In A Nutshell...

Just to let you know, there's a new recipe & video up on Everyday Dish. The dish is Sauteed Chard With A Cherry Ginger Gastrique. It is really delicious, and comes from executive chef Derek Hanson at Nutshell restaurant in Portland, Oregon (which is a fantastic vegan restaurant). The dish is on their restaurant menu, though they serve it atop a creamy polenta at the restaurant. It's a very simple recipe and I encourage you to give it a try. This is a perfect way to use all of the yummy chard from the farmer's market.

We've been bookin' on the Everyday Dish segments and have some great ones (with some great chefs) coming up. I'll let you know here on the blog, as we post them each week.

On another note, check out the latest podcast of Stumptown Vegans with Jess (of Let's Get Sconed) and Webly (from Fueled By Popcorn). For the latest podcast, Jess and Webly invited me over to shoot the breeze and talk about vegan food and cooking.

Also, I thought that it would be fun to do another DVD giveaway, so if you want to be included in the drawing, please add your name to the comments. I will randomly select a winner by putting all of the names in a mixing bowl, and will announce the winner here on the blog. Once I announce the winner, I will need you to email me within 2 days, or unfortunately I will have to randomly select another winner. I’m not sure when I will announce the winner, so check back.

I think that's all for now. Happy cooking!!

Julie

Appliances And A Giveaway

I absolutely adore kitchen appliances and gadgets. I'm definitely a junkie. I love the stuff -from the cooking catalogs stuffed in my mailbox to the stores in the mall, I love to see what's new. I know, maybe one day I should check myself into some sort of appliance rehab where they make you do without and cook only with your hands.

One of the things that I love about appliances, is that they really help speed things up in the kitchen. Two appliances that I use all of the time is a rice cooker and a pressure cooker. The rice cooker does a beautiful job of brown and white rice, but also polenta, barley, mixed grains, black rice, wild rice, you name it. It's a no-muss, no-fuss machine. You simply add your grains and water and turn the machine on. What could be simpler than that? This is a great way to incorporate more grains into your diet. Of course you'll notice that my rice cooker is promptly siting next to a crock of white sushi rice (so much for whole grains). I do on occasion make white rice too.

I find that a great ratio for cooking rice in the rice cooker is 2 cups rice to 3 cups water. Although my rice cooker has a brown rice function, I like the way it comes out on the sushi rice setting.

Another appliance that I love is my pressure cooker. It cooks beans in a flash, as well as soups, vegetables, dals, risotto, stews, chili and the like. I mean, who doesn't like garbanzo beans cooked in 16 minutes flat? The only thing I have to remember is to soak the beans the night before. I LOVE LOVE LOVE pressure cookers! Apparently it's great for cooking cheesecakes, bread puddings and other desserts too. I honestly haven't tried any desserts in mine yet.

Pressure cookin' garbanzo beans.

Garbanzo beans, soaking away overnight.

Now, for the giveaway. I've got another copy of the Everyday Dish DVD, so all you have to do is put your name down in the comment section, and I will add your name to the pot. One entry per person. Anonymous comments have to include a first or last name.

I will randomly select a winner by putting all of the names in a big mixing bowl, and will announce the winner here on the blog. Once the winner is announced, they will need to email me within 2 days, or I will have to randomly select another winner. I’m not sure when I will announce the winner, so check back often.

Dark Chocolate Chip Cake And A Giveaway

Yes, this is one amazing chocolate cake. It’s just as fabulous with frosting as it is without. I think of this recipe as “a little black dress”. It works for fancy or casual occasions; it has widespread appeal and always makes people smile.

The recipe is included on the Everyday Dish DVD, so I can’t publish it here. What I can do though is a DVD giveaway, because everyone must have this recipe (along with the 15 other fabulous vegan recipes on the DVD). Now here’s the scoop:

You can enter the giveaway through the comments. One entry per person is eligible. Anonymous comments have to include a first or last name.

I will randomly select a winner by putting all of the names in a big mixing bowl, and will announce the winner here on the blog. Once the winner is announced, they will need to email me within 2 days, or I will have to randomly select another winner. I’m not sure when I will announce the winner, so check back often.