The Dirty Vegan Cookbook, Exciting Update!

As you all may or may not know, The Dirty Vegan Cookbook will be available this Fall (available for pre-order now!) and progress is moving so smoothly with this project.

We are in the final stages and I cannot even wait for you all to see it! You will love the recipes, the content and layout is awesome and ever so user friendly (an introduction, a handy guide to make your vegan life easier whether you are new to vegan life or a veteran veg head, and the most awesome recipes that you can imagine along with stories, tips and tidbits!)

If you are just catching up about cookbook news, here is some more information. As always, I will keep everyone updated.


This book is for the animals, the betterment of the environment, and for us vegan activists. Peace. <3

The New Starbucks Vegan Menu Additions: My Thoughts

Perhaps you have heard the news. Vegans have demanded more cruelty-free food products at Starbucks and the coffee shop giant took notice and appropriate action. They have done an excellent job with the vegan milk variety, with most stores offering three types of non-dairy milk options, and now they are expanding their food menu to include more vegan-friendly offerings, with a focus on a new lunch item.

There's going to be a Mediterranean inspired lunch choice that has vegetables and riced cauliflower or something like that. Very fancy schmancy stuff.

You want to know what I think? I think it is great! A swell idea indeed. Want my prediction? It'll fail like the other vegan lunches they offered, on and off, for the past few years. They are too fancy for a coffee shop.

I (as well as many other vegan people that I talk with about topics like this) would be perfectly happy with packets of nut butter to go on bagels (like they used to have), packets of vegan butter to put on bagels or bread (like they should have - they are a coffee shop after all), or a vegan scone or muffin on the menu.

Why get so sophisticated with these jazzed-up menu items when adding some baked goods, sans eggs or dairy, would do just fine? Or how about a tofu and veggie sausage sandwich on an english muffin or bagel that can be enjoyed during breakfast or lunchtime? These heavy-on-the-vinegar vegetable dishes they keep introducing are okay, but they are just, okay. Veganizing one or more of their existing menu items would not only be cost effective to Starbucks, but would also satisfy their vegan customers so much more than their souped up salads.

I appreciate any vegan offerings that any eatery can offer us, but frankly it is long over due and also I think they have the wrong impression of who most vegans are. We aren't all healthy eaters, all the time, because let's face it, if we were we wouldn't even be drinking coffee. You know what I want to see? A vegan cake pop, for crying out loud. It isn't hard, Starbucks. It'll actually be cheaper to make than your existing cake pops and more shelf stable. I can create the recipe and send it to you if you'd like. Or just take something from my vegan cookbook and call it a day, if it will make you stop with these over-the-top veggie dishes that never go past a few months in existence.

I'm just saying, obviously I say this out of love and respect; I'm a Starbucks fan and get all my beverages from there made with soy milk. I am a longtime customer, I just think we can do better here, not just for the consumers but for your business too. I doubt if these new vegan dishes will last more than a year.

Do you want to eat salad and vegetables with your coffee? I don't.

Meet Zucchi Gourmet Olive Oils and Enter Their Giveaway!

When you get a package like this in the mail, you know it's your lucky day! Read on to find out how you can win all 4 flavors of this amazing olive oil!

Zucchi was so generous to send me all 4 flavors (100% Italiano, Extra Virgin, Sinfonia and Sweet & Fruity) of their gourmet olive oil and their book, The Art of Blending, that unveils the secrets of extra virgin olive oil and the special process of naturally blending and infusing flavors into the oil. At the end of the book there are a few recipes, and unfortunately they aren't all vegan-friendly, but luckily they are easy to veganize if I ever want to try any of them and the rest of the book is pretty much vegan-friendly, otherwise. Definitely an interesting and sophisticated book and a good read.

Zucchi started out as a small family business and grew to become a major oil producer. "Oleificio Zucchi was founded in 1810 in the area near Lodi in northern Italy as a family business that produced seed oils for human consumption." Now large enough to be in their current 86,000 square foot manufacturing facility on the Cremona navigation canal, producing close to 400,000 gallons of packaged oil per day, Zucchi is a leader in all things olive oil, rightfully so. This company really cares about the quality and integrity of their olive oil, which is really important. 

Upon receiving my package, I knew these olive oils were special, it is obvious. The packaging is beautiful and decorative and I'm happy to be able to display them on my spice rack; they are just really pretty. I was immediately drawn to the Sweet & Fruity bottle. Then I thought of the perfect dish to use it in. Here is information from Zucchi and next will be my recommendations for using each flavor.

*correction "fresh white fishless"

I want to start by talking about the Sweet & Fruity. This is the perfect olive oil to drizzle over a light and crisp summery salad, especially one that has strawberries, peaches or apples in it. I am also really excited to use this oil for making homemade salad dressing!

The Italiano flavor is a strong and robust flavor. I would use this for practically anything, but definitely in any Italian dish. I can picture this oil being amazing in vegan lasagna casseroles or drizzled on top of vegan garlic bread. Yum!

Sinfonia is a light and all-purpose, multi-use oil. This is a great everyday oil and a healthier alternative to salad oil.

The Organic olive oil will definitely be my go-to oil. This oil is the perfect dipping oil. To make dipping oil, add some of this oil in a small bowl and mix in some minced garlic, a little onion powder, a bit of Italian seasonings, a few red pepper flakes, and some vegan grated parmesan cheese. A dipping oil is amazing to serve with soft, warm sliced bread, rolls or bread sticks. 

Final thoughts: I use olive oil every single day. I use it in my breakfast most days, and practically every snack or meal thereafter, on a daily basis. Zucchi olive oils are one of the best that I've tasted, and I consider myself a sort of olive oil connoisseur. You can tell a good quality extra-virgin olive oil by smell and taste - these Zucchi olive oils hands down win in both categories. These olive oils smell so good that they just do something to me; they move me. I want to make air fresheners out of them!

Neat little fact: you can scan the QR code on the side of the bottle of olive oil to trace the origin of the olives inside that bottle! Amazing! This is legit olive oil right here!

These olive oils definitely come in handy while preparing recipes from my cookbook, The Dirty Vegan Cookbook, many of which call for extra-virgin olive oil in them. A special thanks again to Zucchi for sending them for me to try. They are fantastic.

Zucchi is giving away 4 flavors of their world famous olive oil - click here to enter their giveaway.

Hey Chili's - Chilli Isn't the Only One Who Wants More Vegan Food!

Did you hear the news that Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of the group, TLC, asked Chili's restaurant to add more vegan options to the menu?

How CrazySexyCool of her! She speaks for many of us in the vegan community who dine at Chili's restaurant and are so bored with what they have to offer their plant-based guests.

Chilli asked Chili's to add vegan "chicken" and other more exciting animal-free food to their offerings, and I really hope the chain eatery takes notice of this message from the famous singer as well as the vegan community as a whole. Whether people dining at Chili's are vegan or not, society is going in the direction of more plant-based, for lots of reasons. I'm hearing more people than ever say that they are avoiding animal products for health and environmental reasons in addition to having compassion for animals. People who are battling health issues are being told by their doctors to go vegetarian to help lower cholesterol and help their health in many other ways. I've spoke to people who have trouble with allergies or acne and are being advised to avoid animal products like dairy to clear up their medical issues. So it would be a smart business move for Chili's to offer decent vegan options for EVERYONE. Just like diners have the choice between a variety of dishes, several plant-based ones should be offered as well. Think about it, restaurants have lots of different chicken or beef dishes on their menu, so why have only one vegan one to choose from? If someone wants chicken they have 10 options or more, but a person who wants to eat vegan at that meal, only has one option - that's not fair at all. I can even argue that it is discriminatory, Chili's.

I personally would love to see some of the menu items that I used to enjoy before going vegan, offered as a vegan option. I also think that all restaurants should have this; a dish, then the option to have it animal products OR plant-based. It's not hard to make it almost the same way, but use the vegan ingredients when the customer chooses their meal that way. That would make it fair and equal for ALL patrons and would also drive sales and profits through the roof. There's a whole group of people who feel they can't dine out much or at all, especially at chain restaurants, and make most meals at home or only visit vegan restaurants - because let us face it, dining out is expensive these days, so why waste your hard earned money on an overpriced salad when that is the only crappy option available for vegans? Maybe Chili's will be the restaurant to change that.

Hey Chili's, let me know if I can work with you on creating some exciting vegan options for your restaurants. As a vegan chef, former vegan bakery owner, pastry chef, longtime vegan and expert, and cookbook author, I know a thing or too about vegan cuisine - plus I'd LOVE to help with something like this!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. I hope your day includes a vegan quesadilla or two!

The Dirty Vegan Cookbook

Howdy!

For anyone who hasn't read the news about my vegan cookbook on social media, it is coming along very well and will be released this Fall.

This cookbook is everything you'd expect from me: cheesy, gooey, buttery, sweet, savory, delicious (and everything in between) recipes for any occasion. This book will change the world, I just know it. Veganism has been scientifically proven to be the best lifestyle for the health of humans, the environment and of course for the animals. My cookbook is your one-stop resource for how to eat and cook vegan in the easiest way possible. I've taken the guesswork out of it because it is crucial to be including animal-free products in your diet, and I want everyone to be able to do it. You don't need fancy or hard-to-find ingredients to follow any of these recipes; this book is unlike any other vegan cookbook. Put it this way, if you make any one of these recipe for a non-vegan, I bet you'll make a believer out of them.

Here is the link to sign up for e-mail news about The Dirty Vegan Cookbook and you can also pre-order from this page as well. I recommend reserving your copy to ensure you won't have to wait or struggle to find a copy when they sell out, and you'll be able to get your copy when it is released. 

The Dirty Vegan Cookbook is available everywhere books are sold. If you are unable to pre-order online, you can call your local Barnes and Noble or book retailer and reserve over the phone or in person. I've personally called the wonderful folks at B&N to confirm this because I know people like to visit the store to do things in person, I prefer that interaction as well. 

Also, sorry if I have neglected this blog for a couple of months - writing a cookbook is much harder work than I thought it would be. But you know what they say, the best books are the ones that the author absolutely obsessed over, making it an easy and effortless read for the user. Maya Angelou said something like that, about when she wrote her books. Hang on, let me go get the actual quote because I think I absolutely butchered that one - be right back...

Got it! I'm not going to admit how long it took me to find this excerpt:

"Will I write a sentence that will just float off the page? Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it’s right, it’s easy. It’s the other way round, too. If it’s slovenly written, then it’s hard to read. It doesn’t give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader." -Maya Angelou

I have been agonizingly particular about every tiny detail of this book. It is very important to me that, for animals, for the cause, this cookbook is perfect. I wanted it to be such fun to read and with instructions so detailed but simple and easy to understand, that anyone can go vegan, and they'll be absolutely compelled to. Please check it out: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557574/the-dirty-vegan-cookbook-by-catherine-gill/

Also, there is another reason for my brief hiatus on this page - well two actually. One: they deleted the Blogger app, which made it so easy for me to post anywhere or anytime. Two: I discovered the new plant-based social app, Vegan Amino, which is void of politics or trolls and is all vegan, all the time. Here's a link to my Amino page, you should definitely check it out; this is where I've been microblogging (besides on Twitter, which is where I hang out most): http://aminoapps.com/page/vegan/2520449/thedirtyvegan

But no worries, I will be posting here on thedirtyvegan.com regularly once again, going forward. I've been told by many people that they use this website as a recipe archive and resource due to how well I labeled the posts, so I'm happy that even when I took a little time off from blogging to write this book, this site is still a useful vegan source.

Ok, that's all for today. You know how I can go on-and-on. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Peace and love.