cooking every recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian before I kick the bucket
Hi friends!
I no longer have time to maintain a blog about this project, so this will be the last entry.
I’m going to continue in my attempt to cook every recipe in the book, but I won’t be documenting it in any public fashion anymore.
I will leave the blog up indefinitely.
Thanks!
Considering how much asparagus my family eats between April and July, you would have thought that I had tried stir-frying it before now. I consider asparagus such a precious commodity that I don’t want to mess with a good thing. Is there anything better on earth than asparagus which has been roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then fresh lemon juice squeezed on top when it comes out? No. The answer is no! It is perfection.
But stir-fried asparagus?
stir-fried asparagus
Totally delicious. Simple, fast, earthy, salty: a great side or mid-afternoon snack.
Recipe: Stir-Fried Asparagus, page 262
Did I need to veganize it: Nope!
One of my family’s staple meals is peppers and onions, but with thinly-sliced seitan strips added. It’s a total no-brainer and can be eaten on its own or used as a sandwich filling.
Bittman’s recipe for “My Mom’s Pan-Cooked Peppers and Onions” has a couple of fresh additions—mushrooms! fresh herbs!—but the preparation and finished product is true to the classic recipe. I reduced the olive oil by one tablespoon and I subbed seitan for half the onions. It was straight up delicious, and now that I’ve had mushrooms in the recipe, I will be adding them from time to time when I make it.
Recipe: My Mom’s Pan-Cooked Peppers and Onions
Did I need to veganize it? There is a vegan option in the recipe.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: “Joanna has run out of steam for this project. She’s gotten overwhelmed by the task! She’s 20 posts in and only 1% finished with the book and she’s wondering why the hell she thought this was a good idea.”
Well, okay, yes, a little bit! But I have been cooking from this cookbook regularly and have just lost interest in writing blog posts for every recipe, so what you will find here will be more list-like entries from me. I’ve always been attracted more to the short reviews, anyway. Let’s skip the flowery language and get right to the point, shall we?
I have been making a lot of soups lately, maybe because it’s still in the 50s and 60s in Portland and nothing is more satisfying on a chilly, rainy day than a bowl of soup.
Vegan Vichyssoise
Recipe: Vegan Vichyssoise, page 107
Did I need to veganize it? It’s the vegan version of the Potato and Leek Soup
What is it? Potato and leek soup with avocado added for creaminess, served cold.
My thoughts: Not even avocado can make me like cold soup. I tried it cold and it tasted like bland guacamole. So I warmed it up and then it tasted like weird potato soup. Cold soups just aren’t for me.
Recipe: Chickpea Soup with Saffron and Almonds, page 117
Did I need to veganize it? No.
What is it? Chickpea soup with Mediterranean flavors
My thoughts: This was a hit! It was easy enough to cook on a weekday at lunchtime; every member of my family liked it; I’m looking forward to trying variations of it, especially the Chickpea Soup with Spinach.
Recipe: Lentil Soup with Coconut, page 116
Did I need to veganize it? No
What is it: A versatile creamy-but-not-too-creamy lentil soup with Indian spices
My thoughts: This soup was delicious right off the stove but even more flavorful as leftovers, as the spices intensified in the fridge. Not too spicy for Matt and Milo, either.
I used Bittman’s instructions for cooking grains to prepare the quinoa for this salad, with one minor change: I toasted my dry quinoa in a dry skillet before cooking it. If you’re not a fan of quinoa because of its slight bitterness, I recommend trying this preparation before writing off quinoa altogether. It’s a little bit of extra work, but the payoff is worth it!
This salad was not my favorite, for two reasons: 1) I think that boiling sweet potatoes robs them of a lot of their flavor, and I have never enjoyed sweet potatoes prepared that way and 2) While the salad was tasty enough when I first prepared it, the sweet potato and quinoa were broken down by the vinaigrette overnight in the fridge, and it was total mush the next day. Personally, I prefer salads which can hold up to a vinaigrette—preferably even intensify in flavors—since I’m so rarely in a situation where every portion of a dish I’m making will be eaten immediately. If I make a dish and it lingers in my fridge for days, uneaten, before I ultimately have to throw it out, I will never make that dish again. Thus is the fate of the sweet potato and quinoa salad. Sorry, salad!
Recipes: Cooking Grains, page 537 and Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad, page 84
Did I have to veganize them: No
The real title of this dish should be: Indian Food for Dummies.
I don’t have a picture, but if you’ve eaten at an Indian buffet ever in your life, you have ladled something like this onto your plate, right between jasmine rice and naan. Tofu cubes are standing in for paneer here, and they’re floating with peas in a heavily-spiced onion and tomato gravy—with just enough coconut milk added for creaminess. Between the three of us (yes, my 3-year-old ate it and loved it), we polished the whole recipe off in a matter of days, and although the recipe says that it makes 4 servings, it’s actually more like 6 or even 8. This was a hit, and I will make it again and again.
Recipe: Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk, page 648
Did I need to veganize it: No
My three-year-old is currently going through a hummus preoccupation. It might have even crossed over into the land of obsession. Every time that I offer him choices for his meal, he always asks: “How about hummus?”—whether we have hummus in the house or not.
What better time to try out Bittman’s hummus recipe? And why not make his tabouli to go along with it?
Milo's post-nap snack plate
It felt strange to be following a recipe for either of these staples. Tabouli and hummus were two of the first vegetarian dishes that my mother ever made specifically for me! This was in the early 90s in Texas, so when I first ate tabouli, it was the first time I’d ever seen parsley in any role other than as a limp garnish on my plate at a restaurant. Here it was taking center stage, and with bulgur, another food I’d never eaten before! My teenage mind was blown, I fell in love, and Mom thoughtfully continued to make tabouli and hummus for me whenever I came home from college so that there would be something in the refrigerator for me to eat. Thanks, Mom!
Obviously, I’ve made these dishes hundreds of times in the last 20 years—there is a quinoa tabouli and three different hummuses in Yellow Rose Recipes—so I was curious to see Bittman’s versions.
There were a couple of surprises: his hummus called for a whole tablespoon of cumin (I obeyed, and was glad that I did) and his tabouli called for 1 whole cup of fresh mint (again: I dutifully obeyed and the tabouli was all the better for it). The only changes I made were: I omitted the optional fresh tomatoes in the tabouli because tomatoes aren’t in season; I cut the suggested 1/3 cup olive oil for the tabouli back to 1/4 cup, and it still tasted too oily for me, so I will probably adjust to 3 tablespoons next time.
Otherwise, these were wonderful versions, and I’m looking forward to the summertime when the mint in my herb garden is going crazy and the heirloom tomatoes are as big as my head and there is always a big batch of tabouli in the fridge!
Recipes: Tabbouleh, page 43 and Hummus, page 614
Did I have to veganize them: Of course not!
The first line of this recipe is: “One of the most useful recipes ever and, sadly, one that is often overlooked.” That is certainly the case for me since, prior to making this recipe, I had never cooked glazed carrots before in my life. I don’t know why not, since I’ve made glazed sweet potatoes before, but when it comes to carrots, I usually serve them raw or roasted.
Quick-Glazed Carrots
This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket for dinner parties, holidays, and potlucks, where you feel like you just want one more veggie on the table, but you don’t have the time to do something fancy.
Bittman lists the chopped fresh herb garnish as optional, but the fresh mint that I used added so much to the dish that I wouldn’t consider making the carrots again without it.
There are two variations for this recipe: Quick-Glazed Carrots with Orange and Ginger and Balsamic-Glazed Carrots with Garlic, and I’m looking forward to making them both.
Recipe: Quick-Glazed Carrots, page 278
Did I have to veganize it: No, there is a vegan option
I made this dish one weeknight for Matt and me after a very long day. It was the kind of day where you almost nix cooking altogether and instead assemble a nonmeal of ready-to-eat pantry items, but I decided that I could muster the willpower to cook if it were very, very simple. Stir fry to the rescue!
We devoured this, then Milo and I split the leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s the most basic of Bittman’s stir fry recipes, and I look forward to building on it in the future.
Recipe: Stir-Fried Tofu with Scallions
Did I need to veganize it: Nope!
I almost skipped right over this recipe because even I realize that I’ve been a little heavy-handed with the rice lately, but then a couple of words caught my eye: garam masala.
For those not already familiar with this Indian spice mix, I strongly urge you to hightail it to your nearest ethnic foods store and pick some up. (Or order some from Penzeys!) (Or make your own!)
If pressed, I would say that it’s my favorite spice mix, but on any given day I might be just as likely to claim that za’atar is my favorite, or Cajun spice.
If you and garam masala go way back—if you are like me and you hear the words garam masala and begin to salivate involuntarily—let me suggest that you thumb your way to page 509 of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Spiced Rice with Chickpeas and Almonds
If you make this recipe, absolutely do not omit the toasted almonds at the end. They add just the right amount of crunch!
Recipe: Rice with Chickpeas, page 509
Did I have to veganize it: No