So sorry for the delay in getting our weekly round-up posted. I started a new consulting gig yesterday, and some friends threw a party for me lat night – just because! How nice was that?

Anyway, last week I tried two more pasta dishes from our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap: the Penne-Wise Peanutty Pasta + the Blushing Fettucine Alfredo. Both were delicious.

I didn’t make any changes to the Penne-Wise Peanutty recipe, except to exclude the crushed red pepper.

I also didn’t make any changes to the Blushing Fettucine Alfredo recipe except that I used Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce, rather than making the Marinara Sauce recipe in the Vegan on the Cheap.

VegCookbook Club Story Swap

• Babette of  Vegan à Montréal made the Wheatballs.
•  Diana of  Veggie Next Door made the Tuscan White Bean Pizza and the Curried Vegetable  Salad.
•  Elisa of Veggie Goes Vegan made the Peanutty Pumpkin Stew.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the Indian-Spiced Lentil Ragu, and the Black Bean Soup with Kale and Rice.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the Wheatballs.

What did you VegCook last week?

Last week, I tried two recipes from our May VegCookbook, Vegan on the Cheap: the Baked Ziti and the Curried Vegetable Salad.

I *loved* the Curried Vegetable Salad. So good, and very filling. I used sweet potatoes/yams instead of white potatoes, dried apricots, instead of raisins, and Vegenaise, rather than homemade vegan mayo. This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck (just make sure no one is allergic to nuts, or soy), or to make on a Sunday night to take to lunch during the first part of the week. I’ll definitely be making it again. Yum.

The hubs loves Baked Ziti (with real cheese), so I’m always looking for a vegan version that will be just as delicious; unfortunately, I have yet to find one. Don’t get me wrong, this recipe was totally fine (I ate almost the whole casserole myself during the week), I just think it’s hard to replace the cheesy, comforting yumminess of regular baked ziti.  I don’t like vegan cheese, so I didn’t sprinkle it on the top, as the recipe suggested. I think if I did, and I liked vegan cheese, it might have captured more of the baked ziti goodness. I also used marinara sauce from a jar (Newman’s Own) rather than homemade (as the recipe suggested), so that would make a difference as well.

What did you VegCook last week?

VegCookbook Club Story Swap

• Babette of  Vegan à Montréal made the Pasta Slaw.
• Diana of  Veggie Next Door made the Mu-Shu Burritos, the Rotini and Chickpea Garden Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing, and the Chocolate Chip Walnut Rice Pudding.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the Wheatballs, the Wheatball Sandwich with Cheezee Sauce, and the Minestrone with Wheatballs.

Hello VegCookbook Clubbers!

I made one dish from our May VegCookbook (Vegan on the Cheap) last week, and it was a goodie: Spinach Spaghetti with Pesto. The recipe is actually called Linguine with Variations on Pesto, but I used spinach spaghetti, that had 7 grams of protein in it, instead of plain linguine. I topped it with some chickpeas sauteed in oil, with salt and pepper, for even more protein (otherwise, I’ll eat the whole pot of pasta!).

VegCookBook Club Story Swap
Because last week was the end of April, and the beginning of May, folks cooked from two cookbooks:

Vegan on the Cheap (our May VegCookbook)

• Debra of Breathelighter made the Tofeta
• Elisa of Veggie Goes Vegan made the Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Chowder,  and the Tofeta.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the Simple Simmered Seitan and the Savory Vegetable Cobbler.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the Penne-Wise Peanutty Pasta.
• Vicki made the Three Grain Bread and the Comfort Loaf.

How It All Vegan! (our April VegCookbook)

• Babette of  Vegan à Montréal made the Nori Sushi Rolls
• Diana of  Veggie Next Door made the Spicy Garlic Toss for Noodles and the Faux Parmesan Cheese.
• Julie of Seize the Veggies made the Maple Walnut Brownies, Faux Parmesan Cheese, Chickpea Nibbles, and the Easy Veggie Butter.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the Rise ‘N’ Shine Granola.

What did you VegCook last week?

Tuscan White Bean Pizza
Makes 1 (12-inch) pizza

The people of Tuscany come by the moniker “bean eaters” owing to their inclusion of fagiole in everything from soups and stews to this creamy protein-rich pizza topping that will help you forget all about mozzarella cheese.

This recipe is from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson © 2010. Used with permission.

For dough:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lukewarm water

For topping:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 ripe plum tomatoes, very thinly sliced

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in the water until combined then use your hands to knead it into a soft dough.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding additional flour as needed so it doesn’t stick. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature in a warm spot until double in volume, about 1 hour.

3. After the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, punch it down and gently stretch and lift it to make a 12-inch round about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the round to a floured baking sheet or pizza stone. Use your fingertips to form a rim around the perimeter of the dough and let rise in draft-free place for 20 minutes. Place the oven rack in the bottommost position of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

4. Make the topping: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the beans, salt, and pepper.

5. Mash the beans to break them up, then stir in the broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the basil and set aside.

6. To assemble the pizza, spread the bean mixture evenly on top of the dough round, to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the tomato slices on top and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the crust is crisp and browned, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Splurge a little: Add sliced pitted kalamata olives when you add the tomatoes. Garnish with thin strips of fresh basil leaves.

If you’re new to the VegCookbook Club, you can read about how to participate on the VegCookbook Club’s About page, and read about folks’ experiences with on the Love Notes page.

I for one will be sad to see our month with our April VegCookbook, How It All Vegan come to an end.  Although I’ve had this cookbook for years, I’ve discovered so many new great recipes, like The Fancy Garlic Spread (pictured above). Don’t let the ugly brown color deter you.  It’s sweet and delicious. The hubs and I ate the whole thing in one sitting.

I also made Aunt Bonnie’s Lively Lentil Stew, which was very good. I used regular brown lentils, rather than green lentils, because we had them on hand, and only included a dash of red pepper flakes (rather than 1/2 a teaspoonful). We had it one night over rice, and one night without rice. Both were good. I’ll definitely make both recipes again.

VegCookBook Club Story Swap

• Debra of Breathelighter made Big Ben’s Lentil Burgers.
• Elisa of Veggie Goes Vegan made the Mushroom Barley Stew.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the Make Ya Go Muffins, Corri’s Easy Green Chop Suey, Larry’s Re-Fried Beans, Burnin’ Butt Burritos, Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Faux Parmesan Cheese and Dijon Scalloped Potatoes.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the Mock Chopped Liver, Chickpea Nibbles, Rabbit Shake, and Tofudgesicles.
• Nicole made the Vegetable Pasta Salad,  and the Mashed Garlic Potatoes with Kale.

What did you VegCook last week?

You can learn more about Robin on her website & blog at, robinrobertson.com, follow her on Twitter at @GlobalVegan, and friend her on Facebook.

She has four sample recipes from Vegan on the Cheap on her website: Penne-Wise Peanutty Pasta, Vegetable Crisp, Smokey Joes, and Caramel Baked Apples.

To get you excited to dive into our May VegCookbook, I’ve compiled a list of blog posts (with photos) about recipes from Vegan on the Cheap:

• Cookbook Challenge Week #1 ~ Vegan on the Cheap on bookwormbethie.
• How to Never Feel Guilty About Pizza Again on No Meat Athlete
• Review and Contest: Vegan on the Cheap on veganappetite.
• Robin Robertson’s Vegan on the Cheap recap on Vegan Dance if you want to.
• The Vegan Answer to the Meatball Sub on No Meat Athelete.
• VeganMoFo 2011 #28: ‘Vegan on the Cheap’ on Kittens Gone Lentil.
• VeganMoFo: Vegan on the Cheap on Vegan Homemade.

If you’re new to the VegCookbook Club, you can read about how to participate on the VegCookbook Club’s About page, and read about folks’ experiences with on the Love Notes page.

Eat, Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton

Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats by Allyson Kramer

Happy Herbivore Abroad by Lindsay S. Nixon

Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson

Last week was a noodle kind of week. I made two noodly dishes. The first was the Spicy Garlic Toss for Noodles, which was sooooooo good. Like Babette said in her comment about making the Burnin’ Butt Burritos,  I can’t believe that I’ve had our April VegCookbook, How It All Vegan, for so long, and never made this. Plus, it’s crazy simple and quick. I used thin udon noodles, and smoked paprika, rather than regular paprika, which I think made it extra delicious.

I also made Corri’s Easy Green Chop Suey, which was also yummy. My only complaint is that I wish both recipes made a lot more, because they were so good. I used sesame oil, rather than olive oil, and put in about 2 inches of finely grated ginger, rather than the suggested 2 teaspoons (I love ginger!). I also used a lot more spinach than bok choy ’cause the baby and regular-sized bok choy didn’t look so hot at the store. I’ll definitely make both recipes again. Yum.

If you haven’t chimed in yet, don’t forget to take the What Is Your Biggest VegCooking Challenge? poll. I’ll post the poll to vote for our May VegCookbook tomorrow.

VegCookBook Club Story Swap

• Babette of  Vegan à Montréal made the Burnin’ Butt Burritos.
• Barbi made the Apple Cinnamon Matzo Kugel.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the Savoury Shepherd’s Pie and Classic Pancakes.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the Mock Chopped Liver.

What did you VegCook last week ?

I’ve been pondering ways to expand the VegCookbook Club blog, and was wondering if you’d take a moment to take this quick poll:

Feel free to share more about your VegCooking challenges in the comments, or email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com.

I made a lot of recipes last week from our April VegCookbook, How It All Vegan. I guess I felt more restrained from only being able to cook Vegan Brunch food than I realized!

I tried two more juice recipes. The Homemade Vegetable – 8 was good, and felt very virtuous, I mean, nutritious (: Look at all of those vegetables! It was a little salty for my taste, so I would make it again without the garlic, or soy sauce, (which I used instead of the recommended Braggs).

The Pear Apple Grape Juice was sweet and refreshing too, but so far my favorite juice recipe is the Carrot Apple Ginger Juice from the week before last.  I’ll *definitely* make it again and again. So yummy.

Continuing on the liquid recipe theme, I also made the “Anything Goes” Very Berry Shake, which was tasty (it’s hard to make a yucky smoothie). I had to smile when I read that one of the ingredients was spirulina. My first thoughts were, “Where in the world am I going to get spirulina? Does anyone eat spirulina anymore?” (How It All Vegan first came out in 1999). Are any of you old enough to remember when spirulina was the acai/kale chip/coconut oil of the day?

All I could find were huge containers of spirulina powder, or “green vitamin” powder, until I finally found a local health food store that sold individual packets of Green Vibrance. It wasn’t straight spirulina, but spirulina was one of the first ingredients, so I figured it would do. The taste was a little chalky, but fine.

Moving on to solid foods…I made one of my favorite How It All Vegan recipes last week, the Fragrant Garlic Parsley Pasta. This is one of my go-to dishes for when the hubs, or I feel like we’re getting sick. I make it with the Roasted Garlic from The Garden of Vegan for extra germ-fighting power. It’s topped with the same Faux Parm I used for the Artichoke Rotini Pasta week before last. Yum yum. I love this recipe.

I also made the “Anything Goes” Vegetable Stir-Fry, which made me smile too. Raise your hand if you remember when stir-frying was the hot new thing along with hummus, pita, frozen yogurt, and salad bars. I haven’t stir-fried in years. It was great to be reminded of how fun, and easy it is. Plus, it’s a great way to use up random veggies left over in your fridge.

I made a few changes to this recipe. In addition to the recommended veggies, I also added a few leaves of red chard, an orange pepper, a 1.5″ piece of ginger, and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Instead of olive oil and Braggs, I used sesame oil and soy sauce. I didn’t use the flax oil, which, though very tasty, is pricey. I also added a few dashes of soy sauce to each pile of veggies as that went into the fry pan, rather than adding the soy sauce at the end as a garnish. The result was delish, and it made a lot of food!

Finally, I made the Faux Egg Salad, which was good, but like the Homemade Vegetable – 8, was a bit salty for me. I would use less garlic, or salt, if I make it again.

VegCookBook Club Story Swap

• Babette of  Vegan à Montréal made the Yeast Pizza Crust with Tomato Sauce, Mushrooms, Olives, Spinach and my new favorite word, Fauxmage, fake cheese!
• Barbi made the Ginger Peanut Soup.
• LeahL made the Rise ‘N’ Shine Granola.
• Lydia of Vegankind made the  Cure-All Ginger Tea, Linda’s Ginger “Chicken,” Sinful Chocolate Pudding, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Spicy Creamy Tomato Soup, and Fabulous French Dressing.
  
• Julie of Seize the Veggies made the Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce, Cilantro Ginger Tempeh Toss, and the Chocolate Chip Bars.
• Kelley of Eatin’ Vegan in Smalltown USA made the “Anything Goes” Stir-Fry and the  Mashed Garlic Potatoes with Kale.

What did you VegCook last week ?