Peanut Butter Smoothie

Monday, November 21, 2016 - Lunch
Peanut Butter Smoothie (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

This smoothie was pretty good. It was my second attempt at this recipe, this time without the optional spinach (see earlier post). It was much better this way. The only change I might make, if I were to try it again, would be to add a little extra almond milk to thin the consistency; it was a little thick, but still tasty and filling.

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."

Peach-Bourbon Compote

Saturday, July 30, 2016 - Dessert
Peach-Bourbon Compote (Recipe from Runners' World, August 2016)

This dessert was delicious!  I'm surprised it was featured in Runner's World, since it's basically fruit covered in syrupy molasses, sugar, and butter, with little bit of bourbon.  I made it even less healthy by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I made this dairy-free using almond milk ice cream and nondairy butter.

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.

Rainbow Smoothie

Saturday, April 9, 2016 - Dinner
Rainbow Smoothie (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

This 'rainbow' smoothie is made from a variety of colorful fruits and veggies, including blueberries, raspberries, oranges, pineapple, and spinach.  I was skeptical about spinach in a fruity drink, but I couldn't taste it -- the smoothie tasted like berries with a hint of orange.  This smoothie was very sweet, and it was more like a dessert than a meal, but it was a relatively healthy dessert, since there was no added syrup or sugar, and since it had vegetables in it.  It was very thick, so I added a little more almond milk than what the recipe suggested.

Green Smoothie

Friday, April 8, 2016 - Lunch
Green Smoothie (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

This smoothie was delicious!  I admit that I was not expecting to like it -- the green color is not appetizing.  The main ingredients are banana, pineapple, and spinach.  It mostly tasted like banana, and not like spinach at all.  Avocado was an optional ingredient that I didn't use this time, but I might try including it the next time I make this recipe.

Fruity Oatmeal Smoothie

Sunday, April 3, 2016 - Lunch
Fruity Oatmeal Smoothie (Recipe from Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik)

When it comes to smoothies, I tend to be a bit old-fashioned.  I've tried some weird combinations, and I usually prefer the simple fruit and milk blends (or almond milk, in my case).  I'm planning to try a few of the smoothie and shake recipes from the various cookbooks I own, and I started with this simple recipe that falls on the milder end of the smoothie spectrum.  I was a little wary of the oatmeal, so I made sure it was very well blended before tasting.

This was a good smoothie.  Strawberry-banana is one of my favorite fruit flavor combinations.  The oatmeal was detectable, but not distracting - about the same size as the strawberry seeds, with a slightly different texture.  The smoothie was tasty, but not very filling -- at least not as a lunch meal.  It would work best as a breakfast meal, or as a summer side dish / dessert.  I will probably make this recipe again, and I look forward to testing some of the other smoothie recipes as well.

Peach and Pecan Muffins

Saturday, September 12, 2015 - Dessert
Peach and Pecan Muffins (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

These muffins are amazing! This is my new favorite muffin recipe (and maybe one of my favorite dessert recipes).  The peaches and pecans are delicious together, and complemented by the (soy) yogurt.

The ideal baking time was about 5 minutes less than what the recipe suggested, and some of the pecans on top charred a little in the first batch. The burnt pecans were surprisingly tasty - they had a good roasted flavor. The muffins were soft, fluffy, sweet, and filling. They were especially good when they were still warm from the oven. These were great for dessert, but would also work as a sweet breakfast treat.  Yum!

Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple-Berry Syrup

Saturday, September 12, 2015 - Breakfast
Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple-Berry Syrup (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

This was my first attempt at homemade waffles, and they turned out really well.  The recipe is vegan, using applesauce instead of eggs, which made the waffles a little softer.  They also took a little longer to cook than 'regular' waffles.

The maple-berry syrup was delicious.  It was very sweet, and the maple and berry flavors were good together.  The berries dyed the syrup a pretty, reddish-purple color.  The syrup was a little runny, so next time I would adjust the ratio of berries to liquid, to get a better consistency.

We made this for breakfast while out-of-town guests were visiting, and everyone enjoyed the waffles and syrup!

Quinoa and Berry Breakfast Cereal

Saturday, August 15, 2015 - Breakfast
Quinoa and Berry Breakfast Cereal  (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

This warm, sweet breakfast cereal was similar to oatmeal, and equally delicious! It was very filling, and even healthier than oatmeal since quinoa has twice the amount of protein.  I would definitely make this again.

Honeydew Melon in Coconut Milk

Saturday, May 30, 2015 - Breakfast
Honeydew Melon in Coconut Milk (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)



This was a tasty way to eat honeydew melon - with coconut milk and lime.  I made this for breakfast while we had house guests, and everyone enjoyed it.  I would definitely make this again, and it gave me ideas for other combinations to try, such as cantaloupe with coconut milk and lemon or orange.

Mango Hot Sauce

Monday, May 25, 2015
Mango Hot Sauce (Recipe submitted to Runner’s World magazine reader comments, May 2015, by runner and chef Allan Grossman)

This hot sauce is deliciously sweet and spicy (with the addition of habañero peppers, not called for in the recipe).  It is tasty on tortilla chips, and it would be good on a variety of foods: tacos, burritos, potatoes, tofu, breakfast sandwiches, etc.

This recipe made a large amount (about 3 cups) of hot sauce, so I plan to enjoy it for a while!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Sunday, May 10, 2015 - Dessert
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins were a great way to use the overripe bananas I had in the house.  The muffins turned out very well, and made a delicious dessert!  The recipe suggested adding walnuts as a variation, so I made some with and some without walnuts.  I prefer the nutty version, but both were very good.

Not-just-for-breakfast Banana Split

Saturday, May 9, 2015 - Breakfast
Not-just-for-breakfast Banana Split  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This tasty treat is a healthier version of the traditional dessert - it's basically a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola. I used coconut milk yogurt to make it dairy-free.  This was a sweet and filling breakfast meal.

Strawberries and Wine

Sunday, May 3, 2015 - Dessert
Strawberries and Wine (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This cool strawberry treat makes a great dessert on a hot day!

When I was a kid, I remember picking strawberries at my grandparents' house, coating the berries with sugar, and putting them in the fridge overnight. The next day, we would eat the syrupy berries as a yummy summer dessert.

This dish is a grown-up version of my childhood treat: just drizzle white wine over the sugared berries, refrigerate, and enjoy!

Balsamic Strawberries

Sunday, May 3, 2015 - Lunch
Balsamic Strawberries (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This dish sounded strange, but tasted delicious. It tasted just like berries on a salad with balsamic dressing, but without the salad. It was a great springtime side dish!