Travegans

By Marie Reginato
Page Street Publishing, Salem, MA.  2017

I love the sentiments and attitude in this book! After more than a decade on a relatively strict “whole food, plant-based” diet, we started a little rethinking – prompted by a series of research reports that stacked one question atop another. I worried about the quantity and quality of our omega-3 and protein intake. We were also feeling a little bored and needed to amp up the deliciousness of our food. We agreed it was time to break just a few of the rules: we added some pastured organic eggs, a little sustainable, low-mercury, high-omega 3 seafood and two specific European cheeses to our diet*.

A couple months later “Alternative Vegan” landed in my lap – encouraging the breaking of pretty much the same rules!

Aside from the affirmation provided by the author (saying just what we wanted to hear), this is a solid effort that adds variety and originality to the cookbook shelf – clear recipes that work, full-page, bleed images of every recipe that inspire, and a thoughtful approach to food in general. Wherever there is rule-breaking, the author provides a vegan alternative.

The recipes tend to depart from the expected which is, for those of us with dozens of plant-based cookbooks, a welcome relief.  On the other hand, these are not “throw dinner together in a few minutes” recipes. Not even the 30-minute ones. The ingredient lists tend to be lengthy but not esoteric – if you’ve been eating plant-based for a while, you’ll find most of them on the pantry shelf. Cupboard Curry is just that and Minty-Pistachio Falafels with Tzatziki gives these old stand-bys a fresh flavor profile. Also welcome are two takes on sliced “pre-cooked polenta rolls” that get a yummy dish on the table quickly.

As a lover of dinner leftovers for breakfast, I found the Morning Glory Bowl even better; it’s a made-from-scratch, well-seasoned, Swiss chard, spinach, fennel, avocado and dill breakfast (or maybe brunch) dish. The recipes bounce between creative riffs on traditional favorites and some really unique ideas – and that originality extends to the unexpected chapter titles. There’s Breakfast and Dessert (Dark Chocolate with Lime Zest & Pumpkin Seeds!!)  – but standard headings stop there. The chapter on Bento Boxes and Buddha Bowls adds some new perspectives as does the Ex-Rated chapter on pizza and pasta. But the main events are mostly in Eating on the Vedge.

I do take issue with some of the “alternative” choices – IMO, eggs should be “pastured” as well as organic and the seafood choices should align with the Environmental Working Group’s detailed assessment of sustainable, low-mercury and high omega-3s. But those are my personal choices and all of the seafood recipes will work just fine with other species …..

*The specifics of our alternative choices are covered in the post – “Shhh! We’ve Decided to Break a Few Rules!”