Post Punk Kitchen Cookbook Challenge: Week Four

Week four in the Post Punk Kitchen Cookbook Challenge makes use of another book I wish I'd pull down from the shelf more often — Vegan Soul Kitchen! Although author Bryant Terry has since moved away, he has Memphis roots and it shows in his down-home, comfort fare.

I had no idea today was National Gumbo Day when I made his Gumbo Z earlier this week! But the timing worked out perfectly!

This hearty stew is a vegan spin on gumbo z'herbes (also called gumbo zav), a meatless gumbo made with a mixture of fresh greens. It was traditionally eaten by Catholics who were abstaining from eating meat during Lent. This gumbo has collard greens, mustard greens, and spinach.

The recipe also called for kale, but the ghetto-ass Kroger by my house doesn't carry kale because I live in a food desert. I have to drive at least five blocks to find kale (and yes, this shows that I'm a spoiled urban gal who feels like any place I have to drive to is too far). But I digress ...

Anyway, this was an amazing gumbo! I've only ever had traditional gumbos made with okra and some form of meatless protein. But this stew was all veggie-based, and I'm certain I got my daily allowance for greens (and probably calcium) in one bowl.

On the side, I made the Quinoa-Quinoa Cornbread from Vegan Soul Kitchen:

You're supposed to use quinoa flour and cornmeal, but I didn't want to spend the big bucks on a bag of quinoa flour that I'd never use again. So I subbed 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for the 1/2 cup quinoa flour. However, the cornbread was still super quinoa-y, thanks to the toasted quinoa grains. You don't cook them. You just toast them, and they impact a magical, nutty flavor. Also, agave nectar makes the cornbread pretty sweet, and it reminded me a little of Jiffy. But a super-healthy Jiffy! I prefer sweet cornbread.

What'd you eat on National Gumbo Day (it's okay if it wasn't gumbo ...)?

Post Punk Kitchen Cookbook Challenge: Week One

For the first time ever, I've decided to take part in the PPK Cookbook Challenge, in which bloggers and PPK-ers cook from a predetermined book each week. Now, I'm the world's worst PPK-er. Since they re-launched the vegan forum last year, I've posted exactly 34 times (I checked today). It's just so hard to keep up with the monster force that is the Post Punk Kitchen.

But I just so happened to stumble on the cookbook challenge as it was getting started this time. And I figured, what the hell? I had most of the cookbooks on the list. The book for Sept. 18th through the 24th is anything by Isa or Terry. I decided to cut two carrots with one knife (check out my clever Colleen Patrick Goudreau idiom!!) and use Veganomicon since it's by both of these lovely ladies.

I often ignore the brunch section of Vcon, maybe because there are so many more options in Isa's Vegan Brunch. But the small selection of brunch items in VCon are pretty damn good. Take, for example, this Tofu Florentine:

That's an English muffin topped with sauteed spinach, broiled tofu, and vegan cheezy sauce. How freakin' balanced is that breakfast?! Right?

I made a batch of this Sunday night, and I'll be heating up a little each day this week for the morning meal. That means I have a quick, healthy breakfast waiting for me for three more days. Oh yea, I know a thing or two about planning ahead. ;-)

What are your favorite recipes from the Veganomicon?