Playing with vegetarian/vegan dishes

I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but I have recently become obsessed with making more vegetable-centric dishes. I see it as a challenge. Last week I made two vegetarian dishes that I definitely plan on keeping in my arsenal. I don't have recipes for them per se, I just improvised and threw a bunch of stuff together, as I always seem to do lately in the kitchen.

Curried farro with red pepper, green onion, dried cranberries, and pecans

I love the variety of tastes and textures going on in this dish. Bascially, the dish is what the title says. You can cook the farro in water or broth, then add a sprinkle of curry powder and cumin. Mix in the red pepper, green onions, dried cranberries, and pecans. Serve room temperature or cold.


Grilled romaine with pecorino and red pepper dressing alongside kale and lemon spaghetti

Who says meatless dishes can't be meaty? Any time you grill a vegetable, that smokiness will often give it a meaty quality. I cut the romaine head in half longways in order to get even more char on it and then drizzled the red pepper dressing over it and shaved some pecorino over top. To make the red pepper dressing I used Ajeeka, a raw red pepper and garlic sauce, and just mixed that with extra virgin olive oil. It's very simple but probably my favorite salad dressing. 

Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik

I have been tackling many vegan cookbooks as of late, not because I want to become a full-time vegan, but because I am looking for more ways to add plant-based main dishes into my diet. Out of all the vegan cookbooks I've read and tried, I have to say that Mayim's Vegan Table is my favorite thus far. Bialik and Dr. Jay Gordon spend a lot of time in the introduction talking about the vegan lifestyle and dispelling some of the myths that go along with it. Unlike previous vegan cookbooks I've read, Bialik and Gordon don't gloss over and/or dismiss the fact that making the decision to become vegan is a difficult one. They are candid and straightforward about what a difficult and time-consuming decision this can be in those first few months. So the fact that they were real about it rather than trying to sweep the elephant in the room under the rug, to mix my metaphors here, was refreshing to say the least.

But more important than their candidness was whether their recipes could stand up to my scrutiny. I've always said if this were a straight up food blog I would call it "The Finicky Foodie" because, while I love good food and trying new things, I'm still a picky eater at heart. Well I'm here to say that the recipes in Mayim's Vegan Table are quite good and definitely worth a try. I've had a few misses, but on the whole, most of the recipes I tried not only turned out successful, but were ones that I'll make again.

One such recipe is Bialik's Quinoa Burgers. I'm here to tell you that I really dislike anything that tries to be something it's not. And while this recipe has burger in  the name, it's really more of a quinoa patty. You can eat it like a burger with a bun and all the fixins, but it's not really going to fool anyone into believing it's an actual burger. The difference between this burger and those frozen fake meat burgers at the grocery store is that with ingredients like potato and quinoa, this isn't trying to be a meat substitute. It's a sturdier version of a potato pancake more than a burger, truth be told. And that's when vegan recipes are more successful and delicious in my mind: when they celebrate what they are rather than what they're not. So with that said, I don't recommend the mac and "cheese" recipe. It mimicked the creamy texture of something along the lines of Velveeta shells and cheese, but the taste was much too earthy and sour to feel like you were eating an acceptable substitute to real mac and cheese.

quinoa "burgers"

I also gave one of Bialik's desserts a try, her chocolate fudge cake that used silken tofu for the frosting. The cupcakes were good at first, but the longer they sat (and I'm talking hours here, not days), the stranger the texture became. A few people who tried the cake even commented on the fact that it dried out your mouth after a few minutes. It was also shinier and had a much bigger crumble than a traditional cake. And while it was pretty good hot out of the oven, I have to say, the quality of the taste and texture deteriorated after a few hours, so I'm not going to recommend this chocolate cake recipe to anyone any time soon.

These vegan chocolate cupcakes are good out of the oven, but the texture gets less appealing the longer they set

I will, however, highly recommend the quinoa burgers, and will post the recipe right now:

Quinoa "Burgers" 

Serves: 4

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon tried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place the potato in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and then simmer for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and 3 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix the cooked potato and quinoa with all the remaining ingredients except the oil. Shape into four 3-inch diameter patties.
4. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Place each patty in the oil and fry until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove the patties and place them in an oven-safe dish. Pat the patties with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.


Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik with Dr. Jay Gordon
Published: February 11, 2014
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Pages: 256
Genre: Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Purchased Copy

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I have mentioned on this blog many times before that I like the idea of being vegan better than the practicality of it. Due to some major digestive issues I've been trying to sort out, I've recently toyed with the idea of doing a 21-day detox that includes a 3 day juice cleanse followed by a completely plant-based, gluten-free diet for the remainder of the time. I haven't mustered the courage to put this plan into action as of yet, but I have tried some of the recipes in the detox, which come from the book The Detox Prescription by Dr. Woodson Merrell.

One of the recipes I recently tried that was absolutely delicious was a vegan chocolate pudding (Merrell calls it a mousse in the book but it has more the texture of a pudding than a mousse).

One thing I have to point out here is that technically the original recipe isn't vegan since it includes honey, but if you want to follow the letter of vegan law, I suppose you could use agave nectar or maple syrup instead.

The main reason this is classified as vegan in the book though is because the recipe calls for using coconut milk and avocado to create its creamy texture instead of milk and eggs. As someone who can spot a substitute a mile away and is very finicky about texture, I am here to say that this recipe is perfectly creamy and satisfies your chocolate craving.The best part about this pudding is that it's actually easier to make than a traditional mousse or pudding because it involves absolutely no cooking. Just throw the ingredients in the food processor, refrigerate for a few hours and you're done. I have to say though, I'm going to assume the reason my version turned out more like a pudding than a mousse is because I just threw all the ingredients in at the same time, rather than just starting with the avocado and gradually adding ingredients. So if you prefer a mousse-like consistency, be more patient. If you don't care, just throw everything in at once.

What's also great about this recipe is once you have the base down, you could get creative with it, using almond extract instead of vanilla and sprinkling some slivered almonds on top, or making a spicy Mexican version with cinnamon and chile pepper.


Moo-less Avocado-Chocolate Mousse (or pudding in my case)

2 ripe large avocados, pitted and scooped
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons orange zest, divided
2/3 - 1 cup coconut milk

Optional toppings:
1/2 cup sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes or chopped nuts

In a food processor, blend the avocado for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Add the honey, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest (reserve the remainder of the zest) and process until mixed through.

Add 2/3 cup coconut milk and process until smooth. If the mousse is too thick, add the remainder of the coconut milk to desired consistency.

Spoon into three small ramekins, top each serving with 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and chill for 2 hours. Serve alone or with optional toppings.

The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers

 Howard Stern's sidekick of many years and former nurse Robin Quivers is convinced that changing to a vegan lifestyle saved her life. Continuously complaining of aches and pains all throughout her body, Quivers's path to veganism had many twists and turns, but ultimately she discovered that all of her symptoms went away when she eliminated animal products from her diet.

Half of this book is Robin sharing her story of why veganism is such an important lifestyle choice and the other half are the plant-based recipes she shares with her readers. Out of the all celebrity vegan cookbooks out there, I will say that this one has the most appetizing recipes. Dishes like purple potato salad with whole grain mustard, ginger miso kale, and red lentil daal make me actually want to try some of these recipes rather than turn my nose at them. One of the ways Robin entices readers in her recipes is by the cooking techniques she uses to bring out the wonderful flavors of the vegetables such as roasting or grilling.

For the past few years I have been intrigued by the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, but ultimately food just brings me too much joy to will myself into that sort of diet. However, if I were going to adopt a vegan lifestyle, the recipes in The Vegucation of Robin would probably be the first ones I'd go to. I think what is so appealing about these recipes is that Quivers doesn't use meat replacers like tofu and tempeh for her dishes, but rather, lets the grains and veggies be the star.

While I am a little skeptical of some of Quivers's methods (she would frequently do a 21 day juice cleanse and not eat any food at all), I do respect the choice she made to be on a path to better health. The form of juice cleansing Quivers recommends now is not as extreme as her initial foray into cleanses, but hearing how she wouldn't eat food for weeks at a time made me wonder how much health advice I should be taking from her, former nurse or not. 


The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers
Published: March 26, 2012
Publisher: Avery
Pages: 272
Genre: Lifestyle/Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library copy

Cookbook review: Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes

In seeking relief from my IBS and at the request of my doctor, this summer I underwent some elimination from my diet, starting with dairy. Now anyone who knows me knows how much I love cheese and ice cream, so my two weeks of no dairy was pretty rough.

During that time, I came across Whole Grain Vegan Baking at the library and decided to give some of the recipes a try. I admit, the IDEA of being vegan is better than the actual carrying out of such a lifestyle. I have no willpower when it comes to that sort of thing. But books like Whole Grain Vegan Baking make the carrying out part a little less intimidating (though I have no plans to become vegan in the near future, I am still looking for more vegetarian/vegan recipes to make my animal product footprint less significant).

The recipes, pictures, and ingredients used in this book not only make these baked goods sound acceptable, but they even kinda sorta sound delicious too. I tried two recipes from this book, one was a hit and one was a miss, but the hit got me thinking that I will continue to attempt more vegan baking in the future.

The layout of Whole Grain Vegan Baking is very simple, attractive, and organized well. I'd say if you're thinking of giving vegan baking a go, this book would be a good place to start.

My cookies with some modified ingredients

The following recipe was so good, I'm planning on making it one of my go-to baking recipes, not just vegan baking, but baking in general. The inclusion of the Sriacha and Chinese five-spice powder gives this cookie such a unique flavor and spicy undertone.

I modified this recipe by not using oat flour (I substituted the oat flour for all amaranth -- well, I did also use the whole wheat flour) and instead of peanut butter I used almond butter. Based on the picture in the cookbook, my cookies had a different texture (more chewy and cakey than crumbly), but they still came out delicious.

If you're looking to adopt a vegan lifestyle or you're like me and you want to lessen your animal product footprint, or heck, you just like baking and want to try something different, I highly recommend Whole Grain Vegan Baking. This cookbook went from trying it by checking it out at the library to owning my own copy. 

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
from Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes

1/2 cup smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup organic turbinado sugar or organic evaporated cane juice
2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
1/2 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon amaranth flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 to 3 teaspoons vegan milk

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Combine peanut butter, sugar, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and Sriacha in a medium bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, peanut butter mixture and adding the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until a cohesive dough forms.

Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized mounds and press down slightly.

Bake cookies 15-17 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Let cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet because the cookies might break if moved too soon.

Yield: 12 cookies


Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes
Published: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Pages: 178
Genre:Vegetarian/Vegan Cooking
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library and Purchased Copy