Latest Posts
Advertisement
Latest Posts
Grilling, Vegan-Style
Since it's 4th of July weekend and grilling is on everyone's minds, I thought that I would share a TV segment that I filmed recently for the show Better Portland. It's all about grilling, veggie-style. Of course if we'd had the time during the segment, I would have shown how to make homemade sausages, which would be my #1 pick. But if you're short on time, there are some great store-bought brands too. Here's the link to the video. Happy grilling! P.S. If you're wondering about those hamburger buns, it's a recipe from my new cookbook. I'm dying to the book to be released, but alas, it won't be out until early next year....
Creamy Rice Pudding
For the past week or so, I have been on a rice pudding kick. Maybe it's the cool spring weather (which still feels pretty wintery to me), or maybe it's just a comfort food craving. All I know is that I adore rice pudding. The recipe can be found on this site. Although I use hemp milk in the video recipe, soymilk is also delicious too. I love to play around with the flavors, and customize my rice pudding depending on my mood. Sometimes I add raisins, and sometimes dried cherries. Sometimes I'll use freshly ground nutmeg instead of cinnamon, which give's the pudding a lovely egg-nog type flavor. Heck, my husband has been known to toss chocolate chips into his bowl, creating a velvety chocolate rice cream. Not too shabby. Oh, and did I mention that vanilla paste is a fantastic addition too, as is a drop of almond extract (though not necessarily in your nutmeg or cinnamon versions). For this particular rice pudding recipe, I use a medium grain Cal Rose rice (the same rice that I use for ...
Spring In Portland
Just that picture of local strawberries gets me all giddy. I think we've got another month or so to go, before local strawberries come into season. There is nothing so sweet as a freshly picked berry! And in other news, Portland is about to host a very special conference next week. It's IACP, which stands for the International Association Of Culinary Professionals. It's an awesome event, with over 1,000 food professionals (chefs, cookbook authors and others) sweeping into our lovely city to share in all things food. Although the main conference is for members, there is a book signing event on Friday that is open to the public. There you will find dozens of beloved authors, signing their newly released books, offering tastings and even some cooking demos too, I believe. I love being a part of the IACP conferences. It's very cool to be around so many people passionate about food. So if you happen to be in Portland next week and think you spot Ruth Reichl, Madhur Jaffrey, Jacque Pepin, ...
Fun Things Ahead
I can't help smiling as I see all of the beautiful blooming flowers. It feels as if spring has sprung, even if the calender doesn't say so yet. Along with all of the beautiful blooms, spring has sprung around our kitchen as well. We're back to filming and creating recipes, all of which I can't wait to share. We've been filming for both the membership and public side of the site. I have also taken a special interest with gluten-free recipes, which I will be adding to the site little by little. There is so much trial and error with gluten free baking, so I hope to help take some of the guesswork out of it for you. The best part is that the desserts taste great, so even if you aren't on a gluten free diet, you'll want to give these a try. So keep an eye out for new recipes coming soon. Now, I'd better get back in the kitchen. I've got some cooking to do! Julie...
An Awesome Cookbook
I have been meaning to review this cookbook for a little bit now. As someone who has literally hundreds of cookbooks (maybe 400 to 500, or so), I have become pretty picky about adding a new book to my shelves. Well The Urban Vegan Cookbook (by Dynise Balcavage) has not only been added to the collection, but moved into my kitchen so I can cook from it. The recipes are enticing, creative and completely do-able for busy lives. They also call for many healthful ingredients, which to me is an added bonus. The dishes that I've tried have been great, and are definite keepers. There are so many more recipes that I want to try. This book also has a really nice dessert chapter (I know, would you expect anything else from me?). A lot of cookbooks have small dessert sections, or the recipes steer towards the traditional. I love that Dynise has upped the ante here, with dinner party-worthy desserts (such as tiramisu, Passion Fruit Mousse, Clafouti and Cranberry Upside-Down Cake). So, if you find...