So I was a little skeptical of this dish; as much as I love me some pesto, I’ve never wanted to put it in a mug and chug it like melted Daiya. (BEST.) But don’t let the sub-par photograph fool you: this dish is ah-may-zing!

The recipe is from Mark Reinfeld’s The 30-Minute Vegan: Soup’s On!, and I must admit up front: I used store-bought gnocchi instead of making them by hand. Way easier, and probably tastier to boot, since my gnocchi-rolling skills are not exactly on point. Otherwise I followed the directions mostly as-is. Well, except for the tomatoes. I used about double the amount called for, but only because I didn’t want to freeze half a can. Leftover ingredients, blerg.

In addition to the obvious – basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and cashews (or pine nuts) – the soup also has onions, veggie stock, soy sauce, and parsley. Everything but the tomatoes and gnocchi are blended to creamy perfection, a texture that’s complemented nicely by the chunky tomatoes and hearty gnocchi.

Will make again.

So I bought an eggplant and then promptly forgot why I bought said eggplant. Long story short, it started to get a little questionable, just hanging around in my fridge, so I decided to try the Eggplant Parmesan Stacks from Mark Reinfeld’s Taste of Europe. You know, since I couldn’t figure out which damn recipe I’d intended to make.

The result was…okay. I think I would have liked it better if I’d skinned the eggplant and sliced it thinner. The skin just didn’t soften up as much as I’d hoped, and the middle of the stack stayed a bit spongy even though the bottom pieces were perfectly tender; mushy, even. It’s a solid recipe though, and I bet I’d love it with green zucchini. The huge ones that spring up in my garden around July. (Mmmmm, summer.)

Anyway, I suspect I’m just not that into eggplant. IT’S SO HARD BEING A FUSSY EATER, Y’ALL.

This recipe’s actually a variation on the Scrambled Tofu with Chives and Wild Mushrooms from Mark Reinfeld’s The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of Europe (say that five times fast!). He offers five alternatives in addition to the main recipe, which I like, particularly for scrambled tofu – if you’re only making it one way, you’re doing it wrong!

So this is definitely one of the tastier tofu scrambles I’ve tried. Shane thought he detected hints of sharp cheddar, though I’m not sure what it might be – the tahini, maybe? Otherwise it’s pretty standard scrambled tofu ingredients: nooch, tamari, garlic, onions. Tumeric is strangely absent from Reinfeld’s scramble, but I added it back in for that trippy yellow egg coloring. Also extra: the green peppers, for added volume.

Another day, another cookbook. This time it’s Mark Reinfeld’s The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of Europe. I haven’t had much occasion to use it yet, but mostly that’s because I’ve been occupied with Vegan Italiano and American Vegan Kitchen. Everything looks mouthwatering, though, and it’s proven invaluable in planning my Vegan MoFo menu. (English cuisine, hello!)

Naturally the first recipe out of the gate is one involving pasta: Fettuccine Alfredo, my favorite! (I like all the creamy, carbalicious dishes.) This version is right up there with Tami Noyes and Lane Gold’s – SO GOOD I CAN’T EVEN EVEN! The sauce – a blend of cashews (no soaking required, yay!) and Daiya cheese – is thick and creamy and tastes so, so rich. The Daiya is optional, and omitting it will give you a healthier dish, so that’s cool too. We used less than half the recommended amount of Daiya, and the sauce still came out boss.

Seriously having a foodgasm just thinking about it. And I didn’t even mind that Shane used the full amount of crushed red pepper, thus turning my super-sensitive mouth into a fiery inferno. Hell is very, very tasty, it turns out.