thanks
to all the people who contributed so much to this book:
Lia Ronnen, Robyn Wesley, Danielle Claro, Charlie Melcher, Lauren Nathan, and everyone at Melcher Media, Mary Ellen ONeill and the team at HarperCollins, Serafina Magnussen, Kathy Freston, Scot Jones, Joel Testa, Chad Sarno, Linda Long, David Anderson, Yves Potvin, Clare Thomson, Larry Goldstein, Liana Krisoff, David Cooper, air-conditioned, Hikari, and everyone at California Specialty Farms
Thanks also to my family, friends, and colleagues for their support:
Cem Akin, Nanci Alexander, Ron and Patty Allison, Stein Amland, Dave and Molly Anderson, Scott Anderson, Paul Anthony, Adili Armon, Darrell Askey, Kirk Bachmann, Jason Baker, Sue Baker, Susan Baldassano, Josh Balk, Murray Bancroft, Dr. Barnard, Master Chef Brad Barnes, Dale Bartlet, Jack Bartlet, Steve Bashel, Kristina Beckman, Ryan Bennett, Ken Bergeron, Corey Berrien, Carla Bird, Greg Blake, Rob Bleifer, Jay Books, Alex Borja, Kevin Boylan, Lisa Boyman, Anthony Brown, Merle Brown, Bugambilia International, the team at Candle 79: Benay, Joy, Bart, Angel, Jorge, and all the staff; Elizabeth Castoria, Paul Chetirkin, Sophie Chiche, P.J. Chmiel, Michelle Cho, Craig Cochran, Joe Connelly, Amy Cook, Mark A. Costello, Fran Costigan, Tabitha M. Croscut, Novona Cruz, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Emily Deschanel, Michael Dubanewicz, Chef Kevin Dunn, Dan Duplain, Bonnie Eldon, Lisa Erspamer, Scott Evens, Keith Ferrazzi, Melanie Ferreira, Rebecca Fisher, Derek Flynn, the team at Follow Your Heart: Dale, Corina, Marika, and Booth; Frank Forino, Kate Forte, Jorja Fox, Rory Freedman, Tom Freston, Melanie Friedlander, Bruce Friedrich, Front of the House, Massimo Galeano, Kara Gastin, Bob Goldberg, Ido Goldberg, Charlie Granquist, Bob Green, Urania Green, Mathew Griffith, Jill Gusman, Rhea Harris, Chris Hill, Colleen Holland, Mike and Suzi Hornbeek, Arianna Huffington, Chef Andrew Hunter, Chrissie Hynde, Beverly Kearney, Jay Kelly, Chris Kerr, Joan Kim, Percy Kleinops, Karla Koebernick, Andre Kroecher, Lisa Lange, the Lange family, Heinz Lauer, Kelvin Lee, Sherman Levey, Karen Logue, Kim Lorenz, Mark Mace, the team at Madeleine Bistro: Joe, Marcos, and the amazing staff; Mike Markarian, Jenny Mathau, Ko Matsumoto, Mary Max, Joe McCanta, Angelique McFarland, Peter McGoldrick, Erica Meier, Shelby Meizlik, George Mew, Libby Moore, Chef Dennis Moreland, Chris Moulson, Jessica R. Murray, George and Pam Myers, Ingrid Newkirk, Vince Nichols, Morgan Nims, Marie Oser, Wayne Pacelle, Ken Penn, Craig Peralta, Steve Perkins, Greg Peterman, Jeremy Peterson, Tanya Petrovna, Ron Pickarski, T.K. Pillan, Johanne Pillon, Jo Marie Pinto, Louise Price, Parimal Rana, Greg Rekas, Tracy Remain, Revol France, Shaun Richmond, Riegel, Robin Robertson, Deborah Ronnen, Meir Ronnen, Sheli Ronnen, the Rosenberg family, Jeri Rostron, Danita Ruiz, David Rutherford, Michal Ronnen Safdie and the Safdie family, Sheri Salata, Derek Sarno, Michelle Sass, the Scheidt family, Jacob Schiffman, Jesse Schiller, John Schoning, Guiseppi Scorella, Rosemary Serviss, Cheri Shankar, Paul Shapiro, Jeremy Shock, Steve Sidwell, Alicia Silverstone, Baxter Simmons, Damon Skweres, Elaine Sloan, Pier Smith, Laurel Spencer, Spike, Pat St. Clair, Bill Stewart, Susan Stockton, Kevin Stuart, the staff at Sublime: Lori, Jeremy, Stu, and the great crew; Chef Chris Thomas, Seth Tibbott, Lex Townes, Chef Eric Tucker (an inspiration to so many vegan chefs), Robert Tuschman, Sol Vaknin, Richard Vann, the staff at the VegiTerranean: Nick and the crew; Villeroy & Boch, Ray White, Bruce Wieland, Wayne Wiley, Oprah Winfrey, Paul Wong, Peter Wood, Jenny Woods, Megan Worman, Matt Wright, Mike Zarara, Lora Zarubin, and Mario Zehnder.
WITHOUT BEING PREACHY, heres a quick look at what veganism means to those who choose it. Even a step toward itsay, going meatless three days a weeklets you in on a lot of the benefits.
myth: You wont get enough protein.
TRUTH: Its easy to get protein without eating any animal products. You just have to swap in plant proteinstofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, beans, whole grainsfor the protein you used to get from meat. Most of us eat way more protein than we need anywaysomewhere around 100 grams a day. The FDA says we need 50 grams, and many nutrition experts say its more like 30thats covered in a serving of tofu with a side of quinoa. Done.
myth: Its boring to eat vegan.
TRUTH: I get how it could seem that way. So help yourself out, as you might with any lifestyle shift: Find inspiration in recipe books, good vegetarian restaurants, and vegan friends. Take advantage of transitional meat-like foods, such as protein-rich Gardein, which I use in a few dishes (). Change is hard, but if you go into this with a sense of the abundance of options rather than a feeling of lack, vegan cooking and eating will be anything but boring.
myth: Youll be starving all the time.
TRUTH: There are plenty of hearty elements in a vegan diet, such as pasta and crusty bread, meaty mushrooms, and dense, filling soy-based proteins. Take a look at the entre recipes, which start . They dont look like theyd leave you hungry, do they? A lot of people have an image in their heads of plates full of raw vegetables. Vegan eating is not that at all. Its just about dropping out the animal products. Everything else is there for you.
myth: Giving up eggs and dairy is torture.
TRUTH: If youve decided not to eat chicken, I think its only another half step to not eat eggs. From a health perspective, the cholesterol in just one egg pretty much maxes you out for the day. Cheese is a tough one. Its delicious, but its probably the worst thing you can put in your body. Most of us cant comfortably digest dairy. Even if we dont get stomachaches from cheese, it can clog us up and make us feel phlegmy and slow. Plus, its so high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Yes, for flavor, theres not much like cheese. But flavor-oriented vegan chefs like the friends Ive profiled in this book have come up with ways to mimic the taste. With their help, Ill teach you how to use a few unexpected ingredients to get a cheesy taste in things like .
myth: you have to go all the way or you shouldnt bother at all.
TRUTH: Even if you cut out animal products just two days a week, you can make a huge difference in your health and the health of the planet. Forcing a radical change that you wont be able to stick with doesnt make sense. Ease in at a pace and depth that feel comfortable. Beginning to eat vegan gives you a taste for it, and theres a good chance that if you do it part-time, youll want to go further.
Theres a common misconception that meatless meals are short on protein. This couldnt be further from the truth. Every entre in this book has a delicious center-of-the-plate protein that packs a powerful nutritional punchwith no cholesterol. Switching over, even part-time, to vegan eating is about getting acquainted with all the wonderful plant-based proteins available.
Styling by Roscoe; photographs by Nathan Sayers
Food processor
Indispensable for chopping and shredding vegetables, making dressings, and mixing dough.
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