Our March VegCookbook: The Inspired Vegan by Bryant Terry

The March VegCookbook poll results are in! In March, we’ll be cooking together from The Inspired Vegan: Seasonal Ingredients, Creative Recipes, Mouthwatering Menus by Bryant Terry.

You can learn more about Bryant on his website www.bryant-terry.com,  follow him on Twitter @bryantterry, like the book’s Facebook Page, and watch his web show, Urban Organic.

The Inspired Vegan is available on Amazon and through Powell’s Books. Don’t forget to check your local bookstore too!

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of The Inspired Vegan from Da Capo Books. Also, the Amazon links are attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you make a purchase after you click on them, I receive a small percentage of the sale.

Poll: What Should Our March VegCookbook Be?

Hello VegCooks!

It has been a week of sickness here at the Bravos, so I didn’t cook anything from The Vegan Table.  Boo hoo. What did you cook from The Vegan Table last week?

March 1st is next Thursday, so it’s time to start thinking about our next VegCookbook.  I’ve created a poll (above) with some ideas.

Please vote! Feel free to add other VegCookbook ideas.

Penne Arrabbiata, Soba Noodle Soup, Brussels Sprouts + African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

Penne Arrabbiata (p. 49) with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Hello VegCookbook Lovers!

I am *loving* this cookbook and have been cooking up a storm. This week I made the Penne Arrabbiata (above) which was so easy and delicious. I served it with roasted brussels spouts (below) from the Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe. I added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar at the end which made them soooooo good!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I also made the Soba Noodle Soup, which was good, but was more of a noodle dish than a soup.

Soba Noodle Soup (p.114)

And the African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew served over rice, which was sweet and creamy and comforting.

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew (p. 127)

What did you make from The Vegan Table last week?

What recipes are you excited to try this week?

Share in the comments, on Facebook, or on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub.

Full disclosure: The link to The Vegan Table is connected to my Amazon Associates account. If you make a purchase of something on Amazon after you click the link, I get a small portion of the sale.

Aloo Gobi, Chana Masala and Dal from The Vegan Table

How are you guys liking The Vegan Table so far?

This week I made the Aloo Gobi (p. 137), Chana Masala (p. 138) and Dal (p. 141). They were all delish, and they made a lot of leftovers (big plus!).

My recipe adjustments:

    • Aloo Gobi: Didn’t include the chiles.
    • Chana Masala: Only included 1/4 t of  chili powder.
    • Dal: The recipe is actually for Masoor Dal (Red Lentils), but I already had a bag of canary yellow lentils on hand, so I used them instead.

I’m excited to try the recipe for Soba Noodle Soup (p. 114) tonight.

What did you make from The Vegan Table last week? 

What recipes are you excited to try this week?

Share in the comments, on Facebook, or on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub.

Appetite for Reduction Round-up: Your Posts, Photos & Comments

Yay us for cooking through our first VegCookbook, Appetite for Reduction.  Here’s what y’all had to say about it:

Blog posts

Photos

All by Lean Lundquist on Instagram

Comments

Thanks Andrea of Learned On, Brigitte, Celeste, Courtney of Yoga G33k, Debra of Breathelighter, Elisa of Veggie Goes Vegan, Gabriela of Source Consulting Group, Ian, Jana of My Life as a Runner, and Leah for all of your comments on this month’s posts:

I’m looking forward to cooking through The Vegan Table with all of you in February!

Full disclosure: The links to Appetite for Reduction and The Vegan Table are linked to my Amazon Associates account.  If you make a purchase, after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale.

Classic Black Bean and Veggie Chili for the Super Bowl

Happy Meatless Monday VegCookbook Cooks!

Inspired by Leah Lundquist’s Instagram photo of Classic Black Bean and Veggie Chili with Corn & Scallion Corn Bread, I decided to make it myself this weekend.  Yum.

Classic Black Bean & Veggie Chili with Corn & Scallion Corn Bread (pp. 236-237, p. 244)

Although the recipe called for 3 T of chili powder, I only used 1 tablespoon, and it was still flavorful. I liked the corn bread, but it wasn’t that attractive.  I’d like to make it like Leah did, as muffins.

I also made Smoky Split Pea Soup.

Smoky Split Pea Soup

Smoky Split Pea Soup p. 223

This was also delish (the smoked paprika is what makes it red). It didn’t turn out as creamy as I wanted it to, so I blended it with an immersion blender to thicken it.

What did you cook this week?

I’ll do a round-up of everyone’s comments, photos, tweets and blog posts about our month of cooking from Appetite for Reduction tomorrow.  Be sure to use the hashtag #vegcookbookclub, or link back to vegcookbookclub.com, so that it’s easy for me to find.

February VegCookbook: The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

After much bookstore browsing and Amazon review reading, I’ve decided that our February VegCookbook will be The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

You can learn more about Colleen on her website compassionatecook.com, follow her on Twitter at @PatrickGoudreau and like her Facebook Page.

The book is available on Amazon  (paperback, Kindle and used), Powell’s Books, and Half.com.  Don’t forget to check your local bookstores and library too!

Colleen posted a few recipes from the book on her site too:

I’ll post a round up of everyone’s Appetite for Reduction tweets, photos, comments, and blog posts on Tuesday, January 31st.

I’m looking forward to cooking through The Vegan Table with you in February!

Full disclosure: The Amazon links are attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you make a purchase after you click on them, I receive a small percentage of the sale.

Eggplant Provencal + Black-Eyed Pea and Tempeh Beanballs

Happy Meatless Monday VegCookbook Cooks!

Last week I went outside my cooking comfort zone twice. It was my first time making my own meatless meatbals with the Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs recipe from Appetite for Reduction.

Black-eyed Pea and Tempeh Beanballs on Spaghetti with Mom's Marinara pp. 190-195

The hubs really liked them, but honestly, they were a little too tempeh-tasting for me.  I *did* love the addition of sliced zucchini and scallions from the Cajun Beanballs and Spaghetti recipe. Instead of making the Spicy Cajun version of Mom’s Marinara, I made it with mushroom and onions. Delish.  I love knowing that I can make my own spaghetti sauce now, and don’t have to buy it.

My second cooking adventure was cooking with fennel for the Eggplant Provencal recipe. I had to watch a video to learn how to clean the fennel!

Eggplant Provencal pp. 260-261

This photo doesn’t make it look very appealing, but I loved this dish. It reminded me of a beef stew that my mom made when I was little.  I’ll definitely be making it again. A terrific winter meal.

What recipes did you try this week?

You can participate in the VegCookbook Club in a variety of ways:

  • Write about the recipes you tried in the comments. What did you like? What didn’t you like?  What changes did you make?
  • Ask a question in the comments.
  • Share a link to a post from your own blog about the recipes you made this week.
  • Post photos of what you made in the VegCookbook Flickr group.
  • Tweet about what you cooked with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub
  • Post a photo on Instagram of what you cooked with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub

Full disclosure: The link to Appetite for Reduction is connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale.

Gathering Ideas for Our February VegCookbook

Garlic Crostini Brussels Style by norwichnuts

I’m thinking that we should select our February VegCookbook sooner than later so that everyone has enough time to pick up a copy before the new month starts.

It might be worth it to choose our March and April cookbooks too.  I know that cookbooks aren’t cheap, but if we know ahead of time what we’re going to cook from, then we all have time to take them out from the library, or buy them used from Amazon, Half.com, or our local bookstore.

Here are some ideas:

What vegan or vegetarian cookbooks would you love to dive into with the group this winter and spring?

Full disclosure: Links to all of the VegCookbooks are connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale.

Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew + Tortilla Soup

It was cold this week, and I had a cold, so it seemed like a good time to make soup.  I’m a big fan of soups ’cause they’re a one-pot meal, and make lots of leftovers. Maybe we’ll cook from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons in February, or March. What do you think?

Both of the soups I made this week were delish:

Quinoa, White Bean & Kale Stew (pp. 245-246)

The hubs and I both seasoned our soups with balsamic vinegar to taste. Vegetarians ~ This soup is yummy with a hard boiled egg in it. When we were in Peru years ago, we ate a lot of quinoa soup, and it was often served with sliced egg.

Tortilla Soup (pp. 208-209)

I looove this soup. The challenge is to not eat the rest of the bag of tortilla chips while you cook! I chose the mild route, and used a green bell pepper (instead of a poblano pepper), omitted the jalapeños, and used only a dash of red pepper flakes.

What recipes did you try this week?

You can participate in the VegCookbook Club in a variety of ways:

  • Write about the recipes you tried in the comments. What did you like? What didn’t you like?  What changes did you make?
  • Ask a question in the comments.
  • Share a link to a post from your own blog about the recipes you made this week.
  • Post photos of what you made in the VegCookbook Flickr group.
  • Tweet about what you cooked with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub
  • Post a photo on Instagram of what you cooked with the hashtag #vegcookbookclub

Full disclosure: The link to Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons is connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale.