My newest cookbook/love/obsession, 1,000 Vegan Recipes, is still batting 1,000.  I've made four meals from it and all of them have been very good.  I already told you about pasta with white bean and garlic sauce; here are the next three I've tried.

Red bean chili:

The stuff that kinda looks like meat — bulgur wheat!  This chili was delicious, but just a bit too spicy.  Still, the best vegetarian chili we've had.

Ziti with roasted pepper-walnut sauce:

No, that's not parmesan cheese on top… it's ground walnuts!  The sauce in this one was really flavorful — roasted red peppers, tomato paste, onions, garlic, and some spices, combined in a food processor.  Better than any non-vegan ziti I've had.

Salad with fennel, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries:

Of everything I've made from 1,000 Vegan Recipes, this salad is the best so far.  It has a light, sweet vinaigrette dressing with shallot that goes really nicely with the cranberries and nuts.  Here's my adapted recipe for that one:

Vegan Macadamia Cranberry Salad

Ingredients for the salad:

• 1 head green leaf lettuce, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Ingredients for the dressing:

• half a small shallot, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Process the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Mix and eat!

The one problem I've had with the book so far is one that a commenter mentioned — some of the measurements seem a little off.  This isn't a huge deal for me, since I usually eyeball ingredient amounts anyway, but it can be a problem.  Exhibit A:

My freaking Dutch oven got scorched!  And we're still trying to get the char off of it.  This is what I presume happens when there's not enough water in a chili recipe and you let it simmer for 45 minutes.  As we were adding the water, I mentioned to Erin that it didn't seem like enough.  Should have done something about it.  Luckily, we salvaged the chili.  And eventually, the Dutch oven will be cleaned.  For now, it sits soaking in the sink and filling the house with wonderful aromas.

18-Week Sonogram

Yesterday, Erin and I went in for her 18-week sonogram, and our first glimpse at Baby Fraz since he/she was the size of a lentil bean.  The good news: Baby Fraz looks to be in perfect health!  We've decided not to find out the sex of the baby, so we had to turn away from the screen at a few places.  Here's the best picture we have; sorry it's kind of blurry.  But you can make out eyes, nose, and mouth — it looks like he/she is smiling!  I'd be smiling too if I were in a dark, warm womb getting free food and nourishment pumped directly to my stomach.  Well, maybe.

Related posts:

1. Latest on the NMA baby
2. One down, 999 to go
3. Oh Baby! A Vegan Cookie Worth Celebrating
4. Chickpea, Carrot and Parsley Salad
5. Breaking News: I'm a Vegetarian (and here's the recipe that taught me it)