by Robin Robertson
on May 4, 2010
My latest food obsession is Cara Cara oranges. These sweet, luscious oranges may be old news to some of you, but they only recently showed up at my local supermarket. A type of navel orange, they look like other navel oranges on the outside, but once you cut into them, you’ll notice the difference. The first clue that these are no ordinary oranges is their pinkish red color inside. The second clue is their flavor, as in “out-of-this-world sweet and delicious.” Easily the best tasting oranges I’ve ever eaten, I enjoy them “as is” as well as in salads and other recipes.
I made the refreshing salad in the photo above by arranging slices of Cara Cara oranges and ripe avocado on a bed of Romaine lettuce, sprinkled with dried cherries, macadamia nuts, and a splash of cherry juice blended with just a smidge of lemon juice and agave. The colors, textures, and flavors of this salad were simply outstanding.
Vegan on the Cheap News:
There have been numerous online sightings of my new book, Vegan on the Cheap. Among them: a terrific article, a daring cook-through, and a wonderful giveaway. Check them out:
Article: Virginia
Messina wrote a great article about
Vegan on the Cheap for the
Vegan Examiner.
Cook-Through: Krys at
Two Vegan Boys blog has decided to “cook through”
Vegan on the Cheap. Follow her blog as she prepared every recipe in the book for dinner and then blogs about it the next day.
Giveaway: If you still don’t own a copy of Vegan on the Cheap, you now have five (count ’em, FIVE) chances to win a copy of the book at
Vegan.com. (Hurry on over there, the drawing is on Friday!) Thanks Erik, for hosting this fabulous giveaway!
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by Robin Robertson
on April 30, 2010
The biggest surprise in these Chocolate Surprise Brownies lies in the combination of unusual ingredients that goes into making them. In addition to the usual suspects, such as cocoa and vegan chocolate chips, these chocolatey treats also include black beans, coffee, and bananas, resulting in rich brownies that not only taste great, they’re also economical, easy to make, and are lower in fat and sugar than many of their counterparts.
Chocolate Surprise Brownies are from my new book, Vegan on the Cheap and, as promised, I’m sharing the recipe below. Recipe testers pronounced these browinies “incredible” and “oooh so yummy!” When I made them for my brownie-loving husband, they disappeared in a flash. (No surprise there.)
Chocolate Surprise Brownies
(This recipe is from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson © 2010, John Wiley & Sons.)
1 cup cooked or canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan and set aside.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine the black beans, sugar, and oil, and blend until smooth. Add the cocoa, banana, coffee, and vanilla, and blend until smooth.
3. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnut pieces, if using.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan completely, then refrigerate for several hours before cutting into squares.
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by Robin Robertson
on April 25, 2010
As promised, here are a few more tester photos from Vegan on the Cheap. This time, we’re talking pizza! Homemade pizza is easy to make, versatile, and economical. In vegan on the Cheap you’ll find recipes for the luscious Tuscan White Bean Pizza (above) and the pepperoni pizza (below). (The book also has a recipe for Polenta Pizza with Roasted Vegetables). These photos were taken by Lisa who tested these recipes for me. (thanks, Lisa!)
This last photo shows the pepperoni that goes on the pepperoni pizza. (It’s great in lots of other recipes too.)
More tester photos to come soon, but next time I’ll post that brownie recipe you’ve been waiting for from Vegan on the Cheap.
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by Robin Robertson
on April 23, 2010
Over the next several weeks, in addition to sharing a few recipes from my new book, Vegan on the Cheap, I thought it would be fun to spotlight some recipe photos taken by the recipe testers themselves. First up are a few pics taken by Andrea of Vegancognito. The top photo is Fusilli with Potatoes, Green Beans and Lemon Basil Crème (page 119). When Andrea tested this delicious, creamy (and lemony) dish she noted that it “tastes sophisticated yet comforting at the same time.”
Below is Andrea’s photo of Orzo Pilaf with Tofu Feta:
And finally, the next one is Savory Vegetable Cobbler (complete with a biscuit topping):
Coming up next: Pepperoni Pizza, anyone? (and more…tester photos by Lisa). Also, a “surprising” brownie recipe, all from from Vegan on the Cheap.
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by Robin Robertson
on April 21, 2010
In honor of Earth Day, I thought I’d share one of my favorite ways to “recycle.” It’s by using leftover ingredients to make a new meal. The key to never wasting leftovers is to use them up quickly instead of letting them languish in the fridge. Many times, whatever you have on hand might inspire you to make something even better than it was originally. Take the sushi pictured above. I made it using leftover roasted asparagus and carrots as the filling. I never would have thought of using roasted vegetables as sushi fillings had I not had them on hand. I love the extra flavor the roasted veggies brought to the sushi rolls. It made a great lunch and there were no leftovers!
Speaking of Earth Day, the food section in my local newspaper ran an article today that, to me, epitomizes what’s wrong with the “green movement.” The “green” tip was to pound meat thin to reduce the cooking time! What part of “animal agriculture is destroying the environment” do these people not understand? Veganism is the ultimate way to go green – we vegans put our environmentalism where our mouths are!
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by Robin Robertson
on April 17, 2010
The nice folks at Wayfare Foods sent me samples of their vegan cheese spreads and dips called “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese.” In addition to their wonderfully rich flavors, the main thing that I like about these products is the ingredient list — it’s short, and it contains only recognizable, natural ingredients. The biggest surprise was that the main ingredient in these yummy spreads is (believe it or not) oatmeal!
We enjoyed the Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread on crackers, celery, and my favorite, sliced apples. I combined the Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip with salsa for a quick and easy queso dip. I thinned out the regular Cheddar-Style Spread with some vegetable broth to make a rich and creamy sauce that I tossed with cooked pasta for a quick and easy mac and cheese. Maybe “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese” but we can say “it’s delicious!”
Other goodies:
The publisher of
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood was kind enough to send me a copy. I’m finding the book to be a tremendous resource for at-your-fingertips information on more than 1,000 vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds, including the familiar and the not-so-familiar. This comprehensive book provides clear and carefully written descriptions of all these ingredients and how they can benefit us nutritionally. The entries also include information on home remedies, nutrition, and natural medicine. There are even a number of interesting recipes and informative sidebars. A great reference book, I’m actually reading it like a novel and enjoying the entries from
acai to
yuzu.
I’ll close this post with a photograph of lilacs from my garden. I picked some of each of the three different old-growth lilac bushes on our property. The dark purple ones are my favorite, but, interestingly, the white ones seem to have the most fragrance. Does anyone know why this is?
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