Vegan Recipe Books Galore

A friend is moving to Canada for at least a year.  And guess who she left all her vegan recipe books with?  (If you didn't guess that it's me then you are obviously not paying attention.)

I have had a wonderful time sitting on my couch and flicking through these books and dreaming of all the wonderful recipes I am going to make.  I have already made a few things - some amazing and perfect, some, well, perhaps my over zealous beating has negatively effected the outcome.

A few nights ago I made the Corn Chowder from Vegan with a Vengence by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (of Post Punk Kitchen fame).
You can find the recipe here: Corn Chowder on CHOW

Yes I know that Corn Chowder might seem like a bit of a tame choice because I made my own version recently, but hey, Corn Chowder is great for winter evenings and I wanted to compare.

The verdict: Isa's version is yummy but really, maple syrup in Corn Chowder??  I just couldn't bring myself to put maple syrup in Corn Chowder.  Also, I must confess that I left out the jalapeños.  I love the taste of jalapeños, but I figured that the addition of red bell pepper (or capsicum as we like to call it in Australia) and the jalapeños might just be a bit too much irritation for my reflux prone oesophagus.  (Is that too much information?)

I like the subtle leek flavour in my version, but I think the addition of lime juice in Isa's is great.  I am sure there will be plenty more Corn Chowder consumption in my household this winter, and I suspect future recipes will be hybrids of the two versions.  But I can assure you that maple syrup will be reserved for pancakes and baking, not for soup sweetening.  You might be thinking "Why doesn't she just try a little maple syrup in her soup" but to me right now that just seems yuck! 

If you have had soup with maple syrup in it I would love to hear about it.  Was it sickly or was it divine?

I will miss my lovely friend very much.  But I sure am enjoying her cook books!