Part two of my Quinoa week;
I wasn't too excited to even blog about these following two as they look so bland, and for the first time pretty much ever (in my adult life), I didn't enjoy what I had created (from a recipe)
This "Sunshine Carrot - Tofu Scramble"- breakfast wasn't to my liking (Big Vegan p.69), it was ok-ish, but for something that eats quite expensive raw materials like tofu and spinach (in Fnland at least), it was bland and tasteless even after I tried to save it afterwards by adding some spices, and raw tofu (and spicing it) being a familiar material to me.
Please mind my huge salad on the left- which I'm addicted to. Most people usually have their salads on/or as a side dish, but I like the combination of "cold" and fresh next to something warm. With main course, I enjoy it just raw and green, nothing added, but I do love proper salads with various add-ons too:)
Anyhows, the scramble included grated carrots, firm tofu, yellow
bell pepper, quinoa, spinach and spices.
Asparagus- Quinoa Risotto:
I don't even recall the last time I've had such colourless looking food, heh! One thing that bothered me about this "Big Vegan"- book was its utter lack of visual pleasure. The book advertises 350 recipes; it is thick as a brick, but within those 544 pages there's roughly estimated 10+ picture pages. BUT, ha, now after having tried some of the recipes I understand why, heh:) There's nothing to show! If these two meals were photographed I quite probably wouldn't have tried them out:) -Fair enough!:)
BUT even having had my rant, this risotto was actually really good:) .. although I did alter the recipe a little, but only on the risotto- part by following the instructions on my risotto- box, and having the quinoa already made (read sprouted) rather than cooking them simultaneously with the risotto rice.
I've actually never made risotto before, strange. We had it at school quite often, and it wasn't bad, but it's just never occurred to me to make some. And sadly my asparagus came from a jar (tut tut!), 'cause all the fresh ones were sold out:( But I'm rather exited about this risotto now and will defo be making more, with added COLOUR!;)
The Risotto above ate risotto rise (no shit Sherlock!), asparagus, quinoa, onion, white wine and spices. I don't drink alcohol, I just simply don't enjoy it... yet another BUT, I was offered to have some of the "leftover" with the dinner, and this Sauvignon Blanc was really good! I was in total awe. If I ought to choose a wine I'd choose red no matter what food it would traditionally be associated with - much to my surprise, this stuff below still brings a happy smile to my face when I think about its taste:) I don't know if this Sauvignon Blanc would be regarded as rubbish by those more intellectual wine loving individuals, but I liked it! YUM, if that's a word one could use about a wine:) Light, fresh, cheery and apple'y:) + fairtrade is a bonus:)
Having complained about the lack of visuals on the Big Vegan- book, other minuses for such a heavy book are the paper covers. It's silly, but I really hate it when books get greases to the spine, ugh! This book is after all been designed for continuous use, I can't even imagine what it will look like after couple of months.
On the recipes as such I can't yet comment, but even with those instant "negatives", the book is slowly growing on me. I think it's probably more enjoyed by the beginner vegetarians and vegans:) But I'm slightly worried with (i.e. the two samples above), that the book gives a wrong example of veggie food; nothing kills enthusiasm as fast as food being bland and colourless, and veggie food already having the status of mushy "rabbit food" amongst some carnivores. But having said this, I've literally only tested such a few recipes AND the book has 5 stars on Amazon.co.uk so I do maintain my great expectations!:)
One other good thing for us Europeans, the book being American, is that next to those strange, heh, cup and oz- measurements, there's ml's, so it makes making and baking so much easier!:)
Have a wonderful and joyeux weekend!
x x x
