Tag Archives: cookbook love

Let Them Eat Vegan – Cookbook Review

26 Mar

I am honored to review a copy of Let Them Eat Vegan, the newest cookbook by Dreena Burton.

20120323-065901.jpgI’ve got two of Dreena’s other cookbooks, Eat Drink and Be Vegan and Vive La Vegan and both have several dog-eared and food stained pages due to frequent use.

Dreena is a vegan mom in the trenches of motherhood, so most of the recipes in Let Them Eat Vegan are quite family friendly. I LOVE that this cookbook has recipes built around whole foods. I get a little tired of vegan cookbooks that call for lots of processed vegan foods – vegan cheese, lots of tofu, vegan sour cream, vegan ‘meat.’ Will those foods are indeed more animal welfare friendly, I do have concerns about eating any highly processed foods.  I am personally not vegan (I’m vegetarian, so I do eat some dairy and eggs) and am drawn to vegan recipes that don’t use a lot of vegan processed foods. This cookbook delivers those recipes.

Things I loved about this cookbook:

  • Clean recipes with fresh, whole ingredients
  • Wonderfully informative first chapter on a plant powered kitchen – lots of good information in one spot.
  • The majority of the recipes are soy free or have a soy-free option
  • All recipes are either wheat free or gluten free
  • Index that lets you search for recipes by ingredient
  • A good mix of kid friendly recipes and more flavorful ‘gourmet’ style recipes
  • Most of the recipes include commentary and tips, which I think is so helpful

Things I wish were added to this cookbook:

  • More pictures of the recipes.
  • Nutritional information for the recipes.
  • Someone to come and cook the recipes for me. (kidding) (not really, but I don’t fault the cookbook for it)
I think this is a great cookbook for anyone looking for clean, whole food based recipes. Even the meat-eaters among us can agree that we all need more good, healthy plant-based recipes. If you aren’t a vegan, still give this cookbook a chance. You won’t find recipes full of processed vegan ingredients trying to masquerade as ‘tasting just like the real (animal produce containing) thing.’ You will find recipes full of flavor and healthy ingredients that taste fantastic.  If you are vegan or vegetarian, well, you probably already have planned on buying this cookbook, as Dreena’s reputation is well built in the veg community.  For good reason.

I baked the Sugar Free Chocolate Cake into cupcakes. The recipe title is a bit of a mis-nomer, as there are natural sugars from dried fruit and a bit of maple syrup, but it is a granulated sugar free cake. It’s also made with spelt flour, which is a little better for you than wheat flour.

My daughter doesn’t do chocolate cake even with added sugar (I know!?!?!) , so I didn’t have her try it. My little guy likes chocolate cake and he said these were ‘just okay.’ My husband and I liked them, although we both thought they tasted more like a healthy chocolate muffin than a decadent chocolate cake. They freeze well and I look forward to pulling a muffin out of the freezer on the days I’m eating on the go. I will repeat this recipe.

We had the Kid’s Cheesy Chickpea and White Bean Soup for dinner on Wednesday. This one pleased 3 out of 4, which is a success in my book (my little guy can be picky about soups). It was wonderfully creamy and comforting.

White beans made their second appearance on our table in the Corn Chowder Quinoa Casserole.  The husband and I loved this recipe, but the kids were just s0-so about it.  I think I may tweak it to do other chowder type flavors – maybe potato – and try it again.

I’ve got these recipes in the queue: Whole Grain Chia Pancakes, Kale Salad with Curried Almond Dressing, VegVeeta Dip, Almond Roasted Cauliflower, Festive Chickpea Tart, White Bean Sweet Potatoe Pasta Sauce, , Triple Threat Chocolate Coconut Macaroons and Pumpkin Cake. And every recipe in the Ice Cream chapter….

Want a sneak peak at one of the recipes in the book? Try these Cocoa Cookie Dough Balls. They are delicious and are perfect for a pre-workout snack. Or pre-laundry, which I should be doing instead of working out,  snack. We’ve eaten the whole batch in 2 days.

Cocoa Cookie Dough Balls

reprinted with permission from Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton

Makes 14 to 16 dough balls

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds (see note for nut-free option)
1/2 cup + 2 TBS rolled oats
A few pinches of sea salt (about a scant 1/8 tsp)
1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TBS nondairy chocolate chips or cocoa nibs (optional)
A few teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, unrefined sugar, or a combination of both, for dusting/rolling (optional)

In a food processor, process the almods until fine and crumbly.  Then add remaining ingredients and (except the optional chocolate chips) pulse or process.  Once the mixture starts to become crumbly, process fully for a minute or two.  It will appear as if nothing is happening at first, that the mixture is just whirring around in crumbs, but soon it will start to become sticky.  When you see it start to become a little sticky, add the chocolate chips and process again.  Continue to process until it forms a ball on the blade.  Stop the machine and remove the dough.

Take small coops of the dough (1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons in size) and roll in your hand.  Repeat until you have rolled all of the dough.  Toss or roll the balls in the coating, if using,, and refrigerate.  Eat and repeat often.

Allergy-Free or Bust!  For a nut-free version, replace the almonds with just 1/4 cup of raw pumkin seeds, and add another 1/4 cup of rolled oats.

If This Apron Could Talk:  Make a double batch and freeze half.  They thaw very well.

Kid-Friendly:  These are excellent to pack in school lunches, with a nut-free option for you if nuts aren’t permitted in your school.

Savvy Subs and Adds:  Replace vanilla with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or orange oil.

Monday Night Buddha Bowls

22 Aug

First, I need to let you know that I cried in the school parking lot this morning after dropping off my way-to-little-to-be-in-kindergaren-but-really-she’s-almost-six daughter.  I’m not one that cries easily, but watching her be simultaneously brave, nervous and excited while walking into a class room, finding her own locker and then her own chair while wearing clothes that she chose, hair she fixed herself and shiny white sneaker was enough to make the tears come.  Sigh.

Okay, back to food.  Food isn’t making me cry today…

I’ve blogged before about our Buddha Bowl dinners inspired by Kris Carr’s Buddha Bowls in Crazy Sexy Diet.  They’ve become a weekly meal in my little lively kitchen.  Every Monday I pull out the rice cooker and chop up whatever veggies I have on hand.  My ‘recipe,’ if you will, is something like this:

Grain:

Brown Rice or Quinoa

Vegetables- any combination of the following:

  • celery
  • carrots
  • broccoli
  • red peppers
  • onions
  • green beans (my kids prefer them roasted)
  • mushrooms
  • kale, sliced finely
  • spinach, sliced
  • zucchini
Sauces/Seasoning (one or more of the following):
  • Toasted Sesame Oil
  • Liquid Aminos
  • Namu Shoyu (or soy sauce)
  • Gomasio
  • Chopped peanuts and/or cashews

Lately the husband and I make a big stir-fry with the vegetables and then stir in a couple of beaten eggs and the rice to make a fried rice of sorts.

My kindergartener (sniff sniff) makes her plate.

The husband or I make up my still-at-home little guy’s plate.  He doesn’t eat as many vegetables as his sister, so we have to add a few other things to his plate.  In the picture below he has a yogurt and a nut-based ‘dough ball’ from this recipe at Oh She Glows.

I used to make a big pot of veggie soup every Monday in efforts to detox a little from the typical heavier-than-normal eating from the weekend and use up some of the produce in the fridge, but with the unrelenting summer here, soup is a little too warming to eat now.  The Buddha Bowls have served the same purpose – lots of produce, clean ingredients and a night of the week where I don’t have to wonder what’s for dinner.

Tonight, even though it’s Monday and that should mean Buddha Bowl night, we are having a special dinner (chosen by the school girl herself) to celebrate the first day of school.  I’m hoping to blog about her special day of food for this week’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Any of you sending off your babes to school today?  

Watermelon Gazpacho

22 Jun

I’ve been eyeing the Watermelon Gazpacho soup in Raw Food, Real World for a while.  The problem is we seem to eat watermelons as fast as I cut them, so I never have an extra 4 cups of watermelon sitting around to use in the soup.

Yesterday I got smart and made the soup as I was carving a fresh watermelon.  It is much easier to put the fresh watermelon straight into the blender than to count on having enough left over after the kids (and adults) in this house have their way with the watermelon tub in the fridge.

ps – Want to ensure you have some watermelon just to yourself?  Mix it with cilantro, tomatoes and green onions into a cold soup.  Your kids won’t touch it….

Watermelon Gazpacho (raw)

 inspired by Raw Food, Real World

3 cups watermelon, seeded and pureed in a high-speed blender
1 cup watermelon, diced small
3/4 cup seeded tomato, diced small (about 1 large or 2 small tomatoes)
1/2 cup peeled, seeded cucumber, diced small
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 scallion, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large glass bowl or container, combine the watermelon puree with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate to chill. This recipe should keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.


It’s like a bowl of summer…. so refreshing……

Are you a watermelon fan?  Do you prefer yours plain or with tomatoes and cilantro?  :)

Chickpea Burgers

11 Mar

Thanks for all the feedback on my new name and site.  The nice comments really made my day yesterday.  You guys rock.

I found a bean burger recipe that my husband likes.  Big news.  He eats most everything I make, but, at times, I know he just does it because he loves me.  He is a wonderful sport and is game for any meal as long as it doesn’t involve ‘hot fruit or curry’ (his words).  Still, I know there are meals that I like a lot more than he does.  This one, however, he ate willingly.

I started with this recipe from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan:

Here is my version.

(Husband Approved) Chickpea Burgers

  • 2 tsp grapeseed oil
  • 1 c onion, chopped
  • 3/4 c celery, chopped
  • 1/4 c carrots, chopped
  • 2 c cooked chickpeas
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 c cooked brown rice
  • 3/4 c quick oats
  • 3-3 Tbsp grapeseed oil for frying
  1. Saute oil, onions, celery, carrots and garlic over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until tender and fragrant.  Set aside
  2. Combine chickpeas, Worcestershire, tamari and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor.  Process until pureed.
  3. Add sauteed vegetables and 1 cup cooked rice to food processor and puree to mix well.
  4. Add remaining rice and pulse to incorporate, retaining some texture.
  5. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in oats.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Remove from fridge and shape into patties.
  7. Fry in oil over medium heat until golden on each side.

These turned out really good.  They are quite savory with the Worcestershire and tamari.  The kids didn’t like them, probably because of the strong onion and Worcestershire flavor.  Conversely, because of the onion and Worcestershire, my husband really liked them.  He took them for lunch the next day mashed into a wrap with lettuce.  I cooked up the leftovers a few days later and, for the first time ever, he asked ‘do we have more of those chickpea burgers?’

I had to blog about it – my husband asking for chickpeas deserves to be written down for posterity.

Verdict – 2 adult thumbs up, 2 kid thumbs down.

 

Peanut Butter + Hummus = Good

21 Jan

I am a bit of a library cookbook addict and only a very small percentage of the books I check out actually become books I buy.  One of those was Eat Drink and Be Vegan.

This week I made the Peanut Sesame Hummus (on pg 51).  YUM!  It has chickpeas, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, tamari and a few other seasonings.  It was delicious with celery and carrots and would have loved to been eaten with snap peas, but, alas, I had none.

 

What is your favorite kind of hummus?

 

Drunken Beans with Faux-Rizo

20 Jan

Part 2 of the seitan chorizo experiment…

After letting the sausages chill overnight, I took out 3 to use in the Drunken Beans with Seitan Chorizo recipe from Viva Vegan.  It is basically pinto beans cooked with onions, roasted serranos, spices, beer and diced tomatoes.

As I do most times when I make pinto beans, I remember after I make them that I should only make 1/2 lb instead of the full recipe. That is a lot of beans and one can only make so many dinners out of the musical fruit in a week.

I wanted to make something else that I knew the kids would eat, since they are both pretty leery of recipes with spices in them.  I attribute it to the fact that they were both conceived in Minnesota and that somehow ensured that they receive the MN-bland taste buds.  In the spirit of bland-ness, I made plain rice with our new rice cooker that I absolutely love.

I also decided to try my hand at making corn tortillas. In college I actually worked for 2 years in a Cereal Quality Lab where the students and professors tested the quality of various cereal grains from around the state and country.  One of the tests of corn quality was to bake it into a tortilla and then use all kinds of fancy and pricey instruments to test attributes of the tortilla.  So you could say I’ve watched more tortillas being made than the average person.  I have never actually made them by hand though.  I figured that a couple of food science degrees should mean that I have a reasonable chance at making something with 3 ingredients (corn meal, water and salt) and that countless home cooks with much more rudimentary kitchens than I have can turn out daily.  It was actually quite easy.  So easy, in fact, that a child can do it*:

* And by ‘do it’ I mean she could shape the tortillas.  I handled the cooking part.  She is only 5 and I’m giving her at least 2 years before she is in charge of making family dinners.  I kid.

The beans and tortillas cooked side by side like the natural partners they are:

And dinner was served.

The verdict?  Good, but I didn’t think the sausages added much.  The beans were delicious and I will be making them again, but without the seitan chorizo.  For the amount of work (and cost of the ingredients), the chorizo didn’t come through.  I have 3 more in the freezer that I’ll try in another recipe or application, but I’m not rushing to make another batch.  The texture was a bit spongy.

The corn tortillas were great and my little girl loved making them.  In the spirit of transparency, the kids had a dinner of rice, corn tortillas, shredded cheese and fruit.  Nary a bean or chorizo touched their lips.

Faux-(Cho)Rizo

18 Jan

I don’t know if I’ve ever used both an X and Z in the same title.  Is there a blog title scrabble out there?  If so, I just scored big points.  If it wouldn’t be a lie, I would have said Quick Faux-Chorizo and gotten ‘Q’ points too.

I’ve already admitted to hogging The Kind Diet from the library.  I’m also avidly reading my library copy of Viva Vegan.

I too chop my plantains in a sparkling white kitchen while wearing a lovely purple dress and straightened  hair.  Don’t you?

The first recipe I tried was for a Chorizo Style Seitan.  Seitan (say-tan, not satan) is a meat like food made from wheat gluten.  I’ll be the first to say I generally avoid meat substitutes.  I’m a bit leery of soy, so I don’t buy all the soy ‘meats’ and ‘cheeses.’  If you open my freezer and dig past the Coscto Bags of frozen fruit, Blue Bell Ice Cream and frozen peas (which my kids eat like candy), you won’t find Boca or Morningstar Farm boxes. They aren’t my thing.

Seitan, being from wheat gluten, seemed a bit less hormone mimicking than soy meats to me.  The recipe looked straight forward enough so I put the kids in front of PBS Kids and starting making (fake) sausage.

First up, wheat gluten and chick pea flour.  I bet anyone reading with gluten issues is now clicking off the page….

Then every spice in my kitchen spices like oregano, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cumin, coriander, chili powder and a few others.

The spices and flours were mixed with broth, oils and tomato paste.

The mixture was kneaded.  I’ve kneaded my share of bread dough and kneading seitan felt nothing like bread dough.  It was very spongy and, for lack of a better word, puffy.  As this was my first experience making it, I’m not sure if that was normal.  Also, the paprika and chili powder turned my hands nice and orange and the oils made them nice and greasy.  Orange greasy hands and not a cheetoh in sight.  Who knew?

The dough was formed into sausage shapes which looked both fecal and phallic.  I preferred not to dwell on that.

Then the sausages were rolled up like candy and baked.

After cooling and unrolling, I had 6 of these little guys:

They were put in the fridge and used in a dinner the next day.  Stay tuned for the continuing saga of the wheat sausages.  How do they taste?  Where they worth the effort?  Did anyone in the family actually eat one?

Any seitan lovers out there?

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 80 other followers