Vegan Diner

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Vegan Pantry

Breakfast

Breads

Soups, Salads, & Sides

Main Courses

Desserts

Sauces & Incidentals

Resources

First and foremost, I want to thank my awesome husband Jay. Without you,
I
would not be able to do what I do. I am so incredibly lucky to have you in my life! You are always there cheering me on, making me laugh, picking up the slack when I go deep into my recipe-testing zone, listening to me talk endlessly about food, taste-testing (even when you're not in the mood), and just being an all-around groovy guy. I love you!

A giant thank you to my incredible children, Sydney and Noah. You guys rock! I am eternally grateful for your taste-testing, recipe suggestions, and patience while I was “buried” in the kitchen. I love you guys!

I also want to thank everyone involved with putting this book together. Lisa Ekus, my stellar super-agent, it's always a pleasure working with you. Kristen Green Wiewora, my editor at Running Press, for truly believing in this project and making everything come together so beautifully. Jane Falla, who not only believed in this book, but helped me put together a fantastic proposal. Steve Legato for your photos, Virginia Villalon for your great proofreading and copyediting, and Amanda Richmond for making this book look so cool.

Mom, thank you for introducing me to tofu, home-grown vegetables, homemade bread, asparagus soup, and for sharing your love and enthusiasm of food. You're the best! Jon, thank you for being an awesome brother, always “talking food”, with me, and of course, always making me laugh. Dad and Ellen, thank you for your love and support, and Dad for passing on that dish-obsession gene. Louie, thank you for your love and support.

I also wish to thank Bryanna Clark Grogan, for introducing me to so many wonderful vegan recipes as I first embarked on my vegan journey. You paved the way for a whole new generation of vegan cuisine. And last but not least, thank you to my wonderful crew of taste-testers, who so enthusiastically tested out these recipes, always giving me your honest feedback: Donald Blum, Gabrielle Pope, Jenny Howard, Thalia Palmer, Ana Cruz, Aimee Kluiber, Arine Mentink, Jenni Mischel, Kim Lahn, Jeff Klein, and Sheree Britt. A big thank you to Bob's Red Mill, Earth Balance, Madhava, Butler Foods, Freddy Guy's Hazelnuts, and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas for generously sharing products for the testing of these recipes.

 

 

Welcome to Vegan Diner! Come
on in, grab a swivel seat at the counter and order yourself a cup of joe.

Diner food is as American as apple pie. My memories of dinner out usually meant eating at a favorite neighborhood diner. We all have one or maybe even two favorite places. I have very fond memories of being squished into slippery Naugahyde booths, with my grandmother on one side and my pesky little brother (forgive me Jon) on the other. It was where we could order pancakes for dinner, or a blue plate special slathered in gravy. From the moment I entered the diner, my attention was drawn to the tantalizing array of glistening berry pies, huge slabs of chocolate cake, and perfect parfait glasses layered with chocolate pudding and clouds of billowy whipped cream. No matter how full I was from dinner, I was a master at making room for dessert.

So it was of no surprise to me that I found myself veganizing diner specialties as my diet changed from vegetarian to vegan. I love food too much to not enjoy a stack of hotcakes dripping in maple syrup or a plate of biscuits and gravy, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, or a big slice of banana cream pie. No way, I love my comfort food too much!

As I conducted cooking classes over the past couple of years, students would always say to me “I would think about going vegan, but I love gravy too much,” or “My doctor told me that I need to cut meat, dairy, and eggs out of my diet and I don't know how I'll ever live without my comfort food.” I would always follow with “But you don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just need to learn to make them in a new way!” So it became my mission to develop diner-style recipes and comfort food favorites that have all of the wonderful flavors and creamy textures that we all love, done with a vegan twist.

I loved the challenge of cooking vegetarian meals. You quickly learn that one cannot live on peanut butter sandwiches and bean burritos alone. The real fun began in creating vegan recipes for my friend, Heather, when she came over for dinner. It had been easy for me to rely on eggs and dairy in my diet, but I soon realized that there were many other ways to achieve similar results.

So as they say, the rest is history. After giving up dairy, eggs came next. I quickly learned that scrambled tofu for breakfast can be just as fab as eggs (if not better!) and that baking without eggs is totally doable. Although we're taught that pancakes, cakes, and cookies need eggs for structure, this is not necessarily true. Through trial and error I learned that in addition to commercial egg replacers, soy flour, ground flax, and soy yogurt make excellent egg replacers. In fact, sometimes you don't even need a substitute
at all. The kitchen became my laboratory and I set out to learn as much as I could.

Let's just say that through all of the experimentation, transformations, and recipe veganizations, the delicious diner-style comfort food of my youth has been recreated exactly as I remember. The food that we all grew up on and enjoyed in those springy Naugahyde booths has merely been transformed. The recipes in this book can be used across the board from quick weeknight meals to weekend brunch to Thanksgiving and holiday get-togethers. I hope that you enjoy these recipes as much as I do so a piece of our nostalgic past will continue to live on, with fond memories of people, places, and great food.

Good Eats!

Agar Powder
: Also sometimes referred to as agar-agar. Agar is a seaweed product that is used to gel liquids. It is used in place of gelatin (which is derived from animals). Agar is rich in calcium. The powder, which is what I use, is much more concentrated than agar flakes. They are not interchangeable.

Agave Syrup
: A natural sweetener made from the agave plant. Agave has a color, consistency, and taste similar to honey, and comes in both light and amber. I really like Madhava and Wholesome Sweeteners, two brand names of agave.

Bouillon Cubes
: Vegan bouillon cubes are great for flavoring broths, soups, seitan, etc. Check the ingredients to make sure the ingredients are vegan. A few brands to look for are Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon Cubes and Harvest 2000 International Vegetarian Chicken Flavor Bouillon Powder. They are usually available in well-stocked grocery and health food stores or on the Internet.

Bragg
: Also known as Bragg Liquid Aminos. It is made from soybeans and has a taste that is similar to soy sauce. Look for Bragg in well-stocked health food stores or on the Internet.

Chipotle Pepper
: Made from red ripe jalapeños that have been slow smoked. Chipotles have a deep, smoky flavor.

Chocolate
: Look for dairy-free varieties of dark and semisweet chocolate and chocolate chips. Many brands are now fair trade and organic, too.

Citrus Oils
: These are fabulous natural flavorings, which I adore! They are made from pressed fresh limes, lemons, oranges, and tangerines (depending on which variety you buy.) It is 100% pure, with a bright citrus flavor. I love the Boyajian brand.

Cocoa Powder
: Look for Dutch process, a dark rich cocoa powder processed with alkali, which neutralizes its natural acidity.

Cornstarch
: A thickening agent made from corn.