Doug McNish - Over 120 Favourite Comfort Food Recipes for a Vegan Lifestyle

Flash back to fifteen years ago and you would have seen me, a classically trained chef, working the grill at a steakhouse cooking hundreds of steaks a night. What this younger me wasnt aware of just yet was the cruel life of factory farmed animals raised for food, the negative health effects associated with a diet built around animal products, and the environmental degradation that raising animals for food creates. I was in my early twenties when these things came to light for me and when I decided to become vegan and dedicate my professional efforts to creating compassionate vegan cuisine.

Prior to my vegan cooking, I was lucky enough to work for and with some amazing chefs in all facets of the culinary world. I have been part of award-winning catering teams, was trained in traditional fine dining, and worked at a large Mediterranean-inspired bistro, in French cuisine, and at the aforementioned steakhouse, a country club, a professional sports arena, and more. I did not know it at the time, but all of these influences and experiences would help mould my palate and lead me to understand how truly amazing vegan cuisine can be.

Initially it was just for fun. I tried to re-create vegan cheese recipes I would see in books and magazines. I let my co-workers and friends sample my creations, and while there were a lot of hits, there were also a lot of misses along the way. It was the misses that helped form the foundation for what I do now. I dont think you can become a good home cook or chef unless you make mistakes, and lots of them. They are our true-life teachers.

Anytime I set out to veganize a recipe, I try to look at how the original version was made. I not only look at the physical makeup of the recipe, but also bring back a memory of a taste or an experience associated with the original animal-based food I made. These past experiences are what inspire me to re-create something as close to the traditional version as possible.

Vegan cuisine is exploding all over the world, and now more than ever people are adopting a plant-based diet or vegan lifestyle. Not only are they starting to understand that you do not need animal products to survive, but with new science-based evidence and research coming out all the time, people are understanding that you can actually thrive eating a healthy plant-based diet. I am both excited and honoured to be a part of this growth, and I hope that through the recipes in this book, you will understand how truly amazing vegan cuisine can be.

My approach to cooking is always about two things: good flavour and good texture. If I can achieve both, the dish is always a winner in my eyes. Ive applied this philosophy to every recipe in this cookbook to create an awesome collection of more than 100 vegan recipes that reinvent classic comfort foods with a modern spin! I truly hope you can taste, sense, feel, and experience the love that has gone into each and every bite along the way!