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!!!!
VWAV
Coconut Pancakes with Pineapple Sauce - we didn't like these, although i made some changes... for the sauce, i used tapioca flour instead of arrowroot powder and pureed the chunks a little bit with an immersion blender. my husband, who likes pineapple a lot, didn't care for the sauce either. The pancakes themselves were alright. the texture was okay (slightly dense), the coconut flavor was good, but a little too much nutmeg for my taste. i also had to add more soymilk but that may have been b/c i used white whole wheat flour.
I had those on my list all week, and even bought pineapple..but they just never sounded good to me. Maybe a good thing.
VWAV
Baked Cajun French Fries - Good baked fries. I like the mix of herbs and spices. Nothing too special though.
I don't have the EDBV, and got several cookbooks over the holidays (AFR, 1000VR, RHIW) that i want to use. I'm going to probably make a couple more things from VWAV (there are some muffin recipes I still want to try) but mostly focus on 1000VR for the next two weeks. I did make something from AFR tonight too though.
AFR
OMG Baked Onion Rings - these were perfect. time consuming but worth it if you've got the time. I used panko bread crumbs (needed more than amount stated) and one large onion was more than enough for the recipe.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q188/thirteenblackbirds/AFRonionrings.jpg
and 1000VR
black bean and sun dried tomato dip - delicious. i would say the flavors are on the mild/subtle side, but they meld together perfectly.
http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k397/amymylove/100_6242.jpg
Yesterday I made Vcon's Chickpea Cutlets and Mushroom Gravy. The Chickpea Cutlets were a complete fail for me. I baked them and they seemed undercooked so I put them back in the oven and kind of forgot about them and they came out hard as a rock. I had high hopes for these, so high that my dumb self doubled the recipe, I don't know if I will bother trying them again. I served the Cutlets with some Mushroom Gravy which was yummy :) but the next day it looked like jello, which kind of sucks since I'm serving it to my coworkers tomorrow for cash... It still tastes good but looks gross.
http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k397/amymylove/100_6251.jpg
Today I made VWAV's Black Bean Mushroom and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. I have made these probably ten times and they always turn out perfect. I halved the peppers so they are easier to store in tupperware and always end up using 4 peppers instead of 5. I also mix in the cilantro when I add the black beans and probably add about a half a cup of it. This is one of my favorite recipes ever so try it!
I don't have EDBV so I'm just going to do recipes out of Vegan Table this week considering I don't use it all that often. I did today:
Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting: Turned out perfect! The cake is nice and moist. It seemed like it could have used more frosting though...I had trouble covering the whole cake. Maybe another cup of powdered sugar would have done it with the frosting.
Pasta and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce: I made this with broccoli and carrots rather than green beans. I loved it! The sauce has a great, creamy consistency and flavour. I will totally make it again.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies: Just meh. I like the ones from VCIYCJ more. Nothing really compares for me.
Oven Baked French-Fried Yams: Very good. I usually don't add spices to my sweet potato fries, but the mix in this recipe tasted really good. I liked them a lot.
I think that's a good idea db to challenge yourself to try something new in cookbook you don't use all that often.
EDBV
Blackened tofu - Quite good. Just the right amount of pepper. Pretty basic recipe. I liked that she used a little bit of lime juice.
Autumn puree - I made this only because I wanted to use up half a butternut squash I had in my fridge for a week. It did not go well with the blackened tofu but to temper the heat a bit. That said, it's quite good. Nutmeg, cinnamin and coconut milk make a good creamy and sweet side dish. Definiately an Autumn or Thanksgiving food.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/180427_1628444149812_1197836956_31383093_6744353_n.jpg
I don't have EDBV so I'm just going to do recipes out of Vegan Table this week considering I don't use it all that often. I did today:
Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting: Turned out perfect! The cake is nice and moist. It seemed like it could have used more frosting though...I had trouble covering the whole cake. Maybe another cup of powdered sugar would have done it with the frosting.
Glad to hear you had such a great result with the red velvet cake! My plan is to make that for Valentine's day, but maybe in cupcake form.
EDBV
Veggie-Sizzle Burritos - Not bad. Your pretty basic veggie burrito. Baking without a sauce and adding the cheese (Daiya mozzerella) on top was a bit weird but it worked o.k. It was crunchy and I found myself aggitated that I didn't have any salsa to dip it in. The only change I made was that I used red pepper instead of green. It called for ten inch burritoes and I only had smaller ones, and I think bigger would have been better. :)
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs068.snc6/167807_1629921666749_1197836956_31385890_7224557_n.jpg
I think that I will be working from 500 VR and HIAV this week and maybe some next week! We finally went to the store. :)
MMmmmm. I do want to make some cupcakes next week, though.
i don't have EDBV so i plan on finishing some of the recipes i picked from VWAV that i probably won't get around to until the weekend... i miss having a part time job!
VWAV
Cold Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan - we had a warm version of this and it was very good. i generally prefer coconut milk based peanut sauces, but this one can definitely compete with them. it's well-spiced with the ginger and chile sauce.
Been out for a bit, and I can't check out any of these cookbooks, b/c the library says I have a CD that I DO NOT HAVE. Ahem, but here are some VT reviews.
Jamaican-Style Black Bean and Coconut Cornbread Bake http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11303?section=
I liked this more than I thought I would, it was definitely more than the sum of its parts. It was a good use of light coconut milk, which I don't always like, but here it added a butteriness to the cornbread without being too sweet. Really yummy, and really easy to throw together.
Spicy Moroccan Chickpea Tacos http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10584?section=
I am in love with this recipe. I used chopped dried apricots instead of raisins, and grated the carrot instead of dicing it, because I wanted it to be soft. It was soooooooo good! We had it whole wheat pitas, and I love that it was low cal, high fiber, healthy, filling, and delicious. I will totally make this again, and think it would be a great thing to bring to someone, you know, after they have a baby or get sick or whatever.
nmpixie did you actually buy harissa? i've never heard or seen it before
Amy, on the tangine recipe I posted above, the instructions on the recipe said this: " If you can't find harissa, substitute sriracha sauce and 1/4 tsp. each of ground cumin and ground coriander" ......which is what I did as I always have sriracha sauce and spices on hand. I was a very interesting and tasty combination.
I've been all over the place this week with recipes, but not from cookbooks.... I'll try and jump back in next week! : )
I got EDBV out of the library, but nothing seems to inspire. I really don't think I'll make any recipes from it.
I'll be leaving this challenge for a month as I want to cook 'safe', tried and tested vegan foods for Ns parents, to try to stop them cooking meat in my house.
Shelloid....make them this:
EDBV
Monkey Ministrone - Very good. What's not to like, pasta (I used brown rice), tomato, veggies and spices. I added crushed red pepper for the spice I like. Nothing too unique about this, but nothing not to like either. Loved it.
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/168364_1631491665998_1197836956_31388995_93037_n.jpg
nmpixie did you actually buy harissa? i've never heard or seen it before
No, I made it from some different internet recipes, but I have seen it at my whole foods. I just didn't want to buy a whole thing in case I didn't like it.
haha shell, I've been thinking about what to make for next week too as we've got my parents staying for a week and I won't let them cook meat inside. I think they *might* be able to go a week, but would not last a month, so good luck with Mr and Mrs Cum!
; )
500 VR Mac and sleaze
Very good! I made a few mods. I used 12 ounces of spaghetti, about 3/4 cup nooch, some daiya, and more pasta water. The recipe makes way too much topping for an 8x8' casserole..especially for 8 ounces of pasta. I guess if you want a lot of breadcrumbs, it's good...but too much for me. I think the combo of (more) nooch and a bit of daiya is really great! Good combo of spices in this.
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/168314_10150389276410533_507120532_17311020_8169965_n.jpg
HIAV Mulligatawny soup
I guess I've never really known what mulligatawny is. After looking at/starting this recipe, I looked up some online recipes, and I think I would prefer those over this. It uses coconut instead of coconut milk, but I don't think that adds enough flavor, and it makes a weird texture. I didn't even add the cauliflower, and it needed more liquid. Needs more spice, too. Hearty and healthy, but not a fave.
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