Orzo Pilaf with Roasted Red Peppers and Peas

Sunday, February 12, 2017 - Lunch
Orzo Pilaf with Roasted Red Peppers and Peas (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This pilaf was tasty and filling, and the mild flavor makes for a good winter meal or side dish.  It was fast and easy to make, and I have plenty of leftovers for lunch for the week.

"Honey" Mustard Salad Dressing

Saturday, January 21, 2017 - Lunch
"Honey" Mustard Salad Dressing  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This salad dressing was quick, easy, and delicious. It took about two minutes to get all the ingredients and mix them together, then I poured it on my salad. It tastes good, and I know what's in it. The recipe uses agave instead of honey, since it's a vegan recipe, and it tastes the same, maybe a just little richer. One recipe made enough dressing to last me a couple weeks. I will make this again in the future. I included the optional olive oil this time, and it was good, so next time I'll try it without the oil to see which way I prefer.  

Pumpkin Curry

Sunday, October 23, 2016 - Dinner
Pumpkin Curry  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This pumpkin curry was delicious, and perfect for a cool fall day.  I made it a little spicier than the recipe suggested, and it was nice and hot with a hint of sweetness.  The only thing that made it a little weird was the texture of the coconut - at first, I thought that the lentils were undercooked, but it was just pieces of coconut.  Perhaps next time I could blend the coconut before adding it to the curry sauce.  This curry dish was tasty and satisfying, and it made 10 servings, so I have plenty of leftovers for lunches!  

Pasta with Tomatoes and Artichokes

Sunday, September 4, 2016 - Dinner
Crowd-pleasing Pasta with Tomatoes and Artichokes (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This sauce was flavorful and easy to make, and the recipe made so much food that I'll have plenty of leftovers for lunches this week!

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

Saturday, September 3, 2016 - Dinner
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while, so as soon as my local farm had fresh sweet potatoes, I jumped at the chance to cook up this stew.  I was not disappointed.  The stew smelled delicious while it was cooking, and it tasted fantastic.

It reminded me a little of the Saffron-spiked Moroccan Stew, but while that was sweet and spicy, this one was a hearty stew with a strong peanut flavor and a hint of sweetness.

I served the stew over couscous, per the cookbook's recommendation, and added some texture and made this meal even more filling and satisfying.

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.

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."

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.

Falafel Burgers

Saturday, July 23, 2016 - Lunch
Falafel Burgers (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

These chickpea and parsley burgers were tasty.  I have made them before, and I usually cook them in a skillet with a little oil.  This time, I baked them in the oven according to the recipe directions.  I modified the recipe slightly, to use less onion and slightly less garlic than suggested.  I also added water to the mixture to help form it into burger patties - otherwise they would have been too dry.  Even so, they crumbled during baking and when I tried to flip them part way through the baking time.  The crumbly burgers were a little messy on a bun, but actually worked well in pita sandwiches, because they spread out in the pockets and allowed more room for veggies without ripping the bread.  

The recipe had an accompanying recipe for vegan tzatziki sauce (a cucumber / sesame yogurt sauce), but the store only had vanilla soy yogurt, instead of plain, and it might have been weird with the sweetness of vanilla.  I'd like to try making the sauce eventually.

Lavender Lemonade

Sunday, July 17, 2016
Lavender Lemonade (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This lemonade hit the spot on a hot summer day! The infusion of lavender with fresh-squeezed lemons was delicious and refreshing.
(It would also be tasty with a splash of vodka or gin.)

It took much longer than it should have to make, because I couldn't find my citrus juicer (or maybe I only imagined that I have one?), so instead I squeezed the lemons by hand. I also tried, with limited success, to use a spout-style 'juice extractor,' but it works better for larger fruits like oranges and grapefruit.
I will definitely make this recipe again, and I will make sure I have the proper tools next time.

As an added bonus, every time I make this, I'll be helping to keep my overgrown lavender plant from getting out of control.  And I'll get yummy lemonade as a reward.

Chickpea Salad

Saturday, June 25, 2016 - Lunch
Better-Than-Tuna Salad (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This salad was fantastic.  It didn't taste anything like tuna (which is perfectly fine with me), although the texture of the mashed chickpeas was similar to shredded tuna.  The recipe said that the salad could be made with whole chickpeas instead, but it recommended mashing them for texture and to help it hold together better for sandwiches.  The next time I make this, I might skip the effort of mashing the chickpeas and use them whole, because I ate much of the salad by itself (instead of on sandwiches), and I could easily make pita-pocket sandwich to hold the salad.

The salad had a few ingredients that I'm not used to seeing in a tuna salad - like carrots, red bell peppers, and walnuts - in addition to the more traditional celery.  I plan to make this salad again - it would be great for summer cookouts!

Smokin' BBQ Tofu

Saturday, June 18, 2016 - Lunch
Smokin' BBQ Tofu (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This was a great post-run lunch on a hot summer day.  The recipe called for the tofu to be pan-fried, with a little oil, then baked with a thick covering of sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.  The tofu was crispy and fluffy, tasty and filling.  I used store-bought barbecue sauce, but I'd like to try the recommended recipe from this cookbook.  I will definitely make this recipe again - it was simple and delicious!

Matzoh Pizza

Thursday, April 28, 2016 - Dinner
Passover Pizza (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This matzoh pizza was a variation of the English Muffin Pizzas from the same cookbook.  The outer edge stayed crispy, but the part with the sauce and toppings got a little softer, like a thin-crust pizza.  The matzoh pizza was okay, but the english muffin pizzas (and my own pita pizza recipe) are better.

Matzoh Chocolate Brittle

Saturday, April 23, 2016 - Dessert
Matzoh Chocolate Brittle (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

I was expecting this to be similar to chocolate-covered pretzels, with a peanut brittle flavor.  I used unsalted matzoh, so it didn't really have that sweet/salty combination that chocolate pretzels have.  There was a strong toffee flavor, which is not my favorite.  The bottom side of the bread was very sticky with soft toffee, but the top side turned out well with the hardened chocolate.

I didn't love the flavor - or the texture - so I will probably not make this again.  There is a full baking sheet's worth of brittle, so I probably will not even eat what is already made, though I may have a few more pieces.

English Muffin Pizzas

Sunday, March 27, 2016 - Dinner
English Muffin Pizzas (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This recipe was essentially a serving suggestion for making individual pizzas.  There is a similar meal that I make using pita bread for a single-serving pizza.  The english muffins provided a thicker crust, but less room for toppings.  Having multiple pizzas enabled different combinations of toppings.  The pizzas shown are tomato and green pepper (left), mushroom and pepper (top), and artichoke with olives and peppers (right).

My pizzas are vegetarian and lactose free, but not vegan, since I used "Veggie Shreds" mozzarella-style cheese, which contains casein, a protein derived from milk.  I like the flavor and texture of this brand better than most vegan cheese varieties.  The oven temperature may have been a little too high (or the cooking time too long), because the cheese turned golden brown and crispy instead of melting.

Pasta and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce

Sunday, March 20, 2016 - Lunch
Pasta and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This recipe was tasty, and relatively simple to make.  It was fairly similar to a family recipe for an Asian pasta salad, and I prefer the family recipe.
This dish was also somewhat reminiscent of the Pad Thai recipe from this same cookbook, and I prefer the flavors and variety of vegetables in the Pad Thai recipe.

Served with tofu.  The tofu made the dish more filling, and helped it to serve as an entree instead of a side dish.

Home-Fried Potatoes

Saturday, March 19, 2016 - Dinner
Home-Fried Potatoes (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

It's a couple days late for St. Patrick's Day, but I made this delicious potato recipe for dinner.  The potatoes were fantastic, and fairly simple to make.  Steaming them first made them fry perfectly - not too soft, and slightly crispy without getting burnt.  The fixings of onion, garlic, parsley, and paprika were a great blend of flavors for the potatoes.  I might start using a variation of this recipe when I make mashed potatoes as well.

Chai-Spiced Almond Cookies

Sunday, March 13, 2016 - Dessert
Chai-Spiced Almond Cookies (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

I've been waiting to make these cookies, because I thought they seemed like a lot of work, but the recipe wasn't complicated at all.  The cookies were delicious, and the addition of cardamom gave them a little more (Indian) spice than a traditional Russian or Italian tea cookie, with the same consistency.  The powdered sugar was a little messy, but the cookies tasted great!

Aloo Gobi (Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes)

Saturday, February 27, 2016 - Dinner
Aloo Gobi (Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes)

This recipe was delicious and filling, and I will definitely make it again.  The photos don't do it justice.  I used poblano peppers, and I could make it spicier next time by using hotter chili peppers.  The dish also included cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, spices, and fresh italian parsley.  Served with naan (from the bakery) and basmati rice.

Polenta Hearts and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

Sunday, February 14, 2016 - Lunch
Polenta Hearts
Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
(Recipes from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

Polenta Hearts were a fitting meal for Valentine's Day. I used a cookie cutter to form the heart-shaped polenta cakes. The cooked polenta needed to chill for at least an hour to set up enough to make shapes, so I had enough time to clean up the kitchen, prepare the ingredients for the sauce, and go outside to run a couple miles in the snow. The recipe filled a 13x9 baking pan to half an inch deep, which yielded about 10 hearts (2-3 servings) plus another 1-2 servings of extra polenta. The finished product was delicious. The sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, and fresh basil added a good mix of flavors to the polenta - and the fresh herbs made my kitchen smell great.  I'm pleased with how well some of the photos turned out - the natural lighting must have been just right today.   

The coulis was very good. It was simple: put the ingredients into a blender, then warm the blended sauce for a few minutes on the stove.  It had a good roasted pepper flavor (without the sliminess of eating whole roasted peppers), and it was a little sweet and a little spicy. I would like to make this again to try it as a pepper-based pasta sauce.