More Veganuary Inspiration–"Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen" Cookbook Review
Hey everyone! I’m back with another cookbook review today. Today’s selection, “Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen“, is the second book from one of my favorite bloggers–Richa Hingle. I do not yet own her first book, “Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen“, but it is definitely on my wish list. If you cannot track down either of her books, her blog has tons of amazing recipes! I have yet to make one that I have not thoroughly enjoyed, and I cannot imagine I will try one I would not gladly make again. Definitely check it out if you need a little extra veganuary inspiration!
Though once again I have only made a few recipes out of the book so far, I can already tell it is going to be one of my favorites. If you like flavorful sauces, this is your book. She arranges each chapter around a number of main sauces, then gives you different recipes using the sauces as a base. I love that Richa not only uses her Indian heritage for inspiration, but pulls the best flavors from all over the globe in this book. There are curries, pizzas, vegan burgers and desserts. Some of the sauces look a little involved at first, but the process for the ones I have made so far is actually pretty easy to follow. If you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, you are good to go!
I also very much appreciate that she gives either substitutions for allergies or a whole alternative recipe. There is regular pizza crust and also gluten-free. I avoid using refined oils in my cooking so I appreciate in this book and on her blog she usually has ways to adjust for that with a different type of fat or binder. Nut allergies? She’s got subs for that, too. 🙂
The first recipe I made out of the book was the Tinga Black Bean Soup. I use black beans a lot, but up to this point hadn’t really found a solid black bean soup that I really loved. Problem solved. The Tinga sauce is packed with goodies like tomatoes, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, thyme and oregano. You can either make the sauce ahead of time, or let it simmer while you prepare the rest of the soup. I was really happy with the outcome, so I will happily make the soup again or try the sauce in another application.
Last night I made Chickpeas and Potatoes in Spinach Curry Sauce. I did use carrots instead of potatoes and roasted some cauliflower to add to the final bowl. I also served mine over red quinoa. Delicious! The sauce came together in a heartbeat in the blender, and it cooked up beautifully with the chickpeas and carrots. I tried to plate it as nicely as I could to do the recipe justice! 😉
I have quite a few other recipes bookmarked to try out soon! If you only have access to the website, definitely check out this stuffed mushroom recipe. I have had many non-vegan friends love it! I have also had good luck with baking some of the muffins and breads on her site. Vegan baking can sometimes be tricky, but she has it down to a perfect science!
I hope you guys get a chance to check out this book or the website! Even if you are not a full-time vegan, these recipes are good enough to entice any omnivore to try a meatless meal every now and then! 😉
