"more quick-fix vegan" giveaway

BANH-MI NOODLES 

I was so excited when I received this book in the mail! Not only are the recipes completely delicious and quick to prepare, not to mention easy, Robin Robertson used my photos in the book! "More Quick-Fix Vegan" is the follow-up to "Quick-Fix Vegan" and I couldn't be more ecstatic about it!

I find myself pulling these books off the shelf more than I can say! Fast and wonderful vegan recipes are the best and Robin keeps delivering them.

Check out the "Banh-Mi Noodles" (link is to recipe) at the top of the post, out of the "Pasta for Dinner" chapter.

The dish below, "Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chickpeas" is a favorite of mine from the "Out of the Oven" chapter.  I love that Robin makes use of inactive time and preparing some of the oven recipes ahead of time and then popping the pan in the oven is just what this busy parent needs.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND CHICKPEAS

"Chickpea Nicoise" (link is to recipe) is featured in the "Stir-fries, Sautes and Skillet Dishes" chapter. This is another favorite of mine in the book. Nicoise salad is traditionally made with piquant olives and this skillet dish does not disappoint.

CHICKPEA NICOISE

Pad Thai has to be one of the best-loved dishes. Add spring vegetables and it is elevated even higher. Just thinking about the dish makes me hungry!

PAD THAI PRIMAVERA

One of my favorite chapters in the book is the "Big Bowls Chapter." This chapter is new to the Quick-Fix series and is heaven sent! It is full of recipes that are a complete meal in a bowl. Roasted vegetables are completely delicious and tabouli is wonderful, so putting them together is perfect!

ROASTED VEGETABLE TABOULI BOWLS

As typical of Robin, she uses lots of fresh and colorful vegetables, and accessible pantry ingredients. If you want to check out the recipes before you buy, Robin has a few published on her site. Check the links above or look here and here.

Want to win the book? Follow me on Twitter or like me on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know. Contest ends on the first so be sure to check back on May 2nd to find out if you are the winner. The winner will have until the 5th to contact me before I will have to move on to another choice.

I will tell you that it is rare when the original winner actually responds and invariably it is the second or even third choice who actually wins, so do yourself a favor - if you enter to win, check back to see if you did!

grilled chimichurri tofu with lime-scented couscous + "vegan planet" winner

I love the flavor that grilling imparts on vegetables, tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, lemons - you name it, grilling makes it taste decidedly unique. And while grilling outdoors in not to be missed in the coming months (check out Grills Gone Vegan by Tamasin Noyes for some kick-butt grilling recipes), I love to grill year round.

That is not exactly an impossible feat, being nestled here in the moderate temperatures of San Diego, but even then, I'm more often than not too lazy to light the charcoals and wait for them to get ready. In the instances that that occurs, I'm happy as a lark, but mostly I settle for indoor grilling. Not exactly, the same, but delicious none the less.

There are other reasons to utilize grilling besides the flavor grilled food achieves - less oil. Grilling versus sauteing uses much less oil and fat required for the cooking. If you are cooking with little or no oil, you have a few choices: steaming, broiling, boiling, cooking in paper, baking or ... grilling.

I use a well-seasoned cast-iron grill pan, which as it happens, never leaves the stove top. Call that further proof of my laziness at not putting away dishes, but I just call it practical - I use the thing so often that putting it away would mean an extra preventable step come dinner time.

This recipe, Grilled Tofu and Squash with Easy Chimichurri Sauce and Lime-Scented Couscous, might sound like a mouthful, but is actually quite easy to prepare. The sauce is simple to make, as it utilizes the blades of a food processor, the veg and tofu is just skewered and grilled, the couscous is cooked and then tossed with beans, spinach and pepitas.

The best part is that it is a complete meal - grain, protein, dark leafy greens, seeds and herbs. Another great thing: you can skip the tofu and increase the vegetables since there is protein in the couscous. Gluten free? Use quinoa instead of couscous. Oh, the versatility!

We were completely smitten with this dish! The only trip-up could be that the recipe might not make enough chimichurri sauce if you are as liberal with its application as my husband was. On the bright side, this recipe calls for a fraction of the oil than the typical traditional chimichurri sauce does.

I just KNOW you have been waiting for the winner of Robin Robertson's updated and revised edition of Vegan Planet! Before I get to the winner (of which there is, unfortunately, only one), let me entice the rest of you who can also be winners in your own right if you purchase the book. As a reminder, this cookbook has been hailed  the "vegan bible," "vegan joy of cooking" and the "ultimate vegan cookbook."

It has 50 new recipes and all the information is updated for relevance to today. Here are some pictures I took during testing.

AUTUMN ROASTED VEGETABLES

CRISPY KALE STRIPS

CURRIED LENTILS WITH CARROTS AND PEAS

LEMON RISOTTO WITH PEAS AND SCALLIONS

SMOKY MAPLE KALE AND BEANS

I've strummed you along long enough! The winner of "Vegan Planet," out of 58 entries, is comment number 11 by Papa Dragon. [I feel terrible, but I was not contacted and had to choose another winner :{ ] Please email me at zsu [at] zsusveganpantry [dot] com so I can send this to you as soon as possible. Congratulations! You have until April 14 to contact me before I will have to sadly move on to another winner.

Return for another vegan cookbook giveaway on the very next blog post. I love passing out vegan cookbooks! Use the convenient follow-me buttons on the top right-hand side and don't miss a single opportunity.

I am linking to these recipe parties: The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

I’ve decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons.

...and Pickled Okra.