Veganomicon Recipes
OK, I bought my copy of Veganomicon (cookbook from the same authors as Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) last week at Barnes & Noble. Over the weekend, I made my first recipes from the book. I made the Chickpea Cutlets with the Mustard Gravy. I also made the Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans. For sweets, I made the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies. Everything was really good. I've been having a difficult time staying away from the cookies, they're so good (very thin, crispy, chewy!). Has anyone else here purchased this cookbook yet and made any recipes? I'd love to hear what people are making and enjoying from this cookbook. I really enjoy Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's other cookbooks, and I'm looking forward to exploring more in this new book.
More recipes that I've tried:
Double Pea Soup With Roasted Red Peppers (pg 140).
I thought that this was just okay...I kind of expected it to be better, but I'm always sort of disappointed with split pea soup anyway. The roasted red peppers do improve the flavor, though, I think maybe I'd experiment with doubling the roasted peppers and halving the amount of frozen peas. My bf who *loves* split pea soup liked it a lot.
Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping (Pg 194).
This was really, really, good. I usually don't have luck using a version of tofu-"cheese" with pasta, but this one turned out great. Unfortunately, I didn't have any actual bread on hand, so I went against the tip that encourages to make your own bread crumbs, and I used some of the old plain store-bought ones. The flavor is still the same, but I can see how using real bread would help give you the crunchiness you may want. It takes a little while to get this going since you have to make the "cheese", process the walnuts and the bread, and you have to use a few extra pans, but it's totally worth it. This is now one of my favorite recipes.
Baked Potato and Greens Soup With Potato-Wedge Croutons (Pg 146).
Another really good recipe, however, my Potato-Wedge Croutons did not come out right at all, I think it's probably best to coat them in oil and then shake them in a bag of the spices--as that's usually what works for me. She says to wet them with water and then dredge them in the spices, when I tried this, the spices didn't stick very well, which unfortunately caused part of the potatoes to burn and the rest of them to not cook correctly. I definitely recommend this soup for anyone who loves or hates kale, too. I have mixed feelings about kale because sometimes it just doesn't work, but it definitely works well with potatoes.
has anyone seen this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/71469079@N00/sets/72157600270545756/ ???
This happen to anyone else? I don't usually cook but I've been in the kitchen for the last couple of days and have sampled everything - multiple times.
Balanced Food Equation
1 Gunpowder Cookie + 1 Chickpea Cutlet + 1 Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie + 2 Bean Burgers + 2 bowls of clean-out-the-refrigerator vegetable soup + 3 more Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies ----------> sharp stomach pain + 2 rounds of volumous vomit + 1 long bath
My dad and I made the Midsummer Corn Chowder with Basil, Tomato and Fennel for dinner tonight.
We pureed about 2/3 of the soup so that it's not as chunky and it is sooooooo good!! A few changes to the recipe - canned sweet corn, no fennel and veggie broth instead of corn stock.
Don't let all the steps fool you, it's a bit time consuming, but the end result is well worth it. It's perfect for a chilly evening!
This happen to anyone else? I don't usually cook but I've been in the kitchen for the last couple of days and have sampled everything - multiple times.
Balanced Food Equation
1 Gunpowder Cookie + 1 Chickpea Cutlet + 1 Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie + 2 Bean Burgers + 2 bowls of clean-out-the-refrigerator vegetable soup + 3 more Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies ----------> sharp stomach pain + 2 rounds of volumous vomit + 1 long bath
sorry that happened ...but made me laugh cause last weekend my bf ate over 2 days:
3 vegan devil dogs (he just discoved them at a local health food store), vegan brownie and other regular meals plus...a TON of peanut butter! He threw up 5 times. He's the type that gets a horrible headache as well so it sucked for him.
He's 42 and he really can't eat what he did in his 20's or 30's.
sorry that happened ...but made me laugh cause last weekend my bf ate over 2 days:
3 vegan devil dogs (he just discoved them at a local health food store), vegan brownie and other regular meals plus...a TON of peanut butter! He threw up 5 times. He's the type that gets a horrible headache as well so it sucked for him.
He's 42 and he really can't eat what he did in his 20's or 30's.
Darn aging! I'm 35. I'm sure I'm could have kept it all down 5 years ago.
My dad and I made the Midsummer Corn Chowder with Basil, Tomato and Fennel for dinner tonight.
We pureed about 2/3 of the soup so that it's not as chunky and it is sooooooo good!! A few changes to the recipe - canned sweet corn, no fennel and veggie broth instead of corn stock.
Don't let all the steps fool you, it's a bit time consuming, but the end result is well worth it. It's perfect for a chilly evening!
Page 144. That looks really good. On Veggie of the Month I nominated fennel bulb for December's veggie because I have no idea what to do with it, but here's a recipe. Thanks for pointing it out. I'm happy to hear it was tasty.
HH - thanks for the page number, I knew there was something else I meant to post!
Dinner ended up being much later than planned, due to my mom working late, but the soup reheated well and was just as good as when it was originally cooked.
On a side note: I'm not used to eating so much onion in my day-to-day diet (the recipe calls for an entire onion and the only one we had was VERY large) and my poor stomach is SO upset. I think I drank about half a bottle of Pepto so far :P
I made the chile crusted cornmeal tofu things but baked it and it was way dry. Next time I'll fry it.
I made the holiday cranberry sauce and it was fantastic!!!!!
I made the Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies today, and... Well, they weren't so fudgy. I'm not sure if it was something I did (though I followed the directions exactly), but they turned out very cake-like. :-\ Not my cup o' brownie. (I've still been stuffing my face all day, though... So, they're not bad. I just don't think I'll make them again.)
I also made the Mac Daddy (mac & cheeze recipe), and it was pretty good. Not the Velveeta I sometimes long for (gross, I know...), but satisfying. I added finely chopped kale to the mix to make it more "healthful" ::), and I liked it. I'll definitely make this again! Oh--I halved the recipe because the recipe-as-written serves 8-10 people! :o I'd say half is more than enough for 5-6 medium-sized portions.
Oh--AND, one last thing---I made it for lunch today & left it sitting out on the counter. My parents tried it before I could warn them that they might think it's weird, but they loved it! I don't think it tasted very "cheesy" to them because they kept referring to it as a "casserole," but no matter. They kept raving about how my "casserole is really delicious." :D So, yay! Crowd-pleaser! And the book warns against feeding this to omnis, as they tend to be a little sketch about nutritional yeast. My fam seems to love it.
In all the hustle and bustle of returning to Georgia from Boston, I forgot to post that we did, indeed, have the Chickpea Cutlets and loved them. They are on my menu for tomorrow and some other time next week. CeltKat made some for her supper last night and lunch today and suggested doubling the recipe because as is the recipe doesn't make a lot; so I'm making a double batch tomorrow and saving some for next week. I'll bake those, too. 8)
OK, I've made a few more recipes from Veganomicon. A couple days ago, I made the Creamy Tomato Soup. It's pretty tasty, although next time, I'll change a couple things. I'd omit the thyme and, probably, rosemary, also. Instead, I'd sub in basil. I'd likely add in some fresh basil at the end, also, as the variation suggests. I thought that the thyme went better in the Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans. For this creamy soup, I think that I'd like the flavor of basil better. I'd also maybe reduce the lemon juice, as I thought the final soup was a bit sour (maybe my lemon was extra juicy).
Last night, I made the Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Chips. This was OK, but I prefer my own way of making mujadarah (this lentil/rice/onion middle eastern dish--goes by many names). My mujadarah is based on the Injudra recipe from this site (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=4898.0). This recipe definitely needs some salt and pepper. I actually just cook my lentils and rice in broth, rather than plain water, and this gives salt and additional flavor. I prefer to prepare my onions on the stovetop, instead of in the oven. It's easier to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't burn, but get great caramelization (generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get the right effect). I usually add some of the spices (cumin and cinnamon with a bit of salt) to the onions while they cook down. I use a little less oil for the onions, but still quite a bit. I usually use regular brown lentils, instead of the red, for this. This recipe says to cook this for an hour total (15 min + 45 min more), but I reduce the cooking time by around 10 minutes or so. I really like to top my mujadarah with the Sunflower Seed Sour Cream from this site (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6912.0) and a bunch of hot sauce.
Tonight, I made the Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies which are really delicious! They're quick and easy to throw together, too. I'm definitely making these cookies again! (Oh, and as humboldt_honey stated earlier in this thread, the cookies do actually spread some, so don't place them too close together on your cookie sheet. Also, the dough will look really dry, but if you do as the directions state and work that final bit together with your hands, everything should come together well without adding additional liquid.)
I'm not sure what I'll make next from this book. Killer, that Pumpkin Baked Ziti sounds divine! Everyone keep the great ideas coming!
Tonight, I made the Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies which are really delicious! I'm definitely making these cookies again! (Oh, and as humboldt_honey stated earlier in this thread, the cookies do actually spread some, so don't place them too close together on your cookie sheet.)
Willwolf, do you think that these would ship well. I'd like to send them in my student's care package (and make some for myself at the same time, of course!), but I don't want them to be stale when they get to him/her.
I don't ship many baked goods, but I think they'd be fine if you packaged them well. I would wrap each cookie individually in cling wrap. Then I'd put all of the cookies in a small, sturdy box or metal canister. I'd try to use a canister that fits the cookies pretty snugly. If there's any extra room, I'd cushion with some crumpled-up newspaper/tissue paper or shipping peanuts. Finally, I'd put that canister into a shipping box. I'd also cushion with some more newspaper/peanuts between the canister and the shipping box so that the canister doesn't move around, but instead fits nice and snugly. This may seem like a bit of trouble, but you know that packages literally get tossed around like crazy. I'd also ship priority mail or some other expedited service to ensure that the cookies arrive fresh. Good luck!
I made the chicpeas romesco tonight with herbed scalloped potatoes on the side. Loved both. I used a small onion for the chickpeas instead of shallots, but otherwise followed the recipe. The potatoes directions were a little unclear for me (one layer of potatoes in a large dish or several layers?), so I just made a half recipe in a square baking dish and layered, but next time I'll just do one layer in a large dish cause the pieces at the top were the yummiest. ;)
The potatoes directions were a little unclear for me (one layer of potatoes in a large dish or several layers?), so I just made a half recipe in a square baking dish and layered, but next time I'll just do one layer in a large dish cause the pieces at the top were the yummiest. ;)
I agree! I had no idea how to actually assemble the dish, so I did as you did, and plan to do as you said for the next time! :) Or else mix the spices in so everything gets a nice layer of the yumminess!
I made the black bean burgers and they were deeeelish! I added some red bell pepper to it and it was great. Also, I wouild definitely recommend putting cilantro even though it's optional. It really brings out the other flavors!
I also made the Chickpea Cutlets. They were pretty good, but I thought the lemony flavor from the lemon zest was a little overpowering. I will cut down on it next time. I think that'll make them excelent!
They also did not reheat very well (in my microwave). They got kind of stringy. Maybe I didn't knead enough?
They also did not reheat very well (in my microwave). They got kind of stringy. Maybe I didn't knead enough?
The same thing happened to me! Chewy & stringy in the microwave... :-\ However, after re-warming one in the microwave & having that experience, I rewarmed another in the toaster. Haha--not the toaster oven, just my regular toaster. And I actually liked that! It made it crisp on the outside, but not chewy. :)
What a great idea! I am going to do that next time.
I made the potatoes and loved them. Mine ended up more than one layer but it didn't matter about the spices -- they still tasted great all the way through. I made the chick pea noodle soup and thought it was good, and I made the cholent (sp?) and really liked it. It doesn't have a strong flavor, but definitely winter comfort food -- it's very thick though, so if you are looking for a soupy stew, this isn't the recipe.
That is excellent advice! I'm going to try that. They were good the first day, but I tried microwaving my leftover cutlets too and the creepy texture made them inedible for me.
They also did not reheat very well (in my microwave). They got kind of stringy. Maybe I didn't knead enough?
The same thing happened to me! Chewy & stringy in the microwave... :-\ However, after re-warming one in the microwave & having that experience, I rewarmed another in the toaster. Haha--not the toaster oven, just my regular toaster. And I actually liked that! It made it crisp on the outside, but not chewy. :)
Oh, good! I hope it works for you, too! I just put it on a low setting so it didn't burn... I'm sure the oven would work, too, but who wants to preheat that for just one little cutlet? ;)
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