Cookbook, VegNews, and Veg Times cooking challenge (Final week-free choice!)
The idea is to cook at least 3 recipes from each book or website per week. Use the cookbook if you have it, can find it at the library, or have recipes from online, OR find new recipes to try from VN or VT. We'll post our reviews and photos here, and I'll add reviews to cookbook compilation threads or the blog recipe thread.
Thanks to nmpixie for starting this challenge idea! :)
Vegetarian Times vegan recipes can be found here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/search_recipes/?keywords=&vegan=on (not all VT recipes are vegan)
VegNews is all vegan, and recipes are found within: http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=2763&catId=2
January 10 - Appetite for Reduction
January 17 - Veganomicon
January 24 - Urban Vegan
January 31 - Vegan with a Vengeance
February 7 - Eat, Drink & Be Vegan
February 14 - FREE choice week - Choose any cookbook. Dessert cookbook will be Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World or other
February 21 - 500 Vegan Recipes
February 28 - American Vegan Kitchen
March 7 - Yellow Rose Recipes
March 14 - Viva Vegan
March 21 - Vegan Brunch
March 28 - Final Week! Free choice - choose any cookbook. Dessert cookbook will be Vegan cookies Invade your Cookie Jar or other.
Thanks for the fun!!!!
Really not sure what to do next week since I don't have this book. Might just sit it out. There is a scramble in AVK I still want to make.
AVK - Pasta and Bean Soup - Very good. I used brown rice pasta for the pasta, and I dramatically cut down on the cooking time. I sauteed for about three minutes instead of the ten and simmered the soup only 15 minutes. I also used only four cups of veggie broth in order to make it thick like I like it, instead of 6 to 8 cups. I thought I had the right beans, but used what I had which was garbanzo, red kidney and black.
This recipe called for All American Spice Blend - which is a blend of several things and then toasted. It was a good and tastey blend. I was wary of her call for 1 tbsp of cayenne as well as red pepper flakes, but I like heat. But when I made the above soup I added the additional pepper flakes she wanted but left out the hot sauce.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/189948_1667526606849_1197836956_31446346_3014733_n.jpg
I plan on making that soup this week!
AVK
Sweet garlicky ribz - Very good! The BBQ sauce was so tasty I froze the leftover so that I can use it again. The texture of the ribs improves with time so I would advise making this a day or a couple of hours in advance. The only part that sucked was trying to knead it since it ends up really stiff but other than that, I have no complaints.
Thank you guys for tackling these AVK recipes for the challenge. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it and love seeing what you make and hearing about it!
Tamasin, I really enjoyed getting to know your book this past week. It's an awesome book and the alfredo was amazing. I couldn't stop and did one more day.
Mediterranean Scramble - Loved this. Very unique, but still keeping that tofu scramble idea. I used beet greens that I got from the CSA instead of spinach, kalamata olives for the black olives and used chopped tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
Hubby's home fries - Good basic way to cook homefries. I used smoked paprika for the paprika option and of course used cayenne. Whenever I've made home fries before I just fried them usually having them burned on the outside and undone on the inside. This method of fry-bake solved that problem forever.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198297_1669033244514_1197836956_31449315_4449203_n.jpg
I did another day as well!
All American spice blend
I like all the spices in here, and it smelled amazing, but I couldn't necessarily detect it in the soup. It's a nice blend to have mixed together, though.
Pasta and bean soup
This is a nice, simple soup. It's good for a nice, light meal. I used cilantro for the parsley because we don't like parsley! I also used mini bowties (so cute) for the pasta. I like all the beans in this, and the flavor is good. I used 6 cups of broth, and I think that's plenty.
AVK
Pineapple upside down cake - I've made a few versions of this before but this one smokes all the others. I subbed out the AP for whole wheat pastry flour but that was all. It took a little longer to bake but it came out great!
that alfredo recipe did not turn out well for me and i am seriously bummin... i know it had to do with the wine i used cause that was all i could taste (more later) and the southwestern meatlof turned out weird as well, it tasted good but was too crumbly, i could tell when i was kneading it and should have added more gluten or something... i will report back on the leftovers... the jalapeno gravy was legit though, i used it on a half batch of VW's cheesy bean and cheese enchiladas instead of the regular cheese sauce :) more to come
amymylove, sorry those recipes didn't work out for you. Gluten is like that, and you're right, you probably should have added more. I try to put a note like that in the recipes, but can't remember if that one has one or not.
Thanks again, everyone! And all feedback is good to hear, even if it isn't all possible.
wow.. the recipes in AVK look amazing! especially the Chicago style deep dish pizza- i have gone back to look at the photos of it on page 13 several times :) I think AVK will likely be the next cookbook I buy.
This week I am cooking more from AFR.
Tonight, I made:
2nd avenue vegetable korma - this is very good. i used full fat coconut milk and I subbed mushrooms for the peas since i was also making the biryani recipe. On its own, I like the subji korma from Indian Vegan Kitchen better (because of the added texture from the nuts and raisins), but once this is paired with the biryani I don't have as much of a preference.
Cranberry cashew biryani - solid recipe. i made it with raisins. delicious with the vegetable korma.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q188/thirteenblackbirds/IMG_1867.jpg
One more day of AVK
Tex mex stackers - Use the optional jalapenos if you like a little sizzle on your tongue! I loved these sandwiches. I also used seitan lite since that's all I had on hand and it came out great. I used homemade sourdough Italian rolls which worked out great.
Poblano macaroni salad - Really good, I enjoyed this but next time I would leave out the white vinegar, maybe it's just me being a weirdo but I could definitely taste it.
looking forward to viva vegan this week. Here is my last from AFR:
Quinoa salad with black beans and toasted cumin seeds - this is a tasty salad. it's very fresh and healthy tasting, and makes a good lunch, side dish, or a light dinner. i did think it was a little on the boring side, but i wasn't expecting much so this didn't disappoint me.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q188/thirteenblackbirds/IMG_1868.jpg
I'm looking forward to VV, as well! My parents are coming over tonight, and I'm making a VV meal. I was planning on the corn empanadas, but just realized I don't have enough corn left. I'll have to figure something else out. :)
I couldn't find a couple things at the store, so that impended on what I wanted to make-pigeon peas and yucca. There's actually a spot for yucca in the produce, but it was all full of horseradish, or something.
I think it's cool that VV is the challenge, the week I'm going to Miami! :)
Quick red posole with beans - Good. Tastes like everyday chili to me, probably because I used everyday chili powder instead of a Latin one, but there's no latin store close. The latin community is across the bay in Tampa. That said, I love chili and enjoyed this as well. I did use a poblano chile pepper, and I used broth instead of bear and only used about a quarter cup to keep it thick. There is no such thing as a 24 oz. can of diced tomatoes here only 28 oz., so I used two 14's with sauce and it was very tomatoey which I liked. Topped with avocado and broken taco shell.
Mango-jicama chopped salad - Yummy! Pretty much a standard salad/salsa recipe, that I've made in similar variations, and I always love it. I didn't want to get fresh mint so I just used some dry and let it marinade for a bit.
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/200142_1679196938600_1197836956_31464602_5009002_n.jpg
arroz con coco - very good rice. there is white pepper in the instructions but not in the ingredient list, so i just added a pinch. i added the raisins and it definitely tasted like a dessert. i've never bothered to toast coconut before and it was a delicious finishing touch.
Chorizo seitan sausages (chipotle chorizo version) - very good... not amazing but good enough to make again.
Drunken beans with seitan chorizo -delicious. i rarely start from dried beans but i think it definitely paid off in this recipe. i used negra modelo beer, no tequila, and no epazote (i subbed some cumin and coriander). also, i added the browned chorizo at the end (on top) because i didn't want it to get too soggy. next time i would mix it in during the final 5-10 minutes.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q188/thirteenblackbirds/IMG_1879.jpg
I really thought I'd be on board with this weeks challenge - N's parents are gone and I actually have VV, but there's so may ingredients I just don't have, so I'll have to do my own VV challenge at a later date when I've managed to get the missing ingredients.
I really thought I'd be on board with this weeks challenge - N's parents are gone and I actually have VV, but there's so may ingredients I just don't have, so I'll have to do my own VV challenge at a later date when I've managed to get the missing ingredients.
that's funny cause this is like the only cookbook that i have that i can easily find or have the ingredients for... and many of the recipes have a lot of common ingredients (garlic, onion, bell peppers, etc)... my fave cookbook but still cooking stuff from AVK (Ya i know pathetic) that I bought stuff for... pics/reviews to come of the not-tuna sandwich and the southwestern salad thing
Forgot to take picture!
Green aji dipping sauce
Made this for the empanadas. It's good! Nice and fresh and easy. I used 1/2 a large/hot jalapeno. It tasted spicy when I first tasted it, but then wasn't really that spicy over all..could have used more. I didn't add any extra water. My mom said she thought the romaine brought the freshness down a bit, but I liked it. I might have added a bit too much. I'd make this again.
Home style refried beans
I usually add seasoning/stuff to my beans anyway (homemade or not), so these weren't spectacular to me. They are very tasty, though..and I like the consistency of a liquidy bean. Not a recipe I'd follow again, but good.
Arroz con coco
I also had a problem with the liquid/time. I think this will vary greatly depending on how much coconut cream/liquid you get for the 1 cup. I had to add some extra water, and the rice still wasn't quite done. This wasn't a huge hit overall, but I liked it ok. P doesn't really like coconut rice. I added the pineapple, and that made it better.
Wheat empanada dough
I didn't have any problems mixing the dough (used about 3/4 cup water), but it was a complete pain for me to roll out. I know it's a lot of user error/needed practice, but I don't exactly want to try again anytime soon. It was a lot of work! The dough was just hard to roll out, I couldn't get it thin enough, and I was worried about it getting tough. I ended up only getting like 6 rounds out of the whole thing! I did make the dough and filling and everything all in the same day, so it was a day of work. I did make up my own filling because I didn't have ingredients for the recipes. I made a potato/corn/pepper spicy filling and then an apple cinnamon filling. They turned out good overall (savory ones were really good). They actually weren't tough, and were kinda flaky. Not a huge success for me, but tasty. I think everyone enjoyed them.
I find a lot of the ingredients in VV obscure. Like I said the Latin community, while close, is across the bay and it's mainly Cuban, and not convenient, and I'm not sure where to find things like "Mexican Oregano", ancho red chili powder, epazote, and all those different peppers.
yeah I have looked all over Wellington for annatto seeds/paste and masa harina and can't find them anywhere. I think I may have found an online store to get them from but I need to spend over a certain amount for them to deliver at all and I'm struggling becuase I'm not sure what i'll like.
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