I thought we’d do a little something different this Meatless Monday, and give a shout-out to the vegetarian cookbooks that have inspired us.

Lately, as you may have noticed, I’ve been quite enamored with “Viva Vegan”, the answer to a Latin cuisine lover-turned-vegan’s prayers. Seriously, I’d like to take a few weeks and make every single recipe in this book. I’ve already posted about the Black Bean Empanadas and the Amaranth and Roasted Chile Polenta, and made a few others as well, like the Potato-Chickpea Enchiladas. Out of this world. I just can’t say enough about it.

Next up: “Entertaining for a Veggie Planet” by Didi Emmons – I have yet to make anything that hasn’t turned out wonderful. Her Butternut Squash, Sage and Goat Cheese Pizza (a.k.a. “Dinner for Henry”) is particularly magnificent. Scattered throughout are helpful hints and witty sidebars.

Then there’s the equally inspired “Vegan Planet” by Robin Robertson. You won’t feel that anything is missing from these delectable recipes that span the globe in origin. There’s something (many somethings, I’m sure) in here for everyone, no matter their restrictions or lack thereof.

Here’s a classic for you: “The Moosewood Cookbook” by Mollie Katzen. A revised oldie but a goodie – if you haven’t poked around in it lately, give it another look. There’s some wonderful stuff in there. The Hungarian Mushroom Soup is my personal favorite – and not just because it’s one of the first things Donna and I shared in our culinary adventures!

No such list of mine would be complete without “Vegan with a Vengeance”. This is a must-have from the original Post Punk Kitchen babes, one of whom is also the author of “Viva Vegan” above, take note. They also created “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World”, the epic “Veganomicon”, and most recently, “Vegan Cookies Take Over the World”, for which I have already written to Santa. But “Vegan with a Vengeance” is the original masterpiece – if you’re getting only ONE fully vegan cookbook, I say get this one. Serious vegan eats with attitude, nutrition and plenty of flavor. Try the Mango-Ginger Tofu or the Chickpea & Spinach Curry.

Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” is like “The Joy of Cooking” for vegetarians. Or perhaps even a “Mastering the Art of Vegetarian Cooking”. She’s that awesome. Not only are the recipes sublime, the instruction is excellent and thorough. Try the Winter Greens with Fennel and Mushrooms, the Onion Galette With Mustard Cream, and (perfect timing) the Summer Squash Gratin with Herb Bechamel. I can’t resist quoting one Amazon review: “I am a carnivore that howls at the moon over fresh kill and I would still call this my favorite cookbook as all of the recipes are unfailingly delicious and healthy.” Perfect sentiment for the Meatless Monday movement, n’est-ce pas?

And now for the winning combination I’ve been hoping for: vegan PLUS gluten-free, so I don’t have to do all the substituting an experimenting myself! Not that I mind SO much – I do write a food blog, after all, and thus obviously like tinkering around in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s just nice to not have to exert oneself quite so much. Is that so wrong? Anyway, here’s the self-explanatory “Gluten-Free Vegan Cookbook”. This one is new-ish to me, but definitely has a lot of gems already. My favorites so far are the Eggplant Rollatini and the Yam Enchiladas with Pomegranate Sauce.

And finally, while it certainly doesn’t compare to offerings above, we still have to share our own little book, Anne and Donna’s first collaboration, “101 Things To Do With Tofu”. You know about the chili, but there are other gems in there as well. Check out the Tomato-Onion Chowder – my favorite soup of all time, the Rebirth by Chocolate, and the Tangy Thai Peanut Dip, at the very least. All guaranteed hits – and lots of fun to make people guess the ‘secret ingredient’. (They never do.)

Hope you made a new discovery or two here today! Should you decide to check out any of these delectable selections for yourself, if you use the links provided, we do get a little referral fee. What are some of your favorite vegetarian cookbooks? Please chime in!

– posted by Anne

For the decadent option, check out this Red, White, and Blueberry Tart from last year:

And as you saw the other day, this Red White and Blueberry Quinoa Salad just cannot be beat. How perfect for a potluck picnic or a backyard grill-fest?

Mmm, that tangy grapefruit vinaigrette is bound to be a huge hit.

However you celebrate, enjoy!

– posted by Anne

Who needs hamburger? Try our amazing Meatless Loaf recipe!

For the ultimate Meatless Monday challenge, we here at FFF decided to take on the iconic American comfort food recipe: meatloaf.

June Cleaver made meatloaf, as did all women who dared to call themselves housewives in the 1950s. Each woman’s meatloaf was a yardstick to measure her skill as a home cook. Meatloaf has been made in various versions for centuries, but it was the Americans during the Great Depression who added bread and eggs to the dish to stretch their pennies and added ketchup as a topping.

Like almost everyone growing up in America in the 50′s, 60′s or 70′s, I ate my weight in meatloaf as a child. To this day, when anyone says “meatloaf,” the smell, taste and texture of this comfort food fills my senses.

So, we said to ourselves, “Could we remake this comfort food classic without meat but with as much flavor and comfort as the original hamburger dish?” Our answer: “Absolutely.”

I made about a dozen versions of this dish and there are two secrets to our final fabulous dish. First, add diced cooked dates. The dates add a rich taste and sticky texture that are necessary to replace hamburger. Second, use the American classic A-1 steak sauce. When I made previous versions of this, everyone wanted A-1 to drizzle on top of their slices. So == light bulb goes on == why not add this raisin-y, flavor-packed sauce right in with the loaf mixture?!

The combination of ingredients and flavors in this final version are astounding. The texture is rich, moist and firm and holds together while cooking and slicing.  This is one of my favorite veggie makeover dishes of all time. Truly remarkable. Please try it – with or without your June Cleaver apron on!

MEATLESS LOAF

Makes 1 loaf to serve 4 to 6 people; Prep Time 15 minutes; Cook time 50 minutes

1 cup dry brown lentils
2 medium carrots, grated
1 cup diced Medjool dates
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons A-1 sauce
1/2 cup ground or very finely minced pecans
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 large eggs

Sauce for Topping Loaf:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Cook lentils in boiling salted water for 20 minutes, or until very soft. Drain well. Place in food processor and pulse until very small bits.

Saute the carrots, dates, onion, celery in the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until very soft, stirring frequently to remove moisture. Add in garlic, cumin, A-1 sauce and soy sauce and cook another minute.  Add this skillet mixture to food processor and pulse until very well blended.

Remove from food processor and stir in pecans, rice, bread crumbs and eggs.

Place a tin foil sling into a loaf pan and spoon mixture into pan.  Bake for 30 minutes at center of oven.

While mixture is baking, simmer for about 2 minutes in a small saucepan ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar, until thickened slightly.

Remove loaf from oven and spread sauce on top. Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes. Slice and serve as you would meatloaf.

Other Veggie Loafs worth checking out:

Red Lentil Un-meatloaf, Book of Yum
Vegetarian Meatloaf, Branny Boils Over
No Meat Loaf, Expatriot’s Kitchen
Vegan Meatloaf, Iowa Girl Cooks
Vegetarian Meatloaf, Cathy’s Kitchen Journey
Pinto and Red Lentil Loaf, Cate’s World Kitchen

– posted by Donna

Now featured on Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platters!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous moms out there!

Okay, kids, here’s how to make Mom the traditional breakfast-in-bed! 

First let’s make some eggs. Take the carton out of the fridge. Mop up the ones that fell onto the floor with a dishtowel (make sure you leave the eggy dishtowel on the counter). Crack one egg into a frying pan, then turn the burner on, up as high as possible. Wait for it to  stick like glue to the bottom of the pan. Scrape it out into the sink and start over, adding half a stick of butter this time. Success! Transfer the egg to a plate, being careful to preserve the jiggly whites surrounding the raw yolk (the burnt bottom should help).  Don’t forget to season! About a tablespoon of salt should be enough. And, you know how much mom likes pepper – so unscrew the cap from the pepper shaker and pour on some pepper.

Next, let’s add some oatmeal. It’s like cereal, only hot, right? So take the canister out of the cupboard and pour some in a bowl, filling it up almost all the way, and then add some milk, just like cereal. Microwave it for 2 minutes. It’s still not soft, so try another 2 minutes. And another. Go ahead and do it for 10 minutes, then.  Remove the bowl from the microwave and wipe out the microwave with that same dishtowel you used for the eggs, and try to get most of the boiled-over oats off the side of the bowl. There’s still about half the oats left in the bowl, so add some more milk to fill it the rest of the way. Top with enough pancake syrup to form a glaze over the top.

Toast is easy. Just keep pressing the lever back down when the bread pops up! Repeat until the smoke alarm goes off. If it looks too black, just pour lots of jam on top.

Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without some coffee! Fill one of the filters up to the top and put it in the basket. She usually has two cups, you remember, so add two cups of water to the machine’s tank (use one of the measuring cups in the drawer to measure – the medium one with a “1/2″ on the handle should be about right – it probably means “one or two cups”). Turn on the machine and wait until the grounds start leaking out the side. Pour the resulting two ounces of liquid into a coffee mug and spoon out as many of the grounds as you can. Decide to give her a special treat and give her buttermilk instead of cream – that must be even better than cream. Add it to fill the mug the rest of the way.

And, remember how mom likes us to eat healthy things? Add a few carrots – she’ll love that!

Finally, pile all your items on the tray, wrapping up a spoon and a fork and a steak knife in a paper napkin. Take the dandelions you picked yesterday out of your pocket and fill a jar with some water, and place the dandelions inside.

Be careful walking up the stairs with the tray! Always stop to pick up each item as you go – ’cause Mom hates to waste things!  And make sure to tell Mom she doesn’t have to clean up the kitchen for a whole hour. It’s her special day!

Mom will be so happy that she will cry and give you lots of hugs and kisses, we promise!

–posted by Mom Donna and Daughter Anne

In honor of Donna’s new book – Quesadillas – and in celebration of Cinco de Mayo (a holiday that, around here, is primarily an excuse to eat good Mexican food ; ) we announce the 10 winners. Click here to find out who they are!

We here at FFF are celebrating the publishing of Donna’s new book Quesadillas! This beautiful cookbook with photographs (14.99 retail value) published by Gibbs Smith publisher is out this month and we want to share the joy with our FFF followers and thank you for following our blog.

In Quesadillas, the gooey little snacks we all used to make as kids have grown up into flavorful, hearty meals and desserts bursting with flavor. Quesadillas at a whole new level! Favorites include Roasted Veggie and Goat Cheese, Thai Peanut, Parmesan-Crusted Italian, Chicken Caesar, Philly Cheesesteak, Peanut Butter Apple, Triple Chocolate Decadence, and Pecan-Crusted Pear. And, Hey! – what could be more fab and frugal than quesadillas?!

We are giving away ten books to readers chosen by random.org – all you have to do to enter is leave a comment to this post and we will choose our winners on – how appropo! – Cinco de Mayo – May 5, 2010, Mexican Independence Day.

You can earn a chance to win four ways: leave a general comment, leave a comment here with a link to a twitter post about this giveaway, leave a comment here with a link to a mention on facebook, leave a comment here with a link to a mention on your blog. Please feel free to leave up to one general comment every day if you like – the more you comment, the better your chances to win!

Good Luck to all our fab frugal friends!

– posted by Donna

BUT.

How can we resist this? PEEPSHI!

Found at Serious Eats. Simple – all you need are Rice Krispie treats, Fruit Roll-Ups, and of course Peeps – but the creativity factor makes this pure win. I suppose you could make this a little less junk-y by making the rice treats yourself with brown rice cereal and vegan marshmallows, but really, the point isn’t actually eating them anyway, right? Just marveling at The Cute.

Have a wonderful day, however you celebrate!

– posted by Anne

I must admit, until recently I had NEVER had stuffed cabbage of any kind at all – it just wasn’t in my family’s repertoire growing up. Kalyn posted on BlogHer about the wonders of stuffed cabbage (a natural for low-carbers), and then, inspired, Donna created a tasty one of her own, a vegetarian version, for FFF. One of the recipes that Kalyn linked to was Easy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Wasabimon.

I decided to try it, as I needed more good phase one entrees, and WOW, is it ever delicious! This is going into my regular rotation for sure. Being me, I had to tweak it a little, and to make it more suitable for phase one, I replaced the rice with red lentils – which worked beautifully (boil 1 cup for 15-20 minutes, drain and set aside until needed in recipe). I also added a few dashes of vinegar to the sauce, but other than that, it’s intact. Do check this out if you’ve never had it!

Next up: some incredible gluten-free AND vegan crackers! Gluten-Free Goddess is always a reliable source of deliciousness, and this was no exception! These are absolutely amazing – they disappear so quickly at every event I’ve brought them to, for good reason. I swear, you would never, ever guess they were either gluten-free OR vegan, much less both!

The first time I made them, they were perfectly crisp. The second time, not so much (though the flavor was still great); I think I didn’t bake them quite long enough, so watch for this. I also cooled them on the rack while still on the parchment paper, which could have contributed, too – definitely remove them from the paper or Silpat before cooling. (Further note on using a Silpat – do not get distracted by your toddler and forget that you’re using one and cut up the crackers with your trusty pizza cutter right there in the pan. D’oh. I now have some strips of Silpat available, if anyone has a use for them.)

Finally, I recently discovered The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. Everything I’ve made so far has been a home run – seriously delicious, nutrient-dense recipes.  These chocolate chip cookies? I was totally blown away. Get this, they’re not only gluten-free and vegan, but flourless, PERIOD, and free of refined sugar (they use pureed dates and honey – I used brown rice syrup in place of the honey)! Wow, a cookie I can actually feel good about feeding to my child.

Make no mistake, they’re not low-calorie, and despite being protein-rich (due to the almond butter) they’re not exactly low-carb either. But when you want a splurge that is still a nourishing food, boy oh boy, is this ever your recipe. (I would venture to bet the same is true of any baked good on their site.) If you don’t think something gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, and flourless can be make-you-weak-in-the-knees delicious, think again – and make these ASAP.

Hope you check at least one of these out! I’ve made them all so often in recent weeks I felt compelled to share them with the world.

– posted by Anne

With a name like KELLY, it may come as no surprise that March 17th is one of my favorite days of the year. As part of the celebration, I have been making soda bread for the last 32 years and have tried dozens of versions – experimenting as I went. My favorite soda bread recipe in 32 years of experimenting is Silver Palate author Sheila Lukins’ Irish Soda Bread Rolls. Why rolls and not just a loaf of bread? Because the rolls give you more of that delightful, rustic crunchy crust!

I make these using the Celtic tradition of cutting a cross in the tops to ward off evil spirits for the year to come. The Society for the Preservation of Soda Bread would like you to know that the humble bread has survived centuries of time because it is simple, frugal and just plain delicious. Traditional soda bread has only four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk.

Irish Americans later added raisins to fancy things up for holidays. Sheila added oats, too, which I think is a brilliant rustic addition of an Irish ingredient. The only thing I have changed from Sheila’s recipe is that I brush the rolls with butter before baking for a nice golden brown crust. This year, I am making these rolls not only because they are Irish, but also as a tribute to Sheila, who died too young a few months ago of cancer. Her fun (albeit NOT Irish) spirit lives on!

Cut the dough into eight wedges

IRISH SODA BREAD ROLLS

Makes 8 large rolls

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup currants
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cut an "X" into the tops of rolls for tradition

Brush the tops of rolls with butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and currants. Stir in buttermilk until just combined. Turn out to a floured board and knead a few times, forming dough into a large flattened ball. Cut into 8 wedges and then form each wedge into a small ball.

Place dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Cut an “X” in the tops of the dough balls with scissors. Brush with butter and bake in center of oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until browned.

Best served warm with butter!

Other food bloggers get their Irish on:
Irish Soda Bread, Simply Recipes
Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread, Gluten Free Goddess
Whole Wheat Brown Soda Bread, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Brown Sugar Irish Soda Bread, The Perfect Pantry
Grand Central Bakery Irish Soda Bread, Whipped the Blog

– posted by Donna

We were all thrilled to see Bode Miller on the platform at the Olympics, but did you know we have another reason to applaud him? Miller is a sustainable eating advocate, an organic farmer and lifelong vegetarian!

Michael Pollan’s recent interview on NPR was both entertaining and enlightening: Just one favorite quote: “It’s not food if it arrives through the window of your car.” This got me thinking.  . . Is good, healthy, sustainable eating a luxury only for the upper middle class and the rich, or is it something we all can achieve?

That we should be eating home-cooked sustainable food is, in my humble opinion, a no-brainer. For everyone. Consider these Top Ten Reasons: 1.) It’s cheaper; 2.) It’s safer; 3.) It’s healthier; 4.) It tastes better; 5.) It tastes like you want it to; 6.) It’s satisfying; 7.) It makes reducing meat consumption easier; 8.) It’s a gift to future generations; 9.) It will enrich your life; and 10.) It will make a statement.

But, in the end, it is like many things: It’s a matter of degree. It’s a matter of taking steps in the right direction. It’s a matter of changing the way you do things slowly but surely.

So, here are my thoughts on how to eat more sustainably on a budget.

1)  BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED AND USE WHAT YOU BUY.

I can’t tell you how many times I have bought, say, a bunch of carrots instead of only the two carrots I needed because the bunch was a good deal, and then wound up throwing most of the carrots out. Don’t go for the “bargain” if you’re not going to use it all. Buy the two carrots at a slightly higher cost, but save money and be less wasteful in the long run.

2)  THE FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND.

It is about the same work to double a recipe and freeze the extra as it is to make one dish. If you do have dishes stashed away, you’ll be much less likely to spend four times as much on a restaurant meal at the end of a stress-filled day. And, freezing things when they are low cost – such as seasonal fruit – is super easy and efficient with one of my favorite culinary inventions: zip top bags! It is such a delight to go to my freezer and take out a pint of Strawberry Lemon Zest Freezer Jam in the middle of February- instant springtime in your mouth ! – and one-third the cost of nasty-tasting store bought cooked strawberry jam. Buying a full sized freezer is the best money I have ever spent.

3)  GROW YOUR OWN.

Now is the perfect time to plan a spring garden. We started gardening in a major way two years ago, and I have been surprised at how much we save and how much fun it has been to grow vegetables. Michale Pollan said that for every $1 you spend on your garden, you get $10 dollars worth of grocery-store priced produce. Wow! This is the most amazing rate of return on your money that exists today!!!

4)  MAKE YOUR OWN.

The cost savings on making your own continually astound me, and benefit the environment by eliminating packaging, trucking, etc. I made crackers recently and they cost about 30 cents when the same amount would have cost at least $3 in the store – 10 times more. Even a math-impaired person such as myself can do those numbers!

5) YOU CAN FEEL GOOD SAVING THE PLANET – ONE FORKFUL AT A TIME.

Eating sustainably makes a difference – more than almost anything we can do as individuals to help our planet – more than driving a fusion car; more than recycling newspapers, more than changing our light bulbs, more than all of these things combined.

Eat your veggies! Make it from Scratch! Share your Bounty!  Our grandmas would be proud!

– posted by Donna