A traditional day for lovers, St. Valentine's Day originated in ancient Rome with the feast of Lupercalia. Young women's names were written on small pieces of paper or billets and tossed into an urn for young men to choose from. The chosen couples would be lovers for the coming year. Since the early Christian church could not eradicate the custom, it chose to Christianize it by making it the feast day of St. Valentine.

The following recipes are from Bryanna Clark Grogan's The (Almost) No Fat Holiday Cookbook

Sesame Saffron Crepes

Note: this recipe is for four people so if there are only two of you, halve the ingredients­ or eat twice as much!

The crepes are served with Artichoke Heart Stuffing and Brandied Tomato Cream Sauce (vegan) I couldn't find any artichoke hearts so I substituted asparagus.

As someone who hasn't made pancakes (crepes) since I gave up eggs and milk, I must admit approaching this recipe with some trepidation! However, this vegan pancake version really does work. For sweet crepes, pour more batter and spread with jam or other preserves while still warm. Delicious!

The crepes, filling and sauce can be prepared ahead of time, quickly assembled just before dinner, and heated for a few minutes before serving.

Crepes:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup soy flour
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 Tbsp sesame meal* or sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp saffron (available from natural food stores and other food
• markets, adds a golden colour)

Place all crepe ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling and sauce.

Artichoke heart or asparagus filling

• 2 (14 oz) cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and sliced, or 2 (9 oz)
• packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed OR 2 bunches of asparagus, chopped
• into small lengths (omitting the tough stems at the end of each stalk)
• 8 large mushrooms, sliced
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine or non-alcoholic white wine
• salt and black pepper to taste

Brandied Tomato Cream Sauce

• 1-1/3 cup water
• 1 (5 1/2 oz) can good quality tomato paste
• 1 cup reduced fat soy milk
• 1/4 cup brandy or non alcoholic dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Filling: Steam-fry* the artichokes or asparagus, mushrooms, green onions and garlic in a large, lightly oiled or non-stick skillet over high heat, using the wine as the liquid, until the mushrooms are cooked and the wine is almost all absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Sauce: Whisk or blend all of the sauce ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a small heavy pan and bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring now and then. Turn heat to low and simmer gently for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

Crepes: Lightly oil an 8" crepe pan or cast iron skillet with an oiled paper towel (or use a non-stick skillet). Heat over high heat until water sprinkled on it bounces off the surface. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the batter, and quickly rotate the pan until it evenly coats the bottom. When the crepe starts to dry on the top, carefully but quickly loosen it with the underside of a metal spatula and turn it over. In a few seconds, remove it from the pan, and roll it up on a large plate.

Continue with the remaining batter, oiling the pan lightly each time with the oiled paper towel. (Although the recipe claims this batter is enough for 12 crepes, I only got eight).

To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unroll the crepes and divide the filling evenly among them, spooning the filling down the centre of each crepe. Roll them up and place them side by side in a shallow, lightly oiled baking pan. Bake them for about 10 minutes, or until the filling is hot. While they are baking, gently heat the sauce ingredients. Serve the crepes with some of the sauce poured over them.

Biscotti

Makes 28 biscotti.

• 1/2 cup cold water mixed with 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp powdered egg replacer
• 1 cup sucanat or other sweetener
• 2 tsp pure vanilla, lemon or orange extract, or 1 tsp pure almond or other
• nut extract
• 2 cups pastry flour, white or whole wheat
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup dried apricots, cherries, raisins, currants or other dried fruit,
• chopped, or 3 Tbsp candied ginger, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk or beat the water and egg replacer together until frothy. Mix in sweetener and extract, and beat well.In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir this into the egg replacer-sweetener mixture, along with the optional fruit. Mix well and, with floured hands, shape the dough into two, 3 inch wide logs, nine to 10 inches long, with ends squared off. Place on a non-stick lightly oiled or sprayed cookie sheet. Bake the logs for 25 min., remove the pan and reduce the heat to 300°F.

Cool the logs on a rack for 15 minutes, cut with a serrated knife straight across into 14 slices each. Place the slices cut side down on two non-stick lightly oiled or sprayed cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 min. Turn the slices over and cook 10-15 min. more. Cool on racks, then store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

*Sesame meal: This provides more fibre and less fat than sesame oil. Place 2 cups of hulled, raw sesame seeds in a heavy dry skillet over high heat. Stir constantly until seeds turn golden brown and start to pop. Remove from heat and blend at high speed until they are the consistency of a fine meal but not a paste. Keep in a covered container in the freezer.

* Steam-frying: Use a nonstick pan or lightly brush a skillet with 1/2 tsp oil. Heat, and add ingredients plus enough water or stock to sizzle the vegetables without burning them. Add a little more liquid as it dries out.

The (Almost) No Fat Holiday Cookbook

Review by Anne Dozell

This new vegan cookbook by British Columbia food writer and teacher Bryanna Clark Grogan is a fascinating collection of holiday recipes from many cultures.

Each section offers a complete menu for such widely different occasions as Christmas, Hanukkah, St. Patrick's Day, Pesach (Passover), Holi (Indian Spring Festival), Kwanzaa (African-American cultural holiday) and Naw Ruz (Baha'i New Year).

If the menus seem exotic, the ingredients are not. The recipes are easy to follow and don't take too much time. You can buy most of the ingredients in supermarkets and natural food stores, although you will have to visit your liquor store to buy the Guinness that makes the St. Patrick's Day Irish Stew so dark and delicious!

The author also stays true to her promise of "low fat". Her Brownies and Carrot Fruitcake contain 0 gm of fat per serving while her guacamole (recipe right) boasts only 1 gm of fat. Where sauteeing is required, Ms. Grogan gives directions for steam-frying.

The book ends with a general section of delicious recipes including Seitan Roast, "Butter Tarts" (no butter required), Chocolate Brownies, Pumpkin Pie and Biscotti.

This book is a must for cooks who love to experiment with different tastes. It's now available from TVA at $17 ($20 postpaid), 10% discount for members. Visit our resource centre at 736 Bathurst Street or mail-order by phone, using your VISA card.

Low Fat Guacamole

• 10 oz whole, small green beans (fresh or frozen)
• 10 oz frozen baby lima beans
• 1 cup medium-firm, reduced-fat, regular tofu or one 10 oz package of firm or extra-firm reduced-fat silken tofu
• 1/2 cup tomato salsa
• 4-6 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Cook the beans separately until just tender. Drain and process in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until smooth. Place in a covered bowl and refrigerate.

Makes about 4 cups. Fat: 1 gm per 1/4 cup

From the January 1996 issue of Lifelines.