Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Dream of 2008 Is Alive In My Kitchen

Remember 2008? Can you believe that was 5 years ago! Well, back in 2008, the vegan blogosphere was all aflutter with love for the Isa and Terry's Chickpea Cutlet from Veganomicon. Quick trivia question! Anyone remember when Veganomicon was released?

If you said "November 2007," you would be correct. So it makes sense that the chickpea cutlet recipe was all the rage in early 2008. I was on the chickpea cutlet love bandwagon. I posted about it here and here and here (and I even included a recipe for Curried Pattypan Squash & "Chicken" Saute Over Quinoa using chickpea cutlets).

Anyway, in an effort to gain back some of my lost youth (I was still in my late 20s in 2008!), I decided to take it back to the old school with Chickpea Cutlets this week:


These meaty cutlets are made with mashed chickpeas, gluten flour, and spices. And they're just as toothsome as any pre-made plant meat. I smothered this one with some onion gravy that I'd been saving in my freezer. Yes, gravy freezes beautifully in case you've ever wondered.

I served my cutlet with Joni's Mac & Cheese from Vegan Food Gifts and some canned green beans topped with Phoney Baloney's Coconut Bacon:


And for a close-up of those beans. Canned green beans may sound boring, but trust me, coconut bacon makes them magical. But coconut bacon can make anything magical:


What were you doing in 2008?

10 comments:

Babette said...

It's been a while since I made those cutlets. I remember the hype very well =)

Now you make me want to prepare gravy and freeze it.

foodfeud said...

Gorgeous meal! I still love those cutlets; they're a classic. I have yet to make or try coconut bacon but I trust you when they say everything is delicious when topped with them.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

I love those cutlets too. I went through a phase of never making them because I had it in my head they took ages to make but they are actually ridiculously easy and delicious!

Cadry's Kitchen said...

Ah, chickpea cutlets... They were the Coconut Bacon of their day. I still make them on occasion now, and like Sal said, I'm amazed at how easy they are to put together. In my head they're a more intensive dish, but they're basically as easy to make as falafel. They're so good, and sometimes it's nice to have an obvious "entree." Your plate looks like a delicious batch of comfort!

And your title got me so excited! Only 3 weeks until we'll be living the dream of the 90's!

The Health Sensei said...

they're still a classic....love those cutlets!

vegan.in.brighton said...

Coconut bacon IS magical! I love that stuff! I also remember the Chickpea Cutlet days, I think I need to make them again soon too.

Dana Vickerson said...

5 years ago I was graduating from architecture school and had just gone vegetarian, almost exactly. i bought vegan with a vengeance at the U of A campus book store and was instantly in love with Isa and everything she does. that is when i got exposed to vegan blogs, scouring the internet for information about my new choices. it only took a few months until i took the plunge into veganism, and i still think it was the best decision i've ever made. i think i got a copy of veganomicon for my birthday that year, but i have never made those cutlets. i must try!

Anonymous said...

That looks like such a perfect meal! In '08 I was planning to move to CA, and probably making chickpea cutlets :)

Pam @ herbieontherun.com said...

I didn't go vegetarian until 2011, so I was late getting that cutlet memo! But a long-time vegan friend of mine gave me he recipe (before I bought the cookbook after transitioning to vegan), and it was an immediate favorite. I still make it pretty regularly.

2008 seems like such a long time ago! I hadn't gotten into running yet and was still eating animals. I didn't know myself at all back then!

Lesley Eats said...

I was just thinking this morning, "I really miss 5 years ago when everyone was blogging and I never had to ask anyone what's been going on."

These cutlets are going to be making an appearance at my house very soon!