Once upon a time, vegan food had a bad rep for being bland, stodgy and best suited for the dreadlocks-and-Birkenstocks set.

Nowadays in our fine city, the cuisine is blossoming, in no small part thanks to vegan chefs like Doug McNish, who've moved beyond faux flesh to bring attention back to fresh ingredients and whole plant foods. Now you can take raw food beyond salads at home with McNish's new cookbook Eat Raw, Eat Well. I had great success with the Cinnamon Pineapple Creamsicle smoothie and Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (make them in five minutes and refrigerate for an hour), and I'll be dusting off the dehydrator for some Sour Cream and Onion Kale Chips and Eggplant Bacon.

I might not be a permanent vegan convert, but this book will help me get there part-time. – Kat Tancock

Eat Raw, Eat Well from $27.95 at www.amazon.ca

A new, completely unprofessional and thus way more fun cocktail club—Lowbrow Highball—meets every month to stir, mix and shake up trouble.

The club meets next on July 13; see their site for details. 'Til then, enjoy this summer-perfect recipe from one of the lovely founders, and our friend, Beth Palmer.

The Sargeant Pepper:
3 parts grapefruit juice
2 parts gin with muddled arugula, strained
2 parts soda
1 part simple syrup (boil 1 part water, 1 part sugar)
Salt and pepper
Arugula (for garnish)

Shake the grapefruit juice, gin, syrup, and salt and pepper together over ice
Add to the soda
Garnish with arugula
Rinse glass, repeat.

—Sarah Nicole Prickett

http://lowbrowhighball.tumblr.com

“Not that I intend to die, but when I do, I don't want to go to heaven, I want to go to Claridge's,” Spencer Tracy once said. The art deco London gem is where Kate Moss hosted her now infamous The Beautiful and the Damned 30th birthday party and remains a mainstay with regulars like Erin O’Conner, Jude Law and Mick Jagger.

Capture the essence of Claridge's red leather-lined cocktail bar by serving its signature drink at your next soiree.

The Mayfair Flapper

25ml crème de cassis
3 strawberries
100ml champagne

Blend the sliced strawberries and crème de cassis in a blender. Pour into a champagne flute, and top with champagne.

The recipes are tweaked from one kitchen to the next, but many a family meal begins in the pages of Chatelaine magazine.

If you, like us, turn to this Canadian institution for tips and inspiration on what to cook for dinner, then you will love Chatelaine: Modern Classics ($39.95). Stacked with tasty ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this future staple focuses on fast, fresh and seasonal food for every palate.

We’re bypassing dinner tonight. With recipes like sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce who needs anything but dessert?

Chatelaine: Modern Classics is available at the Cookbook Store, 850 Yonge St., Toronto, 416-920-2665, www.cook-book.com

Claire Tansey, food editor at Chatelaine will be at The Cookbook Store October 23, from 2-3 p.m.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, says the old adage. Get more than your daily dose at any one of these bountiful farms:

Chudleigh’s Farm has been a favourite with families since it opened in 1957. McIntosh, Spartan, Gala, Cortland, Empire… take your pick. And don’t leave without Chudleigh’s famous apple pie, apple butter and apple chips. www.chudleighs.com

Whittamore's in north Whitby also makes good baked goods. Beyond an abundance of apples, you can also pick up pumpkins too. www.whittamoresfarm.com

After all that apple-picking you’ll want to sit back and crunch on a few at Waddell’s, a scenic orchard by the Rideau Canal. www.waddellapples.com

Pick from a small but delicious selection at Applewood Farm and Winery and make sure to try the tasty apple wines. www.applewoodfarmwinery.com

Pine Farms Orchard is another good’un. Their website handily makes suggestions for each apple variety—Melba, excellent for apple sauce. www.pinefarmsorchard.com

Visit All About Apples for some tasty apple recipes.

When you sandwich three pickles and a lonely slice of processed cheese between two slices of stale bread, you know you’ve hit packed-lunch purgatory. We’ve come up with a few simple, creative ways to make dining al desko gourmet.

• Mix lemon, garlic, olive oil, a drop of honey and a handful of coriander (cilantro) into raw grated carrots. Scatter a spoonful of sesame seeds on top. Toss in some feta if you like. Delicious.

• Take last night’s chicken leftovers and mix the meat into some lime, chillies, coriander (cilantro) and avocado for a hearty Mexican salad.

• Cooked brown rice mixed with grated orange zest, chopped hazelnuts, olive oil and almost any vegetable is a tasty filler-upper.

• If you’re really pressed for time, a tin of flageolet beans, rinsed and mixed with a splash of olive oil and some chopped parsley is a sure winner.

Courgette and chocolate come together at last in this Vitamin Daily-tested, kid-approved recipe (perfect for a quick breakfast).

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients (wet)
3/4 C butter, softened
2 C sugar
3 eggs
1/2 C milk
2t vanilla
Ingredients (dry)
2 1/2 C Flour
1/2 C cocoa
1t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1T Baking powder
1t cinnamon
2 C grated zucchini
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method
In a medium bowl cream butter with an electric mixer adding sugar, followed by eggs, milk and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir in zucchini and nuts.
Gradually add wet mixture to dry and stir well.
Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool, then serve dusted with icing sugar if desired.

This summer, if you can’t get to a Tuscan table, bring the table to you.

Packed with mouthwateringly fresh recipes from peaches and zabaglione to strawberry risotto, Recipes from an Italian Summer is the perfect way to bring a little dolce into your summer vita.

The images are breathtaking, and the recipes are culled from popular holiday spots such as Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia.

Tonight, it’s faro and shrimp salad, with lots and lots of vino bianco.

At the Cookbook Store, 850 Yonge St.,Toronto, 416-920-2665, www.cook-book.com

As a nod to Greek Easter, we asked Christine Cushing, host of Fearless in the Kitchen, to share a simple and tasty recipe:

Kopanisti – Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Spread

2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded
1/2 pound good quality feta cheese, crumbled (225 grams)
1/2 tsp chili flakes or freshly chopped chili (2 ml)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (50 ml)

In a food processor puree the roasted peppers. Add the crumbled feta cheese and pulse a few times. Add the chili and pulse. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in olive oil until blended. Spoon over grilled pita or flatbread.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Plate smashing, optional.

If you’re in the mood to bake, you can whip up a cavalcade of gifts this winter. You can’t go wrong with some dead easy lemon ginger shortbread.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Grated zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
2. In a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, ground ginger and flour until smooth. Press into pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cut into 9 squares and cut each square into 2 triangles.
4. Let cookies stand on a rack until cool.
5. Wrap in greaseproof paper and tie with a bow.