Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 7

Potatoes

When in doubt about what to eat for dinner or brunch, there's always roasted potatoes. Leave the skin on for taste and texture.

Oven temperature: 425F Prep: Cut into -inch chunks. Drizzle and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh black pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Roast: 45 to 55 minutes, turning occasionally. If you like, add minced garlic 5 minutes before the potatoes are done cooking and mix it in using tongs.

Optional complements: Potatoes go well with just about any herb you can think of: paprika, rosemary, thyme, sage, and on and on down the spice rack.

Fancy it up: What's even better than roasted potatoes? Roasted french fries, also known as "French Bakes" by maybe fifteen people. Cut potatoes into fry shapes (about inch wide and inch thick); toss with a little oil, salt, and spices of choice. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil. Spread out your fries in a single layer, and leave a little s.p.a.ce between them. This will ensure that the fries properly roast and get crunchy instead of steaming. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until they are slightly puffed, brown and crisp. Eat ASAP, dipped in ketchup, vegan mayo with a little Dijon mustard blended in, or BBQ sauce, as they get a little bit tough when they start to cool.

Root Veggies and Tubers

Carrots, beets, turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips-you name it, bring it on! Your oven can take these rock-hard roots and tubers and transform them into candy-sweet, tender nuggets in lovely shades of orange, magenta, and cream.

Oven temperature: 400F Prep: Peel the veggies and slice off their stems. The shapes you cut are pretty much up to you, although inch across in any direction is a pretty good size to aim for. Drizzle and coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. You can also slice into -inch slices for chips, in which case you should reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.

Roast: 35 to 45 minutes, flipping once about halfway through cooking. The roots should be tender and easily pierced with a fork, the outsides should be browned and even lightly caramelized.

Complements: Rosemary and thyme or sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Fancy it up: Add a light coating of maple syrup and minced ginger before cooking, for a hint of sweetness.

Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes brings out all their flavor and sweetness. Save your beautiful vine-ripened type tomatoes for a sandwich or salad, but when you have tomatoes that aren't as juicy, like plum tomatoes, then roasting is the way to go. An added bonus is that they make your kitchen smell like the most inviting restaurant in Little Italy. Roasted tomatoes in sandwiches, along with a portobello (page 112) would be nice, or use them as the base for sauces and soups.

Oven temperature: 350F Prep: Remove the stems. Slice into -inch slices. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, sprinkle with salt.

Roast: 50 minutes to an hour, until the skin is a bit crinkled Complements: Oregano, thyme, or really any herb you might find in a Simon and Garfunkel song.

Winter Squash

Although steaming may be more convenient, roasting most winter squashes and pumpkins brings out their sweet flavor as no other cooking method can. You can roast squash whole, in its skin, and serve it in large luscious pieces, or cut it into small caramelized pieces, so we will give you directions for both ways.

For big pieces of whole roasted squash Oven temperature: 400F Prep: Remove the stem. Split the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and use a spoon to sc.r.a.pe out any stringy bits. Place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Roast: 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size. The outside peel of the squash should be easily pierced with a fork when it's done cooking. Slice into more manageable (but still large) pieces to serve. Leave the skins on for a more dramatic presentation; if the skin is not edible, just peel it off while eating.

For smaller, caramelized pieces Oven temperature: 400F Prep: Remove stem. Peel off skin. Split squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and use a spoon to c.r.a.pe out stringy bits. Cut into inch pieces. Drizzle and coat with olive oil and salt. Place on lightly greased baking sheet.

Roast: 25 to 30 minutes, turning twice during cooking. Squash should be tender, browned, and lightly caramelized on the edges.

For both methods Complements: Rosemary, sage, thyme, or sweet spices such as cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

Fancy it up: Before cooking, add a light coating of maple syrup. Sprinkle with crushed coriander seeds and minced ginger.

IF you're (G.o.d forbid) tired of mashed potatoes or just in need of a sweet change, use our whole-roasting method for winter squash and make mashed squash instead. Just remove the skin, and mash or puree with a little maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon.

Zucchini or Summer Squash "Oy gevalt! I've got ferkakte zucchini up to mayn kepele!" How many times have you uttered these words, amazed at your newfound grasp of Yiddish? Roasting to the rescue, once again. Get ready for succulent summer squash that will rock your tuchus.

Oven temperature: 425F Prep: Remove the stem. Cut widthwise into -inch pieces, try to slice at a diagonal for a nice presentation. Drizzle and coat with olive oil, salt, and fresh black pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. If you like, add minced garlic 5 minutes before the zucchini is done.

Roast: 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.

Complements: Dill, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or parsley. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon once done cooking.

SIMPLE STEAMING.

Steaming should be thought of as boiling for the new century. No longer will we tolerate flaccid, drab-green vegetables when they should be crisp, flavorful, and their truer shades of brilliant greens. Steaming is also really easy; you can easily steam any vegetable without fancy equipment. A large soup pot with a lid is the all the bare-bones gear you need. If you do have a steamer basket, though, then great! (There are recipes in this book where it will come in handy.) There is definitely no need to clutter up the kitchen counter with special plug-in electric steamers or other food-steaming contraptions.

We're not too crazy about dried herbs on steamed veggies, but adding fresh herbs about 3 minutes before the veggies are done steaming is never a bad idea. Try parsley, dill, thyme, oregano, or tarragon on any of these veggies. You can also drizzle them with any of our sauces in the sauce chapter (pages 203-216).

Shocking!

IT might not be apparent, but even after you've turned off the heat, vegetables will continue to cook. The steam that's working its way out of the vegetables will still continue the cooking process, and if you're not careful it might turn those perfectly steamed asparagus spears to mush. If you're not planning on serving vegetables immediately, or plan on serving them cold or at room temperature, quickly run them under cold water for about a minute. This is called "shocking" the vegetable, which sounds pretty cool. Transfer to a colander and allow to drain.

Directions for preparing a steamer pot for any kind of veggies Fill a large soup pot with 2 to 3 inches of cold water, fit your steamer basket into the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place the veggies in the steamer and cover. If you don't have a steamer basket, no worries, just fill the pot with 2 to 3 inches of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place the veggies directly into the boiling water and cover. We call this boil/steaming, or stoiling-but no one else does, so never say the word aloud.

Asparagus

What's better than crisp-tender asparagus in the height of spring? Okay, maybe there are a few other things but shhhh . . . we're totally grooving on steamed asparagus right now.

Prep: Remove rough stems.

Steam: 8 to 14 minutes, depending on thickness. Asparagus should be bright green and still crisp. To serve: Drizzle with Dill-Tahini (page 215) or Cheezy Sauce (page 214).

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Since this is what everyone thinks vegans live on, why not prove them right?

Prep: Cut into medium-size florets.

Steam: 10 to 12 minutes, tossing with tongs a few times.

To serve: We love these with Dill-Tahini Sauce (page 215).

Dark, Leafy Greens

A little bit of boiling water is really the best, lazy way to cook up quickly a bunch of collards or kale. It makes you feel really healthy, too, and levels you up in the vegan echelon.

Prep: Wash and chop the greens into bite-size pieces.

Steam: 10 to 14 minutes. Toss the greens with tongs as they start to wilt. In the South, it's popular to keep on boiling these greens to form the famous delicacy of "pot liquor"; but being north of the Mason-Dixon Line, we just like 'em bright green and with a little bit of crunch left in them.

To serve: A simple and old-school hippie restaurant way to enjoy steamed greens is sprinkled with plenty of sesame salt (known as gomasio, which is just a blend of crushed, roasted sesame seeds and sea salt), with maybe a touch of lemon juice or a sprinkle of malt vinegar. We also like them with Citrus-Date-Sesame Sauce (page 215).

Green Beans

Nothing scares a green bean more than being boiled to death and canned. Fortunately, we grew up on gently steamed green beans before they were the "in" thing.

Prep: Trim off ends.

Steam: 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size, tossing with tongs a few times.

To serve: Sprinkle with coa.r.s.e salt and enjoy. Or try with Mustard Sauce (page 204).

HOW TO COOK A GRAIN.

There's a reason that grains were found in the tombs of the Egyptian pyramids as well as at the base of our food pyramid: they're packed with so many nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and even protein, all while being low in fat. But grains aren't just life-giving sustenance. They're also a culinary jewel, adding notes of nuttiness, earthiness, and sometimes even floral hints to round our meals out. And their affordability will make you wanna do an infomercial about them. Following is by no means a comprehensive list of grains. There are hundreds of edible ones worldwide; these are just some that we consider essential and that are easy enough to find. We give you the simplest preparation methods to serve four people, but feel free to double the quant.i.ties; however, anything more than double, you will have to adjust the amount of water used. A good rule of thumb is to remove one-quarter cup of water for every multiple increment above doubling. So if you are quadrupling the recipe, subtract one-half cup of water. You'll notice that some of these preparation methods are simply to boil and simmer the water and grain together, whereas some are steamed by pouring the water over the grain and covering tightly. Still others benefit most from being toasted and then boiled. Like we said, these are the simplest preparation methods for grains meant to be served as side dishes, but of course we include all of these grains in more adventurous recipes throughout this book. An easy way to punch up the flavor and get the most out of your grains is to use vegetable broth instead of water or throw a bouillon cube into the mix. A two-quart pot is just right for all of these recipes. The most economical way to purchase grains is to buy from the bulk bins of health food stores or co-ops, but all of the varieties listed also come in boxes or bags at well-stocked grocery stores. Store grains in airtight jars and keep out of direct sunlight, and they will stay fresh for years-an important thing to remember for when the revolution comes. With the exception of oats and couscous, you'll want to rinse everything on this list before cooking. To rinse, place in a very large bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Swish around with your hands, drain in a fine-mesh strainer, and repeat until the water is no longer cloudy. Drain very well following your last rinse.

Bulgur

A parboiled grain made from wheat, thus it has a very pure wheat taste. It's wonderful in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean meals. Like couscous, it's steamed, but it's a whole food that's full of fiber. We especially love bulgur chilled and used in salads.

Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes To serve 4: 1 cup rinsed and drained bulgur, teaspoon salt, 1 cups water Cook: Place the bulgur and salt in a pot with a tightly fitting lid. Bring about 2 cups water to a boil in a teapot. Measure out 1 cups of water and pour over the bulgur. Cover and let sit for about 30 minutes. The bulgur should be tender but chewy. Fluff with a fork and serve.