Greek-Style Tomato-Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Herbs
This is not an easy recipe, but it is definitely worth the effort! Even with my mistakes, it still delivered a pretty yummy result.
My big mistake had to do with liquid removal. You're basically dealing with a lot of liquidy things, like chopped tomatoes, grated zucchini, and tofu. And if you don't drain them really well, I mean REALLY well, you're going to end up with an overly wet batter. Which I did. Which is not ideal when you're about to roll it in bread crumbs and fry it.
That said, they held together, and even though they were quite soggy, they were really delicious.
I also tried baking a few to see if I could improve the situation, but no, the batter was just too wet to ever be crispy.
If you make these, don't give up until you've gotten every last drop of water out of the tofu, tomatoes, and zucchini. You will be rewarded, I'm sure!
SFO: 9
You'd never know there was any tofu in here, the other flavors are so vibrant!
Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip
This is a perfect accompaniment to the fritters! Again, there's water removal, this time from the cucumbers. I love the whole concept of using cashews for creaminess. And it's quite effective, although one issue I have with this dip is that upon sitting, it tends to separate a bit, i.e. creamy patches and watery patches.
As I&T say, it's delicious enough to serve on its own with pita bread, but with the fritters, it's heaven.
SFO: 10
Black Bean-Vegetable Soup
As I&T say, having a good black bean soup recipe is like having a good "little black dress." Of course, I don't have a little black dress, and I'm not sure what the analog is for a guy, maybe a blue blazer, but nevertheless, we all get the reference.
This is a really cute little black dress. There's a nice amount of vegetables in here. Of course, I avoid bell peppers where I can, so I substituted an additional jalapeño, which has been successful before. Usually, it doesn't amp up the spiciness because I remove the seeds and ribs, but in this case, my soup ended up quite spicy! But it was a pleasant heat. Salt hound that I am, I found the soup to be significantly undersalted, but to each his own.
The end result is simple and delicious, if a little watery. Since I do like my bean soups on the creamy side, I pulled out the immersion blender and did a little damage in the pot, and I ultimately liked the texture I ended up with. The garnishes really elevate this soup, so I highly recommend using all of them: lime wedges, avocado, and minced cilantro.
SFO: 10
Banana-Wheat Germ Muffins
Another fast and easy recipe - and delicious! Great way to use up overripe bananas!
Alas, no one was here to help me eat them, so I'm freezing these for snacks. Perfect!
SFO: 10
Dijonaisse
After my second experience making the Silken Mayo, I thought I had unlocked the key to the magic of the recipe, i.e. maple syrup vs. agave nectar. Alas, this batch was on the sweet side again. I think I'll just cut back a little on the syrup next time, as I have a lot of variations on this recipe yet to do....
I love mustard and I was hopeful for this, but it was only OK and languished in my fridge unused.
SFO: 4
Apricot BBQ Sauce
I love a fruity sauce. And I love apricots. This should have been a hole-in-one for me, but it ended up being only OK. I think I know why.
First of all, it was probably too early in the season to be cooking with apricots. They just didn't have that great apricot-ty flavor yet.
Second, I think there's something up with my liquid smoke. The flavor is just too overwhelming. I either need to cut back on the amount or change brands.
When it was time for tasting this sauce and adjusting the seasonings, I found I needed more maple syrup and more salt - it just seemed, I don't know, blah.
In the end, it was fine, but not the fruity wonder I was expecting.
SFO: 9
Baked BBQ Tofu
Hmm. Again, another recipe that should've been a winner but just didn't register.
First you bake slices of pressed tofu in oil and soy sauce. The tofu gets somewhat leathery, but not really fried. And then with all that oil in the baking pan, you pour the BBQ sauce on and keep cooking it. I couldn't help thinking that this dish would have benefited from removing the oil before adding the sauce.
It's possible that my results were skewed because I cooked this in a smaller pan than directed; the pieces seemed cramped during the first stage of cooking. (Who has a 9x18 baking pan anyway?)
Here's Alysha with some tofu on her plate, and the other picture is the baking pan with the tofu covered with BBQ sauce.
SFO: 3
Chocolate Chip Walnut Pound Cake
Definitely my favorite pound cake variation in the book so far!
I went out of my way not to overmix this, and the results were much better. So I'm going to declare a typo. Do not mix the pound cakes "with electric beaters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until a very thick batter forms." This is a recipe for a disastrous lump of uncooked batter at the bottom of your pound cake. Mix just until combined, maybe 30 seconds. The end.
If your oven is like mine, you can probably expect to cook the cake for 70 minutes or more.
Otherwise... yum!
SFO: 10
One of my side adventures has been in the realm of sourdough. After failing at creating my own, I went and bought a starter online, which came in dry form, and I "grew" it, which involves a lot of discarding of perfectly good dough. So I found a pizza dough recipe that uses the discarded starter! And I needed a sauce to top my sourdough pizza!
Olive Marinara Sauce
Like the default marinara recipe, this is quick and easy and tastes pretty good. I don't think there's anything else to say, although I do note that there is no sugar in this recipe, and particularly in this olive variation, I thought that a little sugar might have improved the flavor here...
SFO: 10
Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Who doesn't love an oatmeal raisin cookie?
I'd heard reports from friends who'd tried this recipe, unsuccessfully, and I was anxious to see what the issue was. While I didn't have the same terrible results my friends had, I think I understand their frustration.
This recipe creates and incredible dry and crumbly dough. It's quite challenging to form these cookies. It almost feels like you're just piling the ingredients on top of each other, more than forming dough balls. In the end, the cookies that come out of the oven are cohesive if slightly crumbly, but they're definitely less cookie-like than your average oatmeal raisin cookie.
The flavor, however, is great.
As I usually do, I combined all purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe. It occurs to me that maybe there should be liquid adjustments built in when incorporating WW flour. I can't help thinking that a little extra liquid would go a long way in improving the bind-ability and texture of these cookies. Maybe a touch more oil and soy milk to compensate for WW flour?
Also, I think that these cookies want to be cooked longer than the 10-12 minutes in the recipe. But that's always my instinct with these vegan cookies. I tried regular and extended cooking times, and while the regular were chewier, the extended were more satisfying overall.
This is not a definitive oatmeal-raisin cookie recipe, but it's a respectable one.
SFO: 8
Hazelnut-Anise Biscotti
Remember my ritual Chinatown/Little Italy dinner with Ryan and Judith? Well, tonight was the night. And even though we were eating dinner out, at House of Vegetarian (HOV), I thought I'd bring some Veganomicon goodies to replace our Little Italy cookie dessert.
These biscotti are just as delicious as the almond variety! I did the half and half APF and WW flour combo, to equally good results. I had the same timing issues I had with the previous batch, i.e. the second bake took longer than expected, but otherwise, this recipe is rock solid.
SFO: 10
Sue's back! And while she's a very game eater, she does have a couple of limitations: no sugar (there goes dessert) and no wheat. I'm sure we can find something fun in here that's wheat-less. How about a Mexican fiesta?
Tangerine Baked Tofu
Fun ingredients (something about tangerine juice and rum that just says "party") pointed to a zesty, flavory tofu entree. These pressed tofu slices marinate and bake at the same time in all that party juice. Then, when they're finished, the sauce has either evaporated or it's spooned on top for serving.
Well, I didn't have a strong finish with this dish. It was ready before the other elements, so I just turned off the heat and left them in the oven to cool down. Bad call. Not so bad for the tofu, which was well-cooked, but bad for any remaining sauce, and really bad for the Pyrex baking dish. No amount of soaking loosened that grit. I spend a solid 20 minutes with a Brillo pad before I could call that dish clean.
The tofu itself tasted OK. Neither here nor there.
Until... the other courses were ready. Then, when we tasted them again with bitefuls of the beans and millet, the tofu magically came alive. All of a sudden, the sweetness was a wonderful relief, as was the texture. This is a dish that really blossoms in context.
SFO: 2
Sue made me give this a 2. And she liked it. But she thought that your average omni would be all "anh anh" about it. And she's right.
Mexican Millet
Yum!! This is something I would never have tried were I not doing this project. The word "Mexican" in a recipe does not inspire me to move forward. However, this is one great dish!
Firstly, you just don't see millet that much, so it's a welcome reprieve from the omnipresent rice. Next, the flavorings here are super duper good, and sending it completely over the edge are the optional (but should be mandatory) garnishes, namely fresh cilantro, chopped tomato, and lime juice. Stellar!
SFO: 10
This will shock and amaze your millet-unconscious friends.
Black Beans in Chipotle Adobo Sauce
This is a lot of attention for canned beans. It makes me wonder: why canned here, and dried there. Who decided which recipes got which? And why?
I+T, if you ever read this blog, please weigh in.
The beans taste fine, but the real dazzler here is the sauce. Very simply, it combines sauteed garlic and onions and some minced chipotles in adobo, blended to chunky sauce consistency. So basic, yet so delicious. And spicy, but worth the shvitz. (Does anyone else out there sweat profusely from the scalp when eating spicy foods, like I do?)
SFO: 10
This was a banner day! I have to confess, I've been feeling a little ambivalent about this project. Yes, there have been major hits, but there have been misses too. Some I take full responsibility for, and some I blame on sloppy editing or merely tastes that don't line up with mine. But today... today was a game changer. I am reinspired!
First, I had Ryan over for some bread tasting (and home improvements). And then Marcy came for dinner. Double whammy!
Whole Wheat Soda Bread with Millet and Currants
I
do love a good soda bread, although I was skeptical that one could achieve a
decent result with no buttermilk or cream. I also enjoy millet in baked
goods. And currants. So this recipe held promise.
You'll
want to start the millet cooking process well in advance of baking
because it does take a while for the millet to cool down to room
temperature, partially covered.
Once
the millet is ready, the assembling of the ingredients is pretty simple
and straightforward. I got my pastry cutter out again, and this time, I
resisted mincing it to death. I went ahead and used a cake pan, although the instructions for using a cast iron pot intrigued me.
Confession:
I had a lot going on while I was making this, and I missed a big step:
the brushing of the top with soy milk, before and during baking. While
I'm sure the top of the bread would have had a nice gloss, vs. the matte
version you see pictured here, I'd like to believe there was no
sacrifice in flavor or texture of the bread itself.
As
for the end result, it was excellent! Possibly even an improvement on
previous traditional (read "non vegan") soda breads. While a dry, crumbly soda bread might be the norm,
I welcomed the moistness of this one. It was full of flavor and had a
great texture, and dairy was not missed at all! Great recipe!
SFO: 10
Porcini-Wild Rice Soup
First of all, I would like it to be known that I did go on a mission for fresh chervil for the garnish for this soup, and I came up short. I have come across chervil in local markets on occasion, but the couple of times I've gone looking for it, no such luck. Ah well, parsley it is.
This is a terrific soup recipe, enhanced by my newfound favorite commercial vegetable broth, namely Whole Foods 365 Organic. This doesn't really make sense, but the end result of this recipe is a soup that can only be described as beefy. Crazy, right? I guess it's all that umami-ness in the porcini mushrooms. This soup tasted so complex and fabulous that we couldn't believe our taste buds! That last flash of grated carrots is a really nice touch. I've never seen that before. I like!
SFO: 10+
This gets a plus because it's a vegan soup that is completely convincing as beef-based.
Mediterranean-Style Baked Lima Beans
Lima beans are the main cause of my childhood bean-o-phobia (first runner up being baked beans), so I haven't been excited about the lima bean recipes. But I know Marcy has a special fondness for Gigantes, which are gigantic lima beans cooked in this traditionally Greek way, so I figured now is just as good a time as any to get this first lima bean recipe out of the way.
Cut to...
Oh! My! God! This is possibly my favorite recipe in the book so far!
First of all, the beans. I purchased a plain old bag of Goya-brand Large Lima Beans, and I wondered if they'd be the right ones because they just don't look that big in the bag. But after a night of soaking, they are appropriately gigante. And once cooked, they hold their shape beautifully. I didn't taste one before adding them to the sauce and baking them, but in the end, they taste AMAZING! Almost sweet! I'm hooked!!
And then, the sauce. Quite a few components to manage, but the extra work is so worth it. The sauce is perfection. Salty, tangy, unctuous, herby, slightly sweet. Heaven!
I really can't say enough about this recipe - it is magical!
SFO: 10
This is a perfect way to erase any "lima bean baggage" (as I+T have named it). Irresistible.
That said, they held together, and even though they were quite soggy, they were really delicious. 
