I started this cookbook challenge the same week that a cold snap descended on Asheville and I woke up without water...again.
It was a very stressful start to the day to say the least, and unfortunately it's become somewhat of a normal part of life here. So, I ended up cooking one of this week's recipes at a friend’s place.
Here’s what I made this week:
Did I make a curry at my friend's place? Yes.
Did I think about how fragrant of a dish that is to cook until I was already blooming spices on the stove? No, I did not. But thankfully, she loves curry!
And something I decided that applies to almost all of these recipes (and going forward), is that I will go to two stores - and no more! - to try and find an ingredient.
With the impending ice/snow storm I was sitting on my couch seriously contemplating if I would drive through it to find wasabi powder. I’m dedicated to the challenge my friends, but that felt like I was verging on madness. So with that new rule in place, let's eat!
Pesto soup with Gnocchi, Beans, and Greens

I love a good soup! And like Isa says in the book, “Let’s begin at the beginning, shall we?” As she says, soup is one of the most forgiving meals you can make.
Let’s start with the basics:
I would make this again
I made 2 substitutions
I did not freeze this because I ate it all (I think it would freeze fine though?)
Here’s what I substituted:
Mini gnocchi for gnocchi - I don’t know why, but this was the only gnocchi at Whole Foods. It actually turned out fun for the soup. Yes, fun, I like mini things!
Swiss chard for kale - Okay, the Whole Foods by me is just struggling. It might be a post-hurricane supply chain issue or I’m just going at a bad time of day, but usually this is really easy to find. This week, not so much, so kale went into the pot. I think if you also had to substitute kale, Dino/Tuscan kale would be better than curly kale texturally.
I thought that this might be you a little bit one-note texturally since everything that you’re putting in is soft, but there is a different chew between the gnocchi and the bean which is nice, and then of course the green!
I’m not sure why the recipe calls for frozen gnocchi? (Isa, if you ever read this, please reveal your wisdom!) I used regular shelf-stable room temperature gnocchi and that was fine. It cooked up in about two minutes.
I don’t know if I had enough basil or if it was just that my immersion blender isn’t that strong, but my soup did not turn out as gloriously green as it is in the picture. I ended up swirling in a little bit of extra jarred pesto, which probably made it a little too salty, but I wanted a bit more basil flavor.
Because the broth is cauliflower based, this gets thick after you store it in the fridge. If you like your leftover soup a little brothier, you could just add some broth to it when you re-heat it to thin it out.
Edamame tofu wraps

I liked this one more than I thought I would! I don’t know, wraps just don’t usually do it for me, but I think I’m also not good at rolling wraps so they don’t fall apart when you pick them up…
I would make this again
I made 2 substitutions
I did not freeze this because I ate it all, and I had leftover hummus which I was not mad about.
Here’s what I substituted:
Wasabi paste for wasabi powder - I don’t think I’ve ever seen wasabi powder
Kale for bean sprouts - Again, Whole Foods was just under delivering and this was not on the shelves at Publix either. I think microgreens could also be a nice substitute, and I did massage my kale with lemon juice (just helps make it not so tough) before I put it in the wrap.
Definitely start off the wasabi with a teaspoon and go from there, I did end up adding more to mine after I made it. This made three wraps for me and I had some hummus left over, but I’m happy with that!
My most nonstick pan is my grill pan, so I used that and also cut the tofu into planks instead of cubes. I felt like this would be easier for portioning it out, but I also realize that you would probably get more crispness if you cut the tofu into cubes.

Bhindi masala with Black-Eyed Peas
Okay advice for those looking to cook with black-eyed peas in January, plan ahead! I don’t cook with them often, but in the south it’s traditional to make them for new years, and my god they’re still not back on the shelves!
I would make this again
I made 2 substitutions
This made SO MUCH. I did freeze a portion and I think it will reheat just fine.
Here’s what I substituted:
Mustard seed for cumin - I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but there is one spice that I am just not good friends with, and that is cumin. I just can’t with cumin!
Ginger juice for ginger - This is really a food waste thing for me. I will buy a hunk of ginger and just let it shrivel on my counter. Ginger juice has a very similar flavor to fresh ginger, so I almost always use it as a substitute.
This is from the section of the cookbook that I have made the least from, “Stews, Chilis & Curries.” I am just not a big chili or curry person! But curries are growing on me.
I do, however, love okra so I'm glad to have this recipe for it now. I think part of the reason this truly made so much curry is because the only black eyed peas I could find were "quick cooking" from the refrigerated section at Publix. And as you may have guessed, they were not truly quick cooking! I had to add a lot of extra water and really crank up the heat and I still felt like the beans had too much of a chew to them. Overall though, this was really great.
Chana masala
Used to eat this a lot in college and got burnt out on it, so I just never thought to make it. Though the ice storm delayed my plans, I was finally able to have some friends over for curry and games! Everyone really liked both of these (and I loaded the dishwasher that night, truly 95% empty bowls!) so that was great too.
I would make this again
I made 2 substitutions
This also made a lot, but I think true to the "serves 8-10"
I made the same substitutions in this curry - mustard seed for cumin and ginger juice for ginger - as the previous one. I like that this uses canned tomato as well, because that's always easy to find year-round. If I had to pick between the two curries, this one was more of my favorite but I think that was because it was saucier. My friends were split!
ps. If you're looking for a fun low-key game to play with friends, I highly recommend Dixit.
It's described as an "image interpretation game" and it's a fun way to learn about how your friends think and just look at some pretty art.
Weekly Reflection
I definitely ate more beans this week than I usually do, and I love that. I love the occasional faux-meat, but primarily I think whole foods are a better choice and I feel better.
I remember once shortly after I went vegan, my sister said something like, “You’re probably farting all the time!” and I was like, “Yeah, you wish you could be this regular!” And she laughed. It was a good moment.
I’m so glad I finally got to share a meal with friends this week as well and dust off my board game shelf!
Love this recipe analysis! I will add these to my list to make from Isa's cookbook. :)