This thread is for recipe reviews from Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites: Lip-Smacking, Belly-Filling, Home-Style Recipes Guaranteed to Keep Everyone-Even the Meat Eaters-Fantastically Full by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman. Thanks to kristinv for this list!

Down Home Breakfasts
Piña Colada French Toast with Candied Macadamia Nuts

French Toast Dipsticks

The Captain's French Toast
I wasn’t a fan of this. I thought the outer coating was too thick and rich, and I sort of thought the whole thing was a little gross. I am not a huge fan of Captain Crunch, so that could have been the problem. It was just...not refined at all. (veganrun)
Cocoa Kahlúa Pancakes
These sounded amazing on paper but needed waaaay more almond milk to bring it together which pretty much drowned out all the other flavor other than chocolate. It tasted kind of like a brownie but I just didn't really like it. I've noticed with a lot of Celine and Joni recipes the amount of liquid is always way off base and tends to need way more. (intheend)
Salty Sweet Oats

Overnight Oat Pancakes or Waffles

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Banana Split Waffles

Breakfast Potatoes O'Brien

Gramma Jo's Tater Tot Surprise

Breakfast Burrito
My husband & I agreed that the best description of this is "weird but good."  I added half an onion to the potatoes. I liked the avocado on top but I think it would be even better with guacamole or at least salsa in addition to the avocado. Hubby thought the tofu tasted eggy and put ketchup on his burritos. They were very filling and quick to make. We had them for dinner. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
I wasn't crazy about these when I first had them. I too thought they were a little strange and lacked a bit of flavor. But the leftovers were better for some reason! Next time, I'd use HP sauce instead of worchestershire and add a bit more salt. I had to skip the avocados because the ones I bought were bleh. (eldsjal)
Breakfast Chicken Fried Steak

White Sausage Gravy
Awesome! The entire family loved it! (fitmommy)
Hawaiian Benedict

Hearty Breakfast Bowl

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Hickory Smoked Breakfast Strips

Real Men Eat Quiche Lorraine

Tofuevos Rancheros
These were pretty tasty, even though I overcooked the tofu part and it was kinda grainy (I think next time I'll use soft tofu, no pressing, so the texture is more eggy). I used regular salt instead of black because I hate the egg smell, and the taste was just fine. I used flour tortillas but corn would be much better. The ranchero sauce was good, I'd eat a burrito made with just that part. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Yummy. I enjoyed it. The tofu and beans were very tasty together, especially with some ketchup and sour cream on top. Perhaps not something I'll be craving in the future and not the most memorable recipe from this book, but still a good recipe. (eldsjal)
Chorizo and Egg Frittata

Coconut Crème Brûlée Baked Oatmeal

Cinnamony Breakfast Cereal Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
I honestly never had scones, so I wasn't too sure how these were supposed to taste.. but I liked them! They were rather dry and crumbly, but the flavor combination of lemon and poppy seed was nice! My husband approved as well, which is always a crucial factor!  (fitmommy)
PB and OM Muffins

Super Streusely Muffins

Chocolate Pecan Muffins

Cappuccino Muffins

Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Sweet Yeast Bread Muffins
I was so excited about these. The dough was delicious. I used the chocolate chips, but my almond butter smelled off so I left that out.  But when I pulled them out of the oven, I was disappointed: they were brown on the outside and still doughy on the inside. The texture was a little too dense and tough; I think kneading them would improve the texture greatly, as well as increasing the yeast a bit. I'm not giving up on these yet--the dough has lots of promise. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Raisin Corn Breakfast Bread
I loved it! My family didn't unfortunately! Crazy if you ask me as it tastes just like corn bread but with raisins! It's very moist, not too overpowering sweet but crumbly yummy! (fitmommy)
Go Bananas Bread

Altella Rolls

Maple Bacon Doughnuts

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Holes
Not really doughnut-like or the size or shape of doughnut holes, but delicious nonetheless. They're more like yeasted muffins with a cinnamon sugar glaze, I think if I made them in a mini muffin pan they might be more doughnut-hole-like. I also think I'll add some nutmeg to the dough next time, and they might be more like a cake doughnut in flavor. I kneaded the dough a little, even though the directions don't say to, because the sweet yeast muffins from this book turned out so tough without kneading. There was no texture problem with these, they are nice and tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Mean and Mouthwatering Mains
Roasted Broccotato Soup with Bacon Flavored Chickpeas

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Mulligatawny Soup

Lentil and Bacon Pot O Stew

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

Orange Seitan Stew

Stew Tatouille

Chocolate Stout Chili

Panzanella Sandwiches

The Monte Cristo
Deliciously naughty...I'm not even going to think about how many calories are in this sandwich. But it was totally awesome! A couple things to note here. High heat is WAY too high to cook the French toast slices. It just made mine burn. Turned the heat down to med-high, and it seemed to work much better (in a cast iron skillet, btw). Also, grab some napkins because this sandwich is greasy/messy, especially if you're dipping it in maple syrup. (kristinv)
Tempeh, Pepper, and Spinach Pesto Sandwich

Sweet Potato Po Boys

Waldorf Salad Wraps

Cobb Sandwich
I baked my own whole wheat ciabatta rolls for this using a recipe from Peter Reinhart and they came out awesome (the book is called Whole Grain Breads for those of you interested in Artisan bread baking). Anyway, I made my own seitan bacon from The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions (It was awesome, btw) and I honestly think that was the best part of the sandwich. The soy curls would have tasted better if there was more seasoning but they were pretty tasteless. I think they are in there more for texture than anything else. Either way, this is a really good sandwich and I would make it again. I liked the fact that the dressing was made using soy yogurt instead of mayo too. (intheend)
The Double Take

Tempehitan Burgers

Seitan Burgers For Stews and Chilis
Easy and tasty seitan. If you don't like seitan with a bit of bread-y texture, this might not be for you but I don't have a problem with that. Have made this recipe several times and used in many different dishes: stir-frys, stews, bolognese sauce... It's great! (eldsjal)
Ultimate Patty Melt
Whoaaaa, freaking delicious. I never had a patty melt before but my Dad loves them and said this tastes exactly like it. Don't skimp on using sourdough bread, I think it's an important component. Everything is flavored, the mayo spread, burgers, and cheese spread. I baked the patties as usual and they came out just fine. (intheend)
Sloppy Jonis

Haute Pockets

Colcannon Patties

I Would Do Anything For (Meat)Loaf

Baked BBQ Buns

Barbecue Ribs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
I had planned on making both the balls and the sauce to serve with rice, but the balls were a complete fail. They didn't hold together at all even though I pressed each ball for a few minutes. I think 2 or 3 kept together a while in the skillet, but when I tasted them they lacked flavor and were stringy inside. After that I didn't bother to make the sauce, but I might do that sometime in the future, since I bought pineapple juice especially for this recipe... Will never look to the meatball recipe again though. (eldsjal)
Polish Sausage
Really disappointed in this--there wasn’t really any taste to it! I had to slather it in mustard to get anything out of it. I even cut it up and put it in soup later, and it almost seemed like a flavor void in the soup--not even simmering it in a yummy broth could infuse this with any flavor. (veganrun)
Jalapeño Hot Dogs
I didn't use the soy cheese in these, but I'm considering buying some just to remake this recipe. Under no circumstances would I classify these as hot dogs, because they taste far better than any hot dog I've ever tasted. The little bits of jalapeno give just the right amount of spice, and the tvp/seitan blend makes for a very meaty texture. I forgot to make hot dog buns for them, so I just ate them dipped in some mustard and they were awesome just like that. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Piggies in a Blanket

Sesame Udon Stir Fry

Falafel and Tahini Sauce

BBQ Slaw Tacos

Crispy Burritos Con Carne
She says that they serve this on taco trucks here in LA and I was thinking "what the hell? where?" I've never seen this shit on a taco truck. Tangent aside, this was pretty good but I couldn't help myself and added some homemade beans which made it even better. (intheend)
Oh, yes. I halved the recipe, making two burritos, and I'm only a little ashamed to admit I ate them both within a matter of minutes. And I'm looking forward to making them again! The filling is very cheesy-tasting, and the crispy shell is just genius. I dipped them in salsa verde, and it was the perfect tart contrast to the creamy filling. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
I liked these a lot, and I knew I would so I doubled the recipe. Instead of frying, I brushed them with some water and baked them for 18 minutes. Turned out crispy enough for me! (eldsjal)
Taco Salad

Black and Braised Tofu
Really delicious, but I would double the vegetables, or maybe even quadruple them. There was plenty of seasoning for the veggies, so why not make some more? It seems like the rub is going to be a bit much, and it’s definitely intense, but I didn’t think it was too much. (veganrun)
Savory Cheesecake

Scalloped Potato Pie

Pot Pie Explosion

Brussels Sprout and Chestnut Pot Pie

Better Love Your Beans Bake
An interesting casserole style I haven't had before; pasta and beans with salsa. I probably wouldn't make it again but rather eat it if I had leftovers of beans/salsa as well as pasta, but it wasn't bad. My daughter didn't like it; Hubby & son didn't even want to try.. (fitmommy)
Edible, but a little boring. I liked the topping, but the macaroni-beans-salsa-guac-veggiemix was pretty bland. I added lots of hot sauce and ketchup when serving. Probably won't make again. (eldsjal)
Chorizo and Potato Lasagna Bake
Wow this is seriously so good. Although it's not lasagna at all, it's just a potato and chorizo casserole. It has capers, fresh tomatoes, green olives, a cream sauce that goes on top, what's not to love? Really enjoyed it. (intheend)
Another one of those "weird but good" things. I never would have put green olives and capers with chorizo, but wow, it really worked. The dish seemed like a lot of work, but it really went together quickly; it took a lot longer to brown in the oven than it should've, though. My hubby really liked this one. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Cheesy Chili Bake
Terrific. I modified the topping a little bit and used what I had at home: Instead of macadamia nuts and almonds I used cashews and chickpeas (!). It worked really well. For the chili, I made a batch of the Vegan Diner recipe, it was great. I've been eating this four days straight now and it only gets better. Will make this one again for sure, when I have leftover chili on hand. I think it would be even more awesome if you actually follow the recipe, but it was still great, creamy and cheesy. I didn't even need to add any ketchup when serving (and I always eat pasta with lots of ketchup!). (eldsjal)
Creamy All in One Bowl
I didn't think this would be much different from other things I've made with peanut sauce, but the powdered ginger added to the tofu and the pineapple chunks really floated my boat. I used canned pineapple and sauteed it with the tofu, and it worked just fine. Next time I will add more than a cup of pineapple, I wanted more! The cilantro didn't add much to the dish, though, and I'm usually a fan. I'll leave that out when I make this again. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Sauerkraut and Dumplins

Patatas Bravas Frittata

Five Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Beefy Cheesy Mac
This is supposed to taste like hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni and I never had it before I went vegan so I can't say if it actually tastes like it. Anyway, I thought it tasted alright but there was something about it that as I was eating it, I was just getting tired of it pretty quickly. I'm not sure if it's because it was overwhelming or underwhelming? It was odd. Unfortunately, it made a lot- the recipe called for 12 oz of noodles. (intheend)
Wow, this is amazing. It might be the best "mac and cheese" kind of recipe I've made! I cut back on the fat a lot by omitting the 1/4 cup of oil and only using two heaping tablespoons of margarine instead of 1/4 cup. I also used half sesame oil, half tahini because all I had was toasted sesame oil and since the recipe didn't state whether it was supposed to be toasted or not I was afraid it would be too strong. But I think I could have used all toasted sesame oil, I liked the taste of it in the sauce. In fact I loved everything about the sauce! I also used penne instead of macaroni and used homemade tofu/cashew sour cream which was great, I think the cashews contributed to the creaminess instead of all that oil and marge. I highly recommend that you make this immediately! (eldsjal)
Pretty darn tasty. I used rotini (for some crazy reason I hate macaroni), and that worked pretty well, but next time I want to make this with big ribbon noodles. The sauce was a little too sweet for me & my hubby, probably from the ketchup, but I added some more mustard and that cut the sweetness some. Next time, I think I'll use tomato paste or sauce instead of the ketchup. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Pasta Alfredo

Pesto, Farro, and Fagioli

Pasta Alla Formiana
Surprisingly, this was really good! I was skeptical since this uses tomato juice and I thought I hated tomato juice. Isn't it weird how taste buds change after going vegan? I tried tomato juice and realized that I actually like it now, wtf? That's beside the point. What I love about this dish is that no cooking is involved. Everything is just blended together and uncooked pasta is mixed with the sauce and then baked in a dish. It comes out really tasty and the sauce ends up nice and thick. I made one change and it was that I only put 1 tsp of olive oil in the sauce- I couldn't see using all that oil in a pasta dish, it just seemed absurd. All you need to do is just spray some oil on your baking dish and it won't stick. (intheend)
Sautéed Cheese Tortellini

Traditional Red Lasagna

Pasta Alla Carbonara
Awesome! I was surprised by how well the coconut milk worked in this, it was so delicious. Instead of light coconut milk, I used half full fat coconut milk and half soymilk. Next time I think I might go all the way with heavy coconut milk. Instead of the parmesan recipe from this book, I used the one from Yellow Rose Recipes, which is great. I also subbed a batch of smoky curls from Vegan Diner for the bacon bits. So goooooooood! (eldsjal)
Twice Baked Spaghetti

Eggplant Parmigiana

Roasted Broccoli and Garlic Pizza

Deep Dish Pizza Pie

Pesto Con Gusto Pizza
I forgot to make the mozzarella ahead of time, so I just topped my dough with the pesto and a ton of vegetables. The pesto was fabulous, and the edges that weren't covered by vegetables got dry and almost powdery like the texture of Parmesan cheese. I made this for my dinner when my omnivore husband & sons were eating regular pizza takeout from a restaurant, and my hubby was jealous of mine & stole a piece. We had to have pizza again the next day, he liked it so much! (sweetgeorgiapeach)