A Book Tour and a Full Heart

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Hi. It’s been a while.

I guess I should have expected that touring with my cookbook would be more than just totally life-affirming and amazing – turns out it’s quite a time-intensive thing, and in between gigs I find it difficult to much other than feed myself and rest! But I am not complaining, just explaining my absence. I could actually fill this entire post with my overflowing gratitude for everything that’s happened in the past few weeks. But I think some pictures would help tell the story – I once heard that each one is worth a thousand words.

I will take a brief moment however to say thank you. Everyone who has been a part of and engaged in this tour in some way has really put it all in perspective for me. It’s so strange how most of what I do is completely solitary, and even when I put a post out into the world, I cannot see who is reading, where, or that they actually cook the recipes. In a way, I like it this way – less pressure and responsibility for little ol’ me, because if I were to actually comprehend the scope of this I may feel slightly overwhelmed. But this project, my cookbook, finally being out in the physical world and me along with it, has shown me that My New Roots is so much bigger than I could have imagined. Meeting so many of you at book signings, lectures, cooking demos, and connecting through conversation across a dinner table, hearing your stories, how this little blog has touched you or changed your life in some way, feels like a miracle to me. And I am so, so humbled. I’ve received boundless inspiration through these connections, and proof that this isn’t just some teeny project anymore, but a veritable force. Much like literal roots this has grown silently under the surface, going deep and lateral and gaining enough life force before breaking through to where it receives the light it needs to thrive. That is what this tour is: a surfacing and a confirmation that we are building a powerful community of healthy people. I feel like every drop of energy I’ve put into My New Roots from the first day has just hit me like a spectacular tsunami of love.

A question I was asked a lot on tour was about the food blogging community, and whether or not I think it is competitive. Without hesitating, I always said “heck no!”, because my experience is quite the opposite. Among my peers I feel nothing but support, camaraderie, and celebration for one another’s achievements. When I asked fellow bloggers to review the cookbook, of course they said yes, because that is how we roll. I am honoured to post their gorgeous photos below, and share their perspectives on my recipes. So if you haven’t received a copy of the book yet, you can try out a number of the dishes from their posts! Thank you to everyone who participated. You are such an inspiring and talented bunch of people, and I am proud to share the blogosphere with you.

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Laura at The First Mess took a stab at making my raw vegan version of the Ben & Jerry’s classic and well-loved Chunky Monkey, and definitely one-upped me by adding a swirl of date syrup for a ripple effect. Nice one, Laura. You rock. Get the recipe here.

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Sara of Sprouted Kitchen tested and wrote about one of my favourite recipes in the book, Sunflower Sesame Seed Brittle, and one that I made many times on tour for readers to taste! You can read her post here.

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Emma from My Darling Lemon Thyme made my scrumptious Roasted Pumpkin on Black Rice with Tangerine Tahini Sauce. This sauce is boss, ya’ll. Pour it on everything! Check out the post and recipe here.

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Angela over at Oh She Glows made my scrumptious Banoffee Pie! A combination of banana, toffee, and coconut cream. Get the recipe here.

 

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Anya from Golubka wrote a great post about the Ghee-Poached Radishes on Dandelion with Smoked Sea Salt. This is a super simple and favourite recipe from the book. Get it here!

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Lane of Green Spirit Adventures made my Oyster Mushroom Bisque. Check out the recipe here.

If you’re making recipes from the book and want to tag them, here’s what I’m using: #MNRcookbook

And now for just a few highlights from the events in North America. Thank you again to everyone who helped put these together, and to all of you who came out to give me a high-five. It meant so much to me.

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The first event was dinner at the gorgeous The Old Third winery in Prince Edward County. We held the celebration in a century-old barn and I cooked with one of my long-time idols and inspirations, chef Jamie Kennedy. Check out this link for their site’s blog post and event video.

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A stunning dinner at Burdock & Co. in Vancouver. The meal was all spring recipes from the cookbook.

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My interview and audio-only cooking demo – an interesting experience! – with the incomparable Sheryl MacKay of CBC radio. Hear the program here, and skip to 35:45 to catch my segment. Enjoy!

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Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks hosted a My New Roots dinner right in the bookstore! A night to remember for sure.

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I did three televised cooking demos in Canada. Thanks to Global and CTV for their support!

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Book signing at the always inspiring Moon Juice in Los Angeles. I was high on green nut milk and all the love!

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Getting a tad silly with Jo and my Piña Colada Passionfruit Popsicles at Delish.com. I’ll post the video once it’s live. It’s a real hoot!

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Food52 invited me for lunch! I cooked my Ghee-Poached Radishes on Dandelion Greens with Smoked Sea Salt for lunch. 

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The Q&A and book signing at NeueHouse in NYC. Thanks to my gorgeous friend Pippa of Sous Style for the incredible night!

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Lastly, an interview at my all-time favourite station Heritage Radio Network in Bushwick, Brooklyn. And quite possibly the coolest recording studio of all time. I’ll post the podcast once it’s online!

 

So, I’m back in my kitchen now. A new blog post (a very rad one) is on the way and I know you’re going to love it. Stay tuned dear friends.

xo, Sarah B


My New Roots

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