COOKBOOK CONFIDENTIAL COOKBOOK CLUB – Oh She Glows for Dinner written by Angela Liddon

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Hi there,

This month’s Cooking Confidential review is oh she glows for dinner. This is an entirely plant-based, vegan cookbook. As such, it is a good follow-up to The Moosewood Cookbook. I chose the baked bean recipe because I make my own much-loved vegetarian baked beans. I wanted to see how my version’s flavors stacked against Angela Liddon.

I chose this recipe is straightforward and easy to follow, with simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery store. I appreciated that it didn’t require hard-to-find vegan substitutes or specialty items. The recipe also includes the option to make it in a slow cooker or on the stove, which is a nice touch for those who prefer one method over the other.

The resulting dish was rich, savory, and had a great balance of flavors. The combination of maple syrup, molasses, and apple cider vinegar added a depth of sweetness and tanginess that complemented the paprika’s smokiness and the beans’ earthiness. I also appreciated that the recipe included fresh greens, giving the dish more flavor and making it more of a main dish than a side.

Cookbook Image

My Baked Beans

Many of the ingredients in this recipe are very similar to my recipe. I add tang to my beans using horseradish, honey, and brown sugar instead of molasses and ketchup instead of tomato paste. I don’t care for the taste of liquid smoke, so that would not be an addition I would use. I would continue to use several varieties of beans. But, I would adopt using greens and dates the next time I make my recipe.

I would like to recommend this cookbook, but I found it very difficult to use. It is filled with lots of instructions and suggestions but does not have a smooth flow. I would not make room for this book on my cookbook shelf.

23 responses to “COOKBOOK CONFIDENTIAL COOKBOOK CLUB – Oh She Glows for Dinner written by Angela Liddon”

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Thank you for this review! Beans are such an important staple, and adding greens is always a nice idea.

    • I really liked the idea of using greens and I made my next batch with greens. I think I added them to the pot too early because they came out slimy. The next time I will add the greens at the last minute.

      • Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
        Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

        That’s what I do. Basically, toss the greens in, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. A few moments later, everything is good! Swiss chard can take a little longer if you toss the stems in too, and the leaves hold up better.

  2. This sounds interesting; I applaud the addition of greens (never would have thought of that), but I know my taste buds would give me a side eye on the dates. That chewy, candy-like bite seems out of place here, but maybe it needs to be experienced. I’ll tell you what I REALLY want now…the recipe for baked beans with horseradish! Don’t tease us like that, Bernadette! 😂

  3. Darlene – British Columbia, Canada – Writer of children's stories, short stories and travel articles. https://twitter.com/#!/supermegawoman http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=201634059868404&id=631897250&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/pages/Darlene-Foster-Writer/362236842733
    Darlene says:

    Looks like a great baked bean recipe. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  4. A great and honest review. The maple, molasses and dates are an interesting addition – I’m not used to sweetness in my beans – other than that from onions and tomatoes. I’m not sure I’d enjoy the liquid smoke either. We use it (occasionally) on steak, but it can be quite overpowering.

    • Thanks for weighing in Jo. I do make my beans a bit sweet with a lot of tang. I think it is probably an East Coast US tradition to make it a tad sweet. I wonder if that is how they are made in the UK?

      • They’re not that sweet either here in Aus or in the UK… What we call Boston Baked Beans tend to be a tad sweeter and tangier, but again, not that sweet…

  5. CarolCooks2 – Udon Thani – Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them. I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling. Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing. This is now taking me into other areas like deforestation, chemicals and preservatives in the food chain. Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
    CarolCooks2 says:

    Liquid smoke is not something I use but the addition of greens sounds good…:)

  6. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    Jenna says:

    I’m sorry the book was disappointing, and appreciate your honest review! The beans with greens is an interesting concept!

  7. Awakening Wonders – Everyday life is filled with wondrous things and embraceable moments, but only if we allow ourselves to be fully awakened. I invite you to join me as I share passionate life adventures and ramblings that awaken my spirit. I look forward to awakening your senses to the simple, joyous wonders that are all around us. I feel that we are destined to become soulful adventurers!
    Awakening Wonders says:

    Appreciate your review!!!! The maple baked beans sound very yummy!

  8. Retirement Reflections – Vancouver Island, BC – Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.
    Retirement Reflections says:

    Hi, Bernadette – Thank you for trialing this recipe. Although I own this cookbook, I never made the baked beans before (and now don’t know why I haven’t). I will definitely give them a try (minus the liquid smoke and some of the extra sweetness).

  9. Bernie – I have had a love of the written word for my entire life. It's no surprise that eventually I found a platform where I could write. It's random; sometimes funny, occasionally sad, maybe even at times from anger and I lean towards creative photography and hands on crafts. I have a few blogs that high light these interests.
    Bernie says:

    I might just steal the horseradish idea and skip the dates. The Swiss chard would be a no for my other half…wonder if I should try it.
    Bernie

    • I don’t like kale. So I usually switch to spinach in these type of recipes. Perhaps that would be a good substitute. The dates were not well received by the taste testers.

      • Bernie – I have had a love of the written word for my entire life. It's no surprise that eventually I found a platform where I could write. It's random; sometimes funny, occasionally sad, maybe even at times from anger and I lean towards creative photography and hands on crafts. I have a few blogs that high light these interests.
        Bernie says:

        I don’t like the beans to be sweet, so I would likely not try the dates.

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