The official Vegan Fire & Spice recipe review (to be updated).
With some more list help from Erin! Continue to add reviews to: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=25166.0, or here, and I will add them to the compilation.
The Americas
Appetizers
Jamaican jerk spiced tempeh nuggets
Smokin' Texas caviar
this was really good! I followed the recipe exactly and of course everyone in my family thought it was too spicy, but I thought it was perfect! I really like the flavor of black-eyed peas....it was a nice change from regular hummus. (erinmonster)
Yum! Very flavorful although not as spicy as I would have liked. Has kind of a dry-ish crumbly texture, so it can be hard to get it to stay on a tortilla chip. Overall, a great way to enjoy black eyed peas. (kristinv)
Smooth and sassy guacamole
Good. Pretty basic recipe with avocado, lime juice, tomato, onion, garlic and cumin. She calls for minced canned jalapenos and I used fresh. Instead of mashing she blends everything in a food processor for a nice creamy texture that I liked. I used one huge Florida lower fat avocado and blended the fresh jalapeno at the beginning. (tweety)
Spicy hot nuts
Spicy plantain fritters
Soups and Stews
Carribbean vegetable stew
Ok so I was a bit hesitant to make this cause I was like beans, olives, pineapple, and salsa? WTF? But seriously all of these come together and it's an awesome dish. Every time you get a bit of a pineapple chunk it's sweet and you feel like you're eating dessert too. (intheend)
Chilled avocado soup
Close to callaloo
I love me some greens, so this recipe that calls for a bunch of spinach and a bunch of Swiss Chard sounded really appealing. Unfortunately, I found the stew a little bland. Other than salt and pepper, there are no herbs or spices in this recipe which probably would have improve things somewhat. Callaloo is a Caribbean stew, so maybe some Caribbean type flavors in the way of thyme, cayenne, cumin or allspice might have perked things up a bit. (peaceablepalate)
Jalapeno soup with tortilla triangles
Spicy corn soup
Spicy vegetable gumbo
made it for my daughter with the last of this season's okra a couple of weeks ago and it was so fabulous I had to sneak a cup for myself. The only changes I made were to add some fresh serranos from my plants, a couple of bay leaves, and some Field Roast apple and sage sausage. (storm)
Yucatan potato soup
Salads and Sides
Avocado and jicama salad with lime dressing
Black bean and corn salad
Cajun coleslaw
Chipotle corn
Island rice salad
I thought rice on top of lettuce would be odd but this totally works. The chunks of mango are a refreshing burst of flavor and the sauce that goes on top of the rice is sweet and tangy. (intheend)
Lime marinated white bean salad
Mexican fruit salad
Quinoa stuffed avocados
Rice and bean salad with cumin vinaigrette
Cold salads are one of my favorite things to eat during the summer months, and this one is definitely the best one I've come across thus far. My husband and I often make a meal of this salad on lazy summer days. We don't even bother dishing it out. We just pass the container back and forth until we are thoroughly stuffed! (peaceablepalate)
Veracruz potato salad
Main courses
Argentinian inspired seitan cutlets
Baked seitan enchiladas
Barbados style grilled kabobs
These rocked! I used seitan I made from Vegan On The Cheap. I omitted the bell peper cause I hate it. I was hesitant to use the rum because I thought it would be overpowering but it completely cooks out. I wouldn't serve this on top of rice though.. it's very dry even when you do brush it with the excess marinade. (intheend)
Wasn't feeling these kebabs. Like the Close to Callaloo recipe, I feel like this recipe could have used more flavor. Other than fresh ginger and red pepper flakes, there was no seasoning in this recipe. I'm thinking that maybe a little cumin, or allspice would give the kebabs more of a Caribbean flavor. Too bland for my taste. (peaceablepalate)
Brown rice with creole sauce
Chilean stuffed peppers
Citrus marinated tempeh with sweet potatoes
Grilled vegetable fajitas
Jamaican style picadillo
I really liked this, however, I do not recommend adding the almonds....that almost ruined it for me - I guess I don't like crunchy things in my rice. But everything else was awesome! I cheated a little and used a dirty rice mix instead of plain - this way I didn't have to double the spices like I normally do with her recipes. And I didn't have any jamaican curry powder, so I just used regular curry and mixed in some key lime spice - thought that made sense.....but it was good....I will make it again, without almonds! (erinmonster)
I made my own curry blend using this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/femmes-revenge-caribbean-curry-mix-158082 . I also used a red bell pepper even though I hate them because sometimes I can tolerate them in certain dishes. Well, this was a dish I ended up not liking them in. So if you are a bell pepper hater, heed the warning! Otherwise this was an exotic dish with all the flavors going on. I loved the addition of the raisins. (intheend)
Jamaican baked vegetables
Jumpin jambalaya
This is a simple and filling dish. I omitted the bell pepper and it was perfect. (intheend)
Quesadillas
Red beans and rice casserole
Red hot white bean chili
Rice with tomatillos and chiles
Seitan fajitas with poblano chiles
Simple to make and delicious. I added the lime juice and salsa after the seitan/pepper mix was in the tortilla, also wrapping some lettuce and tomato at the end. Rather than pepper flakes, I sauteed some habanero pepper with the poblano/onion mix. For a lower fat version, could be sauteed in the seitan liquid. (kindnesstoall)
Amazingly good! Nice twist from using green peppers. I followed the recipe, but what I think made it good (if I do say so myself) is that I used homemade seitan (the "faux beef" from La Dolce Vegan, my go to book for seitan) and the homemade picante salsa from this same cookbook. I cut back just a tad because I only had six ounces of seitan and wound up eating the entire recipe in two burritos. (tweety)
Seitan with tomato orange sauce
Spicy bean and spinach burritos
These were great! Very simple. Had everything I needed in the pantry. (purpledancer)
I decided not to drain and rinse the beans but instead refried them. I also used fresh spinach so this ended up being very watery after adding the spinach. It doesn't matter though- this was still tasty and I ended up pouring my salsa on top so it ended up as a wet burrito. (intheend)
Pretty good. I did not add optional vegan cheese (since vegan cheeses generally suck). Using the homemade salsa picante is a must for this dish. I did not use frozen spinach but lightly steamed a bag of spinach until it wilted. I wasn't thrilled with her instructions to pulse the beans because I over did it and whole beans would have been just as good. I wasn't sure I'd like the combo of spinach and Mexican food this way, but it was excellent. (tweety)
Tacos with salsa fresca
Dressings, Sauces, and Condiments
Borracha sauce
Brazilian lemon chile sauce
Jamaican jerk sauce
I chose to use the Jerk Sauce as a marinade for tofu. It was good, but I don't think I like it enough to make it again. (purpledancer)
Mole poblano
Salsa fresca
Salsa picante
Very delish basic salsa with tomatoes, fresh jalapeno, cilantro, red vinegar, etc. Since it's a raw dish I cut back on used maybe two tbs of red onion instead of the called for "small onion". This could easily be my "to go to" salsa. (tweety)
Texas barbecue sauce
Mediterranean Europe
Appetizers
Ajvar
Chile Aioli
Peperonata
Spicy Olives
Stuffed Cherry Peppers
Soups and Stews
Basque Chickpea Stew
Escarole Soup
Garlic Soup
Gazpacho
Italian Vegetable Ragout
Portugese Spicy Kale Soup
except I used chard cuz that's what I had. The temperature dropped like a rock yesterday so my daughter asked for soup and this is what she got. I always taste when I'm cooking for her (my little raw cheats) and I thought it was a bit bland so I threw in some thyme and that fixed it right up. (storm)
Ratatouille
I've prepared this for my daughter twice and she inhales it. Instead of zucchini I used two patty pan squashes and three fresh serrano peppers instead of cayenne powder. It smells awesome....I wish I liked eggplant, but I just don't. She gives it a big thumbs up. (storm)
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Good. Nothing exciting, just your run of the mill Italian tomato soup. The spice is crushed red pepper and it has fresh basil. I cut back on the broth by one cup to make it more thick and I took her option to add noodles. (tweety)
Salads and Sides
Artichoke Hearts with Garlic and Capers
I thought this was delicious! I used a can of quartered artichoke hearts instead of frozen, added a splash of veggie broth to the lemon juice that it sauteed in, and added a little Chicky Baby Seasoning to the breadcrumbs - the breadcrumbs were an excellent addition! Andy wasn't a huge fan, but he isn't wild about artichokes to begin with. (erinmonster)
Arugula Potato Salad
Basque Eggplant Salad
Braised Chickory Salad
Cauliflower with Mustard Dill Sauce
Penne Primavera Salad
Red Pepper and Mushroom Salad with Walnuts
Roasted Catalan Style Vegetables
Roasted Potatoes and Peppers
Spanish Lentils
Spicy Spanish Potatoes
I really like the Potatoes and the Spinach. I would make them again for sure. (purpledancer)
Svikla
Sweet and Sour Onions and Zucchini
Main Courses
Farsia Intchauspe
Italian Easter Pie
Majorcan Baked Vegetables
Pasta Puttanesca
Penne Arrabbiata
Tempeh Cacciatore
Good. Pretty basic recipe with tomatoes, oregano and veggies and lots of crushed red pepper. I steamed the tempeh for 10 minutes because that's plenty of time in my experience. I did not fry the tempeh ahead of time in the oil because in my experience tempeh always abosorbs all the oil and I would have needed more to sautee the veggies, so the last two minutes of sauteeing the veggies I sauteed the tempeh. I did not have any parsley but I did have some basil and added that at the end. (tweety)
Vegetables and Chickpeas with Romesco Sauce
Vegan Paella
Huge disclaimer: The serving size for this is more around 10 than 6 and that's with it being the main dish so halve it if you don't want that much. Anyway, it was really good and even the tempeh in here couldn't ruin this dish for me, it completely blends in. I used seitan and sausages but next time I would just use the sausages and substitute the seitan for kidney beans like she suggests. What's also awesome about this dish is that it's made in one pot. (intheend)
Ziti with Fresh Tomatoes and Olives
The Middle East and Africa
Appetizers
Baba Ghanouj
Chickpea Falafel
Red Chile Hummus
Turkish Red Pepper Walnut Spread
Excellent. Mine came out a little on the loose side, but thicken a bit with refrigeration. I did not use jarred and used two large red bell peppers that I roasted myself, which could account for the thinnes, but still it clung to crackers nicely and was very tasty. (tweety)
Soups and Stews
Ethiopian Wat
very good. I used "faux beef" seitan from La Dolche Vegan (my go-to book for seitan) and enjoyed this dish emmensely. (tweety)
I made a few changes. I used Niter Kibbeh instead of oil and I also added 1 Tbsp Berbere. Since I did this, I halved the rest of the spices. I was very happy with those changes so I'm not sure how this recipe tastes without them. But if you like Ethiopian food then I suggested you make Nitter Kibbeh and Berbere. (intheend)
Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup
Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Soup
It had less heat than I was expecting. It was easy to make, which always a plus. I'd give it a B+. Very good, but maybe not something someone would request the recipe after eating. It was satisfying with nice flavors, but not over the top. I didn't add the harissa sauce, though. That may be what was missing. I substituted chili oil with a little coriander, garlic powder and lemon juice. I thought it would be of similar heat, but maybe not. Next time I'll try it with the harissa sauce. (bellybellygood)
Oh so flavorful! The aroma alone is fantastic. I served this on top of whole wheat couscous. (intheend)
One of my all-time favorite recipes! I didn't have tomato paste so I just subbed a can of tomato sauce for equal amount of the vegetable broth. I feel the spices used are perfect. (I ground my own cardamom, which I love.) It's not overly spicy; of course, more Harissa sauce could be added if you like the heat. (I used a store-bought Harissa sauce I found at Williams-Sonoma... I couldn't find it anywere else and didn't realize until I purchased VF&S that it can be made at home.) Served over basmati rice (cooked with a couple of cloves and cardamom pods). It smells wonderful, tastes wonderful... Yum! (kindnesstoall)
Nigerian Peanut Soup
North African Pumpkin Stew
Very good. I used acorn squash and enjoyed all the cominbation of spices. I had more than the called for squash so I didn't drain the diced tomatoes as she suggested, so I'd have more sauce. I used 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar instead of one full tbs. I used red beans instead of kidney. (tweety)
Senegalese Soup
Vegetable Tagine with Seitan and Apricots
I used chickpeas instead of seitan and was totally digging this dish. I hate apricots but I loved the way they tasted in this! This has become one of my favorite recipes I've tried so far. (intheend)
West African Yam and Groundnut Stew
Salads and Sides
African Yam Salad
Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes
Egyptian Fava Beans
Marrakesh Couscous Salad
Middle Eastern Rice Salad
Moroccan Spiced Carrots
Quick, easy to make and very tasty. I omitted the sugar and forgot the parsley. (tweety)
South African Green Beans
Knowing that Indian cuisine is very much a part of South African cuisine, I would call this Indian since it has ginger and curry powder. Very good! (tweety)
Spicy Peanut Tomato Salad
Very good. I think I can make the salad raw if I use raw peanut butter. (storm)
Rocked the taste buds, I loved this. The tomato and lime along with the peanut butter was a great combination. I used crunch peanut butter and no garnish of crushed peanuts. (tweety)
Syrian Beet Salad
Turkish Spiced Orange and Onion Salad
West African Spinach with Spicy Peanut Sauce
I'm not usually a fan of "nuts" in my food but this so tasty. The tomatoes work so well in this. (intheend)
Main Courses
Bulgur Stuffed Peppers
Cameroon Style Seitan and Spinach
Jollof Rice and Beans
Moroccan Rice with Apricots and Pine Nuts
Pakistani Style Broiled Mushrooms
Persian Orange Rice with Pistachios
Rice with Lentils and Onions
Seven Vegetable Couscous
Spicy Black Eyed Peas and Collards
I thought it would be a bit meh, since there isn't any spices to it other than salt, ginger and green chile. I used one fresh jalapeno, and probably should have used two. It was quite tasty. The flavorings of the collards mixed with the other stuff made it good. (tweety)
Spicy Skewered Vegetables Kebabs
Stuffed Tomatoes with Currants and Pine Nuts
Tofu Piripiri
from the section on Africa....very good. It called for a teaspoon of cayenne which I thought was too much but stayed faithful to the recipe anyway, and it was just right for me. Cayenne is good for the heart. (tweety)
Tunisian Couscous
Turkish Bulgur Pilaf
Most excellent. I hate peas so I just used red kidney beans. (tweety)
Turkish Eggplant
Dressing, Sauces, and Condiments
Garlic Mint Sauce
Harissa Sauce
I used dried chiles de arbol and loved this. It was a pain in the ass grinding my own caraway in my molcajete though. I'd buy preground caraway just to make this again and not have to hassle it. (intheend)
Orange Ginger Dressing
India
Appetizers
Vegetable Pakoras
Vegetable Samosas
Definitely time consuming but worth it. The spices were just right! My only complaint is that I had to use about 4 tbsp oil because the 2 was absorbed rather quickly. (intheend)
Soups and Stews
Kashmiri Vegetable Stew
Mint Flecked Curried Potato Soup
Spicy Eggplant and Potato Stew
Salads and Sides
Anshu's Red Lentil Sambar
this was disappointing....I went to the Indian grocery store just to get the sambar powder (and its not close) and I didn't even detect it's flavor in this dish....and I used a teaspoon more than it called for. The only change I made was that I used a zucchini instead of eggplant - and added a ton more spice, but it was still very bland and forgettable..... (erinmonster)
This pwned! I used mushrooms instead of eggplant cause that's how I roll. I thought it would be plain because I tested it kind of early but the flavors meld together at the end. (intheend)
Braised Cabbage with Cardamom
I used 1/2 tsp of cardamom just in case the people in my house didn't like it but that wasn't the case. This was a big hit and next time I will use the full amount. (intheend)
I liked it very much. The red cabbage worked just fine (tweety)
very good but I added alot more spices (lubi)
Curried Mushrooms
great!!! (lubi)
Curried Rice Salad
Indian Spiced Potatoes and Carrots
I hate to say that I was extremely disappointed in both (quick red bean dal). They were both bland- nothing really stood out and made me say "Wow this is good." I just got this book and I'm hoping that I just happened to pick out the two lamest recipes. (intheend)
Many Bean Salad
Quick Red Bean Dal
I hate to say that I was extremely disappointed in both. They were both bland- nothing really stood out and made me say "Wow this is good." I just got this book and I'm hoping that I just happened to pick out the two lamest recipes. (intheend)
Saag
Good basic saag recipe. Easy to make, and just the right amount of seasoning. (peaceablepalate)
Spiced Potato Salad
Spicy Indian Green Beans
Main Courses
Cashew Pilau with Raisins and Peas
Chickpea and Green Bean Curry
This was so bland that I couldn't eat it but my partner just piled on the salt and said it was ok. (intheend)
Very nice mix of flavors that is not necessarily unique but good. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of soy milk and I cut down on the cooking time because I like green beans with a little crunch. (tweety)
Curried No Meat Balls
Lentils in Onion Gravy
delicous and easy. The flavor was interesting in a great way. There was a hint of smokiness to it, but it didn't have anything in it that typically imparts a smoky flavor.Whatever it was, the combination of spices with the vegan yogurt made it absolutely delicious. This is a must-try recipe. (bellybellygood)
Very quick and easy meal to make. Mine came out very thick and not gravy-like at all. However, that didn't bother me because I thought it was very tasty. I used Indian bread to scoop it up and served pickle and chutney with it. It particuarly went well with mint chutney. I didn't have garlic and used garlic powder. It's very unusual for me not to have garlic. I added some curry leaves because I had some I didn't want to go bad. I used curry powder instead of garam marsala this time and that was a wise choice. I added some salt to my taste. I used some very small red lentils that promptly turned yellow in the curry, that I got from the Indian store and it very quickly absorbed the liquid in 15 minutes. I thought the yogurt would make it taste funky, but not at all. (tweety)
Really good, but I spiced it up a little more as usual. (lubi)
Vegetable Masala
good, but nothing special....just another recipe I'll soon forget about....I added a bunch of additional spices to this and it was still pretty boring. (erinmonster)
It was good but not outstanding. We gave it a B. It's really easy to make, though. (bellybellygood)
Vindaloo Vegetables
I've never had a vindaloo before but I really enjoyed this one. It's kind of like an Indian jambalaya! I used a half cup less water than called for and that was plenty. I also used a can of green chilis as opposed to fresh ones, left out the green beans, and needed to add quite a bit of salt for my taste buds to be completely satisfied. Very good and filling. This is probably one of the better Indian(ish) dishes I've made. (berryraw)
I really enjoyed this. It's very hearty and filling, as well as super healthy. I like the variety of veggies that it required, and really one can probably use what you want. I cooked the potatoes for about five minutes first because I like my other veggies crunchy. I used four chilies instead of two because mo hotta mo betta and two wouldn't have been noticeable. I used the garam marsala, but I think I might have liked it better with curry powder. Then again, curry powder would have made it too ordinary. (tweety)
I haven't made this in quite a long time, but my memory of it was that it had kind of a sour thing going on. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of cider vinegar which isn't a lot I suppose but the vinegar seemed prominent to me in a way that wasn't bad necessarily, but not exactly to my liking either. Maybe I'd try this one again, and leave the vinegar out. (peaceablepalate)
Dressing, Sauces, and Condiments
Garam Masala
Green Tomato and Pear Chutney
Mint Chutney
Pineapple Date Chutney
Tamarind Dipping Sauce
Not a fan. I did not like this at all. It was way too tart for me. (intheend)
Asia
Appetizers
Satays with Ginger Peanut Sauce
Awesome! I used a faux chicken seitan I made for this plus some Japanese eggplant. We grilled them, adding a little olive oil to the marinade. The ginger peanut sauce was lovely - I added more ginger and some more heat (Sriacha instead of cayenne) to suit my taste. We ate this as a main course with jasmine rice and a cilantro-spinach-carrot salad. Very delicious. (berryraw)
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Soups and Stews
Chile Kissed Corn and Ginger Soup
This was delicious- not even joking. If you have some frozen corn and ginger lying around, I highly recommend you use it in this recipe. (intheend)
Ginger Watercress Soup
Hot and Sour Thai Soup
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Thai Coconut Soup
Salads and Sides
Asparagus Daikon Salad
Cold Szechuan Noodle Salad
Five Spice Tofu and Vegetable Salad
Ginger Broccoli
prompted by another review here somewhere I tried the ginger broccoli and loved it. It was quick and easy and tasty. I used a shallot because I didn't have a scallion, I omitted the sugar because I didn't see the point (Ms. Robinson's fondness of sugar is irritating), and I used Thai chilies instead of red pepper flakes. I cut back on the cooking time for a crunchier broccoli. (tweety)
This was delicious! Definitely one of the better Asian broccoli dishes I've tried. (intheend)
Deja vu feeling with this, but I've probably made it many times using similar recipes, or I made this one and didn't mark my book that I left a review. Anyway, it's a pretty good and basic Asian dish...broccoli stir fried (not steamed or blanced which kept the crunch like I like), ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallion, and crushed red pepper. Loved it. (Picture along with the noodle soup in Vegan On the Cheap thread) (tweety)
Indonesian Tempeh Salad
Japanese Eggplant Salad
Kimchi
Korean Bean Sprout Salad
Korean Cucumber Salad
I had some cucumbers from my garden and was looking to incorporate them into some kind of salad that I could take to a family get together. This recipe turned out to be the perfect thing! A nice balance of flavors here, and so simple to make! The only thing I did differently was to add some chopped red bell pepper for color. Yum! (peaceablepalate)
Papaya Salad
Szechuan Cabbage
Very good salad that mixes nappa cabbage and carrots with a nice vinegar based dressing that includes rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, hot chile oil and sesame oil cooked for two minutes. I was tempted to add soy sauce but stayed true to the recipe. It tasted good cold. (tweety)
Szechuan Vegetables
I made this once, and thought it came out really well. I would make it more often, except that it calls for dry sherry, an ingredient I rarely have on hand. Actually, I never have it on hand, unless I'm making Szechuan Vegetables. Also, I found that the recipe didn't produce a heck of a lot of food, on account that Napa cabbage tends to shrink up when cooking. I think I would double the amount of cabbage if I were to make this again. (peaceablepalate)
Main Courses
Asian Fusion Noodles
I made this for my daughter last night and she loved it. I didn't have nappa so I used mung bean sprouts and mushrooms instead. (storm)
Baked Mahogany Tempeh
Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Jade Vegetables
Five Spice Tempeh
We gave this a C. I didn't have tempeh on hand, so I made it with tofu. Maybe that was the difference. All I could taste was the heat. Adding salt helped, but we wouldn't make it again. (bellybellygood)
Didn't do much for me. It's o.k. but just a notch above "meh". Not sure if there's anything specific I could have done. I think it's just not my taste. (tweety)
Hot and Spicy Thai Tofu
I forgot the chilies so I just added a little cayenne pepper to it. It looks really pretty (I'll add the picture later) and it has a great flavor. The only thing I would probably do is double the sauce. I like a little more sauce, especially when serving something over rice, to give the rice a little flavor. Overall it was tasty and I'll make it again. (bellybellygood)
I don't remember making it the last time. Anyway, it was completely delicious. The fish sauce was great and it turned out like something I'd want to order from a restaurant.We both loved it and plan on making it all the time. (bellybellygood)
Read bellybellygood's review of the hot and spicy tofu this afternoon at work and have been craving it ever since. Fortunately I had all the stuff to make it. The "fish sauce" is pretty good, and the tofu was excellent. (tweety)
Hunan Fried Rice
Hunan Vegetable Stir Fry
Indonesian Coconut Rice
Japanese Soba Noodles
Korean Rice and Millet
Malaysian Rempeh Tempeh
Very good. The recipe states to create a paste with chili peppers, shallots, chili and garlic and mine came out too dry for that. The tempeh soaked up a whopping 3 tablespoons of oil (even after I steamed it) so that when I added the paste it started to burn so I threw in the sauce at the same time. It doesn't call for much sauce so the rice was a bit dry, but that was o.k. I omitted the sugar and forgot the cilantro. (tweety)
Red Hot Chile Tofu
Very quick and easy to make. Tastes good good too. (tweety)
I didn't press the tofu to follow the recipe and my strips started falling apart so next time I would make this I would press it. The flavor is good (Tweety never fails me) but it doesn't create any excess sauce. (intheend)
I had a sense of deja vu making this, but didn't mark my cookbook that I made this and now I notice I did review it once. 2nd review is just as good. This has everything I love, tofu, chili pepper, garlic and ginger. I omitted the sugar (what's the point?) and used sambal oelek for the chili sauce. Freakin' rocked! (tweety)
(from Vegan Planet blog http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-hot-chili-tofu.html) Tasty! I enjoyed the tomato-chili combo. I didn't find this really spicy at all with the 1 teaspoon chili paste, though. Next time, I'll at least double that, probably more. (willwolf)
Seitan in Spicy Orange Sauce
This is pretty good. It's probably the best orange stir-fry recipe I've tried so far, but it still lacks something in my opinion - more soy sauce? more garlic? more ginger? Some onion added maybe? Perhaps all of those things. The orange flavor could have stood to be a little more subtle. I added some Japanese eggplant and bell pepper to make up for a lack of the full amount of seitan. I liked the addition of the extra veggies. (berryraw)
Slivered Seitan and Vegetables Stir Fry
Spicy Tofu and Asparagus Stir Fry
Stir Fried Ginger Seitan and Bok Choy
Very good. (I don't like seitan so I used faux chicken strips). (storm)
Three Alarm Lo Mein
I think this is a good recipe, but I think it had too much ginger in it. It calls for 1Tbsp of fresh ginger, so if I made it again I would use much less. (purpledancer)
I always buy seasoned baked tofu from my Asian grocery store and was so happy to stumble on this recipe that uses it. I loved this dish! It was so good but definitely add way more than just "one small head" of bok choy as it withers down to nothing. Even though I was at the Asian grocery store I was being lame and didn't want to label check noodles so I just bought a pack of linguine to use in this. It was still good. (intheeend)
Tofu and Broccoli with Hoisin Ginger Sauce
My husband rated it an 8/10 or a B. It's easy to make, but it was a touch too salty and there wasn't enough variety in the texture too suit us. I doubled the sauce, I used Bragg's instead of soy sauce, and chili sauce instead of chili paste. We added some peanuts on top to give it a bit more crunch, but if I make it again I'd probably add some celery. It was something we'dprobably make again, but it didn't wow us. It felt like it needed some tweaking, but overall is a solid fast and easy recipe that you can probably make from what you have at home. (bellybellygood)
Tofu Kaprao
This was so flavorful! One of my favorite dishes. The Thai basil really stands out in this. (intheend)
Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce
Vegetable Pancit
I thought this would have some awesome flavor going on but it didn't. It was so plain that a lot of extra soy sauce had to be added. (intheend)
Vietnamese Noodles with Tempeh and Peanuts
Made this last night and it was fantastic. I used the "fish sauce" (it called for fish sauce or soy sauce). I didn't have chili oil so I used pure sesame oil and chopped up some red Thai chilis. I used kamut spirals as the noddles. I put it on a bed of raw red cabbage and collards. It tastes good as a cold salad. Will definitely be making this one again. (tweety)
I didn't like this as much as Tweety did, but I made 2 changes to the recipe; I used tofu and used the soy sauce instead of the vegan fish sauce. With those two changes my husband and I gave it a B. I'm guessing that using tempeh and the fish sauce would make it more delicious. (bellybellygood)
I always forget about this recipe, because I tend to go for the slightly easier Vietnamese Noodles recipe from " Moosewood Simple Suppers". The truth is that the Moosewood version calls for the optional addition of coconut milk and peanut butter, and I'm a sucker for all that fat! Robin's version is quite yummy though and I would probably make it more often, if only I could remember to keep a jar of hoisin sauce around. (peaceablepalate)
Very yummy! I nice combination of noodles and Asian spices that was real good. I didn't have enough peanuts so mixed in some raw cashews and that was good. Didn't have cilantro and used a bit of flat leaf parsley for color but cilantro would have been so much better. (tweety)
Sauces and Condiments
Daikon Walnut Condiment
Hot Mustard Dipping Sauce
Quick Thai-Style Curry Sauce
Red Curry Paste
Spicy Peanut Sauce
I topped it (three alarm lo mein) off with the Spicy Peanut Sauce on page 202. The sauce was good, but I'm sure it would have been much better had I been able to find the Asian chile paste the recipe calls for. (purpledancer)
Very easy and very good! We added a little extra chile paste. (We really like that the recipes are coded to give you an idea of the amount of spicy/hot you can expect and to help you adjust the recipes to your tastes. We also like the guide to chiles on page xviii.) (nickandnora)
Spicy Szechuan Sauce
Tamari Vinaigrette
Basic vinaigrette with an Asian flare that was good massaged into raw kale. it has canola oil, tamari, rice wine vinegar, dark sesame oil and hot red pepper flakes for the spice. (tweety)
Thai Lime Vinaigrette
Vegan "Fish" Sauce
Wasabi Miso Dressing
I really like this but it's more oily than I want and it made way less than 3/4 cup. I'm one of those people who eats a big salad for lunch and who likes to smother my stuff with dressing and this just doesn't cut it. Maybe if I blended some lite silken tofu and upped the spices in proportion this would be worth making again because I heart wasabi and I heart miso, but I don't heart them drowned in oil. (berryraw)
Artichoke Heart with Garlic and Capers - I thought this was delicious! I used a can of quartered artichoke hearts instead of frozen, added a splash of veggie broth to the lemon juice that it sauteed in, and added a little Chicky Baby Seasoning to the breadcrumbs - the breadcrumbs were an excellent addition! Andy wasn't a huge fan, but he isn't wild about artichokes to begin with.
(erinmonster)
Vegetable Masala - good, but nothing special....just another recipe I'll soon forget about....I added a bunch of additional spices to this and it was still pretty boring. (erinmonster)
Do tell em, what is "Chicky Baby Seasoning"???
Do tell em, what is "Chicky Baby Seasoning"???
its a spice mixture from Quintess' book RHIW - I add it on almost everything now!
Do tell em, what is "Chicky Baby Seasoning"???
its a spice mixture from Quintess' book RHIW - I add it on almost everything now!
mmmmm...I'll have to check that out. Thanks.
Jamaican-Style Picadillo - I really liked this, however, I do not recommend adding the almonds....that almost ruined it for me - I guess I don't like crunchy things in my rice. But everything else was awesome! I cheated a little and used a dirty rice mix instead of plain - this way I didn't have to double the spices like I normally do with her recipes. And I didn't have any jamaican curry powder, so I just used regular curry and mixed in some key lime spice - thought that made sense.....but it was good....I will make it again, without almonds! (erinmonster)
Smokin' Texas Caviar - this was really good! I followed the recipe exactly and of course everyone in my family thought it was too spicy, but I thought it was perfect! I really like the flavor of black-eyed peas....it was a nice change from regular hummus. (erinmonster)
Vegetable Masala- It was good but not outstanding. We gave it a B. It's really easy to make, though.
Five-Spice Tempeh- We gave this a C. I didn't have tempeh on hand, so I made it with tofu. Maybe that was the difference. All I could taste was the heat. Adding salt helped, but we wouldn't make it again.
Vietnamese Noodles with Tempeh and Peanuts- I didn't like this as much as Tweety did, but I made 2 changes to the recipe; I used tofu and used the soy sauce instead of the vegan fish sauce. With those two changes my husband and I gave it a B. I'm guessing that using tempeh and the fish sauce would make it more delicious.
Tofu Kaprao - This was so flavorful! One of my favorite dishes. The Thai basil really stands out in this.
Vegetable samosas - Definitely time consuming but worth it. The spices were just right! My only complaint is that I had to use about 4 tbsp oil because the 2 was absorbed rather quickly.
Braised Cabbage with cardamom - I used 1/2 tsp of cardamom just in case the people in my house didn't like it but that wasn't the case. This was a big hit and next time I will use the full amount.
Vegetable tangine with seitan and apricots - I used chickpeas instead of seitan and was totally digging this dish. I hate apricots but I loved the way they tasted in this! This has become one of my favorite recipes I've tried so far.
Tamarind dipping sauce - Not a fan. I did not like this at all. It was way too tart for me.
The above review intrigued me because I had some red cabbage to use from my CSA. So I tried Braised cabbage with Cardamom and liked it very much. The red cabbage worked just fine.
Ehtiopian Wat - very good. I used "faux beef" seitan from La Dolche Vegan (my go-to book for seitan) and enjoyed this dish emmensely.
Spicy black-eyed peas and collards - I thought it would be a bit meh, since there isn't any spices to it other than salt, ginger and green chile. I used one fresh jalapeno, and probably should have used two. It was quite tastey The flavorings of the collards mixed with the other stuff made it good.
Seitan in Spicy Orange Sauce: This is pretty good. It's probably the best orange stir-fry recipe I've tried so far, but it still lacks something in my opinion - more soy sauce? more garlic? more ginger? Some onion added maybe? Perhaps all of those things. The orange flavor could have stood to be a little more subtle. I added some Japanese eggplant and bell pepper to make up for a lack of the full amount of seitan. I liked the addition of the extra veggies.
We made the Spicy Peanut Sauce (p. 202) last night. Very easy and very good! We added a little extra chile paste. (We really like that the recipes are coded to give you an idea of the amount of spicy/hot you can expect and to help you adjust the recipes to your tastes. We also like the guide to chiles on page xviii.)
Allychristine & Erin: Thanks for putting these reviews together in one place. So helpful! We just added Vegan Fire & Spice to our ever-growing shelf of cookbooks, and we love it!
Thanks for your revies, n&n! Always love reviews.
Vindaloo Vegetables: I've never had a vindaloo before but I really enjoyed this one. It's kind of like an Indian jambalaya! I used a half cup less water than called for and that was plenty. I also used a can of green chilis as opposed to fresh ones, left out the green beans, and needed to add quite a bit of salt for my taste buds to be completely satisfied. Very good and filling. This is probably one of the better Indian(ish) dishes I've made.
Vindaloo Vegetables: I've never had a vindaloo before but I really enjoyed this one. It's kind of like an Indian jambalaya! I used a half cup less water than called for and that was plenty. I also used a can of green chilis as opposed to fresh ones, left out the green beans, and needed to add quite a bit of salt for my taste buds to be completely satisfied. Very good and filling. This is probably one of the better Indian(ish) dishes I've made.
Oooo....I still have some green chiles I got at the Indian Market....might have to make this. Thanks for the review.
Vindaloo Vegetables: I've never had a vindaloo before but I really enjoyed this one. It's kind of like an Indian jambalaya! I used a half cup less water than called for and that was plenty. I also used a can of green chilis as opposed to fresh ones, left out the green beans, and needed to add quite a bit of salt for my taste buds to be completely satisfied. Very good and filling. This is probably one of the better Indian(ish) dishes I've made.
Hope you like it as well as I did. It makes A LOT of food - we still have left overs! You have way more experience with Indian foods than I do (I gather from reading your other reviews:) so I'm curious to know what you think.
Oooo....I still have some green chiles I got at the Indian Market....might have to make this. Thanks for the review.
Vindaloo Vegetables - I really enjoyed this. It's very hearty and filling, as well as super healthy. I like the variety of veggies that it required, and really one can probably use what you want. I cooked the potatoes for about five minutes first because I like my other veggies crunchy. I used four chilies instead of two because mo hotta mo betta and two wouldn't have been noticeable. I used the garam marsala, but I think I might have liked it better with curry powder. Then again, curry powder would have made it too ordinary. (tweety)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs659.snc3/32543_1335467545580_1197836956_30773526_20164_n.jpg
Vindaloo Vegetables - I really enjoyed this. It's very hearty and filling, as well as super healthy. I like the variety of veggies that it required, and really one can probably use what you want. I cooked the potatoes for about five minutes first because I like my other veggies crunchy. I used four chilies instead of two because mo hotta mo betta and two wouldn't have been noticeable. I used the garam marsala, but I think I might have liked it better with curry powder. Then again, curry powder would have made it too ordinary. (tweety)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs659.snc3/32543_1335467545580_1197836956_30773526_20164_n.jpg
Yay! Tweety liked it! I used the curry powder. I just can't get into a lot of garam masala.
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