Vegan celebs from Natalie Portman to new convert Ellen DeGeneres have made the plant-based life glam. But do they ever see the inside of a kitchen? A bumper crop of new vegan cookbooks gets you cooking, whether you're famous or your average vegan Joe.
Tal Ronnen, the ascetic-looking chef who cooked for Oprah during her much-heralded 21-day vegan cleanse, has written "The Conscious Cook" (Morrow, $29.99). His book is elegant, his recipes ambitious, requiring time and ingredients like seitan (gluten protein), kombu (a sea vegetable) and nutritional yeast (a cheesy-tasting vegan yeast fortified with B-12). They're available at natural food stores and come together in dishes like free-form ravioli with tofu ricotta and arugula pesto - luscious but labor-intensive, like Ronnen's other recipes.
Dynise Balcavage's "The Urban Vegan," (Three Forks, $16.95) is less fussy, more funky, with vegan versions of sophisticated eats. It also requires specialty ingredients, but delectable dishes like millet-crusted mushroom-leek pie and cherry-chocolate chunk scones are easy to make.
Billing itself as a cookbook for real people in the real world, Donna Klein's "Supermarket Vegan" (Penguin, $18.95) pairs canned and frozen ingredients with fresh produce and whole grains. Recipes like arborio rice salad with black beans and toasted corn may lack innovative flair, but they're fast, easy and made from supermarket ingredients.
You want flair, easy and vegan, too? While you're at the store, pick up Maison le Grand's small-batch, ready-made tapenades and pestos ($6.99, 5.5 ounces). There are a few plant-based options among the half-dozen varieties, including garden pesto, a cheeseless, vegan-friendly treat made to be tossed with noodles and roasted veggies or slathered on crusty whole grain bread.
This additive-free, intensely herbaceous sauce (basil, parsley, canola oil, lemon juice and garlic) has 110 calories per 2-tablespoon serving, 12 grams fat and 210 milligrams sodium. Find it in the fridge section of Whole Foods and Fresh Market, near the fancy cheeses.
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ARBORIO RICE SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS AND TOASTED CORN
2/3 cup arborio rice
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups frozen yellow corn, thawed and drained on paper towels
Garlic salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups salsa or picante sauce
4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Cook the rice in a pot of boiling water until tender yet firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water to cool and drain again.
In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, tossing and stirring, until browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and season with garlic salt and pepper. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the black beans with the rice, corn, salsa and scallions. Taste and season with additional garlic salt and pepper if needed. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Makes 4 servings.
Source: Adapted from "Supermarket Vegan" by Donna Klein ($18.95).
Per serving: 544 calories (47 percent from fat), 29.2 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 16.6 g monounsaturated), 0 cholesterol, 11.8 g protein, 62.9 g carbohydrates, 12.1 g fiber, 667.4 mg sodium.
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(Ellen Kanner writes biweekly about vegetarian concerns.)
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(c) 2010, The Miami Herald. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.