Veganomicon Recipes
OK, I bought my copy of Veganomicon (cookbook from the same authors as Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) last week at Barnes & Noble. Over the weekend, I made my first recipes from the book. I made the Chickpea Cutlets with the Mustard Gravy. I also made the Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans. For sweets, I made the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies. Everything was really good. I've been having a difficult time staying away from the cookies, they're so good (very thin, crispy, chewy!). Has anyone else here purchased this cookbook yet and made any recipes? I'd love to hear what people are making and enjoying from this cookbook. I really enjoy Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's other cookbooks, and I'm looking forward to exploring more in this new book.
Acorn Squash and black bean empanadas: well, I used pink beans instead of black beans, since that's what I had, but I don't think that made a difference. These were marvelous and well worth all the effort. The dough for these is sooo tasty and the the filling has a really good, interesting flavor. My parents loved them and were very impressed. Empanadas are fun to eat, too!
Empanadas are fun to eat, too!
And fun to say! Empanadas!
i made the chickpea cutlets with mashed white beans instead - i used some extra seasonings and added nutritional yeast.. they turned out great!
Yeah, I know we talk about them, and talk about them, but these things are so freaking forgiving. I just made them with Great Northern beans, chopped up garlic sesame sticks for the bread crumbs, leftover mushroom marinade for the soy sauce, garlic salt for the garlic, no lemon, no thyme....and they are good.
I must say, it really makes a huge, huge difference if you fry these. Baking is just not the same!
i made the chickpea cutlets with mashed white beans instead - i used some extra seasonings and added nutritional yeast.. they turned out great!
Yeah, I know we talk about them, and talk about them, but these things are so freaking forgiving. I just made them with Great Northern beans, chopped up garlic sesame sticks for the bread crumbs, leftover mushroom marinade for the soy sauce, garlic salt for the garlic, no lemon, no thyme....and they are good.
I must say, it really makes a huge, huge difference if you fry these. Baking is just not the same!
yeah yeah.. maybe next time i'll make a mini one and fry it & bake the rest.. just so i can say ive tried it.
i made the chickpea cutlets with mashed white beans instead - i used some extra seasonings and added nutritional yeast.. they turned out great!
Yeah, I know we talk about them, and talk about them, but these things are so freaking forgiving. I just made them with Great Northern beans, chopped up garlic sesame sticks for the bread crumbs, leftover mushroom marinade for the soy sauce, garlic salt for the garlic, no lemon, no thyme....and they are good.
I must say, it really makes a huge, huge difference if you fry these. Baking is just not the same!
I like these with chickpeas, but I actually like them best with Great Northern beans! I also never add the lemon zest, usually use a little sea salt instead of all the soy sauce, more sage, garlic powder instead of minced garlic, and a million other substitutions. They always turn out great.
The first time I made these, I baked them & thought they were "Meh." Then I fried them & liked them much better! However, I just really don't like frying my food, so I went back to baking (spraying each cutlet with a thin layer of canola oil), and I looooove them. I don't know if anything changed from the first time I baked them or if spraying with oil really makes that much difference... But these are so easy & so good, and I usually make them once a week, at least.
Well, everyone should at least try frying them to see if they like them better. I'll probably try baking them again, too. I think I made mine with pintos that time.
Well, everyone should at least try frying them to see if they like them better.
Oh, I agree. I was just saying that for some reason, I like them baked now way more than I did the first time I tried them. I think my expectations were too high.
Well, everyone should at least try frying them to see if they like them better.
Oh, I agree. I was just saying that for some reason, I like them baked now way more than I did the first time I tried them. I think my expectations were too high.
Yeah, I gotcha! ;)b
I made the mushroom pate- yum!!! I just used 2 cloves of garlic though, instead of 3 & added red wine to the mushrooms as they cooked instead of broth, oh & I added a little liquid smoke. Instead of serving it as a pate, I made mini pie shells & put the pate in those with some paprika on top for color. Everyone liked them.
Also, I made the potatoe latkes & they were a big hit. I salted them after frying & served with a lazy version of the horseradish dill sourcream. I just used tofutti sour cream & added horseradish & dried dill instead of messing with tofu & all.
;)b ;)b
re: the chickpea cutlets - ive never used the lemon zest either, but i do put a splash of bottled lemon juice in.
ok. next time i'll fry a mini one as an appetizer. then i'll use jessacitas technique for half of the baked ones.
ok, i fried a mini cutlet - it was good, but i think i had the heat too high cus the outside cooked really fast and the middle might have been softer than intended - anyway, it was good. i also sprayed half of the larger ones when i baked them but didnt notice much of a difference.. maybe it's cus i use a silpat?
mustard sauce - really good, but i had to use salt instead of soy sauce cus i was out which probably made it lose some flavor.
prospect park potato salad - delicious! i love it, even before it was chilled it's really good. i like the mayo/mustard/dill mix alot.
Lots of reviews coming your way...
Greek-style tomato-zucchini fritters with fresh herbs I've made these a couple of times and really love the flavor of these. I used dried herbs, because it was what I had, but I'm sure they'd be even better with fresh herbs. The fritters come out very soft and fall apart easily, even with added breadcrumbs, but this doesn't bother me. Maybe I didn't get enough excess liquid out. I also used more garlic because I can never put only 1 clove in anything. It's a bit time consuming to pan fry them all but well worth it.
Walnut-mushroom pate
This stuff is heavenly! I've lost count how many times I've made it. Mostly for get-togethers and it gets devoured. This recipe needs no modifications, it is so good. However, I generally serve it stuffed inside puff pastry. I roll out the pastry, cut it into small appetizer sized squares, put a dollop on one half and fold the pastry over and bake. This has always been a hit at dinner parties.
Mushroom and spinach strata
This is fairly quick to put together but takes a while to bake, so plan ahead. I found the rosemary to be a bit overwhelming, but otherwise, it was delicious. I think I just prefer rosemary to be more subtle. A little goes a long way.
Quinoa salad with black beans and mango
Very tasty and healthy salad. It makes a lot but doesn't store well if the mango is juicy. Mine got a bit too liquidy after sitting. Definitely serve this fresh. Also, the mango I used was very ripe and sweet. I think next time I'll use a more tart, less sweet mango and add avocado and a bit more vinegar. Very nice, refreshing salad.
Black bean burgers
Reminiscent of chickpea cutlets. Personally, I found these to be very bland. I like my recipe for black bean burgers better although I did alter my recipe to add gluten flour for a chewier texture.
Saffron garlic rice
Awesome! I cooked the rice in Knorr veg buillion, which adds a great flavor. I don't really taste the saffron so I might add more next time. The crunchy almonds is a must and compliments the dish very well. Very simple rice dish that would go with just about anything.
Chile cornmeal-crusted tofu
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?
Eggplant rollatini with spinach and toasted pine nuts
Yup, very time consuming. I wouldn't make this regularly but with helpers its's much easier. I made this for my so's bday and a dinner party and both times it got rave reviews. One major change I made is that I didnt' bother frying the eggplant. I did it for 3 slices and a lot of bread crumbs came off and the eggplant drinks oil. I baked them instead, without bread crumbs, and they came out just fine. Also, I added a slice of Tofurkey Italian style sausage to each rollatini and everyone liked it.
Eggplant-potato moussaka with pine nut cream
Definitely very time consuming. I loved the flavor of the sauces so I'll see how I can modify this to cut down on prep time. Moussaka in general is time consuming (and fattening) so I wouldn't fault this particular recipe. It isn't something I'm jumping to make again though. I'll have to be really craving it and it will be a modified recipe.
Spaghetti squash Mexicana with tropical avocado salsa fresca
I really liked this. It's something very different and unexpected. I actually liked the squash on its own without the salsa.
Sauteed seitan with mushrooms and spinach
Too bland for my preference. It's a good base to start with but I would add more seasoning.
Spaghetti and beanballs
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.
Pumpkin baked ziti with caramelized onions and sage crumb topping
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.
Tofu ricotta
I add way more dried herbs than the recipe calls for but I keep everything else the same. Great for lasagna!
Almesan
Eh. This didn't do anything for me.
Skillet corn bread
Excellent! I've made this many times already. Both plain and with jalapenos and onions added. So super easy and cornbread was meant to be made in a cast iron skillet. Very quick to throw together. Even on a weekday.
Carrot-pineapple sunshine muffins
Holy moly are these awesome! I made two batches in a row. They're dense and moist and super yummy! Go make them now!
Pistachio-rose water cookies
These turned out terribly for me. They totally spread as they baked and became very hard. I followed the recipe exactly and I'm a decent baker so I don't know what went wrong. The flavor is amazing though. I might try these again.
Chewy chocolate-raspberry cookies
Very quick and easy to make and they tasted awesome. Raspberry + chocolate = yumminess.
Berry-coconut crisp
Really, really good! I love the coconut in this and I ate the whole thing myself over 2 days. Definitely double the berry filling since it is a bit thin. I need to make this again!
Lots of reviews coming your way...
:wow: ;D ;)b
Chewy chocolate-raspberry cookies
I liked these - not too fruity. They stayed fine out of the fridge for a whole week! And stayed chewy. Good balance of flavors.
I baked the Lower-Fat Banana Bread again, this time as muffins with chocolate chips in them.
I also baked The Joy of Vegan Baking Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins for comparison.
They were both very good, but I think the Veganomicon recipe works better as a banana bread than as a muffin, as suggested in the recipe. The muffins didn't rise as well as the JOVB ones.
I also think the Lower- Fat Banana Bread is best without the chocolate chips, and I love chocolate chips. But in this recipe, I think the chocolate chips overwhelm the wonderful banana, molasses and spice flavors. This is really a fabulous banana bread recipe which I plan to bake again.
Chocolate chip brownie waffles
These were the most decadent waffles ever. They were more like cake in waffle form. But, they were hell to clean up after in the waffle iron, probably mostly because of the chocolate chips. Maybe next time I'll do this as pancakes just to simplify clean up.
Like faunablues and others, I really enjoyed the Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies too. Although I think next time I might use only 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract because it overwhelmed the raspberry and chocolate flavors a little.
The omni I baked these cookies for described them as "rich" and "one of the best cookies I've ever made," which is saying a lot coming from someone who is a deathly honest food critic. (Same person who left the Carrot Pineapple Sunshine Muffin half eaten on his plate).
In this recipe, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla and almond flavors are packed into one soft and sweet little cookie. They are easy to bake. Since they don't puff out much, I was able to fit them all on one cookie sheet. I think next time I might shake powdered sugar over them so they look especially elegant on a white doily-lined plate.
braised seitan w/ kale, brussels. & sundried tomatoes - Loved it! i used a medium sized onion in place of the shallots (sauteed in a bit of water -no oil), regular sundried tomatoes (not in oil), cooking sherry for the wine, and the last of my turkey style seitan from the vegandad blog. i added some sauteed baby bellas to the leftovers & in the future if i don't have seitan on hand i think a can of chickpeas would do fine. i just ate it as is - not over anything and got 2 hearty servings out of it. im sad it's gone.
cheezy sauce- 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.
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.
Spicy tempeh and brocolli rabe........So extremely good. I love the fennel and tomato paste combination in the tempeh sauce.
Pages