The Unofficial "Other Cookbooks Not Listed" Thread
Posted by Tweety on Jul 27, 2010 · Member since Jan 2003 · 3135 posts
I thought I would start a thread for recipe reviews of cookbooks that don't have a thread, and probably don't need a thread.
So if you are using older cookbooks, or cookbooks without a thread, I'd love to hear from you here.
Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
I love Italian cooking. It's relatively uncomplicated and always has olive oil no matter which region the dish is from. Donna Klein is one of my top three vegan cookbook writers and she rarely disappoints me.
Farfalle with sun-dried tomato-mint pesto - Delicious...so freakin' delicious......this pesto combines oil packed sun-dried tomatoes with walnuts, tomato paste and mint leaves for an extremely good pesto. I combined it with whole wheat penne.
Green beans with wild mushrooms and tomato - Delicious. Pretty basic recipe of onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and green beans in olive oil. The interesting thing is there was no garlic and while I was tempted to add it, I didn't to stay true to the recipe and enjoyed it a lot.
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/316695_2115781092931_1197836956_31956027_1951703027_n.jpg
Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
I love Italian cooking. It's relatively uncomplicated and always has olive oil no matter which region the dish is from. Donna Klein is one of my top three vegan cookbook writers and she rarely disappoints me.
Farfalle with sun-dried tomato-mint pesto - Delicious...so freakin' delicious......this pesto combines oil packed sun-dried tomatoes with walnuts, tomato paste and mint leaves for an extremely good pesto. I combined it with whole wheat penne.
Green beans with wild mushrooms and tomato - Delicious. Pretty basic recipe of onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and green beans in olive oil. The interesting thing is there was no garlic and while I was tempted to add it, I didn't to stay true to the recipe and enjoyed it a lot.
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/316695_2115781092931_1197836956_31956027_1951703027_n.jpg
Mmm, tweets that penne looks delish! I love the sounds of that pesto...it sounds like it would be fantastic over steamed/roasted cauliflower (I'm a bit of a carbo-phobe...no pasta for me.)
Creamy Tomato Soup with Fresh Tarragon from Rebar:
This was my first time eating tarragon and despite not liking licorice, I liked this soup! It is a light, zippy tomato soup. I made it a bit more hearty and filling by adding 1.5 cups of white beans prior to pureeing it.
Superquick Tomato Orzo from The Breakaway Cook:
I am only reviewing the sauce because I didn't use it with orzo. It includes sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, oil, nondairy milk, pomegranate molasses, apricot jam, oil and fresh tarragon. The sauce is nice and tangy from the pomegranate molasses (subtle taste, adds depthness), but it does taste quite rich even though I only used 1 tbsp oil (recipe called for 3 tbsp). The tarragon was nice in here. I used half the sauce with 1 cup pot barley,1 cup slivered Swiss chard and 1.5 cups white beans (yummo!).
Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
I love Italian cooking. It's relatively uncomplicated and always has olive oil no matter which region the dish is from. Donna Klein is one of my top three vegan cookbook writers and she rarely disappoints me.
Farfalle with sun-dried tomato-mint pesto - Delicious...so freakin' delicious......this pesto combines oil packed sun-dried tomatoes with walnuts, tomato paste and mint leaves for an extremely good pesto. I combined it with whole wheat penne.
Green beans with wild mushrooms and tomato - Delicious. Pretty basic recipe of onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and green beans in olive oil. The interesting thing is there was no garlic and while I was tempted to add it, I didn't to stay true to the recipe and enjoyed it a lot.
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/316695_2115781092931_1197836956_31956027_1951703027_n.jpg
Mmm, tweets that penne looks delish! I love the sounds of that pesto...it sounds like it would be fantastic over steamed/roasted cauliflower (I'm a bit of a carbo-phobe...no pasta for me.)
I don't eat pasta either.. sounds like it would be great with BEANS!! or barley! :) Or both! :)
Mmm, tweets that penne looks delish! I love the sounds of that pesto...it sounds like it would be fantastic over steamed/roasted cauliflower (I'm a bit of a carbo-phobe...no pasta for me.)
It's whole grain of course. :)
I recently dated a carbo-phobe whom I'm now friends with, and I was wondering if putting it on eggplant would work for him, but the cauliflower idea sounds awesome. When I cook for him, I use Robin Robinson's "Carb Conscious Vegetarian". It has some great ideas for the carb-phobic folks among us. Although my friend lost 100 lbs and was moridly obese...someone like you being carb-phobic concerns me, especially since you're the most amazing vegan baker out there.....but no need to go there. LOL :)
Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Spanish potatoes - This simple dish has potatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, chili powder, diced tomatoes, and parsley. Very tasty side dish that I enjoyed. I like the mild flavors and that nothing overpowers.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294302_2122293535738_1197836956_31961650_1984346261_n.jpg
Mmm, tweets that penne looks delish! I love the sounds of that pesto...it sounds like it would be fantastic over steamed/roasted cauliflower (I'm a bit of a carbo-phobe...no pasta for me.)
It's whole grain of course. :)
I recently dated a carbo-phobe whom I'm now friends with, and I was wondering if putting it on eggplant would work for him, but the cauliflower idea sounds awesome. When I cook for him, I use Robin Robinson's "Carb Conscious Vegetarian". It has some great ideas for the carb-phobic folks among us. Although my friend lost 100 lbs and was moridly obese...someone like you being carb-phobic concerns me, especially since you're the most amazing vegan baker out there.....but no need to go there. LOL :)
Carb Conscious Vegetarian sounds like a good book for me to check out ;) I'm in need of some new cooking literature.
lol you flatter! There are so many bakers out there who are much better than me. Actually, I rarely if ever even eat what I bake. I bake for other people :) (because it's fun!). I'm trying to get over my carb fear slowly by introducing carbs back into my diet. I'm starting by eating a little more rice, and I'm kind of comfortable with eating soba noodles (in small portions). But that's a whole different story.
Love the looks of the spanish potatoes, btw! They look warm and delicious. It's so chilly here right now, warm food sounds pretty good.
Carb Conscious Vegetarian sounds like a good book for me to check out ;) I'm in need of some new cooking literature.
Even though it says "vegetarian", it's all vegan. Being a Robin Robertson book was enough for me. So I give it two thumbs up, although I've only cooked and reviewed a couple of things. She does sometimes use lower glycemic carbs like while rice, beans, quinoa, and the occasional whole grain like bulgar. But lots of good veggie, stews, soups, and salads that satisfy even my low carb eating friend. He's kept the weight off for 30 years, so I can't change him. LOL
The potato dish was indeed good. I used to be phobic about the glycemic index of potatoes, but reintroduced them when I went vegan because I wanted to eat high potassium foods for my borderline blood pressure, along with bananas which were a big no no. I try to eat potatoes along with other foods to lower the impact. I didn't gain weight, didn't turn diabetic. In fact going vegan from vegetarian and reintroducing some long-forbidden foods, the last two years I've lost 10 pounds and my borderline high pressure is now normal. You can see from my food porn, I don't deprive myself much. It works for me. Everyone has their own way which I respect.
Smoky split Pea Soup with Sage and Roasted Garlic from Rebar: This is a wonderful soup! I used yellow split peas instead of green, and subbed 1 tsp smoked paprika for the chipotle puree. I might decrease the liquid smoke or salt next time, but this soup was silly good. :) I halved the recipe, btw.
Mmm, tweets that penne looks delish! I love the sounds of that pesto...it sounds like it would be fantastic over steamed/roasted cauliflower (I'm a bit of a carbo-phobe...no pasta for me.)
It's whole grain of course. :)
I recently dated a carbo-phobe whom I'm now friends with, and I was wondering if putting it on eggplant would work for him, but the cauliflower idea sounds awesome. When I cook for him, I use Robin Robinson's "Carb Conscious Vegetarian". It has some great ideas for the carb-phobic folks among us. Although my friend lost 100 lbs and was moridly obese...someone like you being carb-phobic concerns me, especially since you're the most amazing vegan baker out there.....but no need to go there. LOL :)
Carb Conscious Vegetarian sounds like a good book for me to check out ;) I'm in need of some new cooking literature.
lol you flatter! There are so many bakers out there who are much better than me. Actually, I rarely if ever even eat what I bake. I bake for other people :) (because it's fun!). I'm trying to get over my carb fear slowly by introducing carbs back into my diet. I'm starting by eating a little more rice, and I'm kind of comfortable with eating soba noodles (in small portions). But that's a whole different story.
Love the looks of the spanish potatoes, btw! They look warm and delicious. It's so chilly here right now, warm food sounds pretty good.
I imagine it would be best to reintroduce complex carbs first? That's where I get my carbs from.. I try to limit my grains, in favour of legumes and vegetables. :)
The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier
I rarely use this book, but his recipes are healthy and nutrient dense, so I should give it more of a look see. This book has several good salad and salad dressing recipes. He also has a new cookbook coming out, or already out.
Orange pumpkin seed dressing- His dressings use oils high in essential fatty acid. The base of some of his dressings can be an oil blend of 8 parts hemp, 1 part pumpkin seed oil and one part flax oil. I splurged and got all three oils for the goodness and variety. The only pumpkin seed oil I could find was toasted and it's pretty good. This dressing combines 1/4 cup of this oil blend, with 1/2 cup of OJ, some orange zest, apple cider vinegar (only 1 tsp) and a little salt to taste which I forgot. It was very thin at first but I loved the nutty sweet tangy taste. I'm going to let it sit in the fridge and see if it thickens up, but it's o.k. thin, this way it can be tossed into dressings instead of just laid on it.
From Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
Fresh broccoli marinara - Very tasty way to eat broccoli. I was scandalized that in an Italian cookbook she calls for diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, as opposed to adding your own spices. I thought it lazy, but went with it because there was a sale going on. Ultimately not liking the seasonings I added dried oregano and basil. Otherwise it's just the tomatoes, broccoli and olive oil. Simple quick and easy.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316948_2138681945438_1197836956_31971928_167859204_n.jpg
Butternut squash puree - This dish just has butternut squash, onion, vegetable broth and olive oil, so I wasn't expecting much. But it was very good. The flavors came together nicely for a smooth buttery taste and nice smooth creamy texture. Loved it.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308937_2138680945413_1197836956_31971927_209731169_n.jpg
Chickpeas and Chana dal Cooked Together in Mint Sauce from World Vegetarian: I really liked this! Our changes were deseeded the hot peppers, less oil (only 2 tbsp) and used only 1/2 cup mint. It takes a long time to simmer all the ingredients if you are working with dried chickpeas, but it is definitely worth it. You have a creamy, sweet/tart, slightly zippy chickpea dish. You could barely taste the mint with 1/2 cup but it was lovely.
Olla Gitana (Gypsy Pot) from The New Spanish Table: I really liked this stew! This cookbook has not disappointed me yet! You have an odd mix of vegetables (squash, green beans, carrot) as well as pears that are simmered with chickpeas, tomatoes, saffron, paprika. Ground almonds are also thrown in. A lovely light, sweet and savoury stew. Yum yum yum.
Vegan Italiano
roasted carrots with rosmary and sage - Exactly what it says it is...tossed with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Simple and good.
vine-ripened tomato salad with parsley vinaigrette - I happened to have vine ripened tomatoes, but any tomatoes would do. This is a simple and tasty vinaigrette made with evoo, white wine vinegar, Dijon, garlice, a tiny amount of sugar, salt and pepper and flat leaf parley. I loved it!
Caribbean Vegan - on a side note, I went to see what her blog was about and found out writer Taymer Mason decided to hang it up and move on to other things. This will probably be her only book.
Spinach rice - Unlike most of the recipes in this book, this calls for just a few ingredients...rice, spinach and onions. She calls for sautéing the onions in olive oil and then adding the rice and spinach and cooking. Since I like brown rice with a longer cooking time, I cooked the rice separate in my rice cooker, sauteed the onions and spinach and then folded in the rice. This is a very tasty way to get a green leafy in a meal.
chickpea curry - Loved it. I'm all about chickpeas and curry and this version was good. I liked that it was juicy and I could dip some roti into the broth. I was in a hurry and used less water and cut back on the cooking time by half but it still came out awesome. Lots and lots and lots and lots of spices went into this.
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/320868_2147676130287_1197836956_31980148_1118773250_n.jpg
From Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
Fresh broccoli marinara - Very tasty way to eat broccoli. I was scandalized that in an Italian cookbook she calls for diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, as opposed to adding your own spices. I thought it lazy, but went with it because there was a sale going on. Ultimately not liking the seasonings I added dried oregano and basil. Otherwise it's just the tomatoes, broccoli and olive oil. Simple quick and easy.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316948_2138681945438_1197836956_31971928_167859204_n.jpg
Butternut squash puree - This dish just has butternut squash, onion, vegetable broth and olive oil, so I wasn't expecting much. But it was very good. The flavors came together nicely for a smooth buttery taste and nice smooth creamy texture. Loved it.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308937_2138680945413_1197836956_31971927_209731169_n.jpg
I'm drooling over this right now! This is the type of food that I am 100% comfortable with eating...simple and delicious veggies! Yum!
[quote author=dannibazaar link=topi
I'm drooling over this right now! This is the type of food that I am 100% comfortable with eating...simple and delicious veggies! Yum!
w00t
It's amazing how just a few simple ingredients combine to good healthy eating.
i think tweets eats the epitome of a whole foods vegan diet and it shows...
tweety glows :)
i think tweets eats the epitome of a whole foods vegan diet and it shows...
tweety glows :)
LOL...actually twice recently I was told that. I went to a party and the host whom I hadn't seen in quite a while said I was glowing. At work a coworker said the same thing but added "you must be in love".......which wasn't true, but I was getting me a little something something with the potential new boyfriend that didn't work out. LOL
Missed your food pics Tweety! I have to see what you've been cooking lately. Sorry your potential boyfriend didn't work out.
World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan
Deep, dark stew a la Sicilia - I've only seen chocolate using in savory cooking Mexican style so it was cool to use it in this recipe. This stew was so hearty- it had vegetables like carrots and onion and seitan. I served it over mashed potatoes and it was so divine. It made a lot so i would halve it if making for only one or two people.
Jamaican curry - Add the optional rum! It adds a nice undertone to the dish. I already had a homemade Jamaican curry mix sitting around but she gives you a recipe for one in case you don't have it. If you're a fan of curry this dish will definitely win you over. It had coconut milk, potatoes, and seitan.
Ugandan-style peanut butter stew - Tomatoes, peanut butter, curry power, what's not to love about that mix? Serve it on brown rice with a side of greens and you have a complete meal.
One note about this book: a lot of it uses seitan and tofu but if you're not into that then all you have to do is substitute things like in the Jamaican curry dish use a can of chickpeas.
The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions
Salisbury steak with mushroom, onion, and sage sauce - Ok, I've tried a few salisbury steak recipes and this is the best one yet. Seriously I was so impressed with how good it was. My TVP was a little big so after everything was hydrated I ran it through the food processor to get everything smaller so it stuck together better which worked out. The gravy for this was so incredibly tasty but it didn't make enough to go on top of mashed potatoes so double it if that's your intent.
Taco meat - simple, easy, but really good. I make this often because it's hassle-free, everything gets thrown in one bowl together.
All-American hot dogs - This recipe is awesome! They revised their old recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes and made it more tender by adding in tofu and whole wheat pastry flour. It still has a ton of oil but whatever, they're good and I prefer making stuff from scratch rather than buying it.
Missed your food pics Tweety! I have to see what you've been cooking lately. Sorry your potential boyfriend didn't work out.
Thanks. I missed you too. Glad to see you back with lots of reviews!
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