Vasudha Viswanath - The Vegetarian Reset: 75 Low-Carb, Plant-Forward Recipes from Around the World

Copyright 2023 by Vasudha Viswanath.

Photographs copyright 2023 by Alexandra Shytsman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-1-68555-037-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68555-038-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022906998

Printed using Forest Stewardship Council certified stock from sustainably managed forests.

Manufactured in China.

Editor: Christine McKnight

Design: Liliana Guia

Project Editor: Amy Treadwell.

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The Collective Book Studio

Oakland, California

www.thecollectivebook.studio

Introduction

MY FOOD PHILOSOPHY

The word vegetarian evokes two distinct images, depending on whom you ask. Newly turned vegetarians have visions of consuming leafy green salads, smoothies, and perhaps imitation-meat burgers for every meal. Those who have been vegetarian for longer, like me, dream about bread, rice, and noodles. Think about it: When you go out to dinner, omnivores choose between chicken and lamb; vegetarians choose between noodles and fried rice, or between pasta and pizza, with a side salad thats barely worth a mention. White carbs are the focus and vegetables tend to play a supporting role. Recipe books in this space tend to straddle two extremesthey either wax eloquently about how to make the fluffiest focaccia and a garlicky pile of al dente noodles, or on the other hand propose uninspiring combinations of quinoa, greens, and avocado for every meal.

Awareness of our unsustainable food system is driving many to eat more plant-based food. But what is marketed to them is lab-grown burgers, sugary smoothies, and a sensory overload of refined carbs.

With busy and stressful lifestyles, we turn to comfort food whether cooking at home or ordering in. We think exercise will fix everything. But at some pointfor me it was after I turned thirtywe all find that we can no longer outrun a bad diet, no matter how many spin classes we take. It is now widely recognized that overconsumption of refined (or processed) carbsincluding bread, rice, and pastaleads to frequent blood sugar spikes and subsequent insulin resistance , and is deeply linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and several other chronic diseases. Excessive starch and sugar create inflammation in our bodies and are highly disruptive to our gut health, hormone regulation, and immune system.

Okay, so refined carbs in large quantities are not good for you. And likely neither is processed imitation meat. But raw salads will not keep your palate happy forever. So how do you make a healthy vegetarian lifestyle satisfying and delicious, and thereby sustainable?

As I thought about this, I narrowed down all my food problems to this simple diagram, a culinary trilemma. How do we find the sweet spot where a healthy vegetarian lifestyle intersects with a foodies sensibility? This book is the beginning of my humble attempt to solve this puzzle and redefine what it means to be vegetarian. Its time to put the veg back in vegetarian . Its time to reset .

For inspiration, I turned to the basics. Traditional cuisines of the world have long celebrated vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, using spices and healthy fats liberally and cooking them with techniques that sharpen and amplify their flavors. In this book, I strived to make those ideas accessible and adapt my favorite dishes to put vegetables center stage.

The nutrition-based argument for cutting out processed foods from our diets is clear. In this book, I chose instead to focus on flavor . When you embrace whole foods , you are transported to a world of heightened flavor where your taste buds dont just appreciate but relish a slow-roasted tomato; the mellow but smoky flesh of charred eggplant combined with sweet, caramelized onions; a simple stir-fry where each vegetable is crisp yet just tender enough; or the layers of complexity in a marinated cheese.

If youre a foodie that craves variety, flavor, and adventure, I wrote this book for you. To keep you interested, to keep your palate happy, and to woo you into cooking delicious food that puts nutrition back into focus. I hope these recipes make healthy eating compelling enough that you do it because you want to, not just because you should.

THIS BOOK

This book is organized into nine chapters based on the sections you would typically find on a restaurants menuBreads, Salads, Soups, Pasta, Desserts, and so on. However, the contents would be extremely atypical of a restaurants menu! For example, I use riced cauliflower or spiralized vegetables in lieu of white rice or noodles and create breads out of less-processed alternatives like chickpea and almond flour. My desserts are lightly sweetened with whole fruit, as I believe nature intended sugars to be consumed.

Due to their focus on vegetables, the recipes in this book tend to be moderately low-carb and are predominantly gluten-free. Ive provided nutritional facts for each recipe to empower you to make informed decisions about what you eat. Use them to your advantage when meal-planning. I use a moderate amount of full-fat dairy and eggs in some of my recipes, but often recommend alternatives for people who refrain from animal products.

Do you need to banish refined carbs and sugar from your diet forever? No. However, when you embrace whole foods, you will find that your palate resets and your taste buds start to develop a whole new preference. Youll find that after a night out eating junk food, you will crave healthier food for your next meal. Dessert sweetened with refined sugar will begin to taste artificially sweet. My goal is to help you introduce enough healthy meals into your rotation so that you can begin to reset your body in this way.

I hope you enjoy taking this culinary journey with me. Looking back, youll know you ate well.

About Me

I grew up in Bangalore, India, in a family of foodies where everyone still passionately debates their next meal. My parents fondly recall me, as a three-year-old, demanding to know what was in my lunchbox the night before I went to school. Always an avid and adventurous home cook, some of my favorite childhood memories are of making a pasta with bchamel sauce for my friends and baking cakes in a pressure cooker filled with sand because our oven would not get hot enough for a cake. I have been a lifelong vegetarian, initially from my upbringing and now by choice.

I continued my culinary journey in New York, where I moved to pursue a career on Wall Street at the intersection of technology, finance, and strategy. New York City opened up a whole new world of cuisines and flavors. My husband and I dined out several times a week before our daughter was born, scouring blogs for the best restaurants (the unofficial count is somewhere north of 300). Everything is research. I am the pesky diner that must know whats in every dish and takes notes at dinner. We also traveled extensively and heavily prioritized sampling local cuisine over sightseeing. Travel has been the best teacher, opening our minds and our palates. We took our homework seriously before each trip, researching the local cuisine and its origins, and where we could find the best vegetarian food. When we returned, I would obsessively experiment in my tiny Manhattan kitchen until I perfected my favorite dishes from the trip.