Lori and Isa

I've joked that this blog could easily turn into a vegan version of "Julie and Julia" entitled "Lori and Isa (Chandra Moskovitz)".  My first vegan cookbook was a copy of Veganomicon I borrowed from a coworker late last year, which is now dogeared (don't worry, I bought her a shiny new copy). Since then I've bought Appetite for Reduction and Vegan with a Vengeance and made a couple recipes from both the Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (thanks SFPL!) and the Post Punk Kitchen website (www.theppk.com/).  I really enjoy her (and Terry Romero)'s tone (goofy, readable and fun) as well as their general approach to veganism (light on the preaching) and cooking (comforting and tasty, but not too heavy, and generally without many wacky or hard to find ingredients).

There have been a lot of "keeper" recipes, and I have a lot more flagged to try:

One of our favorites so far has been the "Leek and Bean Cassoulet" from Veganomicon.  It's really more of a pot pie, but it is a great way to combine veggies and protein in a satisfying and homey way. Potatoes!  Carrots!  Peas! Biscuits! Yum!!

Add a salad and you've got a nice, well rounded dinner.

This one is a little time consuming, so I'd definitely recommend it more for a weekend night or a day when you have a little extra time/energy for cooking.  Also, the recipe makes about 6 servings, which is a lot if you're cooking for two, but they actually reheat pretty well!

Leek and Bean Cassoulet
from Veganomicon
Makes about 6 servings

Stew:
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch dice
3 cups veggie broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, sliced thinly
1 small onion, diced
1.5 cups carrots, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 (15 oz) can white beans (I used great northern)

Biscuits:
3/4 cup plain soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated vegan shortening

Preheat the oven to 450.
Heat the potatoes in a pot of water until boiling.  Lower the heat and simmer the potatoes for about 8-10 minutes (until just tender). Drain immediately.
While the potatoes are boiling, prep your other veggies and get your biscuit ingredients together.  Add the vinegar to the soymilk in a measuring cup and set aside to curdle (I knew this trick worked to make "buttermilk" with regular milk, but I was still so amazed that it works with soymilk!) Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the veggie broth and set aside.  Preheat an ovensafe skillet (cast iron is best) over medium heat.  Add the oil and saute the leeks, onions and carrots until softened and beginning to brown - about 10 mins.  Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for another minute.  Add the cooked potatoes, frozen peas and broth mixture. Raise the heat a bit until the stew starts simmering.  Lower the heat and let simmer for about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the beans.

While the stew is simmering, finish prepping the biscuits.  Add the shortening to the flour in small slivers and work it into the dough with a fork or your hands.  The mixture will be clumpy.  Drizzle in the soymilk and mix with a fork until the dough is moistened.  Knead the dough in the bowl about 10 times until it holds together.  If the dough is sticky add a bit more flour.

Pull off chunks of dough about the size of golf balls, roll them into balls and flatten them.  Add them to the top of the stew, about an inch apart. (Mine were a bit closer than that, and there were 8 biscuits, which seemed like a lot for 6 servings... not that I'm complaining about carbs!)  Transfer your skillet to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned and cooked through.

Spoon individual servings into bowls and enjoy!