A Hit (Ginger Peanut Squash Stew) and a Miss (Funky Frittata)

I overbought produce last week, so I spent my Saturday evening roasting various squash and digging into my cookbooks for recipes that matched the contents of my fridge and pantry. 

The high: ginger peanut squash stew (p.129) from Vegan Eats World. 

I used a roasted acorn squash and omitted the cilantro (that's dried parsley you see); it was FANTASTIC!  I love a recipe that only requires one pot and this was it.  I even shared: VM loved it and OD ate his whole bowl- which is saying alot since it was pretty spicy. 

Although I've had enormous success with it in the past, the recipes from Viva Vegan intimidate me.  After this incredible stew, I will make a point to revisit both Terry tomes.  It's a good feeling to be shocked that the meal you created was done so by your hands.

The low: frittata from Vegan Brunch.  I've been cooking with Isa/Terry books most of my vegan life and this was an unexpected (user error) disaster. 

My add-ins were looking great:

But, once in the dish, I could see that the frittata seemed loose. 

It did look fine enough when it came out of the oven.

But, in the end, over-cooking it didn't save it.  Upon introduction to my slice-and-serve, it veritably melted into a frittatta puddle.  Let's just say it was suggested that I serve it with straws.

But, despite the texture, the taste was really good; I think maybe the sauteed mushrooms, onions, and peppers continued to release moisture into the frittatta as it baked.  Totally my fault, as the recipe called for chard and I messed with altered it.  I'll try again, but next I have my sights set on a quiche. 

Lest you think I wasted the leftovers, fret not.  I enjoyed it the next day on toast with sriracha and sliced tomatoes (underneath).

Mother's Day: Vegan Biscoff Spekuloos Crepes & Chocolate Almond Cookies

Not only doesn't VM like to cook, but other people cooking in her kitchen puts her on edge (oh the mess!)- making it kind of difficult to cook for her, especially on a day when you'd most prefer not to annoy her by spilling sugar in her silverware drawer (why don't I ever remember to push it all the way closed?).

There were things I could have made in advance, but lots of correlating reasons not to do so.  I thought of quiche; great savory breakfast, right?  Except for that I forgot to pick up broccoli; it's just not quiche without broccoli.  Scratch that.  Then I considered tofu scramble.  Except for that VM cannot admit that she likes it.  She insists she doesn't, has to be forced to taste it, and then- only fleetingly (while she's chewing), concedes.  No bickering on Mother's day.  So, I was back to cooking day-of; why not go all out?

Crepes!

I chose the sweet crepes from Vegan Brunch (p. 77) and was happy to find that one batch of batter fits perfectly in the Magic Bullet.

The crepes were a perfect opportunity to showcase the Spekuloos spread (a.k.a. Biscoff spread) I've been saving for a special occasion.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the spreadable version of the hard-to-find-in-America Biscoff cookies and it will knock your socks off.  Seriously, the spread might even be better than the actual cookies and it was phenomenal in the crepes.  I had the forethought to give everyone two Spekuloo crepes each and they were undeniably the crowd favorite.  The drizzle of Holy Kakow chocolate syrup didn't hurt either.

I also had another spread on hand.  Spread #81 to be specific.  A friend gifted it to me recently (noticing a pattern?) and I'd never heard of it.  Once I saw that the ingredients were peanuts, chocolate, and pretzels we were adequately acquainted.

But, I was unexpectedly unimpressed.  Actually, I didn't like the spread at all and didn't wind up eating this crepe.  It was, unanimously, the least favorite crepe of the assortment.

The last crepe was filled with raspberry preserves: simple and delicious.

We did manage to ingest an actual, non-sweet meal at some point during the day and then, for dessert, I tried to recreate one of VMs favorite cookies, the almond cookie with a chocolate dollop in the center.  For some reason she associates this cookie with Chinatown, but I really have no idea of the true origin or ingredient specifics.  I decided to use Terry's Favorite Almond Cookie recipe from Veganomicon (p. 235-236).

My Magic Bullet never ceases to amaze me; it ground my almonds into meal in nanoseconds.

After the finished cookies had cooled,

I melted 8oz of chocolate chips for the dollops and allowed them to harden in the fridge for 40 minutes. 

These were never my favorite cookies, but they smelled delicious and sure looked snazzy.  The cookie was soft with the faintest almond taste, but VM said that's exactly how she remembered them.  The inauthentic disproportion of chocolate to cookie was purposeful (duh) and much appreciated.

As with all celebrations, ours ended on a full note; I hope yours did too.  Happy Mother's day to moms of all kinds.