Dever - Everyday vegan eats : family favorites from my kitchen to yours

Everday Vegan Eats

Family favorites from my kitchen to yours

Zsu Dever

Vegan Heritage Press

Woodstock Virginia

Everyday Vegan Eats: Family Favorites from My Kitchen to Yours by Zsu Dever
(Copyright 2014 by Zsu Dever)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except in the context of reviews and fair reference, without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN: 9780988949218

Vegan Heritage Press books are available at quantity discounts. For information, please visit our website at www.veganheritagepress.com or write the publisher at Vegan Heritage Press, P.O. Box 628, Woodstock, VA 22664-0628.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dever, Zsu, 1972

Everyday vegan eats : family favorites from my kitchen to yours / Zsu Dever. pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-9854662-6-8

1. Vegan cooking. I. Title.

TX837.Z78 2014

641.5636--dc23

2014001821

Photo credits: Cover and interior photography by Zsu Dever. Photo of the author by Katelyn Dever.

Cover design: Dianne Wenz

Cover Photo: Front: .

Disclaimer: Allergies can be a serious threat to ones health. If you know you have food allergies, please take necessary cautions whenever you cook. If you require a medical diagnosis, or if you are contemplating any major dietary change, please consult a qualified health-care provider. You should always seek an expert medical opinion before making changes in your diet.

Distributed by Andrews McMeel Publishing/Simon & Schuster

To my mother who somehow always found a way to fill the family table with love. You are so dearly missed!

I hail from a long line of restaurateurs and chefs and have trained under one of the best chefs I have ever knownmy dad. He taught me how flavors can harmonize and sing, and, when my family became vegan thirteen years ago, I took that knowledge and applied it to vegan cookery in my own kitchen.

With Everyday Vegan Eats, I share my familys favorite recipes to show just how easy and delicious vegan cooking can be. Whether youre slowly moving into vegan optionsor even going vegan overnight, like my family didyou are entering a world of surprisingly delicious and satisfying new flavors and textures, while still enjoying healthy versions of many of the same dishes you used to make with meat and dairy. This cookbook delivers what we all want: Everyday Vegan Eats, with delicious comfort food recipes that everyone can enjoy.

As a longtime vegan, I know that eating a plant-based diet can be a challenge because we do not (yet) live in a vegan world. To help make eating vegan as easy as possible, I share information on how to establish a vegan pantry, how to shop for vegan ingredients, and provide other helpful tips for both the novice and long-time vegan.

This book shows you how cooking vegan can be a smooth transition thats easy on your budget. Everyday Vegan Eats features familiar homestyle recipes that you may have thought were out of reach now that you are eating vegan. The recipes are for good old-fashioned comfort foods re-imagined to suit a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle. In these pages, youll find Tater Tot Casserole, Lasagna Americana, Chili Mac, Minestrone Soup, and other delicious family favorites. Many of the recipes are also quick to prepare, making them easy on your schedule as well. In addition, I have provided recipes for plant-strong proteins and vegan dairy alternatives, including homemade seitan and vegan mayonnaise, as well as instructions on how to properly prepare tofu and tempeh. I even include my recipe for making a fantastic vegan yogurt that beats commercial yogurts by a mile.

As you can tell from my website, www.zsusveganpantry.com, I am passionate about helping new vegans and those trying to eat more vegan meals succeed with this win-win way of cooking, eating, and living. With Everyday Vegan Eats, my goal is to help you become a happy vegan by making sure that your every meal is satisfying and delicious.

I begin by sharing some things you need to know as you pick out which recipes to try first, and move on to basic recipes for homemade ingredients that you can use in my dishes, although you can substitute with storebought items as indicated in the ingredient lists. I hope you enjoy my recipes as much as my family does. Im proud to say we love every one of them at the Dever house!

CHAPTER 1

Vegan Everyday

O ver time, certain foods become close to our hearts. These comfort foods evoke childhood memories or some precious moment from long ago. Some dishes might remind you of your mom or dad preparing an afternoon snack, such as a favorite soup and sandwich or a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies.

In this book, youll discover that you can be vegan everyday with the recipes that have become comfort-food traditions in my family. Once you try them, they could very well become favorites for you and yours.

I n this book, you will discover how easy it is to make vegan versions of your favorites by substituting certain ingredients, whether homemade or purchased in a store. I provide many vegan protein and dairy-free options in Recipe Basics. I call on those recipes throughout this book, but there is no need to use only my options. If youd rather use a commercial vegan protein or dairy-free product, substitute as you wish.

In writing this book, it was important to me to create recipes that you can adjust to suit your own tastes. So, no matter what the dish, feel free to adapt my recipes to your own preferences. For example, if you grew up eating mac-and-cheese with broccoli florets, then you can enjoy my recipe for the same dish made vegan, but add some broccoli florets so it tastes like home. If your mom made tuna salad with dill weed, then add dill to the Tempeh No-Tuna Salad recipe in this book. If your former egg salad was made without mustard but included chives, then by all means, omit the mustard from the Eggless Tofu Salad and add minced chives. In other words, make these comfort food dishes taste just the way you like them.

Eating vegan is no different than eating any other way. The difference lies in the ingredients you choose, and for this you may find yourself exploring some new territory. The most cost-effective way to eat, is, of course, at homecooking your own food. It is also a healthful way to eat and can be quite funexcept perhaps the cleaning-up part, but that is the case regardless of what you eat. In fact, it is easier to clean up burnt vegan cheese than burnt dairy cheese and much easier to scrub off day-old tofu than day-old eggs.

Have you ever heard the adage, If you fail to plan, you plan to fail? Planning your weekly menu in advance keeps you on the winning side. It also makes grocery shopping easier and avoids unnecessary spending. We can all use more cash in our wallets!

Menu planning can be as simple as jotting down what you plan to make for dinner on a piece of paper, or filling in a weekly menu template for every meal of the day, such as the ones provided on my website, www.zsusveganpantry.com . There you will find printable, diet-specific menu templates, including those that are gluten-free and soy-free. (Look under the Menu/Shopping tab.) Instructions on how to use the templates are provided there, where you will also find an efficient shopping list.