Tag: freebie

School Daze

Summer has only just begun in earnest, which means school is probably the last thing on anyone’s mind right now. After such a grueling year in virtual and physical classrooms, this extended recess is a much deserved break from all that madness. I’m certainly not rushing you back to your desks, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared when that bell does begin to ring again. In fact, I have a very compelling incentive to get you started on back-to-school shopping a bit early.

Coming on August 31th, The Student Vegan Cookbook will arrive to solve all dorm room dining dilemmas! Besides, these recipes are pure gold well beyond the academic age. For anyone on a tight budget, a crazy-busy schedule, and limited kitchen equipment, you still can make amazing vegan snacks, treats, and meals.

Pre-order today to lock in your copy, and as an added bonus, you’ll get an EXCLUSIVE e-book with an additional trio of recipes, not otherwise available anywhere else! All you need to do is send proof of purchase to studentvegan@quarto.com at any time leading up to the official release date.

By simply ordering the book in advance, you can dig in right away with the recipes for Benevolent Bars, Cold Peanut Noodles, and Spring-a-Leek Soup. These staples will serve you well through graduation and beyond, so don’t delay! The school bell will start ringing again before you know it.

Hannah (BitterSweet)11 Comments

On Everyone’s Lips

Do you eat food? Then boy howdy, do I have a book for you. Yes, that’s certainly painting with a broad brush, but Laura Theodore’s Vegan for Everyone really is a cookbook built to accommodate each and every eater out there, no matter age, location, tastes, and time constraints.

This is the essential reference built of simple staple recipes to get you started or keep you going on a plant-based path, transforming everyday ingredients into remarkable meals. No experience necessary, because these formulas are built upon basic cooking skills, even easy enough for a toddler to mash together in some cases. At a time when ingredients can be limited and patience is wearing thin, such instant gratification is a true comfort to revel in.

Visually inspiring from cover to cover, there’s a mouthwatering photo accompanying almost all of the 160 recipes within. Beyond the food itself, there’s a real wealth of information for new vegans or reluctant cooks. Get detailed shopping lists to build out a plant-based pantry, organizational advice to keep your spice rack in order, and get educated on nutritional needs, all in place.

Starting bright and early with breakfasts worth waking up for, the promise of Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins (page 46) certainly gave me something to look forward to on a few very dreary mornings. Effortless to throw together, just as promised, the tender crumb cradled just the right ratio of decadent chocolate chunks to toothsome coconut shreds. Amazingly moist yet low in fat, I was honestly stunned by the texture, considering there was no added oil. Balancing out healthy impulses and more indulgent cravings, these are a great option to prepare in advance to grab and go.

Eggs are off the menu of course, but you’d never know it by one bit of the Vegan Egg Salad for Everyone (page 140.) Sunny yellow tofu is mashed into creamy submission with the very same salty, savory comfort that defines the classic hard-boiled rendition. Granted, I had to substitute capers for the prescribed green olives based on grocery shortages, but the flavor didn’t seem to suffer one bit. Sandwiched between two hearty slices of homemade molasses wheat bread, lunch was served in about 5 minutes flat.

Simmer down and get cozy, because the Red Lentil-Potato Curry Soup (page 132) is like a warm blanket wrapping your entire body with soothing energy. Thickened by legumes alone, each spoonful has real body and soul. I did double down on the curry powder to get the spice just right, but that easy adaptability is part of its beauty. Season to taste to suit any palate, whether you keep it mild for the kids or wild for the hot-blooded chili lovers among us.

Cold peanut noodles are already a lightning-fast staple for eating on the run, but if you can believe it, the Peanut-y Carrot “Noodles” (page 186) are even faster than conventional approaches. By swapping out spiralized carrots for starchy pasta, you don’t even have to cook these vegetable strands to make them delicious. Better yet, they lighten the dish considerably, meaning you can slather on extra peanut sauce without a second thought.

Not only am I sharing the secret recipe behind this shockingly simple recipe, I’m giving away the whole kit and caboodle. That’s right, one lucky reader will WIN a copy of Vegan for Everyone! To enter, get started by leaving me a comment below about your #1 basic recipe for everyday eats. What’s the first thing you recommend everyone learns to cook? Don’t forget to fill out the form to make it official, and gain additional entries to improve your odds, too.

Continue reading “On Everyone’s Lips” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)16 Comments

Spooky Season

I don’t want to scare you, but those voices in your head, the haunting whispers, are all true: Halloween is right around the corner. It’s downright terrifying to consider how quickly the year is flying by, but it would be far more nightmarish to miss out on Spooky Season, and all the devilish treats it brings.

Commercial candies can be pretty frightening though, between artificial colors, unpronounceable preservatives, and the hidden horrors in labor and production. The instant gratification of trick-or-treat freebies does still tempt, but I happen to have a few tricks up my sleeve, too.

Years ago, I released Wicked Treats, a mini ebook with a half-dozen of my favorite homemade candies, sure to delight the most discerning guys and ghouls. Long off the market, this monstrous collection had been locked away, mummified in my digital vault. The photo quality is perhaps suitably unsettling but the sweet spells are still capable of culinary magic.

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Unchaining this Frankenstein once again, you can now download Wicked Treats completely free of charge. In addition to being vegan, these recipes are completely gluten-free, with options to make your candies soy-free, too.

What are you waiting for? The witching hour is almost upon us. Get a kettle on the fire and start brewing up something sweet!

Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Minutes to Mealtime

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… EAT!

I consider myself quite capable when it comes to whipping up last-minute meals and fast whole foods, but Nava Atlas has raised the bar to the next level. Now author of twelve cookbooks, 5-Ingredient Vegan, her latest entry to the burgeoning field, is yet another smash hit poised to take off in kitchens around the nation. Believe it or not, every single edible masterpiece is composed of just five ingredients.

Skeptics may argue that such lofty words of praise are tainted with bias, seeing that I photographed about half of the dishes in this book. Rather, I would argue that such experience leaves me in a better position to more accurately assess the recipes, since I had the pleasure of both cooking and eating all of those subject, too!

A particular standout from the long list of favorites has been the understated yet spectacular Curried Greens Smashed Potatoes.

A literal flash in the pan, it takes mere minutes to wilt massive amounts of greens into manageable portions. Tossed with boldly spiced Indian simmer sauce, the exact flavor profile is highly flexible, making it effortless to switch it up and never get bored. In fact, this is a concept that knows no cultural boundaries. Reaching into a spare pantry, I’ve been delighted by the results that even a basic marinara sauce have wrought, to say nothing of the dazzling flavors infused by a simple enchilada sauce. That’s the beauty of this cookbook; each recipe is an outline to fill with any colors you see fit. Go ahead and paint the town tomato red, if that’s the hue du jour.

I don’t just mean that in a hypothetical way, of course. I want you to really experience these taste sensations in your own home! That’s why I’m GIVING AWAY a copy of 5-Ingredient Vegan to one lucky winner, right here, right now! To enter, use the form below the recipe and let me know in the comment section: What is your current go-to meal using five ingredients or less? If you don’t have one, which of the recipes in the book sound like a fast favorite to start with?

Even when your fridge is nearly vacant and time is scant, Nava Atlas is here to save the meal. Who else could possibly pull off restaurant-quality Chickpea Masala with just five ingredients, or deceptively rich Seed and Nut Butter Truffles, ready to grab and go in a matter of minutes? With decades of experience, Nava’s welcoming voice narrates each page with compelling ease, making everyday plant-based cooking accessible, effortless, and most importantly, delicious.

Continue reading “Minutes to Mealtime” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)25 Comments

Ful of Fava Beans

Who talks about fava beans after the thrill of spring has long since faded from memory? The initial excitement over anything green and vital pushing through barren, frosted earth can’t hold a candle to the thrill of lush summer tomatoes growing heavy on their vines, tumbling past one another in superabundance. Preserved, fava beans remain widely available year round, unsung and largely unseen, yet essential to the Mediterranean diet for centuries. Bean-eaters of Tuscany (Mangiafagioli) were way ahead of their time, and I’m not just talking seasonally.

Food trends and superfood darlings be damned, legume love served the ancient Romans well, long before hashtags and selfies, to say the least. Spreading their influence far and wide across the western European states and beyond, some of the same dishes pop up across multiple cultures. Changed by the journey in varying degrees but always recognizable, many cultures ended up with “accidentally” vegan leanings, long before it was cool.

That’s where Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook, written by my good friend and culinary luminary Tess Challis, picks up the thread, and continues weaving it into a greater tapestry encompassing an entire plant-based lifestyle. Even for someone relatively indifferent to the dietary components of the approach like myself, the recipes are pure gold. Seasoned by all countries touched by the eponymous sea, the flavors of Italy, Greece, and Crete are strongly represented here, bearing scores of fool-proof classics that have stood the test of time. Where would any of us be, as a global society, without hummus, dolmas, and couscous, after all? It was the simple, understated recipe for Ful Medames (page 33) that caught my eye at first glance, and simply would not let go.

Typically made with long-simmered dried or canned fava beans and served hot, it’s especially prevalent in the middle east, but pops up all across the spice route, buoyed by fragrant cumin and the brightness of fresh herbs. Tess’s version skips the long smoldering boil, and in fact, cooking process altogether, opting for an effortless combination resulting in something more like a bean salad than a stew. Reading over the brilliance of that simplification, it suddenly occurred to me that I had just the thing to continue this modern evolution, this recipe renovation: Fresh fava beans.

Painstakingly shelled, peeled, and frozen in the height of spring salutations, the compact little container remained at the back of the freezer, waiting for an opportunity to shine. Transforming this hearty, hot dish into one suitable for light appetites, picnics, and lazy summer days, it proves the versatility, and timelessness, of the concept. Firm yet supple, buttery and verdant, fresh fava beans lend a punchier, more vegetative flair to the classic combination.

Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook doesn’t officially hit stores until September 24th, but I’m not one to tease, especially about something as serious as food. Lucky enough to get an early pre-release preview myself, I want to share that same gift with you, too! Enter for your chance to win a copy of your very own by entering your details in the form below. What I want to know is: What is your favorite Mediterranean (or Mediterranean-inspired) dish? Leave me a comment to secure your submission, and find many more ways to win bonus entries after that!

Everyone really is a winner though. Keep scrolling for the recipe for my adapted Fresh Fava Bean Ful. You’ll want to make this one right away, with or without the book in hand.

Continue reading “Ful of Fava Beans” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)13 Comments

Hot Take on Hot Lunch

Living in the moment is best way to experience life, unencumbered by past regrets and future concerns, but it certainly has its pitfalls, too. Wrapped up in summertime revelry, I didn’t even realize that we’re fast approaching doomsday for every child and young adult under the age of 18: The first day of school. Creeping earlier and earlier across the calendar every year, I feel a bit blindsided to learn that local school will be back in session as early as next week. What kind of cruel joke is that, to pull children out of the sun’s golden glow, away from the beckoning beaches and parks, stuffing them into stiffing locked rooms without windows, without joy, without apologies? Hopefully the transition isn’t as harsh as memory suggests, but it’s still a hard sacrifice to make for anyone yearning to squeeze the very last drops of sweetness out of this fleeting season.

If there was anything that could inspire any enthusiasm for this kind of sacrifice, it would have to be the promise of good food. Of course, that’s pretty much the opposite of what you can expect from any institutional cafeteria menu, which is why a properly packed lunch is essential. Though the dark days of school lunches are well behind me, the memories of soggy PB + J sandwiches and stale granola bars are indelibly seared into my memory. No one should have to endure such hardship, especially if they hope to put any positive energy into their education after noon.

Ages ago, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was still in high school, I developed a compact little e-book entitled Lunchbox Bites, filled with all the sweet and savory morsels that got me from homeroom to sixth period. No longer available for sale, it’s been languishing among all the forgotten recipes gathering dust in my digital archive. It seems such a shame to waste this potentially helpful resource, as new generations of young vegans grow up with the same hunger for quality nutrition as I once did.

For the love of food, for the good of the community, I’m now making Lunchbox Bites completely free to download. Bringing back old favorites like Coffee Buzz Energy Bars and Root Beer Pudding, there’s plenty for students of all ages to enjoy. Even if you’re just a student of life, there’s never a bad time to enjoy a big batch of Hummus Crackers, too.

Forgive me, if you would, for the antiquated terminology and terrible photography. Consider it an heirloom, a relic of a bygone era. “Margarine” should be read as “vegan butter,” “soymilk” simply as “non-dairy milk” (any variety will do), and canola oil, while fine, would be better if replaced by a light olive oil, avocado oil, or rice bran oil. There’s still a whole lot of good to reap from these basic concepts, and I must admit, it’s somewhat charming to take in the full glory of this throwback to a simpler time.

Prepare yourself properly for a brand new school year; don’t show up hungry, and if you’re feeling particularly generous, make sure you bring enough to share with the class. Cafeteria food doesn’t hold a candle to anything homemade.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments