Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking by Celine Steen (Plus a Giveaway!)

Squash Blossom Pizza from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking (page 63)
by Celine Steen. Photograph by: Celine Steen

I have never been so excited to do a cookbook review then I am to do this one. Celine Steen of Have Cake Will Travel fame is a long time dear friend and co-conspirator in the vegan cookbook scene. Her and I go way back to when we penned 500 Vegan Recipes together in 2008, and then went on to write several more cookbooks together. Even when we weren't partnering up to write, I still made sure to have her gorgeous food photography grace the pages of a few of my solo efforts. It's fair to say I had VERY high hopes for this tome.

Nothing could make my heart swoon more than flipping through the pages of Celine's solo debut, Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking! From the cover, to the font, to the photos, and, of course, the recipes...just everything about this cookbook makes me squee!

Make sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post to enter for a chance to win a copy of Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking for yourself!

What Should I Get My Vegan Friends for Christmas? Vegan Cookbooks! Duh!

Read all the way to the bottom of this post where you can enter to win a copy.
I am giving away a copy of each of these books, so just follow the prompts in the widget to enter!

For many of us, the Holidays are no longer about presents, like they were when we were kids. As a grown up I really enjoy the opportunity to meet up with friends and family over a drink, or a meal, and really spend quality time together joyfully in the spirit of the season. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the holidays! The amount of decorations that adorn my 700 square foot home is ridiculous and Christmas music blares from my car stereo as well as my house all month long. It's just the buying of "stuff" for the sake of buying "stuff" that really gets to me.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese & A Giveaway!

If you know anything about me, you know I love me some Follow Your Heart. From Vegenaise to Creamy Garlic Dressing, to Vegan Scrambled Eggs, to Provolone Slices...I love it all. So, I was super excited to get a sample of the new Smoked Gouda Slices and the Parmesan Shreds to play around with in the kitchen.

The Complete Guide to EVEN MORE Vegan Food Substitutions--A sneak preview recipe, and a giveaway!

Sweet Potato and Avocado Sushi, page 196, photo Celine Steen Photography

With an official book release date of July 1, it has been confirmed that Celine Steen and my newest book is now available! That's early, kids, and that almost never happens.

Just real quick...we feel it is very important to note that this book completely stands on its own two feet. It is not a reissue of the original. And it is not full of the same recipes and tips. It plays nicely with its predecessor, but you do not need to own the first one in order to reap the benefits of this handy little guide.

"Happy Clam" Chowder Day!

New England Can Kiss My Clam Chowder from Going Vegan, photo by Celine Steen

In honor of National Clam Chowder Day I thought I would share my recipe for a truly "Happy Clam" Chowder which is featured in Going Vegan, which I co-wrote with Gerrie Lynn Adams.  No clams were harmed in the making of this chowder, yet this hearty soup is full of all of the seafood-y flavor one would expect from this classic soup.  If you want to get extra fancy, make up a batch of my virtually indestructable bread bowls to serve it up.

And in honor of the clams, I am giving away a copy of Going Vegan to one reader anywhere in the world.  Simply follow the prompts in the widget at the end of this post.

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

I remember my first year of college.  Going into the bookstore to buy my textbooks, and bringing them home thinking, "Oh my god. These books are huge. There is so much information here. There is no way I am ever going to get through it all."  But I did.  I still have all of my college textbooks.  And every now and again, I find myself returning to those texts as a reference.

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible by Karen Page is the textbook I'd imagine would be passed out on the first day of class in a plant based cooking school.  I mean it's huge! 554 pages of hardcovered glory, complete with a ribbon page marker.  This book is definitely a reference text.

When it arrived in the mail from the publishers for review, I was flipping through the pages, thinking, "Whoa. She ain't messing atound!" And she isn't.  Karen Page has an entry for everything in this encyclopedic style text.  It's quite an undertaking.  Almost unbelievable how much work must have went into creating such a tome.

Julie Hasson's Vegan Casseroles: Book Review, a Recipe, and Two Giveaways!

Vegan Casseroles: Pasta Bakes, Gratins, Pot Pies, and More by Julie Hasson

There are so many vegan cookbooks out now.  I have a 3 foot tall stack next to my desk waiting for review.  No joke.  And I am sure they all have some amazing recipes in them.  I mean, I probably wouldn't have bought them otherwise, right?  (Well, actually, I think I may have a real problem.  I buy way too many vegan cookbooks.  I just can't help myself.  I need them.  I love them. I bring them into the bathtub with me for a romantic read. I whisper sweet nothings to them every night before I go to bed.)  In all seriousness, I love supporting other vegan cookbook authors, and I want them all to be successful.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 25: Garlic Orange Brussels Sprouts (and a giveaway!)

Garlic Orange Brussells Sprouts from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen (page 125)

Tonight you get two recipes (from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen: 125 Comfort Food Classics, Reinvented with an Ethnic Twist!) for the price of one.  A wonderfully delicious recipe for brussells sprouts that makes a great side dish, plus a kick-ass recipe for Garlic Orange Sauce that tastes great on just about anything...tofu, seitan, brussells sprouts (duh) and works great as a dipping sauce for egg rolls and other finger foods.

Vegan Finger Foods, a Book Review, a Recipe, and a Giveaway!

Okay, seriously? A whole book dedicated to vegan finger foods? Yes, please.  I find it so inspiring that there are now vegan cookbooks for almost every niche...and more are being written as we speak!  There used to be a time when I could buy every single new vegan cookbook that came out.  Now I simply can't keep up.  It is so flipping wonderful.

I'm the kind of girl that thinks everything tiny is just adorable.  So, when I found out that Celine and Tami were writing an entire book dedicated to mini foods, I just about peed my pants.  Let me tell you, they delivered.

Book Review and Giveaway! Fillet of Soul: AfroVegan

Fillet of Soul: Afro Vegan is Wheeler del Torro's (of Vegan Scoop fame) newest book.  Note that I say book, and not cookbook.  Because this is more than a cookbook.  Yes, there are recipes, and I will get to those in a minute, but this book is more of a personal look into the experiences del Torro has had with food as he has traveled around the world.

A Late Night Stop on the Blog Tour: Bake and Destroy by Natalie Slater

Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans by Natalie Slater is next on my list of books to review for y'all.  (I know I have been doing a lot of reviews lately, and I promise to get back to posting my own stuff soon, but there are so many awesome books out right now!) I was super excited to be a part of her Blog Tour, and the publishers were kind enough to send me a review copy, but guess what?  I already bought my own copy, because, duh, why wouldn't I? So, I now have an extra copy to give away to one of you lucky readers!  Simply follow the prompts in the widget below to enter. Sorry, this one is open to US and Canada residents only.

Bake and Destroy by Natalie Slater

Okay, seriously?  Can we please just stop now and talk about how damn cute this book is?  Just look at the cover!  Those adorbs little drawings are all over this book.  And the photos?  Most are taken by the ever amazing Celine Steen, so you know those are super fantastic.  There is a full color photo for almost every recipe, and the chapter openers have not only a photo, but more of the adorable drawings superimposed on top of them.  The fonts are cute, the cover is cute, the drawings are cute, the recipe titles are cute, even the flippin' author is cute.  So, yeah, this book is really fun to look at.

Happy Birthday to Me! I'm Gonna Celebrate with Pie! (Blog Tour: Pies and Tarts with Heart by Dynise Balcavage)

Pies and Tarts with Heart by Dynise Balcavage

There are two types of people in the world, cake people and pie people.  I used to be one of those wishy-washy-straddling-the-fence people who tried to claim both, but the truth is, when really pressed, the pie wins out in almost every category.

Vegan MoFo 2013: Win a copy of all of my cookbooks!

So here we are.  Saying goodbye to another year of MoFo'ing.  Oh my goodness.  This has been a pretty epic MoFo for me, how about you?  I love MoFo, and while I am certainly sad to see it go away for another year, I am willing to admit, that a small break (just about a week) will be welcomed.

Vegan Mofo 2013: Book Review and Giveaway: Julie Hasson's Vegan Pizza

I have been a fan of Julie's for years.  The first of Julie's books I ever bought was her cupcake book, way back in 2005!  And each and every book she has put out since has been even better, so you can only imagine how excited I was to get my hand on a book full of recipes for vegan pizza!  Yeah, I was pretty excited.  And now the wait is over.  Julie's new book, Vegan Pizza: 50 Cheesy, Crispy, Healthy Recipes in finally in my hot little hands.  And I was so excited about it, I bought 2 copies!  So now I have one to give away to one of you.  Just follow the prompts in the widget below to enter to win.  Since I am sending it out, this contest is open to anyone, worldwide!

Vegan MoFo: Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Seafood Review and Giveaway

The fine folks at Sophie's Kitchen were kind enought to send me a few coupons to sample their vegan seafood.  I was finally able to get to a market that carried it, and picked up 3 varieties.  Breaded Vegan Fish Fillet,  Breaded Vegan Shrimp, and Breaded Vegan Scallops.

Vegan MoFo 2013: Vegan Sandwiches Save The Day Giveaway

I first reviewed this book in August of 2012, but since I love Celine and Tami, and the folks at Fairwinds were kind enough to give me another book to give away, I thought it would be nice to reprint it again here.

Never eat a boring sandwich again!

Celine and Tami's new book Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!: Revolutionary New Takes on Everyone's Favorite Anytime Meal is finally out, and man, you all need to get your paws on it!

Vegan MoFo: Book Review and Giveaway of Judita's Raw and Simple

You all know me by now, and you know that I really do enjoy decaent comfort foods.  Mashed potatoes, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos covered in rich sauces, the list goes on and on.  What you might not know about me, is that I also actually like to eat healthy nutritious meals.  Shocking, right?  So, I do have a pretty big collection of raw cookbooks, oil free cook books, and other books full of nutritious, clean and healthy recipes.  Raw foods are kind of my favorite way to eat clean.  Pure and simple.  I try to incorporate at least one meal of raw veggies and fruits every day, whether in a salad or a smoothie, or even dessert.

Vegan MoFo 2013: Just for Fun Friday!

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Tonight we won't be cooking or going out to eat.  Because Fridays are for fun.  So I won't worry about nothin' and if I'm hungry, I will snack the night away on whatever is leftover from the week.

Lucky for me, I have a ton of stuff hangin' out in the fridge.  I am thinking I may just make a mean plate of nachos with all the leftovers from last night's tacos!  All the talk of taco cleanses had me craving tacos!  So I finally broke down and made some.  Semi homemade style, since my sister and her man were joining us and I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen all night!

Vegan MoFo 2013: Joni Represents Whole Foods at the Taste of Laguna Wednesday September 18

On Wednesday, September 18, I will be representing Whole Foods Market, Laguna Beach at the Taste of Laguna food festival. Our store will be presenting 2 dishes, and I am presenting the vegan one.  Because this is a store sponsored event, I used ingredients easily purchased at the store.  I am sharing this recipe, along with giving away a $25 gift card to Whole Foods Market, paid for out of my very own pocket.  (Just follow the prompts in the widget below to enter.  Sorry, this one is only open to US residents.)

Herb Goddess Chik’n Salad over Grilled Crostini smeared with Herbed Aioli
and topped with Pickled Onion and Fennel Relish

I love Whole Foods, and not just because I work there.  I have been shopping and eating at Whole Foods long before I worked for the company.  I know many vegans have a problem with Whole Foods because they do sell and serve meat and dairy.

Vegan MoFo 2013: Book Review and Giveaway Plus a Bonus Recipe from The Great Vegan Bean Book by Kathy Hester

Kathy Hester has already taught me so much with her first book, The Vegan Slow Cooker, and now she's taught me so much more with The Great Vegan Bean Book. I thought I had already posted a review of this awesome book when it first cam out but apparently I hadn't, so I am delighted and excited to share this review as well as give away a copy (just follow the prompts in the widget below to enter!) courtesy of the fine folks over at Fair Winds Press. Because they were kind enough to send the giveaway copy directly to me, I am able to do worldwide shipping, so this contest is open to readers worldwide!