Kassoff - The vibrant table : recipes from my always vegetarian, mostly vegan, and sometimes raw kitchen

THE FRESH

VEGAN KITCHEN

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This book is about sharing good food. Yes, these are exclusively recipes that use no animal products, but this food is not about whats missing, but instead about enjoying the extraordinary range of plant-based ingredients that are available.

The arguments for adopting a plant-based diet are persuasive and are gaining momentum every day. Few would counter the assertion that, particularly in the West, we eat far too much meat, both for our own good and for the good of the animals and our planet. The advent of factory farming, the desecration of the rainforests and other natural habitats and the mismanagement of Earths natural energy resources as well as the huge increase in diseases such as adult-onset diabetes, allergies, obesity, cancer and heart disease to name but a few all point to an urgent need to reconsider some of our choices.

For different reasons, more and more people are choosing to embrace a vegan or vegetarian diet. Even more, while not going the whole hog, if you pardon the pun, are deciding to reduce their consumption of animal products. No one way will work for everyone and no matter where were at, theres always more we could do. But everyone can eat less meat but still eat food thats exciting, vibrant, satisfying and, above all, tastes great.

Most of the recipes in this book are naturally low in saturated fats (aka, the bad fats) and dont use refined ingredients or too much salt or sugar. Weve sometimes made suggestions for serving but, if in doubt, add a whole grain, some leafy greens and a handful of nuts or seeds and youll be well on the road to a satisfying and nutritionally well-rounded meal.

KEY
WF - WHEAT-FREE RECIPE
GF - GLUTEN-FREE RECIPE
RAW - SEE PAGES 9 & 11

Many of our dishes are wheat-free (WF) and gluten-free (GF), and some are also suitable for raw diets look out for the symbols next to each recipe. If youre able to, use organic ingredients they are likely to taste better, look better, and be better for you and they are better for the ecology of the planet.

The cuisines of countries with a long tradition of vegetarianism, particularly in Asia, have provided rich pickings for inspiration. We love to travel and have taken something away from every country weve been to. We hope that youll enjoy mixing cuisines and experimenting with some more unusual ingredients. Even less well-known ingredients are increasingly available in large supermarkets, and the rest should be easily found in your local health-food shop and Asian grocery or, if needs be, online.

Spanish tapas, Middle Eastern mezze, Indian thali or Chinese dim sum are all inspirations, and this book features lots of little plates of different dishes that complement one another. Of course, we sometimes cant resist mixing styles and combining dishes that you wouldnt normally expect to see together, but this adds up to dynamic and unpredictable eating that brings out the best of vegan cookery. Experimenting is where cooking, and especially vegan cooking, really starts to become fun!

Food in its raw state provides optimal nutrition because it contains more essential enzymes than food that has been cooked. These enzymes are considered to be the life-force of food, and offer manifold heath benefits that are greatly reduced if the food is heated over 116C/240F, the temperature at which the natural enzymes are destroyed.

Enzymes help you to digest food and are the catalyst for every metabolic reaction in your body. Metabolic reactions are chemical processes, such as cell division, brain activity and energy production; they occur in all living organisms and are essential to maintaining life. They activate hormones and vitamins, enabling them to do their job and strengthen the immune system, among many other things.

Every food contains the perfect mix of enzymes to digest that food completely, but if those enzymes are destroyed through cooking, our bodies are forced to generate their own enzymes to facilitate digestion. This is not desirable because the enzymes produced by the body (digestive enzymes) are not as perfectly combined to digest that food as the enzymes contained within the food itself (food enzymes). This can lead to the food being only partially digested and thus clogging up your intestinal tract and arteries and causing all manor of ailments.

Even more pertinently, the quantity of enzymes the body can produce diminishes with time and the more pressure put on them as a result of the innate enzymes within the food being destroyed, the more the reserve is depleted until theres not much left and ill health ensues.

There are few things more inspiring than a market full of colourful, freshly picked fruit and vegetables, and good raw food is one of the best ways to honour them. The raw diet is also focused around green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts and fresh fruits. All these are incredibly alkalizing and so greatly aid the cleansing process, help to alleviate a number of common ailments and facilitate greater balance. This is important because our Western diets are generally overloaded with very acidic foods, such as sugar, alcohol, meat and most dairy products. Weve also included some fermented foods and a how to of , as these are foods that are in their growth stage and so at their most nutritious.

A few favourite superfoods, much beloved by raw foodists, such as lacuma, maca and raw cacao are also included for their amazing nutritional properties

Youll find plenty of raw recipes in this book. In some we use a tiny amounts of special ingredients, such as maple syrup, balsamic vinegar or toasted sesame oil, that arent strictly speaking raw, but as long as its a tiny fraction and really adds something to the dish, we think its okay.

There is always great debate as to whether a fully raw diet is desirable, but few would argue that incorporating more whole and unadulterated plant-based foods into our diets is a bad thing. Many people report better digestion, weight loss, greater energy, clearer skin, incredible healing from disease and many other benefits but well leave you to look into the research and make your own decisions as to how far you want to go with it.

To get the best results from a culinary point of view, we recommend using a super-sharp knife; its safer and youll prevent your food from being bruised and torn and from prematurely oxidising. In raw food recipes, in particular, you want your ingredients to look sharp and full of life and a good blade is essential for this. A spiralizer and a mandolin are relatively inexpensive and will help you make really good-looking raw noodles and ribbons that will spruce up many dishes. As ever, a decent food processor will also be sure to make your life easier!