This recipe is a vegan-adapted version of Alice Waters Simple Tomato Salad. It’s a great summer side dish that’s very easy to make.

Yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ripe juicy tomatoes
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• handful fresh basil leaves, torn in half
• garlic croutons or torn pieces of crusty bread, toasted or not (optional)

Directions

1. Wash and core tomatoes. Cut into thick slices.
2. Peel the garlic. In the serving bowl, rub the garlic using the tips of a fork, to make a puree, then add the vinegar and oil.
3. Add the tomatoes, tossing gently to coat with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Scatter top of salad with the torn basil leaves.
5. Add croutons or pieces of bread, if using, to soak up the delicious juices.

Adapted from Alice Waters Simple Tomato Salad

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Why would a vegan need to worry about hot chocolate? Because almost all standard store brands have milk as one of the primary ingredients. And if you’re going to add whipped cream or marshmallows, that introduces even more animal-derived products (most “non-dairy” whipped cream contains casein, a milk protein, and marshmallows contain gelatin). So here’s a simple recipe (adapted only slightly from the original recipe) to follow for your own cup of vegan hot chocolate. I’ve included a couple of suggestions for tasty add-ons, too. It tastes just great and I’m willing to bet even a hot chocolate connoisseur wouldn’t be able to tell you used soy milk.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 cups soy milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix water, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat at medium temperature until boiling, stirring constantly. Continue for another minute, continuing to stir.
2. Stir in the milk and heat through, but don’t boil. Remove from heat, add vanilla and blend thoroughly.
3. Add vegan marshmallows or vegan whipped cream, as desired. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also make your own marshmallows or whipped cream (I haven’t tried either recipe).

Adapted from CooksRecipes.com

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A couple of weeks ago I visited my sister for a birthday co-celebration with my dad and youngest niece. Since I’m no longer eating dairy or eggs, but I’m not willing to put people out, I told her I didn’t want anything special and that I could just have some Tofutti Cuties or something in lieu of cake. But instead, she said a vegan carrot cake would be great and so my sister, my mom, and I worked together using this recipe from Veg Web. It was Stacey’s first time doing any vegan baking and it was my first time with this recipe, yet the cake came out tasting incredibly good. The icing was also quite tasty, though not as thick of a consistency as it should have been (perhaps refrigerating it a bit after mixing it would help).

We used applesauce in place of the pineapples and about 3/4 of a cup of Earth Balance instead of the vegetable oil. We used one container of Silk soy yogurt in place of the three eggs and opted for all spice while leaving out the optional nuts and raisins.

I probably shouldn’t mention that my sister bought all of the necessary ingredients for the cake before I arrived, except for one: the carrots. Fortunately, those don’t require a trip to the health food store.

Have you been itching for some good vegan-related talk radio? Head on over to Vegan.com, where our friend Erik Marcus has recently started up a new program called “Erik’s Diner.” It’s available in MP3 format (”Podcasting” seems to be the term du jour for Internet-only broadcasting, though this incarnation seems to be tied to RSS feeds) and each episode runs in the neighborhood of 20 minutes. Erik covers a variety of topics from the food industry to recipes to health and has already featured an interview with the likes of Peter Singer. I’ve been listening to it on my Nomad going to and from work.

One interesting thing I learned from one of their early episodes is that some natural health food stores offer various nut butters in bulk: peanut, almond, and cashew, for instance. But what’s even more interesting is that some offer what’s called “mystery butter,” which is essentially a mixture of two types of nut butter that comes from the batches in-between making “pure” nut butters. The mystery butter is cheaper than any of the other butters because without it, it would end up being discarded anyway as residue or “leftovers” from the regular batches. Interesting stuff and certainly nothing I’d ever heard of before.

So, check out Erik’s Diner and while you’re at it, pick up a copy of Erik’s new book, Meat Market. I’ll be reviewing here shortly, but take my word for it for now: it’s a mighty fine read.

Fur flies as mayor won’t wear robes

Councillor Linda Turton, a strict vegetarian, told Sandwell Council staff that she could not wear the robes - normally worn when the new mayor is sworn into office.

Instead, for the official ceremony in June Councillor Turton wore a “borrowed” robe that had a black material collar instead of the traditional fur collar.

I’ve just posted an overdue cookbook review (and have a couple more waiting in the wings). This one is for Nava Atlas’ The Vegetarian Family Cookbook.

Cookbook author Nava Atlas has penned a series of successful vegetarian cookbooks with a special appeal to families and those looking for simple ways to prepare unique meatless meals. Books like The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, Vegetariana, and Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons have been go-to books on my shelf since I became vegetarian and her latest, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook is a great addition to her previous publications.

One of the notable differences you’ll find in The Vegetarian Family Cookbook is that while not all the recipes are vegan, there are many expanded vegan options, a difference that reflects a change in Nava’s own life since her previous book. In the lengthy and informative introduction, she discusses soy mayonnaise, non-hydrogenated margarine, and soy milk as well as the reasons she and her family have eliminated cheese and eggs from their diets.

Also included in the introduction are a list of compelling reasons to “go organic,” a list of essential cooking tools, and the best oils to use for cooking.

Onto the recipes.

One of the first recipes I tried was for “Seashells in the Sand,” a simple couscous/bulgur-based dish with small shell pasta. The recipe as it’s listed is quite bland, but the recommendation for “adults” is to season it with fresh herbs or pine nuts. For me, a little marinara sauce did the trick.

A more successful pasta recipe was Pasta with Enlightened Alfredo Sauce. I opened for the vegan version and the end rich was light, yet relatively creamy.

The Baked Tofu Nuggets were tasty, but could have used a bit of a kick. They were made a bit better, though, with an excellent, very easy-to-make vegan tartar sauce on the next page.

One of the best, and simplest, dishes I tried was the Macaroni and Cheese with Secret Silken Tofu Sauce. Why “secret”? Because most people won’t even notice it’s in there. Again, I made the vegan version using Soymage vegan cheddar and the end result was very good. One of those simple, kid-friendly comfort foods that doesn’t require a disgusting packet of powdered cheese. But while this one is good hot, it’s even better cold the next day. This one is served well by some steamed spinach (I needed a whole bag) and some sun-dried tomatoes mixed in. It would probably also work well with some of the new Tofurky kielbasa or Italian sausages chopped up and tossed in.

The favorite around our house, though, was the exceedingly easy but fresh-and-tasty Middle Eastern Pita Bread Salad. With plum tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, and a few other ingredients, this fattoush is a great go-to meal, especially in the summer when bread salads taste even better with fresh, locally grown vegetables.

The Vegetarian Family Cookbook features over 275 recipes in the normal categories (breakfast, soups and stews—something Nava Atlas excels at, as seen in her excellent Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, main dishes, side dishes, and sandwiches) as well as a few categories you won’t normally find in “family” cookbooks (tofu and seitan get a thorough treatment as do “wholesome baked goods”).

What’s great about Nava Atlas’ latest effort is that while there are good “family-style” cookbooks and good vegetarian cookbooks, the two categories have not been married in such a successful way to this point. The recipes are simple and while some may be too simple for advanced adult palates, the “Embellish It” tips suggest easy ways for adults to spark up a dish. Who knows, perhaps this cookbook will inspire families to actually eat the same meal, or only slight variations thereof. That would be quite an accomplishment.

Visit Nava Atlas’ web site In a Vegetarian Kitchen and order her book through the Veg Blog’s affiliate link.