[100% veg*n ] Vegan Brunch: we ate it up

[Guest guest]

if only i still worked for the publisher

*sigh*

"swpgh01.t21" Jun 5, 2009 11:26 PM vegan-network [100% veg*n ] Vegan Brunch: we ate it up

 

 

 

by Samantha CohenJune 5, 2009 11:36pmFiled under: BooksFoodProduct ReviewRecipes & CookingAfter much loved Vegan with a Vengeance and two delightful cookbook collaborations with Terry Hope Romero, Isa Chandra Moskowitz has done it again: amused, enlightened, and fed us with the sassy and scrumptious recipes in her second solo cookbook, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For—from Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes. Actually, this time she amazed and even frightened us with this book's comprehensiveness. What other cookbook, vegan or otherwise, includes recipes for from-scratch sausage, bagels, tofu and tempeh scramble, waffles and pancakes (even some gluten-free), breads, muffins, and essential brunch drinks, like mimosas and bloody marys? To get intimate with our newest best friend, we tested a bunch of Vegan Brunch's recipes last weekend potluck-style. Laura packed Potato Spinach Squares, the Shiitake Dill Fritatta, and the fixings for Pumpkin French Toast; Cat cooked two recipes of Basic Tofu Scramble; Summer baked Cinnamon Rolls; Jason toted Bloody Moskowitz materials and Tomato Rosemary Scones on his bike; and Matt and I made Diner Home Fries, a Classic Broccoli Quiche, and Old-Fashioned Chelsea Waffles. Let's swiftly move on to the food.Tomato Rosemary SconesThe savory flavors of tomato and rosemary were delicious on their own and complemented the other dishes nicely (thanks for the tip, Deb!). Our two regrets: 1. we didn't make mushroom gravy for these, and 2. it seems like we over-mixed them; they were less scone-like and more biscuity. My first batch of Banana-Date Scones from Veganomicon turned out the same way. Lesson learned: Mixing scones to perfection is an art that we haven't mastered. Isa, we'd appreciate it if you could spell it out for us: when do we stop mixing? Diner Home FriesSome of us thought these were outstanding, and others were nonplussed. (What? You want my personal opinion? Why, yes, sure. I'd make them with every brunch.)Shiitake Dill FrittataYowza, that's a lot of dill! Which we loved. We also enjoyed the frittata's omelette-like consistency, one that was new for us in vegan recipes. We'll definitely make this again.Bloody MoskowitzFor a few of us this was our first bloody mary. While we were all generally pleased with the mingling of tomato, horseradish, pickle juice (yeah, really), and hot sauce, each of us had a different idea of how it could be improved to satisfy our disparate tastes. Matt put his down halfway through because it was "too much like shrimp cocktail." Mmmmm.Potato Spinach SquaresIs it just me, or are these the most delicious portable food I've ever met? Well, if you ask a few other SuperVegans, it's just me. Mixed reactions to this recipe included "fine, but I'm not sure what niche they fill,surprising flavors," and "I could eat these every day." Classic Broccoli QuicheMaybe our tastebuds became lazy after effortlessly sensing the half-cup of fresh dill in the frittata and the zesty lemon in the potato squares, but we thought the quiche was blandly seasoned and we could barely taste the broccoli, onions, and garlic. Damn if the texture wasn't perfect, though—soft, a little creamy, and it still had a satisfying bite. In fact, the texture was so good that I made this quiche again the following day, just to see if a heavier dose of herbs and mustard would satisfy my insensitive tastebuds. And it did! Hurrah! I doubled up on mustard and added another 50 percent of the herbs, then topped the quiche with about twice as many grape tomatoes as are pictured here, on the first go-around. The mustard brought out the taste of the onions, but alas, I still couldn't taste the broccoli.If you use a prepared crust, which we did, this recipe is super quick and simple and allows more time for reading Bust while waiting for the quiche to bake than it requires for preparation. Once it's cooked, it tastes splendid at any temperature, though I think it's best enjoyed a little warm.The Chelsea Waffles, Cinnamon Buns, Pumpkin French Toast, and Basic Scrambled Tofu garnered the same comments: perfectly solid vegan brunch staples, though perhaps not as impressive as some of the less common recipes Isa offers. Wish we'd made some bagels or sausages or a Tofu Benny, but we'll save those for our next vegan brunch. Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, men are scattered and smeared over the desert grass,

And the generals have accomplished nothing.

 

-Nefarious War

Li Po (Circa 750)