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.

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!

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.

Chipotle Cream

Chipotle Cream - Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin

This sauce is a vegan chipotle mayo that goes well on sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and tacos.  I made it originally to go with Tofu Benedict, another recipe from the same cookbook.