Friday, September 13, 2013

Thoughtful Thursdays: Book Review and Giveaway of Whole Grain Vegan Baking



There is simply no denying it.  Summer is officially over, even though it was 85 degrees today!  Pumpkin Spiced Lattes are making there way onto coffee shop menus.  Squash and figs are abundant.  No matter how sunny and warm it is, my mind still wants to turn on the oven and start baking!  Thank goodness I am armed with this amazingly adorable book filled with whole grain vegan goodness.

Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes
Seriously, every single page of this book is friggin' adorable.  From the pictures, to the layout, to the graphic design, all the way down to the fonts.  This book is so damn cute!  But she is more than just a pretty cover and sexy pages.  She is full of amazing recipes.

From sweet to savory, simple breakfasts to decadent desserts, this book has something for everyone.  Some of my favorites so far (and I still have many bookmarked pages!) include the Pesto Knots (page 114) the Whole Wheat Lemon Tartlets (page 167) and the Lemon Ginger Rolls (page 45).

The book is well laid out with a easy to use index, and a short but informative intro that lays down the 4-1-1 on whole grain ingredients and baking techniques.  Celine and Tami are very kind an mindful of those with food allergies and note that many of the recipes can easily be made soy free by making simple substitutions.  And let's not forget to mention the unbelievable photographs. How Celine can continue to impress me with each and every book she puts out (both with content and beauty) never ceases to amaze.

I feel that this book is a must have for every baker's cookbook shelf, whether they are vegan or not!  The recipes are dependable, wholesome, and delicious.  The fine folks over at Fair Winds Press have kindly offered up a copy of this beautiful book, and since they sent it directly to me...I have decided to open this one up to anyone in the world!  So, my overseas friends, please do enter the giveaway!  Simply follow the promts in the widget below to enter.

And to whet your whistle until you can get your hands on this tasty book, here is a sample recipe from the book.  Perfect for the fall!


Ginger and Spice Cookies from Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes.
Photo by Celine Steen
Ginger and Spice Cookies
Perfectly gingery, with a slight molasses flavor, these cookies will permeate your whole home with a holiday scent that just can’t be beat. Gluten-free brown rice flour benefits from the addition of whole spelt flour here to give the cookies a great structure, as well as texture. Note that it’s important for all the ingredients used here to be at room temperature and not cold, so that the coconut oil does not further solidify as you mix the dough. (Quick reminder: Semisolid coconut oil is of the same consistency as slightly softened vegan butter.)

44 g (2 tablespoons) molasses
96 g (1⁄2 cup) Sucanat
56 g (1⁄4 cup) semisolid coconut oil
8 g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder or pain d’epices spice mix
1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
88 g (1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) whole spelt flour
100 g (1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) brown rice flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegan milk, more if needed
30 g (2 tablespoons) chopped soft candied ginger

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the molasses, Sucanat, oil, cornstarch, ground ginger, spice powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until well mixed.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flours and baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients onto the wet, and mix to combine. The mixture will look dry and crumbly. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, until the dough holds together well when pinched. Add more milk if needed. Mix the chopped ginger into the dough until just combined.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon (24 g) packed dough per cookie, placing 9 of them on each baking sheet. Remove them from the tablespoon and place them flat side (the side that you flattened to pack the dough into the tablespoon) onto the sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes (for slightly chewy cookies) to 15 minutes (for crisper cookies). Leave on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Yield: 18 cookies


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31 comments:

coconutandberries said...

I so want this book!! Sounds brilliant.
The first baking recipe I veganized was chocolate cake! I had the faithful wacky cake recipe at hand though so it turned out brilliantly :D

Jan Scholl said...

Actually it wasn't a traditional recipe for baking. It was eggless noodles. They are okay, hubby ate them. It's much easier and cheaper to buy them premade and dried now.

sonja said...

chocolate chip cookies. they turned out great!!

jacqui said...

Muffins and they came out moist & flavorful enough that my omni husband ate at least half of them!

Liza said...

I veganized this Martha Stewart cranberry kuchen my mother used to make me for my birthday. It turned out great!

n_selah_d said...

Carrot cake cupcakes for my daughters birthday they were gone quickly and my oldest daughter who's birthday was a month and a half later requested the same ones always a good sign ;)

~ Cee ~ said...

Muffins or a chocolate cake, I think. One of the first things I remember baking was a sort of molten lava chocolate cake from Sarah Kramer's first cookbook. I made it for my then-bf now husband when we were dating. ~Cee~

Carmen said...

Chocolate chip cookies! It did not go well.

Unknown said...

The first dish I made was some kind of fruit cobbler or crisp from The Kind Diet. I don't remember exactly what it was now but I do remember it tasted great! My only hang up was trying to figure out what arrowroot powder was. Oh, and when my parents told me it was okay to use olive oil instead of vegetable or canola oil.

Em said...

I've been baking for years but I think the first recipe I veganized was cinnamon rolls. They turned out awesome and still do.

Elizabeth said...

Pretty sure it was my mom's altered Toll House cookies recipe. Her version was a bit saltier and more caramelized, which seemed weird to some people back in the days (late '80s) but is incredibly fashionable now.

Shannon R said...

These cookies look fantastic. I love whole grains.

Jessica said...

muffins and they were delish!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Thank you so much for this giveaway, Joni! I've been wanting to get my hands on a copy of this book.

Unknown said...

The first recipe I veganized were berry scones. They were good, but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect vegan scone recipe.

Shannon said...

I tried to make Neiman Marcus cookies & it was a total flop. I have since made them again, and they are now one of my go to cookie recipes!

AnnaZed said...

Muffins, I substituted vegetable juice for eggs - it came out great actually
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sarahhhhhh said...

carrotcake! so good!

kelly g. said...

Wow, I have no idea. It's been so long! I'm gonna say brownies, because I love them so much that it's likely they were it, and guess that they were a disaster on accounta I've always had back luck with baked sweets. Brownies in particular always fight me coming out of the pan. (This reminds me of that Ron Swanson quote: "When I eat, it's the food that's scared.")

Anonymous said...

I honestly don't remember the first baked good recipe I tried to veganize. I remember the first recipe I made vegan was chili though :)

Courtney

doemora said...

I don't remember the first i veganized, but i do remember the one that stuck out the most- carrot spice muffins from fatfreevegan. now a couple of may favorit vegan recipes are from...whole grain baking! people re thrilled when i bring treats from that book!

Tanya said...

mine was banana bread, it came out pretty good

Unknown said...

Oatmeal Cookies! Absolutely delicious! So much so that I will pick the new version over their counterparts any day!

Anonymous said...

I tried to veganize my mom's pumpkin bread a while back, but I made too many changes and it was not good! In addition to veganizing I made it whole grain and sugar free...it was edible but very dense.

Catherine said...

Plain chocolate cake. It turned out much better than the non-vegan original and I've been making it vegan ever since!

Anonymous said...

I think it was either banana pineapple cake or carrot cake...I can't remember. What I do remember is being amazed at how moist and delicious all my vegan cakes were coming out. And the compliments from all my non-vegan friends!

Jeni said...

It was my grandma's zucchini carrot cake recipe! It came out exactly like hers!

Terri Cole said...

I made a vegan German Chocolate Cake for my husband's birthday. It was delicious!

gaia (at) cinci (dot) rr (dot) com

Rachel Hallows said...

That's tough - I started cooking vegan before I went vegan! I can't say for sure, but it was probably some kind of cake.

Babette said...

I don't think I've actually veganized any baked goods... I've always relied on vegan recipes.

Anonymous said...

I haven't tried to veganize any baking recipes yet. I'm too intimidated, since I've had mixed results trying to veganize other types of recipes. I think baking calls for more precision and more interplay between ingredients; so I rely on vegan recipes.

2012 Copyright/Permissions/Disclaimers

All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni