Been cookin' but not writin'

I've continued to cook my way through Isa Does It, although I have been remiss in writing about it.  And sometimes in taking pictures of it.

First up, Bhindi Masala:

Okra and black eyed peas!  And, I found the recipe to be...eh.  I topped with with plain yogurt, which was a mistake.  Is there a such thing as unsweetened plain yogurt?  It added a sweetness to the dish that I definitely did not care for.  I should have made a batch of sour cream and it would have been much better.  It did make for nice, filling leftovers but honestly I probably won't make this again.

Next up, Banana Berry Scones:

Fantastic!

Another Isa recipe, but this time from Vegan Brunch.  Lemon Poppyseed Muffins:

Again, wonderful.  Recipe here.

And, last but not least from Isa, is Pesto Cauliflower Pasta with Breaded Tofu:

Ah, pesto, how I love thee.  I did make one modification to this recipe, in that I used the pesto I had in the freezer rather than the one used from the book in this recipe.  But it still counts, as it's my fave pesto recipe off all time, and it just happens to be Isa's recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.  Plus it made the recipe come together much faster.  The breaded tofu, while not perfect in appearance, was easy and not nearly as messy as I thought it would be.  Really quite wonderful.  It's only 10:20 in the morning and I'm already craving it for lunch.

And, just for fun, a non-Isa creation just to shake things up!  Chai  Berry Muffins from Bake and Destroy!

Obviously I'm on a muffin/breakfast pastry streak.  But really, how can you go wrong?  These muffins are most tasty, although not quite as spicy as I anticipated.  This could be due to the fact that I have a cold and my taste buds are muted.  And, word to the wise, if you make these, use a frozen berry mix that does NOT include strawberries.  The strawberry will get all mushy and will fall out of the muffin, causing a huge crater in it.  No one wants that.  So learn from my trial and error and use smaller berries.  Otherwise, yeah, I'll be making these babies again.  Recipe here.

I have made a few more recipes that I didn't get in pictures for one reason or another.  I've made the Roasty Soba Bowl with Miso-Tahini Dressing (wonderful), the Spinach and Black Bean Burrito Bowl (good, not great), Roasted Red Pepper Mac and Cheese (delish and tastes pizza-y, recipe and video here) and Nacho Night (duh, of course it was good).  My fascination with Isa Does It continues, although it is starting to slow.  Hard to believe, I know.  Now is when I start going back and making recipes for the 2nd time.

Good times in the kitchen.

Cozy Hummus Bowl

Another winner from Isa Does It!

The marinated and baked tofu is fantastic and will have many other applications.  And the hummus, oh the hummus!  Maybe it was the kalamata olives in it, but I've not had much success in making my own hummus and was pleasantly surprised with this recipe.  Will be making this again SOON.

Isa's Banana Nut Muffins

All I can say is...wow.  Make these today.

Holiday fud and drink

Ah, the holidays...Time to overindulge.  I try not to overdo, but rather to savor the pleasure of partaking.  I will only partially cover the holiday offerings, mostly so as not to reveal what a pig I am.

First up, Coconut Chana Saag from Isa Does It:

This dish was magnificent.  So easy and so satisfying.  Plus it made a lot, so there were plenty of hearty, satisfying leftovers.  Mmm, leftovers.  My favorite.

And vegan Irish Cream:

From Vegan Dad.  Recipe here.  This was delish, although I made one critical error in not using decaf coffee in making mine.  This would ordinarily not be a big deal, but when enjoying as a nightcap, it's something to consider.  Between the caffeine and the sugar, I did not get much sleep after imbibing.

Apparently I was too busy eating and drinking to digitally document my adventures.  Ah, well, there's plenty more on the horizon.  That's the great thing about food.

Isa Does It...Again!

Queso Blanco Bowl!

Magnificent!  The kale chips are genius.  This beat the pants off a Chipotle burrito bowl any day.  This is going to become a staple meal, no doubt about it.  And the queso will be standard fare for any number of applications.  I wish it was tomorrow so I could be eating these leftovers right now.

Whatcha got cookin'?

The cold weather, long evenings and upcoming holidays have had me spending time in the kitchen.  My pictures, however, have not gotten any better.

 Curried Peanut Sauce Bowl from Isa Does It.  Wonderful!  The peanut sauce recipe alone is worth buying the book.  Yep, that good.

 Bike Messenger Brownies from Bake and Destroy.  With a moniker like Bike Messenger Brownies, you know I couldn't resist.  Espresso in the brownies + chai glaze = love.  Will definitely make these again.

Pizza Bowl from Isa Does It.  Can ya tell I'm loving the bowls?  I made Big Stick Pepperoni from Vegan on the Cheap to use in this recipe.  For once I didn't go the lazy route by just buying packaged sausages.  Again, the sauce on this made the recipe.  And, yes, that is white rice.  So sue me, I have several bags in the house for some reason and I just need to use them.  I always feel guilty not using brown rice for some reason.

Tonight's dinner is French Fry Tacos.  Bad pics to follow.

Mexican Pizza

Recipe and more appetizing pic here.  All in all, pretty tasty.  I just used regular pizza crust rather than the "pizza bases" called for in the recipe.  I assume the pizza base refers to something like a Boboli, but those have dairy in them so I went with my old standby pizza crust.  The only other mod I'll make in the future is to thin the refried bean mixture, as it was hard to spread on the dough and then it dried and became kind of cakey in the oven.  But, really, how bad could any pizza be?