Author: Lindsay Ingalls

It’s Burning Up In Here

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This afternoon was spent menu planning for the next few weeks.  I know you are probably thinking weeks??? is she crazy?! Yes I am a little crazy but that’s besides the point.  Next week is the kick of of my Vegan Cookbook Club which means I will be trying out recipes from Veganomicon, our first book.  I also am still working on recipes for my upcoming e-book, the blog and a third e-book so I had major menu planning that needed to be done.

Benefits of menu planning:

  • Savings- By planning meals ahead of time you can save money because you are less apt to do spontaneous dining out.  Also when you plan ahead you can make a list of what you need and can avoid making spontaneous purchases.
  • Healthier- When you eat at home you can have control over your portion sizes, amount of salt and fat and  you know the quality of your ingredients.

On the menu tonight was Bangers & Mash with a caramelized onion gravy…..however Bangers & Mash turned into Mash.

Then it happened-I went to remove the sheet pan from the oven that had my vegan sausages and my oven mitt betrayed me causing me to drop the pan into the oven spilling everything into the bottom of my oven leaving me with a few carrots and three burned fingers.

I ran immediately to a sink to run my hands under cold water which helped for a minute but then resulted in me running around the house in search of the first aid kit for sting relief napkins.

The Hubz took over the kitchen and replaces the sausage with a 1/2 a veggie burger each. Crisis averted. Now I sit on the couch with ice on my fingers. Oh the risks of cooking!

Okay I’ll Let You Sneak A Peak

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Over the past few weeks I have been working hard on creating new recipes for my second e-book. This new e-book will feature a variety of brunch, lunch and dinner recipes.  My testers have been hard at work getting recipes tested and thanks to their dedication I hope to release the e-book the first week of February! Here is a photo sneak peak:

Cookbook Club

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Lately the Hubz and I have been talking about starting our own book club, just the two of us.  We would read the same book and then have a discussion about the book over dinner.  All this talk about a book club got me thinking about how it would be fun to start up a cookbook club.

How it would work

Each month, a new vegan/vegetarian cookbook will be announced via email group and on the blog. Once the book is announced, participants will have one week to get a copy of the cookbook and then one month to read, try new recipes and analyze the cookbook. During the month, participants should feel free to blog/tweet/facebook about their experience with the cookbook.  At the end of the review period, each participant will have one week to right a final review about the cookbook and post it to their blog.  If a participant does not have a blog, they can write their review and it will be featured on Cook.Vegan.Lover. Once all the review posts are up, I will link them from my the new Cookbook Club tab (that will soon be up on Cook.Vegan.Lover.)

When doing your final review of each months cookbook each of us will address the topics in our blog post:

Layout

  • Is the layout clear?
  • Are you able to easily tell the ingredients apart for the instructions and the notes?
  • Are the instructions easy to follow?
  • Are the recipes numbered or is the section labeled?

Aesthetics

  • Does the cookbook feature photos?
  • If yes, is there a photo for every recipe?
  • Do the photos of the recipes look like the actual results?
  • What kind of paper is the book printed on?
  • How is the quality of the photos?

Recipes

  • How many recipes are in the cookbook?
  • What kinds of recipes will you find in this cookbook?
  • Is there a theme to the recipes?
  • Are the recipes complex or simple? would they be good for seasoned cooks and/or beginners?

Ingredients and supplies

  • Are the recipe ingredients easy to find?
  • Are there any items that stand out as being expensive or specialty?
  • Are there particular appliances that will be required such as blenders, juicers, dehydrators, ect?

Information

  • Does this cookbook provide additional useful information?
  • What additional information beyond recipes does this cookbook include? Is it easy to follow?

Other important Information

You need to make the recipes! Yes, to get an accurate representation of the cookbook you need to try out at least 3-5 recipes.  Additionally when you right your review you should make sure to include your experience while cooking the recipe:

  • How did the recipe turn out? How did it taste?
  • Was the recipe easy to follow?

Be honest when discussing the recipes you tried- if you didn’t like it then explain why.

Okay now that you know what this is all about are you interested in participating? If you answered yes then please email me with your 5 vegan/vegetarian cookbook picks to lindsay@cookingforaveganlover.com by January 8, 2011 put “Cookbook Club” in the subject line. I will then tally up the votes for the cookbooks to decide which cookbooks we will be reviewing.  I will email participants as well as post the list to Cook.Vegan.Lover. with the start date, end date and post by date.
*You must participating in the current month book review 1 week prior to the start date. Also you do not have to participate every month.

Dining Locally: Duino! (Duende)

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This past weekend the Hubz and I decided to have an afternoon date at Dunio! (Duende) in downtown Burlington, VT. This small restaurant is part of Radio Bean a local cafe known for it’s weekly musical performances and off beat atmosphere. Since Duino! (Duende) is off the main street in downtown Burlington we always forget about it but after our revisit this past weekend I think we will be frequenting it more often.

The theme behind the menu at Dunio! (Duende) is unique and different from other restaurants in the area since its focus is on international street food.  The menu is small but provides enough inexpensive vegan friendly dishes that you won’t be disappointed.  They also have an extensive drink menu with wines, beers and specialty drinks as well.

I started with a Manhattan

And the Hubz had a Five Dollar Shake: Stout, espresso, and maple syrup

For my meal the Hubz and I shared the soup of the day which was a creamy squash soup with thai spices it was really yummy and came with grilled bread.

And we shared the Mujadara: Lentils & rice cooked with onions served in a pita with tahini, hot sauce, lettuce & tomato & tabouleh salad- this was really tasty!

Overall we really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, delicious (inexpensive) food and we will be back again soon.

Ratings:
Value: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 3/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

Resolutions for 2011

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This year is all about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals aka Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Tangible Goals. Last night the Hubz and I kept it pretty low key with homemade tempura veggies, martinis and too many episodes of House Hunters.  We also took a minute to sit down and work on our goals for the new year.
I wasn’t quite as successful last regarding my goals- you can checkout how everything went here.
I know that this year I am setting goals that I can complete and look forward to the adventure.

    1. Attend a blogger conference – this might be a slight cheater one but I will be attending Vida Vegan Blog Conference .  After a long discussion with the Hubz we finally decided that we would make the trip to PDX for the conference and we are looking forward to it.


    2. Do an overnight backpacking trip on the Long Trail- this is one of the goals the Hubz and I have together.  He has developed a new found love for hiking and I am warming up to it as well.  I have decided that this year I want to try new things and challenge myself and an overnight backpacking trip will definitely be a challenge worth doing.
    3. Run a 5k- As you will see this is one of my goals from last year that I totally failed on.  I decided that I am still wanting to challenge myself athletically and put this back on my list to give myself a second chance.
    4. Blog with a purpose- I have decided that I really need to take more time with my blogging and write high quality blog posts.  I do not want to pressure myself to write everyday but write when I want to and only submit post that I am proud of.
    5. Embrace Health Counseling- I will receive my health counseling certification in April.  I currently am able to counsel but I only have a limited number of clients.  This year I would like to increase my clients, work on marketing my business and teach a health/nutrition related course at a local  gym, co-op or health food shop.

    Other things I want to do in 2011:

    • Create a “grown up” bedroom – one that has a bedroom set, a style, and is a place that the Hubz and I can retreat to; a space of our own.
    • Revamp my blog- make improvements to the layout as well as the features.
    • Update my health counseling blog….rather have the Hubz do it.
    • Get to my happy weight by trying new activities such as P90X, hiking, running and yoga.
    • Spend more time reading. Do you have any book recommendations?
    • Spend more quality time with the Hubz- make a conscious effort to have 1 date night a week.

    What are your goals for 2011?