Celine Steen - Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes with a Kick

Author of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

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Believe it or not, there are worse things for a hardworking cook to hear than The stoves not working and our dinner party starts in 30 minutes! or The refrigerator went kaput during our weekend getaway and all the food is ruined. The most dreaded words may very well be Will someone please pass the salt? uttered when the meal youve spent hours preparing turns out to be extremely bland and boring, letting everyone down including the dog. Especially the dog.

Weve all been there. You prepare a meal with the best intentions, with or without recipes at hand, and everything you were hoping for doesnt turn out at all the way you planned.

I adopted a vegan lifestyle more than a decade ago, and veganism has become more popular than ever over the years. Yet, despite all the brilliant vegan cooking literature out there, some people still assume that its a boring, bland diet we inflict upon ourselves. One that involves steamed, unseasoned tofu with boiled broccoli topped with sprouts. If only they knew and now they can!

Creating big, bold, exciting flavors for vegan and vegan-friendly cooks is what this book is all about. With the myriad of spices, umami-rich ingredients and clever cooking techniques that are all within our reach, there is no reason for anyone to ever eat a boring dinner again.

RECIPE ICONS

Many of the recipes youll come across in this cookbook are labeled with one or more of the following icons:

Gluten-Free: Recipes that have the potential to be free of gluten, provided you check ingredients for safe use and purchase ingredients that are certified gluten-free. Contact the manufacturer directly for the most current information.

Soy-Free: Recipes that have the potential to be free of soy-based products. Check labels and get in touch with the manufacturer for the most current information. Keep in mind soy can be found in unexpected foods, such as nut milks, vegetable broth, chocolate and cooking sprays.

Oil-Free: Recipes that are made without the use of extracted oils. Note that these recipes will not necessarily be low-fat as they may contain foods that are rich in natural fats, such as nuts and avocados.

In A Hurry: Recipes that take less than 30 minutes to prepare, provided you have intermediate cooking or baking skills.

This is a whole chapter dedicated to the wonders created by umami-rich ingredients. Think of dried shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, double-concentrated tomato paste, matcha green tea, miso, nutritional yeast, tamari and the list goes on. The umami taste is a surefire way to bring a meaty-like quality to the vegan foods we eat, without having to compromise our ethics.

Umami, also known as the fifth taste, works its delicious magic in the following recipes to create dishes with well-rounded flavors. It helps demonstrate once again that theres nothing to be missed when followingand enjoying!a vegan lifestyle.

For more information about the most umami-rich, cruelty-free ingredients, please refer to . And be sure to incorporate them in your everyday cooking experiments. Time to get this savory show on the road!

I love how sneaky developing some recipes can be; you never know for certain how they will turn out. Then they go and far exceed your expectations when you have that first bite. The jackfruit is even better when prepared ahead of time, so feel free to make it the day before for quick sandwiches the next day. And dont skip the . This is a sum-of-all-its-parts kind of sandwich, and the pickles definitely seal the deal.

YIELD : 8 sandwiches

1 tbsp (15 ml) grapeseed oil or olive oil

1 bell pepper (any color), trimmed, cored and chopped

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium red onion, trimmed, peeled and chopped

2 (20-oz [567-g]) cans young green jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed

cup (160 g) or store-bought

cup (90 g) organic ketchup

1 tbsp (30 g) agave nectar

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice

1 tbsp (23 ml) reduced-sodium tamari

2 tbsp (30 ml)

tsp Lapsang Souchong tea leaves (or tsp liquid smoke, to taste)

2 tsp (8 g) , minced

8 vegan french bread rolls, lightly toasted

Regular flavor or store-bought

Garnishes: Shredded red cabbage, sliced English cucumber, sliced scallions, , lime wedges

Place the oil, bell pepper, garlic and onion in a large pot. Heat on medium-high and cook for 4 minutes, just to start releasing the flavors and to soften slightly. Add the jackfruit, stirring to combine, and cook for another 2 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the gochujang paste, ketchup, agave, lime juice, tamari, dashi and tea in a medium bowl. Pour onto the vegetables along with the ginger. Bring to a low boil, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed. Use a potato masher or 2 forks to shred the jackfruit; be careful so as not to scrape and damage the bottom of your pot.

If preparing the day before, let the jackfruit mixture cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Slowly reheat in a pan on medium heat the next day for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spread the desired amount of mayo on both sides of the toasted bread. Cover with the desired amount of shredded cabbage. Divide the jackfruit preparation among all the sandwiches. Top with cucumber slices, scallions and pickles to taste. Serve immediately. I like to drizzle a little lime juice on top. This is a slightly messy sandwich, so have napkins handy!