Book Review: I Love Groente by Janneke Vreugdenhil

It had been a while since I wrote a book review. And for most books I borrow from the library, I don't write reviews anymore. Mostly I just place a recipe or 2, and make some short remarks. But I was so enthusiastic about this book, that I will review it. The book is only in Dutch as far as I know.

Title: I <3 Groente
Author: Janneke Vreugdenhil
Publisher: Nieuw Amsterdam
Release date: October, 2013
Length: 144 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

I <3 Groente (I love vegetables), is a small book full of vegetarian and vegan recipes. The book is not split up by course but by veggie type. Like: I <3 pumpkin and I <3 cabbage and co. That way you can find easy what you are looking for. The recipes are mostly for 2. This would be ideal for a family like ours, were it not that we mostly cook for two days. But finally a good book for a family of 2! The recipes are mostly very easy and quick to make. They don't require a lot of work, but are still very original. There were a lot of dishes I never heard of, and I have cooked from a fair deal of vegetarian cookbooks.
This book is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, because a lot of the recipes are vegan or easily adaptable. The book is in a small format, but still has full color pictures with a lot of the recipes. This has to be the best vegetarian cookbook I encountered in a long time and I will buy it for sure.

Recipes I tried are: Pumpkin Curry Masala and Kabak Mucver (I tried a lot more but didn't blog them all, of course)
Recipes I still want to make include: courgette-ginger cake, Pumpkin rosti, Succotash, and corn curry.

Buy it at Bol.com

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Book Review: 30-minute vegetarian by Rose Elliot

This post is a part of Vegan MoFo. For more information about Vegan MoFo, visit their website.

Title: 30-minute vegetarian
Author: Rose Elliot
Publisher: Collins
Release date: July, 2012
Length: 239 pages (Dutch edition)
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Amazon:
"Britain's bestselling vegetarian cook helps you get a great meal on the table fast. Perfect for the busy home cook, Rose Elliot's 30-Minute Vegetarian will help you make a delicious and quick vegetarian dinner, any night of the week. If you need fast and tasty food after a hard day's work or a healthy dinner to feed family and friends; whether you are craving a comforting classic or fresh ideas for cooking with vegetables, you will find it in this book - 140 modern vegetarian recipes that can be cooked in half an hour or less. Recipes include ...Celeriac soup with porcini and truffle oil Banana pudding Warm butternut squash salad with baby spinach leaves, chopped red onion and pine nuts Thai bean and millet cakes with a hot red pepper sauce White chocolate cheesecake with lime and ginger Ultimate red bean chilli Grilled Halloumi skewers with red and yellow peppers, with herby couscous Rendang Malaysian vegetable and coconut curry Broad bean lasagna Figs with warm honey and balsamic dressing, watercress and Stilton Blueberry crumble Oven-baked asparagus and pea risotto Red hot udon noodle stir fry Easy courgette tart"

Personal opinion:
So why am I discussing a vegetarian cookbook during Vegan Month of Food, you might ask? Well this is because I noticed that this is one of the most vegan friendly vegetarian cookbooks I have come across since I started to review cookbooks. This book has a lot of vegan recipes, which are bolded as vegan. And with other recipes there are notes that explain how to veganize a dish. Very helpful! There will be a handful of recipes that aren't suitable for vegans, but I was really impressed!

That being said, lets see what more this cookbook has to offer. There is a great variety of recipes in this book, including a chapter about cooking for friends. But also daily meals, soups, desserts, light meals and snacks. The recipes are easy and tasteful. There are a lot of pretty pictures in the book, all though not with every recipe. The only downside about the book is that once again, the recipes aren't made in 30 minutes. But there are a lot of recipes that have a lot of unattended time, so that is still easy for me. I surely will put this book on my wishlist, because it is surely worth adding it to my collection.

I already shared a recipe for Kerala Curry from this book, and in a few days I will share the recipe for lukewarm couscous salad with sweet potatoes and lime.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: none yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

This post is a part of Vegan MoFo. For more information about Vegan MoFo, visit their website.

It wasn't my intention to post 2 book reviews in a row. I actually like to switch it up. However then I got sick and I couldn't work out the other ideas I had for posts in between. Today I am trying to pick it up again, and I wanted to review this book for a very long time already. So here it is! Tomorrow I will share a recipe from this book as well, so don't forget to check back :)

Title: Vegan Brunch
Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Release date: May, 2009
Length: 256 pages
I got this book: bought it

Summary:
From Goodreads:
Omelets. French toast. Bacon. Brunch has always been about comfort, calories—and for vegans everywhere, a feast of foods they can’t touch. Until now! Bestselling vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz unleashes her signature flair and ingenuity to give readers breakfast they won’t find anywhere else, whether welcoming you from a late night on the town or waking you up for a meal you won’t want to forget.Recipes range from the classic (Pancakes and Waffles) to the inspired (Banana Rabanada) to the decadent (Pain au Chocolat) to the essential (Bloody Marys).
The book also includes gluten-free and soy-free recipes. With over 75 recipes suitable for one or to wow a crowd, and gorgeous color photos throughout, Vegan Brunch is the ultimate cookbook for the most important meal of the day.

Personal opinion:
I am really enthusiastic about this book because this is a great book for vegan beginners. The recipes are clear, easy and the ones I tried did taste awesome! I personally did try more of the baking department in this book, because I really want to veganize my baking. I made the Lemon Poppyseed Muffins from this book a while back. And for Vegan MoFo I made the Tomato-Rosemary Scones recently. I really loved both recipes. There are many more recipes I want to try, like several other muffins, scrambles, and waffles (but I don't own a waffle maker yet). There are many more great recipes like quiches, potato recipes and such. But to be honest, these are more dinner recipes to me than brunch. Don't think this book is only suitable for beginners though. It also has several recipes to make vegan sausages from scratch, a thing that I really don't dare to try right now. This book is perfect for me, because it contains all kind of easy vegan recipes that I can make ahead and put in a bento as well.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: none yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Book Review: Vegan Pizza by Julie Hasson

This post is a part of Vegan MoFo. For more information about Vegan MoFo, visit their website.

It has been a while since I reviewed a cookbook, but there is no better time to pick this up again than Vegan MoFo.

Title: Vegan Pizza
Author: Julie Hasson
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: September, 2013
Length: 144 pages
I got this book: for review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
Vegan Pizza is filled with 50 modern recipes from easy-to-make pizza dough (including spelt, whole wheat, and gluten-free crusts), creamy dairy-free cheese sauces, vibrant-flavored pestos and spreads, and meatless and wheat-less burger crumbles. Also included are inventive toppings and pizzas that run the gamut from comfort food pizzas like Chili Mac Pizza, Barbeque Pizza and Eggplant Parmesan Pizza, to fresh vegetable-laden pizzas like Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza, Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Pizza and Asparagus, Tomato and Pesto Pizza. There is even a chapter dedicated to dessert pizzas too, from Babka Pizza, to Berry Pie Pizza and Coconut Caramel Dream Pizza.

Personal opinion:
Sounds good, doesn't it? I thought so too, that is why I was glad I could get it for review. The book starts with some basics and there are a lot of ideas on how to veganize your pizza. Sauces, dough, all kind of meat like and cheese like toppings, it is all in there.
However it does reply a lot on things that aren't easy to get here. Like fake cheeses and liquid smoke for instance. But of course I could find recipes that I would be able to make. So I picked a tasty sounding pizza and started to read the recipe... and then I encountered a real problem. My oven doesn't go high enough for the pizzas to bake. They recommend a pizza stone, but I would have tried it without, but my microwave oven really doesn't make 260 Celsius. My microwave oven only goes till 200. So I felt I wouldn't be able to try a recipe without adjusting it so much that it would still be the same recipe. So sadly this is the first time I am writing a review without posting a recipe with it.
But that doesn't make it a bad book. It did give me a lot of inspiration on how to build a good vegan pizza. I would recommend this book to more advanced vegans, because of the ingredients used and the time it takes to make the pizzas because you have to make everything from scratch. And you need to make sure you have a good oven.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: none yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

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Weekend Cooking: D'Lish Deviled Eggs by Kathy Casey

I actually wanted to write another book review, that I have been planning for a while. But because it is almost Easter, this book fitted the theme perfectly. Also great for Ostara of course!

Title: D'Lish Deviled Eggs
Author: Kathy Casey
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: February, 2013
I got this book: from the publisher for review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
Deviled eggs are not just for summer picnics, now you can enjoy America's beloved appetizer year round with Kathy Casey’s 50 fabulous recipes.Deviled eggs are always a party favorite, and the first thing to fly off the table. D’Lish Deviled Eggs both pays homage to the classic deviled egg and dishes up creative, modern takes on tradition. And this isn’t just a recipe book; its pages are packed full with everything from how to make superb hard-cooked eggs every time, to filling and garnishing picture-perfect stuffed eggs. Chock-full of fab tips, from the history of deviled eggs to collecting vintage plateware, this book will definitely “egg you on” to head to the kitchen and get crackin’! A classy little guide to a classy little dish, D’Lish Deviled Eggs will open up a whole new world of ways to jazz up these one-bite wonders!

Personal opinion:
I just love deviled eggs and finding a whole book on the subject certainly sparked my interest! I never thought there could be so much said on eggs. From how to cook the perfect eggs, to the differences between eggs, it can all be found here. The book also has beautiful pictures with each eggs recipe. The book isn't vegetarian, but certainly there are enough recipes that vegetarians can make. Of course a book about eggs is not suitable for vegans. The recipes are original and I certainly have a few recipes on my to try list from this book. For example the Green Goddess eggs with avocado and the California Roll eggs. The eggs I tried were the Boursin and garlic with herb salad deviled eggs, which I will share below. I thought it was a really fun book, and a nice addition to a cookbook collection.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge, E-book challenge
Other reviews: Beth Fish Reads, Bermuda Onion's Weblog, Cindy's Love of Books,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Okay, so on to the recipe!

Boursin & Garlic Deviled Eggs with Herb Salad: (makes 24)
- 12 hard boiled eggs
- 1 package boursin herb & garlic cheese
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp fresh garlic
- a pinch of salt
- a selection of fresh herbs. I used chives, basil and parsley. Italian herbs is also an option.

Half the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks into a mixing bowl. Set the egg halves on a plate, cover and put in the fridge. I found this really helps with filing them later, such a nifty tip! Mash the yolks with a fork, add cheese, mayonnaise, salt and garlic and stir until smooth. I also added some of the chopped fresh herbs at this point.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag with a plain or large star tip. I used the star. Pipe the egg halves with the mixture and sprinkle some herbs on top.

The post is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Check out the rest of the participants. I am sure a lot of other Easter related things will be shared!

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Snack Review: Morinaga Pachi Pachi Choco Ball

Who follows my snack reviews for a while, might remember that I just love Morinaga choco balls. Too bad that they are so hard to find. Therefore I consider myself very lucky that I was able to get my hands on a new flavor over at J-list.

The outside of these little balls are just made of milk chocolate. The inside however is crispy, a bit like crispy M&M's. But there is another surprise inside. Do you remember those frizzy candies from when you were a child? Well that is exactly what is going on in here. The is some frizz powder hiding in the inside that is tingling in your mouth. Quite funny actually to experience that again. I would think it is fun to offer one to a friend who wouldn't expect a thing ;) (But I guess that all of my friends will read this review, so I can't use that trick). Anyway, if you are in for a taste of nostalgia, hop over to J-List. They are only $1,75 a box. But better be quick because it might be sold out in no time!

And for those who missed it last time.. here is the Japanese commercial ;)

Enjoy ;)

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Weekend Cooking: Vegan Eats World

Title: Vegan Eats World
Author: Terry Hope Romero
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Release date: October 2012
Length: 376 pages
I got this book: for review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"What If the World Was Vegan? The true building blocks of cuisines across the planet are the spices, herbs, and grains—from basmati rice to buckwheat, coconut to caraway seeds. Apply those flavors to vegan staples such as seitan, or tofu and even straight-up vegetables, and the possibilities? If not endless, pretty darned expansive.

So what if the world was vegan? Your own cooking is the answer to that question; fire up the stove and make a green curry, simmer a seitan date tagine stew, or hold a freshly made corn tortilla piled high with chile-braised jackfruit in your hand. Chart your course in the great, growing map of vegan food history. Award-winning chef, author of Veganomicon, and author of Viva Vegan Terry Hope Romero continues the vegan food revolution with more than 300 bold, delicious recipes based on international favorites. With chapters devoted to essential basics such as Spice Blends; The Three Protein Amigos; and Pickles, Chutneys & Saucier Sauces, you can make everything from salads to curries, dumplings and desserts. Vegan Eats World will help you map your way through a culinary world tour, whether you want to create a piergoi party or Thai feast, easy Indian chaat lunch or Your International House of Dinner Crepes."

Personal opinion:
I know that almost everyone I know LOVES this book. But I am afraid I am the odd one out in this case. It is not that the book is bad. In fact the recipe I did try was delicious! But it is just not a book for me. The recipes are often long and require a lot of cooking time even though there are recipes that have a lot of down time. I like recipes that are quick and easy and I didn't find a whole lot of that in this book. Second of all, the book often calls for ingredients, that to me, as a vegetarian who cooks vegan about twice a week, aren't that common. So all in all this book overwhelmed me. Therefore I think this book will be great for the more experienced vegan, because the recipes do sound delicious, but not really for the newbie vegan. However on the Dutch vegan forum, they are doing monthly cookalongs from this book, so I might change my mind later on. Of course I will let you know when I do.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Foodies reading challenge, cookbook challenge
Other reviews: none yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

I will share a really tasty recipe for Ginger Peanut Squash Soup with my own spin of course.

Ginger Peanut Squash Soup (serves 6-8)
- 680 gr zucchini, diced
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- some chili powder to taste
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- a piece of fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp coriander
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 400 gr canned tomatoes with juice
- 2/3 cups peanut butter, chunky or smooth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- some salt and black pepper

Sprinkle salt over the zucchini and leave it in a colander over the sink. Leave it to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a large soup pan heat some oil. Saute onions for about 5 minutes. Then add carrots, garlic, ginger and coriander and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth with the bay leaves, some chili powder and tomatoes. Set the heat to medium high to bring the soup to an active simmer.
Scoop the peanut butter into a mixing bowl and scoop out 1 cup of hot broth out of the pan (avoid the bay leaves) and pour this over the peanut butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a creamy sauce. Return the peanut sauce to the pot. Also drain the zucchini from the last moist and add to the pan. Bring the soup back to an active simmer, then turn heat to low, cover the pot and leave it be for about 15-20 minutes until the zucchini is tender. Stir in lime juice, some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Turn of the heat and leave the soup be for 5 minutes. Optional you can stir in some cilantro leaves before serving.

You can serve it as is, or blend the soup, if you like that better. I will do that next time, because I like that more.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Please hop over there for your dosis of food inspiration.

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Snack Review: Petit Pastel Ice Cream Chocolates

From Tofu Cute I got these cute little chocolate ice creams from the brand Kabaya. I reviewed several snacks of this brand before and in general I like this brand. Let's continue to get to know this fun little snack.

As you can see it are milk chocolate cones with colored "ice cream" on top. The smell of these things is really sweet. Not too much but just sweet enough to boost your appetite. The cone is a bit like M&M's crispy and this is a nice addition, in my opinion. The colored chocolate does taste a bit sweeter than the milk chocolate cones. There are two bags in the box and each bag contains 10 little ice creams. This is just a fun and tasty little snack which I wouldn't mind buying again. You can do so at Tofu Cute for 2,50 pounds.

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Weekend Cooking: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Title: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Release date: October 2006
Length: 144 pages
I got this book: from my own collection.

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The hosts of the vegan cooking show The Post Punk Kitchen are back with a vengeance — and this time, dessert. A companion volume to Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World is a sweet and sassy guide to baking everyone's favorite treat without using any animal products. This unique cookbook contains over 50 recipes for cupcakes and frostings — some innovative, some classics — with beautiful full color photographs. Isa and Terry offer delicious, cheap, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan-friendly recipes like Classic Vanilla Cupcakes (with chocolate frosting), Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes (red velvet with creamy white frosting), Linzer Torte Cupcakes (hazelnut with raspberry and chocolate ganache), Chai Latte Cupcakes (with powdered sugar) and Banana Split Cupcakes (banana-chocolate chip-pineapple with fluffy frosting). Included also are gluten-free recipes, decorating tips, baking guidelines, vegan shopping advice, and Isa's true cupcake anecdotes from the trenches. When Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, no dessert lover can resist."

Personal opinion:
This is such a cute book! When I got interested in vegan baking, I just knew I had to have this book. I heard good reviews about how fail proof the recipes from this book were, so for me as a newbie in the vegan kitchen, this seems like a good choice. The book is filled with pretty pictures and there is something for everyone. From the most basic cupcakes to cupcakes I never heard of. In the front of the book is everything you need to know about vegan baking and ingredients. Those ingredients are the only downfall for me, because some things are still a bit hard to come by. That is the reason that I haven't used this book as much as I wanted. But I am sure this will be much less of an issue in the USA. I am really happy that I got this book and I hope to make many more delicious vegan treats from it because the Lychee cupcakes with coconut glaze I made, were so good! I dare to say they were even better than a lot of non vegan cupcakes I made in the past. So don't be shy! Give it a try :)
Other cupcakes I want to try include the pistachio rosewater cupcakes, coconut lime cupcakes, chocolate and vanilla marble cupcakes and chocolate cherry creme cupcakes.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge, Cookbook Challenge.
Other reviews: The Broke and the Bookish,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

And of course here is the recipe for those delicious Lychee Cupcakes!

Lychee Cupcakes with Coconut Glaze (makes 12)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 can (115gr) lychee fruit, drained and chopped, syrup reserved
- 1/4 cup lychee syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (I forgot to do this ;) ) In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl beat ground flaxseeds with 6 tbsp water with a fork until gelatinous. Add oil, coconut milk, chopped lychees and lychee syrup to the flaxseeds and mix to combine. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mix to combine. Fill the cupcakes liners full and bake for 22 to 25 minutes in a pre heated oven at 350F (175C) until a toothpick comes out clean.

Coconut glaze:
- 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut milk

Mix sugar and coconutmilk until smooth. Pour over the completely cooled cupcakes.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Hop over to get inspired by a lot of yummy food posts.

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Snack Review: Pocky Almond Nutcream

Regular visitors should know that I like to review different types of Pocky that I can get my hands on. Today the Pocky Almond Nutcream will be in the spotlight.

When I opened the package, the Pocky smelled a bit strong and mocca like. Don't let this put you off though, because it doesn't taste like that at all. It taste more sweet and reminded me of x-mas flavours. I thought these were very tasty and addicting, therefore I am glad that this package does contain two sachets with 10 sticks each. Not bad at all.

Most Pocky nut flavours include chuncks of nuts on the outer coating, but that is not the case with this Almond nut cream flavour. This Pocky just has the biscuit stick and a creamy coating. Therefore this snack is perfect for people who like nutty tastes, but not nuts itself. This could be my new favourite Pocky of the moment! They can be bought for 2,50 pounds on the Tofu Cute website!

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Snack Review: Meiji Apollo

Sometimes there are snacks that I don't expect to like but end up loving. Meiji Apollo was ones of those snacks.

Meiji apollo are chocolate cones with milk chocolate on the bottom and strawberry chocolate on top. In general I tend not to like strawberry snacks because they always taste so artificial. Now I won't say these taste like real strawberry, but at least they lack the chemical aftertaste that a lot of snack have. The chocolate is of good quality and very soft and creamy. They are highly addicting, so be warned. Another good thing is that these are rather cheap compared to similar snacks. One package contains a lot of chocolate goodness! I will certainly buy these again. You can buy these for 1,99 pounds at TofuCute.

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Snack Review: Pocky - Almond Crush - Chocolate

They keep coming with all kinds of Pocky flavours and the almond crush ones come in two different types. This time I will review the Almond Crush Chocolate Pocky.

Give me any type of chocolate and nut combination and I am sold. These have a thick dark chocolate coating with little pieces of almond worked in. The taste of the chocolate is somewhat bitter, but because of the sweetness of the almond this evens out nicely. I even taste a hint of coconut, which I love. The only downside is that because this is a more luxery kind of Pocky, the package only contain 12 sticks. They are wrapped in 2 packs of 6. You can buy these on Tofu Cute for 2.50 pounds each.

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Snack Review: Meiji Rice Poporon - Black Sesame

I have to say that this is one of the more odd snacks I've had so far. But odd doesn't have to equal bad. So lets see what we have this week.

These look just like the same common chocolate stuffed biscuit, but they are not. They have a rice like coating which makes the taste different to anything I have had so far. Also mixed in the coating are black sesame seeds. The coating isn't sweet but has a more savoury taste and with the combination of the sweet, creamy chocolate, this is something else. They are a bit on the dry side, but because the chocolate is more liquid, this evens out nicely. As for the black sesame: I find that taste coming through in a subtle way and I notice it more in the after taste. I have to say that I did have to get used to the taste, but I do like them.

You can buy a package on J-list for $3,50.

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Book Review: The Meat Free Monday Cookbook

Because I got the Dutch version of this book for review, I will write this post in English and Dutch, so Dutch readers who can't read English that well have better access to this review.

Title / titel: The Meat Free Monday Cookbook / Het Meat Free Monday Kookboek
Author / schrijver: Annie Riggs, Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney,
Publisher / uitgever: Fontaine Uitgevers BV (Dutch edition)
Release date / verschijningsdatum: March 2012 (English edition)  / Oktober 2012 (Dutch edition)
Length / lengte: 240 pages (English edition) / 208 pagina's (Dutch edition)
I got this book / ik kreeg dit boek: from the publishers for review / van de uitgever om te recenseren.

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"In 2009, Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney launched the Meat Free Monday campaign as a simple and straightforward idea to show everyone the value of eating less meat - and to make it easier for us all to do so. "The Meat Free Monday Cookbook" is for everyone who shares the campaign's aims and consists of menus for each of the 52 weeks of the year. Packed with recipes such as Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes, Basil and Mushroom Tart, Pilau Rice with Cashews and Watermelon Granita, as well as vibrant spring soups, inventive summer salads, appetising autumn bakes and comforting winter stews, it includes contributions from Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney and celebrity and chef supporters of the campaign such as Skye Gyngell, Giorgio Locatelli, Theo Randall, Yotam Ottolenghi, Kevin Spacey and Vivienne Westwood."

Samenvatting:
Van Bol.com:
"Dit boek maakt het voor iedereen makkelijk om de stap naar één vegetarische dag per week te maken. Paul en zijn dochters hebben recepten verzameld voor alle 52 weken van het jaar – with a little help from their friends, want o.a. Jamie Oliver, Giorgio Locatelli, Bryan Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Koons, Joanna Lumley, Kevin Spacey, Sheryl Crow en vele anderen leverden hun favoriete recepten en tips. Het Meat Free Monday kookboek bevat maar liefst 104 recepten: voor elke week van het jaar een voor- en hoofdgerecht óf een hoofd- en nagerecht. Dit boek is ideaal voor iedereen die zich zorgen maakt over het milieu en graag wat minder vlees wil eten, maar daarbij wel wat inspiratie nodig heeft. Meat Free Monday is een door Paul McCartney en zijn twee dochters Mary en Stella gelanceerde campagne om mensen aan te moedigen een rol te spelen in het verlagen van onze ‘CO2-voetafdruk’, en om aan te tonen dat een kleine verandering in onze manier van leven al een enorme positieve uitwerking heeft op de aarde."

Personal opinion:
First of all, I am very enthousiastic about this book. The book has one complete menu each week for one meat free day, including breakfast, 2 kinds of lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert. I don't cook a whole menu like that myself because I am a vegetarian already, but it does give many options. It is also divided by season so it is also easy to cook with seasonal veggies. I use the book in 2 ways: Or I choose a recipe and buy the veggies, or I already have vegetables from my vegetable bag and search for a recipe to match my veggies. This book is very suitable for both ways of cooking and therefore I was able to cook from it a lot already. The recipes I made include: Vegetable stir-fry and noodles, Mac and cheese with cauliflower, black eyed bean stew with cilantro, warm apple and raddish salad with halloumi cheese and eggplant, potato and bell pepper stew. And there are a lot more recipes I want to try!

Persoonlijke mening:
Laten we voorop stellen dat ik erg enthousiast ben over dit boek. Het boek heeft per week van het jaar een menu samengesteld voor 1 vleesvrije dag, waarbij ontbijt, 2 soorten lunch, snacks, avondeten en dessert aan bod komen. Nu gebruik ik het boek niet als dusdanig dat ik dat hele menu ga nakoken, want ik eet tenslotte alle dagen al vegetarisch. Maar het geeft hierdoor heel veel opties. Verder is het dus ingedeeld per seizoen zodat je ook nog met seizoensgroenten aan de gang gaat. Ik gebruik het boek op twee manieren: Of ik kies een recept dat ik wil maken en haal daar de groenten bij, of ik heb al groenten uit mijn groentetas en kies daar een recept bij uit het boek. Voor beide manieren is dit boek erg geschikt en hierdoor heb ik er al veel uit gekookt. Recepten die ik al gemaakt heb zijn: Roerbak van voorjaarsgroenten en noedels, knapperige bloemkool en macaroni, stoofpot van zwartoogboontjes met koriander, warme appel-radijssalade met halloumi en stoofpot van aubergine, aardappel en paprika. Er zijn nog veel meer recepten die ik wil uitproberen!

Normally I always share a recipe with a post, but because this post is so long already, I will share a recipe from this book tomorrow in a seperate post.

Normaal deel ik altijd een recept uit het boek, maar omdat deze post al zo lang is, zal ik dit morgen doen in een aparte post.

Purchase links / aankoop links: The Book Depository (English edition), Bol.com (Dutch and English editions)
Challenges: Foodie Reading Challenge, Cookbook Challenge
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

This post is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Please hop over to see what other people have been up to.

Also part of the Cookbook Challenge, hosted by myself. Please look in the left sidebar for more info.

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Snack Review: Toppo Custard Pudding

Next to Pocky, I also really like Toppo sticks. These are kind of an inside out Pocky and carry the filling inside of the biscuit. With the right flavour these can be a real treat.

Toppo is manufactured by Lotte, famous for their koala cookies. The package contains two sachets and each sachet contains about 12 sticks. They smell a bit like caramel, this is because of the flavour of the biscuit, which is sweet, but also a bit salty. The filling is indeed a vanilla custard and it tastes really good. They don't have a really strong flavour but are nicely balanced out. I really like this type of Toppo and I would surely buy those again. I got these on J-list for about $3.50.

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Weekend Cooking: A Vegan Taste of Greece

Title: A Vegan Taste of Greece
Author: Linda Majzlik
Publisher: Jon Carpenter Publishing
Release date: April 2004
Length: 128 pages
I got this book: bought it

Summary:
From the Book Depository:
"This collection of cookbooks interprets the savory flavors of international cuisines for the animal-free, vegan diet. Each region's most famed dishes are detailed or redesigned to be meat- and dairy-free. With recipes for appetizers, breads, salads, main courses, desserts, and drinks, each cookbook covers the entire culinary palate. Vegan cooks can reproduce the traditional flavors of Greek cuisine with this book, which includes recipes for walnut-stuffed mushrooms, chickpea soup, gyros, and baklava."

Personal opinion:
I like cookbooks that focus on world cuisines. I actually have a lot of those little cookbooks in my collection. But because these are all from my pre vegetarian period, I don't use them as much anymore. So I was happy to discover these low budget vegan cookbooks that focus on just one area, in this case Greece. The book doesn't contain any pictures, but it has a lot of recipes. From what I can see, most of the recipes are fairly simple to make and not that time consuming. I didn't think the recipe I tried really had traditional Greek flavours, but then again, I am not sure if I really know how Greek food normally tastes. I reckon that the Greek food served in Dutch restaurants is also adjusted. However, I did expect more flavour. To me it isn't really a problem because I am used to playing with herbs and spices until I get it the way I like it. But if you just want to follow a simple recipe and are not that big on expermenting with spices, I wouldn't recommend buying this book. A real shame, because the recipes are otherwise easy enough for beginners. Recipes I want to try from this book include the sesame bread (or cookies), Gyros, Briami and lemon and garlic roasted potatoes.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge, Cookbook Challenge
Other reviews: Graasland,
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

I made the Savoury Stuffed Pittas from this book. It isn't listed as a main dish, but I served it as such. The original recipe uses mini pittas, but those are a bit hard to come by here. So I just used regular pittas. 2 stuffed pittas each with a salad on the side, make a good main meal to me. Of course it can also be made as a lunch dish. I adjusted the spices a bit to my taste.

Savoury Stuffed Pittas (makes 4, or 8 mini)
- 250 gr eggplant, finely chopped
- 100 gr tomatoes, chopped
- 100 gr minced textured protein
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 dessertspoon tomato puree
- 175 ml vegetable broth
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- black pepper
- 4 pittas
- lettuce
- soy yoghurt

Fry the eggplant, oinion and garlic in oil for about 15 minutes. Add the other ingredients except for pittas, lettuce and yoghurt. Bring to a boil, then cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then uncover and simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is thick.
Warm the pittas and fill them with some lettuce and the stuffing. Serve with the yoghurt.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Please check out the other participants for more weekend yummyness.

Also part of the Cookbook Challenge hosted by myself. We are cooking from hardly used cookbooks. See the banner in the left sidebar for more info.

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Snack Review: Tsubu Tsubu Banana Pocky

From all the Japanese snacks, Pocky has to be the most famous. It is one of my favorites too and now I can get my hands on exotic flavours more easily, I can't resist on trying them. Today I cover the Tsubu Tsubu Banana Pocky.

Tsubu Tsubu means food with bits in them. These Pocky sticks contain banana bits in the thick banana coating that covers the biscuit stick. This gives them a more juicy flavour than normal Pocky does. When the package is opened, a strong banana smell arises. Unfortunately the banana taste on this one is very checmical and they have quite an after taste. This isn't one of my favourite types of Pocky and I do love the plain choco-banana ones better. Maybe that is because the chocolate biscuit stick offers more balance together with the strong banana flavour. One package contains about 17 sticks and can be bought for 1,99 pounds at Tofu Cute.

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Weekend Cooking: Now you're cookin' Cheese

Title: Now You're Cookin' Cheese
Author: Rebo
Publisher: Rebo Publishers
Release date: 2002
Length: 96 pages
I got this book: from my own collection

Summary:
"Rebo’s Now You' re Cookin' Series comprises more than 45 different titles that focus on the most popular themes of contemporary cuisine. A great collection of mouth-watering recipes complemented by superb photography, these books capture different aspects of the world’s best main courses, desserts, tapas and cocktails. Perfect for everyday family meals or relaxed entertaining!"

Personal opinion:
I got this book and some other books from this series, I think maybe 7 years ago. It was that time when I first started to buy cookbooks and these have a low price. This book focusses on cheese recipes, of course. All though most recipes are really simple to make, I didn't cook much from the book. I only remember making cheese muffins once. So when Zeronic wanted to eat a cheesy pasta, I pulled this book from my shelf to see what was in there. I found several recipes that I could make and other cheese goodness. I have to say that now I picked this book up, I am quite enthousiastic about cooking more from this book.
Receipes I would liek to try include: several oven dishes, some stuffed pastries and those cheese muffins that I made a few years back. The book isn't vegetarian but a lot of recipes are and others are easily adjustable. Of course vegans, wouldn't get much out of this book. In one sentence I would say that this is a decent cookbook for cheeselovers on a budget.

Purchase links: It seems this book isn't around in digital stores, I still see the Dutch versions around in cooking stores and the like. Hopefully this is the same for international copies.
Challenges: Cookbook Challenge

This time a very easy and quick recipe!

Cheesy-herbal pasta: (serves 3)
- 250 gr pasta
- 100 gr spinach
- 250 gr mushrooms
- 80 gr garlic butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- 80 gr grated cheese
- salt and pepper

Cook the pasta until soft. Meanwhile clean and cut the mushrooms, spinach and garlic. Drain the pasta. In the garlic butter, bake the mushrooms, garlic shortly. Add the spinach until it starts to shrink and then add the pasta. Heat it through. Add some salt and pepper if needed. Serve with a handful of grated cheese on top.

The post is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Please hop over to see a lot of tasty foodie posts!

Also part of the Cookbook Challenge, hosted by myself. This challenge is about cooking from books that have been hardly used.

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Snack Review: Saku Saku Panda Chocolate Biscuits

I have been wanting to get my hands on these for ages, but this is a very wanted snack and it is sold out on regular base at Tofu Cute. But finally I was able to taste them myself.

These biscuits are made by Kabaya and they are a lot bigger than the usual biscuit snacks. It is a choc & bisc combination with a thick crunchy cookie at the base and both milk and white chocolate on top. The panda faces are very cute and they show different funny emotions. They smell great and they made me hungry from the moment I opened the package. Luckily they taste very good too because of the good quality of the chocolate. I also love that there are thick layers of each. The only downside? There are only 10 biscuits in the package ;) I would surely buy these again!
You can get your own for 1,99 pounds at Tofu Cute.

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Weekend Cooking: The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook

Title: The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook
Author: Melissa Costello
Publisher: Health Communications
Release date: October, 2012
Length: 264 pages
I got this book: For review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The more than 7 million vegetarians and 3 million vegans in the United States alone are proving that chowing down on planet-friendly fare not only helps them look and feel better, but it can be delicious, too. In her debut cookbook, Karma Chow creator and celebrity chef Melissa Costello shares an exciting collection of 125+ recipes that will be a welcome addition for anyone already following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle or for the growing number of people embracing more plant-based meals.

With her "keep it simple" and "make it tasty" approach, she offers a smorgasbord of dairy- and animal-free appetizers and desserts, breakfasts, and dinners, as well as holiday- and company-worthy menus. The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook shows anyone how to reconnect with their food and honor it as Earth's source for keeping us alive all while finding it easier to rock their workouts and sculpt a well-defined physique. It's a winning recipe for success for anyone looking to transition to a healthier way of life."

Personal opinion:
Basically when a vegetarian or vegan cookbook appears on NetGalley, I always pick it up. I wouldn't want to miss the oppertunity to try and review any of these! Personally I am not really sensitive to the focus on getting more healthy, because I already know that I am. So to me that is nothing new on the horizon. But I am sensitive to fast, easy and tasty recipes. I really like the "keep it simple" approach because then I know that I will actually cook from a book. All the extra's are all nice and good, but I buy a cookbook for it's recipes. Luckily there is plenty of good stuff in this book that I wanted to try and I was creating a lot of bookmarks! Mainly in the spread, burger and soup department, which are my favorite things to try. Including: Kickin' edamame dip, Indian spiced coconut yam soup, veggie seed roll ups and dreamy avocado mayo.

One thing I can't tell much about are the pictures. My version didn't include the real pictures yet, but I did see that there were full pages reserved for them. The recipes are indeed easy and so far tasty. I tried the Greek Tomato Burgers from this book, which did fall apart but tasted good. And the latter could also be clumsyness from my side. I also tried another recipe that I will share below with you. I like this book because it is easy for people who are just beginning on their vegan path, but also offers recipes that are original enough for the people who are vegan for a while already.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge, Cookbook Challenge.
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

As always a cookbook review isn't complete without a recipe. I was looking for a spread or dip for last weeks' readathon, so I choose to make the Garnet Hummus from this book. But I couldn't get garnet yams, so I just used the ones we had here. It was totally delicious! Of course my version is adapted slightly from the original recipe.

Sweet Potato Hummus (makes about 2 cups)
- 500 gr yams, cleaned, with peel
- 425 gr canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- juice from 1 large lemon
- 1-2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (original had agave nectar, but I had this at hand)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil

Place some parchment paper on an oven tray. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees (400F). Make plenty of holes in the yams with a fork and put in the oven for about 40-60 minutes. (this really depends on your oven, I found out). Leave it to cool. (I sliced the yams in half for faster cooling). Scoop the flesh out into the food processor. Add all the other ingredients except for the oil. Mix it up well and make sure to scrape down the sides so you will mix in all the ingredients. Add the oil and keep mixing until you have a smooth mixture. Add more oil or a bit of water if needed, but in my case it wasn't.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Please hop over to get inspired by all kinds of yummy food.

And also part of the Cookbook Challenge, hosted by myself. Where we cook from book that we have on our (virtual) shelves that we never used much. It is a great way to pick up those neglected cookbooks or to go through your stack of books for review, like I do now.

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