By: Matt Frazier
1000 Vegan Recipes
I don’t buy cookbooks very often. You can get so many recipes online, pirated adapted by bloggers like me, that it’s hard to justify spending 35 dollars (29 with my BN member card) on a cookbook. But impulse buys are fun.
Also fun — posing for stupid pictures.
I’m not a vegan but I’ve been eating a lot of vegan meals, noticing that they leave me feeling considerably more energetic than even vegetarian meals made with cheese or milk. Something about them just feels “cleaner”; whether that’s psychological or not I can’t really say.
But even if 1,000 Vegan Recipes weren’t vegan, I’d still have bought it. (Though in that case, I’d suggest they change the title.) Without exaggeration, I’ve never seen so many easy, good-looking recipes in one place. My favorite part is that while there are a decent number of tofu and tempeh recipes, the vast majority of the recipes don’t use any processed soy products. Instead, care is taken to recreate the flavors — not just the textures — of meals that ordinarily use meat or meat products.
For example, French onion soup is a dish I haven’t quite enjoyed the way I used to. Vegetable stock alone just can’t replace hearty beef stock in this one. But in 1000 Vegan Recipes, the French onion soup recipe uses brandy and apple cider in addition to the vegetable stock to recreate the heartiness of the original. There are lots more examples I’ve found just leafing through the book, like using bulgur wheat rather than TVP to give chili a ground-beef texture.
Anyway, if you can’t tell, I’m excited. I’ve been in a rut with cooking recently and I think this book might single handedly get me out of it. Meal planning for the week was a cinch; actually I was overwhelmed by the number of recipes I wanted to try and more or less just chose the first ones I read. On the menu in the NMA household this week:
- Roasted chickpeas (a crunchy snack, apparently)
- Watercress, fennel, and avocado salad with dried cherries and macadamias
- Fennel-orange salad with black olives and pine nuts
- Quinoa salad with black beans and tomatoes
- Soba and green lentil soup
- Ziti with red pepper-walnut sauce
- Red bean and bulgur chili
- Lemon-kissed linguine with garlicky white bean sauce
As they say nowadays, “I know, right?” Lots of beans. Lots of poor person food. Right up my alley.
Pasta with White Beans and Garlic
Author: Matt Frazier
Serves: 3 servings
Here’s my adapted version of the last recipe on that list, which I made for lunch today. (It really is adapted; their recipe used a little too much garlic and it wasn’t saucy enough for what I wanted.)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15-oz can white beans
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 12 ounces dried linguine
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving about half a cup of pasta water when it’s done. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic for just a few seconds (don’t let it burn), then add beans, lemon juice, oregano, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through. Mash a few of the beans, add reserved pasta water, and mix to form sauce. Toss in pasta and add parsley.
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Haha, I always kick myself when I buy a cookbook because I know the recipes are all out there for free, but there’s something so satisfying about owning one.
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That dish looks delicious and you got a gorgeous photo of it. I like that the white beans add a bit of creamy texture to the pasta and also boost the protein level of the dish too. Can’t wait to see more!
.-= Katherine´s last blog ..What Has Chocolate, Zucchini and Goat Cheese? =-.
Sounds like an awesome cookbook! Roasted chickpeas are seriously delicious! And you can change the spice combo around and get really different flavors. I can’t wait to see the Ziti with red pepper-walnut sauce! And this pasta dish looks super yummy too. Hope you two had a nice weekend
.-= Erica´s last blog ..Sunny Sunday =-.
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Looks like a fantastic cookbook,I get excited about new recipes also. Can’t wait to see what’s next on the menu.
.-= Nicci@NiftyEats´s last blog ..Baking and Holiday Excitement =-.
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Whoa . . . I am so into this cookbook. I can’t wait to hear how all your meals go this week.
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Even though plenty of recipes are available online, it is such fun to page through a cookbook!
Beans are glorious, poor man’s food or not.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Sweet and Sour =-.
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Gah! I have been trying to get this one from the library but it’s always checked out! I bought Robin Robertson’s “Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker” a while ago and I love it. I have no doubt that her “1,000 Vegan Recipes” is awesome too- particularly now that I’ve read your glowing review!
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I usually come up with my own recipes, using what I have on hand, but as a foodie, I love reading cookbooks as well as recipes online and looking at all the wonderful photos! It’s so much fun.
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I love 1000 Vegan Recipes, too, and have nearly every one of Robin’s cookbooks! As a “vegan runner” (and a fundraiser/race director myself) I can say that eating great vegan food like this is nothing short of heaven! I hope you enjoy vegan eating!
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Vegan German Chocolate Cake =-.
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I almost bought this cookbook off Amazon just last week! What held me back were the reviews – people were saying that some of the recipes they’d tried were unreliable, in terms of ingredient amounts, cooking time, etc. I’m still quite interested in the book, so please let me know, as you try more, if they all work out and are as delicious as this first one looks!
.-= Amber Shea (Almost Vegan)´s last blog ..Almost vegan in Mykonos/Kusadasi =-.
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ohhh that cookbook sounds AMAZING – i am going to try roasted chickpeas this week too!
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Tis’ the Season =-.
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I want to try the roasted chickpeas. Let me know how those turn out. I’m also interedted in the French onion soup. I haven’t had it in years and would really enjoy a good substitute.
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Ummm can I be a dinner guest all week at the NMA household?! 😀
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That recipe looks yummy. I can’t wait to see other recipes from the book. I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I got meatless for lent and I’m always look for new recipes. I might have to add it to my Christmas list. 🙂
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Must try that pasta. I eat far too much tofu beeecause it’s easy. I don’t eat dairy ever and rarely meat. interesting looking cookbook!
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Mmm, I think this will be dinner tonight! Looks very tasty – your food photography is great!
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Good luck with the new recipes, Matt!
.-= Nicki´s last blog ..Connecting Online =-.
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That looks delicious! Here in Italy we have “pasta e fa*gioli”, which means — surprise surprise — pasta with beans. Depending on taste and regions, it gets to be the more or the less on the soupy side (e.g.: when my dad cooks it, it is never a soup like when my mom does :)); also, we use either “pasta corta” (“short pasta”, literally — macaroni shells or a similar kind of pasta) or spaghetti/linguine to make it, although we break the spaghetti/linguine in pieces before cooking them. Also, we usually add a chopped tomatoe to the beans, it’s yummy! 🙂
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Hi giogia! I’ve actually tried making pasta e fa*gioli, definitely a soup version. I think it used ditalini. And it called for tomatoes, but I forgot to put them in, so it was kind of lacking acidity. I bet your mom and dad’s authentic versions are about a million times better!
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Thanks for the heads-up on the book, Matt! I’ve been itching to add to the ol’ cookbook collection, and with Christmas coming I can add it to the wishlist (def need to balance the list out so people don’t think I live, breathe and dream running!)
The white bean pasta looks amazing–I’ve never thought of making a white bean pasta without a tomato base. Looks like my weekly menu’s getting an addition… 🙂
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I just bought the book, and made a delicious soup.
Can’t wait to keep making all the recipes! Do you some that you recommend making? Or all of them super good? ;o)
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Eliana, I’ve mostly made the soups and salads so far. Lemony lentil soup is really good; so are almost all of the salads, like the fig apple spinach one. Let me know if you find any good ones!
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Delicious. I just made this and it was really good and so easy. Next time, I’ll add sauteed broccoli for a little crunch. Thanks for the recipe!
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I thought it was a really good recipe, I used 6 cloves of garlic instead of 2 and next time I’ll probably use 8-9, I LOVE garlic!
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MAN – I LOVE ALL YOUR STUFF, whether its you up-beat comments on running, nutrition or recipes. You guys & girls are uplifting & encouraging – makes me wanna run a marathon & try out all your recipes!!
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New vegetarian here (can I call myself that if I’m only 24 hrs in?? lol) and this dish turned out delicious. Seriously. Thanx for helping me create a new staple.
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