I went on a cooking spree this part weekend, and I blame this thread.
The pineapple cashew stir-fry and Seitan piccata are tied for yumminess, although I wouldn't recommend the piccata to anybody who doesn't love the briney flavor of olives and capers. It's very salty and yum with the mashed potatoes.
I was craving mole, so while I was cooking up a big pot of chickpea noodle soup I persuaded my bf to make a batch of chili-chocolate mole, which we served on brown basmati rice with broccoli and morning star chicken strips. I love making chickpea noodle soup. It's so easy for a comfort food. I froze half but will be pulling that from the freezer already tonight.
Also made manzana chili verde, but I found it too apple-y for chili. If I ever make it again I'll only use 1 apple and 2 (or more) cans of beans. Served that with the southwestern corn pudding, which is always a big hit.
Also made a big pan of mac daddy (ww farfelle) last night. My boss had a rough weekend with her grandma's death, 2 wakes and her funeral and she loves the vegan mac and cheese so I really made that for her.*
*well, she got a little tofutti sour cream container full of it anyway.
I will eventually post pics.
Last edited by RubyDuby; May 8th, 2010 at 11:38 PM.
Reason: *
yeah, I think it's the weather. Also made a batch of brownies (using a mix), but that wasn't from vcon. It was both of us cooking so it wasn't too bad.
When we tried the chickpea cutlets, they came out weird, the gluten was kind of stringy and had little flakes of mashed chickpea interspersed between and the overall effect was so yucky we couldn't eat them all up. I'd be interested to know whether other people had better results and if so, what you think we might be doing wrong?
once in a while you can get shown the light
in the strangest of places if you look at it right
I didn't know until recently that some boxed brownie mixes were vegan. Needless to say, I went out that same day and bought a box and made banana brownies!
kokopelli: I don't like the chewy texture of vital wheat gluten either, it makes me feel like I'm eating food-flavored bubble gum. When recipes call for it I put in half or a third of what they say. Using less than what the recipe says makes the food more fragile and crumbly though so you have to be gentle when flipping, transfering ect.
Try the blackbean burgers from veganomicon with less vital wheat gluten, they're good
This thread has made me really want this book. I went to buy it a couple of weeks ago, but changed my mind figuring that it would just end up on the shelf with a load of other vegan cooks books, but everything looks and sounds so yummy!
after looking at rubyduby's photos in the other thread i may well get this now. i wasn't going to because it seemed a lot of dishes are based on vital wheat gluten and seitan which i cant get easily but i loved the look of the pineapple & cashew stir fry and the vegan brunch casserole!!
I wouldn't say even half of the recipes involve vital wheat gluten, and of the ones that call for seitan you can always sub tofu or leave it out altogether.
The mama's morning casserole is actually from a different cook book call Vegan Brunch. Same author though!
When we tried the chickpea cutlets, they came out weird, the gluten was kind of stringy and had little flakes of mashed chickpea interspersed between and the overall effect was so yucky we couldn't eat them all up. I'd be interested to know whether other people had better results and if so, what you think we might be doing wrong?
I've made these once before, and I'm actually making them again later tonight. I thought they had a great, chewy texture (but this could stem from my personal likings). I don't remember them being stringy. Did you mash them thoroughly? It was definitely a pain, but I made sure every chickpea was pulverized. I remember liking them even more a day later, cold, and in a sandwich. Tonight I'm trying them with v-con's mustard sauce. I'll try to remember to come back to this thread later with results.
I wouldn't say even half of the recipes involve vital wheat gluten, and of the ones that call for seitan you can always sub tofu or leave it out altogether.
The mama's morning casserole is actually from a different cook book call Vegan Brunch. Same author though!
oh ok then - maybe mainly the ones i've seen posted on here like cutlets etc have been based on these.
the other reason i've avoided it so far is that the recipes seem rather fiddly with lots of ingredients - put me right if i'm wrong here too please!!
it was just the contrast between the stringy gluten and the crumbly mashed chickpea, I think. Sometime I'll try again with more thorough mashing. The Hasson sausages have chickpea flour and a more homogenised texture.
once in a while you can get shown the light
in the strangest of places if you look at it right
The other night I made the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. They are wonderful. My husband thinks they taste like brownies. Really rich but not too sweet. I think I cut down on the sugar. I usually always do. It's a baking trick I learned from my mother. If the sugar seems too much to me I'll cut it down by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. And last night I made the Carrot Pineapple Sunshine Muffins which were another hit. They are very moist and flavorful. I used vanilla soy yogurt and I didn't have enough raisins so I used 1/4 cup of raisins and threw in 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to make up the difference. I really liked them like that. I also made the Cashew Ricotta last week to use for stuffed shells. I don't have a food processor so I just mixed it as well as I could in the blender. I added frozen chopped spinach to it and the shells came out delicious. I'm going to be making another batch either today or tomorrow. I found one recipe of the cashew ricotta filled about 13 shells.
I also made the Cashew Ricotta last week to use for stuffed shells. I don't have a food processor so I just mixed it as well as I could in the blender. I added frozen chopped spinach to it and the shells came out delicious. I'm going to be making another batch either today or tomorrow. I found one recipe of the cashew ricotta filled about 13 shells.
I have used the cashew ricotta a few times for shells also and they turned out delicious. Yum Yum.
I will have to try the walnut cookies...
We finally made the Snobby Joes. I should've listened to the reviews earlier (sorry Missb)!! Wow, they are really tasty!! We used red lentils. What kind of lentils have other posters used? Are they as good with the brown lentils?
Mmmm...I'll have to try the snobby joe's.
I made the lemongrass and asparagus risotto tonight with the tangerine tofu. Both were very interesting tasting but delicious. My fiance was skeptical at first, but he ended up loving it!
i think i used green...its been a while though since i've made them...i think there are a few ingrediants that my SO doesn't like...picky little bastard...
"i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."
Ruby - how good are the Snobby Joes? I used brown lentils for mine, green would work too.
I haven't posted in here but I made some more from V'Con last year/this year:
Chewy Choc Raspberry Cookies (made gluten free) - these are awesome!
Snobby Joes on a gf roll - such a delicious recipe!
Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Rice Paper rolls - these were ok, I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin (which I used as we don't get bnut squash here). The roasted pumpkin seeds were so good.
Broccoli and Millet Croquettes with White Bean Aioli - these were ok, I found the millet took ages to cook and I probably should have used less stock as it was pretty much all I could taste
And a few weeks ago I made the French Lentil Soup with thyme and tarragon - so delicious and perfect for winter!
I finally made the snobby joe's as well (with green lentils) and they were really great and easy to make. I made them with the herbed scalloped potatoes (also from vcon) which I liked equally well, and collard greens. It was an excellent dinner!
I just made the prospect park potato salad for the second time, and just wanted to mention how yummy it is. I didn't even used to like potato salad as a non-vegan (probably because I didn't care much for mayo, but love vegenaise). It is loaded with vegenaise and olive oil, so is not the healthiest recipe, but it is tangy and wonderful.
^ i've made that too, its really good. So is the brooklyn pasta salad. I make that very frequently, its super easy to make. And the last time I made it, and it was a pound of pasta mind you, it was gone in 10 minutes. I do add different spices to it though.
"i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."
I just hands-down ADORE this book! I stumbled over it while shopping in London and I must say that those were money well spent!
I've even started checking off each recipe as I go along, just to see how long it'll take me to make every recipe in the book
No, but seriously, it is, by far, the best vegan cookbook I've found! No difficult ingredients or descriptions and even a vegan "noob" like me has no problem making these turn out delicious every time! I especially love the Spaghetti and Beanballs and Chickpea Cutlets. Yum lol
Has anyone tried making the Chickpea Cutlets with flour instead of wheat gluten? I'm thinking of trying that tonight... i'm thinking they will be pretty crumbly.... but maybe it would be okay? If I have chickpeas at home i'm going to try it.... and i'll bake it too...
"i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."
I tried it, and used 1/4 wholewheat flour and 1/4 soy flour. I sprayed the layer of the baking dish with olive oil spray and sprinkled a little soy flour as well to "bread" the cutlet. Once I shaped them into the baking dish, I pressed them and tried compressing them a bit. Then a little more olive oil spray and some more soy flour sprinkled over. I baked them as well until they looked a little crispy and browned....if you remove them with a spatula really really careful they might not be so crumbly. One of mine almost stayed completely intact! once its on your plate with the rest of the food...it's not such a big deal! Best of luck!
Oohh some Siracha sauce will give it a yummy Thai flavour!
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace (Schweitzer, 1952)
I did it with flour last night.... They weren't crumbly, and they were actually really pretty....though the taste was way different, they are better the second day. I used just white flour, but I do think that wholewheat flour would make it taste better....they totally had that flour taste.... maybe next time less flour and more bread crumbs....
I would totally make it like this again. but different tweaks.... it almost was more like a "burger"
"i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."
Yay! I'm glad it worked out for you!! The ww flour gives it a nuttier more meat like texture & taste. It does taste pretty good esp with the added condiments. I love the color...it's better than boca's. I use soy flour to give it a kick of extra protein and it gives it a nice crisp/brown look that looks like you are indulging in a nice fatty burger (but in reality it's no such thing). I tweak it depending on my mood at the moment of preparation. It's never really exactly the same.
I've been tempted to make my own wheat meat but I am still working on the measurements and condiments before I give it a try. I tried wheat meat with sesame ("sesame chicken") at a local veg restaurant but it was sort of rubbery and had a weird aftertaste...love the concept, disliked the taste...better off making my own.
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace (Schweitzer, 1952)
I just tried the seitan picatta w/olives and green beans last night over mashed potatoes, and it was absolutely delicious! It was the perfect Valentine's Day meal (especially since we had this same dish Valentine's Day weekend in NY at Candle 79 two years ago).
I have been enjoying receipe after recipe from this book for well over 4 years and can't believe I just tried this one for the first time. I made the seitan the day before, which made cooking the rest go very quickly.
I'm getting this book soon as a present (I always tell people what I want!) and I'm really looking forward to making some of the unusual and yummy-sounding dishes mentioned in the thread!
I'm getting this book soon as a present (I always tell people what I want!) and I'm really looking forward to making some of the unusual and yummy-sounding dishes mentioned in the thread!
I bought it recently and as a new vegan I was a bit scared of it lol but am getting used to it now, it has some amazing recipes and now I have seen a pic on this thread im really looking forward to making the snobby joes - yum
I bought it recently and as a new vegan I was a bit scared of it lol but am getting used to it now, it has some amazing recipes and now I have seen a pic on this thread im really looking forward to making the snobby joes - yum
I just got it and am flicking through it. I haven't made anything from it yet and even though I'm not a new vegan it is a little bit intimidating! I felt the same way about VWAV when I first got it (I was a new vegan then) but now I love it! I like that about Isa's books, they're unusual and a bit challenging, you know that you'll discover something new!
I'm a fan of this book, don't let the recipes intimidate you they are great once you get started. The 3 that I make most are: Cholent, Chickpeas Romseco & Jelly Doughnut muffins
I just got it and am flicking through it. I haven't made anything from it yet and even though I'm not a new vegan it is a little bit intimidating! I felt the same way about VWAV when I first got it (I was a new vegan then) but now I love it! I like that about Isa's books, they're unusual and a bit challenging, you know that you'll discover something new!
I bought AFR too at the same time and have made a lot out of that, love it! I went from a full on meat eater to vegan so she def helped make it easier..must think about purchasing her others...although not the desert ones as im doing slimming world lol
I bought AFR too at the same time and have made a lot out of that, love it! I went from a full on meat eater to vegan so she def helped make it easier..must think about purchasing her others...although not the desert ones as im doing slimming world lol
My BF bought me both Veganomicon and Appetite for Reduction recently - I've made a few things now, esp the tofu dishes and Snobby Joes, which have all been pretty good. The recipes do take a bit of getting used to (and also the purchase of cup measures!), but both books are expanding my repertoire of dishes. I went from meat-eater straight to vegan, too - I was already cooking a number of veggie/vegan things anyway, so it wasn't too hard to do, but I'm appreciating these cookbooks all the same. (LOL about the dessert comment - I'm on Weightwatchers! No muffins for me until I've got rid of my own personal muffin-top!)
My BF bought me both Veganomicon and Appetite for Reduction recently - I've made a few things now, esp the tofu dishes and Snobby Joes, which have all been pretty good. The recipes do take a bit of getting used to (and also the purchase of cup measures!), but both books are expanding my repertoire of dishes. I went from meat-eater straight to vegan, too - I was already cooking a number of veggie/vegan things anyway, so it wasn't too hard to do, but I'm appreciating these cookbooks all the same. (LOL about the dessert comment - I'm on Weightwatchers! No muffins for me until I've got rid of my own personal muffin-top!)
I love this book, I tore apart my house yesterday looking for it, then called my mother and realized it was at her house. I used to be vegan and stopped in 2008 because my hair was falling out and my dr told me I'd have to change my diet. Since then I've learned it has nothing to do with my diet and it's all about genetics. Since I stopped eating vegan I've gained 50lbs! I'm ready to start over and I'm hoping this book will get me well on my way. I'm with ya on losing weight, so if you need anyone to chat to, I'd love to give you my email.
My boyf. isn't vegan so it may be tough in the beginning, but so far he's supportive - except the fact that I'm going to have to spend some initial "cashola" revamping our kitchen with vegan staples!
I love this book, I tore apart my house yesterday looking for it, then called my mother and realized it was at her house. I used to be vegan and stopped in 2008 because my hair was falling out and my dr told me I'd have to change my diet. Since then I've learned it has nothing to do with my diet and it's all about genetics. Since I stopped eating vegan I've gained 50lbs! I'm ready to start over and I'm hoping this book will get me well on my way. I'm with ya on losing weight, so if you need anyone to chat to, I'd love to give you my email.
My boyf. isn't vegan so it may be tough in the beginning, but so far he's supportive - except the fact that I'm going to have to spend some initial "cashola" revamping our kitchen with vegan staples!
Many good wishes as you restart veganism - bet you're glad to be back! Yep, I bet you'll find AFR n Veganomicon really useful - the food is really tasty. AFR is good 'cos it gives nutritional info which I've found v handy. (You're right about having to spend some cash - I know eating vegan can be pretty cheap on the whole, but I found I had to expand my collection of herbs and spices: I probs have more than my nearest supermarket!) I might open my own restaurant....
I just made my first dish from Veganonicon, tempeh shepherdess pie (p167). I followed the basic recipe with my own alterations, I added worchestershire sauce and Marmite to the sauce instead of the herbs, and left out the corn (I'm not a fan of sweetcorn). I thought tempeh would be a bit weird in such a traditional dish but it works. I made loads so its going to be lunch and/or dinner for the next few days
Many good wishes as you restart veganism - bet you're glad to be back! Yep, I bet you'll find AFR n Veganomicon really useful - the food is really tasty. AFR is good 'cos it gives nutritional info which I've found v handy. (You're right about having to spend some cash - I know eating vegan can be pretty cheap on the whole, but I found I had to expand my collection of herbs and spices: I probs have more than my nearest supermarket!) I might open my own restaurant....
I'm very glad to be back! I'm ready to get this going! Had oatmeal with raisins this morning and now I'm ready to make Cholent (pg 182) in the book. I couldn't find TVP Chunks, so I had to buy the granules.. I'm sure it won't be as great, but it's all I could find and I really want to try it, it sounds super filling!
I wonder how long it'll keep in the fridge for since I'll be the only one eating it?
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timberly
-as I rarely use cookbooks nowadays,
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