This post has been a long time coming. It’s hard to believe it’s April already and I have yet to share my review of this ingenious and very beautiful cookbook with you.

Kristy Turner’s debut cookbook was released shortly before Christmas and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. Let’s chat about what this book has to offer, shall we?

I should start off by saying Kristy’s book has, quite possibly, the best title ever: But I Could Never Go Vegan! 125 Recipes That Prove You CAN Live Without Cheese, It’s NOT All Rabbit Food, and Your Friends WILL Still Come Over for Dinner.

Do you think that’s even possible? There was a time in my life when I didn’t. I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast, smothered cream cheese on my bagels, and devoured fat-free yogurt by the tub. I really gave no thought to where my food came from. But I’ve been vegan for 15 years now and I must say, quite honestly, that it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Luckily, with books like Kristy’s, replacing the animal-based foods you love and are used to is easier than ever. Here, she re-creates the dishes people have on their “can’t live without” lists and proves how simple, delicious and wide-ranging plant-based cooking can be. Just like her popular blog, Keepin’ It Kind, Kristy’s book is a treasure trove of flavourful recipes interspersed with entertaining personal stories, cheeky humour and a very warm-hearted tone. Her creativity shines through here, not just in the recipes but also in the organization of the book. Rather than recipes organized by course or season, these are broken down into chapters of excuses for not going vegan, including Where’s the Beef?, Tofu Doesn’t Taste Like Anything, It’s All Rabbit Food, But I Hate [Insert Vegetable Here], and Wait, Is Chocolate Vegan?

The ultimate in food activism, this is the kind of book I would want to hand out every time I heard “Where do you get your protein?” or “But I could never give up cheese!” because it’s better to be shown rather than told that you can live a filling and very satisfying life (and even enjoy pizza and ice cream!) without consuming animal products.

You won’t miss the beef after biting into Kristy’s Thai seitan satay with spicy peanut dipping sauce. And you won’t be able to say tofu doesn’t taste like anything when there’s creamy mushroom fettuccine alfredo to enjoy, or that it’s all rabbit food after making the impossible cheeseburger pie or the beer-battered faux fish and chips. Think you can’t bake without butter and eggs? Try the salted caramel peanut butter bars or the molasses-hazelnut chocolate mousse tart with coconut whipped cream on for size.

Vegan or not, there is something for everyone in this fun cookbook. Plus, photos by her talented husband, Chris Miller, accompany almost every recipe and also include useful step-by-step photos when necessary.

Since receiving a review copy of this book, I’d had a chance to try out a number of recipes, including the bean and rice freezer burritos, the mushroom grilled cheese sandwich with sunflower cheddar, the Mexican hot chocolate fudge, as well as this colourful roasted broccoli and apple salad with lemon-tahini dressing (find the recipe below!). While many of Kristy’s recipes are multiple steps or require more than one recipe, you are awarded with filling and flavourful meals, all while learning some new tricks, flavour combinations and time-saving methods along the way.

All the recipes I tried were delicious, and while I did have a bit of trouble with the sunflower cheddar the first time I made it, Kristy soon realized there was a typo in the recipe (it happens!). I made it again and it worked like a charm.

Grab a copy of the book (or enter to win a copy below!) and, if you have a hard time deciding what to try first (I sure did), her cheese recipes are magical, as is her incredible fudge. Or, try this salad from the Just Thinking About Salad Makes Me Yawn chapter of the book.

Thank you, Kristy, for sharing your creativity and compassion with the world through this book.

Roasted broccoli & apple salad with lemon-tahini dressing

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

For the roasted broccoli:

• 2 medium bundles broccoli
• 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce or liquid aminos)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the dressing:

• 3½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• A couple dashes of garlic powder

For the salad:

• Up to 1 batch Tempeh Bacon crumbles, optional (see this recipe from Kristy's blog)
• 2 to 3 cups baby spinach
• 1½ to 2 apples, cored and diced (choose a tart but sweet variety, like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
• 3 celery ribs, sliced
• ½ medium red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup dried cherries
• ½ cup roughly chopped almonds (preferably roasted, but raw will also work)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Chop the broccoli into small florets and slice the stems thinly. Place in a bowl and toss with the tamari and maple syrup. Add the nutritional yeast and toss again. Spread the broccoli on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, use a fork to whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside. If you are using the Tempeh Bacon, cook the crumbles now.
4. Place the cooled broccoli in a large bowl and add the spinach, apples, celery, onion, dried cherries, and almonds. Toss until fully combined.
5. Divide the salad among serving bowls. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle the Tempeh Bacon on top, if using.
6. Variations: To jazz up the salad a bit, try marcona almonds (a sweeter, plumber type of Spanish almond). If you’re in a rush or want to lighten up the salad, skip roasting the broccoli. Instead, steam for about 5 minutes and rinse in ice-cold water. Dry it off and it’s ready to use!

Recipe from But I Could Never Go Vegan! © Kristy Turner, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.

Cookbook giveaway:

Thanks to my friends at The Experiment, I have the opportunity to gift a copy of the book to one ADC reader! This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and I’ll choose a random winner on Friday, April 10, 2015. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My in-laws own a beautiful cottage that sits on a lake at the end of a very long, empty dirt road in northern Ontario.  It’s a good hike from Toronto and almost always involves sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic up Highway 400 through Barrie, but the drive is always worth it once we get there.

It’s the one place where we can leave behind the noisy, crowded, high-energy city that we live in, and soak in the calmness and fresh air of cottage country. I sometimes long for the days when we can go, because often just a quick weekend visit can put my busy mind at ease. There’s something about the place that allows me to leave computers, cell phones and iPads behind and crack open a good book.

Because of full-time jobs and ongoing weekend projects, however, we don’t get there often. But we always make a point of planning a weekend getaway each September because there’s no better time to see the leaves on the trees turning gorgeous shades of red and orange, sit on the dock without scorching your skin, and enjoy the warmth of the wood-burning fireplace in the evenings. Include wine and friends and a game or two of Cards Against Humanity and it ends up being a pretty epic weekend.

This annual tradition also comes with special fall-inspired meals. I tend to do all the cooking while we’re there with friends because, well, that’s just my thing, and luckily our guests have yet to complain about the lack of animal products. At my hubby’s request, I always make a big batch of spicy vegan chili for Saturday night’s meal, and serve it with crusty bread and a big, colourful salad. This hot and spicy chili recipe was inspired by the red bean and lager chili from the reFresh cookbook, a recipe I’ve made but adapted over the years.

There’s no beer in this chili but the addition of a hot banana pepper is what gives it some punch. I also love the cinnamon and cocoa powder for an amazing depth of flavour. This time, I was inspired to add a simple lentil-walnut meat (inspired by Angela’s recipe) for more substance and nutrients. If you’re looking at this and thinking, “I don’t like spicy food,” feel free to reduce the amount of hot banana pepper (try 1/4 or 1/2 of a pepper) to suite your tastes. Enjoy!

Hot & spicy vegan chili with lentil-walnut meat

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the chili:

• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 small hot banana pepper, seeds removed and minced
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15oz) can red kidney beans
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the lentil-walnut meat:

• 1 (15oz) can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup walnut pieces
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

For the chili:

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic, celery, banana pepper and carrots with a splash of water until soft. Add more water if needed so the veggies don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
2. Stir in the chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin and cinnamon stick and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, bell peppers, zucchini and water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. While it's cooking, you can make the lentil walnut meat.
4. Add the lentil walnut meat and continue to simmer until heated through.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and remove the cinnamon stick. Serve with vegan sour cream and extra cilantro, if desired.

For the lentil walnut meat:

1. Using a food processor, pulse all ingredients until chopped but be sure to leave some texture.

What a week. While trying to fall back into my regular routine after my whirlwind vacation in Vegas, I came down with a nasty cold. Work piled up on my desk, decisions about more home renovations needed to be made, and I wanted to come up with something to contribute to my father-in-law’s birthday dinner. I feel like I’ve taken quite a hit with this cold, and everyday tasks seem that much harder to accomplish.

Healthy, healing food has been my priority this week, so I created this nutritious kale and quinoa tabbouleh salad to take to my in-laws’ house for the big birthday bash this weekend. It was pretty simple to throw together. The only real time investment is cooking the quinoa and lentils, which can be done ahead of time if desired. To make the tabbouleh, I combined the quinoa and lentils along with parsley, celery, green onions, goji berries and tomatoes.

I imagined this served on a bed of shredded curly leaved kale. By “shredded,” I just mean that I finely chopped it on a cutting board, after removing the thick stem and spine of each leaf. Of course, any kale or other salad greens will do, but I like curly or red kale because it’s easiest to find. It’s also best to use it within a day or two after purchasing because it tastes bitter the longer it sits around.

For the dressing, I decided to go with something light. Lemon, rice vinegar, garlic, sunflower oil, a touch of maple syrup and salt and pepper resulted in a nice, simple blend with just enough tang. I’ve also recently been adding celery to my dressings because it adds a refreshing yet mild element to the mix. The celery stalks puree quite easily with the other dressing ingredients using a high-speed blender.

The salad went over well with the family, and it paired nicely with the delicious quinoa, veggie and tofu casserole my mother-in-law made for part of the main meal.

I have to say, I’m a pretty lucky girl. I’m the only vegan in the family, but everyone seems to eat healthier when I’m around, as vegan options are always incorporated at every meal. My sister-in-law also made the coconut lemon bundt cake from Veganomicon for dessert, along with vegan whipped cream and berries. I wish I had snapped a photo because it was plated so beautifully.

Fresh, spring salads are my favourite way to welcome spring, so I think I’ll be making another batch of this salad for weekday lunches and dinners. Enjoy!

Kale and quinoa tabbouleh salad

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

Tabbouleh:

• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa (makes 2.5 cups cooked)
• 1/2 cup dry lentils (makes 1.5 cups cooked)
• 1/3 cup goji berries
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped

Kale:

• 2 small bunches of kale
• 1/2 lemon

Dressing:

• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil

Directions:

1. To cook the quinoa, first rinse it thoroughly under running water. Next, combine the dry quinoa with 1.5 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered until all the water has been absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. To cook the lentils, first rinse under running water. Next, combine the lentils and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring the lentils to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Add water as needed to make sure the lentils are just barely covered. Lentils are done as soon as they are tender and no longer crunchy. Remove from heat and strain.
3. Place the goji berries in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water.
4. Combine the cooked quinoa, lentils, goji berries and remaining tabbouleh ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Remove the stems and thick part of the spines from the kale and chop into small, thin pieces (shredded). Place in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the kale (take care not to drop the seeds in!) and massage into kale with your hands.
6. To make the dressing, blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.
7. To assemble, you can mix the dressing with the tabbouleh and serve it on top of the kale (this is best if serving on individual plates). Alternatively, mix the tabbouleh, kale and dressing all together in one large bowl to serve at a buffet. Garnish with sprouts and hemp seeds, if desired.