the past few years, and now that it's over, and I am no longer a devoted little 'housewife' my desire to cook for myself has come to a complete standstill, in fact, I despise cooking these days. It's odd, because I used to find such joy in creating delicious meals, even when I was just cooking vegan stuff for me. Hmm, not quite sure what that's all about. I hope my joy of cooking returns eventually because I do still want to be healthy. My current diet consists of soup, salad, coffee, mac n cheese, or pizza for the most part. Oh, and beer. And mexican food and margaritas.

So my raw food journey has come to an end, at least for now. Maybe it will continue again if the desire returns.

I do, however, still have the passion to blog...I find something exciting or thrilling or therapeutic about sharing part of my life in a semi-public manner...so I will be expressing my current interests: words. I've written a lot of poetry in my life, although not so much during my last relationship. And I've been writing again, in addition to going through my old poems. I'm not very good or talented, but there's something about it that I like. So my new blog will share poems and short essays, old and new. I feel a little nervous and vulnerable about it, but drawn to it at the same time. We'll see how it goes...

new blog: Words

bye for now!

Raw recipes: kelp noodles and green dessert!

Here are some YUMMY raw recipes! First we got kelp noodles. Kelp noodles can be found online but I got mine at Madison Market in Seattle. They have a completely neutral taste and remind me of thin rice noodles or angel hair pasta. Here is the recipe I'm bringing for lunch at work this week:

Kelp Noodles, Veggies, and Green Sauce!

Kelp Noodles:

Open package of kelp noodles, rinse, and drain. You can also toss in some lemon juice to help them soften up, but they will soften more once they are in the green sauce.


Veggies:

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
A couple large handfuls green beans

Chop zucchini and squash. Julienne red bell pepper. Cut ends off of green beans and then cut each in half.

Green Sauce: (This recipe was adapted from the Creamy Italian Dressing recipe in Rawvolution by Matt Amsden...mine just has WAY more basil! This dressing is the #1 favorite of everyone who I've served it to! It is so versatile! Use it on salad, pasta, steamed veggies, raw zucchini noodles. Brian loves it drizzled over baked chicken and rice.)

3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 cups tightly packed fresh basil (depending on how much you like basil; I usually start with one cup, then add a few more stalks of basil until the sauce is very green and has a tangy pesto flavor)
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh oregano
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup raw pine nuts

Blend!

Now, you can either toss all of the ingredients together now and serve, or store them separately. I've chosen to store separately because this makes a LARGE serving, and I intend to eat this for lunch throughout the week. If you choose to serve the full serving at once, marinade the kelp noodles in the green sauce for about 30 minutes or more to help them soften. Then top with veggies and a drizzle of more green sauce!

If you want to make individual servings, portion out the desired amount of kelp noodles and toss with green sauce. (If you are taking this to work and are letting it sit, then the noodles will be soft by lunch. If you are just eating an individual serving immediately, make sure you let the noodles marinate for at least 30 minutes.) Then top with a couple handfuls of the veggies. Drizzle with more green sauce if desired. Store the leftover green sauce in a container in the fridge. Store the chopped veggies in the fridge as well. Store the kelp noodles in a container filled with water in the fridge. All of these should last a few days. This is only day one for me, so I can't tell you exactly how long they truly last. Should serve about 4, I'm guessing.

Also, I have yet to take pictures of this, but hopefully I will get a chance before I eat it all!


And here's recipe #2: Eat Your Greens...for dessert!

Green smoothie Popsicles!

This recipe is so simple it's more of an idea than a recipe. But you heard me! If green smoothies are so good for you, what better dessert could there be? Get some Popsicle molds, or use a few cups with spoons as the stick. Fill them with your favorite green smoothie recipe (see my previous posts here and here for ideas) and freeze overnight or until solid. YUM!

That's all for now!

Two Green Smoothies of the week!

I know I haven't posted ANYTHING on here in a long time, but to be honest, I just haven't been making anything unique lately. But I'm going back on green smoothies (thanks to my discount and easy access to inexpensive produce provided by my new job at Trader Joe's!), and these are the two I'm drinking this week:

*These measurements are approximate, as I pretty much just eyeball it. Each recipe serves 1 (if using a large glass) or two (if using two small glasses)

Tropical
-Two large handfulls of Spinach (fills about 1/3 the bottom of the blender)
-1/2 cup frozen mango
-1/2 cup frozen pineapple
-1 ripe banana
-1/2 container (3 oz) peach (or other) flavored soy yogurt (optional)
-water (just enough to get it blending, usually to the 1 cup line on the blender. Add more as needed to get it to blend smooth)

BLEND and enjoy!

Berry
-Two large handfulls of Spinach
-1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (cherries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)
-1/2 cup frozen strawberries
-1 ripe banana
-1/2 container (3 oz) berry (or other) flavored soy yogurt (optional)
-water (see above for measurement)

BLEND!!!

My stomach is growling now! Time for curry and brown rice for dinner!

Some Raw Recipes!

Lately I've been getting sick of vegan comfort food and have been craving lighter, wholesome, raw foods. (Read all about it on my Raw Food Journey blog if it tickles your fancy.) Here's some recipes to share of what I've been eating:

Green Smoothie of the week:

4-6 leaves kale, de-stemmed
1 cup frozen mango and berry fruit mix
1 cup frozen banana or 1 fresh banana
water

I place the ingredients in a blender, starting with the kale, and then slowly add filtered water until it just about reaches the 1 cup mark on the blender (you only need enough the liquify the kale a bit, which will then liquify the rest). Blend until smooth!

When I'm not drinking my green smoothie, I'm making my boyfriend's favorite smoothie, which is adapted from the Acai Smoothie recipe in Eat Drink and be Vegan by Dreena Burton:

1 1/2 cups Living Harvest chocolate flavored hempmilk
1/2 cup frozen bananas or one fresh banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 packet Sambazon Acai frozen pulp

Blend! Serves two.

I experimented with Raw Ranch Dressing this week! Yum! I think fresh herbs would taste best but I only had dried...and it still tasted yummy! I tossed it with fresh greens, cucumber, tomato, carrot, and avocado.

Raw Ranch Dressing from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet

1 cup soaked (for 2 hrs) raw cashews
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh basil (1 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh dill (1 tsp dried)

Blend cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add the basil and dill and pulse briefly until mixed.



I also had a couple nights of zucchini pasta! Zucchini pasta is one of my favorite raw dishes, and it's also one of the easiest. All you need is a spiralizer; and if you don't have one of those, just slice long ribbons of zucchini with a vegetable peeler to make "fettuccine" noodles that taste just as good. After I spiralize my zucchini, I like to let the noodles soften a bit so they become more "noodly." I place them in a strainer and cover them with a light layer of sea salt, mix well, and then set aside while I make the sauce. (I thought I remember reading this technique somewhere so one day I just decided to try it, but I haven't been able to find the reference...but it really does seem to work!) After I make the sauce, I mix a tablespoon or so into my noodles to help them soften even more. When you do this, you will notice a bit of liquid draining out of the strainer. It is from the zucchini softening and releasing water. Have you ever noticed how soggy your plate gets when you eat zucchini pasta? Ok, maybe it's just me, but either way, this technique has improved my "noodles" and the physical presentation greatly! They look better and taste way better! Anyhow, after I get the right texture, I put the noodles on the plate and cover with my sauce of choice!



Yesterday I topped my zucchini noodles with warm, bottled marinara sauce. Today, I had an ALL RAW dinner; I tossed my noodles with Raw Pesto and chopped tomato!

Easy Raw Pesto (adapted from Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose)

1 cup (packed) basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
pinch of salt or to taste

Pulse in food processor until well chopped and combined. Serves 1 (or two if you don't love basil as much as me!)

Although I am in the middle of recovering from a cold (surely caused by over-eating so much over the past weekend...too much vegan cake!) I am feeling better now that I am making healthier food choices and incorporating more raw food and green smoothies into my day!

Easy Vegan Phyllo Comfort Food Recipes!

I created magic with phyllo dough in my kitchen this weekend! All I can say is YUM!!!!

Starting out new to the world of vegan cooking, I was intimidated by recipes using phyllo dough. Whenever I would stumble upon one in one of my cookbooks, I would salivate over the mental (or physical) picture of the enticing treat, and then quickly flip the page, assuming all the while that phyllo was hard to find and difficult to work with. Then last year, feeling adventurous, I attempted the Baklava recipe in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking" (pg. 162). It turned out to be both easy and delicious! Afterward, ideas for more possible recipes involving phyllo dough flooded my mind. With the leftover phyllo, I created my vision of the ultimate vegan comfort food: Vegan Ham, Cheddar, and Broccoli Phyllo Casserole. It was an amazing, delicious success! Unfortunately, I've never been able to officially share this recipe because I didn't record the process or measurements.

But this weekend, I finally did it! Saturday was me and Robin's weekly Vegan Food Party day, and we decided to make the phyllo casserole; this time recording the process, ingredients, and measurements as we went. It turned out to be so delicious that we ate the ENTIRE recipe before I remembered to take a picture! Determined to share this recipe once and for all, picture included, I made the casserole again the following night. I had a ton of leftover phyllo, a whole head of broccoli, and a decent amount of cheese. All I had to buy more of was "ham." I didn't want to make as big of a casserole as the one Robin and I made (since I didn't have quite as much in the way of ingredients as I did the first time around) so I made it into a half-recipe, which is what you see in the pictures. So, finally, success. I recreated the recipe, got a picture, and figured out how to make a quicker, smaller version in the process.

But that's not nearly the end of my Phyllo adventure. Realizing how much phyllo I would still have even after making the second casserole, my mind started getting creative. From my hungry imagination came the idea for: Vegan Spinach, Artichoke, and Cream Cheese Phyllo "Muffins." These I envisioned as a fun appetizer or as a small side to a salad. And, of course, they turned out so amazing that I ate half the recipe all to myself...that's on top of the half of the casserole that I ate!

Neither of these recipes are exactly what I would ever call health food (they are DEFINITELY in the vegan COMFORT FOOD category!) but they do make for a delicious indulgence. And once you see how easy phyllo is to work with, you will love it! And if you are adventurous, you can start making phyllo casseroles and "muffins" with any fillings you desire!

Here are my two vegan phyllo recipes:

Vegan Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Phyllo Casserole
Servings: 2-4 (or more, if served in small squares for appetizers)


Ingredients:
-1 pkg Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen (you won't use entire package for one recipe)
-1 pkg vegan ham (I use Yves brand), chopped
-3 cups vegan cheese, shredded (I used Vegan Gourmet brand, combination of cheddar and mozzarella)
-1 head broccoli, chopped into bite sized florets
-3-4 Tbsp vegan margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil/spray/butter a 5in x 9in baking dish

In a large mixing bowl, combine ham, cheese, and broccoli until well-mixed.

Cut phyllo dough into appx. 5in x 9in rectangles. Place 7 sheets of dough, one at a time, at the bottom of baking dish and, using a pastry brush, coat each sheet with a thin layer of melted margarine.

Pour half of the ham, cheese, and broccoli mixture over the phyllo. Next, layer four sheets of phyllo dough over the cheese mixture, coating each sheet with margarine. Top that layer of phyllo with the remaining cheese mixture. Top casserole with 7 more sheets of phyllo, again coating each sheet with margarine.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted (if using a glass dish that you can actually see through) and the top is golden brown.


Smaller Casserole Variation: (makes 1 HUGE serving, 2 large servings, or 4 small servings)

Follow all of the same instructions as above except use 1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheese, 1/2 pkg vegan ham, and 1/2 - 1 full head broccoli (I used 1 full head of broccoli); Use 4 sheets of phyllo for each of the three layers, and "butter" every 2 to 4 sheets, to lower fat content, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes.



Vegan Spinach, Artichoke, and Cream Cheese Phyllo "Muffins"
Servings: 6-8 "muffins"


Ingredients:
-1 pkg Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen (you won't use a entire package for one recipe)
-1 8 oz tub vegan cream cheese
-3 cups fresh spinach, divided
-1 13 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
-1 large clove garlic
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp onion powder
-2-3 tbsp vegan margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 6-8 muffin tins

In food processor, pulse 2 cups of spinach, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and onion powder until spinach is chopped and ingredients are combined. Then add cream cheese, and blend until well-mixed. Transfer mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add remaining 1 cup of spinach and artichoke hearts (chop any larger segments into bite sized pieces) to cream cheese mixture and mix well to combine.

Cut phyllo into appx. 5in. x 5in. squares (enough to fill a muffin tin completely with about an inch of extra phyllo sticking out).

Place two sheets of phyllo in the muffin tin and, using a pastry brush, coat with a thin layer of melted margarine. Repeat with a 2nd layer of two phyllo sheets and margarine. (It should kinda look like a tulip)

Next, fill with cream cheese mixture.

Fold the extra phyllo dough toward the middle (covering the filling) and coat top with a light layer of margarine.

Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until all the filling is gone (should fill 6-8 muffin tins)

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown

The filling possibilities for both the phyllo casserole and the "muffins" are endless! Use your imagination!
Try:
-Vegan mozzarella, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and garlic filling
-Tofu, spinach, onion, and garlic filling
-Basil, tofu, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and kalamata olives filling
-Sweet fillings like fruit for a dessert; apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and agave nectar; blueberries, agave nectar, and vegan cream cheese
-Spelt or whole wheat phyllo dough
-Lowering fat by "buttering" every 2-4 sheets instead of each sheet in the casserole

My Favorite Must-Have vegan cookbooks...

Ok, so my last blog reviewed Dreena Burton's Eat Drink & Be Vegan as my current FAVORITE vegan cookbook. I figured now would be a good time to mention my previous favorites!

La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer was my first FAVORITE vegan cookbook. In fact, I wanted the cookbook before I even thought about going vegan just for one recipe: Double Chocolate Muffins (pg. 236). My friend, Brandi, made them a couple times and I could never get enough. They were amazing! When I finally did become vegan, I bought this book. I can't remember if it was exactly my first, but it was definitely the first that actually got USED and abused like all good favorites do. I think this is the best cookbook for "beginners" because most of the recipes are very easy with common ingredients and there are TONS of comfort food recipes; a lot using vegan cheeses and mockmeats, which I think are vital to enjoying the first stages of the vegan transition. I have made so many dishes from this book that it would be nearly impossible to record them all. I might as well just say "buy the damn book and try them ALL for yourself!" but I'll at least list the BEST of the best that I've made:
-Freedom French Toast (pg. 37) YES!
-Claire's Macaroni and Cheese (pg. 125) this recipe, along with the cheese sauce alone, has become a staple in my diet. I have made so many delicious recipes based on this one! If you think you can't live without cheese, try this recipe first!
-Jay-Lo's Fried Chicken (pg. 167) Holy crap, can you believe it? This stuff tastes just like chicken strips! It's a little more complicated than buying a frozen veggie patty, but fun to make and well worth the effort!
-Eggplant Parmesan (pg. 145) I used a store-bought marinara. This was YUM!
-Jae's Peanut Butter Fudge (pg. 200) Holy crap, please make this. It is so good I can't even think about it or I will salivate all over myself
-Banana coconut pudding (pg. 206) Easy, yummy.
-Wolffie's B'nanner Bars (pg. 214) Easy, yummy also.
-Wolffie's Snickerdoodles (pg. 215) Cinnamon-sugar-liscious!
-Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (pg. 218) magical!
-Stephanie's White Diamond Cookies (pg. 223) yes, these are incredible. Get vegan white chocolate chips from www.veganstore.com (my favorite ones), or www.veganessentials.com, or try Sidecar Grocery in the U-District (I saw some there once, but forgot to check back to see if they carry them regularly.)
-Double Chocolate Muffins (pg. 236) I already told you how these tempted me before I was vegan. Make them for yourself, and try a mixture of dark chocolate and vegan white chocolate chips!
-Basic Baking Powder Biscuits (pg. 271) these are so fast and easy and delicious.
-Yeast Free Pizza Crust (pg. 300) very easy and fast. I use this as the crust for all my homemade pizzas. Just top with sauce, toppings of choice (try basil and tomatoes) and vegan cheese. The trick is to get the cheese to melt: I like to cut the cheese into thin, flat square slices (instead of shredding it) and putting globs of it on the pizza. After the rest of the pizza has been cooked through, I like to then set the oven to broil, keep the door slightly open, and let it cook until the cheese gets all melty. Just keep an eye on it so the rest doesn't burn under that broil!

There are so many good recipes in this book, and still a ton that I have yet to try. I recommend this book to anyone with a sweet tooth and a comfort food tooth, especially those new-to-amazingly-delicious-vegan-cuisine peeps!

The other book that changed my life is The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Gourdreau. I got this one for Christmas from my boyfriend and it consumed me from then on! I have a major sweet tooth and LOVE baking. I get no greater pleasure than making something delicious--especially a vegan replica of an old favorite. This book is chock full of baked goods, especially desserts. There are recipes in here that I have yet to find better versions of anywhere else such as: vegan cinnamon rolls! vegan soft pretzels! vegan cheesecake! Caramel Popcorn! Horchata! And those are the ones I haven't tried yet! Here's some that I have made:
-Waffles (pg. 69) this is the only vegan waffle recipe that I have used and it is purely delicious
-Cinnamon Coffee Cake (pg. 84) I made these for Brian, but ended up eating most of it myself
-Vanilla Cupcakes (pg. 85) with Buttercream Frosting (pg. 231) another recipe made for the boyfriend but ended up in my tummy
-Mexican Wedding Cookies (pg. 114) yum!
-Lemon Bars (pg. 126) HOLY CRAP! This recipe (and the yet-to-be-made cinnamon rolls) is what put this book #1 on my Xmas wish list in the first place. Remember those ultra yummy-but-naughty lemon bars you make from a box? I do, and the thought that I could never eat them again nearly gave me a heart attack...then I saw this recipe and I really think my heart stopped for about a minute. And then I MADE THEM and I died. They were that good! Much healthier than that boxed crap, too. These are actually made with REAL LEMONS! Just go to the bookstore, pick up the book, flip it open to page 127, and look at the picture of these babies; you will swoon like it's Johnny Depp naked at your doorstep asking to borrow a cup of sugar.
-Mango with Sticky Rice (pg. 148) I used to get this dessert at my pre-vegan favorite thai restaurant. Magical!
-Baklava (pg. 162) these will make you say Uggh like Master P.

Wow, I get excited just thinking about these recipes.
While these two books, along with ED&BV are my ultamate favorites, there are a couple others worth mentioning (they just don't get abused quite as often as my three must-haves):
-How it all Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard. Lots of good recipes. Similar style to LDV but not the same recipes.
-Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I feel like this one should get more use but for some reason, I just haven't gotten around to making many of the recipes. There are more comfort food recipes here than you can shake a stick at; sushi, mac n four cheeses, philly cheesesteak, enchiladas, etc etc etc!
-Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson. I got this one really cheap and Half Price Books and it was well worth it. While it doesn't get much use (sometimes the vast number of recipes in this book feels a little too intimidating) it is a great resource and I am happy to own it.
-Vegan Fusion World Cuisine by Mark Reinfeld and Bo Rinaldi. I've only made a couple of the recipes (maple ginger cookies, cheesecake) but a lot of them look really good. The recipes come from the Blossoming Lotus Restaurant. I've been to the one in Portland, OR (which was delicious...vegan soft serve ice cream!) and there is also one in Hawaii.

My favorite RAW cookbooks are also worth mentioning. Eating more raw foods is something that I find very important. Sometimes I get phases where I make a ton of "Raw Gourmet" meals. When the craving strikes, these are the books I use:
-Natalia Rose's two books, Raw Food Life Force Energy and The Raw Food Detox Diet are the books I use to find the simplest, purest, most cleansing recipes. About half are completely raw, most others are cleansing, vegetarian dishes, and she also includes a few fish recipes and recipes including raw goat cheese. (Read my reviews of these books HERE, for RFLFE, and HERE for TRFDD.)
-Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melgailis is the book I use when I want to make something exciting, unique, and (usually) a little more complicated and fancy. This book has so many delicious recipes and amazing desserts. A must have for the Raw food lover!
-Rawvolution by Matt Amsden. This was my first RAW cookbook and is a steady favorite. I like all of the recipes (except for the soups; I'm very picky about raw soup) that I've tried and always rely on this one if I want something simple. The best recipe from this book is the Creamy Italian Dressing. I have made my own adaptation of this dressing by increasing the amount of basil and oregano, and calling it "Green Sauce." Green Sauce is good on everything from salad, veggies, and pasta to chicken (my Brian's FAVE!) I love the simplicity of these recipes and they taste wonderful.

So there are my FAVES. Here's what's on my wish list:
-Vive Le Vegan and The Everyday Vegan both by Dreena Burton.
-Vegan Express by Nava Atlas
-Get it Ripe by Jae Steele
-Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, all by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
-My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky
-The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak
-Sweet Gratitude by Matthew Rogers and Tiziana Alipo Tamborra (raw desserts)

YUM!!!

Eat, Drink, and be Vegan- my new favorite cookbook!

Eat Drink and be Vegan by Dreena Burton is definitely my new favorite cookbook! I actually got it for Christmas 2007 from my boyfriend's sister. I was still new to the vegan lifestyle at that point and was obsessed with dessert and comfort food recipes. I was making AT LEAST ONE dessert recipe each week, and was always experimenting with ways to replicate my old faves into new vegan creations. I was in LOVE with vegan cheese and mockmeats. So when I flipped through ED&BV the first time, I saw recipes that looked delicious but a little too "different." I saw the words "spelt" and "oat flour" and "whole wheat" instead of the usual "unbleached wheat flour" that I was used to. I also noticed that she didn't have as many traditional comfort food recipes or use a lot of margarine, mock meats, or vegan cheeses like most of the cookbooks I was familiar with. At that point in my vegan transition, I wasn't ready for these healthier, purer, more-advanced recipes. So I'm sorry to say that ED&BV got lost on my shelf while I gave my attention to my other books like La Dolce Vegan and The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Now here I am, over a year later, in a much different place as far as my diet and eating desires are concerned. While I still LOVE vegan cheese and mockmeats and go crazy for desserts, I have significantly cut back my consumption of these things. I am no longer in the beginning part of the vegan transition. I am now drawn to simpler ingredients, lighter recipes, more whole grains and less refined and processed products. So, as I flipped through ED&BV recently, I saw it with brand new eyes. These recipes that seems "a little weird" or "too healthy" before are now exciting, amazing, and wonderfully healthy!

This cookbook is full of unique recipes that you won't find in traditional vegan comfort food cookbooks. There's a whole section on different hummus recipes! The breakfast section has recipes for crepes made with spelt flour! The entres include items like enchiladas, chimichangas, pastas, Thai pizza, and Moroccan phylo rolls! In the dessert section you will find white chocolate macadamia cookies, pumpkin cheese pie, and gluten free chocolate chip cookies. There's definitely an ethnic flair to a lot of her recipes and they all seem to be made with health in mind. I am so grateful for this cookbook; it's exactly what I need and want right now. Just go check it out at the bookstore, flip through the recipes, and see if they catch your eye and taste buds. This book is perfect for anyone wanting to transition to a diet containing less refined, processed products and more whole grains, whole wheat/spelt/or gluten free flours, pure sweeteners, and exciting, unique meals. She leaves plenty of notes on the sidelines with suggestions and ways to adjust the recipe to individual taste and needs, which makes me feel very comfortable and well-informed about the best way to make the recipes.

Here are all the recipes I have tried (and they were ALL amazing!)
-Breakfast Crepes (pg.28); I filled these with soy yogurt (dairy yogurt for the non-vegan boyfriend) and applesauce. I made them for dinner and served them with an asian pear, walnut, and raisin salad with raspberry vinaigrette (topped with goat cheese for the bf.)

-Tamari-Roasted Chickpeas (pg.68); I made these with nama shoyu instead of tamari and served them over a salad with cucumber, tomato, carrots, avocado, and a lemon-olive oil dressing. SO GOOD!

-Peanut Banana Tortilla Turnovers (pg. 111); I made these with Molassa-Sauce (pg. 111) to dip, and also dipped them in vanilla yogurt. I served them with the same salad I had made for crepes.

-Lemon Broiled Green Beans (pg. 160) (see picture below); Me and my friend, Robin, made these for our weekly Food/Movie night along with Mac-Oh Geez! from Dreena Burton's recipe blog (be sure to check out that blog along with her eat drink and be vegan blog!) The green beans made a perfect side dish. The recipe is incredibly simple but the result is so flavorful you won't believe it!

-Mac-Oh Geez! (see picture above) is well worth an entire review on its own! I can't recommend this recipe enough. It was so creamy and delicious. While it's not quite the same as traditional mac n cheese, it was definitely a winner in its own right. The flavor of the sauce was similar to an alfredo or Stroganof. We topped our servings with salt and nutritional yeast and ate until we were exploding!

-Another recipe worth mentioning is Tomato Basil Quesadilla (pg. 38); while I didn't actually make this recipe, it did inspire me to create my own. The original recipe uses her Roasted Red Pepper and Almond hummus (pg. 52) recipe with tomato, basil, and tempeh bacon, and filled between a tortilla. From this, I was inspired to make Roasted Red Pepper and Hummus quesadilla. I bought the hummus from PCC and roasted my own red peppers (preheat oven to 400 degrees and place pepper on baking sheet for 35 minutes. Remove from oven when done and then place in covered bowl for 10 minutes. Then remove outer skin and cut into slices.) I spread the hummus on a tortilla, topped one half with 4 red pepper slices, folded the tortilla in half, and then grilled each side on a lightly oiled pan until warm, slightly brown and crispy. I served these with salad topped with the Tamari-Roasted Chickpeas and Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing. SO YUM!

I can't wait to make more recipes from this cookbook. Listing all the ones that sound incredible would take hours! I also have her two other books, Vive Le Vegan and The Everyday Vegan on my Amazon.com wishlist, so hopefully I will get those eventually too!