My 15 Minutes of Fame & Glory!

As you might recall, a while back I mentioned that I had been interviewed about my blog for a local weekly paper. Well - the article finally came out and I really like it! 

As you can see, my article was part of their special Food & Wine insert. It's sorta impossible to read from my pic, but you can open the whole issue here (my article is on page 12). I've been blogging Vegan Eats & Treats for almost 7 years now, and this was my biggest moment of official recognition! 

They also included one of my cookie recipes (on page 60) for Grandaddies - and! - they put it on the same page as my good friend Talya's delicious Yummus recipe! I've actually blogged about her Yummus before. It's super tasty - from her book Vegan Ayurvedic Kitchen.  

So - at long last - here's a behind-the-scenes look at my experience getting interviewed!

First things first - Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats and I cleaned the holy heck out of our kitchen. The gal from the paper, Elizabeth, had mentioned they might want to take some pictures of me cooking... so of course I wanted my kitchen to gleam. Actually, it was really helpful to think about getting photographed in our kitchen. We ended up making some really smart re-organizations that we'd never thought of before.

 Table is ready for our special guests!

Spots for 4 at the table, plus a copy of YumTown for both of them

It turned out that Elizabeth is a vegan, and the photographer Jeremey was a super vegan-friendly vegetarian. So, I decided that I would make us all lunch, and that way we could do our interview, take some pictures, and then have a nice vegan lunch together. I wanted the food to be beautiful, locally-sourced, nourishing, and delicious!

Ahead of time, I prepared a big plate of grilled tofus, using the amazing Grilled Herb Tofu recipe from Real Food Daily Cookbook. It's one of my favorite tofu recipes ever.

Inspired by a local restaurant that makes really delicious open-faced sandwiches, I put my grilled tofus to use. I made of loaf of my dearly beloved Green Monster Bread (recipe from Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day) and lightly toasted four generous slices. On top of each toast went some avocado mashed up with lime juice, a slab of grilled herb tofu, and fresh sunflower sprouts on top. They were really delicious!

The diced carrots in this pic are totally just for effect. Basically, Jeremey wanted pics of me doing something in the kitchen, so I just started dicing! They made for good munching though. :)

Along with the sandwiches, I made a bowl of Spring Potato Salad with Peas and Sorrel, with a shallot vinaigrette (recipe below). I knew the article would be published in spring time, and so I wanted to make something spring-y, even though the interview took place in February! I really love how this recipe turned out. The sorrel adds a bright lemony enthusiasm, and also a lot of beautiful green to the salad.

 Grandaddies* with Double Rainbow Soy Vanilla: my favorite vanilla ice cream these days.

*the cookie formerly known as DiSaronno Cookies

Of course, no one is going to come to my house for a meal and go away without dessert! That is positively against my religion! :) So, I made a batch of my favorite cookies - Grandaddies. (recipe is in the article above) These cookies are inspired by my beloved grandpa, who I called Grandaddy, and his favorite dessert - mocha almond fudge ice cream with DiSaronno liqueur poured all over it.

Jeremey taking food pics. It was so fun to watch a true photo pro!

It was such a super fun afternoon. Of course it was fun to be interviewed about my blog, but it was most especially fun to meet Elizabeth and Jeremey. They were both such super great and friendly people and I loved meeting both of them.

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Spring Potato Salad with Peas and Sorrel

Vinaigrette ingredients:

2.5 oz shallots, cut into super thin slices

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Other ingredients:

1 lb new potatoes

3/4 lb peas

1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely minced

2 oz fresh sorrel, cut into fine ribbons

In a small bowl, mix together the sliced shallots (the thinner the better!), the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix it around with a fork until it's fully integrated and then leave it to marinate while you continue with the rest of the recipe.

Put the potatoes in a medium pot with salted water to cover the potatoes. Over high heat, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium, and boil gently for 15-20 minutes. (How long depends on the size of your potatoes). When they are tender (easily poked with a fork), drain them, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, bring a small pot of 1 cup of water to a boil. Add your peas (fresh or frozen) and return the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes until the peas are plump and bright green. When finished, drain the peas and transfer them to a medium-size serving bowl.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, but still warm, cut them in halves or quarter, and add them to the peas. Add the shallot mixture and the fresh dill, and stir well with a rubber spatula until well integrated. This part can all be done ahead of time, to allow the flavors to meld together. Add the sorrel ribbons right before serving, and hopefully after the potatoes have cooled a bit. 

Serves 4 as a side dish.