Warm Spinach Salad

Monday, August 22, 2016 - Dinner
Warm Spinach Salad (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This salad was delicious!  It was quick and easy to make.  The recipe name is a bit of a misnomer: the spinach is cold, with warm balsamic dressing poured on top.  The dressing only took a few minutes to cook on the stove, while the pecans toasted in the toaster oven.  I don't normally like raw red onions, but when they absorbed the warm dressing, their texture and flavor turned out great.  I have a lot of leftover dressing (the recipe made 6 servings), so I'm planning to try it cold as well as reheated.  It might also be good as a marinade.

Peanut Butter Smoothie

Monday, August 22, 2016
Peanut Butter Smoothie (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

I did not like this smoothie at all.  It was very thick, strong on the peanut butter / banana flavor, and the (optional) spinach did not go well with the other flavors, in my opinion.  I may try it again some other time - without the spinach - but there were other smoothies from this cookbook that were much, much better.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh with Orange Ginger Sauce

Sunday, August 22, 2016 - Dinner
Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh with Orange Ginger Sauce (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This dish turned out well - the tempeh was tender with a crunchy cornmeal crust, and the sauce was really good.  This was probably my most successful attempt at breading something - it came out perfectly.  It was a bit messy to make, and it took a little while, but it was worth it.  

The flavors in the sauce didn't seem like they would all go together (oranges, onions, capers, garlic, ginger), but the sauce turned out to be very good.  I had a lot left over, which would probably taste good on some frozen chik'n nuggets to make orange ginger "chicken."

"Chicken" Parmigiana

Saturday, August 13, 2016 - Lunch
Skillet "Chicken" Parmigiana (Recipe from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian)

This is a recipe I started making over 10 years ago.  Like many of the other recipes from this cookbook, it's a simple combination of mostly store-bought ingredients.  I used Boca brand vegan breaded "chicken" patties.  I melted some lactose-free (but non-vegan) cheese on one of the two patties.  This recipe could easily be made vegan without cheese, or using vegan cheese.  This is a quick recipe that is easy to make, filling, and tastes good.

Boston Baked Beans

Sunday, August 7, 2016 - Dinner
Boston Baked Beans (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

These beans were delicious!  They tasted as good as (or better than) canned, name-brand beans.  They were pretty simple to make, with only a few ingredients to mix together and bake.  It could be even faster with canned navy beans, instead of starting from dry beans.

The photos didn't come out as well as I would have liked.  Originally, I was planning to make the baked beans for a meal with corn on the cob and green beans.  The summer feast would have made for a better photo than the beans alone, with a little more color.

I would definitely make these again -- they were fantastic.

Mexican Tofu-Rice Skillet

Saturday, August 7, 2016 - Lunch
Mexican Tofu-Rice Skillet (Recipe from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian)

This is a dish I've been making for over 10 years, from the very first vegetarian cookbook I ever owned.  This dish is tasty and filling, and though you don't usually think of tofu in Mexican or other Hispanic dishes, it is a great combination.  The recipe makes 4+ servings, so there are always leftovers for lunches during the week.

Most of the recipes I've made for the blog are completely "from scratch," using only fresh ingredients and whole foods.  This Betty Crocker cookbook lives up to its name, as the "easy" recipes tend to be quick, simple dishes which often use store-bought, pre-packaged ingredients.  For example, this recipe calls for canned tomatoes with chili peppers and a packaged spanish rice mix.  This makes the recipe quick and easy, but it can also add a lot of salt and processed ingredients, so I don't use this cookbook as often as did a few years ago.  There are still a few favorite dishes - like this one - that I make fairly regularly.