An Assortment of Appetite for Reduction Recipes

I don't own Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, so for this week's PPK Cookbook Challenge, I turned to a recent acquisition in my cookbook library -- Appetite for Reduction.

Early in the week, I did a bit of prep work. I made the Basic Baked Tofu and the Sweet and Salty Baby Maple Carrots, and I also cooked some quinoa and bulgur.

(Let's just pretend those little feet in the corner aren't there, and I'm not the mom who lets her son sit barefoot on the dining room table.)

I hoped that the carrots would be a good snack for Jackson, but he wanted nothing to do with them.  Fortunately, Tony and I liked them and they did not go to waste.

So, the first meal we had was the Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon. Eggplant bacon, you say? Yep.

Tony the eggplant-hater recoiled in horror. More for me! Although the eggplant didn't really crisp up like bacon, the smoky flavor reminded me of baba ganoush made from grilled, charred eggplants, and I appreciated the extra note of flavor that the "bacon" added to my salad.

I made a double batch of the Caesar Chavez dressing so I could use it the next day on Mediterranean Bowls.

The dressing made a nice sauce over the bulgur, roasted cauliflower, baked tofu, and chickpeas.

Finally, another bowl -- the Supergreen Bowl, with Green Goddess Garlic Dressing.

Chock full of quinoa, edamame, and steamed broccoli. I love using the entire broccoli. If your broccoli stalks seem tough, just peel off the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler. Then, thinly slice the stalks, and they will steam to tender perfection along with your florets.

My verdict on the bowls was...hmm, I don't know if bowls are for me. The grains seem to soak up the dressing and dilute its flavor. But I loved both the Caesar Chavez and Goddess dressings, and will use them on salads in the future.

Next week is free choice week on the Cookbook Challenge, and I'll be cooking from Robin Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap.

Yesterday I received something in the mail...

Soy curls! Liz at Vegan Food Rocks did a giveaway, and I won these. Soy curls are not sold locally, so I am really excited to have this opportunity to try them out! Thanks, Liz! I think I'm going to make tacos. Have you tried soy curls? Any suggestions on what else to make with them?