Monthly Archives: August 2012

Yesterday was our last Sunday cooking from the August VegCookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan, and I had some fabulous old friends (Jennifer and Heather) coming for dinner, so I decided to cook up a bunch of recipes for them.

For an appetizer we had  the Artichoke and White Bean Dip on a baguette which was AWESOME.  Recommend.

It made a rather large portion, so we munched on it during our meal as well.  For dinner, I served the Moroccan Bean Stew with Sweet Potatoes

and the Almond Roasted Cauliflower.

The soup was tasty, and definitely became more flavorful after it sat for a couple hours.  I topped it with the recommended dried roasted figs, which were OK. I think I over-roasted the figs ’cause they were too crunchy.  The cauliflower was good, but needed a bit more salt and pepper, and I think I under-roasted it.  A couple more minutes in the oven would have given it some extra yum.

For dessert, we had sliced mango, chocolates with fleur de sel ( a b-day gift from the lovely Julie), and Gingery Cookies.

The cookies were good and my first foray into wheat-free baking.  I used the recommended spelt flour, and for the requested “unrefined sugar” I used coconut sugar.

What did you VegCook this week?

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of Let Them Eat Vegan, and the link to Let Them Eat Vegan (above) is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I’ll probably spend on more books!

For the past few months, I’ve been craving things that are creamy: puddings, custards, flan, and tapioca.

Most vegan and vegetarian cookbooks have recipes for cakes, pies, cookies, brownies and muffins, but not pudding, which is why I was so excited to see the recipe for Tapioca Pudding in this month’s VegCookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan!

I made it with So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (you could use soy, rice, or almond milk), and maple syrup, (rather than the suggested agave nectar). The result was a mildly sweet and comforting pudding. It wasn’t quite as thick, and tapioca bubble-filled as I remember my mom’s tapioca being, but it was still pretty good.

What did you VegCook this week?

Full disclosure: The link to Let Them Eat Vegan is attached to my Amazon account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I’ll probably use to buy more books! Also, I received a review copy of  Let Them Eat Vegan.

When it comes to vegan mac n’ cheese, I’m tough to please. I like nutritional yeast, but I don’t love it, so all of those mac n’ “cheeze” recipes out there don’t really do it for me.   The best recipe is the VegNews Vegan Macaroni and Cheese. Until now.

Last week, I made the Mac-oh-geez recipe from our August VegCookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan!   I was eating dinner at home alone, and literally exclaimed out loud, “This is SO good!”  I’m not kidding. You can view the recipe on Plant-Powered Kitchen.

I also made the Tomato Artichoke Pasta, which was quick to make, tasty, and provided days of leftovers.

Finally, after a fun and sweaty dance class, I made the Apple-a-Day Green Smoothie (I drank that whole thing!) with spinach, apple, frozen banana, frozen mango, cucumber, and flax seed meal. Yum.

What did you cook from Let Them Eat Vegan! last week?

Full disclosure: The link to Let Them Eat Vegan is attached to my Amazon account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I’ll probably use to buy more books! Also, I received a review copy of  Let Them Eat Vegan.

There are so many yummy-looking recipes to choose from in Let Them Eat Vegan that I asked the author, Dreena Burton, to recommend some of her favorites. We don’t want to miss trying the extra-delicious ones! Here they are (by chapter):

1 Breakfast Bites and Smoothies
BF Blueberry Muffins (p. 3)

2 Salads That Make a Meal
DJ’s Hummus Salad Dressing (p. 43)

3 Proud to Be Saucy and Dippy
Artichoke and White Bean Dip (p. 69)

4 Vegan Soup for the Soul
Moroccan Bean Stew with Sweet Potatoes (p. 78)

5 Side Stars
Almond Roasted Cauliflower (p. 94)

6 Your Main Squeeze: Casseroles, One-Pot Wonders and Tarts
Jerk Chickpeas (p 114)

7 When Burgers Get Better
Nutty Veggie Burgers (p. 135)
Juicy Grilled Portobellos (p. 144)
Panfried Falafel Patties  (p. 145) with Smoky Spiked Tahini Sauce (p. 54)

8 Good Pasta Belongs on a Plate – Not the Wall!
Brazil Nut Pesto (p. 156)

9 C is for Cookie, That’s Good Enough for Me
Gingery Cookies (p. 191)
Award-Winning Frosted B-raw-nies (p.204) Check out the recipe on plantpoweredkitchen.com, and watch Dreena make them above, or on YouTube.

10 Let Them Eat Cakes, Pies, and Puddings
Pumpkin Pie Custard (p. 238)
Apple-Of-My-Eye Pie (p. 244) with Gluten-Free Pie Crust (p. 242)
Raw Lemon-Lime Cheesecake with Fresh Mango Sauce (p. 246)

11 Dreena Daz
…all the ice creams… (pp. 257-268)

Enjoy!

Full disclosure: The link to Let Them Eat Vegan is attached to my Amazon account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I’ll probably use to buy more books! Also, I received a review copy of  Let Them Eat Vegan.

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I went to a wine bar that served flatbread topped with white bean hummus, melted cheese, arugula, and roasted red peppers. It was ridiculously good.

Since then, I’ve been on the search for a good white bean spread recipe and then, voilà, our August VegCookBook, Let Them Eat Vegan, turned out to have one. Last night, we had a light summer supper of  White Bean Pesto Spread (p. 72) on crostini, and a big bowl of green grapes. Yum.

The next recipe I want to try is the Tomato Artichoke Pasta (p. 158). Howabout you?  Did you try any recipes from Let Them Eat Vegan last week? What ones are you hoping to make this week?

Full disclosure: The link to Let Them Eat Vegan is attached to my Amazon account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I’ll probably use to buy more books!