Every Tuesday we will feature a review from our Dairy-Free Library. This week’s selection is Vegan Vittles, Second Helping by Jo Stepaniak. I reviewed it back when it was released in 2007, and loved it (in fact, I am still loving it). But Sarena of The Non-Dairy Queen is here to bring new life to this book with her own review:

I approach cookbooks differently now that I have dairy allergies. Since I realized that vegan cookbooks contained no dairy products, they are the cookbooks I go for first. I know that the recipes won’t necessarily feed all of my family, but I like it when there are options that will. I have discovered through my research that vegan cookbooks are extremely helpful when it comes to sweets and breakfast foods for all of us to enjoy ...

Actually, this little dish isn’t sinful at all, but that title just sounds so good doesn’t it? Well, this Scrumptious Cinnamon Apple Sauté does produce tender, juicy apples with a wonderfully rich, sweet, and cinnamon-y syrup, rendering it indulgent enough for a healthy dessert. However, I had it for breakfast. I ate it on its own as a part of my multi-course Sunday grazing. But, this simple recipe (just 10 minutes!) is incredibly flexible when it comes to serving options ... Top waffles with the apples and resultant cinnamon-apple syrup; Top the apples with a scoop of ice cream (this one and this one being my picks), drizzling some of the resultant syrup over top of everything for a sundae flare; Spread nut butter on a bagel, toast, or rice cakes, and top with slices of cinnamon apples; and the list goes on ...

Every Tuesday we will feature a review from our Dairy-Free Library. This week’s selection is You Won't Believe It's Vegan!: 200 Recipes for Simple and Delicious Animal-Free Cuisine by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty (reviewed by jae steele, author of Get It Ripe) - Last summer there was a syndicated review circulating the Associated Press of my book and two others, one of which was this one. The reviewer said: "Well, with recipes such as raw cashew aioli and tofu hot wings, you probably will believe it. But that doesn't mean you won't like it. Sher and Doherty offer some inventive and appealing takes on vegan cooking." The quote really cracks me up, because I know how conventional eaters are about "alternative" diets, and I know what the authors meant, which is what many of us are trying to prove: that vegan eating can be delicious and nutritious. (With coverage like this, is it really still an issue? Sigh....)

It was 15 minutes to dinner, and I needed something to go with two salmon filets. Since I was craving some carbs, and it was a little too late to whip up a batch of bread or cook brown rice, I decided pasta was the way to go. The salmon was marinated in a sesame-soy concoction, generally Asian inspired, so I was excited when I spotted some udon noodles in the cupboard (to keep with the theme of course!). I literally threw the noodles together with a simple veggie saute, and it turned out to be the star of the meal. We both agreed that the Veggie Udon had a Ramen-esque flavor, taking us back to the MSG-rich days of our childhoods. After the success of that throw together dish, my cravings lingered on ... so much so that I had to attempt a re-creation just two nights later.  Only this time, it was a giant bowl of Easy Veggie Udon that served as the main dish.

After years of running GoDairyFree.org, it was inevitable that a book must follow. Thus, at the end of 2008, I finally published Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. As a small book and online media publisher, I count a great deal on word of mouth for letting people know about both the website and the book. And to be honest, I have been thrilled and overwhelmed by the positive response. In April, Go Dairy Free was featured by VegFamily, the premier online magazine for vegan family living, and Foods Matter, a UK publication (also available as an eMagazine for those in the U.S.) dedicated to food allergies and intolerances.

Earth Day may fall on April 22nd this year, but I think we would all love to make some Earth Day resolutions that last throughout the year. Since food is always forefront on my mind, one of the first things I began thinking about was eating conciously.  Sure, I do okay, but I could certainly do much better. In fact, there are a few books that I am planning to give a first or second look. Two are cookbooks that focus on eating seasonally, Local Bounty and The Veggie Queen. Their recipes are vegetable and fruit-centric (and delicious I might add!), and the chapters are divided by season. Eating seasonally will not only yield tastier results (have you ever had an out of season strawberry? bleh!), but seasonal produce is often grown closer to home, requiring less travel, less energy, less pollution, etc. to get to your plate.

For overall awareness of how what we eat affects the environment, I found Grub by by Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry (he also has a new cookbook out, Vegan Soul Kitchen) to be an encouraging eye opener. And though I haven't yet read Food Matters by Mark Bittman, I plan to for my first Earth Day resolution.