Vegetarian Detective

What a joyful time for everyone, including our publisher Imajin Books!

Here's the scoop directly from Imajin.


Our big event is comprised of 4 individual events: 

1. Kindle Fire Giveaway (via Rafflecopter contest) - Dec 1-25. Prizes to be awarded Dec 25-31. https://www.facebook.com/imajinbooks?sk=app_228910107186452
2. Paperback Sale - Dec 1-7 - 15% off our titles (great for Christmas gifts!) ordered via CreateSpace only, using discount code: LRG4K8RH. 3. eBook Sale - Dec 24-Jan 7 -($0.99, $1.99) Amazon and Smashwords http://www.imajinbooks.com/sale.

4. Special eBook Bundle Sale: DEADLY DOZEN (Dec 6-12); SWEET & SENSUAL (Dec 23-29).

♥ Becki

PS Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PPS If the button below says "No Comments", start the conversation yourself by clicking and saying hello!

Fresh raspberries over hot-off-the-griddle pieces of French Vanilla Toast, fried in olive oil, drizzled with maple syrup. ♥ Becki PS Also try sliced strawberries, sliced bananas (French Banana Toast), and delicious chopped mango!

Perfect for when you need to chill. Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris 2 lime wedges, partially slit crosswise 2 rounded tsps sugar, plus more for rimming glasses 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp orange juice 1 cup strawberries 1/4 tsp vanilla 2 cups ice Moisten the rim of two glasses with the lime wedges (save the wedges for final garnish). Sugar the outside of the glasses by dabbing them horizontally in a mound of sugar and turning. Blend together the 2 rounded tsps sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, strawberries, vanilla and ice. Fill the sugared glasses with the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri mix and garnish with the lime wedges. Serves 2. ♥ Becki PS So easy to join the conversation! Click on the comment button below.

Wow! One fabulous deal! From me and all the other colourful characters in these books (plus our publisher) to you.

The DEADLY DOZEN Book Bundle contains 12 complete mystery/thriller novels by award-winning and international bestselling authors: Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Catherine Astolfo, Alison Bruce, Melodie Campbell/Cynthia St-Pierre, Gloria Ferris, Donna Galanti, Kat Flannery, Jesse Giles Christiansen, Rosemary McCracken, Susan J. McLeod, C. S. Lakin and Linda Merlino.


THE BRIDGEMAN by Catherine AstolfoDEADLY LEGACY by Alison BruceA PURSE TO DIE FOR by Melodie Campbell & Cynthia St-PierreCHEAT THE HANGMAN by Gloria FerrisA HUMAN ELEMENT by Donna GalantiLAKOTA HONOR by Kat FlanneryPELICAN BAY by Jesse Giles ChristiansenSAFE HARBOR by Rosemary McCrackenSOUL AND SHADOW by Susan J. McLeodINNOCENT LITTLE CRIMES by C. S. LakinROOM OF TEARS by Linda MerlinoDIVINE INTERVENTION by Cheryl Kaye Tardif With an individual list price total of more than $45.00 and over 640 reviews collectively o…

Pizza with Rapini and Chillies

1 cup very warm water (120ºF - 130ºF)
1 rounded tsp salt
1 envelope instant yeast
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
olive oil
pizza sauce
3 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
1 bunch rapini
2 chillies, sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the water, salt and yeast.

Whisk in 1 cup of the flour until a loose batter forms. Stir in the remaining 2 cups flour and mix until a dough forms. You may need to add more water, up to 1/3 cup.

Start kneading the dough in the bowl and then transfer to a flat surface and continue kneading for a total of 6 min.

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a deep, oiled bowl. Turn the dough a few times until it's coated in oil. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap. You can refrigerate the dough overnight at this point, or allow it to rise in a warm place (which can be your oven heated for 5 min. at the lowest temperature when it's cold outside and a sunny window just won't cut it) for 2 hours until doubled in size.

Preh…

A scorching hot message from my publisher! Join the beach book party!
SUMMER SIZZLES 2014—July 12-20 Great things come in threes this July! 'Share the Imajin Books Buzz' contest—share our events on Twitter and Facebook, and share your pics of our books on your ereaders or you holding one, and receive entries into a grand prize draw for a $100 Amazon gift card! Open to anyone 18+ who can use Amazon. Other prizes include three $20 Amazon or Kobo Books gift cards (winner’s choice). Void where prohibited. Draw will take place the first week of September. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form http://www.imajinbooks.com/contests-events from July 12-20.Imajin Books eBook Sale—www.imajinbooks.com/sale—most ebooks will be priced at $0.99 or $1.99 from July 12-20, Amazon and Smashwords coupon codes.Facebook Party—for one day only, Thursday, July 17th, we'll be holding a Facebook Party online and giving away prizes (ebooks and gift cards f…

Do you get inspired by restaurant meals? This plate of Waffles with Fruit was inspired by a meal at Cora Breakfast and Lunch, founded in Québec, locations all over Canada. Drizzle on the maple syrup!

Go ahead and visit Cora Breakfast and Lunch (or the website http://www.chezcora.com/home) and see what inspiration you draw.

♥ Becki

PS So easy to join the conversation! Click on the comment button below.

Here's how easy it is: http://vegetariandetective.blogspot.ca/search/label/Grilled%20Veggies%20%28Vegan%29.

♥ Becki

PS Cynthia and I welcome your thoughts. Click on the comment button below.

A bunch of mystery readers and writers together in the same Toronto hotel conference space starting Friday! Wanna mingle? There will be readings from the latest in Canadian crime, seminars on writing in the mystery genre, a room full mystery books, including A PURSE TO DIE FOR, and a Scene of the Crime room set up for visitors to try and guess who, what, when, where, why and how. A PURSE TO DIE FOR co-author Cynthia St-Pierre will be on a panel with fellow authors Rick Blechta, Mel Bradshaw, Janice MacDonald and Cathy Ace. The topic? Is the female of the species more deadly than the male? No, it's not "Men vs. Women" but men and women revealing how they write female characters. Sleuths, cops, investigators, victims, witnesses, and baddies...two male and two female authors will be grilled by moderator Cathy about how they create believable female characters in these roles, and more. Is it just as tough for women to do this as it is for men? Does gender make a difference at t…

You can meet someone in person or online and like him or her right of the bat. That's the case with my friend, and Cynthia's fellow Imajin Books author, Kenna McKinnon. Kenna has been doing a blog tour and on, this, the last day I asked her to share one of her favourite veggie recipes. I have purchased all the ingredients and I'm looking forward to trying it myself. I said to Kenna, "I bet I could serve this as a fruit dip as well as a topping." She agreed it would make a great dip too.

Cheese Topping for Fruit
8-oz-carton cream-style cottage cheese 1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum (or flavoring)
cinnamon

Drain cheese and press through a sieve.

Combine with sour cream, sugar and rum.

Put in small bowl and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Chill until serving time.

Spoon over fresh berries or pineapple.

Serves 6.

Kenna McKinnon's middle grade book, BIGFOOT BOY: LOST ON EARTH is on sale May 23 - 30. Get it now on Amazon for 99 cents! http…

Raw Apple Pie

1-3/4 cups raw almonds 10 dried dates
1 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch nutmeg
3 tsps cinnamon + more for sprinkling
pinch salt
2 tbsps agave syrup
3 apples
banana

Finely chop the almonds and 5 of the dried dates in a blender.
In a bowl, combine the almond and date mixture with the vegetable oil, nutmeg, 2 tsps cinnamon, salt and agave syrup and form into a ball of dough with your hands.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an 8-1/2” spring-form pan and chill.
Purée one of the apples, the banana, the 5 remaining dried dates and the remaining tsp cinnamon in a blender.
Spread over the crust.
Core the remaining 2 apples and slice into very thin wedges. Arrange the wedges on top of the filling.
Sprinkle with cinnamon through a fine sieve.
Serves 4. ♥ Becki PS Cynthia and I welcome your thoughts. Click on the comment button below.

Had so much fun making this video! A Clue in The Case of Raw Apple Pie.

Inspired by a visit to Rawlicious in Newmarket not too long ago, I made a raw apple pie and it was delicious! I like it better than baked apple pie and you need to know that when I was living at home with my parents, baked apple pie was my favourite dessert. It beat out chocolate! Since then I’ve matured into a more normal state but I'm telling you this pie is yum! Not too sweet, light, lovely to look at, and healthy too.

The Case of Raw Apple Pie, which will include a finished pic and the full recipe, appears in my next post.

♥ Becki

PS Cynthia and I welcome your thoughts. Click on the comment button below.

Have you found yourself neglecting to make a favourite recipe because it's too much trouble?

What if you could make it easier and healthier at the same time?

That would be a keeper, right?

That's exactly how I feel about this adaptation of my original quiche that had a pastry crust. In the photo above, my new Easy Tomato Quiche in a hollowed-out tomato shell is served with mixed baby greens tossed inOrange Vanilla Vinaigrette.

Easy Tomato Quiche

4 large tomatoes, with ribs and seeds scooped out, drained upside-down
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups evaporated 2% milk
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 tsp salt plus more for seasoning the tomatoes
pepper to taste
grating of nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyère

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Grease a baking dish.

Season the inside of the tomato shells with salt and pepper and set them on the baking dish.

Whisk together the eggs, evaporated 2% milk, 2% milk, salt, pepper to taste, and nutmeg.

Divide the egg mixture between the 4 shells, leaving about 1/4" at the top for expansion. C…

Cynthia's talking about me again...

♥ Becki

PS Cynthia and I welcome your thoughts! Click on the comment button below.

Greek Salad

1 cup seeded, chopped cucumber
1 cup seeded, chopped tomato
1/2 cup Greek olives, pitted
1/8 cup minced onion
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
vegetable seasoning

Toss together all the ingredients, including vegetable seasoning to taste.

Serves 2.

♥ Becki

Presenting my first ever guest blogger: my friend Detective Charlie Kerrian (created by author Patti Phillips)! Charlie is accompanied by his wife, Sheila, who contributes these mouth-watering muffins. I've tried them myself at home. They can't be beat! Over to Detective Kerrian—

Hi everyone,
Sheila and I are so happy to be here with Becki today.When not off solving crimes, she’s busy coming up with recipes, so the three of us always have lots to talk about. Becki offered to serve up a tasty lunch and I said as long as it didn’t include broccoli or tofu, I was good with that. She kept her promise (as any great detective would) and we had pasta, grape tomatoes and a great pesto sauce. I’m pretty sure it’s a featured recipe here on Vegetarian Detective.
Back during the summer when Becki was a Visiting Detective at www.kerriansnotebook.com, the mystery featuring her as the sidekick, A PURSE TO DIE FOR, had just had its one year anniversary and had become a bestseller. Sheila and I n…