Vegan Brunch : Chocolate Beer Waffles

This is my eleventh and final VeganMoFo post for 2014. For more information on this month’s theme, see my Cook from Books description here.

If you are vegan and do any cooking at all, chances are you probably have at least one of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s cookbooks on your shelf (and if you don’t, you should!)

When I first became vegan, I was angry at everything I read about that caused the endless and needless suffering of animals: factory farming, cosmetic testing, the fur industry, etc. Everything I read was written by a similarly angry (but infinitely more eloquent) person than me, so I was always surrounded by this tone.

But cooking quieted that noise, and the kitchen became a place I went to to create things instead of reading about things I felt I had little control over.

What turned this escape into a passion was Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s first cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. It was different that other vegan-authored books because Isa’s tone was different: she was funny, had a whatthehell attitude in the kitchen and made cooking approachable and cool. After I cooked my way through VwaV I wanted more. Since then, Isa has written seven more cookbooks, has contributed to countless others.

Isa’s fourth title, Vegan Brunch, was released in 2009 and, like all of her previous titles, was placed on preorder as soon as I heard about it. And when I received my copy, I did what I do with most cookbooks: I sit down and read my way through it like a novel. Vegan Brunch is funny, delicious, creative and inspiring.

It offers countless brunch staples like waffles, scrambles, pancakes and scones, made with completely accessible and affordable ingredients, showing that there’s more to vegan brunch than cold fruit and dry bagels.

What I chose for this recipe are Isa’s Chocolate Beer Waffles. They have dark beer in them. They have chocolate in them. They are smothered in a duo of chocolate drizzle and sweet cashew cream. They are delicious.

The beer injects the batter with little pockets of air that mingles with the baking powder to create an impossibly poofy waffle that’s fun to drag through the rich cashew cream and dark and sweet chocolate sauce. Is this for everyday? No, but why should vegan mean no indulgence or fun? Go grab your copy of Vegan Brunch from your shelf or on amazon and make these easy, fun and delicious waffles!

Next up to try: Isa’s Puttanesca Scramble, Swiss Chard Frittata, Matzoh Brie, Cornbread Waffles with Pantry Mole Rojo and Seitan, Lemon Cashew-Stuffed Crepes with Whole Berry Sauce, Creamy Avocado Potato Salad and East Coast Coffee Cake.

So that’s it for VeganMofo this year! It’s been fun to take a closer look at my favorite cookbooks and bring some of the recipes to life in my kitchen and onto the blog.

I’ll also admit it’s been fun to cook from someone else’s cookbook as opposed to coming up with ideas and recipes on my own this month. I’ve enjoyed immersing myself in another’s culinary point of view and style. In a way, it’s kind of been like meeting the author!

To read more about VeganMofo, visit the kind folks who run it. If you’ve been following along this month, thanks for stopping by! I hope something here has inspired you to open that unused cookbook on your shelf or try that recipe you were thinking about but never attempted. Or maybe even buy one (or two) of them!