It's Tony® Night, and I've got some peeps over to watch, i.e. guinea pigs for my latest vegan adventures! That's David and Trey and Trey's friend Rachel with the Spaghetti Squash, and Tracy with the Bread Pudding.
Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca
I love spaghetti squash. It's such a freak of nature, that it can do that stringy thing. But I never know what to do with it. Here's a great solution. Combine it with a mixture of corn and beans and the flavors of Mexico, and cover it with a fruity avocado salsa!
There's quite a bit of spice in the bean mixture, but don't be scared: there's also so much squash that by the time you've blended it all together, the spice level is perfect. And the salsa is nicely refreshing. I love fruit in savory dishes!! Although I will say (again!), the salsa needs salt.
My only complaint here is that the dish is ultimately on the dry side, even with the topping of salsa. But the flavors are so good that the dryness is forgiven. Viva spaghetti squash!
SFO: 9
Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
OMG, there is nothing lacking in this vegan bread pudding. Hard to imagine bread pudding landing without lots of eggs and dairy, but this one does, no problem!
The pound of bread called for in this recipe seems like it's going to be way too much, but it's actually the perfect amount for the 9x5 loaf pan. It will, however, require a lot more soy milk than the recipe calls for to saturate all the bread.
I daresay this recipe is a lot lighter than your average bread pudding, so my suggestion is that we all just use this when we're looking for a dose of naughty. It's completely delicious and satisfying!
SFO: 10
It's always a sunny day when Celia's here. She's so game to eat my vegan creations, even when they're as poorly combined as they were in this meal. (This is not meant to be a reflection of the recipes, just a criticism of my pairing starchy with starchy.)
Panko-Stuffed Mushrooms
The concept here is very traditional - make a stuffing, then press it into mushroom caps and bake. The flavors of the stuffing are what is unique here. It's very Japanese: mirin, daikon, sesame, scallions. I'm not sure if the mirin I'm using is particularly sugary, but this stuffing leaned waaaay over to the sweet side. Not unpleasant, but strangely prominent.
We're using large mushrooms here, and I'm not sure how "done" I&T think they're going to get after 20m in a 350° oven, but I thought they were crazily underdone. I put them back in for about that long again, which seemed much more appropriate for this dish.
Overall, these were interestingly savory/sweet with not the best texture to the mushroom or the stuffing, but definitely tasty and edible.
SFO: 8
Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto
I wasn't sure how risotto would behave in vegan land... there'd be no butter or cheese mounting at the end to ensure a deluxe result. Turns out, vegan risotto works just fine, thank you.
My disappointment with this recipe resides in the broth. The promise of this homemade lemongrass broth is big - fresh ginger, garlic and lemongrass should deliver vibrant flavors, right? Well, my broth came out dull, with an off smell. Hmph. And the lemongrass that was so fragrant on the cutting board essentially disappeared by serving time. Where did it go??
That said, this is a respectable risotto, with interesting Asian-slanted flavors. There's a notable absence of saltiness (again!). Those three tablespoons of soy sauce in the broth just don't provide much. We liked the lime-i-ness, and anything that's garnished with peanuts is a winner in my book.
I liked this, but I don't see myself making it again.
SFO: 8
Tofu Ricotta
I'm fascinated by the concept of cheese substitutes. I mean, cheese is just so distinctive and amazing. How can you possibly imitate it?
Well, many vegan magicians out there have come up with some pretty great ideas, and here's one of them from I&T. Evidently, this is from an earlier book, Vegan with a Vengeance; I guess it's just too good not to include here again.
Since I was making some more sourdough pizza crust, I thought I should have some vegan cheese for my pizza. (Confession: I also had some Yves Meatless Pepperoni on hand, so I really wanted to go to town with these pizzas.)
I think I made a bad call, though, with the tofu I used. There's a Trader Joe's product called Super Firm High Protein Tofu, and I think this was a little too firm for this recipe. The "ricotta" was incredibly dry. In fact, I had to add some extra oil to compensate for it. Next time, I'll just use your garden variety extra firm tofu.
Turns out this ricotta is so tasty, I just wanted to eat it right out of
the bowl. I don't even feel that way about real ricotta! The subtle combo of flavors: lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast, is just delicious! And while it doesn't taste like cheese, per se, it evokes the same feelings I have about cheese - salty, fatty, comforty goodness.
The pepperoni pizza was pretty great - My friend Rena tried it. She's the one who coined the phrase "Vegan My Ass" to describe my eclectic and irreverent eating habits. And Rena, who's decidedly UN-vegan, thought it tasted great, although she said it didn't taste anything like pepperoni pizza. :-)
SFO: 9
One tiny point off for total lack of meltiness.
The pound of bread called for in this recipe seems like it's going to be way too much, but it's actually the perfect amount for the 9x5 loaf pan. It will, however, require a lot more soy milk than the recipe calls for to saturate all the bread.
