In the past, I used to blog a lot about recipes I tried out, and while it was helpful for me to have a direct reference back to them on my own site (you know, without dead or changed links, etc.), I know that some people don’t like having their recipes reposted. Additionally, I have been making plenty of food but not having the time or desire to prepare posts about them (sometimes because I am busy, other times because they aren’t good enough to deserve a whole post). So instead I decided that I will do a weekly roundup of new recipes I have tried (assuming I have tried new ones) with pictures, links, and thoughts. This is especially helpful now that I am trying a gluten-free experience alongside my everyday veganism, and need some fresh inspiration. So without further ado, this is what I tried my hand at this week.
Broccoli & Cheez Soup from oh she glows
I didn’t have high hopes for this recipe because I don’t really like broccoli soup, as least the times I have had it. But it turned out alright, if not a bit too salty. The secret, I think, is to blend almost all of it, but leave a good 10% of the mixture chunky, which gives the soup some chewy texture, as opposed to being entirely pureed. I don’t know if I would make this often, but it could be a good soup a couple times a year. The croutons also look delicious, but given the whole GF thing, I didn’t try any. It would also be a good bread bowl soup. The best part about it is all the good veggie ingredients that I normally just don’t use in soup. I felt super good about what I ate this week, largely in part to eating a bowl of this almost every day.
Ginger-Fried Tofu from The Gluten Free Vegan
So I don’t have a deep fryer, but with this recipe I simply made tofu in a pan like I normally do. As for the sauce, I was skeptical about all the ingredients, but it was really good! The one major change I made was to cut the sugar in half because not only am I trying not to eat sugar, but M. doesn’t like anything too sweet. Overall, the recipe was simple and tasty, though we both could do with more vegetables in the mix next time – maybe some bell pepper or greens?
Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Pasta from Clean Eating Chelsey
This recipe has some of my favorite foods all mixed together, so I thought I would love it more than I did. I felt just so-so about it, though M. liked it quite a bit. A few modifications were made, namely that I used Hokkaido instead of butternut squash, and there was no pasta because I wanted it to be as clean as possible (I am really just not a pasta fan except for on rare occasions). As I said, it turned out OK, but it was not really either savory or sweet enough for me, which left it in the middle, feeling kind of bland. We even added chili pepper to make it hotter but that didn’t improve it by much. I can see the potential in this dish, but couldn’t put my finger on what would improve it for me. But there are plenty of other recipes on this site that I am definitely planning on checking out and also have high hopes for, so I am excited to try them in the coming weeks.
Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties from A House in the Hills
I love sweet potato and quinoa, but didn’t realize that these would be such a hit with M. as well. I ended up using one giant potato instead of two medium ones, which made the cooking time twice as long, but luckily the recipe itself is relatively straightforward. Frying was, however, a bit tricky, as I had to leave eat patty in for 10 minutes or so to get it crispy, and even then, they still were fragile. I served them with spinach, tomatoes, and hummus, however M. preferred his with ketchup. We might consider doing these again, but with more spices and perhaps an egg substitute, in order to create more solid patties that would work in a burger. Either way though, they were totally delicious.