havfaith's Reviews
58 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads
By Kris Holechek
Ulysses Press - 2009
One word - WOW. Perfect peanut butter cookies! The dough was just firm enough without being too dry or crumbly. I made the recipe as written, using white whole wheat flour and freshly ground peanut butter. Baked 10 min and left to cool = perfectly soft and chewy cookies with just a little crunch. I definitely found my new favorite!
I made roughly 1" balls of dough and got 4 1/2 dozen cookies.
useful (4)
I always requested a marbled cake for my birthday growing up and had to try this one out. This cake turned out well, but took a bit of tweaking to get there.
The amount of oil seemed high so I used half the oil called for plus applesauce to equal 3/4 cup combined (easiest done by filling a 3/4 measuring cup roughly halfway with oil and spooning in applesauce until it's full). I really think this would work just as well using all applesauce though if you wanted to cut the oil out completely.
Also, the directions tell you to mix the 1/2 c cocoa with remaining 1/4 c milk. Try that and you'll end up with a crumbly mess. I ended up adding closer to 1/2 c soy milk to the cocoa to get about the consistency of melted chocolate so I could mix it into the 2nd half of the batter without overmixing the batter. This extra liquid gave me a good consistency to the chocolate batter. I used vegan mini chocolate chips and they're a nice little burst of chocolate in the cake.
The resulting cake is nice and moist and very pretty with just a dusting of powdered sugar, though a simple glaze would be great as well. =)
useful (1)
Not so impressed. I have an applesauce drop cookie recipe I got from a friend that turns out perfectly every time though it's definitely not the healthiest recipe so I was excited to try this one made with apple butter. The author rates it one wisk (out f 5, 5 being the most difficult) and it was a simple recipe. I only wish the results were as good. The cookies spread ridiculously upon baking and come out greasy and super soft. Making the cookies smaller and baking a few minutes longer than per the instructions did little to help these cookies' issues. With some tweaking, these could be okay as the flavors are good, but as is, it's not a winner.
useful (0)
Alaska Sourdough
By Ruth Allman
Alaska Northwest Books - 2003
I've made this starter with good results. Can't say the same for the other recipes in the book, but the starter works!
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I used this recipe for my 2nd attempt at sourdough bread. This recipe uses no dry yeast so it takes forever to raise. Following the instructions, my loaves nearly burnt. I covered them with foil to continue baking and even after an hr they were still doughy inside. Fail.
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Even though I oiled my waffle iron well, these stuck so bad I'd have had to cool the iron down and clean it before making a 2nd. I turned it off and used the batter for pancakes instead. They were okay, not great. Nothing I'd make again.
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The Bread Machine Cookbook II (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks)
By Donna Rathmell German
Bristol Publishing Enterprises - 1991
This is a really good basic whole wheat bread recipe. I've also subbed rolled oats for some of the flour and really liked the result.
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The flavor is okay, but the loaf is super dry. Upping the applesauce by at least half a cup would help a lot, but as is, it's pretty inedible even with apple butter or something equally as moist.
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The Bread Machine Cookbook III (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks)
By Donna Rathmell German
Bristol Publishing Enterprises - 1992
This has been one of my goto bread recipes for a few years now. I make mine with either pure maple syrup or agave nectar and normally use either a 50/50 mix of bread flour and white whole wheat flour or all white whole wheat flour depending what I have on hand. The loaf is not overly sweet, but it makes great cinnamon roll dough! Of course, it also makes a grea loaf of bread too. =)
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The Bread Machine Cookbook IV: Whole Grains & Natural Sugars (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks) (No. 4)
By Donna Rathmell German
Bristol Publishing Enterprises Inc - 1992
This is a little messier if made by hand rather than in a bread machine - the oats need a bit of time to absorb some of the liquid - but it's worth the effort. Nice texture, nice flavor.
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Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way
By Chloe Coscarelli, Neal D. Barnard
Free Press - 2012
I had the urge to make doughnuts this weekend and went looking through my vegan cookbooks and discovered this one. I've made pumpkin doughnuts in the past and they ere good, but a little doughy. These? Perfect! I followed the recipe as written other than using white whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose called for. I did have to add just a bit more liquid because of the flour sub. I also made the chocolate glaze and dipped my doughnuts. I only have one large doughnut pan so made 6 large doughnuts, 12 mini doughnuts and 9 doughnut holes (mini muffin pan). I ran out of glaze before I ran out of doughnuts, but these are really good even without the glaze. =)
useful (3)
I would say, if you're already a fan of nutritional yeast, go for it. Once baked, it's not very saucy so if you like a gooier mac & cheese, I'd up the amount of sauce to pasta ratio. I'm not a huge fan of nut. yeast but hadn't tried making my own cheesy sauce with it yet and was craving mac & cheese so I gave this one a shot. It was okay, but after having had the mac & cheeze from Vegan Comfort Foods multiple times, I think I'll stick with that one (has a cashew/macadamia base sauce). It does take longer to make, but I think it's worth it. But then, I'm also not a fan of Daiya or really any vegan "cheese" I've tried so far so you might really like this one.
useful (1)
First time making my own teriyaki sauce, but it definitely won't be the last. This was really easy and came out really good. I just used a package of stir fry veggies & portobello mushrooms I had on hand rather than buying the veggies in the recipe. Next time.
useful (1)
Yum! I haven't tried making a fettuccine alfredo since I went vegan until now. This wasn't a disappointment. The recipe is super easy and the sauce comes together quickly - nice and creamy. I'll definitely be making this again!
Update - Ate leftovers two days later... still yummy! =)
useful (1)
Made these yesterday and chilled overnight. Really good though I plan to add peppermint extract next time. Oh, and cut them smaller than the suggested 2" unless you have a crazy sweet tooth - they're really rich!
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I didn't make the date caramel or the vanilla bean buttercream, but these are good on their own. The cupcakes come out a bit sticky, I'm guessing due to the pumpkin. The only substitutions I made were using white whole wheat flour and subbing applesauce for the oil. I'd definitely make these again. =)
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I normally use a recipe I worked up for Reilly's dog biscuits, but decided to try this one. It's incredibly simple with only 4 ingredients. The most time-consuming part is rolling out the dough and cutting the biscuits. lol This of course can be sped up drastically by using a pizza cutting and just cutting squares or rectangles. Your dog won't care either way, but they're much cuter cut in shapes. =)
I used a smaller cutter for my 9-lb minpin/chi and baked them for about 15 min then left them in the oven to harden. Definitely Reilly-approved! =)
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Have Your Cake and Vegan Too: 50 Dazzling and Delicious Cake Creations
By Kris Holechek
Ulysses Press - 2011
Made in a loaf pan, this is the perfect cake for smaller gatherings though it does stretch farther than you'd think because it's very rich (with the chocolate creme) and it's best sliced thin.
I made mine with white whole wheat flour. It came out a smidge heavy, but I like a dense cake and I rarely have lighter flour on hand. =)
(Ignore my wonky layers in the pic - uneven slicing does not affect flavor. lol)
useful (1)
This and rich and super easy to make!
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The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Fair Winds Press - 2007
This has become my goto recipe for chocolate cake, bundt cake or cupcakes - always turns out moist and fluffy. I've made chocolate lava cupcakes with this recipe and choc pb cookie cupcakes too - place a 1" flattened ball of pb cookie dough on top of the batter before baking - best when warm! I used the pb cookie recipe from this book when I made mine.
useful (2)
I subbed 1/3 c whole wheat flour in the dough and used a mix of blueberries and raspberries. Red, White and Blue cobbler - perfect for a 4th of July cookout.
useful (1)
I didn't make the brown sugar syrup, subbed unbleached whole wheat white flour for the all-purpose flour and cut the canola oil back to 1/4 c and added 1 c applesauce. I just couldn't see using that much oil. Result? A yummy, dense, moist cake. SO good! The thick batter means the apples stay evenly disbursed throughout the cake. This one's definitely making it onto my goto list. =)
useful (1)
By far, these are my favorite vegan brownies to date. As long as they're not overbaked, you end up with a nice, dense, chocolately brownie. Topped with a mint chocolate frosting, you have vegan brownie heaven. =)
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I'm a big mint fan and these weren't minty enough for me, but that's easily fixed by upping the peppermint extract. Mine turned out a little dry, but I did use white whole wheat flour so next time I'll up the liquid just a bit along with upping the mintiness. =) I did chuckle when the instructions said to bake until golden brown... they're chocolate cookies. lol
Oh, and I rolled mine into balls and flattened with the palm of my hand. Balls were a little over an inch before flattened and I got 2 1/2 dozen.
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I used white whole wheat flour and mini chocolate chips in mine. I also over baked them just a tad. Oops! They were still pretty good, but not as good as the banana bread recipe from the PPK website. I think if I make these again, I'll probably sub applesauce for the oil as well.
useful (0)
The flavor is decent but the baking time was completely off. I've tried this recipe twice now. The first time, I made two regular size loaves and they came out underbaked and gummy. I had leftover pumpkin from a recipe earlier this week so decided to try again in case the first one was a fluke. I made four smaller loaves, started checking them at 30 min as instructed and finally took them out at around 45 min when the knife finally came out clean, then left them in the pan for the recommended 20 min... they still weren't done. With some tweaking, this could be good I think - maybe made as muffins instead of loaves? I'm not sure I'll be trying a third time though. There are too many recipes out there that work well the first time.
useful (1)
These came out pretty well. I'll probably sub out for the oil next time, but overall good cornbread.
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The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
By Alicia Silverstone, Neal D. Barnard M.D.
Rodale Books - 2009
I'm a big peanut butter and chocolate fan and these definitely hit the spot. They are super rich though! After the first time making them, I now make these in a mini muffin tin instead for a smaller portion. Perfect! I don't usually have nuts around so I just sprinkle a bit of the graham crumbs on the tops in place of the nuts and unlike another reviewer stated, I haven't had a problem with running out of chocolate to cover them. I guess I must put on a thinner layer. I've also successfully frozen these. =)
useful (2)
The McDougall Health-Supporting Cookbook: Volume One
By Mary A. McDougall
New Win Publishing - 1985
This makes a nice chewy cookie. I sort of rolled these in balls (the dough's pretty sticky so not perfect balls) and flattened them on the cookie sheet for a little more uniform appearance, but they come out fine simply dropped from a spoon. I don't like raisins in cookies so omitted those and subbed agave for the honey.
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A good way to get a wider variety of veggies into kids without a fight. =) Adults like them too! This could be made with pretty much any vegetable or a combo.
BTW - The original recipe calls for 1 cup of the cooking liquid to be added. You may want to mash first and add liquid as needed. I added 1 cup of the liquid to the carrot mash (left). I added none to the broccoli mash (right). I like my potatoes thicker so prefer the second method - test to find the right balance for you. Also, I used my food processor to "mash" the veggies. =)
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The McDougall Program: 12 Days to Dynamic Health (Plume)
By John A. McDougall, Mary McDougall
Plume - 1991
This recipe is so quick and easy and the veggies retain a lot of texture since you aren't cooking them to death. I add the first veggies to the pot and then cover with water plus about 1/2" and that gives me about the consistancy I like. More water will give you more of a soup than a stew. The veggies are really up to you. I forgot to buy broccoli today, so I threw in a couple handfuls of frozen green beans and added about a cup of shredded cabbage. I also used 2 carrots and a couple small potatoes instead of one each. This recipe is really just a jumping off point. =) Use whatever you like.
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This one's not as quick as the veggie stew, but it's totally worth the time! I LOVE this soup! I always use the garbanzo beans and usually the tomatoes in mine and plan to try the spinach too. Never can have too many veggies! I have always had to add more water as the soup cooks though so keep an eye on that as you go. =)
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The Mcdougall Quick and Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or Less
By John A. McDougall, Mary McDougall
Plume - 1999
I make this soup at least a couple times a month. It's quick, easy and good for you too. I do normally sub a can of organic garbanzo beans for the cannellini beans and up the vegetable stock to 4 cups (a full carton). I've even taken along a small container with the herbs and made this in a hotel room when traveling for work. =)
useful (1)
SO easy and yet, SO good! I served mine over a steamed potato I had in the fridge, but this would also be yummy on its own or over rice. =)
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Another really good, easy soup. Great for a snowy day.
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Another great soup for a chilly day. Also great for the holidays.
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Another yummy new recipe for me. The barley/rice makes this a pretty hearty soup. Doesn't take much to fill you up and it's really good for you too! =)
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Mrs. Fields Cookie Book: 100 Recipes from the Kitchen of Mrs. Fields
By Debbi Fields
Time-Life Education, Incorporated - 1999
This is the recipe I use for my apple pie filling all the time. SO good!
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The New McDougall Cookbook: 300 Delicious Ultra-Low-Fat Recipes
By John A. McDougall, Mary McDougall
Plume - 1997
Couldn't be easier and yet, they're SO good! I cut up the potatoes and marinate them in a ziploc bag. I just flip the bag over a couple times while it's marinating to evenly coat all the potatoes - easier than trying to do it in a pan.
useful (2)
I keep a container of this mixed up and cook it in the steamer with vegetable broth instead of water to add more flavor. The mix of grains not only adds a lot of texture, but also a lot more flavor than just brown rice alone. I've also made a grain mix similar to this with other grains (or left out one or two) when I can't find all of these. Just about any whole grain will work. I often add a little wild rice if I can get it for a decent price.
useful (0)
Using all whole wheat flour made for a heavy loaf. I plan to try white whole wheat flour the next time to make it a bit lighter. The recipe calls for walnuts and raisins, neither of which I like in my bread so I subbed in chocolate chips - not the healthiest substitution but it is what it is. =) Next time I'll use fewer chocolate chips or leave them out entirely.
useful (0)
This is okay, but defininitely on the bland side. I think it needs some spices or something added.
This recipe makes a great base for cornbread stuffing though! Make the day before so it's a little "stale" and it's perfect. =)
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I left out the raisins and nuts since I don't like either in baked goods. I also subbed dried mango for the dried apricots called for since that's what I had on hand. These were really good and a healthy alternative to a lot of breakfast/snack choices! I'll definitely be making them again.
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Quick & Easy Vegan Bake Sale: More than 150 Delicious Sweet and Savory Vegan Treats Perfect for Sharing (Quick and Easy (Experiment))
By Carla Kelly
The Experiment - 2011
I made the Banana and Blueberry option, using 1 cup frozen blueberries rather than the walnuts. I subbed applesauce for the oil and used brown sugar in place of the blackstrap molasses because I didn't have any. As usual, I used white whole wheat flour. I also used vegan blueberry yogurt since that's what I had in the fridge. heh
These turned out perfectly - good flavor, good texture. =)
useful (0)
They're okay. I added 1/4 c vegan mini chocolate chips. These aren't very peanutty for a cookie with "peanut butter" in the name. I had a bad feeling when I saw it was only 1/3 c peanut butter for 2 dz cookies. I only baked about half the dough so I'll try adding more pb to the rest - it can't hurt. I'll be sticking with other pb cookies recipes in the future.
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Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food: 65 Everyday Meal Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with Over 150 Great-tasting, Down-home Recipes
By Alicia C. Simpson
Experiment, The - 2009
This recipe is the main reason I bought this book and I was not disappointed. No nutritional yeast or fake cheese here. The sauce is nice and creamy and I love the bit of crunch from the panko. It even got the approval of my omni sister who thinks veganism is ridiculous. It even freezes well leftovers. I often bake this in ramekins for nice single serve portions. This has become one of my favorite recipes!
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Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Lifelong Books - 2009
I added a couple handfuls of vegan chocolate chips. These are pretty good, though I'll sub applesauce for at least half the oil next time. A little crunchier than I usually prefer, but yummy all the same. =)
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It's hard finding a good vegan brownie recipe. Most don't turn out quite right - either too cake-y or too gooey. These are pretty good! Chewy yet firm enough to hold together and oh, so chocolate-y! =)
I still prefer the brownie recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking though. The one in TJoVB is a bit more cake-y. It just depends on youre preference. These are my top two of those I've tried so far.
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I ran out of oil so subbed applesauce for the remainder and these came out really good. =) Next time I'll try all applesauce.
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Vegan Delights: Gourmet Vegetarian Specialties
By Jeanne Marie Martin
Harbour - 1993
This is a great, quick dressing. Make it the day before so the flavors blend for even better dressing. I've done this with tomato juice and more recently with low-sodium V8 juice. Yum! =)
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