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I work for a big publisher and almost everyday a box of new books arrives at my desk. These books are filled with so many things to try: recipes, patterns, exercises, philosophies. My colleagues and I thought it would be fun to put some of these books to the test.

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Veggie Challenge Day 21 - September 30 2014

We ended our fabulous veggie challenge with the ultimate soup and salad combo. We made Carrot and Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk from La Tartine Gourmande (newly available in paperback, Roost Books, 2014). This vibrant soup is bursting with vegetables: onion, leek, tomatoes and carrots and is flavoured with cumin, garlic, thyme, lime and cilantro. It is everything I've ever wanted out of a soup.

We had a divine sweet and crumbly corn bread from Ben Mims' Sweet & Southern.

To celebrate the final day of our September veggie challenge, we made an empty the fridge green salad: bibb lettuce, parsley, radishes, cucumber, green onions, oranges tossed in oil and vinegar. It doesn't get much better than this.

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Veggie Challenge Day 20 - September 29 2014

I woke up Monday morning not feeling so great so we thought it was best to seek out a salad loaded with vitamin C. We turned to La Tartine Gourmande (Roost Books, Oct 7 2014), newly available in paperback. We made the Watercress and Orange Salad. Oranges, cara cara oranges (no blood oranges to be found), lovely pink radishes, avocado, and feta on a lovely bed of watercress (we added some bibb lettuce and parsley because the watercress looked a little rough). We added a grapefruit too! Crunchy pistachios and a peppery cumin vinaigrette finished this salad off perfectly.

We should have followed the presentation instructions in the book where it is plated like a rainbow carpaccio but our tumbled citrus salad tasted fantastic all the same.

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Veggie Challenge Day 19 - September 25

TGIF - we revisited Salad for Dinner AGAIN and made Tostada Salad. Romaine lettuce, radishes, cherry tomatoes, queso fresco, spicy toasted pepitas and perfectly ripe avocado with a lime dressing. Like eating a deconstructed burrito with none of the guilt. We also made Cucumber-mint agua fresca from Tacolicious (10 Speed Press, 2014). Cucumber, mint, sugar and lime with a little kick (Friday Funday), this green monster was the perfect accompaniment to our Tex-Mex feast.

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Veggie Challenge Day 18 - September 25 2014

On Thursday, we made an autumnal salad from Salad for Dinner (Rizzoli, 2012). Roasted Acorn Squash and Brussels Sprout Salad with Quinoa, Pepitas, and Pomegranates. We had made a pot of quinoa the night before and had managed no other preparations. This meant the Brussels sprouts were raw and our roasted butternut squash came from the deli counter at our local Metro. The pomegranates were not quite ready so we used dried cranberries to achieve the same juicy burst of sweet and tart. Shelled sunflower seeds provided some crunch and we added kale as an additional green. The vinaigrette was mostly oil, vinegar, green onion, and garlic - with salt and pepper to taste. This is the perfect salad to bring to Thanksgiving dinner!

For dessert we shared a bite of brownie (from a mix, gasp!) and wonderfully crisp Ontario Macintosh apples over steaming cups of tea. Just right.

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Veggie Challenge Day 17 - September 24

On Wednesday, we celebrated a wedding toast in the office with drinks and catered food - a lovely interruption to our usual routine. We weren't able to get together at lunchtime but by 3:30 our collective blood sugar had plummeted and we needed a boost. We turned, as many have before us, to The Vegan Stoner for a quick, munch-able snack. To make use of our on-hand ingredients, we made a snack modeled on the Dill-Weed Sandwich. We subbed out the vegannaise for the remaining Green Goddess Dressing (from Salad For Dinner) that we made the day before. We sliced the rest of our cucumber and green tomatoes and layered them onto toasted pita bread, smothered in the tangy dressing. This light snack saved the day and kept us from running for timbits.

Many more quick and munch-able recipes (and charming illustrations) are available on the Vegan Stoner blog:

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Veggie Challenge Day 16 September 23 Part Two

Dessert Treat! We enjoyed two kinds of yummy cookies from Sweet & Southern by Ben Mims (Rizzoli, 2014). Colourful Birthday Cake Cookies were sweet and fun and Chewy Ginger & White Chocolate Cookies melted in our mouths and filled our bellies with subtle gingery goodness. This cookbook is a a sugar glazed treasure.

Check out Ben on Twitter!

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Veggie Challenge Day 16 - September 23 2014

Our next salad was the Green Goddess Salad from Jeanne Kelley's Salad for Dinner (Rizzoli, 2012). Spinach, cucumber, green beans (the recipe asks you to blanch your haricots verte - but we did just fine with raw green beans), green tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and feta cheese. The dressing is a yummy combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, and lemon juice. This is my favourite salad, in the challenge and in life, both for flavours and aesthetics.

One of us hard-boiled the eggs the night before and another made the dressing. We shopped, chopped, and arranged at lunchtime.

So good - you could make friends with this salad. Check out this salad master at http://www.jeannekelleykitchen.com

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Veggie Challenge Day 15 - September 22 2014

Usually one of us feels they have some time Sunday night to do a little more prep for Monday's meal. This Monday that little more prep meant a Parsley and Garlic Tart from Grow Harvest Cook by Meredith Kirton and Mandy Sinclair (Hardie Grant, 2014). This delectable recipe has a short ingredient list and is super easy. We used a store-bought pie crust to keep our lives stress free. The filling involves garlic (obviously, you guys), fresh herbs, eggs, cream and a little dijon mustard. The tart is served with a parsley and mint salad - a worthy addition, not the garnish I hastily dismissed it as. Mint, it's great! The parsley, at least, enjoyed the complete grow, harvest, cook process.

We rounded out of meal with a freestyle salad. We walked over to the market and everyone chose veggies that they liked: cucumbers, mushrooms, spinach, yellow bell peppers, Macintosh apples (special guest fruit appearance) and artichoke hearts. We added some cubes of herbed Havarti and dressed the salad with oil and balsamic vinegar.

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Veggie Challenge Day 14 - September 19 2014 Part 3

As the old adage goes TGIF and the best way to celebrate fridays is with baked goods. I baked Chess Squares from Sweet & Southern (Rizzoli, 9/23/2014) by Ben Mims. I respect baking recipes from the South. They are impossibly indulgent and don't hold any sugar punches. Chess Squares (like Chess Pies) are basically sugar, butter, and cream cheese. Essentially custard with a crust, this recipe could not have been easier. I couldn't keep my partner away from these little bites of joy as they were setting on the cooling rack and they were rapidly devoured after lunch as well.

I will be revisiting Sweet & Southern very soon.

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Veggie Challenge Day 14 - September 19 2014 Part 2

To go with our tomato basil sauce, roasted vegetables, and spaghetti squash, we made delectable little garlic crostini from The Duke's Table by Enrico Alliata, The Duke of Salapurata, (Melville House, 2013). We made the tomato crostini from this cookbook earlier in our challenge and so went right back the vegetarian well. Nothing quite beats fresh bread (from the Hot Oven Bakery in Toronto), doused with olive oil, garlic, and piled with herbs from your own backyard.

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Veggie Challenge Day 14 - September 19 2014 - Part 1

Friday Feast Day! On Friday we made a lovely Tomato-Basil Sauce from Neiman Marcus Cooks (Rizzoli, 9/23/2014) and roasted zucchini, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. To squeeze in more veggies, we replaced spaghetti noodles with a roasted and shredded spaghetti squash. We dropped dollops of goats' cheese on top for some cheesy love.

We were a little intimidated by Neiman Marcus Cooks but once we looked inside there were many recipes, like the tomato sauce, that are simple, perfected combinations accessible for any level of chef. Try the aspirational recipes on a Sunday or break them out when you're trying to impress your husband's family.

We had a lovely garlic crostini from The Duke's Table (Melville House, 2013) and divine Chess Squares from Sweet & Southern by Ben Mims (RIzzoli, 9/23/2014). See our posts about those!

It might have something to do with the comfort food or the fact that it's Friday but today's meal really felt special. We came together, we prepped, we feasted, we laughed, and then we went back to work. We tucked ourselves away into cubicles and clacked away, sated.

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Veggie Challenge Day 13 - September 18 2014

On Thursday we ventured into the heart of Turkey with Istanbul by Rebecca Seal. We enjoyed the Cacik from the day before so much that we sought out more mezze recipes from the same cookbook. We walked down the block to our local Rabba for all our ingredients.

Cacik, even tastier the next day, is a yogurt dip flavoured with dill, garlic, and lemon juice.

We made Surk Salatasi (Surk Salad). We used the rest of our watercress (from yesterday's salad) and added chopped green onions, Roma tomatoes, cucumber, and jalapeno. Surk is a spicy cheese made in Turkey - at the author's suggestion we added feta instead (making this Feta Salatasi).

The third recipe we sampled was Borulce Salatasi (Black-eyed Bean Salad). We substituted a can of black-eyed beans for a classic bean medley but otherwise kept to the recipe. To the beans with added lots of red pepper, green onion and dressed the salad with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. This is perhaps the easiest and cheapest salad we've put together so far. A simple way to add some protein to a veggie meal.

We wanted to make Pathcan Ezmesi (Smoky Aubergine Dip) hoping we might find a jarred grilled eggplant but this product was not available and perhaps does not exist. We bought a little tub of Babaganoush and some whole grain pitas.

This meal involved some chopping but was unbelievably easy. Mezze dishes are perfect for dipping, tasting, and sharing. We loved the flavour combinations Istanbul introduced us to.

Check out our book pairing for this meal: Memed, My Hawk, a Turkish classic. Memed, My Hawk takes place in Turkey in the 1950s and tells the story of a Robin Hood-like bandit, Memed, who acts out against the oppressive feudal authority that harass his community. This action-packed novel reveals social conditions as well as the political and natural landscapes of mid-century Turkey. Read this with a plate of sticky baklava and a thick Turkish coffee.

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Veggie Challenge Day 12 - September 17 2014

The star of today's meal was dill. We made A Picnic Potato Salad from Friends at My Table by Alice Hart (Roost Books, 2013). This zangy potato salad dodged the mayo and was instead tossed in a Dijon mustard vinegrette with loads of green onion, watercress, and, of course, dill.The recipe called for mustard cress and tarragon but we think the watercress did the trick.

We dug into the freezer and finished off the falafels from last week. We brought new life to those little fellas with a Cacik, a turkish yogurt dip, from Rebecca Seal's Istanbul (Hardie Grant, 2014) The Cacik was made with yogurt, shredded cucumber, a squeeze of lemon, and a bunch of dill. Yum. 

We chopped up the rest of our cucumber and shook it up with salt, pepper, vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a spoonful of cacik.

This lunch was made all the more enjoyable by only taking 20 minutes of prep time the night before.

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Veggie Challenge Day 11 - September 16 2014 - Part 2

We thought all our vegetable consumption lately warranted a special treat and boy oh boy did we treat ourselves. We ended our meal today with Butter's Chocolate Cake with Deep Dark Chocolate Butter Cream from the always decadent Butter Baked Goods by Rosie Daykin (Appetite by Random House, 2013). Our baker didn't have time to cut the cake into layers so we enjoyed it as a single layer. Colourful sprinkles on top completed the look.

Rosie owns and operates Butter, a bakery in Vancouver, Canada. Her recipes are simply wonderful and this was no exception. Moist and indulgent, it's the only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need. I'm going to pass this recipe on to my daughter and tell her it's been in the family for a hundred years.

"I think learning to make a really good chocolate cake is a life skill up there with driving, doing your own laundry and mastering a good handshake. This is a cake with which to recognize life's achievements, celebrate milestones or offer comfort when life goes sideways. It's a cake to share with friends, or to enjoy alone, in silence, on those nights when you can't sleep." - Rosie Daykin

Visit Rosie and her lovely team and learn more about butter: http://www.butterbakedgoods.com/

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Veggie Challenge Day 11 - September 16 2014 - Part 1

On Tuesday we enjoyed the Summer Pasta Salad from A Simple Feast (Roost Books, Shambhala Publications, 2014) by Diana Yen and the Jewels of New York.

It's safe to say we used this recipe as an inspiration - we have more substitutions than not. We used a gluten free spaghettini in place of orecchiette and romaine and mache lettuce in place of frisee. This salad was made even heartier with cannellini beans. The use of torn mint leaves and hazelnuts made this salad unusual and tasty. Dressed with olive oil, citrus, green onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Our late summer salad was so filling and a great reminder that cookbooks should serve as an inspiration - if you find a recipe that interests you and your fridge full of food prevents a trip to the market, don't be put off. Use what you have and I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

See more from The Jewels of New York: http://www.thejewelsofny.com/

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Veggie Challenge Day 10 - September 15 2014 - Part 2

A special Monday bonus: Coconut Banana Almond Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream Cheese Icing from Everyday Vegetarian by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Rizzoli, 2013).

These yummy cupcakes were made with freshly ground spices (cardamom!) brought back from a sampling team member's recent volunteer trip to India. With ingredients like chickpea flour, carrots, and banana, these are the healthiest cupcakes I've ever encountered.

The cream cheese icing benefited from a dose of lime and a crumble of crushed hazelnuts.

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Veggie Challenge Day 10 - September 15 2014

To start the week off on the right foot, on Monday we made Pea, Peach, and Goats' Cheese Salad from The Art of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (powerHouse Books, 9/23/2014). This book is all about eating real, unprocessed, and nourishing food to become a happier healthier food - and one look at the Hemsley sisters and you know they're on to something.

Fresh peas right out of their pods, end of summer peaches, lightly fried zucchini, and tangy goats' cheese elevated this dish to a whole new level of salad. We used spinach as our greens and substituted red onion for green and omitted the ghee in the zucchini prep (good ol' un-clarified butter for us). Mint leaves added a wonderfully fresh taste.

Not to brag, but the authors called our salad, "a riot of colour." And they were right, it was delicious.

For more healthy, vibrant, real food recipes, visit the Hemsley and Hemsley blog: http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/blog/