The Big Vegan book

Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious
By Robin Asbell (Chronicle Books, 2011)

I get loads of cookbooks each week and love browsing through them to see what new things I can learn. And then, every once in a while, a book like Robin Asbell’s comes along and makes me want to stop browsing and start cooking asap!

Asbell has produced a remarkably smart book about a topic that has been beaten to death. I love that there is an almond-based recipe as a substitute for parmesan cheese, a terrific vegan mayo made with silken tofu, a skillet onion bread (!), and yummy potato leek soup with soy milk. It was really interesting to see that she included a vegan food pyramid and provides loads of information on how to get health benefits from a vegan diet.

This book has found a permanent place on my bookshelf and that is saying a LOT since I am a die-hard meat eater.

Here is one of the recipes from the book that I really enjoyed:

Indonesian Rice Noodles with Long Beans and Seitan

This recipe is from Robin Asbell’s Big Vegan book. Recipe and photo printed here with permission from Chronicle Books (2011).

Long beans, also called yard-long beans or asparagus beans, are thinner and obviously longer than the usual green bean, and they have a wonderful nutty taste. Seek them out at Asian markets for this great noodle dish, kissed with coconut and spice. You can also use green beans.

Serves 6

2 tbsp canola oil

8 oz/225 g seitan, chopped in bite-sized pieces

8 oz/225 g fresh long beans, chopped in 1-in/2.5-cm pieces

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

4 large shallots, chopped

1 large fresh red Thai chile, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 in/2.5 cm peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 medium limes, 1 zested and juiced; 1 quartered

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

6 oz/170 g dried rice vermicelli

3/4 cup/180 ml coconut milk

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp dark miso

1 tsp molasses/treacle

1/2 cup/15 g fresh Thai basil, julienned

1/4 cup/30 g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the noodles.

2. In a wok or large frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the seitan, beans, carrot, shallots, half of the chile, the garlic, ginger, lime zest, ground coriander, and turmeric. Stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Taste and add more chile, if desired.

3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse them.

4. In a cup or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, soy sauce, miso, and molasses/treacle. Add the mixture to the vegetables and bring everything to a boil. Stir in 1 tbsp of lime juice. Add the drained noodles and turn them in the pan, coating them well with sauce. Cook until the sauce is thick and clinging to the noodles. Add the basil and serve, topped with the peanuts and with lime wedges on the side.