To Live and Eat in L.A. - A Vegan Food Photo Blog

I’m pleased to announce that my post on how to make Mugicha has been included in Veggie Chic’s awesome Vegetarian Blog Carnival. Not only that but she included my little article as part of her Top 5 favorites! w00t! w00t!

There are many other interesting and tasty posts to discover in her blog carnival listings, from fabulous vegan and vegetarian recipes, info on raw foods, apartment gardening, and a very interesting discussion on vegan snobbery and “veg*ner-than-thou” attitudes.

So click on over and check out all the fine stuff that Veggie Chic has included in this most recent blog carnival collection of links, where you’re more than likely to discover some great new blogs you may have not noticed before. Enjoy!
http://www.veggiechic.com/vegetarian-carnival-13-something-for-everyone

Along with the plethora of vegan restaurants that are opening up all over the place, there’s also a bunch of great new vegan cookbooks on the horizon. Below are some of the highlights. Click on the links for more info or to order yourself a copy.

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Great Vegan Food for Special and Everyday Celebrations
By Dreena Burton

In Dreena Burton’s first two bestselling vegan cookbooks, The Everyday Vegan and Vive le Vegan!, she offered a dazzling array of healthy, animal-free recipes, many of which are based ont her experience as a mother of two young girls she and her husband are raising as vegans. Dreena also maintains an active blog (vivelevegan.blogspot.com) and website (everydayvegan.com) and and has cultivated an enthusiastic audience for her nutritious recipes. In this, her third cookbook, Dreena turns her attention to celebratory food— imaginative, colourful, and delectable vegan fare perfect for all kinds of events, from romantic meals to dinner parties to casual potlucks. Many of the recipes are appropriate for everyday meals as well. The book includes 125 recipes and 16 full-color photographs, as well as meal plans and cooking notes. Eat, Drink and Be Vegan is destined to join the bestselling ranks of her first two books (The Everyday Vegan is now in its fourth printing, and Vive le Vegan! is in its third). Come celebrate with Dreena and impress your guests (and yourself) with these sensational animal-free recipes. Recipes include Lentil and Veggie Chimichangas; Thai Chick-Un Pizza, White Bean Rosemary Soup with Fresh Basil and Jumbo Croutons, Olive and Sundried Tomato Hummus, Veggie Tempeh Muffuletta, Tomato Dill Lentil Soup, Creamy Cashew Dip with Fruit, Crepes with Maple Butter Cream, 5-Star Ice Cream Sandwiches, Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, and Hemp-anola (Dreena’s take on granola).
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero

The essential guide to mastering the art of vegan cooking: It’s easy to live vegan 24/7 with this collection: 250 recipes, menus, and color photos for dishes that taste even better than their non-vegan counterparts. Every recipe in Veganomicon has been kitchen-tested a minimum of seven times by the authors and their intensely engaged fans to ensure user-friendliness, quick preparation, and amazing results. In addition to featuring the authors’ signature attitude and experimental, DIY philosophy, Veganomicon has been specifically tailored to what you want most in a cookbook. No other vegan cookbook offers such innovative recipes for all occasions, convenience, easy-to-find ingredients, and gluten-free and tofu-free options.
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking
By Angeline Linardis

The health and taste benefits of a meatless diet come together in V Cuisine by Angeline Linardis: Imaginative vegetarian cuisine that is quick, easy and delicious. Written in an upbeat, informal style, the book’s infectious excitement will propel even novice chefs into the kitchen. The creative selection of ingredients and the easy preparation of soups, like the best lentil soup on the planet, will eliminate canned soup in any cupboard. New salads take on mythic proportions with accompaniments like sesame ginger dressing. Gone will be the terror of tofu as a difficult ingredient. Try the new versions of wholesome fries — healthy food with a tasty twist. Among the delicious vegetarian fare: Mega minestrone soup * Creamy sunshine corn chowder * Apollo Greek salad * Brilliant beet salad * Sweet corn and spelt dinner salad * New potatoes in almond cream * Tomato and onion chutney * Tofu carob brownies and much more…
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

My Sweet Vegan
By Hannah Kaminsky

Do words such as creamy, luscious, and decadent sound like impossibilities without the use of eggs and dairy? Would you love to find delicious desserts that are worthy of serving to all guests? Well look no further, as this full-color cookbook will satisfy any sweet tooth, and leave people asking, Are you sure this is vegan? My Sweet Vegan is a truly amazing collection of original recipes produced and photographed by Hannah Kaminsky. Enticing people into the kitchen, Hannah displays a wide array of desserts, including: Triple Threat Chocolate Cheese Cake * Coconut Crème Pie * Golden Glazed Donuts * Orange Dreamsicle Snack Cake * Butterscotch Blondies * Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie * Brilliant Berry Parfaits * Pumpkin Toffee Trifle * Award-Winning Mocha Devastation Cake and more. Insisting that her creations must have the potential to impress all taste buds, every recipe has been taste-tested and approved by both vegans and non-vegans alike. For ease in preparation, each recipe includes simple, well-detailed instructions and a photo representing the actual finished product. So go ahead and enjoy a thick slice of Silken Chocolate Mousse Cake, everyone deserves a little indulgence now and then!
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Whether you want to bake dairy- and egg-free for health, ethical, or environmental reasons, The Joy of Vegan Baking lets you have your cake and eat it, too! Featuring 150 familiar favorites - from cakes, cookies, and crepes to pies, puddings, and pastries - this book will show you just how easy, convenient, and delectable baking without eggs and dairy can be. A seasoned cooking instructor and self-described “joyful vegan,” author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau puts to rest the myth that vegan baking is an inferior alternative to non-vegan baking, putting it in its rightful place as a legitimate contender in the baking arena. More than just a collection of recipes, this informative cookbook is a valuable resource for any baker, novice or seasoned. Learn just how easy it is to enjoy your favorite homespun goodies without compromising your health or values: Chocolate Chip Scones * Cranberry Nut Bread * Lemon Cheesecake * Dessert Crepes * Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks * Cinnamon Coffee Cake * Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes * Raspberry Sorbet * Oatmeal Raisin Cookies * Soft Pretzels * Blueberry Cobbler * Chocolate Almond Brittle and more. Free of saturated fat, cholesterol, and lactose, but full of flavor, flair, and familiarity, each and every recipe will have you declaring “I can’t believe it’s vegan!” Complete with luscious color photos, this book will be an essential reference for every vegan.
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine: Extraordinary Recipes and Timeless Wisdom from the Celebrated Blossoming Lotus Restaurants
By Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine, a groundbreaking work that has won five national awards, is a celebration of international gourmet vegan cuisine that introduces us to the simplicity of a vibrant, healthy lifestyle. Much more than a cookbook, this artistic treasure contains stunning food photography, inspiring graphics, natural-food cooking charts and kitchen wisdom for all. A foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall highlights its aim to inspire peace and understanding amongst individuals, cultures and all who care about our planet. Vegan World Fusion Cuisine contains 200+ sumptuous recipes from the award-winning Blossoming Lotus Restaurants, uniting cooking traditions from around the world. It’s an all-encompassing guide to health, beauty and an inspired lifestyle. Mark and Bo hope to awaken people to the healing potential within themselves.
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living
By Kay Hansen

Everyone loves homecooking! Over 240 mouth-watering vegan recipes, like Pesto & Tomato Pizza, Fettuccine Alfredo, Veggie Fajitas, and Cranberry Cheesecake. Homecooking - simple, natural, and cholesterol free. The recipes in Vegan Homestyle bring together the taste of home cooking with all the healthy benefits of a vegan diet. Simple ingredients, lots of menu ideas and nutritional analysis for each recipe. Forward written by Richard Hansen, M.D. with timely advice on nutrition and healthy living.
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Alternative Vegan: International Vegan Fare Straight From The Produce Aisle
By Dino Sarma

Tofu, setian, tempeh, tofu, seitan, tempeh… it seems like so many vegans rely on these products as meat substitutes. Isn’t it time to break out of the mold? Taking a fresh, bold, and alternative approach to vegan cooking without the substitutes, Dino Sarma brings you over 100 fully vegan recipes, many of which draw from his South Asian roots. Sharing his jazz-style approach to cooking, Dino also discusses how you can improvise in your own cooking with simple ingredients and how you can stock your kitchen to prepare simple and delicious vegan meals quickly. Whether you love tofu, seitan, and tempeh or hate it, Alternative Vegan shows you how to let the favor shine through by cooking simply with fresh ingredients. One pot meals, and big salads; basic broccolo, demonic mushrooms and Asian roasted potatoes; international dishes such as Pakoras, Flautas, Bajji, and Kashmiri Biriyani; simple snacks and appetizers like hummus canapes and no-cheese pizzas; drinks and desserts using fresh fruits: pomegranate and wine slushy, poached pears in mulled wine, jackfruit granite….and a whole lot more!
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Vegan Cooking For Animal Lovers
DVD

The Hardcore Chef proves you don’t have to chow on rabbit food, max out your credit card at high-priced health food stores, or spend all day cooking elaborate meals from scratch just because you love animals! Friend of cows and chickens, enemy of corporate greed, the Hardcore Chef leads you down the path of culinary enlightenment with centuries old vegan recipes like Hail Seitan and Eviction-Sloppy Joe (for when your roommate spends your rent money on heroin). With support from his favorite hardcore-punk vegan bands, the Hardcore Chef demonstrates how tasty food can be when it’s fast, cheap, and cruelty free. Over 100 minutes of recipes including: Hail Seitan, Tamil Tiger Rice, Seitan Strokin’ Off, Cool-Hand Cookie Cheesecake, When Spud Gets Off Heroin This Is The Potato Salad He’ll Eat, Vegetable Medley of Hardcore Gaiety, Free Noriega Wraps, Mushroom Mosh Pit-tatoes, and more!
For more info or to order, CLICK HERE

Not enough for ya? Be sure to visit the main cookbooks page for many more fantastic vegan and vegetarian cookbooks.

Awhile back a groovy gal named Briar contacted me on Flickr requesting the use of one of my food photos for her magazine. Turns out she’s the head art director at Bitch Magazine and wanted to feature my photograph (of a tempeh dinner I’d cooked) in an article extolling the virtues of tempeh. Bitch mag is a large and well established publication which sites itself as the “Feminist Response to Pop Culture”. I’m totally down with that.

I didn’t get paid for my photo, but I did get a copy of the magazine, as well as the right to from now on refer to my work as “featured in Bitch magazine”. The issue it’s printed in is the one currently on the stands (August 2007, page 64). Here’s the image that was used:

And here’s where you can see my original post about it:
Roasted broccoli, fennel, apple & tempeh.

The truth of the matter is that the picture was printed really super tiny small (and in black & white)… blink and you’ll miss it. I was also told I’d get my name credited but I’ve searched every page of the magazine cover to cover and haven’t found my name yet. No matter, I’m still a proud mama.

My new favorite snack: Teriyaki flavored cactus jerky!

This stuff is totally vegan and is made from dried prickly pear desert cactus. At first glance it looks like dried seaweed, but tastes nothing like it. It honest-to-goodness tastes just like real meat jerky. The texture is so close yet it’s still chewy and moist, maybe just a bit softer than the real thing, and kind of fruity too, like fruit leather. Alright, no one is going to be fooled into believing this is beef, but that’s a good thing, right? I love, love, love this stuff and I’m pretty sure that if you have taste buds, you will too.

I picked mine up locally at the Full of Life natural foods market in Burbank but for those not in the area, you can easily order some directly from Amazon.com. There’s also a spicy variety which I haven’t tried yet, but rest assured I certainly will.

This one is for Celine at havecakewilltravel.com who didn’t enjoy her go with the new Ricera yogurt, which is made from brown rice.

I on the other hand really enjoyed it. I tried the peach variety and paired it up with some strawberries and blueberries. It doesn’t really taste like yogurt, but it’s still got all the good active cultures that a yogurt should have. It’s got a much thicker texture, more like a custard or flan. The flavor was good and did not taste artificial (it’s made from real organic peaches), and was very mild… not overpowering with peachiness. I’ve since also tried the strawberry and I liked that too.

Apparently the company was initially using a non-vegan form of Vitamin D (D3), but after having this brought to their attention, they modified the product to use D2 from non-animal sources instead. From their website: “Ricera is a Vegan product, and contains no casein, dairy, or animal-derived ingredients.” However, the ingredients on their website still list D3, but my guess is they haven’t gotten around to updating their website yet.

I’ve got a plethora of food adventuring in the Bay Area to tell you about, just as soon as I’m all caught up on life. In the meantime, behold the glory of my first homegrown tomato harvest. They were ripe and ready for me when I got home:

Soon you’ll get to see what I do with these lovelies, although I’ve almost grown too attached to be able to eat them. Oh well, once I turn them into delicious salsa and/or pasta sauce I’m sure I’ll get over the guilt quick.

Happy birthday to me!

At the market today they were sampling this vegan Horchata by Rice Dream. It was so damn good… just like the real thing. Horchata is normally made with rice, milk, sugar and cinnamon, so I guess it’s not a stretch of the imagination for Rice Dream to have come out with a fantastic rendition. Seriously, you gotta try it.

It’s not a good idea for me to keep treats like this around the house (I’m likely to drink that whole carton in one sitting), but it was so tasty and such a novelty that resistance was futile.

You can now purchase this delectable vegan horchata online directly from Amazon.com and have it shipped right to you… how cool is that?

CLICK HERE TO BUY VEGAN HORCHATA!