Vegan Diet Advisor

Joe Stepaniak’s “Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook” was among the first cookbooks I bought after deciding to adopt a vegan diet 3 years ago. For those not familiar with the term “uncheese”,  Stepaniak uses it to describe rich-tasting spreads, dips, sauces and blocks produced with dairy-free whole foods (primarily beans, nuts, or grains).

Cheese lovers be forewarned: you may be in for some disappointment if you’re expecting tofu to taste like Feta cheese or chickpeas like Havarti. The book’s introduction even acknowledges that “uncheeses are not going to be like dairy cheeses, so please adjust your expectations accordingly. ”

Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

Unfortunately I skipped Stepaniak’s well-intentioned introduction and plowed in to the recipes, attempting  Tofu Ricotta, Chick Cheez, Swizz Cheez, Buffalo Mostarella, Brie, Betta Feta, White Bean Boursin, Monterey Jack and Port Wine uncheeses.  And while all were tasty (my favorite is the sharp Chick Cheez spread–made from Garbanzo Beans) they left me somewhat disillusioned and wondering whether I could actually live without real cheese.

As a result of my initial experience, “The Uncheese Cookbook” sat dormant on my shelf for some time. Little did I realize that I would come back to Stepaniak’s book later (many times), finding it had improved with age.  Its most valuable lesson is that it introduces unfamiliar ingredients, and uses them as well as more commonplace items–including raw nuts–in groundbreaking fashion.

For example, I had never heard of nutritional yeast, an ingredient employed in many of the book’s recipes. Nutritional yeast is a rich source of vitamins and minerals that has a pungent cheesy taste, too. I later learned that Stepaniak is considered an aficionado on the subject, having authored “The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook.”

Among other new ingredients (and somewhat challenging to obtain) were agar and kuzu (both plant-based thickening agents used in place of gelatin), and umeboshi  plum paste, used for adding saltiness. Chickpea flour (a.k.a. Chana Besan) while common in Indian cuisine, is also employed in many uncheese dishes.

The introduction to Uncheese Cookbook provides a detailed and useful reference to all the aforementioned ingredients as well as others. It also contains a well-documented background of how the dairy industry has influenced the evolution of the American diet (echoing T. Scott Campbell’s “The China Study”), and provides detailed nutritional data on the benefits of  non-dairy sources of calcium, protein, fat, and carbohydrates vs. dairy products.

Moving on to the recipes, I found many of the “Uncheese Dishes” to be superb. Among my favorites are:

• Chocolate Almond Cheeze Cake (p170*) with Granola Nut Crust–Everyone who’s tasted it are astounded it tastes more delicious than real cheesecake, without using eggs or dairy products (maple syrup is the secret).

• “Besto Pesto” (which imperceptibly substitutes cheese with miso)–How can a vegan diet be considered sacrifice when you can still enjoy a dish of linguine with Genevose pesto sauce?

• Chickpea Flour Pizza (p128), eaten alongside vegetable curries–It takes all of about 5 minutes to prepare, so it’s very convenient, too!

• Beannaise (p150)–Used as mayonnaise substitute within other recipes, and also by itself, as a dip for vegetables or salad dressing.

*Note: page numbers refer to the 10th edition of the book.

Other recipes I would recommend include: Parmezano Sprinkles (p50), Eggplant Parmagiano Stew (p80), Spinach-Tofu Manicotti (p117), and Zucchini Chedda Soup (p77).

Upon re-perusing “The Uncheese Cookbook”, there are still many dishes I plan to sample, including: Classic Quiche (p102), Lemon Teasecake (p169)-the “Key Lime” variation, Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce (p63), Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip (p49), and Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup (p76).

Other features of the book I liked are the charts of nutritional values for each of the recipes, and the listings of food allergens (gluten, soy, nuts, corn). On the other hand, the book contains only 4 pages of photographs, and certainly could benefit from more.

If you already own “The Uncheese Cookbook” but haven’t picked it up for a while, I suggest it’s worth another look. If you don’t, please get a hold of a copy and try its innovative and healthy recipes based on plant-based ingredients. Just remember to put aside your expectations of dairy-cheese taste, and you won’t be disappointed.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz has made a liar out of me. Not long ago, I wrote that Moskowitz’ “Veganomicon” was the last cookbook you needed to buy, and now she comes out with “Vegan Brunch”. Blame it on her vegan Italian Feast Sausage recipe.

You see, growing up in an Italian-American family, I was used to eating pasta with tomato-meat sauce for Sunday dinners and other special occasions. Meat usually included meatballs, spareribs, and sausages. Living on myown as an adult, special dinners had always consisted of meat of some sort, if not cheese, and more likely both! As a result, it seemed Sunday dinners would never be the same after becoming vegan. Now, 3 years later, I’ve discovered there are hundreds of other delectable and healthy meals worthy of Sunday and any other day. But when I’m feeling nostalgic, pasta with a “meaty” tomato sauce is the ultimate comfort food.

You may ask, why bother making your own vegan sausages, when there are already meatless sausages appearing on the shelves in major grocery stores? I think that’s great news, and without a doubt, vegan sausages are preferable to meat sausages, but reading the ingredients and the nutritional data, I’m not sure all meatless sausages are actually healthy, or good for your diet. If you like to know what’s in your food, like me, why not try making your own vegan sausages?

Homemade Vegan Sausages!

Although I won’t divulge Moskowitz’ recipe, Vegan Brunch’s vegan sausage recipes (3 different varieties!) consist primarily of navy beans, wheat gluten, and seasonings. My tastebuds may have changed since becoming vegan, but the vegan sausages tasted fantastic–as good as meat sausages–piled on top of my plate of pasta. Preparing these yourself, you realize it’s herbs and spices (not animal products) that make most dishes taste delicious, anyway. The wheat gluten makes them chewy on the inside, and fried, they become crispy on the outside just like meat sausage. But they’re so much healthier and humane. And, did I mention that vegan sausages are fun to make, too?

On second thought, perhaps it wasn’t the vegan sausage recipe, but the Pumpkin French Toast, or the Tempeh Bacon Revamped recipe that made me order Vegan Brunch the minute it hit the virtual bookstore shelves? As someone who became vegan late in life, it’s truly exciting to discover that many foods you thought were off limits are now literally back on the table!

One more noteworthy point about the Vegan Brunch book itself, especially for those who wished “Veganomicon” had more photos, is that “Vegan Brunch” is filled with photos that will inspire your vegan cooking to new heights.

If you’re someone who still believes vegan diet equates with “sacrifice” (I admit I felt that way, at first), I urge you to pick up “Veganonomicon” or “Vegan Brunch” and learn for yourself how good it feels to prepare and eat healthy and mouth-watering dishes.

tofu chana besan omelet with okra

I’ve blogged numerous times about how The China Study was the single biggest motivating factor in my adopting a vegan diet. However, at least equally important is “Veganomicon,” the book that has sustained me through the transition and has become a fixture in my kitchen.

Veganomicon, which bills itself (rightly so) as the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, is the product of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, who also wrote “Vegan with a Vengeance” and “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World”. The pair also created the PostPunkKitchen (theppk.com) vegan recipe website, where you can find some teaser recipes from the Veganomicon book.

My partner and I have tried about 40 of the dishes in Veganomicon, some several times, and our copy of Veganomicon (covered with numerous post-it notes and splatters of various sauces) is never far from our sides or minds.

One of my goals was to attempt all of the 250 recipes in the book. However, we’ve enjoyed the recipes we’ve tried so much (our favorite being “Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos”), it’s difficult to find reasons to try new ones.

Among our many other favorite recipes are:

• Chickpea Cutlets (p133)
• Escarole with Beans (p107)
• Spicy Tempeh with Brocolli and Rotelle (p191)
• Spicy Peanut and Eggplant Soup (p147)
• Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream (p164)

And for those of you with a sweet tooth:

• Almond-Anise Biscotti (p240)
• Fig Smushed-Anise-Almond Cookies (P235)
• Banana-Date Scones (p224)

True to the authors’ claim, many of the recipes in the book can be prepared with ingredients in your pantry or found at the local grocery store. There are also main dishes and deserts that are more elaborate and time-consuming but well worth the trouble, as you and your non-vegan family/friends will not feel they’re missing anything.

Fortunately for me, I discovered Veganomicon shortly after finishing The China Study, or I may have died from malnutrition, if not boredom, first. I believe both books are required reading for anyone interested in giving up their animal-based diet for one based on plants. It sounds trite to say, but Veganomicon may really be the last cookbook you’ll ever buy!