Review: 5th Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off

-->
On 2 February 2013, I joined 45 other bakers in the 5thAnnual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off.

As an amateur baker, I had to prepare 100 bite sized portions of my entry – a delicate orange chocolate biscotti which was included in the category of 'Charming Vegan Cookies'. Preparing that many samples was an interesting but comforting challenge for me. It took me the better part of a day and much to my chagrin I had to prepare an additional batch of candied orange peels late in the day.

The event was sold-out and over 5000 samples were consumed within hours of the doors opening. The Toronto Vegetarian Association did a wonderful job coordinating and preparing the event. Information was seamlessly passed to bakers and the event went off without a hitch.

The two major problems I had with the event were the unprofessional nature of the announcers (I don't care that your roommate entered, or your boyfriend, or your brother – keep it to yourself!) and the odd judging organization. Entries were only tasted by judges if they won first place in their category. I believe that fair judging requires the judges to sample every entry in each category as many individuals brought with them a mired of friends and groupies with which to pad the votes.

Regardless of the odd judging hierarchy, when I returned home I immediately began to dream about the possible entries for next year's bake-off. I entered with a biscotti because I believe it tastes pretty darn good but also because it was quick to bake and easy to transport. However, I do not think it showed that well in an atmosphere were there were no hot drinks into which to dip the biscotti. I think I will plunge a little deeper into my baking repertoire for next year – perhaps with a flood iced cookie which is 3-D in nature. 

 

This was my first cooking competition of any kind. Entering a food competition has been on my to-do list for many years and I am glad that I have finally accomplished it! I really approached this competition with a 'fun run' mentality. It was something new, something different that I am glad I accomplished. I also liked the challenge of making 100 samples.

Advice for newbies to the Bake-off?

1. Plan ahead! I should not have had to make additional candied orange peels the day before the event as it would have been simply a matter of counting how many batches I would need to hit the 100 mark.
2. Take the 'bite sized' seriously. My biscotti were gratuitously large!
3. If making 100 treats AND a beautiful display worries you – go simple and classic for the display. This year's runner-up in the display simply placed two treats and a piece of fruit on a square white plate.
4. Have fun! Remember it's a 'fun run'!

Unfortunately my entry did not pull a win – but I plan on blaming that on the lack of coffee – for what is a biscotti without a hot substance into which to dip it?

Keep an eye out for this awesome event next year! It's a too tasty to miss!

Tweet

Review: Cookin Greens

Through Food Bloggers of Canada, I requested coupons for Cookin' Greens Products. As part of the deal, I promised to blog about my experiences with the product. I picked up the 100% kale version of this product (there are many kinds of cookin' greens, including mixed products).

Creamy Potato and Kale Stew
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup chopped onions (approx 2)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup chopped celery (approx 4 stalks)
4 cups stock/water
1 1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1 can chickpeas
3 cup Cookin' Greens, kale

Saute onions and red pepper flakes in oil until the onions are translucent. Then add chopped celery and cook for a few minutes. Add stock, mashed potatoes, chickpeas, and kale. Cook until the celery is tender and the kale is no longer frozen.

This stew is pleasantly spicy and very creamy. I would definitely make this again. Unfortunately I would not use this product again but would instead use fresh kale. The frozen cookin' greens includes the kale steams which are woody and unpleasant. I do not see the benefit of using this frozen product as the unique flavor and texture of fresh kale seems to disappear into a bland mess when flash-frozen for this product.              

Tweet

Summer Fresh Sauce - Butter Chicken

Casseroles were one of the first things I learnt to cook. I am pretty sure that my mother dictated the recipe to me over the phone - as I stood in my own apartment - and on my own two feet. Tuna casserole was one of my first, and most successful dishes as a young university student. I would boil noodles then combine with frozen peas, a can of mushroom soup, and a tin of tuna and call myself a gourmand. My tastes and cooking skills have since developed but a nice creamy casserole, with a kick, can still comfort me.  

 

Spicy Casserole

375 g package of elbow pasta

300 g package of frozen lima beans

one medium red onion

one chiptole pepper

1 500 mL Summer Fresh Butter Chicken sauce

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile dice onion and chiptole pepper and saute until onion is translucent. Once water is boiling add pasta. A few minutes before pasta is cooked add frozen lima beans. Strain. Combine pasta, lima beans, onion, chipotle with the sauce. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top before baking if desired.     

The Small Print: This was one of several sauces I received through a Food Bloggers of Canada cross-promotion. I received five Summer Fresh Sauces as well as an Ikea 365+ wok. Recipes posted within two weeks of receiving sauces become eligible for consideration as a feature on the Food Bloggers of Canada home page.    

Tweet

Summer Fresh Sauce - Cranberry Madeira

This was the sauce I was most excited to try. It reminds me of a combination of cranberry sauce and mushroom sauce. I think it would make an easy gravy replacement for holiday meals. I used it as a sauce on homemade semolina noodles. 

Homemade Pasta with Cranberry Madeira Sauce
2 cups semolina flour
1/2 cup hot water
1 500 mL Summer Fresh Cranberry Madeira sauce    

Combine semolina flour with hot water. Knead until smooth. Put dough through pasta machine until thin and then cut into strips. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Put the sauce in a smaller pot until warm. Combine.
 

The Small Print: This was one of several sauces I received through a Food Bloggers of Canada cross-promotion. I received five Summer Fresh Sauces as well as an Ikea 365+ wok. Recipes posted within two weeks of receiving sauces become eligible for consideration as a feature on the Food Bloggers of Canada home page. 

Tweet

Summer Fresh Sauce - Mushroom Marsala

Cabbage rolls evoke memories of Legion halls, potlucks, and the jingle-jangle of war metals. It reminds me of rushing from car to hall and back again and of trying to find your coat in the jungle of winter clothing necessary to survive a Saskatchewan winter. 

No one can make a cabbage roll better than a Ukrainian baba but these luscious cabbage rolls do a fair job when there are no Ukrainian grandmothers around!

Cabbage Rolls:

1 large head of green cabbage
5 cups slightly undercooked sticky rice (about 2 cups uncooked)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (approximately one cup)
1 500 mL Summer Fresh Mushroom Marsala sauce

Place the head of cabbage in the freezer. The next morning remove the cabbage and let thaw. This will soften the cabbage leaves to allow for rolling. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Use these tough leaves to line the bottom of the casserole dish to prevent burning.

Preheat oven to 350. Bring three cups water to boil. Add the 2 cups of uncooked rice and cook as regular rice. Remove from heat while the rice is still slightly undercooked. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Combine undercooked rice and onions in a bowl. 

Cut tough stems off of cabbage leaves. Place a tablespoon or two of rice on the bottom half of the cabbage leaf. Roll up while pinching in the sides (like a burrito). Layer cabbage rolls into casserole dish snugly. Continue until casserole dish is full. 

Pour the container of Mushroom Marsala sauce over the cabbage rolls and place in the oven for 30-50 minutes, or until rice is tender and sauce is bubbling.   

    

 The Small Print: This was one of several sauces I received through a Food Bloggers of Canada cross-promotion. I received five Summer Fresh Sauces as well as an Ikea 365+ wok. Recipes posted within two weeks of receiving sauces become eligible for consideration as a feature on the Food Bloggers of Canada home page.  

Tweet

Review: Summer Fresh Sauce

I received several Summer Fresh Sauces to review. I made easy dishes with their vegetarian sauces, leaving the two meat based ones for my husband to enjoy when I leave on vacation in a few weeks. 

These sauces really remind me of canned cream of ____ soups so I used them in the same way that I would use canned soups. 

Overall, they taste pretty good. I would recommend them over canned soups but as we do not eat processed foods very often we found the flavor profile to be slightly off. I found the mushroom sauce very salty and my husband found the cranberry sauce very sweet. 

The PR people from this company were very polite and friendly so I am sure they would be open to any questions that you have about the product! 

The next three posts (all today) will related to these Summer Fresh Sauces! Hope you enjoy!  

The Small Print: This was one of several sauces I received through a Food Bloggers of Canada cross-promotion. I received five Summer Fresh Sauces as well as an Ikea 365+ wok. Recipes posted within two weeks of receiving sauces become eligible for consideration as a feature on the Food Bloggers of Canada home page.

Tweet

Review: Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory

I do not read that many graphic novels but I picked up the Chew books due primarily to their heavy food content. The main character Tony Chu is a F.D.A. Agent who is also a Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. The graphic novels are set in the future, where chicken is outlawed due to the deaths that resulted from the avian flu. The first volume entitled “Taster's Choice” is basic and sets out back story of Tony Chu and his move to the F.D.A. The second volume “International Flavor” sets up the stories of the villains in more detail.

The villains in the Chew graphic novels are fun because they are food based. The first villain presents as a vampire but is actually a Cibopath, as he can learn as much from blood as he can from flesh. I enjoy the speciality talents that revolve around food in the Chew books. One man is an cibolocutor which means that, as a mute, he communicates solely through his cooking. Amelia Mintz (later to become Chu's girlfriend) is a Saboscrivner, which means that she can write about food so accurately and with such precision that people reading her words get the actual sensation of taste when reading about the meals she writes about. 

 

The later volumes of Chew are more fun than the first volume because they include more surprisingly violent scenes. In the later volumes almost all of the villains and allies have food related skills. This makes the graphic novels more interesting to me. In general I find these graphic novels refreshing and interesting. They would make an interesting addition to any food lover's bookshelf!

Tweet