The official Color Me Vegan recipe review thread (to be updated).
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. The idea for this review came from Lotus, and she typed out the list of recipes for me! Thanks, lotus.
Color Me Red (The bright, the bold, and beneficial)
Apple, Cranberry, Cherry, and Pomegranate Salad
Roasted Red Pepper Relish
It's quite good on crackers, and easy to make. (tweety)
Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Green Olive Tapenade
Gazpacho
Six Shades Of Red Soup
I followed the recipe exactly for this soup and it was delicious! I ended up using the entire 1/2 cup miso paste, then used a splash of Bragg's in place of the salt. My lentils and potatoes cooked down enough so that I didn't need to puree. Overnight, the red color deepened even more and the flavors blended together nicely. I garnished with a spoonful of tofutti sour cream and a sprinkle of dried dill. I will definitely make this again. (lotus)
A gorgeous soup! It definitely turns a deeper shade of red overnight. OMG this makes a ton of soup. Next time, I will definitely halve it. I followed the recipe as best I could, but omitted the vegetable juice since I didn't have any. I used 1/3 cup red miso. I thought it was very tasty and the omnis I were serving said I could make this soup anytime for them, which is a huge compliment coming from very traditional omnis. I liked the zing from the miso. I found I had a lot of froth/foam to remove from the soup, so I am afraid I skimmed off a lot of the onions as well. I am glad I delayed adding the dill, otherwise it would have been scooped away as well. Otherwise, a lovely soup. Deceivingly light as it is virtually fat free. Good for company. (blinknoodle)
Apricot Red Lentil Stew
Good. I decided to use brown lentils and not puree any of it. This was sweet and tasty....too sweet for me to be overly excited about it, but unique and flavorable nonetheless. (tweety)
Tomato Basil Soup
Harvard Beets
Roasted Plum Tomatoes with Garlic
Apple, Cranberry, and Sausage Stuffing
Quick Curried Swiss Chard
Seared Tempeh with Cherry Balsamic Reduction Sauce
This was tasty. I used dried cherries and pretty much followed the recipe. Instead of spooning the sauce over the tempeh, I let the tempeh cook in the sauce for the last 10 minutes or so. I figured it would absorb more flavor that way. We had it with sauteed kale and mashed potatoes. My omni friend who had never had tempeh thought it was delicious. I will definitely make this again. (lotus)
Beet Burgers
Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
This was pretty good, nothing spectacular though. I used dried kidney beans, short grain brown rice, and Tofurkey Italian Sausages. I didn't have cajun or creole seasoning, so I used the recipe she provided in the side note. I think the ratio of cayenne to chilli powder was the problem. Cayenne tends to be too hot for me, while I think chili powder adds more flavor with a nice amount of heat. So, anyway, I ended up adding a ton of chili powder for some more flavor, then at the end, I added a little Adobo seasoning, which added a lot. I also used a tsp or so of lime juice right before serving. I used rice and beans that were prepared ahead of time, so I didn't cook everything in one pot. I don't if that made a difference in the flavor absorption or not. (lotus)
Watermelon Granita
Strawberry Lemonade
Raspberry Lemon Muffins
Strawberry Cream
Color Me Orange (The beta to see you with)
Citrus Salad
I really liked this salad. I massaged the dressing into the kale, though. I had no grapefruit so I increased my oranges. I used 1 tbsp agave which wasn't that sweet, so I guess you could increase it if you wanted more sweetness (I figured there would be enough from the fruit but I guess not). The pine nuts, onion, kale and orange worked well together. I did not find it that spicy with 1/8 tsp of Aleppo chili flakes. (blinknoodle)
I didn't have grapefruit, so I left that out. However, I just didn't really like this salad. I think the kale needed massaged. It was just a little blah. Won't be making this one again. (veganrun)
Orange Pecans
Roasted Orange Beets with Tangerines
Peach or Nectarine Salad
Carrot and Roasted Bell Pepper Soup
This was delicious. Of course because it is filled with delicious ingredients. I roasted my own red peppers (2) while I chopped and cooked the first ingredients. I substituted a large sweet potato for the potato and only used 1 cup of soy milk to get my desired consistency. I omitted the cayenne. The miso (and sherry?) really adds a depth of flavour to this soup. Complex, light, yet creamy... definitely a great starter soup for company. (blinknoodle)
Butternut Squash Orange Ginger Soup
It also has potatoes, onions, and garlic. It's o.k. Nothing earth shattering, but not bad. Zero fat and very healthy! (tweety)
Peanut Pumpkin Soup
Baked Persimmon Slices
Carrot Puree
Carrot Fries
Saffron Rice with Curried Apricot Dressing
Orange Glazed Tempeh
This is delicious! I sliced the tempeh into eight triangles and followed the recipe pretty closely. I used 4 medium juicy oranges and probably a little more garlic and ginger than called for. I served it with roasted beets, fennel, and purple potatoes. (lotus)
Wow, I inadvertently made this dish without knowing it! It is so close to the recipe Heidi posted here: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/orange-panglazed-tempeh-recipe.html (the recipe in the cookbook has a bit more soy sauce and garlic, but otherwise identical) A great option for tempeh, though! I opted to steam my tempeh beforehand in the microwave but found the glaze to be wonderful. The marinade gets absorbed as leftovers, so this is best fresh. I served it in a Swiss chard wrap with broccoli sprouts, as well as over chocolate socca with sprouts. Both were delicious. (blinknoodle)
I have made this at least 5 times, and it was an omnivore-pleasing company dish. It reminds me of mandarin chicken from my pre-veg days. I like eating it over steamed greens, but hubby always wants to eat it with lots of rice! (katequeenofsprouts)
Sweet Potato Tacos
Loved this...easy to make...just veggies without spices and it works well. I think I'm going to add some fresh lime juice when I serve it again for some Latin flavor. (tweety)
Jewel Yam Ramekins
Nectarine Agave Panini
General Custard's Cream Pie with Almond Oat Crust
Persimmon Tea Cake
Mango Papaya Punch
Color Me Yellow (Let the sunshine in)
Pineapple Mango Chutney
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Cashew Cheese
Grapefruit, Yellow Pepper, and Avocado Salad
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Corn Chowder
This soup seemed too thin and wimpy for a "chowder." It was good, and I think it would be fine in the summer, but for the winter I want something more substantial. So, I threw in about a half cup of a sun-dried tomato and herb cashew butter, and this was ridiculously delicious. It added thickness and taste. I also put a ton of Sriracha and nutritional yeast on it. Beyond fantastic, in this rendition. I really like the method of cooking the corn separate--it added a ton of flavor. I couldn't stop eating it while I waited for the potatoes to cook! I will definitely make this again, but I think it need tweaks. (veganrun)
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams
Delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly, except I added a bit of liquid smoke & I only cooked for a couple minutes more after adding the collards (instead of 10 minutes). This soup is great! Really filling, too. (JessaCita)
I'm not really sure how I feel about this soup. I am trying really hard to find recipes that make me like sweet potatoes. I really liked this the first night I ate it, but then I took it for lunch the next day and didn't even want to finish it. I think it was due to the sweet potatoes. I did not blend the soup before adding the greens. If I make this again, I will definitely blend it. I didn't like the isolated chunks of sweet potato...not necessarily the flavor, more the texture. Anyway, I loved the curry and peas together. I used kale instead of collards and added some pan fried tofurky sausages because I was pretty hungry. (lotus)
Spicy Yellow Bell Pepper Soup
Good. It has yellow bell peppers, potatoes, jalapeno, and onions pureed. It's not very hearty and filling and must be eaten with something else in my opinion. (tweety)
Creamed Corn
Ginger Roasted Parsnips
Delish! The combination of olive oil, garlic and ginger along with the parsnips works very well. (tweety)
Summer Squash with Cherry Tomatoes Topped with Cheesy Toasted Pine Nuts
I was looking for a squash/zucchini casserole type recipe and I made a variation of this that turned out to be quite delicious. I didn't have any tomatoes, so I used roasted red peppers instead. I also subbed walnuts for the pine nuts. I forgot to toast the walnuts, but the mixture was still tasty. This was even better the next day. I can't wait to try it with my garden tomatoes...and I'll definitely toast the nuts next time. (lotus)
South African Yellow Rice
Hot Tamale Pie
Swiss Chard Pie
Cornmeal Blueberry Porridge
YUM! So good in spite of being so simple. I used frozen berries and didn't thaw them beforehand--no problem at all. The only issue: I think the recipe says this made 6-8 servings or something like that, but I guess we're just big eaters because we ate all of this (2 people). Oopsie! Maybe it's just that good. Make this for a nice change from your oatmeal. (veganrun)
Mango Saffron Mousse
Pineapple and Bananas with Ginger Syrup
Frozen Banana Dessert
Caramelized Bananas
Color Me Green (The pigment of life)
Asian Inspired Edamame Salad
This is a very simple recipe. I accidentally tripled the lemon juice but liked it just the same. Nothing fancy but good. (blinknoodle)
Sweet Pea Guacamole
Greek Spinach Salad
Walnut Basil Pesto
I've been making my own variation of this for years. It's delicious and walnuts are so much cheaper than pine nuts. (lotus)
Edamame Soup
Spinach Soup with Basil and Dill
Three Greens Ribollita Soup
Summer Squash Soup
Kale Chips
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans
You'll notice immediately I didn't use brussles, but collards. I had collards on hand to use up but was intrigued enough by this recipe to try it with collards. It worked. It's an interesting combination of sauteed greens, with tart apples, and nuts. It calls for maple syrup which in my opinion was good, but made it too sweet. I'd use hald of what she recommends if you don't like sweet stuff. (tweety)
Excellent. I reviewed this before when I made it with collard greens, but made it this time with the brussels sprouts. I subbed walnuts for the pecans and forgot tart apples and used gala that I had at home. This was a very good combination of sweet (from maple syrup) with the bitter of the greens and I loved it. I made it in the past with collards and the pecans, but complained it was too sweet but that wasn't an issue this time. It only calls for 1 tbs. of maple. (tweety)
Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale
Not very pretty to look at, but tasted good. Had a nice sweet and sour flavor to it. The recipe doesn't specify how much of the cooking liquid to reserve, but I found about 1/2 cup to be a good amount. (disneyfav)
Cajun Okra
Stuffed Artichokes
Spanish Squash Saute
This is pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but a tasty way to cook squash. I used yellow crookneck and zucchini squash and omitted the corn. Other than that I followed the recipe. I would never think to use squash on tostadas, but when I saw the suggestion in the recipe, I decided to try it. It turned out pretty tasty. (lotus)
Garlicky Greens with Pasta
Maybe it's just me, but 2 lbs of greens with 4 cloves of garlic is not very garlicky to me. I used penne pasta with broccoli rabe and beet greens and around 10 cloves of garlic. This was my first time having broccoli rabe and beet greens. I thought the slight bitterness was really good with the garlic. I didn't have fresh basil, so I used some dried. I also omitted the pine nuts and stirred in some nutritional yeast at the end. I served it as a side with sesame tofu. (lotus)
Green Tea and Pistachio Cupcakes
Avocado Pudding
Green Smoothies
Kiwi Banana Muffins
Color Me Blue/Purple (Flower inspired power)
Radicchio Fennel Salad with Caper Dressing
Purple Cabbage Salad
Figs Stuffed with Rosemary and Walnut Cashew Cream
Grilled Purple Pole Beans
Purple Cauliflower Soup
Chilled Blueberry Mango Soup
Purple Kale and White Bean Soup
I made this as Green Kale and Black Bean Soup, based on the ingredients I had, and it still came out really good. A warm, subtle soup with chopped kale, beans, celery and carrots simmered in a vegetable broth seasoned with onion, red pepper flakes and rosemary. (saskia)
Purple Potato Soup
I've always loved soup, but this book is making me soup crazy! This was my first time ever having purple potatoes. I played around with the recipe a bit. Due to what I had, I used a little less than 2 lbs potatoes and I used a large head of cauliflower instead of a small head. Initially, it was not very purple at all, but darkened quite a bit after I blended it. It definitely got more purple the longer it sat. I love CPG, but her recipes never seem to have enough herbs and spices for my taste. I added parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (and I sang scarborough fair as I added them). I served it with a spoonful of vegan sour cream and some fresh parsley. Delicious! (lotus)
Blueberry Ketchup
Lavender Roasted Purple Potatoes and Purple Onions
Blueberry Croutons
German Red Cabbage
Eggplant with Sweet Miso Sauce
Linguine with Purple Cabbage
Potatoes and Eggplant
Blueberry Buckle
Blackberry Breakfast Bars
Quinoa Blue Cornbread
Purple Plum Pie with Crumble Topping
Fresh Fig Upside Down Cake
Color Me White/Tan (Fiber rich and filling)
Egyptian Spice Mix
Quinoa and Eggplant Caviar
White Bean and Artichoke Salad
I used the balsamic instead of red wine vinegar and I cooked my own beans instead of using canned. Simple and tasty. (storm)
Spicy Indian Garlic Relish
Parsnip Soup
From the "white" chapter. This was really good, though a little too sweet for my taste. That may be because I didn't have unsweetened soy milk, and parsnips are naturally very sweet on their own, so next time I'll make a point of using unsweetened milk. It was still very good regardless, very thick, and rich, and creamy, with the just the right amount of herbs and spices. (disneyfav)
Miso Fennel Ginger Soup
Winter White Soup
This was a very good soup. I tweaked it slightly by only using 350g of new potatoes, adding in maybe 1/2 cup cooked quinoa and increasing the dill to 1 tbsp. I used 1/2 cup sherry, 2 cups broth and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and it made a super creamy and flavourful soup. Delicious. I didn't peel my potatoes or apple, so it wasn't a white soup, but super tasty. Recommended. (blinknoodle)
Quinoa, Tofu, and Kale with Walnut Pesto
Very tasty! I frequently combine quinoa, tofu and kale, but I never would have thought to add pesto. I actually used beet greens instead of kale. (lotus)
I found this surprisingly bland. I decreased the uncooked quinoa to 1 cup and used half the pesto recipe (it says it would make 3/4 cup and I only needed 1/3 cup for the recipe). I tried to revive the dish with an extra clove of raw garlic. The leftovers are better. I think this dish should only be eaten chilled. (blinknoodle)
Jicama Slaw
Coconut Rice
Roasted Fennel
Lemony Pan Fried Chickpeas with Chard
Super fast and easy! I cut back on the oil, and used some water and white wine when the pan got dry to have a little less fat, and didn't use any lemon zest, and jarred lemon juice, but other then that, followed the recipe. It was quite tasty. I don't however agree that it makes four servings, it's more like two. (disneyfav)
Salt and Pepper Tofu
Tofu Teriyaki
Cashew and Red Lentil Burgers
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
Oat Bread
Banana Oat Date Cookies
Sugar and Spice Almonds
Color Me Black/Brown (Comfort and warmth mingled with drama)
Arame and Cucumber Salad
Black Olive Bruschetta
Olive Salad
Spicy Black Bean and Olive Hummus
Mushroom Barley Soup
Five Spice Onion Soup
Hot and Sour Soup
Brown Lentil Soup
Black Beluga Lentil Salad
Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
Onion Gravy
Mushroom Topped Baked Potatoes
Good. I like that she used butter to sautee the shrooms and peppers, it went well with the dish. I added hot chili peppers for spice. I think it was a bit plain, could have used some herbs like thyme, orgeno, basil or rosemary. (tweety)
Drunken Beans
Meh....I'm not a huge fan of beer in dishes but was intrigued by this recipe because I wanted something easy and fast to make that included beans. I cut the beer to six ounces and added two ounces of water. While I modified that I'm not sure why I blindly followed her instructions to use three oz. of brown sugar. This ruined it because it made it way too sweet for me. Maybe this is what the Mexicans do, but bleh. (tweety)
Peanut Butter Pancakes
Almond Butter and Strawberry Sandwich
Nori Wraps with Orange Cashew Cream
I used the orange cashew cream as the base, but halved the recipe. I didn’t find it that special and recommend this other orange cashew spread: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/zesty-orange-cashew-spread/ This was my first time making nori rolls and I found them difficult to stick together. Otherwise, I skipped the beet and added baby spinach. I liked the fresh flavours of all the veggies. It worked well with the cashew spread and avocado. (blinknoodle)
Double Chocolate Mint Granita
This was fantastic! I admit, I made it a double chocolate COFFEE granita, but still. It was rich tasting and delicious, yet I don't feel too "guilty" eating it. Love it. (dannibazaar)
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
These were soft and chewy and just sweet enough. I used dutch processed cocoa, so you can't really distinguish the melted chocolate glaze from the actual cookie...my cookies were really dark. These are tasty cookies. Next time I will use regular cocoa, just to make them a little prettier and probably more cherry juice for some extra cherry flavor in the glaze. (lotus)
Cape Brandy Pudding
Color Me The Rainbow! (A veritable feast for the eyes)
Confetti Macaroni Salad
This is a good macaroni salad. Easy and quick to make. I like the addition of poppy seeds and basil. Next time I will add frozen peas. (lotus)
Couscous and Veggie Medley
Cucumber Salad
Carrot and Avocado Salad
I actually wasn't expecting much, but a nice healthy side dish, but was pleasantly surpirsed at how tasty it was. I used fresh squeezed orange juice, and a little zest (not a lot because this zest was bitter). The addition of the seeds and the sweetness of the fresh orange worked very well and is what made this delish! (tweety)
Thai Coconut Soup
Brazilian Black Bean Stew
This was delicious. I pretty much followed the directions, except I used green pepper instead of red and half a pablano instead of jalepeno. (lotus)
Minestrone with Kale
A hearty soup with carrots, diced tomatoes, white beans(I used black), chopped kale and macaroni pasta. It's a more nutritious take on a comfort soup. As much as I like kale, I prefer the more traditional minestrone soup minus the supergreens. (saskia)
This has become my go-to minestrone recipe. So far, I've made at least 4 others, and this one still tops them all. Of course, I love kale and always tend to have it on hand, so I don't mind sneaking a little extra in my soup! (katequeenofsprouts)
Minted Chickpea Salad
A cross between coleslaw and a chickpea salad. Not particularly memorable. I tried to up the flavour with double the mint, lemon zest, lots of salt and pepper, but it was still a lackluster salad. Will not make again. (blinknoodle)
Asparagus and Carrots with Walnut Dressing
Yum! This is a simple dressing with walnuts (I used 1/3 cup) with miso, mirin, tamari and rice vinegar but it was nice, sweet and creamy. It paired really well with the asparagus and carrots. (blinknoodle)
Wild Rice and Broccoli
Southern Style Succotash
Indian Style Black Bean and Veggie Burritos
Sloppy Col' Sandwich
Farro and Fresh Vegetable Medley
Yummy! I made this for quick lunches at work, for which I foresee it serving admirably-- would also be great for a summer potluck or picnic... really tasty & pretty salad! I cooked the farro ahead, in 'Better than Bouillion' veg broth... Ended up using a little less farro than was called for; it just looked like too much, as I was mixing everything together, & I wanted a higher veggies-to-grain ratio in the finished dish. I used the higher suggested amount of balsamic vinegar (2 Tbsp) & the lower amount of olive oil (1/4 cup)... subbed raw pecans for toasted pine nuts out of necessity, & it worked fine (tho I'm gonna try it with pine nuts too!)... used 1-1/2 lemon and somewhere between 1/4 & 1/2 tsp salt, and really like the results-- flavor profile is similar to tabouleh, and it cries out for an accompaniment of assorted olives. I'll definitely make this again. (hotcooknmama)
Muffuletta Sandwich
All Natural Ambrosia
Chocolate, Banana, and Almond Butter Panini
Strawberries with Lavender Syrup
Six Shades Of Red Soup
I followed the recipe exactly for this soup and it was delicious! I ended up using the entire 1/2 cup miso paste, then used a splash of Bragg's in place of the salt. My lentils and potatoes cooked down enough so that I didn't need to puree. Overnight, the red color deepened even more and the flavors blended together nicely. I garnished with a spoonful of tofutti sour cream and a sprinkle of dried dill. I will definitely make this again.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2py8hzt.jpg
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
These were soft and chewy and just sweet enough. I used dutch processed cocoa, so you can't really distinguish the melted chocolate glaze from the actual cookie...my cookies were really dark. These are tasty cookies. Next time I will use regular cocoa, just to make them a little prettier and probably more cherry juice for some extra cherry flavor in the glaze.
http://i53.tinypic.com/2dkylt.jpg
Confetti Macaroni Salad
This is a good macaroni salad. Easy and quick to make. I like the addition of poppy seeds and basil.
http://i52.tinypic.com/vh69fp.jpg
That soup is beautiful!
Thanks. I really went out on a limb with it, as far as my tastes are concerned, but it was really delicious! I didn't realize I liked beets, now I'm obsessed with them.
Thanks: to AC for creating this thread, Lotus for providing her the list, Dannibazaar for reviewing the book for me in another thread.
First, my thoughts about the book. I knew from "Vegan Table" that she was a good recipe writer. I think this is a great idea, to include high-anti-oxidant foods in various types of recipes. I like how she devided it up into colors, providing a wide variety of recipes for each color...including white, black and brown foods. She also includes a lot of tidbits, trivia and cooking tips. Two thumbs up.
When I first clicked on this thread the other day, I immediately noticed the red pepper relish at the top and somehow knew I was going to make that. It's quite good on crackers, and easy to make.
Shredded brussels sprouts with apples and pecans - You'll notice immediately I didn't use brussles, but collards. I had collards on hand to use up but was intrigued enough by this recipe to try it with collards. It worked. It's an interesting combination of sauteed greens, with tart apples, and nuts. It calls for maple syrup which in my opinion was good, but made it too sweet. I'd use hald of what she recommends if you don't like sweet stuff.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1355.snc4/162785_1576886540904_1197836956_31297688_5914188_n.jpg
Thanks. I really went out on a limb with it, as far as my tastes are concerned, but it was really delicious! I didn't realize I liked beets, now I'm obsessed with them.
I love beets and the that soup does look amazing.
Confetti Macaroni Salad
This is a good macaroni salad. Easy and quick to make. I like the addition of poppy seeds and basil.
ETA: Next time I will add frozen peas.
Ginger Roasted Parsnips - Delish! The combination of olive oil, garlic and ginger along with the parsnips works very well.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1362.snc4/163444_1578412699057_1197836956_31302127_2648647_n.jpg
Carrot and Avocado Salad - I actually wasn't expecting much, but a nice healthy side dish, but was pleasantly surpirsed at how tasty it was. I used fresh squeezed orange juice, and a little zest (not a lot because this zest was bitter). The addition of the seeds and the sweetness of the fresh orange worked very well and is what made this delish!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1362.snc4/163465_1579991018514_1197836956_31305294_5527999_n.jpg
Purple Kale and White Bean Soup- I made this as Green Kale and Black Bean Soup, based on the ingredients I had, and it still came out really good. A warm, subtle soup with chopped kale, beans, celery and carrots simmered in a vegetable broth seasoned with onion, red pepper flakes and rosemary.
Minestrone with Kale-A hearty soup with carrots, diced tomatoes, white beans(I used black), chopped kale and macaroni pasta. It's a more nutritious take on a comfort soup. As much as I like kale, I prefer the more traditional minestrone soup minus the supergreens.
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams - Delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly, except I added a bit of liquid smoke & I only cooked for a couple minutes more after adding the collards (instead of 10 minutes). This soup is great! Really filling, too. (JessaCita)
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams - Delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly, except I added a bit of liquid smoke & I only cooked for a couple minutes more after adding the collards (instead of 10 minutes). This soup is great! Really filling, too. (JessaCita)
Ooh! That one is on my short list. I'm glad to hear it's good. Do you think Green Split Peas would make much of a difference? I've never had the yellow ones.
No, no difference at all! I'm sure she just used yellow because of the color. It's a gorgeous soup & I like the color combo of the soupy yellow split peas with flecks of orange carrot, orange yam, and green collards - but I'd definitely use green if that's what you have!
Parsnip Soup - From the "white" chapter. This was really good, though a little too sweet for my taste. That may be because I didn't have unsweetened soy milk, and parsnips are naturally very sweet on their own, so next time I'll make a point of using unsweetened milk. It was still very good regardless, very thick, and rich, and creamy, with the just the right amount of herbs and spices.
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
This was pretty good, nothing spectacular though. I used dried kidney beans, short grain brown rice, and Tofurkey Italian Sausages. I didn't have cajun or creole seasoning, so I used the recipe she provided in the side note. I think the ratio of cayenne to chilli powder was the problem. Cayenne tends to be too hot for me, while I think chili powder adds more flavor with a nice amount of heat. So, anyway, I ended up adding a ton of chili powder for some more flavor, then at the end, I added a little Adobo seasoning, which added a lot. I also used a tsp or so of lime juice right before serving. I used rice and beans that were prepared ahead of time, so I didn't cook everything in one pot. I don't if that made a difference in the flavor absorption or not.
http://i52.tinypic.com/nf66b7.jpg
Purple Potato Soup
I've always loved soup, but this book is making me soup crazy! This was my first time ever having purple potatoes. I played around with the recipe a bit. Due to what I had, I used a little less than 2 lbs potatoes and I used a large head of cauliflower instead of a small head. Initially, it was not very purple at all, but darkened quite a bit after I blended it. It definitely got more purple the longer it sat. I love CPG, but her recipes never seem to have enough herbs and spices for my taste. I added parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (and I sang scarborough fair as I added them). I served it with a spoonful of vegan sour cream and some fresh parsley. Delicious!
http://i51.tinypic.com/2it4jfm.jpg
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams
I'm not really sure how I feel about this soup. I am trying really hard to find recipes that make me like sweet potatoes. I really liked this the first night I ate it, but then I took it for lunch the next day and didn't even want to finish it. I think it was due to the sweet potatoes. I did not blend the soup before adding the greens. If I make this again, I will definitely blend it. I didn't like the isolated chunks of sweet potato...not necessarily the flavor, more the texture. Anyway, I loved the curry and peas together. I used kale instead of collards and added some pan fried tofurky sausages because I was pretty hungry.
http://i53.tinypic.com/24muwjn.jpg
Irish Mashed Potatoes - Not very pretty to look at, but tasted good. Had a nice sweet and sour flavor to it. The recipe doesn't specify how much of the cooking liquid to reserve, but I found about 1/2 cup to be a good amount.
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