It seems that in recent days Tami has been one busy cookbook author, with not one, but two new cookbooks hitting the shelves. Whole Grain Vegan Baking is a collaboration between Tami and her Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day co-author Celine Steen. Grills Gone Vegan is a solo book Tami wrote in hopes that vegans will take back the grill from the meat-eaters of the world. (As a big fan of grilling, I can appreciate this!)

Tami is continually experimenting with ingredients and techniques that coax the most flavors from any dish. To her, cooking is the kindest form of nurturing for the planet as well as all of us who live on it.

CHIC VEGAN –  YOU’VE BEEN VEGAN FOR A WHILE. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START EATING THIS WAY? WAS IT AN OVERNIGHT SWITCH OR MORE GRADUAL SHIFT?

Tamasin Noyes – I’ve been vegan for almost 10 years. It was gradual. I’d been vegetarian since 1980, and often ate vegan, but never really committed to it until 2004. I had made a mental connection to rejecting eggs and dairy but not a mental one until then. As soon as that happened it was easy. The “epiphany” was just “why am I eating this”?

CV – CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED COOKING VEGAN FOOD AND WRITING COOKBOOKS?

TN – Around the same time I started my blog, I started doing recipe testing for other authors, such as Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero, Dynise Balcavage, Kelly Peloza, and Robin Robertson. It was the testing that really got me thinking about food more analytically, and then more creatively.

I was testing for Robin Robertson, and her husband became aware of my blog. At the time he was starting a publishing company and asked me if I’d be interested in doing a book.

CV – CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TWO NEW COOKBOOKS! TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GRILLS GONE VEGAN AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE IT.

TN – It was such an exciting thing for me to work with Book Pub Co. They are truly a pioneer in the American vegan movement, and published landmark books such as The Farm Cookbook and Tofu Cookery, and many more. So I was bouncing off the walls when they agreed to do Grills. Grilling has always been thought of so meat-centric. I really think it’s time for vegans to take their own place at the grill! With that in mind, I started compiling recipes and ideas and before I knew it, I had the makings of a book.

CV – HOW DID WHOLE GRAIN VEGAN BAKING COME ABOUT?

TN – While I’d love to say that Celine and I came up with that theme, we didn’t. The publisher (Fair Winds Press) did and we jumped on it when they approached us. Celine is very established with them and as a baker in general, and I was very happy she asked me along for the ride.

CV – IS THERE A DIFFERENT PROCESS FOR BOOK WRITING WHEN YOU’RE WORKING ON YOUR OWN VERSES WORKING WITH CELINE?

TN – Working with a partner is the best. It’s like having a built in sounding board so brainstorming can be fast and furious, which helps us both think more outside the box. When I’m on my own, it tends to be a slower and more deliberate process. I come up with lots and lots of ideas, but then dismiss a good number of them. Celine also shines at photography, so she spurs my thinking on how to make food look more appealing.

CV – WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO NEW COOKS TRYING TO FIND THEIR WAY AROUND THE KITCHEN?

TN – The best tips I ever got are the same ones I’d pass on to others. Mike Crooker (What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?) told me to just cook; cook all the time. The more you do it, the better you’ll get. The other tip I got was from a chef friend who said the key to cooking is to master a few techniques, apply them to different foods, and you’ll always eat well.

CV – DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING COOKBOOK AUTHORS?

TN – Theme is everything. You need to start with a strong concept, and then think about how it can be expanded for broader appeal. Another thing is not to get knee-deep in text. Focus on the recipes, not the other text in the book. All publishers and editors are unique and have different style sheets and standards, as well as “feel”. Be open to their ideas, but don’t abandon your own either.

CV – YOU LIVE IN THE MID-WEST, WHICH IS USUALLY KNOWN AS MEAT AND POTATOES COUNTRY. IS IT DIFFICULT TO LIVE A VEGAN LIFESTYLE THERE?

TN – It used to be, but not so much now. You’re right, it’s still very much the land of meat and potatoes, and I’m sure that has shaped my style of cooking. I lean toward comfort food.

I live in a rural area, and there are 2 places we could eat in our county, not counting all the Subways. But because it’s a rural area, the people at those two restaurants became our friends and worked with us to come up with dishes we could enjoy. Every time we head into Cleveland, it gets even easier to find vegan food. The ethnic places such as Indian and Ethiopian are our favorites.

CV – DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE DISHES FROM YOUR COOKBOOKS?

TN – Of course, but those favorites also change day to day. It’s safe to say anything resembling a Reuben (I’ve got lots of versions) is always up there on the list.

CV – WHAT ONE FOOD COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?

TN – Can I pick more of a category? It would be hot sauces. I love sambal olek, Sriracha, plain old American hot sauce, you name it. If I had to pick just one food, I guess it would garlic. But you add garlic to any hot sauce, and magic happens!

The post Interview Series – Tamasin Noyes appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Ironically, Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes was delivered to my door while all of this was going on, my mail carrier obviously unaware of the mini-meltdown I was experiencing inside.  With remnants of cupcakes still caked into my clothing, I pulled it out of the mailbox and thought “well, I won’t be needing this now.” Being the cookbook junkie that I am though, I opened the book ‘just to look at the pictures’, and I found myself once again in the kitchen (which was now spotless and organized) whipping up a batch of Lemony Spelt Scones. The scones were incredible and their preparation created such a minimal amount of disarray that the kitchen was back to being spotless by the time I pulled them out of the oven. My baking cessation had lasted just a few hours.

I’m just going to come right out and say that I love this book. Everything I’ve made so far has been super scrumptious and has created minimal mess in the kitchen, which pleases both my taste buds and my need to keep everything tidy. As a health coach, I’m happy that the recipes are made with a variety of whole grain flours rather than heavily processed white flour. I have several different types of whole grain flours on hand, and occasionally I try to use them in a recipe that originally called for white all-purpose flour, and my experiments usually end in disaster. I’m happy that Celine and Tamasin have already figured it all for me and I just need to follow their instructions.

Whole Grain Vegan Baking starts with a primer on whole grains, and then goes into tips for successful baking. Fats, sweeteners, yeasts and non-dairy milks are also discussed. The recipes cover everything from breakfast goodies and quick-bake loaves and muffins to breads, snacks and desserts. Treats found within these pages range from sweet to savory, and you’ll even find great dinner dishes, such as a Black Bean Taco Tart and a Spelt-Crusted Quiche. Whether your new to baking or a seasoned expert, you’ll find quite a lot of recipes to enjoy in Whole Grain Vegan Baking.

Fair Winds Press, the publisher of Whole Grain Vegan Baking was kind enough to share the recipe for Lemony Spelt Scones with me, so I’m sharing it with you!

Lemony Spelt Scones

Spelt and brown rice flours join forces with sesame in the form of tahini to impart these delicate and zesty breakfast scones with an awesome nutlike flavor. Note that we call for whole spelt flour here, as opposed to light (or white) spelt flour, which has had most or all of the bran and germ removed.

140 g (1 cup) whole spelt flour

80 g (1⁄2 cup) brown rice flour

11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt

48 g (1⁄4 cup) sucanat

85 g (1⁄3 cup) tahini

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1⁄4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegan milk, more if needed

60 g (1⁄2 cup) organic powdered sugar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice, more if needed

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a food processor, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and Sucanat.

Add the tahini and pulse a few times to combine. Add the lemon juice, zest, ginger, and maple syrup, and pulse a few times. Add the milk through the hole in the lid, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, while pulsing until the dough is sufficiently moistened: It should hold together well when pinched and not be crumbly at all. Add extra milk if needed. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, shape them into slightly flattened rounds of approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges at the bottom, and light golden on top. Leave the scones on the sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Prepare the icing by combining the sugar with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice at a time, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still easy to drizzle.

Place a sheet of waxed paper underneath the wire rack to make cleanup easier. Drizzle the icing over the cooled scones, and serve. The scones are best when enjoyed the day they are baked, but they’ll still be great the next day if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yield: 6 scones

The post Book Review: Whole Grain Vegan Baking appeared first on Chic Vegan.