Happy Meatless Monday, VegCooks!
Last week, I made two recipes from our June VegCookbook, Meatless, by Martha Stewart Living. The first was the Penne with Oven Roasted Puttanesca Sauce. You basically roast all of the ingredients you would usually include in a pot of sauce, and boy does it make your house smell good. It was a tasty dish, but both the hubs and I thought it was a bit salty. It felt like the olive and caper flavors were stronger because they weren’t immersed in a more liquid-y tomato sauce. That said, we ate it all. Not a leftover in sight.
I also made the California Veggie Sandwich, twice. I used most of the suggested veggies: red onion, carrot, and cucumber. Trader Joe’s didn’t have radishes, or alfalfa sprouts, so I used a box of their organic micro greens to replace the sprouts.
The recipe calls for goat cheese mixed with parsley, but if you’re vegan, you could use Tofutti Cream Cheese, or make your own vegan goat cheese. Here are a few recipes to try:
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
What did you VegCook last week?
Posted in Meatless
Tagged cookbook, cookbook club, cooking, food, martha stewart, meatless, pasta, sandwich, vegan, vegetarian
It was another busy week last week, so the two pasta recipes I tried from our June VegCookbook, Meatless, were welcome, quick fixes after a long day. The Spaghetti with Parsley-Walnut Pesto (it is called Fettucine with Parsley-Walnut Pesto in the book) was good, and provided dinner for the two of us for two nights. The parsley and spinach flavors made it taste very, how shall I say this…green…but we liked it.
I think that the pesto needed more walnuts. It called for a 1/4 cup of whole walnuts, but I bought them pre-packed and chopped, so I was really adding only 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, which I think was actually less nuts.
I used spaghetti rather than fettucine because Barilla Plus doesn’t make fettucine. I like Barilla Plus because it is more nutritious than regular pasta, but doesn’t have the grittiness of whole grain pasta.
If you’re vegan, you could replace the parmesan with nutritional yeast, like Isa Chandra Moskowitz does in her Bestest Pesto recipe, and either sprinkle the top with more nutritional yeast, or vegan parmesan cheese. Oh She Glows has a tasty-looking vegan parmesan cheese recipe on her blog.
I loved the Spaghetti with Garlic and Herbs so much that I made it twice. The first time I only used three of the suggested 6 peperoncini ’cause I was worried that it would be too spicy. They actually weren’t spicy, just crazy delicious, so I added 6 the second time, which was a bit spicy, but we could handle it (:
Because the Barilla Plus spaghetti has 10 grams of protein in a 2 ounce serving, the pasta filled us up, even though the dish didn’t have another source of protein in it, like beans or tofu.
If you’re vegan, you could make the vegan parmesan cheese recipe I mentioned above, or buy some pre-made. VegNews posted a piece in their “This Week’s Must Have” section about Parmela, which looks yummy.
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
What did you VegCook last week?
Posted in Meatless
Tagged cookbook club, food, martha stewart, meatless, pasta, vegetarian
Hello VegCooks!
I’m sorry for the delay in getting our weekly round-up posted. I was out of town for half the week, so I’m behind on everything, and didn’t get a chance to cook from our June VegCookbook, Meatless, until last night.
Does anyone else feel like life is moving extra fast right now?
Last night I made two dishes:
The Portobello and Zucchini Tacos and the Kale & Red Cabbage Slaw. I loved the tacos! For some reason, in my post-trip-grocery-shopping stupor I wrote down “salsa” instead of “cherry tomatoes” on my shopping list, so my tacos were topped with salsa, instead of fresh tomatoes, but they were still very tasty. The recipe calls for Monterey Jack cheese, but you could veganize it by using vegan Monterey Jack. You can view the recipe on MarthaStewart.com.
I wasn’t as crazy about the Kale & Red Cabbage Slaw, but I think that is because I did a *very* lazy, post-trip-tired-cook thing. I put all of the ingredients in the food processor. Even though the kale and cabbage were supposed to be shredded, the carrots julenned, the parsley chopped and the red onion diced, I grated it all in my food processor. Not a good idea. I would like to make this again — properly! You can view the recipe on WholeLiving.com.
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
Because last week was the end of May, and the beginning of June, folks cooked from two cookbooks:
Vegan on the Cheap
Meatless
What did you VegCook last week?
Posted in Meatless, Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged cookbook club, cooking, food, martha stewart, vegetarian
While bookstore browsing over the Memorial Day weekend, I flipped through a copy of Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes by The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. The photos are beautiful, and all of the recipes look simple and good.
Even though the VegCookbook Club’s tagline is “Cooking Our Way Through Vegetarian and Vegan Cookbooks Together,” we’ve never cooked from a vegetarian cookbook. I think it’s time! One of the reasons I started the VegCoookbook Club was to create a welcoming, friendly space for people who are in all of the stages in their VegCooking journey (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, meatless on Monday, newbie). I’m hoping that by cooking from Meatless in June, some new folks will join us (:
I think a lot of you are vegan (although I’m not sure). There are lots of vegan recipes in the book, as well as vegetarian recipes that could be adapted. Here are some sample recipes:
If you’re new to the VegCookbook Club, you can read about how to participate on the VegCookbook Club’s About page, and read about folks’ experiences on the Love Notes page.
I’m looking forward to cooking through Meatless with you in June!
Happy Meatless Monday, VegCooks!
Last week, I made the Comfort Loaf with Creamy Mushroom Gravy from our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap. I wish I had as much success with wheat gluten as all of you who have been raving about the Wheatballs, but I have yet to make anything myself with wheat gluten that turned out well : (
My Comfort Loaf was OK, but not great. It crumbled when it came out of the loaf pan and was a funny texture. The Creamy Mushroom Gravy, on the other hand, was fantastic. Soooooo yummy, and it made a lot. I’ll definitely make it again, especially during the colder months and holiday season.
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
What did you VegCook last week?
P.S. I’ll announce the June VegCookbook on Wednesday!
Posted in Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged cookbook club, food, robin robertson, vegan, vegetarian
Hello VegCooks!
So sorry for the delay in getting our weekly round-up posted. I started a new consulting gig yesterday, and some friends threw a party for me lat night – just because! How nice was that?
Anyway, last week I tried two more pasta dishes from our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap: the Penne-Wise Peanutty Pasta + the Blushing Fettucine Alfredo. Both were delicious.
I didn’t make any changes to the Penne-Wise Peanutty recipe, except to exclude the crushed red pepper.
I also didn’t make any changes to the Blushing Fettucine Alfredo recipe except that I used Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce, rather than making the Marinara Sauce recipe in the Vegan on the Cheap.
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
What did you VegCook last week?
Posted in Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged cookbook club, food, pasta, robin robertson, vegan, vegetarian
Happy Meatless Monday, VegCooks!
Last week, I tried two recipes from our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap: the Baked Ziti and the Curried Vegetable Salad.
I *loved* the Curried Vegetable Salad. So good, and very filling. I used sweet potatoes/yams instead of white potatoes, dried apricots, instead of raisins, and Vegenaise, rather than homemade vegan mayo. This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck (just make sure no one is allergic to nuts, or soy), or to make on a Sunday night to take to lunch during the first part of the week. I’ll definitely be making it again. Yum.
The hubs loves Baked Ziti (with real cheese), so I’m always looking for a vegan version that will be just as delicious; unfortunately, I have yet to find one. Don’t get me wrong, this recipe was totally fine (I ate almost the whole casserole myself during the week), I just think it’s hard to replace the cheesy, comforting yumminess of regular baked ziti. I don’t like vegan cheese, so I didn’t sprinkle it on the top, as the recipe suggested. I think if I did, and I liked vegan cheese, it might have captured more of the baked ziti goodness. I also used marinara sauce from a jar (Newman’s Own) rather than homemade (as the recipe suggested), so that would make a difference as well.
What did you VegCook last week?
VegCookbook Club Story Swap
Posted in Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged baked ziti, cookbook club, cooking, food, robin robertson, salad, vegan, vegetarian
Hello VegCookbook Clubbers!
I made one dish from our May VegCookbook (Vegan on the Cheap) last week, and it was a goodie: Spinach Spaghetti with Pesto. The recipe is actually called Linguine with Variations on Pesto, but I used spinach spaghetti, that had 7 grams of protein in it, instead of plain linguine. I topped it with some chickpeas sauteed in oil, with salt and pepper, for even more protein (otherwise, I’ll eat the whole pot of pasta!).
VegCookBook Club Story Swap
Because last week was the end of April, and the beginning of May, folks cooked from two cookbooks:
Vegan on the Cheap (our May VegCookbook)
How It All Vegan! (our April VegCookbook)
What did you VegCook last week?
Posted in How It All Vegan, Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged cookbook, cookbook club, food, robin robertson, vegan, vegan on the cheap, vegetarian
If you haven’t gotten your copy of our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson, yet, be sure to check out the sample recipes on her website, and the recipe for Tuscan White Bean Pizza that she was nice enough to share with us, below. Enjoy!
Tuscan White Bean Pizza
Makes 1 (12-inch) pizza
The people of Tuscany come by the moniker “bean eaters” owing to their inclusion of fagiole in everything from soups and stews to this creamy protein-rich pizza topping that will help you forget all about mozzarella cheese.
This recipe is from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson © 2010. Used with permission.
For dough:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lukewarm water
For topping:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 ripe plum tomatoes, very thinly sliced
1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in the water until combined then use your hands to knead it into a soft dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding additional flour as needed so it doesn’t stick. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature in a warm spot until double in volume, about 1 hour.
3. After the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, punch it down and gently stretch and lift it to make a 12-inch round about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the round to a floured baking sheet or pizza stone. Use your fingertips to form a rim around the perimeter of the dough and let rise in draft-free place for 20 minutes. Place the oven rack in the bottommost position of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
4. Make the topping: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the beans, salt, and pepper.
5. Mash the beans to break them up, then stir in the broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the basil and set aside.
6. To assemble the pizza, spread the bean mixture evenly on top of the dough round, to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the tomato slices on top and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the crust is crisp and browned, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Splurge a little: Add sliced pitted kalamata olives when you add the tomatoes. Garnish with thin strips of fresh basil leaves.
If you’re new to the VegCookbook Club, you can read about how to participate on the VegCookbook Club’s About page, and read about folks’ experiences with on the Love Notes page.
Posted in Vegan on the Cheap
Tagged beans, cookbook, cookbook club, pizza, robin robertson, vegan
