VeganMoFo 2011 #31: 'Quick Fix Vegan'

It is the 31st of October... the end of MoFo. I can't believe I managed to make a post every day! There was a lot of planning involved. I am so far behind in my reading, though, so don't be surprised if you find me commenting on your posts over the next several weeks post-MoFo. I'm going to end my cookbook reviews with a look at the most recent cookbook to join my home. (Actually, Vegan Pie In The Sky arrived during the week, but I haven't had time to even think of making anything from that yet).

Quick-Fix Vegan
Robin Robertson, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011



I love cooking and baking, I love spending the time putting together menus or decorating cupcakes. However, my lifestyle does not always allow for the time I would like to spend in the kitchen, sometimes a 30 minute meal is in order! This is where Quick-Fix Vegan steps in, providing a wealth of speedy recipes for when you are short on time.

The book is paperback, it is illustrated throughout with some pretty green photos of produce, but no photos of the actual recipes. There are no menu suggestions here, I guess because it is a quick meal cookbook! Chapters include:

*Introduction
*Getting Started
*Starters and Snacks
*Stovetop Suppers
*Pasta Express
*Soups in Short Order
*Speedy Sandwiches
*Snappy Salads
*Easy Make-Ahead Bakes
*Sauces and Condiments
*(Almost) Effortless Desserts
*Metric Conversions and Equivalents

I have been cooking with this book through October. It has been a very busy month for me, so it provided a great chance to try out this book. I'm going to share with you all that I have made!

Hummamole


What happens with hummus and guacamole love each other very much. Delicious. Also, even though it has avocado in it, it didn't go brown over several hours. 4 stars.

Red Bean-Chipotle Dip


This stuff takes less than five minutes, and is seriously delicious. I only used one chipotle, which gave it a nice smoky kick. I think if you left out the water in this recipe, it would make a great almost-instant refried-bean style tasting filling for tacos and burritos. Yum! 5 stars.

Tofu 'Scampi' with Spinach


I think I erred in this recipe. I didn't have dulse flakes, but I had kelp powder, which ended up being quite gritty. I suspect dulse flakes would impart the flavour of the sea without the grittiness of the powder. I made some great leftovers with this, by adding a splash of soy sauce and dipping the tofu chunks into mayo. Yum! 3-4 stars.

Tropical Quinoa and Black Beans


This was a great dinner to make on a warm, spring evening. The flavours of black bean and mango go so well together! You could the quinoa separate and then mix it into the rest. I didn't add all the quinoa, I added about three large serving-spoonfuls (and saved the rest of the quinoa for snacking on later). I served this with roasted asparagus. This is also great at room temperature for lunch the next day! 4 stars.

Coconut Curry Chickpeas and Cauliflower


The first thing I made from here, who can resist a nice curry! I roasted some zucchini to go on the side here, but it would also be great just added in to the vegetable mix. 4 stars.

Chipotle Corn and Quinoa with Pintos


This is a magical dish, that I cannot recommend enough. Another great room temperature lunch the next day. 5 stars.

Ziti with Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes


The first time I made this, I accidentally deleted the photo, so I had to make it again. Such a shame to have to eat delicious pasta with roasted cauliflower and grape tomatoes in a yummy white wine sauce with raisins and capers twice. Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because this s one of my favourite pasta dishes. The thought of it makes my taste buds yearn! 5 stars.

Linguine with Artichoke and White Bean Alfredo


I made this with 8oz, rather than 12oz, of linguine and had enough for three big servings. I love how the artichokes and the white beans blend up into a thick, yummy, protein-rich sauce. 4 stars.

Rotini with Creamy Avocado-Herb Sauce


I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I had a bag of avocados to use up so I took the plunge, and I was very well rewarded. While the sauce is creamy, it is incredibly fresh tasting thanks to a combination of herbs and lemon juice. I only used 10oz of pasta, not 12. This is something eat up fairly quickly so the sauce doesn't go brown, though I did take some leftovers for lunch the next day and it was just as amazing. 5 stars.

Lemon-Cashew Cream Sauce



Some sauces are lucky to make it into a recipe, because they are so good you just want to eat it with a spoon. This is one of those sauces! It takes almost no time to make, and you will be rewarded with one of the best sauces I have ever had. I eventually managed to put the spoon down long enough to mix it up with some pasta, white beans, peas and roasted zucchini slices for a great dinner. 5 stars.

What is the newest cookbook to join your collection?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post


OK, this is a terrible photo. But it is the only photo in the world that has all four cats in the same picture. Gizmo is sitting on the arm of the chair, you can see Sahara jumping off the sofa in a red blur (which is why the photo is so fuzzy, I rushed to take it before she left), Possum is sitting on my mum's lap, and you can just see Dim Sim's ears poking out from where she is sitting on the sofa.

Even though today is officially the last day of October in Australia, I will still be making a final MoFo post to wrap things up tomorrow, which will still be the 31st of October in the US.