BIG VEGAN
MORE THAN 350 RECIPES
NO MEAT / NO DAIRY
ALL DELICIOUS PHOTOGRAPHS BY KATE SEARS
BY ROBIN ASBELL
Introduction to the Vegan World 8 CHAPTER 1
Pantry Staples 34
CHAPTER 2
Breakfast 52
CHAPTER 3
Breads 88
CHAPTER 4
Sauces and Condiments 110
CHAPTER 5
Appetizers and Snacks 134
CHAPTER 6
Salads 168
CHAPTER 7
Soups 222
CHAPTER 8
Side Dishes 260
CHAPTER 9
Main Courses 300
CHAPTER 10
Grilling 442
CHAPTER 11 Desserts 464
Resources
519
Ingredients Glossary
520
Index
529
Introduction to the Vegan World Vegan is getting bigger all the time, so welcome to the party! Some of you may be committed, long-time vegans, and some of you may just be starting to investigate this way of eating. Some of you may just want some great plant-based recipes to help you cut back on animal foods. You are all welcome, and there should be something for everyone in this book. Eating great foods that just happen to be animal-free is good for your health, good for the environment, and good for the animals, so every time someone chooses vegan, we all win. With even just one plateful, clean plant-based food makes a difference. Eating this way is a celebration—a celebration of you nourishing yourself while reveling in the sensuous cuisine that springs from a nourished planet. It’s a celebration of the colors, tastes, scents, and textures that emerge from the soil and all the energy they possess. Feeling great, looking good, and doing good for the planet is just one big party, with no hangover the next day. As much as we look to food for pleasure, the ultimate hedonism is great health. Sure, junk food has its fleeting buzz, but living in a nourished body is a long-term plan for serious fun. Who doesn’t want to have more energy and avoid chronic disease? The most powerful tool for accomplishing a vibrant state of being is your plate. The plant-based food party is coming into its own place in the world. Good food is good food, transcending labels. Anyone who has ever eaten a crispy-hot slice of hearty bread spread with melting peanut butter and jam for lunch was enjoying a vegan meal with no label attached. Sublime pleasures like a perfect, ripe peach; a just-picked juicy tomato still warm from the sun; or a handful of crisp pistachios come from plant cuisine at its
bonuses. The legumes/pulses, beans, and seeds group, as well as the fortified nondairy products, can make up your concentrated protein sources. The top of the triangle is the stuff you make sure to keep in balance—like sweeteners and fats. Your body needs some fats and oils, so don’t think that lesser quantities means total elimination.
The Vegan Pyramid For many years, the food pyramid published by the USDA was not veganfriendly and gave the impression that vegan diets were unhealthful. Thanks to the work of vegan-friendly dietitians, the nutrition community has come around to the soundness of an animal-free diet.
VEGAN FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID CALCIUM-RICH FOODS FATS
2
SERVINGS
FRUITS
2
SERVINGS
VEGETABLES
4
SERVINGS
LEGUMES, NUTS, AND OTHER PROTEIN-RICH FOODS
5
Oils and fats 1 tsp/ 5 ml
Fortified fruit juice ½ cup/125 ml Figs 5
Medium fruit 1 Cut-up or cooked fruit ½ cup/125 ml Fruit juice ½ cup/125 ml Dried fruit ¼ cup/60 ml
Bok choy, broccoli, collards, Chinese cabbage, kale, mustard greens, or okra 1 cup/250 ml cooked or 2 cups/500 ml raw Fortified tomato juice ½ cup/125 ml
Cooked vegetables ½ cup/125 ml Raw vegetables 1 cup/250 ml Vegetable juice ½ cup/125 ml
Cooked beans, peas, or lentils ½ cup/125 ml Tofu or tempeh ½ cup/125 ml Nuts or seed butter 2 tbsp/30 ml Nuts ¼ cup/60 ml Meat analog 1 oz/28 g
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SERVINGS
22
GR AINS
6
SERVINGS
Bread 1 slice Cooked grain or cereal ½ cup/125 ml Ready-to-eat cereal 1 oz/28 g
8
SERVINGS
Fortified soymilk or other fortified nondairy milk ½ cup/125 ml Tempeh or calcium-set tofu ½ cup/125 ml Almonds ¼ cup/60 ml Almond butter or sesame tahini 2 tbsp/30 ml Cooked soybeans ½ cup/125 ml Soynuts ¼ cup/60 ml
Calciumfortified breakfast cereal 1 oz/28 g
2 cups/255 g gluten flour ½ cup/65 g chickpea flour 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tbsp dark miso 7 tbsp/105 ml tamari or soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetarian bouillon/stock paste or granules 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 4 garlic cloves 3 bay leaves MAKES APPROXIMATELY
1¾ LB / 800 G
Making your own seitan is easy, now that gluten flour is readily available. Make a big batch on the weekend and put it in the slow-cooker, then you can keep some in the refrigerator and freeze some for later. Slice or tear the logs into pieces and simmer them in flavored broth or sauce, if desired.
Mock Duck or Seitan 1 In a stand mixer with a dough hook or in a large bowl by hand, mix together the gluten flour, chickpea flour, and yeast. Measure 1½ cups/360 ml water. Put the miso in a cup and whisk in a little of the water to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining water, 3 tbsp of the tamari, the bouillon/ stock paste, and the sesame oil. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients, then knead for 2 minutes, until spongy.
2 Cut two 10-in-/25-cm-long pieces of cheesecloth/ muslin. Divide the dough into two pieces, then form each into an 8-in/21-cm log wrapped in cloth, smoothing the outside as well as you can. Twist the ends and tie or twist-tie to secure them well.
3 In a large pot or 2-qt/2-L slow-cooker, combine 2 qt/2 L
BIG VEGAN
water with the remaining ¼ cup/60 ml tamari, the garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then add the seitan bundles. Simmer for 2 hours on the stovetop or for 5 hours in the slowcooker, until firm to the touch. Let the seitan and broth cool to room temperature before unwrapping. This freezes well for up to 3 months.
38
2 tsp cold-press corn oil ¾ cup/120 g minced shallots ½ cup/120 ml Basic Vegetable Stock (page 49) 2 tsp cornstarch/ cornflour 2 tbsp very smooth carrot puree or carrot baby food
This sunny orange spread is a handy stand-in for butter, great for spreading on toast or drizzling on steamed veggies. Make a double batch to keep on hand for all your buttering needs. Not for baking, this is all about spreading, topping hot veggies, and dolloping on plain brown rice. Carrots make a beautiful buttery color, as well as add sweetness.
Veggie “Butter”
¼ tsp salt MAKES ABOUT
¾ CUP / 145 G
1 In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and stir. When the mixture starts to sizzle, reduce to the lowest heat and stir every few minutes. Cook until the shallots are golden and soft, about 10 minutes.
2 In a small cup, stir together the stock and cornstarch/cornflour. When the shallots are caramelized and shrunken, stir the stock mixture and add it to the pan. Stir and simmer until thickened. Stir in the carrot puree and salt and heat through. Remove the “butter” from the heat. If desired, puree it thoroughly in a food processor, or simply use as is. Store, tightly covered, for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
PANTRY STAPLES
47
2 small dried mushrooms (any variety) 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose/plain flour 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 8 oz/225 g seitan, thinly sliced 3 oz/75 g fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1½ cups/360 ml plain soymilk or other milk ¼ cup/60 ml white wine 1 tbsp tomato paste/ puree
This pasta is an opportunity to amplify and showcase the umami of mushrooms, with layer after layer of intense mushroom flavor. For the fungus lovers among us, this creamy, meaty pasta is a plateful of heaven.
Creamy Triple-Mushroom Fettuccine with Walnuts
1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a spice or coffee
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
grinder, grind the dried mushrooms to a fine powder. Put them in a small bowl and stir in the flour. Reserve.
1 tsp white miso
2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 pinch cayenne 1 pinch ground turmeric ½ cup/15 g fresh parsley or basil ½ tsp salt
Add the seitan and shiitakes and stir until browned, then add the garlic. When the vegetables start to sizzle, sprinkle them with the flour mixture and stir to combine. Keep stirring and scraping until the flour is well moistened and the mushroom powder is very fragrant.
3 As the mushroom-seitan mixture cooks, whisk together
Olive oil spray
8 oz/225 g dried fettuccine
the soymilk, wine, tomato paste/puree, yeast, miso, nutmeg, cayenne, and turmeric in a measuring cup. Remove the pan from the heat and use a heat-safe spatula to stir in about one fourth of the soymilk mixture until smooth. Continue to add the soymilk mixture in fourths, stirring after each addition until all is incorporated. Stir in the parsley and salt and keep warm.
¼ cup/30 g chopped walnuts, toasted
4 Heat a cast-iron frying pan over high heat. When the pan
8 oz/225 g fresh portobello caps, thinly sliced
SERVES
4
is hot, coat it with oil spray and sear the portobello mushroom slices, stirring as they shrink and brown. Cook the fettuccine in the boiling water according to the package directions and drain well.
5 In a serving bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce. Top with 384
the seared mushrooms, sprinkle with the toasted walnuts, and serve.
Creamy Triple-Mushroom Fettuccine with Walnuts FACING PAGE
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Almond-Sage Sauce PAGE 400
Chocolate Sandwich Os PAGE 474
Dough ½ cup/115 g Earth Balance margarine 1 cup/200 g sugar 3 to 4 tbsp/45 to 60 ml rice milk or other milk ½ tsp vanilla extract 1½ cups/170 g unbleached all-purpose/ plain flour ¾ cup/75 g unsweetened cocoa powder
If you miss those familiar packaged cookies—the ones we used to dunk in cold milk—these will make you very happy. The crisp, dark, jumbo cookies are double-stuffed with creamy sweet filling, so prepare for a cookie buzz.
Chocolate Sandwich Os
½ tsp salt
1 to make the dough: Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C/
Filling
gas 3. Line two baking sheets/trays with parchment/baking paper or silicone baking mats.
2½ cups/250 g powdered/icing sugar
2 In a stand mixer or bowl, beat the margarine with the
½ cup/120 ml coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract
16
MAKES FAT SANDWICH COOKIES
sugar until fluffy. Beat in 3 tbsp of the milk and the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix them into the wet mixture; it will make a stiff dough. Add the remaining 1 tbsp milk only if the dough is too crumbly to hold together. Scoop 2-tbsp portions and form them into disks to make thirty-two cookies, then use a metal spatula to flatten them to ¼ in/6 mm thick. Dip the spatula in flour to keep it from sticking. Put the disks on the prepared pans 2 in/5cm apart.
3 Bake for 8 minutes, turn the pans, then bake until the edges look darkened, about 8 minutes (check at 5 minutes for scorching). Let them cool on racks.
4 to make the filling: Put the sugar, oil, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or a medium bowl and beat to combine. It will be stiff. Roll the filling into a cylinder and slice it into 16 portions, then flatten each one to fit in the cookies/biscuits.
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5 Put each portion of filling between two cooled cookies/
474
biscuits; press lightly to adhere. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; let them come to room temperature before serving.