swell cookzine est arrive!

apple sprout!

Every so often (in fact, very often), on those days I have left my apartment with a slog in my step or even just no specific inspiration for the day to come except possibly another coffee and another ride on the bus... I will check my little metal mailbox and see personal mail inside.  And instantly I'm five and it's my birthday and I'm grinning cheekily and cracking open a pretty envelope and the day is, so to speak, saved.  Needless to say I was happy to see my copy of Swell Vegan's cookzine last week!  It's beautiful, first of all - the covers are home-silkscreened in a burnished gold on creamy green card - and inside are 15 absolutely enticing recipes.  I've already tested a spare few (the Maple Mustard Chili Tofu, Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers, and OH the Sweet Potato-Cranberry Scones with that gooey maple glaze!) and been really impressed each time.  The recipes are easy and vibrant, definitely on the healthy side and did I mention delicious?  The only thing I've made since getting my copy is Sarah's Savory Baked Tofu, but of course that was perfect too, even when I just eyeballed the measurements to make a 1/3 recipe.  I actually really like the way A-K's food tastes, there's something really great about it.  

some past swell food...

Sweet Potato-Cranberry Scones - as WannabeVegan mentioned, these are worth the price of admission, I'm 100% serious about this.  Consider the price of a huge batch of the best scones you've ever eaten, then factor in being able to make them again and again each fall (or anytime), plus a few tempeh recipes and that just makes sense, doesn't it?

Maple-Mustard-Chili Tofu - this recipe keeps wanting to be made and then I remember I don't have maple syrup and then I am sad, because the maple flavour is vital and really delicious.  The salad underneath it was weird (artichokes and grapes, huh past self?  WEIRD!!) but that tofu was addictive.

And the first thing I tested were the Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers, which are a combination of some of my favourite things ever (almond butter, leeks, millet and sweet patats), in a more-ish kind of spicy burger.  You gotta eat these fresh, they crumble in the freezer (unless the recipe has changed, and A-K you can correct me if I'm steering anyone wrong here?), but they then turn into taco salad crumbles.  So not bad!

The latest dish!  Sarah's Baked Tofu on some rice & millet, steamed vegetables, and a lemon-y sesame-thai dressing from the Millenium Cookbook that livened up broccoli like crazy. (It's the dressing from the Chilled Soba Salad if anyone's wondering).  Straightforward looking, but take a bite from this and it's got zingy depth.  Serve it to omnis.  Mention whole grains and steamed veg and lean protein and then let them try it and giggle when they go all "ohhhh.  Wait, this is good!"  At least, that's my secret plan.  Swell will be my secret recipe weapon, I've got the Mole Roasted Cauliflower on the mind to make next. 

Oh, and I made the Lemon Zucchini Bread and the batter was great and then the most disastrous thing happened ever.  My oven had the audacity that afternoon to turn into a dehydrator, resulting in the most depressing baked thing I've ever had the misfortune of creating.  It turned this beautiful lemony-sweet cake batter into a block of chewy (albeit tasty) crust with raw lukewarm uncooked battergoo inside.  I weep tears.  No, actually, I threw it out.  And I NEVER do that.  So um... word to the wise, before risking a lemon zucchini bread make sure your oven works, or else microwave yourself an end piece and put enough Earth Balance on it so you don't notice you're eating liquid cake... errr. yeah.

That's a horrible way to end a supportive post!  But it happened.  It's my funny story.  :)

PS: A-K you rock!