Recent Action

Helllll-oh gorgeoso readers. I've been doing a little cooking lately from The Garden of Vegan and La Dolce Vegan and I wanted to share the yumminess with you. I'm going to start with the MOST exciting news, which is that I completed a section in this book. Can you guess what it was?

I made parathas to serve with this soup -- easy and fast and great for dipping.

Soup!

WHOLESOME TOMATO RICE SOUP
p. 86 GOV
Prepared 4/21/2012

Tah-dah! This is the last soup from this book that we had left to actually cook (note that I still have reviews galore to post about other soups). I made some changes: I added tumeric, nutritional yeast, green peas and chickpeas to add nutrition and body to the soup, since it was our main dish. My tasters had some feedback.

"It's warm, hearty and delicious! I'd add few less chickpeas and some carrots and potatoes. I really like the celery." (Diner Number One)

"It's REALLY GOOD! I like the tomatoes and the chickpeas, especially the ones that love love (a reference to a song that the diner recently wrote)." (Diner Number Two)

As for me, I thought it was overwhelmingly tomatoey.

Next up...

TANYA'S ASIAN DELIGHT
p. 155 GOV
Prepared 4/24/2012

I omitted the snow peas called for in this recipe but added some beans. I also used a bit more tofu than the recipe called for, and as a matter of fact, no, there weren't any buckwheat noodles in the cabinet like I thought that there were. Therefore, we ate this over a fine blend of regular and whole wheat angel hair. I served this so that everyone could top with their choice of toppings: nuts, sriratcha, lime, peas. My son called this "the best meal ever!" but he was really hungry, so I'm not sure if that kind of extreme reaction really counts.

Another case of eating taking precedence over photography.

WOLFFIE'S QUICK PEACH COBBLER
p. 231 LDV
Prepared 4/23/2012

We had a dinner with friends, and they brought the ice cream so it was a really good thing that we had a cobbler. This is actually very quick and easy, as advertised...though the recipe does contain a solid 1/2 cup of margarine so healthy it is not. Cooked fruit desserts are not my favorite but I live with others who enjoy them. The recipe says that it makes four servings but they'd be really big servings. We found that there were six or eight servings, especially if you've got some ice cream going on.

Yeah, maybe there is some burnt kale on the bottom of my oven.

DANIYELL'S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
p. 219 LDV
Prepared 4/13/2012

These were really good. As you can see, I tossed a little bit of the chocolate chip action on top because that is a (bad) habit we have in our house, chocolatechipifying a whole lot of stuff. There were a little oily, so I would use a bit less Earth Balance next time. We sent some of these off in our vegan exchange box that we signed up to do via The Verdant Life.

Surprise! It's Me! With Breadsticks!

SESAME BREADSTICKS
p. 278 LDV

Prepared 10/4/2011

An inglorious photo is better than no photo?

We whipped these up to go with a split pea soup on a dark and cool night. They were good but very, very, very salty. Even the salt lovers amongst us were not-so-surreptitiously zizzing the salt off of the outside of these. I did like the "cheesy flava" (Sarah Kramer's words, not mine, but....they easily could have been) that the nutritional yeast gave these stickies and I am appreciative of the drama that a little black sesame seed action lends.

Stay tuned for more updates! I am hoping to slowly but surely work my way through the backlog of posts I have. Don't forget that you can also check out what we're cooking over at Suburban Vegan Meal Group!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Your Cake is Delicious.

SUZY SPOON'S 2-LAYER CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE
p. 198 GOV
Prepared 5/4/2010

I knew this would be awesome, and it was. I saved the recipe for a special occasion, and the pre-schooler daddy's birthday seemed like just the right one. This is another go-the-extra-mile-with the preparation kind of cake...but its not really a big deal. And the end result is a very rich, extremely moist and delicious cake. We frosted it with some pink (color chosen by said pre-schooler) frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and topped with a hint of ganache. (Note that unlike some recipes in this triumverate of cookbooks, this one makes 2 layers. This may be obvious to you from the name of the recipe but then again, maybe not. I can't make assumptions.)

And then, for a few moments, all was right with the world.

Non-fancy Tickling Tahini

MO'S TAHINI SAUCE
p. 141 GOV
Prepared 5/3/2010

Bland and boring, I didn't care for this at all. I prefer my sauces to be more flavorful and satisfying. I served this on a full-of-potential bean salad and it was the kind of thing that could make or break the salad. Let us just say that I don't think it made the salad.

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale

We had ourselves a Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale and it was great! We raised some money, as well as awareness about how yummy a plant-based diet can be!

These Snickerdoodles Are Sublime

WOLFFIE'S SNICKERDOODLES
p. 215 LDV
Prepared 4/29/2010

Generally at this point in my life, I am all in favor of as few steps as possible in one's baking process. So I was prepared to feel resentful about the extra work involved in the snickerdoodle process-- namely the rolling of dough into balls and then rolling into sugar. But for some reason, it seems pleasant and meditative. I wonder if it isn't because I used to make these with my mom and of course had the important job of rolling the dough into the cinnamon sugar mix? And the cookies? DELICIOUS! Really well done, great recipe. Please bake.

Weirdly, I've seen snickerdoodles around a lot more in the last couple of years, maybe part of the embracing many things retro? Then the other day, I suffered the social distress known as Snickerdoodle Backlash. Some women with whom I was speaking told me that they'd never had them, didn't think they sounded all that appealing, saved all of their dessert calories for chocolate and didn't get why everyone was making such a fuss over them. To which I thought (you know what is coming!), "more for me." I will say that they are just like my grandma (and mom) used to make. And I am dead serious if I tell you to slightly underbake them and then serve them warm with vanilla coconut milk ice cream.

Go Crazy With Garlic

GLORIOUS ROASTED GARLIC SOUP
p. 82 GOV
Prepared 4/23/2010

This was good with really nice flavor- not overpoweringly garlicky at all. But I felt it was a little thin and insubstantial. I would serve this as a starter *or* give it more body with either mashed potatoes or pureed white beans. I would also throw in a hearty grain like barley. More veggies would have been nice as well, I think. I'm a sucker for the white and green soup so maybe some broccoli (my favorite!) or spinach. Let me know how it goes for you.

It Is, After All, Every Day

My friends left me this message on the sidewalk in front of my place. I love them!

Poppy. Seed.

LEMON POPPY SEED SHORTBREAD COOKIES
p. 182 GOV
Prepared 4/21/2010

These were good but not amazing. They baked up a little softer than I'd expect so maybe more baking time? I didn't have any problem eating it. It was, as you can imagine, a perfect little cookie to have with your tea or lemonade.

Slawtina, Or...Bring On the Fake Bacon

RED BEAN COLESLAW
p. 84 LDV
Prepared 4/21/2010

I used a little less Veganaise because I ran out...threw in some cilantro...used more cabbage than necessary...threw in celery root instead of celery...used more garbanzos than kidneys...less imitation "bacon" bits...and it was yummy! "Really really good," according to one adult taster. Another adult taster/unsuspecting houseguest said, "SOOOOOOOOO good, can I please have the recipe?"

Aloo Chana Soup? What Will They Think of Next!?!

CHRIS'S ALOO CHANA SOUP
p. 87 GOV
Prepared 4/15/2010

There are a lot of ingredients in the ingredient list, so you may be put off by this recipe at first. But fear not, like many good recipes, many of the ingredients are simply a lengthy list of spices and seasonings.

This soup was very hearty. I substituted kidney beans and black eyed peas for the garbanzos, and doubled the recipe for my super awesome meal share (if you can work one out, I highly recommend the experience). I also added some jarred galangal (you know, that rhizome with many culinary and medicinal uses) and extra carrots. I wish that I had had some fresh naan or other flavorful Indian bread to go with it, so you might want to take that into account when you serve it up!

I Ate This All Myself (Not Proud Edition)

PEANUT BUTTER PECAN BARK
p. 205 LDV
Prepared 4/1/2010

This big lump of poopy looking chocolate stuff was VERY GOOD! What I think is that you could probably vary the presentation in the real world to make it look less poopy but that would be really dumb because then you would have to share it would other people. Cravers of the sweet, beware! This is for you and you should be prepared to enter a sugar coma soon after this enters your system. I felt like it was kind of lumpy but nice-n- tasty. Some nice depth of flavor from the nut side of things.

More Rice Noodles, Please

TERIYAKI MARINADE
p. 300 LDV
Prepared 11/16/2007, 8/6/2008 and 4/1/2010

MOCK BEEF & RICE NOODLE TOSS
p. 135 LDV
Prepared 4/1/2010

The marinade is one of these rare situations where I prepared something and then didn't really do much with it the first time around, didn't write about it the second time around and ended up making it a third time because the recipe Mock Beef & Rice Noodle Toss recipe calls for it. Its very simple and good and I would actually like to try to make it more often to incorporate into our rotation. The smell is initially a little pungent as the ingredients are tossed in, but after a few hours they mellow out. I rarely grate things anymore now that our microplane (we had two!) is lost. These things happen when one is moving across the nation by shipping things in boxes which end up stored in one's in-laws basement for a while. We're missing some great stuff, like Mr. Bento.

But I digress. My point is that I didn't grate the ginger, and I almost never do. I just chop it up.

The marinade. Yes. Yummy. Make it. Have it on hand. Use it liberally. You'll be glad that you did. A couple of summers ago, I marinated some tofu in it, fried it up and ate it on a salad. It was delicious.

The noodle toss was good. I used up some of that Lightlife fake hamburger that we had instead of the homemade Faux Beef in the recipe. I also ended up making a lot of additions because I was initially underwhelmed with the flavoring. I added frozen broccoli, garbanzos, spinach, fresh cilantro and peanuts for garnish. I also added some rice vinegar (and hot sauce). I'm looking forward to eating it cold tomorrow as a salad!

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?