Berkoff Nancy - Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes

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Dedication

Vegan Meals for One or Two is dedicated to Bob, my heart, the love of my life, and source of all my inspiration and strength. Thank you for your insight, your warmth, and your depth. Thank you for being the source of all things wonderful.

VEGAN MEALS
FOR ONE OR TWO

Your Own Personal Recipes

By Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD

The Vegetarian Resource Group
Baltimore, Maryland

A NOTE TO THE READER

The contents of Vegan Meals for One or Two are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional.

Copyright 2001, Updated 2010
The Vegetarian Resource Group,
PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Cover artwork by Lance Simons
Illustrations by Rowen Leigh

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vegan Meals for One or Two Your own Personal Recipes/Nancy Berkoff
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001130420

ISBN 0-931411-23-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever except for brief quotations in reviews, without written permission from The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Table of Contents

Preface

In this frazzled, not-enough-time-for-the-important-stuff world, we can still take comfort in the warmth and coziness of our kitchens. The kitchen can be the last bastion of nurturing and refuge.

Vegan Meals for One or Two was born with that in mind. Eating over the sink or popping a cup-of-soup into the microwave is not the way to reward yourself. Nor is it the best way to keep yourself healthy and feeling up to the challenges of life. You will find tasty, healthy, and pampering recipes in this book.

There have always been diet and eating trends. Today, there are several very popular diets that encourage meals based on very high protein intakes, with the majority of protein coming from animal sources. Not only are these diets destructive to the humans who are ingesting them, they are inhumane for the animals forced to provide the meal. Certainly there may be weight loss on these diets. However, there may be increased blood cholesterol levels with the ensuing heightened blood pressure and blocked arteries, and the danger of heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases related to diets high in animal fats.

Vegan Meals for One or Two suggests a way to save the planet, be kind to animals, and save yourself at the same time. Not too bad a deal indulgent food, healthy feelings, and living the good and ethical life, with nary a sacrifice for your palate.

Many thanks to Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler who encouraged the writing of this book and provided hours of assistance, enthusiasm, and all-around cheerleading. Without their support and guidance, this book would be a project still in the planning stage. Also, thank you for making me part of the VRG family and providing life-examples that inspire.

Finally, special thanks to Sarah Ellis, RD, for providing the nutritional analyses for the recipes, Lance Simons for designing the cover, Rowen Leigh for doing the illustrations, and to the following VRG volunteers who proofread parts of the manuscript and offered valuable advice: Amy Bottrell, Jennifer Femia, W.H. (Dell) Lunceford, Susan Petrie, Sheri Runtsch, Stephanie Schueler, William P. Tandy, and Susan Weinstein.

Nancy Berkoff, RD

Chapter One

Its all about You!

Everyone wants to feel and look good. You cant escape that old adage you are what you eat. What would you rather be fresh berries, crisp carrots, and aromatic rice or cholesterol, refined sugar, and pork fat? We bet we know your answer!

Eating vegan is a lifestyle choice that will enhance your life. With this book, youll find vegan cooking and eating easy. Each recipe is written to serve one or two people, so no more excuses. Weve heard the but Im the only one in my family whos eating vegan meals excuse, the Im vegan, but its so hard to cook for one, so I mostly do the fast food thing excuse, and even the you cant cook vegan food for just one excuse. None of these excuses are valid anymore. You have no good reason to eat unhealthy, eat non-vegan, and not start a good thing for yourself. Do the research youll find few diabetic, hypertensive, low-energy vegans. Who knows, you might start feeling better, have more energy, have some of your physical complaints disappear, and start feeling better about yourself. At the same time youll be doing something good for the planet.

Why this Book?

Professional chefs and amateur cooks know that its a lot easier to cook for a crowd than for one or two people, unless youre really, really into leftovers. When we cook for ourselves (and thats more if than when) we tend to blow the dust off the stuff in the back of the refrigerator and heat it up. Many of us dont take the time to treat ourselves well. Theres nothing wrong with an occasional Cheerios and banana dinner (or leftover cold pizza breakfast), but you deserve better than that. With a little planning and a little dedication, your kitchen can become more than a room to nuke coffee, and your refrigerator will become more than a haven for alien life forms.

Are we promising elegant banquets for one or two and no leftovers? The answer is yes and no. Many of the recipes will yield elegant banquets (the ambiance is your responsibility). Most of the recipes will yield two hearty portions, so there may be leftovers. But not Ive-got-to-eat-Brussels-sprouts-for-two-weeks kind of leftovers, just a portion or two. Weve tried to design recipes that realistically use ingredients the way they come packaged in the store. The recipes allow you to decide what types of dishes youll want to make in larger amounts and which dishes you wont make in large amounts. For example, salsa and muffins can be made in larger portions than a tofu scramble. In other words, items that will hold up for several days, require more effort to make, or have multiple uses, have larger recipe yields than one-meal-is-enough items.

Vegan is the thinking-persons choice. No more fast food mentalities here. If you are what you eat, and your body will only perform as well as the fuel you stoke it with, than eating a well-thought out vegan diet may be the key to your happiness and success.

Vegan Nutrition

We have written this book with the understanding that a vegan refrains from eating meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, honey, etc. In other words, there are no animals or animal byproducts.

A vegan diet is like any other type of diet. Variety is the key. Just as someone who lives at Burger King is probably not getting a balance of nutrients, the same can be said for someone who eats mostly rice and broccoli. There are lots of good foods out there; be sure you are including them every day. offers a vegan menu-planning guide to help balance your menu.

When people speak about vegan nutrition issues, they are usually speaking about the amount of protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12 found in the diet. Protein is easy; if you eat a varied diet with an adequate amount of calories, youll probably take in enough protein. Up until several years ago, protein planning or protein combining was thought to be essential. The two-minute explanation of this is as follows: essential amino acids, found in proteins, are necessary for growth and repair of tissues and muscles, important for the formation and maintenance of a healthy immune system, etc. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids. Plant proteins contain all of the essential amino acids but in different proportions than are found in animal proteins. It was thought that you conscientiously had to combine plant foods, such as rice and beans or lentils and pasta, in order to guarantee the intake of complete proteins. We now know that as long as you eat lots of different foods each day, by hook or by crook, youll have the proper amino acid intake. So, dont live just on apples and broccoli throw in some soymilk, hummus, or a bean burrito, too. By the way, soy products have essential amino acids in proportions similar to those in animal proteins. If you have days when you know that youre just not going to be able to vary your diet, try to include some soymilk, edamame (look it up in the glossary!), tofu, or a soy burger.