Stop. Its Cookie Time.

MUM'S SUGAR COOKIES
p. 182 GOV
Prepared 3/2/08

We halved the recipe and it still made a good amount. These were great-- really yummy. To improve even further, I would sprinkle on a twee bit of sugar prior to baking. Or yes, frost the hell out of them.

More Faux Salad Goodness

FAUX EGG SALAD
p. 68 HIAV
Prepared 2/22/08

Remember when I was telling you that I had bought more tofu with which to make Tofu Extravaganza? Well, instead I made this and it was very good. You have your same basic ingredients...tofu, veg mayo and pickles, but then you add a few different things to tweak it here or there. Since I hate and despise actual egg salad (and all things ovo), the LESS this resembled real egg salad, the better. So this to me didn't really replicate the real thing and thank goodness for that! It was deliciouso and I ate it all myself in a 24 hour span. This was a titch bland, I might add another couple of scallions and what? Maybe a splash of Braggs, more prepared mustard or something. But its really quite yum, even if I didn't make pitas for stuffing full of faux-salad.

Oh, I Forgot- The First Post-Illness, Get-Back-On-The-Horse Recipe!

SIUE'S CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE "CHEESECAKE"
p. 243 LDV
Prepared 2/13/08

While this recipe seemed like it would resemble cheesecake when it went into the oven, the end result was not at all cheesecakey...and in fact someone at the potluck I took this to (er, not the same potluck that the below two entries reference-- this is a potluck lovin' town) compared it to Chess Pie. Now I don't know what the heck Chess Pie is (hold on whilst I google it)...ah! Of course. Its a southern corn syrup pie. Er, I don't really know if its a complement that she called this a reminder of Chess Pie! It was good, gooey and chocolatey though. I don't know. It was kind of a lot of steps and I far prefer other desserts I've made. But on the other hand, it WAS, as just stated, good, gooey and chocolatey. I used applesauce as my egg replacer.

Saucy (Twangy Variety)

SHOSHANA'S SPECTACULAR ALL-PURPOSE TAHINI SAUCE
p. 176 LDV
Prepared 2/21/08

Between the lemon juice and the tahini, there is a definite twang to this sauce. My fellow adult diner said, "a little weird at first but the deliciousness of the onions cuts the sourness of the tahini and lemon juice"...we served it over brown rice, steamed veggies and garbanzos (with a little topping of rooster sauce). It would, as the recipe states, be a good salad dressing too, though I'd thin it a bit if I were to go that route.

Another Potluck

MAMA MAYHEM'S TOFU EXTRAVAGANZA
p. 160 LDV
Prepared 2/19/08

Sorry for the crappy photo, but low light/party/camera phone...I do my best, and contract out with only top talent, but still, every now and then we have some bad photos. So this recipe was strange but yummy, you all know I am a sucker for the fake salad and this was no exception. What was left over from the monthly potluck we attend I ate in a tortilla for breakfast, then ate the rest with corn chips later. I love it. And the pickles! Woo-hee, we are eating pickles like crazy in this house of late. I actually omitted the onion since lately the onions we've had in our home have been very strong and...ugh...and this was super good without it! In fact, gentle readers, I bought more tofu at the coop tonight to make it again. I wish I had some pitas for it. I guess I could make them...



KENTUCKY VELVET 2-LAYER CAKE
p. 197 GOV
Prepared 2/19/08

While we are critiquing photos, doesn't this one look fantastic? Like the cake is floating through the air, right on over to you? Or about to get sucked into a spaceship? This cake was SO SO SO good. One of the best vegan cakes I have ever had. I like that it didn't require tofu, as so many modern vegan cakes do these days...though all the pouring hot water and warm chocolate into flour meant that there were some extra lumps here and there. The first layer stuck in the pan and crumbled into a big mess when I tried to remove it, so I just frosted the intact layer with a little concoction of my own (lets just call it Amasake chai frosting, shall we?), crumbled what remained of the messed up layer after my three year old was done with the pan and then poured a little ganache action on the whole thing. Yum and yum. A tiny slice was leftover, my son ate it the next morning for breakfast and it made him happy all day long.

Brownie Cookies

BROWNIE COOKIES
p. 185 GOV
Prepared 01/20/08

These were good but puffier and less fudgy than you might have expected. A good cookie for your everyday cookie needs.

Healthy Casserole

GROOVY GARDEN VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
p. 155 LDV
Prepared 01/17/08

Look, anytime you have a whole lot of vegetables together its pretty healthy. This recipe has you cook up a bunch of veggies (the perfect recipe to get out your food processor and get that slicing disk in there and let it work its magic) and then top it with this strange tofu/bread mixture (for which you need the food processor anyway). The diners this evening felt that it was strange but good. My partner thought maybe it would be good with some kind of white sauce, or as a side. I thought it would be good with some beans. You could serve this with baked beans and have a real winning combination. Yes, I think that is what I will do next time. Our house guest was less critical. He said, "I like both the crust and the guts." Oh, FYI: I used rainbow chard instead of kale.

I know that is a strange photo but it looks great coming out the oven, don't be put off by my bad photo strategies/techniques.

Give It Up For Flakes-Type Cereal

VESANTO'S CHOCO-CURRANT CRANBERRY SQUARES
p. 199 AND p. 64 LDV
Prepared 01/16/08

I honestly didn't expect these to be as good as they were. I also thought they'd be a bit more...healthy. I mean, there is still a good load of sweetener in there (I used maple syrup) and 2.5 oz of chocolate is nothing to sneeze at. I had no currants and do you know why? Because I don't really care for them. So I substituted dried cherries for the currants. This whole thing was very easy to make and yes, I would rather my startlingly-sugar-lover of a son eat these than a lot of the crap that is out there. Another "oops, better take a picture before they are all gone" situation. Make them, eat them in good health and enjoy!

Loopy Leek and Potato Soup

LEEK & POTATO SOUP WITH CILANTRO
p. 109 LDV
Prepared 01/16/08

This tasty number was just that, tasty but I suffered the heartbreak of poor planning when I reached into my jumbo potato bag and pulled out not enough potatoes to make the soup, which really chapped my hide as I'd just come from the store to get the frickin leeks and the two males were off to Music Together and therefore had the car and yes I could walk to Safeway but it was far and I was cold and hungry to boot and frankly I don't even like that Safeway. Our houseguest saved the day though, thanks!

So the soup, mmmm, yes. It was good. I thought there was too much garam masala but I think maybe that was my fault, not the recipe's. The people who ate it liked it but the strange thing (to me) was that my son opted for salad instead of the soup. He usually likes salad components but not the full tossed scene. Last night he was shoveling it in like there was no tomorrow, no thanks, don't need any soup, pass the salad bowl please I think I need thirds. Not that I am complaining, just noting!

Oh and I used my new hand blender for the first time. It appears to be a cheap piece of crap and I am kind of having buyer's remorse at getting it with a Target giftcard that I was given as a present. But on the other hand, it did blend up the soup just as it was supposed to do, so I will give some credit where it is due.

Potluckolio

Potluck night! We brought...

WOLFFIE'S BLACK BEAN & LENTIL SALAD
p.72 LDV
Prepared 01/15/08

I think I have made this several times before and forgotten to write it down. Its fast, easy and delicious. I really recommend it highly. I didn't have lentils on hand so I threw in all crazy beans, like "salad beans" and garbanzos to go along with the black beans. I also added some cucumber and extra olive oil as I had no fancy-pants oil. I also felt too lazy/tired to chop a garlic clove so I didn't. But! It was delicious and got all eaten up at the potluck. I highly recommend this yummy dish.

For dessert...




WOLFFIE's PINEAPPLE-COCONUT CAKE
p. 251 LDV
Prepared 01/15/08

WOLFFIE'S "CREAM CHEESE" FROSTING
p. 259 LDV
Prepared 01/15/08

This cake and its attendant frosting were great. Everything the intro to the cake recipe says is TRUE-- its moist and yummy and compliments will be rained upon you if you make this.

I actually emailed Ms. Sarah Kramer on this recipe, I paraphrase our communication below:

ME: Hi. Your recipe for Pineapple-Coconut Cake, she does not call for coconut.

SK: Hi. Let me check with Wolffie.

(a number of moments pass)

SK: Re-hi. Ok, the coconut is in the frosting.

ME: Thank ya kindly.

SK: It is kinda confusing to some people (I think she meant just me, but she was being kind and pretending others had the same concerns).

So there you go, friends. Always keep looking deeper and the truth shall be revealed.

P.S. Sorry I keep forgetting to take pictures of the food prior to being eaten, it doesn't look as if this trend is going to reverse itself soon.

More "Chowder" and Some Deeelish Bread

CHUNKY VEGETABLE CHOWDER
p. 120 LDV
Prepared 01/10/08

Wonder if chowder is different in Canada? Anyway, this isn't a milk or tomato-based soup so don't be fooled. However, it comes with a tempting description in the book, "perfect recipe for when you're in a hurry and only have a few items in the vegetable crisper to throw together." That described my situation perfectly. So I made this. I didn't have celery (as usual) and so added an extra carrot (as usual), I also added a half can of lentils I had lying around. Then, at the end, I spooned into each bowl a small helping of the leftover split pea non-chowder from the other day. I am glad I made these additions because without them the soup was kind of...plain, boring and unfilling. But it was quick and easy. My suggestion is that you use this as a base and, as we did, add in whatever you have lying around to bam it up.






SANTA'S FAVORITE CHRISTMAS BREAD
p. 241 LDV
Prepared 01/10/08

This has banana in it so I didn't eat it myself but rather relied on the heartfelt exclamations of my testers/assistants.

"Delicious!" "Hint of banana is key!" "Would be great for breakfast!" "Orange doesn't taste orangey but is sweet and good!" "Coconut is very subtle and gives a nice texture but I don't think anyone would miss it!"

So it seems like this was good and also fun to make, there are lots of more esoteric ingredients (compared to the usual vegan baking shenanigans) that seemed to come together really well.

We topped this with some homemade chocolate ganache as well as a candle our dear pals had just sent to the wee lad, it is shaped like an ice cream cone and he is mad for it. Thanks Hubrandts!!

Oh, and I got to use my mini loaf pans for the first time, that gave me disproportional amount of happiness. They were a birthday gift. I can't wait to make more mini loaves! (heh)

Donut Labor

CINNAMON DOUGHNUT HOLES
p. 198 LDV
Prepared 1/12/08

This is very labor intensive. You have the crushing of the rice cereal, the melting of the margarine, the blending of the sugar and cinnamon, the cutting in of shortening, the rolling of the dough balls, then the rolling of the balls into sugar/cinnamon...so...its kind of tiring. Seriously, I was tired and cranky and by the eighth dough ball, I called in support.

The result was sort of like if a coffeecake and snickerdoodle had a baby. Not bad. But, to me, not so superamazing that it is worth the effort.

More Split Pea Shenanigans

ADAM'S YELLOW SPLIT PEA CHOWDER
p. 118 LDV
Prepared 01/03/08

Good, hearty soup which in all honesty is basically your garden variety split pea soup pureed up (don't skip this step, even if you are tempted). And isn't a chowder actually made with milk? Hold on, I will check.

Hmmm, according to a random internet search, it is a seafood/tomato or milk base kinda thing, or a knockoff thereof. Read more here.

Kale Represents, Again

MATTHEW'S SPICY TOMATO PEANUT & KALE PASTA
p. 134 LDV
Prepared 01/03/08

Holy hell, this was easy and goooooooooooood. And cheap. And did I mention delicious? Why did I wait so long to try this one??

I might throw in a side of broccoli next time because I am crazy about that beautiful green vegetable, but run and make this for breakfast lunch or dinner and then get back to me. Five stars.

Saaaaantaaaaaaahhhh Looooooceeeeeeuuuuhhhhh, Wouldn't Want To Beeeeeeee Yaaaaa

GINGERBREAD CUT-OUT COOKIES
p. 217 LDV
Prepared 12/14/07

This year saw us (well, my son and I since his dad was away on biznass, the biznass of saving the world) delving into the sordid world of Santa Lucia Day. If you aren't really familiar with this, it involves fire and gouging one's eyeballs out. What about that doesn't sound celebratory??

Alright-- in all honesty, it is a lovely tradition involving children running around in costumes with candles and baking and eating. My son hates donning costumes so that part was out but he loves candles, baking and eating. We had a last minute open house sort of deal the day after (SLD is 12/13 but better late than never) and some fun friends came by to do some cookie baking (and eating).

If you think that a 1 year old and a 3 year old making cookies isn't cute, you are wrong.

These cookies are excellent, and I don't always care for gingerbread cookies. I really highly recommend them. I am making these cookies again fo sho.

Mmmmmm Quinoay

VANESSA'S LENTIL-QUINOA STEW
p. 117 HIAV
Prepared 12/01/07

I didn't have some of the ingredients (cilantro, tomatoes, celery) so I skipped the last part of this recipe which had me blend a bunch of stuff with some vinegar and stick it in there. As a consequence (conjecture here), it was, and I quote, "boring but fine." I mean, its healthy and we had a good meal by serving it with oven fries. I'm open to trying it again when I have some cilantro.

A Dynamic Spice Capade Indeed

GINGER BREAD
p. 126 HIAV
Prepared 12/04/07

We made a double batch to send to a new baby friend's family and bring with us on a sojourn to San Francisco. This was made with a high level of assistance from the 3 year old set, if you savvy my lingo. So that it was edible at all was nice, the fact that it was fairly good was a bonus. It was pretty freakin' dense though. Nonetheless, I saw Alan stuffing it into his mouth on several occasions. The next time, I will maybe wait until my kitchen helper is otherwise occupied. I think the dough was "stirred" about 90 times too often.

Oh! I should mention that I used my new favorite product in all the land to make it, this jarred grated ginger. This product has totally changed my life. I no longer have nubs of ginger lying around, growing green. I no longer risk losing digits when I need to peel or grate ginger. Now, when ginger is necessary, I just reach for the jar, measure an appropriate amount and get on with life.

Pea Soup '07

SARAH'S GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP
p. 118 LDV
Prepared 12/3/07

Easy, straightforward soup which will serve you well if you are a fan of the genre (I am). We had neither turnip nor celery, so I added an extra carrot, as sweet potato and some extra spices.

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

Our menu featured a really fabulous nut/lentil loaf from The Vegan Lunchbox's Magic Loaf Studio (heh heh, that makes me laugh, I cannot help it, yes I am 35 years old), mashed potatoes, miso gravy (previously reviewed), corn from a can (my darling loves it so), roasted brussels sprouts that I heard Mollie Katzen blah blah blahing about on NPR (they were tasty), a little sauce I whipped up because, sometimes gravy isn't enough and for dessert: DAH DAH DAH...chocolate pecan mini pies/tarty things. Phewsh. Oooh, and some Silk nog, I couldn't resist. It had my son discussing nutmeg for days! Anyway, my omnivorian partner declared this the best Thanksgiving dinner he had ever had in his life. Oh!

EASY BREEZY CHEEZY SAUCE
p. 79 HIAV
Prepared 11/22/07

I intended that this sauce would be served over the brussels sprouts, but the sprouts were much better on their own. I wasn't really in love with this sauce but that doesn't mean that you might not enjoy it. It was pretty easy to make.

FUDGE PECAN PIE
p. 256 LDV
Prepared 11/22/07

I had an idea that this would be great as mini-pies. Lacking mini-pie/true tart pans, we Earth Balance-d up our ramekins. I chopped the pecans because the halves were a little much in the mini version. We ended up baking our pielets for between 15-30 min longer (we took them out at different times) than the directions called for, which actually seems counterintuitive. The ones we took out in the 15 minutes over range were the best, the other one was a bit burnt. This was an amazing pie recipe, I don't even really like pies much but must admit that it was rad.