Vegans Go Nuts!

My favorite cookbook-writing duo is at it again! Joni Marie Newman and Celine Steen recently released their gajillionth cookbook together (okay, it hasn't been that many, but they've put out a lot of awesome books), and this one is all about nuts! You know us vegans love our nuts! Hahaha, nuts.

Vegans Go Nuts is a full-color paperback with more than 100 plant-based recipes using nuts and seeds. I especially love that each chapter is introduced with some text and a graphic of a teensy squirrel. Y'all know how I feel about squirrels, right?

There's a basics chapter with instructions on making nut milks, nut butters, and nut flours, plus recipes for Thai peanut sauce, cheesy almond gravy, nut cheese, and nut-based dressings. And then there are chapters devoted to breakfasts, mains, soups, sides, salads, and desserts. As usual with Joni and Celine's books, everything sounds amazing, and I want to make it all.

But for the sake of this review, I tried two recipes. I'm a sucker for a savory breakfast, so I first tried Creamy Cashew Miso Oats, except I made these with almond butter instead of cashew butter (it's just what I had on-hand).

Steel cut oats are made creamy with a sauce made from almond butter, miso, and lemon juice. That's topped with sauteed mushrooms, scallions, and homemade pickles. The recipe gives you lots of ideas for toppings, but these are the ones I chose. And it doesn't include a recipe for homemade pickles. I just whipped those up on my own with vinegar, sugar, and some fresh cucumber, carrot, and hot peppers from my garden. This dish was such a nice change from sweet oats, which are fine too. But I like savory better.

For a main dish one night, I tried the Cajun Roasted Chestnuts and Potatoes.

This isn't something I'd typically choose as a main, simply because I tend to go for higher protein meals with tofu, tempeh, or seitan. But I had some roasted chestnuts in the pantry that needed using, and sometimes, it's nice to break out of our comfort zones.

And I'm so glad I did! This dish was amazing! It has roasted purple potatoes (any color would work), chestnuts, bell peppers, a whole head of roasted garlic, and shallots. I also added some hot peppers. The veggies are seasoned with Cajun spices and slow-roasted until tender (and until your whole house smells AMAZING). I served this with some collard greens and a gluten-free dinner roll. Yum.

I totally want to go nuts with so many more recipes in this book! There's Pad Tahini, a Cashew Crusted Grilled Cheese, Cashew Avocado Toast with Pistachio Dukkah (WHAT?!), and a Sesame Walnut Bean Ball Banh Mi. And of course, my mouth is watering over these desserts — Coco-Hazelnut Fudge Brownies, Rocky Road Pie, and Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream!