Mac N Cheez

Sunday, April 25, 2015 - Dinner
Mac N Cheez (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

This vegan Mac N Cheez recipe was relatively easy and tasted delicious!  It doesn't have the sharp cheesiness that dairy has, but it was a really good creamy cheesy-flavored sauce, made primarily from almond milk and vegan cheese.  I would definitely make this again.  

I made a similar recipe a year or two ago, but this one was simpler and tasted better, in my opinion.

Served with: steamed kale

Vegan "Nacho Cheese"

Saturday, April 18, 2015 - Dinner
"Nacho Cheese" (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

I was highly skeptical of this recipe.  I usually like things that are naturally vegetarian/vegan, and conversely, I do not generally like foods that try to imitate meat or dairy.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, and this "nacho cheese" turned out very well.  It actually tasted very much like my mom's chili cheese dip that I used to eat many years ago, and which is still very popular among the meat-eaters at parties and family gatherings.  

The dip was not very photogenic, or at least I didn't make it look very appetizing in any of the photos I took, but it tasted good!  Maybe once I start reading some books on food photography, I will learn how to make some of these dishes look more appealing.  

Served with: chips & salsa and my homemade bean dip.  

Pan-fried Asparagus with Lime Juice

Saturday, April 18, 2015 - Lunch
Pan-fried Asparagus with Lime Juice  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This asparagus was delicious.  The garlic, onions, and lime juice combined for a great flavor!  And pan-frying the asparagus left it just a little crunchy, just the way I like it.  It's probably healthier to steam or boil the asparagus, but I will probably make this recipe again, or at least try adding lime juice to steamed asparagus.  

Fast and Fabulous French Toast

Saturday, April 18, 2015 - Breakfast
Fast and Fabulous French Toast  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This french toast recipe is amazing!  I have made this recipe many times in the past.  It uses almond milk mixed with sweet spices, and no eggs.  It always smells great while it's cooking, and leaves the whole house smelling like cinnamon.  Today, I topped it with syrup, walnuts, banana, and a dusting of powdered sugar; it was good, but a little sweet for my taste - I think I like it better with just a little syrup.  Yum!

No-Queso Quesadillas

Friday, April 17, 2015 - Dinner
No-Queso Quesadillas  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This is a quick and easy, delicious recipe that I have cooked many times over the years. Just substitute hummus instead of cheese in any quesadilla. It tastes great, and you can modify the recipe to include any of your favorite quesadilla ingredients.  

Crispy Potato Squares and Tofu Scramble

Sunday, April 12, 2015 - Lunch
Crispy Potato Squares and Tofu Scramble (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin -- Ellen Degeneres' & Portia de Rossi's personal chef)

This was a very satisfying post-run lunch, and it was fairly easy to make.  I enjoy tofu scramble whenever I order it at restaurants, so it's surprising that it has taken me this long to make it myself.  (Note: those who don't like tofu could easily substitute eggs for the tofu in this dish.)  I modified the tofu recipe slightly - it called for zucchini, red bell peppers, and asparagus, but I omitted the asparagus because it had gone bad in the fridge since I bought it last weekend.  The tofu scramble still turned out very well, just with fewer veggies.  

The potato recipe called for the potatoes to pre-soaked in hot water, then covered in Blackening Spice (recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin) and fried in a little oil.  I also modified this recipe slightly - it called for peeled potatoes, but I like potatoes with the skins, and I hate peeling them, so I just diced the whole potatoes with skins.  The potatoes turned out very well.  Soaking the potatoes helped them cook fully without getting mushy (versus boiling), while not getting burned during the pan-frying process.  I will definitely use this method again for fried potatoes.  The blackening spice added some heat and crisped the outsides of the potatoes.  

The potatoes were much spicier than the tofu scramble, so I added Tabasco sauce (smoked chipotle flavor) to the tofu to balance the spice levels of the two dishes.  The potatoes and tofu complemented one another well, and I plan to mix the leftovers together and take them to work for lunch this week.  

Spring Vegetable Risotto

Sunday, April 5, 2015 - Dinner
Spring Vegetable Risotto (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

I had no idea that risotto was such a time- and labor-intensive dish to make.

Risotto gets its creamy texture from slowly adding hot broth to the rice, allowing it to absorb a little at a time, while constantly stirring the rice as it cooks for about half an hour.  This was definitely a team effort, and my husband and I took turns stirring the rice as it absorbed the broth, thickened, and got more difficult to stir. The vegetables were julienned and steamed separately, so that they could be quickly mixed into the fully cooked rice. 

After all the work, I was really hoping the meal would be worth it, and it was!  The texture was perfectly creamy, the asparagus and carrots were tender but crisp, and the flavor was delicious.  It was very filling as a meal, without any added protein or side dishes.

Note: this particular recipe claims to yield 2-4 servings, but it was actually closer to 6-7.

Egg bagel sandwich, aka "Egg Bagley Jr."

Saturday, April 4, 2015 - Breakfast:

"Egg Bagley Jr." sandwich (Traditional breakfast sandwich recipe, changed based on mood and which veggies are in the fridge)

This is a recipe that my husband and I have been making for years, which we affectionately call the "Egg Bagley Jr."
This is not from any cookbook, it's just something we made up and that we alter depending on what veggies and salsas we have in the house.  Here is how we make it:

1-2 eggs per sandwich, fried in a nonstick pan

Stir in veggies (tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, etc) and black pepper while the eggs cook.  I also like to add a bit of almond milk to help make the eggs fluffy.

Place cooked eggs on a lightly toasted bagel (or 'bagel-thin' or english muffin)

Add salsa / hot sauce

Top with spinach or other veggies

Ta-da!  Egg bagel sandwich.

Warm Lentil Salad

Sunday, March 29, 2015 - Lunch:
Warm Lentil Salad (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This was a great dish - suitable as a main dish or a side dish, and served hot or cold.  The lentils smelled amazing while they were cooking (in vegetable broth seasoned with thyme and bay leaves).  The cooked lentils alone would make a great base for a stew or soup.  The final product - with carrots, onions, and a dressing made from mustard and vinegar - tasted much different, but still very good.  I would definitely make this recipe again, and possibly experiment with different dressings and additional veggies.
Served with fresh baked italian bread.

Penne Arrabiata

Sunday, March 22, 2015 - Dinner:
Penne Arrabiata (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This spicy fire-roasted tomato sauce was fantastic!  I will definitely make this again, and possibly use it as a base for other sauces as well.  The sauce was fairly simple, so this is a quick and easy, delicious dish!

Tangy Creamy Dip

Sunday, March 22, 2015 - Lunch:
Tangy Creamy Dip (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This dip is a mixture of mayo (vegenaise), mustard, capers, shallots, herbs, and spices.  The cookbook recommended this dip with Steamed Artichokes.  It is also good on fresh celery, peppers, and carrots.

Steamed artichokes

Sunday, March 22, 2015 - Lunch:
Steamed Artichokes (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This was my first time trying steamed artichokes.  It wasn't really what I expected.  It was a lot of time and effort for not much food, since most of an artichoke consists of inedible leaves.  The artichoke flesh was tasty, but not as tender as it should have been - not sure if this is because I didn't cook them long enough, or because they were not ripe enough this early in the year.  It was still good, but I'm not sure if I'll make this again soon.

Served with: Tangy Creamy Dip, lemon buttery dip, and balsamic mayo dip.

Appetite for Aperture - a story of food in photos

In an effort to get out of a dinner rut (I habitually cook pizza and tacos every week), I decided to start working my way through my favorite cookbooks.  My goal is to make at least one new recipe every week, and to document my efforts in this blog, accompanied by photos of the prepared dishes.  This will help me to cook more adventurously and eat healthier, while also giving me the opportunity to practice food presentation and the art of photography.  Hopefully I'll discover some new favorite recipes!