A BIG "Appetite" -- Pea Soup, OMG Onion Rings, Herb-Baked Cauliflower

I felt super-inspired by the new Appetite for Reduction cookbook and decided to try three dishes in one evening.  Not that they all really "go" together, but I had fun and they ended up tasting great.  All are worthy to share for this week's Weekly Vegan Cooking Challenge over at the fabulous Vegaloca blog.

For the main dish, I made the Pea Soup.  It's got a wonderful flavor with paprika (I didn't have any smoked paprika so used regular) and ended up much more red than the usual green color.  I really enjoyed it with the carrots (who needs ham!?) and my husband also liked it.  Will definitely make again.  Super easy and left-overs are delish'!

Next, the Herb-Baked Cauliflower and Breadcrumbs.  These are very tasty!  I loved the herb combination but wished that the herb-breadcrumb mixture stuck better.

Finally, just for me, the OMG Onion Rings.  And, OMG, they were so tasty I ate them all myself (good thing the recipe is from a low-fat cookbook; and good thing my husband doesn't like onion rings!!!)  Again, I wanted the breading to stick better.  I'm not sure if it was the type of breadcrumbs I used (the only kind I could find without offensive ingredients were panko-style; they still tasted great but perhaps another kind would do better with this recipe)?  In any case, yummy and I made another batch later in the week. 

With three winning dishes, I was loathe to return "Appetite for Reduction" to the library.  So, I splurged and bought my own copy (very reasonably priced at 41% off at Amazon right now.)  A very valuable addition to my cookbook shelf :-)

"Appetite for Reduction": Jerk Asparagus

I'm having a great time with Isa Chandra Moskowtiz's new Appetite for Reduction cookbook.  Though I wasn't looking for a specifically low-fat cookbook, I'm always trying to be healthy and I enjoy Moskowitz's other book, Veganomicon so I thought I'd give this a go.  It's full of delicious recipes, including a good variety of various ethnic dishes, and most take less than half an hour to prepare and many consist of ingredients most of us already have in our kitchens or that are easily available at the local grocery store (vs. specialty stores).  

The very first recipe I tried was the Jerk Asparagus.  I'm not sure this was the most immediately appealing, but I had some asparagus languishing around the fridge on the night I brought this back from the library and I planned to cook it up anyway so I thought I'd try this twist.  I really wouldn't have thought of ingredients like cinnamon to add to asparagus but my husband and I both enjoyed the "jerk" flavorings and it's something I would make again if I'm in the mood for something different.  (My old favorite asparagus recipe has Parmesan cheese so I can't have it anymore, anyway!  The picture didn't turn out as badly as most of my green vegetable photography attempts, so I thought this would be a perfect entry for this week's Vegaloca Weekly Vegan Cooking Challenge.

Newest Hedgehog in the Kitchen

Thanks to my sister Annie for this cute new addition to my Hedgehog Kitchen family!  :-)

Babka (Polish Easter Bread)

Happy Easter!  I was so happy to find a vegan Easter treat and even more delighted when it turned out beautifully.  Even my dad (usually very picky and wary of anything "unusual" on his plate) thought the Babka (Easter Bread recipe of Polish origin) was tasty.  I actually think "cake" is a more suitable term than "bread" because it is very sweet and cake-like in consistency.  I even cut the sugar in the cake by about half and it was still quite sweet (especially with the frosting).  Definitely delicious for a holiday treat, but if I were to make it on a more frequent basis I would cut the sugar even more.  I did not include the raisins or lemon rind in the recipe but I loved the flavor with the almond extract (I used almond milk rather than soy milk, which also probably helped) and the lemony flavor in the icing.  For the egg substitute, I used the oil-water-baking powder mix (if you click to the "Egg Replacer" link on the  recipe, it takes you to a variety of options).  In any case, this is certainly a recipe worthy of inclusion in the Vegaloca Weekly Vegan Cooking Challenge.

Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

Here's one chocolate chip recipe that sure toots its own horn.  The heart-healthiest in the world!?  Really?  Well, I am no global chocolate chip cookie expert (though I'd kind of love the job of going around the world sampling different recipes!) but these seem pretty darn healthy. With only three tablespoons of canola oil and 1/2 cup brown sugar (the recipe calls for more but we halved the recipe and it was plenty sweet), plus lots of "good fat" from the walnuts and copious amounts of oats (oat flour and rolled oats), I would have to agree.  It's also really delicious!  And gluten-free!  Hooray, hooray!  These were a big hit with my gluten-intolerant mom when my sister and I made them as a treat for her.  Our picture doesn't quite capture the oooey-gooey goodness like the one in the book (Vegetarian Times: Everything Vegan) but they were definitely delicious.  I'd never made walnut butter before, but it was very easy with my mom's fancy kitchen gadgets (my own little cheap-o food processor didn't do quite as well) and this is one recipe I'd definitely make again.  Thanks to my co-chef Annie for her help and taking the photo!  Here's the recipe so give it a try.

Mixed Vegetable Masala

I'm so happy my friend Lee is back and happily cooking and posting away at her fabulous blog Vegaloca.  I always enjoy the inspiration of her Weekly Vegan Cooking Challenge to get in the kitchen and try something new.

This week, I made the Mixed Vegetable Masala from Vegetarian Times' Everything Vegan. My husband and I really enjoyed it!  Though the dish tastes delightfully "exotic" the vegetables are nothing particularly expensive or difficult to obtain (diced tomatoes, onion, yellow bell pepper, boiling potatoes, carrots, cauliflower) and it was nice to finally put my jar of garam masala to use.  I like this recipe because it has a bit of kick (from the cayenne pepper and chili powder) but also sweetness thanks to the garam masala and coconut milk.  This only uses 1/2 cup of light coconut milk so it's not as fattening as many such dishes.  I enjoyed the first batch so much that I made a second one later in the week to use up the rest of our can of coconut milk.  Mmm, mmm!  Makes great left-overs, too.

 

Delicious and Georgeous Vegan Pancakes!

My husband surprised me by making pancakes for breakfast.  What a sweetie!  He used the recipe from Veganomicon but we only use almond milk (no soy milk) and the batter seemed way too liquid-y so he added an extra 1/2 C of flour.  We thought it turned out great and had a very pleasant consistency; perhaps a bit more chewy than "regular" pancakes but still very good and extremely tasty. He also added some pumpkin pie spice mix with added cinnamon and nutmeg. Mmm, lucky  me!