Vegan MoFo 2014 #3: Robin Robertson Rocks - Vegan On The Cheap

Vegan On The Cheap is a great book. Even if you don't need to be thrifty when thinking about buying ingredients, this book is packed full of delicious recipes. Many have a 'splurge a little' suggestion for taking the recipe up a notch as well.

Almost Instant Chickpea-Tomato Soup is indeed almost instant. Blend up the ingredients in a food processor until smooth, then pour into a saucepan to heat, then eat. It also gives the 'splurge' option of adding some diced kalamata olives, but I was in the mood for a straight up tomato soup when I made this.
Rating: :)



French Lentil Chili is a satisfying chili dish. I love all sorts of lentils, but there is something particularly fun about the little french lentils. This recipe has the option of adding some sherry vinegar, which I highly recommend as it adds a really nice flavour.
Rating: :)



Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing is a refreshing and pretty salad. I love Goddess dressing, and this one is a yummy cashew based one. The three coloured spiral pasta makes a very pretty addition.
Rating: :)



Bean and Barley Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing gave me three satisfying lunches, served over some greens. The recipe says to use half of the dressing to combine, and then drizzle on some remaining dressing when serving. I used all of the dressing to mix through, especially as I was going to be taking it to work. Some roasted cashews or dried cherries or cashews would be fun additions to this.
Rating: :)



Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cashews and Kidney Beans is a pretty tasty salad, though only gave me three smalling lunches (I like to eat a big, satisfying lunch at work). The sweetness of roasted sweet potato is always a winner, and the crunch of the cashews gives a nice crunch.
Rating: :)



Tabbouleh Chickpea Salad is great served over greens with a big scoop of hummus. Bulgur is such an easy grain to cook, this salad comes together in a snap. There is the splurge option of adding some kalamata olives, but I had these on the side.
Rating: :)



Penne-Wise Peanutte Pasta is quite a rich pasta dish. I only used 8oz pasta (instead of 12oz) so it was nice and saucy, but I also added 250g of fried tofu for protein and some peas for greens. The sauce is a blend of silken tofu, peanut butter and other seasonings. That is indeed some sriracha sauce drizzled over the top
Rating: :)



Quick Lo Mein uses leftover cooked spaghetti for a speedy dinner, though I must confess that I cooked the spaghetti on the night. Tofu and lots of veggies also come to the party. The recipe calls for green cabbage, but has the 'splurge' option of replacing this with wombok or bok choy, I used wombok.
Rating: :)



Dan Dan-Style Linguine is inspired by an spicy Szechuan dish, and using tempeh and linguine to replace the traditional pig flesh and egg-noodles. The recipe calls for 12oz of linguine, I used 8oz, and I also added three sliced baby pak choy. I also decreased the amount of chili the recipe called for because I can only handle a mild heat.
Rating: :)



Stovetop Cheezee Mac was a bit of a let down for me (I love mac and cheese), because I found the sauce was quite bitter. I am not sure if there was a problem with my tofu? The recipe made a lot, so I also made the baked variation and mixed in the optional tomatoes, which helped even out the sauce.
Rating: :| initially, :) for baked with tomatoes added





Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Care for a kitten sandwich? This super cute litter of adoption kittens certainly no how to snuggle. Odom loves being in the middle!