Pretend that I posted this on October 3. It was all typed up and ready to go, but I fell asleep before clicking “publish.” I didn’t forget about you, MoFo!
Today’s post is going to be about the first vegan cookbook I ever owned (well, maybe not my first, but the first one I got really excited about) and one of my long-time favorites…
I had to steal this picture from the PPK website because my copy has been used (er, abused) so much that the cover is nonexistent. The title page is still hanging in there, but I can only see “Vegan with a Vengeance” and “Rock.” My supportive vegetarian sister excitedly picked this one up for me, raving about the “fronch” toast and tempeh “bacon,” and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I even made room in my suitcase when I was going on study abroad in Athens for six months I love this book so much (I also brought Veganomicon and left it on the plane coming back to the U.S. along with my copy of Thanking the Monkey, but that’s another story).
Despite my devotion to this book, I haven’t made everything in it! Probably only a fraction of the recipes, less than half, if I had to put money on it. I’m one of those people who finds a recipe she adores and then makes it ad nauseam. So, for this post I am going to share my all-time favorite recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance, the recipes I’ve made once and loved but never made again, and, finally, a list of those recipes I’ve kept my eye on but never dove into. And the deal is I have to make all of the recipes on list #3 before the end of MoFo. And since I never made these recipes before out of fear that they would require too much time and effort (i.e. laziness), I will rank them in terms of time and difficulty.
First, the favorites:
- Scrambled Tofu — a classic.
- Pancakes — um, look at the header.
- Carrot Bisque — I’ve served this at potlucks and had people begging for the recipe.
- Chili sin Carne al Mole — my go-to meal when I want something hearty but not too complicated. And when it’s cold outside.
- Sweet Potato Fries — a quick and easy snack.
- Garlicky Kale with Tahini Dressing — I love this combination. Sometimes I over-cook the kale and dip the kale “chips” in the dressing. Okay, I did it once when I accidentally over-cooked the kale. But it was good!
- Chickpea and Spinach Curry — Another simple but hearty meal, especially good when it’s snowing outside.
- Brooklyn Pad Thai — this is one of my all-time favorites of the all-time favorites!
- Raspberry Chocolate Blondie Bars — my step-dad loves these. I served these the first time he came over to meet “the family” and I’m pretty sure these are the reason he decided to propose.
Loved only once:
- Apple Pie-Crumb Cake Muffins — I served these to my future mother-in-law when she wasn’t feeling well, and she said they were what healed her!
- Scones — my roommates raved about these.
- White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup — my BFF Ryan and I made this soup together and decided we’d need to double it next time, we just couldn’t stop eating it! Serve with crusty bread.
- Spanakopita (Spinach Pies) — Ryan and I made these for my roommates for “Greek night” and they were a hit! Not too complicated, even though the directions seem a little intimidating.
- Mashed Potatoes with Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy – a must on Thanksgiving.
- Homemade Gnocchi — it’s really not as tricky as it looks!
- Gingerbread Apple Pie — just, pie!
- Strawberry-Rhubarb-Peach Pie — Oh. My. God. Ryan (yes, the BFF) and I made this a few springs ago, served with vanilla Tofutti ice cream. Heaven!
Admired from afar:
- Baking Powder Biscuits and White Bean Tempeh Sausage Gravy — I have made the biscuits before but not the gravy. I brought the biscuits to Thanksgiving dinner last year — delicious!
- “Fronch” Toast
- Matzoh Ball Soup — and what better time than now to try it!
- Knish Madness: Sweet Potato, Potato, and Spinach-Potato
- Potato-Edamame Samosas with Coconut-Mint Chutney
- Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust
- Curried Tempeh-Mango Salad Sammiches
- Tofu Dill Salad Sammiches — the local food co-op in Kalamazoo, Michigan (where I attended college) serves these in the deli, although I always called them “Tofu Dill Bars.” I’m a weirdo.
- Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches — Ryan, the devoted BFF that he is, brought me back hijiki from Japan the last time he came to visit, so it’d be a shame if I didn’t make these! Thanks, Ry!
- Potato and Tempeh Sausage Pizza — I have to make this now that my mother bought me a pizza stone! Thanks, mom!
- Marinated Tofu — I’ve marinated tofu, just not using this recipe!
- Cold Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
- Green Thai Curry
- Sweet Potato Crepes with Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce
- Maple Walnut Cookies
- Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting
- No-Bake Black-Bottom-Peanut Butter Silk Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie with Three-Nut Topping
I will make these throughout the month and share my results along with a mouth-watering photo, if everything goes well. I won’t be posting the recipes unless I make significant changes, so go out and get your pretty self a copy. Let’s do this!
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. I also replaced the walnuts with a combination of almonds and cashews and used all brown rice syrup for the sweetener instead of 50/50 brown rice syrup and maple syrup (or agave nectar) and I think all of that brown rice syrup made them a little too sticky. (The photo above is from the first batch I made, not the disappointing batch tonight.)
