June 30, 2007

Cookbook Excitement

I’m getting really excited about my upcoming cookbook. Herbivore will be publishing it, which is fantastic, and we hope to have it in people’s hands by November 15th of this year. You will be able to order it direct from Herbivore, on Amazon, and a few other places as well.

It’s going to be great!

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the recipes that will be in the book:

Sheera – An Indian Cream of Wheat

Aloo Matar

Delicata Squash stuffed with Cherry Almond Apple Couscous

Sugar and Spice Snap Peas

Velvety Vegetable Soup

Strawberry Rambutan Boba Tea

I’m really happy about all the recipes so far, but I must say, I’m a little overly excited about the boba tea. All the commercially available mixes I’ve found are not vegan (they contain “non-dairy” creamers contianing, you guessed it, dairy). I’ve figured out a way to make a boba tea powder you can mix up at home in bulk. Yippee! Boba tea for everyone!

I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to my 70+ testers who are helping me make sure the recipes work. You guys rock, I wouldn’t be able to do this without you! Thanks!

June 15, 2007

Happy Hour Trifles

Yesterday, I made a trifle recipe for the cookbook. I used these adorable miniature trifle glasses (ahem, Target), and I was really pleased with the results. Then I tried to eat one. Now I certainly have a sweet tooth, but I got about half-way through that this puppy before I had to give up.

I wasn’t sure what to do about the proportion sizes for the cookbook recipe. Should I just make regular, large trifles? I’m too big of a fan of individual desserts to go that route. Then I started wondering who even owns trifle dishes, let alone miniature ones. What could I serve them in instead? What do people generally already own?

Since I was bloated from the “miniature” trifle, I started to think small. Really small. Shotglass small.

Ahhh. There. Much better! But why stop at shot glasses? Why not make an assortment of cocktail glass trifles? Not only does it look fun to have a bunch of mismatched glasses full of dessert, but this way your guests (should you be making this for a cocktail party, which I highly recommend!) can choose the size dessert they’re in the mood for. Just want a taste? Have a trifle shot! In for something more substantial? How about a trifle martini?

Bottoms up!