Eat, Drink, And Be Vegan!

I have not blogged very much about this cookbook since I got it for Christmas, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been wearing it out. I have quite a backlog of ED&BV adventures to share. Dreena Burton's Vive Le Vegan! has been my favorite cookbook for some time, but her latest is on the verge of surpassing it!


This Sweet & Sour Chipotle Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes I made a while back, but I certainly have not forgotten how delicious it was. Sweet and tangy, it went excellently over steamed quinoa sprinkled with cashews. An added perk: My entire apartment smelled divine as it baked! I ate this for lunch every day for a week, and I think it only tasted better and better each time.


Roasted Garlic Artichoke Spread with Fresh Oregano: I made this for a little dinner party I had one evening. Bold, rich flavors of artichoke hearts and roasted garlic with the gentle seasoning imparted by the fresh oregano created an exciting, complex spread that was excellent served on simple rye crackers. This disappeared quickly, receiving many positive comments along the way!


I had some friends over for dinner one night and made this Blackened Tofu, after poring over many tofu recipes to decide how best to introduce one of my tofu-wary friends. I was hoping for something that would impart a lot of flavor, not have an extraordinarily spongy texture, and be simple enough that she would feel comfortable trying it herself after watching me cook it. This recipe, happily, did all of those things--and the spicy coating was delicious to boot. We made a simple vegetable sautée to serve with it. The leftovers I mashed up with a dab of Nayonaise and some chopped celery for a tasty sandwich spread. I've definitely dog-eared this recipe to use over and over again.


Veggie Sizzle Burritos. Another simple, delicious meal. I opted to forgo the vegan cheese on this one because I wanted to taste clearly the zucchini and portobello filling, which was spiced nicely with chili powder, paprika, and tamari. Baking them made the whole spelt tortillas nice and crispy. This is another keeper for sure.


The Lemony Cashew-Basil Pesto was a refreshing new take on the idea of pesto. Raw cashews add a rich, creamy taste that other nuts just couldn't achieve... The pesto came out quite thick, almost like a paste, so tossing it in the pasta with a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta cooking water helped to create a saucier texture. Because the nuts were raw, this pesto came together a lot faster than other recipes do. This may be my new favorite pesto recipe--and with summer in full swing, I foresee making it quite frequently!


I took these Lemon Poppy Seed Crackle Cookies to work one day and left them anonymously in the break room. It didn't take long, however, for word to circulate that I had brought them--people have learned to recognize the "different" types of baked goods that I bring in, I suppose! Our office manager came up to me and told me that the cookies were "pretty much perfect." Of course, I really can't take all the credit for that. This recipe really is an exceptional take on the classic combination of poppy seed and lemon. The cookies came out moist and chewy, and the poppy seeds impart an earthy layer of flavor that balances so nicely with the fresh, light, tangy lemon flavor. Many, many compliments to Dreena on this recipe!!


Finally, these Cocoa Banana Muffins that I made in an attempt to make use of some overripe bananas that I had lying around. I have to admit that, for some reason, they came out a little dry... though I greatly enjoyed them for breakfast with a glass of almond milk. Chocolate and banana is truly a great combination!

There are still many, many recipes in ED&BV that have caught my eye that I have yet to make, but I would say that I have gotten off to a pretty good start at breaking in this fabulous cookbook!