Bottle Love

A while back, after doing a lot of reading on the subject, I decided to give up on refillable plastic plastic water bottles. Knowing not just that the plastics, and more specifically the BPA's, are terrible for our bodies, but that there is some thought that they might contribute to breast cancer. Yuck! And forget the fact that these plastics are showing up in our blood. As convenient as those refillable plastic bottles are, I just had to say no.

My next move was to the stainless bottles. These are very durable, and perfect to throw in a gym bag or the kid's backpacks for school. They sounded like the perfect solution, but I still wasn't totally convinced. They are fairly pricey (if you go for the good ones with the non-toxic finish), and my son was always complaining that his beverages had a metallic taste to them. I couldn't fault him there, as I noticed it too.

I really was at a loss as to what to do, other than carrying around a water glass from home, which was completely impractical. Then it hit me. What about those great iced tea bottles that you find everywhere from the grocery store to take-out cafes. With their resealable lids, they would make the perfect container for water, juice or home-brewed iced tea on the go. Plus, they look stylish. There's also the added benefit that you're recycling at the same time too. And you can actually fit ice cubes into the bottle, for a truly refreshing iced summer drink.

Now I wouldn't recommend these for children or if you're planning on doing some rugged outdoor activities. But for running errands around town or slipping into a bag at the farmer's market or going out for a stroll, these bottles are ideal. I've even started to notice the nice designs that some of these bottles have. I love that they can be thrown in the dishwasher to be cleaned, without worrying that the plastic is breaking down.

So, the next time that you find yourself with one of these bottles, consider keeping it as a water bottle. You may just find yourself hooked on the idea. Who knows. Maybe we can start a new trend of re-purposing glass bottles.

Love Springtime!

I just had to share a pic from the farmer's market this weekend. I love the abundance of fresh produce and flowers. So much eye-candy!

Talking about produce, my friend Nancie McDermott (cookbook author extraordinaire!) just started a blog and has a great post about growing lemongrass in a jar on your windowsill. I'm going to pick up some lemongrass later today and give it a shot.

Also, before I sign off, I wanted to mention that we just put up a video for Veggie Bao Buns on Everyday Dish (Member's Login). We'll be adding a delicious new video & recipe every week!


I'll be back tomorrow with a new cookbook review.

Have a great day!

A Call For Testers

I'm in need of a few good recipe testers for the new book. Right now I've got a handful of recipes that are almost ready to be tested, probably in the next week or so. This is just the first round, so if the timing doesn't work for you right now, not to worry. There will be other opportunities for testing to follow.

What I'm looking for in the testers: people who have the time to commit to cooking and testing recipes in the next couple of weeks, are experienced with cooking and baking (preferably with vegan recipes) and don't mind following the recipes to a T. Prior recipe testing experience is great, but not required. If you're interested in testing, just leave a comment here, and an email or a way for me to reach you.

Now, just in case you're wondering what the photos are of, the top one is a chocolate chip swirl bread and the bottom is a mocha java cake. Yup, both recipes are in the new book.

Thanks!!

Nanaimo Bars And Sarah Kramer

Aren't these Nanaimo bars gorgeous?! They are are every bit as delicious as they look. The recipe is from Sarah Kramer (from her new book Vegan A Go Go), and I'm so excited that she shared it with Everyday Dish. Go check out the video (and recipe) now! You are going to love these bars!

I first had Nanaimo bars in 10th grade when I was living in Vancouver, B.C. My mom was participating in a Fulbright Exchange, and my brother and I were thrilled to go along for the ride. That incredible year in Vancouver was where I first fell in love with Nanaimo bars, the Pacific North West and tea (more about that in another post). I was sad when the year was over, although we went home with lots of memories, photos and a plethora of recipes that I had collected, including several for Nanaimo Bars. Yes, I know that I was only 16, but I was food and recipe obsessed from a very young age; ) Unfortunately none of the recipes were vegan so I am thrilled that Sarah has done the work for us.

Now, go check out that video!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the recipes that I wanted to create for the new book is a stellar chocolate chip cookie. I know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of recipes already out there, but I needed one with my touch. A chocolate chip signature, if you may. I've always had an immense love for chocolate chip cookies, which goes back long before my first cookbook (125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes).

Looking back, there was a time in high school that I think was the "pivotal" chocolate chip moment for me. My best friend Jennifer and I would fly to San Francisco regularly to visit her father. One day, Jennifer gave me a peek at her step mother's pantry. What I saw was something to behold. It was all of the makings for chocolate chip cookies. And not just one batch. This pantry was set up so that at any given moment she could bake hundreds of cookies. It was at that exact moment that I knew what my future would be.

I can assure you that my pantry does hold the makings for dozens of batches of these sweet little babies, at any given moment. I buy my semisweet chocolate chips (vegan, of course), in bulk 25 pound boxes. This is no joke, and has actually become something that my kids show off regularly to their friends ("want to see my mom's giant bucket o' chocolate chips?"). That bucket is something to behold.

As you can see, my love for the cookies goes way back. Once, in college, I even did a presentation in class on how to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies. I collected recipes for them wherever I went, looking for unusual techniques or interesting additions. I was even known to rate bakeries and restaurants, purely on their chocolate chip cookies.

So my love for the cookies continue, which is why I felt that I had to come up with my own delectable chocolate chip cookie for the book. I mixed and baked dozens and dozens of different variations, until I felt that I had the "one". The cookie gods must have been with me in the kitchen that week, because it worked. I came up with a perfect puffy, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. It's also much lower in fat than regular chocolate chip cookies too.

I wish I could share the cookies with you, warm from my oven. Instead the pic will just have to do for the moment. But, in the meantime, I'd love to hear what you think are the best traits of a chocolate chip cookie. Are they flat and crisp? Fat and chewy? Crisp and chewy? Whole grain? Nuts? Lots of chips or just a few?

A Perfect Pan

I have not forgotten about blogging. Promise! I just get so busy in the kitchen working on recipes, that the days just seem to fly by.

One thing that I've been using a lot in the kitchen lately is my new favorite pan. It's a Lodge cast iron biscuit pan, which I have figured out is great for so many things, above and beyond biscuits (though it works really well for those too). I've been using it for cornbread, muffins, mini hamburger buns, scones and even brownie batter. But you know what my favorite discovery has been this week? English muffins! I know! I've been working on a perfect English muffin recipe for the new book (with LOTS of nooks and crannies), and found that this fab cast iron baby makes awesome English muffins. Even better than those metal English muffin rings, which are supposed to work really well for making them. I much prefer this pan to the rings, that's for sure. I'm thinking that this pan would even make the most adorable 3-inch veggie burgers. I love to find cool new uses for kitchen equipment.

Anyways, here are some pics of the English muffins, which I made with white wheat flour. They are so yummy! I wish I could share the recipe already.



I hope everyone is having a great spring!

XO Julie

A Few More Details & Ice Cream!!

I wanted to share a little more info about the new book. I'm always a little superstitious until all of the contracts are signed and everything is officially in place. So here goes... Although the title might change down the line, the working title right now is Vegan Diner. It's going to be filled with lots of comfort food favorites, from burgers, hashes, fries and pies to blue plate specials and lots of other comfort food dishes thrown in. I'm having a blast writing this book!

Oh, and before I forget, we just posted a new video on Everyday Dish. It's Wheeler and his awesome ice cream recipe (which starts out as vanilla and turns into something deliciously unexpected). Can you guess the flavor? Go check it out!

Vegan Donuts!

After several tries, I finally got it! The yeasted donuts came out perfect, and exactly how I envisioned them. A soft, tender and slightly sweet interior that melts in your mouth. I made 3 different kinds, cinnamon sugar, vanilla glazed and maple. Unbelievable! I knew that I couldn't let you guys down, and that if I worked hard enough on the formula, I could get a vegan donut that's better than the original. It's killing me to keep the recipe under wraps for the book.

I can share some pics with you though, with the cinnamon sugar babies on top and some of the glazed below.

There's also some yummy new recipes & videos up on Everyday Dish. Check out the Rosemary Garlic Crackers, Coconut Whipped Cream and homemade bath salts.

Chocolate & Donuts

I've been cooking and baking up a storm, working on all sorts of recipes for both the new book and Everyday Dish. The recipe above is for Chocolate Creamboats, and the gorgeous photo was taken by my very talented friend Kim. Couldn't you just reach into the picture? This recipe is going to be in the new book.

Yesterday I found myself working on donut recipes for the book, which is turning out to be a lot trickier than I expected. This may be why I don't often see yeasted vegan donuts. I'm determined to come up with a light and tender version though, and won't give up until I do. Did I mention that my whole house smells like a donut shop?

Valentine's Day

Happy almost Valentine's Day! In honor of Valentine's, I wanted to share one of my favorite dessert recipes with you. It's the Chocolate Mocha Cakes on Everyday Dish, which makes the ultimate in VDay desserts. If you don't have a heart-shaped pan, don't worry about it. You can make them in other shapes too. Don't forget the ganache, which really takes these cakes to another level. Oh, and to really gild-the-lilly, serve the cakes with a raspberry or cabernet sorbet. Whoa!

On another note, I have to say how nice it is to have found so many kindred labeling spirits. There is something so fun and centering about it. Maybe it's because I am a dissorganized person by nature, so when I do organise things it feels great. But whatever the case, Viva La P Touch! Also, a couple of people have asked me about the glass crocks. They were from Ikea, although I believe that they have been discontinued. I've had them for about 6 years, and went back recently to get more. Don't you hate when stores do that? But, I also have some other glass crocks that work really well. They're the biscotti crocks (at least that's what I call them) from Anchor Hocking. You can find them in a number of different stores, but the best prices that I've found are at Target or restaurant supply stores. They have that nice wide mouth, which is great for measuring right out of the jar.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Julie

Happy Pie Day!

Today is national pie day, so of course I have to wish everyone a Happy Pie Day! It's really fitting to take place this week, since our new president is such a huge fan of pie.

I also want to share an article on pie (and my pie book), that appeared in yesterday's food section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (you can check it out here). Of course I also have a favorite pie recipe to share with you too. And, just in case you want a visual for this recipe, you can check out the video here (which I filmed for the morning show "Better").

Julie’s Easy Blueberry Pie
Preheat oven to 400°F
10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate, 10-inch cast iron or ovenproof skillet
Serves 6

Filling
4 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 5 tbsp water
1/4 cup cornstarch

Topping
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine (such as Earth Balance), melted

1. Filling: In a saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together corn and 5 tablespoons water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture into hot berries and simmer until thick and mixture is clear, carefully stirring.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and scoop mixture into prepared dish.
4. Topping: In a small bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add melted margarine, stirring until incorporated. Using your fingertips, work margarine into flour mixture, squeezing until nice and crumbly.
5. Sprinkle topping over blueberry filling and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until topping is nicely browned.

Copyright © 2008 Julie Hasson
www.everydaydish.tv

Happy Pie Day!!

Pumpkin Biscotti

Katie, from the famous Sweetpea Bakery, was in our kitchen recently to film her awesome and delicious Pumpkin Biscotti recipe. Although this is a great pic of Katie, those are definitely not biscotti she's holding up. Can you believe I forgot to take a picture of the biscotti? Oh well, at least you get a teaser of what she'll be making next on Everyday Dish (any guesses?). Now, as soon as you're done reading this post, you should head over to Everyday Dish and check out Katie's video and awesome recipe for pumpkin biscotti.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

This is a great recipe from Sarah Kramer, and the recipe and video are now up on everyday dish. Go check it out! I didn't get a good shot of the cookies, because there was a we-little mishap taking them out of the oven (which is why Sarah is making a sad face). But both Sarah and the cookies rock, and I want to send Sarah a million thanks for taking time out of her crazy travel schedule to come film with us! We had a blast in the kitchen and Sarah is super fun to work with.

Busy Baking

I really had the best of intentions with Veganmofo. But, it seems, work just keeps pulling me away from my computer. Not to worry though, I will still be posting, just probably not a daily mofo.

Now, guess who's going to be on Everyday Dish? The one and only Sarah Kramer. Sarah was passing through Portland on tour for her new book, Vegan A Go Go, and took a little detour in our kitchen. We filmed two great segments, which I can't wait to share. Can I just say that Sarah is awesome?!

Oh, and before I forget, we have a new segment up on Everyday Dish. It's Hannah Kaminsky and her amazing butterscotch blondies. Go check it out and make those blondies. They are fantastic!

Gluten Free Cookie Bars

I've been wanting to try gluten-free baking for a while now, but I just wasn't sure where to start. Thanks to a good friend recently, I was able to dive right in.

This friend was trying out a gluten-free diet (per doctor's orders), and was having the worst craving for chocolate chip cookies. I could feel her pain, and knew I had to help her out. I ran home, did a little internet research, and found a recipe for cookie bars. Fortunately I had a bag of gluten free all-purpose baking flour from Bob's Red Mill already in my pantry, so I was ready to go. I adapted the original recipe based on what I had on hand, but I've gotta say that this is one of my favorite cookie bars ever! Gluten free or not! So, a giant thank you to Karina Allrich for sharing your gluten free cookie recipe. You can bet that I'll be doing a lot more gluten free baking in the future.

I decided that this recipe was so good, we had to get it filmed and up on Everyday Dish (with my adaptions, of course) ASAP. The video can be seen here, and the recipe here. For Karina's original recipe, you can find it here at her website. Her site is not vegetarian, although there are quite a few vegan recipes.

As for me, I am thinking about making a gluten-free pumpkin cake next. Hmmm, or maybe an apple spice cake. Now that I have the gluten free flour on hand, anything is possible.

Crackers

I have a new favorite obsession. Homemade crackers. It really started just the other day. My kids were asking me to buy them snacky food that they could take in their school lunches. I just couldn't do it. One, because I get tired of all the junky ingredients in a lot of those snacks. The other reason is that I have a ton of whole grain flours that are screaming to be used (and hey, I could save money at the same time). So rather than head out to the store, I headed to the kitchen and started making crackers.

The crackers are so incredibly easy to make, almost easier than making cookies. They also contain healthy ingredients, most of which we all have sitting in our pantries. And the best part? My kids absolutely loved them! They polished them off and asked for more. Being the sneaky mom that I am, I said I would show them how to make them. That way, when the craving hits, they might actually try and bake themselves up a batch. Well, you never know.

Feel free to play around with the flours or seasonings. I did find that my kids preferred the crackers when I used half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat. I also discovered that they not only baked better on a Silpat (silicone pan liner), but they practically flew off the baking sheet. If you have one of those nifty pastry wheeler/cutter, it works really well for gently cutting the crackers into squares. Otherwise you can just roll the dough out thinly in the pan, bake, and then break into pieces when cool.

Here's the recipe for those of you who would like to try your hand at homemade crackers. I promise you it's painless and fun! It's also a perfect project to do with young kids or on a rainy day. Once you go homemade you'll never go back.

Julie's Rosemary Garlic Crackers
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp granulated garlic
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper, optional (but good!)
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt crystals, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flours, nutritional yeast flakes, baking powder, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the water and oil, stirring until dough comes together. If dough is too dry to mix, add another tablespoon of water or as needed. Divide dough in half.
3. Roll the dough out very thin. If you have a small little rolling pin, simply roll the dough right out in your pan. Transfer the dough to a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Score the dough into squares so that it's cut, but not separated into pieces. If desired, sprinkle a little coarse salt over the tops of the crackers and lightly press into dough with the rolling pin. Repeat with second piece of dough.
4. Bake crackers in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and crackers look crisp. Let crackers cool in pan before removing. They will crisp up as they cool. If crackers are still a little soft, place bake in oven and bake for another five or so minutes until crisp.

Copyright © 2008 Julie Hasson

Here's some pics of the cracker-making process.

Dough

Rolled dough in pan

Scored/cut cracker dough, ready for baking
(with the pastry wheel/cutter)

Baked and cooled crackers. You can kind of sea the little salt crystals on the tops.

Blackberry Cobbler

We have a new episode of our Everyday Dish cooking show up, and this time it's blackberry cobbler. The recipe is super-simple to make and is perfect for fresh summer berries. Check out the video here.

The recipe for the cobbler is from my new pie book (The Complete Book Of Pies), which should be hitting book stores in the next few weeks. I love this recipe, which is a different style of cobbler. Instead of topping the fruit with biscuit dough, you fill your baking dish with a sweet batter, and top it with lots of fresh berries. When it bakes, the fruit falls to the bottom and the cake bakes up on top. What you get is a fabulous combo of pie and cake, all together in one dessert. It's really delicious, and can be thrown together in minutes (unless, of course, you have to pick the berries first).

Now, a little bit about my new book. This pie book was the longest and largest project I have done to date. Start to finish it was close to 3 years. That's a long time, and lots of things change in a three year period. When I started the book, I was vegetarian, not vegan, although I was certainly going in that direction. I just wasn't sure how I could be vegan while I was working on recipe projects that called for dairy and eggs. This was something that I struggled with for quite some time. What I eventually did was to finish the recipes which called for dairy and eggs first, and then develop all of the other recipes to be vegan (or vegan-friendly as they are titled in the book). This way I could be vegan and develop vegan recipes. It worked out to be a beautiful decision, and I have never looked back.

So, although the book is not vegan, it has 97 vegan-friendly recipes. The recipes are not only delicious, but pretty easy to make as well. I worked really hard to help demystify the art of pie making, and make it fun, easy and approachable. To say that I made hundreds of pies during the three years would be an understatement. I think the number may be closer to a thousand. I baked pies night and day for almost three years.

Now, here's the part that I'm hoping people will understand. My publisher decided that he wanted a few meat pie recipes in the book. I know! I really can't go into it too much, but regardless of my personal feelings on the matter (and I have many) there are 10 non-veg recipes in the book. The recipes came from another cookbook author, and were not written (or tested) by me. I really hope that everyone will understand that this was not my decision or choice, and not hold it against the book. I worked so hard on this book, and am really proud of it. I think that I accomplished what I set out to do, which is simplifying the process of pie making in a modern and fun way.

Life is definitely a journey, and it's exciting for me to be able to continue to work on the projects that are so close to my heart, like our Everyday Dish cooking show, The Cancer Project and now writing vegan cookbooks.

So, what are you waiting for? Get over to Everyday Dish and make that cobbler!!

Dave's Killer Bread

If you haven't tried the utterly delicious and uber-famous Dave's Killer Bread from Portland, Oregon, then this is your chance. Dave has again shared one of his amazing recipes with us for Everyday Dish, and this time it's for a 100% whole wheat bread that's out-of-this-world delicious! We're talking soft, tender, nutty, slightly sweet bread that is just as awesome on a sandwich as it is toasted and slathered with a little Earth Balance. Please, please give this recipe a try! This is whole grain bread at it's finest.


On a different note, I have been having some computer problems this past week, so I haven't been able to blog as much as I had hoped to. It's actually giving me more time in the kitchen (imagine that?!) to finish up the marshmallow recipes, which I am happy to say are just about complete. Whew! A couple more recipes to test, a quick how-to-video to film and we are ready to go! Here's hoping for a speedy computer recovery!

Julie

Whoopie Pies, oh my!

I recently had the incredible pleasure of meeting Hannah Kaminsky, author of the book My Sweet Vegan. Hannah is an awesome baker, and if you haven't checked out her book or blog, you should. She is a 19 year old baking whiz, and wrote the book during her senior year of high school.

While Hannah was in town, she filmed a couple of segments for Everyday Dish (thank you Hannah!). She made two awesome recipes, the first being her scrumptious chocolate whoopie pies. Now all you have to do is get into the kitchen and make them! They are so, so good. You really must try them.

Here is a picture of Hannah, with her delectable whoopie pies.

I'll be back soon, to tell you about another fantastic new product that's hitting the market. I'll give you one hint... it's made from coconut.

The Winner Is...

Vegyogini! Thank you to everyone for putting your name down and playing along (and your awesome comments!). I'll do another drawing again soon. So Vegyogini, please email me in the next 2 days with your name and address, so I can send you a copy of the DVD. You can email me through my profile on this blog.

Now, about the picture. This incredible bread is a Sin Dawg from Dave Dahl, of Dave's Killer Bread. It's super awesomely delicious, and virtuous too! It's a lovely, soft whole grain dough wrapped up with an ooey-gooey cinnamon sugar filling. A-mazing!! Fortunately even if you don't live in Portland and frequent the Saturday Farmer's Market, you can still get your hands on one. Well actually three. Not only did Dave share the recipe with us, but he also filmed a segment of Everyday Dish, and will walk you through the entire bread baking process. Now there's no excuse for you not to bake up a batch at home. The recipe and video are up on Everyday Dish. The direct link to the video is here.

I'll be back in a couple of days with a review of a creamy new ice cream hitting the market. Until then, go bake yourself a batch of Sin Dawgs!