A Delightful Surprise

CHOCOLATE ORANGE HAZELNUT COOKIES
p. 187 GOV
Prepared 3/28/2010

I spent a weekend in the city and did not --I repeat, NOT-- make a beeline for all of the widely available, extremely yummy vegan and veg-friendly haunts (you know what I mean, NYC and metro peeps). I had other stuff going on. It ended up that this was a great exercise in being able to carefully consider the art of baking and presentation, whereas normally I am carefully considering the food that is going to hit my stomach. Typically, I am giving the latter some thought but my focus is more on the immediacy of the taste sensation. Does that make sense?

Having this space to reflect meant that when I got home, I felt inspired to step out of my preferred comfort zone of cake/cake/cupcakes/brownies/chocolate/chocolate/chocolate chip cookies and into what some might term more complex or artful combinations. Not by much, but there was a perceptible shift in how I was approaching the next baking project.

Coming from that perspective, I was curious to try this recipe. I was really happy with the results. The dough (made by my partner whilst I did bedtime) was a little loose so I might add another couple of tablespoons of flour, or plan to throw the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes or so the next time I made them. The flavors were really pleasant and complementary. Though they look like nothing special in the picture above, I beg to differ. The hazelnuts, chocolate and orange were lovely together and I found this cookie especially delicious with tea, which we drank much more of earlier in the week to see us through an early spring cold snap.

I highly recommend these!

The Quest For A Delicious Brownie, Part 3

Next up on the hit parade of brownies was the recipe from Veganomicon for Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies. I was all set to go with making these fudgy, wudgy and blueberry-y but then I saw that Isa and Terry (Do you like how I call them their names like its no big thing, we're totally tiiiiiiiight etc.? We actually don't know each other) were suggesting that one could make them with raspberries and it would be also yummy. I'm a fool, a FOOL I tell you, for chocolate and raspberry so off I went on my merry way.

So these were really good. I liked the addition of the raspberry. But they DID seem more labor intensive, and maybe even more expensive, what with dumping an entire jar of fruit spread (back in my day we called it jam, or some upstarts would call it jelly) and the cost of berries these days. Ya know. So they were perfectly delicious and I jammed (no pun intended) them down my craw all day. I actually split the batter and made a personal pan sized one for our dinner exchange family- it came out so cute (I know you cannot tell that the above pic is a mini pan of brownies) that I want to get a mini pan just so I can bake things like that. In miniature.

The quest continues, though. Like Bono, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. Entirely. But I'm having fun on the journey.

Soupah. And Breaddy.

TANYA & MATTHEW'S THAI COCONUT MILK SOUP
p. 85 GOV
Prepared 3/25/2010

CORIANDER BREAD
p. 168 GOV
Prepared 3/25/2010

The soup: good, but not amazing. I almost feel as if I am going to go through the trouble of procuring lemongrass and galangal, it should be amazing! This soup felt like a lot of work for a less than rock-your-socks outcome. For example, you have to brown the tofu with some scallions and sometimes multiple steps can bring me down. I liked the lime flavor and mild but pervasive spiciness. The coconut milk was a nice creamy base but thats a lot of coconut milk in there! I made a number of changes including using less lemongrass, jarred galangal, omitting the mushrooms and adding red peppers instead, substituting spinach for bok choy and using a jalepeno instead of multiple serranos. I also didn't have lime leaves so I zested a lime upon advice from someone who I know knows her eats. I also threw in leftover rice noodles because I had them and it was tasty that way.

The bread: because of the different spices (cinnamon, coriander, ginger, cloves), this bread tricks you into thinking that its sweeter than it is. Its quite dense and one taster said he thought it would make excellent cinnamon toast...I was thinking it would be great for french toast. This is NOT a quick bread and should not be attempted unless one has a couple of hours to hang out.

Oh, Hi Memory Lane

RUSTIC QUINOA & YAM SALAD
p. 93 GOV
Prepared 9/19/2008

CURRIED LENTILS
p. 159 GOV
Prepared 9/19/2008

In the lovely community in which I used to live, when families have babies (or other life-altering events), their friends, family and neighbors rally around to support the parents. This is an amazing thing to witness and be a part of. (I know it would have really transformed my own experience as a new mother if I had had that type of very broad loving support instead of it resting squarely on the shoulders of a select few.) The biggest manifestation of this support in my ex-community is to set up calendars and provide interested parties with the opportunities to feed the family.

It came to be my turn to do this for a friend who had recently had a second baby, and I decided to make extra for another friend who was due -at that point - at any time with her second child. I wanted to make as much nutrient dense food as I could for these mamas. I have to say that the lentils were tasty and all but sort of pedestrian, while the quinoa salad was outstanding! I loved it (it was our dinner too) and still can vividly recall eating it on that warm September night a year and a half ago after delivering the meals to my friends. The funniest thing is that the pregnant friend was in the throes of giving birth while I was preparing the meal and ended up having my meal be her first post-partum meal, which I still feel strangely honored by.

I miss you, Leah and Ivy-- and Anya and Stella!

The Quest For A Delicious Brownie, Part 2

You'll recall that I am on a search for a go-to recipe for a fudgy, not-so-cakey brownie. I have had some nice success with Dreena Burton's recipes so I had high hopes for her recipe for (dun dun dun!) Fudgy Brownies in her cookbook Vive le Vegan!

Yay! We made these tonight and they are - as advertised - nice and fudgy. I was assisted by an enthusiastic 5 year old and we were all pleased with the results. They aren't a mix all beefed up (literally) with a buncha extras. But they are better for taking the moral high ground and you will get multiple complements on them at a potluck or bake sale or just regular old dessert with your family (of which I'm a big fan). I am excited to have this in my quiver. And as a sidenote- I'd say it took about five more minutes than using a mix, and that was with my helper. Well worth it. I think it goes without saying that you should serve these with a side of coconut-milk-based ice cream. Though be careful that your helpful houseguest doesn't leave your desserts within dog schnozz range and then leave the room, because when he comes back there may not be as much dessert left on the plates. Lets learn from others.

Tune in for another installment in this quest, coming soon!

Getting Down With Seitan!

HOMEMADE SEITAN
p. 208 GOV
Prepared 3/16/2010

I wanted to bust out some seitan, so I did. This is so easy. Look at it up there, just bubbling away, helping you eat some chewy thing that is seasoned and yummy and doesn't hurt any creature in the making thereof. My dough was a little wet but it was ok, I kind of blotted it with a towel for a moment and went on my merry way.



HUNGRY PERSON STEW
p. 87 GOV
Prepared 3/16/2010

This was good! We were all extra hungry on the night we had it, so the title was an apt one. I used edamame instead of peas. A good meal, I would have ideally served this with a big salad but didn't. You should.



SWEE'S ROSEMARY MOCK CHICKEN
p. 123 GOV
Prepared 3/21/2010

I'm not the biggest seitan afficianado...I mean, I like it but I don't make it that often (as may be obvious) and I will certainly eat it when presented with the opportunity. But this was so simple and tasty that I'm feeling like I may have a little crush on it. I mean, gluten isn't for everyone, etc. etc. but this was really nice. A nicely browned, flavorful dish. I served it with rice but it could go well with just about anything-- I'm thinking pasta, quinoa, polenta...the possibilities are endless. Or seem so. I think this recipe is a really nice find.

Greens

SWISS CHARD & GARLIC
p. 118 GOV
Prepared 3/18/2010

Good, but sort of lame that there is a recipe for this. I don't know. This is the kind of thing that it seems to me is easy to conceive of and execute but so be it. I used mustard greens and cooked for longer than you might chard. It was a bit oily but fat and garlic = mmmmm mmmmm good. I served with some white beans and brown rice as well as some spare lentils for a quick and satisfying meal.

Chipotle-esque (Yes, That Chipotle) Salsa, He Only Eats It To Stay

BECKY'S PICO DE GALLO
p. 131 GOV
Prepared 3/8/2010

It has come to my attention that my son is going through a phase where he has basically stopped eating lunch at school. Thats cool, except the low blood sugar thing. So we're now kind of trying to both send the extra-yummy in *and* not play it up, though there is a little tension about whether he gets a small sweet for "dessert" (1 small cookie or a couple of licorice). Anyway, I notice he slurps the pico de gallo up from Chipotle when we're there, and often asks for "more tomatoes." Brilliant deductress that I am, I thought I could slip him this little container of Becky's PDG at school and he'd be slurping it up there, but no. It has been decreed that he only eats "those tomatoes" at Chipotle.

A very fine pico de gallo according to my taster, the adult one.

The Quest For A Delicious Brownie, Part 1

DECADENT BROWNIES
p. 191 GOV
Prepared 3/15/2010

I love eating a plant-based diet. I am totally in love with it. I want to marry my diet. I feel great. I am in line with my values in a way that many people are not. I am so happy together, just me and my plant-based diet. Rahr. But I also love an ooey, gooey, fudgey brownie. And that is the honest truth. I miss an ooey, gooey fudgey brownie. I've had some commercial vegan brownies that were not bad. I've made some that, well, didn't 100% rock. So I have several recipes in hand and I'm going to bake, eat and review them all.

First up, this recipe, conveniently from GOV. I have to say...not baaaaaaaaaaaaaad, but very cakey. Very very very cakey. Not fudgey, and not much ooey gooeyness -- and what little there was really came from the handful of chocolate chips I chucked in. But the thing is that my fellow adult taster said, "the first vegan brownie I've ever had that I wouldn't mind having seconds of. It tastes like a very delicious cake. Its not chalky or gross." Yes, thats right. Over three years after I made brownies that didn't 100% rock, he still remembered how bad and "chalky" they were.

So score one for the Decadent Brownies and add a few more hit points to the others.

How Could Something So Right Be So Wrong?

NUT BUTTER COOKIES
p. 184 GOV
Prepared 3/9/2010

These were really disappointing!! I wanted to like them but they are too heavy/rich and just don't have a good mouth feel. There is a half cup of Earth Balance in them, and over a cup of peanut butter so they are really high fat mamajamas. I added chocolate chips because at the time, the idea of peanut butter and chocolate sounded good to me. But these were disappointments, I recommend looking elsewhere if you are hankering after a good old fashioned peanut butter cookie that won't feel like a rock in your tummy after you eat it.

Soup and Biscuits

JEN'S GINGER BUTTERNUT LENTIL SOUP
p. 113 LDV
Prepared 3/3/2010

FRAGRANT ONION DINNER ROLLS
p. 277 LDV
Prepared 3/3/2010

A really nice meal! The soup is excellent, and easy peasy. I really liked it. Spring is in the air so soon my thoughts will be turning away from the soup/warming/squash/root veggies and more toward the fresh green stuff. But right now there is still snow on the ground, boots littering our entryway and therefore soup is really awesome. I added garbanzos because I love them, and brown rice as well.

The biscuits/rolls were very good as well. You brown some onions up in oil and toss 'em in the dough and onions fried up in fat never really hurt the flavor of much. I didn't have rye flour so I used a cup of regular old all purpose. I also added only about half the amount of caraway seeds that the recipe called for because I am easily overwhelmed by caraway (I do declare!). This recipe made a dozen biscuity muffins instead of the six the recipe alleged would result.

Our friend visited and brought cookies she'd made from here - YUM! Do I really need another vegan sweets cookbook? Is this a rhetorical question?

Couscous Porridge!

CLAIRE'S COUSCOUS PORRIDGE
p. 38 GOV
Prepared 2/26/2010

This is really not my style of breakfast but openmindedly, I gave it a try...not bad! If I were the porridge loving type, I'd have said "very good!" One taster said he thought it would be better with more spiced milk and that it was a little dry for him. Another taster said that it was just right. A third, smaller taster said, "No, I'm not having any breakfast today."

I prepared it during a 48 hour storm that dumped what is hopefully the last of the season's snow on us, so it seemed an extra good, warm and cozy way to start one's day of thumping around in the powder.

I suspect this would be extra good with a creamy topping-- perhaps cashew creme or coconut milk whipped cream?

Birthday Dinner For A Friend

The menu:

COUNTRY POTATO PATTIES
p. 43 GOV

AUNTIE BONNIE'S BEAN & OLIVE SOUP
p. 84 GOV

FRENCH BAGUETTE
p. 167 GOV

AUNT BONNIE'S WACKY CAKE
p. 147 HIAV

(all prepared 2/25/2010)




The bread was disappointing, though my son loved it. I am not sure if it was the yeast or overkneading or what but I never felt like it came together. It produced a perfectly adequate loaf of bread though, and fresh out of the oven, smothered with Earth Balance, we weren't complaining.

The soup...not really that great. There are many better soups available in this and other cookbooks, so I can't recommend it very highly. The broth was weak and the flavors didn't appeal to me. I added pasta as usual for the younger set.

The potato cakes were probably the biggest success, especially when served with some salsa verde on them! I have a hard time with frying things up-- I seem to always be undercooking stuff-- but it didn't matter since this is basically mashed potatoes mixed with some yummy vegetables. In fact, the Pre-Schooler Daddy thought the 'dough' was potato salad and consumed it liberally as one would a potato salad. Not bad that way, either (I tried).

Finally, for dessert- a repeat of one of the first recipes I ever made from any of these three cookbooks: Aunt Bonnie's Wacky Cake. This is such a simple recipe that I turn to over and over. I served it both with Coconut Bliss, chocolate sauce and toasted almonds and then later remembered I had a little leftover frosting in the freezer from the Thanksgiving cupcakes I had made et voila...perfect. Lesson: it is not dumb to save your frosting.

Total Tomatillo Satisfaction

TO




GORGEOUS GREEN SALSA
p. 131 GOV
Prepared 2/25/2010

My first time working with tomatillos! This was easy but not as quick as you'd think, for my tomatillos' wrappers stuck to them like mad. But it was worth it to have my very own, I-usually-pay-$4-for-this salsa verde. It was really good. I really recommend. We ate it up fast, serving it on potato cakes, burritos and just plain old corn chips.

More Noodle Soup Antics

SPICY ASIAN NOODLE SOUP
p. 79 GOV
Prepared 2/24/2010

This was very good though to be honest, it was far more complex in its preparation but equally delicious to the Hot and Sour Ginger Soup of a few weeks back. I used rice noodles (the other option is udon).

Who Gives A Fig?

RASPBERRY FIG BREAKFAST BARS
p. 47 GOV
Prepared 2/24/2010

Not just for breakfast anymore, I served this for dessert, piping fresh out of the oven. It went over well, despite the fact that my chocolate-head son doesn't really think its dessert unless it has chocolate in it. (insert remark about apple not falling far from tree)

These were not hard to make, just simmer some figs up, sizz up with jam in food processor and spread on your batter/dough. Bake away! I added extra oatmeal in the form of some leftover sizzed up (I'm heavy into sizzing these days) oats as a partial substitution for flour. They smell delightful while baking!

Eating Once, Eating Twice, Eating Mushroom Soup With...

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WITH THYME
p. 78 GOV
Prepared 2/18/2010

This is a pretty standard mushroom soup. The flavors all mesh well, and I threw in some orzo to give it more body.