Toasted Vermicelli Pudding

Wow, the Toasted Vermicelli Pudding (page 441) is a lot of work. If someone is sweet enough to make this for you, then you are indeed a lucky person. This pudding has sugar, saffron, raisins, almonds and rose water which make it very delicious. I opted to boil the milk to reduce it by a third. This process scorched the milk on the bottom of the pan but it did not effect the taste. Next time, I might use a double boiler to see if that will solve the problem. Someone once told me that if you add a few drops of water in the pan before adding the milk it helps minimize any scorching but of course, I didn't think about that at the time.

Artichokes A La Grecque & Ghee and Lemon Sauce

This is the prefect dinner to make for someone very special. Artichokes A La Grecque (page 64) and Ghee and Lemon Sauce (page 501) has to be my new favorite way to eat artichokes. I've always loved artichokes anyway, but the combination of the fennel seeds, fresh dill, lemon juice and olive oil as a sauce to bake the artichokes in is just fantastic, scrumptious, delightful and a joy to behold... need I say more? Oh, the Ghee and Lemon Sauce to dip the leaves in was the crowning glory to this easy but impressive meal.

Paella

This Spanish rice dish, Paella (page 177) is pronounced pilau. Miriam suggests that you don't use basmati rice for this recipe but I did (the usual... it's what I had in the pantry). I was very careful when mixing all the ingredients together so the rice would not break apart. This recipe has plenty of saffron in it which gives it that great color and taste. It also has peas, red and yellow peppers, garbanzo beans and sliced artichoke hearts. It's a delicious side dish or a wonderful light meal.

Creamy Zucchini-Cashew Soup

The Creamy Zucchini-Cashew Soup (page 241) must be the recipe that gave this cookbook it's name. When you taste this soup, you can't help thinking it's heavenly. Miriam's instructions are to make the cashew milk and then thicken it with rice. She says this is a "technique Julia Child developed to substitute for a roux." It really makes the soup thick and creamy. The cooking experience was easy but a little messy since I was using the blender a lot in order to get this wonderful texture. Once I tasted it, the mess in the kitchen was completely forgotten.

Oatmeal and Other Cooked Cereal Breads

I'm continuing to experiment with the yeast bread recipes from Heaven's Banquet. Today I tried the Oatmeal and Other Cooked Cereal Breads (page 329) in the bread maker and I think it came out great. As with the previous bread recipe, I only made one loaf so I cut the ingredients in half. It is very important to use exact measurements when using a bread maker but so far the recipes have come out prefect. This loaf was made with cooked oatmeal and next time I'll try seven grain cereal.

Fruit Soup (Sotsuppe)

This Scandinavian recipe for soup is more like a dessert. Fruit Soup (Sotsuppe) is made by pureeing about 3 cups of dice fruit and adding some sugar and water then cooking it. I made ours with apples, pears and mangoes. It had a refreshing taste reminiscent of apple sauce but with subtle after tones. The recipe calls for it to be served with sour cream, whipped cream or yogurt which we decided not to do since we had it for an evening meal.

Cashew Mayonnaise

Heaven's Banquet has a "Mock Mayonnaise" section which has the Cashew Mayonnaise (page 503) recipe. Miriam mentions that her mother pours this sauce over asparagus. I thought it sounded like a very nice cream sauce for asparagus so we tried it and loved it.

Velvet Vegetable Soup & Croutons

The Velvet Vegetable Soup (page 240) is a delightful and easy soup recipe. This recipe is a "cooking method" rather than a list of ingredients. I used celery, carrots, bell pepper and yellow squash since I didn't have any peas. Miriam writes that you can use any vegetable that will cook to a soft texture. It was a very good soup and we ate it topped with Croutons made from the recipe on page 338. I made the herb croutons with thyme, basil, sage and rosemary.

Golubsti (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

The full name of this recipe is Golubsti (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) with Multiple-Choice Fillings and Sauces (page 77). Miriam recommends Napa or Savoy cabbage leaves but I chose bok choy instead (that's what I had). For the multiple-choice filling I chose tofu and tomato sauce for the sauce. I cut one of the rolls open to reveal the orzo, tofu, and other veggies stuffed inside. The only problem I encountered was that since I did not smother the rolls in sauce, they tended to dry out a little on the ends. Next time I'll cover the pan while baking them or add a little water. This recipe was delicious, easy and made a lovely presentation.

Kofta (Vegetable Balls in Spiced Tomato Sauce)

This Indian version of Kofta (page 141) was a little challenging for me since I have no previous experience deep frying foods. Anyway, I found lots of help on the Internet and the dish came out fabulous. According to Heaven's Banquet Ayurveda says that fried foods "are more difficult to digest... and are recommended only for occasional occasions." So knowing that, the deep fried recipes may only appear once in a blue moon for the sake of my tummy. However, my taste buds enjoyed every single bite!

Gumbo Z'Herbes

Gumbo Z'Herbes (page 106) is a delicious way to eat your greens. Miriam says the dish is supposed to contain seven green vegetables to bring seven new people into your life who will bring you luck. Everyone needs a little luck so I hope it works. I used lettuce, chard, spinach, bok choy, parsley, dill and celery tops. It is served over rice but this photo is just the greens. This is not a spicy hot recipe which is excellent for us.

Basic Bread

The Basic Bread recipe (page 327) is the first yeast bread I've made from Heaven's Banquet. I cheated a little and bought a bread maker... I used the basic bread recipe ingredients from Heaven's Banquet but followed the instructions from the bread maker. It came out great. I cut the recipe in half since I only made one loaf.

Potage St. Germain

The Potage St. Germain (page 226) is a wonderful french version of pea soup. The flavor is not like any pea soup that I've tried before. It is much brighter and lighter. It contains lettuce and mint and we enjoyed the flavor very much. The soup was very easy and quick to make and I'm really enjoying all these fast recipes Miriam has in her book. I have an immersion blender (I highly recommend) to puree the soup, so I only had one pan to clean.

Borscht

This Ukrainian/Russian soup recipe, Borscht (page 225) is a recipe which says "combine all the ingredients in a soup pot, simmer... 40 to 60 minutes." Done! Can soup get much easier? I did my evening program while the soup cooked itself and we had a lovely supper waiting for us on one of the coldest evenings so far this winter. (The weather man says it's suppose to snow in the deep south tonight.) We both enjoyed the subtle flavors of the beet, potato, and cabbage.

Shepherd's Pie with Seitan

The Shepherd's Pie with Seitan (page 215) is very similar to the Shepherd's Pie with Vegetables on page 62 but the seitan makes this recipe heartier. I made this today for purely practical reasons... I had lots of "a little bit of this and a little bit of that" which needed to be brought all together. In the variation, Miriam says you can add other vegetables such as zucchini and parsnips which is exactly what I had... so I did. This is a very good and satisfying way to restore order to the refrigerator.

Banana-Apricot Bread

The Banana-Apricot Bread (page 359) is the last of the quick bread recipes in Heaven's Banquet. I'm just not a fan of banana nut bread in general but having made that disclaimer, I think it came out very nicely and it was tasty enough to be a constant temptation. I sent it off to work with John, and I hope his office buddies like it (my official taste testers!).

Summer Squash in Sour Cream with Dill and Fennel

Summer Squash in Sour Cream with Dill and Fennel (page 131) has a very bright and refreshing taste. Summer squash is such an easy veggie to cook anyway but the spice combination here adds a lot of flavor without adding to the prep or cooking time. I made the cheese less variation and replaced the tomatoes with bell pepper. This could be my new favorite way to cook summer squash.

Rice with Dill and Lima Beans (Bagali Shevid Polow)

The recipe Rice with Dill and Lima Beans (page 171) is an Iranian pilau with fresh beans. I used fresh peas and Lima beans since I had limited amount of each. This recipe is very similar to the Chelo (Persian Rice) recipe except that you line the bottom of the pan with thinly sliced potatoes which brown on one slide as you cook it. You can see the potatoes in the photo. This is a beautiful and special rice dish which does take some time but it's well worth it.

Scottish Shortbread

The Scottish Shortbread (page 437) is a delicious treat that is so buttery and sweet that you'll be thinking about having another piece all day long. Because of that, I sent most of it to work with John to be passed around the office. It was very easy to make and tasted great. The photo is 1/2 the recipe baked in a 8" round cake pan.

Classic Cream of Asparagus Soup

The Classic Cream of Asparagus Soup (page 234) is "an Ayurvedic take on the classical cream soup." Miriam gives you 9 possible variations on this cream soup and remember, since it's Ayurvedic, it's also vegan (no milk). For us this recipe alone is worth the price of the cookbook. We love soothing soups for our supper, and I always have at least one of the variation veggies in the refrigerator. I made both the Cream of Asparagus because it is Vata balancing. The taste was wonderful and subtle. The soup only took 35 minutes from start to finish but tastes like I'd cooked all day long. Here are the variations of this recipe:
Cream of Celery; Cream of Fennel; Cream of Spinach, Watercress, Arugula, Chard; Cream of Cauliflower; and Cream of Corn.

Ranger Cookies

When I made the Ranger Cookies (page 433) I only made 1/2 the recipe which made about 13 large cookies, more than enough for us. This cookie dough has very little flour and lots of oats and dried coconut which made for a crunchy texture. The cookies were good and the recipe easy. It did not take any more time than making cookies from a box.