Adams Media - Vegan: 50 Essential Recipes for Todays Busy Cook

Avon, Massachusetts Cook some dim sum topped off with hoisin sauce and your friends will think youre a talented Chinese food chef. Perhaps even a connoisseur. But when you create a vegan meal, you are literally changing the world. Call it gastronomical activism at the tip of your fork. Just by eating vegan, you become an eco-activist and, within a week or two, a healthier person. Veganism is not just a diet, and not just the food on your plate: it is an active stance against environmental inefficiencies, a boycott against animal cruelty, and a method of preventive medicine.

Yes, all that comes just from trading in milk and meat for mushrooms and marinara. One small bite for you is one giant leap toward a healthier planet and a healthier body. While a vegetarian diet excludes the consumption of all animals, including pigs, cows, birds, fish, and all other sea animals, a vegan diet avoids the meat of animals as well as foods that come from animals, including milk and all other dairy products (butter, cheese, ice cream) and eggs. The many processed foods such as mayonnaise and baked goods that include eggs or dairy are also eliminated. Many packaged and premade goods contain hidden animal ingredients that vegans also avoid. The most common of these are dairy derivatives such as whey, lactose, casein, caseinate, and sodium caseinate, albumen from eggs, and gelatin, which is derived from animal collagens.

Some vegans take it a step further, avoiding foods that may have used animals in their production, such as some white sugars and wines. A few foods, primarily honey, cause debate as to whether they may be called vegan or not. Though honey can easily be substituted by agave nectar or brown rice syrup, other questionable foods such as civet coffee and truffles sniffed by pigs may give pause to vegan gourmands. Without fatty meats and rich creams, vegan chefs are some of the most inspired artists on the planet, drawing upon an international array of herbs and spices to create naturally nourishing and cholesterol-free dishes. With a bit of experimentation and a few good substitutes, youll soon be on your way to exploring the many incarnations of vegan cuisine: from heirloom produce and exotic treasures to down-home traditional comfort foods and the most indulgent cavity-inducing desserts a sweet tooth could dream of. Whether youre new to the vegan lifestyle or an old pro, in this book youll find 50 delicious and satisfying recipes.

Theres something for every taste and for every meal from Apple Cinnamon Waffles to Thai Tom Kha Coconut Soup to Spicy Chili Basil Tofu. Try something new today! If youd like to explore the vegan lifestyle in more detail, check out The Everything Vegan Cookbook , available in both print (ISBN 978-1-4405-0216-3) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-4405-0217-0) formats. Chili Masala Tofu Scramble Tofu scramble is an easy and versatile vegan breakfast. This version adds chili and curry for subcontinental flavor. Toss in whatever veggies you have on hand tomatoes, spinach, or diced broccoli would work well. Serves 2

Ingredients 1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small red chili pepper, minced 1 green bell pepper, chopped cup sliced mushrooms 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon curry powder teaspoon cumin teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)

1. Cut or crumble pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes.
2. Saut onion and garlic in olive oil for a minute or 2 until onions are soft.
3. Add tofu, chili pepper, bell pepper, and mushrooms, stirring well to combine.
4. Add remaining ingredients, except nutritional yeast, and combine well.

   Allow to cook until tofu is lightly browned, about 68 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in nutritional yeast if desired.

Per Serving Calories: 288 Fat: 21 g Protein: 16 g Sodium: 479 mg Fiber: 4 g The Next Day Leftover tofu scramble makes an excellent lunch, or wrap leftovers (or planned-overs!) in a warmed flour tortilla to make breakfast-style burritos, perhaps with some salsa or beans. Vanilla Date Breakfast Smoothie Adding dates to a basic soy milk and fruit smoothie adds a blast of unexpected sweetness. A healthy breakfast treat or a cooling summer snack. Serves 1 Ingredients 4 dates Water cup soy milk 2 bananas 67 ice cubes teaspoon vanilla

1. Cover the dates with water and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes. This makes them softer and easier to blend.
2. Discard the soaking water and add the dates and all other ingredients to the blender.
3. Process until smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.

Per Serving Calories: 439 Fat: 4 g Protein: 9 g Sodium: 93 mg Fiber: 11 g For a Smoother Smoothie Soaking your dates first will help them process a little quicker and results in a smoother consistency. Place dates in a small bowl and cover with water.

Let them sit for about 10 minutes, then drain. Apple Cinnamon Waffles For perfect vegan waffles, make sure your waffle iron is hot and very well greased, as vegan waffles tend to be stickier than regular waffles. Serves 4

Ingredients 1 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons sugar 1 cup soy milk cup applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine soy milk, applesauce, vanilla, and oil.
3. Add the soy milk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined; do not overmix.
4. Carefully drop about cup batter onto preheated waffle iron for each waffle, and cook until done.

Per Serving Calories: 230 Fat: 5 g Fiber: 2 g Sodium: 270 mg Protein: 6 g Easy Vegan French Toast Kids love golden fried French toast drowning in powdered sugar and maple syrup, but a fruit compote or some agave nectar would be just as sweet. Serves 4 Ingredients 2 bananas cup soy milk 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 tablespoon maple syrup teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon nutmeg Oil or vegan margarine for frying 12 thick slices bread

1. Using a blender or mixer, mix together the bananas, soy milk, orange juice, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
2. Whisk in flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and pour into a pie plate or shallow pan.
3. Heat 12 tablespoons of vegan margarine or oil in a large skillet.
4. Dip or spoon mixture over each bread slice on both sides, and fry in hot oil until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 23 minutes.

Per Serving Calories: 391 Fat: 11 g Protein: 9 g Sodium: 629 mg Fiber: 4 g The Perfect Vegan French Toast Creating an eggless French toast is a true art. Is your French toast too soggy or too dry? Thickly sliced bread lightly toasted will be more absorbent.

Too mushy, or the mixture doesnt want to stick? Try spooning it onto your bread, rather than dipping. Green and Black Olive Tapenade Mediterranean olive tapenade can be used as a spread or dip for baguettes or crackers. If you dont have a food processor, you could also mash the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle or a large fork. Yields 1 cup