Two Out of Three Isn't Bad

MAPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS
p. 237 LDV
Prepared 1/31/07

I have no idea why I was so struck by this recipe, but all of a sudden, I was like, "I gotta go make those maple struesel muffins in LDV!!" (really). Its a good recipe! This recipe uses that whole apple cider vinegary magic thing to rise (a la my dear darling cupcake book)-- they were so yummy, especially warm. I am not the only one who thought so...the males of the household agreed wholeheartedly.




CAULIFLOWER POTATO SOUP WITH NUTMEG
p. 108 LDV
Prepared 1/31/07

This recipe is prefaced by a joke that made me laugh, but the soup itself actually a hidden gem! This soup was really delicious. My guys liked it too! We were happy to eat it, and I'm glad there are leftovers! I am used to all those random spices in the recipes by now (remember: cinnamon and red lentils really do taste yummy together!) so the titch of nutmeg didn't throw me off. Extra special thanks to my toddler daddy for preparing this one whilst I dealt with Mr. I Think I Will Wake Up From My Nap And Do Nothing But Cry For An Hour. Mentioning no names. (A muffin cheered him up. Eventually.)


STEVE & ZIPPORAH'S GREEN BEAN ZASMASHKA
p. 186 LDV
Prepared 1/31/07

Welllll...I think we were led down the primrose path here. Essentially breadcrumbs, margarine and steamed beans? I was willing to give it a go but it was a flop. Just as I was thinking to myself that this dish was really not worth the effort (steamed grean beans would be just as good), tonight's chef said, "I wish these green beans didn't have these gross bread crumbs on them!"

TuNah

TU-NO OPEN FACE SANDWICH
p. 159 LDV
Prepared 1/30/07 (Driver's Permit Test Passing Day!)

This one was fine, ok, decent, but it didn't bowl me over. Speaking of the word over, my son has been going into some timeouts lately because he has a little issue with throwing stuff all over the place. And when he gets put in a time out, he immediately begins yelling, "OH-VAH! OH-VAH!" He sounds like he is from S. Boston, or Weymouth, or old school Somerville. I have to turn around and privately snicker when he is doing it. So anyway, the recipe: it surely is not faux chicken salad. But it made a pretty good lunch. I didn't have kelp, so I toasted up some nori and crumbled it in. Which reminds me: this recipe would make a good filling for sushi or hand rolls.

Peanutty Goodness

HAYLEY & IAN'S PEANUT BUTTER PASTA
p. 153 GOV
Prepared 1/22/07

This was really good-- I stretched the recipe to feed extra mouths by using a full package of brown rice noodles and adding additional veggies (carrots, kale) and some cashew butter as well. As we have no worcestershire sauce, I omitted it and added a bit of rice vinegar. This was very simple and really tasty. My son ate a TON of it! You know its a score when the toddler set digs in.

Split Pea

HOME-STYLE GREEN PEA SOUP
p. 82 GOV
Prepared 1/21/07

I am a true blue fan of the split pea. This soup was nothing far from the normal old split pea soup, but terrifically satisfying on a cold winter evening. Served with quinoa, it made our bodies warm and happy.

Delightful Chapati and Curry Night

A great friend of mine recently made chapatis for her family and told me that they were quite straightforward and satisfying to make. So when we had company, I thought I would bust one of the multiple chapati recipes out of the series and try them.

COCONUT CURRIED VEGGIES
p. 161 LDV
Prepared 1/20/07

CHAPATI FLAT BREAD
p. 267 LDV
Prepared 1/20/07

This was a really good meal. The curry was straightforward, simple and tasty. I added extra veggies and omitted the rice to serve over couscous (next time, I will just use the rice!). I also used garbanzo beans instead of kidney beans. No matter. The real excitement came in making the chapatis. They were, as my friend promised, straightforward to make, and really yummy. We made ours out of mainly whole wheat flour because that is what was on hand at the time, they came out great. I disagree with the instruction to put margarine on them as they come off the grill-- the margarinized breads were too greasy for my tastes (others in my party disagreed, though). However, this was a great recipe and I am so happy I made them. It was essentially like making a more structured pancake to have with your curry. Deeeelish.

Cold Weather Grub

GARDEN CARROT SOUP WITH FRESH GINGER
p. 86 GOV
Prepared 1/20/07

COUNTRY CORN MUFFINS
p. 130 HIAV
Prepared 1/20/07

The soup was verrrrrry good-- oh how I love a carrot ginger soup, so its hard to go really wrong there. The muffins were really heavy and didn't float my boat.

Try, Try Again

One thing that continues to confound my vegan cookery is a really satisfying vegan brownie. My partner and I are in agreement that this is a rare bird indeed. If anyone could do it, though, I thought it would be the much lauded Wolffie. The results were a huge improvement, though we aren't all the way there.

WOLFFIE'S CHOCOLATEY MOIST BROWNIES
p. 211 LDV
Prepared 1/19/07

These are the best vegan brownies thus far, I noted that they would be better with frosting (which, in all fairness, is suggested in the recipe for "extra chocolate flava"-- something I can get behind) or perhaps white chocolate chips. I think I will make them again with said additions. These didn't hang around for long-- we, along with our favorite houseguest, made short work of them, despite their frosting-free-ness.

Well Worth It

As you will recall, one reason behind my undertaking this project was to sort of stretch myself past my vegan culinary comfort zone. This has paid off with a lot of new recipes I've found and enjoyed that might have taken me a long time to get around to, but perhaps my favorite find so far is this one.

YAM PECAN BAKE
p. 189 LDV
Prepared 1/18/07

For most of my life, I didn't like yams, sweet potatoes or pecans, so this would have been a recipe I'd have flipped right on by. Which would have been tooooooo bad, because it is completely and totally fabulous. I am considering doing the rare remake of it soon! I didn't have sage and so omitted it, I just tossed in a bit more thyme. I really highly recommend this. Its savory and well...all the tastes go together very well. We were so lucky to share this (with lentils and rice) with two of our very good friends. Not many leftovers at all!

I Sure LOVE Gravy Part 2

MALLOREIGH'S MUSHROOM GRAVY
p. 180 LDV
Prepared 1/14/07

To quote directly from my notes on this recipe:

delicious!! I [insert heart] this. served with noodles, blackeyed peas and
steamed veggies. yummy! will have to have a gravy-off with the miso gravy.

The Story Of This Cake Cracks Me Up

SHARON'S BLACK PEPPER COFFEE CAKE
p. 248 LDV
Prepared 1/13/07

The story goes that the person who sent this recipe in was making it to impress her new beau in the early stages of their relationship, and thought where the recipe called for BP she should add black pepper, not, as you may realize is the wiser choice, baking powder.

We were happy to share this yummy cake with a friend who came over for brunch. The cake itself was good, though I prefer a more hearty crumble on top. Its goodness was heightened by the addition of a berry sauce that I concocted for our fruit salad...but that was much more appreciated on the cake. Tee hee. Black pepper.

Lentils Rule.

WENDY'S LENTIL AND BROWN RICE CASSEROLE
p. 140 LDV
Prepared 1/11/07

This was easy peasy and delicious, one lunch attendee said it tasted quite a bit like risotto. We were out of onions so I added garlic and some onion granules in its stead. I definitely recommend.

Oh, The Brown Bananas In The Fruit Basket

WOLFFIE'S B'NANNER BARS
p. 214 LDV
Prepared 1/10/07

As you well recall, I do not eat anything that has been waved near a banana, never mind something that actually contains a banana. Our adult tasters (neighbor, boyfriend) were both very complementary, one noted the following:

Good but not overpowering banana-y flavor, flavor is not artificial and there is a nice texture which is brownie-like and goes really well with the chocolate. Toasted nuts would really be good next time (ed note: S. Kramer does actually recommend walnuts for this recipe). Not that far off from being a blondie; not overly sweet.

I added chocolate chips and topped with leftover quick chocolate ganache from last night's cupcake-ifery (chocolate mint,from VCTOTW...they are awesome, btw!), if I liked banana, I would be all over these. Looks like Wolffie and S. Kramer have another winner on their hands!

Did You Think I Was Joking When I Said That We Like Pancakes?

So yeah, we REALLY like pancakes in our house. On Sunday, sensing that the apple that the babysitter had chopped up the night before wasn't going to last much longer, I found the perfect way for it to be honored.

APPLE PIE PANCAKES
p. 38 LDV
Prepared 1/07/07

First of all, this made the perfect amount for our family. Second of all, my son loved the bits of apple in it, pointing them out and saying "ah-ah-ah-ah," which is his way of saying apple. Third of all, they are fairly easy and substantial, though am not sure how pielike they actually are!

A Fine Night

On Sunday, we had a slightly spur of the moment mini-dinner party. It was really nice for us to be surrounded by our good friends, none of whom we see as regularly as we'd like to. I made another one of those cornbread-topping casserolie things, and in case we ran out of food, a bunch of chili as well.



BAKED CHILI WITH CORNBREAD BISCUIT TOPPING
p. 173 LDV
Prepared 1/07/07

VERY DELICIOUS! This is one of the best recipes yet, all thanks to the mysterious Wolffie! She and S. Kramer are *not* lying when they tell you this makes a lot and that you should call some friends over and have a party...oh no, they are, in fact, hitting the proverbial nail upon its head.

The chili underlayer is some of the best veg chili I've every had...it asks you to go the extra mile by putting chocolate, molasses and some other spices in, but the reward is a really complex tasting chili. I used Boca grundles again (even my faux meat hating partner digs them) and added about a quarter of a can of diced chilis to the fabularosa cornbread topping. This cornbread topping is the best I've had on any of these types of dishes-- light and fluffy and the absolute perfect accompaniment to the chili. I can't recommend this dish enough to you people.



SHERRI'S BLACK BEAN CHILI
p. 164 LDV
Prepared 1/07/07

Very good, though certainly not spicy (maybe the canned chilis weren't very hot?)...I had to add much, much more water during the final simmer, maybe even 2 cups worth. A wholesome and worthy addition to your cold weather menu repertoire!

How I Love Thee, Broccoli

GERRY'S QUICK BROCCOLI AND HOT CHILI PEPPER PASTA
p. 128 LDV
Prepared 1/1/07

It is everything advertised in its name. I added zuke and cannellini beans. It fed a larger group than usual, and we were all happy to eat its yummy broccoli goodness!

Happy New Year, Eat Some Pancakes

For our first meal of the year, it was...

BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL PANCAKES
p. 40 GOV
Prepared 1/1/07

Good. I used raspberries instead of blueberries and have some batter left over in the fridge just waiting for tomorrow. The addition of cornmeal seemed counterproductive to some tasters, who prefer their pancakes light (however, aforementioned taster had no problem eating said pancakes).

My Cheating Heart, Part 2

New Year's Eve cupcakes from VCTOTW-- basic chocolate cupcake, ganache and a sprinkle of you know what over a stencil. They were fabulous and I yearn for them, and wish I hadn't eaten two last night so that I could have one now.*



*yes, I know that isn't how it works.

The Other Vegetarian Pursuits Part

For Christmastime, we took turns knitting small patches with cotton yarn and adhering them onto wee t-shirts (as seen and admired on a boy at the library during story hour). We then gave the final product to the babies and toddlers in our lives. Here is how our son's came out. Obsessed with ducks, he loved it right away and seemed to really appreciate it in a way that neither of us had expected.

Sweetie Pie

SWEET POLENTA PIE
p. 104 HIAV
Prepared 12/31/06

Our last meal of 2006! I've had my eye on this one for some time as I quite like the combo of polenta musharoo and delicious vegetables. There is a long ingredient list, but after reading through, I realized that quite a bit of it is just the vegetables that need to be roasted. Happily, I began roasting. There are a number of steps involved in this, and forewarned is forearmed or what have you. The polenta is the most time intensive-- I mean, who really likes to stir continuously for 10 minutes? Through the magic of the food processing machine, the sauce is easy and the whole thing was tasty. I added garbanzo beans on top for extra beany goodness.

The final result was a bit overly sweet for us, though very tasty. The several extra steps may not be worth it after all, because my fellow adult taster said that the end result wasn't that different from the veggie/bean/couscous meal that is so common in our house (and, I may add, much easier to prepare). So you can take that into consideration when trying to decide whether or not you want to dig into this one. I will make it again, though with less maple syrup than called for.

Red Lentils, Yummy

It was lunchtime. We were hungry. We made...

RED LENTIL PASTA
p. 137 LDV
Prepared 12/30/06

It was good, sort of dry though, and the preparer- no names shall be mentioned- failed to toast the cashews, which I think would have added an extra-delicious dimension. Again with the cinnamon!

My Cheating Heart, Part 1

For a Christmas present, my quasi-brother-in-law gave to me a share in a generous Borders gift certificate. With this in hand, I headed to the Stamford, CT branch of the chain and purchased a slim volume upon which I've had my eye for some time. Yes. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World is in the hiz-ouse (aka apartment).

Batch 1 was prepared the day we returned home from our northern soujourn: Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. They were so good that it gave my heart pain to give them away to others, including my partner in life, love and parenting. So thats saying something.

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times

I hate when friends move away, though I have been the mover and not the movee more times than I can count. Some friends were about to pull outta the nation's capital and head to a certain city by the bay-- we caught them and had them for dinner before we all fluttered to our corners of the country for various reasons. The menu:

MEGADARRA
p. 123 GOV
Prepared 12/20/06

Lovely and simple indeed! I loved eating this one the most of all three. The recipe is deceptive because you look at the ingredient list, you think you know how this one will taste...I mean, hey, its lentils and rice...and it tastes waaaaaay better than that. Make it. Do it.


BAKED STUFFED EGGPLANT
p. 156 GOV
Prepared 12/20/06

Also deeelish. I had to make this one when company came by because my toddler daddy does not like eggplant, nor does he like mushrooms. Everyone else gave it a thumbs up, there were no leftovers.

SIMPLY LOVELY QUINOA
p. 163 GOV

In the words of my son, "numma numma NUM!!" I love these magical recipes where you add some dry ingredients to some wet ingredients and 20 minutes later you end up with something completely different. This recipe is good, simple and good for you. Our collective opinion: another delicious recipe.