Nice Cookbook Giveaway

Y’all should know that One Frugal Foodie is having a give-away contest for a copy of each of two cookbooks currently on my wishlist. ^_-  Check it out at:  http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/2009/09/08/giveaway-vegan-brunch/

Sustainable Food Production – Science Friday, Books and Blogs

In case you missed it (8/21), there was an interesting discussion on food production and sustainability on the latest Science Friday:

These days, grocery shoppers are scrutinizing more than prices — some are looking to see how many miles their squash and pork chops traveled. But some say focusing on food miles isn’t the best way to ‘go green’ in the grocery store. So what is the best way to eat sustainably? Author Michael Pollan and others discuss.

Of especial interest to me was co-guest James McWilliams and his new book, Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly.  I’ve not read this book, and while I didn’t agree with some of what he said, he was reasonable and intelligent.  Amazon.com has an absolutely fantastic review of his book by Susan Wittig Albert – please check it out if you are interested in the geography of our world’s food production.  (On a related note, she also recently reviewed Wendell Berry’s Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food.)

I’m a somewhat embarrassed to say I’m way behind on Michael Pollan‘s books – his latest being In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.  His perspective is more my own, ‘though I do wish he’d decided to go vegan. ^_-  (heeb’n'vegan has a great review of both The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food from a vegan perspective.)

Brian Halweil I also was not familiar with.  I found his blog at the World Watch Institute site here.  If you’re interested in the greenness/healthiness of our current food production system, this is a worthwhile read.  (His latest entry is a review of Food Inc., a film released this summer that looks into “the horrors and hopes of the way we eat.”  I’ve not seen it yet – though I look forward to it.  I can think of a fair number of folks I know that ought to watch it, based on reviews and press releases I’ve read.)

I’ve a lot of catch-up reading to do on the issues of sustainable food production and consumption.  What I have read I hope to blog about in an upcoming post.  (Note – crossposting this to my nascent green blog.)

Susan Wittig Albert

Vegan Recipe in People o.0

I ended up with a trial subscription to People – it’s OK, but not worth the trees and the expense. Anyhoo – this last Friday’s issue had a recipe presented by Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. Gazpacho. Not a big stretch that it’s vegan (with the right wine, of course), but still – was cool to see. (Couldn’t find it online though, at least with a quick search.)  I know Ms. Paltrow goes back and forth a bit on the vegan thing, so this was refreshing. She occasionally has vegan recipes on her site GOOP. Not so often, though – I tend to see a lot of recipes with chicken in them.

She and Mario Batali make such an interesting odd couple.  They worked together on a project that was released last year on PBS – Spain On the Road Again.  I’m guessing that they have a People recipe to promote the companion book they’ve come out with – Spain…A Culinary Road Trip.  Hardcover, of course. ^_-

One thing I might point out – the recipe page on the show’s site has a couple of good-looking vegan recipes, and a couple of others that look veganizable.

…and a Quick Update

Obviously I’ve been neglecting this poor little blog.  I still have lots of ideas, and hope to blog more soon.  Just thought I’d let y’all know I’m still kickin.

Giant Cupcake, Oh My… o.0

Via NPR, I heard that a 1224 lb. cupcake just took the world’s  hugest cupcake record.  On the plus side:  “Slices of the cupcake were served in exchange for donations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization.”  Which is good, but not vegan.  Also not vegan – the 800 eggs it took to make it.  Oof.  If I’d known, I might have sent them a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Yum.

New York Times Asks – “So, Are Your Southern Biscuits Homemade?”

Well, actually, mine are, though admittedly I use a recipe.  I prefer the biscuits from Hot Damn and Hell Yeah! – or any “buttermilk” biscuit recipe, say for instance the one from Yellow Rose Recipes.  In a pinch, though, I like Bisquick, if it’s in the budget, and appears to be vegan.  (It seems to vary, in my experience, what about y’all?)

In any case, here’s the original article:   United Tastes – So, Are Your Southern Biscuits Homemade? – Series – NYTimes.com.  How do YOU get yer biscuits?

Hello world?

So, as I’m (out of necessity) a frugal vegan momma on an uber tight budget, food is a major focus in my life.  Luckily I’ve discovered I enjoy cooking, given the time and, of course, the resources.  I have a lot of ideas for this blog.  We’ll see what comes to fruition. ^_^