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Please tell us about your cookbooks and blog!I have authored three vegan cookbooks, the most recent is eat, drink & be vegan, and the other two are Vive le Vegan! and The Everyday Vegan. The recipes in my books have whole foods and healthful eating in mind, and maximizing flavor while minimizing prep time. I have a passion for desserts, and even these I create using unrefined sugars, organic oils, and primarily whole-grain flours. My blog is at http://vivelevegan.blogspot.com, and I started it just over three years ago. It gives my audience an opportunity to read more about my recipes and see photos of some of the dishes in my cookbooks, and to learn a little more about me as a vegan author and busy mom! What led you to become a vegan cookbook author? I had been vegan for a couple of years and at the time there weren’t many vegan cookbooks on the market (as there are today). The recipes I had tried from the books that were available weren’t always appetizing or practical to me, and I knew there was more to develop and explore with vegan foods… and that a decent – no, a delicious – vegan cookie could be made! I began creating my own recipes, and around the same time my father-in-law suffered a heart attack. While in the hospital, he asked his cardiologist what he needed to do to turn around his health and prevent future attacks and also medical interventions. His cardiologist recommended he follow a plant-based diet, as well as implementing other lifestyle changes. My husband’s parents had lived their entire lives eating a traditional meat and dairy-based diet, and had no idea where to start. They asked for help from us and for recipes, and that’s when I began to properly record and format my recipes, and compile a collection that would eventually become my first cookbook, The Everyday Vegan. Was there a specific moment when you realized that this is what you want to do? My father-in-law’s situation was obviously quite motivating for me to document my current recipes and also to begin with more kitchen experimentation. Also, around the same time, while working in a management position, I realized that whenever people asked me about the vegan diet and specifically about recipes, I came alive and wanted to share information about how to prepare certain foods, and to help others understand that it wasn’t all that difficult to eat a healthy, and tasty vegan diet. There was one moment when a colleague remarked “wow, you really know a lot about this stuff and you really seem to love it… you should do something in this field”. I thought “yeah, I think I will”! What trials have you experienced getting published and getting people to pay attention to your work and how did you overcome them? Having to accept plenty of publishing rejections was the biggest hurdle, but I held faith that my book would be of interest to a publisher, and it was. Within about a year after sending out my book proposals I had a publishing contract. How have your blog and the Internet in general affected the way you interact with your readers? My blog has been so valuable in that it allows me to connect with my audience in a more accessible and repeated manner than e-mail. Not only can I share information and photos with my readers, but they can respond and offer comments and suggestions, etc. The relay of information is not just fun, but also useful to me as I develop new recipes. Children have a reputation, sometimes undeserved, sometimes deserved, at balking at eating vegan cuisine, but you’ve had great success with that. How do you do it? I haven’t experienced that at all. I think that reputation results from introducing new and different foods (ex: tofu, rice milk, certain vegetables) to children that aren’t accustomed to these foods. Children come to love the foods they know, it’s as simple as that. Children raised on junk food will only want to eat junk food. Children that are raised on cow’s milk will often have a hard time accepting the taste of soy or rice milk initially. But similarly, if my children were to taste cow’s milk, I know they would think it tastes terrible (it even smells funky)! Our children have been raised on healthy vegan foods, and while they enjoy their treats like chips or cookies as much as another child, they also love wholesome foods – fruits, beans, whole-grain pastas, and vegetables – okay, some vegetables! Introduction of new foods, of any type, requires repeated introduction over time for children to start appreciating new flavors and allowing their palates to adjust. Do your children have a favorite dish? (Please share the recipe!) Absolutely. Some of their favorites include Tamari Roasted Chickpeas, “Sniffle Soup”, and Cashew-Ginger Tofu from ed&bv, Lemon-Herb Tofu, Banana Oat Bundles, Creamy Hummus, from Vive, and Tahini-Tamari Sauce and Triple Layer Chocolate Cake from TEV. And then, one of our daughters loves certain fruits and vegetables (berries, mangoes, asparagus, kale), while the other daughter has almost completely different preferences (oranges, pears, carrots)… so not everything pleases everyone equally. Of course, like most kids they also love variations on pizza and pasta… and the reliable pb&j. However, they are obsessed with having sauces of some type for dipping their sandwiches! I’m fully responsible for that, though. I’m a sucker for sauces myself, and they always see me drizzling something on the side or adding a dollop of something with what I’m eating. They’ve adopted my saucy habit, but usually what they ask for is something like tahini sauce, or applesauce or a tamari dressing, so those are easy enough to get to the plate. For you, what is the key to having fun in the kitchen? When you can follow your instincts and prepare a dish that you have been thinking about, without second guessing yourself. Often I have inspirations for a savory or sweet dish, and if I don’t hesitate to follow my instincts with it, the final result can be brilliant! But, I notice if any doubt creeps in with my experimentation and I change things along the way, the results aren’t as impressive. For me, it’s fun to play and not always follow culinary “rules”, because sometimes the best creations come from pure play – or even cooking mishaps! What kitchen equipment do you use the most and what is the one item you feel you can’t do without having(not counting a stove/oven!)? I wouldn’t want to do without my food processor – and my handblender and blender as well. I use my food processor almost daily, and also use an upright blender daily for smoothies. But, a handblender can be used for smoothies, and for pureeing soups, and making sauces and dressings and so much more, so it is definitely a must-have for me! Most chefs prefer gas powered stoves, but most home cooks use electric. Do you have any good advice for cooking on electric? I have a gas stove, but had an electric stove earlier in my cooking years. I love my gas stove, and never want to go back to electric because the heat is so much easier to control. With electric, it’s important to know that once the element is hot, it takes a while for the heat to come down if you’ve turned down the dial. If you’re making a delicate sauce or something that you don’t want to scorch or boil over, you have to be careful to watch the pot and work with the mixture. And, if the heat is too high and you risk burning your food, remove your pot from the element while the temperature on the unit resets to where you need it. Gas stoves give you more of an immediate reaction when increasing and decreasing heat, though it’s still important to mind what you are cooking! What staples do you keep around your kitchen? Plenty of fresh produce – fruits, veggies, and always leafy greens like kale, collard greens, or swiss chard. Beans, whole-grains and whole-grain products (things like kamut pasta, sprouted-grain breads, brown rice, quinoa) are also big staples in our home, and I keep a variety of non-dairy milks on hand (hemp, almond, soy, rice). It’s not all perfectly healthy though… you can always find a stash of different non-dairy ice creams in my freezer. And chocolate… a girl’s gotta have her chocolate! How do you organize your kitchen? Not very well! This is my weak area for sure, I could use a professional organizer to set up my pantry, baking supplies, dry staples, frozen items, and storage containers. Believe me, opening up some of my cupboards is not so pretty! How much time do you usually spend in your kitchen? Quite a lot! Definitely more than most folks, and I figure between 3-5 hours a day including prep and clean-up time. But, cooking and baking are a passion, and experimenting with new recipes is fun for me. I also value preparing foods where possible (vs. ordering take-out or buying prepared foods), and that simply means being in the kitchen more than others. Do you allow other people to help you in your kitchen? Are you offering? ? Typically I prepare most of my foods when our children are at school. When my husband and the kids are at home, I certainly have them help out with some prep here and there. My husband doesn’t do much of the cooking, but I don’t think I give him much opportunity to do so anymore – it’s my zone! Our kids especially love to make guacamole, and help with cookie and cake clean-up – yes, you guessed it, scraping out the batter bowl! What is the most amusing kitchen accident you’ve had at home? In my early cooking days, I once absentmindedly placed a cookbook down on the element of our electric stove. I had forgotten that this element was still hot, and I scorched the cover of my book. I was very fortunate that was all that happened! I posted about this mishap once, with a picture of the unlucky cookbook, here: http://vivelevegan.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-early-cooking-days-and-more-foodtvca.html. Do you have any advice on kitchen management? Keep your kitchen clean. After every meal, get the dishes and counters cleaned and straightened away. You won’t be motivated to cook or create if you walk into a messy or dirty kitchen. I remember the days of university when you might leave your dinner dishes in the sink for the next morning. Yuck. I wouldn’t want to look at dirty dishes first thing in the morning anymore! What do you usually prepare when you entertain guests at home and do you have any advice on entertaining? We really don’t do much entertaining with our children at busy young ages. But, when we do invite friends/family for dinner, I either pick some of my favorite dishes to share, or experiment with new dishes for feedback. For the most part, I try to focus on foods that most people like that are naturally vegan (ex: bean/pasta/potato dishes), instead of serving some tofu or tempeh dish that might not be well received. Do you have any advice for people who want to share their knowledge as vegan culinary authors? How does one get started? I think it’s easier now than when I began in the vegan world because the internet offers so many opportunities to expose your talents and network with vegan audiences. If someone sets up a blog, connects through forums and other online media, they can begin to develop a reputation and maybe even a part-time (or full-time) career in vegan cooking. It’s important to know your style of cooking as well, and try not to be everything to everyone, since that internet arena will give back its fair share of critiques! What exciting projects do you have on the horizon? What’s next for Dreena? I’ve been developing new recipes for the last year or so, and have another cookbook planned. I don’t have a release date yet though, or the title determined, but for sure I have a store of new and exciting recipes to share. Dreena Burton is the author of the bestselling cookbooks "eat, drink & be vegan", "Vive le Vegan!", and "The Everyday Vegan". She has written for publications such as VegNews and Alive magazine, and her vegan recipes are featured on Food Network Canada's website (foodtv.ca). In Dreena Burton's first two vegan cookbooks, The Everyday Vegan and Vive le Vegan!, she offered a dazzling array of healthy, animal-free recipes, many of which are based on her experience as a mother of two young children. Dreena maintains an active blog (www.vivelevegan.blogspot.com) and has cultivated an enthusiastic audience for her nutritious and delicious recipes. In her third cookbook, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, Dreena turns her attention to celebratory food - imaginative, colourful, and delectable vegan fare perfect for all kinds of events, from romantic meals to dinner parties to casual potlucks… and of course, everyday meals! The book includes over 150 recipes, 16 full-colour photographs, and cooking notes. Eat, Drink and Be Vegan is now in its third printing, and includes a foreword by Dr. Neal Barnard (President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). Contact Info You can reach Dreena Burton at http://vivelevegan.blogspot.com and at dreen@everydayvegan.com. *PRIVACY POLICY - Contact information is never, ever given or sold to another individual or company By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service. |
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