So, the last few months you may have been wondering what I’ve been up to. I’ve been posting plenty of recipes, but haven’t been talking much about personal things or our family. Truth is, I have been swamped since September with both work and mama responsibilities, and it’s been challenging to keep up. (My next post I’m going to talk about just that, the mothering ‘balance’, so I hope you’ll be with me and share your insights too.)
On the work front, I’ve been very busy for a few reasons. First, I had plans to start another cookbook. That plan still exists, and I’m in the final stages of a contract. So, I will have news for you soon about my next big book project!
Then, I got this crazy idea in my head back in December, that I could do an ebook. I love it when I get these crazy notions thinking I can “do it all”. Yeah. Crazy lady. It started like this…
Do any of you remember my holiday cookbook promotion? Well, once people started trying these recipes and I was posting details about the promo on facebook, I received a lot of requests to turn those recipes into an ebook. HUH! I never even thought of that! Until someone planted the seed, and off I go running. So, I procrastinated on the idea for a month or so, because I knew it would be a lot of work – with a new learning curve. I just wasn’t sure if I could pull it off (without pulling out my hair)!
Until one day, I get an email from one of my readers, Lynn McLellan. The email subject line reads:Recipe “Feed”back.I open the email nervously, thinking I’ve messed up something in a recipe or two (because that’s what us neurotic cookbook authors think). Was I ever surprised to open the email and see that Lynn had taken photos of EVERY recipe in the Plant-Powered 15 package and shared her feedback on EACH recipe! I was humbled and teary, that she took the time to put all that together for me to read. And, it was a sign to get off my behind already and put this ebook together! If you are with me on facebook, you have seen some of this ‘feed’back, as I’ve been posting examples. For instance, Lynnsaid this about my “Coconutty Cookies”:
Wow! I couldn’t get enough of these. They taste like little coconut pillows! So light and satisfying. In fact, they were so good I made a second batch right away while I still had the ingredients handy. That’s how fast they disappeared!
Coconut Pillows, eh? Yep, that name stuck!
I asked people on facebook again… should I do this? Do you still want it? Would you buy it? Then THEY told me to get off my behind. So I did. And here it is!
While I’d love to go on about how clueless I was in the beginning working on this project, I will spare you that dull reading. What I will tell you is that I got lucky. Sometimes people come into your life at certain times, and you have a feeling it’s for a reason. That happened when Nicole Axworthy emailed and said she’d like to help me with the photography for this book. I already knew of Nicole’s talents, because she is the co-author of the Tiny Treats ebook with Lisa Pitman(I sang its praises on FB and mentioned it in this post). I LOVE that ebook. The recipes are insanely creative, and the photos are simply stunning. When I bought that book and opened it on my computer, my jaw dropped. So, needless to say I was pretty stoked that Nicole wanted to work with me on the Plant-Powered 15!
Nicole captured every recipe in the Plant-Powered 15, in a full-size photo. One thing I hear from readers most often is “we want more photos of recipes”. I couldn’t agree more. (And, as a side note, my next book will also have photos of every recipe).
So, what types of recipes are in the Plant-Powered 15? To start, all the recipes are whole-foods vegan recipes. And, all the recipes are made without any added oils. That’s what you have been asking for, with emails and facebook comments and tweets and more… that’s what I’m delivering. You can be sure you aren’t losing flavor, though. Many of us know from a culinary perspective that fat is a flavor carrier. You are NOT losing flavor in these recipes. The flavor stays, and some whole-foods fats are included in certain recipes to ensure texture and taste are not sacrificed! These recipes are all also gluten-free if you are able to eat certified gf oats. Not all recipes use oats, of course, but that is the only ingredient that requires mention for gluten-free readers.
Here are all the recipes included in your Plant-Powered 15! (along with a few sample photos)
- Almond Zen Granola
- Pumpkin Seed and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Creamy House Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Orange-Miso Dressing
- Wonder Spread
- Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes
- Presto Pistachio Pasta
- “SweetBalls” (yes, I said it!)
- Umami Sun-Dried Tomato and Almond Burgers
- Sneaky Chickpea Burgers
- Mac-nificent
- Coconut Pillows
- Sticky Almond Blondies
- Peanut Butter Munchy Squares
The Plant-Powered 15 is now officially available! You can pick up a copy here:
And you can also link through to purchase on my “Books” page at anytime.
Please come back and tell me your recipe experiences from this ebook. I’d love to know which recipe caught your eye first, what you tried straight away, and which recipes are your favorites!
