Author: Lindsay Ingalls

Coffee Review: The Roasterie

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Click to go to The Roasterie website

 I was saddened this morning when I went to make my morning coffee and all of my Ethiopian Organic coffee from The Roasterie was all gone.  This quickly became my absolute favorite coffee of the moment and if you know me I try lots of coffees but nothing (so far) has compared to this one. The coffee has this great flavor that I have never tasted with any other bean, I think that it’s because of the way it is roasted and the quality of beans that are used. 

QUICK FACTS About The Roasterie:

 

  • The Roasterie imports only 100 percent Arabic Specialty Grade coffees from more than 25 different producing countries.
  • Each coffee bean purchased by The Roasterie has been picked by hand.
  • The Roasterie is a strong advocate for Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Organic, Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certifications and more.
  • The Roasterie supplied freshly roasted specialty coffee to an estimated one million customers in 2007.
  • The Roasterie has received more No. 1 ratings on CoffeeReview.com than any other roaster in the nation.

Holiday Vegan Chex Mix and My Sweet Vegan Fudge

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Tonight I made some peppermint fudge a variation on Hannah Kaminsky’s Coconut Fudge from My Sweet Vegan. It is great and is going to hopefully be a hit with my co-workers tomorrow. I also made some vegan chex mix something I’ve always wanted to do.

I used Nature’s Path Oaty Bites instead of the traditional Chex and they worked great. They are a bit sweeter then normal Chex cereal which gives this Chex mix recipe a great sweet and salty taste.

Recipe for Oaty Bites Mix

4 1/2 cups Oaty Bites
1/2 cup spelt pretzels
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
3 T vegan margarine
1 T vegan worcestershire sauce
1 t Adobe seasoning (I use Goya brand)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 250F
2. In the oven melt the margarine on a large rimmed baking sheet.
3. In a bowl mix together the Oaty Bites, pretzels and nuts.
4. Once the margarine has melted add the seasonings and mix together then gently pour on the Oaty Bites mixture and evenly toss in the margarine spice mixture.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Let cool and then store in air tight containers for 5-7 days (not that it will last that long)

The Asian Vegan Kitchen

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Click to view on Amazon

 

If you didn’t already know my husband and I are huge fans of Asian food. Thai, Chinese, Malaysia, Indian, Korean, Japanese….you name it we pretty much love it, so I was excited when I was given the opportunity to try out The Asian Vegan Kitchen, a great cookbook filled with a variety Asian recipes. 

This cookbook is set up into sections based on cuisine which include Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Burmese, Indonesian and Malaysian.  Many of the recipes take a bit of planning to make as some of the ingredients are more difficult to find in North America.  Some ingredients you can find in the international foods aisle at your local market however there will be some that you will have to go to your local Asian market (sometimes even a few different ones).

I have made a few recipes from this book (with plans to make many more) but so far my favorite has been the Vietnamese Fried Rice and the Spicy Tofu (Chinese).  The both had a ton of flavor and were fairly easy to make.

Spicy Tofu with Vietnamese Rice (also sauteed napa cabbage and eggplant with hoisin)

 

This is a great cookbook for those who are interested in Asian cooking that has been adapted for vegans.  One of the best features is the glossary in the back of the book where you can learn more about ingredients that may be less familiar and some even have suggest substitutions if you can not find that specific ingredient.  As well these recipes may at first seem complex but the great instructions make this book great for any cooking level.

Holiday Side Dish: SPICY CHIPOTLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

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SPICY CHIPOTLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

This is a great recipe for your next holiday party, dinner or brunch.  It combines the sweet flavors of the squash with the smokey spice of the chipotle chili powder.  Spice up your next meal with this recipe!

Served up with Tofu Scram and Toast- Breakfast for Dinner

 

  • 2 small Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
  • 4 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder

1.       Preheat to 450 degrees F.

2.       Combine oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder and chipotle chili powder in a large bowl.

3.       Add squash; toss to coat with the seasoning mixture.

4.       Spread the squash evenly on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.

5.       Roast, stirring once or twice, until the squash are tender and browned, 30-40 minutes.

Delicious Raw Dinner

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This is one of my favorite raw meals- Raw Polenta and  Raw Alfredo 

The Raw Polenta is from Ani Phyo’s book and is quick and easy.  You can use fresh or frozen corn which makes it easy to eat all year long.  It’s great with the Mushroom Ragout from Ani’s book as well.

I made this alfredo for the first time by Gena of Choosing Raw and it is amazing!

12 Days of Giveaways – Navitas Acai Powder

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Result:9  Bianca is the Winner

 

This is my last giveaway for “12 Days of Giveaways” and I hope you had fun! For my last giveaway I will be giving away Acai Powder from Navitas Naturals.  Navitas Naturals carries a number of great products that are especially good for raw recipes.  I first came to know about them when I got into raw food and I was looking for cacao nibs and raw cocao powder.  Although they can be pricey they are high quality products that I love.  I recently special ordered some of the cacao butter which is great!  I see they now have cacao lip balm which I might just have to get my hands on.

If you would like to win this please comment by December 12, 2009 at 8am.

Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.

Also don’t forget about the NuNatural Stevia giveaway that is going on until 8pm tonight!

Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover received this product free from Navitas Naturals

Dr McDougall's Ready to Serve Soups

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Dr. McDougall’s sent me samples of their 7 new Ready to Serve Soups.  Over the past few weeks my hubby and I have been trying them out and have really enjoyed most of them. The seven flavors are:

  1. Lentil- I loved this one I thought the flavor was great and it was thick but still brothy
  2. Minestrone- I honestly hated this one.  I thought that the flavor was bland and there was way too much basil for my taste
  3. Split Pea- this was okay the flavor was good but it was definitely much thinner than the pea soups that I prefer
  4. Vegetable- this was my husbands favorite- I thought it was pretty good too- lots of nice chunky vegetables
  5. Black Bean- This one was alright not my favorite but it was good
  6. Roasted Red Pepper Tomato- I didn’t get to try this one since my  hubz took it to work for his lunch- he says that it was yummy though
  7. Chunky Tomato (not included in the photo above)- this one was great we had it with grilled cheeze and just so yummy

Overall we loved these soups and I would buy them for sure.  They are great to have on hand for lunches and are low in calories (most abour 150-200 in the entire box) and are filled with great non-chemical/preservative ingredients.  They are also low in sugar and fat which are two additional bonuses!