new cookbooks!

the last day of vegan MOFO. it's been great getting to blog almost everyday this month. this opportunity seems to be the encouragment needed to dedicate time to the padding of my blog. an edible & potable repertoire has been birthed & rooted, & now needs nuturing to grow. as i mentioned yesterday, i want to return to other interests as well. there remains about a dozen draft posts to finish, hopefully by the year's end.

i bought a few new cookbooks the other day. *big smile* : vegan fusion world cuisine, the shoshoni cookbook & tassajara cookbook - lunches, picnics & appetizers. & i'm tickled, i'm pleased to say. i love the unqiue take on veg cooking in each of them. i'm a bit of a collector & really appreciate the efforts to make a cookbook interesting, beautiful & well-organised. i will, as always, take time to become well-acquainted with each new book, but these are my first impressions.



the vegan fusion has some wonderful photography that promotes tranquil well-being, a sense of connection to many places in the natural world. it has lots of resources & thoughts on being vegan. encouraging fresh, organic & live food, the recipes sound delish. there may be a few ingredients to stock, or it's a good chance to learn a few substitutes. keep in mind this book, from the Blossoming Lotus Café (which is currently closed) in Kaua'i, has access to fresh nuts, fruit & veg year-round. while there, it may be cheap & easy to buy local produce, alas in the wintery north, this book will be brought out only through the growing season. as the book is centred on the concept of world cuisine, imported foodstuffs associated with thai, japanese, indian, carribean & everywhere in between, must be purchased (usually available at the local health food store). as i'm presently in the middle east (where practically eveything is imported year-round), i look forward to experimenting soon.


tassajara cookbook is simply elegant & beautiful. *drool* owned by the san fancisco zen center, tassajara is a zen mountain center in california, & has been there since the 60's. it hosts visitors to sustain itself, & offers a wonderful palatte of vegetarian fare. i have a few other cookbooks they've produced, & they are lovely. this one focuses on finger foods & snacks in hand, which has been a focus of mine as of late, so i'm excited to say the least. again, because veg fare is found in all world cuisine, veg cuisine collects foodstuffs from around the world. this can always be simplified, but a few things will be needed, & are readily available, but it doesn't always follow 'local' to the letter. there is a whole section devoted to chutneys, sauces & salsas. yay! & another on pâtés & loaves. i love portable feasts. (btw, i have another cookbook, a thriftstore find, called the portable feast: picnic, lunch box & knapsack fare. knapsack fare! how great is that?)



the shoshoni cookbook - vegetarian recipes from the shoshoni yoga retreat, has been on my wishlist for some time. now, it's in my hand. it is not fancy, but it is packed with fairly quick & easy, & nutritious, recipes. there's a recipe for tofu feta, i cannot wait to try. unfortunately, many recipes call for apple juice concentrate, which may be easily accessible at home, i've not yet found it here in dubai. so i must find a substitute, or make my own?



needless to say, i really must stay out of the bookstore. it is a costly obsession. i usually relieve my guilt by only frequenting the used bookstores, but went upon a friend's request. who am i to deny someone else access to wonderful world of new books?

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good enough.