MoFo 12: Tamari Roasted Chickpeas

Extreme close-up. Straight from the oven. I'd heard a lot about these little beauties from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (recipe also posted on Dreena's blog) and decided, being the chickpea lover that I am that it was finally time for me to try them. They were tasty little guys, the perfect amount of salt. I think if I were having a party or needed something to mindlessly munch while watching a movie these would be perfect, but for everyday snacking I'll just stick to my dear friend hummus.

Now for a round, round, round-up! (That's repeated because it's three days' worth and I'm trying to be clever, not because I have a typing stutter...)

1) Soup! Again! I've never put quinoa in soup before because I've never thought of it. It definitely seems like a good idea and this Holiday Soup for the Soul from Oh She Glows looks fantastic.

2) Weekly Vegan Menu has been veganizing restaurant favorites and this time it's Red Robin. While I was never a big fan of that restaurant (alright, they have good french fries) the veganized Bruschetta Burger looks mighty good!

3) I think I've just found what I'm making as my Thanksgiving entree: this decadent looking Festive Chickpea Tart from Dreena's recipe blog. I can't remember making any of Dreena's recipes that haven't been amazing and this seems seasonal and perfectly unfussy.

4) To go with it I think we might need some of these Cranberry Coolers from manifest:vegan. I love the color, and I think the addition of some spiced rum would be the perfect holiday drink, if you're of the imbibing type.

5) Just when I was starting to think I'd seen it all when it came to pumpkin recipes, Christy from The Blissul Chef pulls out the wild card of Pumpkin Hot Chocolate! Mmmhmm...if that doesn't have my name written all over it I don't know what does.

6) Amey at Vegan Eats & Treats has mofo travelled her way to Hungary in the form of Hungarian Eggplant Paprikash. I love eggplant when it's cooked well and this sure does look cooked well. Since it also doesn't look like eggplant I might even be able to get my boyfriend who typically doesn't like it to give it a go. I have to admit I picked this post not only because it looked tasty, but because it reminded me of "When Harry Met Sally." I never knew what paprikash was, and Harry says it at some point to Sally. I don't remember where, but trust me it's in there. That movie is one of my favorites.

Win! Yummy baking goodies are up for grabs at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. And An Opera Singer in the Kitchen has a giveaway for Fresh and Fast Vegan

MoFo 4: An Ode to Hummus

I have found my absolute most-favorite "plain" hummus recipe in the whole wide world! This is the creamy hummus from Vive le Vegan! and it's sooooo good. This is not just my opinion by the way; my boyfriend and several of his friends have also attested to this fact. It's made even more amazing by topping with a bit more extra-virgin olive oil and paprika. What makes this hummus so great is all the lemon juice; not only is it perfectly creamy, but it's also mouth-smackingly tart. And garlicky. Oh man, I'm in love. This has been the only hummus I've made in months because I just can't get enough. For all of you that love hummus out there (this should be everyone!) you have to try this one!

Dreena knows her hummus. In Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan there's an entire chapter devoted to this lovely food. I've made a few of them: Curry Chickpea, Peanut-Sesame, and Black Bean Orange (which I don't have a photo or post for as of yet; when I do it will obviously be showcased in the same Pyrex bowl as all the others, lol). When I made a cookbook as a gift for a couple friends of mine who were getting married I was sure to include plenty of hummus recipes because they have always been big fans of the hummus I brought to parties. In fact, I was told in no uncertain terms that I was to always bring hummus with me. This is my secret weapon to be loved at parties--now it's out. Do with it what you will, but I hope it's used to make the world a better, more hummus-filled place...

Now, for a MoFo Roundup! Here are some cool blog-happenings today:

1) Butternut Rancheros over at PPK. Looks and sounds delicious!

2) Thanksgiving meal ideas from Chloe over at her blog. The Harvest-stuffed Portobello Mushrooms look fabulous. I'm a big fan of cashews in my food and I always seem to forget that until I see a recipe that calls for it and I'm sucked in (the pineapple quinoa cashew stir fry from Veganomicon is a perfect example of this).

3) Kathy from Lunch Box Bunch has a recipe for Cool Mint Chocolate Rice Crispy Squares today. I have not had a rice crispy treat since becoming vegan and I used to love them. I need to get on that, maybe with this recipe.

4) Meet The Shannons has a Vegan French Dip Sandwich. No, I'm not kidding...it blows my mind too! It looks great.

Want another chance to win a book? Hannah at Bittersweet has a copy of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life: Cruelty-Free Crafts, Recipes, Beauty Secrets and More
by Melisser up for grabs. Check it out!

Marley's Hemp Granola

It's been a while since I've made some granola and I really wanted one with lots of big chunks (that's how I love it!). I normally use the recipe from How It All Vegan which has great flavor but never forms chunks. This time I tried a recipe from Vegan Fusion World Cuisine and subbed brown rice syrup for the maple syrup because I've heard that that helps make it stickier and forms more chunks (plus I'm still out of maple syrup). I also subbed canola oil for the safflower oil. But, yes, hello chunks!!


I had to break this up quite a bit and ate some of the burned pieces while doing so, yum. This was fairly simple to prepare and gave me another use for my hemp seeds (til now I'd only used them for Spicoli Burgers from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan). This will be excellent with soy milk or yogurt and some fruit. I'm also drooling over the possibility of putting it on this banana soft serve from Choosing Raw (processed frozen bananas--the consistency of frozen yogurt!).

This is super sticky while it's cooking so I would recommend parchment paper or a Silpat while baking it up.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

So this is take two on the banana muffin. I was really craving one last week so I made the Cocoa Banana Flax Muffins from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan and was a little disappointed. They tasted alright and they had lots of good stuff in there (flax, oats, bananas), but it just didn't hit the spot. In the words of my boyfriend (and muffin modeler above): "it had too much going on." I didn't even get a picture; this is the first thing I've made from Dreena that I didn't love, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

However, this muffin from Get It Ripe totally hit the spot! It's great. It's got a lot more banana (4 medium ones mashed) and the wonderful bonus of chocolate chips. I used mini chocolate chips and they turned out adorable. These muffins use the bananas and maple syrup as the sweetener. It was simple and I dug it. These muffins will definitely get made again, and since it uses so many ripe bananas it's perfect for when you haven't been so diligent in the banana eating department, or when the weather just gets really warm and everything in your fruit bowl ripens like crazy (aka: now)!

Curry Chickpea Hummus

While maybe not the most mouthwatering of colors (thanks turmeric), this curry hummus is definitely special. It's from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan which is amazing enough to have an entire chapter dedicated solely to hummus (I think I've now made all but two or three of them; they've all been hits!). I didn't have cashew butter, so I subbed in slightly more than the same measurement of raw cashews--it worked just fine.

First I served this up on a tempeh bacon, avocado, tomato, and lettuce sandwich. It elevated this normally great sandwich to a completely new level! Yum! I took the rest to a friend's house for a game night and most of it was eaten with various chips/crackers. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who think they don't like curry. They've had one kind of curry dish somewhere once and now they've sworn off them. I try to do my part to help these people realize that there are tons of different types of curries (spice and sauce), but it doesn't always work. So, point is: several people wouldn't even try it because "they don't like curry." *Big exhale* Anyway, if making for a crowd that might be something to keep in mind.

Lemon Garlic Pasta, Lemon Green Beans, and Chick'n Tenders

This was another throw-together-what-we-have-in-the-house dinner. The pasta is from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. It's tasty and super easy: you don't have to chop anything! For the green beans I just covered them with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and baked them along with the chick'n (Gardein). I cut up the chick'n pieces and tossed them with my pasta and it was very tasty that way.

Peanut Sesame Hummus

This hummus from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan is incredibly satisfying. In lieu of tahini it uses peanut butter and toasted sesame oil. There are also some red pepper flakes so it's got a bit of a kick. All of the hummus recipes I've tried from this book have been amazing (another favorite is the Black Bean Orange) and are quickly devoured!

Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies

Craving some chocolate, I looked through some recipes until I happened on a cookie recipe that sounded so good: Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. I'd only tried one of Dreena's cookie recipes up til now and it was amazing (You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate Cookies), so I was excited to try another one. She uses less granulated sugar and subs in maple syrup and agave nectar in a lot of cases, along with much less oil or butter than usual, which I like. These are a spin on a chocolate chocolate chip cookie with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves--a good cold weather cookie. They were heavenly, and I know that they will not last very long in our cabinet. Luckily for when we're craving more this recipe didn't take too long to throw together so they can easily be made in less than 20 minutes.