Spreading myself thin this weekend.

I was so impressed with V-Con's Walnut-Mushroom Pate that I thought I'd give a bunch of the other V-Con's dips and spreads a try. I've got three worthy spreads on the go here: Creamy Kalamata Spread, Curried Carrot Dip and Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip. All of them are excellent. The Kalamata is a strong flavour, but someone mellowed by the tofu. The Curred Carrot is incredibly simple to make, and carries a very subtle and sweet curry taste. I had my doubts about a carrot dip, but it's surprisingly good. And the Mediterranean dip is reminiscent of tzatziki, but with a magical creaminess created from pureed cucumber and cashews rather than yogurt. What I appreciate most from these recipes is that they are creative and flavourful without only relying on the usual vegan dip staples: tofu or pureed beans - ingredients even I can get a little tired of!There were lots of new recipes to try this weekend. Above are the Jalapeño Corn Cakes from Yellow Rose Recipes. The texture created by the silken tofu and cornmeal was very nice, and didn't taste 'tofu-ish' at all. I halved the jalapeños for fear of too much heat, but it wasn't necessary. I can imagine that I'll want to complicate this recipe next time with the addition of cilantro or roasted red peppers, but it really isn't necessary as it's lovely on its own.I was really happy with this Indian potato pancake I created as a side for Sunday Night Dinner. I essentially made a giant hashbrown, but flavoured it with toasted cumin seeds, turmeric, chillies and salt. I cooked it in a frying pan on medium heat for about 10-minutes per side and it came out nice and crispy. They key to the crispiness factor is to ring the water out of the shredded potatoes before frying. Below you can see the Indian pancakes served with TVP meatloaf (Cozy Inside cookbook), peas and corn.