Banana-Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

Pancakes were another one of those things I first encountered after hopping the pond. In Old Country, we make crepes. And we fill them and roll them up and they serve the same purpose (only they can be made savory as well). Since coming here, though, I’ve fallen in love with all things Brunch.

Enter the Banana-Blueberry Pancakes (page 516) with Blueberry Sauce (page 498). Fluffy and mellow in flavor with the occasional pleasant burst of blueberry, these pancakes are the perfect conveyer for the blueberry sauce. The sauce is very simple to prepare and positively wonderful. It would turn any dessert into a mini masterpiece and works just as splendidly over sweet breakfast fare. I used a blend of three sugars to give it even more character (white, light brown, dark brown).


And because winter isn’t over for some people, behold a snowflake pancake!

Delightful breakfast (actually, rebel that I am, I made this at night). And the sauce is going straight into my repertoire.

- - Ulpia, rebel rebel - -

Chocolate and Walnut Farfalle

I grew up eating noodles tossed with ground nuts and sugar. It might sound weird if you didn’t grow up in Eastern Europe, but pasta + sweet is a delightful concoction the rest of the world is truly missing out on. So I felt compelled to bring your attention to it by cooking up a batch of Chocolate and Walnut Farfalle (page 480).

The farfalle of choice were whole wheat, which added a little extra flavor and nutrition. And because I tossed the nuts into the food processor with the chocolate chips right after roasting, the chips melted. And then melted more when they met hot pasta. This was a great development.

Roasting the walnuts makes all the difference. The smoky nuttiness of the walnuts, paired with the sweetness of the melted chocolate, all on top of the chewy bite of the pasta makes for one fine eating experience. I’ve had plenty of noodles with nuts, but toasting those nuts well and adding melty chocolate is a delectable, welcome twist on an old classic.

- - Ulpia, the nuttiest! - -

Brown Rice and Lentil Pilaf

All right, maybe the sound of a Brown Rice and Lentil Pilaf (page 270) doesn't make your gourmand heart race, but lentils pack a wallop of great protein and, although this simple dish is little more than that, it did catch my weightlifter eye.

Unsurprisingly, the flavors didn't slay me, but I liked it! Yes, I liked it quite a bit. And after it hung out in the fridge overnight, it was even better. Sure, there are hundreds of other recipes in the book for occasions to impress, but when you need a quick, easy weekday meal that lends itself well to leftover-eating, this pilaf is the way to go.

- - Ulpia - -

Curried Chickpea Patties w/ Spiced Oven-Roasted Potato Sticks

Continuing her streak of quick, easy, and delicious recipes, Robin's Curried Chickpea Patties {page 123} w/ Spiced Oven-Roasted Potato Sticks {page 375} are two more clear winners.

The patties were quick to throw together and used pantry staples. They went perfectly in a sandwich, paired with curried Vegenaise, crisp lettuce, and fresh tomato. They reminded us of falafel, but a little more moist {and therefore a little more delicious}.

The potato sticks were fairly easy, and the Old Bay spice used to season them was a unique idea. They didn't get very crisp in the oven during the baking time stated, but that can easily be adjusted to achieve the desired doneness.

This was a fun, quick, and easy meal, and will definitely become a regular on the menu here.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Creamy Cashew Fettucini with Mushrooms and Peas

Creamy and reminiscent of home, Creamy Cashew Fettucini with Mushrooms and Peas {page 221} makes for a comforting dinner.

This recipe drenches tender noodles and sauteed peas and mushrooms in a creamy and satisfying cashew-based sauce. Although there are several steps to the recipe, they are laid out well in the recipe to promote the best time management strategy. As the vegetables were sauteeing, I had plenty of time to cook the noodles and make the sauce.

I enjoyed the crunch of the roasted cashews and breadcrumbs on top, but my only complaint with the recipe is that it seems to be ill-suited to a baked pasta. Before I put it in the oven, the pasta was creamy and perfect. After being in the oven for just a few minutes, all the creamy sauce soaked right up into the noodles, leaving the whole casserole dry and lacking. To tell you the truth, I didn't enjoy this dish very much because of that.

I would definitely suggest this recipe as a good comfort food dish, but I would recommend NOT baking it, and just using the cashews/breadcrumbs as garnish. I think it would taste much better in its original creamy form.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Macaroni Salad

When I was growing up, my mom never made macaroni salad, not even one time! She did make potato salad but never macaroni salad. Whenever we were getting take out (only on special occasions) at a very non-vegan place that shall remain nameless, I always gravitated towards the macaroni salad. It wasn't even that good and sort of tasted artificial, but I got it anyway because that was the only time I could get it. Fast-forward to my teenage years. I still bought it when it was available wherever I was eating or shopping and also made it quite frequently a little later on. You've probably figured it out, but I love macaroni salad, so how could I pass up the Macaroni Salad (page 92) recipe?

It's your classic deli-style salad in a creamy mayo-based dressing. Now, any sort of pasta salad isn't complicated to make, but you want to get the ratio right of your dressing ingredients. I usually make mine to taste and put in a few other things but I wanted to try this recipe. The recipe has an excellent ratio of ingredients that produces a great base dressing for the salad with room to customise to your tastes. I ended up adding in more onion, celery and red pepper than called for and also added in more mayo (I couldn't help it, I'm a Vegenaise fiend) and sweet relish. On my second helping, I added in a little ketchup since that is usually what I put in mine (just a little).

If you like a classic mayo-based macaroni salad and are looking for a recipe, try this. It's quick to throw together (aside from chilling time), inexpensive and it's a great salad to bring to a vegan or non-vegan potluck.

— Ms. Veganorama

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil

I had a spaghetti squash hanging out in my fridge for weeks after buying it at the farmers' market on a whim one day. I'm ever eager to find stuff-I've-never-tried. Imagine my surprise when the separate strands peeled away like so many long noodles. (After boiling it in a too-small-for-it sauce pan and turning it repeatedly and impatiently.)

The Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil (page 383) is meant as a side dish, but if you cook it all up just for yourself, it makes a fine dinner, too. And simple to boot. And, as you can see, I used those mini tomatoes; which made it all the more fun. Imagine little bursts of tart and sweet surprising your taste buds every now and again. It was delightfully savory and excitingly hilarious to eat. Strands of squash! How cool is that!

- - Ulpia, ever delighted by strange squashes - -