Vegan MoFo VI, Bonus! - Cookbook Challenge - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! (and breakfast)

As I mentioned last night, I was gonna make the Oreo Wafflewiches from Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! for dessert, but it was far too late once we got to the dessert stage of the night.  So I made them for breakfast!  And since it's daylight, I actually took a picture!

Sorry about the spill - I didn't notice it when I took the picture.

 

 These were pretty quick for waffles - or as quick as waffles can be given my hateful kitchen and my slow-ass waffle maker.  I subbed a bit of black cocoa powder for some of the regular cocoa powder for a bit more Oreo realness, but I don't know how much it helped.  Maybe I should use half and half next time.

 

These were fairly similar in taste to Oreos, though obviously the cream tasted fresher and less of chemicals.  It was kinda like eating half a packet of Oreos in one go - delicious, but now I feel a bit ill, though I don't feel particularly full.

 

I'm definitely gonna have to go to the gym soon.

 

Since I finally got around to taking a MoFo pic, I discovered that I had loads of photos of my cat, Zebedee, on my phone.  So, bonus Zebby and Mike photo!

 

Sunnin'

 I don't always sit here, but when I do, I step all over his junk.

Vegan MoFo VI, Day 20 - Cookbook Challenge - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day

I know this post is pretty late, but I have a completely valid reason - I slept until shortly after noon, so we ate dinner around 10pm.  I haven't had a lie-in for ages because we've had to be up early for one reason or another every weekend for months.  Everyone always says you eventually get up earlier on purpose (i.e., you reach a point when you don't sleep until noon), but I don't see that happening for me, and I have no problem with that.

Anyway, I made a couple more recipes from Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! - Moo Free Seitan and the Philly version of the Pittsburgh Steak Sandwich.

The seitan was pretty easy - I did it in the oven instead of the slow cooker because I didn't get around to making it until after 3pm.  It had a really good texture, and I liked that I could throw it in the oven and actually go do things while it cooked - I went to the gym and to the store and I didn't have to rush home to take it out of the oven.  I don't think it would be all that great on its own, which is possibly my fault for not putting enough stuff in the cooking broth, but it was great in the next recipe.

The sandwiches came together pretty quickly - it would've been even quicker if I hadn't been cleaning and trying to sort out storing the leftover seitan (to get it out of the way) at the same time.  Slicing and cooking the seitan is pretty much all you have to do with this recipe.  I also had to warm up the ciabatta and shred the cheese, but I had garlic mayo so didn't feel the need to do the spread (especially since Mike doesn't like spreads on his sandwiches and I only did a half recipe).

The sandwiches were simple and delicious.  I wouldn't make them frequently only because that much bread and cheese doesn't really fit with my weight-loss plan.  But I might use the seitan cooking method for Mike's lunch sandwiches.

Tomorrow is a new cookbook challenge week, but I have a few more things I wanna make from this book, so I'll still be cooking from it.  In fact, I think I might make the Oreo Wafflewiches for breakfast tomorrow ... right before I go to the gym.  They're the new Little Chocolate Donuts.

Vegan MoFo VI, Day 18 - Cookbook Challenge - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!

I got around to cooking today - yaay!

This week's cookbook challenge book is Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! by Tami Noyes and Celine Steen.  I actually bought this book because of the challenge, which kinda defeats the purpose (in that you're meant to get use out of books you already own).  But I'm super excited to make some stuff from it, so I'm glad I bought it.

Tonight we had a friend over for dinner, so I needed to make something that was quick and easy but also suitable for serving to a guest.  I chose the Chickpea Shawarma, mostly because it didn't require making any breads or mock meats before making the rest of the recipe.

This was exactly what I was looking for - it was super easy to make, and I managed to get the sauce made while the chickpeas cooked.  I doubled the chickpeas because I figured the guys would have seconds and I could save some for my lunch the next day.  We had them as wraps because it just seemed easier, and I served them with some roasted cauliflower, which complemented the chickpeas perfectly.

I really liked the way these turned out.  I think it would be a great way to recreate chicken shawarma (which I've never actually had) if you subbed the chickpeas with chicken-style seitan (possibly the No Cluck Cutlets from the book).  This was a great recipe to start with, and I'm looking forward to making more!

Vegan MoFo VI, Day 9 - Cookbook Challenge - Yellow Rose Recipes

This week's cookbook challenge book is Yellow Rose Recipes*.  This is one of those books that I love, but for some reason**, it kinda languishes on the shelf.  It pretty much always comes up in the cookbook challenge, and I know I've written about a couple of recipes here (the Sloppy Joannas for sure - they're the best sloppy meat-like substance I've ever eaten).

Because I've used it for so many challenges, there really aren't that many recipes I want to make that I haven't already.  I'm terrible about making sides, though, so there were actually quite a few that I could choose from.  Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking what I'd originally planned (I didn't feel like cooking at all, really), so I decided that I could at least chop up a head of cauliflower and made the Braised Cauliflower.

Now I loves my cauliflower, but I almost always eat it roasted.  Every time I try to do something else with it, I pretty much just wish that I'd roasted it.  But I persevered, and I'm glad I did.  This recipe was fast and simple.  It took all of 30 minutes from taking the cauliflower out of the fridge to sitting down and shoveling it in my mouth.  I got everything cooked in that time (possibly even less - I can't be sure because I wasn't paying attention), which is always a huge plus.

The only change I made is that I sprinkled on some nooch (after I tried a piece) - it was OK without, but amazing with.  But there really isn't much you can change about this recipe - it has very few ingredients.

I can definitely see myself making this again.  It's not exactly like roasted cauliflower, but it's certainly less calorific, and it was nearly as tasty.

I probably should've mentioned earlier about the lack of pictures.  I'm sure I talked about this last year, but it's pretty much always dark by the time food is ready.  Also, one of the lights in my awful kitchen is jacked up, so I have even less light than I would normally, and the light in the sitting room makes everything look yellow.  So, I'll try to get pictures of stuff that I make during daylight hours, but otherwise, sorry.

*The original YRR is out of print, so I've linked to Joanna's newest collection, which has YRR favourites and a few from her zines.  Go buy it!
**The reason is my kitchen - I hate my kitchen.  Did I mention that?

Vegan MoFo VI, Day 2 - Cookbook Challenge - Vegan Diner

Over on the PPK, we're doing what seems to be the annual Cookbook Challenge.  The point of this (if you've forgotten from the last 3 years) is that we vote on cookbooks from which to cook, then cook from them - 3 recipes each for the week that cookbook is chosen - posting the results in the dedicated thread.

As I mentioned yesterday, this week's book is Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson.  I hate to say it, but for some reason, though many of the recipes struck my fancy (because Lard knows I love diner food), I've hardly made anything from this book.

Tonight I made the Smoky Potato Scramble, because brinner is the best meal of the day.  The only mods I made were to slightly decrease the oil and slightly increase the nooch.  I'm super particular about my scramble, so I'm always pretty reluctant to try new ones.  And this one didn't have any cumin, so.

As it turns out, this was really, really good.  It suffered a bit health-wise by having onions as the only veg, but it was super tasty.  It was really easy to make, too, though slightly time-consuming due to having to first boil potatoes (which she does mention you can do the day before).  I think I'd make this again, though I'd maybe add some spinach or something to make it a bit healthier.

I had planned to make the Blue Plate Special - this scramble, cornmeal waffles, and gravy - but I didn't have the patience for it.  But I'm not firmly committed to my project for tomorrow (since we already have a pretty sizable amount of leftovers), so I think I'll make the other components tomorrow.

Do you have Vegan Diner?  What are your favourite recipes?

Vegan MoFo VI, Day 1 - Mike Makes Monday Meals

It's MoFo time again!

Yeah, I've been pretty crap at updating, in that I've posted once this year before today.  But I moved house, and I kinda hate my kitchen (I'll probably use a weekend post to explain why), so I haven't been terribly motivated to cook.  But I'm sucking it up for MoFo.

So, a brief overview of some of my plans - I don't have a particular theme for every day, only because I won't always be able to do the stuff the same day of every week.  But here's what I'm thinking:

Sunday Baking - I checked out Have Your Cake and Vegan Too from the library, so I'm using Sundays to try out the stuff I like the look of.  I'll make it on a Sunday and take it in to work the next day so Mike and I don't have to get through a cake every week.

Mike Makes Monday Meals - I'm going away on holiday for 3 weeks in November, which means Mike will have to fend for himself.  So he'll be making dinner every Monday to learn how to cook a few simple things so that he doesn't eat nothing but biscuits and hummus every day for 3 weeks.

British Food Fridays - There are a few classic British dishes that I'd like to try my hand at, so I'll post about these on a Friday (though I may make them the Thursday night).  So far, the only definite things I'm making are treacle tart and bakewell tart.  My co-workers are gonna get so fat.

Because of how Mike's schedule works, I can't be definite with any other days, partially because one of the things I'm doing is restaurant reviews.  I'll also be doing the Cookbook Challenge that's happening on the PPK.

This post encompasses two of my themes.  Tonight, Mike made the Quick and Hearty Chili from Vegan Diner, which is the current Cookbook Challenge book.

This was a great recipe to start with.  Mike said that he didn't feel like there were any complicated directions and that it was easy to make.  It was also incredibly delicious.

The only subs we made were to double the TVP, add an extra can of beans (so one each of red kidney, pinto, and black beans), leave out the cocoa powder (we didn't have any), and add a couple drops of hickory liquid smoke.  OK, maybe that sounds like a lot of changes, but it wasn't too drastic.  Anyway, it came together really quickly.  We ate it with rice - I had mine bowl-style with some mixed baby leaf salad on the bottom.  It was so, so good.  I would definitely recommend it.

I'm looking forward to making more from this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of MoFo!

Catch-up on testing and cookbook challenging

I'm so far behind blogging about tester recipes.  It's pretty bad.

A couple of weeks ago (seriously), I had 2/3 of the Ethnocrew to dinner for for Nigel Tufnel Day and, incongruously, Eastern European food.  Well, it wasn't all Eastern European - dessert was well American.  But here's how we got on.

We started with the Roasted Beet Salad with Apples and Dill Vinaigrette.  This was a project, and salad shouldn't be a project.  It took over an hour to make, mostly because I had to first peel and then roast the beets.  I wasn't terribly keen on it, but the girls liked it.  I think it might have been better if the beets had been a little saltier (and roastier) and if we'd left out the lettuce.  At least it was pretty.

Our main was Shchi (Sauerkraut and Mushroom Soup) with Sour Dilly Cream.  This was really nice, and the cream really brought the flavours together.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much the cream tasted like sour cream without actually containing vegan sour cream (i.e., Tofutti).  The soup was lovely as well.  It was just the right amount of healthy, salty, and comforting.

Dessert that night was two cookbook challenge recipes - Chocolate Chip Skillet Cake and Very Vanilla Ice Cream from Vegan Diner.  Let's not pretend that this is anything other than a giant chocolate chip cookie.  It was really good, though I would've liked it to be a bit moister.  The ice cream did what it says on the tin - it was very vanilla.  It worked really well with the cookie cake.  I quite liked both, but I think, if I made the ice cream again, I'd use a bit more soy cream so it was a little fattier/creamier.

I also made a couple of tester recipes this week:

Sunday night, I made Pumpkin Black Bean Posole (but with butternut squash instead of pumpkin).  I love posole.  This was lovely, light and comforting.  It was also easy and quick to throw together.  The only thing I'd change about it is that it needs more cumin.  I'd definitely make this again (but with more cumin).  I might like it with cornbread instead of corn chips, though the corn chips make a lovely presentation.  (NB - I didn't use most of the suggested toppings because I'm either allergic, don't like them, or couldn't be bothered.  It didn't detract from the deliciousness.)

This was tonight's dinner - Gnocchi with Roasted Tomato Caper Sauce and Braised Greens with Lemon and Olive Oil.  The gnocchi was good but salty:  olives + capers + added salt in the sauce and pasta = way too much salt.  I like the concept, so I'd probably do this again with tinned tomatoes (for the laziness/sauciness factor) and no added salt.  The greens (spinach, to be precise) were delicious, quick, and easy.  Seriously, about 15 minutes from washing to eating (or possibly less if I had been focused on one recipe at a time).  I'd definitely make this again.  It's kinda like a Mediterranean version of the chard recipe from Viva Vegan!, which is one of my favourite ways to eat chard.  Also, that doesn't look like much, but we ate an entire bag of spinach between the two of us.  I think Mike got more than I did though.  I was too generous.

Hopefully I'll keep up better with testing (and posting about testing) over the next couple of months, though we'll see what happens when we start moving flats and everything.  All being well, we get the keys next Friday (OMG!!!)!

Cookbook Challenge - Cheating with testers

Thinking about testing always makes me think of one of Tom Hanks's many SNL appearances, the one in which he played Wayne's cousin Barry, who was a roadie for Aerosmith, and gave a demonstration of his job by doing a mic check ("check, check, sibilance, sibilance").  I digress.

This week's cookbook challenge is another Isa and Terry week.  I spent all of my new-recipe-making energy on Terry testing, so I'm cheating and saying I did them for the challenge.  Let's be honest, the only Isa/Terry book I haven't already made loads from is the cookie book (well, and the pie book, but that just came out), and I really don't need to make a bunch of different cookies (especially after my week-long cookie-fest in which I made 3 types of chocolate chip cookies).

I ended up making five testers this week:

The first was Toasted Lentils, Onions, and Rice.  Yeah, it's not all that pretty, but it's tasty.  It's loaded with caramelized onions, which are one of my cooking nemeses.  It took me about an hour (probably longer) to caramelize those bloody onions.  Next time, they're going in the slow cooker.  This would actually be a pretty quick-ish recipe if one were to use frozen caramelized onions.  It's got a bit of a sausage-y flavour with the addition of whole fennel seeds.  I tasted this shortly after it finished cooking and didn't really care for it, but the flavour improves immensely after sitting or a few days, so I'm glad I reserved judgment.  The recipe also makes a ton, so I had lunches all week and a few dinners.

After a most of a week of frozen food and leftovers, I knocked out three more testers on Thursday (well, four, but I made another tester with tester seitan).  Pictured are Gyro Roasted Seitan (made with Lemon & Olive Seitan), Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes, and Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Sage.  The reviews were mixed on this meal.  We both loved the broccoli - roasted broccoli is really a thing of beauty.  I really liked the potatoes, but Mike thought they were just OK.  I only kinda liked the seitan (the flavours were good but the texture was off due to my seitan being underdone, as you can probably see from the pic), but Mike didn't like it because he thought it was too "different".  Honestly, I'd make it again because I knew it was just a user error, but Mike probably wouldn't eat it (or would eat it but complain about it, more accurately).  Together, it was actually an excellent meal.

We went to Glasgow today to get Mike's passport sorted and had lunch at Heavenly.  Be warned - you don't wanna rock up at 1 on the Saturday they do the craft fair, because you might not get seated.  We actually had to get a snack at Holland & Barrett and do some shopping, then go back after we'd picked up his passport.  Anyway, I finally got the breakfast, and I was not disappointed.  On the plate are tofu scramble (made with smoked tofu), mushrooms, tempeh rashers, toast, beans, tomatoes, sausage, and a potato scone.  This was the best vegan breakfast I've ever had at a restaurant, and the two things that made it were the scramble and the scone (which was actually more like a mushy hashbrown or giant latke).  It was so, so good.

Bonus picture of Mike eating his brunch.

For dessert, we both got caramel hot chocolate, which was delicious, and I got the gingerbread.  I was really excited to eat it based on my previous experience, but they've already changed it.  This one came out floating in a puddle of really thin custard with no chocolate sauce.  It was still good, but not mouthgasmic like the last time (and the presentation, which I usually don't care about, was sub-par).  The custard wasn't as flavourful, the cake was flatter and seemed less fresh (which isn't surprising since the last time I know they'd just baked it), and it didn't come together as well without the chocolate.  I'll maybe skip this if we're not having it as a post-dinner dessert - I'm hoping that they just didn't try as hard because it was a lunchtime thing.

I'll be doing more testing next week, and I'll also be attempting Irn Bru cookies.  Let's hope they work better than the cupcakes.

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (pt 2)

Sorry this is so late - we're just back from seeing the cinema re-release of Ghostbusters!  I love that flick - I've probably seen it 100 times (no exaggeration) - and it's even better on the big screen.  I wish more of my favourite films would get re-released (or that the Cameo cinema would bring back the Breakfast Club, the once-a-month weekend morning show of an 80s classic).  I know this re-release is just a lead-up to Ghostbusters 3 (which I'm not sure about), but whatever.  Anyway, on to the foods.

I made another recipe from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni-Marie Newman.  Tonight was the Bacon Cheeseburger.

I would like to draw your attention to the bread substance containing the burger.  That is regular-sized sliced bread from the store.  The burger is overflowing the bread.  It is a giant-ass burger.  The recipe said it makes 4, but when I made the first two, they were humongous, so I made 4 more patties out of the rest of the dough.  Those went in the freezer because I knew neither of us would want more than one.

These were pretty easy to make and didn't take too long.  I think I cooked them longer than the recipe suggested because they were so huge (I didn't think they'd cook through with only 3-5 minutes of frying).  If I'd had more time, I probably would've baked them, but that would've made us late for the movie.   I might bake the other ones whenever I decide to eat them.

As far as taste, I thought they were a bit too sweet.  They have barbecue sauce and maple syrup in them, and I feel like I could've had less of one of those (probably the syrup).  I would've liked a little more smoky flavour as well.  Despite the 1/2 cup of nooch, I didn't think they tasted particularly cheesy - the sweetness kinda overwhelmed that flavour.

I used beef-style broth for the TVP.  The only thing I subbed was tahini for the peanut butter, since the Freenut butter is too sweet to sub in savoury dishes.

I don't know if I'd make these again.  I prefer a more basic burger that I can add things to, and I prefer my cheeseburgers to be cheesy.  I'll try out one of the basic burgers and see how that works out.

We set our clocks back tonight, so if you're in the UK, don't forget - 3am becomes 2am!  But only once!

Vegan MoFo - Nooch makes everything better

A couple of days ago, I made the Bacon and Egg Burgers from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni-Marie Newman for the cookbook challenge.  I didn't love them, but I really wanted to.  Despite not being great, they made an excellent breakfast - I eat breakfast between 8 and 8.15am, and when I ate these, I wasn't hungry until about 12.30 or 1pm.  So I was determined to make them more than just edible, and I think I've accomplished that!

One thing I realised is that the imitation bacon bits available here are far less salty than the ones available in the US.  You see, in the UK/Europe, the government actually regulates the food industry in a meaningful way, so they have limits on, for example, how much salt can be in food.  So my burgers were a little bland because I didn't account for the lower salt level.  The other thing I realised is that these are basically tofu scramble burgers.  As far as I'm concerned, it's not scramble if it doesn't contain nooch, and there's no nooch in these.

So I made the burgers again, this time adding about a teaspoon of liquid aminos (for the saltiness) and 1/4 cup of nooch.  I managed to get away using slightly less flour this time as well (and I only used 1/2 cup of flour last time, which is the low end of the range for the recipe).  They turned out great!  I actually want to eat another one right now, but having just calculated the calories (roughly 186 each), I can't really afford to after all those Manner wafers I ate this afternoon.

I'm really glad I gave these another try, because I can see them becoming a breakfast staple.  They're really easy to make and take relatively little time, and, as I said above, are filling enough to get you through to lunch.  They're a little more calorific than my usual breakfast (cereal and soymilk), but I think I'll make that up by not feeling the need to snack between meals (I hope - abundant Manner wafers notwithstanding).  Oh, and they freeze well, so you could make a couple of batches (I managed to fry the whole of one batch in one go) and pop a bunch in the freezer.

Mike's taking me out to dinner tomorrow, but I need to check that I haven't already reviewed this restaurant (I have a feeling I have).  If I have, I might make something between getting home and going back out so I have something to blog about!

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (pt 1)

Holy crap am I tired.  It's 11.30pm and I've only recently finished cooking for the evening.  I made soup, bagels, burgers, and cake, and I'm exhausted.

Today starts week...something (I can't be bothered to check) of the Cookbook Challenge.  This week's book is The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni-Marie Newman.  I've chosen a lot from this book, but I'm already pretty sure I won't be able to get through it.  We'll see - I've also started testing for Terry's new book, so I might not have time for everything.  I actually made a tester recipe today, but it's one of those "tastes better the next day" deals so I'll reserve judgment until tomorrow.

I started off with the Bacon and Egg Burgers and the Bagel Buns.

The buns are what you'd expect - taste and texture of a bagel, but without the hole.  They were a bit time-consuming, but no more than any other yeast bread.  Actually, they were pretty easy.  I used a bit of wholemeal flour to make them a little healthier.

The burgers were kinda meh.  They were a little flavourless, which is odd considering how much stuff goes into them - garlic powder, onion powder, bacon bits.  I'm hoping that the flavours will develop overnight and they'll taste better tomorrow.

I also made the Espresso Chocolate Chip Cake.  I didn't take a picture because it kinda fell apart and didn't look great.  But it tasted amazing!  It's very chocolaty - I barely detected the coffee, despite it having as much espresso powder as cocoa powder and 1/4 c of coffee liqueur.  I honestly wasn't sure about it when I tasted the batter, but it really works.  It's fluffy and moist and slightly gooey from the chocolate chips.  It's kinda everything I want in an unadorned chocolate cake.  OK, I'd be happy if it did the same thing with half the fat, but what can you do?  Oh, word to the wise - eat this with a glass of your non-dairy milk of choice at hand, because you'll need it.  In fact, maybe keep the carton out.

I'm feeling better about this book than the last, especially with a success right out of the gate.  Hopefully today's burgers were a fluke and everything else will be comparable to the cake and buns.


Are you participating in the cookbook challenge?  What are you planning from this one?

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: 500 Vegan Recipes (pt 4)

Tonight I tried to make the Kahlua ice cream from 500 Vegan Recipes.  Here's how it failed:

First, I didn't have quite enough Kahlua.  I solved that with throwing in some vanilla, which also made up for the fact that I can't get vanilla soy creamer in the UK.  But that shouldn't have made much difference.

Then, when it was simmering, I stirred in the arrowroot slurry.  It cooked, and I stirred.  It cooked, and I stirred.  And it never. got. thick.  This may have been the fault of my arrowroot powder, though I didn't have a problem when I used it a couple of weeks ago.  So, I made a bit more slurry, this time with some Bird's Custard Powder (which I just bought recently).  It didn't quite dissolve, so when I poured it in, it left some chunks.  But at least the mixture got slightly thicker.

I poured it into my container, let it cool on the counter, and then put it in the fridge to cool for several hours.  When I thought it was sufficiently cool, I set up my ice cream maker and poured it in.  About 1/4 of it went on the counter.  But that was kinda OK because there was too much for my ice cream maker anyway.

I went back to check on it after about 20 minutes, and it was still completely liquid.  So I left it in for another 20 minutes or so.  Still mostly liquid, though it seemed to be forming some crystals.  After over an hour of churning, it still only had some crystals, but it wasn't anywhere near ice cream.  (Bear in mind, I've used this machine before with great success.)

I ended up just bunging the mixture back into the container and putting it in the freezer.  I refuse to give up when alcohol is involved.  We'll see if it comes anywhere near ice cream.

Overall, I have to say I've been pretty disappointed with this book.  I've only made one recipe from it that I loved and made multiple times (the yeasted pumpkin bread).  Everything else has been mediocre at best.  I won't give up on it entirely because I've barely cracked it (even if I made 50 recipes from it, I'd only be 1/10th of the way through), but I don't ever see it being in heavy rotation.  At the same time, I won't warn people away from it entirely because there are obviously loads of people who love it.

Next week's cookbook challenge book is The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, also by Joni Marie Newman.  I've dog-eared a lot of pages, and I have to start testing, so I'll be busy next week!

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: 500 Vegan Recipes (pt 3)

I was thisclose to not bothering again today, but then I decided that I had to do something better than review more convenience foods.  I decided to make another recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes for the Cookbook Challenge.

I made the Cast Iron Skillet Frittata, a combination of the Lorraine and Mexican variations.  I could've used my bac'n bits to do the Lorraine straight up, but I'm not sure if I can get any more, so I didn't want to take the chance (since I plan on using them for something else later).  So I used some chorizo that I made during testing for Alicia's next book, Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food (which, btw, will be amazing, I promise).  I served it with Mac & Trees Peas from Appetite for Reduction.

I have to be honest - I didn't love this.  The texture was weird to me - I'm used to frittatas just being mashed up tofu pressed into the pan, so the blending of the ingredients here made for a texture that was disappointing.  It also wasn't terribly flavourful, despite the amount of garlic and onion powders chucked into it.  And despite containing soy creamer and 1/4 c of oil, it was mouth-parchingly dry.  So, needless to say, I won't be making this again.  It pales in comparison to the Papa Chorizo Frittata in Q&E Vegan Celebrations, which is my absolute favourite frittata recipe of all time.

Speaking of testing, I got an email yesterday telling me that I get to be in the tester pool for Terry's next book!  I'm super excited, but also a little bit anxious because she already has so many recipes up.  It's a little different from what I'm used to.  I'm looking forward to starting soon (just need to go through everything and figure out what I'm doing!).

Don't forget, for those of you in the UK, you can still win a bottle of Hollow's Alcoholic Ginger Beer.  Just leave a comment about your favourite ginger and/or beer recipe in the giveaway post before 12pm Sunday!

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: 500 Vegan Recipes (pt 2)

Seems like yesterday's ailment was just run-of-the-mill allergies.  Back on form today, but I still ate convenience food, but here's why:

We found out that the flat we want is being offered to us at 75% of the original list price.  That is freaking amazing.

Anyway, I came home from work and shopping to this news, then waited for Mike to get home to share with him.  By the time we finished talking about it with each other, talking to his dad about it, and looking at furniture on the IKEA website, it was nearly 8pm.  And I just so happened to buy a bunch of new frozen convenience foods, so I decided to cook that instead of fresh food.

Mmm...beige.

We have here another plate of nothing but convenience foods.  The small things are in Sainsbury's newly revamped frozen free-from line called Love Soya - mini sausage rolls (btw, the whole range is on sale, but check the ingredients - not everything is vegan).  The large one just behind those is a Linda McCartney sausage roll (I had 2 left and wanted to get rid of them).  The pile of beige to the right is noochy Smash, and the veg is frozen broccoli and cauliflower.

I'll be honest - I prefer the Linda McCartney sausage rolls.  But maybe if I'd cooked the Sainsbury's ones a little less, I'd like them more.  As always, noochy Smash is a winner, but the veg was kinda meh.  I think I'll stick with the steam bags (which I love).

But I still managed to do something for the Cookbook Challenge.  I made the Chocolate Breakfast Cake from 500 Vegan Recipes.

Oh dear lord, you must eat this with something on it.  To give you an idea of how not sweet this is, it has more cocoa than sugar.  Right out of the pan, it's dry and kinda icky (though I have to admit, the banana flavour isn't very strong at all).  However, spread with a bit of raspberry jam, it's actually pretty good.  Since I had to make a point of buying a banana, I don't think I'd make this again, but it was nice to try something different.


In other fabulous news, it looks like another American import shop is opening up in the 'burgh.  It's in the same shopping centre as my preferred Sainsbury's, which is slightly more convenient than Lupe Pinto's.  Unfortunately, it looks like it's mostly candy and junk food (most of which I'm sure I can't eat).  However, I saw 12-packs of Mug root beer and Wild Cherry Pepsi.  Hell. Yes.  Hopefully since it looks like they're more exclusively American, they'll be importing more of everything and therefore have it available for less than LP's (which would be awesome - £1.10 for a can of A&W is a bit ridiculous).

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: 500 Vegan Recipes (pt 1)

We're now into the third week of Vegan MoFo!  Time is flying!  We're also in week 5 of the Cookbook Challenge, and this week is 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni-Marie Newman.

This morning afternoon I made the Peanut Butter Pancakes (with Freenut Butter, of course).  I made the first half of the batch as per the recipe and the second half with chocolate chips.

Apologies for the pic - I forgot to take one before I started eating.

As suggested, I ate these with some raspberry jam.  The plain ones were a bit meh, but the chocolate chip ones were really good.  Mike quite liked both, though he had the plain with chocolate spread.  But he usually doesn't like PB stuff, so they must have been good.  That said, I find that a lot of stuff that has cooked PB (apart from cookies) almost seems like the PB flavour is baked out (like when you cook with alcohol).  Things that have a strong PB flavour tend to be uncooked (ice cream, buttercream, etc.) - I'm not quite sure why that is - which is why it kinda annoys me when I make something with a cup of PB and don't taste any PB, especially since the stuff I use isn't cheap.  But what can you do?

Oh, I should also say that the batter for these was crazy thick.  I could've made waffles with it.  Those up there didn't just fluff up - that's how thick the batter was.  They also took a while to cook, so these took me over an hour all told.  They also created a bit of a mess with mixing in the PB.  I don't know that I'd make these again just for us because they're a bit of a time-consuming hassle.  But they were tasty.  Oh, and as Mike pointed out, they turned green on the inside.

I made the Chili and Cornbread Pie for dinner (sorry, too lazy/tired to take a pic).  Let me start off by saying this - the instructions are wrong.  There's no way in hell all those ingredients can fit in an 8" square pan.  The chili alone came up to the top of my 10" cast iron skillet (which is the proper vessel in which to cook cornbread).  I ended up putting everything in my cast iron Dutch oven.

The chili was a bit odd - despite all the spices, it still felt a little bland, though that could be sorted with a bit of salt.  It also wasn't as saucy as I'm used to.  The cornbread was some kind of Yankee concoction - more flour than cornmeal, which felt a little wrong (as did the suggestion that it would be cooked in a glass pan - honestly).  Other than that, it was pretty good.  I'd make it again, but I'd change it a bit (like more liquid in the chili and more cornmeal in the cornbread).

We're going out for dinner tomorrow, so it'll be another restaurant review, but I might also make something else from 500VR.

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: Appetite for Reduction (pt 2)

I did a couple more recipes from Appetite for Reduction for the Cookbook Challenge.  Today was Broiled Blackened Tofu and Mac & Trees.

I think you can tell by the picture which of these recipes I preferred.  I loved the Mac & Trees.  I'm pretty sure I've made the pea version before, but never the original broccoli version.  It was really good - it tasted like comforting, creamy, cheesy mac and cheese, but the broccoli and the fact that it's low-cal made it feel OK to eat (which I did, repeatedly, one spoonful at a time every time I went to the kitchen).   Even Mike liked it, and he hates cooked cheese-type foods.  He liked it enough to want to eat it again!  So this is a definite winner.

Also, I just love that cheese sauce.  It takes all of 15 minutes to make all told, and it's really really good.  And no added fat!  That's what you want in a cheese sauce.  And the best thing about vegan cheese sauces - easy clean-up.  You can let a vegan cheese sauce cool and still be able to rinse out most of it.  +1 for veganism.

The tofu, however, was not my favourite.  The flavour was OK, but I didn't dig the texture.  I think, once again, it was my nemesis thyme.  I love/hate that bastard substance.  I almost didn't put it in, but then I decided to go with the original recipe.  I kinda wish I hadn't.  I kept getting jabbed in the gums by it, and at one point, I had a hard time getting a piece out of my gum.  It was uncomfortable, which is the exact opposite of how I want to feel when I eat.  Also, I don't really have a broiler, so I had to just bake the tofu on high heat close to the element.  It didn't blacken, though I think that was the least of its problems.

So, yeah, I'll make the hell out of the Mac & Trees, but if I try the tofu again, I'll leave out the thyme.

In other, non-food/veganism related news, we were approved for a mortgage!  We're hoping to put in an offer on a flat soon.  We're super excited.  For me anyway, it's mostly because I get a cat after the majority of the work has been done on it.  So keep your fingers crossed for us that everything goes smoothly and I'll be cuddling a kitteh soon!

Vegan MoFo - Cookbook Challenge: Appetite for Reduction (pt 1)

So, we're doing the Cookbook Challenge again.  It seems to always coincide with MoFo, which actually works out great for me.  It not only gets me to use my cookbooks, but it also gives me something to blog about!

This week is actually supposed to be Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry, but I don't have that book, so I'm going back to week 1, Isa and Terry Week.  I still haven't cooked much out of Appetite for Reduction (in my defense, I've been testing for Alicia for several months now), so I decided to focus on that.  I have the rest of the books after that, and there's a 2nd Isa/Terry week, and I'm really looking forward to using a few books I haven't had for long.

It's kinda late and I'm pretty tired, so I'm just posting the recipe I tried last night, which was the Smoky Split Pea Soup.

Split pea soup is another one of those things that I didn't try for a very long time because my mom always made it seem like something vile.  Pea soup was the stuff of nightmares, and this was before I saw The Exorcist (or did my Linda Blair impression at that Halloween party a few years ago).  I've since learned to love split pea soup.  How could you not?  It's creamy and savoury and comforting.  It's like a bowl of liquid hugs for your insides.

Isa's smoky, low-cal version is great.  It mimics that bit of ham you'd get in an omni split pea soup without the fat or cruelty.  The only thing I didn't like about it was the thyme.  I wish there was a way to have the flavour of thyme without the texture.  Those little bastards always stick in my teeth.

To be honest, I tested another low-cal split pea soup recipe for Alicia that I like better, so I'll probably stick with that.  But until the rest of you mortals have access to that one, I would recommend this one.

Vegan MoFo - Summer's Last Hurrah

This was meant to be yesterday's post, but I changed it up a bit.

The past couple of summers have been excessively, unbearably hot, but this one was actually pretty mild.  We had a couple of weeks where it was relatively hot, but the majority of the summer was what feels like spring in Texas.  As September crawled to a close, each passing day felt nearer to autumn.  The leaves turned into glorious reds, oranges and yellows, fell from the trees to blanket the streets like snow, and the temperature got lower by the day.

Then, suddenly, during the last week of September, seemingly the whole of the UK felt as if it had been engulfed in flames.  It was as hot as it had been during the warmest part of summer.  Even when it rained, it was still sticky and warm.   It didn't get cool again until Sunday.

And, of course, the only thing to do when it's unbearably hot is make ice cream.  Personally, I can eat ice cream in the depths of winter, but I understand most people only like it when it's warm out.

I usually make a variation of the recipe in Veganomicon, but this time, since we're doing the cookbook challenge again, I used the recipe from American Vegan Kitchen (linked in my last post) for Mocha Vegan Ice Cream (no pics because, really, it's just a pile of brown).

Pros:  It was tasty, especially with some butterscotch syrup, and it makes a lot more than most other recipes.

Cons:  It took a long time - it has to be cooked, then chilled for at least 4 hours.  I'm used to the V'con recipe, which takes about 5-10 minutes to make, then about an hour to chill before putting it in the ice cream maker.

I may or may not use this again.  I don't know how adaptable it would be, and, as mentioned, it takes a long time.  But at least there's more of it, so I don't have to make ice cream for a while.

In praise of soggy bread

I made my first dumplings tonight.  I know - shocking - I'm Southern and I've never made dumplings (to the best of my knowledge).  My grandma is spinning in her grave.  Or maybe now she's stopped spinning.  But there's a reason why I never made dumplings.

When I was young, I never ate anything even remotely like soggy bread (with the exception of biscuits and gravy).  You see, my mom hates (HATES!) soggy bread, so I just assumed that I also hated soggy bread.  But then there were the biscuits and gravy (but even my mom likes biscuits and gravy).

I'm not exactly sure what made me realise I actually love soggy bread.  (I should clarify, I'm not talking about a piece of bread that's been sitting in water, and I've never had bread in milk.)  I don't know if it was realising that biscuits are bread and gravy makes them soggy.  I don't know if it coincided with my soup revelation (i.e., I like soup), the day I had a delicious soup at my friend Julie's house with a piece of bread to dip in it.  All I know is, I like soggy bread - biscuit-topped cassoulet, the lump of cheese-covered deliciousness atop French onion soup, sammiches moistened by condiments, and dumplings.

Incidentally, the recipe I made was Seitan and Dumplings from American Vegan Kitchen as part of week 2 of the cookbook challenge.  I have to say, it took a long damn time to make.  If you were to make it from start to finish (from the seitan to the bowl), it would take about 4 hours.  Luckily, I at least made the seitan ahead of time.  That said, it's totally worth it.  So delicious.  I might see if I can figure out a way to make it take less time.  I don't know how, but there must be a way.  Anyway, even taking as long as it does, I would definitely recommend it.

Vegan MoFo V is almost upon us!

Holy shit! I only found out yesterday that Vegan MoFo V is in October! That's less than a month away! And is this really the fifth year of Vegan MoFo?!

For those who don't know, Vegan MoFo is the Vegan Month of Food, when vegan bloggers from all over the world, well, blog about vegan food for a month. Last year, I think we had something like 600+ participants, so maybe we'll have over 1000 this year!

The goal is to blog every weekday, but some people blog every damn day. I did that my first year, but last year MoFo was in November, so I couldn't blog daily. I'm not making any commitments this year beyond the weekdays, but we'll see how it comes out.

Most people try to have some sort of theme, but I don't think I can confine myself to a single theme.  Last year I did a couple of different things, like Mix v. Scratch, but nothing to tie everything together.  This year, I think one of the things I'll try is vegan versions of Scottish foods/vegan foods made with iconic Scottish products (like mince and tatties and Irn Bru cookies/cupcakes).  I'd like to try to veganize some of my grandmother's recipes, which I'd wanted to do last year, but I'm still waiting on getting the recipes from my family.  But we're also doing another cookbook challenge on the PPK, so I'll be posting reviews from that.

I'm open to suggestion - Any Scottish recipes you'd like to see veganized?  Any recipes from the books in the cookbook challenge you want to see (bearing in mind, I don't have Vegan Soul Kitchen or either of the Colleen Patrick Godreau books and will probably do another week of Isa/Terry)?  I have 20 days to come up with some stuff, so if you have ideas, let me have them!