Vegan Mofo VI- Day 21: So Where's the Lebanese Delight?*

With yet another change in weather and my current state of yuckiness, I just knew I would have to make soup this week. I already had my grocery list written up but I decided to take a quick flip through one of my recipe binders for a soup recipe that didn't require me to buy too many new items. I passed over one of my favorite lentil soup recipes because I like to only make new recipes during mofo. You never know when you might meet a new favorite, right? I chose another recipe that sounded good and added those ingredients to my list. After the first grocery trip I hadn't found anything I needed for that recipe and I was having second thoughts about it. What if I didn't like it? I would be wasting so much food. Before we hit the next store I grabbed Appetite for Reduction off my shelf and looked at those soup recipes. I was pretty sure I'd only made two of them so the rest were fair game. I quickly decided upon "Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup" since it was what I wanted and it slightly resembled the soupI would have made if not for my "rules" about repeats.

Even though there were some similar ingredients between the two recipes, I vote this one to be my new favorite forever. The other recipe is still awesome, but this one is just a teensy bit awesomer. Maybe it's the carrots, or the rice, the combo lemon zest and lemon juice. I cannot get enough of it. I had a small serving to take a photo before I walked the dog and I had some more when I came home. I would go back for thirds but I want to save some for tomorrow and the rest of the week. I really want to tell my sister how good it came out and share with her, but I am tempted to keep it to myself so I can have more awesome soup. What a dilemma!

*In the recipe intro, Isa mentions how there are so many great Lebanese restaurants in PDX, which makes me think of Mary and Mustafa in the movie Party Girl. I need a huge push to at least apply to a grad program!

Vegan Mofo V Day 8: Scrambled Saturday

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love me some scrambled tofu. This is "Curried Scrambled Tofu with Wilted Arugula" from Appetite for Reduction. I've been irrationally averse to curries for years now but I am trying really hard to get over it. I used the lesser amount of curry powder suggested, but ended up adding more when it was almost finished. I know I need to get a more authentic curry powder because the one I have is quite weak. Please leave recommendations in the comments.

This isn't as scrambled as I normally do. I have some very nice cubes as opposed to the crumbly mess I often make. Though it looks different, it was just as delicious and I can tell this is going to be one of my new favorites. Next time I am going to double the recipe or make a side to go with it because I ate almost half of the scramble on the first go. Good thing it's a low-fat healthy recipe, right?

I'm still not sure what I'm doing for next week. A lot of recipes I wanted to try involve the oven and the forecast is not cooperating (90's all week!). I'll either have to cook really early/late or plan something completely different. Maybe I'll do sandwiches and (gasp!) salads. Even though I'm vegan I'm very unfriendly with salad, so maybe it is time for us to reconcile? Stay tuned to find out. Enjoy your weekend mofos!

Breakfast Thyme

I love to come home and have breakfast waiting for me, but that doesn't happen very often. To adjust for that I made my breakfast last night and reheated this morning after my walk. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day but I am usually too hungry to bother to make it, which is why I often make weekly scrambles ahead of time. It's so much easier to eat well when you plan.

Today I had VWAV Scrambled Tofu and Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash from Appetite for Reduction. These potatoes are my new jam. They are so flavorful and tender, I might just have to lay off the VB Diner Home Fries for a while. I like brussels sprouts, but I think that even people who don't like them will still enjoy this. My niece turned her nose up when I mentioned the sprouts but then she had a bite and quickly changed her mind.

Both of these recipes have thyme in them, which I absolutely love. I don't think I ever used thyme until I started cooking from Isa's books. Now I cannot keep a steady supply of it on hand, but that's good because it means I am cooking a lot of delicious food for myself. I just need to get a huge drum of it, or start growing my own.

Mame Mia!

Last night I made Spinach Linguine Spaghetti with Edamame Pesto from Appetite For Reduction. Yeah, you read right, there is edamame in the pesto, and it's to die for. If you need convincing "it has about one-fifth the fat and calories of your average pesto plus five times the fiber".

I am not quite sure what real pesto is supposed to taste like because I never ate any in my picky pre-vegan days. I was strictly a red sauce gal, but I've grown up since then. This came out super creamy and delicious. I will definitely add a bit of cilantro next time per Isa's suggestion.

Another food I never ate much of in the past was mushrooms. I had an irrational food fear that I held onto for far too long. When I was cooking up the mushrooms with the onions, garlic and thyme I felt like a grown up making fancy food. I know that sounds stupid, but it looked and smelled like something the pros would do even though it was so simple. Those are usually the best dishes in my opinion. My mom even said it smelled good, so I offered to let her try it but I forgot she doesn't like mushrooms. Maybe that will change. There are so many foods I eat now that I would have never ate before. I don't think you have to go vegan to broaden your food horizons, but I am fairly certain that is what did it for me. Rather than limiting what I could/would eat, it busted the doors open and I am never looking back.

Oodles of Noodles

I've been trying more new recipes lately and I love it. My cookbooks had been suffering from neglect and there are still some foods/ingredients I've yet to try. Of course the list is much shorter than it was in my pregan days where I ate almost no vegetables at all. Ginger is my new favorite ingredient to work with. I am disappointed that it took me so long to get over any unfounded fears/biases and just start peeling it already. I've made three recipes with it in the last few weeks and it gets better each time.

Last night I made the Ginger Bok Choy & Soba from Appetite for Reduction. Oddly enough, I've never cooked bok choy and I haven't used soba in years. There was a soba dish I used to make that was quite good, but one night after dinner my niece got sick and that was the end of that. I'm certain it had nothing to do with the food, but after that happened, it took a lot of the appeal away.

I wanted to use the soba I found during my cupboard clean out and really got lucky with this recipe. Per usual, I took way longer with prep than I should have. I was only cooking for myself so there was no need to hurry. Next time I will add the soba in a little at a time since it was a challenge to get everything mixed up properly. I would also like to try using three bunches of baby bok choy instead of one regular sized, and throw in some tofu as well. I am glad this book is getting a workout, and now it is my turn, since I had a few refills on that bowl last night!

Whatchu Got On My 40?

If you haven't already made the "Forty-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli" from Appetite For Reduction, you better get on it, and fast. The recipe actually only calls for ten cloves of garlic, but since I always put more than the recipe states, I think I ended up with about 15. The directions are easy and the ingredient list is short, but my favorite part is that you use the broccoli stems, which I almost never do. It says the active time is fifteen minutes but it took me a bit longer because that is my favorite and most relaxing part of the cooking process. I was carving out my broccoli like a fool, but it turned out beautiful so I'm okay with that. If I made this for company I would do a double batch because I could have ate the whole pan of toasty roasty goodness by myself.

Mo! Fo! Let's go!

I love that the first day of Vegan Mofo IV also falls on World Vegan Day. Let's keep the festival of firsts rolling.

Today I made my first recipe from Appetite for Reduction, Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew. As a vegan chubster, to say I am eagerly anticipating the release of this book is an understatement. I already pre-ordered my copy, but only noticed a few days ago there were teaser recipes on the ppk. Since I have white beans coming out of my ears and I love soups and stews, I couldn't wait to try this recipe, especially since it was raining when I read it. I bought all my ingredients and then came home to find out the forecast for this week is high 80's to low 90's which only bummed me out for a second since I knew the stew would still be amazing.

This was my first time using parsnips and fennel seed. I've wanted to try a dish with parnsips for about a year now but just haven't for some ridiculous reason. I have extra parsnips, carrots and potatoes left over so I'm thinking a roasted vegetable dish should be happening sometime later in the week. I haven't planned a Thanksgiving menu yet so I'll most likely be trying a recipe or two each week until I get it right. I have a pile of tear-outs and copies of wonderful seasonal recipes and I'm sure there are tons of suggestions from fellow mofo's who always inspire (and sometimes intidimidate) me.

I think my stew came out stewier/starchier than Isa's, but it still looks and tastes delicious. I have an omni friend who is trying to make the transition to veganism so I am definitely going to send some her way. We'll turn them all out eventually, one bite at a time.

You Can Have Anything You Want But You Better Not Take It From Me...

...unless it's my unwanted pounds. I will be more than happy to part with those and I believe Ms. Moskowitz' latest book, Appetite for Reduction, will help me do just that. I don't mean to hurt any one's feelings, but here goes, this woman is my favorite cookbook author, ever. I still haven't worked my way through all of her cookbooks, but everything I have made so far has been fantastic. I am excited to find out what new recipes await, but being an impatient gal, I did take a sneak peek through a testing flickr-thanks tofu666!. I almost wish I hadn't since I would love to start cooking tonight (my weight loss bet ends in four weeks!). However, the December release date will be perfect for when it's time to shed the holiday poundage/start the new year healthier. Now do I put it on my wish list, or buy it for myself?