Veganomicon Lentil Salad

This Lentil Salad from Veganomicon is easy to make, light, and refreshing--perfect for summer. It's delicious served over salad greens; the tarragon gives it a unique flavor. Add some brown rice or quinoa, and it's a complete meal. Lentil Salad (from Veganomicon)
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 or 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked lentils (I used brown)
• 1 small red onion, chopped very finely (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 small tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 radishes, grated (I didn't use these)
• 1 small carrot, grated
• several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemnon)
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Bring the broth, thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, tarragon, and salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the lentils and bring again to a low boil. Cover the pot with the lid tilted, allowing a little room for steam to escape. Let cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The lentils should be soft enough to eat but still firm enough to not lose their shape.
2. While the lentils cook, stir together the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Drain the lentils in a mesh colander. Let cool, giving the colander a few shakes every couple of minutes so they drain and cool faster. Once the lentils are lukewarm (about 15 minutes), remove the bay leaves, chunks of garlic, and thyme. Add the lentils to the dressing along with the onions, tomato, radishes, and carrots, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and chill for at least half an hour.
4. When chilled, serve over lettuce with oil and vinegar on the side.

Pizza with Sweet Basil Pesto & Cashew Cheese

Pizza is one of those things I thought I'd miss like crazy as a vegan. But vegan pizza is just so much better! Now when I crave pizza, I crave something like this version I made this past weekend. It's delicious and doesn't leave me feeling bloated and gross and blah like fat- and grease-laden cheese pizza would.

For this version I used...

• Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook. The dough uses the same technique as the bread I make every week--you mix a few ingredients together and let it sit for the day so the flavors ferment. This version uses some all-purpose flour too, so you get whole wheat goodness with the crustiness of white dough.
• Sweet Basil Pesto Tapenade from Veganomicon. This is a unique pesto. Made with a good amount of maple syrup, it's sweet and pesto-y at once. In my mind's eye, I can see future party guests raving over this. I'd serve it as an appetizer with crusty bread, stuffed into cherry tomatoes, or spread on grilled zucchini.
  
• Fresh Tomato Sauce from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook. This is so simple and delicious, it's ridiculous. Thinly slice garlic and saute it in a little olive oil, then add chopped and seeded fresh tomato. Stir, and in a few minutes you have a fresh pizza sauce. I put the sauce over the tapenade.
• Cashew Ricotta from Veganomicon. I've made this cashew cheese from Vegetarian Times many times and love it. But it takes about a day and a half to make. I was able to whip this cashew ricotta up in no time. And...oh! It's good. It tastes like something in between ricotta and a cheesy spread. The lemon juice was a little overpowering at first, but I can't taste it at all in the leftovers. Still, I'd use a little less next time. I scooped dollops onto the sauce.

This pizza was mmmmmmmm....delicious! The combination of everything together was amazing. I might experiment with a version of this for appetizers...maybe with baguette or sheets of phyllo as the base, topped with the tapenade, a slice of tomato, and a dollop of cashew ricotta on top. This week, I've been eating the leftovers on very unglamorous toasted wheat bread, and it's still amazing!

Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Sour Cream

More delicious meals on the grill this past weekend!

I made the Black Bean Burgers from Veganomicon and loved them! Because they're made with vital wheat gluten (what seitan is made of), they hold together well and have a great, chewy texture. The southwestern blend of spices was good without being overpowering. And they paired wonderfully from the Cilantro Sour Cream also from Veganomicon. I've made this tofu-based sour cream before and loved it. This time, I only had half the cilantro the recipe called for, so it was less cilantro-y but still really good. I also used it as a salad dressing this week. The only thing is that the black bean burgers were supposed to be pan-fried. They easily got a little burnt on the grill.I also grilled some tofu and slathered the cilantro sour cream on the slices. I re-used some tofu marinade I had left over from last week's BBQ. It's from Appetite for Reduction and is pretty basic with veg broth, soy sauce, garlic, and thyme. It tastes anything but basic when grilled. The flavors all really come out, and the grilling makes it really chewy with a great texture. It was amazing served with cilantro sour cream. To go with the burgers I grilled some veggies and made the White Bean Aioli from Veganomicon to spread on them. A vegan version of the garlicky mayo, this aioli was out of this world. It brought my grilled veggies to even greater heights on the "yum" factor, and it's so good I'll make it again as a spread on crackers or pita for an appetizer.
For a real treat, I grilled avocado. If you like avocado and have not yet had it grilled...do yourself a favor and grill some up! The outside gets slightly crisp and the inside is creamy. Delicious.

Secretly Vegan Dinner Party

This past Friday I had an old friend and her new husband and baby over for dinner. We hadn't seen each other in years, and as we were making plans to get together, I guess I didn't mention I was vegan. Everything I made was a big hit, and they gave it all lots of compliments. It wasn't until we were eating cupcakes for dessert when my friend said, "I know this has to have a lot of butter in it" that I told her it was vegan, and that I was vegan. "You mean everything we ate tonight was vegan?!" her husband asked, surprised. When I said it was, they said they couldn't believe how good everything was. It's so much fun to tell people the delicious food they just ate was vegan!

My menu came from Veganomicon, with cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

Asparagus and Spinach Dip
This is the first time I made this dip. It starts by sauteing asparagus in olive oil and garlic then mixing in chopped spinach. You puree that with raw cashews and capers. It has a bright, fresh taste, and the capers give it a little zest. It was good that night, but I took the leftovers (it makes three cups) to a party Saturday night, and after 24 hours it was so much better (everyone loved it on Saturday).
Veggie Salad with Mediterranean Olive Oil and Lemon Vinaigrette
Everyone loved this salad dressing. Olive oil and fresh lemon juice are combined with lots of minced garlic, oregano, thyme, and basil. Over a salad of fresh, soft red leaf lettuce with cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion, it was awesome.Spinach Linguine with Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes
I made this once before and loved it just as much this time. It is soooooo good. Definitely one of my favorite Veganomicon recipes. The combination of spinach linguine with sauteed red onions, a flavorful, fragrant, unique pesto, and salty artichoke hearts makes this a huge winner. And it takes like 15 minutes to put together. You can't go wrong with this dish. Everyone loved it. (I forgot to take a picture until half-way through...)Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting
This is the first time the vanilla cupcakes weren't fabulous! I think it's because I halved the recipe, and I had to do a little guesswork on trying to halve 3/4 teaspoon of something. The cupcakes were just okay--not as moist as usual. But the chocolate mousse frosting was rich and decadent and made up for the sub-par cupcakes.

Orange-Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies

This weekend I made Orange-Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies from Veganomicon to take with me to visit my family. The recipe is a variation on the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies, which sound good, but I'm a sucker for anything orange.

The cookies were super chewy and moist inside and a little crispy outside, so the texture was perfect. The first bite is a wonderful taste sensation of orange and chocolate, with the chocolate chips adding even more chocolate goodness. I thought the orange flavor faded a bit after the first bite, but everyone else who tried one thought the amount of orange flavor was just right. Still, I might add a tiny bit more orange zest next time I make them.
I reviewed Veganomicon for Cook Vegan Lover's Cookbook Club (read all the participants' reviews here) and really loved it. I think it's especially good for omnivores who want to try out vegan cooking because most recipes use basic ingredients, and most of the recipes are fabulous. Read my complete review here. I've never posted a Veganomicon recipe before, but, ethically, I think posting one or two to show how great the recipes are is OK. Personally, I would be much more likely to buy a cookbook if I tried out some recipes first. OK, end of disclaimer. Here's the recipe! If you want to try the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut or White Chocolate Chip-Cherry-Chocolate variations, check out the book!
Orange-Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 36-40 cookies (depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground flaxseeds (recipe says you can omit them if you don't have them, but the cookies will be less chewy)
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or use cooking spray).
2. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl, and mix with a fork to combine.
3. Add the sugar and canola oil into another large bowl, and stir with a fork until combined. Add the soy milk, vanilla and almond extracts, flaxseed, and orange zest. Mix well with a fork.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches, stirring with a fork to combine after each addition. If it gets too dry (mine didn't), use your hands. Once all the ingredients are combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
5. If your dough is wet (mine was), use a tablespoon to drop it onto the baking sheets, leaving one inch between each cookie because they'll spread. The original recipe said the dough would be stiff; if yours is, roll the dough into a one-inch ball, then flatten into a cookie and place on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cook completely.

Roasted Cauliflower with Miso-Tahini Dressing

I had some cauliflower left over and realized that I like it much better roasted plain instead of with herbed breadcrumbs. I didn't have much time tonight to prep a sauce to go with it so made Veganomicon Miso-Tahini Dressing. It takes all of one minute to make and is delicious. Paired with roasted cauliflower....amazing!

Someone posted the Miso-Tahini recipe here. I made a two-serving recipe by using 2 tablespoons each of the miso, tahini, and water.

Cookbook Club: Veganomicon Review

I reviewed this book as part of Cook Vegan Lover's Cookbook Club.

When I first got this book, I spent hours going through it, drooling over the recipes and reading every word of the tips, techniques, and recipes' intros. I made the following list of everything I wanted to make first, but, really, I wanted to try everything.
I made a lot (see below) and feel Veganomicon was my new best friend for the month or so that we were inseperable. Overall, I give this cookbook five out of five stars. The tons of recipes are all (well, mostly all) delicious and unique, the extra information was valuable, and I just love the authors' humor. I'll use this cookbook forever. It's the cookbook I'll pull out when I'm having a dinner party or am asked to bring something to a potluck and want to impress people. But I'll also use it for daily cooking for myself. The details...

I Loved

• Pretty much all the recipes I tried except for one or two. The book says there are 250 recipes, but it seems like even more. I feel like I could cook from this book for a year and never run out of recipes. They span everything from quick recipes for beginners to marathoners for hard-core cooks. I loved the variety--from Middle Eastern to Indian to Mexican and everything in between. The majority of the recipes were five-star hits--dishes I'd bring to a potluck or serve for a dinner party when I want to impress omnivores. Others were excellent additions to my regular rotation of just-for-me meals. My omnivore husband, who is suspicious of vegan recipes, really liked all the dishes he tried.
• The wealth of good information on topics like Stocking the Veganomicon Pantry, Kitchen Equipment, Cooking and Prepping Terminology, Lower-Fat Cooking, How to Cook a Vegetable, How to Cook a Grain, and How to Cook a Bean. There was one tip that, for me, was worth buying the entire book: to reduce fat, start off by sauteeing with just a bit of oil, and then add vegetable broth when it becomes dry. I will use this tip for the rest of my life! The other sections also had really good tips and basic cooking instructions.

I Didn't Love So Much

• The large amount of oil most recipes called for, and the general heaviness (fat and calories) in many of the recipes I tried. I tried to follow the recipes exactly, so I didn't use the above lower-fat cooking tip. I lost weight last year and am diligent about maintaining it. For the first time since last September, I gained a few pounds! I know it was because I was making so many of these recipes, as I don't usually eat such heavy foods. (Though, OK, it was my own fault for eating two whole rows of the Fudgy Blueberry Brownies at a time!)
• How time intensive most of the recipes I tried were. I felt like I spent my entire weekend in the kitchen with these recipes, though that may be because I also made the suggested sauces/side dishes too.

Review of Recipes I Tried

My "Impress" Favorites: Will make to impress people, especially omnivores.

• Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Crisps (My favorite in the book, though because of all the oil, I'd only make this for special occassions.)
• Spinach Linguine with Cilantro-Basil Pesto and Artichokes
• Pasta Della California
• Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
• Mediterranean Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing (In addition to being a great dressing, I used this on a pita with chickpea cutlets and greens, and it was amazing.)
• Roasted Chile Enchilada Sauce (I'd also serve this as a dip with tortilla chips; it was so good, I was eating it by the spoonful.)
• Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies (Best brownies ever.)

My Own Favorites: While maybe not omni-friendly or maybe not creative enough to impress, I loved these and will make them often (some of these are likely quick to make and/or low-fat).

• Chickpea Cutlets (Tied with Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions for favorite in the book.)
• Sauteed Collards (This is the recipe that made me love collards. I've been making this at least once a week.)
• Easy Stir-Fried Leafy Greens
• Cauliflower Hummus (I'll make this in place of regular hummus for myself.)
• Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry
• Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf
• Black Beans with Chipotle Adobo Sauce
• Miso Tahini Dressing
• French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme

Good but not Special: I'm not sure I'd make these again, or I'd use them differently, or they were too time instensive for just being good but not great.

• Potato and Kale Enchiladas
• Curried Tofu (I think this would be have been better if I'd used it in a recipe and not just on a pita with curried mayo.)
• Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti
• Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits
• Hummus (Good but too fattening for me.)
• Cheesy Sauce

Just OK: Probably won't make again.
Tamarind Lentils


Other Reviews

Layout
The Good

• I liked the different sections of similar foods and their intros.
• The icons were helpful but not intuitive--I kept having to go back to the front for their meaning (I'm still not sure what "S" means).
• The instructions were very detailed. I liked how they gave tips like, "It should be very thick at this point."
• The tips in the shaded boxes were helpful.

The Bad

• Yes, the tips were good, but sometimes I didn't see them until I'd already started the recipe and was past the point where they would have helped. Also, some tips apply to multiple recipes, but you don't know that unless you read the entire book and remember they're there.
• I don't think the time estimates were accurate--they usually took longer. I'm pretty fast at chopping veggies, but I think you'd need to be the Iron Chef to meet these time estimates.
• The typos. Oh, the typos. I'm an editor, so the typos were particularly painful. I don't blame the typos on the authors, though. It's an editor's job to catch them before publication. Isa and Terry, please send your manuscript to me next time. I will proof it for free! My favorite typo (I can't remember which recipe it was for) said "Serves 46" instead of "Serves 4-6."

Aesthetics
I love food photos so was dissapointed at the small section of photos. They were beautiful, but scant. I'd love a photo for every recipe and would have paid extra for more photos.

Ingredients
Pretty much all the ingredients were easy to find or I had on hand and didn't require equipment I didn't have. I did, however, buy cooking tongs and love the suggestion. They're so much better to cook things like greens and asparagus.

Veganomicon Review: Cauliflower Hummus

Veganomicon included a reduced-fat version of Cauliflower Hummus for those of us who can devour a cup of hummus without thinking about all those calories adding up. This version uses a head of cooked cauliflower combined with chickpeas, a small amount of olive oil and tahini sauce, scallions, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic.I loved it. I thought it tasted great. The flavor isn't as intensively hummus-y as regular hummus, but for a reduced-fat version, it's really good. There are 5 WeightWatchers PointsPlus values in 1/4 cup of regular hummus. This version has just 1 in the same serving size! I served it with homemade sesame pitas.

Veganomicon Review: Sauteed Collards

In my quest to fit more super-nutritious dark, leafy greens into my diet, tonight I tried the second Veganomicon recipe for cooked greens, Sauteed Collards (first was Easy Stir-Fried Leafy Greens).

Using this mix of turnip, mustard, and collard greens plus spinach from Trader Joe's was a mistake. Not only was it more than twice as much ($3.99) as a bunch of collards at Giant Eagle ($1.79), but the spinach cooked up so much quicker than everything else and got all mushy while the other greens cooked. Aside from that, this recipe was fantastic! First, you saute a bunch of garlic (4 cloves for 1 pound greens) in a bit of olive oil (I used less than the recipe calls for; Veganomicon tends to use too much oil for me). Then you add your greens, saute for a few minutes, then add the concoction that makes these greens so yummy: vegetable broth with soy sauce and liquid smoke (1 teaspoon each of soy sauce and liquid smoke in 1/2 cup vegetable broth for 1 pound of greens). They cook for a few minutes in the broth; mine cooked unevenly because of the mix of greens. Still! Delicious! A year ago before I started eating vegan, I'd never imagined that I'd be saying "Mmmm!" while eating a plate of greens, but here I am with a belly full of greens and a smile on my face. Two thumbs up!

Veganomicon Review: French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme

Disclaimer: My favorite food in the whole world is a lentil soup from Ali Baba, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Oakland. It's rich and hearty with lentils, a bit of rice, browned onions, and some magical spices that make me want it every day. All other lentil soups have tough shoes to fill.

While the French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme from Veganomicon doesn't taste a thing like Ali Baba's, it's really good. As the recipe notes promise, the tarragon is the magic ingredient in this soup, adding a sweet, nearly licorice-type taste. It and the other spices transform it from a basic ho-hum lentil soup into something I'll look forward to having for leftovers for the next few days. My photo doesn't do it justice--it's great!

Romaine Salad with Roasted Mushrooms and Veganomicon Miso Tahini Dressing

For lunch I paired baby romaine with roasted mushrooms and dressed it with Miso Tahini Dressing from Veganomicon. The dressing has two ingredients--miso and tahini--plus water to thin it out, so it takes no time to whip up and is really good. The combination of romaine, roasted, chewy mushrooms, and this dressing was divine!
I also mixed the dressing in with some of the Tamarind Lentils I wasn't crazy about...and I immediately liked them much more! I'd also make this as a dip for veggies. Someone posted the recipe here. I made a two-serving recipe by using 2 tablespoons each of the miso, tahini, and water.

Also, the roasted mushrooms technique is from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cook Book. I'd never had mushrooms cooked this way and really like the chewy, dense texture and meaty taste.

His technique is: Heat the oven to 400F and coat a baking sheet with about 1 teaspoon olive oil. Put it in the oven for a few minutes so the oil gets hot. Add a bunch of sliced mushrooms (1 big package) and toss to coat then let them roast for about 10 minutes, until they start to release moisture. Take them out, add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon sage, and some red pepper flakes if you want. Toss them all together and then bake for a few minutes more, until the mushrooms are dry and chewy. I originally made these for vegan pizza but the leftovers were great in this salad.

Veganomicon Review: Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious, this dip was perfect Super Bowl food. It uses only a few ingredients: almonds processed to a powder, sun-dried tomatoes plumped up with boiling water, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. The consistency was nearly-creamy and spreadable. Omnivore husband really liked it too. I'll definitely make this again whenever I want a quick, easy, and yummy appetizer.

I served it with whole-wheat baguette bread I made yesterday. Two thumbs up!

Veganomicon Review: Tamarind Lentils

This is the first Veganomicon recipe that didn't thrill me. The recipe tip said small green lentils would work better because brown lentils get mushy. I should have stuck with brown--I like mushy lentils. The lentils were supposed to get tender and absorb the broth after 25 minutes; after more than an hour, mine were still a little too firm for me. But by that point I'd hungrily watched my husband heat the oven, cook a frozen pizza for himself, and eat it, so I was tired of waiting for the lentils to get more tender.

The flavor was OK. Not bad. Not great. Just OK. But since I really like mushy lentils, the firm texture ruined it for me. Still, I probably wouldn't make this again, even using brown lentils. A disappointing dinner!

Veganomicon Review: Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

The star of this dish was the roasted chile sauce. Roasted and chopped chiles are added to onions softened in oil with canned tomatoes and spices then processed in a blender. The sauce was so good I couldn't stop eating it with tortilla chips. When making it, though, I missed the tip, buried in the instructions, about how to roast peppers and ended up taking my whole chiles out of the oven mid-way through cooking and trying to slice and seed them when they were very hot.
The filling started with chopped kale wilted in grapeseed oil with garlic. I added diced, boiled potatoes, pepitas, lemon juice (I was out of lime juice), veggie broth, and salt then mashed most of the potatoes with a wooden spoon.

It was good but not great. I thought the filling was too salty (maybe because of my juice substitution?) and didn't complement the taste of the enchilada sauce. I couldn't taste the pepitas at all, which is a shame because they were expensive. I'd definitely make the sauce again--it was pretty quick and easy and could be used as a dip--but not sure I'd make this dish again.Oh, and it's nearly impossible to get good pictures of enchiladas!

Veganomicon Review: Spinach Linguine with Cilantro-Basil Pesto and Artichokes

Veganomicon has convinced me that pasta doesn't have to be boring. Since I started eating vegan, I rarely make pasta because it seems so easy, expected, and not creative. The two pasta dishes I made from Veganomicon, Pasta Della California and last night Spinach Linguine with Cilantro-Basil Pesto and Artichokes, have been outstanding.The Spinach Linguine recipe is a happy mix of contrasting flavors. The pesto, made with cilantro, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, and almonds, was divine. The cilantro adds a surprisingly delicious and bright flavor, and the almonds make it a little creamy. Sliced red onions cooked in olive oil with garlic lend a wonderful sweetness, countering the saltiness of the pesto and artichokes. The linguine itself (I used Trader Joe's Spinach and Chive Linguine) is flavorful.
Each bite of this dish made my tastebuds dance. I LOVED it and would give it over five out of five stars. It may be one of my favorite recipes in the book. My omnivore husband really liked it too.

And it was super easy to make. The hardest part was dismantling the cilantro leaves from their stems. It took about a half-hour so would be perfect for dinner after work.

I found that someone else posted the recipe on their blog. My advice: Make this! You'll love it! I know I'll be making it many times again.

Another recipe down for Cook Vegan Lover's Cookbook Club! Lots more I still want to try.

Veganomicon Review: Curried Tofu

Marinating tofu and then baking or grilling it is hardly a new idea, but I was curious to try Veganomicon's version of it using a curry marinade. The recipe called for marinating tofu for a half-hour. I let it marinate for 24 hours.I baked it for about 45 minutes.Veganomicon suggested eating it on a sandwich with curried mayo (adding curry powder to vegan mayo). Unfortunately, they didn't include a recipe for vegan mayo, and I realized too late that The Happy Herbivore, which I've had for weeks and have been dying to try out, did. I made the mayo from the Food Matters Cook Book:

Curried Tofu Mayo (adapted from the Food Matters Cook Book)
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 6 ounces soft silken tofu (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (I squeezed a half a lemon)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar (recipe calls for honey or sugar)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons curry powder

Instructions
Blend until smooth!

I didn't have high hopes for this. I was surprised that it tasted pretty good and very close to mayo.I put the tofu and mayo on Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti for a sandwich. The mayo ended up looking like a melting mummy.The result? Eh. The tofu had the very faintest taste of curry. If I'd followed the recipe and marinated it for only 30 minutes, it would probably have tasted like nothing. But the texture was pretty good. Overall, the sandwich was ho-hum.

Tonight I cobbled together dinner from the leftover marinade, baked tofu, and some mustard greens. I wilted the greens in the marinade, added the tofu, and ate it with the Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti that seems to last forever. Not bad. Can't say I'll be rushing to make it again, but not awful.

Veganomicon Review: Easy Stir-Fried Leafy Greens

Veganomicon says that eating enough dark, leafy greens throughout the week can be a challenge for even the most dedicated vegetarians and vegans. Amen to that.

Dark leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses, says About.com--"calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats."

Given the nutritional benefits, I want to eat more of them, so last night I cooked mustard greens using Veganomicon's Easy Stir-Fried Leafy Greens recipe with sesame oil, garlic, grated ginger, cooking sherry, and soy sauce. I've never had mustard greens before. These were fantastic! I'm going to modify the recipe next time to use less oil, but this is a great recipe to have on-hand for getting my dark, leafy greens in.

Veganomicon Review: Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti

These were a real pain to make. You had to roll it out, brush it with oil, flip it in half, brush it with oil, roll it back out, brush it with oil and then crumbs, flip it in half, brush it with oil and crumbs...too much! I only did that for the first two. The rest I rolled out just once and hoped for the best.

They tasted really good. The poppy seeds added a crunch, and the cumin seeds added flavor. They went together perfectly with the Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry. I'm not sure I'd make these again, though, because they were a pain.

Veganomicon Review: Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry

You know how you're making a recipe and it seems wrong and you doubt it's going to turn out but have no choice but to finish it? That's how this was. I doubted it the whole way. Why chopped parsnips as an ingredient? What taste would the lime juice at the end give it? Would the final be as bland as the taste I took in the middle of cooking it?

There was a lot of prep work for this, and mid-way through cooking it, I'd already written it off, mourning the time lost in chopping onions, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, parsnip, and cauliflower. But I finished it and un-enthusiastically dished it over Basmati rice.

And it was WONDERFUL! It was extremely flavorful, and the cooked red lentils gave it a near-creamy texture. The parsnips, along with cinnamon, gave it a nice sweetness. I loved it, and my omnivore husband really liked it too. My only complaint was that it wasn't spicy, so next time I make it I might add some red pepper flakes. I served it with Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti, which went great with it.

Veganomicon Review: Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies

The smell of these baking filled my kitchen for a half-hour before they were done. It smelled so good, I couldn't wait for them to get done. I waited a whole five minutes before eating one (supposed to wait a half-hour), and it was so hot it burned my mouth, but I couldn't stop eating it.

This may be one of my all-time favorite desserts. Out of five stars, it's a 10. It's gooey and fudgy and moist, bursting with a blueberry-chocolate flavor that's just perfect, with whole blueberries and chocolate chips. I told my husband it was one of the best things I'd ever eaten. If I had to criticize it, it didn't hold together perfectly, but I suspect that's because my whole blueberries could have been dried better before I added them.

Because I have Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, I'm used to Isa and Terry's dessert recipes, and this is pretty standard for them. Simple to make and uses basic ingredients. I did have to buy blueberry spreadable fruit, but I had everything else on hand. It makes a whole 9X13 tray, so this would be perfect to knock the socks off of party or dinner guests.

I ate way too many brownies (which is pretty funny after my last post about maintaining my weight!) so will take them into the office to share with coworkers. If I don't, I could easily eat the whole tray.
Someone posted the recipe here.