Squash, Chard/Mangold and Bean Taco

I used this recipe although I opted for black-eyed beans instead of black beans, and whole-wheat tortillas. I did not like it as much as grilled vegetables in a tortilla, but my dining companion liked it.

Hummingbird Cake

After receiving a request for pineapple cake, I tried making this, although I halved the recipe.  I left out the nuts. Although the cake was more banana than pineapple, we all liked the frosting.

Grilled Cabbage with Nam Prik

I didn’t have a pointed cabbage, but a plain white cabbage still grilled up nicely. I left out the fish sauce to make it vegan. Everyone who tasted it enjoyed the sauce.

Greek Vegetable Stew

Even though I’m not normally a fan of dill, I liked it here. I used this recipe.

Black Fungus with Marinade

I am very fond of black fungus, also known as mu-err or wood-ear mushroom. This is another salad preparation which includes carrots and coriander leaf (cilantro). I used a green chilli instead of a red one because I didn’t have any fresh red ones.

I prefer the cucumber salad with its hints of star anise, but this one is quicker to make.

Pasta in Creamy Summer Vegetable Sauce

I took this recipe from One-Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson, although I opted to use mu-err mushrooms instead of white ones, and left 1/4 of the vegetables intact to give it a little more texture. The sauce is made from courgette/zucchini, mushroom, tomato, onion, garlic, sweet tomato, white beans and herbs.

I didn’t find the sauce that creamy but rather on the boring side. I won’t make this again.

Garlic Mushroom Bok Choy

I worked off of this recipe, but replaced the shiitake mushrooms with a mix of basic white mushrooms and mu-err mushrooms. I like this and will probably make it again.

Roasted Eggplant/Aubergine with Garlic

I thought I loved garlic. This recipe, which calls for one bulb of garlic per aubergine/eggplant is just a bit much for me to eat plain, but it is nice spread on some bread. I didn’t have Asian aubergines so I used another variety.

Black Fungus Cucumber Salad

I modified this recipe by briefly boiling the mu-err mushrooms (black fungus) to ensure they were tender. I really liked this salad, in part because I love both star anise and mu-err mushrooms.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Flatbread

I made a flatbread from buckwheat and wheat flour, then mixed together two pastes as a base: baba ghanoush and roasted red onion purée. I topped it with spinach, cherry tomatoes and honey chèvre.