Notes about Recipes in this book

• Superiority burger

  • bching on December 29, 2018

    Good and will be better next time with a few tweaks. The burgers need more potato starch slurry than the recipe called for. The directions aren't very detailed--the crushed walnuts, at least by my understanding of the word "crushed" would have been better ground--and I am contemplating subbing smoked almonds next time. Be sure to salt well.

  • metacritic on October 25, 2020

    This recipe has depth, complexity, and warmth. It is as good - truly - as the Zuni Cafe hamburger. This avowed carnivore is astounded. In reading reviewers attempts at replicating the recipe, I elected to chop the walnuts finely (by hand but you would likely do well with a food processor) and to dice carrots and pound fennel seeds with care. I packed the burgers tightly. The end result is remarkable. I will make these often and relish them as I might any beef or lamb burger. I melted cheddar over them one day, the next day put marinated feta over them, shaved cumcumbers and carrots over them, served them with shredded kale and also avocado. And used ketchup. I can't recommend this recipe more full-throatedly.

  • patioweather on December 06, 2020

    This was excellent. Omnivores went for seconds. I suspect they will also freeze well so this will be my go-to burger recipe. That being said, the instructions are poorly written and I had to make several changes. First of all, there is a suspicious lack of salt in the recipe. I salted as I went using my judgement. I found that the cook time on the carrots was too long, especially if you initially diced them small enough to go in the mix. I cut the carrots into halves lengthwise and then diced them AFTER they were cooked. To grind the fennel seeds, I put some of the onions and the toasted seeds in a food processor. In the future, I will add more fennel in the future. Lastly, I doubled the amount of slurry that I mixed in. That seemed to work perfectly. They held their integrity and did not taste weird at all. I might try cooking them in the air fryer next time to get a more even crust.

  • IvyManning on May 31, 2021

    Wow, for the title recipe of the book, it's surprising how poorly edited this recipe is. First of all, the instructions to cook the red quinoa are vague and incorrect. At 45 minutes, the quinoa was burnt to a crisp and set off the fire alarm. Then there's all the steps that are vague or don't make sense. There's no oil in the recipe yet they ask you to saute the onion. Then you add the canned chickpeas and saute them for 20 minutes stirring constantly? Why? Are they supposed to be crispy? Recipe doesn't say! The roasted carrots were mush. I'm not sure why the walnuts were to be crushed, it doesn't say how to do that. It says to season with salt and pepper "until sharp" but I have no idea what that means. Mixing 2 tablespoons of potato starch with 1 tablespoon of water doesn't make a slurry---it makes cement that you can't even stir it. The end mixture is very dry & I measured exactly. It also only makes 4 to 6 burgers, certainly not 10! They didn't test this recipe.

  • crandall57 on May 05, 2025

    We really enjoyed these burgers and will make them again. After reading the other comments, I made the following changes: I cooked the quinoa 30 minutes, I put a little neutral oil in the saute pan with the onions, and, for the slurry, I mixed 3 tablespoons potato starch with 5 tablespoons of water.

• Tofu-fried tofu

  • patioweather on June 12, 2024

    The fry on the tofu was delightful and pleased my ominvore partner. The flavor was too heavy on mustard and pickle, but I can adjust that as long as I keep the consistency of the dredge the same.

• Saturated party sub

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    8-2-2018 The best of the sandwiches I've made from the book.

  • metacritic on September 06, 2021

    This was pretty good but exactly what it indicates: an elevated vegan party sub. It used and layered acids in a particularly satisfying manner, creating an unusually light sub with abundant flavor. It really is party sized, to an extent I hadn't anticipated, which leave us with a lot of sandwich to eat over the next couple of days. It was a fair amount of labor to create all the sub-recipes. I don't know that I'll make this again but I do like it quite well.

• Candied cashews

  • rosten on July 22, 2018

    addictive, great texture

• Burnt broccoli salad

  • rosten on July 22, 2018

    incredible, worth the effort and on repeated attempts, can be actually fairly quick to make

  • leighwhit25 on September 29, 2019

    This is so, so good and I didn’t even make the eggplant purée. Just as good or better cold from the fridge the next day.

  • metacritic on November 14, 2021

    As I made the components I could not imagine how they would come together. I made the recipe based only on the praise this finish dish has received. It was only after made the final component - in my case the eggplant puree - that I could begin to imagine the complete dish. It was beautiful and tasted phenomenal. I'll absolutely make this on a somewhat regular occasion. It's a great recipe in a book of fantastic recipes.

• Green brown rice with yellow beets

  • crandall57 on September 08, 2022

    This was, if not a little time consuming, delicious! We served it for lunch and, between the two of us, ate the whole thing. I didn't have enough sweet basil, so I cut all the herb quantities in half, but then (unintentionally) used the full amount of chickpea mayo. Also, I forgot the parsley. It was delicious as I prepared it and may have been too "herby" if I had put in all the herbs. May want to add the parsley next time. The chickpea mayo makes a lot, so look for other ways to use it or cut the recipe in half. I cooked the rice as directed in this cookbook and it came out perfect.

• Corn and tomatoes with bruised basil and olive oil croutons

  • rosten on July 22, 2018

    Made it with very good corn and tomatoes and it was incredible. Curious to try with less good ingredients.

  • metacritic on September 06, 2021

    Terrific. I'd gladly make the corn on its own, too, as a fresh corn polenta.

• Ice-cold herbed melon and cucumber salad

  • rosten on July 22, 2018

    Not much effort. Really delicious and refreshing. Was a little spicy, dialed it back a little on second attempt but actually preferred it spicy.

  • metacritic on September 03, 2021

    Very easy and terrific flavor. It has the characteristics of a Thai green papaya salad in some ways: puckering sour notes, a sweetness, and some heat. I used totally mediocre melon, pre-cut from the grocer, and it lifted the melon.Will try this again very soon with better produce. Added two tablespoons of the optional maple syrup in order to get some sweetness from an otherwise lfeless cantaloupe.

• Fennel and celery salad with spicy peanut sauce

  • coryelizabeth on September 14, 2018

    SO GOOD. I made this with mild banana peppers because of household spice preferences, and it still came out really well. Be generous with the chives and chopped peanuts.

• Vegetable salad

  • Nancarrow on June 13, 2023

    "While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 375ºF..." and no further mention of using the oven!

• Kohlrabi slaw

  • patioweather on December 06, 2020

    I was unsure what to do with the kohlrabi in my produce box and I am glad that I found this recipe. Folks went back for seconds! The one change I made was to swap the dill for parsley.

• Wild rice salad with candied hibiscus

  • chezmaryb on February 16, 2021

    Delicious! The flavors were bold and vibrant. We halved the recipe and it was a perfect filling meal for two. The flavors had an Ottolenghi vibe.

  • metacritic on November 15, 2021

    This is wonderful. I loved the earthiness of the wild rice and sweet potato against the brightness of the candied hibiscus. The green onion gives it a little bit of much needed contrasting flavor, too. I expect to see this dish make an appearance at a holiday meal this year, either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It would fit in beautifully with either.

  • crandall57 on September 13, 2023

    A delicious dish! I cut it in half for the two of us and we ate it all. Lots of great flavors. Will make this again.

• Green chile and raw applesauce crunchy potatoes

  • chezmaryb on February 02, 2021

    Super delicious. Like latkes but more tart and spicy. Recipe makes way too much sauce, would half both the chile and the applesauce

• Mambo-sauced crunchy potatoes

  • patioweather on May 28, 2024

    This is the best sweet and sour sauce that I've made from a recipe. Maybe because there's a little bit of everything in there, it comes out more balanced than other recipes. The potatoes are great but do take a while so plan accordingly. Next time I will also cut the a bit smaller than instructed.

• Crunchy potatoes with green cream and griddled onions

  • chezmaryb on February 07, 2021

    Satisfying like cheese fries but much prettier and healthier

• "New Bay" potatoes

  • chezmaryb on September 17, 2021

    Did not like this method of cooking potatoes. Absorbed tons of oil so way too heavy

• Braised collard greens with hot sauce and honey

  • wcassity on November 23, 2021

    Delicious and easy to make with ingredients on hand.

• White sweet potato and leek soup

  • mcvl on March 21, 2022

    What with sweet potato, leeks (also sweet), and coconut (mad sweet), this was way too cloying for me, so I made a bitter-umami slurry with butter, asafetida, ajwain, bay leaf, ground mustard, and a boatload of MSG, stirred it in, and enjoyed the soup mightily. I would even make it that way again.

• Creamy wild rice soup

  • jenburkholder on March 15, 2021

    Nice vegan wild rice soup. Tastes like winter in the upper Midwest. I ended up using a bit less broth and a bit less cashew cream, because I wanted it thicker and less rich. Use a decent wine (I used Chardonnay) - comes through to a surprising extent in the final product.

  • patioweather on March 16, 2024

    The first bowl I thought was mild, then I had a second bowl and was really pleased. I think this is a good template to use for future vegan "cream of X" soups. I blended half the cooked onions and a few mushrooms I had on hand into the cream.

• Banana bread

  • wcassity on October 09, 2023

    Awesome! So moist and flavorful, particularly the next day. Needed much more cooking time than recipe provides, otherwise made as-is with frozen overripe bananas in the batter and two small past-their-prime bananas chopped and added at the end.

  • Zormasa on March 16, 2025

    Edit April 2025 I made this again and used the sour cream as recipe called for. It did need much longer in the oven (65 minutes total) but it came out beautifully. Next time I will sprinkle the turbinado on sides and bottom of pan, before baking. This is now my go to banana bread recipe. March 2025 I could not get the center to cook properly. I cooked it for over 60 minutes and the center was still raw. Even with the raw center, it is the best banana bread I have ever tasted. I did use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I really want to perfect this recipe. I’m going to try it again. I also oiled the loaf pan and sprinkled it with sugar before I poured in the batter.

  • Dollars2Donuts on October 30, 2025

    This is my favorite banana bread. It does need a much longer cooking time. Have tried both yogurt and sour cream. Also add nuts, either pecans or walnuts. And use a packet of "Sugar in the Raw" on top. Put a slice into the toaster oven instead of griddling. The cooking smells will make you want to join a banana cult.

• Crunchy potatoes

  • crandall57 on September 08, 2022

    These were a real hit. I used Adirondack purple potatoes and left them in a little bit longer than called for, delicious. Will definitely make these again.

  • patioweather on May 28, 2024

    The potatoes are great but do take a while so plan accordingly. Next time I will also cut the a bit smaller than instructed.

• Corn bread

  • patioweather on October 03, 2022

    I subbed butter for the coconut oil because I couldn't open the jar of coconut oil. I also used a very fine white corn flour. The end result was a cornbread that tastes like the Jiffy I grew up with, which is kind of exactly what I wanted.

• Special sauce

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    7-6-2018 I have never had a Big Mac, but I think this is designed to imitate that sauce. Whatever, it's good stuff on a veggie burger.