I’m back after spending five days in hot and humid Austin, Texas with some of the best people in the world. I was there to attend Vida Vegan Con, an incredible conference that brings together vegan bloggers, cookbook authors, entrepreneurs and other such influencers to network, eat awesome food and share secrets of success.

Travelling to a new place and being in a large social setting where I don’t know people well is a really scary thing for me. I’m naturally a very shy girl and can easily become overwhelmed with anxiety, especially around those who are popular and outgoing. I feel somewhat intimated and, well, awkward.

I somehow managed to work through the fear to attend what was the trip of a lifetime, for the third time—this was the third and final VVC and it was one I will never forget. Of course, once I got there it wasn’t nearly as hard as I imagined it would be. Since I had met many of my online friends in person during previous conferences, it was like one big, happy reunion. And it was bittersweet.

As my dear friend JL Fields captured in a periscope video she created during Saturday’s lunch gathering, conferences like these are all about building community. Sure, the conference sessions are wonderful and insightful and it is clear how much time and effort the organizers spent taking care of every last detail, but what was most apparent was how much love and compassion radiated from each person I spoke with. I realize now more than ever how essential this community is to my life, because I wouldn’t be able to grow my efforts in changing the world for animals without their encouragement, steady engagement and ongoing support.

And the food, my goodness. What a feast it was! Just imagine an entire buffet of deliciousness that is all vegan (no labels to read and no need to inquire about ingredients!). There were some pretty fantastic vegan cafes in the area, and I particularly loved our visit to Counter Culture.

Now that I’m back at home, I’m getting reacquainted with foods outside of a soft taco shell. I’ve been enjoying lighter fare, like this delicious bowl of zucchini noodles with homemade pesto and protein-rich poppers. This is the perfect meal for warm spring and summer nights. From the juicy roasted tomatoes, the freshness of the basil pesto and the zestiness of the quinoa poppers, every bite screams “hello summer!” It’s light and refreshing and bursting with flavour. 

If you don’t own a spiralizer, you can just as easily thinly slice your zucchini into ribbons using a mandoline, and it will be just as gloriously delicious.

I should note that the quinoa poppers make more than you will need, so feel free to store leftovers in the fridge or freezer and add them to salads or pasta sauce or serve as a snack alongside your favourite dip. You can also make the poppers and pesto ahead of time (the night before, for example) so all you’d need to do is spiralize the zucchini and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

Lemon quinoa poppers with basil spinach pesto & zucchini noodles

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the quinoa poppers:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 (19oz.) can cannellini beans (about 1 3/4 cups), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper or ground black pepper

For the basil spinach pesto:

• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, lightly packed
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 small clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the noodles:

• 2 zucchinis, spiralized into noodles
• 1 cup grape tomatoes

Directions:

To make the quinoa poppers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has completely absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the quinoa to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Process until it turns into a thick, smooth paste.
4. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. You should get about 20 balls in total. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them. I like them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so I bake them for at least 40 minutes. You can bake them for less time if you'd like. At about the 20-minute mark, add the grape tomatoes to the pan, and bake until shriveled and nicely roasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. While they bake, you can go ahead and make the pesto.

To make the basil spinach pesto:

1. Using a food processor, process the spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl if needed.
2. While the machine is running, stream in the olive oil and process until distributed. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve:

1. Mix the zucchini noodles with the pesto, stirring until all the noodles are coated (you can use clean hands if it's easier). Divide into two bowls and top with a few quinoa poppers and roasted tomatoes. Serve immediately. You'll likely have leftover quinoa poppers. Store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.

Lemon quinoa poppers adapted from Fine Cooking.

Basil spinach pesto adapted from my basil spinach pesto hummus.

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

Ah, January, the first month of the year is already drawing to a close. As completely amazing as 2013 was, I have big plans and long lists to accomplish this year.

With so much going on, I’m embracing 2014 with simplicity on the food front. I adore one-pot meals that are delicious yet realistic and achievable with busy schedules. Brown rice with colourful stir-fried veggies is a staple in my house, but I’ve recently discovered grated cauliflower to replace rice for a more nutritious and vegetable-packed meal. Have you tried it yet? I have to say, it is incredible and super simple.

Today I’m sharing this recipe for cauliflower fried rice over on Jackie’s incredible blog, Vegan Yack Attack. Head on over to her blog to check it out!

My hubby? He loves doughnuts. I mentioned on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that he ate an entire test batch of these babies. It took me a few more trials to get them just right, but here I am now able to share them with you!

These little guys are a real treat: tender baked doughnuts topped with a layer of sweet maple glaze and sprinkled with homemade coconut bacon. A truly Canadian treat made gluten-free and vegan. They are an ode to my home country, and a tribute to the place that gave us hockey, peanut butter, Nanaimo bars, Trivial Pursuit and the Wonderbra, and the birthplace of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Ellen Page, Jim Carrey, and Ryan Gosling—oh, and me!

I should note that I tested several versions of these doughnuts and they have a much better texture with xantham gum, so be warned if you decide to skip it. You’ll also have lots of coconut bacon left over, so you can store it in a mason jar and sprinkle it on salads, sandwiches or eat on its own as a snack (they kind of remind me of Hostess Hickory Sticks, another Canadian favourite).

Enjoy!

Gluten-free maple "bacon" doughnuts

Yield: 24 mini doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:

• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• Ener-G egg replacer for 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp maple extract

For the coconut bacon:

• 4 cups large flaked coconut
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

For the maple glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1/4 tsp maple extract

Directions:

1. To make the doughnuts, first preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, coconut oil, apple sauce, egg replacer, and vanilla and maple extracts. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Divide the batter between 2 mini doughnut pans (for 24 doughnuts). I used a small spoon to scoop the batter into each tin and smooth out the top with a clean finger. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a doughnut comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before carefully removing them from the pan.
5. To make the coconut bacon, first reduce oven heat to 325F and line a cookie pan with parchment paper.
6. Put the coconut flakes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid smoke, maple syrup, tamari, water and smoked paprika. Pour into the bowl with the coconut flakes and stir until all the flakes are covered.
7. Spread the coconut flakes out onto the prepared cookie pan. Bake at 325F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring with a spatula ever 5 minutes or so (this is important so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
8. To make the maple glaze, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
9. To assemble, take a mini doughnut and dip the top into the glaze and allow excess to drip off. Lay the glazed doughnut on a cooling rack or plate. Top with coconut bacon just before serving.

• The doughnut recipe is a finicky one, so I don't suggest making substitutions. If you don't have maple extract though, you can leave it out.

Coconut bacon adapted from Amber's delicious recipe.

I’m going to declare this a seasonal transition dish. It’s like wearing shorts with socks and a thick, chunky sweater. These days, it’s hard to decide whether it’s warm or cold outside, but most days it’s a little of both. So I’ve paired summertime gourds with a rich, warming almond sauce. From a culinary perspective, I’d say this dish combines the best of both worlds.

Since we know which direction the weather is eventually heading (Summer, where art thou?), I’m naturally craving more fresh foods like salads, veggies and fruit. This week I set out to create an easy entree that is fresh, delicious and can be prepared quickly without using the stove or oven. I ended up with this hearty noodle dish using not just zucchini, but cucumber too! The pasta topper, made up of puffed quinoa, sliced almonds, goji berries and pumpkin seeds, adds a lovely crunch and complexity to this otherwise simple dish. The best part? This meal can be prepared in less than 15 minutes.

To make the noodles I used my trusty spiralizer, but don’t fret if you don’t own one. I’ve heard good things about julienne peelers (this one, specifically) that can turn veggies into thin angel hair noodles, but you can also use the shredding blade on your food processor to cut the veggies into matchsticks too. Better still, feel free to substitute rice noodles or whatever pasta you have on hand. The spicy almond sauce I paired with the noodles is delightfully versatile.

This recipe makes one large serving, but it can easily be doubled or tripled as needed to serve more. I think this pasta is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or anytime you crave a fresh, satisfying meal without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Cucumber & zucchini noodles with spicy almond sauce

Yield: one large serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber, peeled and spiralized
• 1 zucchini, peeled and spiralized

Spicy almond sauce:

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 tbsp water

Topper:

• 1/4 cup puffed quinoa
• 1 tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Peel the cucumber and zucchini and run them through a spiralizer (or julienne them if you prefer).
2. Place the noodles in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside while you make the sauce and topper.
3. To make the almond sauce, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
4. To make the topper, combine all topper ingredients in a small bowl.
5. To serve, place the noodles in a clean bowl, mix in the sauce and add a handful of topper. Serve immediately.