snoopy's Reviews
81 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title 
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World Vegan Feast: 200 Homestyle Recipes from 38 Countries
By Bryanna Clark Grogan
Vegan Heritage Press - 2011
I love big soup bowls available from Asian restaurants around town -- brothy, full of vegetables, with a little protein (tofu or seitan). The exact ingredients vary by specific cuisine, but almost uniformly these soup bowls make me swoon. I love soups, but these soup bowls are worlds apart from the bean or bean and grain soups I normally pack for lunch. For lunch, I want something relatively hearty and and dense that will fill me up with a fairly small portion. For a soup bowl, I want a big, big bowl, lots of broth, and lots of veggies. This soup totally met my expectations of a soup bowl.
It is very light with no added oil, and it gets a special zing from canned pineapple chunks and juice added to the broth. This soup reminded me very much of soup I had at a local Vietnamese restaurant several months ago. You must serve it hot. The broth was perfect. The amount of sriracha sauce was just right to give depth of flavor without being "spicy." I did forget the sweetener (a tbs of agave or sugar)-- but, for my tastes, it didn't need it. I used all of the suggestions for easier to find North American substitutions, and this still turned out great.
If I could change one thing about this recipe, I would have more broth. But, I'm not complaining -- there was a lot of broth. The broth was so great, though, that I would have liked more. Also, if you are serving this on its own as a meal, keep in mind that it will serve closer to 2-3 rather than the 6 servings listed.
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This review is for the crepes only, not the sauce or filling.
(I used leftover Vietnamese "Fisherman's Soup" without broth, because the broth had all been eaten, for the filling)
These crepes are made of soaked moong dal, brown rice flour, and lite coconut milk. The batter is made in a blender after the moong dal soaks for 30 minutes. They had a great texture - crispy, with a light bite imparted by the brown rice flour - and the taste was rich and buttery without any butter. Note: This is not a flexible, stretchy crepe recipe. These do not roll up well, but they were great folded in half, stuffed with filling, and eaten with a fork and knife.
I used a non-stick crepe pan, and I found that the crepes got crispy without the added cooking oil directed. There was no trouble with sticking. The batter is spread into the crepe pan and the pan is covered to lightly steam the crepes while they cook with heat from the burner. Do watch the timing -- I have an electric stove, and once my pan was well heated, I found the 5 minutes directed to be a bit too much. My crepe did not burn, but it was darker than I prefer. 3 minutes worked better.
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This recipe includes several components -- baja-style tempeh (vegan version of Baja-style fried fish), taco fixings, special taco sauce, and roasted fresh pineapple and red pepper-chipotle. This review is for the tempeh only. (I put together the rest of the meal with ingredients I had on hand but not following the recipe specifically)
I was really impressed by how well the technique for the tempeh worked. First, the tempeh pieces are marinated in a mixture of soy milk, lime juice, cilantro, and hot sauce. The lime juice causes the soy milk to curdle and become thick like butter milk. Next, you drain off the leftover marinade and mix in some flour with the marinade to make a batter to coat the tempeh slices. Then, you coat the tempeh slices in batter, dredge them in panko, and broil them at 500 degrees. The batter was easy to work with and the panko adhered well to the tempeh.
I loved how crunchy and delicious these turned out without frying. I served these with plenty of guacamole and almond yogurt (variation of the cashew sour cream recipe in this book), so this was not a "low fat" dish, but it was nice to save the fat for the "good stuff."
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I used the microwave option of this recipe and made the "yogurt" version. It was very simple. You make a nut milk in the blender, microwave it for a couple minutes until is starts to thicken, and then add some lemon juice and additional milk if needed to thin it out. The yogurt definately thickened in the microwave, but it was not super thick, so I did not add the additional milk. It thickened up more in the refrigerator to a thin yogurt (not greek yogurt) consistency.
Although I thought the technique was great, I was not so crazy about the final taste. This may just be me because cashew cream recipes seem to have exploded in popularity lately. The yogurt had an unpleasant aftertaste that I have noticed before with cashew recipes. All is not lost, though. I tried this again a few days later with almond milk, and I really liked the result.
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Vegan Vittles: Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary
By Joanne Stepaniak
Book Publishing Company (TN) - 1996
My go-to Pumpkin Bread recipe. Perfect texture and taste, with consistent results batch after batch.
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These are a lot of work but worth the effort when you want to go all out. The instructions are easy to follow, even for yeast bread novices like myself. I've made these four or five times in the 10 years I've had this cookbook. They turned out well every time.
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Another recipe to impress!
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It's been a long time since I made this recipe. I remember not being too crazy about it. Perhaps I'm just not a corn muffin person.
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Another winner! Consistently excellent banana bread with this recipe.
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This stuff is the best. Perfect substitute for goat cheese. Great on toasted pumpernickel bread. If you eliminate the canola oil, the texture isn't quite as incredible but the taste is still really great.
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For a vegan "cheese" (uncheese), this recipe is super simple. It's not a block uncheese so there is no agar to fuss with. Oats are used as the thickener. I can't say it's too impressive on its own, but it is extraordinary mixed in with Breakfast Tofu Scramble.
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This vegetarian take on beef stew combines tempeh, carrots, and potatoes with a flavorful broth. It is not difficult to make. It's a bit heavy for my tastes, but try it out if you want something really hearty.
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The combination of red and green cabbage with shredded carrot is great. Use a food processor for this recipe. I use Vegenaise in the dressing.
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This recipe has a classic taste if you use Vegenaise in the dressing. The addition of finely minced red bell pepper gives it added flavor.
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This recipe substitutes easily for egg salad.
As written it calls for low-fat egg-free mayonnaise (Jo provides a recipe) or your favorite egg- and dairy-free mayonnaise. Much of the flavor comes from the mayonnaise, and I was always happier with the result made with Vegenaise. Alas, Vegenaise makes this salad much higher in fat.
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This salad doesn't try too hard to imitate chicken salad. But the tempeh gives it a chewy, nutty taste that is fabulous on its own.
As written it calls for low-fat egg-free mayonnaise (Jo provides a recipe) or your favorite egg- and dairy-free mayonnaise. Much of the flavor comes from the mayonnaise, and I was always happier with the result made with Vegenaise. Alas, Vegenaise makes this salad much higher in fat.
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This is a very tasty way to prepare tofu without added oil. First, the tofu is marinated (overnight is best). Then, it is dredged in the coating mix and baked. The result is full of savory goodness, and the coating bakes to form a crispy "skin."
This is not a mock meat recipe; don't expect anyone to think this is turkey. Just appreciate it for what it is. It is even good the next day after it has been refrigerated. I withheld the excellent rating because it is difficult to get the coating to come out well on both sides.
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Super easy weeknight fare. While the shells are cooking, mash up some tofu, add mayonnaise (a low-fat recipe is included or use store bought vegan mayonnaise) and spices, drain the pasta, mix together and viola! Since a good portion of the flavor comes from the mayonnaise, this recipe is better with the full-fat variety (I use Vegenaise); however, if you use the Vegenaise, I find that you can get away with using an amount on the lower end of range she calls for.
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This dessert recipe is outstanding -- a shortbread crust, topped with peach halves, and golden cream topping. The topping is a homemade tofu sour cream with a tiny bit of turmeric (go easy on the turmeric adding no more than called for). You will want to eat the whole thing, so serve it to guests. Canned peaches work great in this recipe.
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This is an odd combination but so incredibly good on toasted pumpernickel bread. Very easy to make. Eat right away so it doesn't get soggy. Makes a nice, quick non-traditional breakfast if you already have the steamed kale on hand.
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Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body and Soul
By Julie Hasson
Running Press - 2011
This is humble, classic, creamy tomato soup. The creamy comes from blended cashew nuts. You soak the cashews in the blender jar, add the other ingredients, blend for a couple minutes (with a high powered blender, this was smooth and creamy in less than a minute), and then heat on the stove. It all came together very quickly.
Next time, I'll cut back a bit on the garlic. But, all in all, this was a hit.
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Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For--From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Da Capo Lifelong Books - 2009
This technique of rolling the seitan in foil and steaming has been popular for a while (this author credits blogger Julie Hasson)... but I have never tried. It is so easy! I used cheese cloth instead of foil. I also put my steamer basket in my pressure cooker and steamed them on high pressure for 15 minutes (vs. the 40 minutes of standard steaming called for) and then let the pressure release naturally.
The texture is great - nice and chewy. If you've ever failed at seitan-making and ended up with a spongy brain-like mess (I speak from experience), there was none of that.
The "Italian Feast" variety that I tried is very spicy. I look forward to using slices of this in white bean and kale soup. I like that it is far, far less oily than the variety I can pick up at the store. I can also make this quicker with pantry ingredients than it would take me to get to the store and back.
I will use this method again (without the spices) when I need some basic seitan strips.
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The Uncheese Cookbook: Creating Amazing Dairy-Free Cheese Substitutes and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes
By Joanne Stepaniak
Vegan - 1994
Mr. Snoopy and I both rated this one as "excellent." I used full-fat vegan mayonnaise; this is not a lowfat dish -- just classic comfort food. I served it with roasted broccoli. It is sweet and rich, so no need for a dessert. I used broken lasagne noodles for the wide, flat noodles. Very easy to make. Will make this again for Mr. Snoopy when need a quick meal that is still special.
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This lowfat fettuccine alfredo uses frozen corn (among other ingredients) to make a sweet, creamy sauce. Mr. Snoopy says it's not quite like the classic, but he'd rather have this given the nutritional profile of the original. The sauce comes together easily while the pasta cooks, so I like this as a fast weeknight meal.
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Small tofu cubes are simmered in a savory broth and then marinated. This recipe takes some time but works very well as a substitute for dairy feta. As a bonus, the All-Season blend makes a great instant broth; keep some extra powder around to make when sick.
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This recipe is very easy to make (just use caution on the amount of pimento or roasted red pepper used -- drain well and use no more than called for or the spread will be runny and more sauce than spread). I also like that it is a whole foods dairy substitute with beans as the base and no weird ingredients. The cheese taste comes primarily from nutritional yeast -- you'll either like it or you won't.
A half recipe of this is usually plenty for me to use up over a week or so.
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I have made this a number of times for parties with non-vegans, and it has always been gobbled up. Mr. Snoopy and I like the variation of spreading it on english muffins and broiling -- makes a very tasty dinner, just make sure to eat right away so they don't get soggy.
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Ripe from Around Here: A Vegan Guide to Local and Sustainable Eating (No Matter Where You Live)
By jae steele
Arsenal Pulp Press - 2010
Wow! So pretty, and the taste is amazing with rich carmelization. (And these are rich. A tablespoon each of olive oil and sweetener, I used maple syrup, for the batch which is so addicting I could easily eat it in one sitting.) I will be making these again. They would be great used as a garnish.
A few notes about the recipe. I have a set of graduated heart cookie cutters. Even with a big beet and my smallest cutter, I could only get 1 heart per slice. I got 6 hearts out of my beet. So, I used different sized cutters centered on the beet slice to make a positive and a negative heart, and I cooked them both. The negatives didn't hold their heart shape too well, but they tasted great - chewy/crispy with lots of carmelization. Also, she mentions using a toaster oven, but that would have worked only if I cooked the 6 hearts alone.
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This was my first experience with spelt flour, and I am very happy with the results. The spelt has a sweet, nutty taste that worked well with the pecans and peaches. The texture was lighter than I had anticipated (that's a good thing!). I used maple syrup for the liquid sweetener. Mr. Snoopy gave this recipe an A+ as well.
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This came out pretty...and tasted...healthy. I liked this salad a lot, but it required a lot of chopping and was time consuming for a grain salad. I sped things up a little by pressure cooking the barley. It came out a very light peachy/pink color. I used the suggested variation of sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts.
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I'm new to rhubarb, so I thought I would give this recipe a try. It was very easy -- just some maple syrup and rhubarb. I was concerned that there wasn't enough liquid, but the rhubarb released a lot of water once it started cooking. I followed the author's suggestion and tried it over granola -- tasty.
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My muffins didn't come out too pretty, but they were very tasty. I used strawberries instead of raspberries; perhaps they have more water, and they shrank as they cooked, causing the centers of the muffins to fall. I let them cool fully in the pan, and that helped to make them a bit more managable. But the basic muffin base was great. This muffin used spelt flour with whole millet added for crunch. I used agave for the sweetener and almond for the milk.
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Yum, yum. This salad is a good way to get a bunch of different fruits and veggies (zucchini, carrot, cabbage, apple, beets, and dates (in the sauce) in mine). The recipe called for red cabbage, but I only had green, so that is what I used. Also, the recipe calls for a red pepper, but I did not have one; I used a beet instead (I realize these are quite different! But still good, if you don't mind a pink "pad thai"). I also cheated some on the preparation. I don't have a spiralizer or mandoline so I used the course grate disk (for items to be spiralized or julienned) and thin slicing disk on my food processor.
The nutty chili sauce is excellent and does give this salad a vaguely pad thai taste.
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Pressured Cook
By Lorna Sass
Cookbooks - 1999
This stew is incredibly good. I make it often since it uses adzuki beans, which do not need to soak prior to pressure cooking. The shiitake mushrooms help to create a rich, umami broth.
One suggestion - the beans usually need more time than called for. I usually cook for 22 minutes (vs. the 18 minutes specified) prior to releasing the pressure. This cooks the carrots a bit longer, but I don't mind.
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For black bean chili, this one is fancy. I like basic black bean chili but sometimes a change is good. The squash is a welcome addition, although I sometimes omit it (saves time by not needing two periods under pressure). I have always made this with vegetable broth only.
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Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals
By Moosewood Collective
Clarkson Potter - 1996
Delicious! I fiddled with it a bit to make it a pressure cooker recipe (short grain brown rice and wheatberries went into the pressure cooker with some water, I think it was about 3 cups or maybe 3.5, and cooked on high for 35 minutes). The rice came out wonderfully sweet and creamy, studded with chewy and nutty wheatberries. The mushrooms are cooked in a separate pan and developed a nice sauce as they cooked. I used vegetable broth instead of wine. The cooked mushrooms are stirred in at the end.
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Lorna Sass' Short-Cut Vegetarian: Great Taste in No Time
By Lorna J. Sass
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1997
This recipe and I were best of friends in college. Really yummy and good for the soul. Problem was I had trouble finding the quick cooking barley so my mom would send it in care packages. These days I make barley soup in my pressure cooker so I no longer need to search for the quick cook kind.
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I've used this very basic technique for microwaving kale a few times when trying to pull together a few different side dishes for a meal. The instructions produce a lightly-cooked (California-style) kale. Stiring the kale well (such as to add a dressing) helps with the last bit of cooking. I like serving this with lemon-tahini dressing.
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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
The first time I made this, I did not like it. The texture was poor - very dense. A few years later, having initially forgotten the poor results, I made this again. It was terrible.
I have always had delicious results with the Pumpkin Bread recipe in Vegan Vittles by Joanne Stepaniak.
Conserve your pumpkin supply and steer clear of this recipe.
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This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. The result is consistently superb. It took me a while to find a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that I loved, but this is it. It earns rave reviews whenever I make it.
You will need an electric mixer for this recipe (my hand mixer works just fine) to cream the vegan margarine and sugar and then to make the dough.
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The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes
By Madhu Gadia
Perigee Trade - 2009
I like okra but have a tendency to let it spoil. This recipe avoids that with the option to use frozen cut okra. Very tastey for such simple ingredients.
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The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
By Lindsay S. Nixon
BenBella Books - 2011
I have this cookbook on loan from the library, and I wanted to find at least one recipe to try. This is a spicy quinoa recipe to replace high-fat, processed soy (or meat) chorizo. The recipe was simple, although I had some trouble with the water amounts (this may have been my fault). Also, it tasted more like chili (there is a lot of chili powder) than sausage. All in all, though, I would make something like this again. It was good over steamed greens.
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Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure
By Lorna J Sass
Cookbooks - 1994
Pretty! Bright magenta with purple bits of beet. This had a nice orange flavor without the cloying sweetness of many sweet potato recipes. I was lazy and mashed this in the pot instead of pureeing, so my bits of beet were larger.
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I've made half or quarter batches of this soup several times to use up extra eggplant from other recipes. It is delicious. I would make this more often than I do except that it is more of a side dish soup than a main dish. I inevitably put in a lot of chili pepper flakes relative to the reduced batch size - good for clearing out the sinuses.
I ignore the instruction about a food mill and discarding the eggplant seeds.
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This soup smells amazing and tastes great too. It's on the lighter side with a very flavorful broth.
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I haven't made this in a while, but it used to be in my regular lunch soup rotation. There's no reason for it to have been dropped; it's a great main dish soup. I usually substitute jarred roasted red peppers for the red pepper (slice them up and add at the end after cooking) to make it a completely pantry soup (assuming you have frozen corn on hand as well).
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I love the sweet variation of this soup (replace carrots with parsnips) combined with the suggested addition of beet greens. Instead of the green split peas called for, I make this with yellow split peas. For a split pea soup, it comes out rather lovely. Tastey too. As with most split pea soups, this one will firm up in the fridge so you'll need to add some water when reheating to make it more soup-like.
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This is a pretty basic recipe, but the fact that it can be made in 12 minutes under pressure makes it a standout. Creamy and comforting, this is one of my lunch-time staples. I love the addition of fennel seeds. More often than not, I will substitute roasted red bell pepper (add at the end) for the fresh since that's what I have on hand.
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