I realize we’re a little past peach season at this point, but that’s what bookmarks are for, right?

This is the last recipe from our recent vacation and while the filling is good, the real standout element here is the crust. This is Kim Barnouin‘s pie dough recipe from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook and it is fantastic. It’s great for any fruit pie or even a veggie pot pie, as she recommends. It makes a very “sturdy” crust that still manages to remain light and flaky. If you’re planning an apple pie for Thanksgiving this year, I’d highly recommend giving this dough a try.

Vegan Peach Pie
Recipe Courtesy of Jolinda Hackett & Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Filling Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 2 tbs cold Earth Balance, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbs soy milk
• 1 tsp sugar

Dough Ingredients

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 14 tbs ice water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

Directions

• Mix together the flour and salt for dough in a large bowl
• In a glass measuring cup, add 1/2 cup of the cold water, then add the vegetable shortening to equal 2 cups of water and shortening combined. Lightly pack the shortening to remove air bubbles and then scoop out the shortening from the measuring cup with a spoon and add the flour mixture, discarding the water
• Using a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until small flaky dough balls start to form. Add the 14 tbs of ice water, one tbs at a time and continue mixing
• Add additional tbs of water if the dough seems too hard. Chill the dough in the fridge if it’s too soft. Divide dough into to two equal portions and roll into balls
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the peaches in boiling water for just a few seconds, then carefully remove. This should make removal of peach skins easy. Peel and slice peaches
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, nutmeg and allspice for the filling with the peaches, tossing to coat
• Roll out the first ball of dough and place in a 9 in. pie pan
• Spread filling into the pan and drop cut Earth Balance onto the mixture
• Roll out the second ball of dough and place over the top of the pan. Trim any extra dough and then press the edges to seal, crimping with a fork or pinching closed with your fingers
• Brush the top of your pie with soy milk and sprinkle with sugar
• Make about 6, 1/2 in. cuts in the top crust to release steam during baking
• Bake for about 1 hr, or until pie is bubbling

I think this makes the third or fourth time I’ve featured a recipe for tacos on this blog. Who can blame me though, right? Tacos are just so easy (not to mention versatile, fast and scrumptious)! They’re hard to resist on a weekday night.

This particular recipe comes from my fave cookbook, Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook and what I love, love, love about it is that, unlike our usual route, it doesn’t feature any kind of faux meat. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not a faux hater – quite the opposite – but I do like to serve it in moderation, so it’s nice to see a recipe that calls for something different and homemade as a base. What that means though is that these aren’t as quick and easy to put together as some of the other taco recipes I’ve featured. They’re still comparatively simple for a dinner though, so don’t let that discourage you!

Lentil Tacos
Recipe courtesy of Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 cup dried green lentils
2 tbs diced white onion
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
2 tbs diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp diced jalapeno pepper
3 tsp lime juice
1 tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
4-6 corn tortillas, fresh
1 sliced avocado
1/2 cup shredded lettuce

*Super important note: When I make these again, I will definitely add a packet of taco seasoning to the lentil mixture. It was good, but it could have really used a smidge more flavor/spice. I think it would make a big difference.

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and white onion. Return to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer until soft, 30 to 40 min.
• Drain any remaining water and place half the lentils in a food processor or blender. Process while drizzling 1 tbs of the oil into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomato paste and puree until combined. Put the lentil mixture in a medium bowl and stir in remaining lentils
• In a separate medium bowl, mix together the cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and remaining oil for salsa. Add salt and pepper to taste
• Heat a small frying pan over low heat and quickly warm the tortillas on each side
• Spread the lentil mixture on each tortilla and top with sliced avocado, salsa and lettuce

Yield: Serves 2-3

The memory of this meal makes me happy.

This is a true-blue risotto recipe and it’s every bit as creamy and decadent as you would expect. That does mean that this isn’t a quick meal, but most definitely worth the extra time and effort!

Wild Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto
Recipe courtesy of Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup dried wild mushrooms
1/2 cup hot water
3 tbs grapeseed oil
1/4 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
(such as porcini, chanterelles, crimini, portobello)
1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup shallots, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup Vegan Parmesan
1 tsp white truffle oil (optional)
1 tsp chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

• In a large saucepan, add the vegetable broth, cover and keep warm over low heat
• Place hot water in a medium size bowl and add the dried mushrooms. Allow to sit for about 20 min, or until the mushrooms are soft. Then add the mushrooms and the hot water to the vegetable broth
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbs grapeseed oil and 1 tbs Earth Balance
• Add the fresh mushrooms and asparagus and saute until lightly browned, about 10 min. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and transfer to a medium size bowl
• Using the same large saucepan, heat the remaining grapeseed oil over medium heat and add the onions and shallots, stirring until soft, about 5 min.
• Add the garlic and remaining Earth Balance and saute for 1 min.
• Add the rice and stir until well combined
• Add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed
• Add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each additional scoop of broth be absorbed before adding more Continue adding broth until rice is tender and creamy, about 30 to 40 min.
• Stir in the sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of chives and the white truffle oil (if using)

Yield: Serves 4-6

I seriously love my cookbooks. I’d have been completely lost without them when I first started eating vegan. I’m a decent cook (much better since I went vegan, actually) but I really don’t have the time or the talent for ground-up, recipe development. And honestly, with these books at my disposal, I don’t really need to.

As you can see, the books I’m talking about are:

• The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone
• Veganomicon, Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
• Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook, Kim Barnouin
• Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin

I know that four cookbooks doesn’t a library make but I also supplement with recipes I discover online at least as often as I reference one of these books for meal ideas. Additionally, the style of each of these titles (with the exception of the Skinny Bitch books, of course) is pretty different. Even the more traditional recipes in The Kind Diet have a strong “health” focus and tend to be fairly simple. Veganomicon is so huge as to encompass all kinds of foods and influences, but tends to concentrate on traditional, made-from-scratch recipes. The Skinny Bitch books (especially Bitch in the Kitch) often take more liberties with culinary shortcuts and the occasional use of prepared foods.

Veganomicon and Skinny Bitch in the Kitch were the first two books I bought when I went vegan. The Kind Diet came next, followed later by Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: I love all my cookbooks equally but if I had to choose a fave, I’d give it to Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.

True to its title, this book is best suited to everyday use, meaning you don’t necessarily need to spend a ton of time preparing these recipes and they’re all fairly simple to follow. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some showstoppers here (because there definitely are) but I find it best for day to day use.

I’m certain I’ll add to my collection gradually, but for the time being, these four books (and the internet!) are all I need to keep my kitchen vegan. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a more in-depth review of each book, including a few of my favorite recipes from each.

So tell me, are there any books I’m missing that you couldn’t live without?