The official Vegan Table recipe review (to be updated)!
Recipe reviews and comments for The Vegan Table, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.
Romantic dinners for two
Basil eggplant
This recipe is very simple and has potential. For starters, I've noticed a trend in this book where the author tries to eliminate a lot of fat from the dish by sauteeing things in water. That's all fine and dandy, but I really think this dish is teetering on bland due to adding 1 cup of water. Next time, I will DEFINITELY use veg broth. I followed the recipe almost completely, but added some extra red pepper flake at the end because I like it hot. I didn't have any thai basil, but I picked some fresh sweet basil from my garden and it worked just fine. (sb)
So tasty. Like sb, I like some fat in my eggplant dishes, so I added some oil to the initial frying (plus the sesame oil that is in the recipe). I cooked my eggplant longer than the 5-7 minutes instructed in order to boil off the water added (adding the soy sauce and sugar after 5-7 minutes, so that the eggplant could absorb some flavr). I wound up with little liquid, which was good. Also, I don't know how much are in the bunches of Thai basil the author gets, but the ones I get are the same size as for Italian basil and the like (about 3c packed). So... I didn't use quite that much - maybe 1 c loosely packed, and that was still plenty. And finally, I used 4 what I consider to be average-sized Japanese eggplants, and they only came to 0.85lb (in the recipe, she says 2 Chinese or Japanese eggplants, or 1lb). (fb)
Wow, this is good, and super quick and easy. I add some lime juice along with the tamari and sugar. It is worth growing a few Thai basil plants, just to have this more often. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Really good! Simple to make. The most difficult part will probably be finding Thai basil. I made this while visiting family in Colorado, and I wasn't able to find any Thai basil anywhere. I ended up using regular sweet basil, but I bet this dish would be even better with the Thai basil. (kristinv)
Braised figs with arugula
In the description, she notes that a tester described it as "ambrosial." Well, I hate to be contrary, but this wasn't quite that spectacular. It was okay - nothing to write home about. It is actually kind of plain, to be honest. I added some walnuts to the salad to give it something else, but it's really just braised figs, arugula, and a balsamic reduction (which is just balsamic vinegar cooked down in the skillet, nothing added to it). I don't know - I was disappointed because I was expecting it to blow me away (as I love figs), but it really didn't. (lebkuchen)
Carrot ginger soup
It's awesome. I don't have much more to say than that, but it's light, refreshing, filling, and delicious. (jessacita)
This is my absolute favorite soup in the whole world, and I make it quite often. I made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everyone thought it was gorgeous (it’s a beautiful bright orange). Since I use my food processor to puree it at the end, I also use the blade to chop all my vegetables, so this is literally a 5 minute soup to prepare. I like to add a little soy or almond milk as I am purreeing it, and this make it even more creamy. I add a little extra ginger for kick, and this soup is amazing. It goes well with every meal, including pizza! This soup is worth the cost of the cookbook, hands down. (veganrun)
really delicious. it is somewhat of a basic soup, but perfectly executed and ridiculously easy to make (i didn't peel the potatoes, used a bag of baby-cut carrots, and an immersion blender). the texture was perfect. my husband wasn't as impressed, however... he liked it but thought it was a little bland. (thirteenblackbirds)
This soup is simple, quick and delicious. I use organic potatoes and carrots, so I don't even peel them. We love ginger, so I used a little extra, then when it was simmering, I added even more powdered ginger. I also added more garlic than indicated. I love how creamy it is with almost no fat. (lotus)
I guess this is a pretty common soup, but I really enjoyed it. Warming, wholesome, flavourful...real soul food. (spinachk)
Cashew sour cream
I've had better. I like that it doesn't use tofu, but the cashew flavor is way too strong (not as detectable with the soup). I halved the recipe, but still used 1 whole lemon, plenty of salt, and way more water. I guess it's ok if you just want something creamy to add some coolness to a dish, but I would not recommend it if you want it to stand out on its own at all. (AC)
I love this on chili. Very tasty! (veganrun)
Doesn't really taste like sour cream, but really nice. I tried it on top of the carrot ginger soup and a beet soup that I made, and it was lovely on both. Creamy and mild with a little tangy bite. (spinachk)
Chipotle
Chocolate fondues
Dark leafy greens with sesame miso dressing
Too salty for me (but I was using dark miso). I think next time I'll double the greens or halve the other things. But otherwise successful. It made bitter dandelion greens edible for me, so thumbs up on that (fb)
Using kale. I never have mirin, so I just added a bit of water, and I didn't bother with the blanching of the kale. I just cooked it for a bit, to soften. I used red miso. It's nothing special, but was ok on quinoa. Healthy! (AC)
I'm going to eat this as a side with broiled tofu. I really like the miso flavor with the greens. I used a mixture of kale and mustard greens. I didn't have mirin, but I added rice wine vinegar. I also didn't blanche the greens, just steaming them was fine. (lotus)
I'm not sure why but I really didn't like the dressing. I found it too strong and kind of funky/weird tasting. (eatmedelicious)
I really liked this. It's probably not anything out of the ordinary, but I would definitely make it again. I made it with Chinese cabbage and served it with sweet and sour tempeh. (spinach k)
Fennel, orange, walnut, and pomegranate salad
Garlic and greens soup
I made this after Jessacita posted Colleen's video about making the soup. I made it several times after that, and I'll make it again! It's very simple, few ingredients, incredibly healthy, and really tasty. I've made it without the bouillon, but I'm sure it's better starting with some sort of vegetable stock. I really like this soup! (AC)
I love this soup! I've wanted to try it since hearing CPG talk about it on her podcast. It is so simple and healthy! I added some cooked quinoa at the end to make it a little more substantial. This is definitely gonna become a regular recipe at my house. (lotus)
I made this again today. Instead of potatoes, I added cauliflower. Like with the potatoes, it gave the soup a little more substance, but I also really like the way cauliflower tastes with kale. I also added a leek because I had one. Yum again! (lotus)
Delicious! This was so easy and made me feel super healthy just eating it. I think next time I'll add some cauliflower like lotus suggested and maybe some carrots. This is the first time I've had greens that I thoroughly enjoyed.....I used mustard greens by the way. (erinmonster)
Absolutely delicious, healthy, hearty, and filling. I like to add a can of white beans to it, to add more substance. I’ve tried it with kale, collard, and mustard greens, and all have been super delicious. Make sure to have good, tasty stock! (veganrun)
Yummy, super simple, and super healthy, what more do you need? (spinach k)
Any time my husband or I feel the slightest bit of a cold on the way, I make up a pot of Garlic and Greens Soup. This recipe calls for a whole head of garlic, but it's not the slightest bit overwhelming. I rarely am prepared enough to make homemade vegetable stock, but I find that vegetable boullion cubes work fine in this recipe. Very easy to make, and so yummy! (peaceablepalate)
Barley
Honeydew melon in coconut milk
Marvelous mushroom risotto
I went ahead and used the "bland" white button mushrooms, and fine, they're bland. But I say crimini are no different. Anyway, shiitake would be interesting in this risotto, especially since it's not usually paired with Italian food. This risotto somehow wound up fluffier than I'm used to, even though the instructions are pretty much the same as all risottos I've made... maybe I added too much liquid at once. Anyway, I like this enough (I've never been floored with the greatness of a risotto), but I would probably add more sun-dried tomatoes next time. Though it would be cool to use fancier mushrooms, I think if they're hard to get it's fine to use plain ole white ones. (fb)
Not just for breakfast banana split
Fruit sauce
Pad thai
The sauce for the noodles is pretty thick and peanut buttery. It probably wouldn't lose the peanut effect with half the peanut butter. Also, I have to be a food snob here, but in the description she calls this recipe "authentic," but in no way is pad thai made with peanut butter authentic. Pad thai has more of a tamarind/light soy sauce/sugar sauce, and is garnished with green onions, lime wedges, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts. There seem to be a number of recipes for pad thai on the internet that use peanut butter, and I'm guessing that's why, and also possibly because there's a sort of "thai" dish that is basically sate sauce and noodles that is sometimes called pad thai, but is really just sate noodles. Anyways, the thick sauce made this kind of hard to eat without a lot of water, but it was otherwise good. I think if I make this again, I'll either use half the peanut butter or leave it out, and double the broccoli, because I likes broccoli in my pad thai. Also, the recipe doesn't state this, but an easy way to prevent rice noodles from forming a solid mass while the rest of the recipe is going is to rinse the freshly cooked noodles with cold water until they're all cold. If you just drain them like the recipe says, they'll be pretty difficult to get apart once they're in the pan. (fb)
Although this isn't an authentic Pad Thai recipe, the results are still delicious and without any of the hard-to-find ingredients usually called for in traditional Pad Thai like tamarind paste and lemongrass. I like the addition of broccoli in this recipe. The green gives it some color and improves the nutritional profile as well. (peaceablepalate)
Pan fried asparagus with lime juice
I liked this. It had the right amount of lime juice, and I like that it's a "fancy" type of dish without calling for anything crazy or a lot of prep time. (fb)
Yummy and fresh side dish. Flavourful, pretty, and healthy. (spinachk)
Roasted
Peach and pecan muffins
I didn't use pecans. I didn't realize until I had extra batter that this recipe makes 16 muffins, so I broke out some silicon liners. Ultimately, I had 15 way overfilled liners (these would be huge with the pecans!). I like this muffin as far as whole wheat muffins go. It's quite sweet, and has an ample amount of cinnamon. I was worried peaches might be weird in it (I wasn't using the best peaches), but it's not weird. This recipe could probably afford to have less cinnamon though (yeah, that's right, less), or maybe some subbed with allspice. Also, it's kind of hard to tell when these are done, because whole wheat flour doesn't brown as noticeably as white flour... so I just kind of took them out at 25, and they were a tad overbaked, but fine. (fb)
these came out great. in terms of texture, these are some of the best muffins i've made. i made a mistake and added 1 Tablespoon baking powder, but then went ahead and added the baking soda and vinegar. anyway, they rose perfectly and the slight crunch from the brown sugar on top is nice. They are pretty sweet, and I think I used about 1/4 cup less sugar than called for. I used canned peaches, didn't have the pecans, and had to add a splash of soymilk to the batter (maybe cause I used white whole wheat flour). I will make again. (thirteenblackbirds)
Penne arrabbiata
I kind of made this. Is it just the red pepper flakes that makes it "arrabbiata"? I dunno, but I did use the recommended number of garlic cloves, and a tsp of red pepper flakes, but used a jarred vegetable tomato sauce, because I didn't have canned tomatoes. So, it was basically just a yummy penne with spicy-ish marinara. Good, though. (AC)
My husband and I both like spicy food, and this dish gives you a lot of heat, and flavor without a lot of ingredients or preparation. All you need is pasta, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. So easy, and yet so satisfying. We have this every Sunday night! (peaceablepalate)
Polenta hearts
Mmm, polenta. I made this without the red pepper coulis, and it was fine by itself. It's well seasoned enough that it doesn't really need a sauce, and if there is one, you'll still be able to taste the polenta. It firms up nicely, but it can be eaten before solidifying too - just depends if you want it to look pretty. For years I ate (pretty much) plain polenta (cornmeal, water, olive oil, salt), only with stuff *on top*. According to my mom, that's how it's "supposed" to be made. But, uh, after recipes like these, I think adding stuff to the mix is a vast improvement, and saves the trouble of piling stuff on after. Aw man, I just contradicting my Pad Thai review. Oh well. (fb)
These did not work for me at all! The polenta was delicious before I put it into a pan to set (to make the hearts). I let the polenta mixture sit in the fridge for several hours (the directions say one hour is sufficient), and they still fell apart while I was frying them. Like fell apart into a slushy mess that was unsalvageable. *sigh* This always happens to me with polenta, so maybe it's me! Anyway, great tasting creamy polenta, but the cut out shapes were a bust for me. Next time I'll just eat it out of a bowl instead of trying to fry it! (jessacita)
I loved this! It turned better for me than any firm polenta dish I've tried before. I love the sun-dried tomatoes in it. (spinachk)
Grilled
Red velvet cake with buttercream frosting
(frosting) this icing is absolutely amazing (sing-song voice) and it puts any omni buttercream to shame. I put this on carrot cupcakes, and took them to climbing club, and everyone kept telling me to just bring the icing the next time. It's fabulous, hands down. Simple and perfect. (veganrun)
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. (dannibazaar)
made this for V-day and it's a delicious recipe, the frosting especially. i added a couple drops of food coloring to make the frosting pink and the end result was really cute. i made cupcakes and needed to make more frosting though because there's not enough if you want them generously frosted. (thirteenblackbirds)
This is good, but not my favorite red velvet. I don't think the flavor is quite deep enough, and the cake could be a tiny bit more moist. Still delicious. Definitely not enough frosting for this cake. I made the recipe as is, but barely barely covered the whole cake, with just a bit in between the layers. I don't think she used this recipe in the photo, because that looks like a cream cheese icing (again!). I made a chocolate ganache for the top, especially since the frosting was thin. The cake rose well and did have pretty good texture. (AC)
Roasted red pepper coulis
Saffron spiked Moroccan stew
I didn't use saffron (didn't have any). It's ok. The spice combo was a little unusual for savory stuff, but it was fine. I'm kind of neutral to both chickpeas and sweet potato, so this dish is ok but not something I'd make again. (fb)
Spring vegetable risotto
Good. Kind of just a risotto, but a good one. (spinach k)
Steamed artichokes
My artichokes were pretty medium-sized, but only took 25-30 minutes to cook (i think in the book it says 50-60 minutes). I'm not very experienced at cooking artichokes, so I can't really compare this to anything, but the smell of the bay leaf during cooking was good. (fb)
This was my first experience with whole artichokes and the detailed instructions really helped me out! I had no trouble trimming them up (well, maybe I did prick myself once or twice on the thorny things). I only steamed mine for about 30 min and they came out perfect. Will definitely make again! (icephrosty)
This was only my second time making artichokes, so don't call me an expert! I liked the addition of the garlic, bay leaves and lemon juice--it made me feel like I was actually cooking instead of just steaming a veggie. I had huge artichokes and they took just under 55 minutes. I did a simple melted Earth Balance and lemon juice dip, and it was awesome. (veganrun)
Artichoke! Pretty sure this is my first time making and eating fresh artichoke. I guess I kinda boiled mine on the bottom, because I couldn't get my steamer type basket to correctly fit any of the pots with the artichoke. I don't know how long it ended up cooking, but it seemed like the correct texture in the end. Really fun! I think I would somehow incorporate more lemon and salt next time..maybe in the sauce. This time, we dipped in thinned pesto sauce. P liked that, but I would rather have a lemony or creamy sauce. Mine seemed to be pre trimmed, because I didn't really have to do anything. Tasty. (AC)
Steamed artichokes dipping sauces
This is a pretty loose outline of a recipe... in the blurb before it mentions aioli, but there's no garlic in here. It's a fine dipping sauce, but I had some leftover which I just used in place of mayo... not a whole lot different. (fb)
Garlic aioli
Nondairy butter and lemon
Tangy creamy dip
I cut the recipe to 1/3 and it was perfect for 4 large steamed artichokes. It is very reminiscent of tartar sauce but in a good way - very tasty! (lebkuchen)
Sweet and sour tempeh
Pretty good. I cut the tempeh smaller so that it would be better masked by the sweet and sour flavor. I used reduced sugar apricot preserves, so the sauce wasn't too sweet, but I didn't have to add extra sugar. I like the idea of a fruit-based sweet and sour sauce. I didn't have green beans, so I subbed edamame, which worked well. (fb)
Okay but not amazing. I don't think I'd make it again. (eatmedelicious)
This is good, but I didn't really like the tempeh with it. I'm not crazy about the brand of tempeh I used though, so that might be the problem. The sauce is really good, and tastes like Chinese takeaway sauce. I would like to try it with fried tofu or seitan. (spinach k)
Mandarin
Mango
Sweet and spicy pumpkin soup
YUM! This is almost like non-dessert, soup-form pumpkin pie (if such a thing can exist). I made this for my boyfriend's meat and grease loving family, and they really liked it. I particularly like the addition of the lemon juice. (spinachk)
It's not too sweet really. In fact, you could probably lose all the sugar if you wanted. It's interesting that there are some pie spices in here (cinnamon, cardamom), but then some savory thanksgivingy things too (sage). It actually come out kind of like butternut squash soup, and the unusual mix of seasonings isn't weird at all. Had it with rice. (fb)
Swiss chard and caramelized onions
Amaaaaazing. I love chard in any way possible, but the addition of caramelized onions makes it seriously heavenly. (jessacita)
This is how I got my boyfriend to eat chard for the first time. The sweetness of the onion and the saltiness from the olives is just to die for. I love this dish! I’ve substituted other greens for the chard, and they were also amazing, but the chard, I believe, is the most delicious! (veganrun)
my first time eating chard (I used rainbow chard), and unfortunately I discovered that I don't like chard - it tasted bitter. The rest of the dish is great though and I would like to try this with another green like kale. I always like caramelized onions. (thirteenblackbirds)
I liked this, but I felt it was a bit too...something (sweet?)...on it's own. Although I made it as a side dish, I felt that she's right, it would be great as a pizza topping, or combined with a tomato sauce on top of pasta. (spinachk)
Tempeh bacon
I think this is a pretty standard tempeh bacon recipe. It's good though. Instead of frying it, I baked it in the marinade on 350 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. (lotus)
Pretty basic recipe, but it's a good one. (veganrun)
Thai curry with vegetables
This was delicious! I used green curry paste and broccoli instead of cauliflower. Also, after noticing the calorie/fat content of this recipe, I only used 1 can of full fat coconut milk and 1/2 can light. Next time, I may use more of the light...I don't think it will make too much of a difference. We wanted it to be a little spicier, so I added some chili powder at the end. I served it with short grain brown rice and steamed greens. Yum! (lotus)
Toasted quinoa with raisins and slivered almonds
Tofu scramble
I liked that this was lighter and had a lot of veggies. However, it was a little bland for me. I ended up adding a lot of salt and pepper and after that it was good! (cam07628)
I like this recipe. In a way it's pretty basic, but it's also complete. The amount of seasoning on the tofu is perfect for me - it has flavor but also still tastes like tofu - and the veggie combination is pretty good, works for brunch/breakfast, but can probably be altered without radically changing much. It was also pretty easy to put together. (fb)
Mexican scramble
Tempeh bacon
Veggies
Steamed artichokes
Artichoke! Pretty sure this is my first time making and eating fresh artichoke. I guess I kinda boiled mine on the bottom, because I couldn't get my steamer type basket to correctly fit any of the pots with the artichoke. I don't know how long it ended up cooking, but it seemed like the correct texture in the end. Really fun! I think I would somehow incorporate more lemon and salt next time..maybe in the sauce. This time, we dipped in thinned pesto sauce. P liked that, but I would rather have a lemony or creamy sauce. Mine seemed to be pre trimmed, because I didn't really have to do anything. Tasty.
Elegantly simple stuffed bell peppers- I liked these a lot but wasn't amazed. I used the wild rice and brown rice, chives instead of mint (i don't like mint a whole lot), and a combo of almonds and cashews for for the almonds. The raisins impart a really nice fruity flavor and the texture with the raisins/nuts/rice is really good. Overall I prefer the quinoa stuffed peppers from VWAV.
Homemade hummus- Not too impressed - i haven't made hummus before and the seasoning /texture of this didn't seem nearly as good as the store stuff. I wasn't sure how to change it. I guess if you are familiar with making hummus, you can modify it appropriately, but in that case you probably don't need this recipe. I don't think it's a good recipe for beginners.
No queso quesadillas- I liked this one, with the right hummus. I've made it a couple times and it came out really good with some leftover fajita vegetables (peppers/onions).
Roasted brussels sprouts with caramelized onions and toasted pistachios - this is amazing. The caramelized onions and toasted pistachios are great (I just added the pistachios to the onions during the final few minutes of cooking rather than toasting separately). I was impatient and resorted to broiling the sprouts. they are worth the effort though!
Swedish meatballs - i am happy to say that I really liked these! they did remind me some of my mom's swedish meatballs. I used ground beef style gimme lean instead of the sausage style which i think is a better flavor for these. After reading these reviews, I also sauteed the chopped onion before adding it to the meatballs and that worked well. These need mashed potatoes. They were a lot better served the second time with mash than the first time without. I also baked a set (after generously spraying them with Pam cooking spray) and they came out just as good as the fried ones, and it was a lot easier (mine didn't hold together that well when frying). They were kind of a pain to make so this definitely isn't something I will make regularly, but I hope to make them again someday.
Red lentil artichoke stew
I didn't have high hopes for this, but it was a lot better than expected. I used a bit of homemade curry powder instead of the coriander, and added lots of garlic salt. I think it's more of a less flavorful (with artichoke tang) dahl, instead of a "stew." I did like it, though. I'd probably just make dahl next time, but know that I could add artichokes.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs976.snc4/76906_10150304430450533_507120532_15815968_6307147_n.jpg
also I forgot to add:
chana masala - this was good, although it was a bit too sweet for my taste and i thought it could use a little more zip. i liked it but will use a different chana masala recipe next time.
Homemade hummus- Not too impressed - i haven't made hummus before and the seasoning /texture of this didn't seem nearly as good as the store stuff. I wasn't sure how to change it. I guess if you are familiar with making hummus, you can modify it appropriately, but in that case you probably don't need this recipe. I don't think it's a good recipe for beginners.
Do you have 1000 VR? I think it has a better basic hummus recipe. Vcon has one that you might like better, too. I used to think I couldn't make a great homemade hummus, but it just takes practice! I always add a bit of soy sauce and quite a bit of cumin. Lots of lemon and garlic!
Homemade hummus- Not too impressed - i haven't made hummus before and the seasoning /texture of this didn't seem nearly as good as the store stuff. I wasn't sure how to change it. I guess if you are familiar with making hummus, you can modify it appropriately, but in that case you probably don't need this recipe. I don't think it's a good recipe for beginners.
Do you have 1000 VR? I think it has a better basic hummus recipe. Vcon has one that you might like better, too. I used to think I couldn't make a great homemade hummus, but it just takes practice! I always add a bit of soy sauce and quite a bit of cumin. Lots of lemon and garlic!
thank you for all the tips! I will have to try the soy sauce. 1000 VR is on my christmas list so I will be sure to look at that recipe when I get it. So far I've made decent hummus with lentils, but not with chickpeas. I want a fantastic chickpea hummus. I was going to just give up so thanks for the encouragement :)
Also, I find that hummus turns out the best (and the smoothest!) when I blend the tahini, lemon juice, and a little olive oil together until it emulsifies BEFORE adding any chickpeas. Once the tahini/lemon juice/olive oil are thick & viscous, add a garlic clove (if using), and then your chickpeas a handful at a time, blending between each addition. Salt to taste, and add whatever spices you want (I like cumin & smoked paprika). The emulsifying part is really important, as is the blending between chickpea additions.
I love hummus! :)>>>
Peach and pecan muffins - these came out great. in terms of texture, these are some of the best muffins i've made. i made a mistake and added 1 Tablespoon baking powder, but then went ahead and added the baking soda and vinegar. anyway, they rose perfectly and the slight crunch from the brown sugar on top is nice. They are pretty sweet, and I think I used about 1/4 cup less sugar than called for. I used canned peaches, didn't have the pecans, and had to add a splash of soymilk to the batter (maybe cause I used white whole wheat flour). I will make again.
Butternut squash timbales - soo delicious and beautiful. i followed the recipe pretty much exactly. i had mine with kale, which i cooked in a little veg broth and some soy sauce. i think the soy sauce in the kale added a lot of flavor to the overall dish. also, the toasted pine nuts made it really good and i wouldn't make it without them. To cook the butternut squash, I cut it lengthwise and roasted it for 40 mins in the oven, cut side down, and then scooped out the inside. we loved this and I will make it again for sure.
Creamy macaroni and cashew cheese- this turned out well for me but it's not my favorite mac and cheese. i just wasn't crazy about the flavor.
Creamy macaroni and cashew cheese
This turned out really tasty, but I had to play around with it a bit. I'm sure I made a mistake along the way, I'm just not sure what it was. My cheese sauce was really, REALLY soupy. I added some extra nooch and a little dissolved agar powder, then baked it. That helped it to firm up nicely. The only thing I can think of that would have caused the problem is my milk. I ran out of milk yesterday, so I used powdered soymilk for this recipe. It may have just been too watery. Whatever. I'll make this again anyway.
Carrot ginger soup
This soup is simple, quick and delicious. I use organic potatoes and carrots, so I don't even peel them. We love ginger, so I used a little extra, then when it was simmering, I added even more powdered ginger. I also added more garlic than indicated. I love how creamy it is with almost no fat.
Garlic and Greens Soup: Yummy, super simple, and super healthy, what more do you need?
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Soup: YUM! This is almost like non-dessert, soup-form pumpkin pie (if such a thing can exist). I made this for my boyfriend's meat and grease loving family, and they really liked it. I particularly like the addition of the lemon juice.
Herbed Scalloped Potatoes: Perfect.
Masoor Dal: Decent, healthy, weeknight comfort food, but nothing amazing.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Onions: Very nice, although very tart. A really nice addition to a Thanksgiving plate, as the tartness adds a great contrast to sweet or homey winter flavours.
Butternut squash risotto with Toasted Sage: This is a pretty traditional risotto recipe, so it tastes like a good, pretty traditional risotto. The toasted sage does pick it up nicely, though. I would make it again.
Boston Baked Beans: I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about, I really liked this dish. And so did my boyfriend, who doesn't usually even like beans.
Cuban Black Bean Soup: I thought this was good, but not amazing; however, my lunch guests liked it a lot. Definitely stick to your ribs food, cheek-warming food. If your partner is walking home after work through a snowstorm, this soup would be the perfect thing to have waiting on the table.
Muhammara: Delicious. The first time I made this, it came out too thick, though. The second time I slowly added breadcrumbs until it reached a pleasing consistency. The name if the dip is super-fun to say, too!
Mashed Potatoes with Carmelized Onions: Yum. Actually, I made my own mashed potatoes recipe, so I can't speak for hers, but the onions on top were amazing.
Old Fashioned Lentil Loaf: I didn't love this, and there was too much ketchup on the top for my liking.
Brussels Sprouts with Carmelized Onions and Pistachios: A perfect mix of flavours. If you think you don't like sprouts, make this dish to cure you of your insanity.
Potato leek soup
Thought this was really good. P loved it. He always wants leeks when he sees them at the store, so I had 3 HUGE ones. I started out with a big pile of leek slices, but the flavor didn't come through as much as I expected. I used red potatoes, dried tarragon, and lots of salt and pepper. The flavor was well balanced (when properly seasoned), but the leeks are slightly overpowered by potato flavor. Still really good and warming. I would make something similar again.
Chai Spiced Almond Cookies: These are tasty little cookies. Granted, I don't own any cardamom so they didn't have the full chai masala flavour...I still liked them. They're a good shortbread cookie.
Chocolate Cake with Coffee Ganache: Minus the ganache and glaze....good! I don't think it is exceptionally better or worse than any other chocolate cake that I've had. I like it, though. Nice and moist.
Hearty Stew: Very yummy! Love the broth and how the tempeh gets all crumbly. Even my picky little sister eats it - which is shocking. I make this quite often.
One problem I have with Vegan Table is that it sells itself as a cookbook for entertaining, and yet I find many of the recipes kind of basic and more suitable for casual work night fare. For instance, there's a recipe for English Muffin Pizzas that calls for English muffins, a jar of pizza sauce, grated vegan cheese, and toppings of your choice. That's not really something I would think of serving guests, but more something I might throw together for a quick lunch if I'm in a rush. With that said, there are some recipes in Vegan Table that I go to again and again for the very reason that they produce delicious results without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
Penne Arrabbiata
My husband and I both like spicy food, and this dish gives you a lot of heat, and flavor without a lot of ingredients or preparation. All you need is pasta, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. So easy, and yet so satisfying. We have this every Sunday night!
Pad Thai
Although this isn't an authentic Pad Thai recipe, the results are still delicious and without any of the hard-to-find ingredients usually called for in traditional Pad Thai like tamarind paste and lemongrass. I like the addition of broccoli in this recipe. The green gives it some color and improves the nutritional profile as well.
Garlic and Greens Soup
Any time my husband or I feel the slightest bit of a cold on the way, I make up a pot of Garlic and Greens Soup. This recipe calls for a whole head of garlic, but it's not the slightest bit overwhelming. I rarely am prepared enough to make homemade vegetable stock, but I find that vegetable boullion cubes work fine in this recipe. Very easy to make, and so yummy!
Zucchini Cakes
I'm not a huge zucchini fan, but these little cakes are super tasty! They remind me of the salmon cakes my husband's grandmother used to make, or the baked stuffed clams my mom used to make, or any other comforting seafood cake type of thing you remember from childhood!
Oh I forgot to mention No-Queso Quesadillas . This is another one of those recipes from Vegan Table that is hardly even a recipe, but it's good, REALLY good! You take a couple of tortillas, slather some hummus on one, stick the other tortilla on top, and grill in a pan for a couple minutes, flip it over, grill for another couple minutes, and voila! you've got lunch. I mention it because, we probably have this for lunch at least 3 times a week. It's simple, but really tasty and satisfying. We sometimes put chopped scallions inside, or thin slices of tomato. Sometimes, we sprinkle chopped avocado on top. How ever they're served, we always call them YUM!
Red velvet cake with buttercream frosting - made this for V-day and it's a delicious recipe, the frosting especially. i added a couple drops of food coloring to make the frosting pink and the end result was really cute. i made cupcakes and needed to make more frosting though because there's not enough if you want them generously frosted.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q188/thirteenblackbirds/redvelvet_VeganTable.jpg
^^Here are a couple cupcakes i made in heart shaped molds for V-day before adding the pink frosting.
there are several other things i made from the book a while back but haven't reviewed:
Pan grilled portobello mushrooms with herb infused marinade - like most grilled protobello recipes, this is fantastic. i think i had to cook mine for longer but my mushrooms were pretty big.
Chili oil infused soba noodles - this is super tasty and so easy to make. i've made it many times because it's great for a quick lunch or side. i use peas in place of bell pepper (i don't like raw bell pepper) and cut back a little on the sesame oil. I use a 10 ounce package of noodles and that works well with the other amounts listed. I also think this is best warm so I don't wait for it to marinate.
Basic pizza dough - this a good solid pizza dough recipe that made a great pizza. i made two pizzas with it, and i think it tastes best when it's rolled really thin.
Zucchini cakes - i made a baked version of this that came out very good. i processed the zucchini in my food processor and didn't bother with pressing out the excess liquid so mine were pretty soft (and would have fallen apart if i had tried to fry them). I will make this again as a baked version but will probably cut back on the old bay seasoning so i can add other seasonings like garlic.
Those cakes are so cute!!
I really want to try baking the zucchini cakes this summer. I LOVE the flavor of those but hate all the frying.
Yellow Split Pea Dal
I should have read the reviews before I made this. Now I see nearly everyone needed more spice. I added way more ginger, garlic, and chili powder than called for, and it still needed more. Also, I used green split peas instead of yellow. I don't know what kind of peas CPG is using that will cook in 45 min, but I cooked mine in the crockpot overnight and they were still a little crunchy. Overall, I liked the recipe, I'll just have to remember to add a lot more spice. I served it over quinoa with lots of fresh parsley.
http://i53.tinypic.com/30ij9fo.jpg
Gado gado vegetable skewers: Um...meh. I was rather underwhelmed by these. The sauce was kind of thin and not really flavourful. They were just kind of boring.
Cashew Sour Cream
I love this on chili. Very tasty!
Tempeh Bacon
Pretty basic recipe, but it's a good one.
Cauliflower with Spicy Vinaigrette
I like to make this with just raw cauliflower and it's still delicious. The hot sauce is a great touch I probably wouldn't have thought of. I usually double the recipe because I eat so much as I'm making it!
Tuscan White Beans with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Perfect recipe. I LOVE this dish. Every flavor has a place and they all go so well together. YUM.
Warm Lentil Salad
This is super delicious, and I like to take it to potlucks and holiday meals. It transports easily. And because it's a "salad," I think it's less intimidating to omnis, because it's this harmless side dish instead of a main dish. I've gotten many ominis to try this and they tend to like it.
Golden Mushroom Gravy
Soooo delicious. You could just eat this with a spoon. I like it chunky.
Three Bean Chili
This tastes great, but I ended up needing to add a lot more water--it was more "goulash" like than chili. With the water and some tomato paste, I liked it well enough.
I love this cookbook! :)>>>
Basil Eggplant
Really good! Simple to make. The most difficult part will probably be finding Thai basil. I made this while visiting family in Colorado, and I wasn't able to find any Thai basil anywhere. I ended up using regular sweet basil, but I bet this dish would be even better with the Thai basil. (kristinv)
French Onion Pie
Love it! I know some of the other reviewers thought it was bland, but I think it's a really nice dish where the caramelized onion flavor shines. I also really like the nutmeg flavor in this. (kristinv)
Autumn Tempeh Salad
Excellent! Served this as a side salad at Thanksgiving last year, and the omni family really liked it. I'd eat it anytime of year, though, maybe changing the squash depending on what's in season. (kristinv)
Butternut Squash Risotto with Toasted Sage
It was okay. I liked the texture of the dish, but the flavor was pretty mild/bland. (kristinv)
Cuban Black Bean Soup
G really wanted to try this, so I made it for him even though I wasn't too sure about the idea of a fruity black bean soup. It was really good though! I would definitely make it again. The fruit makes it spoil a little faster than normal black bean soup, so be sure to eat it within a few days. I ate some of the soup when it was 6 days old, and it made me sick. :P (kristinv)
No Queso Quesadillas
Great simple meal or snack! Tastes really good with a pepper hummus, ex. cayenne or chipotle. Sometimes I'll sprinkle a little daiya cheese in them, which tastes great with the hummus. (kristinv)
Golden Mushroom Gravy
Yum!!! This is my go-to gravy recipe. (kristinv)
Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Pretty good, but I think I'd prefer to just do mushroom gravy instead of the onions. (kristinv)
Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese
It was pretty good but a little too sweet for my taste. I usually use plain soymilk in cheese sauce recipes, but the sweet taste of the cashews seems to require an unsweetened soymilk. I also had trouble getting the cashews smooth enough, so there were little cashew "crumbs" throughout the sauce. Next time, I'll use a mesh strainer (unless I have a better blender by then?). (kristinv)
Zucchini Cakes
My favorite recipe in the book! Yum!!! The recipe can be a little time-consuming (all the grating, squeezing water out, frying), but it's well worth it. I could eat a whole batch of these by myself hahaha. (kristinv)
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