Smokey Grilled Tempeh and Cheater Baked Beans. The tempeh and baked beans were okay, but we both decided there was no need to make the tempeh again. The beans were tasty, and worthy of a second try (and very easy to boot).
There’s so much positive buzz about this cookbook that we figured we’d do well with one of the more popular recipes. Unfortunately, we’re now one for three here. The mac ‘n cheese just didn’t work for us. Though I thought it was alright, I wouldn’t ask Jane to make this again. She actually disliked it, so much so that she said she won’t eat the leftovers. To put that in perspective for you, we don’t typically throw food away in this house. I didn’t have that strong an aversion to the dish, but something didn’t work for us, perhaps it was the large quantity of nutritional yeast. 
I hate to take such a contrarian stance, but so far this cookbook isn’t living up to it’s hype, for us at least. Last time we posted about the tempeh, everyone who commented said they loved it. So we’re left to wonder if our taste buds are out of sync with the rest of the world, or perhaps Jane’s having trouble following recipes lately? So far, we’re much happier with Vegan Planet and the Real Food Daily cookbooks.
We’re not ready to give up on this book just yet. It’s a great big cookbook, and you all seem to love it so much. Next, Jane’s going to try the Chickpea Cutlets which the authors state is their signature dish. If we dip below the Mendoza Line (one for six), we’ll have to hang up our Veganomicon cleats.
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14 responses so far ↓
1 Melisser // Apr 3, 2008 at
Ooh no no, the Mac & Cheese has had mixed reviews! The Chickpea Cutlets seem to be most loved when pan fried. I also love the Pumpkin Saag with extra lime juice, the Red lentil Cauliflower curry (although it’s not all that inventive), Pineapple Cashew Quinoa stir fry & a few other dishes that don’t pop in to my mind at the moment.
2 They Might Be Vegans // Apr 3, 2008 at
Oh I was wondering if this was any good. I tried the tempeh baja tacos and they were gross. I have also tried the baby bok choy recipe and the artichoke pasta recipe and loved them.
Thanks for the review!
3 chris // Apr 4, 2008 at
My results with Vcon have been mixed, too — I thought maybe it’s because I’m such a newbie to this vegan thing that my tastebuds haven’t caught up yet. The chickpea cutlets I’ve made twice — baked they were OK but kinda dry (I liked them better than my husband did), and panfried they were gross — I think I had the pan too hot and they were mushy in the middle. So I would suggest either baking and serve with a sauce, or panfry on a lower heat than you would expect.
4 heather // Apr 4, 2008 at
I was not impressed with the smokey tempeh either and I threw out 80% of my pan of mac daddy… I concluded that 1. tempeh is imprevious to marinade and 2. I hate nutritional yeast.
My favorite Veganomicon recipe is the tomato-rice soup with navy beans. That and the caesar are the only things I’ve made more than once…
5 merdeath // Apr 4, 2008 at
The Snobby Joes are awesome
6 SeitanSaidDance // Apr 4, 2008 at
Damn, I’m sorry you’re not having better luck with the Veganomicon. I love it but haven’t made any of the more popular recipes yet (no Mac Daddy or Chickpea Cutlets for me yet).
Have you and Jane been cooking for a long time? I’d never cooked before six months ago, so the book was a worthwhile investment for me for the How to Prepare a Vegetable, Bean and Grain sections alone. That wouldn’t be impressive if you already know those things, though.
I’ve made about 20 things from the book and can only think of two I really didn’t like: the seitan cutlets (I messed them up, will try again) and the horseradish dill sour cream (I don’t like horseradish or sour cream, though).
I think my absolute favorite dishes from the book so far are the Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry and the Cornmeal-Masala Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Spiced Yogurt Sauce.
Do you like vegan mac ‘n cheeses in general? I tried Shells and Chreese and thought I was going to be sick. I had to throw it out, which is just Not Done around my house. I had better luck with the baked macaroni and cheese from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, but I’m not completely sold on it. I’m trying FatFreeVegan’s recipe this weekend.
7 norelpref // Apr 4, 2008 at
I think it’s a little unfair to expect any vegan cookbook to kick ass with every recipe. Also, I rarely stick to the letter with any dish but usually add my own bits and experiment. Some things work, some don’t. But I use Veganomicon, as I used Vegan with a Vengeance as a base to expand my own unique repertoire of vegan recipes.
8 madcapCupcake // Apr 4, 2008 at
The Chickpea Cutlets are AWESOME. I have made them so many times now I’ve lost count. In fact - I now quadruple the amount I make in one shot and put the extra in the fridge. I’ve made them both fried and baked - I like them both ways. When baking - be sure to brush both sides with oil so they don’t dry out, and take them out right away so they don’t dry out. When frying, you need to find that perfect heat - make sure the pan isn’t TOO hot, otherwise you’ll sear the bottoms and the inside won’t cook enough. Both ways are delish! I’ve tried adding chili pepper and green onions to the mix and that turn out great too.
9 Jaime // Apr 4, 2008 at
A word of advice on the chickpea cutlets - mash the peas *thoroughly*. I also found them a little dry - pan-frying helps.
10 earthbiscuit // Apr 4, 2008 at
if you like coconut, try the coconut lemon bundt cake… it’s incredible.
11 Gary // Apr 5, 2008 at
If this may be helpful… I made the grilled yuca tortilas from Veganomicon, adding a bit of corn and black olives to the mixture and some guacamole on the side, and served it to five relatives, three of whom were non-vegan, and they all raved about it.
12 David // Apr 5, 2008 at
I’m not a big fan of VCon either. I think there’s a lot of value for the “new” cook…
I much prefer their Vegan w a Vengeance, and Robin Robertson (?) who does Vegan Planet and Quick Fix Vegan.
13 David // Apr 5, 2008 at
Forgot to ask — I wonder how many of your readers actually get the baseball reference -Mendoza line?
14 Lane // Apr 9, 2008 at
Hi Everyone, sorry for the delay in responding, we’ve been having a few issues with the blog. Hopefully, we’re back on track now!
Melisser — Thanks for the heads up about pan frying the cutlets. Jane usually opts for the healthier version when she tries a new recipe. I’ll make sure to pass this along!
TMB — We will definitely stay away from the Tempeh baja tacos. Thanks! The Mac N Cheese improved slightly with age (leftovers). But Jane still really disliked it, so it will not be making a repeat performance in this house.
Chris — Our tastebuds are vegan by now (I hope). You scared us about the cutlets though. Jane’s promised to cook them on very low heat. We’ll let you know. I’m wondering if it matters if you use canned chick peas or dry?
Heather — we both chuckled at your conclusions. Have you tried nutritional yeast in other things? We both think it vastly improves a tofu stir fry (it’s the turmeric in most recipes that we find a little over the top). Will try the tomato soup, thanks.
Merdeath - Sloppy joe’s are Janes favorite vegan dish at Fattys (local vegan restaurant), so I’m sure she’d like these, but she has a thing about not ordering things she cooks at home… so maybe she’ll not want to make these.
Seitan — Yes, we’ve both been cooking for awhile, although I’m pretty much relegated to the grill and the waffle maker these days. So, those aspects of the book aren’t really valuable to us. I laughed that you tried the horseradish dill sour cream if you don’t like horseradish and sour cream… This was our first vegan mac n cheese, so maybe they’re all bad. Did you ever try FatFreeVegans? I’d be curious how that tasted (will check your blog later).
NoRelProf - Agreed, most cookbooks have clunkers, after all, individual preference is subjective (non-vegan as well). If we have the luxury of borrowing a cookbook from the library, we try a few recipes before deciding to buy or not. So far, we’re not encouraged to spend our money on this particular cookbook, but we’re still going to try a few more recipes before we make our decision.
Thanks for the hints MadCap. I think Jane’s going to try the pan fried version. I’ll blog about it after we’ve tried them.
Jaime — Ditto. And we’ll be sure to mash well!
Earthbiscuit — Jane’s been working her way thru the Joy of Vegan Baking, but maybe I can get her to make an exception for the bundt cake.
Gary - thanks that sounds wonderful. And Jane makes a killer guacamole.
David - Probably not many, but I included the link to the wikipedia definition for that very reason. And… we prefer Vegan Planet too.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Maybe next time we try a new cookbook I’ll poll you all for your recommendations before we figure out which recipes we’re going to try!
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