Thursday, January 30, 2014

NAKED Food Magazine

Gorgeous vegan, Margarita Restrepo, of NAKED Food Magazine (New American Kind and Enlightened Diet) has a great deal for my readers! This glorious magazine has been online for some time now, but it's about to come out in print in April! I do a lot of my reading in digital formats, but I still adore a beautiful magazine that I can hold in my hands and flip through dozens of times before passing it on to a friend. I'm excited about this!


So here's the deal, and it's a good one! Subscribe to NAKED FOOD MAGAZINE at this link, use the promo code VIVALANAKED, and get Margarita's fabulous eCookBook FREE! You save 52% when you get both, and who wouldn't want both? I know I do!

Want to sample the cookbook? I made the Creamy Cauliflower Spread, and have permission to share the recipe with you here. We loved it with crunchy crackers, and it would be great with veggies or bread or just lapped up with a spoon. It was terrific as written, but you know me... I embellished the recipe a little bit. I added some garlic powder, hot smoked paprika, and salt. Can't help it. We live in New Mexico, and we like things spicy! I also love a recipe that's easily adapted to different seasonings. This one would be good with herbs and nutritional yeast too. I think I'll try that for the (all vegan!) Super Bowl party we're going to.


And for dessert (again with permission) how about a no-bake carrot cake? What? I really must try this. Immediately!


The entire eCookbook is this beautiful and inventive. Click the link above, use the secret code, and get yours this very minute, along with the super beautiful NAKED Food Magazine. Enjoy! And thanks Margarita!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Finding Recipes For Success

One final guest post this week, from my friend Paul Graham, author of Eating Vegan in Vegas. Today he talks about Finding Recipes for Success. Check out his great suggestions, and surprise someone with a terrific new dish this weekend!


"Living and eating consciously begins at home. I’ve given you some pointers for getting your kitchen set up and now it is time to do some cooking. This is how we will achieve our goal. But where to begin?
Thousands of vegan cookbooks are available either online or in print. When we talk about vegan cookbooks and recipe sites, like life choices, it is totally subjective. Given the numbers of choices, we need to choose based on our favorite cuisines, the people we’re cooking for and our pocketbooks. On my blog and Facebook pages, I post a few recipes weekly to show what is possible for those deciding to live a vegan life. I want to show everyone how well we eat and that menu-planning doesn’t need to be cooking vegetables to enhance a piece of meat or fish..." Continue

Monday, January 27, 2014

How to Stock a Vegan Kitchen

This is the second guest post from my friend Paul Graham, author of Eating Vegan in Vegas. Not only familiar with every vegan option in Las Vegas, Paul also knows his way around the kitchen. Here he shares some great advice on filling your kitchen with delicious plant-based options, which I know some of you have been wondering about! This is really going to help!


"Stock It Up For the Win
If we are going to make a difference in 2014 by being and eating vegan for the animals, our health, and the planet, we need to prepare our kitchens for the many meals we will cook and enjoy at home.

The key to making your vegan meals at home is to be prepared and to keep your kitchen well-stocked. Here are some tips:

In these exciting times, we can find tasty, ethical, and nutritious foods at the market because almost any food item in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer can be replaced by real food that is more nutritious, with minimal or no processing, and is free of animal products. The four food groups we all need for a healthy body – fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts – should be in your kitchen. Menu planning around these groups will help make your resolution a success..."

Sunday, January 26, 2014

A High Energy Week Ahead!

I'm going to do more posting here than usual this week. There's so much to share, so much going on. As many of you know, I'm not in any way a football fan. I am, however, a huge fan of healthy new habits, great food, pretty things, and parties! So over the next few days I'll be bringing you some great stuff from Paul Graham at Eating Vegan in Vegas, a sweet deal from Naked Food Magazine, and of course, a recipe or two from me, so you'll have something great to eat at that Super Bowl party.

First up, check out this blog post from Paul, who is guest blogging over at Sullivan Street Press. I guess this makes him a Double-Guest Blogger here today! It's titled, Winning Begins at Home, which really resonates with me. Home is where we have the most control, and where healthy changes can get a really great start. Enjoy!


"A new post from Paul Graham, author of Eating Vegan in Vegas.

With the new year, many of you have made resolutions about changing your life. If you made the choice to become vegan, you have made the best of resolutions. Due to this conscious choice, animals’ lives will be saved; your health will improve; and the environment will be helped. These are all important reasons that should help to motivate you. To “win” over our resolution, and make this lifestyle all that it can and should be, we must realize that it begins and ends at home."

Continue...

Friday, January 24, 2014

Magic Sprinkles

If you like store bought vegan "parmesan" sprinkles, you'll love Magic Sprinkles! These are super on everything from popcorn to steamed veggies to avocado toast. It's always cheaper to make your own, plus you can vary the seasonings from batch to batch. It's like Gomasio with a punch! Get sprinkling!


Magic Sprinkles
makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup raw, unhulled sesame seeds, rinsed well and toasted in a dry pan
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 T good salt
1 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp white pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Grind to a coarse powder, in several small batches, using a coffee grinder or food processor. I use the small cup of my NutriBullet. Store in a glass or plastic shaker jar.

Like this recipe? There are over 100 more in the Recipe Box!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

We Have a Winner

Congratulations to Kathy Lowe, of All Fired Up Glass Beads! She won the copy of Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats! Everyone else, just buy the book already! It's packed with tasty goodness that will delight your whole family, and keep them healthy too! Thank you Debbie Adler, for this wonderful book and giveaway! You're sweet, indeed!


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Testing

I'm looking for the easiest way to post to the blog while I'm traveling with nothing more than my iPhone and iPad. I'm going to Seattle next month for my son's wedding, and don't want to drag my laptop along. Blogger on iPad is clunky, so I'm trying this email version to see how it looks. Testing 1, 2, 3... Say hello to Danny and Julie, the happy wedding couple!


* * * * * * * * * 

Kim Miles
Vegan Ambassador at Positively Vegan

Green Chile Chickpea Dip

A while back I veganized one of my mom's 70's recipes for "Sour Chili Chicken," turning it into an updated, but still rich, creamy, comforting casserole. Now I've taken it in a slightly different direction. This version is every bit as good, but now it's dip-able, making it perfect for cozy get-togethers, or watching football or the Olympics on TV. I've taken it to two parties so far, and it disappears before it can cool off.


Green Chile Chickpea Dip
makes about 3 cups

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 20 minutes, then drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (13 oz) tub frozen diced green chiles (look for Bueno brand, any heat you like)
1 cup frozen corn

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly oil a small baking dish or shallow oven safe bowl.
Place the cashews, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, cumin, nutritional yeast, and water in a blender or food processor and blend about one minute, until smooth.
Place the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and mash them slightly with a fork or potato masher.


Add the blended cashew mixture, green chiles, and corn to the chickpeas and stir well to mix.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish, smoothing the top.
Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes, until it's hot all the way through and the top starts to brown a little bit. Serve hot with tortilla chips or corn chips.

Note: I sometimes make a double batch and bake it in small amounts as needed.

Like this recipe? There are over 100 more in the Recipe Box!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Lucy's Favorite Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

Lucy is almost 12 years old. She's kind of lazy, claims to have sore hips, and basically lives for food. As you can see, when there's food in nose-shot, she's a peppy as a puppy.


See Lucy's dancing-for-cookies video here.

I enjoy making treats for my dogs, and of course I want them to be a healthful as they are tasty. Try these for your pooches and see what they think.

Lucy's Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chia seeds (or ground flax seeds)
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups water

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Roll little balls of dough in your hands, and gently flatten them onto the parchment, to about 1/4 inch thick.


Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes. The tops should be golden brown, and the bottoms slightly darker.
For crunchier cookies, leave them sitting out uncovered for several hours before storing.
These freeze well, so I keep enough for a few days in a jar on the counter, and refill from the freezer once a week or so.






Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats Giveaway!

How great is this? I have another giveaway to share with you! I got my copy of Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats - Allergy Free and Vegan Recipes from the Famous Los Angeles Bakery, by Debbie Adler, shortly before Christmas. Oh what a sweet holiday we had around here! Read on for a sample recipe, and to enter to win a copy of the book for your very own sweet self!


First, about the book. Every single recipe in it is gluten-egg-dairy-soy-sugar-and-nut-free. Impossible? Nope! I will add that coconut nectar and stevia are used as sweeteners, but no processed sugar. On one occasion, in a fit of must-bake-now madness, I substituted agave syrup for the coconut nectar, with great results. I normally try to follow new recipes exactly the first time though, but I have to say that these are fairly flexible. If you can't find an ingredient, there's certainly some wiggle room.

The simple gluten-free flour blend that's used in all the recipes is genius. It's also something I had do a little differently than the book calls for. I can't find sorghum flour in this town, so I looked online for a listing of suitable substitutions. Brown rice or oat flour were both recommended in place of sorghum, so I used the brown rice. If I ever find certified gluten-free oat flour in stock here, I'll try that sometime too. When you're blending five kinds of flour, you have a little room to negotiate, but it's important to use flours with the right weight, texture, and fluffiness, so do some research before subbing.

The recipes in this book are easy to make and widely varied, with even some savory baked treats in the mix. There are also lots of beautiful color photos, which I really like in a cookbook. And while some of the recipes require quite a few ingredients, most of them are used over and over again throughout the book. Once you're stocked up, you're ready to make a lot of different goodies. A thorough ingredients list is right at the front of the book, as well as a section on "how-to's and what for's."

This book is great for kicking off a new year. Treats are a lovely, and dare I say important part of life. Why not give ourselves permission to enjoy them, and why not make them as healthy as we possibly can? Whether you have food sensitivities or not, you'll find plenty in the sweet little book to please you.

The recipe I'm sharing with you here is the first one I tried. It was a larger batch than expected, so I froze a bunch of these little delights, and we're still enjoying them.


Sunflower Buttercup Brownies
From Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats: Allergy-Free & Vegan Recipes from the Famous Los Angeles Bakery (on sale Nov 1, 2013) by Debbie Adler, sweetdebbiesorganiccupcakes.com.  Reprinted courtesy of Harlequin.

Makes 24 mini-muffin size Buttercups

Must Have
24 mini paper baking cups
2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
21/2 teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup coconut nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/8 teaspoon stevia powder
1 cup sunflower seed butter
11/4 cups chocolate chips

Must Do
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 24-cup
mini muffin tin with mini paper baking cups.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder,
guar gum and salt in a large bowl. Make a
well in the middle.
3. Add the grapeseed oil, applesauce,
coconut nectar, vanilla and stevia and stir to
combine. Next add the sunflower seed butter
and stir to combine. Fold in 3/4 cup of the
chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin
tin, filling the cups to the top, and top each
with the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
5. Bake the buttercups for 18 to 20 minutes,
or until they are a light golden brown and
bounce back slightly to the touch.
6. Transfer the muffin tin from the oven to a
wire rack and let sit for about 15 minutes before
removing the buttercups to cool completely.
Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days,
or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 buttercup):
150 calories, 8 g total fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol,
18 g carbohydrates, 50 mg sodium, 2 g fiber,

3 g protein, 7 g sugars


Enter to win a free copy of Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats!!!
To make it easy for me to track down the winner, it will be a two step process this time.

First, leave a comment on this post, telling me why you want this book. (I'm just curious!)

Second, drop me a quick email at kimmiles@gmail.com with your full name and the best email to reach you at when you win. 

I'll hold a random drawing via Random.org on Tuesday, January 21st.
The winning name will be posted here on the blog, as well as on the Positively Vegan Facebook Page.
I'll contact the winner by email, and he/she will have until Friday, January 24th to claim the prize. (After that, a new winner will be chosen, so stick around!)
The prize will be shipped directly to the winner. Thank you, Sweet Debbie!

Monday, January 6, 2014

New Winner! Is It You?

I have two new giveaways in the works! More on those later. First I need to finish up the last one, which has gone unclaimed. Really? (Sorry Ariel R!) Well, you all have another chance to win, so let's take a minute to pop over to Random.org and choose someone who really wants the book. Drum roll...

Cliffton Thompson! You're the new winner of the awesome book, Soup's On!, by my friend, teacher, and fabulous chef, Mark Reinfeld.
Please contact me ASAP so I can have the publisher send you your copy.
Congratulations!


If you didn't win, go buy the book anyway! It's available in paperback, and on Kindle at Amazon, and if you buy from the link posted above, 6% of your purchase will go to ChildrenOfTheEarth.org, which is under the direction of Mark's sister, Jennifer Reinfeld. Make soup, be happy!