Robin Robertson

In less than a week, my new book Veganize It! Easy DIY Recipes for a Plant-Based Kitchen will hit the shelves.

To celebrate, we’re having a blog tour.  Over the next few weeks, you can visit some fantastic blogs and websites to check out some sample recipes, photos, and reviews of Veganize It! and also enter giveaways to win a copy of the book.

Having written more than 20 cookbooks, Veganize It! may be my most personal favorite of all because it comes full circle to when I first went vegan nearly 30 years ago and began to “veganize” all our favorite foods.  In this book, I’ve organize the recipes to share not only veganized ingredients but also recipes that use those ingredients.  So, whether you need basic DIY recipes such as vegan sour cream or seitan, or want to make a “soup to nuts” meal from appetizer to dessert, you’ll find the recipes in Veganize It!

Here’s a list of dates and locations of the blog tour…beginning with Vegan Huggs where you’ll find my recipe for Smoky BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches.

Check back here frequently for changes, updates, and direct links to the posts as they happen.  Thanks in advance to everyone participating in this blog tour to celebrate the publication of Veganize It! 

VEGANIZE IT! Blog Tour

February 27        Vegan Huggs

March 1                Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen

March 2                JLGoesVegan

March 5                Yummy Plants

March 6                Veggies Save the Day

March 7                V-Nutrition

March 9                Vegan Mos

March 13             Glue and Glitter

March 14             Veggie Inspired Journey

March 15             Lisa’s Project: Vegan

March 16             HealthySlowCooking.com

March 20            Chic Vegan

March 23             Zsu’s Vegan Pantry

March 26             Spabettie

March 28             Vegan Crunk

March 29             Jazzy Vegetarian

March 29             Fran Costigan

March 31             From A to Vegan

 

My new cookbook is called VEGANIZE IT! Easy DIY Recipes for a Plant-Based Kitchen.  It officially hits the shelves on March 7, so I wanted to give you a sneak peek of what’s inside.

My goal in writing this book was to provide the ultimate guide for making homemade vegan foods from everyday ingredients — and share great ways to use those ingredients.  Like all my cookbooks, the recipes are geared to busy home cooks who want to get a great dinner on the table but don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen.  With VEGANIZE IT, you can be as DIY as you want to be, or not.  For example, if you want to make lasagna completely from scratch, there are recipes for homemade ricotta, a melty mozzarella-like cheese, homemade pasta, and a wonderful baked tomato sauce.  If you don’t have time to make all the components, you can simply pick and choose what you want to make from scratch and what you prefer to buy ready-made – such as making homemade ricotta and tomato sauce, but using storebought lasagna noodles and vegan mozzarella.

In that sense, VEGANIZE IT is really two cookbooks in one:  all the DIY vegan basics such as dairy-free sour cream, mayonnaise, butter, and plant-based meats and seafood made from wheat, soy, beans, and vegetables.  But what makes this book really special is that each chapter goes one step further to include recipes that incorporate one or more of those basic recipes, all made inexpensively, using simple cooking methods and easy-to-find ingredients — so, for example, you can use the cashew cream cheese to make Spinach-Artichoke Dip or Chocolate Cheesecake.  Make the andouille sausage, and you’re just one step away from a great jambalaya.

I’m really excited about VEGANIZE IT and I hope you will be too.  Sample recipes (and a blog tour!) are coming soon.  For now, though, I’d like to give you a brief tour around the recipe chapters with a list of just some of the recipes you’ll find inside along with a few of the gorgeous photos by William and Susan Brinson.

DIY DAIRY-FREE AND EGGLESS…
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Spinach and Mushroom-Bacon Quiche
Chickpea Flour Omelets
Breakfast Nachos with Smoky Queso Sauce
Bacon-Topped Mac UnCheese

 PLANT-BASED MEATS…

BBQ Seitan Ribs
Burmese Tofu
Iron Kettle Chili
Better Made Tacos with Avocado Crema
Seitan Oscar with Béarnaise Sauce
 

 

 

FLOUR POWER…
Cheesy Crackers
Handcrafted Lasagna
Perfect Pot Pie
Cheesy Sausage Biscuits
Benedict Pizza

VEGAN CHARCUTERIE…

Maple Breakfast Sausage
DIY Jerky
Banh Mi Sandwich
Haute Dogs Wellington
Join the Club Sandwich

 

 

 

INSTEAD OF SEAFOOD…
Lobster Mushroom Bisque
Clam-Free Chowder
Vegan Crab Louis
Fish-Free Tacos
Tof-ish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

 

 

 

SWEETS FROM SCRATCH…
Luscious Lava Cakes
Strawberry Shortcake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Tiramisu
Bellini Trifle

 

 

 

 

VEGANIZE IT is available for pre-order now….

Gary wants to wish everyone a Happy Mew Year!

See you in 2017!

 

I actually started out making an apple pie and a pumpkin pie when I began thinking about how everyone has their favorite kind of pie and how tricky it must be to please everyone in a family where someone wants pumpkin pie, another wants apple pie, and still another prefers pecan pie.  With company coming for dinner, I didn’t want to risk an experiment gone bad, so I made a basic apple pie to hedge my bets, freeing me to make a three layer Thanksgiving pie to (hopefully!) please everyone at the table.  (photo by Elissa Free)

I didn’t actually use a recipe, so I’ve had to reverse-engineer what I did for this post.  But basically, just proceed with your favorite pumpkin pie recipe and then add a couple layers of thinly sliced apples (seasoned for apple pie filling). Cover and bake (I cover it so the apples don’t dry out and to help them cook.  Then uncover and top with some gooey pecan halves (you can coat them in your favorite caramel topping, glaze, or date syrup — I did mine in kind of a hybrid date syrup-glaze combo. And then bake a few more minutes (uncovered) to meld all the flavors and finish browning the crust.

After chilling a couple hours (mainly to set the pumpkin layer) the pie is ready to slice.  When I made it, everyone else seemed to like getting a little bit of each of the three kinds of pie in every bite.  I guess that makes me more of a purist because I preferred eating one layer at a time, to experience the three pies on their own.

Whichever way you decide is best, I hope you enjoy this pie.  Happy ThanksLiving everyone!

 

Pumpkin-Pecan-Apple Pie

1 (9-inch) vegan pie crust

Pumpkin Layer:

1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Apple Layer:

2 or 3 apples (try Honeycrisp)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pecan Layer:

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup date syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup toasted pecan halves

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the crust in a deep-dish pie plate, crimping the edges. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, cornstarch, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until well mixed. Scrape the pumpkin mixture into the pie crust, and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Set aside.

Peel, halve, and core the apples, then cut them into very thin slices (about 1/8-inch thick) and place them in a large bowl.  Add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon, and stir gently to coat the apple slices. Arrange the apple slices on top of the pumpkin filling, layering the apples in a circle, overlapping the slices, beginning at the outer edge and ending at the center of the pie.

Cover the pie loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  While the pie is baking, make the pecan layer.  In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, date syrup, and vanilla, stirring over low heat until smooth and well blended.  Stir in the pecans and coat well until the pecans are glazed with the mixture.  Remove from the heat to cool.

Remove the baked pie from the oven, remove the foil, and beginning at the center, arrange the pecans in a circle on top of the apples.  Return the pie to the oven for 10 to 15 minute or until the crust is nicely browned.  Cool on a rack for about 1 hour, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

 

Serves 8

 

 

If you like authentic Mexican flavors, then you’ll LOVE Vegan Mexico, the new book by Jason Wyrick. There’s lots to love about this book, from the warming soups and refreshing salads to the fun dips and hearty sandwiches.  There are also loads of great recipes for Mexican favorites such as tamales, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, and more. Corn Ice Cream with Candied Pecans, anyone?

As everyone who has cooked from Jason’s previous book, Vegan Tacos, already knows — Jason understands Mexican cuisine and how to get as much flavor as possible out of the ingredients.  With so many great recipes in this book, it was difficult to pick just one for this blog tour of Vegan Mexico. Ultimately I went with the Plantain Chips with Orange Aioli — so easy to make and so much flavor.  (If you’re avoiding oil, try making them in your air fryer!)   I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Keep Vegan Mexico in mind for holiday gift-giving if you have any Mexican food-lovers on your list!

Plantain Chips with Orange Aioli

Chifles con Crema de Ajo

Makes 3 cups

Plantain chips, which are basically potato chips made with plantains, are common all throughout Central America. They can be found in convenience stores, in markets, and at many roadside stalls, especially in the south of Mexico.  Serve with Crema de Ajo (Orange Aioli). (From Vegan Mexico, copyright © 2016 by Jason Wyrick. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press.)

Ingredients

• 6 cups corn or vegetable oil
• 2 medium green plantains
• Zest of 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chile de árbol powder or chile powder of your choice
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup Crema de Ajo (below)

Preparation

In a heavy pot at least 2 inches deep (preferably cast iron), heat the oil to 375°F. While the oil is heating, slice off the ends of the plantains and score the skin lengthwise along both ridges, then peel the plantains.  Cut the plantains diagonally into 1/8-inch thick slices.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime zest, salt, and chile de árbol powder and set aside.

Working in 4 batches, fry the plantains for about 1 minute until they are crisp and golden. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain. Once all the batches have been fried, transfer the plantain chips to the bowl with the zest, salt, and chile de árbol powder. Add the lime juice and toss to combine.

 

Crema de Ajo

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Crema de ajo is a fusion of Mediterranean garlic dips, like aioli and toum, with the Yucatecan twist of sour orange juice. You can adjust the garlic up or down as you like.

Ingredients

• 6 large cloves garlic
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 lime

Preparation

In a blender or food processor, purée the garlic, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, orange juice, and lime juice until smooth.