Hi Sweet Friends,
The weeks leading up to launching The Spotlight Crash Course were filled with excitement, butterflies and creation. Now that it’s out in the world, I’m coming up for a little air and realizing that the holidays are already here! There’s a blanket of snow outside the window (dotted with paw prints) and twinkling lights strung throughout the house. It’s heaven. I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to some festive cooking and nesting at home with my family (Buddy’s first xmas!).
There’s nothing like a brand spankin’ new cookbook (or an oldie, but goodie) to get me back in the kitchen. I have to admit that I’d fallen into a rut of late night takeout dinners while in full throttle launch mode. And that’s okey dokey! It’s easy to eat on autopilot when you’re busy, especially during the holidays. Pssst…take a moment and give yourself a break if you’ve been beating yourself up for being less than perfect lately—in any area of your life.You don’t need to be a shining example of personal care this time of year. Or get back on track in the blink of an eye for that matter. Gradually works just fine too.
In the spirit of rest and rejuvenation, I spent the weekend cleaning the house, stocking the fridge, snuggling with my family and playing in the kitchen. I also let my computer collect some much needed dust. Once again, the kitchen was filled with mouth-watering aromas as I let my mind wander into the lovely meditation that chopping, measuring (sorta) and stirring allows.
While writing Crazy Sexy Kitchen with the talented Chad Sarno, I had the pleasure of connecting with some of the most talented chefs on the planet. Their cookbooks cover the gamut of plant-powered cuisine, from fancy and elegant meals to comforting and quick dishes. Depending on my mood, I can always rely on one of these geniuses to guide me as I pull together some nourishing nosh.
Since this is the season of sharing food and cooking up a storm, I wanted to shine a light on my favorite cookbooks and gift a lucky giveaway winner a new (and hot) cookbook library!
Enter to win these phenomenal cookbooks here AND read on for some delicious festive recipes.
Oh wow… I’m drooling look at all those wonderful dishes!! ♡♡ Here’s my favourite Christmas Time Dish… it’s from my Danish roots and a must have over the holidays….
Traditional Danish Æbleskivers (plant-based version):
http://almostrawvegan.com/2011/11/27/traditional-danish-aebleskiver/
Or check out my TOP 10 Chritsmat time Recipes:
http://almostrawvegan.com/2013/11/30/plant-based-recipes-for-christmas/
♡♡ Glaedelig Jul – Froehliche Weinachten – Merry Christmas ♡♡
I will definitely be trying your butternut squash + chesnut soup over the holidays: it looks absolutely deliiiiiiiish!
One of my favorite winter dish (not necessarily for the holidays but pretty much anytime it’s cold which is ALWAYS in Quebec) is my porcini and apple risotto : yum!
I make the risotto in a veggie broth but the secret ingredient is to add a generous cup of you favorite full bodied white wine (did you know that mushrooms LOVE white wine? 🙂
I pair it with a simple mesclun & cranberry salad with virgin olive oil/garlic/lemon/fresh herbs vinaigrette and DONE!
Happy Holidays to you and your family (including your adorable doggies)!
Warm hug,
XO
I’ve been contemplating going vegan (or almost vegan) for awhile now, but I just don’t have enough fabulous vegan/veggie recipes to do it yet! I’d LOVE the hook up. Thanks for this chance, Kris!
love the 1st one – holiday plate! great alternative for my family of ham-eaters 🙂 thanks Kris!
Check out this fabulous cookbook: Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen!
Thanks Su!
Thank You!
I am truly grateful for your inspiration. Loved your recent “short” on Super soul sunday!! You habe an amazing spirt. I was truly moved and inspired by your journey. Would love a chance to own your amazing cookbooks. It may actually inspire me to find the joy and meditation in cooking you describe. Sort of stuck in a rut in the kitchen now. Same meals every week. Would also be a great way to connect with my 9 year old daughter in a fun, creative new way. Happy holidays! Namaste.
Hi Kris! I love to cook and these recipes look delicious. This weekend I made a Crockpot Mushroom Chili from Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat To Live Cookbook….delicious. Not all recipes in this book are vegan but most of them are. His recipes are filled with nutrient-rich foods, much like yours. At this time of year I use the crockpot a lot. Enjoy your holidays!!!
Much love – Susie
I appreciate the chance to enter. I am going vegan due to health issues. Trying to beat MS.
Congrats on going vegan, Cindy! My brother and I started together 2.5 years ago because of his kidney problems. It has made all the difference! Lots of luck and happy holidays!!
For the last 20 years or so, a staple of our holiday tables has been a delicious Cranberry Chutney, which has morphed over the years into this recipe. Sweet, tart, spicy, textured, versatile and scrumptious! Canned cranberries haven’t seen our table since 😉
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 C fresh orange juice
1 orange, diced (remove as much pith as possible)
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 to 1 cup of organic cane sugar or sweetener (stevia, etc) to taste, depending on tartness of cranberries
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 C crystallized (candied) ginger, diced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce, to taste (other hot sauces work, as well)
Optional additions: Golden raisins, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries
Place cranberries in large saucepan. Add orange juice, orange zest, sugar, diced ginger, garlic, curry, hot sauce, cinnamon stick, and optional ingredients, and cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and the cranberries split open—about 15 to 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the sauce from this point, the smoother the consistency becomes. The final product should have a little texture and bite. Remove from heat and stir in diced oranges. (Remove cinnamon stick before serving.)
May be served warm or cold, and can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to six weeks (it won’t last that long!). It’s great as a side, and once it’s well chilled it is a great topping with cream cheese and crackers!
Hi, I’m a mon, nurse and wife french quebecoise(canadian) from north of montreal.
We are very proud to say we are almost vegetarian and for the start of 2014 will try your cooking book.
We start 2013 with green juice or smoothies very mornig and then chia pudding for the kids and green smoothies too( banana,apple,mango,spinach,avocado and a lot of hemps ,I try too change every day)
I’d was not feeling very good in february, I start to read you and my sister bought me your cooking book ! YES in english! Every days I look my e-mail to read your post!
Thank you to be you!!! I really love your personnality. Your my goal!! Not to be like you but to feel inside I suppose 🙂 like you!!
Now we cook with vegan french book and one traduc in french it call Plenty(a lot of chesse..I have a kids who allergic too nut and peanuts and soya) But My husband love it!
January with start the years with you!!!!
Happy 2014 Kriss xx
We hope that your book will be transalte in franch soon for my french family in quebec we are not to far from New-York !! hihi
thanks
Kris, I want to thank you so much for Crazy Sexy Kitchen! I’m an NYC actor, heading home to CA for the holidays, and I have zero money for Christmas Gifts, BUT I’ve been vegan for 2.5 years now and my family has had a hard time keeping up with my lifestyle changes- but always express an interest, so every time I go home, I cook for them a bit and try to instill some good habits without overwhelming anyone- and your cookbook has been especially helpful with this. SO this year, I’m making individual mini vegan cookbooks for each of my family members with recipes I know will not scare them, combined with little stories from me about, “Remember the first time James tried Kale?” etc. and picks of us all cooking together as kids, etc. And I will definitely be including some of these recipes above! Thanks for always inspiring! Happy Holidays to you and yours!
What a great idea Laura! May I use your idea? I think my family would love mini cookbooks as well. Genius! Happy holidays to you and your family!
Susie
Please do!! Glad you liked the idea! Thanks Susan 🙂
Happy Holidays!!!
Thank you so much Laura! Safe travels to see your family and Happy Holidays!
Susie
I am a newbie vegetarian (7 months) with vegan aspirations. I’ve been loving the crazy sexy recipes in the book. The save the tuna sandwiches rocked! That’s the most recent one I’ve tried. I would love to arm myself with an arsenal of vegan cookbooks, they would definitely go to great use! Peace, Love and Light to all this holiday season.
I’m a big fan of this sweet potato, apple, cranberry “crisp” I’ve made a few years in a row…slice sweet potatoes and apples into small cubes, toss with your favorite butter (or substitute), unprocessed sugar (I like Alter Eco’s Organic Mascobado Cane Sugar) and cinnamon and top with chopped nuts, ground flaxseed, oats and more sugar (we’re an almond family because my husband has a strange sensitivity to pecans and walnuts, but hazelnuts would work really well here too, or a combination!) Bake it covered until the sweet potatoes are soft then uncovered to crisp up the crisp. Sorry, don’t remember what temp or how long…I only look at the recipe in the winter.
Not only do they sounds great but look delicious. Made to mistake to read while I was hungry. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the great recipe ideas, Kris, and for the gentle reminders in your blog posts about what’s really important…you are an inspiration. Your cooking tips videos with Chad were lots of fun too! Happy holidays 🙂
Kris! OMG! Those recipes look SOOO good! 🙂 You know, I feel like more and more people are discovering the deliciousness of vegan food. There are a few different reasons for eating vegan, for me I don’t want to harm animals AND I want to eat food that is good for my body – these recipes all great! 🙂
Thank you for all you do! 🙂
Much love to you and Buddy and all your family!
xoxo MJ 🙂
Amen!
Kris, what a great little collection of fun recipes to try! Thank you!
Trying to pick a favorite holiday recipe is difficult, to say the least. I just about love them all. But if pressed, I’d have to say Cornbread Dressing and Sweet Potato Casserole. I took the old recipes and Veganized them, substituting eggs with flax seed, butter with Earth Balance, chicken stock with veggie, and so on. I don’t have the recipes with me right now, but I’d be happy to share if anybody is interested.
I believe you are what you eat and strive to better my diet everyday with minimal cruelty to our animal friends.