Anna Thomas - Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for Everyone at the Table

ALSO BY ANNA THOMAS

Love Soup

The Vegetarian Epicure

The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two

The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus for Family and Friends

Fennel and Asparagus Ribbon Slaw ()

Copyright 2016 by Independent Productions, Inc.

All rights reserved

First Edition

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ISBN: 978-0-393-08301-9

ISBN: 978-0-393-28557-4 (e-book)

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To My Christmas Eve Family... Beginning with my own family, Chris and Teddy, Eve and Toms... and including with open arms the families who became my larger tribe, the comrades in the kitchen, the cast of regulars, and the friends from far-off places who joined when they could. I love you all.

CONTENTS

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Spicy Cilantro and Mint Pesto;
Parsley Pesto;
Basil Pesto

Feta Cheese and Yogurt with Herbs;
Fresh Ricotta with Herbs

Guajillo Chile Salsa with Tomatillos;
Salsa Roja;
Salsa Negra

Chipotle Sauce;
Chriss Sweet Onion and Chipotle Relish

Salsa Verde: Fresh Green Chile Salsa ;
Guacamole with Salsa Verde

Basic Tomato Sauce;
Cumin-Scented Tomato Sauce

Fresh Ginger and Citrus Vinaigrette;
Ginger, Citrus, and Chile Vinaigrette

Agave Lemon Vinaigrette;
Agave Lime Vinaigrette;
Citrus Glaze

Miso Marinade;
Miso Vinaigrette

Roasted Beets and Beluga Lentils;
Le Puy Lentils and Beets with green beans, mint, and salt-preserved lemon

Marinated Cannellini with Olives and Roasted Peppers;
Spicy Marinated Chickpeas

Fattoush with Purslane;
Armenian Summer Salad

Watercress and Chicory with pumpkin seeds ;
Chicory and Kale with Agave Vinaigrette

Yam Salad with Cumin and Mint;
Moroccan Yam Salad with Preserved Lemon

Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil;
Summer Pasta with Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes

Spinach and Herb Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms;
Spinach and Sorrel Risotto

Peppers and Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice and Lentil Pilaf;
and with Lamb

Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Quinoa and Corn;
and with Pork

Tomato and Tomato Pizza with garlic slices ;
Sweet Onion Pizza;
Potato and Mushroom Pizza

Pi Day Pie: Onion, Red Pepper, and Spinach Galette with Three Cheeses ;
Green Galette with spinach, potatoes, and basil

Eight-Vegetable Cobbler;
Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler

Christmas Eve Pierogi with potato filling or cabbage filling ;
Vegan Pierogi

Curried Roasted Cauliflower;
Curried Cauliflower Salad

Roasted Potato Wedges with Mojo Verde;
Roasted Spring Potatoes with Green Garlic

Crisp Roasted Green Beans;
Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Slivers

Spicy Black Beans;
Refried Black Beans

See also...

See also...

Roast Turkey with Herbs;
Turkey Giblet Sauce with Madeira

See also...

See also...

To Saut
Pancetta

Apricot and Cherry Galette;
Vegan Pie Pastry

Winter Fruit Crumble with Gingersnap Topping;
Apple and Blackberry Crumble;
Apple Cranberry Crumble

One of the joys of my life, from the time I first struck out on my own and learned to cook, has been to invite friends over and to cook for those I love. Small dinners in cramped student apartments at UCLA, big parties when I lived in a real house, family meals and holidays when I married and had children, and lavish events in honor of this or thatall joy.

I began to write about food at a young age; I wrote most of The Vegetarian Epicure before I was old enough to legally drink, so its been many years now that Ive cooked, and learned, and thought about food, and I know that what I put on the table is important. But there is something even more important:

Who is at the table?

So this is a book about hospitality. Because when it comes to food, the important thing in life is to be able to sit down with those we love and share food and drink in a companionable way.

When guests come to my table, I want to make them welcome and honor them. When we sit down together and share food, tell each other our stories and raise a glass, we are united in a profound way. Eating is survival, but sharing foodthats celebration, comfort, hail and farewell, friendship and love. I dont want to give that up because we dont all eat exactly the same way.

Not long after Love Soup was published, I was in New York visiting my editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. We were walking through the Union Square farmers market, admiring the abundance of the harvest season, when we bumped into a friend of Marias. Maria introduced me as someone who wrote about food, and at once the womana stranger to me until that momentclutched my arm with a look of such desperation that I thought the zombie apocalypse might be upon us at last.

I dont know what to do! she cried. Im hosting Thanksgiving, and this one eats that and not this, and that one eats this and not that She went on in a torrent of anxiety, then sighed, shook her head. I just want to give up. Cancel.

No! Dont cancel, I thought. This is your family, your holiday, your wonderful life. It should not be a food fight.

We were standing in the midst of such an extravaganza of beautiful food as she lamented that she didnt know how to feed her family. But I understood. I heard versions of her complaint from so many people. Holidays have the demands of tradition. This is when we gather with our extended families, our friends, the friends of our childrena group of people not necessarily selected for their shared preference in eating style!

The way we eat is changing. For some it happens gradually, for others in a sudden burst, perhaps on doctors advice. And at any given moment we are in very different places on the larger curve, as the woman in Union Square observed.

There are so many questions: Whats a healthy diet? What is sustainable? On the other hand: What do I love, or remember from childhood? What did I discover on my trip to Thailand? How can I lose five pounds? Whats in the fridge?

Are we eating less meat, as a nation? Im not sure, but in my college days, when I was writing my first book, being a vegetarian was still considered cranky and weird. I could hardly go to a restaurantand I lived in California. In Munich once, I was actually laughed at by the restaurant staff when I asked for a meal without meat. Now vegetarians seem mainstream, and it is vegans who are reading labels with care. Vegan is the new vegetarianbut hey, something is always the new something.

Can we still sit down and enjoy dinner together?

At holidays these questions can reach a flash point, but they are with us all the time. We need a way, I thought, of approaching food that allows us to be inclusive. To relax, and be flexible.