Mayim’s Vegan Table: More than 100 Great-Tasting and Healthy Recipes from My Family to YoursMany of us know the struggles and challenges of raising our children to be healthy eaters when the outside world presents all sorts of conflicting messages. Mayim Bialik has teamed up with Dr. Jay Gordon to help parents face those challenges head on. Interested in providing nutritious, delicious meals for your kids? Take their advice. Because, believe it or not, your child will eat greens if you just try a fruit-sweetened green smoothie.
From dispelling myths about a vegan diet to tackling the food pyramid, Bialik and Gordon outline how your family can eat healthier even on your busiest days. But don’t mistake this for a diet diatribe: this lively book offers 125 fuss-free recipes that will please everyone from the pickiest eaters to the savviest palates. This comprehensive guide helps parents set a foundation for lifelong healthy and delicious eating. (-synopsis)
With more or more people requesting vegan sweets and entrees, I’ve found that I’m getting pretty good at cooking and baking vegan. This cookbook comes from Mayim Bialik, whom you might know from the hit shows Blossom and Big Bang Theory. The first chapter talks about the author of the book. Mayim wasn’t always vegan but she has raised both of her sons as vegans. It was interesting to read about her, her family, and why they are vegan.
The second chapter discusses plant based eating and whether or not it’s a nutritional choice. I really liked the third chapter which is about easy meal tips. I’m all for easy meals and any tips I can get I’ll take! The fourth chapter talks about stocking a vegan kitchen. I already have a lot of the ingredients on hand but there were a few I was anxious to try for myself. The next few chapters include recipes for breakfast, snacks, lunches, veggies, entrees, breads, and desserts.
The recipes are really great and use easy to find ingredients. I really appreciate this as there are many specialty ingredients not available where I live. A few recipes on my “to make” list include Fruity Oatmeal Muffins, Minestrone Soup, Build Your Own Taco Salads, French Onion Dip, Thai Pasta, and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies.
The only thing I would like more of in this book is pictures. There is a middle section with a lot of photos but I’d like it if they were throughout the book.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
When looking at a recipe to make from this book naturally I was drawn to the desserts but I already have so many vegan desserts on my blog that I went with breads. Challah is a great braided bread that’s slightly sweet and usually made with eggs. Miyam makes it simply with water, flour, and yeast. But to put a twist on it, she makes it Hot Pretzel Challah.
After the bread dough is made, it’s braided into a delicious bread. Then it is boiled in baking soda water in a large pot. After it’s removed from the pot it’s sprinkled with salt and or sesame seeds. Since this recipe makes two loaves I did one with salt and the other with salt and sesame seeds.
The bread got surprisingly golden brown. The outside was crispy but the inside was soft and delicious. It was great toasted with butter, plastered with fresh jams, or even as bread for a sandwich. This bread is one that’s easy to make and I’ll be making it again soon.
1
- 1 T. dry active yeast
- 6 t. sugar
- ¼ c. lukewarm water
- ¾ t.kosher salt
- ⅛ c. canola oil, plus more for bowl
- 3 c. bread flour
- ⅔ c. baking soda
- salt or sesame seeds, for sprinkling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium glass bowl or measuring cup, combine the yeast, 1½ t. of the sugar, and the lukewarm water. Leave for 10 minutes, or until foamy.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hood, on medium-low speed, mix the remaining 4½ t. sugar, 1 c. of water, and the kosher salt and oil.
- Add the yeast mixture to the mixing bowl, beating well. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour. Raise the speed to medium and knead for 4-5 minutes, until a smooth, satiny dough forms. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. If the dough is sticky, knead in more flour, a little bit at a time, until the dough is easy to roll. Divide the dough into six equal balls and roll each into a long strand. Braid three strands of dough into a challah, for a total of two challahs. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bring 8 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in a pot with a wide opening. Gently and carefully, lower a challah into the baking soda solution. Using two wooden spoons or spatulas, carefully turn the challah so both sides get equally covered in water. Remove after 30 seconds and place back on the parchment lined pan. Repeat with the other challah.
- Brush the top of each challah with some water from the pot and then top with salt or sesame seeds.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until starting to brown.
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