Rose Parade

As a member of the Post Punk Kitchen forums, I hear about all the great new vegan cookbooks as they come out. Someone is always rushing out to pick up a copy and make something from it. Many members are cookbook and cookzine authors themselves which gives you an even greater resource as you can ask the author your questions or comment directly. The book of my obsession over the last week is one of those very books.

Yellow Rose Recipes by Joanna Vaught is a great book for people who love good food and don't want to take all day making it. This book came about through her blog of the same name, definitely check it out for updates on her next delicious cookbook and additional recipes. I have not made all the recipes, yet. Have a look at some of the tasties I have made.
Chana Masala with Lemon Rice. I added spinach to this because I felt in need of some green. It was far too delicious (even though I shook my hand a little too hard when I was adding the spice and dumped a bit too much in). Chickpeas are good for everything, they just are. And this rice, what can I say, it was bright with scents and flavors of lemon but also smooth and almost a touch of creaminess to it.
The base of this plate o'deliciousness is Penne Alfredo. Encircling are Cajun Spiced Tofu fingers. I could have eaten the penne on it's own for a couple meals easily but sometimes the husband needs a bit more. This is where the spiced tofu came in. These two were a match made in heaven and the leftovers were a welcome lunch treat the next day.

Most days I am getting home from work at the time I'd like to be eating dinner. Although living out of a crockpot is a possibility I am not talented enough with it to keep it interesting at the moment. This pot of Pasta E Fagioli was just the ticket. It came together quite quickly and didn't take every last bit of my waning energy to prepare. Far from it really. On top you'll notice was looks like a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. "What the heck?" you say "Isn't she vegan?" Yes, yes I am. That's not parm. Joanna was kind enough to include an excellent recipe for a Vegan Parmesan that is quite enjoyable and really completes this dish.
Now I'm new to these crazy southern traditions like "mess o'greens" and "texas caviar" but I'm adventurous enough to give them a whirl. Enter Lemon Pepper Chard and Texas Caviar. I see these as wonderful barbecue accompaniments. They just taste like summer, bright, a bit tart, cool. These will be back when we start firing up the grill in a month or so.
In the book, Joanna mentions making these Sesame Green Beans for her boyfriends family the first time she met them. They loved them and pestered her for the recipe. Often reading accounts like this we super impose our own little, "yeah sure they did" thoughts. I now know I would have been in that badgering group of recipe beggars. These beans drove me to pick up more green bean seeds to grow, I need more beans!
This plate holds five separate recipes which testifies to the modularity of these dishes. In the foreground you see Braised Cauliflower. I know there are a lot of haters out there but I beg of you to give it just one more try. This cauliflower came out great on it's own but I took the suggestion in the book notes to try it with Lemon Tahini Dressing. The dressing is great, I've been pouring it here and there on food ever since. Next to that is a Mustard Crusted Seitan cutlet, I used Joanna's Simple Chicken Style Seitan to make the cutlets but you could buy some seitan if you'd rather not make it yourself. This is the second time I've made this seitan. It will not be the last. Finally in the background you can barely see the Stuffed Twice Baked Potato. This can be a meal in itself but true to my style I like to make a lot of food when I can (it keeps the frige full of leftovers and the hubby happy).

Now onto sweet things. First make Oatmeal Cookies, toss in some raisins or chocolate chips if you like but they are by no means necessary.
Then continue on with the recipe making the cream filling for Oatmeal Cream Pies. Now I am a devout chocolate lover but these cookies, pies, sammies, whatever they are, are amazing little cakes of joy.
Oh and if you want to continue your Yellow Rose Recipes fun into the morning hours there recipes for that too. Here I made the Cherry Almond Granola. I have never made granola before but I surely will make it much more often now.
That's enough Yellow Rose fun for now. I'll be making more, you can be sure of that.