The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (2 page)

DEDICATION

To my husband, Scott, and all the Happy
Herbivore fans who made this dream possible

INTRODUCTION

Happyherbivore.com
was created as a way to bring healthy but delicious vegan food to others. This cookbook emulates that vision. Each recipe will delight anyone who tries it. You'll find yourself saying, “I can't believe it's vegan!” and “I can't believe this is healthy food!” This cookbook will proudly show you that eating healthy doesn't have to be a chore and can instead be a pleasure.

Each recipe is made with whole foods and no added fat. You won't find processed flour, refined sugars, or gobs of oil and margarine in these recipes. What you will find is food that is good for you and tastes great. You'll find muffins that are so moist you won't believe they're fat-free, and cookies and cupcakes so scrumptious you'll deny that they're healthy foods. You'll also find healthy versions of comfort foods that warm your soul but don't expand your waistline and clog your arteries. In a nutshell, you'll eat what seems like pure decadence with nothing but sweet, sweet rewards of health and vitality.

Additionally all of the recipes have been designed to be accessible to every person, every palate, and every budget. These recipes do not use bizarre, obscure ingredients or tools. Rather, they use ordinary, inexpensive ingredients you always have on hand and everyday cookware. Most of the recipes are also quick and easy to whip up and can be made without a special trip to the grocery store.

Eating a plant-based diet is the nation's fastest-growing food trend, and for good reason. The more plant-based meals we eat, the more benefits we will feel and bestow. Adopting a plant-based diet is the single best thing we can do for our health, our wallets, the environment, humanity, and farm animals everywhere. Anytime someone asks me why I'm a vegan, I reply, “For my health, the animals, the environment, my pocketbook... and for you.”

HEALTH:
A vegan diet has zero dietary cholesterol, and a low-fat vegan diet also tends to be low in calories but high in fiber. Some studies have also shown that eating a low-fat vegan diet can prevent, cure, and reverse devastating diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.

WALLETS:
A vegan diet can be a bargain. Vegan staples like beans, rice, and non-dairy milks cost a fraction of the price of meats and dairy products. Plus, eating healthfully will save you on health care costs in the long run.

ENVIRONMENT:
A vegan diet is the most eco-friendly and sustainable way we can eat.

HUMANITY:
It has been said that if the world went vegetarian, we would almost immediately end world hunger. One acre of land can produce either 20,000 pounds of potatoes or a measly 165 pounds of meat.

ANIMALS:
The lives and deaths of farm animals are often horrifyingly brutal, both physically and psychologically. As a consumer picking up the end product, it's easy to be oblivious rather than conscious.

Like many other Americans, my husband and I both struggled with our weight and health for years. After I read
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-term Health; The McDougall Program: 12 Days to Dynamic Health;
and
Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Plan for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss
, I adopted a low-fat, no-added-fat vegan diet, and my husband joined me shortly thereafter. In the span of a year, we both lost more weight than we previously thought possible. Our general health also improved. I no longer had acne and migraines, while my husband reversed his early-onset IBS. We also noticed a surge in our energy levels and went on to complete our first marathons and adopt athletic activities such as snowboarding, rock climbing, and mountain biking—sports that never seemed realistic or possible before.

Most added fats, including oils, are dangerous to our health. We all know about the risks and dangers of hydrogenated fats, but other fats, like extra-virgin olive oil, are also harmful when heated. Most “cooking oils,” such as canola, olive, corn, and peanut, have very low burning points. When they are heated beyond that boiling point, either by sautéing food, baking it in the oven, or deep-frying food in oil, the nutrients in the oil are lost. This makes the oil a high-calorie and high-fat food, yet one without any nutrients. In other words, the oils are empty calories. Worse still, heating oils beyond their boiling points causes free radicals to be created. The only oils that can stand to be heated at high temperatures are coconut oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil.

Cold-pressed oils that are not heated may retain their nutrients, but because they're processed, they have little nutrition, but still have fat. For example, 1 tablespoon of oil has approximately 14 grams of fat—the same as a candy bar!

To obtain essential fatty acids, enjoy whole, unprocessed fats, such as nuts, seeds, coconuts, and avocados, sparingly. Also remember that a lot of foods, including legumes, naturally contain a little fat. This means the body is always getting plenty of fat without your adding extra.

Most of the ingredients in this cookbook can be found in any supermarket, but a select few will require a trip to the health food store or placing an order online if you prefer. If you are new to vegan food, whole foods, or low-fat cooking, some of the ingredients in this cookbook might be new to you, so check the Glossary of Ingredients (pg. 287) to learn about them and where you can find them for the lowest price.

Below is my basic shopping list. If you have these ingredients on hand you can make almost anything in this cookbook without making a special trip to the grocery store.

I highly recommend buying low-sodium and/or no-salt-added items whenever possible, particularly with canned goods such as tomatoes or beans, soy sauce, and vegetable broth. I also recommend selecting organic and unsweetened varieties and avoiding items that contain refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fat (particularly hydrogenated fats), and anything that's not vegan (contains dairy, meat, eggs, fish, or animal by-products such as gelatin, casein, or whey).

Tools are important, too. You'll need pots and pans, a sharp knife, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, at least one cutting board, a baking sheet, a whisk and spatula, a strainer, grater, and a food processor or blender. Optional: a toaster oven, a garlic press, a flat-iron pan, an electric steamer, and a microwave.

I remember my early days in the kitchen. They were filled with questions like, “How small is a small onion?” or “What is the difference between mince and chop?” To help cut back on your Google searches, I've created this cheat sheet of terms you'll run across in this cookbook.

 

ALMOST COMBINED/JUST COMBINED:
Do not completely combine ingredients. With batter, some flour should still be visible for it to be almost combined. To be just combined, stir it just a little bit more—ingredients should be mixed together and are incorporated but barely. Use as few strokes as possible. (Compare with Blend, below.)

BANANAS-RIPENESS AND SIZE:
Unripe bananas are completely green. Barely ripe bananas have some yellow but are green at the ends. Ripe bananas are yellow and lightly spotted. Very ripe bananas are very spotted but not mostly or completely brown. Brown bananas are overly ripe. A medium or average banana is approximately eight inches long. Anything smaller is considered a small banana, and anything over nine inches is considered alarge or extra-large banana. Use a medium, ripe banana unless the recipe specifies otherwise.