Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Top 10 Vegan Eats

Wanna see a list of "Top 10" vegan recipes?

Check 'em out at Vegan.com. Erik's gathered a list of the top 10 vegan recipes of the year. You'll see my Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce on the list. Just another reminder for you guys to make them, okay? No excuses, the recipe is right there!

And, you might want to know that the Balsamic Maple Sauce works wonders on just about anything! Veg, grains, sandwiches, drizzled on casseroles, pizza, tofu, seitan, salads, on and on and on. Make it, yeah?!

And, more proof that this sauce is scrumptious, here's the Balsamic Maple Sauce drizzled on a dish of roasted vegetables and polenta. Roasted polenta?... What, you say? Oh yes, roasting makes everything taste better, don't you know! And, I decided to expand on my idea of Polenta Croutons from ed&bv, and instead cut the polenta in larger pieces, and add to the roasted veggies about 1/3 of the way through the cooking time. The veggies include fennel (SO freaking good roasted), zucchini, mushrooms, and red/orange bell pepper (all tossed of course in e-v olive oil, and with s & p - fresh herbs tossed in would also be fab).

Now, I used those tubes of polenta you see and think "what would I do with this?"... or worse, you buy, and look at in your pantry week after week thinking "now what will I do with this?". I've been there too... AND I've eaten that polenta in some unappetizing forms. Now, I either roast it in large cubes, as above... OR make polenta croutons (nibbly good!), OR make "Polenta Pancakes" (from ed&bv, these are EASY). Grilling it is also an excellent option - esp in the summer!


Now, go make yourself some top 10 food folks... and please, don't let anyone see you licking the Balsamic Maple Sauce off your plate - or your fingers. (doesn't mean you can't do it - just be discreet, okay?) :)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...polenta croutons, love that idea! Thanks!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Definitely can't have a Top 10 Vegan Recipes list without including at LEAST one of your fabulous recipes, Dreena!! Congratulations for making the list!! :0)

Esther said...

I like the idea of Polenta croutons, but why do you use store-bought polenta when it's so easy to make?

When I'm making polenta at home, I usually make double, we have some that night, and the rest goes into a shallow baking pan or container to set in the fridge. Next day, I can cut it up into whatever shape I want!

Animal-Friendly said...

Now I want a salad with some polenta croutons!

And I WILL be making those Phyllo Rolls! Congrats on having the recipe in the Top 10 Vegan Recipes list!

aTxVegn said...

I saw Erik's list and your rolls are most definitely on my Must Make list!

Carrie™ said...

Discreet? What's that? Never heard of it. ;o)
I want to try these rolls!
I had a little dinner party on the weekend and made the other phyllo rolls from ED&BV - Walnut, White Bean & Spinach Phyllo Rolls (served with cranberry sauce as suggested - very YUM) and ww pasta with your Basic Creamy Garlic Sauce from TEV. Both were a hit. Seconds on pasta requested by a couple of people. For dessert I made Lime Sucker Coconut Pie. That was an even bigger hit. I wanted to take pictures, but I think I've lost my camera. I have pictures from the first time I made these recipes, but I wanted a photo of all of my happy guests enjoying a delicious vegan meal. Hopefully it turns up and I can showcase it all next time. Dreena, you're a smashing success!

Inside My Mind said...

These are some seriously good eats!!

Wheeler's Frozen Dessert said...

Congrats! And balsamic maple sauce ... Yum!

Anonymous said...

I made these last night (before I read your post - so a good coincidence). They are fabulous- everyone in the lunch room was sniffing the air and saying how delicious it smelled.
I have all three of your books - I love and treasure each one. Hubby and I have cooked dinner from one or more of them every single week for the last two years. My top ten list would be made entirely of recipes from your books.

Dreena said...

Thanks everyone for your notes. :)

Veggiegirl, you're too sweet - always so sweet you are!

Ester, I used to love making polenta from scratch too... now, I'm so busy with our young kidlets and recipe projects, that I am happy to take advantage of a few healthy shortcuts here and there... otherwise my family will be physically pulling me out of the kitchen!! :)

Carrie, *you* are a smashing friend! Thanks for that feedback, and also for serving your dinner guests all that vegan food. What better way to show people vegan food can be fun and delicious than to have a dinner party and serve it up??! That's so awesome, and you gave me the biggest smile with this note - and of course, I'm delighted that they enjoyed the food. Thanks.

Anonymous, wow. I don't know what to say except wow and thank you very much. And, what a pleasant surprise to see such a positive note from an anonymous reader (not usually the case, ha)!... I am touched to know that you and your husband have used and enjoyed my books this much, and I hope to continue to bring you more recipes to enjoy. You are very kind to leave this message, so again thank you.

Anonymous said...

Wow, those phyllo rolls are *so* going to be made in the near future! I can guess why they made the top 10!

Anonymous said...

Dreena-I just made these a few days ago for the first time!
You are so right about the sauce. I must admit that I did not have the patience for the rolls so I did a phyllo lasange a la broccoli walnut phyllo thing from Vive-another family fav. Just so you know it is great that way too.

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Inside My Mind said...

I made the Morrocan Infused Veggies in Phyllo pastry with the absolutely fantastic, eat with a spoon Balsamic Maple Sauce, and served it to my meat eating husband. He licked his plate clean and pronounced it "Excellent!!" and told me I could serve that to him at least once a week!
Thank you!!

Jen said...

I just made those Moroccan phyllo rolls for dinner tonight and LOVED them! Definitely a top 10 recipe!

Pseudo said...

Top 10 vegan recipes of 2008?

It's only May!

Anonymous said...

I adopted eating vegan about a month ago. It takes awhile to get used to, but it isn't a lot of work. I was looking for great vegan recipes and I am glad I stopped by your blog because now I have some recipes that I can print and cook this week.

Wanu(?) said...

You cook like my mother, except vegan-- which means anything that comes from your kitchen must taste fantastic, even if it's a "mess up". As one of my friends says, "it's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited"