Vegan MoFo Day5: The Art of the Non-Soggy Sandwich

OK, I am veering from my cookbook plan today... I am super tired. But, I did throw together a mock tuna fish sandwich for lunch tomorrow, using my own recipe I made up in my head. Basically I used what I had on hand- I mashed up half a can of chickpeas, threw in a tablespoon-ish of Vegenaise, teaspoon-ish of dijon mustard, a small spoonful of relish, and a few dashes of kelp powder.


But the point is not how I make a mock tuna fish sandwich. The point is how I pack it. Nothing gets me through a crazy morning at work more than knowing I have a yummy filling lunch waiting in my bag. Nothing is more disappointing than opening up my lunch and discovering the sandwich I lovingly packed has become a soggy mess. Ick.

Time and experience has taught me the best way to pack a sandwich for lunch that includes a filling like mock tuna or egg salad is to pack each part individually. Wrap the bread in foil (you can pre-toast it, or toast it at work if that is an option), and put everything else in a Tupperware container. Assemble at work. It may seem like a lot of tedious effort, but it's worth it!

Vegan MoFO Day 5: Lentils and Rice with Carmalized Onions and PIta Crisps

Cookbook: Veganomicon
Author(s): Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Result: This is another recipe I made a year or so ago with my Mom, and remembered fondly. Well, I remembered the flavors fondly, the mushy red lentils that dissolved during cooking, not so much. I decided to give it another go this evening, using some French green lentils I had in my pantry. These lentils held together much better, and there was no mush! The cloves, allspice and cinnamon added to the rice and lentils while they simmer makes the kitchen smell divine, as do the onions roasting in the oven. The whole meal takes over an hour to cook, and by that time after being stuck in my tasty smelling apartment, I was ready to eat!

The pita chips are perfect for scooping up the rice and lentils, and are so simple to make. If you have never made your own pita chips, do it now. Go to the store, buy some pita, cut it up, brush it with olive oil, shake your favorite spices on top, bake it, and enjoy. You won't be sorry. Trust me. We also threw some kale in the oven at the same time to make some kale chips, just for kicks.

I asked my taste tester for some concluding thoughts about this recipe. He deemed the meal "highly delicious," and commented, "I would eat it again." Works for me!

I've been giving the Veganomicon a lot of love. My other cookbooks might be getting jealous, but I can't help it, it truly is the Mother of all vegan cookbooks.

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Creamy Yellow Potato Soup with Rosemary Oil and Crispy Rosemary

OK, this is kinda cheating- I made this soup on Monday. But we ate leftovers all day and are about to head out for some brick oven (vegan) pizza and olives... Will hopefully be back to cooking tomorrow after work!

Cookbook: Vegan Soul Kitchen
Author: Bryant Terry

Result: An easy, quick(ish) and comforting soup. I love that you make a fresh rosemary infused olive oil first, and then use it to saute your onion and garlic and finish your soup. Homemade veggie stock gave this extra flavor, and cumin gave it an interesting kick you won't find in traditional potato soup. The recipe says to put the soup in the blender in the end and then put it through a strainer or something, but I used my immersion blender and it turned out just fine. All in all the soup still isn't as great as the one my Mom makes (that's a pretty high standard though), but I will definitely be making it again.


I couldn't decide if I wanted to serve the soup with bread or a salad, so I made a salad pizza. Great combo!!!

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits; Apple Wrapper Pie

Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits
Cookbook: Veganomicon
Author(s): Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Result: I had made this recipe about a year and a half ago when I was at home with help from my mom. I remembered it being delicious and very comforting. It was pretty good again this time, although it lacked a little bit in flavor, so I added some more salt. It was still a little bland, but over all a filling fall meal with a good dose of protein (I added the suggested seitan).



Apple Wrapper Pie
Cookbook: Betty Crocker's Cookbook
Author: Um.... Betty Crocker?

Result: I love having people over for dinner because it always gives me an excuse to make a pie. I turn to my handy-dandy Betty Crocker cookbook whenever I need a really basic recipe, and it always comes through for pies. I wasn't in the mood to make a double crust pie today, but had a request for pie made from some apples scored at the Farmer's Market this morning.

The "Wrapper" pie is an easy and perfect solution when you want pie but don't want to put in a whole lot of effort, and don't want the fat that comes with two pie crusts. I sub Earth Balance soy butter for the shortening the recipe calls for, but the result is still a flaky and delicious crust, and I highly doubt most people can tell the difference... We enjoyed this puppy with some vanilla coconut ice cream.

Vegan MoFo Day 2: Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Cookbook: Babycakes
Author: Erin McKenna

Result: It probably does not pay to be a cheapskate. I opted to leave out the xanthan gum in this recipe because it was $10 at Whole Foods, and I was not in the mood to pay that much. I used some ground flax seeds mixed with water to replace it (as a binder), and that worked OK, but the batter was kinda runny and lumpy. Not sure if that was because of the xanthan/flax switch up, or the recipe itself.


I chose this recipe because I was craving some pumpkin muffins, as it is now October, and I find very few things more adorable or perfect than pumpkins. I looked through a few of my cookbooks, but every recipe I found called for a lot of sugar. This one only called for 2/3 cup of agave nectar, and 1/2 cup of coconut oil. The muffins were a little less sweet than your traditional pumpkin muffin, and I would probably throw some raisins or chocolate chips in next time. But, all in all they turned out moist and pumpkin-y, and made 16 muffins! Pumpkin muffins for breakfast for all, all week!

Vegan MoFo: A Cookbook A Day!!!!!!!

I know it's already the 2nd day of Vegan MoFo, but I have an idea finally!!!!! Yay! I hope someone notices!!!

So, I have a lot of cookbooks. Most of them are vegan, a few of them are not but still have a lot of great recipes. I have so many, and buy them so often, and I don't think they all get enough love and attention. So, copying "Julie and Julia" a little bit, I will try to attempt to cook one recipe a day from one of my cookbooks. I have a pretty busy month ahead of me, so hopefully I can stick to the plan...

As a side note, my camera is really starting to crap out on me and taking blurry and out of focus pictures... My bday is next week, so here's hoping I get a new one...

DIY Veggie Stock

I am sure a lot of people have much more exciting things to do on a day off then sit in their apartment making homemade vegetable stock, but I am not one of them.

Whether you are a vegan or not, chances are you use vegetable stock in your cooking from time to time. Sure, it's convenient to grab some prefab stock at the store, but read the label on one of those sometime- ick!

If you really want to make your food taste extra yum, you have to make your own stock. Luckily, it's pretty easy. There are lots of great resources out there on how to make your own, I particularly enjoy this post at vegan yum yum.

In my neighborhood, I can grab a huge thing of "soup greens" for about a buck fifty at the corner deli. Sadly they are not organic, but I can get a bunch of carrots, celery, onions, leeks, turnips and parsley for cheap. Does this type of thing exist outside of Brooklyn? I find it magical.


Anyhoo, basically I just chop up the aforementioned soup greens and throw them in a some heated olive oil in a large soup pot as I go. I then add eight or so whole peeled cloves of garlic, any fresh herbs I have on hand (this week it was rosemary), a few tablespoons of tomato paste and a few tablespoons of tamari. And salt and pepper, of course.


Finally I add about ten or so cups of water, bring the whole thing to a boil and then down to simmer for an hour or two. When the veggies look very brown, pale and sad I strain the broth a few times, let it cool, then freeze it or put it in the fridge for a couple of days.



It sounds complicated, but it's pretty easy peasy, and strangely therapeutic to make your own stock. And it really does make a world of difference in soups, sauces, etc.