Today’s recipe comes via a lovely little cookbook I received recently titled ‘Veganish‘ by Mielle Chenier-Cowan Rose.
What first struck me about this vegan cookbook was that it was actually written by a meat-eater. After following a Vegan/vegetarian diet for 20 years, Mielle started to include nutrient-dense meant products such as bone broths and organ meats after her 2 year old daughter was diagnosed with tooth decay caused by nutritional deficiency. Mielle’s internal dilemma over whether or not meat and animal products really should be included in her own diet is evident throughout – she calls herself a ‘reluctant omnivore’ – and argues very persuasively for those who are staunchly for or against eating meat to fairly consider the opposing arguments. She ascertains throughout that whichever diet you choose, “pure and natural goods” should prevail with a strong emphasis on fresh vegetables, something I strongly agree with myself.
Though the book is filled with recipes, Mielle argues that she wants to inspire people to reach their “own potential as a confident, initiative, and skilled cook” and that she would love to see the cookbook on the nightstand rather than in the kitchen. And it easily could – Veganish is packed full of useful tips not just about ingredients and cooking techniques, but also about food labels and particularly those such as “organic”, “free range” and “grass fed” and what they really mean. The recipes throughout are simple to follow and cover all bases from Macadamia Coconut Porridge for breakfast to Miso Glazed Japanese Eggplant for dinner, and from Parsley-almond pesto to sauerkraut and kimchi. It includes a section on homemade vegan cheeses, milks and other dairy alternatives; and how to make the perfect salad dressing. At the end of the book is a useful resources section, as well as an in depth glossary.
If there is one criticism I would have of Veganish, it would be the lack of pictures – I’ve very visual when it comes to food and love to look at beautiful pictures to inspire me. But what the book lacks in pictures, it makes up for with descriptions and instructions, and though you can’t see the dishes, it’s easy to imagine how they would taste.
Mielle’s writing is honest and informative and this book takes things back to basics with a focus on real, plant-based wholefoods. Her recipes are easily adaptable and though completely vegan, this book would fit perfectly into the library of any meat-eaters looking for a little inspiration and knowledge on how to include more plant-based foods and recipes into their diet.
Veganish is packed full of gentle wisdom, useful tips and delicious recipes and I have no doubt it’s something that I will refer to again and again.
The publishers of Veganish have kindly offered a free copy of the cookbook to a to her core reader. For a chance to win, just leave a comment below – I’d love to hear why you’d like to eat more “Veganish“. The winner will be drawn at random in a weeks time (9pm AEST, 1st December).
- Roasted veggies
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 medium beets
- 2 small carrots
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 spring fresh rosemary, minced
- Creamy tahini dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp tamari
- 2 - 4 Tbsp water, to achieve a pourable consistency
- Preheat oven to 220 C || 425 F
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the veggies with the oil, garlic, lemon slices and rosemary and toss to coat in a line baking tray.
- Roast until soft, around 50 minutes. Remove from oven, stir through the sauce, and return to oven for 3 - 5 more minutes to allow the sauce to dry out a bit and get a little sticky.
Disclaimer: Whilst I received a free copy of ‘Veganish’ to review, all thoughts and opinions within this post are my own.
I love meat but only eat it 2 or 3 times a week and if out at a restaurant I normally choose the veggie option just because I love veggies. Having said that I own no veggie cookbooks and could use a little inspiration away from veg stir fry, veg curry and veg burrito bowls!
That sounds like wonderful. It must be a pretty hard decision to take – suddenly start eating “meat” again.
Talking about photos – those in this post are gorgeous. Well, your photos always are but there is really something special about these. Wow! And thanks for sharing that lovely recipe :)
Ps. Am I still in the run for that book, though I live in Europe? ;)
Thank you lovely – and yes the comp is open to everyone, everywhere :)
What a lovely roast veggie combination. I would love to win Veganish. I am on a mission to nurture my family with Real Food, incorporating as much whole food, package free goodness into their diets as possible. I am forever reading and experimenting with new food ideas and flavours…some are winners, others are not. This cookbook will provide much inspiration.
I’m trying to eat healthier, according to Michael Pollan’s guidelines: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. The plants part – that’s the hardest bit, but I’m working on it. This cookbook would help!
My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are vegetarians so I have changed a lot of the ways I think about eating meat. I don’t think I could give up seafood or cheese, but love eating vegetarian…. who knows maybe veganism one day wouldn’t be a bad thing. I do love experimenting with new recipes so that my vegetarians can have a nice variety of food also, so this cookbook would be a great addition.
I seriously love roasted veggies with a tahini dressing – it is so delicious.
That book looks great – I love the sound of the coconut macadamia porridge! And I totally agree that pure and natural goods are for the win!
I love that this book is more about inspiring people to be their own chef rather than having to rely on recipes. I constantly want to be more creative in the kitchen but it’s always tough without the knowledge behind you- especially for plant-based cooking. I would love to win this book not only so I can eat more Veganish, but think and be more veganish too in my approach to food as a whole.
Is this open internationally? I’d love to have a cookbook like this around to lend out to my omnivore family members – sounds like a resource they could appreciate without feeling pressured by a vegan “doctrine”. Good looking and sounding food is always the best way to entice people to try new recipes and (hopefully) accept different ways of thinking. :)
Thanks Margaux – yes it is open internationally :)
Found my thanksgiving sides with the new recipe! and I unknowingly became a vegetarian at the age of nine when I was living with my grandmother who is a vegan. I never actually realized how I always go for veggies and tofu instead of meat until I started living with my parents who were not vegetarians (and were actually a little bit against my eat habits). After moving back I also suffered from various eating disorders, becoming a vegan was a copping mechanism for me last year I believe, and now I have come to embrace the beauty of it. It is hard since I still live with my parents but it is nice to buy my own food and pick what goes into my body.
I’ve recently been trying to find more creative, tasty vegan recipes. I am also interested in learning more about making vegan cheeses!
90% of the time I’m vegan and once in a while I’m vegetarian. I strive to be 100% vegan.
I would love to have a cookbook like this. We have recently started attending an Orthodox Christian church, and intend to become members there. Wednesdays and Fridays are kept as fast days (only shellfish allowed as an animal product, which is beyond our budget most of the time), and there are longer periods of fasting where that is the norm every day. Since part of the point is simplicity and not having to focus so much on food, having a good repertoire would really be beneficial to all my household.
I have been researching more and more on meat and the process/environmental impact/etc. and have determined that it is something I want to keep as a treat from time to time rather than a regular part of my diet. As such, I’ve been moving more and more toward a veganish diet, but need some help from time to time in finding ways to fill these food gaps where meat would have been before.
I think I would feel better and stay healthier if I ate more vegetables! :)
I’d like to eat more veganish for my health. I have been making some poor food choices and I’m paying the price.
I love how she feels about her own diet and think she has a great balance, I definitely think my diet could benefit from including more vegan meals into our family’s weekly meal plans!
My boyfriend and I are already vegetarians, and I cook all our food from scratch. I struggle however coming up with good, easy, and tasty side dishes. I mean, I grew up with veggies being the side, no the main part of the meal!
i love roasted veggies. this looks great! i want to eat more veganish because i don’t like way animals are treated and it’s healthier to do so. it’s hard for me though because i love dairy but a recent dairy cow video online has made me think twice.