Chilled Avocado Soup

The arrival of warm weather doesn't mean you have to give up soup or spicy food. This Chilled Avocado Soup from Robin Robertson's Vegan Fire and Spice is a nice cool treat for balmy spring days, and it's perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations this weekend.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted 
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 
3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce 
• Sunflower seeds, for garnish

Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, combine the avocados, vegan sour cream, cilantro, scallion, and garlic. Process until smooth. Add the lime juice, broth, salt, and Tabasco and process until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 hours, until chilled. Serve garnished with sunflower seeds.

Serves 4

From Vegan Fire and Spice by Robin Robertson. ©2008 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from  Vegan Heritage Press.  


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VHP's Betsy DiJulio's Cocina Mexicana in Veg News Magazine

Vegan Heritage Press author Betsy DiJulio wrote the Food Feature section of the newest edition of VegNews Magazine! Betsy's "Cocina Mexicana" feature celebrates Cinco de Mayo in style with everything from tacos, tamales and quesadillas to drinks and dessert.

If you don't already have your copy, run to the nearest newsstand to pick up the May/June issue, where you will find these mouthwatering recipes from Betsy:

• Crispy Potato Tacos with Queso Fresco
• Cheesy Spinach and Black Bean Quesadillas with Cucumber-Mango Salsa
• Swiss Chard and Mushroom Tamales with Red Wine Sauce (Escabeche Sauce)
• Churros with Coconut-Kahlua Chocolate Sauce
• Gimlet Guadelajara

These recipes are only available in the May/June issue of VegNews Magazine, so be sure to pick up your copy!

For more delicious recipes by Betsy, be sure to pick up her Blooming Platter Cookbook. The Blooming Platter Cookbook is celebration of the seasons, and it features a wide range of accessible, elegant recipes for the home cook, ranging from easy homestyle dishes to creative upscale meals you'll be proud to serve to your guests.



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Practically Raw Desserts Blog Tour

Amber Shea Crawley is going on tour. A blog tour that is! All this week Amber will be popping up on different websites across the blogosphere talking about her new masterpiece Practically Raw Desserts. Amber will be talking about raw desserts and sharing some of her favorite recipes from the book. Make sure you check back here every day to see where Amber will be.

Monday, April 22: Vegan Yack Attack
Tuesday, April 23: Vegan Crunk
Wednesday, April 24: Keepin' It Kind
Thursday, April 25: Manifest Vegan
Friday, April 26: Go Dairy Free

See you on the tour!


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Fresh Strawberry Pancakes

Spring and the warm weather it has brought with it has us thinking about ripe and juicy farm-stand fruit. This recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio is made with fresh strawberries and is perfect for a springtime brunch with friends and family. A few of the ingredients may seem non-traditional, but you'll have to trust us when we say these pancakes are spectacularly delicious. Serve them with fresh mint and Balsamic-Maple syrup to compliment the sweet strawberry flavor.

Ingredients:
Pancakes:

• 1 1/2 cups soy milk

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1/2 cup self-rising flour

• 4 tablespoons self-rising cornmeal 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  1 cup finely diced fresh strawberries 
• 4 fresh mint leaves, stacked, tightly rolled, and sliced thinly
  2 tablespoons vegan butter or vegetable oil 

Balsamic-Maple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup finely diced fresh strawberries 
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

• 4 fresh mint leaves, stacked, tightly rolled and thinly sliced

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Optional Garnishes: sprigs of fresh mint and whole fresh strawberries

Preparation:

1. Pancakes: Preheat the oven to 250ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and balsamic vinegar. Set aside to curdle. In a medium mixing bowl, combine both flours, the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well, make a well in the center, and pour in the soy milk mixture. Whisk together until well combined. Stir in diced strawberries and set aside. 
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle the pancake batter onto the hot skillet, making pancakes, two at a time. 
3. Cook 2 minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another 2 minutes on the reverse. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter, if needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, reduce the heat to medium.  
4. When cooked through, transfer the pancakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm in the oven and repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter. 
5. Balsamic-Maple Syrup: In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, maple syrup, vinegar, mint leaves, and a few grindings of black pepper. Stir to combine and heat gently over medium heat until hot. Do not boil. Serve the pancakes hot, topped with the syrup, and garnished with mint leaves and a strawberry, if using.   

Serves 4

From The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio. ©2011 Betsy DiJulio. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.


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Vegan Fire and Spice Winner

We have a winner in our Vegan Fire and Spice giveaway and the lucky recipient is... drum roll, please... Michelle Pekarski! Congratulations, Michelle!

Vegan Fire and Spice by Robin Robertson is the only vegan cookbook specializing in spicy cooking! This book is your culinary passport to the world's spicy cuisines. It lets you take a trip around the world with delicious, mouth-watering, recipes, ranging from mildly spiced to nearly incendiary. Explore the spicy cuisines of the U.S., South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia with dishes such as:

• Vegetable Pancit
• Chilled Avocado Soup
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes
• Smooth and Sassy Guacamole
• Papaya Salad

Organized by global regions, this book gives you 200 inventive and delicious 100% vegan recipes for traditional international dishes, using readily available ingredients. Best of all, you can adjust the heat yourself and enjoy these recipes hot - or not. Vegan Fire and Spice is a must have for any cookbook library! It's available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and your local independent bookstore.


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Practically Raw Desserts is Here!

Practically Raw Desserts is here! Amazon now has Amber Shea Crawley's brilliant follow up to Practically Raw in stock and ready to ship!  

Key Lime Pie

 Practically Raw Desserts is a treasure trove of delectable raw cakes, cookies, bars, brownies, pies, puddings, candies, pastries and frozen treats.  All of the recipes can be made 100% raw or adapted to a non-raw kitchen.  For every recipe, numerous ingredient substitutions are provided, as well as both dehydration and oven-baking directions, if applicable. Most of the recipes are completely no-bake, and many can be made in 20 minutes or less. Every recipe is free of dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, peanuts, corn, refined grains, refined sugars, yeast, starch, and other nutrient-poor ingredients. Many recipes are also free of grains, oils, nuts, and added sugars as well, and when they’re not, variations are often provided to make them so.  

Austrian Sacher Torte

Inside Practically Raw Desserts, you’ll find everything from family favorites like Sugar Cookie Cutouts and Key Lime Pie to innovative or exotic treats such as Austrian Sacher Torte and Baklava Blondies. The result is a collection of tantalizing and accessible sweets and treats that are sure to impress and delight.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Whether you’re trying to eliminate allergens, watch your sugar or grain intake, or simply feed your family cleaner treats; whether you subscribe to a diet based on whole, natural foods; or whether you’re avoiding animal products – or just like great desserts – Practically Raw Desserts has plenty of sweet rewards to offer you. Order your copy today!

 

Baklava Blondies

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Vegan Fire and Spice Giveaway

Vegan Fire and Spice by Robin Robertson is the only vegan cookbook specializing in spicy cooking!

Take a trip around the world with delicious, mouth-watering, vegan recipes ranging from mildly spiced to nearly incendiary. Explore the spicy vegan cuisines of the U.S., South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia with:

• Red Hot Chile Tofu
• Lentil Sambar
• Vietnamese Noodles with Tempeh and Peanuts
• Jambalaya
• Satays with Ginger Peanut Sauce
• Close to Callaloo 

Organized by global region, this book offers inventive and delicious spicy vegan recipes of traditional dishes using readily available ingredients.  Best of all, the recipes are designed so you can adjust your own heat tolerance allowing you to enjoy it hot – or not. With the bold and scintillating recipes of Vegan Fire & Spice, you can travel the globe without ever leaving home – while still enjoying meals that are healthy, cholesterol-free, and 100% vegan.

Win a copy of Vegan Fire and Spice by following the instructions below. The contest ends at midnight est on April 10th. US residents only. Good luck!

Practically Raw Desserts Preview

All of us here at Vegan Heritage Press are excited about the release of Amber Shea Crawley's newest book Practically Raw Desserts, which hits bookshelves two weeks from today!

Practically Raw Desserts revolutionizes raw desserts with easy substitutions and baking options. The yummy recipes include raw cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, puddings, candies, pastries and frozen treats. This companion book to Practically Raw provides color photos, nutritional data, pantry guide, variations, substitutions and helpful tips.

Check out Amber's photo-packed mega-preview on her blog at: http://chefambershea.com/2013/03/28/practically-raw-desserts-photo-packed-mega-preview/



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