When food is love
I have spent years expressing my love for people through food. It's one of the reasons why I adore gathering people together in my home - that in cooking for them I am showing them just how much I love them. I can mark many of the turning points in my life, through food.
Arriving at University and, miserable with unhappiness those first few weeks, eating nothing, until I discovered thick white toast smothered in sticky baked beans, topped off with oozing cheddar in the canteen.
Zipping off to Los Angeles at twenty three, with the phone number of a friend of a friend of an actor I had once interviewed, and staying in a ramshackle wooden house in Laurel Canyon, empty of furniture, with a wonderfully eccentric film director who wandered round humming 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' for hours at a time. I lived on take-out California rolls from the supermarket.
Cooking dinner for an early boyfriend, cutting out a recipe from a magazine, for a savory spinach and ricotta cheesecake, with a Ritz cracker crust. He was suitably impressed.
Desperate to lose the baby weight after my first child, I spent hours making batches of home-made spinach dumplings, steaming them in an Asian vegetable broth, mushrooms, scallions and ginger swimming around. I ate little else for a while, and the weight dropped off.
And now, on our Vegan adventure, I am excited by cooking all over again. I am loving poring over the recipe books, and more, loving experimenting, nutty risottos without the butter and cream, delicately spiced vegetable curries, chick pea fritters.
I will confess to having had scrambled eggs this morning. Last night I was laid low with a migraine, and this morning all four Smalls switched on my bedroom light, and came trooping in to the bedroom with enormous grins on their faces, like little ducklings, with The Eldest Son in front, proudly bearing a tray on which were scrambled eggs, two slices of toast, and a cup of tea.
My children brought me breakfast in bed. Only problem was, it was 5.49am...
They all gathered round watching in delight as I opened my bleary eyes, took a mouthful of scrambled eggs and declared them the most delicious scrambled eggs I had ever tasted.
I had spoken to my Unwell Friend about the vegan diet, and last Saturday I cooked for a bunch of us. I cooked because, well, I love cooking, and also because I wanted to show them how delicious vegan food can be. I have to say though, it's bloody hard work. Put it like this, if you weren't a cook, or weren't interested in becoming a cook, I would think this diet could get pretty boring pretty quickly.
And today, I cooked a vegan feast, and dropped it off at my Unwell Friend's. Okay, okay, I did save a little for Beloved and I, and everything is so delicious, I am giving you the recipes here.
Spiced Chickpea Fritters (adapted from Delia Smith’s vegetarian cookbook)
i have never had quinoa, those zucchinis look delish!
i have never had quinoa, those zucchinis look delish!
For sweets do try My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky a local Fairfield girl who will be signing her book at borders on Sat
I admire your will power
Also try 101cookbooks website for great recipes ...I love the otso recipe and the quinoa one from ottolenghi she has on the website.
happy recipe hunting and cooking.
looking forward to the book!!!!
For sweets do try My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky a local Fairfield girl who will be signing her book at borders on Sat
I admire your will power
Also try 101cookbooks website for great recipes ...I love the otso recipe and the quinoa one from ottolenghi she has on the website.
happy recipe hunting and cooking.
looking forward to the book!!!!
I'm a meat eater, meaning I don't eat vegetables... at all! I eat the occasional peice of fruit. I guess my body has learned to do without them!
So, I'm surprised to find myself looking at the photos and thinking 'yum'!
I'm a meat eater, meaning I don't eat vegetables... at all! I eat the occasional peice of fruit. I guess my body has learned to do without them!
So, I'm surprised to find myself looking at the photos and thinking 'yum'!
Can you please post the spinach dumplings recipe too, as that sounds yum! Am off to try your curry, very excited.
Can you please post the spinach dumplings recipe too, as that sounds yum! Am off to try your curry, very excited.
Thanks for the easy recipes - they all sound very fresh. I will say that the first one sounds suspiciously like the one for falafels!! (which is one of my favorite foods in the whole wide world, and is shockingly healthy. I just didn't like all the fat from deep frying, so I tried baking the patties instead, and though not as delish as frying - obviously - they're still very good that way, and ultra healthy, AND low calorie/low fat!).
Also can't wait for Dune Road... just a month away, now!
Thanks for the easy recipes - they all sound very fresh. I will say that the first one sounds suspiciously like the one for falafels!! (which is one of my favorite foods in the whole wide world, and is shockingly healthy. I just didn't like all the fat from deep frying, so I tried baking the patties instead, and though not as delish as frying - obviously - they're still very good that way, and ultra healthy, AND low calorie/low fat!).
Also can't wait for Dune Road... just a month away, now!
Thank You, thank you, thank you!
Thank You, thank you, thank you!
I would never givve up meat, but there are some vegan recipes I love. I see you like lckickpeas, so I'm posting a wonderful chickpea fritters recipes by a good friend's mother who cooks like a pro.
You need 250 gr soaked (but not cooked) chickpeas, 1 large onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 grated tomato (ot use a bit of tomato juice/paste if you're lazy), 1 can of beer, salt, pepper, peppermint/oregano/dill. Process everything in a food processor until almost smooth (some chickpea lumps can be nice). Then add as much self-raising flour as needed to make a mixture than will not spread when you drop it in the hot oil. You should need just about half a cup. Heat a lot of olive oil in a deep skillet and when hot, drop spoonfuls of the mixture and fry until golden brown on both sides. Yields a lot.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.
xx
I would never givve up meat, but there are some vegan recipes I love. I see you like l\ckickpeas, so I'm posting a wonderful chickpea fritters recipes by a good friend's mother who cooks like a pro.
You need 250 gr soaked (but not cooked) chickpeas, 1 large onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 grated tomato (ot use a bit of tomato juice/paste if you're lazy), 1 can of beer, salt, pepper, peppermint/oregano/dill. Process everything in a food processor until almost smooth (some chickpea lumps can be nice). Then add as much self-raising flour as needed to make a mixture than will not spread when you drop it in the hot oil. You should need just about half a cup. Heat a lot of olive oil in a deep skillet and when hot, drop spoonfuls of the mixture and fry until golden brown on both sides. Yields a lot.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.
xx
Thank you for posting these recipes. I look forward to trying them out.
Thank you for posting these recipes. I look forward to trying them out.
Good luck with the veggie life. Both of my children are vegetarians. When they come to visit I have a hard time cooking but am getting use to it and they are happy that I try for them.
I just finished your book The Beach House. What a wonderful story. I would love to see a book that shows the characters again and what they are doing now. There is so much more to say and I did not want it to end.
This was my first Jane book but not my last. Look foward to reading them all.
Thanks for such a great story.
Good luck with the veggie life. Both of my children are vegetarians. When they come to visit I have a hard time cooking but am getting use to it and they are happy that I try for them.
I just finished your book The Beach House. What a wonderful story. I would love to see a book that shows the characters again and what they are doing now. There is so much more to say and I did not want it to end.
This was my first Jane book but not my last. Look foward to reading them all.
Thanks for such a great story.
Hi! Wonderful to see these recipes! I love chickpeas but have never cooked them with coconut milk. I am running to the supermarket now
Thank you
Elizabeth.
Hi! Wonderful to see these recipes! I love chickpeas but have never cooked them with coconut milk. I am running to the supermarket now
Thank you
Elizabeth.
Okay Jane I'm hooked. Started Book ends last night. If I keep this up I will finish all your books in a week. You are a great writer with great insite. Start writing the sequel to The Beach House NOW... I can't wait, well that is if you decide to do a sequel. Following you on Twitter hope you got off that boat.
Okay Jane I'm hooked. Started Book ends last night. If I keep this up I will finish all your books in a week. You are a great writer with great insite. Start writing the sequel to The Beach House NOW... I can't wait, well that is if you decide to do a sequel. Following you on Twitter hope you got off that boat.
Dear Ms. Green,
I've been a huge fan of your books for years (they've made many a T and subway ride go by pleasantly!).
I've been an editor at InStyle for the past five years and am now breaking out on my own to write full-time. One thing I've always dreamed of is to adapt Jemima J. into a screenplay. I'm sure I'm not the first to want to do so! Do you know if the option is available?
Thank you so much.
Best,
Meg Hemphill
Dear Ms. Green,
I've been a huge fan of your books for years (they've made many a T and subway ride go by pleasantly!).
I've been an editor at InStyle for the past five years and am now breaking out on my own to write full-time. One thing I've always dreamed of is to adapt Jemima J. into a screenplay. I'm sure I'm not the first to want to do so! Do you know if the option is available?
Thank you so much.
Best,
Meg Hemphill
Hi Jane, Wow, two of my favorite things...Jane Green and Veganism!!! Congratulations on giving vegan food a shot. I've been vegan for over 4 1/2 years (20 year vegetarian) and making the transition to vegan was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I hope if you do go fully vegan, it brings you health, happiness and peace. You are doing so much good for animals, the earth and your health even by reducing your consumption of animal products. As you are an experienced cook (unlike myself), I recommend the Millennium Cookbook (all vegan). Since I am not so good at cooking, this cookbook overwhelms me, but I think you will enjoy it. I'll try to bring it with me to give to you at your book signing in La Jolla. I am trying to come down from the Bay Area. Gosh, I don't know what I'll do when I've finished all of your books...Only 2 more to go. Been reading a book a week. Please don't ever stop writing! Thank you so much for helping me to have an escape from my stresses. I work as a social worker, which is always quite stressful, and I can't wait to come home and read my Jane Green. I have been caught reading in my office a time or two as I just can't put your books down. Look forward to hopefully meeting you next month! Melissa
Hi Jane, Wow, two of my favorite things...Jane Green and Veganism!!! Congratulations on giving vegan food a shot. I've been vegan for over 4 1/2 years (20 year vegetarian) and making the transition to vegan was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I hope if you do go fully vegan, it brings you health, happiness and peace. You are doing so much good for animals, the earth and your health even by reducing your consumption of animal products. As you are an experienced cook (unlike myself), I recommend the Millennium Cookbook (all vegan). Since I am not so good at cooking, this cookbook overwhelms me, but I think you will enjoy it. I'll try to bring it with me to give to you at your book signing in La Jolla. I am trying to come down from the Bay Area. Gosh, I don't know what I'll do when I've finished all of your books...Only 2 more to go. Been reading a book a week. Please don't ever stop writing! Thank you so much for helping me to have an escape from my stresses. I work as a social worker, which is always quite stressful, and I can't wait to come home and read my Jane Green. I have been caught reading in my office a time or two as I just can't put your books down. Look forward to hopefully meeting you next month! Melissa