AusNZVeganMoFo: Recipe Round Up - Vegan Planet

So, some of you may have noticed a Vegan Planet theme running through my posts of late. I've been on a bit of a Vegan Planet mission of late, trying to do power on through as many recipes I can. It's my own personal cookbook challenge. It's hard not to, when it is full of so many recipes that are mostly so easy to make. So here are some more dinners I have been enjoying from Vegan Planet (along with some sides from a few other books as well, see - variety!).


This is Indian-Spiced Quinoa with Raisins and Pine Nuts, served alongside a beautiful trio from Veganomicon - Curried Tofu, Cornmeal-Masala Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Butternut Squash with Coriander Seeds. The quinoa says to cover and cook for 10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed, though I found I needed a few extra minutes with the lid off to get rid of all the liquid. It is tasty. And the three sides went really well with it (thanks Vcon!).


Bulgur Plaf with Tomatoes, Shallots and Mint is a lovely dish. A suggested alternative is to add some chickpeas and I think that would be just lovely, and add a bit more oomph to the meal. I served with with Blow Me Down Lemon Spinach from The New Vegan and some roasted eggplant slices rubbed with cumin.


This was a fabulous dinner. The pasta is Linguine with Pesto-Kissed Tomato Sauce, which is absolutely delicious and has a fantastic flavour. I used the Basil Pesto, also from VP. It is one of those recipes that is so simple but has such a perfect flavour, that you just start raving on about it like a crazy person. Like me. Hee. I served it with Pseudo Caesar Salad. This was quite nice but the dressing was very salty. I have made better 'Caesar' salads from other books, Vcon comes to mind. The sausages on the side are from Sanitarium and are one of their new 'gourmet' sausage range. I think they have thyme, parsley and sage in them. Or something like that. They are nice, but they are expensive and only come in packets of five. Which is kind of a ridiculous number.


This is a VP triple threat. It all started because I felt the desire to make Shiitake-Stuffed Sesame Potatoes, which are deliciously tasty and creamy and filling. Nom! It suggested serving with a teriyaki or hoisin side. I served it with baked tofu that had first been marinated in Tempting Teriyaki Marinade and Sesame-Broccoli Stir-Fry. The broccoli was delicious, and I think would make a lovely main in its own right with some diced tofu over brown rice as suggested in VP. The recipe did call for some red capsicum strips, but I declined the offer because I avoid capsicums as much as possible.


Another beautiful combination of VP and Vcon. I'm so pleased that my cookbooks play nice together so well! VP contributed Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Shallots, which is really quite nice. A bit bland, but in a good way. There is a similar recipe in Vcon as well. On the side is some more Curried Tofu from Vcon, and some silverbeet that has been sauteed in the left over curry marinade.


This was a slightly amusing dinner. The basis for it was Sweet Noodle Kugel with Apples and Almonds, which I knew would be sweet. So I added some strongly marinated and baked tofu on the side (using a marinade I had leftover from a Voluptuous Vegan recipe) and a nice green salad. Ha! OK, this is lovely but it is really super sweet. I cannot imagine having it as anything other than dessert. So go ahead and make it if you wish, but perhaps enjoy it as 'Delicious Noodle Pudding', as it has become known as in our household, rather than as your main.


Tasty noms were had on this night. Rice Noodles with Tofu and Asian Pesto was the starting point for this combination. It was delicious. The pesto was a combination of coriander and parsley and was just fantastic. It said to use 1 pound of fresh or dried rice noodles, but I used 200g of dried rice noodles (medium width) which made a good serving for 4 people. Oh, and the tofu! OK, so fair enough it is just tofu fried in peanut oil with some tamari sprinkled on it but sometimes the simplest things are so damn fine. To complete the meal I made the Asian Cole Slaw, which is absolutely frakking fantastic! Just a fabulous combination of flavours, so yummy and would just be ideal on a hot summer day.

So there we have it, the latest round up. I have loads more VP photos to share, but fear not for I have lots of photos from other books to share as well. As for my future cooking, I am still on the VP kick, but I feel some Isa-love bubbling to the surface so I imagine I shall be starting off on a new personal cookbook challenge soon.

Cute Cat Photo of the Post


This is Oz. Oz was a kitty who came into the clinic and was sick with very bad kidney disease. She was a really beautiful little girl, and as you can see she had her very own little sheep friend. You may have noticed I have said the word 'was' a few times. Thankfully we were able to make Oz feel better for a while so she could go home and spend her last couple of weeks with her family before she passed on. I love how she would snuggle up with her little sheepie in hospital. A lot of times we cannot cure a kitty, especially when they have a chronic condition. But being able to give their families the time to prepare themselves and spend those last hours, days, weeks...

OK, I promise some non-sad kitties tomorrow!