Mix and Match
Tofu,tempeh, and seitan
Baked BBQ tofu
really good. If you've ever had the BBQ Tofu from Whole Foods, this tastes almost identicle. I'm tempted to try it with tempeh now! (sb)
oh my goodness!!! it was soooo amazing.  im so glad i made extra. (kelsi)
pretty good (bcnutrition)
(with apricot bbq sauce) Made this with friends tonight. We could only find dried apricots, but they worked just fine. The sauce really turned out delicious, just enough of each flavour - sweet, savoury, smoky...awesome. (tino)
Super delicious. I don't know if the tofu really needs the prep involved (oil, soy sauce, baking before the bbq sauce is added). My comments are more about the sauce than the tofu, so... (fb)
I didn't press my tofu for this as the type I had was pretty soft and I wass scared it would squidge all over the place.  I followed the recipe exactly apart from that (except maybe slightly less BBQ sauce than called for).  I loved the final result and found the bottom of my tofu nice and crispy and the top all nice and glazed from the sauce.  Niall did not like it, however and complained that the meal (served this with the creole stuff peppers) was far to vegan for him.  I kinda agreed but he preferred the peppers whereas I loved this. (shelloid)
Basic broiled tofu
quite delicious. (ponycakes)
good!  Nothing too fancy.  It was my first time broiling tofu, but it turned out well and was very easy.  I have some of the yummy sauce leftover and I will definitely use it again. (KMK)
it was so easy and it tasted great!  i ate it with my leftover pad thai for breakfast.  it had a nice chew exterior to it without having to coat and fry it. it would pretty much go with just about anything... (ppc)
good (sb)
Okay, this is definitely a keeper! It's really simple, but oh so flavorful and QUICK. Great recipe, and a go-to when I'm in a 'healthy' mood. (sb)
This didn't turn out quite like I was expecting. I was making it to add to something else, so I was mainly looking for the right texture, and this wasn't it. I wanted it really firm and chewy, and it was still pretty soft. I'm just not used to baking tofu! (AC)
My family loves this recipe! I make it at least once a week. I cut the tofu thinner than Isa recommended (basically, I get 32 triangles) , it gets crisper that way and I do press the tofu before using it. I modified the braising sauce slightly so that I have enough for 32 triangles and just to accommodate my own prefererence. I always use all the juice from 1 lemon,increase the water slightly to a scant 1/2 c and I use 2 tbsp tamari & 2 tbsp braggs in place of 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce. I add the scant tsp of oil directly to the sauce and then use a spray bottle to lightly cover the pan. I serve this my own version wasabi mashed potatoes and a seasame green bean recipe that I saw Rachel Ray make. (NJgirl)
Chickpea cutlets
Really good. (willwolf)
ok, but not great. I had them with mashed potatoes and brown gravy (Bryanna's). Maybe they would be better with the mustard sauce. I did get four out of the recipe, but they were very thin. I baked mine, so maybe that made a difference, but people on ppk said they liked them better that way. (vegan1)
Very meaty texture, tasty and good fried!  I plan on trying these again in the oven but I still highly recommend them either way! (Cali)
I didn't have bread crumb so I sub'd instant potato flakes, I didn't have garlic so I sub'd ginger, and I didn't have Hungarian paprika (or regular paprika) so I sub'd chipoltle pepper.  I chose the baking option, as opposed to frying.  It was chewy and spicy, but not too hot.  I could taste the ginger, but in a good way. (hh)
This is the only recipe I've made so far that I would say is just "eh... alright." However, I baked them & I think they might have gotten too dry that way. Next time I will saute them & I hope that will crisp them up & make them more moist. They had a great flavor, though! They just needed a little more...something. It was probably something I did, though, because it seems that people have been raving about these. (jessacita)
They were good, and I was only slightly letdown that they were the swoon with delight amazing that all the hype made them all to be. (vigilant)
loved them. They are on my menu for tomorrow and some other time next week. CeltKat made some for her supper last night and lunch today and suggested doubling the recipe because as is the recipe doesn't make a lot; so I'm making a double batch tomorrow and saving some for next week. I'll bake those, too. (bookmama)
They were pretty good, but I thought the lemony flavor from the lemon zest was a little overpowering. I will cut down on it next time. I think that'll make them excelent! They also did not reheat very well (in my microwave). They got kind of stringy. Maybe I didn't knead enough? (sb)
The same thing happened to me! Chewy & stringy in the microwave... However, after re-warming one in the microwave & having that experience, I rewarmed another in the toaster. Haha--not the toaster oven, just my regular toaster. And I actually liked that! It made it crisp on the outside, but not chewy. (jessacita)
SO GOOD. I did not add the lemon zest this time around and it was perfect.  (sb)
I baked mine (cause I don't like to fry things) and they were fantastic.  I don't remember how long I baked them for, but it was longer than the recipe said, cause i wanted them to be nice and firm, a little golden. (taraja)
used granulated garlic in place of pressed garlic because I'm lazy and also added chili powder and some roasted red pepper flakes. I pan fried them but had never pan fried anything before, so I baked them for a few minutes too for good measure. Served it up with some sun dried tomato risotto and a spinach salad. Super filling and delicious! My omni best friend and her SUPER omni boy friend really liked them and he even said it was the best vegetarian food he's ever had! Score one for our camp! And score one for me having dinner ready for unexpected guests. I had heard the cutlets weren't that big, but ours were decently sized and I'm definitely making more tomorrow for lunches this week! Totally delicious! I am stuffed to the brim! (lapetitepoire)
Amazing...  I was a little apprehensive because I envisioned them tasking like baked garbanzo bean patties - but oh no that was not the case.  I understand why everyone is raving about them now.  I also made the mushroom gravy out of this book and I think it was the best gravy ever.  Seriously, these two recipes go together like peas and carrots.  You must try. (kendrakat)
I really liked the chickpea cutlets and the mustard sauce, but I would probably add a tsp or two of agave if serving the mustard sauce to others, maybe my mustard is just extra zesty? (mdv)
great. Nice base recipe to tweak with different seasonings and serve up in a multitude of ways. The texture is awesome! These will be making regular appearances in my kitchen. (iluvtomatoes)
yummyyy. i ate two with mushroom gravy from vwav, and then one with the mustard sauce from vcon. i was expecting better form the mustard sauce, i have to say. i did feel quite ina garten-y though while i was making it..she does like to use mustard a lot. a "good dijon mustard" haha. i have one cutlet left in the freezer. any suggestions for another topping/use? (ponycakes)
absolutely fabulous. I'm not one for measuring things when I'm cooking..so I was a bit afraid since I haven't cooked with VWG before..but they turned out perfectly. I made my own mushroom gravy variation, and it was the perfect addition. (AC)
seasoned them with poultry seasoning instead of what was used in the recipe and served them in sandwiches. It was more reminiscent of chicken cutlets. I think next time I'll use jerk seasoning. This is such a great recipe to easily try different variations. Yum! (iluvtomatoes)
I subbed Kidney beans and added some Mexican-style seasoning.  Outstanding.  Especially cold the next day with a slice of avocado on top. Oh.dear.god.mmmmm. (nutdragon)
decided to sub red curry paste for the other spices.  I took them to an omni BBQ and grilled them (even had to bring my own grill, lol). They were very good but next time I'll keep a closer eye, they brown FAST! (icephrosty)
I used some leftover chickpea cutlets  (frozen, uncooked) to make Buffalo-style chickpea sandwiches. I seared the partially thawed cutlets in a dry cast iron skillet (about 2 mins on each side) then baked them in homemade Buffalo sauce (hot sauce, EB, unsweetened ketchup , garlic, apple cider vinegar) for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then I sliced FYH mozz and put it on top of the cutlets, covered the baking dish in foil and baked at 425 for 10 minutes so the cheese melted. Slapped this on a roasted garlic-chive bun w/ thinly sliced onions and Better than Sour Cream (only creamy thing in the house vegan ranch would be nice). Good stuff! (mdv)
really good. (lisa)
they didn't really turn out nicely.  the flavor was AWESOME.  but they were kind of mushy/mealy in the center, or as bf put it 'raw-tasting'. the texture was definitely off.  i'm thinking one of two things might have been the culprit: 1. i didn't watch him very closely while he was mashing the chickpeas and when i looked over, they were pretty much a mush, like they would be if i put them in the food processor.  did this make the texture go weird? 2. maybe if i added more wheat gluten...  i used the 1/4 cup it calls for, but maybe if i had used more, it would have bonded better?  bf says next time he thinks we should steam them awhile before pan frying, but i think maybe it was just a bad combo of super mushy chickpeas and perhaps not enough wheat gluten. (allularpunk)
I loved, though my husband did not.  (dukkhaqueen)
I was a little underwhelmed by the chickpea cutlets.  Maybe my expectations were too high? I made them thin, as recommended, and they cooked nicely but the taste was a little too "wheaty" for me.  I would have liked a stronger chickpea flavor. (kaykayaa)
they were so gummy, I threw them away. What did I do wrong? I followed the directions, but probably fried them for longer than it called for because they didn't seem done. Is that what did it? (nmpixie)
made these twice now and when i shape them to the recommended size they seem too crunchy on the edges.  the flavor is really good though, so next time i'll just keep them thicker.  I baked them and they taste healthy instead of greasy. (ppc)
good.  I want to try baking them though, because they take a long time to cook on the stovetop.  I want to make bigger quantities to freeze, and it would be much faster to just cook them all at once in the oven.  Also, next time I make them I want to try a different combination of seasonings.  I would like them to be a little more flavorful or different or something.  Has anyone tried different spice combinations with any success?  We eat them with brown gravy on them, so the seasonings would have to go well with that. (purplenurple)
made them for the second time, but used pinto beans, and baked them. The pinto beans didn't seem to make much of a difference, but I definitely prefer frying to baking. Mine might have baked too long, but they came out too dry and chewy. Still tasty though. I think they will be good for sandwiches. I made my own dijon mustard gravy..and it was ok. (AC)
ok, a little too stringy and floury (bcnutrition)
Really good! Easy to make, tasty and a great "meat" type dish... as others have noted, just give in and fry them. A friend's omni parents loved these as well. (mamaanna)
these were all right. Not the awesomest seitan I've ever had, for sure. (fb)
i made them with mashed white beans instead - i used some extra seasonings and added nutritional yeast.. they turned out great! (ppc)
NOM. I added a bunch of cajun-y spices and I didn't have quite a full cup of chickpeas so I used lentils for the rest. So yummy. (sog)
I made them pretty thin and baked them. I loved how they got kinda crispy! I can see how these would be so good slightly blackened on a stovetop grill. (sog)
the gluten flour didn't cook at all! the rest of the cutlets were tasty but we'd get a chunk of raw dough every so often. We fried them first, then tried baking them for a long time, but it didn't really help. I want to try them again in case we measured something wrong, but I don't think we did. I was wondering about this because they're only supposed to fry for a few minutes per side, but whenever I make seitan it needs to cook for wayyyy longer, and I'm sketched out by eating raw dough, especially gluten flour dough..it just seems like it wouldn't be friendly to the GI tract I will report back after I try it again. The taste was super though! (tino)
covered them in the red wine roux sauce (p. 204) and served w/ the lemony roasted potatoes (p. 109). I fried the cutlets, which were very fun to make and shape into cutlet like pieces. I was surprised how well they held their shape when fried - because of the gluten strings. They were delicious with the red wine roux, which I made while the potatoes were baking and the cutlets were frying. A great meal for a Vegan un-meat and potatoes. I am so excited about this book! (jakewillcook)
really good! While I didn't care for the chewy texture of the black bean burgers brought on by the gluten, it really works here. (wannagovegan)
This recipe is a staple in our house. I cut the oil to 1TBSP and increase the soy sauce to 3 TBSP (I use reduced sodium)). I make the cutlets fairly thin and then I pan fry them in as little oil as I can to get them crispy. I serve with the mustard sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. (NJgirl)
AMAZING! These were so filling and delicious. They really hit the spot for something big and manly and meaty! I baked them, and they ended up a tiny bit tough, so we made sandwiches out of them. One sandwich I used homemade BBQ sauce, and the other I used horseradish mustard. Both excellent! (veganrun)
Doubled the recipe and followed it pretty much exactly...At first I tried to pan-fry and they got crispy on the outside but the insides were still gummy/dough-y, so I baked them at 425 for about 15-20 on the first side and 10 minutes on the other side...then they were good! Crispy and the insides were not gummy at all! Others may find them too dry this way, but I prefer things like patties/burgers/nuggets crispy! My toddler ate a bit of them too, which is always a plus. (babysgotsauce)
yep I really really liked these.  I made them exactly as the recipe stated except I left out the lemon zest (didn't like that idea) and accidentally used 2/3 c VWG (stupid me!).  So they were a bit dry, but totally my fault. I baked them and I really liked the texture.  We got 5 patties out of the recipe and I think next time I'll try to get 6, and make them a bit thinner.  I loved the herbs/seasoning, but I'll also play around with other seasonings.  A really really good recipe as is, and also lots of potential for playing around with. (shelloid)
I've heard so much hype about these, I just had to try them out.  Unfortunately, I did something wrong somewhere because they did not turn out how I was expecting, texture wise - I think I added too much liquid - thought about adding more gluten as I was kneading, but didn't, so they fell apart while I was transporting them to the pan - and while flipping - BUT, they were delicious!  We kinda just piled the pieces on the plate and covered them in bbq sauce - but I think I liked them better plain! I will definitely try them again, measuring this time!  (erinmonster)
These were so good! I baked them instead of panfrying them. I will definately be making these again soon. (dannibazaar)
A friend had made these before and they were really dry for my taste, so I was hesitant to make them, but they came out wonderfully. It's nice that the spices are prominent enough that it tastes good on its own, unlike plain seitan. It's good with gravy too though. I gave one to a 20 month old and she proclaimed it to be yummy. (algae)
I  C A N N O T believe I haven't made these before!  Ridiculous!  I thought these were meant to be awesome but really hard to get right or something, so I never got round to trying to make them, fool!  Came together really easily, cooked wonderfully and the texture was awesome.  Mr oww had requested I make them again before he'd even finished eating his first one! f:Total win, will make many many many times again (oww)
a complete fail for me. I baked them and they seemed undercooked so I put them back in the oven and kind of forgot about them and they came out hard as a rock. I had high hopes for these, so high that my dumb self doubled the recipe, I don't know if I will bother trying them again. I served the Cutlets with some Mushroom Gravy. (amymylove)
Made these again, and they were amazing as always. Instead of just mashing the chickpeas, I pulsed them in the food processor so the texture was nice and even. I also never use oil in these...i don't really see the need. I also always bake them...they turn out nice and crispy on the outside, while a bit moist and chewy on the inside. Oh, and I used a tsp of Frontier brand chicken broth powder, so they tasted rather like a chick'n patty. (dannibazaar)
I've had this book since it came out, but this was my first time trying the chickpea cutlets.  They were really good, but I eyeballed the chickpeas and I think I used too many and not enough gluten.  They came together more like bean burgers than seitan.  Nevertheless, I used the fry method and they held together nicely.  I used a splash of lemon juice, but no zest.  After reading reviews, that was probably best.  Next time, I will be more careful with my chickpeas and probably try baking them. I served them with Rosemary Scalloped Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.  Yum! (lotus)
These were really good, but they turned out kinda oily/greasy. I think I ended up putting them on paper towels to soak up some oil before serving them. I do want to try the baked version...seems like it would be less greasy. I remember the flavor being pretty good, although I'm kind of a spice junky, so I would be surprised if next time I play around with the seasonings a bit. (kristinv)
Chile cornmeal crusted tofu
baked it and it was way dry. Next time I'll fry it. (sb)
Ehh.  I baked it.  I didn't make any sort of sauce with it and maybe that was my mistake because it was DRY.  Maybe frying it would have been better.  I was also disappointed by the taste.  For all that chili powder and cumin and lime, all I could really taste was dry cornmeal and bland tofu.  Maybe some marinade next time? (biodancer)
had it on a sandwich with some coleslaw that I threw together. It was good! I think this tofu preparation is very versatile (AC)
tasty fried (the first time) and baked (tonight). I feel much better about it baked. I added lime juice to the soymilk, and to the crusted tofu before baking. The triangles were exceptional dipped in mashed taters! (AC)
super yum, even though i am unable to cut triangles in my tofu for some stupid reason.  i thought it would be kind of blah since the tofu wasn't marinated, but since it was sliced so thin, it didn't make a difference.  i baked it instead of frying, and upped the baking time from 12 minutes on each side to more like 15-20 minutes on each side, in order to make it crispier/chewier.  squeezed a lime on top and it was perfect! (allularpunk)
This stuff rocks! I fried mine and my goodness does it soak up a ton of oil! Definitely not healthy. My tofu was sliced thin so the cornmeal coating made a very nice crispy crust. One major note, I would reduce the soymilk mixture for dipping since I ended up with a lot of wasteful leftovers. Also, I think frying enhances the flavors while baking may not have the same effect. Maybe increase seasoning when baking? (iluvtomatoes)
I made these again, fried them this time, though. FUCKING AWESOME! I make these all the time. They are a great way to fool any tofu-hating omni into eating and ENJOYING tofu. great, great great recipe. (sb)
yay! this is a great fast, family friendly dinner to whip up after work. The tofu has quite a bit of flavor for not being marinated. (nmpixie)
I shape mine more like nuggets and they always turn out perfect - nice and crispy on the outside but moist inside.  I like to play with the spices and try different combinations. (icephrosty)
not bad. I liked the texture of the coating but the flavour wasn't strong enough for me - i think the tofu should either be marinated in something before the coating, or the coating needs stronger flavour (to be fair I have mild chili powder, but even with a spicier one I would have liked a more full flavour in general) (tino)
Curried tofu
I sometimes make this when I'm out of groceries. Pretty good, just make sure you have a curry powder that you really love. (nmpixie)
I didn't like this at all, the curry taste was was waaaaaaaay to strong.  Definitely will not make again. (icephrosty)
Very good recipe, but not unforgettable. (haricot)
Hot sauce glazed tempeh
fabulous. Two of my favorite things rolled up into one. HOW COULD I GO WRONG?! I used an African hot sauce and it was super out of this world!!!! (sb)
fantastic.  I had never cooked tempeh before (well, the SO had and it was nasty), but Isa really knows how to cook this stuff, it was tender and flavorful.  Grilled in my cast iron grill (taraja)
The tempeh was pretty good, but still not my favorite tempeh.  I'll make it again - probably grilled. (mdv)
this sauce was super tasty, but a little too spicy, mostly because we used a habenero hot sauce that we'd never had before, but it was still delicious.  i opened up my tempeh and it was moldy (way before the expiration date) so we did tofu instead.  pan fried it in a cast iron skillet, just in the marinade with no extra oil. yummmmm. (allularpunk)
This is one of my favorite ways to make tempeh.  It is very spicy, but I like that...and it kinda hides the bitterness if you don't feel like steaming beforehand! (icephrosty)
very good.  I followed the recipe precisely using cooking sherry for the wine, and the frying method. (tweety)
I made the marinade using Trappey's cayenne sauce, and used it as a sauce for pan fried tofu triangles. Delicious! It wasn't even too spicy. Pretty perfect. (AC)
my favorite tempeh recipe of all time!  My husband likes to dip tortillas chips in the leftover marinade, and got very upset with me one day when I threw it out (it had been in the fridge for almost a week for Pete's sake!). (peacablepalate)
Yum. This is hot, but not painfully hot. Makes a fantastic sandwich. I recommend cutting the thickness of the tempeh in half--this just lets in more marinade. (veganrun)
I liked this, although I left out the cayenne, and thank goodness I did, because it was plenty spicy already. Also, I think when I make it again, I would lessen the lemon juice, because it was quite tart. (spinachk)
This was nice and spicy (and I looooove spicy foods!). I think I would make this again if I could figure out what other foods to pair it with. Maybe some kind of rice dish? (kristinv)
Marinated Italian tofu
standard tofu recipe using italian seasonings. Nothing spectucular, but totally good. I panfried it because I prefer tofu that way. (sb)
The tofu was really good baked (325* for 1 hour and 15 minutes). (mdv)
baked it, but it was soooooooo salty.  i think this may be my fault since i used frozen tofu.  i knew it would suck up all the marinade, so i doubled the recipe.  and man did it ever suck it up.  generally good flavor...  just overpowering in every way. (allularpunk)
I like it. I was hoping that the balsamic vinegar wouldn't impart too much of a flavor, and it didn't. The tofu in general doesn't wind up very strongly flavored (though salty), but that could probably be changed by marinating longer. (fb)
Marinated Asian tofu
better than the italian, for me. My sister actually preferred the Italian. Great flavors that I, again, panfried. (sb)
kinda bland (ponycakes)
It's pretty good, but I like the Italian better. The tofu doesn't pick up much ginger flavor, but again, it could probably be marinated longer. (fb)
Seitan cutlets
had a really nice texture after pan frying in a little spray oil.  (Floured first with a mix of flour, garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper, and salt.) They were crisp on the outside and firm but chewy on the inside.  The texture is softer than the seitan o greatness (seitan pepperoni) but firmer than poached seitan (which always turns out like chicken fat for me because I can't watch the stove for 2 hours).  I served it over polenta and topped with gravy.  I'm planning to use the leftovers to try the Vietnamese sandwich (French dip type thing...) (mdv)
These things are good. Nice and chewy, but I prefer the Simple Seitan recipe. (sb)
I liked the taste of these a lot (and the broth it makes while baking is pretty cool too), but it came out a little too elastic/chewy for me after being in the oven. It might firm up with some sautéeing or baking (dry). (fb)
The worse seitan I've ever had. It was gray and spongy on the outside, undercooked on the inside. This is a terrible method for making seitan. I'll stick to the regular method (veganrun)
I made these for the Vietnamese seitan baguette. They worked well in the sandwich, but I wasn't such a fan of them on their own and when I used the leftover seitan in some chili I thought it ruined the chili. But I guess those flavors just weren't meant to go together. They were really hard to stretch out into cutlets and were a kind of weird texture. (algae)
Simple seitan
This is my go-to seitan recipe and it comes out perfect every time. Love it! (sb)
great, sooo much easier than the VWAV one, which I've been using for the past 6 months. I think the temperature of the water and length of kneading are what makes a seitan recipe a success.  I kneaded the dough longer, (5 min?) then kneaded each piece longer too, (another 5 min a piece) until it was really hard to manipulate.  I didn't do the pre-boil of the broth, just heated it while making the dough.  I only let it actually boil for like 60 seconds then turned it down to a very low, barely simmer.  Success, I didn't have any goobely, spongey pieces I had to cut off, (I usually have to trim the outsides of my homemade seitan like its meat.....gross)  This is my new "go-to" seitan recipe, yummy! (babysgotsauce)
This was my first foray into making seitan, and yes, it was quite simple!  I mixed up the ingredients in the bread machine rather than kneading by hand (as indicated in this recipe: Beefy seitan), but then I followed the cooking instructions as written.  I though I would end up with a sticky mess coming out of the bread machine, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a smooth, pliable ball of dough.  The flavor probably depends a lot on the broth you use - I was afraid the seitan might come out too bland, but it was just right with the "beef" bouillon I used.  My only complaint is that the outside did end up a little spongy, even though I was pretty careful not to let it boil too long.  Maybe the boiling isn't really necessary?  I'll have to read up a bit more on seitan cooking methods.  I might just do it in the slow cooker next time, but this time I didn't want to wait that long.  I'm planning to use this in a stir fry for dinner tonight. (vegrunski)
I've made this many times before, so this review doesn't beat out all the others, but for some reason it came out too gummy....which is annoying because seitan is so time consumming to make.  I blame it on my batch of VWG because everything else I did followed seitan rule perfectly.  I was able to trim off the outside pieces of the chunks and use enough of the insides for breaded seitan.  I froze the outside spongier pieces to put in the food processor for tacos or veggie burgers. (babysgotsauce)
When I made this, I got a little sponginess on the outside too.  It wasn't noticeable once I sliced it up and put it in my stir fry, but I wonder if it's the cooking method?  Did you bring yours to a boil (it says to *just* bring it to a boil in the instructions)?  I was reading in another thread that the slow cooker is a good way to cook seitan, and now I'm wondering if it really shouldn't be boiled at all. (vegrunski)
An update - I tried this recipe again, this time doing the cooking in the slow cooker.  I would highly recommend it.  There was no sponginess on the outside.  I did a quadruple batch, and my 6.5 qt slow cooker was almost filled to capacity.  I cooked it for 5 hours on low.  I did the kneading in my bread machine, as I did last time.  I froze 3 of the 4 chunks, and will use the 4th in a stir fry of some sort tonight. (vegrunski)
I really haven't tried to make very many seitan recipes, so I always try to be careful when I do try. This one worried me. It's really simple to prepare, and I tried to keep a very close eye on my broth, but at one point it was boiling for a few minutes. So, the seitan LOOKED very spongy...and kinda weird. The only thing I did differently was to reduce the soy sauce by a bit in the broth. I followed all times, but let it sit in the fridge for a while before using (my seitan is always better that way). That being said, the flavor is SO GOOD. One of the best. The texture is not quite there..not spongy, but not very firm. After frying, it's ridiculously good. Love loved it. I might try some other recipes, but wouldn't be against coming back to this one (I'd knead longer and watch broth more carefully). (AC)
Smoky grilled tempeh
I used tofu because I don't like Tempeh.  I marinated about 15-20 minutes while I was making my side dish.  Then I grilled the tofu on my George Forman.  I kept pouring more marinade on the tofu every couple of minutes.  When the marinade dripped off into the little catch dish I just poured it back on.  The tofu came out really juicy and full of flavor. (biodancer)
This is a good recipe, but not as good as the hot sauce glazed tempeh. (sb)
I wasn't impressed. I could taste the apple cider vinegar in the marinade and that just ruined it for me. Plus, the tempeh didn't really absorb the marinade. (intheend)
I'll give it a B.  First things first - even though the title is "grilled," upon closer inspection, the directions require a cast iron pan for the grilling. We have a very nice grill, but no cast iron, so that was out.  I used the pan-frying method, and even though I kept spooning more marinade over the tempeh as it cooked, I still ended up with about half the marinade left over - that's ok, but I feel like the recipe should say approximately how much should be left.  The marinade is wonderful - a nice mix of sweet, salty, sour, and umami (yeah!).  But it doesn't really absorb into the tempeh much.  The surface of the tempeh was delicious, but the inside was just plain tempeh.  But, when I ate a few smaller pieces that had broken off the tempeh during pan-frying - wowee!  Those were good.  I think this recipe would benefit from cutting the tempeh with a larger surface area.  Next time I would either cut the tempeh so it is half as thick, or maybe cube it.  I haven't made tempeh bacon yet, but this sauce seems like it would be ideal for that. (vegrunski)
Update - I sliced the leftovers so they were half as thick (say, 1/2" thick rather than 1") and sauteed them again in the leftover marinade. Success!  It definitely seemed like the flavor went all the way through, rather than leaving a plain middle.  So, I'd say the recipe is just about perfect, as long as you slice your tempeh half the thickness (or thinner, if you like). (vegrunski)
did a double take when I saw she calls for two tbs of liquid smoke.  That seemed like a lot, but I went for it.  This was quite tasty.  I broiled them and my issue was she said to pour the marinade over the tempeh the marinade surrounding the tempeh burned to the point it set my smoke alarm off when I wasn't looking.  The tempeh itself was fine, just the surrounding marinade burned.  This was very irritating.  But it might be my fault for setting it on high and on the 2nd rack.   (tweety)
I also was a bit concerned about the 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke, and I didn't have the internet to check to see if this was an error. I went with one, and I think 2 would be just fine. This was pretty tasty, but I recommend cutting the thickness of the tempeh in half to let in more marinade. I cooked these on the Foreman grill and that was awesome. I also love that there's a recipe for collards using the leftover marinade--I usually throw leftovers in a container and let it sit in the fridge forever until I throw them out. Great use of ingredients! (veganrun)
Tangerine baked tofu
I found the taste way too strong. It'd only be good chopped and added to plain rice or something. I won't make this again. (haricot)
Soups
Acorn squash, pear, and adzuki soup with sauteed shiitakes
I used 1 acorn, 1/2 kabocha instead of 2 acorn. I cooked my own adzuki beans, since the ones at the market were either extremely sweetened or like $3.50 for a can (and this was a Japanese market!), so I got some dry for $1.50/half pound. That being said, it cooked up to about 2.5-3 cups, so I basically doubled the level of beans in this soup. For the shiitakes, I added the sesame oil after they were done sauteeing (along with the soy sauce), since sesame oil has a pretty low flash point. Anyway, this soup - sweet, thick, and hearty. Even though the amount of beans is doubled, it's not that noticeable, and without the kabocha (and another acorn), this would probably be less sweet, but it works either way. My boyfriend claimed he hates squash (winter included), but somehow loves this soup. Mwahahaha. (fb)
this was pretty good. The mushrooms on top were my favourite part - absolutely delicious! juicy and flavourful. The soup itself was ok, but I think the whole thing should be pureed, or else everything but the beans, to give it a better texture. (tino)
Ancho lentil soup with grilled pineapple
pretty good. I was expecting more flavor out of the ancho chile powder that you have to make yourself and was kind of let down by it, so I added some that I had in a spice jar. The pineapple was great on top, though. (sb)
good but not amazing. I liked it fine, but it was a bit bland. Good concept, but a bit weak in the execution. (mamaanna)
Ah, I love this soup. Admittedly, I don't grind my own spices, I just sort of sub them. And I don't have ancho chiles (I probably could, but...) so I just use cayenne pepper + roastingness. Also, I didn't grill the pineapple - I just tossed it some in a hot frying pan. I don't think the pineapple is necessary, it just looks pretty against what looks like plain ole lentil soup. (fb)
Baked potato and greens soup with potato wedge croutons
Another really good recipe, however, my Potato-Wedge Croutons did not come out right at all, I think it's probably best to coat them in oil and then shake them in a bag of the spices--as that's usually what works for me.  She says to wet them with water and then dredge them in the spices, when I tried this, the spices didn't stick very well, which unfortunately caused part of the potatoes to burn and the rest of them to not cook correctly.  I definitely recommend this soup for anyone who loves or hates kale, too.  I have mixed feelings about kale because sometimes it just doesn't work, but it definitely works well with potatoes. (killer)
used baby spinach instead of kale. it was ok. really potato-y. i added bac'n bits because it kind of needed something. the croutons were really tasty though, and the four omnis i fed it to said they liked the soup. if i made it again, i'd probably add some other stuff in since it's kinda just potatoes.. (ponycakes)
I made half the recipe, and used a whole bunch of kale instead of 2 cups (it's kinda hard to measure kale volume anyway). I didn't make the croutons. I liked it, but again, it is as the title describes... there's nothing super special that stands out, but that's ok with me. Also, I think you could cheat and just boil the potatoes; I don't think baking them adds too much extra. (fb)
We really liked this soup. It's definitely potato-y, but potatoes are yum. My croutons came out perfectly, with the described method. I did microwave "bake" my potatoes, so that probably made them a bit more sticky for the water/spices. I followed the recipes, except for some spices that I didn't have. I used Italian seasoning mix instead of the thyme, and parsley in the crouton spices. I also did mustard greens instead of kale. I think the flavor is really good, the croutons are really good, and I liked the creaminess from mashing some of the taters. The non mashed potato liquid parts were a little watery, but not too bad. I'll have to make this for my potato loving mom. (AC)
Um, awesome.  My meat-loving boyfriend loved this too.  Add the wine, it really adds amazing flavour.  This soup might seem like it has too many steps, but actually it comes together pretty easily. (spinach k)
I enjoyed this, however I did not see the point in the potato wedges - yes, they were good on their own, but once you stuck them in the soup, they were soggy and lost their appeal.  But the soup itself was delightful - a bit watery, but not too bad.  I microwaved my potatoes because I'm lazy and didn't want to wait, but I followed the recipe otherwise. (erinmonster)
I made the soup without the croutons because it sounded like they weren't really worth it, but I added the paprika and extra thyme to the soup instead. I made half a recipe so that we wouldn't be eating it for days on end and ended up with 4 servings. Oh, and I didn't have fennel seeds or white wine so I left those out, and used a mix of frozen chopped kale and spinach. I also microwaved the German potatoes I use, which aren't the kind you think of for baked potatoes but they were fine. I thought the soup was pretty good! Not super special, but simple and good. (algae)
Black bean vegetable soup
very good. I wish there were more veggies in it, so next time I'll add some extra carrot, celery and bell pepper. I didn't seed my jalapeno because I love heat in my food and it's perfect. Recipe makes a ton and I'm excited to see how much better it gets after sitting around all day (sb)
the amount of onions in this had me worried--I did not want onion soup!  But it all boiled down nicely.  I added some chopped tomato, cuz I had some leftover.  I agree with another post here that I would add more celery and carrot next time--just because I like a chunkier soup with lots of veggies.  Topped it with avocado. The flavor definitely improved as it sat.  Also, I added all salt at the very end.  Even my picky-eater 5-year old deigned to dip his quesadilla in it. (kaykayaa)
I made this, with a few changes: half the onion (1) was cut into big slices and boiled with the beans, one clove of garlic crushed and boiled with the beans too, plus a little marjoram for boiling as well. I also never drain/rinse beans after soaking/cooking (so they stay black/brown and not light purple...). This was really delicious soup (and I used water, not broth), and after about half was gone I puréed the rest. Good either way, better puréed IMHO. Healthy, tasty, AND affordable. (fb)
This is the best black bean soup recipe I've used.  I didn't have jalepenos, but I added some chipotle powder.  That gave it a nice smoky spice.  I also added some barley that I soaked and cooked ahead of time. (lotus)
Broccoli potato soup with fresh herbs
I liked this, my bf didn't. He said it was too plain. I guess I was expecting exactly what the title was (ok, broccoli + potatoes is probably not the *most* flavorful thing in the world, but it passes). It's a pretty simple, healthy soup. (fb)
I really loved this this.  I peeled the tough part of the broccoli stems and used the whole stalk. The fresh mint and dill at the end were very tasty.  I cut maybe five minutes off the cooking time to keep the broccoli from being too mushy.  I love any opportunity to use my new immersion blender, although I'm still learning how not to splatter, but getting better.  (tweety)
I was surprised at how much I liked this, because it was so simple, but really nice.  The herbs are lovely, but I made the soup without them and it was still really good. (spinachk)
Chickpea noodle soup
Good. I used regular pasta, and used about 6 ounces, and it was too much.  (vegan1)
omitted the carrots cus i didnt have any but i added some fake chicken and used spaghetti noodles broken up.  its really good, but i did add an extra cup of water while it was cooking and it could use even more now.  but! i also tried a forkfull of it cold (since it was more of a noodles in a thin sauce today when i took it out of the fridge) and yum!  not bad at all! (ppc)
goooood. i left out the mushrooms because I don't like them. but i added extra carrots and celery. I also used only about one T barley miso cause i couldn't find brown rice miso in small containers and I didn't feel the urge to spend like 15 dollars on a HUGE tub of it. but it was deeelish. definately could use some more water, but i'm looking for ward to maybe endind up with noodles in sauce tomorrow (owalkerjillo)
Very good soup. i like it without the chickpeas and with celery and with collard greens ( i added 8oz frozen chopped).  the collard green and miso flavors pair nicely in this soup.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Yummy, salty, warm and comforting. Not a dish to make for company, but it's some wholesome tastiness anyhow. (mamaanna)
I used noodles that soaked up all the liquid, but it tasted great hot off the stove! Comforting and tasty. (sb)
I got twinkie #1 to eat mushrooms... mwahahahahah... (K2)
I used udon noodles instead of soba, but I'm sure that doesn't make any difference. This was a really good, comforting soup. I made it for my mum when she was ill this weekend. Definitely a keeper and its a breeze to whip up. (dannibazaar)
Quite good.  Nothing exciting, just good hearty soup.  I used whole grain spaghetti for the noodles, and four cups of a salt-free veggie broth and 2 cups of water.  I included the optional mirin for grins and used yellow miso since that's what I had.  I think rather than using boxed broth a veggie boullione would have been better. (tweety)
Creamy tomato soup
I made this with some grilled cheez sandwiches  with jalapenos and sun dried tomatoes... and watched Clueless with a long-time friend. Really hit the spot! I added some fresh basil, and that really kicked it up a notch. (sb)
EXCELLENT!! (teepee)
i left out the potatos (didn't have them) and it was still really good! (bp)
The title does not do this soup justice. tomato + sundried tomato + potato = awesome. It's what I want in a soup recipe - something undeniably better than the canned version. Also, I added basil. (fb)
This is such a comforting soup! It's great on a cold day with a warm slice of homemade bread. I love a good creamy tomato soup....it kicks Campbell's soups arse! The flavour the sundried tomatoes imparted was delicious, too. (dannibazaar)
Not really my cup of tea. But I don't love tomato soups in general. If I were to make it again, I'd add something sweet, like a little bit of sugar or agave syrup. (eldsjal)
I was looking for a tomato soup that did not call for fresh tomatoes, since it's winter.  This one is pretty darn good.  I love sundried tomatoes, so that's probably why I liked it so much.  I used fire-roasted canned tomatoes and yukon gold potatoes.  Blended in the pot with my immersion blender, this was pretty quick and simple.  I topped with green onions and served with daiya grilled cheese sandwiches.  Perfect for a quick weeknight meal! (lotus)
Double pea soup with roasted red peppers
I thought that this was just okay...I kind of expected it to be better, but I'm always sort of disappointed with split pea soup anyway.  The roasted red peppers do improve the flavor, though, I think maybe I'd experiment with doubling the roasted peppers and halving the amount of frozen peas. My bf who *loves* split pea soup liked it a lot. (killer)
It's a solid soup recipe.  Nothing life-changing, but certainly very nice and satisfying.    Roasted red peppers are so nice in any recipe!(KMK)
Now, this is not the best pea soup I've ever had, but it's the best recipe I've ever had. I think it's worth the extra effort, and I shall remember it when I'm sick and in need of soup. (fb)
French lentil soup with tarragon and thyme
It's reasonable. The tarragon give it a licoricey flavor... I don't really like licorice-type flavors, but it's ok here. There wasn't enough liquid, though - I had to add a cup or two, and even then it was dry.  (fb)
I think this is my favorite recipe from the book so far! This is SO good...the flavors really work together wonderfully here, and it tastes even better the next day. (wannagovegan)
definitely not the last lentil soup recipe i will ever get, but certainly good. (kelsi)
delicious! I'm very happy with it and I'm going to make it again soon. It didn't take that much prep time--just chop up a few veggies. The only other lentil soup I've had was a nonveg kind with pork in it and all I could taste was salt but this had a really great flavor, the spices and veggies were very balanced. I can't wait for leftovers tonight. We had it with roasted broccoli and some sourdough bread. Yum! Perfect for a rainy night. (aggplanta)
Yummy.  The tarragon and thyme are lovely and light in this soup.  Something different from your average lentil soup.  It was too salty until I watered it down, but that might have been my fault. (spinach k)
This was a great weeknight dinner.  It was quick, healthy, tasty, and filling.  I followed the recipe except I used about 1/2 cup canned tomatoes instead of fresh.  I served it with Outrageously Easy Big Bread seasoned with tarragon, thyme, and cracked pepper.  The leftovers have gotten pretty thick in the fridge, so I think I'm going to eat them for lunch over some quinoa.   (lotus)
Fresh corn stock
Heck yes! I use this in EVERYTHING I cook over the summer. It is in constant rotatio and I'm so excited to have fresh corn back in stores for summer. YESSSS (sb)
I like that I can make this from the casualties of the previous recipe. It's kind of unclear in the directions though - it seems to say that you simmer the stock uncovered, but you lose a lot of liquid this way. I had it mostly covered, and I still lost enough liquid that I had to add more water. And it still didn't yield 5 cups. ? (fb)
a MUST. wonderful, and would benefit ANY soup!!! I love it because its a way to use the corn cobs! I have to always remeber to make that stock when I have corn cobs laying around! (babysgotsauce)
my first attempt at making my own stock/broth. turned out good, but i wasn't overwhelmed.  i also was confused about what to do about the liquid lost from simmering uncovered.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Gazborscht
delicious. It will make a nice, refreshing lunch on this hot summer day. (sb)
Homemade vegetable broth

Hot and sour soup with wood ears and napa cabbage
I didn't use napa. This was pretty similar to hot and sour soup I've had, except this was a little too sour for me. I should have gradually added the vinegar to taste, but that's ok. I probably would have settled with 2/3 of the amount of vinegar. Good with rice, and would probably be better with rice noodles cooked in. Hard to eat a lot at once, because of the acidity.  (fb)
This is my new favorite soup!!! SERIOUSLY... i added some extra fresh wood ears and no tofu... those were my only changes. So good! (amymylove)
grand! I didn't have dried mushrooms or cabbage..so I just used white mushrooms, and added red pepper and a little chopped, fresh jalapeño. I don't have chile oil..so I used sriracha and sesame oil. I served it over rice, and sauteed my tofu first..and served it on top with the scallions. Yum!(AC)
It was good, but I used a little less oil and added more vinegar and soy sauce.  I also baked my tofu matchsticks before putting them in the soup. (mdv)
my favorite V'con recipe so far.  I've made it at least 4 times.  Although I have to use way less chili oil because I used the full 3 teaspoons once and it was so hot I could fell the burning in my ears! (biodancer)
This is a great soup. It definitely has strong hot and sour flavors, but in a good way. My only complaint is that by the time you get to the bottom of the soup bowl it gets kind of gross. You get tiny pieces of broken tofu and bits of pepper (though I used black instead of white because I dislike white pepper) and soggy scallions and it's just kind of unpleasant. But the soup is delicious. (algae)
Midsummer corn chowder with basil, tomato, and fennel
Oh, tasty. It's definitely more of a vegetabley chowder than creamy, but still good. I like the faint licorice flavor the fennel gives it (and I hate licorice), and I think Thai basil goes well with it (what I used). I pureed more of the soup than it said to, just because I like it smoother. Overall a sweet, refreshing soup. (fb)
We pureed about 2/3 of the soup so that it's not as chunky and it is sooooooo good!!  A few changes to the recipe - canned sweet corn, no fennel and veggie broth instead of corn stock. Don't let all the steps fool you, it's a bit time consuming, but the end result is well worth it.  It's perfect for a chilly evening! (jewel)
followed the recipe exactly except for the bunch of spinach that I tossed in at the end with the tomatoes and basil. I served it alongside some spiced cornbread muffins. YUM! (sb)
nice and easy! (bp)
well, minus the fennel and tomato and plus zuccinni, red lentils, and brocolli...so this is hardley a review, yet I had to post that the Fresh Corn Stock (which is the following recipe in the book, and a MUST,) is wonderful, and would benefit ANY soup!!! I love it because its a way to use the corn cobs! I loved the soup, and so did my family! I have to always remeber to make that stock when I have corn cobs laying around! (babysgotsauce)
i liked this soup and my husband loved it.  i omitted the fennel.  i made the fresh corn stock, so from start to finish this took a very long time. i will probably try a different corn chowder next time. i've never made/had it before, so i didn't know what to expect.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Porcini wild rice soup
I didn't quite make this correctly, as I could not find dried porcinis. However, I just added some extra fresh mushrooms, and it ended up super delicious anyway. It was so thick and filling--definitely meant for a cool autumn or winter night. It did, indeed, taste like quite an expensive bowl of soup. I can't wait to try it with the correct ingredients!  (veganrun)
Amazing!  I love wild rice and mushrooms, so maybe this wasn't a hard sell for me, but it really is a delicious, sophisticated soup. (spinachk)
This was a huge disappointment, especially considering the fact I had to spend a lot of money to get dried porcinis and wild rice. It was just so bland. I did replace the cremini mushrooms with regular white mushrooms, but I don't think it had much impact. (haricot)
Roasted yellow pepper and corn bisque
Absolutely delicious, served it in a bread bowl. My only complaint was that I don't usually cook with summer squash, so I didn't know I had to peel it and the directions just said to cut it lengthwise and slice thinly. I had chunks of squash skin in my soup even after pureeing it. Oh well, was delicious with an iced cold beer. (sb)
I used red & yellow pepper (oh well), and this was mighty tasty. I had no idea about some sort of summer squash in this... I might have forgotten that ingredient... but this was quite tasty besides. It's sweet.  (fb)
Smoky red peppers 'n' beans gumbo
I can't believe NO ONE'S reviewed this. This is one of the first recipes i ever wanted to make out of vcon when i got it a year and a half ago but never did. instead of the okra (I didn't have any and i'm not really sure if I like it because i've never had it) I used a whole bunch of celery and added about 1/2 tsp gumbo file powder. I also didn't have any green bell peps, and this calls for two of them, so i just added an extra red bell pepper. I don't eat seitan a lot and it is recommended in one of the side columns of this recipe, so i added about 1/2 cup leftover grilled tofu. I really, really liked this. It comes out as a really thick type of stew.. i guess that's what gumbo means anyway? I have lots of leftovers in my fridge and i will definitely be making this again as the weather moves into coldness. (sog)
I have been wanting to make this, but never seem to have enough of the ingredients on hand, but made it a point to get them last night, even the beer, and we never have beer around.  It was worth it! Very, very good! I did not have any tomato paste, but it still thickened up quite a bit.  The tomatoes I had were spicey and they gave it a little of an extra kick, and the beer flavor definetely mingled well with everything, without being able to really "taste" it too much.  Very good, and Taj LOVED it! He said it was even better than the kinds with seafood.  Oh yeah, and I added crumbled tofu just for the heck of it, which didn't add much taste-wise, but was good as well. (babysgotsauce)
Spicy peanut and eggplant soup
Fatty, comforting and delicious. Fantastic on those cold winter days! (sb)
I was expecting this to be insanely rich, but it was kind of regularly rich (maybe like a thai curry?). I had no green beans so I used chopped snowpeas instead and some bell pepper. I also didn't salt/rinse my eggplant initially, with no ill effects (I never know what this bitterness is that we're getting out). Anyway, it's too rich to eat a whole bowlful of it alone, but it's great half and half with steamed rice. It's not super peanut-y even. (fb)
Fattening and delicious! Friends were practically licking the pot. 5 stars. (mamaanna)
I would not make this again. It was so heavy and I got tired of the strong flavors after eating a few bites. But it made so much that I was eating it for days because I didn't want to waste it. I left out the green beans, but I don't think that was why I didn't like it. (algae)
Tomato rice soup with roasted garlic and navy beans
I really enjoyed this soup.  I made it without the beans because DH doesn't like them, and it still turned out really well.  The garlic flavor was subtle the first day, but I could detect it more when I ate leftovers.  Very simple recipe. (icephrosty)
I did the sautéed garlic variation instead of roasting, and reduced the water by about one cup. Also, I used short grain brown rice instead of long (the author recommends long grain because short "doesn't like to cook in tomato broth," but it cooked fine). It's a nice hearty soup, and thickens up a lot in the fridge after a day or so (but I reduced the water by a cup, so...). As far as the tomato part, it tastes pretty similar to canned tomato soups, which may or may not be a bad thing for you. I ate it with a little bit of "Italian seasoning" sprinkled on top. (fb)
I halved this recipe (I didn't want 12 servings if it wasn't really tasty!), except I used the full amount of garlic and herbs. I also added 1 qt of veggie broth instead of using water. It turned out well and was really easy/cheap to make. Nothing blow-your-mind amazing, but it made a healthy dinner and tasted good. (mamaanna)
really good. (willwolf)
it was awesome.  michael had it without beans and he loved it and i had it with twice as many beans and i loved it.  it was also realllly easy to make. i felt super sick, but i just needed some iron, so i read the directions to michael as he made it and hes not much of a recipe following kind of guy. (kelsi)
It didn't go over well.  I'm not sure why.  On paper it was wonderful.  I made it on Monday and there is still a ton of it sitting in the fridge.  My bf and I just have not gone back for more.  I was surprised that even with two bulbs of garlic, it didn't taste very garlicy.  I was overall disappointed. (biodancer)
This is pretty good. I halved the recipe, but should have used the full 2 head roasted garlic. I couldn't really taste the 1 head that much...and I roasted them just for this. I guess my brown rice was short grain (I couldn't tell!) because it didn't really cook that well. I think the beans really add a lot, and it definitely seems like it will be much better later. Wouldn't make again specifically, but tasty and filling. (AC)

Pasta, noodles, and risotto
Asparagus and lemongrass risotto
really good. I love asiany citrus things and asparagus, so this worked really well for my palate. It was quite time consuming, as risotto always is, but worth the effort. I would definitely make it again! (sb)
really good except! ( i dont think this was the fault of the recipe) it was WAY too salty. i was really upset but i think its my fault because i use better than bullion for broth (1 teaspoon plus one cup water for every cup of broth) and i guess thats really salty AND the recipe also calls for soy sauce. sigh. i did that "stick a potato in there" trick to try to get rid of the over saltiness..but..its still a little much. le sigh. other than that it was pretty tasty. i loved the basil in there. (ponycakes)
Curried udon noodle stir fry
so good.  I used this jar of 'oriental curry powder" that I bought years ago, it was perfect. (hibiscus)
really yummy! I used tofu in place of the seitan because that's what I had on hand. I doubled the curry powder and used two jalapenos instead of just one because I like my curries fiery hot. (sb)
Ugh.  It was way to heavy for me - the oil in the roux, oil for the veggies (which I omitted), and oil to saute the seitan.  Shawn liked it, but I just thought there were too many things going on.  I didn't like the flavor of the sauce either.  I think that a Panang curry sauce (curry paste and coconut milk) would be much better.  I would also use half noodles and half sauteed potatoes and steam the veggies.  With some work, it could be awesome, but as it is - meh. (mdv)
WOW it was great, a lot of preparation but worth it!  However with 4 tblsp of peanut oil, probably not the healthiest dish, but sooo good. Im excited to try more recipes.  Also roasted an eggplant whole for the first time in my life as the book suggests and smashed up with a little cumin, salt and pepper, lemon juice-oooh eggplant heaven. (loulou)
good. not great, but tasty. the boy liked it a lot, so i gave him the leftovers. (kelsi)
This is pretty good, but not quite as ultimate as I was hoping. I used fresh noodles ramen instead of udon, and used TJ's "beef" strips instead of Seitan Cutlets. The curry sauce wasn't as strong or as sweet as I wanted it to be, so I added more curry powder and sugar. I don't really see the point of stir-frying the dish after the noodles are added (they stick like hell! and start to get overcooked), but maybe this is because I'm using fresh ramen  rather than udon. Still, I'd sooner just toss the noodles after the heat is off. I can't help but compare this recipe with a curry udon recipe from a Japanese cookbook I have; this one isn't as good. I'd recommend less oil, less flour (or more curry and sugar) and just tossing the noodles in. All that being said, we still enjoyed this & ate it all. (fb)
another good recipe. i didn't know what i was doing with the whole "roux" thing, which i should add is not the most fun thing to make in the summer.  probably not something i would make again, but i liked it.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Green pea and lemon risotto with roasted red peppers
I wasn't blown away.  Again, I think my reaction is mainly due to personal preference, but next time I will definitely add some more roasted red peppers, and maybe something else, if I can think of what else it seems to be missing... (killer)
I didn't have peppers and was too lazy to go to the market, but the risotto was awesome anyway.  I was particularly impressed with the low fat content in the dish.  I served this with pan fried seitan cutlets and steamed swiss chard. (mdv)
awesome, but this needs a really good quality veggie broth.  i used the cheap stuff, and it tasted fine, but i could really taste the broth, and i knew it could have tasted a lot better. (kelsi)
It was really good. (heterotechno)
I liked the lemony flavor of the risotto. I cut the peas in half because my roommate hates them. I hate making risotto, because it's time consuming so I don't know if I'd make this again. (sb)
I didn't use any roasted peppers. I was afraid the lemon flavor might be too strong, but it was fine - noticeable but not sour or overwhelming. This did have a sort of "summery" feel to it, probably because of the zest, and it's nice to have a different take on risotto. Wasn't too much trouble putting together either, and the flavors were pretty balanced. I ate it with soup. (fb)
We really enjoyed it! I didn't measure the lemon, and added maybe a tiny bit too much, but I really like the overall flavor. I cheated and used jarred roasted red peppers. Risotto is not my favorite thing to make, but this would be great for a holiday dish (red, green, and white...).  It's the best vegan risotto I've made. (AC)
Lasagne marinara with spinach
The lasagna as a whole was really good though, and even better the second day. Both of my cheese- addicted parents liked it a lot. I shredded half a brick of FYH mozzarella on top (first time i tried it- not bad!) I think next time i'll use a bit less of the ricotta and more spinach. This thing is huge though, guys. Isa says it serves 6-8. I think she's off her rocker. I would say it serves at least 9 or 10. On a side note, how do you cook lasagna noodles without breaking them up into tons of pieces? (lindsayloo)
used the cashew ricotta and I was very pleased with the result. I think it tasted better the next day, though, after the flavors had time to blend. But as good as it was I think it was still missing a flavor dimension compared with dairy lasagna and I think next time I will throw a couple of pinenuts into the cashew ricotta. (jkl)
really wonderful!  I made all of the components yesterday and assembled it, then threw it in the refrigerator until today.  I halved the recipe and made this in an 8" x 8" glass pan, so I could bake this in my toaster oven.  A half recipe seemed perfect--I got 6 nice servings out of it.  I did just the basic spinach version with Marinara Sauce, Cashew Ricotta, and Almesan.  I didn't bother with the Pine Nut Cream (that seems kind of overkill to me).  All of the components were tasty on their own.  This was my first time making all of them.  I'll definitely be making these 3 components again in the future, as well as this tasty lasagna.  I did the no-cook pasta version, as I never pre-boil the lasagna noodles and always just throw them in uncooked, using a little extra sauce or water.  I agree with the recommendations on sauciness in the tip section.  I thought the lasagna was fine, but extra sauce is always good.  If you like a saucy lasagna, make extra Marinara Sauce. (willwolf)
my parents were raving about the lasagne and are even making it for their christmas dinner!  They said that it took much longer than the suggested time, so put aside enough time to make this! (kelsi)
This needed more sauce for me, and I didn't even really like it until the next day. I think pasta sauces should be cooked all day, not just in thirty minutes. That being said, the leftovers for this were great! (sb)
perfection!  I make this dish for guests, or to bring to gatherings where I know there won't be vegan fare, so my hubby and I have something to eat.  Anybody who tries it loves it, and can't believe the ricotta is dairy free.  The Cashew Ricotta is the only vegan ricotta recipe I use.  Don't leave out the Pine Cream.  It's delectable!  If you have leftover ricotta and pine nut cream, make stuffed shells, and drizzle the cream over the top! (peaceablepalate)
Mushroom spinach

White and red

Mac daddy
I wasn't sure if I would like the tofu in it, and the thought of another nooch sauce recipe was uneeded, but that sauce was awesome.  I loved the thyme in it, I love thyme in anything though.  The tofu texture was ok, but I didn't feel like it really added anything to the dish.  I also felt like something was missing, perhaps the 1/2 cup of earth balance I have grown accustomed to, using the New Farm recipe.  A lot of people on the ppk seemed to think it was too lemony, I ran out of lemon juice about halfway through, so I didn't add any to the tofu, and it was not lemony at all to me.  To summarize, I will be happy to eat it, but next time, I will use my old standby in the Farm.  I don't need to be healthy every night. (hibiscus)
awesome as a leftover.  yum.  ive made other mac and trees recipes that call for a lot of marg. or oil, and i loved how this one used veggie broth.  it gave it such a good flavor.  yum! (kelsi)
I was very disappointed by this dish, too, especially because I've tried some AMAZING vegan mac & cheese recipes. It wasn't terrible by any means, but I was underwhelmed & won't try it again. (jessacita)
The reheating directions they included didn't work for me.  After 30 minutes it was still frozen solid in the middle.  I ended up sticking it in the microwave with some leftover queso (a recipe from here) for almost 8 minutes it hot.  The added queso made it really creamy. (mirrya)
should be called MAC BADDY, thats all I have to say about that! (bcnutrition)
My cheezy sauce didn't thicken, but it worked out anyway. I thought it was too lemony though. Next time I make it, I'll omit the lemon juice and maybe replace the tofu mixture with cashew ricotta (without nutritional yeast though, the sauce has enough of it...) to make it even creamier. All in all, I really liked it! (eldsjal)
Autumn mac daddy

Broc mac daddy
we really enjoyed it. We really liked the tofu texture. Modifications I made:My tofu had been frozen/thawed, I used lime instead of lemon, didn't quite double the garlic, didn't measure oil, added some tahini, added the small broccoli florets, as suggested, used vegetable pasta shells. Modifications I would make next time:use non-frozen tofu, smoosh the tofu more, and stir everything better, make the sauce a bit thinner, double the garlic, not fully double the NY (AC)
Mac and greens
pretty good. Not the Velveeta I sometimes long for (gross, I know...), but satisfying. I added finely chopped kale to the mix to make it more "healthful" , and I liked it. I'll definitely make this again! Oh--I halved the recipe because the recipe-as-written serves 8-10 people! I'd say half is more than enough for 5-6 medium-sized portions. Oh--AND, one last thing---I made it for lunch today & left it sitting out on the counter. My parents tried it before I could warn them that they might think it's weird, but they loved it! I don't think it tasted very "cheesy" to them because they kept referring to it as a "casserole," but no matter. They kept raving about how my "casserole is really delicious." So, yay! Crowd-pleaser! And the book warns against feeding this to omnis, as they tend to be a little sketch about nutritional yeast. My fam seems to love it. (jessacita)
Mac and peas
I have to say I wasn't that big a fan of it.  I couldn't get the cheese sauce to thicken and the taste was a bit weird with the mustard in it. I'm going to finish it since I don't want to waste all the ingredients but it won't be anything I'll ever make again. (mirrya)
Yum, made this last night and will Def make again.. I added some peas to the mix to get my veggies and and it was delish. It is even better the next day.. The only thing I would do differently is double my batch of cheezy sauce, It was like I did not have enough but it was still very good. Oh and I used rotini instead of elbow macaroni because it was all I had on hand. (berryvegan)
Spicy mac daddy

Pasta della California
it was.... ok... there wasnt enough sauce.  BUT!  the reasoning might have been because i used red leaf lettuce instead of arugula.  i thought they were pretty similar.  but if this change ruined it then, so be it, the recipe might be good otherwise. (kelsi)
made it w/ one avocado (the other one I picked up was rotten), no oil, and added some white beans.  It was pretty good.  By the time we got around to eating it, the pasta was a little dry, but I think that is probably my fault for taking out the oil.  Next time I'll make one of the light pasta sauces from Fat Free Vegan and throw that in the mix to keep the pasta more tender. (mdv)
pretty good. Nothing really special, and I think I like my avocado sandwiches better..but it's a nice change. I don't have any cooking wine..need to get some! ...so that probably would have made it better. I did, however, just make some homemade veg. broth..so I was excited to use that. I used lemon instead of lime..which seemed like it would go better, to me (plus the store didn't have ANY limes!). I also added some sliced tofurkey-really good!. (AC)
I think this is a pretty good starting recipe. I think I could probably trick it out and make it more to my liking. Avocado needs to be in pasta more often. (sb)
I was worried this might be too bland, since there's no tomato sauce involved. But it definitely wasn't, thanks to the copious levels of garlic. I think this would be a good dish to take to a potluck, since it's kind of pasta-salad-ish, and it's got a good & likeable (at least for me) blend of ingredients. But if I were to bring it to a potluck, I'd probably cut the garlic down from 8 cloves to 5-6. Also, this goes well with parsley. (fb)
seemed pretty simple and I didn't have much time. It was fabulous, although I overcooked the arugula a bit. Strong hints of lime and spicy deliciousness combine with a generous amount of avocado for a great summer pasta, although I made it in winter. Could use a bit more color for presentation, maybe throw in some red and yellow peppers to add to the green of arugula, broccoli, and avocado. Overall a very tasty dish! (jakewillcook)
not very good. i used whole wheat linguine (or it may have been fettucini) and it overpowered the sauce.  I didn't think this was very flavorful but it did get better the next day.   (thirteenblackbirds)
liked it pretty well.  It was a nice combination of green food to include lime, arugula, broccoli and avocado, so it was pretty healthy.  It called for white wine which always adds a lot of flavor, and plenty of garlic which I loved. I used a 12 oz. box of whole wheat penne instead of 1/2 pound of linguine, but otherwise made no changes (eliminated the extra salt like always).  Interesting combination of green foods.  The warm avacodo was weird at first but tasty in combination with the food.  It called for a whopping 8 cloves of garlic, and you'd best believe I used 8 big fat cloves. (Tweety)
Pasta e fagioli
nice, basic, tasty pasta dish.  This is not a soupier pasta e fagioli, but more just pasta with tomatoes and garlic.  I liked the clean, simple flavors.  I used macaroni for the pasta.  Leftovers reheated fine and were just as good. (willwolf)
Simple recipe. Nice, clean flavors. I've made it a couple times... quick and easy dinner. (sb)
I really like this recipe. The flavors are simple, but it is a good ,basic, hearlty pasta and beans dish. It isn't the soupy kind of Pasta E Fagioli, you can eat this one on a plate. The recipe is super easy and quick. I prefer cooked beans to canned, so I make some on the weekend and then use this recipe for a quick work night dinner. I used mini pasta shells that were a vegetable and wheat blend and used wine instead of the vegetable broth option. I like to squeeze a lemon wedge onto each serving, we like how it enhances the flavor in my house. My husband was skeptical about pasta and beans but he really loved this dish and even requested the leftovers for lunch. It reheated really well the next day. (NJgirl)
Eh. It's ok. The tomato mixture smelled really flavorful, but it didn't really come through in the complete dish. However, I do think I added too much pasta, and did a different shape. I liked the beans in it, but nothing super. Won't make again. (AC)
Simple and delicious.  All food should be traditional Italian food. (spinachk)
Penne vodka
now this is what I'm talking about. I couldn't believe how rich it was! This is going to be a staple in my kitchen from now on. (sb)
wow! I've heard great things about this dish and can definitely see why. Seriously good stuff. It kind of reminds me of baked ziti in taste, minus the melty mozz  on top. But the ricotta flavor was replicated with the ground almonds. My mother made a lasagne once with ground almonds in place of ricotta. It was fabulous in terms of both texture and flavor. (iluvtomatoes)
Eh.I thought it was ok but not spectacular.  I may be a bit snobby about italian food having grown up in an all Italian family. It also may have been the brand of crushed tomatoes I bought. (biodancer)
I've been wanting to try it for a really long time, and made a special trip out to get vodka. I don't know how much it matters, but I bought a pretty cheap brand! Anyway, it turned out really good. It's really tasty. I was expecting to be blown away, but wasn't quite. I think I'll just tweak the herbs a bit? I'm not sure. It's good. I don't have an immersion blender, so I blended the almonds, and then added some pasta sauce to process it, and make it creamy. I added a bit of nut. yeast to the almonds. Oh, I used spinach twisties instead of penne, but I def. think penne would be better. I love, love the basil. (AC)
OMG! this dish is to die for. I seriously could eat the whole recipe myself. It is absolulely perfect and I pretty much follow the recipe to the letter. I use a pretty cheap vodka (we aren't vodka drinkers so I couldn't see buying an expensive one). Sometimes I use fire roasted crushed tomatoes instead of the plain ones...it is fantastic either way. I make it 2-3x a month. (NJgirl)
very good, easy to make, and satisfying.  i wasn't amazed by this, but it is a lot better than jarred pasta sauce.  my husband loved it. (thirteenblackbirds)
Awesome!  Now I'm not sure if it would be an omni-pleaser due to the grainy texture, but we thought it was fabulous!  I don't know if letting the almonds soak in the sauce a little longer before blending would help or not - I might try that next time.  Really good flavor though. (erinmonster)
hmmm, I wasn't overly impressed with this when I first made it, but make it ALL the time now (minus the vodka coz we didn't really see the point in that).  N is omni and he loves the red sauce with the ground almonds in. (shelloid)
I made this because everyone was saying it was good and my bf likes vodka sauce so it sounded like a good plan. I'd never had vodka sauce so I didn't have anything to compare it to, but I wasn't a big fan. Maybe because I didn't have fresh basil. Whoops. But the graininess from the almonds was weird and it was sort of thin tasting. Oh well. (algae)
Pumpkin baked ziti with caramelized onions and sage crumb topping
This was really, really, good.  I usually don't have luck using a version of tofu-"cheese" with pasta, but this one turned out great. Unfortunately, I didn't have any actual bread on hand, so I went against the tip that encourages to make your own bread crumbs, and I used some of the old plain store-bought ones.  The flavor is still the same, but I can see how using real bread would help give you the crunchiness you may want.  It takes a little while to get this going since you have to make the "cheese", process the walnuts and the bread, and you have to use a few extra pans, but it's totally worth it.  This is now one of my favorite recipes. (killer)
better than I expected.  I was this close  to tweaking the recipe and not putting the brown sugar or nutmeg in it because I was afraid it was going to taste sweet and pumpkin pie like.  It didn't at all.  I thought it was a bit dry, but maybe that's because I'm used to pouring gravy (aka tomato sauce) over baked ziti.  I also think I used too many breadcrumbs on top.  Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to having leftovers for lunch tomorrow.   (biodancer)
wasnt blown away.. maybe cus i didnt have any cayanne so i subbed a little chili powder, but it was kinda bland. the carmelized onions were the high point.. I used pecans instead of walnuts and i also used panko crumbs cus they were the only vegan crumbs at the store but there were WAY too many breadcrumbs called for in this!  2 and a half cups!  The layer was so thick and as soon as you scooped into it they went everywhere and every noodle had a coating of them, it was way too much.. if i ever make it again i'll only use 1- 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.  also - they were browned with 7 minutes left to cook.  Not bad, but i was definitely expecting more (ppc)
loved it! I had to use pine nuts in the riccota because there were worms in my cashews! but it still turned out great. I also just used regular bread crumbs with some sage added because I was too lazy to make the fancy breadcrumbs. I bet it'll be even better next time with the fancy breadcrumbs. I don' think it needed to bake the full amount of time though. I think it would be even better a little saucier. (lisa)
It made ALOT.  after about the 4th day of leftovers........I had had enough (the Cashew Ricotta was very good on its own, thinking of using it as a filling for ravioli (bcnutrition)
Doesn't this one sound sooo good? I thought so too, but it ended up kind of bland and really just...meh. It wasn't worth the effort in my opinion. (mamaanna)
I would add more seasoning to the pasta mixture and cut waaayyy back on the breadcrumbs, by at least half. The ricotta was awesome as well as the onions. LOTS of yummy leftovers. (iluvtomatoes)
Yummmmmmmm. I made some changes based on the reviews. I more than halved the amount of bread crumb topping, added more liquid to make the ricotta mixture saucier, and added more flavorings. Also, I used penne, one big onion, used lots of fresh basil in the ricotta, lime instead of lemon, ran out of cayenne, so I used lots of black pepper, had to use water instead of broth, and added some maple sugar and liquid smoke to the onions. I used lots of s and p! I did make the fresh bread crumbs. I really like how it turned out. It is a bit time consuming, but not too overwhelming, and it makes a ton. Oh, I think I also baked it for only about 20 minutes. I'm really glad I made it! (AC)
This was good but it wasn't anything I would make again in the future. I felt like the best part of the dish was the bread crumbs. (intheend)
I used roasted butternut squash instead of pumpkin. I love pretty much all baked pasta dishes, and I liked this too, but it wasn't all that special. The caramelized onions were really tasty though, and the sage crumb topping was a nice surprise. I usually hate sage!  (eldsjal)
I love this recipe!!! It's probably one of my favorites from this book. The combo of the creamy sauce, pasta and caramelized onions works well together. I sometimes eat this with hot sauce...yum! (kristinv)
Spaghetti and beanballs
Excellent. (hibiscus)
really good! I wanted to make the Beanball Subs (with pine nut cream & homemade marinara), but I was too lazy after work, so I just made the beanball part... They're delicious! I bet they'd be better in a sub, too, as I had a very hard time keeping the balls together... By the end, after flipping so much, it kind of turned to beanball mush, so it wasn't very pretty, but they tasted very good! I think next time I'll bake them so all that flipping in oil won't break them apart... They'll be healthier that way, too. Yum either way, though! (jessacita)
Really, really good. My only complaint is that I didn't think that one recipe of Marinara Sauce was enough to coat the bean balls and the spaghetti.  Next time, I think I'm going to add a can of tomato sauce too, since I prefer a less chunky sauce also. (killer)
I forgot the garlic, omitted the lemon zest, put to many beans and even after all that they tasted absolutely amazing! Next time I'll definitely be putting less beans so that they hold together properly and of course I'll put in the garlic. Perhaps I ought to try out the zest too, the time after that that I make them! Family favourite already! (healthymomma)
My only bone to pick is that they weren't firm enough and kind of fell apart and ended up becoming bean mush rather than balls... but they tasted great. The sauce says it yields 5 cups, but mine only came out to be about 2 cups worth. I read the ingredients list and double checked to see if I fucked something up and I hadn't, so I went ahead and added a 15 oz can of tomato sauce and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. It still wasn't enough sauce, but was simple and delicious. Next time I'll probably add more gluten to the beanballs and triple the sauce recipe (sb)
Confirmed!  The bean balls don't need the fat.  They were delicious. (mdv)
Mine have only turned out mushy if they're too big.  I also prefer to bake them with no sauce (dries them out a little) the add them to the sauce before serving. (mdv)
I got better results from baking the bean balls rather than frying them, they were delicious either  way, they just held up better with the marinara sauce when baked. (loulou)
not the worst faux meatball also not the best.  (bcnutrition)
my beanballs (pan fried) were total mush and made me cry (mamaanna)
I followed the recipe as directed and baked them instead of frying. I was lazy, so I used bottled pasta sauce and cooked that separately on the stovetop. After the balls were done baking, I transferred them to the pot of sauce and stirred the sauce to coat. Filled sub buns with the balls/sauce and topped with shredded parmesan. I found them to be tasty with a nice crunchy ouside and soft inside. My BF gobbled his two sandwiches up, but the only comment he made was 'what's this?' So, I am not sure what his actual reaction was or if he liked/hated it. I am sure I will make these again, but probably just for myself since he is not veg and gets a little leery of all the bean things I make. (iowachick)
I baked the beanballs and they came out fine. I made them walnut sized and they got kind of firm on the outside, but still fell apart in sauce. But I don't mind bean mush. It was very tasty and I'd make it again. Maybe with some additional gluten flour. (iluvtomatoes)
I thought these were good but they did not hold their shape too well.  I don't think I baked them long enough.  They have a nice flavor and were easy to make.  I made my own sauce to put on them.  It was good on a wrap. (monkey7)
hmm, not as good as I expected or hoped.  I followed the recipe exactly (minus lemon zest) and thought it seemed to mushy, but carried on a I wanted to see what the recipe was like as written.  I made 20 little bean balls out of the mixture as the recipe said that smaller was better and they looked like a good size.  I baked them and they seemed to be fine.....until I started eating them.  They really were too mushy for my tastes, and they lacked flavour.  The outside crispy bits were really good, but the rest were meh.  Disappointed and not sure I'd make again, or it I did there'd be major tweaking (shelloid)
It was alright. If I want beanballs, this is not the recipe I go to first. (eldsjal)
Minus the spaghetti. I made these and served them with the Marinara Sauce and Daiya Mozzarella on Frenchbread, with a side of sauteed spinach. I really enjoyed the flavor of the bean balls, but for a sub I wish they were a little less mushable. Still good though and I probably will make these again sometime. The sauce was delicous and super easy. (aggplanta)
Spicy tempeh and broccoli rabe with rotelle
I couldn't find any Broccoli Rabe, so I just tossed the hot pasta with a little olive oil and lotsa garlic and a package of organic arugula before I added the tempeh. It is sooooooo tasty, I cannot stop eating it. (pp)
great! Nice balance of flavors. I used kale in place of the rabe because that's what I had on hand. Next time I'll probably double the greens in it out of personal preference. (sb)
I made it again and its sosososososo good. I think I might make it for my family someday to introduce them to tempeh.  (pp)
I have made it for many omnis and it's a real crowd pleaser. (sb)
So extremely good.  I love the fennel and tomato paste combination in the tempeh sauce. (tweety)
I ate this with rice instead of noodles.  The broccoli rabe was too bitter for me.  I will make it with kale next time. The tempeh part was really good though. (monkey7)
I didn't like this at all but I guess it's because I like tempeh in certain things and not others. I made it for my partner and she said it was edible but she wouldn't request it again. (intheend)
I loved this! Very simple, very yummy. I only had 8 oz of tempeh so that's what I used, just reducing the amount of simmering liquid. I also upped the amount and replaced the broccoli rabe with just plain ol' broccoli (I HATE broccoli rabe). I have no idea why I waited to long to try this recipe. (dannibazaar)
I changed this up a bit, but it's so delicious. I used 2 large portobello mushrooms for the tempeh (and therefore simplified the method a bit), but kept the tempeh sauce the same (yum). I used tricolor rotini for the pasta, and added some broccoli along with the rabe. Really good! Very nice blend of everything. (AC)
I used kale in place of rabe because it's cheaper. This was so incredibly disgusting that I ended up throwing it out (and I never throw food out). It tasted horrible, almost like puke. I will never make this again. (minke)
Spinach linguine with basil cilantro pesto and artichokes
awesome!!  even without the spinach noodles.  i bet they would have been stellar with them though. (kelsi)
Yum! yumyumyumyumyum. This is a really good, garlicky and flavorful dish and it was a breeze to put together. I've made it a bunch of times and it rocks. (mamaanna)
I really like the pesto. The cilantro adds an extra summery feel, and almonds are a good, inexpensive alternative (but if I had pine nuts, I'd definitely use them here instead). I could take or leave the artichokes here... you could probably mix and match pastas and vegetables here, just because the pesto is so strong & converts everything it touches to tasty. (fb)
Really, good.  This would even be good cold as a pasta salad.   Couldn't find spinach linguine.  The best I could do was tri-colored rotini.  I think it would be good with any pasta. (biodancer)
Not as good as I thought it would be! I love pesto, but couldn't even tell the cilantro was in there, so it was just a not quite as good version of pesto. I added a zucchini to the saute which I really liked, but I didn't think the whole mixture/artichokes added much to the dish. The pesto just takes over in pesto fashion. I also didn't use the spinach linguine, but had whole wheat capellini. Still a good dinner, but won't make again. (AC)
Udon with shiitake mushrooms and kale in miso broth
It was awesome! I would highly recommend using a dark miso (I used a hearty brown rice miso) since it really lends a lot to the flavor. The only thing I changed what that I used dried shiitake mushroom slices instead of fresh since the local asian store was out of them. Go figure. I used the soaking liquid in place of 1 cup water. Very, very good. (iluvtomatoes)
I really enjoyed this.  I already had mellow white miso in my fridge so I used that.  I didn't think I needed to add more because it was mellow.  I also added tofu chunks and I used frozen shiitake mushrooms because that's all I could find. I plan on making this again. (biodancer)
Hell yes! This is so insanely delicious. I make this any time I make sushi at home.  (sb)
Yum! I did make a couple of changes. 1. I used a mixture of mushrooms (mostly crimini) instead of shiitake, because they are so expensive. 2. I used wide dried udon. 3. I used white wine instead of mirin. 4. I used red kale instead of green. I used a dark red miso. This dish is pretty easy, and extremely healthy. It's also really filling! There's really nothing to making it, except the little bit of chopping. It has subtle flavor, but is really satisfying. I'm sure it'd be even more flavorful with the shiitake. It's maybe not the best SUMMER dish, but really good! (AC)
i love this. i'm pretty sure that this is the only recipe that i've made twice this summer.   i've used cremini and portobello mushrooms.  it has a lovely mellow flavor that is delicious as is, and also very good with some added heat from rooster sauce.   (thirteenblackbirds)
Call me a bad vegan, but I didn't have kale so I left it out. I didn't want too many things floating in my soup anyway, so there. I like this with a little less miso and a bit of sugar added to make it a little sweet, like the udon soup at my favorite Japanese restaurant. Then, with the chewy shiitakes and and noodles, it's the you perfect cozy soup. (algae)
Sauces and fillings
5 minute mango chutney
served it with homemade stuffed spicy-potato chapati like bread. Also very, very good. (pp)
Apricot BBQ sauce
used a bag of frozen mango chunks instead of fresh apricots. it's absolutely delicious. I brought some to my dad and he put it on his steak (I know, I know) and loved it too. I will make this recipe time and time again. (sb)
I usually make it using a bag of frozen mango chunks and don't puree it because I like it chunky. Very, very tasty stuff! (sb)
Made this with friends tonight. We could only find dried apricots, but they worked just fine. The sauce really turned out delicious, just enough of each flavour - sweet, savoury, smoky...awesome. (tino)
SWOON. DROOL. words cannot describe how amazing this is! The first time I made it I only had dried apricots, which didn't do it justice...fresh ones make it absolutely amazing.  (tino)
even though I'm not too keen on apricots I decided to try this.  I'm glad I did, even though I mucked up the recipe.  I generally don't have molasses in stock but did....only I realised after I had added most the called for amount that it was blackstrap molasses (don't ask!).  I really thought I had ruined it, but after it had simmered and been blended I really liked it.  Will try again with normal molasses.  Oh yeah and I didn't use liquid smoke coz I didn't have any. (shelloid)
Backyard BBQ sauce
Very good recipe. Probably one of the best homemade BBQ sauces I've made. I can't wait to try the Apricot version of it! (sb)
good! I think it was my first time to make my own BBQ sauce, and I was pleased with it. I didn't measure anything, and I added a little too much cayenne..but I'll remember that next time. I used some chopped up whole tomatoes (canned) with the sauce, and added ketchup. I also added more liquid smoke..because I love it! I think I'll be making this the majority of the time that I want BBQ sauce..and maybe change it up a li'l! My sauce was a little bit 'chunkier' that usual..b/c my tomatoes were just kind of smooshed up. I'll puree it when I want a smoother sauce. (AC)
used homemade adobo sauce for the pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, and 2 tsp. of maple syrup for the sweetener.  I also added some coriander because I think BBQ tastes weird without it and used less liquid smoke.  Oh, and I used Liquid Aminos instead of salt. Well, I guess I kinda made Backyard BBQ Sauce. Anyway, it was awesome!  (mdv)
oh my goodness!!! it was soooo amazing.  im so glad i made extra. (kelsi)
ommm nom nom nom nom.  So good.  I only had diced (not crushed) tomatoes, so it was super chunky and I had to blend it with my stick blender.  I followed the exact recipe and I probably wouldn't change anything except perhaps more smoke because I like it.  I'm gonna use it for ribz.  Yay! (kmk)
Love this. My favorite barbecue sauce, including pre-made store-bought stuff. It's perfectly tangy and sweet, and has a touch of spiciness. I used golden molasses rather than blackstrap, so it was not as dark as typical barbecue sauce, but still had good molasses flavor. (fb)
I'm going to make these all the time. (aggplanta)
too sweet for my tastes (amymylove)
Tasty, but next time I'll make it a little less sweet. (eldsjal)
I followed the recipe exactly and it is awesome!  I've made a few different BBQ sauces and I think this is one of the best, so I'll be making it again.  Really good mixed up with tomato paste and used as pizza sauce.  I have a jar of this in my fridge and when it runs out i'll be making more. (shelloid)
Basil cilantro pesto
great. (sb)
all good, easy, inexpensive basic that you can rely on for a zillion different recipes. (mamaanna)
Couldn't tell the cilantro was added, and much prefer a regular pesto recipe. (AC)
Amazing! I think this is the first homemade pesto that is a hit in my kitchen. I liked the addition of cilantro. (haricot)
Cashew ricotta
amazing!  I made it to put on pizza last night, and I have been eating the leftovers with homemade marinara on water crackers all day today! It was awesome on pizza, and tastes a lot like goat cheese (which is the only cheese I still miss) on crackers! Wow! This stuff rocks. (jessacita)
I thought the ricotta was a little weird and tofuy, but not too bad. (lindsayloo)
delicious (ppc)
very pleased with the result.  next time I will throw a couple of pinenuts into the cashew ricotta. (jkl)
put it on some pizza and mix into pasta, it's so good and i always just used roasted salted cashews and then don't add as much salt if any to the mix.Anyway, I used frozen/thawed/pressed regular firm tofu which made to the leftover ricotta turn into a really firm spreadable cheeze. it reminded me of that garlicky herbed spreadable goat cheese (without that super strong goat cheese taste).. it was so good spread on crackers & topped with a slice of fresh tomato! (ppc)
tasty (willwolf)
good, easy, inexpensive basic that you can rely on for a zillion different recipes. (mamaanna)
Quick, rich and tasty! (sb)
really fabulous. I love it with fresh basil and lime. I'm going to be making it more often! It has perfect texture, and great flavor. (AC)
(added to baked rigatoni)  This stuff is AWESOME!  I really did not believe it would be good. I only used half the block of tofu and I thought it came out perfectly.  In case you try this recipe, see if you like it with just half and add more to your liking.  (eoberhauser)
the only vegan ricotta recipe I use.  (peaceablepalate)
This is awesome. I don't use as much lemon juice as the recipe calls for though. (eldsjal)
Almesan
tasty (willwolf)
Eh. This didn't do anything for me.  (iluvtomatoes)
Cheezy sauce
put it on top of pizza, a baked potato and mixed it in with some elbow macaroni for a quick version of the mac daddy (ie. no baking).  the only thing i changed was i left out the tumeric cus i don't have any, but it was really good.  it really didn't thicken up on the stovetop, but as it sat it did.  i'd make it again and definitely try the actual mac daddy recipe. (ppc)
I made it once exactly as directed.  It was good but I was not a fan of the overwhelming tumeric taste.  I ate it on boiled and thinly sliced potatoes and then topped tortilla casserole with the leftovers. Was good. Last night I made it again but left out the turmeric and mustard and replaced half the veggie broth with unsweetened soy milk.  This I served over noodles as a faux mac n cheese.  It was awesome even if it did not thicken after I added the soy milk at the end.  Was light and so tasty.  Do this! Do this NOW! (Cali)
has a good flavor and beautiful color, but doesn't thicken enough. It thickens as it cools, and then thins out again when you re-heat. I've made it a couple times, but there are better cheeze sauces. (nmpixie)
tasty. pretty standard compared to others i've made, but thickened up better. (tino)
I wanted to make mac & cheez, but didn't want to make the usual veganyumyum one which includes food processors, potatoes, and other things, so I made this and added some pasta and veggies. YUM. I thought about making the Mac Daddy recipe, but the added tofu and other things sounded too complicated for what my laziness allowed. I quartered this recipe (but used the full amount of garlic, he he) and it was still enough to cover an entire package of trader joe's brown rice elbows. Mine also thickened up a lot, I'm not sure why others' didn't? (sog)
it's been a while, but I remember this being good and not too complicated. (tino)
I found this sauce rather bland, although I'm addicted to nooch. I know cheezy sauce recipes that are much simpler and tastier. (haricot)
I was very pleasantly surprised by this sauce!  I wasn't expecting much but it was cheezy, zesty, creamy, and delicious.  I served it one night on top of steamed purple sprouting broccoli, and then the next day over potato and leek cakes.  Yum! (spinach k)
Chile chocolate mole

Citrus date sesame sauce

Cranberry chile dipping sauce
Delicious. Very surprised by this. I followed the recipe, but used jalapenos for the chiles. I think I left seeds in 1/2 of one; I didn't want it to be too spicy. The flavors work really well together. The consistency was great for a dipping sauce. I made mine the day before, so it chilled overnight/day. Great for the butternut squash rice paper rolls. I liked how there were a couple more intact cranberries, and varying cranberry consistencies. I would make this again. It's really pretty, too. (AC)
Dill tahini sauce
good. I ate the remaining sauce with crackers and chips. (sb)
I can't get enough of this sauce. I put it on everything, when I'm not eating it by the spoon. (haricot)
Green pumpkin seed mole

Holiday cranberry sauce
Fantastic!!! (sb)
which I have already reviewed as the best in the world... but I added some cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander into it because last time I used a spiced apple cider and it was fabulous that way. I couldn't find any spiced apple cider, so I just went with regular and improvised the spiced part (the recipe actually just calls for apple cider, but the spices took it to a whole new level!) (sb)
Horseradish dill sour cream
love it, but I love anything that is horseradish-related! (sb)
Instant love. I make it with prepared horseradish and I love it so much I sometimes eat it with a spoon. I tried it too with half the oil that was asked for and it was still perfect. (haricot)
Jalapeno corn gravy
It was so flippin' delicious. I am going to cut the jalapeno in half for thanksgiving so it's more hearty with only a little kick. For everyday use, it's perfect as is!!! (sb)
wasn't thrilled with it. I wanted the "gravy" to be creamier.  Did I miss something, or was it just my expectations?  It tasted nice.  A bit sweet, due to the corn.  I dunno.    (nutdragon)
had to sub fresh plum tomatoes for the corn. It was really good! I added the tomatoes right before serving because I didn't want it to taste like spaghetti sauce. (mdv)
had it over over mashed potatoes/seitan/veggies tonight.  holy shit.  it was awesome!!!  i am so glad i made a full recipe.  i cant wait to slather it on other things. (kelsi)
I'm not sure whether to call this a gravy, a chowder, or a sauce. It's somewhere in that region. Anyway, I love yellow corn, and this was on the spot. It's not super spicy either, so I think I might be lazy next time and just leave the jalapeño seeds in. (fb)
I love corn. And jalapeño. And onion. This gravy hit the spot! It was very thick, but I didn't mind. (eldsjal)
awesome! i am so happy i made this - I loved it. my only changes were that i was lazy and left in the jalapeno seeds, only had vanilla soy milk, and was out of sage.  I served this over baking powder biscuits and alongside a marinated/grilled portobello mushroom.  one of the tastiest dinners i've had in a while! (thirteenblackbirds)
Marinara sauce
I love it's simplicity. (vegan1)
The marinara was nothing special- what you would expect of a canned pasta sauce. (lindsayloo)
bland and tomato-ey.  I think the seasonings would work better with fresh tomatoes.  I felt the urge to leave the dinner table and grab olives and roasted peppers from the fridge to liven things up. (mdv)
tasty (willwolf)
Simple, but needs to be cooked longer. It's also really awesome if you use freshly picked tomatoes, roast them in the oven and triple the cooking time in the pan. Bombbb (sb)
Blah. Too bland, needs a little sweetness. (eldsjal)
delicous and super easy. (aggplanta)
I made this and used it for lasagna and it was great, no complaints. I should try some of the variations sometime to eat with pasta instead of jarred sauce. I'm just wasting money on that stuff. (algae)
Caramelized onion
I do usually make my own marinara, so the main difference here was just less seasoning. I used stewed tomatoes that I crushed, and added some fresh basil at the end. Good for the beanballs. (AC)
Mushroom

Olive

Roasted garlic

Roasted red pepper

Mushroom gravy
best gravy ever.  Seriously, these two recipes go together like peas and carrots.  You must try. (kendrakat)
pretty disappointed.  It didn't have much flavor at all.  (biodancer)
delicious on mashed potatoes and chickpea cutlets.  comes together really easy, too. (ppc)
good, easy, inexpensive basic that you can rely on for a zillion different recipes. (mamaanna)
this is a decent recipe. I've had better, but it was easy. Can't complain too much about that (sb)
Yeah, this is a good gravy. I like the method of always mixing the flour with the broth; always works well. I added a bit of chopped bell pepper that I had leftover. Halved the recipe, and was still a good amount. Would make again. (AC)
yummy with chickpea cutlets, but the next day it looked like jello, which kind of sucks since I'm serving it to my coworkers tomorrow for cash... It still tastes good but looks gross. (amymylove)
Love it!  Full of rich flavour.  Served it on top of chickpea cutlets, mashed taters, and green beans.  Mid-winter heaven. (spinach k)
Mustard sauce
Really good. (willwolf)
I would probably add a tsp or two of agave if serving the mustard sauce to others, maybe my mustard is just extra zesty? (mdv)
I didn't care for the mustard sauce. Normally I love capers but I didn't like them in this sauce. Maybe I just bought some really cheap quality capers. The dijon mustard I used is kind of potent too so this may have been too much as well. I might change up the recipe a bit and try again. (iluvtomatoes)
i was expecting better form the mustard sauce, i have to say. i did feel quite ina garten-y though while i was making it..she does like to use mustard a lot. a "good dijon mustard" haha. (ponycakes)
I liked the mustard sauce a lot--poured it over cutlets and the roasted potatoes I made to go with.  I did cut the amount of mustard in half and stirred in a bit of plain soymilk to cut the saltiness.  Very tasty. (kaykayaa)
uhmaaazing (allularpunk)
really good, but i had to use salt instead of soy sauce cus i was out which probably made it lose some flavor. (ppc)
This sauce rules. Fuck the haters. I use a really sharp tasting dijon, and it really cleas the sinuses!! (sb)
I LOVE this Sauce. It is great on the chickpea cutlets, mashed potatoes, asparagus, etc. The first 5 times I made the recipe, I didn't have whole grain dijon, just regular dijon. The sauce came out kinda potent but my husband and I really liked it. The last time I made it I bought whole grain dijon and we actually didn't like it as much...thought it was too sweet. Next time I'll go back to the regular plain dijon. (NJgirl)
Loved it! P liked it, too. I used a bit of spicy brown mustard, and then regular Dijon. My edition actually didn't say to add the veg broth/cornstarch mixture, so I just added it with everything. Thickened up nicely, nice sauce texture. I'm sure I'll make it again. Good flavor! I might cut back even more on the capers, because they are always strong. (AC)
Nice!  I ended up omitting the capers because the capers I have are really old and I was a bit suss about ruining the sauce.  I'm pretty new to liking mustard but enjoyed this and it went really well with the chickpea cutlets. (oww)
I didn't like this sauce. (haricot)
Red wine roux
very gravy-esque and works wonders on mashed potatoes and the chickpea cutlets. I prefer it to the mustard sauce. (sb)
I didn't like the red wine roux as much as I thought I would. It didn't have much flavor to me. I'm thinking I may make it again, but use more wine than water & increase the garlic, shallots, & herbs. (lisa)
delicious with the chickpea cutlets.  I am so excited about this book! (jakewillcook)
This did not come out anywhere near what I was expecting. I was imagining a type of red wine reduction/sauce, or something. It's more like a savory, herbed gravy with some red wine. I'm not a big fan, and I didn't really like the method. It's an ok gravy, but I won't be making it again. (AC)
Salsa verde
I was so glad that I got me some tomatillos, first of all. Secondly, I went looking for other salsa verde recipes on the 'net to see how 'authentic' this one was (and this one won). We loved it, and managed to eat it all between the two of us. (fb)
I've made this using fresh tomatillos and canned. Fresh is better, but canned is also really good if you're in a pinch. (sb)
Sour cilantro cream
i made the baja tacos with the sour cilantro cream instead of lime crema this evening for dinner.  wowwww they were still sososososososooo good. im in awe. (ponycakes)
yum! i made some corn tortillas and put seasoned mashed potatos (cilantro, cumin, EB and soymilk) in the middle and then grilled them in my cast iron. yum. it does make a TON so plan a party! (baypuppy)
Sooo good! I was not expecting it to be so good. I actually used firm tofu, because there was NO soft or silken left, but it turned out just the same, I think. Great, anyway. Yum, yum, yum. (AC)
I thought this was very good.  So perfect with any Mexican dish.  It makes too much for just one or two people though.  I don't know what to do with it all.  I wonder how it would freeze. (purpledancer)
Tangy and delicious, this sauce will really liven up any texmex creation you're cooking! (sb)
pretty good on some black bean and corn quesadillas, and I'm saving it for the black bean burgers I'm making this week. The only thing that threw me off was the suggestion to add the cilantro with the stems and not chop it or anything. I prefer for it to be chopped, stems removed. (wannagovegan)
Spiced yogurt sauce
great (sb)
Sweet vidalia onion sauce
made with my chickpea cutlets and mashed potatoes tonight for dinner. Very delicious stuff! I added some black pepper because it was a touch on the sweet side and I wanted something to counteract it. It worked perfectly as a gravy and as a topping for the cutlets. (sb)
I made this according to recipe, using the white wine. I think I could have cooked the onions a little longer, because they were soft..but maybe not quite caramelized. The "sauce" by recipe is not really saucy at all. It's more like an onion topping. I ended up adding some more white wine, a bouillon cube, water, and pepper. I made it saucy that way, and it was delicious. The flavor was really good, but I don't see how it would be saucy, as written. For onion lovers! Good for chickpea cutlets. (AC)
Tofu ricotta
really good, i put it on a pizza and it definitely added to it. (ppc)
I add way more dried herbs than the recipe calls for but I keep everything else the same. Great for lasagna! (iluvtomatoes)
Great! I think I added a lot more salt because I used it in a calzone, and skipped the pepper. I had no idea what I'd do with the leftovers, but I just mixed it with diced tomatoes and ate it as is. Yum. (glittermoon)
great recipe, and quite versatile! (sb)
Excellent! This was perfect in a lasagna I made. Very versatile.  (algae)
This is good, and worked really well for manicotti, but I prefer the cashew ricotta. The cashew one has much more flavor, and doesn't taste like tofu (which I don't mind, but don't always want that). I do think the texture of this one is better for some things. P said he liked this one better than cashew. They are both good! This is super easy to make. (AC)
Great! Very cheezy. Especially good in lasagna, with vegan cream cheese. Mmmm... (eldsjal)
Tropical avocado salsa fresca
(didn't have tomatoes, so I just used 2 mangoes, some chopped red bell pepper, and a tiny bit of red onion, plus a tiny bit of cayenne pepper).  wonderful. Restaurant quality! (pp)

love u, sb