Cooking from Cookbooks : Vegan for Everybody

Hi everyone and welcome back to another delicious post. In the past, I've shared about trying out recipes from different blogs (you can find all of the posts here), and today we'll be slightly switching things up and cooking from a cookbook - Vegan for Everybody from America's Test Kitchen. My friend and fellow blogger Alexa lent me this book, and now I'm planning on purchasing it myself after trying out a few recipes! (PS- you can see her review of the book here). 

I absolutely loved this cookbook! Not only did it make cooking vegan seem approachable, but also had explanations of why each recipe worked or why certain ingredients/steps were included. It helped to reignite my passion for cooking vegan food (which has been kind of waning in the past year with wanting to make more comfort food). I can't wait to buy this for myself and try out all the recipes.

Here's a look at the recipes that I tried out for a full day of meals, along with my thoughts on each dish-

Breakfast - Tofu Rancheros

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I'm not the biggest fan of tofu, but this recipe sounded so interesting and flavorful that I wanted to give it a try. I liked the method of baking the tomato sauce to give it a really rich, deep flavor- it almost had too much seasoning for my taste but helped to complement the other ingredients that went into the finished product. 

The only miss in this dish for me was unfortunately the tofu. Even though the steps were supposed to make it more crispy, it still had the typical spongey texture that I'm not a fan of. I think this would be better with some black beans, because otherwise I liked this dish a lot.

Rating : 3.5/5. Great sauce and fun idea, but the tofu (main component) was a miss for me.

Lunch - Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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Years ago I tried a recipe for chickpea salad (which is supposed to be reminiscent of tuna salad) and absolutely loved it. I was hoping this recipe would be similar, and it was- but kicked up a million notches. Not only was this easy to put together, but it was so flavorful and had so many delicious textures in it! I wish I doubled the recipe to have even more leftovers, because I was craving this for days after I made it. Even looking at the pictures and remembering what this tasted like makes me want to make it again!

My Rating : 5/5. SO GOOD!!

Dinner- Burrito Bowls

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This was another home run for me! I'm not someone who likes to eat the same meal multiple days in a row, but I found myself wanting to make this over and over again. It wasn't anything groundbreaking (making burrito bowls with whatever I have leftover is what I do when I'm running out of groceries) but I think what makes this unique is that each component is absolutely maximized with flavor. 

Instead of just making plain rice, you add in seasonings and lime juice. Veggies and beans are also seasoned and cooked separately before mixing everything together. And the chipotle crema- absolutely delicious!! I could have just eaten that plain because it was so good. I'll definitely be revisiting this recipe over and over again.

My Rating : 5/5. Simple, delicious, and great leftovers. What more do you want with a dish?

I did have one fail that I didn't even bother to take a picture of- the Falafel. I'm a big fan and have never made them myself, so I'm sure a lot of this was user error. When I made the mixture it was super dry and would not stick together, then completely fell apart when I tried to fry them. I tried to salvage the mixture (which tasted pretty good) by baking, but overall it was a dry, dusty failure! 

What is your favorite cookbook?

What blog or cookbook should I cook from next?