PPK Cookbook Challenge Week 5: Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan

Look what I found lurking in the drafts! I wrote this, but never finished it. Well here it is now.

Week 5, Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan.

I may be a bit spoiled, because this is one of two books that I bought for the challenge, though it's been on my list for ages. (The other book I ordered was 500 Vegan Recipes).

On my first flip-through, I was feeling uninspired, but then I realized that a lot of the recipes are super easy, and I need more of that in my life. After actually preparing a few dishes, I'm in love. Everything is great so far. It's too early to say, but this book may join the ranks of desert island cookbooks.

Accordingly, the Teriyaki Quinoa came together super fast while I made a cake and cookies. Most of the time is downtime, and had I been on top of things, I would have made a lovely salad with mandarin oranges and ginger-lime dressing, but I wasn't. Luckily, it's filling and complete with steamed broccoli and I didn't feel the need to make extra sauce to cover the veggies.

It doesn't make as much food as most of the recipes I'm used to do, but I would say this is 3 main dishes (with a side) or 4 side dishes for two hungry adults.



The 5-Spice Cookies are likewise easy, but are definitely a grown-up cookie. I was skeptical about the use of barley flour, b/c I'd never baked with it, and I was afriad it would make the cookies too faux-health-food, but they turned out really well. (Note that this fear is not rooted in experience).

They have a slight licorice taste to them, and I really like that, but I know not everyone is a fan. This is also one of the few times I'll approve of nuts in cookies. Usually, nuts interrupt the texture of baked goods when baked in, but these work. I'll definitely make these when I hang out wih my tea-snob pals - they like unconventional desserts.



Admittedly, I didn't actually cook the next dish myself, so my report on the process is second hand, but I did eat quite a lot, so I can assure you authenticity there.

Apparently, the Lemony Cashew Pesto over linguine is a matter of boiling pasta and blending some stuff, then combing the results of each process. I guess all pasta is essentially that, but this was really easy! The lemon flavor is really mellow and adds sunniness without overbearing tartness to the dish. I love it. This is going to be my go-to when the CSA dumps loads of basil into my box this summer.

No Title, No Pictures, but It's Short!

You know grad school has really done a number on my willingness to write here. I kept up with the whole PPK Cookbook Challenge, even though I stopped taking pictures and posting.

Since then, I've been going simple. The semester is coming to a close, so deadlines are tight and I've made several bowls from Appetite for Reduction, and this week I've been on a Vegan Italiano kick. Donna Klein deserves more love from me because everything I've made from her book has been easy and super delicious.

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen was the first gift I got for my sister when she went vegan, but I haven't gotten any reviews on that one. I would get my own copy, but I'm on a semi-self-imposed cookbook buying ban. Maybe my sister will give up hers, since she's into macro eating these days.

Speaking of which, she has raved about a book I gave her this year called The Saucy Vegetarian. Since she structures her meals a certain way, she can make sauces to add variety, especially when eating leftovers. I'm pretty sure my sister said that despite the name, the recipes are all vegan.

In other niche diet news, the weather is getting nice here, the farmer's market will be opening soon, and my mom got me two new raw food books for my birthday, so I'm ready to once again implement Raw Wednesdays ... except they'll probably be on Tuesdays or Sundays. I haven't decided yet.

Time to dust off some of my favorite raw blog links too and start planning.

14. PPK MoFo Survey.

What's your favorite spice or spice blend?
-Right now, I'm loving the All American Spice Blend from American Vegan Kitchen.

You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). what do you buy?
-Coconut milk, greens, in-season vegetables, almond milk, a bit of chocolate.

What's your favorite way to make tofu/tempeh/seitan? (I combined this with another question).

-Tofu: Marinated and baked.
-Tempeh: Marinated fried.
-Seitan: I've only made it once, and it was a chicken salad-style dish

Vegan guilty pleasure?

-Sweet & Sara 'Smores

If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?

-I hate to be so unoriginal, but Oprah. She has such a wide, and incredibly powerful influence on a demographic that makes, statistically speaking, the most decisions about food purchasing and preparation for entire families.

If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?
-If we mean food blog, it's Fat Free Vegan Kitchen - my whole Thanksgiving meal came from that site last year.
-If we're talking vegan-themed blogs, then Vegan.com. This site inspires me to do more than just eat.

Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?

-I was always into baking, but never did much cooking until my junk food diet left me feeling unwell. Veganism definitely changed how I interact with food.

Excluding analogues, what new things have you tried that you probably wouldn't have as an omni?

-Scratch baking. Seriously, I was such a lazy box baker before! It's shameful.
-The cooking traditions of various ethnic groups, including my own.
-A lot of individual foods.

What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can't get behind?
-I'm not all that big on seitan. I'm still trying it in a few things, but dishes that are too seitan heavy kind of freak me out.

What was your first "wow, I'm such a stereotypical vegan" moment?
-I really can't remember one, but I was probably wearing a scarf, drinking a green smoothie, and explaining the protein myth to someone.

First recipe you veganized?
-Officially, Koshiri. I'm sure I've done things like subbed in Vegenaise or almond milk, but that's the first thing I've had to play around with

What would you like to veganize, but haven't yet?
-I had to think really hard about this - all of my favorite dishes have been veganized. I would really like to veganize ox tail soup though - not for me, but for a friend who cites it as her only reason for no going vegan.

Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?
-Waffle maker!

Most disastrous kitchen failure?
-Chocolate peanut butter brownies. Awful!

First vegan cookbook?
-Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet

What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?
-"Where do you get your protein?" It's cliched for a reason.

If you could tell the world one thing about vegans, what would it be?
-We aren't ascetics who can be easily categorized. Vegans come from all walks of life and all backgrounds. We're united by our belied in a cruelty-free lifestyle, and there may be common trends in vegan communities, but we're all individuals.

Funniest vegetable?
Rutabaga.

What is a family recipe you have veganized?
-None yet! But I'm working on it.

Weirdest food combination ?
-Ricemellow and chocolate chips. The flavors aren't strange together, but it's a treat that gets me weird looks from others b/c it's not a proper dessert.


Is there something you wish you could veganize, but can't/couldn't?
-No. All my favorites

Are your pets vegan? if so, what do you feed them?
-My pup eats PetGuard Organics Vegetarian Dog Food



Favorite non-dairy milk?
-Almond Breeze for plain
-Silk Nog for the holiday

What’s one “vegan myth” you’d like to squash?
-That we're emotional, and not logical.