meatless
Like many others, I have a love-hate relationship with Martha. I do have a love-love relationship with her recipes. While mine rarely look perfect straight out of the kitchen like her styled photos, they all taste good and are well written.
I recently borrowed her new book, Meatless, from the library and I am very happy I did. It obtained the coveted distinction of migrating from my general books list to my wish list. Many of the recipes are already gluten-free and/or vegan or easy to adapt.
In addition, many of the recipes are online (maybe all, I didn’t check), but I like curling up with cookbooks to plan each week’s meals so I think that is a plus for the book.
However, my complaint is that there wasn’t a prep/total time listed with the recipes in the ebook (they exist for most on the website). While this does vary by cook, I find them a useful estimate and they help in prepping the week.
Because I had late-winter blahs, I planned a week of cooking almost entirely from Meatless. When I deviated and didn’t look at the recipe at all, it was still something influenced to some degree by a recipe in the book.
I made all recipes as written (with the exception of reducing curry powder) as I’ve been trying to make sure there’s easy-to-grab lunches available for me. Most recipes are for 4+ servings so this worked out well.
- Lentil and Sweet-Potato Stew.
This was amazing and not a combo I normally think of (I often forget green beans). I did modify by using only 1/2 tsp of curry powder (and my curry powder is old so it was quite mild). There were plenty of leftovers and they became delicious lunches that had me looking for lunch well before noon! It’s quite filling and can be a one dish meal — we forgot there was rice in the rice cooker. Next time I make this I want to try to make it a little spicier and with freshly roasted and ground spices. - Apple, Leek, and Butternut Squash Gratin.
These photos do not do the meal justice. I licked the plate. However, there were no leftovers and we were still hungry. It’s definitely not a one-dish dinner for two unless you double (or triple?) it, but it’s really really good. Just writing about it makes me hungry. - Bean Tortilla Casserole.
This is the recipe that made me wish prep time was in the book! It took a lot of time to assemble. It reheated well for a leftover lunch which was a pleasant surprise. I tried to take photos of this one, but they came out blurry.
The following influenced other meals:
- Buddha Bowl. (Sorry for all the clicking, it’s item 7/23).
I love rice bowls, they are easy meals when time is short and great for using up random about-to-spoil foods. This one is mentioned only because reminded me to use up some frozen edamame that I bought after Pesach last year. - Harvest Vegetable Galette with Greens and Goat Cheese influenced a meal of gluten-free pasta with beets and goat cheese. It’s something I make often but hadn’t made in recent months.
- Stewed Lentils with Yogurt, Cucumbers, and Green Chiles became my standard yogurt + cucumber + tomato + yogurt “soup” … and I tossed canned chick peas in one day to make it more substantial YUM.
Is there a new cookbook you find yourself turning to regularly?
Green shoots are popping up all over my yard. That means in theory Spring approaches and I’m anticipating fresh asparagus! What are you most looking forward to?