Wednesday, June 12, 2013

California Veggie Wraps with Kate Carlisle & Giveaway



Today's guest post is by Kate Carlisle, author of A Cookbook Conspiracy. She is also giving away a hard cover copy of her new book, A Cookbook Conspiracy, to one lucky Mystery Playground reader. Giveaway details are at the end of the post. 



Award winning author Kate Carlisle spent over twenty years working in television production as an Associate Director for game and variety shows, including The Midnight Special, Solid Gold and The Gong Show. She traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show. She also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that Kate spends most of her time writing near the beach in Southern California where she lives with her perfect husband.
A lifelong love of old books and an appreciation of the art of bookbinding led Kate to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. Find Kate online at www.katecarlisle.com.







In California, we are blessed with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, many available year-round. Ours is a very fertile state. I’m sure that plays a role in the great number of Californians who are vegetarian or even vegan.
I’m a carnivore, but I’ve learned that a meal can be complete without meat or even dairy. (I’d have a tougher time living without cheese than I would without meat.)
One of the greatest pleasures I get from writing the Bibliophile Mystery series is in widening my readers’ perceptions of some lifestyle choices that aren’t necessarily mainstream. Brooklyn Wainwright, the world-class bookbinder at the center of the series, grew up on a wine country commune, where her parents still live. 

Yes, her parents are aging hippies who used to follow the Grateful Dead on tour. But they’re also very savvy vintners and business people who have made a successful venture of their commune’s vineyard. Yes, her sister Savannah is a vegan with a quirky, bald head. But she’s also a Le Cordon Bleu educated chef whose vegan dishes wow the San Francisco elite.

(She’s also the prime suspect in the death of her ex-boyfriend, an overbearing celebrity chef… but you’ll have to read A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY to find out about that.)
This California Veggie Wrap is a simple and delicious explosion of plant-based flavor. And if you’re not ready to go completely vegan, even for one meal, you can add some cheese. I won’t tell!


California Veggie Wrap
4 6-inch flour tortillas
4 T cilantro pesto (recipe follows)
2 green onions with tops, sliced thin
¼ cucumber, sliced thin lengthwise
1 large avocado, sliced thin
1 small tomato, sliced thin
1 carrot, sliced thin lengthwise
4 sugar snap peas, sliced thin lengthwise
2 large strawberries, halved and sliced thin

Warm the tortillas in a dry pan over medium heat. Spread 1 T cilantro pesto on each, then top with the vegetables. Wrap and enjoy!
Cilantro Pesto
1 C fresh cilantro
¼ C pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1 clove garlic
¼ t salt
2 green onions, cut into chunks
1 t fresh jalapeno, without seeds
1 t lime juice
¼ - 1/3 C olive oil

Place everything but the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse several times, scrape sides, then pulse again. Add the olive oil a little at a time, pulsing the food processor between additions, until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
The cilantro pesto tastes great with pasta, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, or as the sauce on a pizza with Mexican ingredients.


Get your own copy of a Cookbook Conspiracy

Kate Carlisle is giving away one hard cover copy of her new book here on Mystery Playground. All you have to do is comment below with your e-mail (if it's not already attached to your Blogger id). The contest is open to U.S. residents only and ends at midnight tonight (June 12, 2013). 

Thank you Kate for such a wonderful post and recipe.


40 comments:

  1. This pesto sounds divine. I have to make it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you like cilantro, Kim, your guaranteed to love it!

      Delete
  2. It all looks great so when you making kim I will be over! Food and books yea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, Cheryl! There's no better combination, is there? A great meal and a great book to read while you eat... heaven!

      Delete
  3. This book is on my want to read list , would love to win a copy! My email is kathambre@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kath! I hope you'll love A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY. Best of luck in the giveaway!

      Delete
  4. I love veggie wraps. :) But I think I'd want some cheese. I too would find it harder to do without dairy, especially cheese, than meat. Though there have been times when I've walked around growling, "I need a steak, and I need one NOW!!!!" :)
    I think the book sounds great too.

    Pen M

    pmettert@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Four great entries so far! Pen - you can add steak and cheese. Here let me just drop the meat in front of you and back away sloooooowly... just kidding. I get that way too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, Deborah!!!! Yes, you can add steak to your veggie wrap.

      Delete
  6. Just copied the cilantro pesto recipe and am going to try it this weekend! I love getting recipes and books in the same combo - combining my two loves! My mom is a vegetarian, and while I am still a carnivore, she has introduced me to some amazing food!

    keizerfire@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There really are some incredible vegetarian options. You should get your mom a copy of A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY. I bet she'll love my very respectful treatment of vegetarians. :)

      Delete
  7. I JUST bought a bunch of cilantro so I now know what I will do with it. I can always appreciate someone trying to explain the vegan lifestyle to a carnivore like me.
    Renee Sliwiak
    rebee21@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know what you think of the cilantro pesto, Renee, and how you serve it! You can email me via my website, www.katecarlisle.com.

      Delete
  8. This sounds yummy. I am trying to get more fruits & veggies in my diet.
    winnie968 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a challenge, isn't it? I always feel really proud of myself at the grocery store when I have more fresh fruits and veggies than I do processed foods.

      Delete
  9. I love the veggie wrap!!! I also love this book focused series but don't have that one yet. Would love to read it.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Carol! I'm so glad you're enjoying the Bibliophile Mystery series! Best of luck in the giveaway!

      Delete
  10. I want to put that Pesto on so many things. Yum! Love the Bibliophile Mystery series. Always eager to read the latest one. Keep them coming!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Barbara!!! I love hearing from readers who love the Bibliophile Mysteries. ;)

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The wrap looks delicious, but I would definitely skip the pesto - not my thing. Looking forward to reading another one of Brooklyn's adventures. kuzlin(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you're eager to read more about Brooklyn's adventures... because I'm working on the next Bibliophile Mystery now, the one that will come after A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY.

      Delete
  13. Thanks for the recipe! I'm heading to the farmers market tomorrow and have the ingredients on my shopping list.

    jtcgc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wonderful! Let me know what you think. You can write to me via my website, or visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/katecarlislebooks

      Delete
  14. I've read this series and really enjoyed Brooklyn. I'm so glad it's still going strong. I need to catch up! girlygirl415@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kerry! I'm so glad that you love Brooklyn Wainwright. That is so nice to hear! Best of luck in today's giveaway!

      Delete
  15. Add some cheese to those veggies and the wrap will be perfect---I'll eat it while reading about Savannah and Brooklyn.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great plan! Just don't get avocado on the page! LOL

      Delete
  16. have enjoyed all the books in this series!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wrap sounds wonderful would love to read the book lomazowr@gmail com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rhonda! I hope you'll enjoy both. :)

      Delete
  18. OMG, an actual dish without MEAT?! I am enticed to try this since from the photo it looks yummy. Thank you for the clear instructions and I've picked up some other tips from previous commenters. I'd love to win a copy of your book and will give it to my college library after I'm done - so many people can enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really is yummy, Pat! I hope you'll enjoy it. Good luck in the giveaway of A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY!

      Delete
  19. It's great to see so many wonderful entries! Keep in coming. All entries posted before midnight PST tonight will be counted. (Except for mine, because clearly I can't win the book on my own blog, darn it.)

    ReplyDelete
  20. the veggie wrap looks sooo delish!!! thank you for the share!!!

    & thank you for the giveaway!!

    congrats & good luck, Kate!!

    cyn209 at juno dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. The cilantro pesto sounds amazing!! Not as amazing as the book though. :)

    Brooke
    brooke811 at ymail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you to everyone who entered! Our winner is Rhonda.

    ReplyDelete