Meet Robin Robertson, Vegan Chef and Author of Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker Plus A Sneak-Peek Recipe and A Chance to Win!

I am a huge fan of vegan chef Robin Robertson. With 19 books under her belt and her latest work Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker soon to be released (on September 25th), Robin is quite likely the most prolific vegan author out there. I own no fewer than six of her books—Vegan on the Cheap, Quick-fix Vegan, and Vegan Unplugged (cowritten with husband, Jon Robertson), are among my most dog-eared and page-worn favorites.

So it is with the greatest honor, that I am among the first to kick off Robin's virtual book tour, with a guest post and sneak-peek recipe from her forthcoming new book, Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free One-Dish Dinners.

Robin: Everyone knows how great a slow cooker can be for cooking beans, soups, and stews. But did you know it can also be used to make jams, chutneys, and applesauce? How about breads, cakes, and casseroles? It’s true. Once you begin thinking outside the crock, you may find that a slow cooker can do a lot more than just cook great beans.

Take this recipe for Seitan Ropa Vieja. There are many variations of this flavorful Latin American dish. This vegan version, made with a combination of seitan, black beans, and mushrooms is my favorite. Served over rice, it makes a delicious dinner when accompanied by a green vegetable. It's also terrific spooned into warm tortillas and topped with diced avocado or vegan sour cream. This recipe is easily doubled for a crowd, and you can cook and serve in the same crock, then set it on the table to keep warm while everyone serves themselves.

Seitan Ropa Vieja

Photo ©2012 by Sabra Krock

Serves 4

Slow Cooker Size: 4- to 6-quart

Cook Time: 4 to 6 hours on Low

{soy-free}

2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

1 small yellow onion, sliced paper-thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced paper-thin

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon natural sugar

1 pound seitan, shredded or very thinly sliced

2 portobello mushrooms caps, gills scraped and discarded, shredded or thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Flour tortillas or hot cooked rice, for serving

1. For the best flavor, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, and bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cumin and cook for 1 minute longer. Alternatively, omit the oil and sauté these ingredients in a few tablespoons of water or combine them in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, sugar, seitan, mushrooms, beans, broth, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined. Cover and cook on Low until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 hours.

3. Just before serving, add the lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot, spooned into tortillas or over rice.

Recipe ©2012 by Robin Robertson and used with the permission of The Harvard Common Press

Update: Congratulations Rachel at My Naturally Frugal Family! You won! Please shoot me an email with your postal address, and your copy of Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker will soon be on its way! I just received my own copy, and I can tell you that you're going to LOVE this book!  Thanks everyone for making this another great giveaway! More yumminess to come ...

I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker! To reserve your very own copy, head on over to amazon.com, or enter to win one right here and now! Simply leave me a comment below telling me why you love your slow cooker.*

To earn additional entries, you can do any or all of the following, and please leave a comment for each item you complete:

1. Follow Robin Robertson on Pinterest.
2. Follow @GlobalVegan on Twitter.
3. Follow this blog by clicking the "follow" link in the upper left-hand corner of this page, subscribing via email, or through Networked Blogs.
4. Follow @Vegiegail on Twitter.
5. Tweet the following message: Win a copy of @GlobalVegan's new book Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker & fall in love w/your crockpot! http://bit.ly/VSCWin #vegan #giveaway

Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner, (leave me your Twitter handle or email address or make sure it's linked to your blogger account.) Good luck!!!

*Sorry international friends. The giveaway is open to US residents only.

Book Review and Giveaway:Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas

I am wild about greens. Seriously. Greens are good. No—greens are glorious! They're nutritional powerhouses that come neatly packaged in brightly colored leaves and crunchy stalks. What's not to love?

If you're not already a fan of green leafy vegetables, you will be after tasting the delectable recipes in Nava Atlas's new book, Wild About Greens.

You will love the layout! Right up front, Nava introduces you to nature's bounty of leafy greens in alphabetical order. After learning a little about each one, you're treated to a listing of all of the recipes that feature them. So, if you want to make a salad with arugula, a soup with kale, and an entree with turnip greens, it couldn't be any easier to search through the recipes grouped under each vegetable.

Wild About Greens completely dispels the myth that the foundation of any salad need be lettuce. Not only are there much more delicious options, but you can really give your salads a nutritional boost by choosing a dark, leafy green instead. Here you'll find tasty salads made with every leafy green from watercress to kale to beet greens. I zoned in on this bright, citrusy, Mizuna (or Tatsoi) & Bok Choy Salad. As I wasn't making a trip to the Asian market that day, I substituted baby spinach for the Asian greens and jicama for the daikon radish, which were suggested variations. By storing the zesty Sesame-Ginger Dressing in a separate jar, I enjoyed this flavorful dish with dinner that evening and also for lunch over the next two days.

 Mizuna & Bok Choy Salad

Since pictures speak infinitely louder than words, I'll let the following photos tempt you further. Suffice it to say, every recipe was a winner. I plan to enjoy every one of the 125 recipes in this wonderful book before the end of the year. Feast your eyes on ...

Italian Style Potato and Escarole Soup
(all I can say about this one is "Mama mia!")

  Persian Spinach and Black-Eyed Peas
(I love a really good sabzi, and this is the best I've tasted in a long time!)

Hoisin-Glazed Collard Greens and Sweet Potatoes
(I'm adore sweet potatoes, onions, and collards. I was in heaven!)

Hoisin-Glazed Bok Choy with Tofu and Soba Noodles

(Once I got on the hoisin track, it was hard to get off. This was a spectacular summer dinner!)

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad with Beet Greens and Oranges

(If you're a fool for beets like I am, do not detour. Dive directly into this recipe!)

Stir-Fried Sesame Kale and Red Cabbage 

(Colorful to the eyes and to the taste buds—if you can imagine that. 

Recipe below.)

 

Are you wild about greens? Then this book is for you. If you're not, you most certainly will be after perusing, preparing, and partaking in the recipes in Wild About Greens. And if you've been searching for creatively delicious ways to get more greens into your family's diet, don't wait another second to get your hands on a copy!

This spectacularly colorful and delicious Stir-Fried Sesame Kale and Red Cabbage recipe is just a taste of what you'll find within its pages. Reprinted with permission of the author and Sterling New York. ©Nava Atlas 2012. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8-12 oz kale, any variety

1/2 small or medium head red cabbage

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (I used less)

1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

2 tsp grated fresh or jarred ginger (I always use fresh)

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil 

1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds (preferably unhulled)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Strip the kale leaves from the stems. Stack a few leaves and cut them into narrow strips. If desired, slice the stems thinly to use in the stir-fry; otherwise, discard.

Cut the red cabbage into thin slices about 2 inches long.

Heat the olive oil in a stir-fry pan or large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and soft.

Add the ginger, kale and cabbage. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until both are brightly colored and tender-crisp.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the dark sesame oil and sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Variation: You can add a small amount of another vegetable or two. I chose red bell pepper, cut into long narrow strips.

Update: The giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to Dawn (@VeganFazool)! The random number goddess shined down upon her this morning, and she won a copy of Wild About Greens! Thanks so much to everyone for participating! Please stay tuned for more great giveaways and delicious recipes to come. Dawn, please send me an email with your postal address so we can get your book right out to you!

Now for the giveaway: if you would you like to win a copy of Wild About Greens, here's all you need to do: Simply leave a comment below telling me what your favorite dark leafy green vegetable is and how you most enjoy preparing or eating it. Or tell me which dark leafy green you'd love to find new ways of preparing and enjoying!

To earn additional entries, you can do one or all of the following, and please leave a comment for each one you complete:

1. Like VegKitchen.com on Facebook.
2. Follow @navaatlas2 on Twitter.
3. Follow this blog by clicking the "follow" link in the upper left-hand corner of this page, subscribing via email, or through Networked Blogs.
4. Follow @Vegiegail on Twitter.
5. Tweet the following message: Win a copy of @navaatlas2's fab new book Wild About Greens & get your green on deliciously! http://bit.ly/OaXWhf #vegan #recipe #giveaway

Sensational Samosas

Have you tasted ajwain? Also known as carom seed, this lovely little grayish-green seed is closely related to thyme and cumin. It has a very fragrant aroma, which comes alive when cooked, and it is used in small quantities in dishes because of its distinctively sharp, pungent taste. Although most prominently featured in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, ajwain was discovered first in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, where it was used in Persian and Afghani cooking and as a digestive herbal remedy. Today ajwain is a common ingredient throughout the South Asian Subcontinent, where it is used in pickles for its preservative qualities and in vegetable dishes for its distinctive taste. It also compliments dals, parathas, rotis, and one of my favorite finger foods of all time—samosas. If you have an Indian grocery near in your city or town, you'll have no trouble finding ajwain. Even though we have a lovely little Indian grocery here, I get my organic ajwain seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can order them online, too, by clicking here.

I tinkered with several different recipes before creating this lovely little dish. My husband said that these were the best samosas he'd ever eaten. I think part of the reason is that they are baked, instead of the more traditional way of making them, which is fried. Brushing them with a light coating of coconut oil also added an extra flavor dimension, and it never hurts to have the aroma of coconut oil wafting through the kitchen to whet the appetite.

I hope you'll try my recipe for samosas, and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ajwain
1 cup Original So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Beverage (kefir) or Coconut Milk Yogurt

For the filling:

2 medium-size potatoes, diced
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup onions, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, grated
1-2 tsp green chiles, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup green peas (fresh or thawed, if frozen)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup water
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup raw cashews
oil for brushing*

Directions:

To prepare the dough, mix the flour, salt, and ajwain seeds together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the cultured coconut milk. Mix together to form a dough. Add extra flour if needed, to keep the dough from being sticky. Tightly wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the samosas.

To prepare the filling, peel potatoes and dice into 1/4 inch cubes. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil until very soft. Drain and set aside. Some people like to mash their potatoes at this point. It facilitates the process of filling the samosas, but I find that if I dice them small enough, I don't need to mash. But either way is fine.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds and stir fry for about 30 seconds until cumin turns darker brown and mustard seeds begin to pop. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and green chiles (if using) and saute over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add the peas, potatoes, raisins, water, coriander, salt, garam masala, and lemon juice. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add cashews and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 400°. 

To assemble the samosas, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and soft. Divide dough into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion between your hands to form smooth balls. Pour 1/4 cup water into a small bowl and set aside.

Roll each ball into a 6-inch circle and cut in half. Take one half, dip your finger into water, and run it along the straight edge. Fold in half, overlapping on end about 1/4 inch over the other, making a cone. Press to seal.

Fill the cone with potato filling. Dip finger in water and run along the inside of the cone mouth and press the lips together to seal. Plase each samosa as it is made on greased cookie sheet or silpat. Brush each samosa with coconut or vegetable oil.* Although non-traditional, I like to use coconut oil, for that little extra flavor dimension and wonderful aroma. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°, turn the samosas over, brush the remaining sides with oil, and bake for 8-10 minutes more, until samosas are golden brown.

When samosas are done, serve immediately with mint or tamarind chutney. Makes 12 samosas.