Spice Cake with Mango and Lime

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of ripe, juicy, delicious {and cheap!} mangoes. Nearly daily you can find me standing in my kitchen, eating pieces of mango straight off the knife I used to cut it, moaning to the Ninjahusband "Oh man, is there ANYTHING on earth that tastes better than a mango?"

{In case you're curious, the answer is no. No, there is nothing on earth that tastes better than a ripe mango.}

Therefore, Spice Cake with Mango and Lime {page 451} is the perfect summery dessert.

Because I was having a crowd for dinner, I doubled the recipe to yield a two-layer cake. It was easy to throw together, standard cake protocol. The batter was really thick, but baked up beautifully.

The recipe suggests using mango puree in place of the applesauce, which I did, even though it required a trip to the Indian market to acquire said puree. It really bumped up the mango flavor, and I'm glad I went to the trouble.

The cake was heavily spiced {but not overly spiced} with cinnamon, allspice, and ginger, and those flavors complimented the mango and tangy lime perfectly.

I frosted the cake with vegan cream cheese frosting, and it paired perfectly. Everyone who tried the cake loved it - in fact, there's just one small piece sitting alone on the cake pedestal now, waiting for someone to come along and snatch it up.

I think I might be that someone...as long as my Ninjahusband-someone or my Supertoddler-someone doesn't get to it first.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

You would think I'd learned by now not to make recipes that feature ingredients I don't like. I'm certainly not talking about the lime or the cilantro in the case of the Lime Cilantro Dressing (p103), but the yogurt that forms the base. I have never liked yogurt, neither dairy nor soy nor coconut milk nor any other, but I seem to be okay with it if it's "in" something. I trusted the lime and cilantro to cover up enough of the yogurtyness to make me love this dressing, but alas, they did not.

However, the flavors of the dressing are great, and actually the more I ate it, the more I liked it. But I cannot get used to yogurt, no matter how hard I try. If you don't mind the taste of yogurt, this is a cool and creamy dressing that goes nicely atop a salad with a Mexican twist such as beans, corn, tortilla chips, jalapenos, etc. In my opinion, this dressing would have been better as a vinaigrette and I will try it again, but go in that direction over a creamy dressing.

--The Divine Miss V

Chile-Lime Tortilla Soup

Tonight, in addition to Mr. V and myself, we had a guest taste tester. When expecting company, I typically stick with something tried and true so as not to embarrass myself. But in the face of the blog project I am fearless! It was somewhat a last minute invite, and with tonight's meal already planned, our guest knew he would be part of the experiment.

Thanks to preparing extra potatoes for last night's Spicy Chipotle Potato Quesadillas, there was enough left over to serve four of these bits of carb heaven as an appetizer.

Next, on to the main course--Chile-Lime Tortilla Soup (p145).



In preparation for this dish, I made the Basic Simmered Seitan (p305) last night. Seitan made using vital wheat gluten is quick and easy to put together, but it does require about an hour to simmer, so factor that into your timing when planning a meal. This recipe makes approximately two pounds, and since the soup recipe only called for 8oz, I have three more pieces labeled and stored in the freezer. Those will come in handy for busy weeknight meals.

My modifications to the soup recipe were minor. Instead of fresh serrano peppers I used pickled jalapenos; fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of plain; and I tossed in some frozen spinach at the very end. The instructions state to simmer for 20 minutes after bringing to a boil, and then to adjust flavors according to taste. I took a nibble at the 20 minute mark and thought "eh, maybe this won't be one of my faves." But something magical happened in the next ten minutes. The flavors came together exactly as I had imagined based on the ingredient list. This soup is deep and rich and full of flavor, belying it's brief simmer time. The fresh avocado balances beautifully with the spicy background of the soup. You could certainly enjoy this soup without it, but the cool and creamy avocado lends so much to the overall flavor experience, I highly recommend using it. Topping with baked corn tortilla strips adds a nice element of texture, both when crispy and after blending into the soup.

Mr. V and our guest proclaimed this dish a definite taste victory, and I agree. I also appreciate the fact that once you have seitan on hand, this soup comes together quickly--and deliciously. I would proudly serve again to company, or happily curl up on the sofa with a bowl and settle in for movie night. I might up the heat factor a bit next time, but that's just what I do.

--The Divine Miss V