VeganMoFo 2011 #30: 'Hearty Vegan Meals For Monster Appetites'

Hearty Vegan Meals For Monster Appetites
Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman, Fair Winds Press, 2011


When I first heard there was going to be a book called Hearty Vegan Meals, I was excited. I am in possession of a Monster Appetite myself, so this book was made for me. This book is sort of the opposite to yesterday's Appetite For Reduction - low calories are not on the menu. I bought this book from Powell's in Portland when I was in the USA earlier this year (along with two others) and I was eager to start cooking through it.

The book is a paperback and is full of beautiful photographs taken by Celine. While there is no menu section, there are many serving suggestions throughout the book. Chapters include:

*Introduction
*Complete Prep Guide for Wicked Good Meals
*Down-Home Breakfasts
*Mean and Mouthwatering Mains
*Over-The-Top, Totally Tantalising Sides
*The Bottomless Bread Basket
*Condiments, Sauces and Other Staples
*Ooey, Gooey, and Downright Sinful Sweets

This is Hearty Vegan Meals' first outing on my blog. I have blogged too many to share all the photos with you today, so I will share my favourites and list all the others I have made at the end (I will blog all the photos at a later date through my regular blogging schedule post-MoFo).

Hearty Breakfast Bowl



This is so amazing, I had to post two photos. I already knew I was going to get this book, but if I'd had any doubts this recipe would have sealed the deal. Imagine a large bowl full of scrambled tofu and tater tots, topped with cheesy gravy and TVP bacon bits. I added some roasted cauliflower to the bowl for veggie content, and it was the perfect addition. This is a bowl of heaven. A billion stars (5 seems not enough).

Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins


How good are these muffins? Well, good enough that my kitty Sahara punched me in the face with her paw trying to get the muffin I was eating. There is surprising power in a furry little paw intent on getting food. Cranberries and chopped tinned mandarins are studded through the muffins, and cream cheese is mixed into the batter. So good. 5 stars.

Savoury Cheesecake and Mamou's Magical Vinaigrette



I was so proud with how this cheesecake turned out, and the taste is fantastic. The base of the cheesecake is made from Skillet Cornbread, another recipe from the book. This is a make-ahead dish, you need to chill it overnight. You can reheat it or eat it at room temperature, I ended up doing it at room temperature, and it was great. Is fantastic for lunches at work as well. 5 stars.
The book suggests serving it with Mamou's Magical Vinaigrette, which is a nice, peppery, light, herby dressing that sparkles on salads. 4 stars.

Chorizo and Potato Lasagne Bake


This is the first recipe I made from this book, and it blew me away. This slices of potato take the place of pasta sheets in this lasagne. They are cooked before baking, so there is no issue with potato that won't bake through. The filling is delicious and would make a great savoury mince on its own. I needed to microwave the topping for twice as long before it thickened enough. 5 stars.

Five-Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese


Caution: This is some serious mac and cheese! Five cheeses come from: 1) a noochy sauce (I didn't use as much butter as the recipe called for), 2) tofu-ricotta mixture (this is not like other tofu ricotta mixtures), 3) Tofutti Cream Cheese (a whole tub!), 4) shredded vegan cheese (I used Cheezly Cheddar), and 5) Walnut Parmesan Sprinkles. This is a seriously rich mixture. I made it even richer by having the amount of pasta used, so I had double the concentration of the cheesy goodness. 5 stars.

Pasta Alla Formiana



You take uncooked pasta and it bakes into perfect softness in the tomato sauce in the oven - genius! The parmesan mix within here is outstanding, you will be eating it by the spoonful. 5 stars.

Hush Puppies with Mexican-Style Dipping Sauce for Corn and Eat Your Collar Dreams



I debated long and hard over how I would make these. They call for deep frying - which terrifies me slightly. Also, I don't like eating really fried food as it makes me feel ill. I thought about baking them, but ended up doing a compromise and shallow frying. I was so pleased with how they turned out! Even though they are in the sides section, these are super filling! 4 stars.
They are served slathered in the Mexican-Style Dipping Sauce for Corn, which is creamy and tangy and goes great with these little fried morsels, as well as being delicious with fresh corn on the cob. 4 stars.
The book suggests the vegetable side of Eat Your Collard Greens. We can't get collars in Australia, so I used silverbeet. These are so delicious, I could have just kept on going back for more. 5 stars.
(I also served with some steak-sauce glazed soy sausages).

Mozzarella


Your own, homemade mozzarella is just two minutes in the microwave away, plus is totally adorable to boot. 4 stars.

Orange Seitan Stew - 4 stars
Stew-tatouille - 4 stars
Chocolate Stout Chili - 3 stars (only because I am not a fan of the strong stout taste, so next time would go half stout and half stock)
Seitan Burgers for Stews and Chilis - 4 stars
Sloppy Jo-nis - 4 stars
Better Love Your Beans Bake - 4 stars
Cheesy Chili Bake - 4 stars
Creamy All-In-One Bowl - 4 stars
Beefy-Cheese Mac - 4 stars
Traditional Red Lasagna - 4 stars
Pasta alla Carbonara - 4 stars
Eggplant Parmigiana - 4 stars
Deli-Style Macaroni Salad - 4 stars
East Coast Meets West Coast Pasta Salad - 4 stars
Skillet Cornbread - 4 stars
Walnut Parmesan Sprinkles - 4 stars
Hemp-Almond Parmesan (made with sesame seed option in place of hemp) - 4 stars
TVP Chorizo - 5 stars
Imitation Bacon Bits - 4 stars

What is your favourite hearty meal?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post


The handsome Possum, having some roly poly time in the grass.