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Vegenista’s 2010 Food in Review!

Wow! I did a lot of cooking this year! Thank goodness for yoga so I can keep my figure somewhat svelte! One of my favorite things has been discovering new recipes, foods, & flavors through the bi-weekly CSA box & the plethora of wonderful resource of vegan/veggie cookbooks & blogs!

First things first:  

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes!

You know I love ‘em! Who knew vegan cupcakes were so good? Guess they really can take over the world!

“Vegan Jelly Donut Cupcakes”

“Vegan Strawberry Tallcakes”

“Sexy Lowfat Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Berries”

“Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing”

Here are some of mine & your favorite dishes that came out of my kitchen this year: 

Mastering the Art of Vegan French Crepe Making…. Eat your heart out Julia Child!!! Just kidding! Remember a few weeks ago when I had a devastatingly bad crepe making experience? Couldn’t get the consistency of the batter quite right, couldn’t get it to swirl the pan, & made a huge mess in the kitch. Absolutely disastrous! I found a few other recipes to test & needed to drudge up the gumption to try again. Yesterday, on the Food Network’s “Giada at Home”, massive head DeLaurentiis (just kidding, but everyone does joke about how big her head is compared to her tiny frame) made (non vegan) crepes for brunch, & I was reminded that it was time I try again! I love Giada & have all of her cookbooks. While she rarely cooks veggie, except when she cooks for her vegetarian Mom, she always inspires me to play in the kitchen, plus, her husband Todd often makes an appearance. He’s a hottie & designs clothes for Anthropologie! Not fair. Anyway, I digress…Giada says that she always messes up at least the first 4  crepes because you need to get the temperature of the pan perfect & the right amount of butter to yield the perfect crepe. Okay, if Giada admits to fudging up on the first few crepes, I won’t feel like such a failure. This attempt turned out so much better!!!! First of all, throwing everything into the blender rather than hand mixing, is so much easier. The consistency of the batter was just right. Allowing the batter to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes made a huge difference! And Giada, you’re right, the first few were a little tricky! Although, my crepes didn’t turn out perfectly, I was damn near close this time! Crepe making soundtrack: Cafe De Flore 2, of course! Here is the crepe recipe I tried, courtesy of Vegan Yum Yum’s iPhone App! Sweet Crepes 1/2 cup soy milk (I use unsweetened organic soy milk) 2/3 cup pure water 1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt (I always use kosher salt) 1 Tbsp. vegan sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 Tbsp. water, to thin if needed Place all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a 2 cup glass measuring cup & refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once the batter has rested, cook crepes in a greased crepe pan (I use All Clad) or a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Use just enough batter to quickly coat the pan (approximately 1/4 cup.), quickly titling the pan so the batter spreads evenly. Once cooked & beginning to brown, gently flip crepe & cook the other side for a minute or two. While the second side is cooking, sprinkle the crepe with sugar, then transfer to a plate. Add any fillings you desire - berries, jam, nutella, etc. ****If you prefer savory crepes, omit the vanilla & sugar. ***If making a large quantity of crepes, Giada recommends placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and warm in the oven at 150 degrees. I filled mine with warm fig jam & topped with organic banana slices & chopped dried black mission figs. Yummy! If only I had to save the bottle of French Bubbles for later! Would love to celebrate my success with a toast! A Votre Sante!

“Vegan Sweet Crepes with Bananas & Dried Mission Figs”

“Fava Bean & Sweet Corn Risotto with Basil Mint Pesto”

“Harvest Grains & Vegetable Salad”

“Pink Lentils with Zucchini”

Dinner Tonight: “Whole Wheat Rotelle with Roasted Eggplant & Zucchini, Homemade Vegan Pesto & Soy Mozzarella.”  (Photo taken with a few helpful tips from my friend at veganfeast)

“Whole Wheat Rotelle with Roasted Eggplant & Zucchini, Homemade Vegan Pesto & Soy Mozzarella” 

“Wheat Berry Breakfast Bowl”

“Mega Tofu Sammie”


“Summer Vegetable Ragout”

“Trio of Vegan Dips”

“Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes & Basil”

“Pumpkin, Onion & Fennel Risotto”


“Eight-ball Zucchini Stuffed with Rice, Basil & Sundried Tomatoes”

“Warm Dill Orzo Salad with Baked Tofu” 

“Roasted Curried Cauliflower”

“Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes”


“Pomegranate & Brussels Sprouts Salad”

My cheesecake made it on to Vegansaurus!!!! This is so awesome! Thank you, Thank you!!! vegansaurus: Happy Thanksgiving from Melissa the Vegenista! She finished her dinner with this pumpkin cheesecake from the New Vegan Table on a coordinating plate, which is both adorable and a little intimidating. You canand should!admire the rest of her feast here! Happy Thanksgiving, Melissa!

“Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (featured on Vegansaurus!)”

“Roasted Golden Beets & Fennel over Sautéed Beet Greens” 

“Roasted Beets & Fennel over Sauteed Beet Greens”

“Quick-Cook Steel Cut Oats with Fresh Figs, Medjool Dates, Chopped Walnuts & Brown Sugar” What a perfectly nourishing way to start the day on this lovely Fall morning!

“Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats with Fresh Figs”


“Blueberry Pomegranate Sorbet”

“Summer Squash & Applesauce Muffins”

“Southwestern Tofu Scramble”

 “Kobocha Squash & Spinach Soup”

“Fettuccine with Stinging Nettle & Basil Pesto” Topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano sun-dried tomatoes, & red pepper flakes!

“Fettuccine with Stinging Nettle Basil Pesto”

“Braised Greens with Red Wine Vinegar, Carrot Ribbons & Couscous”

“Baked Tofu with Garlic Chard”

Christmas Dinner! Our Handmade Veggie Tamales were a hit! Perfect topped with vegan sour cream, avocado slices, & salsa! 

“Handmade Veggie Tamales”

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  1. cloverwhite reblogged this from socalfeminist
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  3. socalfeminist reblogged this from vegenista and added:
    want to roll around in all
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