Root Lovers' Winter Salad

Sunday, November 19, 2017 - Dinner
Root Lovers' Winter Salad (with Creamy Apple Cider Viniagrette dressing)
Recipe from Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky



The recipe said the salad could be made with any combination of root vegetables, mixed with chickpeas and roasted. I followed the authors' recommendation and used carrots, gold beets, parsnips, and rutabaga. I've never made parsnips or rutabaga before. I will definitely make parsnips again. The rutabaga was good, but maybe not worth the trouble of scraping off the wax casing. All the vegetables tasted great, and they went well with the arugula and the creamy apple cider vinaigrette dressing. The dressing was quick and easy to make, and the leftovers were great on spinach salads.

I saved the leftover vegetables (separate from the greens) to reheat for lunches through the week. They would be fine on their own, but I mixed them with arugula to make more of the salad. I can't wait to try this recipe again and experiment with other combinations of vegetables!

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.

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."

"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.

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.

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!

Tofu Benedict with Chipotle Cream

Sunday, June 5, 2016 - Lunch
Tofu Benedict with Chipotle Cream (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

I've never had eggs benedict, so I don't know how it compares, but I enjoyed this tofu benedict recipe.  Instead of hollandaise sauce, the patties were topped with chipotle cream, a vegan chipotle mayo sauce.  I made a couple slight modifications to the recipe from the cookbook - I omitted the red bell peppers in the patties, since I didn't have any in the house, and I used english muffins instead of bread for the base.  The dish turned out well.  The tofu patties tasted good, and crumbled easily like scrambled eggs.  The flavor was good, and the charred tomatoes complemented the spices and herbs in the tofu patties.

Tofu Egg Salad

Sunday, May 22, 2016 - Lunch
Tofu Egg Salad (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

I've never really loved egg salad, so I was not sure what I would think about this recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It tasted very similar to egg salad, in my opinion, and although I don't think I'll eat much of the leftovers, I enjoyed my sandwich.  My husband was skeptical of the substitution of tofu for eggs, but he liked it, and said it reminded him of the sandwiches his family would eat as a picnic lunch on vacations when he was a kid.  Today was a great day for a summer meal, and I think this recipe would be fitting for a summer picnic or barbecue.  

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.

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.

Homemade Tofu Scramble

Sunday, February 28, 2016 - Lunch
Homemade Tofu Scramble (my recipe)

I threw this together with the ingredients I had available in the fridge.  The dish was filling, and it tasted really good.  It was a great post-run meal.

Ingredients:
1 brick extra-firm tofu
Half a large yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Anaheim or other mild chili pepper, diced
Half a red bell pepper, diced
Paprika (~2 tsp?)
Nutritional yeast flakes (~1 tsp?)
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
Tabasco sauce (Smoked Chipotle flavor or regular)

Press tofu between towels to remove moisture.  Crumble tofu into pieces in a bowl.
Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in a small amount of water in a large skillet.
When peppers are softened and onions are translucent, add tofu and spices.  Cook 5-10 minutes, then add parsley and Tabasco and cook a couple more minutes.

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.