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[In a bit of unrelated news, I'll be doing a guest post on Amy's blog tomorrow. Hope you can drop by and check it out!]
[Looks pretty decadent, doesn't it? Tastes that way, too.]
Okay, so who WAS that woman who wrote my last post?! I do apologize if I alarmed any of you (though I don’t think I went so far as to frighten the horses ). I guess something about that particular topic hit a nerve for me. But wow, did that post ever spike my blog’s traffic! My Google Analytics stats shot through the roof! And man, look at all those comments! Well, I guess we all know how I’ll be choosing my blog topics from now on, hmmmnn? Ahem.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for your insights, reactions, commentary! I am really loving the exchange of opinions and all the differing perspectives on the topic. I think peeking in on the IFBC sparked for me a renewed interest in ideas for ideas’ sake –it felt sort of like what grad school was supposed to be. So, once again, thanks. And it’s not too late to contribute your own ideas about why and how we blog–join the conversation here.
But now. . . it’s time for us to head back from summer holidays and dive back into the daily routines once again–which means (for me, and for many of you)–back to school.
When I was a kid, the beginning of September was always a bittersweet time. After two whole months of sleeping until I awoke; throwing on shorts and sneakers and a T-shirt before wandering outside to meet up with friends; reading books while lounging on the grass in our backyard or writing furiously in my journal, the sun warming the sheets of paper as I wrote; ice cream on demand; or simply soaking in the freedom of “no fixed schedule”–the end of August marked the shift to autumn and a return to predictability.
I didn’t particularly look forward to the the stuffy classrooms, the mercilessly rigid desk chairs, the overloaded backpack, the trek home at lunch or long afternoon hunched over my textbook, pencil in hand, reading from a book that (more often than not) didn’t interest me.
On the other hand, there were some high points in returning to the classroom. September also felt like a fresh start, that moment when you’ve just stepped out of the shower, scrubbed and still glistening before you decide what to wear that day. It was an invitation for self-renewal and embracing new identities, a chance to rectify personal slights or last year’s mistakes. New shoes, a new haircut and (my favorite part) fresh, pristine pages of new notebooks–those were the beckoning aspects of returning to school.
Perhaps because I work in academia, September still feels like the beginning of the year to me. Yet it’s also a tacit “start date” in many other contexts as well: television shows (Hey, Ellen! How about that guest spot this year?); arts and cultural events (you wouldn’t believe how many TSO, TIFF or AGO brochures have landed on our doorstep lately–and, just an aside, does EVERY Toronto-area event use a three-letter acronym?), and even religious holidays (Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, usually occurs around September).
I mentioned in a previous post that I had a few exciting giveaways up my figurative sleeve–and now that we’re on the threshold of back-to-school, what better time to hold them? During the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of sampling and experimenting with an array of new ingredients and products, some of which were truly exceptional.
So now, I’ve chosen the best of the lot–the ones I liked most and think you will, too–and will be giving away one at a time over the next few weeks.
See? Back to school can be fun!
For a great ACD-friendly Fudge Recipe and to enter the first in the “Back to School Swag” series of giveaways, click here!
[You won't believe what's in this fudge. . . or how easy it is to make!]
Last Year at this Time: A Nice Chianti and Some Fava Beans? No. Muhammara? Thumbs Off–Er, Up.
Two Years Ago: Freeform Tomato Tart with “Goat Cheese” and Basil
© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs
THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING, EVERYONE! 
It’s time for dessert–even if you don’t eat sugar, white flour, gluten, eggs or dairy! That’s because it’s time for
Buy the book this week at the special introductory price of $6.95 (regular price $9.95)–or, buy both ebooks (the previously published Anti Candida Feast plus Desserts without Compromise) for just $12.95!
For more details (and to buy one or both books), click here!
And now for the giveaway. . . . .
The contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered! The contest is open until midnight, Sunday, August 22, 2010, at which time I’ll randomly choose the five winners. Open to everyone, worldwide! Yay! 
Because I’m so excited to share these recipes with you, I’m giving away FIVE copies of the ebook to celebrate its launch! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which dessert appeals to you the most! For extra entries, you can follow me on twitter, “like” the Diet, Dessert and Dogs fan page , or retweet this giveaway on twitter, mention it on Facebook, or blog about it (for the last three, please link back to me, either at my twitter name, @rickiheller, or leave a comment on the FB wall, or a link to this page in your blog post). Then please come back here and leave a separate comment for each entry–I know it’s a lot of steps, but it does help me to count out the entries more easily.
Thanks to everyone who entered the cookbook giveaway last week. I was blown away by how many of you said you’d like to have my book–thanks so much! (And on that topic, you might like to know that I scored a fantastic discount with my publisher for my latest order of books–so I’ve put the book on sale until the end of the summer! Click here for details.)
And the winner, chosen at random, is. . .
Number 20, Wendi from Veggie Obsessed! Congratulations, Wendi!
Please contact me via email (dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom) with your mailing address so that we can get your book out to you!
["Wow, Mum, that's great news for Wendi! Now, if only you could get on The Ellen Show, my happiness would be complete! (Oh, and if I manged to get a few extra treats while you're at it, then I'd be elated.")]
And don’t forget that you can still submit those spinach recipes until midnight tomorrow!
[One of my baking exploits from the past week]
I’ve been spending inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen over the past week, baking up a storm (more on that in my next post). I’ve just about perfected my next recipe, which I’ll share as soon as it’s ready.
In the meantime, since I don’t have a recipe for you today, I thought it only fair that I provide you with the means to try out other recipes instead–and you get to choose which source!
If you’d like to win a free baking cookbook, just click here for details. Contest will run only until I post my next blog entry, so hurry! 
Random.org has done its thing, and selected the four winners of the giveaway. Congratulations, all!
I’ll be back next time with a food post and new recipe.
NuNaturals Stevia gift pack winners (see this post for details):
1) Stacie–Number 23!
Stacie’s comment:
“I have a HUGE sweet tooth — and a family history of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease — so I try my hardest to stay away from it if I can. I would LOVE to be able to try this brand of stevia to bake up some yummy goods to satisfy my sweet tooth — especially those brownies – wow!”
Hope this prize pack does the trick, Stacie!
2) Courtney–Number 49!
Courtney’s comment:
“Oh my goodness Ricki, where to start?!? First of all–those brownies! Wow. That is it. Wow. They look and sound purely decadent and amazing…
Second of all, I have been wanting to try NuNaturals for so so so so soooooooooooo SO long. Seriously! It is just *SO* expensive and I haven’t been able to justify the cost without even knowing if I would like it…I would be thrilled to win some! You don’t even know how happy that would make me, lol.”
Glad to know this will make you happy! I know what you mean about the expense. . . luckily, you only have to use a few drops. And even MORE luckily for you, you get some for free!
3) Shirley from Gluten Free Easily–Number 89!
Shirley’s comment:
“Those look awesome, Ricki! I tried stevia long ago and didn’t care for it then, but definitely want to try it again. )(Read more on my blog tomorrow.) Your post is timely. I got both your books last week as you know (and am thrilled with them!), but I would love to add one to my support group’s library.”
Since you won the stevia prize pack, you can give it another try–I really do find that the NuNaturals has no aftertaste. And glad you’re enjoying the books!
Copy of my Ebook, Anti-Candida Feast:
Deb Z–Number 58!
Deb’s comment:
“i’m so impressed by how creative your desserts are — sweet potato brownies?!?!? yowza. i’ve never cooked with stevia before and, as i continue to explore alternative, natural sweeteners, it’s next on my list. i’m surprised you needed both agave and stevia in this recipe. anyway to just use the stevia? or, do you think brown rice syrup could substitute for the agave? thanks for the great ideas!”
Well, you’ll have the chance to bake more desserts with stevia with recipes from the ebook. Hope you enjoy them!
Congrats, everyone! Please contact me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom with your mailing address (and phone number for Canadians) so I can arrange to have your prizes sent!
[It's okay. You can have more than one.]
After many gruelling trials (So many brownies! So much chocolate! All that taste-testing! Ah, the sacrifices I make in the name of food blogging), I’ve finally developed a recipe for fudgy, dense and delectable brownies that are grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, stevia-sweetened and ACD-friendly. Decadence never tasted so sweet!
For the recipe, a review of the NuNaturals stevia I used, and a giveaway, click here!
Update, April 28: The winners have been announced! Check this post.
Well, before I write anything else, I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who tweeted, emailed, commented or otherwise helped me to live out an adolescent fantasy of appearing on The Ellen Show. I have no idea how many of your messages went out, but I managed close to 200 tweets of my own directed at the show in a ten hour period, and had a blast doing it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: blog readers are the best. And DDD readers are the best blog readers! So thank you!
But the offer to send free ebooks to every participant if I do get on the show still stands–so if you’d like to support my quest to serve vegan and sugar-free treats on The Ellen Show, you can still tweet @TheEllenShow or send an email to the show in support of my visit by clicking here. Feel free to spread the word by Stumbling my ELLENd Me a Hand page, telling your local librarian, getting a tattoo, whatever you can think of! I’ll continue to tweet and mention Ms. E in my blog posts.
In the meantime, as promised, I’m sending out 3 hard copies of Sweet Freedom and 7 ebooks to ten lucky winners chosen at random (see list at the end of this post). AND I’ve picked the winner of the 500 Vegan Recipes giveaway. Congrats to all of you!
Sweet Freedom winners: Please contact me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom to claim your prize! (And if you won a hard copy, I’ll need your mailing address as well).
500 Vegan Recipes Winner:
Winners of Sweet Freedom Hard Copy:
- Sarah of What Smells So Good?
- Deleilan
- Deanna S
Winners of Ebooks:
- Clairebgood
- Jamie
- Josiane
- FabFrugalFood
- Leah
- Kelly Michelle
- Ari
CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE!
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
By now you’ve no doubt heard about the hefty tome penned by seasoned cookbook author Joni Marie Newman and blogger extraordinaire Celine Steen, 500 Vegan Recipes. I mean it when I say this book is massive–at 512 pages and almost 2 pounds (900 grams), it weighs almost as much as I do (okay, I flatter myself; but I’m still adusting to this no-longer-obese me!).
Just the first in a series of cookbooks, this includes-everything volume covers all the bases: from an introduction on “What is a Vegan Diet?” (and why you should adopt one!) to chapters on every conceivable course and dish, to an extensive Resources section and full index, you’ll find it all (or, at least, a variation of it) in these pages.
As an avid follower of Celine and Joni’s blogs, I couldn’t wait to order my book from amazon. I had some initial concerns that I might not be able to make many of the recipes given my ACD status; after all, Celine is famed as a baker, and I am not currently using many conventional baking ingredients in my menus (such as sugars, glutenous flours, dried fruits, yeast, or many nuts). Add to that my dietary restrictions in general–no processed, refined, etc.–and I feared there would be precious few items to sample from the book.
I needn’t have worried. Chapter titles range from ”Breakfast” to “Sweet and Savory Muffins” plus others for dips, snacks, salads, soups, pastas, side dishes, sauces and condiments. There are four chapters that cover entrées and seven (seven!) covering baked goods and desserts such as breads, cookies, pies, crumbles, cakes, candies, and puddings or ice creams and “libations.” Clearly, this book has something to offer every eater, special diet or not!
Hallmarks of the individual authors’ cooking styles are also evident in the book. Celine’s influence is detected throughout in the quirky ingredient combinations and wildly creative baked goods (Cookie Crumble Granola; Salsa Bread Rolls; Matcha Spelt Rolls with Bittersweet Chocolate Filling and Almond Icing; Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie Cake; Chocolate Tahini No-Bake Barley Bars, to name a few), while Joni’s touch is discernible in the many southwestern-themed recipes and her flair for converting “standard” dishes into vegan deliciousness (Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy; Inari with Spicy Sushi Sauce, Au Gratin Potatoes, Spicy Chorizo Veggie Pie, Granny’s Meatloaf, Hot and Spicy Buffalo Sauce, and every kind of faux meat you can imagine). After a while, I was like a Beatles groupie poring over old albums, guessing the origin of each song: I bet John wrote this one. That one sounds like Paul. . . .
No matter who created it, though, I am happy to report I was pleased with every dish I tried–and that the HH, too, was a fan (especially of the eggplant and lentil pilaf). Recipes were easy to follow and the ones I made came together quickly and without a hitch. They’re also highlighted with keys to ingredients, such as “low fat” or “gluten free,” so you can pinpoint those that will work best for you.
For those of you who prefer cookbooks with photos, I should note that they are not included in this book. However, you can view pics of many of the goodies at the flickr page that was created for the book.
Even if you’re a long-standing vegan cook, there will be something novel for you in 500 Vegan Recipes. And if you’re new to veganism–or are simply looking for some healthier, lighter options at mealtimes–this is a great introduction to plant-based recipes. As for me, I’m counting the days until I can create more conventional baked goods again, and delve into some of those final seven chapters in the book!
Here are a few of the dishes I made (some with adjustments for my diet), with commentary. Pull up a chair and enjoy the feast (and don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!)
Ginger Soy Tofu Satay with Simple Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce
A quick and easy dish to make, packed with Asian flavors. I used almond instead of peanut butter, of course, but that didn’t diminish the dish in any way. I loved how simply these came together. And how can you resist grill marks?
Veggie Curry Feast
Another super quick and simple dish, highlighting healthy cruciferous veggies. As you can see from my photo, I was likely a little heavy on the veggies in this one, so the sauce was a bit sparse (I’d double the sauce ingredients next time). Spicy, but not too much so, and extremely enticing, this was wonderful served on rice the following evening. Both the HH and I had seconds of this one.
Eggplant, Lentil, and Rice Pilaf
Yee-haw! This one is spi–say! If you like hot foods, you’ll love this all-in-one meal (and you can easily tone it down by adding less cayenne). A terrific comfort food for those damp, cool evenings in springtime, this Indian-inspired curry will definitely become a dinnertime staple. I apologize for the lack of photo–we gobbled it up before I snapped one!
Veganzola Balls
This was my favorite of the recipes I tried, and high on the HH’s list, as well. In fact, he specifically requested that I make this again. If you miss those big cheese balls everyone used to hover around at parties, you must try this. This recipe is also the one I used in the first version of my cheese-filled olive and onion bread, and it was astonishingly good baked into the loaf. Smooth, smoky, with a slight sweet undertone, this cheese can be spread on crackers, added to rolls or bread, or just eaten from the spoon.
Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls (reproduced with permission from 500 Vegan Recipes)
[Veganzola as base for a lettuce wrap lunch]
Who says vegans can’t have cheese balls? Seriously, these are very, very cheeselike. Besides spreading on crackers, this also tastes amazing crumbled over a green salad or as a sandwich spread. [Ricki's note: also great baked into bread. I've included the ACD substitutions I made here--still fantastic!]
10 ounces (280 g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp (16 g) flax meal mixed with 2 Tbsp (30 ml) warm water
1 Tbsp (18 g) white miso
2 tsp (10 ml) minced garlic
1 tsp (5 ml) liquid smoke (use 1/2 tsp or 2.5 ml smoked paprika for ACD-friendly version)
1 cup (120 g) walnuts, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup (80 g) currants (use grape tomatoes for ACD-friendly version)
salt and pepper, to taste
In a mixing bowl, crumble the tofu until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add the olive oil, flax mixture, miso, garlic, and liquid smoke. Mash together until uniform. Mix in the walnut pieces, currants, and salt and pepper. [Note: I used a food processor for this step; I prefer a smoother mixture.] Form into two equal balls, form into a log, or simply place in a serving bowl. Yield: about 2-1/2 cups (563 g). [Mine kept in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days].
And now. . . A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
Celine and Joni have graciously agreed to give away a copy of the book to a lucky DDD reader!
All you need do to enter the draw is leave a comment on this post. Of course, you can earn extra entries the usual ways–by posting about the giveaway on your blog, twitter or Facebook (and also linking to this post)–though these others are totally optional. If you do post elsewhere, please come back here and comment again to let me know you did so; this makes tabulating entries so much easier.
The contest will remain open until midnight on Friday, April 2nd, after which I’ll randomly draw a winner.
Good luck, everyone!
Last Year at this Time: Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
Two Years Ago: Lucky Comestible II(2): Almond-Quinoa Muffins
© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Thanks to everyone–all 104 of you!–who entered the Chocolate Baking Kit and Bar giveaway!
As promised, I chose two random winners, one for the kit (from Canada) and one for the bar (from anywhere) by using Random.org–the first name to appear from my Home and Native Land won the kit, and the next name won the bar.
Winner Number One:
Anne Taylor (comment number 68)–you are the lucky winner of the Baking Kit! Here’s what Anne wrote:
My favourite use for Cocoa is making a homemade chocolate cake pudding! Omgosh its delicious! Also, I enjoy eating all kinds of chocolate!
Winner Number Two:
Shannon from Tri to Cook (comment number 57)–you won your choice of chocolate! Here’s what Shannon wrote:
my favorite thing to do with chocolate is pair it with nut butter in baking or just as dessert! i’m intrigued by the matcha bar, as I have been meaning to play with a little matcha i picked up…
Congratulations, Ladies! Would you please email me at dietdessertdogs AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address so that I can get your prizes out to you asap?
I’ll be back later today with food–and food for thought.
[When I first conceived of the Festive Freebies event, I imagined I'd post a new giveaway every day or two, ending on December 25th--sort of like the 12 days of Christmas (minus a few). Ah, well, work, and life--and then December 25th itself--got in the way. Instead, I'm wrapping up the Festive Freebies for 2009 this week, leading into the new year. Hope this gets your year off to a sweet start! This is the last giveaway for 2009.]
[Moist and rich-tasting marble cake with a generous ratio of chocolate.]
Who doesn’t love chocolate? As you all know, it is, hands-down, my favorite food (thank goodness for cacao nibs, dark 70% bittersweet and other healthy varieties, or I might have to consider abandoning this ACD).
You know those quizzes that ask, ”what’s the one thing you’d take if you were stranded on a desert island?” Well, my answer would be chocolate. Or, maybe, the HH and some chocolate. (“But Mum, what about us? Do you mean to say you wouldn’t take US??!!“) And The Girls, of course, if the rules allow (though they couldn’t eat the chocolate, so I’d have to bring some carob, too–this island is getting mighty crowded all of the sudden).
Anyway–I’m thrilled to be able to give away two chocolate prizes; one in Canada and the other worldwide. Just click here for more information and to enter!
I’ll be back with a marble cake recipe later on!
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