MoFo finale - crumpety goodness

I can't believe MoFo is over! This month has been yet another reminder of the awesomeness of veganism and the vegan community. I've really enjoyed writing this, and I'm so glad I was convinced to start this blog and join in the MoFo. I actually did 31 posts! I'll definitely keep up with blogging, though probably not daily like the past month. I've also really enjoyed reading other people's posts, though admittedly I only read a few blogs. I might go back and catch up when I have some down time.

In my final MoFo post, I'll discuss the wonderment that is the crumpet. According to the source of all knowledge, aka Wikipedia, crumpets are actually Anglo-Saxon in origin. It's traditional British food! For those who've never had a crumpet, the greatness lies partially in simple breadly goodness, but also in what's not there - those holes in the surface that allow your toppings to ooze their way down through the entire crumpet. You end up with a bit of mess at times, but then you just mop it up with your crumpet!

I introduced my sister to crumpets when she was here for my wedding and graduation. She so desperately wanted to take some home that we tried to go to Tesco both the night before her flight, and around 6 AM the morning of her flight (which was only a few hours later). Sadly, they hadn't restocked. But she's since found crumpets at home, so I don't feel the need to send her boxes full of crumpets.

I may have mentioned this before, but crumpets are the perfect conveyance for almost any topping, sweet or savoury. I've eaten them with nothing but margarine, but they also taste great topped with golden syrup, maple cream, hummus, fake cheese spread - pretty much anything you might put on bread, but melty things are especially good.

Vegan Dad has a crumpet recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on making it soon (I even bought crumpet rings!).

For your delectation, here is a picture of some delicious crumpets with a touch of margarine and maple cream.

Jack is watching over my crumpets while holding some Yogi chai with soy milk. Mmm.

Cookbook challenge, week 1, day 1 - Veganomicon

The cookbook challenge is upon us, and I've already gotten 2/3 of the way through the goal of 3 recipes over the course of the week! As I mentioned yesterday, this week's challenge is Veganomicon. In addition to what I've made today, I'm going to attempt the following recipes this week - Roasted Garlic Marinara (p. 205), Beanballs (p. 189), Miso Tahini dressing (pp. 93-94), Almost All-American Seitan Pot Pie (pp. 159-160) and/or Leak and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits (pp. 172-173), Applesauce-Oat Bran muffins (p. 229), and Lower-Fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake (pp. 256-257).

I'm being a bit ambitious since, as a housewife, I have quite a lot of time on my hands. Also, I've never made any of these recipes before, and some of them have ingredients that I'm not sure I even like (i.e., leeks), so I'm kinda stepping out of my comfort zone with this. But then, it wouldn't be much of a challenge if I made stuff I make all the time (hello, chickpea cutlets!).

Like I said, I've made 2 things today - Mac Daddy (pp. 195-196)



and Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (p. 237).



I chose these two for basically the same reason - using up ingredients that I otherwise rarely use. I've had a bag of macaroni in my cupboard for at least a year, and I've only used it once or twice. So, even though I only had enough macaroni to make 1/2 recipe of Mac Daddy, at least I finally used up the rest of the package. As for the cookies, I bought a bag of oat flour without really knowing what to do with it, so I checked the index, and this recipe called for oat flour. Sold!

So, tonight's dinner was 'steaks' made from Vegan Dad's Hickory Smoked Veggie Turkey Lunch Meat (grilled on my kickass combo thing that my sister gave me as a wedding present) and Mac Daddy using the chickpea and pea variations:



I've seen a lot of blog posts reviewing Mac Daddy, and the best was that it was just OK. I'm glad that I ignored the nay-sayers and made this, because it was lovely. Admittedly, it lacks...something...but it's so difficult to say exactly what that it seems wrong to say that it's a bad recipe because of this. Compared to the vegan mac 'n' cheese in a box, this is far, far better, and close enough to 'real' mac 'n' cheese that it would satisfy a craving. When (not if) I make this again, I'll probably try the tofu variation, and maybe make a bit more cheezy sauce. It could just be lacking in the fat that would've been present in the tofu. Still, I keep taking bites when I go into the kitchen, so it's definitely a keeper.

Since I used it here, I'll review the Vegan Dad recipe. It's nice, but it's a bit bland. Mike liked it, and it's supposed to be for his lunch, so I guess it doesn't really matter. However, I think all it really needs is to maybe use veg broth in place of some or all of the water. I'll probably make this again (since it makes an assload of fake meat), so I'll try that and see how it goes.

The cookies - oh my. Let me just point out, these are gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies, and they are absolutely delicious. Also, the recipe states that it makes 18 cookies, but I got at least 5 more than that. Anyway, I think Mike and I have eaten at least half of them already. The dough seems a bit loose in the bowl, but they spread nicely and come out pretty uniform. If you take them out just at 10 minutes (or maybe 30 seconds earlier), they're nice and soft. I've been looking for a cookie that comes out relatively uniform, flat, and soft to make sammich cookies. Henceforth, this will be my go-to recipe for sammich cookies. They're nearly perfect. My only complaint is that they have kinda a lot of fat, so I might sub out some of the fat for applesauce next time I make them. I've heard cookies turn out more cake-y with applesauce, which might actually be good for my purposes.

Since we'll likely finish off most of the cookies quickly (Mike just asked for more again), I'll probably have another cookbook challenge post tomorrow.