Isa Does It!

I've been eagerly awaiting the publication of Isa Does It, Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new massive full-color, photo-heavy volume of simple everyday recipes. I'm not sure what it is about Isa's stuff, but everything she comes up with is just gold. Pure, nooch-covered vegan gold. Her and Terry's cookbook collaborations are definitely the most well-worn volumes on my cookbook shelf. And I'm pretty sure the same goes for every other vegan in the world.

I waited until Atlanta VegFest to buy my copy because I wanted to get a signed copy from Isa. Here she is signing my book (or actually making a goofy face)!

I've only tried a couple of recipes so far, but both were FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. First, I tried the Scrambled Chickpeas for breakfast, because, well, scrambled chickpeas!

This is an alternative to scrambled tofu (and there's nothing wrong with scrambled tofu, but sometimes a vegan gal needs to mix things up). Chickpeas are sauteed with caramelized onions and dill, served over toast, and topped with the optional miso-tahini sauce. I love a savory breakfast, and this was just perfect. But you know, without Isa, I'd have never thought of scrambling chickpeas. She's just so innovative!

The other dish I tried is perhaps the most beautiful thing I've eaten all year — Mushroom Hotpot.

Isn't it just too pretty to eat?! The broth is made from shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, onions, anise pods, and coconut milk. And from there, Isa provides suggestions about what to add to your soup. I went with udon noodles, grilled tofu (recipe is in the book), cilantro, and sriracha. Sadly, some of my lemongrass was a little tough, so I ended up spitting out pieces every now and then. But still so very tasty and pretty!

Also, I learned from making this that I don't hate anise pods. I hate licorice, and I assumed I hated anise too. But I wanted to use the pods called for in the recipe because I knew they'd be so pretty in a picture. And honestly, it gave the soup a lovely flavor, like Chinese Five-Spice Powder.

I can't wait to try more from this book. I swear every recipe sounds like something I want to make, so it'll be hard to narrow it down. There's a whole chapter on bowls (Cozy Hummus Bowl, Cucumber Ranch Bowl!!). And a chapter on handheld foods (Baked Garlic-Curry Fries, Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Tacos!). And a chapter on stir-fries (Sticky Orange Chicky Stir-Fry! Seitan & Broccoli with Pantry BBQ Sauce!).

I'll have to wait a bit before I get into those recipes though. I'm headed home tomorrow night for Thanksgiving with my family. And then it's leftovers, leftovers, leftovers. I'm also declaring December "Pantry & Fridge Clean-Out Month." But more on that later. I won't be blogging Wednesday night, so have a happy un-turkey day!