Day 23 of the 100 recipe/ 100 day challenge

  Just wanted to show you the two helpers that I had in the kitchen this week. Little henry is just 5 months old and already has culinary interests. He is so cute!

Well, tonight, I made the Greek Style Stuffed Artichokes, pg 98. This might be a good dish for the "Big Fat Greek Wedding", but for me it was too much work for the end result so I just gave it a V. It is really more like an appetizer than a main dish and although it is flavorful I would not cook it again.

Tomorrow, we have our big Trick or Trunk Halloween Party at church so I doubt I will cook until Monday. Talk with you then.........

Day 22 Great recipe for Southern Style Greens

I shouldn't wonder that Bill would have an awesome recipe for southern greens. Being a Louisiana boy, I am sure he was raised on recipes such as this. I was first introduced to Southern greens when we moved to Maryland while Sam was in the service.

That was also where I was introduced to Possums. Little did I know that they were living in our dirt floor basement under our house. One morning, I found that one had crawled up through the shower drain and was sitting there as I stepped in. Folks said they heard the scream clear down to Popp's store where all the local boys hung out. I don't wonder! (Hope you can hear the thick accent)

Anyway, back to the greens, they were the best I've tasted so I gave them a V+ which means I would definitely cook them again but it is not a real company type of dish, just good ole' home cookin' kind a dish. I used just 2 T of curry powder and that made it plenty hot. The potatoes in this dish were heavenly.

I also made Downeast Maine Pumpkin Quick Bread, pg 163, which I actually baked as muffins. The light texture was wonderful but they tasted rather flat. I am going to experiment with them to see if I can perk them up. They might need more Braggs or cranberries.

The big news is that Trader Joe's opened today in Portland to record crowds. So much so, that the streets and parking lots were grid locked. People were even parking at Whole Foods and walking over. I am sure Whole Foods loved that !!!

Day 21 and 22 two more great recipes cooked and great idea for Thanksgiving

Tonight, I made Bill's Stuffed Winter Squash, pg 149, using my homegrown acorn squash. It was so good that I rated it V++. This recipe would be very dependent on getting good, dry squash. I have never figured out a way to tell from the outside, but growing your own is a sure bet. I did not use the stevia suggested as I hate the taste of it so I used a little raw sugar instead and it was delicious. The recipe makes enough stuffing for 3 large acorn squash.

For dessert, I made Granola Crunchies, pg 178, and they were delightful and so quick to whip up. Its nice to have a sweet every now and then.

Now for Thanksgiving, I recommend a new product called Turk'y. It comes stuffed and with a slightly, crispy outside skin and rosemary gravy. Its by far the best turkey alternative that I have found. Tofurky move over..........

We celebrated a mini Thanksgiving last night with family as Loren is headed for Sweden next week for a three month stay. He's hoping to hook up with an American family over there so he and Maja can celebrate Thankgiving officially on the 25th!

Day 20 Lemon thyme pasta with roasted vegetables V+++

This was an outstanding dish and made a great choice for company. Katie helped with the outdoor grilling of the vegetables while little Lewella and I watched little Henry and prepared the salad. Lulu, as I call her, is such a big help and a wonderful big sister. Everything is more fun with Lulu, even cooking.

This dish is time consuming to prepare but most of it can be done ahead and it is well worth the effort. Everyone loved it including Lulu!

Day 19 Puttanesca Sauce and Ranch Salad Dressing

This very unusual pasta sauce, pg 196, made a wonderful meal on top of WW Penne and served with a giant, green salad with Bill's Ranch dressing pg 196. I rated both check +.

Tomorrow, Katie and I (and little Lewella, of course) will be cooking together for a family dinner party. Katie's parents will be joining us along with Chris, Katie and Loren. So we will have ten in all. What fun !! I love a party !!

Day 18 Katie is cookin' again, 2 more recipes

Potato and Chic Pea Curry ✓+ pg 131.

Curry is a great fall spice. It's warm and exotic flavors are great for all the root vegetables getting ready to be harvested and brought to the table. This recipe didn't actually call for curry powder, which is what I usually use, it broke it down in to specific spices- turmeric, coriander and cumin. Chris and I made this together and it was like a Spices 101 class with an emphasis on pronunciation. This dish uses lemon juice and molasses which are a great addition to a standard curry fare, but one ingredient that could be substituted is the apple juice. 4 cups (!) apple juice is what the dish is simmered in and the potatoes actually cook in it. I think the sweetness is too much for me. If I make this again I would either cut with veggie broth or diluted with water. A tasty meal with garlic nan bread (found at Trader Joe's frozen section) and a simple spinach salad. Serves 6

Eggplant with Pine Nuts ✓+++ pg 87

5 cups of Grapeseed Oil!!! Really?! yup. Fried eggplant is delicious. I think I ended up using more like 2 cups because I sauteed the eggplant instead of frying. This was also delicious. As with many of the recipes in this cookbook, the ingredients are uncommon, the combination of foods is at times questionable, the prep instruction are written in block paragraphs and the amount of vegetables to be chopped, diced and minced are over the top. And then you roll up your sleeves, pull out the beautiful produce and start smelling the spices and magic happens. This recipe was another treasure. The sauce is soo easy and soo good. The end result is simple and scrumptious, who knew eggplant and pine nuts go together like peas and carrots? Serves 4.

Trader Joe's is coming to Portland Maine Friday October 29 at 87 Marginal Way. They have a great, great, great selection of food, check them out!

Day 17 Cookin' with Katie and Lewella, 6 recipes

Almond Crunchy Delight +++. pg 171

This dessert is awesome! Lewella insisted that she help roll the balls, I couldn't say no. I ended up with about 50 Almond Crunchy Delights, half rolled in coconut and half rolled in chopped pecans. I was curious how the 16 dates would add to the flavor, but I couldn't taste them at all, I just know they're in there and now I can tell myself that this is a healthy dessert! Like with all Bill Irwins wonderful recipe they are flexible as far as what you could take out and add in. Cranberries, orange zest and ginger are additions that come to mind... yumm... I try to stick to the recipe for blog purposes and just to get to know the recipes and cook book. I store my extras in the freezer and they are a great, small, satisfying treat. The only thing I would do differently is remember to take the pits out of the dates (I didn't get a single pit, but of course everyone else has!)


Rice with Garbanzo Beans +. pg 134

This recipe was enticing in its simplicity of ingredients and quick preparation. I love garbanzo beans (and this love has surely rubbed off onto LuLu, she even pronounces Garbanzo correctly) and this is a recipe for garbanzo bean lovers. Kinda boring though. If I only have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table I would rather eat a boring Bill Irwin recipe than a salty, too rich store bought frozen meal, but that's me (I don't think Chris would agree).


Sweet and Sour Stir Fried Red Cabbage. ++. pg 149

Chris, my lovely husband prepared this dish for us. It was so good. I thought I had caraway seeds in the cupboard, but I didn't. A great way to use all that cabbage that fills up the farmers market this time of year and throughout the winter. I can see using the sweet and sour sauce for green beans, snow peas, cauliflower and all those stir-fry worthy veggies.

Vegetable Casserole ++. pg 153

Beautiful meal. The vegetables are stacked on their sides (can you picture it?) so it creates a rainbow effect. I served this for four and we ate it all up. It may have been a better meal for 2 with a serving leftover. The fake cheeses they make now melt perfectly and have good flavor. A hearty casserole. What I associate with a casserole meal is pot lucks and the after dinner food coma because it's easy to eat too much casserole, there is always such large portions. With this meal you can eat a huge portion but because it is a plant based dinner you feel great afterward. I find I do wake up hungry in the morning but I'm guessing that's because I'm nursing all night.

Zucchini Spinach Lasagna ++. pg 157 and Cashew Pimento Cheese Spread + pg 2

This recipe was super easy and so yummy. Plenty of food for 4. The recipe for Cashew Pimento "Cheese" is really interesting. (pg. 2 +) 1 cup cashews and 1 cup water blended. Then simmer until it thickens. It is like a vegan rue, adding texture and thickening. Makes about 1.5 cups. We thought it would be a great alternative to a red pizza sauce. Back to the lasagna... The sauce lends a tangyness because of the pimentos. I really like making and eating lasagna, it is a creative way to cook a meal and it can be as simple or as fancy as you want to get. With this lasagna it is the sauce and the lack of any cheese (real or fake) that sets it apart. I liked this recipe. I'd say it was easy to make and on the simpler side.

Grilled Tempeh Sandwiches ++ pg 103

Great flavor in this sandwich. Marinating tempeh in red wine is such a great idea. Like the recipe says, you can experiment with your favorite marinade. I think this recipe was added to the cook book to familiarize you with tempeh. Pretty much it is a flavor borrower, so whatever you use for spices and sauces will be showcased and the flavor of the tempeh (which isn't great) recedes. I thought this sandwich is a +++ but Chris thought just a +, so another ++!

Day 16 Grilled Tempeh Sandwiches

This was a delightful change of pace. The marinade gave the tempeh a wonderful flavor. I served it on whole wheat Naan topped with avocado, lettuce and Veganaise. This would be a great summer twist for the BBQ. I rated it V+.

Tempeh is made from whole soybeans mixed with rice, millet or other grain and a "starter" is added for the fermentation process. Traditionally, it is fermented wrapped in banana leaves for a day, but most commercial operations use other methods now. Grilled Tempeh is a great alternative to a hamburger!

Day 15 Vichyssoise Soup

This was a nice fall soup. I served it warm, although it is traditionally served cold. Somehow on a cold fall evening, warm soup just sounded better. I will let you know how it tastes cold tomorrow. I rated it V+.

Tonight at church, we watched a video presentation by Bruce Wilkerson called the Dream Giver. It is designed to help people focus on the things they really want to do in life. So tonight, one of the things I couldn't help thinking about was how wonderful it would be to take this cookbook to a big time publisher who could do the proper promotion to share these health giving recipes with everyone.

I have to admit my Vegan cooking was extremely limited prior to using Bill's book. I was mostly making traditional meals and just omitting the meat. I was using way too much prepared and packaged food items which contain so many preservatives and additives. What the heck is Xanthan gum anyway? It is in everything!

As my mother says, "Why don't you ask Mr Google". I think I will do just that and let you know tomorrow....................

Day 13 and 14 2 more recipes

Blackstrap Beans pg 73 and Green Chili Grits pg 101 both V+ were easy and quick to put together. The variety is nice and and both would be good served as a side dish.

Both very healthy dishes and you can spice them up or not according to your personal taste.

Blackstrap molasses can be found in any health food store and is much better for you than the Grandma's Molasses that you find in most baking aisles. It is a good source of iron. Sam's mother used to have a spoonful of good molasses every night and she lived to be 101!

Day 12 Falafel Pita Sandwich

This one was a struggle. The falafel mixture came out very mushy and I am not sure why. I did use canned beans instead of cooking the dry and that may have something to do with it. It was the consistency of rather loose mashed potatoes so trying to fry them was a challenge. When you added enough hot pepper and Braggs to the sandwich it tasted good but the consistency was not very pleasing. I'll try this one again with the dried beans. I just gave it a just a "check" for now.

Day 11 Katie made the Apple and Onion Stuffing Muffins

Deee-lish! This time of year the fall herbs start to tempt the palate, and there isn't a better way to use sage and bay leaf than in yummy stuffing. This recipe had such great flavor. I wasn't sure how to use the Apple and Onion Stuffing Muffins in a me, but we pulled it all together. I baked portabello mushroom caps as the main dish. The muffings paired scrumptiously with the meaty earthy flavors of the muffins. Curried carrots and baked sweet potatoes filled out the meal. The recipe made 12 muffins and then some. I think these are going to keep well and will be a good snack. I rated them V++

Day 10 Two top rated recipes

 

Hearts of Palm Strudel with Remoulade Sauce was something fit for a king. It received the top rating V+++ (I think I will start using a V for check mark). I made it with canned hearts of palm as I do not know where you would find it fresh in this neck of the woods. I used two whole sheets of filo per roll. The Remoulade Sauce was heavenly in and of itself. I could not find the Creole mustard so I used South Western Mustard which I highly recommend. We had six at the table tonight and everyone was tantalized by the taste.

The second recipe I used was the Raw Pie Crust (also V+++) which is simpy made by mixing 2 cups of well ground, raw walnuts, 4 T maple syrup and 1 T vanilla. Then spread in pie plate, chill and fill!
I filled it with cooled chocolate pudding made with soymilk and Rice Whip (you can get it at Whole Foods). This pie was scrumptious. The crust stays soft so be carefull serving it.

By the way, I just heard that Trader Joe's is opening in Portland at the end of this month. You will love this store. It has many of the same items that Whole Foods offers but for 1/2 the price. Great place to get that Tofurky for Thanksgiving!!!!

Day 9 Sesame Roasted Turnips

I used small white turnips in this recipe. They had quite a strong taste compared to yellow turnips which I think might be better. I cooked them much longer than recommended to get them tender. I rated it check + and I think I will try it again with the yellow turnip.

Tomorrow, I am making Hearts of Palm with Remoulade Sauce. It sounds wonderful as you wrap the hearts of palm in filo dough after tossing them in the sauce. It calls for Creole mustard though? Anyone know what that is?

Day 8 Bill's Raw tomato soup and my own chili recipe

This soup on page 48 rated check++. We all loved it and my mother, now 98 1/2, raved about it. I think this Vegan diet has given her new life and vitality. She takes only one little pill for high blood pressure which I wonder if she really needs. She goes to church every sunday and to the hairdressers and travels to Mass. to visit family. She is very sharp and as she says "I don't have an ache or a pain"! What a great statement to be able to make at her age!

I made a big pot of vegan chili for a church supper tonight. It is quick and easy and even the carnivores liked it.

Vegan chili for five:
1 can of Bush's Chili Magic (chili starter)
1/2 lb of Soyrizo (a delicious chorizo substitute)
I buy both of the above at Walmart
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 onion
Saute the peppers and onion in grapeseed oil till soft and add the soyrizo and
1 14oz can diced tomoatoes
Add the chili magic, simmer and serve. Enjoy!

Day 7 Portobello Sandwich

 

This meal was even better than it looks. Sam made the call on this one: check +++. This was an amazingly creative dish. The flavors and texture brought it right up the rating scale as well as its lovely presentation.

I've always wondered how Bill came up with these recipes, so I had Sam ask Bill the question while he was up in Sebec helping Bill and Debra with their house building project. Bill said whenever he dined at a fine restaurant and loved his meal he would go home and duplicate it and write it down.

Thus, over many years he has collected 350 of the best recipes anywhere around and this one is no exception!

Day 6 Asian Coleslaw

we served this last night to our Irish guests along with lobster (no they were not "tofobsters" but real lobsters). As a Mainer living on the coast, you have to serve lobster, vegan or not.

The coleslaw (check +) had a wonderful dressing and I used it on broccoli and cabbage slaw. I am sure all cabbage, as the recipe calls for, would be even better.
I think I will try it again that way next time, but as it was, it was tasty and everyone gobbled it up.

Tomorrow, I will attempt a masterpiece recipe................

Day 5 of the 100 Day challenge/ Pumpkin Muffins

I just finished the last bite of the last pumpkin muffin (pg 181). This delightfully moist and flavorful muffin was a big hit with our company this morning. Not only did the parents have seconds but the kids asked for seconds too!

I made them with the optional walnuts and cranberries and decreased the molasses to 1T which I thought was perfect as I am not crazy about molasses except in gingerbread.

It would be worth ordering Bill's Cookbook for this recipe alone. I still have a few copies left that I can sell at the reduced rate. Let me know if you would like one.

Today, it occured to me that my whole household has converted, with ease, to a diet free of salt, sugar, caffeine, white flour, meat and dairy just by a focus on cooking these recipes. We don't feel deprived in the slightest, in fact, we look forward to every meal with anticipation. Can you imagine the health benefits of such a diet. Try it for 30 days and I gaurantee you will never go back........

Day 4 Pear, Mandarin Orange, Walnut Delight

This would be a lovely dish for a sunday afternoon luncheon. It has very elegant presentation and the flavors combine to make something very special. This a simple dish to make as well. I think it took 15 minutes total. I made only 1/2 the recipe and it fed four people with some left over.

I have company arriving in a few minutes. My cousin from Ireland and her family will be with us for the weekend. I am not sure what I will be cooking but I will let you know..............

Day 2 & 3 Creamy Chestnut Soup & Eggplant with Pine Nuts

Two more "knock you socks" off recipes! I am sure you are saying "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" But it is really true. The soup on page 30 was rated check ++ and the eggplant dish was another Check +++.

The sauce for the eggplant dish was "to die for". It has a slight Asian taste and was not only good on the eggplant but also on the baked acorn squash and the warm pita bread I served with it. You should not let this one pass you by.

The soup was loved by all and it was suggested that it would also make a great gravy for the Thanksgiving Tofurky!!!

Ruth, recipe 1 of the 100 recipes in 100 days

I am so thrilled to have katie on board. As you now know she is a great writer as well as cook!

Can you imagine yet another Check +++ recipe? Its true! Eggplant Caponata pg 84 comes through on top. This is a most delightful and most unusual treat. It is similar to Bruchetta as you grill slices of crusty bread and top with this mixture of eggplant, pinenuts, onion, currants and fascinating seasonings such as: carob powder, mint and thyme.

We never cease to be amazed with Bill's creative cookery!

Recipe 154 Green Pea and Mint Soup

I know this is hard to believe but this soup is another Check +++. I would be thrilled if I was served this soup at a Five Star Restaurant. Wow, try it while you still have mint in your garden. It is on page 38.

I had planned to make Eggplant Caponata but time would not allow as we had church this morning, a baby shower from 12-2:00pm and then Celebrate Recovery from 5:30 to 8:00pm. So, tomorrow it is!

Tonight, I spoke with my son Chris and he told me how much he was enjoying Katie's dinners from Bill's book and how easy it is making the transition for him to a vegan diet. This is definitely the way to go.

Recipe 153

Katie made the Oven Roasted Cauliflower of page 119 and she rated it check ++. Let me take a minute and explain our agreed upon rating system:

Check - means I will never cook this again
Check means it was just OK
Check + means I liked it and would make it again
check ++ means it was great and I would serve it to company
check +++ means this is something I might expect to be served at my favorite, 5 star
restaurant.

I have to say I have never found a cookbook with so many double and triple +++.
Great meal planned for tomorrow................

Introducing my new partner, Katie Frencis

 
As you may have noticed I have been struggling to keep up with this blog and all the cooking it requires, so my wonderful daughter-in-law, Katie, has volunteered to help me. She and Chris and my grandaughter (in photo) are beginning the journey to a plant based diet and will be using Bill's book to do it. Katie is a marvelous, inventive cook in her own right and she has described cooking Bill's recipes as unfolding rare treasures! It will be fun to have her on board and to follow their journey to better health.

For dinner tonight, I made the most wonderful soup recipe yet: Pumpkin Soup with Cranberry Relish (check +++) pg 47. This soup is off the charts. Wow!!! Incredible! How does Bill do it? You have to try this one. I used my homegrown pumpkins which were not as sweet as some and not as orange as some so I added 1/4C honey and also 1 small can of pumpkin to add the color.
The relish adds the most fascinating touch. This would be a great soup to serve company. It will serve 8 people. Hope you enjoy it.