Cookbook Challenge Week 37 - The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

This week I have been cooking from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook from Joanne Stepaniak. I wanted to buy this book for a while but it was always quite expensive (£18 range), however I decided to splash out a few weeks ago and unfortunately I have to say that although the recipes look brilliant, some I found disappointing.

The Uncheeses -

Muenster - I have never had Muenster before I became Vegan so I don't have anything to compare this with, I found it a little bland and uninspiring.

Swizz - I was going to make the Monterey Jack but the recipe was almost identical to the Muenster so I opted for the Swizz instead and I'm glad I did. I had a lot more taste and was far better than the Muenster.

Colby - This was my favourite of the 4 I made, flavoured with pepper and garlic it tasted really lovely and I will be trying it again although possibly with more red pepper. The only fault I found with it (I also found it with the Gee Whiz Spread which I made on the same day) was that it tasted too much of lemon. I used to specified amount in the recipe but it was a little too sharp and lemony, I will definitely use less next time.

Gee Whiz Spread - This was a nice spreadable cheez with a good taste, it worked really well spread on sandwiches or on toast and got better the longer it was left in the fridge, a reviewer on Amazon recommended making this with chickpeas instead of the white beans which I might try as I think they would be an improvement.

Overall I liked the cheeses, the only thing I didn't like was the texture. They didn't contain as much agar as other vegan cheese recipes so I found these a little crumbly/watery. This might be down to my agar or it could be intentional by the author to help the cheeses melt but if I use these recipes again I will throw a bit more in to firm them up:

Above is Muenster (Bottom right with the red tinge to the top) and Swiz Cheese (Top Right)

Above is Gee Whiz Spread (Small tub on the left) and Colby (Big chunks in the centre)

Gooey Grilled Cheese - I was really looking forward to this, I followed the recipe to the letter and ended up with a very lemony tasting grilled cheese (maybe my lemons are just a bit too strong?). Very disappointing.

Classic Quiche - The texture of this was really good (chickpea flour helped with that) but I found the taste disappointing. There was was bit of nutritional yeast and nutmeg in this for flavouring, but other than that it was missing out on a lot of taste. I put some mushrooms and vegan ham in but they didn't add much flavour either, it really could have been improved with some onion & garlic powder and maybe some soya sauce/tamari/liquid aminos:

Traditional Macaroni & Cheese - I was really looking forward to this but it really was as fantastic as I expected. It certainly wasn't bad, but I have had far better vegan versions in the last few years (I topped mine with some vegan parmesan for extra taste):

Cheezy Rice and Broccoli Casserole - this was quite good, the texture was nice and it was quick and easy to make, the only improvement I would make would be the addition of some onion powder, maybe some soya cheese and a bit more nutritional yeast: 

Philly Potato Chowder - This was really good, a thick and cheesey soup topped with fake bacon bits. Lovely and definitely one to make again:

Cheez-A-Roni - The best recipe that I tried, it was a combination of tomatoes, Gee Whiz Spread, nutritional yeast and pasta. It was a very tasty, quick and easy to make comfort food which I will definitely be making again:

Overall I did like this book, some of the recipes weren't great but they were really quick to make and it gave me some great ideas for making Vegan cheeses that are a lot faster to make than those in Artisan Vegan Cheese, with a few tweaks I think they could be really great (that notwithstanding my favourite is still the Smokey Mountain Cheese from Vegan Diner). I also now have a few new items in my "to cook regularly" list from this book so thats always a plus and there are some other recipes that I really want to try from it (peanut butter fudge pie anyone?).

Cookbook Challenge 27 - A Vegan Taste of France

This week I have been cooking from A vegan taste of France by Linda Majzlik.
At first look this book is very lacklustre, boring and uninspiring - there are no photographs whatsoever. However after making 4 of the recipes I have completely changed my mind, all of them worked out well and tasted great.

Mushroom, walnut and lentil pate - this was really good, full of flavour and very filling (while it was cooking I couldn't believe how good it smelled). What surprised me was how far it went, I made half the recipe which is supposed to feed 3 but it made enough for 5 decent portions:

Red onion, tomato & tarragon tart - I made 2 of these, the first I ate warm and was not impressed with at all. It tasted far too sweet and I really didn't like it, however when left overnight in the fridge it was wonderful, tasty, not too sweet and as it had a wholewheat crust it tasted hearty & healthy. Definitely one that I will make again:

Vichyssoise - this was another excellent dish, primarily consisting of potato & leeks the only change I made was to use Vegan chicken bouillon instead of veg stock as I think Vichyssoise usually has chicken stock in. It was a really great tasting soup, I served it hot but it was supposed to be served cold. I might try it that way next time:

Chocolate & Hazelnut Ramekin  - finally another tasty recipe! This was really simple to make (cornflour, cocoa, soy milk etc) and tasted divine:

I have to say that this book completely proved me wrong, I thought I was going to have a week of boring food but it ended up the complete opposite. If these books could just be improved with some photo's they would be far better.

Food from March

Just a few of the culinary delights from the last 2 weeks:

Blueberry Maple Overnight Oats:

Hearty Breakfast Bowl (inspired by Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites):

This was really good, fried potatoes, scrambled tofu, home made fakon bits & salsa

Vegan Chikin Fu-Yung:

Hearty chikin noodle soup (from Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites):

Another excellent recipe from this book, will definitely be making this again.

Amy's Indian Vegetable Korma:

This was really great - its best cooked in the microwave though.

The Marks and Spencers Vegan option:

The only Vegan sandwich that I could find in M&S, it was quite good but not very filling.

Lasagne rolls with tofu ricotta (from Vegan Family Meals):

This was OK but had a unusual taste and took hours to make, I wont be making it again.