New American Vegan: 3-Recipe Review

Okay, time to stop procrastinating. You'd think that, being an otherwise unemployed pregnant housewife, I'd write things to post up here more often, but that's clearly not the case. Procrastination is one of my most highly-trained skills. Case in point: I started writing this review four days ago, and am only just now getting around to posting it. Go me. 

I've posted up several recipes recently(-ish) from a lovely cookbook called New American Vegan by Vincent J. Guihan, for Tangy Pumpkin, Tomato, & Jalapeño Soup, Tofu Cutlets, and Hot Grilled Portobello Steak Sandwich with Gravy. All were fabulous; go check out the individual posts if you want details!

So now it's time to review the cookbook itself. 

New American Vegan starts off with a somewhat lengthy exposé on the author's personal veganism: why he went vegan in the first place, why he feels veganism is an important issue, and a brief overview on why he felt the need to write a cookbook when “there is hardly a dearth of cookbooks for vegans available today.” 

There are many great things I can say about this book, and I will. But there's a few negative things too, so let's get those out of the way now. 

First, I am personally not a fan of “preachy” vegetarians or vegans. Actually, I'm generally not a fan of any kind of “preachiness” on any controversial topic. I can't deny that there are many wonderful reasons to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet; I've been vegetarian myself for 8+ years, dabbling in veganism for the last few, and I've never felt healthier. Personally, I believe most of the world would be better off on a plant-based diet. My diet is a fact most people learn about me pretty quickly, and I'm always willing to talk about it if people are genuinely curious. That's the thing though: if people don't ask, I don't talk about it. There's no quicker way to turn people off to a “radical” idea than to offer unsolicited reasons for why they should consider it. Of course, most people don't bother to read the introductions to cookbooks anyway, so this isn't really that big of an issue here. Plus, most of the people buying this book specifically are already in agreement with Guihan to some degree or another; it may come across as a little preachy, but in this case he's preaching to the choir. 

My other (minor) complaint? Pretty much every vegetarian/vegan cookbook I've ever read contains a certain number of “staple” recipes, and New American Vegan is no exception. Guihan offers his own recipes for vegetable stock, vinaigrette salad dressing, and tomato sauce. I know that many cookbook authors write from the mindset of creating the “only cookbook you need,” and that these recipes can be invaluable to someone with no cooking experience who has no idea how to make the basics at home. That said, as someone who has been cooking for a few years now and who already owns a somewhat extensive collection of cookbooks, I get tired of repetition. I already know how to make a perfectly adequate tomato sauce, thank you; I'd rather these pages in a cookbook be taken up with something new that I've never seen before! Like the last point though, I realize this is a personal issue; I'm sure his recipes are quite delicious, and that many new cooks will be grateful to have them. 

On to the good. 

As I said before, there are many good things that can be said about New American Vegan. I'm always amazed at the creativity that eating a plant-based diet can inspire. While a number of the recipes in this book are simply Guihan's take on classic dishes (such as Old-Fashioned Hearty Lentil & Vegetable Soup or Jambalaya), others are something exciting and truly new to me. For example, I have seen a number of recipes for a vegan crème brulée; most of them use either silken tofu or ground cashews to create that signature creaminess that we all love. Guihan's version is Banana & Avocado Brulée, a completely plant-based version that doesn't so much mimic the classic as offer an entirely new take on the idea. (Yes, this recipe is on the list to try sometime soon!) Another example: between published cookbooks and the Internet, there are more veggie burger recipes in existence than any rational person could try in a year. (I sense another interesting idea for a food blog coming on... or maybe just an idea for a regular feature on this one?) Guihan's offering is a Chickpea and Coconut Burger, a flavor combination that it would have never crossed my mind to try. Many vegetarian cookbooks offer some kind of pizza recipe; Guihan offers a few too, but also includes a recipe for Spinach, Arugula, & Walnut Pesto Stromboli with Kalamata Olives & Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I don't think I've ever seen a Stromboli recipe in any of my cookbooks before, so the author definitely gets bonus points for the inclusion of this one. 

Another thing I love about this book is Guihan's emphasis on sauces. It seems relatively unique; most cookbooks contain specific sauce recipes as part of specific recipes. It's easy to find a vegetarian/vegan cookbook with recipes for gravy, or pesto, or exciting salad dressing. But Tarragon Aioli? Artichoke, Caper & Black Pepper Butter? Strawberry Chipotle Sauce? New American Vegan has these and more. And better yet, Guihan offers advice on how to use them: what kinds of recipes in general, and some of his recipes later in the book go great paired with specific sauces. I really think he's onto something here; the addition of exciting sauces has the potential to add a whole new level of appeal to vegetarian and vegan cooking. 

I also appreciate how this cookbook contains a nice mix of simple and complicated recipes. It seems like many cookbooks focus on either keeping it quick and easy or on “gourmet” meals which are inevitably complex and time-consuming (but ultimately worthwhile if you have the time). Guihan's recipes range from expeditious (Quick, Rich Borscht, which you can have on the table in 30 minutes if you chop your veggies quickly) to elaborate (Spinach & Cheeze Tortellini, which requires making pasta dough from scratch, stuffing it, and then cooking it). One of the things the author says in the beginning is that he wanted to create a cookbook that beginners could work from, but which also had room for growth built in; having such a wide array of recipes definitely creates that possibility for the ambitious home cook interested in expanding their abilities. 

So there it is: the good and bad of it, in my opinion. Some recipes are nothing fancy, but there are a lot of unique dishes to be found in here; I think it's worth picking up!

Hot Grilled Portobello Steak Sandwich with Gravy: Weeknight meals with substance!

Small confession here: I was originally planning on making a different recipe from New American Vegan as the third-recipe leading up to my book review. I was going to make Chocolate Avocado Fudgesicle Ice, and while that still sounds amazing, I keep forgetting to buy the ingredients I need when I'm at the grocery store. Plus, due to my weird pregnancy-related issues with chocolate, I haven't exactly been in the mood for something like this, despite the fact that eating the avocado would make my midwife happy.

Nope, I'll just stick to fulfilling my “good fat” requirements (seriously, midwife's orders) with plain avocados. In grilled cheese, in quesadillas, on nachos, with a spoon... Yum. Being pregnant is such a chore sometimes.

Anyway, I ultimately decided to go with a different recipe for this post. I actually made this a few days ago; I did try to take pictures, I swear, but they didn't come out very well. I could blame the lighting in my apartment, or my camera, or my cat, but it's really just because I'm not particularly skilled at food photography. No sense in trying to hide it; I'll work on it, I swear. And I'll try to actually include pertinent pictures in future recipe posts.

Back to relevancy. Last week, I found myself with a package of portobello mushrooms and no real plans for what to do with them. I was home by myself and it was getting close to dinnertime, so I figured I had best pull out the cookbooks and work something out. Normally, being home by myself ultimately leads to lazy meals; I love cooking, but sometimes it's hard to motivate myself to do so if I don't have anyone else to cook for. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as may be), I desperately needed to do some shopping. Being lazy, at that point in time, would have likely meant making a pot of rice or quinoa and steaming some veggies to go on top. Always a good meal, but I wanted something with a little more substance!

The winner that night? A recipe I found in New American Vegan for Hot Grilled Portobello Steak Sandwich with Gravy. Naturally, I didn't follow the recipe perfectly. Lacking bread, I instead decided to serve my mushrooms over a big bowl of mashed potatoes. It probably would have been good as a sandwich, as intended, but I thought that my way equaled comfort food at its finest (and easiest).

As I mentioned earlier, D wasn't home that night, but I thoughtfully set some aside for him to try later. His verdict? Via text: “The mushrooms. Are. Amazing!!” *beams* I do love making him happy!

Hot Grilled Portobello Steak Sandwich with Gravy

from New American Vegan by Vincent J. Guihan, reprinted with permission

1-2 cups gravy of your choice

4-8 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon tamari

1 teaspoon lemon juice

sea salt

4 slices whole wheat bread

Optional:

Make 2 cups of gravy if you want more for your side dishes, or if you want to make a triple-decker sandwich, or if you like your gravy really thick (in which case, make a double batch and reduce by ¼). More gravy seldom hurts.

Note:

The number of mushrooms depends on how thick you like your sandwich and how large your portobellos are. For portobellos bigger than about 4 inches, 4 mushrooms should do for 2 sandwiches if you want something light. [Guihan] usually use[s] 3 larger portobellos, but [he] love[s] mushrooms. If your portobellos are smaller, use 6 to 8, depending on how small they are.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing your ingredients. First, prepare your gravy and leave it on low to keep warm. Next, bring the oil to heat in your pan on high heat. Add ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Add the sliced onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Slice the portobellos into ⅛-inch slices and add the portobello mushrooms and sauté for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the portobello slices are cooked through and the pan is starting to brown. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the lemon juice, tamari, and water to deglaze the pan. Sauté for another 2 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from heat. Taste and add sea salt as necessary. Add any reduction remaining to your gravy.

When the mushrooms and gravy are ready, toast your bread very lightly. You want to dry it slightly so that it will absorb the gravy a little more readily, but not to the point that the bread is browning. Layer the mushrooms equally between the two sandwiches with tongs. Ladle piping-hot gravy over the mushrooms and onto the sandwich open-faced. Add the top layer of toast, and push down on the sandwich firmly with a clean palm. Ladle your gravy over the top.

My notes:

First off, note that I pretty much copied the recipe verbatim from the book; I know it's worded a little awkwardly at times, and I just wanted to point out that it's not my doing.

Anyway, as I said before, I didn't make sandwiches. Instead, I made a big pot of mashed potatoes, and served the mushrooms and gravy over them. To add a little more color, I served it with a side of steamed broccoli. The resulting meal was filling, too filling; I ate way too much, and consequently had a hard time sleeping that night. But it was so warm and comforting, I just had to eat all that I had served myself!

If I were making sandwiches, I'd probably go with a good, dense, hearty wheat bread. The author specifically notes that these kinds of sandwiches are traditionally made with white bread, and “the heat of the gravy melts the bread.” That would probably be good too, but I love how filling a good whole-grain bread can be.

The author recommends several gravy recipes from his book that go well with these mushrooms: Red Lentil Gravy, Red Onion Gravy, or Red Wine Gravy. His recipes did indeed sound delicious, but I instead chose to use the recipe for No-Beef Gravy from The Happy HerbivoreCookbook. I imagine that pretty much any good, savory gravy recipe would work well here; obviously, I would go with something vegetarian or vegan, but I'm sure carnivores could get fabulous results with a traditional brown gravy or an actual beef gravy.

Another thought: next time I make this, I might try using some onion powder (for flavor) rather than the fresh onions. I know that probably sounds like sacrilege, but I like experimenting. And besides, I always have onion powder on hand, but I don't necessarily always have red onions. I just want to see how it comes out; always good to keep your options open!

Pumpkin, Tomato, & Jalapeño Soup: In search of winter squash recipes

The world needs more savory winter squash recipes.

Back up for a second. Last fall, I joined a six-week CSA program from Genesis Growers, which was pretty much the only CSA I could find that had a fall program and also delivered anywhere close to me in the North Chicago suburbs. (My former CSA, Nevermore Farm back in California, had a year-round program; I have clearly been spoiled.) Now that those six glorious weeks are over, I'm back to buying questionable produce from the Commissary and the local grocery stores. But I shouldn't complain; six weeks of fresh local produce is better than nothing, right?

Anyway, pretty much every box that I received during those six weeks contained some variety of winter squash. Pumpkin, acorn squash, buttercup squash, banana squash... I was inundated with squash faster than I could conceivably cook with it, primarily because my repertoire of squash recipes is lamentably small.

This is about half of what I used to have.  Admittedly, that pumpkin did not come from the CSA; it's a leftover Halloween pumpkin from the Wal-Mart.  Could you resist buying a 2¢ pumpkin?

My usual plan of attack when it comes to any variety of winter squash is to roast in the oven, mash into purée, and then save for future baking endeavors. Does this make me a bad vegetarian, the fact that I don't really know many main-course-type recipes for squashes? Sure, I can make a mean pumpkin soup, but it's not something I make very often, as the straight pumpkin-ness of such a soup can be a little overpowering. I also have a fabulous recipe that my mama sent me for a butternut squash lasagna that I'd like to try out one of these days, but it hasn't happened yet.

Most other winter squash recipes that I've seen tend to involve baking them with butter and brown sugar or maple syrup and spices, and then eating it straight. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of the quintessential sweet baked winter squash. I mean, most winter squashes are plenty sweet on their own; is it really necessary to add extra sugar? (This is the same reason why I've never been a fan of most traditional Thanksgiving recipes for candied yams... is it really necessary to add marshmallows and brown sugar to an already sweet vegetable? Sugar overload for sure!)

On top of my general dislike of sweet baked winter squash dishes, I face the additional issue of having a very low tolerance for consuming sugar right now. One of the ongoing themes of my pregnancy has been an on-again, off-again aversion to overly sweet things. Seriously. Aren't pregnant women supposed to crave ice cream and chocolate? Not me; for the majority of my first trimester, the very smell of chocolate made me nauseous, and even now I can only eat it in small amounts, if at all. I've generally had to cut the amount of sugar in my own baked goods in half if I want any hope of actually eating them. My husband and I received a goodly amount of sweet treats for Christmas, mailed by family and friends back in California, and I had to unfortunately burden him with the task of eating most of it. (The horror! Thank goodness I'm married to such a considerate man!)

Thus, my dilemma. I love winter squash, but I've been looking to avoid having bags and bags of frozen purée in my freezer, awaiting future baking projects. Not that I think D would really object if I spent copious amounts of time over the next few weeks baking pumpkin bread and scones and such. Honestly, I'm less than two months from the estimated due date of my baby; surely the mythical “nesting” instinct will be kicking in soon. But I'd love to add some variety to my squash adventures.

So not surprisingly, I was thrilled to find this recipe for Tangy Pumpkin, Tomato, & Jalapeño Soup in one of my newer cookbooks, New American Vegan by Vincent J. Guihan. This soup is described as being “rich and full-flavored,” which I found to be very true. I initially cooked up a batch yesterday and finished up the leftovers for today's lunch. I loved having an excuse to finally use the immersion blender that I received as a holiday present from my in-laws; it worked like a charm, and D was thrilled with the perfectly blended texture. I served it up with a cheese and avocado quesadilla for a perfect winter meal.

A perfect soup for a chilly Illinois day.

Tangy Pumpkin, Tomato & Jalapeño Soup
from New American Vegan by Vincent J. Guihan, reprinted with permission

2 cups water or vegetable stock

2 cups pumpkin purée (canned saves time, but if you want to work from scratch, go for it!)

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (about 1 tbsp, or less if you don't like it spicy)

4 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or the nut butter of your choice

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cloves, ground

½ teaspoon coriander, ground

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Optional:

This is a spicy soup. You can always add ¼ teaspoon black pepper instead of the jalapeño pepper if you prefer something quite a bit milder. Swapping the oil for a tablespoon of macadamia or cashew butter will add some richness to this soup. Tahini is also good, but it will provide a nuttier taste. If you really want to taste the pumpkin, macadamia is preferred. Add 1 tablespoon minced cilantro for a little green flavor and extra color for garnish.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing ingredients. Bring 2 cups water [or vegetable stock] to a boil. Prepare your vegetables and spices. Once the water has come to a boil, add the chopped tomatoes and spices [this includes garlic and ginger]. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer uncovered. Reduce by ⅓. This shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the pumpkin and oil or nut butter. Stir to combine, then blend with the hand blender until smooth. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and return the soup and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt as necessary. Ladle into bowls.

My Notes:

I am generally incapable of making a recipe as directed. I used one (14.5 oz) can of tomatoes instead of fresh, since it's January and any fresh tomatoes the store might have would probably taste like cardboard. I only used about ¾ of the jalapeño, since I'm not a huge fan of spicy, and I cut the amount of pumpkin down by half, since pumpkin can be really overpowering to me. Next time I might try bumping the pumpkin amount up to 1½ cups, but I do think that using the full 2 cups might be a little bit much for me and my husband. Also, I didn't actually use pumpkin; I used purée from a red kuri squash. In my world, most winter squashes are interchangeable.

One tablespoon minced fresh garlic turned out to be about two good-sized cloves. I was admittedly a little wary of the addition of ground cloves at first, but just go with it here; the end result is worth it! I used water instead of stock, and oil, since my kitchen doesn't usually contain fancy (and expensive) things like macadamia nut butter (although I sincerely wish I could afford some).

As I noted earlier, (finally!) having an immersion blender made preparing this super easy, although you could just as easily use a regular blender if that's all you have. Overall, this soup was very quick and simple to make, and could be easily made more so with the substitution of canned pumpkin and even pre-minced garlic. The recipe doesn't indicate how many servings the recipe makes but for me, it made about four.