Hello from Vegetarian Summerfest! I've had a wonderful time the last few days and can't wait to share my experience with you! In the meantime, we have an awesome guest blog post today from Jules. Enjoy!
Jules:I'm thrilled to be a guest blogger here at Happy Herbivore! A recent addition to my beloved cookbook collection is the Happy Herbivore Cookbook. Right away, I knew there would be more than a few gems in this book, but even more exciting is how enthusiastic the rest of the family is about trying some of these new recipes!My daughters, especially --- I could barely get my own hands on this cookbook once it came because they kept it from me, drooling over the recipes and accompanying pictures.
Analisa, the seven-year-old in our family, got very excited about the prospect of Eggnog French Toast(p. 25) (especially when she realized you don't need actual eggnog to make it - at first she was concerned we might not get to try this recipe until the holiday season).Everyone raved about the French toast -- so good! I was worried I was going to have sticking problems like I have with some other foods recently (I think I need a new pan), but these little triangles of whole-wheat goodness cooked up to crispy perfection. Yum!
We loved the French toast so much, in fact, that we had the regular French Toast (p. 24) just a few days later -- with fresh blueberries.
Meanwhile my nine-year-old daughter, Liliana, requested the Blueberry Scones (p. 55) for breakfast. We used fresh blueberries and opted for no sugar in the dough; however, we couldn't resist spooning some Vanilla Icing (p. 255) over the top. Delicious! As Liliana pointed out, you can't even tell there is banana in these scones. Tricky little banana! It made a soft, tender scone that doesn't taste like banana!
After we'd had our fill of sweet breakfast treats, I was craving something savory, with vegetables. The Garden Chowder (p. 71) seemed like it would fit the bill. Even better: it was super easy.Other than a little veggie chopping and whisk-action at the beginning of the recipe, it's mostly a dump-things-in-pot-and-stir recipe.I love those kinds of recipes!My husband, Oscar, and I both loved this chowder. Oscar also took some leftovers to work the next day and it received several admiring looks in the lunch room!
"Beans and Browns" (meaning baked beans and hash brown potatoes) are a staple breakfast in our house, so I knew I'd have to try the Baked Beans (p. 199) right away.
I confess:When it comes to baked beans, I usually just buy the canned vegetarian baked beans at the grocery store. But oh -- the sugar! The sodium! I knew there had to be a better way. I liked that the ingredients the HH Baked Beans are all pantry staples so I made it.
I'm happy to report that the result is delicious and I'll be keeping this recipe in regular rotation, for sure.It does take some time, beginning to end -- about an hour -- so I'm wondering: would it work to put everything in a small slow cooker and set it to low until morning so that it is ready for breakfast?I think I'll be experimenting soon!
HH: Thank you so much for guest posting Jules! Your pictures are incredible and you have such a beautiful family! So thrilled to see my recipes are kid-approved!
Have YOU made a HH recipe for a kid or teen?
