Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Part-Time Vegan Cookbook Review - Cuban Black Beans, Sweet Potatoes, and Rice



I try to incorporate meatless dishes into my menu plan so was very excited to be able to review the cookbook, The Part-Time Vegan: 201 Yummy Recipes That Put the FUN in Flexitarian by Cherise Grifoni. I read cookbooks like novels and this one was is well written and funny so it was a joy to read. The first chapter is entitled, Veganism 101 and gives a background on the vegan lifestyle and ingredients that are typical in the vegan pantry.

The chapters are broken down into Dips and Appetizers, Easy Breakfasts, Salad Dressings, Salads, Super Soups, Vegetable Dishes, Rice, Pasta Dishes, Grains, Tofu, Seitan, TVP, and Tempeh, and Dinner Plans (which plans your meal of appetizer, main course, and dessert), and Desserts. As I went through I had several recipes in each category that I bookmarked to try (I have even used TVP before so that chapter wasn't completely out of my mindset....although I'm not really on board with the Tofu, Seitan and Tempeh, which you could do a little meaty substitutions here).

I can't wait to try the Homemade Tahini, Easy Breakfast Blackberry Bread Pudding, Cranberry Apple Stuffing, Pumpkin Cream Pasta, Easy Garlic Quinoa, and Raw to Die for Apple Pie with Berry Topping (among MANY others). Most recipes are very easy to make and easy to substitute out ingredients you don't have.

I am not interested in a vegan diet but know that many of the recipes in this cookbook will become family favorites. I recommend this to anyone trying to get more veggies into their diets. You will not be disappointed!

Here is the first recipe I tried from the cookbook. Amazing! Healthy! Incredibly easy!

This book was sent to me by the Thomas Nelson Publishing company through their BookSneeze program in exchange for honest review.




Cuban Black Beans, Sweet Potatoes, and Rice
Serves 4


3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 grande sweet potatoes, chopped small
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1/4 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken broth because that is what I had, I know, not vegan and also used 1 and 1/2 cups......it was burning to the bottom of the pan)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon lime juice (I used 2 to 3 Tablespoons)
splash hot sauce

1. In a large pot set on medium-high, saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil for about 3 minutes.

2. Lower the heat to medium low. Add all other ingredients except the lime juice and hot sauce. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.

3. Add in lime and hot sauce and serve while still all warm and steamy.

2 comments:

  1. Oooh this looks like it's worth a peek! Thanks for the review =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I might have to check this one out. I've been a vegetarian for 21 years, so eating meatless is nothing new, but I'm always looking for fun, new recipes to try. (P.S. I don't use a lot of TVP, but I do make my own burger crumbles sometimes out of walnuts and bulgur wheat. I also make my own seitan, and it's actually pretty good. Scrambled tofu is okay, but I don't use much soy, and I've never been able to bring myself to try tempeh.)

    ReplyDelete