Uncookbook Review: Rawlicious

For years I've worked on amassing quite the collection of raw cookbooks but, without a dehydrator, I couldn't fully release their potential. I finally bought a great little used Excalibur 3500 Deluxe Series 5 Tray Food Dehydrator from a classmate who simply didn't have room for it anymore and I was ecstatic to finally try out so many of the recipes I've had to pass on over the years. There were so many recipes I wanted to try from raw cookbooks I've owned for years but, true to the blogger within me, I decided to venture into new territory and try out the small collection of new raw books I had sitting on the shelf.

The first book I grabbed was  Rawlicious: Delicious Raw Recipes for Radiant Health by Peter and Beryn Daniel. The forward is by a favorite of mine in the raw food movement Victoria Boutenko who literally wrote the book on green smoothies and changed my life in the process. Unfortunately, aside from the forward, I was underwhelmed by this book. It is a very very basic introduction to raw foods with recipes as simple as macadamia nut, cashew and Brazil nut butter where the only ingredient is a couple cups of nuts and a blender. Not even a blend of nuts - cashew butter equals cashews plus a blender, that's it. Not exactly rocket science. There was nothing too inventive or imaginative about the salads or soups. The breakfast options were elementary and the gourmet meals section was filled with extremely dressed down versions of pastas and pizzas I've come across in other raw food books. Perhaps I have been too spoiled by Juliano and raw food goddesses like Ani Phyo who push the boundaries and turn fruits and vegetables into works of art. It's very hard to go from make rich creams, cheeses, multiple types of bacons, pizzas, sandwiches and warm raw soups to Egg Mayo and Sushi rolls. I'll have to pass on Rawlicious  this time around. But I look forward to seeing what these authors have in store for the future.

Put Your Top On! (Healthy Top)

Have you ever seen those ultra-expensive gourmet whipped creamed canisters that turns whipping cream into whipped cream with a touch of a button? I'm a bit obsessed with them but for over $100 I'm stuck making whipped cream the old fashioned way. Well not completely and totally the old fashioned way - I'm not about to sit over a chilled bowl with a whisk for 20 minutes but I will break out my kitchen aid mixer and a chilled bowl. For the longest time the only vegan option for homemade whipped cream was soy based but as of last year Mimic Creme came up with a soy-free, gluten-free almond and cashew based whipping cream called Healthy Top that I love!

Each 16 ounce container makes about 4 cups of whipped cream and the calorie count isn't horrific either. I used this yummy fluffy cream to make the Agave Whipped Cream in my Flax Seeds Waffles with Agave Cream recipe (pictured below) from Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food . I'm starting to see this stuff pop-up everywhere from health food stores to your run of the mill conventional grocery stores and, of course, you can always fine it online.

Cookbook Review: Chloe's Kitchen

From the moment Chloe Coscarelli won The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars I’ve been meaning to try her award winning cupcake recipe but writing a cookbook of my own kept me from trying all the new recipes that I wanted to so until her new book Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way came out I did not have the pleasure of trying any of her recipes. 

I didn’t have a ton of time on my hands when I tested out recipes for this book so I tried to pick things that looked like they were relatively quick and easy and contained ingredients I have on hand in my kitchen. I started with Black Bean Baby Cakes with Pineapple Salsa. I figured this recipe would be fantastic no matter what. You really can’t mess up a black bean patty and the pineapple salsa paired beautifully with the baby cakes. The Mandarin Peanut-Crunch Salad with Crispy Wontons wasn’t on my short list of recipes to make since it had many ingredients that weren’t immediately on hand but the picture of a beautiful, bright, green and orange salad topped with curls of crispy wontons kept calling me back and I finally had to give it a try. It was delightful. The flavors were fresh and sweet and the crunch of the wontons were perfection. One of the stand-out recipes for me that made my taste buds a bit more excited than the others was Chloe’s Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus. I’m always looking for something new and innovative in a cookbook and I think this was one of Chloe’s shining moments. I, once again broke my quick and easy rule and spent a day in the kitchen putting these things together. Since Chloe said they freeze well I doubled the batch so my time in the kitchen wouldn’t be in vein and I’m glad I did. The flavor combination of falafel with avocado hummus was outstanding. I even shaped a couple falafel’s into sticks and dipped them in hummus for my 7 month old to try and she loved them as well – so they’re a hit for the whole family (and my dog loved the leftovers that she threw on the floor). 

Outside of the Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus, I didn’t go head over heels for any of her recipes but I have to say that I really really liked everything I tried. Chloe makes consistently good food that isn’t too “out there” and uses simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery store. Her recipes are great bases for you to let your imagination run wild and for that reason I applaud this book. I think this book is a fantastic introduction to veganism for just about anyone.

Convenience Food Alert! Harmony Valley Foods Hamburger & Sausage Mix

I love quick and easy vegan products that don't require refrigeration. I have the bad habit of over-shopping and my fridge is constantly packed with food that often ends up going to the rabbit, dog or compost bin to ensure it doesn't go completely to waste. So shelf-stable products are always a plus to have around. Harmony Valley foods makes a line of shelf-stable vegan hamburger and sausage mix that make approximately a pound of hamburger or sausage style crumbles by just adding water. Not only are they convenient from a storage stand point but they are great to travel with if you're not sure that there will be vegan options when traveling to visit friends or family. All you have to do is add water and wait 15 minutes then season as you'd like.

I was addicited to the sausage mix for a long time and then one day, I just stopped liking the flavor. I don't know what happened. It just started tasting tangy in an off sort of way. I don't know if it was just flavor overload or if the product loses some of it's flavor over time. But I would recommend that if you try this product to eat it all at once just in case. Another quick note, Harmony Valley also happens to be the name of a beef factory farm so be specific when you google this stuff. Until then, happy cooking!

Cookbook Review: The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian L. Patton (with a bonus recipe)

Every once in a while people will comment that I'm too harsh in my cookbook reviews. I must beg to disagree. I am exceedingly passionate about great, innovative vegan food. There are so many authors out there who create masterpieces in the kitchen with simple ingredients that you don't have to break out your 1980's edition of Encyclopedia Britannica to decipher. I am in the unique position that I get to read and cook from the majority of the new vegan cookbooks on the market so I get the opportunity to see and eat some amazing recipes and so not so amazing recipes. The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude by Brian L. Patton is one of those innovative, outstanding cookbooks.

I've been knee deep in a world of babies, book writing and school so I'm out of the loop on who the new hot young vegan talents are so I have to admit I've never heard of Brian Patton before. I don't know if he's a blogger, tv personality, or just (as the title of the book says) and ordinary dude who woke up one day cooking his heart out. One thing I can tell you for sure is he is an artist in the kitchen and, I have to say, I like his personality. Anybody who starts their book off with cocktails and calls them the most important meal of the day is a friend of mine. Patton's onion dip is so sweet and tangy I want it on everything, his balls are nutty yet filling (no really, he has a recipe called my balls that is made of walnuts and they have a great earthy walnutty flavor). His recipe for Curried Fried Tofu Salad makes me unnaturally happy and his Cauliflower and Roasted Fennel soup was not only a hit with me but my 6 month old daughter loves it as well. We used purple cauliflower to make it even more fun. But my all time favorite recipe from this book, that makes this book a must have is the Pretend Canadian Bacon. It is brilliant! Just brilliant! I've used the marinade on super firm tofu as well as tempeh, both baked and fried variations and they were a party in my mouth every time. The publishers were kind enough to let me share the recipe with you. So without further ado - Pretend Canadian Bacon!

Pretend Canadian Bacon

Makes 12 slices

One 16-ounce block super-firm tofu (or one 14-ounce block very-well-drained extra-firm tofu; see Tip below and Tip on next page)

1/2 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce  

1 teaspoon liquid smoke  

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the block of tofu into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Then cut the pieces into 1/8-inch-thick slices. (If you want to
get fancy, you can use a round cookie cutter or pint glass to cut circular slices, but that will leave excess that will go to waste.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the mixture into a large zip-top bag, add the tofu slices, gently slosh them around so they get coated, squeeze the bag to suck out as much of the air as possible, and place the bag in the fridge to let the tofu marinate for at least 3 hours but no more than 5 hours.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Place as many slices as you wish (without overcrowding) into the hot pan, and fry until browned on one side (3 to 4 minutes), then flip and repeat. Cook the bacon in batches if you need to. If you would like to freeze the uncooked slices, use the same freezing method as with the Tempeh Bacon (see recipe, page 32) to preserve these for up to a month.

TIP

Super-firm tofu has the least amount of water of all the tofus. This allows it to hold together very well for grilling or broiling. When very well drained, some extra-firm tofu can get pretty close to the texture of the super-firm tofu, so it’s a manageable substitute.

TIP

Drain that tofu!!

There’s a ton of water in that block, and we have no use for it. Take the block out of the water it’s packed in, and place it on a plate. Then put another plate on top of it and add something heavy on top of that plate, like a couple of cans of beans. Let it drain for 30 to 60 minutes — the longer, the better. Discard the water and proceed with your preparations.

Excerpted with permission from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude ©2012 by Brian Patton.  Published with permission of New World Library http://www.newworldlibrary.com