Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Slow cooker, but maybe merge importantly meals you can make in a rice cooker. There are some days that I am not going to be able to plan from the morning what I will have at night, but I can throw lentils, rice and veggies along with spices in the rice cooker and 30-40 minutes later I have a meal. It's great because I can get a lot done while it is cooking without having to check on it.

Also, meals that take 15 minutes to throw together. Family friendly meals. So far my baby has been awesome about eating everything we eat, my husband is more picky, but it would be great to make a wholesome meal for the whole family that is one pot.

So many of the recipe titles are intriguing, but then it's just a vat of flavorlessness that I dump salt, nooch, and/or chili garlic sauce on. At best I use that book as a rough guide line or loose inspiration. Then I end up looking up similarish recipes for ideas to add flavor, or doubling all the herbs and spices plus adding several others that weren't ingredients. Although, I do feel that the book taught me how to use my slow cooker.

Lasagna-like, stroganoff-ish, casserole-y things...giant baking dish, dump in something creamy, something starchy, some veggies and a protein thing, top with something crispycrunchable, throw in the oven and bake for long enough to give you time to go running, finish a sewing project or have a glass of wine or two. Or a Long Island Iced Tea for the screaming fun of it.
Then grab a big serving spoon and plop a chunk of that multi-flavored, steamyhot velvetyrich comfort food on a plate and serve to kiddies, friends or gourmet club food fiends and gloat with glee at your culinary cleverness.

Oh yeah, and some recipes with kiwis. I feel they are underrated. ;)

Oo, I love casseroles...especially ones that freeze well. The main blogger over at The Kitchn came out with a cookbook about casseroles and I found myself wishing for an awesome vegan version.

I think what I want has probably been covered but just to reiterate:
-Nutritional info
-Slow cooking
-Notes on freezing meals or prepare and then freeze meals that can be cooked later
-Meal plans/menus
-Baking (beyond muffins/cupcakes/cookies)

yeah, casseroles are pretty awesome.

also, kittens. not for eating. just for cuteness.

It sounds like everyone really wants a slow cooker book! Unlucky me, I don't have one and have hardly used one so I don't think I'm the authority on that. Bummer!

Many of the things mentioned will be in there, though! Thanks for the feedback, y'all.

I agree that meal plan sections are wonderful. I love how you suggest complimentary dishes with each recipe in AFR.

Substitution info is nice. Maybe a section with general guidelines on how to play with recipes to fit your needs? For instance, I can't eat soy right now so I've been using the roasted cauliflower cashew ricotta (extra cauliflower, no tofu) for fillings, and cashew cream instead of silken tofu in many recipes. And I hate tempeh but seitan never fails me as a sub. And hints for lowering oil content (like sauteeing in water) since that seems to be a big thing right now.

I would die for a vegan pressure cooker cookbook, but that's crazy specific and probably wouldn't sell!

Good news. I don't want a slower cooker book. Two good ones just came out, so I think I'm all set. Things I like in cookbooks are:

- Menus -- Menu section at the beginning or end of the book is good. Ideas in the headnotes for a recipe about what to serve it with are better. (That way, I have ideas for all the recipes -- not just a few).

- Ideas for what to do with leftovers are always fun. Some of my cookbooks have cook once and eat twice ideas. You make a big base recipe and then half is a component in a meal later in the week.

- I'm intrigued by the suggestions people have made about freezer friendly meals. It would be nice to have an icon that designates what freezes and reheats well.

- More songs about recipes like the falafel song from VwaV. (I'm only half kidding. I sing that song every time I make falafels).

- Foods I'd like more recipes for: beans, beets, cauliflower, edamame, mushrooms, leafy greens, nuts, whole grains other than brown rice. A recipe or two using new fad healthy foods is always fun -- I understand that chia seeds are all the rage now.

- Vegetable recipes that picky eaters will enjoy. Sadly, this is to get my husband to eat more veggies, but other folks might enjoy this type of recipe for their kids.

Savoury, protein-y snacks would be good. I have this problem where I get home and am too hungry to get my act together and cook dinner (even if I have something planned) without eating something first. "Something" usually ends up being peanuts.


Maybe take a look at Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. Unless I haven't been paying attention it's actually vegan. I've admittedly mostly used it for the bean cooking time charts in the back.

Oh thank you!!

I just got a new cast iron skillet so more recipes that I could use it for ... & love the idea of the "repurposed leftovers" ...and casseroles.

Yeah! This is a great idea!

I'm totally not sucking up, but I think every new cookbook is your best cookbook yet! With all the AFR love around here, I know I'm not alone in this opinion. It's like magic.

Salsa! :)
(please)?

+1 Nutritional info --- Appendix is fine-- doesn't have to be on same page as recipes. (or even downloadable pdf)

Thanks for all your yummy hard work!!!

Definitely another vote for nutritional info + substitution info.

Yes! I really like this.

I would love to see a high-protein section, even if it's only lentil burgers and a few soya sausages.

Could you be really, really, really lovely and put in some guidelines for converting vital wheat gluten for hand-made seitan? Until I moved near to the world's best health food shop, I had to make it by hand, which was fine (it's very easy to do) but I ended up not having any idea how much I should be using.

VWG and liquid smoke are two ingredients that are hard to get hold of in the UK without going online and paying through the nose and American recipes seem to use them all the time. Is there anything I can replace that with? Someone suggested lapsang souchong, which is a smoked tea, but I was a little sceptical.

I think what I'm basically asking for is a substitute list for us poor and impoverished Old Worlders who cannot find such things (I swear, it's all the dragons and Ladies of the Lake and ghosts of long-dead kings interrupting supply chains).

I support the nutritional information!

I also would like to see more recipes for tempeh, and maybe one that had fennel bulbs as main ingredient. I've seen tons that use fennel seeds, but none with the bulbs. Same goes for leeks, they are usually paired with mushrooms and that is all nice and good, but they don't get anything for themselves to let them shine.

And to add a request from the good ol' world, I'd love if the recipes didn't call for "a packet/a can/a box of xyz". Or at least give us the equivalent in cups, please! I have no idea what an American packet contains.

I'm not fussed on slow cooker recipes either but nutritional info is alway greatly appreciated in any recipes.

Another request for nutritional info here.

I would also love to see lots of one pot and casserole dishes. I love the idea about repurposing leftovers too. And menu/accompaniment suggestions. I find those super useful, especially for some of the unfamiliar dishes which I'm trying for the first time.

One last thing, which I would love Love LOVE if you included: measurements in cups and grams/ml. Although I'm really used to using cups now, I still really struggle to know what 2 cups of chopped mushrooms might look like pre-chopping! Having the weight there makes my supermarket trips so much easier!

I'd love a nanaimo bar recipe, and a Marscapone recipe.

JL also loves her pressure cooker
http://jlgoesvegan.com/recipes-3-2/?sea ... oker&ui=37

Yep, pretty much what everyone said with the nutritional information and the freezer/slow cooker/pressure cooker/re-purposing stuff.

I dont think you need a seperate section for the freezer/slow cooker/pressure cooker recipies, but maybe a note on the side that they are (e.g.) slow cooker friendly, and instructions on the side how to do that. That way you wont alienate a whole group of people that dont have a slow cooker and wont read that chapter. You can use an icon to index them (like you did with many items in VCON)

As for the recipies themselves, we all trust you on that! u dont dissapoint.

Also, I know everyone wants pictures. But I know that can be very expensive...have you thought about including a URL on each page that shows pictures if people want to look? Have them on a website somewhere? Just a thought.....that might be kinda weird, I dont know.

Isa, have you read, "An Everlasting Meal"? I would love a vegan cookbook like that, one that talks about meal creation and how to use leftovers into the next meal.