The last recipes of March's VegCookbook

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

Here are some final items that I made from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, the March VegCookbook Club pick. I never located a copy of the physical cookbook but the website of its author, Angela Liddon, offered me lots of recipes to sample. Based on these positive experiences, I think this cookbook would make a great Mother's Day gift or personal spring detox planner.

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

The carrot apple ginger soup (above) was a colorful, zippy, and cleansing puree. And I finally used my new blender to make a soup! I concur with Liddon's Vitamix recommendation of working with hot liquids in small batches. Because my boyfriend dislikes anything remotely pumpkin pie-flavored, I did leave out the nutmeg pinch. But I increased the ginger to great results. 

Easy Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Easy Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas
This simple recipe really did taste like salt & vinegar potato chips without the greasy guilt. I used less vinegar than it called for in the recipe, just enough to fully submerge the chickpeas. The roasted chickpeas made enough for snacking and salad toppings.

The Hummus That Changed Everything

The Hummus That Changed Everything
Look out, Dreena Burton. Here's another great hummus recipe. Very well-proportioned and classy with the olive oil drizzle and paprika atop. Plus a hidden kick from the Tabasco. (I used their habanero blend.) This hummus moved quickly. It'd be a good fail-safe recipe for picnics, parties, and other hummus requisite events.

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.

Red Velvet Smoothie and Chickpea Poppers

I finally made another smoothie and a snack from this month's VegCookbook Club selection, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.) After falling in love with the first smoothie recipe that I tried from the book, I've been eager to tackle the remaining two. However, I didn't think I could blend any other challenging produce to the desire consistency. Until now. Yes, the Vitamix package has arrived to much fanfare.*

Red Velvet Smoothie
This inventive recipe made a smooth and luscious drink with a lovely strawberry-pink hue. And I still can't get over how my mighty new blender dealt with a whole, raw, and unpeeled beet. It liquefied that sucker. Plus the almonds, goji berries, and apple too.

Chickpea Poppers
I also made this roasted chickpea snack from the cookbook. This popcorn-like snack is reminiscent of the chickpea nibbles from How It All Vegan! However I think I liked the Indian spices here more. I used high quality garam masala and paprika (thanks to a kind relative's spice gift). Plus, low quality cayenne pepper and chili powder. I think I'll reduce the salt when I roast the chickpeas again. This recipe is a keeper.

*Here's my cat, clawing at the Vitamix box:

Quick empanada fix at Julia's Empanadas

This isn't your coworker's Hot Pocket.

Looking for quick street food in Adams Morgan? Julia's Empanadas is the spot. Located at 2452 18th ST NW, this humble take-away shop offers up a variety of handmade South American-style empanadas, including their vegan/vegetarian option. This special menu item changes weekly and is affordably priced (~$4) for an impressively-sized savory pastry.

According to Julia's online menu, the veggie empanada dough is made with puréed butternut squash. I didn't pick up on that flavor but did enjoy what was stuffed inside the thick, crusty shell. It was a lightly curried mix of pinto beans, cauliflower, collard greens, onion, and carrots. A satisfying, fresh, and fast fix.

They also had vegan black bean soup when I visited and some good-looking packaged salads. Julia's is open late night in Adams Morgan. Sadly, their Columbia Heights location closed recently. (It was too close to Sticky Fingers for me.) But they still have establishments in Dupont and Brightwood.

Julia's Empanadas

Snack attack from How It All Vegan!

Here are two easy snacks that I made recently from How It All Vegan!, the April VegCookbook Club pick. The poll for the May VegCookbook is now open. I'm crossing my fingers for Dreena Burton's cookbook to win and continue the Canadian trend.

Oi-Vey! Mock Chopped Liver
I prefer to think of this as a nutty mushroom spread, rather than as mock chopped liver. I've never had actual chopped liver before but it is pretty gross to contemplate. For this spread, you sauté mushrooms and onions and then blend that mixture with walnuts, adding salt and pepper to taste.

I decided to cook extra, because I knew the aromatic mushrooms and onions would be hard to resist. (You can spoon this combo directly over toast for a fast fix before blending the remainder.) The walnuts did add a sweet nuttiness to the spread, which took on a pleasant, smooth texture when thoroughly chilled. I served it with some sesame and flax seed crackers.

Chickpea Nibbles
This was another easy snack to prepare, with only one main ingredient--chickpeas--tossed in oil and seasoning. I used Penzey's Forward! salt-free spice blend, which features an "extra bold" black pepper with plenty of kick. The blend also has paprika and turmeric, which gave the chickpeas a reddish hue. I didn't roast these beans for quite as long as the cookbook suggested. I thought a full hour would make them too dry, so I pulled them out of the oven after 40 minutes. The nibbles were delicious and addictive when fresh out of the oven, but I tucked them away, saving them for future salad making.