Street Vegan Cookbook Review + Homemade Potato Pierogies w/ Horseradish Cream

I have a confession. Before becoming vegan I rarely consulted cookbooks and certainly never bought any. What kind of food obsessed person am I? I'm not really sure why but I find that whenever flipping through a cookbook there's only ever a handful of recipes that tickle my fancy. That was not the case with Adam Sobel's new cookbook Street Vegan. He is the owner and chef of the renown Cinnamon Snail food truck that roams the busy streets of New York City, doling out mouth-watering vegan food to the masses. 

Adam's and my tastebuds must have been cut from the same cloth because pretty much everything in this book...I was looking to whip up and scarf down! From his Bourbon Hazelnut Pancakes to the Polenta Sage Cashew Cheese Wedges to Rosemary Hemp Seed-Crusted Tofu and Lavender-Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. I would happily consume every meal in his cookbook. 

The book is divided into the usual chapters like Breakfast, Beverages, Appetizers, Soups, and Desserts. However, there is also a Sandwiches chapter as well as Cinnamains (main meals), Veggies and Sides, Donuts, and The Saucy Stuff. Yep, you read that right, he has an entire chapter on donuts. Genius. 

Adam discusses, "Some kooky (and not-so-kooky) things in the snail's pantry". Most of the items I think of as staples in a vegan kitchen such as tofu, almond milk, vegan mayonnaise, tempeh, etc. However, there were some ingredients that I have yet to discover in our rural Alaskan grocery stores such as Umeboshi Plum Vinegar, Chestnut Flour, Lucuma, Gochujang, and Asafetida (umm, whaaa?) to name a few. 

Street Vegan is filled beautiful matte photos (not a photo for each recipe, to my great misfortune) and short stories about the Cinnamon Snail's adventures, such as acquiring daily parking tickets and the like. Adam has a unique and very comedic voice that had me giggling and smiling all throughout the book. He has funny lines all throughout the book. Take this one from his Acknowledgments:

“A giant-size set of lips bigger than buildings for the smooches for Kim Ima from the Treats Truck, for all her mentoring and support. You are my food truck mommy.”

Or this one pulled from the introduction to his recipe for Cinnamon Snails. These are actual quotes. 

“...But then a Sasquatch snatched up all the puppies, and we had to save the day by riding on a giant cybernetic snail dousing the bad-guy Sasquatch with cinnamon, until he stopped being mean and did a lot of giggling, and we all ate cupcakes, and yayyyy!”

I really appreciated that the index was ordered by ingredient (which isn't always the case), however, I found the recipes to be a bit cumbersome to follow for a few reasons. 

1. The layout of the recipes are a strange in that they're arranged in long vertical columns as opposed to the usual shorter, horizontal sentences. I found myself losing my place many times while making the recipes.
2. Some of the recipe staging and flow could have been more efficient. For example, in the pierogi recipe he instructs you to make the cream sauce first, but to me it made much more sense to start with putting the pot of water on to boil for the potatoes and make the dough because it needs to rest for 30 minutes. I think it made the entire recipe just take a bit longer than it needed to.
3. Oftentimes, the recipes were quite ambiguous. Adam instructs to "heat the canola oil in a saute pan..." What size saute pan? I was lucky that I used my largest one to saute the onion because later in the recipe, two pounds of mashed potatoes were added! Little things like that sometimes popped up and I found myself scratching my head. 

The only other criticism I have is that many of the recipes were pretty heavy. Perhaps it's a personal preference that I gravitate away from greasy, oil-drenched foods. Also, if you don't prefer to fry your homemade donuts, you're out of luck because there are no baked donut recipes in his entire chapter dedicated to donuts (sad face). This excludes an entire chapter of the book! Also, the spine of the book doesn't lay flat, which is a petty pet peeve of mine.  Okay, now I'm just being nitpicky...

BOTTOM LINE

That being said, this is one of the most unique and personally appealing books I have ever reviewed or had the pleasure to own. It's full of new and inventive recipes that will delight you just as much as his writing. I highly recommend Street Vegan! It's snagged a 4/4 star review on Amazon and is available wherever books are sold in a ebook and paperback format. 

It was hard to pick out a single recipe to test in this book but I finally decided to try my hand at the Truffled Potato and Fried Onion Pierogies with Horseradish Mustard Cream. Todd is from Cleveland and I'm pretty sure it's the pierogi capital of the USA. Correct me if I'm wrong. There must be a lot of Polish influence in Believeland.

I'm somewhat ashamed to divulge that I've never actually had a pierogi before (despite my many adventures in the wonderful West Side Market)! They're absolutely delicious, though I did find them to be a bit heavy for me. Next time I'm in Cleveland I will have to pick some up at the Market to compare.

I did make a few changes to Adam's recipe, notably the "truffled" part. Surprise, our local grocery store does not in fact carry truffle oil, nor (at the time) fresh horseradish; I did manage find the stuff jarred however. I hope you enjoy my adaptation of Adam's recipe! Here's a few things I changed:

• Drastically mixed up the flow of the recipe.
• Left the potatoes unpeeled, as opposed to peeled.
• Extended the boiling time of the potatoes.
• Extended the sauteing time for onions and decreased the cooking time for horseradish.
• Used onion instead of shallots.
• Used coconut milk instead of almond milk.
• Increased the flour by 1 cup.
• Changed the mustard quantity. 
• Used rice wine vinegar instead of brown rice wine vinegar. 
• Doubled the quantity of oil for frying. 

These creamy, potato filled pierogies with a delicious homemade dough and horseradish dipping cream are browned to perfection and sure to wow anybody!

Homemade Potato Pierogies w/ Horseradish Cream

These creamy, potato filled pierogies with a delicious homemade dough and horseradish dipping cream are browned to perfection and sure to wow anybody! Adapted from Adam Sobel's cookbook, Street Vegan.

Yield: 30 pierogies

Ingredients

• Pierogies
• 5 medium russet potatoes (about 2 lbs), unpeeled
• 4 cups all-purpose flour + additional for rolling out the dough
• ¼ cup vegan sour cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup of water
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• ¾ medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp coconut or soy milk
• ½ cup olive oil, divided (for frying)
• Cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ medium yellow onion, diced
• ¼ cup jarred, extra-hot horseradish
• 6 drained capers
• 1 tbsp stone-ground or Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 6 oz (half a block) of firm silken tofu

Cooking Directions

1. Scrub the potatoes clean and quarter them. Place them in a large pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a low boil and cook, uncovered, for about 10-13 minutes until fork tender. When done, drain and set aside.
2. While the potatoes boil, make the dough by whisking together the flour, ½ tsp kosher salt, and black pepper in a large electric stand mixing bowl. Stir in the sour cream with a wooden spoon. Then, with the dough hook attachment, drizzle in the water with the mixer on speed 2. Increase to speed 4 and knead for about 5 minutes, until a semi ball of dough has formed. It’s okay if it’s sticking to the bottom of the bowl a bit. This is a somewhat sticky dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a heavily floured surface. Form into a ball and allow to rest for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the cream by first heating the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Sauté the onion for about 4 minutes, until it begins to soften then stir in the horseradish, capers, mustard, agave, and vinegar. Cook another 2 minutes then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before placing in a blender along with the tofu. Blend on high for 1 minute, until very smooth. Transfer to a medium serving bowl and place in fridge until ready to use.
4. While the dough rests, make the filling by heating the canola oil in a large, cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 8 minutes until it begins to brown. Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil, coconut milk, and ½ tsp kosher salt. Add the boiled potatoes and mash until mostly smooth with a potato masher. Set aside.
5. Once the dough has rested, roll it out into 1/8th inch thickness. Using a small mason jar lid ring or small wine glass (about 2.5 inches in diameter) cut circles. Form the scraps into a ball and roll out again, making more circles until all the dough has been used.
6. Place 1 heaping tbsp of the filling into the middle of each circle and dot the edges of the circle with water. Fold in half, closed, pressing the seams together with the twines of a fork. Be sure to gently smoosh down the filled belly of the pierogi so it’s somewhat flat and can brown easily (I learned this the hard way).
7. Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil in the same large, cast iron skillet. Once the oil is hot, add as many pierogies as you can fit in the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, until they are a golden brown. Place on plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess oil and repeat with remaining pierogies.
8. Serve warm with the chilled cream. Place everything in respected Tupperwares, in a backpack, and run them 2 miles through the woods to your Dad’s house to share like I did (optional).

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon Cookbook Review & A Recipe

I've been following the blog, The Sprouted Kitchen, for quite some time and was delighted to discover that they were publishing a bowl inspired cookbook! The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook is a beautiful one, indeed; filled with gorgeous, matte photos taken by Hugh Forte, the author's husband. Sara Forte has created a lovely collection of healthy recipes devoted to consumption via just a simple bowl and a spoon. 

“...this book is a collection of recipes inspired by the marriage of flavor, color, texture, and wholesomeness that compose a dish - nestled in a bowl, in particular. ”

— Author, Sara Forte

The book is divided into Morning Bowls, Side Bowls, Big Bowls, Sweet Bowls, and Dressing and Sauces. It includes how to stock your kitchen with Sara's input on everything from rimmed baking sheets to kitchen scissors. Sara briefly touches on sweeteners, oils and fats, vinegars and salts, and lists other pantry staples she uses frequently such as flours, nuts, and noodles. The index is ordered by ingredient which is always grately appreciated. 

As far as being a vegan is concerned regarding this book, you'll have to find many alternatives to frequently included items like eggs (in every way possible!), salmon, scallops, a vast variety of different cheeses, ricotta, honey, butter, and many more. There's fish and seafood in the book, but no meat other than that. This is clearly not a vegan or even vegetarian book, but the recipes are quite healthy and can be easily adapted with vegan alternatives in many instances. A bit of creativity regarding substitutions will be necessary in some recipes. I found the differing uses of eggs; fried, boiled, poached, scrambled, etc. to be the most challenging. However, eggs can be replaced with tofu with little trouble. 

“I depend on using fresh, seasonal produce at its peak for the food to taste great in its natural state. ”

— Author, Sara Forte

I really enjoy the whole food approach to this book. You won't find any lasagna or casseroles here. It's all pretty simple with a very "fresh from the garden" sort of appeal. It was refreshing to see such a culturally wide scope of meals and such fun twists. Everything from Marrakesh Carrots to Strawberry Tabbouleh to Mixed Berry Tiramisu! However, there were a few peculiar ingredients such as Lillet, pasilla peppers, and Manchego cheese that I scratched my head at. Maybe it's just an Alaskan isolation thing?

I imagine it can be difficult to make bowl recipes feel like a genuine meal, as opposed to a side dish, but Sara does a fantastic job of it. Overall, I think this is a wonderful book filled with healthy yet quick meals that are mostly uncomplicated. If you're vegan, you might struggle to replace the vast array of cheeses in the book and other non-vegan items. However, getting a bit creative in the kitchen is always fun! I definitely recommend getting your hands on this stunning cookbook by the vastly talented, The Sprouted Kitchen. 

I decided to adapt her Emerald Greens recipe and share it with you!

Jade Greens

Recipe by Katie @ Produce On Parade

This is a wonderful little side dish and a great way to “clean the fridge”! It’s a lemony bowl that’s a great way to get in some greens! I strayed from Sara’s recipe by cutting the recipe in half and using kale instead of romanesco, onion instead of leeks, decreasing the oil, increasing the spinach and the parsley, using pepitas instead of almonds, and whisking a bit of miso into the dressing in place of feta cheese. Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook.

Yield: 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 2 heads (1 lb) of broccoli broccoli, chopped
• 1 bunch (8 oz) of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch (4 cups) fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp - 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp miso paste (I like red)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup pepitas
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop the broccoli florets and peel off the fibrous outer layer of the stem to discard. Dice the remaining tender bit. Add the florets and diced stems to a large serving bowl along with the kale and onion; coat in the olive oil.
2. Transfer the mixture onto two large, rimmed baking sheets in an even layer and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
3. Place the spinach in the large serving bowl and set aside. Whisk the remaining ingredients, excluding the pepitas in a small liquid measuring cup or small bowl and set aside.
4. When the vegetables are done roasting pour over the spinach and allow to rest for 2 minutes so they can wilt the spinach. Then, drizzle on the dressing and add the pepitas and parsley. Stir well to evenly coat the mixture in the dressing.
5. Serve warm.

Learn more about Bowl + Spoon. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

Sweet Potato & Balsamic Black Beans

If you've never made beans from scratch...the time has come. Beans are about the cheapest thing around and a superb powerhouse of nutrition and protein all in one. Eating a healthy, plant-based vegan diet can be quite frugal, contrary to popular belief. Just think of all the pennies you'll save from swapping beans for the carcasses of terrified, brutally confined animals! It's a win-win, don't you think? Oh, the more you know...and feel...and engage. Today I'm starting a new little bit called, If I Were President. See what I would do at the bottom of the post. 

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.”

— Helen Keller

Keller's words have never been more appropriate than now. While science helps force mother cows to produce more milk, factory farmed pigs to not get deadly sick even though they wade through their own filth, and chickens to grow so unnaturally large that they can't walk...we aren't addressing the real problem. The complete and profound lack of caring for these fellow creatures. And our mind-bogglingly gluttonous greed. 

I tried to make this side dish look as appealing as possible, but...you know...beans. They're not exactly the cover models in the world that is food photography. So, sorry for that. 

Sweet Potato & Balsamic Black Beans

Tender black beans combine with chunks of sweet potatoes and bathe in a spiced balsamic sauce for a healthy and delicious side. I’ve included instructions for using a pressure cooker or a soup pot. Adapted from JL Fields book, Vegan Pressure Cooking.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beans, soaked overnight or 8 hours
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp table salt
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cooking Directions

1. In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the garlic and sauté a few minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the spices and salt.
2. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the pot along with the remaining ingredients, excluding the vinegar. Cover, turn heat to high, and bring to high pressure. Keep at high pressure for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow a natural release.
3. Once the pressure is released, uncover and stir in the vinegar. Over medium heat cook for about 10 minutes, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir occasionally to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
4. Alternatively, you can use a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot with a lid and follow mostly the same instructions. However, cook the beans covered for about 1 hour at a simmer, then uncover and follow the same instructions. Check the beans for tenderness, they can vary widely in their cooking time and how long they were soaked for. Add the salt along with the vinegar if using this method.

If I Were President

I'd require every citizen to visit a factory farm and slaughterhouse. If they were still okay with the horrors, then they would be allowed to eat animals. No, just kidding. They'd have to live a day in the life of a mother cow who has had her calf stolen from her. Or be pumped full of growth hormones, or have his/her beak (nose) clipped off. Just the standard stuff. I don't think it's too extreme seeing as it happens to millions upon millions of living, sentient beings everyday.

Dutch Word of The Day

Apathy -->  onverschilligheid (onver-schil-ehide)

Good Deed of The Day

If you're still consuming animals, ditch that habit for one week. It's just one week. I think you can do it.