Daum - Occasionally Eggs: Simple Vegetarian Recipes for Every Season

Copyright 2021 Alexandra Daum

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the publisheror, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agencyis an infringement of the copyright law.

Appetite by Random House and colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication is available upon request.

ISBN9780525611011

Ebook ISBN9780525611028

Book design: Terri Nimmo

Cover and interior photography: Alexandra Daum

Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.

www.penguinrandomhouse.ca

a_prh_5.6.1_c0_r0

For my mama,

who first taught me to cook, bake,

and everything else.

Contents

When I started working on this book, the idea wasnt to make it into a seasonal recipe collection. Although using seasonal ingredients has always been an important part of my cooking style, it seemed too inaccessible, too out of touch even a few years agobut times have changed. With our ever-changing climate, increasing concern about food systems, and growing food insecurity, it is more important than ever to try to eat seasonally. Its also easier on your wallet.

Of course, geographic location plays a large role when discussing seasonality. That is why Occasionally Eggs is as much about gardening as it is about cooking. I grew up in one of the worlds harshest climates, on the Canadian prairies, where short and dramatic summers can reach 40C (105F) and long winters can hit -50C (-60F). Everything there grows rapidly during the hot and dry months of June to August, and sometimes into September if youre luckybut frost can hit any month of the year. When I moved to Germany a few years ago, and then the Netherlands, I experienced true seasonal changes for the first time, and gardening here is an entirely different animal. During the winter I can grow kale, hardy herbs, cabbage, parsnips, and so onif theres a heavy frost at all, its often not until January. Dutch produce available in stores is often grown in greenhouses and is not as sweet and intense as the same produce grown on the Prairies. On the other hand, local produce is available year-round and I can pop into the back garden for fresh herbs and greens, even in mid-winter, which is why I include more fresh herbs in my cooking now.

Ive written these recipes with my garden in mind, so most of the fruits and vegetables featured in this book are those I grow or buy at local markets and am inspired by throughout the year. I also sometimes call for bits and bobs from places far away, like pomegranate, coconut, and bananas, but only items that are easy to find in a standard grocery store in Europe or North America. Nonetheless, this is a deeply seasonal collection for anyone in the northern hemisphere. (For those in the south, please simply turn the book upside down.)

This is also a collection of recipes that reflect how my own eating and cooking have evolved. My moms a German immigrant to Canada and we sometimes had traditional German food in the house, but she avoided it almost as much as I doalthough we had a small garden and tried to grow northern European standards, like kohlrabi, that werent locally available at the time. We sometimes ate sauerkraut and bratwurst (I hated both), or more often sweet braided breads and yeasted cakes, potato pancakes, and good dark bread, but we mostly had a lot of pasta and curry. My mom was living in Toronto when she met my dad (I was eight when we moved to Manitoba), and she embraced the Italian and Indian cooking she learned from her friends there more than the traditional German recipes she learned from her grandmother.

I learned to cook by watching my mom, then helping with little things, then cooking full meals on my own around the time I hit double digits. My mom worked a lot and my dad, if he was around to cook, could make a fried egg and not much more. I learned the typical standards first: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, rice pudding. Over time I started to incorporate what became my new standardsvegetable stews, legume burgers, and whole grain and lower-sugar desserts. Healthy vegetarian staples like these made it easier to stick to healthier eating, which is why my diet eventually became completely vegetarian.

When I started my blog, Occasionally Eggs (inspired largely by Angela Liddon, author of the Oh She Glows blog and cookbooks, gem that she is), right out of undergraduate school at twenty-one, my depression and anxiety were close to the worst theyd ever been. So in addition to being vegetarian from the start, my website features recipes with no dairy and no sugar, which makes a significant difference for me mentally. My eczema and other skin issues, bloating, and constant headaches have all largely disappeared. My crippling anxiety and daily attacks are virtually gone, and though depression has lingered, its not to the same extent.

Nowadays, the type of food I eat and the diet I follow are largely to help manage depression, so even though I might want toast for dinner every day, it isnt the best option. That said, this book doesnt advocate a strict type of dietits not a health or diet bookbecause I believe in eating what makes you feel good instead of what other people tell you to eat. I avoid sugar and white flour because I dont like headaches, but Ill also eat a whole bag of salt and vinegar chips in one sitting. (You do you.) Although all of the recipes here are vegetarian, many work well with some animal products added in. Occasionally Eggs is for anyone who would like to include a veg-based meal one or more days a week, for those who are strict vegetarians, and for anyone whod like to try to eat more seasonal food.

Ive also written Occasionally Eggs with busy people in mind. There are plenty of on-the-go recipes: from snacks, to make-ahead meals, to quick weeknight dinners, plus basics that are great to have on hand. Some special weekend or holiday recipes are kicking around too for when you want to lose yourself in an edible project.