Mielle Chénier-Cowan Rose - Veganish: The Omnivores Guide to Plant-Based Cooking

Praise for Veganish

Veganish offers gentle advice for vegans and those considering that diet.

Publishers Weekly

Veganish is more than just a cookbook. Its an open invitation to listen to your bodys real needs and make healthy eating choices that go beyond labels. Mielle is magnificently authentic as she integrates both resourceful recipes and self-awareness.

Tiziana Alipo Tamborra, somatic experiencing practitioner and co-author of Sweet Gratitude

Mielles book, Veganish, is a well-rounded and informative narrative of deliciousness. This approachable take on omnivorous cuisine will appeal to any eater. A great book for anyone wishing to elevate their diet and create in the kitchen. The recipes are comprehensive and easy to use. I love this book!

Chandra Gilbert, executive chef of the popular Los Angeles restaurant Gracias Madre

Copyright 2014 by Mielle Chnier-Cowan Rose.

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, Inc.,

2246 Sixth Street, Berkeley, California 94710.

Cover design: Scott Idleman/Blink

Cover photograph: iStockphoto

Text design: Frank Wiedemann

First Edition.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

E-book ISBN: 978-1-936740-97-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rose, Mielle Chnier-Cowan.

Veganish : the omnivores guide to plant-based cooking / by Mielle Chnier-Cowan Rose. -- First edition.

pages cm

Summary: This utterly unique vegan + cookbook offers over 100 easy-to-make vegan recipes, many basic methods and cooking techniques, as well as advanced options. A trained chef, author Mielle Rose also offers pages of sage advice about food and nutrition, along with her personal story about transitioning from a 20 year long vegetarian diet to eating some animal-based foods-- Provided by publisher.

1. Vegan cooking. 2. Vegetarianism. 3. Cooking (Vegetable) I. Title.

TX837.R824 2014

641.5636--dc23

2014023123

Disclaimer

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed physician or dentist. The reader should consult a licensed professional in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. All suggestions regarding medical, dietary, political, and legal subject matter are based upon the information, belief, and personal opinions of Mielle Chnier-Cowan Rose only and should not be construed as directed advice. The ideas, suggestions, and procedures contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for expert assistance. Any application of the recommendations set forth in this book is at the readers discretion and sole risk. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Dedicated to my family, and especially to my daughter Clara Rose. May your health continue to thrive, and may you always understand what there is to be grateful for.

I also dedicate this to you, dear reader, with blessings for you and your familys exceptional health and well-being.

Lets remember to give gratitude every day for the gifts that sustain us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I was a devoted vegetarian for twenty years, and during the last twelve I was exclusively vegan. I spent those years learning and teaching about natural foods and began cooking professionally in 2000 as my practice of activism, to demonstrate the ease and pleasure of a plant-based diet. I earned my culinary certificate from Bauman College, an institute of holistic nutrition and healing culinary arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. I thank my career choice for my excellent health, because the natural restaurants and retreats I cooked for provided effortless access to fresh juices, wholesome meals, supplements, and cutting-edge health information while I was following such a restricted diet.

During those years, I would have protested anyone using the term restricted to describe my vegan diet. Ive always enjoyed food enthusiastically and never lacked for inspiration from the plant world. Friends and colleagues often questioned whether I would partake if I could raise my own animals, but I could never give an easy answer. I relish animal-based foods as much as any gastronome, and was never fundamentally opposed to the natural course of life-taking-life-to-sustain-life, which indeed occurs in a plant-based diet as well. My complaint was, and still is, with the heartless practices of modern animal husbandry. I dont believe that humans have a right to treat sentient beings the way we treat most farm animals. We cannot possibly thrive by consuming the product of such intense suffering.

During the course of my vegetarian diet, the bigger question in the back of my mind was how I would handle a health threat that called for me to consume animal productsand eventually I found my answer. When a dentist prescribed surgery for my two-year-old daughters severe tooth decay, with no promise of actual healing, I had to find a better solution. I discovered that tooth decay is linked to nutritional deficiency, and is somewhat common among vegan children. We began a healing regimen based on a book titled Cure Tooth Decay, which restricts grains, beans, nuts, and seeds and uses plenty of bone broths and marrow, raw dairy, and organ meats. My daughters condition improved astonishingly quickly.

I am now a reluctant omnivore, humbly and gratefully using animal products to heal my family. I would prefer to hunt wild, free animals for our meat, but for the time being I have settled for hunting through information, seeking the most honorable farms and learning about which industry practices canor cantbe avoided (see ). I am grateful for the farmers who do their best to give their animals a decent life and an honorable death.

I continue to grapple with my choice to include animal-based foods in our diet, yet I am not willing to risk my daughters long-term health for the uncertainty. This choice has been bizarre yet empowering as I endeavor to heal my family and serve our meals with respect and love. I expected to raise my daughter with vegan principles, but now it seems I am charged to teach her about the dilemma of using animals for our nourishment, even as our diets will surely continue to change course. Learning how to cook with animal-based foods while writing a vegan cookbook has humbled me and opened my heart, and I strive to walk gracefully on the narrow path of such a paradox.