All the News That’s Fit to Veg

No longer hot off the presses but still just as pertinent, I’m only just flipping through to the final pages of the May/June 2011 issue of VegNews. So thickly layered with juicy tidbits about vegan weddings, travels, and newsworthy items, along with the usual enticement of new recipes, this is not one to rush through. If you did, you would risk missing such ideal summer party nibbles as the Sardinian-Inspired Crostini:

Or perhaps that spicy little Asian-fusion number, the Korean Tacos with Pear-Cilantro Slaw:

Which I can testify, are every bit as distinctively delicious as they look.

In light of the recent VegNews stock photo scandal, I feel that it’s necessary for me to clarify a few things here. I for one am glad that issue was brought to light, because things will only get better from here. Mistakes were made, acknowledged, and hopefully corrected. Moving forward, VegNews has pledged to use only vegan photos, and always accurate photos for the recipes published, so it sounds like a win-win situation if there ever was one. Better yet, you can rest assured that many of those recipe photos, such as those above, will be coming from my kitchen and my camera, so you can feel confident that you’re getting the real deal- no bull.

And of course, you can still expect my column every other issue, so prepare yourself for a serious sugar rush in the upcoming July/August issue… It’s gonna be a scream!

Read/Eat All About It!

Have you received the March/April edition of VegNews Magazine yet? Well, you’ve got a lot to look forward to- After a brief hiatus, my column is back! Don’t miss my recipe for Tea Cake Sandwiches, perfect for dessert and tea parties alike. The brown sugar sponge cake especially turned out to be a runaway success, and has become my go-to dacquoise for all sorts of plated desserts, layer cakes, and everything in between. In this case, just add a layer of vanilla creme, ripe strawberries, and a few leaves of fresh mint, and you have yourself a sweet sandwich worth coveting.

I also had the pleasure of photographing Jesse Miner’s BBQ Lentil and Mushroom Tacos in this issue as well. Let me tell you, these things are crazy good! I have a serious distaste for all barbecue sauce in general, so that’s really saying a lot.

Lest I leave you without a recipe, don’t miss out on the Peanut Butter Ginger Muffins I shared with Leela at The Kitchn! Shockingly, I actually forgot to get a photo of these beauties, so you’ll just have to hop on over and checkout Leela’s lovely images. Now get to it, there’s plenty of food to make!

Hungry for the Holidays

As much as I want to tell myself that Thanksgiving is still months away, and I still become alarmed when the subject of Christmas comes up, the truth is that I’ve actually had a head start on the holidays. In fact, all things considered, I’ve already eaten more than one Thanksgiving dinner! No, it wasn’t because I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, but because I was tasked with the weighty duty of preparing and photographing a number of dishes for the VegNews Holiday E-Cookbook. Come mid October, I had quite the harvest feast on my hands; all vegan, all incredibly delicious, and all to myself. Open up this handy guide to holiday cooking and you can expect to find mains, desserts, and everything in between, such as…

Pumpkin Seed Battered “Chicken” with Cranberry Cabernet Sauce

Seitan Roulade with Oyster Mushroom Stuffing

Dark Forest Trifle with Coconut Custard

Plus many more, of course.  Additionally, you can find my White Gingerbread recipe in the dessert section as well, in case you missed it two years ago! Just having that lovely loaf baking away in the oven, filling your whole house with the scent of sweet spices, is sure to get you in a festive mood.

So, do you have the menu for your grand vegan thanksgiving banquet planned out yet?