Flavor factor

You can be a voluptuous vegan or an accidental vegan or a vegetarian five-ingredient gourmet. You can be a complete vegan or focus on vegetarian appetizers or take your vegetarian kitchen to the Mediterranean.


	Wendy Wahman/P-I

As heart-healthy diets and concerns about contaminated meat have become more widespread, people have increasingly embraced vegetarian recipes, if not vegetarian ideals.

There are fewer food safety issues associated with fruits, vegetables and grains, and people recognize that a plant-based diet is low in saturated fat and has no cholesterol -- the substances that harm the heart.

The mainstreaming of vegetarian cooking is reflected by the dozen -- at least -- vegetarian or vegan cookbooks that have hit the shelves in the past year. (Vegans go further than vegetarians, eating no animal products such as eggs, milk and cheese.)

What is notable about many of the new books is that the recipes stand on their own, focusing more on flavor and the possibilities of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, rather than act as the vegetarian interpretation of a meat dish.

Early vegetarian cookbooks, explains Bill LeBlond, senior editor and cookbook editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco, weren't as concerned about good recipes as they were about making a statement for animal rights or the environment.

"It's also true, as vegetarian cooking has evolved, it's become more (photogenic)," he says. "I think vegetarians are glad to be treated as really sophisticated food consumers and not a freaky, radical subgroup."

According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, there were an estimated 4.8 million adult vegetarians (those who eat no meat, poultry or fish) in the United States in 2000. They don't have numbers for previous years, but most people accept that there were fewer vegetarians before.

When Louise Hagler became a vegetarian 30 years ago, she says the lifestyle was considered part of the fringe.

"When I first started, it was a time of great social upheaval and change and inward searching," says Hagler, author of "Tofu Quick & Easy" (BPC, 137 pages, $11.95). "For me, the decision to go vegan was a combination of moral, ethical, religious and environmental reasons."

But, Hagler says, the perception of vegetarian cooking has shifted.

"I suspect the baby boom generation is moving into the middle and later years of life when the question of health is a more pressing one," Hagler says. "People are becoming aware that (vegetarian) is not just a buzzword."

Pam Krauss, executive editor and director of the cookbook program at Clarkson Potter Publishers in New York, explains that the overwhelming popularity of vegetarian cooking classes across the country influenced her company to publish more vegetarian cookbooks.

"Many of our authors have television shows or teach around the country and students are responding," Krauss says. "The Moosewood Collective is out cooking in various parts of the country and their classes are more popular than ever."

The Moosewood Collective is the group that runs the famed Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, N.Y. Clarkson Potter is publishing "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics" which will be available at the end of October.

Nancy Mair is the author of "The Intimate Vegetarian" (Renaissance Books, 367 pages, $18.95), a cookbook for singles or couples.

"There are so many cuisines around the world that are predominantly vegetarian," says Mair, who incorporates a variety of ethnic influences in her recipes.

With classic polenta, for example, Mair suggests pan frying it to serve with cheese enchiladas for a Mexican meal or topping it with tomato and basil for an Italian flavor.

"Initially, the emphasis was that the meal had to be healthy," she says. "Now, the food has to taste good."

PASTA CAPRESE
SERVES TWO

4 quarts water

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 pound spaghetti

2 cups finely diced ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella or Jack cheese, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup firmly packed chopped fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper

Bring water to a full boil over high heat in a large pot.

Prepare sauce while water is heating: In a large mixing bowl, add tomatoes, cheese, basil, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Once water comes to a full boil, add 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, stirring immediately to separate strands so they don't stick together. Boil pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente (tender but firm to the bite).

When pasta is done to your liking, drain in a colander, but do not rinse. Give colander a few shakes to remove the excess water, then add pasta to tomato mixture in large bowl. Toss well to mix evenly. Taste to check seasonings and add more salt or pepper, if desired.

Serve either warm or at room temperature.

From "The Intimate Vegetarian"

TOFU SALAD FOR SANDWICHES
SERVES FOUR

1 pound regular tofu, crumbled

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic, pressed, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup Creamy Salad Dressing (recipe follows)

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Toss with salad dressing. Use for making sandwiches.

From "Tofu Quick & Easy"

CREAMY SALAD DRESSING
MAKES ONE CUP

1/2 pound soft tofu

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon sweetener of choice

Blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

From "Tofu Quick & Easy"

CURRIED CHICKPEA TART
SERVES SIX

4 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for oiling the pan and brushing the tart

1 onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 3/4 cups cold water

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

Oil a 9-inch tart pan and set aside.

Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until the onions start to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the curry powder and 1/4 cup of the water and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated. Set aside.

Place the chickpea flour, the remaining 4 1/2 cups of water, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium pot or saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a boil; do not cover.

Add the salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat down to medium-low. The heat should be just high enough that the "polenta" bubbles like molten lava. Continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring to prevent sticking, until the mixture loses its raw taste.

When the mixture is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the curried onions. Pour into the oiled tart pan and spread evenly with a metal spatula. Let sit for an hour or so in the refrigerator to firm. (At this point, you could refrigerate the tart for up to two days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tart into serving portions and brush each with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tart is heated through and the top has formed a crust.

From "Voluptuous Vegan"

RED BHUTAN RICE AND ADZUKI BEANS
SERVE FOUR OR FIVE

1/2 cup adzuki beans, soaked if cooking on the stovetop

Salt

1/2 cup red Bhutan rice

In a large pot, cover the beans with 6 cups of water and cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour, or until tender. Salt to taste and let the beans sit in the cooking water for 10 minutes to absorb the salt. Drain.

Alternatively, add the beans to a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Secure the lid and bring up to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 3 minutes if soaked, or 6 minutes unsoaked. Allow the pressure to come down naturally and release the lid. Add salt to taste. Leave the beans in the liquid for 10 minutes to absorb the salt. Drain.

While the beans cook, place the rice in a large bowl with cool water. Swish with your fingers, then let the rice settle to the bottom. Pour off the water, catching the last grains of rice in a strainer. Place the rice in a small pot and toast over medium heat until no liquid remains. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover, lower heat to very low, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Mix in the adzuki beans and fluff the rice. Add more salt if necessary.

From "Voluptuous Vegan"

P-I food writer Hsiao-Ching Chou can be reached at 206-448-8117 or hsiaochingchou@seattlepi.com

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