Whitecap Books is proud to announce that effective immediately Nick Rundall has been appointed Publisher and Jesse Marchand has been promoted to Associate Publisher, in charge of Whitecap’s west coast office.

"I'm delighted to be the new Publisher at Whitecap and I look forward to sustaining and building on the high quality production values that we have established over the last thirty-five years. Now that a couple of months have passed since Fitzhenry and Whiteside's purchase of the company we want to assure all our authors and customers that there will not be any material changes in the way in which we conduct our business,” said Nick.

"As Associate Publisher, based in our Vancouver office, I am excited and honoured to take on a more dynamic role in the Whitecap family. We plan on maintaining a strong presence in the West Coast publishing community through this office and we will continue to have our in-house production team of editorial, design, production, and publicity based out of British Columbia,”  said Jesse.

The changing of the seasons always changes my cooking habits. As fall approaches I start craving richer, heartier foods and suddenly don't mind turning the oven on again. The slow cooker gets pulled out from summer storage as sweet potatoes and cranberries replace cherries and blueberries.

Right now until October 3rd a selection of fall-flavoured e-cookbooks are on sale at the iBookstore. Try out Chef Michael Smith's Classic Chicken Stew from The Best of Chef at Home or Jeanelle Mitchell's Butternut Squash & Apple Soup from For the Love of Soup. Get your e-reader stocked up with all the cookbooks and recipes you'll need to make it through the coming season

We were very shocked and saddened to hear the news today that Food Network host and Whitecap author Anthony Sedlak has passed away of an undiagnosed medical condition at the age of 29. Anthony was a joy to work with and was always filled with so much personality. His infectious energy and passion for food was inspiring.

Anthony hosted four seasons of The Main and released a companion cookbook in 2008. More recently he was a regular judge on the show Family Cook Off.

In celebration of hitting the 1500 follower mark on our twitter account we’re running a little contest! Simply tweet “I love Canadian cookbooks from @whitecapbooks” by 4:00pm PST / 7:00pm EST on March 5th and you’ll be entered to win a classic Canadian cookbook set including new editions of Kate Aitken’s Canadian Cook Book (first published in 1945) and The Laura Secord Canadian Cook Book (first published in 1966)!

On March 6th we’ll use random.org to pick a winner! You must have a Canadian mailing address to be eligible.

Good luck!

**UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone that entered and congrats to our winner!

The Food Network has recently announced they are expanding with a new channel, the Cooking Channel. According to the New York Times, this new channel will feature “low-key programs targeted at a hipper crowd interested in the grass roots of food culture.”

One lucky Canadian who is being included in this grass roots theme is our very own Bal Arneson, author of the bestselling Everyday Indian. Bal’s new show, Spice Goddess, will premiere on the Cooking Channel on July 10. Inspired by the foods she was taught to cook growing up in her village, Bal makes cooking delicious Indian meals quick and easy. (Canadians can catch Spice Goddess on Food Network Canada in September.)

As if a new TV show weren’t enough, Bal is hard at work on a new book, Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian, due out this fall. Expanding on her previous title, Bal has created even more easy and delicious Indian recipes.

For a taste of what Bal has to offer, try out her healthy rotis from Everyday Indian.

Makes 8 rotis

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chana masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh or frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup finely grated or finely chopped broccoli
1/4 cup cooked mixed lentils
1/2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/2 cup water (add more if needed)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead until it has a soft smooth consistency like pizza dough. Take a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and form it into a round shape. Dust your working surface with flour so the dough doesn’t stick. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a thin patty (like a tortilla).

Place a non-stick pan over medium heat, and gently place the roti in the pan. When you see some small bubbly spots, flip the roti and cook the other side. When there are brown spots on both sides, the roti is ready.