It's Millet time!

Here are two millet recipes from Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook, the November VegCookBook Club pick. I've been wanting to experiment with this grain, on the unsolicited recommendation of an OK Natural Food Store counter person. While millet isn't "the new quinoa" in my opinion, it does offer variety from brown rice, barley, and other staple whole grains.

Millet Loaf Balls
The cookbook has a two-page recipe for this plant-based take on traditional meatloaf. The loaf recipe itself isn't too complex but it appears with two detailed variations: BBQ balls and Swedish Meatballs. I ended up making balls, without BBQ sauce, as the millet loaf didn't bind very well on the initial bake. (In fact, it ungraciously slopped out of the loaf pan.) This simple variation only took another 15 minutes to bake. I served them like mini build-your-own sandwiches with small squares of bread, extra ketchup, and two types of mustard: Dijon and horseradish.

Millet Stew

The millet worked better in this stew recipe, which featured North African-inspired spices. I didn't have any cauliflower on hand, so I added broccoli, okra, and mushrooms for the main veggies. This recipe was too cinnamony for me and could benefit from the addition of chickpeas or another bean. The cookbook has definitely inspired me to use millet in my future soup-making.

Pumpkin sweets from Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook

Here are two more recipes that I tried for VegCookBook Club. These are both pumpkin-themed and come from Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
This smoothie really did taste like decadent, creamy pumpkin pie filling. I made this simple smoothie twice, each time cutting back on the Medjool dates called for in the recipe. (I don't know why but I can't handle the intense sweetness of dates. And I think pumpkin is delectable enough plain.) I also went heavy on the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf
I finally tried one of the Isa Chandra Moskowitz dessert recipes. Actually, I followed her Post Punk Kitchen variation, which lacks the almond butter in the cookbook version. This loaf wasn't too pumpkin-pie like. Instead it was more like a tea bread; a nice mix of chocolate and spices. My apartment smelled like a holiday candle while it baked. However I think it came out a bit dry. (Maybe it is my oven?) I recommend serving slices while warm, or ice cold from the refrigerator, with hot tea.

Loaf cross-section

More VegCookbookClub with the Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Maple-Mustard Dressing

Here are two more recipes that I tried from Forks Over Knives--The Cookbook, the November VegCookbook selection. I'm finding that this cookbook is accurate with its serving sizes. Both recipes really could serve 6.

Kale salad close-up

Kale Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing

This recipe by Julieanna Hever features a thick, flavorful oil-free dressing. It is a tasty blend of beans, tahini, mustard, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, maple syrup, and lemon. I used garbanzo rather than cannellini beans in the dressing. I also added two cloves of garlic for even more "hummus" flavor. My boyfriend said this made the dressing taste like falafel sauce.

For the salad veggies, the recipe called for kale, red cabbage, carrots, and broccoli. I swapped arugula for the red cabbage, because I had that on hand. I also added some yellow pear tomatoes and the remaining tin of chickpeas to the mix. Overall, I thought this salad was great--a meal in itself.

Sweet Potato Bisque
This was my first attempt at making a bisque and it turned out creamy and smooth. The cookbook describes this as almost "a dessert soup." It did have a pumpkin pie flavor with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, as well as the zest and juice of an orange. It calls for only three types of veggies (onions, garlic, and sweet potatoes), veggie broth, and unsweetened almond milk--so the spices are pronounced and clear. It was fun to dust off my immersion blender too.

Joining the VegCookbook Club for November

I was feeling rudderless without VeganMoFo, so I have decided to join the VegCookbookClub for their November cookbook choice. Happily, my public library had an available copy of the current selection: Forks Over Knives--The Cookbook by Del Sroufe.

Last week I finally watched the documentary Forks Over Knives on Netflix streaming. (I'm not sure how I missed its theatrical release.) The film was engaging, focusing on people adopting vegan diets for health reasons rather than for animal rights/ethical reasons. The film's original companion book, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, featured 125 recipes, from a variety of contributors.

Forks Over Knives--The Cookbook

This new sequel by vegan chef Del Sroufe continues the Forks Over Knives brand and the message of food as medicine. The cookbook offers 300 whole foods, plant-based recipes and many general cooking how-tos.  It also features a decadent desserts chapter by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Bonus!

I decided to delve into this cookbook by trying two easy recipes: a breakfast smoothie and a basic fake cheese sauce.

Banana Cranberry Smoothie

This banana cranberry smoothie was super easy, with just four ingredients: banana, cranberries, dates, and vegan milk. This recipe made a bit more than a single portion. I'd never used cranberries in a smoothie before and was pleased with the results. They were a tangy addition, a nice change of pace from my average smoothie. 

Almost all of the smoothie recipes in this cookbook require dates. I like dates but they are super sweet here, almost overpowering the drink. I think I'd skip the dates next time and add ground chia or flax seeds instead.

No-Cheese Sauce
This no-cheese sauce is a winner. It's another basic recipe with five ingredients. You blend together onion, red bell pepper, cashews, tahini, and nutritional yeast.  These are some of my favorite ingredients and they combine into a creamy, smooth taste sensation.

I put the no-cheese sauce on a pizza and the "dollops" blended together as it baked. I still have extra sauce and plan to add it to burritos. This recipe pops up in other dishes throughout the cookbook. It seems adaptable for a variety of purposes. I'd like to use it as a dip for crudités.

Pizza with no cheese sauce close-up