Cookbook Challenge: Chloe's Kitchen (Part 2)

The splash pads are open for the season, and my two water babies couldn't wait to don their swimsuits and get wet!

After they had their fill of the water, we changed clothes and went for a walk.

We stopped to play on a sand volleyball court.

I loved the shape of this tree. Photo opportunity!

I already showed you a couple of recipes I made from Chef Chloe's website as part of the PPK Cookbook Challenge. Here are the rest.

Hawaiian Sloppy Joes. Canned lentils are substituted for ground beef in these vegan joes. The sweet sauce is made even sweeter by the addition of fresh chopped pineapple.

They were a hit!

Pad Thai Noodles. I appreciated the speed and simplicity of this version of pad thai, but I felt it was missing something flavor-wise. Jackson and Olivia asked for seconds, however, so the mild flavor might be a plus when cooking for young palates.

Vegan Mac 'N' Cheese. I'm so weird, guys. I had a terrible experience with vegan mac n' cheese awhile back, bad enough to make me swear it off for a year or so. So I was nervous about trying this recipe, but something about it made me think it might be good. Well, I made it, and the kids liked it fine, but I didn't even want to eat it! I was afraid! Finally, two days later, I warmed up a bowl for lunch. And what do you know, it was pretty freakin' tasty. Thank you, Chloe, for helping me overcome my vegan mac phobia.

I don't own Chloe's cookbook, but now I'm tempted to buy it for its accessible and kid-friendly recipes. Up next in the challenge: Cookin' Crunk by Bianca Phillips.

Cookbook Challenge: Vegan Diner (Part 2)

I already posted a few of my PPK Cookbook Challenge choices from Julie Hasson's Vegan Diner. We've moved on to Chloe's Kitchen this week, but here a couple more dinners I made from Vegan Diner.

The Smoky Potato Scramble was more substantial than my usual tofu scramble thanks to the addition of red-skinned potatoes. And I'm giving five stars to any recipe that incorporates smoked paprika.

The Rockin' Reuben was a hit with Tony and me. We'd tried other vegan reubens, but this is our favorite, mostly due to the awesome Pastrami-Style Seitan Roast. Fennel and caraway give the seitan a unique flavor. I froze it overnight, then thawed it, which allowed me to cut very, very thin slices. I sauteed the slices so they would be crispy on the edges before adding them to the sandwich along with sauerkraut and Julie's Very Secret Sauce. 

Jackson and Olivia had no interest in these sandwiches because the sauerkraut smelled funny to them. I wouldn't touch it as a child, either. However, they were wolfing down slices of the pastrami roast all by itself.    That was fine since the seitan recipe makes a lot. We now have a Tupperware container of leftover, thinly-sliced seitan in the fridge, to be used for lunches all week.

Goofballs.

Cookbook Challenge: Vegan Diner

This week's selection in the PPK Cookbook Challenge is Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. So far I've made three recipes.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mine were more crispy than chewy, I suspect because I ran out of brown sugar and had to substitute regular sugar for half the amount called for. I also subbed whole wheat pastry flour for half of the white flour. Oh, and I threw in some chopped walnuts. These disappeared quickly.

Blueberry Nutmeg Muffins. I made mini-muffins instead of regular-sized. This recipes calls for a lot of nutmeg. It worried me. I shouldn't have worried. These are fantastic, and I'm not really a muffin fan. Like, just give me a cupcake already. But when you combine blueberries and nutmeg, they undergo a magical metamorphosis and actually acquire the power of speech, so they are able to call my name from the refrigerator anytime I walk by.

Garlic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I've had a long-lasting love affair with roasted brussies. Throwing in a bunch of raw garlic at the end certainly couldn't diminish that love. Jackson, Olivia and I finished these off before Tony even made it home for dinner.

Zoo and Paella

Today we visited the Austin Zoo, which is actually an animal sanctuary. Jackson and Olivia were excited to ride the train, as we had never ridden it before.

The petting zoo was our top destination. The kids couldn't wait to hand-feed the hungry goats.

One little goat wasn't feeling snacky. He just wanted to hang out.

This dude, on the other hand, was eager for his share of feed.

The tiger seemed to be posing just for us.

For dinner I made the Artichoke Paella from Vegan Eats World, as part of the PPK Cookbook Challenge. It looked so gorgeous in the pan, making me really excited to dig in!

And the flavor did not disappoint. Tempeh chorizo, artichoke hearts, and an array of veggies are blended with creamy aborio rice. I subbed Spanish green olives for the pearl onions since I had a jar in the fridge. I've only tasted paella once before, at a restaurant years ago that offered a vegetarian version (it's typically made with sausage and seafood.) My memory is hazy, but I think this was better. And it wasn't much harder to make than boiling a pot of rice, if you make the tempeh chorizo the day before (that recipe is also found in the cookbook.)

PPK Cookbook Challenge

Although I'm mostly a lurker on the PPK forums, I thought it would be fun to participate in the current cookbook challenge. I'm joining in late due to my parents being in town. Last week's challenge was to cook from any book by Isa Moskowitz or Terry Hope Romero. I chose Terry's latest, Vegan Eats World, because I bought it recently and have been dying to dive into it.

I decided to make a little Indian feast. I made the Golden Tandoori Tofu, Okra Masala, and Tamarind Chutney. I was pleased with how fast and easy these recipes were. The tofu is baked in a creamy yogurt-based sauce. I served it over rice and spooned a bit of chutney on top. The chutney is sweetened by dates and it has a sweet/sour flavor. The recipe doesn't make a lot, but it's strong, so you only need a little. The okra was my favorite dish. I do love okra. The okra masala is spicy and tomato-y. I could've eaten the whole recipe myself.

While I cooked, Jackson and Olivia played with a set of foam stamps they received from their grandparents.

For awhile I was afraid to let them paint on our new table, but I put down paper bags as their "painting mats" and problem solved.

What cookbooks have you been cooking from lately?

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?

Cookbook Challenge - Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Here's my second Urban Vegan recipe for this week's PPK Cookbook Challenge.  The Roasted Root Vegetable Soup is versatile and can be made with a variety of veggies. Here are the ones I used: carrot, onion, potato, turnip, and parsnip.  A couple of those were new to me. A turnip is a lot like a potato once you peel it, and a parsnip is like a white carrot.

Little beauties...here they are on the tray ready to go...

And the perhaps less attractive, but still tasty, result...

It's not a soup that makes you use exclamation points, but it has a nice flavor and is good for lunch on a cold winter day.

On the side we had raw vegan kale chips, recipe courtesy of Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga. I had been meaning to try these for awhile, but I had tried making kale chips in the past and burned them, resulting in a horrible stench, so I was a little gun-shy. Now I wish I'd gotten to them much sooner! Talk about addictive. I love cheesy, salty snacks, so these are perfect for me.

I don't own a dehydrator, but the baking method worked fine. Later in the day, the leftovers did get a little soggy. What I did was eat them on top of a hummus bagel. Or, you could probably pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to re-crisp.

Cookbook Challenge - Chickpea-Chili Burgers

This week, the PPK Cookbook Challenge tackles The Urban Vegan. I'm testing recipes for Dynise Balcavage's next book, so it was fun to go back and try a recipe from her first offering.

Jackson was eager to help by adding the ingredients to the food processor (which is not plugged in...I can just see my mom freaking out over this pic so I thought I should point that out!)

And, by now y'all know how Olivia usually loves to supervise in the kitchen...but today she was caught up in a book.

The Chickpea-Chili Burgers are an economical alternative to store-bought vegan burgers. Roasted red peppers and chili powder give the burgers a slightly spicy, sweet flavor.  I made mine too wet and they were kind of sticky to handle, but they turned out OK.

The next day I formed the leftover mixture into small patties and ate them on pita bread, like falafels. I liked them even better this way.



Cookbook Challenge Week 2 - Veganomicon

This week, I've decided to group all of my PPK Cookbook Challenge meals into one post. But don't let the fact that I'm not writing a novel over each of these recipes dissuade you from trying any of them, for they are all fantastic.

The Veganomicon is the cookbook I turn to most often, not only for recipes, but for information about how long and what temperature to roast certain vegetables or boil dried legumes. I'm the kind of cook who is always forgetting if you should bake a potato at 400 or 450, so it's extremely helpful to have a handy reference for that sort of thing. 

But the recipes are, of course, the main attraction of this book. I used the Veganomicon twice last week. Not for the challenge, just because Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding and Vietnamese Seitan Baguettes with Savory Broth Dip are awesome.  The Vietnamese sandwich is one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life, for real.

And what do we have this week?

Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu Po'Boy
So messy, but so addictive.  The tofu's cornmeal crust provides a crunchy, spicy contrast for the cool, creamy coleslaw.  I topped my po'boys with hot sauce instead of the chipotle mayo, but that probably would have been delicious as well. Can't wait to eat these again.

Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes

I love the spicy flavors of fried samosas served at Indian restaurants, and this looked like a healthier, homemade alternative.  I halved the recipe so we wouldn't have a ton of leftovers. I cheated by microwaving my baked potatoes, so these came together quickly. I thought they looked really appealing, with the bright bits of pea and carrot.  They also smelled lovely, from all the Indian spices. My only complaint was that they were on the dry side, and could have used a dipping sauce or chutney. Next time, I'll pair them with the 5-Minute Mango Chutney.

Tofu Florentine

This took an hour to put together, but it was worth it. I halved the recipe and it still filled a pie plate. First I layered in some home fries, followed by steamed spinach and broiled tofu. I doused the whole thing in cheezy sauce and sprinkled on some chopped tomatoes.  The spinach makes this dish taste "healthy," but in a good way.

Next week, we move on to Urban Vegan.  Although I've been busily testing recipes for the Urban Vegan's new cookbook, it'll be fun to go back and revisit the first book.

This week seemed to fly by! Have a great weekend!

Quinoa Puttanesca

As part of the PPK's Cookbook Challenge, I made another Appetite for Reduction recipe for lunch: Quinoa Puttanesca.  As I got the ingredients ready, I exclaimed what a genius idea it is. I mean, puttanesca sauce is like the most flavorful sauce in existence, with its kalamata olives, capers, and red pepper flakes. Therefore it is the perfect sauce to dump all over a bland bowl of quinoa and transform it into something great.  The recipe says four servings, but for us, it was two. It was that good.

 For dinner, we saw the return of Kale Pizza with Garlic Sauce.  This time, I subbed sliced zucchini for the potato. I sauteed the zucchini right along with the mushrooms and layered it on the pizza with plenty of steamed kale on top. The kale gets so nice and crispy in the oven.

Did you see that the zodiac signs have changed? I was a Sagittarius, and the traits of the centaur archer seemed to fit me pretty well.  Apparently I'm now an Ophiuchus. I don't even know how to pronounce that. And the only information I can find on the snake wrestler's traits (snake wrestler, seriously)...is that we should pursue medical professions.
Do you have a new zodiac sign? Do you care either way?

Cookbook Challenge - Baked Onion Rings

Hola, how was your weekend? On Saturday, I did a little retail therapy and ate some Mexican food. Yesterday I just did stuff around the house. I was in kind of a blah mood until I learned some news -- there is a yoga studio opening right by my house! This cheered me up immensely. I used to go to yoga regularly when I lived in Austin, and I was pretty upset when we moved to New York and I learned that there were no studios in this area. I've tried practicing at home, but my son always wants to climb all over me and it is the opposite of relaxing! So I'm super excited to check this place out soon. The exercise and stress relief benefits of yoga are great, and I'm also looking forward to having some "me time" a couple times a week, which I don't really have right now.

This week, the PPK Cookbook Challenge begins! I posted the schedule the other day. This week, it's Appetite for Reduction.

I don't own this cookbook yet (I ordered it because I keep hearing good things, but it hasn't arrived yet), but I found a recipe online for OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings. They were easy. I used to be afraid to bread things, fearing a big mess. But you really only need to remember one rule -- keep one hand dry at all times.  It worked for my New Years Eve jalapeno poppers, and it worked for these onion rings.

Tony thought the onion rings were perfect for snacking on while enjoying some football playoffs. I could care less about football, but I ate my share as well!

I'm afraid this dipping sauce doesn't fit with the low-calorie philosophy of Appetite for Reduction, but it does pair nicely with the baked rings.

Awesome Onion Ring Sauce
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl, serve with onion rings.