Veganomicon
I’ve been eating peanut butter or cashew-macadamia butter every single day like a madwoman, so I figured why not make the eggplant & peanut soup from VCon. It’s legendary by now; all of the testers loved it!
I didn’t put the green beans in because I don’t like them very much and I added chives and sambal oelek because the soup wasn’t very spicy for me. It’s very appetizing and creamy, with chunks of tender eggplant here and there.
Have I mentioned I like eggplant? 
Just when you thought that the availability of all addictive substances would be highly taxed and regulated, Trader Joe’s saves the day and offers peanut butter, organic, creamy and chunky, for a decent price.
I’ve been using the nut butter all week, for sauces with noodles, dips with celery, poured over broccoli and brussels sprouts.
What’s my rehab going to be - perusing the shelves of Whole Foods, catching a glimpse of the almond butter prices?
This is one of my favorite Thai dishes, as well as Rich’s, because he requested it for his birthday! It’s a coconut-peanut-basil sauce with kale, bean sprouts, brown rice noodles, topped with peanuts. Also shown is a green curry tofu, made just using some coconut milk and green curry paste. We had some sweet & spicy nori strips and chilled mellon for dessert. Apparently, someone wanted a healthy birthday without cupcakes! How will we take over the world now? :( 
Better than Banana Peanut Butter Muffins…
WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS! HOW ARE WE LIVIN’, SANCTUARY, GOERS?!
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Peanut Butter Banana Muffins w/ Chocolate chips Vegetarian Times, March 2007 (Adaptation)Serves 6-12
1/2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. unbleached white flour
3/4 c. light brown sugar or raw sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 c. unsweetened crunchy peanut butter
1/4 c. soymilk, applesauce, or soy yogurt
1 egg replacer (as in Ener-G mixed with water or flax) (optional - these will hold together, as most baked goods, without it)
2 T. canola oil
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together bananas, peanut butter, soymilk, egg replacer, vanilla, and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly between the muffin cups (12).
Bake 18-20 min. or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 min. GREAT EATEN WARM….you know, to test and make sure they taste good.
Steamed cauliflower with peanut sauce
Boiled, then broiled sweet potatoes
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Have you succumbed to the undeniably best-tasting cupcakes ever yet?
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
So must of us already know that VCTOTW has magnificent chocolate cupcake recipes…what hadn’t been revealed to me until now was how delicious the peanut buttercream frosting was!
These are not necessarily for Valentine’s Day - they are for every single day.
Summer rolls are a great appetizer or entree item. Lighter and healthier than pan-fried or deep-fried spring rolls, I think they are fun to make and delicious to eat! After being told at a vegetarian restaurant that summer rolls usually have shrimp and the person suggesting that that’s why they don’t have summer rolls, it occurred to me that maybe people don’t realize just how easy it is. All of this takes less than 30 minutes, after you’re experienced and have the ingredients on-hand.
Start with fresh ingredients and get them ready, such as carrots, cilantro, leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, extra-firm tofu, and your rice paper wrappers and vermicelli noodles (in this case mung bean). You can use other ingredients besides tofu, such as mango, Vegan With a Vengeance style, which are VERY good as well, and then incorporate some chopped nuts for a nice crunchy texture.
Next you’ll want to heat up your skillet and crispen up the tofu, start a pot of boiling water to soften the vermicilli, and also a teapot of hot water to soak and soften the rice paper wrappers. I used just extra-virgin olive oil this time, but peanut oil also makes a nice flavoring for tofu. Just remember that your dipping sauce and the cilantro should add most of the flavor.
Turn the tofu and adjust the skillet accordingly. I can see that my skillet isn’t hot enough for the crispiness I’m going for, so I will turn it up. A wooden spatula is probably the healthiest option, when compared to other kinds available, and also won’t scratch your cast-iron skillet. Add the vermicilli to your small pot and also cut them into small pieces after they soften a bit. The vermicilli need no boiling, just add them to the water and you can even take it off the heat and let them sit for a few minutes. Save the scissors for later to cut the summer rolls in half.
While all of this other stuff is going on, rinse and chop your vegetables and also make your dipping sauce. I like to make peanut sauce with peanut butter, ginger, tamari/Bragg’s, water, lime, and hot sauce. I don’t measure it anymore. You need to pulse your food processor at first, because the big chunk of peanut butter mixed with the water will splash until combined a bit. Save your carrot ends for a vegetable broth.
When the tofu is to your liking, put it on the cutting board and allow it to cool enough to handle. This is a good time to use some of that hot water in your kettle for a hot cup of tea, such as pineapple green tea, as pictured here. Chop the tofu into thin pieces.
Now begin soaking your rice paper wrappers. Some people use two per wrap; some use one. I like to use two. If using two, make sure you soak them together so they’re kind of already stuck to each other! You will know when it’s softened enough, about 30 seconds to a minute. Also, I find it’s best, even though this may look gross, to place the soaked wrappers on a damp paper towel. It soaks up the excess water but doesn’t dry it out. Buy bleach-free towels if possible.
Now begin filling, starting with the leaf lettuce and noodles first.
And then adding the bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, and tofu.
Fold the sides in and then begin rolling tightly. The rolls will set after a minute or two. Cover them with a damp paper towel to avoid drying out. These are best eaten within a few hours of making, so if you want them for lunch the next day, just keep your ingredients ready in the fridge and soften the wrappers in the morning.
Serve with the sauce, a lime wedge, and cut in half. Enjoy!
VegNews
Very good recipe from VegNews magazine! We like the texture and complexity of the flavors, especially topping with cilantro.
Not pictured is some baby bok choy we had with garlic and sweet soy sauce.
In addition, we also had summer rolls with vermicilli, mint, tofu, and bean sprouts, with spicy peanut sauce. One of our favorite dinners, but very filling. The meal is close to gluten-free, save the seitan in the Pho.
