This week I also attempted to make vegan macarons for the first time (not an Isa recipe, but a culinary feat of its own!)
Here’s what I made:
Down-home curry with tofu and broccoli
Mushroom-Barley soup
Black eyed pea and collard tacos with apple-avocado salsa
Off-Isa: Macarons
Down-home curry with tofu and broccoli
I'd make this again, but only for a crowd (it makes a lot)
I made 0 substitutions
This would freeze fine
This makes a big ol' pot of curry that, as Isa says, is easy to throw together. I made this for a dinner I hosted for folks from my church, and it was a hit! Everyone (including myself) went home with leftovers.
I still have a fair amount of recipes to make from the Stews/Curries chapter, but I only have one actual curry left!
This turned out with a lot more broth than I expected (it almost seemed like a soup) but that just meant more flavor for the rice.
Mushroom-Barley soup
I'd make this again
I made 0 substitutions
This would freeze fine
How many times did I type, "barely" instead of "barley"? Only once.
Typos aside, this is a nice, light but satisfying soup that I see myself making again in the winter.
I think it's best with some toast or Isa's Olive Oil Soup Bread (which is in Isa Does It) because it has a clear broth that begs for some bread!
Black eyed pea and collard tacos with apple-avocado salsa
I would not make this again
I made 1 omission (cumin)
This would not freeze well
I have considered making this recipe many times before. I love collard greens, and I like black eyed peas, it's the apple-avocado salsa I didn't see myself diving into, and I didn't. It's unfortunately not my favorite new flavor-combo as Isa suggests.
Also, as just one person, if I'm going to open an avocado I need to eat all of it right away so it doesn't go brown. Even with the addition of the lemon in the salsa, this started to brown the day after I made it.
Even though I left the cumin out, I didn't love the beans! I think I have a particularly floral-tasting coriander powder, so I might have liked this better if I'd just used fresh cilantro.
We cook and learn!
An off-Isa honorable mention: Macarons
Every year I host a vegan cookie swap, and since I was sick for most of December (we usually gather around Christmas) we rescheduled for a Galentine's day event.
I have a few friends who can't have gluten, so I'm always looking for fun gluten free and vegan cookies/desserts. Macarons are traditionally gluten free (they're made with almond flour) and you can make them vegan by using aquafaba (the liquid from a chickpea can...yep!). I found this vegan macaron recipe and decided to test it out this week.
The macarons all stuck to the pan, were hollow inside, and slightly underbake at the bottom but slightly over on top...I don't think this is one I'll be trying again any time soon. That said, it was fun to try something that is different from anything I've made before! I've also had really great vegan macarons from bakeries, so I know it's possible.
Weekly reflection
I started off this week attending a protest with some friends in Asheville (regarding a North Carolina Supreme Court judge appointment and the suppression of votes along with it. Here's an article if you want to learn more). Life generally feels heavy and overwhelming still a lot of the times.
I'm glad I got to host folks from my church even though it was a smaller group than I would have had if I hadn't gotten sick a few weeks back! I love sharing meals with people and having good conversation. It helps lighten those heavy and overwhelming feelings.
I also had a last-minute visit from some family, and that was lovely! We went out to dinner at a favorite of my friends here, Forestry Camp.
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