VeganMofo 2018 #4: Recipe Round-Up: Power Plates

I have a lot of cookbooks! These days, I am trying to use my current books and be mindful of new books that I purchase, instead of just purchasing whatever new shiny book is coming out. So I didn't get Power Plates (by Gena Hamshaw) straight off the bat. But once I saw some people posting about it on Instagram, I knew that I had to have this book! And I am so glad I did. It is full of so many delicious, beautiful recipes. I've only had it a few weeks, but have already made a bunch of stuff. And I have so many more marked. So let's see what I've been up to.

Curried Tomato Stew with Chickpea Dumplings: I made a half recipe of this, as I was only serving two people, and I indeed got two serves from it. I cut way back on the curry powder, using half the amount (and a mild one at that), so the flavour of it didn't really end up coming through. I could have put some more in, it was mostly a strong tomato flavour. This could also definitely have more spinach added, I ended up serving it over some wilted spinach as well. As well as tomatoes, this stew has lentils to bulk it up. The chickpea flour dumplings are very dense, but make a fun and filling addition.
Rating: :| (should have added more curry powder)



Millet Pilaf Bowls with BBQ Tofu and Braised Greens: The greens here are meant to be collard greens, but I can't get them here so I used kale instead. I just tore it up, and braised it for 5 minutes (rather than the 7-10 minutes the recipe said for the collards). The BBQ sauce that coats the tofu is quick to make, though has quite a strong tomato flavour. But it all goes beautifully with the pilaf. I decreased the amount of millet from 1 cup to 3/4 cup as I prefer a higher tofu/veggie to grain ratio. The pilaf has carrots and toasted almonds through it, the almonds gave such a lovely crunch. I also only had a 375g block of tofu, rather than a 425g one, but that was fine.
Rating: :)



Macro Bowls with Adzuki Beans and Miso-Glazed Squash: This was such a lovely combination. I cooked my short-grain brown rice in the rice cooker for ease, and although there are multiple components they came together easily. A few parts call for optional mirin, mirin is never optional in my book! The rice is seasoned, the pumpkin is baked with a miso/tamari/mirin glaze, and the tahini miso dressing is so yummy. It is also served with some kale (I sauteed mine rather than steaming) and adzuki beans (I warmed mine on the stove quickly before serving). Topped with the sauce, some nori strips, and some sauerkraut.
Rating: :)



Green Goddess Bowl: A farro and chickpea pilaf, broccoli, spinach, avocado, and of course a tahini green goddess dressing are the components of this bowl. I cooked the farro in the rice cooker, then added the rest of the pilaf ingredients and left them in there to warm up once it was done. I also decreased the farro from 1 cup to 3/4 cup. The dressing was green and so lovely, using fresh basil and parsley from my herb garden. I used powdered garlic in the dressing instead of fresh, as raw garlic doesn't sit well with me these days.
Rating: :)



Spinach and Gnocchi with White Beans: This comes together so quickly with store-bought gnocchi. Spinach (I used extra), sundried tomato, and white beans are sauteed before the gnocchi is added. Finished with a drizzle of balsamic (I only needed to use one TBS, and I didn't need to use any extra pasta water), and topped with some optional (but not really) cheesy hemp topping, it was a tasty and fast dinner. My gnocchi was 400g rather than 450, and I got two small and one big serve out of it (rather than four).
Rating: :)



Coconut and Scallion Rice with Glazed Tofu and Bok Choy: Another lovely combination. Once again, I made the rice in the rice cooker. I left out the lime zest from the finished rice, as I was just too tired to zest a lime and I had frozen lime juice in the freezer. The tofu is glazed with a mix of tamari, maple, vinegar, and garlic (I left out the red pepper flakes), and is so delicious! I had 6 small bok choy (rather than 4), which was enough for four servings. Topped with some toasted coconut flakes, and some sriracha if you like some heat.
Rating: :)



Dinner Toast with Savory Mushrooms, Chickpeas, and Greens: Toast for dinner? Why not! This is a quick and easy recipe, which makes for a satisfying dinner. Shiitake mushrooms (I only had 200g rather than 285... I had initially planned on using some regular mushrooms, but shiitake were on sale), chickpeas, herbs, and spinach (I used about four cups torn baby spinach) are sauteed, then served with toast. I got three serves out of this, rather than four.
Rating; :)



Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Butternut Squash: A large pan of 12 baked enchiladas will make enough for Sunday dinner and some leftovers for the working week! They are filled with a roasted butternut, black bean, and spinach (subbed in for kale), and baked in a very easy to make enchilada sauce. I left out all forms of chili in all steps! I was super impressed that this made the perfect amount of filling for the tortillas, none left over, and no tortillas with scant fillings!
Rating: :)



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



With snapping group photos of kitties, you roll the dice with what you get. Will they be snuggling sweetly? Posing elegantly? Do they just happen to be sitting near each other? That still counts! Sometimes, they are just funny. I am not sure what Gizmo was doing here, I suspect that she was lying under a blanket, that Possum then decided to sleep on top of. Whatever it is, it is cute.