avocado chipotle bisque

Okee dokee, avocado chipotle bisque. AKA, thin guacamole. I thought that the addition of a few extra ingredients would make this not taste like runny guacamole, but as long as the base ingredient is avocado, then that is what it's going to be. Yes, it does have the texture of a thick creamy soup. But it's avocado creamy, which I just can't get down with. Maybe if it had a base of 2/3 cooked tomatillos and 1/3 avocado it would be better, but I just don't know. I think the creamy soup has been mastered-why mess with it?

Actually, come to think of it, this would be great baby food, if you go easy on the chipotle. You can see who did like it...

Here's the recipe! It's from the July/August '09 Vegetarian Times.

spinach-zucchini soup

We had a couple of cold rainy days here, so I thought I'd make some soup. It was really good! There's not much more to say about it! I hit it with the hand blender a few times, because the broth was a little watery for my taste. It's also super healthy, but all vegetable soups are.

The description mentioned that it had dill in it, but the ingredient list didn't include it. No biggie, I just put a little in. I made mine a little heartier by cooking up some wild rice mix and stirring it in right before serving. Hm. Wish I had more to say, but it was just a good, standard soup recipe. The new October '09 Vegetarian times has some interesting crushed-nut-topping recipes that would be really good with a crusty loaf of bread and this soup.

From the September '09 Vegetarian Times.

grape and almond harvest cake

Isn't it strange how some recipes you think you'll love just fall flat, and others that you'd never think of trying turn out to be just wonderful? It makes it so hard to decide what to make next! So, I must admit that this recipe didn't tempt me one bit. But then I saw it on the Fab 5 list (Vegetarian Times' pick for the best 5 recipes in the issue). I guess the thing that made me least interested was the grapes. I have to admit I'm just not a huge fan of grapes, but I found the most perfect tiny crisp red grapes at New Seasons, so I thought I would give it a try.

The dry ingredients used in this cake include white flour, almond meal, and cornmeal, which to me sounded like it was a recipe for a dry crunch cake. But it is a Fab 5, so I pressed on! (Note: I finally found almond meal from Bob's Red Mill, but it was $13 for one pound! You only use a little, and I can't think of anything I would use to substitute for it! Just make sure to keep it in the freezer and it will last forever.)

The cake uses grapeseed oil instead of butter, which was a new ingredient for me. I always thought it was similar to olive oil, but I only have extra virgin olive oil on hand, and I didn't think that would taste very good in a cake. I also am less inclined to make substitutions in baked goods. Okay, so I don't know what all brands of grapeseed oil look like, but check out this one:

I mean, wow! Is that green, or what? It looks just like the color of a beautiful Douglas Fir tree! I was a little worried (or excited?) about the cake being green, but no such luck.

So anyway, you mix up all of the ingredients in the usual way, bake it for 10 minutes, then very gently add the grapes and a little sugar. It was so pretty that I had to snap a picture before I put it back in the oven!

OK, so the final verdict? This cake is absolutely amazing!! It is moist and has a coarse chewy texture, in a really good way! The almond meal and cornmeal add a texture that makes it hearty and dense. I think the texture also lends itself to adding spices like cinnamon and other autumn-y favorites. Also, I actually really liked the grapes, which softened a little, but retained their shape and a little bit of their crunch.

The magazine says that it tastes best on the second day. I had it both the day of and the next day, and I think it tasted great both days. I took it out of the oven as soon as I got a dry-toothpick test, and the cake was perfect. But the next day, the grapes had leaked a little, which made the top of the cake a little soggy. I would bake it a little longer next time if I was planning on eating it the next day. When I took it out of the oven, the top of the cake had not really browned at all. This is a really moist cake, and baking it a little longer would not have dried it out.

Even though I really liked the grapes, I couldn't help thinking that peaches would be even better. The cake has a strong almond flavor (it has almond extract in addition to the almond meal), and peaches are so delicious with almond flavor. Also, pears or cherries cherries would be really good. I think I might also just stir the fruit right into the cake, unless I was going for the presentation. And if I was, I might throw some slivered almonds and cinnamon on top after it cooled. This cake is also not too sweet, so if you wanted a real gooey dessert, I think a drizzle of a brown sugar and butter hard sauce topped with whipped cream would make for a seriously amazing treat. Basically, what I am saying is, I could take or leave the grapes-it was fun and different to try-but this cake recipe is so different from anything I have had before, and it is actually not that bad for you! So go make it! The recipe is in the September '09 Vegetarian Times.

tangy marinated vegetables

I almost passed this recipe by, because the picture makes it looks like vegetables in water. But when I read the ingredient list, I saw that it was full of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and tons of spices. I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, mostly because I absolutely love balsamic vinegar, but also because I am out of red wine vinegar.

The other thing was the spices-this recipe called for 2 Tablespoons each of dried basil, dried oregano, and dried parsley. That sounded a little excessive, and I was out of oregano and parsley, so I used 1 T basil, 1/2 T dried thyme, and a big dash of dill. I know, I really changed this recipe around a lot. It turned out really good, but the spices are strong! I would definitely start small and add more as it marinates if needed.

I was kind of surprised that the liquid didn't fill the jar up, so I shook it and turned it upside down pretty frequently. After about a day marinating, you'll want to drain off the marinade because it is mostly oil. I was originally thinking that it would be something you could keep in the fridge in the marinade for a long time, but I think it would make the veggies too soggy and gross after a couple of days.

This is a nice recipe for times you really don't feel like cooking, or a good way to use up vegetables if you don't have a lot of ingredients on hand. It is also a great way to make raw vegetables a little more interesting and flavorful. But why did they suggest such boring vegetables? I am totally going to keep experimenting with this one-fennel, sweet onion, cauliflower, jicama, there are just endless possibilities. It has a fairly intense flavor, so I don't think you would want to eat a big pile of it, so I would recommend not making too much at once. The recipe in the magazine is just about right.

Here's the recipe!

Check out my picture-I tried to take it so you can see the boring bland magazine picture, too. Why??

sweet tapioca soup with honeydew

So this is one of those recipes I wanted to try the second I saw the picture. Cool sea-green honeydew-flavored tapioca. Sounds like a dream come true. So, I made a big ol' batch, since I just knew I would gobble it up. Basically, you make regular tapioca pudding, then add a heaping pile of pureed honeydew melon.

So when I tasted it, I was surprised to find that it had a gross bitter aftertaste. Kind of like, and I can't be sure, but it almost seems like it made the good honeydew melon taste like a pretty bad honeydew melon. Or, maybe like it tasted like honeydew rind. The melon wasn't the best, but it was certainly edible.

There is also coconut milk in the recipe-maybe it just didn't mix with the honeydew flavor. I tried the old "taste this, what is that bitter aftertaste?" move, but I couldn't seem to get my husband to try it. Dang. I want to make this work, but a different fruit is definitely in order. One that is used to being cooked. Mango-that might be the one! I'll keep you posted. This one's from the September 2009 issue.

aloo palak (spinach and potatoes)

This is actually a reader recipe, and I don't recall if I have ever made a reader recipe before. This is everything that a BVTRE stands for (that's Best Vegetarian Times Recipe Ever): Easy to prepare, not only delicious but tastes better than the sum of its parts, and healthy. Even my kid ate it. And when I offered him a bite of potato, he said, "no, Mama- bite of that one!" while pointing to the spinach. Seriously, this is so easy to make-all you do is throw some stuff into a dish and bake it. I used onion powder instead of garlic powder, since I couldn't find the garlic powder, even though I know it must be somewhere and it's making me crazy that I can't find it. And I used a horrible cheap brand of frozen spinach that was way too stringy, but it was still good. The spices might seem like a shockingly huge amount, but go for it! Two whole tablespoons of curry powder-do it! I will keep this on standby for lots of variations-with peas, caramelized onion, carrots, cauliflower, anything!
Here's the recipe!

updates

Hello, fellow whoever-you-ares!
I just finished updating all the recipe links in my past posts, all the way back to the very first one! Vegetarian Times mag doesn't always put their recipes online right away, and I have been a little lazy in going back and posting the links. I had so much fun going back through all the great recipes and memories, so go surf around and enjoy! Some of those old recipes are worth making over and over again!

seared baby eggplant with mozzarella and basil oil

Recipe
Well, I looked all over the place, and I just could not find any baby eggplant anywhere, even though it's the middle of summer. Since I had a ton of basil threatening to wilt in the fridge, I decided to just make it with zucchini.
The best thing about this recipe is the basil oil-it is so simple to make, and similar to pesto, but so much more versatile. You just puree blanched basil with olive oil, then strain.
I do have one complain about this recipe. It uses up every pot and pan in your kitchen. Why do people write recipes like this? You're supposed to cook all the ingredients individually, then remove from heat, then cook the next thing. I don't think a simple dish like this should need so many steps, so I got the leeks cooking, then threw in the zucchini.
I would love to take credit for this beautiful photo, but I lifted it off VT's site. But mine looked just as good.
Just don't forget the capers-they add a nice layer of flavor to an otherwise simple dish.

nectarine and basil summer rolls with almond sauce

Well, here's another great one! The thing I liked best about this recipe was that it was a whole new mix of flavors for me. Nectarines, almond, basil, and avocado, to name a few! I love spring rolls, but I always end up just putting the same old things in every time. The nectarines I got weren't even very ripe-they were crunchy and wouldn't release the pit. These were still fantastic, though, so I can imagine how incredible they would be with ripe nectarines.
The only thing I changed was to use spinach instead of watercress, due to the fact that watercress is nasty and ruins the flavor of anything you mix it with. Also, the spring roll wrapper made this a nice little package, but is totally unnecessary. This would be essentially the same if you made it with rice or bean-thread noodles, or even with no noodles at all, it would be a great salad.

Here's the recipe! It's from the May/June '09 VT.

chilled noodle salad with mango

This recipe is SO good! I made it two days in a row, once for each person who reads this blog! This recipe is a vegetarian version of the vermicelli-noodle bowls you get at Vietnamese restaurants. That was a lot of v-words. The sauce is such an amazingly delicious substitute for the Vietnamese sauce, nuoc cham, that I think I like it even better than the fish-sauce version. And the salad is so light and fresh, salty and sweet, but still so hearty and filling. Check out the full recipe here.
The only new twist on the recipe was the addition of mango, which was so delicious! However, since mangoes on the mainland tend to be hit-or-miss, you could certainly leave out the mango and put in some kind of seasoned tofu.
The first time I made this, I forgot to put in the cilantro, but it was still great. The second time, I left out the mint, and it was still great. There are so many flavors going on it this salad, which makes it a very forgiving recipe. Just don't leave out the peanuts!
Even though I made it twice, it got scarfed down before pictures could be taken both times. Fortunately, it happened to be the cover recipe, so it was easy to find a picture online.

herb-roasted winter veggies

This is from the January '09 issue. Now, I would normally not make something so boring-looking from a recipe, but it's the middle of this crazy random-snowstorm winter, and I have been eating too much junk. Sometimes I have to eat a big pile of straight veggies to feel better again, so I made this. It is SO delicious!! It must be the lemon juice, which I accidentally added before I roasted it instead of after. Maybe it was better that way; I don't know. The lemon juice did what salt normally does-it made the veggies taste more like themselves. Even Mark liked it-what more is there to say?
Check out the recipe here.
BVTRE!
This is a terrible picture, please don't let it prevent you from making this!

spicy tofu lettuce wraps

I'm so into lettuce wraps lately, so I had to give these a try. This was in the January 2009 issue. They tasted good enough, but I don't know why you have to cook so much of the filling. Aren't lettuce wraps usually like a cool fresh salad? Anyway, if you look at the recipe, all of the ingredients (onion, tofu, water chestnuts, etc) are cooked into a brown glop, which you stuff into lettuce leaves, then top with a few fresh garnishes. I made a 1/2 recipe and ended up throwing out the leftover glop the next day. I mean, it tasted okay, but not in a lettuce wrap. I bet you could turn it into an amazing veggie burger, and instead of adding shoyu, hoisin, and sriracha sauce to the glop, make it into burger topping.
Leaving this recipe uncooked (minus the onion) would make really great lettuce wraps or spring rolls, which I already make all the time anyway. And too, you'll save having to wash a pot.
And by the way, I put on a lot of the garnishes to hide the brown glop and make the picture look nicer. Here's the recipe.

super-fast fondue with steamed veggies

Well, hello out there! Did you think I forgot about you, my devoted follower(s)? I suppose the season distracted me for a while, but I am ready to start the new year with optimism and enthusiasm! Let the countdown to January 20th begin!
OK, so getting back on topic...I had a last-minute new year's eve party here, and had to throw together a few things in a jiffy. The easiest thing for that kind of situation is stuff with dip. I made my old standby, broccoli with wonderful dipping sauce, which all four of my guests loved. I found this recipe for fondue on VT's website, so I gave it a try. Now, I have never made fondue before, so I was pretty happy when this turned out so delicious. So perfectly cheesy and good, even though the texture was more chewy than melty and gooey. However, after it cooled off the first time, the cheese and liquid separated and could not be brought together again. The cheese was too tough for dipping, plus it was sitting in watery broth. There was simply nothing I could do to bring it back. Steph suggested heating it, which I did again and again to no avail. I also added wine, more broth, more flour, but nothing. So my lesson for next time would be to make it in 2 or 3 smaller batches at a time and eat it fast. But I think I will just get a fondue pot and learn how to make it the right way. Sorry I didn't take a picture-it was just too depressing to see all that expensive gruyere go in the garbage all soggy and lumpy. I would like to stress as a final note, though, that the fondue was really fantastically delicious before it died. It really was.