Cooking with Lindsay S. Nixon for January

This month's VegCookbook Club featured author is Lindsay S. Nixon, aka the "Happy Herbivore." I don't own any of her cookbooks but was able to borrow The Happy Herbivore Cookbook through my public library on Overdrive. I find the Overdrive app a little cumbersome for cookbooks. It's hard to navigate to a specific recipe; I usually start in the index but am plunged into random locations from there. However Lindsay Nixon has a number of well-designed print books and many recipes available on her user-friendly blog.

Here's what I've made so far this month. I'm not sure how much more I'll cook up, as I'm moving to a new apartment in February and my energy is shifting to those non-foodie preparations. All of these recipes are highly recommend for fast, uncomplicated, and healthy eats.

Baked Onion Rings
I never thought I'd be able to make healthy onion rings at home but these oil-free versions--made with whole-wheat bread crumbs, cornmeal, garbanzo flour, vegan milk, and spices--are the bomb. You get all the fun of onion rings without feeling gross from deep frying. I served these with a trio of condiments: ketchup, mustard, and Sriracha vegan mayo.

Quick Queso Sauce
This is a nutritional yeast sauce more than a "queso" or cheese-flavored spread. That said, it is a cinch to make and really livened up my leftover burritos this week. It calls for whole wheat flour, vegan milk, spices, and "nooch." You heat it on the stove top, taking care not to burn the bottom. Maybe next time I'll add tomatoes and green chilies.

Single-Serving Brownie
Another quick and easy recipe, this time it's a dessert. This single-serving brownie is a cinch to throw together. I cooked it in a metal measuring cup in my toaster oven, one of the suggested methods. An intense chocolate fix in 15 minutes without firing up the oven; how cool is that?

Tofu Ricotta Cheese and Low-Country Cucumbers

I made these two recipes on a Sunday to use on salads throughout the week. The tofu ricotta cheese recipe tastes less like cheese than herby tofu, which is fine by me. The cucumbers were simple and spicy. They disappeared faster than the tofu.

Returning to blogging and VegCookbook Club for December

Sticky Fingers' Mudslide

I'm writing this on Thanksgiving Eve, soon to head to PA for the holiday. And I'm noting that it's been eight weeks since my last post! I completely fell off the Internet after VeganMoFo ended in September. In addition to a blogging hiatus, I took a long break from the VegCookbook Club and from Instagram. But I'm planning to return in December, as the VegCookbook Club is planning a celebration of 2013 favorites. Plus, I need to post about Sticky Fingers' new liquor license, which I have enjoyed experiencing recently (see above photo).

Finishing up Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan

A Sweet Finish:
I decided to close July's VegCookbook selection with a sweet. Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan has an excellent "Sugar 'N' Spice" chapter with loads of decadent desserts and baked goods. I went with a simple, no cooking required recipe.

Cashew Banana Ice Cream

There's great vegan-friendly bakery in Ocean City, NJ, called The Bashful Banana Café that is famous for a banana "frozen custard." It's just bananas whipped to a custard consistency. They call it: the Banana Whip. This "ice cream" version adds cashew butter, which gives it a thick, creamy texture. The recipe also calls for sweetener. I added a little agave but would skip it next time. Bananas are sweet enough. I also added some vanilla and cinnamon. Overall, a speedy sweet fix that requires only firing up the food processor.

Salad Dressing Round-Up:
Plus, here's a quick round-up of the salad dressings that I've made from this cookbook in July.

Salad Dressings from ED&BV

Of these three dressings, the Creamy Basil Dressing (top) was my favorite. Fresh basil provides so much flavor. I used cashews and almonds for the nuts and unsweetened almond milk as the main liquid. It was great on salads and as a dip for heirloom tomatoes.

Back-to-Basics Balsamic Vinaigrette is one for regular weeknight rotation (bottom left). Super simple and straightforward. Although, as with all the dressing recipes, I cut back on the sweetener by a third, at least. (Sometimes I think Canadian cookbook authors just like to promote maple syrup. Which I love. But not in everything.)

Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette was a unique blend, but perhaps not to my tastes (bottom right). I think the cinnamon reminded me too much of my morning smoothies. This one would work on a salad served before a spicy Indian meal.    

August's pick:
Now August is arrived and with it comes a new book: Betty Goes Vegan by Annie and Dan Shannon. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet but I wonder if it'll have the technicolor glow I remember from my Mom's old Betty Crocker cookbooks.

Some summer food scores

Here are three summer food scores that I've enjoyed recently. First, the fine slice of tomato pie (above) is from Jojo's Pizzeria in Ocean City, NJ. It's still difficult to find vegan slices on the boardwalk. Luckily, this spot, located at 1214 Boardwalk, and Primavera Restaurant, which I posted about last year, continue to offer tomato pie options.

Next up, from Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats, a constant provider of great vegan food, is the Cookies 'n' Shake soy milk shake. Shakes are new on the WDC bakery menu and this decadent flavor is totally worth the $6.75. It came with a whole cookie on the bottom! Sweet touch.

Finally, here are some more beautiful fermented foods from Number 1 Sons, our expert local purveyors. On the left is the Acapulco Kraut, a sweet and tropical mix with cabbage, carrots, and onions. On the right is pickled beets with onion slivers. These beets rival my Mom's. 'Nuff said.  

Popsicles and a shake to finish HIAV!

Popsicle prep - DIY-style

The month of May has almost arrived and with it comes another VegCookbook Club pick. Vegan on The Cheap: Great and Simple Strategies that Save You Time and Money by Robin Robertson is next month's selection. Being a cheap vegan myself, I've placed it on hold at the public library.

Here are the last two recipes that I made from April's VegCookbook, How It All Vegan! Both appear in the "Meals for the Picky" section of the Vegan Kids Stuff chapter.

Rabbit Shake
This seems more like a smoothie than a shake to me. However, I've never thought to grate a carrot or put silken tofu into a smoothie before this recipe. These two additions made one of the thickest drinks I've ever encountered. If viscosity is the top criterion, perhaps it is a shake after all?

The recipe also calls for orange juice and frozen banana chunks. Because I'm an adult, I threw in some ground flax seeds and a handful of spinach, which I doubt kids would even notice taste-wise.

I liked this sweet, creamy rabbit shake so much, I made it twice. However I did substitute vegan milk for the tofu on the second round. I'm going to keep this drink in my arsenal, especially for when I'm running low on berries.

Tofudgesicles
Basically, you make a silken tofu pudding (not unlike the one I made earlier this month). Then you freeze it. I froze these ice pops overnight but I think they were probably ready after an hour or two.  

The recipe calls for Popsicle molds, but I decided to be DIY, using only what I had on hand. So I dug out some little plastic picnic cups from my cupboard. Then I inserted some stray bamboo To-Go Ware utensils for the "sticks." Finally, I used plastic wrap to position the sticks upright. Amazingly, this DIY trick worked!

The ice cold pops were messy and delicious. Next time I would like to play around with the spices and try to attempt a Mexican hot chocolate pop, just like my beloved Pleasant Pop paleta.

Faux "chicken" and a pudding

Here are two more comfort food dishes from How It All Vegan!, the VegCookbook Club's current book.

Linda's Ginger "Chicken"
This wheat gluten recipe appears in the special 10th Anniversary Edition of the cookbook. However, it is also featured on the Go Vegan! app, which I reviewed (here and here). The seitan was easy to prepare and became very chewy and "meaty" in texture. It was on par with many mock meats that I've had at Chinese restaurants.

I was worried about using so much ginger (3/4 cup!) in the sauce, but the finely sliced coins did soften and took on a milder flavor. However I did think that the dish was way too salty. Both the broth and the sauce called for excessive amounts of tamari. I served this "chicken" atop quinoa with a side of roasted broccoli and mushrooms.

Faux "chicken" close-up

Sinful Chocolate Pudding
Another simple, pleasing recipe that requires only six ingredients: soft tofu, oil, sweetener, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. I decided to cut the oil and sweetener in half. (I used canola oil and brown sugar.) You could probably adjust these amounts even more to taste.

The photo below is of the just blended pudding before it had a chance to chill. Cold, creamy, and chocolaty, this recipe fulfilled all of my pudding requirements. My boyfriend said he could eat about six bowls.

East Coast coffee cake and West Coast shopping

East Coast Coffee Cake

Vegan Brunch, the March VegCookbook Club selection, has been impossible to put back on the shelf. Here's a final sweet baked item from The Bread Basket chapter: East Coast Coffee Cake. I opted for a double variation, using blackberries and chocolate chips. I also swapped white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose.

The coffee cake was easy to assemble. You make the topping and cake separately and then add the variation ingredients. The cake smelled divinely of sugar and spice while baking. The hardest part was waiting a full hour for it to cool. My boyfriend kept feeling the sides of the pan to assure me of its rapid progress. But I made him wait and it was well worth it. Holy sugar bomb! This is another decadent holiday treat.      

Hot out of the oven.

Meanwhile, Britt Bravo has announced the April VegCookbook Club book. It's a classic, How It All Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. The pick is kind of a tribute too, to Sarah Kramer, Queen of Vegan Cookbooks (and apps). Sadly, Sarah has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is blogging about her experience at her awesomely titled website and asks that folks shop at her online store, Sarah's Place. I'm definitely going to shop there for Mother's Day and upcoming spring birthdays. And I'll be sending healing energy and virtual vegan gratitude out towards the West Coast too.

In an online shopping mood? Please visit: Sarah's Place

A sweet brunch and a spinach smoothie

Continuing on the Vegan Brunch bandwagon, I decided to copycat Britt from the VegCookbook Club blog and make this sweet, egg-free take on French toast. Next week I'll have to offset this sugar kick with something savory from the cookbook.

Banana Rabadana (Brazilian French Toast)
I don't normally make French toast because I never have stale bread on hand. But I lucked out, finding a stale loaf at my local natural food store. The baguette label listed whole wheat as an ingredient too, although after white bread flour. So I'm pretending this dessert is slightly healthy.

The banana custard was easy to blend up and smelled strongly like baby food. Toasting the dipped bread on the skillet was harder, but I didn't use a nonstick skillet. (My trusty cast iron was too wee for the job.) I also over-dusted the crispy toast with cocoa powder and cinnamon. So trust me, there was toast under that spice layer.

The rabadana tasted sweet and rich, especially when paired with fruit and the sweet cashew cream (below). I guess this dish traditionally uses a port wine syrup. That would definitely add a tangy kick. Perhaps you could just serve it with a glass of port?    

Just blended cashew cream

Sweet Cashew Cream
Here's a close-up of the creamy topping that I added to the French toast plate above. It's a simple blend of soaked cashews, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. I added cinnamon, a suggested variation. The cream firmed up a little in the fridge but I only refrigerated it for a few hours, not overnight.

P.S. Here's a belated photo of my St. Patrick's Day green smoothie. I simply took my dandelion smoothie recipe and swapped spinach for the dandy greens. A fine Sunday detox drink.

And a spinach smoothie for luck

#100 = Mexican hot chocolate pop

Isa Chandra Moskowitz and The Post Punk Kitchen recently released their PPK 100 for 2012. (The 2011 version of this now annual list is here.) These 100 items are a vegan celebration and would make an awesome bucket list. Once again, the list includes some crazy new food ideas (kale mojitos!), a few rediscovered classics (like composting and pickling), and mouth-watering culinary finds (someday, LA's Vegan Beer Fest, someday). This year the PPK gang left the final slot empty for the people. I'd like to suggest filling #100 with this swoon-worthy vegan treat available at DC's Pleasant Pops shop.

Originally a farmers' market stand and food truck operation, Pleasant Pops opened their Farmhouse Market and Cafe in September. Located at 1781 Florida Ave NW, the tiny Adams Morgan shop has a coffee bar vibe with many patrons permanently parked with their laptops. The café has light offerings and to-go food items, including Soupergirl soups, Uncle Brutha's hot sauces, and other local favorites. It's a great shopping spot for slow food gifts and quick take-out items. I recommend taking the item below.

Vegan Mexican hot chocolate pop

Pleasant Pops specializes in paletas, traditional Mexican ice pops. They have diverse flavors listed on a chalkboard in helpful dairy and non-dairy columns. The vegan Mexican hot chocolate flavor naturally caught my eye. This pop is the bomb. The decadent popsicle is spicy, peppery, bitter, and sweet, just like Mexican hot chocolate should be. I enjoyed this ice cold pop in the dead of winter but I can't wait to revisit the pop shop come warmer weather. And try some of their fruity flavors. I do hope that this hot chocolate flavor is an all-season menu item.

VegCookbookClub for December

My library hold finally became available for the VegCookbookClub's December selection, Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas. This cookbook is a hardback collection of over 200 recipes with some great photos by Susan Voisin. It has a charming introduction with sage advice for vegan holiday meals, such as "If you're going to be the lone vegan..bring a main dish, at the very least. Bring plenty of what you'll be eating, because everyone will want some..."(ix). How true! I'm interested in trying some of Atlas' go-to holiday fare. I decided to start with these two simple recipes.

Cashew Chocolate Mousse Pie

This chocolate tofu pie, from Chapter One: Thanksgiving, was a breeze to assemble. It requires soaking cashews, then blending the cashew butter with silken tofu. You heat that mixture, melting in chocolate chips and adding maple syrup to taste. I used a store-bought whole wheat pie crust, and topped it with some stray mini chips before baking. I'll have to report back on the results because I'm saving it for my parents' visit this weekend, as a belated Thanksgiving treat.

Baked Tofu-Tortilla Extravaganza 
I did taste this dish, which comes from the small brunch section in the final chapter of the book, Chapter Six: Brunches, Appetizers, and Potluck Dishes. Perhaps this casserole should be called Extra-Vergüenza because, much to my shame, it looked solid in the pan but fell apart when served. Maybe I should have used a shallower dish? It was an easy recipe to throw together, almost like making a tortilla lasagna but without all the fuss of layering. It has tofu, onion, garlic, corn tortillas, tomatoes, chili peppers, spices, and some grated vegan cheese on top. Next time, I'd leave off the fake cheese and add nutritional yeast.

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