Menu: Spring from Vegan Planet (Original Edition)

It's been a while since I've posted a menu. I don't often have time to make them, but I do love putting together elaborate meals suggested to me in my cookbooks. It's fun! These are some more recipes from the original edition of Vegan Planet, which suggested that these would go well together as the Spring Menu. I made this menu ages ago! I still have many many many photos in my cookbook folders to share!

Cool Cucumber Soup with Cilantro and Lime: This soup is a cool and very refreshing start to a meal. Cucumbers and coconut milk (this was before my coconut fat sensitivity really ramped up) give a creamy finish, though mine never went completely smooth. Leaving it to blend the flavours for a few hours, as suggested in the recipe, is a must for the best taste. So be sure to plan ahead.
This recipe appears in the revised edition with some minor changes.
Rating: :)



Fennel, Pecan, and Watercress Salad with Orange Vinaigrette: This salad was fresh, juicy, crunchy and had a wonderful combination of flavours. The dressing made about double the amount that I needed, so if you are cooking from the original edition you may want to halve it or plan for leftover dressing for salads the next day.
This recipe appears in the revised edition with less vinegar and oil, so the dressing is likely going to be just the right amount!
Rating: :)



Tarragon-Scented Artichoke and Wild Mushroom Strudel: This was pretty, and easy to make thanks to phyllo pastry. It is stuffed with mushrooms, tofu and artichoke hearts (I used tinned as I can't find frozen here) with some herbs and seasonings. Very pretty!
This recipe appears in the revised edition with no ingredient changes.
Rating: :)



Double Mushroom Sauce: The Double Mushroom Sauce is served with the strudel, and uses dried porcini mushrooms and sliced white mushrooms... you can also make it a triple mushroom sauce if you have any mushroom stock on hand (I did not). The recipe says it makes two cups, but I got closer to three, though mine was not as thick as I would have liked so maybe I should have reduced it for longer.
This recipe appears in the revised edition with increased cornstarch, so will likely be thicker than mine!
Rating :)



Key Lime Cheesecake: Key Lime flavour isn't something I grew up with in Australia. We were not much for lime things, except for Lime Coola cordial. This cheesecake is based on silken tofu and vegan cream cheese, and has a very strong lime flavour. Just using regular limes, I have never even seen a key lime. It has a gingersnap cookie base, which is nice. Just watch carefully when cooking, mine went from undercooked to almost overcooked very fast!
This recipe appears in the revised edition as 'Fresh Lime Cheesecake', and has a higher cream cheese to tofu ratio as well as a few other small changes in ingredients.
Rating: :)





Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Resharing another Gizmo photo. I miss this beautiful face.