Robin Robertson, The Harvard Common Press, 2003
Even though this book was published in 2003, I did not come upon it until several years later. I was back in Brisbane and I found it in our local Borders (which is now gone). It was my very first Robin Robertson cookbook, and since then she has become one of my favourite cookbook authors. She has written something like a zillion vegan and vegetarian cookbooks - pretty amazing stuff! I don't have all of them, but I have several and you will be seeing some more during MoFo.
The book is paperback, and there are no pictures. The middle pages of the book stay open pretty easily, but if you are working in the front or back sections, you'll need something to hold them down. There are 400 recipes in this book. Chapters include Vegan Basics (including making seitan from complete scratch... as in from flour, not vital wheat gluten), Love and First Bite, Soups that Satisfy, Salads and Slaws, Sauces and Dressings, Chutneys, Salsas, and Other Condiments, Veggies in the Middle, Going with the Grain, Universal Pasta, The World of Beans, From the Stew and Chili Pot, Food that Sizzles: Grilling, Sauteing, and Stir-Frying, The Global Oven, Simply Stuffed, New World Pizza, Sandwiches, Wraps, and Burgers, A Baker's Dozen of Breads, Dessert Heaven, Smoothies, Shakes and Other Quenches, and Don't Skip Breakfast. There is also a resources section. And there are menus! Hurrah!
Much like with Veganomicon yesterday, I have made way too many five-star recipes in this book to post photos of all of them in a single post. So I will be posting new photos that I haven't posted before, as well as some older photos I think were pretty and photos of the recipes that just stand out above all the rest. I will also post the full list of the remaining five-star recipes at the end. Let's get eating!
Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup
Yeah, I know I also posted a similar soup yesterday. But remember how I said this was my favourite kind of soup? I also think it makes for a pretty photo. This has fried tofu strips in it - total heaven!
Rosemary-Lemon Potatoes with Black Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Oh this is amazing. I also love potatoes, and these potatoes taste as good as they look!
Barley Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs
Barley and mushrooms just go together. This risotto has an amazing, earthy taste. I served it with a green vegetable and some baked marinated tofu.
Mac and "Cheese"
This is an excellent, saucy and delicious mac and cheese recipe. I always add extra nooch to everything, because I am addicted.
Mahogany Eggplant
This recipe gets a standing ovation. It has the most incredible flavour, and has been requested several times by the parentals for birthday or other dinners. I've found that the recipe makes four small side-servings, though maybe I am using smaller eggplants, so plan accordingly.
Pan-Fried Tofu and Watercress with Lemon-Caper Sauce
This is a very classy dish, with fabulous flavours. Plus I always love using watercress! I find that right at the end I needed to add an extra tablespoon or both lemon juice and white wine to keep it saucy enough.
Hoisin-Drenched Garlic Seitan with Baby Bok Choy
I think the name alone of this recipe gives you all the information you need. It lives up to it in delicious style.
Cheesy Potato-Chili Gratin
I love cheesy things with chili things, and I love potato. This is delicious, though I did not find it very filling. I used some leftover chili from another recipe in this book to make this recipe, but I don't remember which one!
Wild Mushroom Pizza with Garlic and Fresh Thyme
I made a cute little individual pizza here using a pita bread as the base. The mix of mushrooms with the garlic is amazing.
Mom's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Only Better
This makes a nice thick dough, which is super tasty in its own right! But it bakes up into some amazing chocolate chip cookies.
And here are the other five-star recipes I've made from this book:
Indian-Spiced Lentil Soup
Winter Vegetable Bisque
Asian Cole Slaw
Summertime Tomato Sauce
Ziti, Artichokes, and Olives with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Linguine with Pesto-Kissed Tomato Sauce
Udon-Shiitake Stir-Fry with Sake and Ginger
Grilled Portobellos with Rosemary-Roasted Vegetables
Jerk-Spiced Portobello Steaks
Garlic and Herb-Marinated Vegetable Kabobs
Teriyaki-Glazed Tempeh
Spring Vegetable Gratin
Layered Polenta-Chili Casserole
Chili-Macaroni Bake (using East Coast Chili)
Bearing in mind, as always, that these are only my very favourites. I have made lots of other amazing recipes from this book. I certainly recommend it!
Do you own a Robin Robertson cookbook? What was the first one of hers you bought?
Want to get one of Robin's cookbooks for yourself? She's having a giveaway of Vegan Fire and Spice on her blog Click on the link to find out how you could win!
Cute Kitty Photo of the Post
My Gizmo. Two days ago I posted a picture of Dim Sim with some shaved patches. Here is Gizmo. She just had a kidney ultrasound last week as she has been having some issues with her kidneys. So now she has two shaved spots over each kidney. You may also notice that my doona here is all crunkled. This was shortly after I had woken up, Gizmo got comfy and I couldn't make the bed properly!
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