Harissa, and a Q & E Vegan Slow Cooking Giveaway!

Do you know about this Moroccan miracle condiment? I first read about it a few years ago, right around the time I went vegan. I was planning to make a Moroccan vegetable stew with fried almonds to serve over a lemony couscous, so I had a look around at harissa recipes. I happened across a great article in the LA Times, made the recipe, and fell in love. Harissa is a recipe you can tinker around with, so here is my version.Perhaps you would like to have it on farmer's market gado gado, like I did above. You could also stir it into a scramble, dip flatbread in it, use as a sandwich spread, try a Moroccan recipe, or try that vegetable stew and couscous.

Harissa

3 cloves garlic (large)
5 sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed
1 large red pepper, roasted, skin removed
1 t New Mexican chile powder
1 t chipotle powder
¾ t caraway seeds and ¾ t coriander seeds, pulverized in a coffee/spice grinder
3 T olive oil

Blend in food processor for two minutes or until smooth. Store in refrigerator covered with thin coating of olive oil.

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On to the giveaway! Today it's special, because I have two copies of a brand-spanking-new cookbook to give away. Or rather, the promise of two cookbooks to give away: the lovely Carla Kelly's Quick & Easy Vegan Slow Cooking, a title to be released just after New Year's. The Experiment is providing a copy for US residents, and the author is providing a copy for non-US residents. Two winners will receive a copy upon this book's release. January: what better time for a slow cooker book? Thanks to The Experiment (thank you, Ms. Molly!) and to Carla!

I have had the pleasure of testing a number of recipes from this book, and they are wonderful. Look for the kick-ass moussaka, and definitely make the beautiful poached garlic and garlic oil. Amazon's product description states, "Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking makes it easier than ever to plan ahead for healthy, comforting vegan main meals--including soups, stews, chilies, curries, casseroles, pasta bakes, grains, and more--that you can set, almost forget--then thoroughly enjoy! With just a little prep time in the morning, on-the-go vegans and others looking to eat more healthfully can come home hours later to a perfectly cooked meal loaded with vegetables and quality vegan protein. There are no tricky culinary skills or fancy ingredients here, just trouble-free recipes perfectly adjusted for discerning vegans and cooks on a schedule. The nutritious, straightforward recipes include Parsnip and Chickpea Soup, Smoky Mushroom and Tofu Stroganoff, Tempeh Tikka Masala, Kidney Bean and Sweet Potato Chili, Roast Fennel and Red Pepper Crustless Quiche, Southwestern Pasta, Thai-Inspired Green Quinoa, and more—plus Carla Kelly offers kitchen tips and hints for success."

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below, and indicate US or outside US so I can separate the entrants! Tell me what you make in your slow cooker, or your favorite winter warm-up foods, or anything at all. This giveaway is open to everybody everywhere, whether you are in Seoul, San Diego, or Sydney. The winners will be chosen by a random number generator and posted tomorrow below tomorrow's giveaway. If you win a giveaway on this blog at some point this month, please be kind and don't enter further giveaways--I'd love as many people to win something as possible!

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The winner of yesterday's Japanese Cooking, Traditional and Contemporary giveaway is Mandi! Congratulations! Please send your name and address to me at miso...@yahoo.com. (<---make sure to click on the . . . link for the rest of the email address. This is a spam avoidance thing.)