New Material

How can I flip through a brand new Vegan cookbook and NOT buy it? So the latest rush of Vegan recipe mania began... no thanks to Amazon and their insanely good deals on used cookbooks. (Clearly the people selling them don't know what they aremissing!) At least there could be worse vices or worse (and less delicious) ways to spend my money...

The first to add to "my cart" was "Everything Vegan" (by Vegetarian Times). The perfect well-thought-out cookbook, great pictures, easy instruction and ingredients. Next were "How it all Vegan!" and "La Dolce Vegan!" - both by Sarah Kramer (of GoVegan fame). These aren't as showy, or as clear and explicit... but they are filled with bunches of recipes to try out regardless. Now where to begin?!

I had to revisit "Veganomicon" one last time before trading it in (temporarily) for the new books... and what I had on hand lent itself to Black Bean Burgers. Unlike most crumbly bean burger recipes, this one used vital wheat gluten to bind the ingredients together. They were DELICIOUS. And cheap. Why do I ever buy veggie burgers when they are so simple to make? I spiced them up with Sriracha and extra cumin... then served them as tacos on corn tortillas with homemade Mango Salsa. (I was out of cilantro, but it worked all the same.) Next time? I'll double or triple the recipe, fry them up, then freeze them for quick meals.

If you aren't sensitive to wheat, vital wheat gluten is the key ingredient in a good veggie burger. It sticks everything together and gives a chewy texture. I can't believe it took me so long to try this recipe... but I'll definitely be revisiting it, and adding an array of spices and veggies to change it up a bit.