VCEMarch 11

Table of Contents
Click on any of the titles to take you to the appropriate piece

Features Columns
Making Tasty Burgers 13 What’s Cooking? 3
By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
Find out what’s up with the Vegan
Jill writes about what makes a Culinary Experience this month.
perfect burger for her using only
“real ingredients.” Hint: Quality From the Garden: What a
grains, the right beans, and lots of
Peach! 26
flavor.
By Liz Lonetti

Burger Schmurger! 16 Liz talks about the best techniques
By Marty Davey, MS, RD for growing, harvesting, and
storing fresh peaches.
Every wonder exactly what the
difference is between a burger Vegan Cuisine and the Law:
and a regular sandwich? Marty
Risky Business – The Real
takes us through the history of the
burger and consults several chefs
Story of Grilled Meats and
and authors about what makes a Fast Food Lawsuits 28
burger to them. By Mindy Kursban, Esq.

Find out about the latest lawsuit
Making the Perfect Patty 19 regarding the dangers of grilled
By Chef Jason Wyrick meats and how the fast food

industry is reacting to it.
Great burgers aren’t just about

the flavor, they’re just as much
about texture. Learn how to make
Marketplace 7

the perfect seitan and the perfect
Get connected and find out about
black bean burger patties.
vegan friendly businesses and

organizations.
Burgers in the Raw 24
By Chef Angela Elliott Recipe Index 58

Angela treats us to a fabulous raw A listing of all the recipes found in
meal with a delicious burger, this issue, compiled with links.
onion rings, and shake.
see the following page for
interviews and reviews…

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 1

Table of Contents 2
Click on any of the titles to take you to the appropriate piece
Interviews Reviews
Interview with Dynise Restaurant Review:
Balcavage 31 Cinnaholic 50
By Ryan Luttrell
The Urban Vegan talks about her
cookbooks and life as an author. A vegan bakery dedicated to the
magnificent cinnamon roll in

Vegan Dietician and Public Berkeley.

Health Nutritionist Ginny
Restaurant Review: Bay Leaf
Messina, MPH, RD 35

52
By Eleanor Sampson
Ginny talks about her career,

veganism in the medical field, and
Delicious Asian inspired dishes in
weighs in on the optimal vegan
Portland.
diet debate.

Book Review: The
Activists Hillary Rettig and Veganopolis Cookbook 54
Dan Nordstrom of Vegan By Jason Wyrick
Protest Fuel 40
A food lovers cookbook featuring a
Learn how Hillary and Dan started mix of standard recipes and a
VPF, an organization that merges delicious host of dishes off the

vegan activism with social justice beaten path.

protests.

Product Review: Wayfare

Featured Artist Vegan Cheese Spreads 56
By Madelyn Pryor

Children’s Author Lisa Dips and cheeses that make the
Cottrell‐Bently 44 grade!

Lisa writes educational children’s
books with a vegan family as the
protagonists!


The Vegan Culinary Experience

What’s Cooking?

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011
Finding the perfect veggie burger is a
Publisher Jason Wyrick

journey for many vegans; some might
Editors Eleanor Sampson, even call it a quest. I wonder if it’s
Madelyn Pryor because a good veggie burger has a
Nutrition Analyst Eleanor Sampson

satsifying weight to it, or if it’s because
Web Design Jason Wyrick it triggers happy associations we have
Graphics Jason Wyrick with outdoor parties and good friends,

or if it’s a way to say that our tastes
Reviewers Madelyn Pryor
Jason Wyrick are the same as everyone else’s plus a strong dose of compassion.
Eleanor Sampson Perhaps it’s all three. Whatever the case, a good veggie burger
Ryan Luttrell requires not only the right taste, but the right texture, moreso than

Contributing Authors Jason Wyrick
most other meals. It’s got to be juicy without being mushy, it’s got
Madelyn Pryor to be hearty without being tough, and it absolutely has to taste
Liz Lonetti great.
Sharon Valencik
Marty Davey

Mindy Kursban This issue owes a lot of inspiration to some of the great chefs out
Jill Nussinow there taking this classic American dish and putting creative twists
Angela Elliott

on it. Their work spurred me on to create my own. In all honesty,
Photography Credits
what their work really did was make me hungry for a great veggie
burger, and I hope this issue does the same for you! Of course, an
Cover Page Jason Wyrick issue dedicated to the mighty burger wouldn’t be complete
without a few recipes for homemade fries, onion rings,
Recipe Images Jason Wyrick condiments, shakes, and other assortments we so often associate
Madelyn Pryor with the classic burger.
Milan Valencik of
Milan Photography

One last bit before I go. You’ll find a lot of great burger patty
recipes throughout this issue. They’re designed to be
Peach Tree GNU Free Documentation
License
interchangeable for the most part, so just because you see one
burger patty recipe with a particular set of condiments doesn’t
Peach Blossom Madelyn Pryor mean you can’t use that patty in another recipe and vice versa. If

Dynise Balcavage Courtesy of Dynise Balcavage
you’re short on time, or inclination, you can substitute a store‐
Hillary Rettig Courtesy of Hillary Rettig bought veggie burger patty in nearly all of these recipes. Now
Ginny Davis Courtesy of Ginny Davis head to the kitchen or the grill and get your burger on!
Lisa Cottrell‐Bentley Courtesy of Lisa Cottrell‐Bentley

Eat healthy, eat compassionately, and eat well!
Bay Leaf Bay Leaf Website & Eleanor
Sampson

Wayfare Spreads Wayfare Website
Cinnaholi Ryan Luttrell

Burgers,
Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 3
Contributors

Jason Wyrick ‐ Chef Jason Wyrick is the Executive Chef of Devil Spice, Arizona's vegan catering
company, and the publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience. Chef Wyrick has been regularly
featured on major television networks and in the press. He has done demos with several
doctors, including Dr. Neal Barnard of the PCRM, Dr. John McDougall, and Dr. Gabriel
Cousens. Chef Wyrick was also a guest instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program. He has
catered for PETA, Farm Sanctuary, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Google. Visit Chef Jason Wyrick at
www.devilspice.com and www.veganculinaryexperience.com.
Madelyn Pryor ‐ Madelyn is a lover of dessert, which she celebrates on her blog,
http://badkittybakery.blogspot.com/. She has been making her own tasty desserts for over
16 years, and eating dessert for longer than she cares to admit. When she isn’t in the
kitchen creating new wonders of sugary goodness, she is chasing after her bad kitties, or
reviewing products for various websites and publications. She can be contacted at
thebadkittybakery@gmail.com or madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com.
Sharon Valencik ‐ Sharon Valencik is the author of Sweet Utopia: Simply Stunning Vegan
Desserts. She is raising two vibrant young vegan sons and rescued animals, currently a rabbit
and a dog. She comes from a lineage of artistic chef matriarchs and has been baking since age
five. She is working on her next book, World Utopia: Delicious and Healthy International
Vegan Cuisine. Please visit www.sweetutopia.com for more information, to ask questions, or
to provide feedback.

Milan Valencik ‐ Milan Valencik is the food stylist and photographer of Sweet Utopia: Simply
Stunning Vegan Desserts. His company, Milan Photography, specializes in artistic event
photojournalism, weddings, and other types of photography. Milan is also a fine artist and
musician. Milan is originally from Czech Republic and now lives in NJ. For more information
about Milan, please visit www.milanphotography.com or www.sweetutopia.com.

Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen ‐ Jill is a Registered Dietitian and has a Masters
Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University. After graduating, she
migrated to California and began a private nutrition practice providing individual consultations
and workshops, specializing in nutrition for pregnancy, new mothers, and children. You can
find out more about The Veggie Queen at www.theveggiequeen.com.


Contributors

Liz Lonetti ‐ As a professional urban designer, Liz Lonetti is passionate about building
community, both physically and socially. She graduated from the U of MN with a BA in
Architecture in 1998. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Phoenix Permaculture
Guild, a non‐profit organization whose mission is to inspire sustainable living through
education, community building and creative cooperation (www.phoenixpermaculture.org).
A long time advocate for building greener and more inter‐connected communities, Liz
volunteers her time and talent for other local green causes. In her spare time, Liz enjoys
cooking with the veggies from her gardens, sharing great food with friends and neighbors,
learning from and teaching others. To contact Liz, please visit her blog site
www.phoenixpermaculture.org/profile/LizDan.

Marty Davey ‐ Marty Davey is not only LaDiva, Dietitian!, but a Registered Dietitian with a
Masters degree in Food and Nutrition. She became a vegetarian in 1980 when she
discovered that there were more chemicals in cattle then attendants at a Grateful Dead
concert. Her family are all vegan, except the dog who drew the line at vegetarian. She
conducts factual and hilarious presentations and food demos. While her private practice
includes those transitioning to a plant‐based life, LaDiva's most popular private consulting
topic is "I'm too busy and I don't cook." Her website is www.ladivadietitian.com.

Angela Elliott ‐ Angela Elliott is the author of Alive in Five, Holiday Fare with Angela, The
Simple Gourmet, and more books on the way! Angela is the inventor of Five Minute Gourmet
Meals™, Raw Nut‐Free Cuisine™, Raw Vegan Dog Cuisine™, and The Celestialwich™, and the
owner and operator of She‐Zen Cuisine. www.she‐zencuisine.com

Angela has contributed to various publications, including Vegnews Magazine, Vegetarian
Baby and Child Magazine, and has taught gourmet classes, holistic classes, lectured, and on
occasion toured with Lou Corona, a nationally recognized proponent of living food.

Minday Kursban, Esq. ‐ Mindy Kursban is a practicing attorney who is passionate about
animals, food, and health. She gained her experience and knowledge about vegan cuisine
and the law while working for ten years as general counsel and then executive director of
the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Since leaving PCRM in 2007, Mindy has
been writing and speaking to help others make the switch to a plant‐based diet. Mindy
welcomes feedback, comments, and questions at mkursban@gmail.com.

Eleanor Sampson – Eleanor is an editor and nutrition analyst for The Vegan Culinary
Experience, author, and an expert vegan baker with a specialty in delicious vegan sweets
(particularly cinnamon rolls!) You can reach Eleanor at
Eleanor@veganculinaryexperience.com.


Contributors

Ryan Luttrell ‐ Ryan Luttrell is a culinary consultant, currently working as a Food Stylist for
the Food Network and worked for Party Planners West in preparation for Super Bowl XVI in
Indianapolis. He has 16 years of food industry experience after graduating from the
Culinary Institute of America. Chef Luttrell has been an Executive Pastry Chef at Chez
Philippe in the Peabody Hotel, Erling Jensen’s, Ronnie Grisanti’s, and was Program Director
for L’Ecole Culinaire (all in Memphis, Tennessee). Additionally, he has worked at the past
three Super Bowls as the Managing Culinary Director and is pursuing an MBA degree from
the University of Memphis. He resides in Berkeley, California, with his wife and son.


Marketplace
Welcome to the Marketplace, our new spot for
finding vegetarian friendly companies, chefs, authors,
bloggers, cookbooks, products, and more! One of the
goals of The Vegan Culinary Experience is to connect
our readers with organizations that provide relevant
products and services for vegans, so we hope you
enjoy this new feature!

Click on the Ads – Each ad is linked to the appropriate
organization’s website. All you need to do is click on
the ad to take you there.

Become a Marketplace Member – Become connected
by joining the Vegan Culinary Experience
Marketplace. Membership is available to those who
financially support the magazine, to those who
promote the magazine, and to those who contribute
to the magazine. Contact Chef Jason Wyrick at
chefjason@veganculinaryexperience.com for details!

Current Members

Rational Animal
(www.rational‐animal.org)
Farm Sanctuary
(www.farmsanctuary.com)
Vegans in Vegas
(www.vegansinvegas.com)
GoDairyFree.org and My Sweet Vegan
(www.godairyfree.org)
Marty Davey, MS, RD
(www.ladivadietitian.com)
Sweet Utopia
(www.sweetutopia.com)
The Phoenix Permactulture Guild
(www.phoneixpermaculture.org)
Milan Photography
(www.milanphotography.com)
Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
(www.theveggiequeen.com)


Marketplace


Marketplace


Marketplace


Marketplace


About the VCE
The Vegan Culinary Experience is an educational vegan culinary
magazine designed by professional vegan chefs to help make
vegan cuisine more accessible. Published by Chef Jason Wyrick,
the magazine utilizes the electronic format of the web to go
beyond the traditional content of a print magazine to offer
classes, podcasts, an interactive learning community, and links to
articles, recipes, and sites embedded throughout the magazine to
make retrieving information more convenient for the reader.

The VCE is also designed to bring vegan chefs, instructors,
medical professionals, authors, and businesses together with the
growing number of people interested in vegan cuisine.

Eat healthy, eat compassionately, and eat well.
Become a Subscriber
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database, and extra educational materials.

Visit http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCESubscribe.htm to subscribe.

*PRIVACY POLICY ‐ Contact information is never, ever given or sold to another individual or company

Not Just a Magazine

Meal Service
The Vegan Culinary Experience also provides weekly meals that coincide with the recipes from the magazine.
Shipping is available across the United States. Raw, gluten‐free, and low‐fat diabetic friendly options are
available. Visit http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEMealService.htm for more information.

Culinary Instruction
Chef Jason Wyrick and many of the contributors to the magazine are available for private culinary instruction,
seminars, interviews, and other educational based activities. For information and pricing, contact us at
http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEContact.htm.

An Educational and Inspirational Journey of Taste, Health, and Compassion

Making Tasty Burgers
By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™
I can almost recall making some of my first contain some flour or bread crumbs for binder. I
imaginative burgers in the early 1980s when I was also often like to add nuts or seeds for texture and
invited to attend a potluck group. I knew that there flavor. My burgers usually don’t contain any egg
were a lot of great vegetarian cooks who attended. replacer but sometimes they have silken or regular
I was younger than most of them and I was unsure tofu, or ground flax seeds and water, for binding or
of what to prepare. for texture. Some people like to freeze the tofu so
that it’s crumbly but I don’t find that it’s easy
When I did a refrigerator scan, I had some leftover
enough to make into burgers in that form. Cooked
cooked split peas. I wondered if they might make
mushrooms also make a great addition to burger
great burgers. It turned out that combined with
texture but must be cooked thoroughly so that
brown rice and spices, they created synergy,
they don’t add too much liquid.
transforming simple ingredients into a sublime
meal. This was at a time when burgers were really The same is true for vegetables such as summer
in vogue, but mostly for meat eaters. These were squash or spinach that is still watery. They’ll often
the days before frozen veggie burgers graced the turn burgers into a mushy, but sometimes tasty,
freezer cases like they do now. mess.
Since that time I have created many different Burgers can easily be made from store‐bought
burgers and patties, usually from leftover beans meat substitutes made from soy or gluten but I
and grains but sometimes I have invented them stopped preparing those a few years ago,
based on the taste, texture or color that I wanted. preferring to use “real ingredients”. When I want a
My burgers from 20 years ago often contained burger like that, I just buy a package to keep on
cheese or eggs but these days, all the burgers are hand.
vegan and still work out quite well. Unlike my
What I like best about making my own burgers is
earlier recipe testing, I usually knowingly test them
that it is so easy to vary the flavors. You can easily
on myself, or others, long before bringing them to
season one batch of burgers in a couple of different
an event.
ways, or make a double batch and season it in
When I show up with burgers, I often avoid three or four ways. The only thing limiting you will
mentioning that they are vegan until someone be your creativity and your pantry.
asks. I am going to share my tips for making tasty
Most burgers can be cooked, then frozen and
burgers with appeal. And since I don’t eat many
defrosted when you’re ready for them. Grilling
buns or much bread these days, I often serve the
after defrosting is not always a good idea as the
burgers or patties, wrapped in a lettuce leaf or a
burgers might stick. In fact, many burgers stick on
corn or teff tortilla.
the grill so I like to pan fry them or oven bake them
Here’s how my “typical” burger begins: with well on parchment paper brushed with a little oil. If you
cooked beans, grains and spices. It may also eat oil‐free, it will be difficult to get the burgers to

brown and crisp but they are still tasty. If you want
a smoky flavor in your burgers, add a pinch of Note: If you want to make this gluten‐free you can use

smoked paprika, smoked salt or barbecue sauce – gluten‐free bread to make crumbs or use toasted baby,
good smoke without the grill. or quick cooking gluten‐free, oats.

Here’s my recipe for Mushroom Veggie Burgers
from my cookbook, The Veggie Queen™:
Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment and a newer
recipe for Black Bean Quinoa Burgers.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Mushroom Veggie Burgers Makes 6 medium
Serves 6 This will likely work with any cooked grain or bean with
slight adjustments in amounts. I developed this recipe
I like this burger recipe because I love eating
mushrooms and the ingredient list is short. for one of the Barbaras in my life who wanted
something tasty and easy to prepare and eat.
1 tablespoon oil
½ cup finely diced onion ½-¾ cup cooked quinoa
½ pound mushrooms, shiitake, crimini or 1½ cups cooked black beans
Portabello, sliced ¼-½ cup onion
3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cloves garlic
4 cups spinach leaves, washed Fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or cilantro
5 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in boiling 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
water, chopped fine ½ teaspoon salt, if using fresh cooked, not
1 cup cooked bulgur, rice, quinoa or other grain canned, beans
1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs, processed in the 2 tablespoons hemp seed, if you have it
food processor
Salt and pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the quinoa, beans and onion in the food

Heat oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add the onion
processor. Pulse a few times until slightly mixed. Do
and sauté for about 1 minute over medium heat. Add
not pulse too many times or you will end up with a
the mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the
sticky mess. Add the garlic, herbs, yeast, and salt, if
garlic, sauté 1 minute more. Then lay the spinach on
using. Pulse again, adding 1-2 tablespoons bean
top of the vegetable mixture. Cover and let spinach
liquid, stock or Bragg’s liquid amino acids if it needs
wilt for 1 to 2 minutes.
it. Remove from processor and stir in hemp seeds.
Put this mixture into the processor and whir until Form into patties. If the mixture doesn’t feel thick
mixed. Add the grain and pulse to combine. enough, add more quinoa and combine again.
Put mixture into a bowl. Add the sundried tomatoes, Bake on an oiled or parchment lined baking sheet for
breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon 10 minutes. Turn over and bake another 10 minutes.
or your hands until everything is combined. Eat, refrigerate or freeze.
Form into 6 patties about 3-inches in diameter and This burger tastes especially great served with
½ inch thick. Pan-fry or grill for 5 to 8 minutes per avocado and sprouts on a corn tortilla.
side or until lightly browned.

The Author
Jill Nussinow is a Registered
Dietitian, cookbook author of The
Veggie Queen™: Vegetables Get
the Royal Treatment and stars in
the DVD Pressure Cooking: A
Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in
Minutes. She’s available to do
cooking classes and workshops
throughout the US. She hopes to take a number of
groups traveling next year. You can find Jill at
www.theveggiequeen.com.

Burger Schmurger!
By Marty Davey, RD, MS
When did the hamburger become a “burger”? appellation switch‐a‐roo by a chef no doubt a name
Why is it called a hamburger when it has no ham? change for better marketing.
These, and other life changing questions, are what
occupy my brain when I wake up at 3 a.m. and I A few hundred years later, Hamburg sailors longed
can’t get back to sleep. I live a shallow life. for their native dish in the nascent United States.
The meat had become salted and hard in its move
The history of the hamburger is very interesting from feeding roving bands on the plains to men at
because it is a global affair. The definitive burger sea. Eating establishments of New England served
article I found was written by Linda Stradley.1 All this steak cooked in the “Hamburg style.”
other articles and reference material either quoted
Ms. Stradley’s work or were included in her treatise Jewish emigrants were known to make, Hamburg
to the All‐American culinary delight. What follows beef, and “stretched [it] with breadcrumbs and
is a truncated a rendition. However, the website is onions.” It was also noted to have been served
listed below so if you are up at 3 a.m. you can get between two pieces of bread.
all of the details to make you the trivia maven at
the next trip to your local veg burger joint. The nineteenth century is where the history and
myth of hamburgers merge. Newly built
My freezer’s flat discs look nothing like the patties mechanical meat choppers unleash a wave of
Genghes Khan and his tribe would place under revamped products sold in a multitude of locales
their saddles to tenderize. After a day’s ride of and establishments. Thus, a form of the
proper smashing, the bits of mutton were eaten hamburger shows up at the Delmonico Restaurant
raw in one hand while guiding their horse with the in New York City as well as the Clipper Restaurant
other. in San Fernando, California. It even gets the nod
from the Boston Cooking School Cook Book in
The meat patty left Mongolia for Russia in the 13th 1844.
century with Khublia Khan and adopted the
moniker “Steak Tartare.” The invading Mongolians 1885 is the infamous year the modern hamburger
were dubbed Tartars by the Russians. It was there had its birth. However, it appears it was twins ‐
that Ivan, the unknown hash slinger, took the one born in Seymour, Wisconsin and the other in
cholesterol to a new level by introducing raw eggs, Akron, Ohio. Wisconsin native, Charlie Nagreen is
then adding onions. Yum! quoted to have sold meatball sandwiches, but
realized the little balls were too unstable for
Skip ahead a couple of centuries to the port city of walking at a county fair, so he turned them into
Hamburg, Germany. Among the imports from patties. Buckeye boys, the Menches brothers, sold
Russian ships was “Tartare Steak.” A brilliant out of their pork sandwiches at a county fair. They
switched to beef and put it “between two pieces of
1
Stradley L. [2004] Hamburgers - History and Legends
bread.”
of Hamburgers. Retrieved on February 12, 2011 from
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HamburgerHistor
y.htm.

Who really wins the title? It could be Wisconsin. veggie burgers. With so many burger recipes, what
Their fair did include a ketchup slide. On the other designates the parameters of a “burger.” I asked
hand, the Los Angeles Times bestows Frank some experts to weigh in on, when is a burger a
Menches with the honor. Both states have had burger?
celebrations and vehemently cling to numero uno
status. All I can say is, Girls, girls, you’re both Chef Joanne Goode, worked in New York City at
pretty. restaurants such as Jean Georges and Union Square
Cafe before becoming owner of The Centerton Inn
There isn’t debate on who put the concoction on a in Centerton, New Jersey. Joanne took the
bun ‐ Oscar Weber Bilby, in 1891. His burger was question very philosophically. “It needs to be
seared on a grill before sitting atop “Granny layered. It needs to be round, not elongated. It
Fanny’s” buns. To clarify, the patties were placed should not be precooked.” Beans can be cooked to
on homemade yeasted buns as opposed to bread a malleable state, but if they are pre‐fried, then
or toast. you are making a croquette. Ingredients need to
be ground or chopped and flattened on top, not
New Haven, Connecticut’s son, Louis Lassen claims shaped like a ball, to sustain topping such as
to have conceived the hamburger “sandwich”, not onions, lettuce or tomatoes. For her, “it has to
the hamburger steak. It is still served at Mr. have a bun.”
Lassen’s luncheonette in Connecticut on toast, no
buns. Chef Allan Williams of Philadelphia and my
friend/chef, Fran Costigan, author of More Great
After this initial slew of inventors, cooks prodded Good Dairy‐Free Desserts Naturally, agree with the
and poked burgers for the next twenty years. In tenet of the shape. It must be round and a patty.
1931, the American icon, Popeye was synonymous Allan also saw the definition dilemma, “although,
with spinach, but another character, Wimpy, is put anything between two pieces of bread and it is
known for his tag line, “I will gladly pay you a sandwich.” Fran feels, it should be “smeared
Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Considering this with ketchup, topped with lettuce and tomato and
was during the Great Depression replete with 25% slice of pickle.” However, no comment on the bun
unemployment and soup lines, I’m sure he wasn’t ‐ bread controversy.
the only one attempting the bargain.
So, other than shape, the jury is still out on what
It was either Lionel C. Sternberger in Pasadena, constitutes a burger. One restaurant I went to had
California [1920’s] or Charles Kaelin in Louisville, “mushroom burger” on the menu, but served a
Kentucky [1934] who slapped a little dairy onto the whole, grilled portobello mushroom on foccacia. I
sizzling sandwich and coined the term, looked at the plate and thought, “This is not a
cheeseburger. burger.” It reminded me of a judge’s remark about
pornography, “I can’t define it, but I know it when I
Ray Croc took the hamburger global with his lunch see it.”
wagon turned franchise ‐ McDonald’s. Thus began
the burger joint bonanza. My personal touch with The Author
burger fame was a college roommate who worked
with Wendy, of Wendy’s. She really had red hair. Marty Davey is not only
LaDiva, Dietitian!, but a

Registered Dietitian with a
Now, in the 21st century most restaurants have
Masters degree in Food and
burgers on the menu. Choices extend beyond the
Nutrition. She became a
cheeseburger or hamburger steak. You can get vegetarian in 1980 when she
lentil burgers, soy burgers, tempeh, mushroom or

discovered that there were more chemicals in cattle
then attendants at a Grateful Dead concert. Her
family are all vegan, except the dog who drew the
line at vegetarian. She conducts factual and
hilarious presentations and food demos. While her
private practice includes those transitioning to a
plant-based life, LaDiva's most popular private
consulting topic is "I'm too busy and I don't cook."
Her website is www.ladivadietitian.com.

Making the Perfect Patty
By Chef Jason Wyrick
Are you on a quest for the perfect veggie burger,
too? Sometimes I feel like a grail knight, armed
with my chef’s knife riding through fields of seitan,
beans, oats, breadcrumbs, and a host of other
ingredients, a juicy veggie burger emblazoned upon
my shield. Ok, now that’s a weird image, but if you
love food, you probably identify with the
sentiment.

A good veggie burger not only has to taste great, it
has to have the right texture. Usually, veggie
burgers fall short on the texture category. Some of
them are so mushy, they can’t even hold up in a
sauté pan let alone on the grill. Some are made of
slabs of seitan and seem more like a thick piece of
chewy stuff between two buns. I’d rather have
thick chewy stuff than mushy stuff for a burger, but
neither are truly satisfying.
has the most classic burger feel to it. Let’s start
This article will concentrate on two of my favorite with the basic recipe.
burger patties and go into the reasons of why each
of them works, with plenty of tips for adding extra 2 cups of ground seitan
flavor to each burger. The first one is a ground 2 cups of cubed whole wheat bread, about 1”
seitan patty and the latter is a black bean and pieces
ground oat patty. The seitan patty has the most ¼ cup of dark ale or water
meat‐like texture and the black‐bean oat patty is
perfect for capturing strong flavors and ideal if you Place the seitan in your food processor. If it comes
want to avoid using seitan. Enjoy! in a large chunk, chop it a few times first. Pulse the
food processor a few times until you have ground
The Perfect Seitan Patty seitan that’s about the texture of ground round. If
you pulse it too much and your seitan grind
Seitan already has a meat‐like texture and when becomes very small, the burger patty will have a
you grind it, it comes out very similar to ground homogenous texture. It will still be good, but not
round, perfect for making a burger. It holds perfect and we are on a quest for the perfect
together well on the grill as well as in the pan and veggie burger, after all! Note that you can use

several mock meat products instead of seitan, they and seitan between your fingers. This creates a
just tend to me more expensive. Most of the patty base that will stick together and also more
Gardein products work quite well and Trader Joe’s thoroughly mixes the seitan with the bread. Plus,
has Beef‐less Strips that have a great texture. In it’s fun!
fact, when looking at the mock meat ingredient, if
you see some sort of pea or bean protein or mixed If you are going to add any spices or herbs, make
into the wheat gluten, chances are it will have the sure you do that when you add the seitan, but
right texture. That type of protein is what gives it before you start smashing the seitan into the
that dense texture without becoming overly heavy. bread. If you try to add those after the fact, you’ll
The disadvantage is that you can’t modify the have a hard time evenly incorporating them.
flavor too much, but you can if you make your
own! More on that later. I like adding finally minced herbs and spices at this
point, but I generally avoid adding ingredients like
Next, cube the bread, but don’t press to hard on minced onion or even chopped herbs. Their size
the bread when you cut it. The fluffier you can tends to inhibit the burger patty sticking together
keep it, the more absorbent it is. Pour the ale or and they never thoroughly cook. If you’re set on
water over the bread and quickly toss it. This adding those ingredients to the patty “dough,”
keeps the liquid from just settling in a few cubes of cook them first, let them cool, and then add them
the bread. Keep slowly tossing it until most of the to the patty. Use as little oil as possible when
liquid has been absorbed, then mash the bread cooking them since that will also interfere with the
into a paste. This helps hold all the ground seitan patty sticking together. Finally, because bread and
together. Ironically, this is anathema in a lot of the seitan cut flavors so much, don’t be afraid to use
high‐end meat‐burger recipes, but here it’s the lots of spices. For every two cups of ground seitan
opposite (in fact, it’s necessary) since the seitan I’m using, I go for about 1‐1 ½ tsp. of spices. Less
isn’t sticky enough to bind itself together. Keep in than that just doesn’t seem worthwhile. Take an
mind that the bread you use will impart its flavor to opportunity to play around here! You can make
the burger, which is why whole wheat bread is chile burgers (chipotle powder, Mexican oregano,
important. Not only is it more nutritionally sound and a bit of cumin), Cajun burgers, curry burgers,
than white bread, the deeper flavor of whole cracked pepper burgers, garlic burgers. The
wheat bread will translate into a deeper flavor for possibilities are amazing.
the burger. My favorite bread to use is Tuscan
panne. It has a robust crust, but the inside is fluffy The next step is to form patties appropriately sized
enough to quickly absorb all the liquid. to the buns you’ve got on hand. The patty should
stretch to the edge of the bun and can even
The liquid you use has a tremendous impact on the possibly hang over by just a bit, but if the patty is
flavor of the burger. I like the caramel flavor ale too small, what you’ll mostly taste is bun.
gives to the burger. If you want something a bit
salty, cut the ale with a tbsp. of tamari. Make a ball from some of the patty dough and
flatten it into a disk about ½” to ¾” thick. Smaller
Once you’ve got the bread paste, add the ground than that and the patty doesn’t just seem hearty
seitan to the mixing bowl and start working anymore and larger than that, the patty doesn’t
everything together by hand, smashing the bread fully cook in the center. You’ll probably have

tapered edges. Pat those relatively flat so you the seitan a soft texture), and the rest as dark beer.
don’t have a patty that looks like a flying saucer. Bake the seitan on 350 degrees in a covered baking
That helps ensure that every bite of your burger is dish for about 35 minutes. This keeps the seitan
succulent and filling. Repeat until you’ve used all soft and cooks it just enough so that it’s dense, but
the dough. will still grind up nicely. If you don’t cover the
baking dish, you’ll develop a tough, rubbery crust
If you’re going to cook them on the stove top, that will show up in your burger. The seitan should
you’ll want an iron skillet. The heavy iron pan will also be baked instead of simmered because
conduct heat evenly across the burger and give it a simmered seitan can be too moist to properly stick
nice, crispy outside. Heat the pan up to a medium together in the patty dough. That’s about all there
heat, wait a couple minutes, then add olive oil to is to it.
the pan. Immediately add one or two patties, but
don’t add more than that. Too many patties in the Note that these burgers keep very well in the
skillet lowers the cooking temperature. Cook each refrigerator, well up to three weeks, and longer if
side about 2 to 3 minutes, and then you’re done! you freeze them. Just wrap them in plastic wrap so
they don’t dry out.
If you want to grill these (something I highly
recommend), you need to liberally brush the The Perfect Black Bean Patty
patties with oil. Seitan likes to stick to the grill rack
and the oil helps mitigate that. Place the patties I love black bean burgers. They have such a robust
over the hot center of the grill and get ready to flip flavor and they support a lot of spices for which I
them quickly. They should be done cooking after have an affinity, namely Mexican and
about 1 to 2 minutes per side on the grill (yes, they Southwestern spices. They’re also great if you
cook quickly). Put them over a direct flame for want to avoid seitan, which is undeniably a
char‐broiled ecstasy. processed food. However, bean burgers often turn
out either mushy or gummy. Fortunately, there is a
Time to talk about seitan. Besides being the way around that!
compassionate choice, seitan has a significant
advantage over meat in one area. You can create 1 ½ cups of rinsed, cooked black beans
bold flavors directly in the seitan itself. Most seitan 1 ½ cups of steel cut oats
starts with vital wheat gluten powder. I like to use ½ tsp. of salt
a mix of 1 cup of VWGP and ½ cup of chickpea flour 1 tbsp. of spices and herbs
or pea protein as the base mix. Regardless, for
every 1 ½ cups of powder you’ve got, you’ll want Cook and rinse the black beans, then allow them to
about 1 tbsp. of spices. Less than that just won’t dry as much as possible. Excess moisture means
cut through the powder. My favorite mix is 2 tsp. you need to add more oats, which cuts the flavor of
of smoked paprika, ½ tsp. of cumin, ½ tsp. of garlic the burger. Mash the beans by hand into a rough
powder, 1 tsp. of onion powder, and 1 tsp. of black bean paste. Don’t make it completely
Mexican oregano. Once you’ve got the dry smooth, though. This keeps the texture of the
ingredients mixed together, add in about 1 cup of finished burger more interesting. Black beans like
wet mix. You’ll want about 3 tbsp. of tamari, 2 to stick together moreso than some other beans
tbsp. of tomato paste, 1 tbsp. of tahini (this gives because of their high protein content. They also

ingredients like minced onion and chopped herbs
better than a seitan burger.

My favorite spice mix consists of:

1 tbsp. of smoked paprika
2 tsp. of ancho powder
1 tsp. of cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
And 2 chipotles in adobo, minced

Smash the oats into the beans and create as tight a
have a deep flavor because they are rather small, dough as possible. Let it sit for about 5 minutes
meaning that there is a higher ratio of flavorful skin before working with it further. This allows the dry
in the mashed beans than with other larger beans. oats to absorb some of the surrounding liquid from
the beans and gives the dough more sticking
Take the oats and pulse them in a food processor power.
until they are coarsely ground. You don’t want to
turn the oats into oat flour (this would make the Once it’s sat, follow the same guidelines you would
patties gummy), but you don’t want huge flakes of for forming patties that you would for the seitan
oats either. Think large breadcrumb size. Getting burger. Same size, et al. and for the exact same
this right is part of the key to making a great black reasons.
bean burger. The oats should be ground just small
enough to hold the burger together, but not so If you are going to cook these on the stove top,
small that the burger texture is homogenous. cook them in an iron skillet, but set the
That’s boring! temperature to just below medium and cook the
burgers for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Because
Stir your salt and spice mix into the oats, then add the burger is softer than a seitan burger, it requires
that to the black beans. This gets the spices to a more delicate treatment.
evenly distribute throughout the patty dough,
which is harder to do if you add them directly to If you are going to grill them, I suggest baking them
the moist mashed beans, since the spices will first in a covered dish at 325 degrees for 15
clump. minutes to get the burgers to set before they hit
the grill. Make sure to liberally brush them with oil
This is, of course, the place to play around with the to keep them from sticking to the grill rack and
spices and black beans can accommodate just cook them off‐center of the hot part of the grill.
about whatever you want to do, though they do Again, they require a more delicate treatment than
best with very bold flavors since they provide a seitan patties.
flavorful base on which those spices can ride. You
may even want to add a minced chipotle in adobo
or two! Also, because the black beans are moist
and very sticky, black bean burgers can handle

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. If you
make these or create your own variation, I’d love
to hear about your experience with them! E‐mail
me your burger story at
chefjason@veganculinaryexperience.com. In the
meantime, I’m going to take a break from my quest
and have a burger.

The Author

Jason Wyrick is the
executive chef and
publisher of The
Vegan Culinary
Experience, an
educational vegan
culinary magazine
with a readership of
about 30,000. In
2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by switching to a
low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently left his position as
the Director of Marketing for an IT company to become
a chef and instructor to help others. Since then, he has
been featured by the NY Times, has been a NY Times
contributor, and has been featured in Edible Phoenix,
and the Arizona Republic, and has had numerous local
television appearances. He has catered for companies
such as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and
Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the Scottsdale
Culinary Festival’s premier event, and has been a guest
instructor and the first vegan instructor in the Le Cordon
Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently,
Chef Jason wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr.
Neal Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You
can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at
www.veganculinaryexperience.com.


Burgers in the Raw
a complete raw burger meal
By Angela Elliott

Gorgeous. Sinful. Energetic. Delicious. Soul‐ burger‐style patty. You can serve this dish cold on a
satisfying. All of these words can be used to
bed of lettuce or you can dehydrate them for 4
describe this delectable raw burger meal. How
could it not be? A raw burger, raw onion rings, and hours at 104 degrees. Serve with onion rings.
a raw peanut butter chocolate shake? Divine!
Even better is how easy it is to make. Accessible. onion rings
There’s another word to describe this meal. Serves 4
Fabulous.

Initial Prep
the fabulous burger
2 large sweet onion cut into rings
Makes 4‐6 burgers
1st Coating
5 tbs. olive oil
1 cup of almonds 2 tbs. water
1 cup of walnuts Sea salt to taste
1 cup of hemp seeds 2nd Coating:
½ cup of olive oil 1 ½ cups of ground golden flax seeds
½ cup of water ½ cup of ground unsoaked almonds
1 tbsp. of nutritional yeast
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1‐2 tsp. of paprika
½ cup of chopped red bell pepper
Sea salt and pepper to season
¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper

1/3 cup of diced sweet onion Directions: Slice onions into rings. Marinate the
1 tsp. of lemon juice onions in the first coating for about 15 minutes
1 clove garlic, minced until well saturated. Place the ingredients of the
1 tsp. of thyme second coating into a bag. Place the marinated
2 tsp. of rosemary onions into the plastic bag and shake until each
1 tsp. of chile powder onion in coated with the dry mixture. Gently take
the the coated onion rings and put them on
1 tbsp. of Himalayan salt or more to taste
dehydrator trays (without teflex sheets) and

dehydrate the rings for about 10‐14 hrs at 105
Directions: Grind nuts and seeds in a high powered
degrees F. or until crispy.
blender like a Vitamix or in a food processor. Mix
all ingredients in a bowl, adding water last. It
should form a sticky mound. Form mixture into a

reese’s peanuts in a glass, oh my! The Author

Serves 3 Angela Elliott is the author of Alive in
Five, Holiday Fare with Angela, The
1 cup of cashews Simple Gourmet, and more books on
3 cups of ice the way! Angela is the inventor of Five
3 tbsp. of raw cacao nibs Minute Gourmet Meals™, Raw Nut‐
1 tbsp. of Sunfood Nutrition Wild Jungle peanut Free Cuisine™, Raw Vegan Dog
butter Cuisine™, and The Celestialwich™,
3 soft dates, pits removed and the owner and operator of She‐
1 ½ cups of water Zen Cuisine. www.she‐zencuisine.com. Angela has
contributed to various publications, including Vegnews
¼ cup of date syrup
Magazine, Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine, and
¼ tsp. of Himalayan salt
has taught gourmet classes, holistic classes, lectured,
and on occasion toured with Lou Corona, a nationally
Directions: Add all the above ingredients to a recognized proponent of living food.
blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

* Note: You will need a high‐powered blender to
make this recipe.


What a Peach!
backyard peaches and apricots
By Liz Lonetti
The fruit trees are blooming in my backyard and it
makes me think of all the wonderful peaches,
apricots, apples and other delights coming my way!
One of my favorites is the peaches. Nothing is
quite like a home‐grown peach, juicer and more
flavorful than anything I ever bought at the store,
they are perfect to eat as they are or to make into
all sorts of wonderful recipes.

If you are interested in growing your own peaches, Like they sound, a free stone style has an easy to
choose a variety that will do well in your area. remove pit where a cling stone would need to be
Here in the desert we need to choose fruit that do cut out of the fruit. Depending on what you plan to
well in our brutally hot summers and mild winters. do with the fruit, the type of stone may be
Many of the fruit trees we enjoy are deciduous important.
trees, meaning they drop their leaves in winter and
go dormant through the winter months. After the fruit starts to ripen, you will only have a
Amazingly, it is more important to take matter of days to get your harvest in before your
consideration of the winter cold, than the local bird population will start to do the job for
summer’s heat here. “Chill hours” is a term used you! Some backyard orchardists have success with
by growers to determine how much cold will be hanging old CDs from the branches, the dancing
necessary for a given tree’s dormancy period as reflections can startle the birds and keep them
measured in time below 45 degrees. By contacting away. Some growers will put paper bags over the
your local extension office you can find out how fruit, and some just let the birds take some or don’t
many chill hours your region typically gets and then mind a couple of peck holes in their fruit. No
make your fruit tree selection accordingly. Here in matter your preference, you can only eat so many
Phoenix, we get range of chill hours depending on peaches and when the time comes, you should be
where in town you live, between 250 – 400, so prepared with a plan to handle the bounty. After
looking for trees on the lower end of that spectrum stuffing myself with fresh fruit, giving some to the
will mean better fruit production. I you pick a tree neighbors and baking a couple pies, there are still
with more chill hours than your area allows, that lots left to either can or freeze.
tree may never successfully bear fruit!
Freezing is one of my favorite methods for
Another point to consider when choosing a peach preserving the fruit. It is super easy. I take my free
tree is the type of pit or stone in the fruit. There stone peaches and just cut them in half, removing
are two broad categories, free‐stone or cling‐stone. the pits and no I don’t bother with removing the

The Author
Liz Lonetti ‐ As a professional
urban designer, Liz Lonetti is
passionate about building
community, both physically and
socially. She graduated from the
U of MN with a BA in
Architecture in 1998. She also
serves as the Executive Director
for the Phoenix Permaculture
Guild, a non‐profit organization whose mission is to
skins. Next, lay them on a tray in a single layer and inspire sustainable living through education,
put in the freezer until frozen solid. After your community building and creative cooperation
(www.phoenixpermaculture.org). A long time
peaches more closely resemble little hockey pucks,
advocate for building greener and more inter‐
slide them into a plastic bag and vacuum seal it to connected communities, Liz volunteers her time and
minimize moisture loss and freezer burn (or talent for other local green causes. In her spare
double bag in Ziplock type freezer bags using a time, Liz enjoys cooking with the veggies from her
straw to suck out as much air as you can). Peaches gardens, sharing great food with friends and
frozen that way are easily portioned out for use in neighbors, learning from and teaching others. To
contact Liz, please visit her blog site
small or large batches because the fruit can be
www.phoenixpermaculture.org/profile/LizDan.
removed piece by piece. You could also freeze the
fruit whole, but I like not having to defrost before
using because of a pit in there. Of course you can Resources
do the whole ascorbic acid or lemon juice with www.urbanfarm.org
www.phoenixpermaculture.org
sugar syrup and other added steps if you like to do

more work, but the simpler the better I say!

Happy growing!

Favorite Peach Smoothie

2‐4 peaches, depending on size
½ cup of your favorite non‐dairy yogurt

Optional agave nectar for those with a strong
sweet tooth or if using plain yogurt
1 cup soy or rice milk, adding more to achieve
desired thickness
Splash of vanilla

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender (like
a VitaMix) and blend to desired consistency.


Vegan Cuisine and the Law
Risky Business – the real story of grilled meats and fast food lawsuits
By Mindy Kursban, Esq.
Cancer is a frightening disease. Though it’s the linked to colon cancer such as heme iron, the
second leading cause of death in the United States, compound that gives red meat its color.
claiming more than half a million lives each year, Additionally, processing red meats by smoking,
there is still much we don’t know about it. While curing, salting, or adding preservatives can form
some risk factors, such as smoking, are well known cancer‐causing substances, as noted in the 2010
and extensively studied, many causes are still Dietary Guidelines for Americans as well as by the
unknown. American Cancer Society and the National Cancer
Institute.
Even the factors we know about are often beyond
our control. We cannot control our age or family Unbeknownst to many, how we cook and prepare
history. As the recent nuclear crisis in Japan meat can also increase our cancer risk. Meats that
disturbingly illustrates, we can’t even control our have been grilled or pan‐fried at high temperatures
exposure to radiation. can increase the risk for colon, prostate,
pancreatic, stomach, and breast cancers. One study
But there are plenty of factors we can control. A from the University of Minnesota found that eating
report issued by the World Health Organization in charred meat on a regular basis increases the risk
February 2011 indicated that simple changes in for pancreatic cancer by up to 60%.
diet and lifestyle could prevent 30 percent of all
cancers. Cancer‐causing compounds called heterocyclic
amines, or HCAs, form when meat is grilled. One of
Nothing you do can guarantee that you won’t get these HCAs is a chemical called PhIP. Significant
cancer, but there are choices you make all the time amounts of HCAs are found in nearly all grilled
that profoundly affect your risk. Not smoking is a meats, including barbecued pork, hamburgers, and
good choice. Using cosmetics free of toxic grilled salmon. Topping the list is grilled chicken.
chemicals is another good choice. Exercising Even a skinless, boneless breast of a chicken
regularly is a good choice. contains more HCAs than any other grilled meat
product.
Perhaps the most significant choice of all is one we
make several times a day, every day: What am I Given the high rates of cancer and the popularity of
going to eat? having animal flesh at the center of the dinner
table, especially the meat of chickens, you would
The cancer‐preventive properties of fruits and think that the link between grilled meat and cancer
vegetables are well known and well documented. would be common knowledge. Unfortunately it is
On the flip side, red meat such as beef or lamb and not.
processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and lunch
meats can increase the risk of certain types of In 2006, the doctor’s group Physicians Committee
cancer such as colorectal and prostate. for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) set out to change
that. PCRM commissioned independent laboratory
According to the American Institute for Cancer tests on the levels of PhIP in grilled chicken from
Research, red meat contains substances that are seven of the most popular fast‐food restaurant

chains. These tests revealed substantial amounts of Contains Chemicals Known to the State of
PhIP in each of the 100 samples tested. California to Cause Cancer.

Based on the results of those samples, PCRM filed a Burger King was the first and only company to
lawsuit in California pursuant to California’s settle the lawsuit. Burger King now posts the
Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic following warning in its California restaurants:
Enforcement Act. Prop 65 works like this. There is a
“Prop 65 list” that identifies chemicals known to Some foods served here may contain
cause cancer. Businesses are required to give chemicals formed as a byproduct of cooking
warnings to consumers before selling a product that are known to the State of California to
that contains chemicals on the Prop 65 list. Prop 65 cause cancer or birth defects or other
gives consumers, including nonprofit organizations, reproductive harm. These chemicals include
the opportunity to act in the public’s interest by PhIP (in grilled chicken).
filing a lawsuit against a business alleged to be in
violation. No other state’s law does this; in the But the remaining fast‐food chains continue to
remaining 49 states, the public must rely solely on fight the lawsuit, arguing that they do not have to
government agencies to protect their interests. comply with Prop 65 because it conflicts with the
federal Poultry Products Inspection Act’s labeling
The following “Safe Harbor” warning language is scheme intended to ensure that chickens are
standard on products containing chemicals on the thoroughly cooked to prevent the spread of food‐
Prop 65 list sold in California: borne illness.

WARNING: This product contains chemicals There is something noticeably missing from this
known to the State of California defense. The fast‐food chains do not argue that
to cause cancer and birth defects or other their grilled chicken does not contain PhIP, and
reproductive harm. none of them assert that eating their grilled
chicken will not increase their customers’ risk of
On September 27, 2006, PCRM filed a lawsuit to getting cancer.
compel the fast‐food giants McDonald’s, Chick‐fil‐
A, Chili’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, Outback Steakhouse, The reason for their failure to make this argument
Burger King, and Applebee’s to stop selling grilled is clear: Eating grilled chicken increases the risk of
chicken unless they post warnings in their getting cancer. PhIP, which does not exist naturally
California restaurant locations about the cancer in chickens or any other animal’s flesh, has been
risk posed when consuming grilled chicken. On known to increase the risk of cancer for more than
September 23, 2009, PCRM filed a separate but a decade. The National Institutes of Health and the
similar lawsuit against KFC, which introduced International Agency for Research on Cancer,
grilled chicken to its menu earlier that year. among other well‐respected health organizations,
Independent laboratory tests on KFC’s grilled have identified PhIP as carcinogenic. Numerous
chicken were all positive for PhIP. scientific studies have repeatedly confirmed this
fact. Whether the courts will require these fast‐
Posting the Safe Harbor warning in the restaurants food giants to adequately warn consumers of this
would not provide the legally required “clear and risk is another matter, still to be decided.
reasonable” warning to consumers of the dangers
of grilled chicken. To address this concern, the By now, you might be worrying about carcinogenic
lawsuits demanded more appropriate warnings, chemicals showing up in grilled vegan foods. But
such as: rest assured that even though the grill is fired up,
there’s no cause for alarm. Little to none of the
WARNING: Well Cooked Chicken, Including chemicals that are created when meat is grilled are
the Chicken Served in this Restaurant, formed during the grilling of plant‐based foods.

So next time you ask yourself, “What should I The Author
eat?”, go ahead and throw some veggie burgers,
vegetable and tofu kabobs, or Portobello
Mindy Kursban is a
mushrooms on the grill. The only thing you will
practicing attorney who is
need to think about is how delicious your food will
passionate about animals,
be.
food, and health. She

gained her experience and

knowledge about vegan
cuisine and the law while
working for ten years as
general counsel and then executive director of the
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Since leaving PCRM in 2007, Mindy has been
writing and speaking to help others make the

switch to a plant‐based diet. Mindy welcomes
feedback, comments, and questions at
mkursban@gmail.com.


An Interview with the Urban
Vegan, Dynise Balcavage!

Please tell us a bit about yourself. switching to a fuel‐efficient hybrid car!

I’m a creative gypsy with itchy feet and restless And as far as health goes, many studies published
legs. I’m also the author of The Urban Vegan: 250 in respected medical journals point to the benefits
Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart of a vegan or vegetarian diet. Three large European
Favorites to Haute Cuisine (Globe Pequot, 2009). I studies published in the 90s showed vegetarians
love traveling outside the tourist cage and are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer
experiencing other cultures. I live in Philadelphia compared to meat‐eaters. Vegan and vegetarians
with my 3 cats, all former strays. also have better outcomes than meat eaters in
ischemic heart disease, blood pressure, gallstones,
Why did you go vegan and how has that affected kidney stones, osteoporosis, and in lowering and
you? preventing diabetes.

I have been primarily vegetarian since I was 14 and But since this interview is for a culinary e‐
I dabbled in veganism unsuccessfully in my early magazine, from a culinary standpoint, I loved—and
20s. I went vegan in 2006 for ethical reasons after still love the challenge of cooking vegan. When I
much reading and research. The residual health first went vegan, most vegan food I had tried had
and environmental benefits also reinforced my tasted either too stereotypically "healthy" or bland.
decision. You can’t call yourself an (And to be honest, sadly, a lot of it still does.) I was
environmentalist without at least being vegetarian. determined to learn to cook vegan food that just
According to Peter Singer, the average person who plain tasted good—so good that it defied
follows the SAD diet is responsible for generating, categorization. Let’s face it: anyone can throw 6
on average, 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide each year. eggs and a cup of heavy cream into a dessert and
Switching to a fuel‐efficient car prevents about 1 call it “rich” or “decadent.” Attaining the same
ton of CO2 emissions. So switching to a vegan diet “wow” effect with plant‐based foods took a little
is actually better for the environment than more creativity and I like tend to gravitate toward

concepts that stretch my horizons, both from What was the inspiration for your book, The
culinary and artistic perspectives. Urban Vegan?

How did going vegan affect me? It’s a big question. The Urban Vegan was
I do feel more of a sense of peace as a vegan. But I born partly from my
also feel somewhat more isolated since there is still blog of the same name
an irrational stigma attached to being an herbivore; (www.urbanvegan.net),
I was and am still surprised by how extreme most and partly from my love
people view a plant‐based diet. I’m also surprised of cities and traveling.
by all the health misconceptions, even among the I’ve been lucky enough
so‐called educated alternative healing community. to visit some amazing
I’m a bit weary of people asking me, “How do you countries including
get your protein?” India, Syria, Jordan,
Morocco, China, and Peru. And experiencing other
As I was quoted as saying in a New York Times cultures inevitably means trying new foods. Once
article a few years back, I’m not a vegangelical. I you taste something you like in another country,
really hate proselytizing of any kind, so I do not you inevitably want to bring that experience home
push my beliefs onto others. If people ask me with you.
questions, I answer them – but never while they
are eating meat. I also try to remember that I am As a new author, what was it like getting your first
always “representing.” As unfair as it is, if a vegan book published? What were some of the
gets cranky or fussy at a restaurant, it’s prime challenges you faced and how did you overcome
fodder for the “crazy militant vegan” label to stick. I them?
did a bit more of that at first. Now, I’m a much
more chill vegan. Actually, The Urban Vegan was not my first book,
although it was my first cookbook. I had previously
What is your approach to veganism? published 10 books for young readers. But it’s
always simultaneously thrilling and anticlimactic
It’s an individualistic approach, I guess because I’ve getting a book published.
never been much of a joiner. I’m an independent
voter, consider myself a citizen of the world rather Take us through the process of what it’s like for
than the US, and I don’t officially subscribe to any you to develop a recipe.
religions. In my eyes, vegan is not a compartment;
it’s just a small part of who I am. I like to think of Inspiration is not like a dog that comes when it’s
myself as a cook, for example, and not a vegan called. It comes on its own terms and in its own
cook. Honestly, I am getting weary of being timeframe. I get recipe ideas while walking through
categorized as such, just as women artists or artists the market and spotting a particularly succulent
of color get weary of being categorized as “female food item, like a gorgeous bunch of kale or an
artists” or “black artists” instead of just artists. interesting new grain, for example. Inspiration also
comes from reading––books, magazines,
newspapers; from traveling and sometimes, by
accident while experimenting in my kitchen. Being

a word‐centric person, often, my recipe titles come down and become more present – always a good
to me first, as was the case with the Panko‐Crusted thing.
Tofu with Raspberry‐Tamarind Glaze that I created
for my first cookbook. They say you eat with your What is your favorite dish that you make for
eyes first. Well, words are visual, so there you go. yourself at home? (please share the recipe!)

When it comes to creating new recipes, I am I know this may sound stereotypically vegan, but I
usually successful on the first try; I’m totally can ‐‐and sometimes do ‐‐ eat salad for breakfast,
comfortably with most techniques have a pretty lunch and dinner. Making salad is like a jazz riff—a
good sense of what goes with what. But I always constant process of improvisation and it’s easily
take copious notes, and if something’s not right, I changeable depending on my mood. I usually start
will tweak until it is. I do consider myself a better with a huge bowl of baby organic spinach, mesclun,
cook than a baker; I have to work harder at baking frisee, or arugula– or some combination of the
than cooking. above. Then I add about ½ cup of a cooked grain
like quinoa, some toasted nuts, sweet onions,
I also rely on my cadre of fabulous recipe testers— something else sweet, like raisins, dried cranberries
because there are so many variables when creating or fresh fruit, and if I’m really hungry, some
a recipe like oven temperatures, altitude, humidity, protein, like beans or dry‐fried tofu. Dressing
portions, variations, etc. Writing a cookbook is depends on my mood—sometimes I make a
easy, but subjecting recipes to testers who are balsamic vinaigrette or a ginger‐miso. Sometimes
honest and truly want superior recipes is not for I’ll go with a tahini sauce. I may add leftover
the thin‐skinned. I am lucky that my testers want to cooked or raw veggies. I just don’t see how anyone
help each recipe shine. They tell it like it is, and could not love making or eating salad.
that helps everyone. It truly takes a village.
What are your go‐to staples in your pantry?
As a foodie, I imagine you’re constantly exploring
not just new recipes, but new cuisines and styles Nutritional yeast: I adore the nutty‐cheesy‐creamy
of cooking. What is the one that has most flavor. I sprinkle it on everything: soups, popcorn,
recently captured your attention and what drew salad and pasta.
you to it?
Chick peas: They’re a fabulous base food for salads,
Raw food. I had recently experienced some health soups and the veggie burgers, but I sometimes eat
problems, and after some research, learned more them out of the can.
about how overly acidic my hedonistic diet was.
(Just because you’re vegan or vegetarian does not All kinds of grains– quinoa, spelt, wheatberries,
automatically mean you are a healthy eater‐ millet, etc. Kamut, is my current favorite: I usually
especially if you are prone to hedonism like me!). cook up a large batch on Sunday and then use it
I’ve been dabbling in raw foods; I doubt I will every during the week, often as a salad topping or maybe
become 100% raw, but I do love the as a grain‐pilaf base.
health/freshness factor. As I said, I like concepts
that stretch my horizons and raw food certainly
does that. Cooking raw also forces you to slow

Wasa Crispbreads: I’m addicted. Love them as Bio
snacks, with hummus, tapenade, peanut butter or
anything spreadable. The author of The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple,
Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to
What advice can you give new cookbook authors? Haute Cuisine (Globe Pequot, 2009) and the
upcoming Vegan Celebrations: 200 Animal‐Free
You mean aspiring cookbook authors or published Recipes for Every Occassion (Globe Pequot, October
cookbook authors? 2011), Dynise Balcavage has been writing
professionally for the past 20 years. She has also
Aspiring cookbook authors: put in your penned 10 books for young readers and 300+
apprenticeship in both cooking and writing before articles for newsstand magazines including
trying to publish. Then learn all you can about the VegNews, Publish and Végétariens magazine (in
market and public relations‐‐and bargain hard French). Dynise has been interviewed in the New
because publishing is a tough business; writing and York Times and the International Herald Tribune
selling a book is much, much more work than you and has done cooking demonstrations across the
think it will be. globe, from New York to Paris.

What new and exciting projects are you working Dynise volunteers for Philly PAWS (Philadelphia
on now? What’s in your future? Animal Welfare Society.) and is an activist for
countless animal and human rights organizations.
My next cookbook, Vegan Celebrations: 200 When she’s not cooking or writing, Dynise enjoys
Animal‐Free Recipes for Every Occassion (Globe traveling and running. She lives in Philadelphia.
Pequot, October 2011), will hit the stores this
summer. It’s a compilation of menus for
celebrations – from popular religious and civic
holidays, like Christmas and the Fourth of July to
lesser‐known holidays like Candlemas and Guy
Fawkes Day. I also include menus for every day
causes for celebration like slumber parties,
anniversaries, tailgating. I’m currently working on a
third cookbook which will be tons of fun and very
timely, but more on that later.

Thanks Dynise!

Contact Info

Blog: www.urbanvegan.net
Twitter: theurbanvegan
Facebook: the urban vegan


An Interview with Vegan
Author and Dietitian Ginny
Messina, MPH, RD!

Please tell us a bit about yourself! nutrition. I immediately started eliminating all
animal products from my diet and lifestyle.
I’m a dietitian with a focus on vegan nutrition. I live
in a little town off the beaten track on Washington I’m sorry to say, though, that I don’t have any great
State’s Olympic Peninsula and my days are filled stories about how veganism improved my health. I
with tasks and projects related to veganism— was a pretty healthy omnivore and then a healthy
writing and providing technical consulting services vegetarian before I went vegan—low cholesterol
for the most part—plus local animal volunteer and no problems with weight or hypertension so
work and taking care of my own little herd of things didn’t change much in that regard.
rescued cats.
There have been other impacts, though. I know it’s
Why did you become vegan and what impact did a cliché to say that going vegan broadens one’s
you see personally when you did so? food horizons and makes food more interesting,
but like many clichés, it’s also true—or at least it
I became a lacto‐ovo vegetarian for ethical reasons was for me. I certainly found that cooking became
just after getting my graduate degree in nutrition. I much more fun when I went vegan. But the real
had a sort of epiphany while paging through a personal benefits center on my beliefs regarding
vegetarian cookbook; the little light bulb went on animals. Even though I’ve empathized deeply with
over my head and I realized just exactly what it animals for as long as can remember, I wasn’t
meant to eat meat. actually living in sync with my principles and values
until I went vegan. I didn’t know it, of course, and
But it was still a few years before I learned that a can’t say that I suffered any angst over it—but
compassionate diet had anything to do with dairy when I went vegan, it felt good to know that my
and eggs. When I started working for PCRM in 1989 actions were, for the first time, actually lined up
I began reading about both factory farming and with my ideals.
animal rights philosophy and also—because it was
my job to promote veganism—about vegan

Being vegan in the medical community has not community, even among those who don’t have a
always been the easiest route to take. What personal interest.
obstacles have you encountered and how did you
overcome them? More recently, the new Dietary Guidelines have
put much more emphasis on plant foods and even
Meat‐free diets are downright mainstream these concluded that people can choose nondairy milks
days, and health professionals all know about to meet calcium needs—which is huge for
them. Veganism is a different story. I’ve worked on something coming from the USDA. Even though the
many projects—co‐authoring the ADA’s Position on guidelines leave a lot to be desired, this is a sign
Vegetarian Nutrition, for example, and doing that even more conservative and biased
technical reviews for publishers, and even working perspectives on nutrition are shifting.
with vegetarian organizations—where there has
been a lot of disagreement about the role of dairy But while nutrition professionals are increasingly
in diets. In almost all cases there have been likely to accept that diets free of animal foods can
compromises, and they haven’t always been to my be healthy and that there are health benefits to
complete satisfaction. eating more plant foods, what I have not seen is
much willingness to look at the ethics of food
But that’s okay—because I think the outcome is choices as they relate to animals. The perspective
still better than it might have been had I or still focuses largely on veganism as medical
someone else not presented a balanced therapy, and there isn’t much conversation about
perspective that favored a vegan approach or at factory farming (and certainly not about animal
least a vegan option. That’s one of the ways we can rights.) We do see more discussion about the
create change within more conservative sectors of effects of diet on the environment, though, so I
the health industry—by being there and presenting think there is hope that we can eventually get
information about veganism that is scientifically‐ more health professionals talking about other ways
sound and balanced. It’s a process of nudging and in which diet has an impact beyond nutrition.
compromising to move perspectives along.
What is your approach when advising new vegans
What changes have you seen in the past couple or people considering becoming vegan? What are
years from a professional standpoint? some of your key recommendations for them?

Well, the changes in the past couple of decades All of us who advocate for veganism need to be
have been pretty impressive. We have a practice diet counselors to some degree and that means
group within the American Dietetic Association just recognizing that there is no “one size fits all”
for dietitians who are interested in vegetarianism— approach to going vegan. It depends on so many
something that didn’t exist when I first became a factors—whether people like to cook or not, what
dietitian. The research on vegetarian diets used to kinds of foods they enjoy, what’s hardest for them
focus almost exclusively on nutrient deficiencies to give up, and the influences of family, social
and now there is a much greater interest in networks, and work.
benefits of plant‐based eating. There seems to be
some level of professional interest in vegetarian My advice generally focuses on three things: First, I
and vegan diets throughout the dietetics suggest making one big change that really has an

impact on animal suffering—like eliminating many restrictions rather than allowing people to
chickens and other birds from meals. Second, there explore the different styles of vegan eating to see
are many little changes that people can make that what works for them.
may have a lesser impact, but are so easy that
there is no reason not to make them. Substituting How has this stance had an impact, positive or
Vegenaise mayonnaise for regular mayo, or vegan negative, on you professionally?
sour cream for dairy sour cream doesn’t present
many challenges to food preparation. And finally, I No matter what stance you take on vegan
think it’s important for people to be smart about nutrition, the professional impact is likely to be a
nutrition right from the start. That means taking a mixed bag. Some people are unhappy when I
B12 supplement from the minute you start suggest that oils and meat analogs can fit into
transitioning to veganism. And lining up good healthy diets. And it can be especially hard to hear
sources of calcium right away. some of the myths regarding calcium, protein and
other nutrients confronted. Others appreciate that
Quite a few of the big‐name vegan health there are pro‐vegan dietitians—and there are
professionals are in the no‐oil‐added, low‐fat many of us—who are willing to challenge certain
camp, but you actively advise not being so ideas about optimal vegan diets. I think—or at least
stringent. Why and what benefits do you see in I hope—that they recognize that we want the best
doing so? and most current information to be available to
vegans. And being credible and scientific, rather
I don’t think the science supports a complete ban than dogmatic is good for the image of veganism.
on added fats. The benefits of ultra‐low‐fat diets For one thing, it has certainly given me more
over vegan diets that include more healthful fats opportunities to work with other professionals and
haven’t been shown—and there is no reason to other health organizations outside of vegan
believe there are any. Some people find that eating dietetics.
very low‐fat helps them lose weight, and if that’s
what works for them, I’m all for it. But others find What is your favorite recipe that you make at
healthy vegan diets to be more sustainable in the home?
long run if they can have some higher‐fat foods,
including small amounts of added fats. And, I’m a good enough cook, but not an especially
according to the research, allowing higher‐fat foods inspired one, so I rely a lot of the creations of
can actually help people maintain weight loss and others. I have stacks and stacks of wonderful
stick with healthier plant‐based meals which, in cookbooks, but these days I’m cooking a lot from
turn, helps combat chronic disease. Julie Hasson’s Vegan Diner and Isa Moskowitz’s
Vegan Brunch.
Certainly for the average vegan who is in good
health, efforts to demonize vegetable oils— But that’s weekend cooking for the most part.
especially the more healthful ones like olive and During the week, I eat pretty simply—mostly
canola oils—just don’t make sense. There is no grains, tofu, and baked and steamed veggies, and I
single optimal diet for vegans but rather a range of depend on sauces as a quick way to give those
choices that can support health. I think we lose a meals a little richness and pizzazz, and to make
lot of potential vegans when we start piling on too them more satisfying. One that I make often is

adapted from two recipes—one for Cashew Tofurky and Field Roast sausages in the freezer or
“Cheese” Sauce in Jo Stepaniak’s The Saucy fridge. Condiments I can’t live without are Dijon
Vegetarian and another for Hurry Up Alfredo in mustard, salsa, good quality olive oil, balsamic
Lauren Ulm’s Vegan Yum Yum. It’s an easy sauce vinegar, coconut milk, curry paste, nutritional
that goes over just about anything. yeast, marmite, miso, and Vegenaise vegan mayo.
And, of course, garlic and onions are staples. There
are many more items in my pantry, but if all I had
Cashew Cheese Sauce was this list of foods, I could live and eat pretty
happily for a very long time.

½ cup raw cashews What projects do you have on the horizon?
1 tbsp. tahini
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast My book Vegan for Life, co‐authored with Jack
1 tbsp. lemon juice Norris, is due out in July and we’re just finishing up
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard the last tasks for that project. Then I have a couple
of professional papers, including one on vegetarian
1 tbsp. tamari
diets and cancer, that I need to dive into.
Pinch of garlic powder (or a teaspoon of
garlic‐infused olive oil or some fresh What advice can you give to aspiring vegans
garlic to taste) entering the health and wellness field?
½ cup water or as much as needed to
make the mixture saucy For those who want to work in nutrition, I would
suggest first of all getting a solid background in the

basic sciences and getting credentialed. People
Put everything in a blender and blend often want to know the best place for vegans to go
until smooth. Adjust seasonings to to school to become an RD, but I don’t think it
taste. Enjoy over steamed broccoli, matters. If your program isn’t already vegan
baked sweet potatoes, quinoa, friendly, then you have the opportunity to educate
scrambled tofu, leftover pasta, or your classmates and instructors a little bit through
the projects you work on and papers you write.
whatever eels is in your fridge.
There are bound to be lots of opportunities to
bring a vegan focus to some of your class work in
any program. And, for dietitians, school provides
just the foundation. The bulk of our learning comes
What staples do you keep in your pantry? afterwards when we start reading the nutrition
research, collaborating with other professionals
These items are always on hand because I eat them and working in different health settings.
every day: Tofu, orange juice, low‐sodium V‐8 juice,
cashews, sweet potatoes, leafy green veggies, Finally, we need to have vegan health professionals
apples, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, coffee, in all kinds of settings—not just in positions that
ingredients for hummus, and red wine. I also eat focus on vegan nutrition. Once you let your interest
lots of beans, pasta, quinoa, brown rice, and and expertise be known, other health professionals
prepared pasta sauce. For super quick meals I keep

and clients will seek you out for advice and help
with projects, which opens all kinds of doors for
outreach and education.

Thanks Ginny!

Contact Info

www.TheVeganRD.com

Bio

Virginia Messina, MPH, RD is a dietitian and public
health nutritionist specializing in vegan nutrition.
She is a former co‐author of the American Dietetic
Association’s position on vegetarian diets and of
the first textbook on vegetarian diets written for
health professionals.

Ginny has worked as a dietitian for the Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine, was an
instructor in the dietetics program at Central
Michigan University, and served as director of
nutrition services for a medical clinic serving 50,000
patients at George Washington University.
She is a co‐author with dietitian Jack Norris of
Vegan for Life, which will be available in July, 2011.
Her goal is to share the best and most up‐to‐date
information on vegan nutrition and to make ethical
eating a healthy, easy and realistic option for
everyone. She writes about a variety of issues
related to health and animal rights on her blog
www.TheVeganRD.com and as the National Vegan
Examiner at www.examiner.com/vegan‐in‐
national/virginia‐messina and consults with a
variety of organizations on nutrition.

In addition to her work as a dietitian, Ginny
volunteers at the local animal shelter, serves as a
board member of a local spay/neuter outreach
organization and spends her leisure time feeding
feral cats, reading, knitting, and gardening.

Interview with Super Activists Hillary Rettig and
Dan Nordstrom of Vegan Protest Fuel!

Please tell us a little bit about yourselves. Dan: I was recently contacted out of the blue by
Hillary and asked if I wanted to work with her on
Vegan Protest Fuel was co‐founded by Hillary this project feeding pro‐democracy protestors here
Rettig and Dan Nordstrom. where I live in Madison, Wisconsin. I was
interested in getting more involved and doing
Hillary: I'm author of The Lifelong Activist: How to something for the large numbers of people coming
Change the World Without Losing Your Way here, especially those who were spending long
(Lantern Books, 2006), a self‐help guide for hours both inside and outside the Capitol. I spent a
progressive activists and others with a strong social night sleeping out myself, and as a vegan I felt
mission. I'm a vegan/animal rights activist, and really strongly that the food that was being offered
professionally I work as a productivity coach at the square, like pizza, was not stuff that I or
helping people with issues of procrastination and other vegans could eat. So it’s been really great
writer's block. I'm a Bronx native, but currently live doing logistics and everything else ‘on the ground’
in Boston. I'm a huge dog person and a former for Vegan Protest Fuel, and I’m excited that things
foster parent; and people can read about my vegan are moving to other cities now. I am also a
kidney donation here: unionized Wisconsin state employee, and the
http://girliegirlarmy.com/blog/20090107/kidney‐ Republican attacks on our freedom and democracy
karmarama‐or‐how‐my‐kidney‐found‐mr‐right/ really hit close to home. As someone who has
worked on peace and justice issues for many years

I have really been happy to see so many new (4) support local vegan (or vegan‐friendly)
people becoming politicized lately and feeling this businesses.
momentum against conservative radicalism grow
stronger and stronger. I hope that our work with Isn't what you're doing redundant with other
Vegan Protest Fuel will infuse the movement with a vegan outreach?
broader and stronger foundation consisting of the
principles of nonviolence and compassion toward No! In fact, we think we complement them very
animals and people. well. We specialize in protests because we believe
there is a special benefit to be gained from making
What made you decide to go vegan? a strong vegan appearance at them (see above four
goals).
Hillary: I went vegan immediately after seeing the
movie Peaceable Kingdom at FARM's Animal Rights Why do you use restaurant food? Isn’t that more
Conference in 2004. It was as simple as that. I also expensive than preparing it yourselves?
remember that one of the things in the movie that
really got to me, along with the animal suffering of It sometimes is. However, we like to see vegans at
course, was the dehumanization of the workers in the protests, instead of home cooking. Also, there’s
the slaughterhouse. It was horrific. a benefit to supporting the vegan economy. But if
people want to bring food they've made and
Dan: I had been vegetarian since I was a teenager distribute it as part of VPF, that’s OK, too, of
living in China in the late 1980’s and seeing animals course.
being mistreated. But it wasn’t until I was in
college in 1995 when I became vegan and I don’t How did this project come about?
remember exactly why, except that I knew for a
while that most cheese contained rennet (a pork Hillary saw a news story about how, during the
byproduct) and that it was inconsistent for me to Wisconsin protests, people from around the globe
continue eating it and ignoring that fact. Ever since were expressing their solidarity by ordering pizzas
then I’ve learned so much more and have never to be delivered to Capitol protesters. And she
regretted my decision in the slightest. thought, “What about the vegans?” She put an
announcement out on Facebook looking for a
What is Vegan Protest Fuel? Madison‐based vegan activist to partner with, and
that was how she was introduced to Dan. Together,
Vegan Protest Fuel does vegan outreach we put everything together very quickly, with
specifically at protests for peace, democracy and support from three other key players: logistical
economic justice. Thus, we: (1) increase the support from Lynn Pauly of the Simply Vegan vegan
visibility of vegans in the larger social justice outreach campaign in Madison
community, and show our alignment and solidarity (www.simplyvegan.net), graphics and Web support
with other social justice movements; (2) introduce from vegan activist Patrick Tyrrell, and fiscal
non‐vegans – including many politically‐aware sponsorship from the Madison‐based PC
potential allies ‐ to delicious, healthy, ethical vegan Foundation.
food; (3) support and sustain the protesters; and

What are your Any of these conditions will probably lead to
major burnout because most of us can only live in denial
accomplishments and deprivation for so long.
so far and how did
you achieve them? Another important factor is to work effectively. I
wasn't very effective in some other recent activist
In our first two projects, but Vegan Protest Fuel leverages my
weeks, we raised strengths – my ability to see and communicate
more than $1,800 connections – and so it feels right, and feels easy. A
from donors in great project also attracts great people to help you,
fifteen states and which this project certainly has. Being effective – as
Quebec. We think opposed to doing the kind of ineffective,
that's terrific, and nonstrategic work that the late animal activist
shows that many people support our goals. We Henry Spira called “hyperactivism” – feels great,
used those funds to provide hundreds of vegan and is self‐energizing. (But you still have to pace
meals and snacks to Wisconsin protesters, and also yourself!)
gave out vegan literature explaining why veganism
is a form of economic justice. (You can read about What have you served to the crowds so far? What
that topic here: was the favorite item?
http://veganprotestfuel.com/meat‐industry‐
abusers‐animals‐labor/ ) We have served all kinds of things, but the most
popular items have been the cookies and muffins
Also, we're very proud that the blog of a major from East Side Ovens and Mother Fool’s
progressive economics journal, Dollars & Sense, Coffeehouse, as well as the Tofu Scrambler wraps
wrote us up: from the Green Owl Café. They were especially
http://dollarsandsense.org/blog/2011/03/vegan‐ appreciated because they were nice and warm, and
protest‐fuel‐in‐madison‐and‐more.html . So clearly many folks had been at the Capitol for several
our message that veganism = economic justice is hours in the cold by the time we arrived.
getting through.
What kind of impact have you seen with your
Being an activist isn’t always easy. What keeps work? Do you have any one story that stands
you going? out?

Hillary: Helping people keep going is my We have seen all kinds of responses, from surprise
professional specialty! In The Lifelong Activist and to total gratitude. I can’t tell you how many people
my other writing, I explain how burnout is caused told us, “Thank you SO much,” but there were at
by a misalignment between your values and your least a couple instances where our volunteers
actions. Too many activists deny their own needs, received hugs from people who told them that we
or live in scarcity and deprivation, or do activist or were saving their lives by being out there with this
other work they're not a good fit for, or hang food.
around people who drag them down, or refuse to
take sabbaticals or make needed career switches.

What are your plans for VPF’s future? Bios

Our mission is to have a strong vegan presence at Hillary Rettig, author of The Lifelong Activist: How
every pro‐democracy and pro‐ peace and justice to Change the World Without Losing Your Way
protest around the world, and in doing so to (Lantern Books, 2006), is an expert on helping
strengthen the ties between vegan and animal people manage their time and overcome
activists and the other progressive movements. procrastination, perfectionism and writer's block.
Also, to help educate progressives on why She has published widely, and gives workshops
veganism and animal rights are intrinsic to the throughout the U.S. She is also a vegan, a dog
struggles for democracy, peace and economic and lover, a foster mom to four Sudanese “Lost Boys”
social justice. (now all adult and living independently), and a
kidney donor. Her next book, The Seven Secrets of
If someone wishes to donate to VPF, how do they the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming
do so? Procrastination, Perfectionism and Writer's Block,
will be published this summer. For more
That would be terrific! Please visit information, visit www.hillaryrettig.com and email
www.veganprotestfuel.com and click on the hillaryrettig@yahoo.com .
donate button. We are also looking for local
contacts in towns with protests. Anyone who wants Dan Nordstrom is a certified social worker who
to work with us should email works with students with disabilities pursuing
hillaryrettig@yahoo.com . higher education at the University of Wisconsin‐
Madison, as well as acting as a volunteer facilitator
Thanks Hillary and Dan! with SMART Recovery of Madison. Dan grew up
with a strong international background, having
Contact Info lived as a youth in Beijing, China, and Gaborone,
Botswana, and having also lived in Kyiv, Ukraine,
People can learn more about Hillary and her work for several years as an adult. Dan was brought up
at www.hillaryrettig.com and can email her at in a politically active home, and since high school
hillaryrettig@yahoo.com . has been working on peace, human rights, and
environmental causes. Since 2000, Dan has been
VPF Website: www.veganprotestfuel.com most active in working to raise awareness about
nuclear weapons, power, and waste issues, as well
as helping communities who continue to be
affected by the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster. Dan is
married and has two small kids. You can follow his
blog at www.waysandmeanings.blogspot.com


Featured Artist: Children’s
Author Lisa Cottrell-Bently!

Please tell us a bit about yourself. vegetarian, as our daughter had already insisted on
being her whole life.
My name is Lisa Cottrell‐Bentley, and I am an
author/publisher. I live on ten quiet acres in For me becoming vegan started as a 100% health
Sahuarita, AZ with my always homeschooled decision. I have a history of a variety of diseases,
daughters Zoe (14) and Teagan (10), husband Greg, including, but not limited to: Irritable bowel
and five indoor housecats. Originally from the syndrome, diagnosed bleeding ulcers, severe
Quad‐City area of Iowa/Illinois, I’ve been in Arizona debilitating migraines, acne, kidney stones,
now for 11.5 years. gallstones, severe menstrual issues, and much,
much more. All of these were diagnosed by well‐
What spurred you on to become vegan? meaning doctors starting when I was just a baby. In
2003, I was finally sick of being sick. I’d tried a
I became vegan in April 2003 after having been variety of pills and diets to cure me, and nothing
vegetarian for a few years, and “chicken and fish worked. I’d even tried alternative things like
only” vegetarian for a few years before that. My homeopathy and acupuncture. I accidentally
turning vegetarian was encouraged my oldest stumbled upon veganism as a cure to various
daughter, Zoe, when she was only two or three diseases. Since I’d already tried many different
years old. She was a very verbal toddler and diets, I thought the whole thing was hogwash.
refused to eat or do anything she didn’t
understand fully. One day when she was interested So, I set out to prove that veganism wouldn’t work
in broadening her food horizons, she asked me for me. I gave it a three day trial, which in
what I was eating. I was eating chicken and I told retrospect seems incredibly short‐sided, and I
her that. She quickly went from laughing (thinking stocked up the refrigerator with vegan foods. At
it was a joke), to being quite mad at me, to being the end of the three day trial, I’d never felt so good
sad that most people in the world eat animals. To in my life. My acne had cleared. I hadn’t had a
me, that was very enlightening. It was that day that headache, let alone a migraine. I hadn’t had a
my husband and I decided to become fully single stomach pain. I was effectively disease free

and I never wanted it to end, so I made the found that it is to customize everyone’s journey in
commitment to stay vegan. life.

I have been a writer since I was a small child. When
my children were super little, I wrote several
novels and short stories. Our home has always
been overflowing with books and other reading
materials. When Zoe (she’s always my instigator)
was seven or eight, we were swimming in a pool
and I asked her about the books she’d been
reading lately. Since she was a very early reader,
she was already into novels and I had a hard time
keeping up with her. She went on to tell me about
how frustrated she was with everything she’d been
reading. They all had absent or dead parents,
How has that affected your life and your family? siblings who hated each other and called each
other names, and a predominance of school‐
It’s had a very positive domino effect on my family. related scenes (most of which were the characters
I was the first to fully embrace veganism. Once I saying how much they hated everything about
was feeling healthy, I started to read and research school). As a homeschooler who loved her sister
more and more about the miracle of veganism and and enjoyed spending time with her parents, she
why doctors and others weren’t shouting about it just couldn’t relate. We started searching for books
from the rooftops. I shared my research with my she could relate to, and couldn’t find any. So, we
family and friends. My husband, Greg, decided to decided (since I was already a writer) that I’d go
give it a try, followed shortly by Zoe. Teagan ahead and write “the perfect children’s chapter
continued to eat dairy outside of our home for book series”, and the Wright family was born. (And,
another year or two. For Greg and I, we wanted our of course, we decided they’d be vegan. It wouldn’t
children to come to the vegan decision on their have been the “perfect” story if they weren’t.)
own, so that later in life they wouldn’t feel the
need or desire to rebel against it. Currently, they The Wright on Time series
are extremely hardcore ethical vegans. They www.wrightontimebooks.com is about an RV‐
understand that I became vegan for health living, homeschooling, vegan, family who travel the
reasons, but for them it’s all about ethics. USA. Each state takes the whole family on a new
adventure all while exploring an educational
You’re an author of several educational books theme. The planned 50‐book series has a very sci‐fi
geared towards young adults. Tell us about your overall story arc that my family and I have worked
books and how you got into writing them. out together. For us, the Wrights are real and we
love these books since so much of us is in them.
I love to tell this story, and, in fact, have written an
entire book about this long process.  See
www.richauthorpoorwriter.com to read more
about my publishing journey, and how important I

What reception have your Since those were exactly the
books received? Do you three reasons I wrote the book,
have any particular moving I refused. This went on for
stories? about two years.

It’s been really fun having a Finally, one day I realized that
book series out. Every family I meet who has read my style and topic of writing wasn’t a detriment,
the books rave and rave about them. Fathers, in but an asset. If publishers didn’t want to reach this
particular, say, “Finally a book that doesn’t bore huge untapped market, then I’d do it myself. I
me.” I love that!  immediately wrote up a business and marketing
plan and started seeking an investor to fund me
Since the main child characters, Aidan (7) and starting my own publishing company, Do Life Right,
Nadia (11), are homeschoolers, I mostly market to Inc. www.doliferightinc.com
homeschooling families (yet I receive a lot of fan I started trying in March 2009, and I received
mail from kids in school who have written great funding in April 2009. Those months were a
book reports on them). Homeschoolers are thrilled whirlwind of excitement for my family and I. This
to find modern books with realistic homeschoolers funding enabled me to do all the necessary things
in them. Most homeschooling characters in books to start a publishing company legally and to publish
today aren’t realistic at all and give homeschoolers my first Wright on Time book. I’ve since taken all
a poor reputation (much like most vegans in fiction the proceeds from that first book and have
are given a negative reputation). published two more. With the proceeds from all
three, Wright on Time: South Dakota, Book 4, is
Please tell us what it was like to get published the coming out at the end of March 2011. I’ve also
first time! expanded and have signed on seven new authors.
Two of those books will be coming out in April
A very long process, but worth it. 2011, and at least two more will be out later this
year.
Once I’d written the first six books in my Wright on
Time (which now has a registered trademark) Since I enjoy having a variety of activities to choose
series, I decided it was time to try to get an agent from, owning a publishing company is really
and/or publisher. I sent out dozens of query letters, rewarding. It’s my goal to build Do Life Right, Inc.
and was asked many times for “fulls” (this means up into a highly esteemed company.
the agent or publisher actually wanted to read
what I’d written, rather than just say no How do you incorporate veganism and animal
immediately). Every single time this happened, I rights issues into your work?
was told, “The writing is great, but can you (1) get
rid of the parents, (2) make the children not like For my fiction writing, I keep my worlds vegan. For
each other, because siblings don’t like each other me, it’s so easy to live a vegan lifestyle. I think one
in real life, and (3) get rid of the homeschooling?” of veganism’s biggest myths is that people have to
sacrifice and struggle to live vegan. For me, there
has been nothing more freeing. I feel on top of the
world with my health reclaimed and it’s never been

a struggle. Sure, there was a transition period, and On the other hand, vegans and vegetarians e‐mail
yes, I “have” to read every label (foods and non‐ me fan mail all the time thanking me for having a
foods) carefully, but that’s just second nature to book where the characters aren’t ruined by their
me now. meat‐eating ways. 

I feel it’s important to present veganism as being What is your favorite dish you make at home?
“normal”. So I don’t usually explicitly point out the
character’s vegan choices in my books, they are I hesitate to share since I’m not a chef… Many of
just matter‐of‐fact. My vegan readers notice and my recipes are basically old favorites that I’ve
appreciate the characters being vegan. My non‐ veganized. I love figuring out how to turn a weird
vegan readers are exposed to veganism in a childhood craving into something healthy and
positive light without it being preached to them. So delicious. It feels very empowering to do this.
many books do the opposite, and it turns people
away from ever considering veganism. One favorite of my family’s is my “Cheesy Stuffed
Tomatoes”. These can be made fat‐free
As an author, my characters are all either vegan, or (McDougall‐friendly) by not using any “cheese”,
they become vegan by the end of the stories I tell and they taste just as good.
about them. Sometimes the stories with characters
who become vegan during their personal growth in Lisa’s Vegan Cheesy
my writings are the most compelling for the vegan
Stuffed Tomatoes
movement.
12+ tomatoes
As a publisher, I give top priority to stories with 2-3 large onions
homeschooling (this is how I received my initial 1 package vegan crumbles (Boca’s are currently vegan,
capital), and if there is veganism in the book, then check labels)
it goes even higher on my list of books that I sign
on to publish. I’m particularly Spices:
excited about an upcoming Black pepper
children’s book, Cody Greene and Coriander
the Rainbow Mystery by new‐ Cumin
author Linda Fields, which is set Cumin seeds (this is the vital ingredient)
right next door to a vegan deli in Garlic powder
Sea salt, optional
New Mexico.
Turmeric

Basil, just a tiny bit
What kind of reaction has that garnered from
Nutritional Yeast
your readers?
Hot pepper sauce (like Frank’s red hot, or Tabasco)

Interestingly, very few non‐vegetarian people even Options:
notice the veganism in my foods. They do notice one container Tofutti “Better Than Cream cheese”,
how much the characters seem to love food optional
though and I’m sometimes asked for recipes.  ½ brick Vegan Gourmet mozzarella, optional
½ brick Vegan Gourmet cheddar, optional

Wash and cut the tops off of the tomatoes. These can be Put cream cheese on counter to soften. Mix ½ the
chopped and put into a large stockpot. Scoop out the strawberries
and enough water to cover them in a
tomato innards and chop them. Set the empty shells into saucepan.
Put on medium-high. Mix ½-¾ cup of sugar
a deep baking dish. Add the chopped ones to stockpot. and the same quantity of corn starch in a measuring cup.
Chop onions. (Optionally) brown them using water only Poke holes in the crust and bake it until it is completely

(no need for oil, just keep adding water). Once cooked. Chop or slice the rest of the strawberries into
caramelized, add to stockpot. Put crumbles into pot and pretty slices. When the strawberries in the pot are boiling,
cook until the crumbles are warm and/or the tomatoes mash them up and add the sugar/cornstarch mixture.
have softened. Add spices to taste—I put a lot of spices Continue to boil until thick.
into my dishes, so double or even triple what you think it
needs. If you are in a rush, the heating step can be Mix ½ c or so of sugar with the cream cheese (the sugar
skipped, but I usually love to watch, and taste, the flavors part is optional). Spread the mixture on the bottom of the
blend. cooked pie crust. Cover with ½ the fresh strawberries,
then the strawberry mixture, then more fresh
Put a small spoonful of the cream cheese into the bottom strawberries. Eat and enjoy!
of each of the empty tomatoes. Once the tomato mixture
is thick, fill the empty tomato shells. Go ahead and allow
the tomatoes to overflow. Sprinkle with shredded vegan
cheese, and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes. If the
cheese isn’t browned, turn your broiler on high for 2-3
minutes.

What advice can you give authors who want to

incorporate vegan issues into their work?

Another favorite of my family’s is my “Strawberry
Be honest! Never hide your veganism, but don’t
Cream Cheese Pie”…
talk about it constantly to the point of antagonizing

others into being so bored or so annoyed with you

that they are turned off from veganism. If you are
Lisa’s Vegan Strawberry writing non‐fiction, you can bring up vegan

Cream Cheese Pie
analogies when talking about completely different

topics. If you write fiction, have your characters be
Your favorite pie crust (I sometimes make a homemade
vegan, discuss veganism, or at least not go out for
one, and sometimes buy a frozen vegan one)
steak. 
Strawberries,
fresh (frozen if out of season, but they

aren’t as good)
Show how easy and healthy it is to live a vegan
Corn starch
sugar, vegan kind, of course lifestyle by example.
1 container Tofutti “Better Than Cream cheese”


Do you have any exciting projects coming up? Contact Info

As I said earlier, Wright on Time: Lisa can be found at:
South Dakota, Book 4 by me is www.doliferight.com Lisa’s personal blog where
coming out later this month. I’m she talks about veganism and unschooling.
also really excited about Cody www.wrightontimebooks.com The Wright on Time
Greene and the Rainbow Mystery series of children’s chapter books.
by Linda Fields, a children’s www.doliferightinc.com Do Life Right, Inc.
chapter mystery book. It was a publishing company.
great manuscript from the start, and the author www.richauthorpoorwriter.com Lisa’s “Rich
was very happy to add little vegan touches into it— Author” concept.
there is a vegan deli, the food is all vegan, and
there is much talk about many delicious foods they Her daughters can be found at:
are always making and eating. www.exogeologyrocks.com Zoe’s “Exogeology
ROCKS!” project, which started as a NASA
On the home front, my family is traveling to Ohio in competition entry, which she won 2nd place for.
May where my older daughter and I have been www.teaganscreations.com Teagan’s business,
given the opportunity to give talks about our lives currently selling favicons and custom jewelry.
at an Unschoolers conference. Zoe will also be
working for NASA for a day. We’re all really excited
about this since the conference will be fantastic
and it’s in a location we’ve never been to before.
It’s a goal of mine to take my daughters to all 50
states before Zoe is 18. I have 3.5 years to take
them to 18 more states…

Thanks Lisa!


Restaurant Review: Cinnaholic
Reviewer: Ryan Luttrell

Cinnaholic
http://www.cinnaholic.com
2132 Oxford Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
510.647.8684
Hours: Closed on Monday
Tues‐Fri 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sat‐Sun 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

After moving to Berkeley, I decided to learn more Food
of the vegan bakery and restaurant scene. I began
with Cinnaholic, an establishment nestled at the The cuisine of Cinnaholic consists of solely
base of the Berkeley foothills, across from the cinnamon rolls, but takes their simplicity and
University of California. Cinnaholic produces evolves it into variety through over 30 flavors of
mouth‐watering, gourmet cinnamon rolls in a cinnamon rolls. The workers have a basic
variety of flavors, toppings and icings. The rolls cinnamon roll, which can be topped with a number
look like giant snails of cinnamon delight, produced of toppings, while also using flavorings to change
from only vegan products (although the the icing flavor to fit the consumer’s choice.
establishment is open to all and aside from the
website, there is little mention of the vegan status). On my trip to Cinnaholic,
It was a joyful experience and highly I tried two different
recommended! rolls: Raspberry Pie with
raspberry glaze and the
Atmosphere Original with chocolate
chips, cookie dough and
Cinnaholic is positioned on Oxford Street, right vanilla icing. I was
between University Avenue and Allston in thoroughly impressed
Berkeley. It fills a spot in a center designed for with the Raspberry Pie,
coffee shops and general commerce, right off of as it was just the right
Shattuck Avenue. While the signage and storefront temperature with the
are designed with simplicity, the inside is a gothic proper mixture of fresh raspberries, cinnamon and
pattern of black and white over every square inch. tangy‐raspberry glaze. The outside crust of the
The counters are designed to employ the cinnamon roll was crispy and laminated to
establishment’s fun environment, from the tip jar perfection, while the interior was light, fluffy, moist
battle between “kittens” and “Nintendo” to the and delicate. The glaze was spread on the top and
iPad used for the bakery’s cash register and check dripped down the sides, seeming to fall perfectly
out system. The overwhelming smell of cinnamon on the next bite each time. Topping the roll were a
rolls baking stretches from wall to wall bringing few fresh raspberries, which honestly could be a
memories of eating cinnamon rolls as a child. dessert on their own right. The experience of the
Raspberry Pie was a very pleasant introduction to
Cinnaholic’s cuisine!

Next, I tried the Original Roll, which held many of The Reviewer
the same characteristics of the Raspberry Pie (they
are made from the same base dough). The icing on Ryan Luttrell is a culinary
this one was a bit thicker, as it had not been consultant, currently working as
thinned by the addition of a flavoring, but a Food Stylist for the Food
remained a perfect complement to the cinnamon Network and for Party Planners
roll flavor. The addition of the cookie dough pieces West in preparation for Super
and chocolate chips were a bit much for the bun, as Bowl XVI in Indianapolis. He has
it almost took away from the flavor and texture 16 years of food industry experience after
differences. Being that the rolls are heated, the graduating from the Culinary Institute of America.
cookie dough chunks presented a problem of Chef Luttrell has been an Executive Pastry Chef at
melting halfway, and made the center somewhat Chez Philippe in the Peabody Hotel, Erling Jensen’s,
gooey. Overall, my preference was the Raspberry Ronnie Grisanti’s, and was Program Director for
Pie, but both cinnamon rolls were desirable. L’Ecole Culinaire (all in Memphis, Tennessee).
Additionally, he has worked at the past three Super
Price Bowls as the Managing Culinary Director and is
pursuing an MBA degree from the University of
The price of the rolls varies depending upon the Memphis. He resides in Berkeley, California, with
selection, but range from $5‐$6. The price is his wife and son.
reasonable given the considerable size of the
product and the variety of selection. Additionally,
Cinnaholic promotes and provides a number of
discounts based upon volume. They also actively
sell their product through internet sales and social
media awareness.

Conclusion

Cinnaholic provides a very serviceable and
delightful opportunity for vegan baking. It’s quick,
efficient and offers a variety of choices to keep the
experiences new and fresh. I highly recommend
the experience for the vegan or other!


Restaurant Review: Bay Leaf Vegetarian
Restaurant
Reviewer: Eleanor Sampson

Bay Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant
http://www.bayleafvegetarian.com
4768 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97206
503.232.7058
Hours: Closed on Tuesday
M, W‐Sa 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sun 12:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Ah, Portland. most other places I've had that particular dish. Not
that either of these dishes were bad ‐ they were
Possibly the most vegan friendly city in the country, fine, just not exceptional.
Portland, Oregon boasts a variety of vegan fare
that I have never seen anywhere else. From vegan Also falling into the fine but not exceptional
pho to multiple pizza shops with "Now Serving category was the hot and sour soup, although it
Vegan and Soy Cheeses" banners dangling out was refreshing to see chunks of mushroom floating
front, Portland is definitely a culinary destination around in the dark brown broth. Personally, I
for any vegan traveler. preferred the corn chowder ‐ Bay Leaf's version of
the decidedly non‐vegan egg flower soup that one
Portland is also home to the Bay Leaf Vegetarian sees at almost all Chinese restaurants. The corn
Restaurant, which has some of the finest Chinese chowder is a stick‐to‐your‐ribs soup, with a lovely
cuisine this reviewer has ever eaten. delicate flavor that is still bold enough to match the
thickness of the soup.
Not every dish
is a home run, Although there were a few misses, when Bay Leaf
of course. The gets it right, they knock it out of the park.
appetizer spring Take, for instance, the sesame tofu. It's soft tofu
rolls, which that has been dipped in batter studded with
arrived at the sesame seeds and then lightly fried to light golden
table fresh from perfection. It was served with steamed broccoli,
the fryer, were bright green and tender yet with just the right
hot and firmness. The sauce, however, is what makes the
extremely crispy as fried spring rolls should be, but dish phenomenal ‐ the tofu is served with a light,
the filling was pretty standard fare. Likewise, the refreshing, and unusual citrus sauce, tangy and
veggies delight noodle, stir‐fried lo mein noodles sweet all at once. Other hits include the lion's
with mixed vegetables, pretty much tasted like mane satay, firm lion's mane mushrooms served
every other vegetable lo mein dish I have ever with a slightly spicy peanut sauce, and you simply
eaten. Thankfully, however, it was less greasy than can't go wrong with either the mushroom or

eggplant crisps (separate yet similar dishes), thinly The Reviewer
sliced mushrooms or eggplant that are battered
with a surprisingly peppery mixture and then deep Eleanor is one of the editors and the
fried. The tofu clay pot, another dish I consider nutrition analysist for The Vegan
standard in the Chinese cuisine repertoire, was so Culinary Experience, author, and an
good that I don't know that I'll ever order it at expert vegan baker with a specialty
another restaurant again. The vegetables were so in delicious vegan sweets
fresh, perfectly cooked, floating in an incredibly (particularly cinnamon rolls!) You
savory and thick brown sauce with the tofu. can reach Eleanor at
Eleanor@veganculinaryexperience.com.
Bay Leaf also has a seasonal specials menu. The
last time I went, I ordered the mango tofu special,
which turned out to be a sweet and sour type dish,
with lots of tofu and what had to have been at
least two mangos (yes, there was that much
mango!). Most dishes are served with a side of
your choice of rice ‐ I highly recommend the mixed
rice, which is a combination of brown, purple and
black rice. The rice alone is tasty enough to
warrant a visit. Add to that the ridiculous bargain
of eating at Bay Leaf (most dinner entrees are
under $10.00, with $5.95 lunch specials running
Monday through Saturday), and it's almost a crime
not to stop by if you're in the Portland area.

The final reason that Bay Leaf has become one of
my favorite places to eat is the small, thoughtful
touches that the owner has incorporated. The
walls are painted a soft, soothing green, and are
adorned with both traditional Chinese art and
tasteful abstract paintings. The dark wood
furniture is a lovely compliment, giving the
restaurant a much more upscale ambience than
the menu prices might indicate. Many dishes are
served with beautiful garnishes; my mango tofu,
for example, was served with a single carrot carved
and shaped into the shape of a butterfly. Even if
there is no garnish, it's clear that thought is put
into the way each dish is laid out on the plate. It's
these small touches that reveal the pride and care
that the owner and staff have for this truly
outstanding restaurant.


Book Review: The Veganopolis
Cookbook Authors: David Stowell and
George Black
Authors: David Stowell and Publisher: Surrey Books

Copyright: 20140
ISBN: 1‐57284‐110‐9
Price: $20.00
George Black

Reviewer: Jason Wyrick

When I first visited Portland, I had scouted out tread that same stagnant waters and this one goes
vegan restaurants to go try (as any respectable out of its way to teach something different. I
vegan foodie should do!) and was frequently told I mean, how many books feature achiote paste, let
should head to Veganopolis. Sadly, Veganopolis alone a vegan cookbook? Big points from me.
closed two weeks before I made it to Portland.
Luckily, there were plenty of tasty vegan places in Of particular note is the Cheitan recipe. This is a
Portland to keep me satisfied my entire trip, but seitan recipe that also uses chickpea flour and
with so many recommendations, I was a bit wistful other proteins to achieve a remarkably meat‐like
about Veganopolis. That is, until I saw the texture. In many ways, it reminded me of Gardein
Veganopolis cookbook hit the shelves. At last! An mock meats.
opportunity to try some of the dishes I had just
missed out on. I should mention that this book is for people that
love to cook. Some of the recipes have long
What immediately struck me about this cookbook ingredient lists or take several steps more than a
was the style of recipes it offered, that is recipes quick and dirty recipe. While I think even
that are high on flavor, but most of them are beginners can handle those things, beginners can
probably regional dishes most vegans have never sometimes get intimidated by them. This book is
seen before. Of course, if has some basics like the not a vegan primer, but rather an exploration of
Creamy Potato Salad and the Veganopolis Mac and food for the person that instantly smiles when they
Cheese, but it also has recipes for Coq au Vin, walk in the kitchen.
Blackened Tofu Etoufee, Ceviche, Achiote Rice, and
Ecuadorian Yapingachos. If you haven’t heard of a I would definitely recommend this book.
lot of these, that’s ok. The fact that it has flavorful,
off‐the‐beaten‐path recipes is one of the big selling
points of the book. Most vegan cookbooks seem to

The Reviewer

Jason Wyrick is the
executive chef and
publisher of The
Vegan Culinary
Experience, an
educational vegan
culinary magazine
with a readership
of about 30,000.
In 2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by
switching to a low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently
left his position as the Director of Marketing for an
IT company to become a chef and instructor to help
others. Since then, he has been featured by the NY
Times, has been a NY Times contributor, and has
been featured in Edible Phoenix, and the Arizona
Republic, and has had numerous local television
appearances. He has catered for companies such
as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and
Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the
Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s premier event, and
has been a guest instructor and the first vegan
instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at
Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently, Chef Jason
wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr. Neal
Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You
can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at
www.veganculinaryexperience.com.


Product Review: Wayfare Cheese Dips & Spreads
Reviewer: Madelyn Pryor

WayFare, Inc.
http://www.wayfarefoods.com/
P.O. Box 1910
Bozeman, MT 59771
877‐586‐5220
Can be purchased at: Whole
Foods and through the Store
Locator on the WayFare site
Price: $4.00‐$5.00 per tub

I teach cooking classes at least once a week, and cumin when you first dig in. However, after a few
one question I consistently get is “How do I replace bites that recedes and you just get the creamy
cheese?” I also hear many people say that cheese is tastiness of the cheese. It would be perfect for
the hardest thing to give up as they transition. Of making a big pile of vegan nachos. The cheddar
course, animal cheese is not only wrong from an spread is a lot like the hickory spread, only without
animal rights view, it is a health disaster. Luckily, the smokiness. I liked it, but I think it needs to be
more and more great animal free alternatives are used in something, rather than eaten alone. One
letting us have our cheese and eat it, too. One of suggestion would be to put it out for guests with
the great companies making tasty cheese is some good crackers and slices of Tofurkey sausage
WayFare. WayFare makes their products with that have been skillet browned. On its own, it just
oatmeal as one of the key ingredients, which lets does not illicit any awe.
them keep it soy free (and delicious).
Over all, I was impressed with the texture and
As of this writing, WayFare has five products: a clean taste that WayFare has managed to create in
sour cream, cheddar dip, cheddar spread, Mexi its cheese dips and spreads. They are creamy, tasty
cheddar drip, and a hickory cheddar spread. I have and slightly addictive. It is also great that they are
not yet had the sour cream since it isn’t in my area, free of many allergens, such as soy and wheat.
but I have sampled the dips and spreads. The dips Over all, they’re a very safe bet… just don’t get the
have a softer texture, think sour cream. The hickory if you are on a diet, because you will eat it
spreads are like a cream cheese or thick hummus. I all!
cannot stop eating the hickory cheddar spread…
seriously. It is addictive! It is creamy, smoky, and Recommended.
has a nice cheddar taste. It is wonderful, and worth
tracking down. My husband and I are polishing off The Reviewer
the hickory cheddar as I write, because once you
start, you cannot stop. The mexi‐cheddar dip is less Madelyn is a busy culinary
addictive. To me, it has a slightly strong flavor of instructor teaching people

that vegan food is not only tasty, it is filling and
comforting, too. She is working on trying to get a
few of her own websites up and running, chasing
after a tribe of very bad cats, and making delicious
desserts. She can be reached at
madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com.


Recipe Index

Click on any of the recipes in the index to take you to the relevant recipe. Some recipes will
have large white sections after the instructional portion of them. This is so you need only print
out the ingredient and instructional sections for ease of kitchen use.

Recipe Page Recipe Page

Burgers Buns
BBQ Burger with Marinated Onion 59 Classic Burger Bun 125
Rings Potato Bun 128
Burger all Norma 63
Chimichurri Burger 66 Condiments
Classic Burger with Seitan 69 Balsamic Ketchup 131
Eggplant Burgers with Toasted 72 Aioli Dijon 133
Cumin Ketchup Pickled Onions 135
Fast Smoky Mushroom Burgers 75 Sweet Pickles 137
Greek Burger 78 Piquillo Pepper Aioli 139
Green Olive Chorizo Burger 82 Serrano Relish 141
New Orleans Sliders 85 Herbed Sunflower Cheese 143
Patty Melts with Lentil Peanut 87 Sweet Mustard 146
Burger and Crispy Sage
Raw Burger 92 Shakes, Smoothies, & Desserts
Smokehouse Bacon Burger 95 Cheesecake Shake 148
Southwestern Burger 98 Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie 151
Sunny Burger 102 Coconut Almond Shake 153
Tofu Steak Burger 104 Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake 156
The Fabulous Burger 24 Raspberry Banana No‐guilt Shake 159
Seitan Patty 19 Spicy Mango Shake 162
Black Bean Patty 21 Strawberry Milkshake 165
Mushroom Veggie Burger 14 Lime Raspberry Cheesecake 168
Black Bean Quinoa Burger 14 Reese’s Peanuts in a Glass 25
Peach Smoothie 27
Fries, Onion Rings, & Potato Chips Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie 48
Classic Fries with Garlic Fries 107
Option Miscellaneous
Cajun‐spiced Oven Fries 110 Cashew Cheese Sauce 38
Grilled Steak Fries 113 Cheesy Stuffed Tomatoes 47
Sweet Potato Fries 116
Onion Rings 119
Cracked Pepper Potato Chips 122
Raw Onion Rings 24

Burgers,
Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 58
BBQ Burger with Marinated Onion Rings
Type: Burger Serves: 4

Time to Prepare: 10 minutes if you use a premade patty (plus time for the onion rings to marinate), or
20 minutes if you make your own patty

Ingredients
The Burger
¼ of a red onion, sliced into thin rings
White vinegar
4 buns, toasted
4 vegan burger patties (see below for the perfect black bean burger patty)
2 tsp. of olive oil
½ cup of BBQ sauce
3 tbsp. of chopped parsley
The Patty
1 ½ cups of rinsed, cooked black beans
2 tbsp. of paprika
2 tsp. of ground cumin
½ tsp. of salt
½ of a red onion, minced
1 ½ cups of oat flakes

Instructions
Making the Burgers
Slice the red onion into rings.
Marinate the rings in white vinegar for at least 4 hours.
Toast the buns over a medium‐high heat in a dry pan for about 30 seconds or in the oven on
325 degrees for 2 minutes.
Make the patties (see below) or use a premade patty.
Sauté the patties in 2 tsp. of olive oil over a medium‐high heat until lightly browned on both
sides.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the BBQ sauce to the pan and quickly flip the patties a couple times to make sure each
side gets coated in sauce.
Allow each side to cook in the sauce for about 30 seconds.
Add the patties to the buns and top with the marinated onion rings.
Chop the parsley and garnish with the burger with parsley.
Making the Patties
Rinse the black beans and allow them to dry.
Smash the black beans into a thick black bean paste.
Add the paprika, cumin, and salt and work them into the black bean paste by hand.
Mince the onion and work that into the black bean paste by hand.
Pulse the oats a couple times in a food processor until roughly ground (make sure it doesn’t
turn into oat flour).
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com
Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick

Work the oats into the black bean paste until you have a tight dough.
Form the dough into patties.
Tap the sides of the patty so the patties don’t taper at the edges.


Low‐fat Version

Instead of sautéing the patties in oil, bake them in a covered baking dish on 325 degrees for 15
minutes.

Raw Version

Use your favorite raw patty (see the raw burger patty recipe in this issue). Marinate the onions in
raw apple cider vinegar. To make the BBQ sauce, puree 4 Roma tomatoes, 1 tbsp. of raw apple cider
vinegar, 1 tsp. of ground yellow mustard seeds, 1 tbsp. of raw agave, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, ¼ tsp. of salt,
and ½ tsp. of ground allspice.

Kitchen Equipment

Sauté Pan
Spatula
Knife
Cutting Board
Mixing Bowl to marinate the onion rings
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

Don’t just plop the onion rings onto the burger. Arrange them so
they are propped against each other, creating height on the burger.
When you garnish with parsley, slowly rub the parsley between your
fingers as you move across the burger so the parsley does not
clump.

Time Management

Once the BBQ sauce hits the pan, quickly flip the burgers, but be careful not to break the patties. The
sauce should just begin to caramelize and then you need to get the patties out of the pan
immediately.

Complementary Food and Drinks

Garlic fries dressed with freshly cracked black pepper and minced oregano make the perfect
companion to this burger.



Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are fairly common. However, when shopping for BBQ sauce, pay close
attention to the ingredients on the back. Natural flavors is usually an indicator of an unlisted animal
ingredient and some BBQ sauces use anchovies for saltiness.

How It Works

The burger is put together with a few simple techniques. First, BBQ sauce is added just long enough
to get it to stick to the burger and lightly caramelize it. This keeps the burger moist and gives it a juicy
texture. Caramelizing the sauce too much dries the burger out. Marinated onion rings give a shot of
acidity to the burger and red onion is used for color. Fresh parsley finishes it off with more color and
minor herbal note.

With the patties, the beans should be relatively dry. This minimizes the amount of oats needed,
allowing the flavor of the beans, paprika, and cumin to shine through instead of being dominated by
an oat flavor. Oats are used because they complement the black bean flavor. They are coarsely
ground so that huge flakes of oats don’t show up in the burger, but they aren’t ground so much that
they become a flour because the texture of a fine‐grained flour usually makes a burger gummy. The
ground oats are added last so that the spices and onion can be thoroughly incorporated into the black
bean paste, which can be a problem if the patty is already tightened by the oats.

Chef’s Notes

I’m a huge fan of BBQ, so this burger was a natural winner for me. What I didn’t expect when I
created the recipe was the patty, which turned out to be the best burger patty I’ve ever made.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories 464
Calories from Fat 72
Fat 8 g
Total Carbohydrates 76 g
Dietary Fiber 14 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 22 g
Salt 424 mg

Interesting Facts

Black beans are about 30% protein and incredibly high in fiber.



Burger alla Norma
Time to Prepare: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1 large, wide eggplant, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 ½ tbsp. of olive oil
¼ tsp. of salt
½ tsp. of cracked black pepper
1 tbsp. of chopped fresh oregano
8‐12 large basil leaves
Vegan mozzarella
4 buns (bottoms only)

Instructions
Slice the eggplant into 1” rounds and keep the four largest pieces.
Slice the tomato into thick rounds, about ½” each.
Slice the garlic.
Toss the eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic in the olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano.
Bake this on 400 degrees for 20‐25 minutes.
Slice the mozzarella until you have enough slices to thoroughly cover each eggplant.
Create four stacks with a bottom layer of eggplant, a middle layer of mozzarella, and a top layer of
tomato.
Return this to the oven in a covered baking dish for 5 minutes (just long enough to soften the cheese,
but not thoroughly melt it).
While this is baking, toast the buns in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 30 seconds.
Place each stack on a bun and top with 2‐3 basil leaves.


Low‐fat Version

Instead of brushing the eggplant with olive oil, you can bake them in a ¼” layer of water or broth in a
covered baking dish. They won’t have the same lush taste, but they also won’t have the fat. Omit the
vegan mozzarella and use a thin slice of extra firm tofu marinated in light lemon juice, salt, and water
solution (use ½ cup of water, juice of 1 lemon, and ¼ tsp. of salt, most of which will get washed
away).

Raw Version

Heavily salt the eggplant slices and put a weight on them. Allow them to sit for about 4 hours. Use a
sunflower seed and cashew cheese pureed with a touch of salt and the juice of ½ of a lemon for the
mozzarella.

Kitchen Equipment

Covered Baking Dish
Oven
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

This burger can be served open‐faced or close‐faced, but the key to
making it look nice is to get just a bit of melted mozzarella to ooze
down the sides of the eggplant and to choose a bun that does not
overwhelm the eggplant with its sheer size.

Time Management

The trick to this burger is to get the eggplant mostly cooked, so that you can finish it off with the
mozzarella and tomato without overcooking those. If you put them all in at the same time, the
tomato will burn and the mozzarella may turn watery.


This definitely deserves a glass of Italian red wine and a side of garlic fries.



Where to Shop

Look for eggplant (aubergine) that is as wide as possible, so you can get a wide, thick burger out of it.
The skin should be lustrous and tight. The tomato should also be firm, so that it can maintain its
shape when it bakes. My favorite vegan cheese to use with this burger is Teese, which can be
ordered online and also found in places like Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, try Follow Your Heart.
Approximate cost per serving is $2.00.

How It Works

A properly cooked eggplant is both hearty and lush, which can be achieved by cooking it at a
moderately high temperature in a covered dish. Without covering the baking dish, the eggplant has a
tendency to dry out and a burger should be juicy! The tomato and mozzarella are added towards the
end of the cooking process so that they can soften, but not overly cook.

Chef’s Notes

This recipe is based on an Italian dish called Pasta alla Norma, deconstructed, and reassembled into
burger form!


Calories 230
Fat 10 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 7 g
Salt 388 mg

Interesting Facts

Pasta alla Norma is quintessential Sicilian, showcasing simple recipes with a loving treatment of the
ingredients.



Chimichurri Burger

Ingredients
The Burger
2 buns, toasted
2 vegan burger patties
1 tsp. of olive oil
1 large roasted green chile (such as a Hatch chile) or ¼ cup of roasted, diced green chiles
4‐6 raw Brazil nuts, chopped
Option: 2 slices of white vegan cheese
The Sauce
1 cup of chopped flatleaf parsley
2 tbsp. of white vinegar (white balsamic makes the best sauce)
1 tbsp. of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
½ tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. of salt

Instructions
Toast the buns over a medium‐high heat in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side or in the oven on
325 degrees for about 1 minute.
Over a medium heat, sauté the patties in the oil until brown on both sides.
Option: Brush the patties with oil and grill them over wood‐fire grill for a smoky flavor.
Option: If you use the cheese, cook on side of the burger, flip it, lower the heat to medium, add the
cheese, cover the pan, and cook the other side of the burger for about 2 minutes.
Chop the roasted chile into large pieces and give the Brazil nuts a rough chop.
Puree all the ingredients for the sauce.
Dress the patties with the sauce, then the chiles, and then the Brazil nuts.


Low‐fat Version

Omit the oil from the chimichurri sauce. If you want to omit the Brazil nuts, add a few slices of celery
to get the crunch back to the burger.

Raw Version

Use your favorite raw patty (see the raw patty recipe from this issue) and your favorite raw flatbread
or a large lettuce leaf. Instead of a roasted chile, use a chopped Hatch or poblano chile. The
chimichurri sauce should remain as is. The raw version of this goes incredibly well with a sunflower
seed “cheese.”

Kitchen Equipment

Sauté Pan
Spatula
Blender
Measuring Spoon
Measuring Cup
Knife
Cutting Board

Presentation

The burger has a very enticing look to it, so I usually serve the top of
the bun on the side. You can also drizzle some chimichurri sauce on
the plate and/or garnish the plate with a few extra chopped Brazil
nuts.

Time Management

This burger is super fast to put together, so there isn’t much to worry about in the way of time
management.


The burger is spicy, so serve it with a sweet drink, but one that’s not acidic. Try a sweet tea or a
blended watermelon cooler.


Where to Shop

Large roasted chiles can usually be found in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store. Raw Brazil
nuts can be found at Trader Joe’s and also in stores that sell items from bulk bins, like Whole Foods.

How It Works

The roasted chile provides a soft, lush texture to the burger and a smooth, semi‐sweet flavor while
the Brazil nuts give the burger some contrasting crunch. The chimichurri is basically a parsley puree
made tangy with the vinegar and smoothed out with the olive oil. It’s an explosive flavor that brings
the burger to life.

Chef’s Notes

When I first made this burger, I thought the chimichurri sauce would be the star of the burger, but it
actually turned out to be the trinity of the sauce, the roasted chile, and the Brazil nuts. Without one
of those ingredients, the burger is greatly diminished.


Calories 432
Fat 20 g
Dietary Fiber 11 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 28 g
Salt 635 mg

Interesting Facts

Chimichurri shows its Spanish roots with the strong use of vinegar in the sauce.



Classic Burger with Seitan

Ingredients
The Patty
2 cups of ground seitan
2 tbsp. of minced parsley
½ tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of cracked black pepper
2 cups of cubed bread, moistened
2 tsp. of oil
The Burger
1 cup of shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced
12‐16 pickle slices
¾ cup of ketchup
¼ cup of mustard
¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise
Option: 4 slices of vegan American cheese
4 sesame seed buns, toasted

Instructions
Making the Patty
Pulse seitan in a food processor until you have about 2 cups worth with a “ground round”
texture.
Mince the parsley.
Combine the seitan with the parsley, salt, and pepper.
Cube the bread and moisten it with water.
Smash the bread.
Combine the smashed bread with the ground seitan until you have a fairly uniform
distribution.
Form this mix into 4 thick 1” patties and pat the sides, so the patties don’t taper at the edges.
In an iron skillet, heat the oil to a medium high heat.
Sauté each patty for about 2 minutes per side.
Option: If you use the cheese, sauté one side of the patty, flip it, add the cheese, and cover
the skillet.
Finishing the Burger
Shred the lettuce.
Slice the tomato.
Toast the buns in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 30 seconds or in the oven on 350
degrees for about 1 minute.
Add any of the burger fixings you like and assemble your burger!


Low‐fat Version

Instead of sautéing the patties, line a baking dish with parchment paper. Cover the baking dish and
bake the patties on 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Omit the vegan mayonnaise.

Kitchen Equipment

Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board
Food Processor
Iron Skillet
Spatula
Small Spatula

Presentation

This burger doesn’t need a fancy presentation. Just give the burger a
gentle squeeze once its plated to help all the ingredients stay
together (although it may get messy anyway, depending on how
much you stuff it with goodies!).

Time Management

The two‐minute cook time is a bit of a best guess. The size of the patty and the width of your iron
skillet will heavily determine the cook time. The key is to look for just a bit of crispness on the burger.
Once you’ve got that, it’s time to flip.


Ice cold beer and potato chips or fries are the classic sides for this burger. Try fries dressed with
cayenne pepper and garlic and an Indian Pale Ale for the ideal match.

Where to Shop

Seitan can be found at Whole Foods, Asian markets, and other markets with healthy eating sections.
Trader Joe’s also has “beef” strips which can be used just like the seitan. The rest of the ingredients
are fairly common. Approximate cost per serving is $2.50.



How It Works

Getting the right grind on the seitan is one of the keys to this recipe. Too large and it doesn’t stick
together. Too small and the burger has a boring, homogenous texture. The other key is getting the
bread moistened to the right level so that it properly binds the seitan together without being too wet.
If you get those two parts right, this burger comes together in a snap.

Chef’s Notes

My wife said this is absolutely the best veggie burger she’s ever had!


Calories 450
Fat 11 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 11 g
Protein 34 g
Salt 735 mg

Interesting Facts

Seitan was invented by Buddhist monks so that they could forgo meat without forgoing their favorite
dishes.



Eggplant Burgers with Toasted Cumin Ketchup
Type: Sandwich Serves: 4


Ingredients
1 large, wide eggplant, sliced into ¾” rounds
1 tbsp. of toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of whole cumin seeds
¼ cup of tomato paste
2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 cup of arugula
2 buns or 4 slices of bread (kalamata olive bread, roasted garlic bread, and focaccia all make great
burger buns for this recipe)*

Instructions
Slice the eggplant into ¾” thick rounds.
Bring the oil and salt to a medium high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant and sauté both sides until soft and well‐browned.
Option: If you need to further soften the eggplant, but it’s getting to browned, you can add a thin
layer of water to the pan to finish it off by simmering.
Toast the cumin seeds over a medium heat in a dry pan for about 3 minutes.
Grind the toasted cumin into a powder.
Combine the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar.
Toast the buns or bread.
Spread the ketchup on the bread, place the eggplant slices on the bread, and top with arugula.

*These are meant to be served open‐faced, which is why there are only two buns/four slices of bread
in the recipe. However, if you prefer a closed sandwich, use fairly thinly sliced bread.


Low‐fat Version

Instead of sautéing the eggplant in oil, sauté them on both sides in a dry pan until they are lightly
browned, then add a thin layer of water to the pan to soften the eggplant slices by simmering them.

Raw Version

Use a sundried tomato puree for the ketchup. To soften the eggplant, salt the eggplant and place a
heavy weight over the slices. Allow this to sit for a couple hours, then rinse the salt off the eggplant.
Serve this over a raw bread or in a lettuce wrap.

Kitchen Equipment

Sauté Pan
Spatula
Knife
Cutting Board
Spice Grinder
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

I like to use baby arugula. It’s small and light, so you can create
height on the burger by heavily garnishing it with the arugula or
create a splash of green by lightly garnishing it. I prefer the heavy
garnish, but the picture uses the light one so you can still see the
eggplant patty.

Time Management

The eggplant patties will last for over a week in the refrigerator, so you can do a lot of these burgers
at once in a wide pan, saving them to eat throughout the week.


Serve this with a side of orange sweet potato chips and an ice cold ale!

Where to Shop

Baby arugula can be found cheaply at Trader Joe’s. You can also get a good bread or bun there.

When shopping for the eggplant, look for a tight, shiny skin. Approximate cost per serving is $1.00.

How It Works

Toasted sesame oil is used to give the eggplant a bit more depth of taste than olive oil would give,
though olive oil will work just fine. The oil needs to come to the right heat before the eggplant is
added, or else the eggplant will absorb all the oil before it properly cooks. Balsamic vinegar is used in
the ketchup to give the ketchup a burst of flavor that a normal vinegar would not impart. Arugula
lends not only a peppery taste to the burger, but a light presentation. Finally, these are served open‐
faced so that the bread does not overwhelm the eggplant patty.

Chef’s Notes

These burgers are absolutely one of the best burger recipes I’ve created. They are huge hits not only
with adults, but with kids, as well, which surprised me.


Calories 148
Fat 4 g
Dietary Fiber 8 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 299 mg

Interesting Facts

Many recipes call for eggplant to be salted and allowed to sit to draw out the bitterness. However,
this is not necessary with a properly cooked eggplant.



Fast Smoky Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients
6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp. of fresh thyme
1 tsp. of olive oil
¼ tsp. of Liquid Smoke
1/8 tsp. of salt
2 vegan burger patties
¼ cup of Daiya white cheese
2 buns, toasted
Option: 2 large leaves of Swiss chard, sliced and wilted

Instructions
Slice the mushrooms, mince the garlic, and combine them with the thyme, then set them aside.
Bring the oil, Liquid Smoke, and salt to a medium high heat.
Sauté the patties until they brown on both sides.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Sprinkle the Daiya cheese on the patties and cover the pan.
Keep the burgers on the heat in the covered pan for about 1 minute.
Keep the heat going and place the patties on the buns.
Add the mushrooms, garlic, and thyme to the pan and sauté until the mushrooms are just soft (about
2 minutes).
Top the patties with the mushroom mix.
Give the burgers a gentle press.
Option: If you want to add the wilted chard, slice the leaves and reduce them in the pan in which you
cooked the mushrooms. The chard will take about 5 minutes to properly reduce. Once you are done,
top the burgers with them.


Low‐fat Version

Omit the Daiya cheese. Cook the mushroom mix first, then cook the burgers, keeping everything at a
medium heat. There will be just enough moisture in the pan to get a decent sauté going, but not so
much that the patties become mushy.

Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Sauté Pan with Lid
Measuring Spoon
Spatula

Presentation

This is one of those burgers that should be squeezed just a bit so the
juice from the mushrooms penetrates the bun. Garnish the plate
with some chopped curled leaf parsley to get some green on the
plate.

Time Management

This goes quickly, but I find the patties brown better if I sauté them before sautéing the mushrooms,
so the cooking order matters.


Serve this with a side salad with a roasted red pepper vinaigrette and some cracked pepper potato
chips.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are fairly common, though CostCo has a great price on Boca burgers, if you
prefer those. Approximate cost per serving is $2.00.

How It Works

This is basically a classic mushroom burger, with a couple twists. Thyme is used to provide a deep
herbal note and also because it can accent the flavor of the Liquid Smoke. Speaking of Liquid Smoke,


that stuff is powerful, which is why so little is used. The Daiya is used because it melts well and binds
the mushrooms to the patties just a bit when the burger is pressed.

Chef’s Notes

I love smoky foods, but sometimes I don’t want to get my grill going. I just want to sit down and eat!
This burger is a nice compromise.


Calories 324
Fat 8 g
Dietary Fiber 8 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 26 g
Salt 720 mg

Interesting Facts

Liquid smoke is created by condensing smoke as much as possible, then passing that through water.
The water picks up the smoky particles as the smoke moves into it.



Greek Burger


Ingredients
The Patty
1 cup of ground seitan or veggie crumbles
2 tsp. of chopped fresh oregano
1 cup of cubed whole wheat bread
Water
Option: ¼ cup of crumbled soy feta
2 tsp. of olive oil
The Sauce
3 tbsp. of plain soy yogurt
3 tbsp. of vegan sour cream
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ of a cucumber, peeled and chopped
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground white pepper
1 tsp. of fresh dill
The Burger
3 buns, toasted
9 or so fresh red onion rings or 6‐8 tbsp. of diced red onion
1 large tomato, chopped
10‐12 kalamata olives, chopped

Instructions
Grind the seitan in a food processor on a low speed until you have “ground round.”
Combine it with the pepper and oregano.
Cube the bread and moisten it until the bread is slightly damp, but not soggy.
Combine the bread and seitan together, pressing it into a burger dough.
Make 2 thick (about ¾”) burger patties with it and set it aside.
Option: If you are using the soy feta, make sure it is crumbled and mix it into the seitan before
mashing everything up with the bread.
Sauté the patties over a medium heat in the olive oil for about 2 minutes per side.
Puree all the ingredients for the sauce together.
Toast the buns.
Slice a red onion into a few rings.
Chop the tomato and olives.
Add the patties to the buns, top with the sauce, then add the tomatoes and olives next.
Finish the burger off with the onion rings or the diced red onion.


Low‐fat Version

Omit the vegan sour cream in the sauce and bake the patties in a covered baking dish lined with
parchment paper on 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. The parchment paper keeps the seitan from
sticking and burning to the baking dish.

Raw Version

Use your favorite raw patty. For the sauce, use ¼ cup of cashew cream (made by soaking cashews
and pureeing them). Use a thick leaf of lettuce for the bun or your favorite raw cracker, though I
think it goes best with the lettuce.

Kitchen Equipment

Mixing Bowl
Sauté Pan
Spatula for the patties
Small Spatula for the sauce
Food Processor
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board

Presentation

This is one of those burgers I like messy! Let the sauce run down the
side of the burger a bit. There’s just something about a messy
burger that looks incredibly appetizing. If you want some more
color, you can do some chopped parsley.

Time Management

To save time, use a prepackaged seitan or even take a complete shortcut and use veggie crumbles,
though I prefer the flavor of the seitan better with this recipe. Regardless of which one you use, the
patties only take a few minutes to assemble. If you like them and want to make a big batch of Greek
patties to use in later recipes, form all the patties and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap for
storage in the refrigerator. This will help them keep their shape and stay moist.




Serve this with skordalia, a lemon garlic potato dip and a small side salad loaded with kalamata olives
garnished with pine nuts.

Where to Shop

Plain soy yogurt should be available at most grocery stores. Vegan sour cream can usually be found
at Whole Foods and most other stores that have a healthy eating section, including many
conventional markets. Whole Foods is also the go‐to place for vegan feta. I usually use Sunergia’s
feta. The rest of the ingredients are fairly common. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00.

How It Works

The ground seitan used in the patty should be moist and will have a very “meaty” texture. If you
make your own, you can even infuse it with whatever flavors you wish! Moistened bread is then used
to bind the ground seitan together to create a thick, juicy patty. To add more flavor to the patty, lots
of oregano and pepper is used. In fact, it may seem like too much, but the patty will cut the flavors of
those ingredients, so going overboard a bit will actually create a balanced flavor in the finished
product.

The sauce is basically a vegan tzatziki sauce and the garnish is a deconstructed Greek salad. The
sauce makes the burger lush and creamy and adds some acidity to make everything spring to life
while the Greek salad garnish gives crunch and freshness to the burger.

Chef’s Notes

When I used to eat dairy, I would make burger patties and mix feta or blue cheese into the patty,
which was part of the inspiration for this burger. In fact, I almost always make this recipe with the
soy feta. It’s got a tanginess that makes the patty explode with flavor!

If you don’t like using soy dairy products, try a lemon tahini sauce instead of the tzatziki.


Calories 443
Fat 13 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 24 g
Salt 605 mg



Interesting Facts
The modern incarnation of the hamburger was invented in the late 1880s, though there is dispute
between who did it. Some claim it was created by Texan Fletcher Davis while others claim it was
created by the Menches brothers out of Ohio.



Green Olive Chorizo Burger


Ingredients
The Patty
12 green olives stuffed with garlic, chopped
¾ cup of rolled oats
1 cup of cooked, rinsed white beans (preferably borlotti beans)
1 cup of soy chorizo
2 tsp. of smoked paprika
1 tbsp. of Spanish olive oil
The Aioli Sauce
6 tbsp. of vegan mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp. of salt
¼ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
Juice of ½ of a lemon
Option: Pinch of saffron
The Burger
4 buns, toasted
2‐3 rings of Spanish onion per burger
2 tbsp. of chopped parsley
2 small Roma tomatoes, sliced

Instructions
Making the Patties
Chop the olives.
Coarsely grind the oats by pulsing them in a food processor a few times.
Smash the beans.
Combine all the patty ingredients until everything is thoroughly mixed and densely packed.
Form the dough into 4 patties, ¾” thick.
Sauté the patties on each side for 2 minutes over a medium heat in the olive oil.
Making the Aioli
Puree all the ingredients for the aioli.
Toast the buns over a medium heat in a dry pan for about 30 seconds.
Cut a Spanish onion into rings.
Chop the parsley.
Slice the tomatoes.
Add the patties to the bottom bun, top with the sauce, then add the tomatoes, then onion
rings, and then parsley.


Low‐fat Version

To make a low‐fat version, you’ll need to make your own chorizo. All the commercial ones are
relatively high in fat. Take 1 cup of your favorite veggie crumbles and marinate them in 1 tbsp. of
chile powder, 1/8 tsp. of cloves, 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon, ½ tsp. of black pepper, ½ tsp. of cumin, 1 tsp.
of dried oregano, and 3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. Toss the crumbles with all these ingredients and
let them sit for a couple hours. If you are using dried crumbles, add just enough water so the
crumbles will moisten. For the aioli, use Nayonaise for the vegan mayonnaise and bake the patties on
350 degrees for 20 minutes instead of sautéing them.

Kitchen Equipment

Food Processor
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board
Sauté Pan
Spatula
Blender

Presentation

I usually serve this close‐faced, so the tomato, onion, and aioli
flavors can penetrate the top bun. To add some color, I suggest
using some extra chopped parsley as a sprinkled garnish for the
plate.

Time Management

The patties only take a few minutes to assemble. If you don’t want to chop all those olives, you can
do it by pulsing them in a food processor a few times. However, you should grind the oats before you
do that. The dry oats can easily be removed from the food processor without affecting the chop on
the olives, but the converse is not true.


Serve this with a glass of sangria and a side of green olives and hot, pickled chiles.

Where to Shop

Trader Joe’s carries my favorite brand of soy chorizo, though several varieties are available at places


like Whole Foods. You can also get the green olives while you’re there, as well as relatively
inexpensive saffron. That’s not always easy to come by! Approximate cost per serving is $3.00.

How It Works

Even though the chorizo used is a Mexican‐style chorizo, I wanted the rest of the burger to be
reminiscent of a veggie paella, so the burger uses fresh tomato, Spanish onion, white beans, and
plenty of green olives. The beans mash up nicely, creating a binder for all the ingredients while the
oats firm up the mashed beans so that the patty can maintain its shape. Because the burger has
strong flavors, it needs a strong sauce. The aioli does just that and the lemon accent helps brighten
the burger.

Chef’s Notes

The patty recipe can actually be used to make meatballs or your own vegan sausage, but I have to
admit to simply eating it as is. That means a lot of the recipe doesn’t quite make it to burger form
when I’m around!


Calories 553
Fat 17 g
Dietary Fiber 11 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 25 g
Salt 953 mg

Interesting Facts

Smoked paprika is traditionally used in Spanish chorizo, which is a hard sausage, as opposed to the
Mexican variety, which is very soft and crumbly.



New Orleans Slider

Type: Burger Makes: about 24 sliders
Time to Prepare: about 10 minutes, plus about 30 minutes cooking time for all 24

Ingredients
1 can of red beans or 2 cups cooked red beans
¾ cups oat bran
1/2 cup of celery
1/4 cup of red onion
1/4 a bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of dry thyme or 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

Instructions
Cut the celery into chunks, and bell and chunk the onion.
Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut into chunks.
Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and celery in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Rinse and add the beans, salt, pepper, and thyme.
Process until smooth again.
Take the ingredients out, then add them to a bowl with the oat bran.
Mix until combined, then shape the mixture into large walnut sized balls.
Flatten slightly with your hands.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and once hot, place your sliders in the pan.
Cook on both sides for about 3‐5 minutes, until they are browned.
Remove from pan and place on buns, then serve.


Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor

Kitchen Equipment

Measuring cups, measuring spoons, food processor, skillet

Presentation

This is the New Orleans Slider served with Aioli Dijon and topped
with coleslaw. The combination is amazing.


These little sliders can easily be made into regular sized patties if you so choose. Make them
whatever size would work for you! These are great with the Aioli Dijon, but they would also be great
with oven fries topped with a slight amount of a prepared New Orleans style spice blend.

Where to Shop

These ingredients can be found in any major supermarket.

Chef’s Notes

You can substitute oatmeal for the oat bran, just pulse the oatmeal in the food processor first to
break it down a little.

Nutritional Facts (per serving)

Calories 20
Calories from Fat 2
Fat Per Slider 0 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars .5 g
Protein 3 g
Salt 33 mg

Interesting Facts

Everyone loves sliders, but they have been made famous by White Castle. If you can’t find slider buns,
trim the ends off of good quality hot dog buns and trim them to fit.

Patty Melt with Lentil Peanut Burger and Crispy Sage
Time to Prepare: 15 minutes + 1 hour for the patty

Ingredients
The Patty
1 ½ cups of water
¾ cup of brown lentils
1 tbsp. of smoked paprika
Option: 2 tbsp. of fresh oregano
½ tsp. of salt
½ cup of raw, unsalted peanuts
Option: 2 tbsp. of oil for sautéing the patties
The Rest of the Patty Melt
3‐4 tbsp. of chopped sage
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp. of oil
4 slices of vegan cheese
6‐8 tbsp. of ketchup
8 slices of toasted bread (roasted garlic bread works incredibly well)

Instructions
Making the Patties
Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil.
Add the lentils, smoked paprika, and optional oregano and stir.
Return to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low.
Cook the lentils for about 20 minutes.
Once they are done cooking, add the salt and peanuts.
Puree the mix, but don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth.
The lentil/peanut mix should be fairly dense and tight and should have some peanut chunks
for texture.
If you need to tighten the mix more, you can add more peanuts.
Once the mix cools, form it into patties.
Baking Method: Lightly oil a baking dish, place the patties in it, cover the dish, and bake the
patties on 350 for 30 minutes.
Sautéing Method: Bring 2 tbsp. of oil to just above a medium heat and fry the patties on each
side until lightly browned.
Finishing the Patty Melt
Chop the sage.
Slice the onion.
Over a medium high heat, fry the sage in the oil until it crisps.
Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.
Add the onion to the pan and sauté it until it lightly browns.
Remove that from the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium‐low.
Add the patties to the pan and top each with a slice of vegan cheese.
Cover the pan and wait about 1 minute for the cheese to melt.
Toast the bread.
Place each patty on a slice of bread, then ketchup, then onion, then the sage, and then top
with another slice of bread.



Raw Version

You can make a great raw version of this using sprouted lentils and raw peanuts. Use 1 cup of
sprouted lentils and puree all the ingredients for the patties. Add a touch of water if necessary to
create a thick, tight “dough.” Dehydrate this on 104 degrees for 6 hours with an herbed chive spread
and chopped sage on top. Once the patty is done, top with a few sliced onions and place between
some raw bread or thick raw flax seed onion crackers.

Kitchen Equipment

Pot with Lid
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Blender or Immersion Blender
Sauté Pan
Knife
Cutting Board
Spatula
Slotted Spoon
Baking Dish
Oven

Presentation

I typically serve these open‐faced to show off the different colors,
from the burger, to the cheese, the ketchup, and the beautiful crispy
sage. Make sure to sprinkle the sage on top instead of smashing it
onto the burger to create a more visually appealing geometry to the
sandwich.

Time Management

You can get the sage and onion done and the bread toasted while the lentils are cooking, so that once
the patties are done, it only takes a few minutes to assemble the patty melts. There are a couple
tricks to working with the lentil dough. First, puree it with the peanuts as soon as possible once it
comes off the heat. The lentils will be hot, they’ll soften the peanuts a bit, and make it easier to
puree. Once you’re done with that, allow the mix to sit so it can cool. Not only does this make it
easier to work with, it tightens the dough. Stir the mix a bit as it cools to quickly release heat. If you
like these lentil/peanut patties, you can make an extra‐large batch and store the dough wrapped in
plastic. It will last for a couple weeks in the refrigerator and will be ready to be quickly formed into
patties. Of course, you can always skip the patty step and use a store‐bought veggie burger.




Serve this with a salad of crispy romaine hearts, roasted red peppers, and marinated artichoke hearts.
The acidity of the artichokes will offset the patty melt and the lushness of the roasted red peppers
will complement it.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are fairly common (even vegan cheese is becoming common!), though you
may need to go to Trader Joe’s or a market that sells nuts from bulk bins to find unsalted, raw
peanuts. If you want to use the salted peanuts, omit half the salt from the lentils. Approximate cost
per serving is $1.50.

How It Works

Lentils are used in the patty because they have a hearty flavor, but they also puree into a very thick
batter. Peanuts are added as a binder so that the pureed lentils can retain their shape, but also
because the flavor goes very well with the ketchup and sage. The peanuts should be raw so that they
have the most binding power. Salt is added after the lentils are cooked because salt added at the
beginning will toughen the lentils and prolong their cook time. The patties should then either be
baked or sautéed to help the patty set and meld all the flavors.

The sage is added, not only because the sage flavor complements the patty, but because it gives a
unique twist on the classic patty melt. The sage is cooked before the onions because it minimizes the
amount of oil used in the recipe. The sage uses very little of the oil, leaving enough in the pan to
finish off the onion. However, if the onion was cooked fist, most of the oil would leave the pan with
the onion and there wouldn’t be enough to crisp the sage.

Finally, it’s important to turn the pan down to medium‐low when melting the cheese. Otherwise,
there is a good chance the bottom of the patty will burn by the time the cheese melts.

Chef’s Notes

This was one of my favorite burger/sandwich recipes out of the entire issue! I loved the combination
of the ketchup and sage and the peanut flavor in the patty. There was just something special about
that combo.


Calories 495
Fat 19 g
Dietary Fiber 15 g
Sugars 8 g


Protein 22 g
Salt 868 mg

Interesting Facts

Wild peanuts still grow in South America, where the peanut was first cultivated.



Raw Burger

Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + 4 hours for the nuts and seeds to soak

Ingredients
The Patty
½ cup of Brazil nuts, soaked
½ cup of sunflower seeds, soaked
¼ cup of sundried tomatoes
¼ tsp. of coarse, flaky sea salt
½ tsp. of crushed red pepper
3 tbsp. of minced red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. of minced parsley
The Burger
6 slices of raw bread or 3 lettuce leaves cut in half
½ cup of spicy sprouts
1 large Roma tomato, sliced
½ of an avocado, sliced
Option: 6‐8 properly cured black olives, pitted and split in half

Instructions
Soak the Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds for 4 hours, then drain them.
In a food processor, grind the nuts, seeds, sundried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Place this mix in a mixing bowl.
Mince the onion, garlic, and parsley.
Combine this with the nut and seed mix, stirring until everything is roughly evenly distributed.
Form to balls and press them together as tightly as possible.
Gently press them into patties.
Option: Dehydrate these at 107 degrees F for 3 hours.
Slice the tomato and avocado.
Serve between raw bread, crackers, or lettuce leaves with spicy sprouts, tomato, avocado, and
optional olives.


Kitchen Equipment

3 Mixing Bowls
Food Processor
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board

Presentation

This looks so nice on its own, it doesn’t need any special
presentation.

Time Management

If you soak the nuts and seeds longer than the four hours, you may need a couple extra sundried
tomatoes to help bind everything together. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot of time management that
goes along with this recipe.


The patties are small, but incredibly filling, so you’ll need a light side to go along with them. Consider
a salad of mixed baby greens dressed with a light and spicy cashew cream and lemon dressing.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients can be found at places like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and any other
place that has a bulk bin section. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00.

How It Works

Brazil nuts are used because they have a deep flavor without feeling heavy handed. Sunflower seeds
are used because they grind so well and provide an alternate texture to the Brazil nuts. They are
soaked for four hours so that they absorb some water, making them easier to grind and turn into a
“dough,” but not longer than that. Soaking them longer may turn them into a paste when blended
because of the extra water content. Sundried tomatoes are used to bind everything together. Make
sure to use ones dehydrated at the right temperature and not ones packed in oil! The onion, garlic,


and parsley are then added so that they maintain some texture and integrity, which would not
happen if they were added to the food processor.

Chef’s Notes

I use this recipe for quite a few raw “meaty” dishes, from meatballs to burgers.


Calories 465
Fat 37 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 12 g
Salt 352 mg

Interesting Facts

Brazil nut trees are incredibly tall, reaching up to 40 yards in height!



Smokehouse Bacon Burger

Time to Prepare: 20 minutes + time to smoke the burgers (depends upon method used)

Ingredients
The Patty
2 cups of ground seitan
2 cups of cubed whole wheat bread, moistened with beer
1 bottle of dark beer
½ tsp. of salt
1 ½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. of dried parsley
Special Ingredient: Hickory chips or hickory wood
Oil
The Burger
12‐16 strips of tempeh bacon
½ cup of BBQ sauce
4 large slices of Daiya yellow cheese (use the block kind) or ¾ cup shredded
4 buns

Instructions
Smoking the Seitan
Option 1: Set up your smoker with hickory chips and smoke whole chunks of seitan for 24
hours, then grind it until you have 2 cups of ground seitan.
Option 2: Instead of smoking whole seitan in a smoker, form the patties, oil them, place them
in foil packets, and pierce the packets with a fork. Grill the patties in a closed grill with hickory
chips or wood, placing them off center of the hot part of the grill, and let them sit for about 15
minutes per side.
Making the Patties
Grind the seitan.
Cube the bread and moisten it with dark beer.
Mince the garlic.
Mash the bread.
Combine the seitan, bread, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley together, pressing it firmly into
patty shapes (make sure to pat the edges of the patties so the patties don’t taper).
If you are grilling your patties, use Option 2 above.
If you are sautéing them, heat about 1 tbsp. of oil to a medium heat in an iron skillet.
Sauté the patties about 2 minutes on the first side.
Flip them and add the Daiya cheese.
Cover the pan and let them sit for about 1 ½ minutes, then remove them from the pan.
Add the tempeh bacon and sauté it for about 15 seconds per side.
Spread BBQ sauce on the top bun, add the patties, then the tempeh bacon, and serve.

Kitchen Equipment

Smoker or Grill
Foil
Mixing Bowl
Food Processor
Bread Knife
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Iron Skillet
Spatula

Presentation

Serve this closed‐faced. It keeps the tempeh bacon from sliding
around and lets all the flavors meld together. If you want to add
some color to the plate, you can garnish it with minced fresh parsley
or serve the burger on a bed of red leaf lettuce.

Time Management

This burger is one of the trickier burgers to put together in this issue. There are two keys to getting
right. The first is to let the seitan smoke for a prolonged period so it gets that smokehouse flavor.
The best way to do it is in a smoker, which keeps the seitan hydrated, but you can get a decent
approximation of that by grilling the burgers on in a warm, closed grill. Make sure the grill isn’t too
hot or else the burgers will burn before they can acquire any smoky flavor. The second key is to cook
the patties just long enough in the skillet so that they can crisp a bit without burning the seitan. This
part simply takes practice.


This burger deserves to be served with steak fries.

Where to Shop

Tempeh bacon can be found at Whole Foods and other similar stores, while seitan can be found in
the same places, as well as Trader Joe’s (in the form of their “beef” strips), and at nearly all Asian
markets. Daiya can be found at Whole Foods and again, other similar stores. If you use a store‐
bought BBQ sauce, make sure it does not contain “natural flavors.” This is typically code for an


animal product that the FDA does not make the manufacturer list. Approximate cost per serving is
$3.50.

How It Works

Ideally, the seitan should be smoked before it is ground. This helps keep the seitan hydrated during
the smoking process, which is important for keeping the patty together. Hickory is used to get that
traditional smokehouse flavor. The patties are then sautéed to crisp them just a bit and fully cook
them, though they can technically be eaten as is since the ingredients going into the patties are
already cooked. Dark beer is used to pump up the flavor of this burger and because it’s something
that evokes hearty, smoky foods. Daiya is also used for its strong flavor and because it melts so well.
The burger is then finished off with tempeh bacon and BBQ sauce to get that full Southern style
flavor.

Chef’s Notes

This burger is a no‐holds‐barred sandwich. Every single ingredient is packed with heavy, satisfying
flavors.


Calories 508
Fat 13 g
Dietary Fiber 9 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 33 g
Salt 760 mg

Interesting Facts

Smoking isn’t just for “meaty” things! Teas, alcohols, and just about anything else you can imagine
can be smoked.



Southwestern Burger
Time to Prepare: 30 minutes (10‐15 minutes if you use a pre‐made patty)

Ingredients
The Patty
¾ cup of corn grits (polenta)
1 tbsp. of chile powder
½ tsp. of salt
½ cup of hot water
1 carrot, shredded (about ½ cup loosely packed)
2 cups of cooked pinto or black beans, thoroughly rinsed
Corn flour or bread crumbs as needed
Pumpkin Seed Spread
1/3 cup of toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1/8 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of olive oil
3 tbsp. of water
Chile Arbol Sauce (optional)
8‐12 dried red chiles arbol
1/8 tsp. of salt
2 tbsp. of white vinegar (white balsamic works best)
¼ cup of water
Bun and Garnishes
4 whole wheat buns
12‐16 rings of red onion
1 roasted poblano, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
¾ cup of arugula or sliced chard, loosely packed

Instructions
Making the Patties
Combine the corn grits, chile powder, and salt in a small, heat‐proof mixing bowl.
Bring the water to a boil.
Pour it over the cornmeal and stir.
Shred the carrot.
Once the cornmeal mix has cooled, stir the carrot into it.
Add the beans (make sure they are thoroughly rinsed and as dry as possible).
Smash the mix with your hands, forming it into as tight as dough as possible.
If it feels wet and falls apart, add corn flour or bread crumbs (2 tbsp. at a time) until you have
a tight dough.
Form the dough into patties.
Use them as is, or…


Sautéing Method: Sauté each patty in a thin layer of olive oil over a medium high heat until
each side is browned, about 1 ½ minutes per side
Baking Method: Place the patties in a covered baking dish and bake them on 325 degrees for
15 minutes.
Making the Pumpkin Seed Spread
Pan roast the garlic by leaving the cloves in the garlic paper and placing them in a dry pan over
a medium heat until the paper turns dark brown in the exposed spots.
After they have roasted, remove the garlic paper.
Add all the ingredients for the pumpkin seed spread to a blender or small food processor and
puree until you have a thick paste.
Making the Optional Chiles Arbol Sauce
Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree as much as possible.
Assembling the Burger
Cut a red onion into thin rings.
Roast the poblano (do this while you roast the garlic).
Peel, deseed, and chop the poblano.
Dip the buns in the chiles arbol sauce (if you dare!).
Add the patties, spread the pumpkin seed paste on them, and top with onion rings, chopped
poblano, and arugula or chard.


Low‐fat Version

Omit the pumpkin seed paste and use the baking method for the patties.

Raw Version

You can use raw corn and walnuts to make the patty. Use the spices as normal and grind the walnuts
and corn together, forming them into patties. Dehydrate the patties on 104 degrees for 6 hours. Use
raw pepitas for the pumpkin seed paste and raw apple cider vinegar in the chiles arbol sauce. Pour
the chile sauce over the patties or combine it with the pumpkin seed paste to make a blended sauce.
Use a raw bread or butter leaf lettuce for the bun.

Kitchen Equipment

Small Pot
Small Heat‐proof Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Sauté Pan and Spatula or Oven and Covered Baking Dish
Knife
Cutting Board
Blender

Presentation

I serve these open‐faced so my diners can be enticed by the visual of
the pumpkin seed paste and chopped poblano offset by the color of
the red onion and chile sauced bun. I generally use baby arugula
because it looks light, but you can get the same look by slicing chard
into ribbons and delicately rubbing it between your fingers as you let
it fall on the burger.

Time Management

This burger has several parts to it, but they’re all very simple. In fact, if you use a pre‐made patty, the
only cooking you’ll need to do is roasting the poblano and garlic and sautéing the patties, which you
can do at the same time. If you make the patties in this recipe, start the water and cornmeal mix
going first so it has time to cool while you prepare the two sauces and get the garnishes ready. Once
you’re done with those, come back to the patties so you can comfortably smash all those ingredients
together. Also, if you don’t have two blender top with which to work, do the chile sauce before you
do the pumpkin seed paste. The chile sauce residue can quickly be rinsed out of the top, making it
ready to reuse for the paste, which is not so easy to get out of the blender!




Serve this with a side of pickled chiles and onions atop a light salad of mixed greens and nuts. The
pickled ingredients provide a nice companion to the rich patties.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients should be readily available at most markets, except for the toasted pepitas.
Look for those at a Mexican market or even a place like Trader Joe’s. Approximate cost per serving is
$1.50.

How It Works

The patty is basically made of mashed beans bound with polenta. However, if the corn grits (this is
the grain of dried corn used for polenta) gets too wet, the patty becomes mushy. To keep this from
happening, the corn grits are rehydrated in a low amount of very hot water. If they get too wet or if
your beans are wet, you can absorb any excess moisture using cornmeal, corn flour, or bread crumbs.
Once the patties are formed, they are then sautéed or baked so they can set. The pumpkin seed
paste acts as the cheese for the burger, the chiles arbol sauce acts as the ketchup, and the onion and
greens make a perfect burger garnish.

Chef’s Notes

I had never used corn grits as a binder for a burger, but decided to do that after someone asked me
to make one without gluten. It worked much better than I expected! It’s also hard to go wrong with
roasted poblanos, pepitas, and a chile sauce.

Nutrition Facts (per serving, baking method)

Calories 488
Fat 9 g
Dietary Fiber 14 g
Sugars 11 g
Protein 21 g
Salt 578 mg

Interesting Facts

Corn is actually an English word that was used to refer to cereal crops.
To get the most nutrition out of corn, it should be soaked in alkali water.



Sunny Burger
Type: Sliders Serves: 8


Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion or ½ large, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
1 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup cilantro or parsley, chopped

Instructions
Sauté all the ingredients except the cilantro or parsley in the olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium
heat.
Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Process the cilantro or parsley in a food processor.
Add the vegetable and sunflower seed mixture, in batches if necessary, and process until ground and
sticky. Refrigerate the mixture until it cools, a half hour or more.
Form 3‐inch patties and cook in a little bit of olive or grape seed oil in a large sauté pan or griddle.
Cook the burgers about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.

Recipe by Sharon Valencik, author of Sweet Utopia, www.sweetutopia.com

Kitchen Equipment

Large Sauté Pan
Food Processor
Large Bowl
Spatula

Presentation

You can achieve height with this burger by using a stack of
ingredients held in place by a toothpick.

Chef’s Notes

These burgers are really substantial and super‐satisfying, because of the richness and nutritional‐
density of the sunflower seeds, which are tiny powerhouses of protein, fiber, iron, calcium, necessary
fats and other critical nutrients that’ll keep you going a long time.


Calories 205
Fat 13 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 10 g
Salt 273 mg

Interesting Facts

The veggie burger was, in its modern incarnation, was invented in 1982 in Central London.



Tofu Steak Burger


Ingredients
The Patties
2 ½” thick slabs of super firm tofu
¼ cup of tamari
2 tbsp. of water
The Burger
½ of an onion, sliced
1 tsp. of oil
2 buns, lightly toasted (focaccia rolls work best)
½ cup of spring greens
The Sauce
3 tbsp. of tomato paste
3 tbsp. of tamari
Option: 1 tbsp. of hot sauce
Instructions
Slice a block of super firm tofu into ½” thick slabs about the size of your buns.
Toast the buns in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 30 seconds or in the oven on 350 degrees
for 1 minute.
Combine the tamari and water and set aside all the ingredients used so far.
Slice the onion into thin strips.
Over a medium high heat, sauté the onion in the oil until it is heavily caramelized.
Remove the onion from the pan and set it aside.
Add the tofu slabs and sauté on each side for about 2 minutes (if they start to stick, add about 1 more
tsp. of oil).
Add the tamari and water mix.
Quickly move the tofu around for about 10 seconds and then flip them and repeat until the tamari
has caramelized onto the tofu.
Remove it from the pan and place it on the buns.
Combine the tomato paste, tamari, and optional hot sauce.
Slather this over the tofu slabs, then add the onion, and finish the burger off with mixed spring
greens.



Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Small Mixing Bowl
Stirring Spoon
Spatula
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

This burger is best when pressed firmly. It binds all the sauce and
onions to the bun and the bun to the tofu steak. Once you’ve done
that, cut the burger in half diagonally if it’s a particularly big slice of
tofu or simply leave it as is.

Time Management

Watch the pan once the tamari goes into it. You need to reduce the tamari enough that it sticks to
the tofu, but not so much that it burns to the tofu and pan. Not only is that hard to clean, it makes
the tamari very bitter.


This begs to be served with a thin, light set of salt and vinegar potato chips.

Where to Shop

Trader Joe’s has their own brand of super firm tofu and Wild Wood produces some that is sold at
places like Whole Foods. The rest of the ingredients are fairly easy to come by. Approximate cost per
serving is $2.00.

How It Works

The tofu is cut about ½” thick so that it is substantive without being so thick that it becomes too
heavy (super firm tofu is dense!). It is then sautéed so it can crisp a bit, then simmered with the
water and tamari so that it can have a few seconds to absorb some of the sauce. The water in the
sauce also keeps the tamari from instantly caramelizing and tamari is used because it caramelizes
with a better flavor than standard soy sauce. Because the super firm tofu is dense, it needs some


heavy flavors to accompany it, which is why a tamari and tomato paste ketchup is used along with
caramelized onions.

Chef’s Notes

I had a version of this burger years and years ago when I first became vegetarian, though it didn’t
have the tamari‐based ketchup. It was seared super firm tofu and tomatoes with caramelized
ketchup on a light and fluffy bun.


Calories 327
Fat 11 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 21 g
Salt 1190 mg

Interesting Facts

Super firm tofu is made by slowly compressing a mold around the tofu until almost all water content
has been squeezed out, which is very difficult to do without commercial machinery.



Classic Fries with Garlic Fries Option
Type: Side Serves: 4
Time to Prepare: 30 minutes + time for the potatoes to soak

Ingredients
4 large Russet potatoes, cut into fry‐sized strips
Vegetable oil or peanut oil (usually about 1 quart)
¾ tsp. of salt
Options: 8 cloves of minced garlic, 3 tbsp. of minced fresh parsley, ½ tsp. of freshly ground black
pepper

Instructions
Thoroughly wash the potatoes.
Peel the potatoes (or not if you like fries with the skins on them!).
Slice the potatoes in ¼” thick slabs, then slice the slabs into ¼” wide strips.
Soak them in water for at least 1 hour, but preferably 6 hours.
Pat them dry.
Heat the oil in a heavy‐bottomed pot like a Dutch oven or a fryer to 325 degrees F.
Line up paper towels over a rack or plate.
Fry the potato strips for about 3‐4 minutes, until they no longer look raw, but do not fully cook them
(they should be limp and not crisp, yet).
Set them to drain on the paper towels.
Increase the heat of the oil to 375 degrees F.
Fry the strips again, for 3‐4 minutes, until they look golden brown.
Place them on new paper towels and give them a quick shake.
Dress them with the salt and give them one last quick shake.
Serve immediately!
Garlic Fries Option: Mince the garlic and parsley and set them aside, keeping them separate, before
you heat up the oil. Immediately after the fries come out of the oil, toss them with the garlic (this
hot fries will cook the garlic). Give the fries a shake, then add the parsley, salt, and pepper, and
serve.


Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Large Bowl
Rack or Plates
Paper Towels
Spider (frying basket)
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

Wrap these in brown paper and place them in a wicker basket or a
cup for a fun presentation. For color, you can garnish them with
minced parsley or a reddish spice mix, like Cajun seasoning or
smoked paprika.

Time Management

Do not skip on the soaking time! It’s one of the key differences between fluffy fries and gummy fries.
Once you start frying, have everything in place so you can get the potatoes out at the right time.

How It Works

There are a few keys to this recipe. The first is choosing the right potatoes. Russets are used because
of their mealy texture, which ends up creating that fluffiness found in the best fries. The higher
starch potatoes, like Yukon golds, get too dense. Second, soaking the potatoes accomplishes two
things. First, it pulls out more of that gummy starch, making the finished product even fluffier.
Second, it soaks the potatoes with water, which pushes against the oil in the fryer. That outward
pressure is what keeps the fries from being laden with oil. Finally, frying in two batches cooks the
fries evenly during the first frying (which is why it’s done at a lower temperature) and then exposes
the surface area of the fries to intense heat during the second frying, creating that crispy outer skin.

Chef’s Notes

I don’t eat fried foods often, but properly done fries are irresistible, especially when they’re dressed
with garlic and flaky sea salt. Yum!


Calories 222


Fat 6 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 465 mg

Interesting Facts

French fries are also known as pommes frites, which is simply French for fried potatoes.
Fries have been around for at least 300 years, with a record of them being prepared in Belgium in
1680.



Cajun-spiced Oven Fries


Ingredients
The Fries
4 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into thin fry‐sized strips
¾ tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning (recipe below)
The Cajun Seasoning
½ tsp. of garlic powder
½ tsp. of fresh thyme
½ tsp. of freshly ground white pepper
½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. of cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. of lemon pepper
½ tsp. of freshly ground cumin
½ tsp. of fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp. of freshly ground fennel seeds
¼ tsp. of allspice
¼ tsp. of fresh oregano

Instructions
Cut the potatoes into ¼” slabs, then cut those into ¼” wide strips.
Toss them in the oil, then toss them in the salt and Cajun seasoning.
Place them on a baking sheet.
Bake them on 415 degrees for 35‐40 minutes.
To make the Cajun seasoning, combine all the ingredients and quickly stir.


Low‐fat Version

Do not toss the potatoes in oil, but heavily spritz them with water instead, then toss them in the
Cajun seasoning. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and cover it with foil so the fries don’t
dry out.

Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Baking Sheet
Mixing Bowl

Presentation

Roast these until there are lots of heavily browned edges on the potatoes, then make sure those
edges are exposed when the fries are served.

Time Management

The cook time will vary depending on the cut of your fries, but when you see the tips have browned,
you’ll know they’re done.

How It Works

There isn’t much to this recipe, but the key is to spread the fries across the baking sheet. This allows
the potatoes to roast evenly and also exposes the maximum surface area of the potatoes to the hot,
dry air of the oven. If the potatoes are piled on top of each other, they end up steaming quite a bit
instead of getting the full roast.

Chef’s Notes

Cajun seasoning is one of my favorite potato spice mixes. It’s packed with complex flavors and plenty
of heat. I admit that I’ll cheat and use a store‐bought one, but just as often, I’ll make my own.
There’s nothing like freshly ground spices to make a dish come to life.


Calories 217
Fat 3 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 5 g

Salt 487 mg

Interesting Facts

Potatoes weren’t introduced to Europe until the 1500s, so if you see a potato‐based dish in a story or
movie that takes place before then, it’s an anachronism!



Grilled Steak Fries

Ingredients
4 Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
½ tsp. of flaky sea salt
1 tsp. of coarsely ground black pepper
¼ tsp. of paprika or cayenne pepper

Instructions
Cut the potatoes in half along the length.
Cut the potatoes halves into ½” thick wedges by slicing into the potato every half inch and angling
towards the center.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add the potato wedges, boiling them for about 7 minutes, until they are barely done.
Remove them from the water and pat them dry when they cool.
Toss them in the olive oil and then the salt, pepper, and chile powder mix.
Make sure your grill is hot (a high heat if you are using a gas grill).
Grill the wedges, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.


Low‐fat Version

Loosely wrap the wedges in foil and pierce the foil packet with a fork several times. Do not toss the
wedges in oil. Place the foil packet on the grill and rotate it every minute or so for about 7‐8 minutes.

Kitchen Equipment

Grill
Tongs
Pot
Colander
Towel
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoon
Stirring Spoon
Mixing Bowl

Presentation

Serve these in a big basket or plated alongside your favorite grilled
burger.

Time Management

Its important not to overcook the potatoes. If they’re too soft, they’ll fall apart on the grill. In fact,
it’s better to err on the side of caution and undercook them a bit if you’re not exactly sure. They’ll
finish cooking on the grill. Also, the more uniform you can cut your potato wedges, the more evenly
they will cook.

How It Works

These are fairly simple, but it’s important that the potatoes are cooked before they go on the grill.
The grill cooks so quickly that the outside of the potatoes will burn by the time the inside cooks,
which is why they have to be boiled first.

Chef’s Notes

I love how easy these are to put together. I generally won’t get my grill together just to do these,
however, but if I’m already grilling some burgers, I’ll go out of my way to make these tasty treats!


Calories 195
Fat 3 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 270 mg

Interesting Facts

Wild potatoes are often very small, just a couple inches in length.



Sweet Potato Fries


Ingredients
2 large orange sweet potatoes or 3 medium‐sized ones
Vegetable oil or peanut oil
¼ tsp. of kosher salt
Pinch of allspice

Instructions
Peel the sweet potato(es).
Slice them into ¼” thick slabs, then slice them into ¼” wide strips.
Fill a Dutch oven or fryer with enough oil to completely submerge the fries.
Heat the oil to 365 degrees.
Get a rack or sheet ready, lining them with paper towels.
Add the sweet potato strips to the oil and fry them for 3‐4 minutes, then place them on the towels.
Immediately toss with the salt and allspice.


Low‐fat Version

Omit the oil, spritz the fries heavily with water, toss in the salt, and allspice, and then bake them in a
covered baking dish on 375 degrees for 30‐35 minutes.

Raw Version

These can be done raw fairly easily. Make the strips a bit smaller, toss them with a touch of olive oil,
the salt, and allspice, and then dehydrate them on 107 degrees for 4‐5 hours.

Kitchen Equipment

Dutch Oven or Fryer
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoon
Mixing Bowl
Rack or Platter
Paper Towels

Presentation

If you serve these immediately, serve them over paper, which will
absorb any excess oil.

Time Management

Don’t keep waiting for these to get golden brown and crisp like potato fries. Sweet potatoes cook
differently and won’t fry up quite the same way. Also, sweet potatoes have a high amount of sugar
and are prone to burning, so pay close attention while you’re cooking them. If you see any
blackening, get them out of the oil right away.


These go well with anything you would normally serve with fries, but I particularly enjoy them with
Southern food.



Where to Shop

Look for orange sweet potatoes, which are often called yams or garnet sweet potatoes. Approximate
cost per serving is $0.75.

How It Works

Because sweet potatoes have more sugar than regular potatoes, they have to cook at a slightly lower
temperature to avoid burning the sugar. That high amount of sugar also keeps them from getting
crispy like regular potatoes. The pinch of allspice is there to just provide a hint of aromatic spice and
helps bring out the sweet note of the fries.

Chef’s Notes

I first had sweet potato fries at Blossom, in NYC, and have been in love with them every since. I
particularly like them with spicy dishes, since the sweetness balances heat.


Calories 184
Fat 8 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 2 g
Salt 179 mg

Interesting Facts

Sweet potatoes, despite the name, are not related to potatoes.
Some cultures use sweet potato vines and flowers in their dishes.



Onion Rings
Type: Side Serves: 6‐8

Ingredients
2 red onions or Maui sweet onions, sliced into rings
1 ¼ cups of corn flakes
2 cups of flour, separated into equal portions
½ tsp. of salt
¾ tsp. of smoked paprika
½ bottle of dark beer
Vegetable or peanut oil

Instructions
Slice the onions into rings and separate the rings.
Remove the thin film on the inside of each ring, as much as possible.
Pulse the corn flakes in a food processor until they are coarsely ground (you should end up with just
under ½ cup.
Combine the ground corn flakes, 1 cup of flour, salt, and smoked paprika.
Slowly add the beer while you stir until you have a semi‐viscous batter.
Fill a heavy pot, Dutch oven, or fryer with enough oil to completely submerge a couple layers of onion
rings.
Bring the oil to 375 degrees F.
Set up a rack or platter with paper towels.
Add the remaining 1 cup of flour to a shallow bowl.
Dredge the onion rings through the dry flour.
Quickly dredge the rings through the batter and allow any excess batter to fall off the rings for a few
seconds.
Fry the onion rings for about 4 minutes, then remove them and set them to dry on the paper towels.


Low‐fat Version

Use 2 servings of EnerG Egg Replacer to help the batter bind to the onion rings in the oven. Keep the
corn flakes and batter separate. Dredge the rings through the dry flour, then the batter, and then the
corn flakes. This helps keep the batter intact while they bake. Bake them on 450 degrees for 25
minutes.

Kitchen Equipment

Food Processor
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Whisk
Dutch Oven or Fryer
Rack of Platter
Paper Towels
Knife
Cutting Board
2 Mixing Bowls

Presentation

For a fancy presentation, you can stack these around a supported
wooden dowel and garnish the stack with minced parsley.
However, I just usually thrown them on the plate!

Time Management

The time consuming part of this recipe is actually removing the film from the inside of each ring.
Don’t worry if you don’t get every little bit off. It can be a pain and making these should be fun!

How It Works

The film inside each ring is slippery, which means the batter has a hard time sticking to that part of
the onion if it’s left on. The rings are dredged through dry flour to create a gummy layer to which the
actual batter can stick. Corn flakes are added because they create super crispy onion rings. They’re
already crisp and just get crisper in the fryer.



Chef’s Notes

Onion rings just out of the fryer are amazing. Sweet and crisp in a way that is highly addictive!
However, they’re a bit of work and typically something I do only if I’m already frying something,
which doesn’t happen that often.


Calories 226
Fat 10 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 4 g
Salt 151 mg

Interesting Facts

Onion rings, unlike other sides of its type, are a fairly recent invention, most likely invented in the late
1920s.



Cracked Pepper Potato Chips


Ingredients
2 large Russet potatoes, sliced thinly
Vegetable or peanut oil
¼ tsp. of coarse sea salt
1 tsp. of coarsely ground black pepper
Option: 1 tbsp. of white vinegar (try white balsamic)

Instructions
Peel the potatoes.
Using a mandoline or food processor extension, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, no more than
1/8”, but preferably less (if the slice is translucent, you’ve got the right thickness).
Fill a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with about 1” of oil.
Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
Fry the chips in batches, one layer at a time in the pot, for about 1 ½ minutes, flipping the chips at the
1 minute mark.
Set to dry on a rack or platter covered with paper towels.
Immediately toss with the salt and pepper.
Option: Toss with the vinegar, then toss with the salt and pepper.


Kitchen Equipment

Mandoline or Food Processor with a slicing extension
Rack or Platter
Paper Towels
Dutch Oven or Heavy Pot
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

The key to a good presentation with these is to not use finely ground
pepper. A fine ground makes the chips look homogenous.

Time Management

Because the chips are thin, they can go from being done to being burned very quickly. Watch them
and as soon as they are golden brown, get them out of the hot oil, regardless of how much time has
passed.

How It Works

The key to getting a crisp potato chip is the heat of the oil and the thinness of the potato slices. The
thinner they are, the crisper they get.

Chef’s Notes

There is something magical about making your own potato chips. They’re easy to do and it’s
something we usually don’t think of making ourselves.


Calories 129
Fat 5 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 1 g

Protein 2 g
Salt 159 mg

Interesting Facts

Potato chips account for nearly one third of all snacks sold in the U.S.



Classic Burger Bun
Type: Bread Serves: 12

Time to Prepare: 2 hours

Ingredients
1 cup of soy milk
1 cup of water
2 tbsp. of oil
1 tbsp. of finely ground turbinado sugar
1 ½ tsp. of salt
5 ½ cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. of active dry yeast
2 tbsp. of sesame seeds

Instructions
Combine the soy milk, water, oil, sugar, and salt and warm it until the sugar dissolves.
Add the yeast and stir.
Add the flour to a large mixing bowl.
Slowly add the wet mix, stirring until it is thoroughly combined.
Knead this on a well‐floured surface for about 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic, but not overly
tough.
Place this in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel, letting it rise for 1 hour.
Punch down the dough.
Divide it into 12 balls.
Oil your hands and pat each ball down into a 3”‐4” disk.
Cover them with a towel and let them rise about 20 minutes (they should double in size).
Sprinkle sesame seeds over each bun and give each bun a quick gentle pat to press the seeds into the
bun.
Bake them on the middle rack of the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Slice the buns in half after they have completely cooled.


Kitchen Equipment

Pot
2 Large Mixing Bowls
Baking Sheet
Towels
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Stirring Spoon or Large Whisk

Presentation

Not applicable.

Time Management

Using a mixer with a dough hook is a sure way to save yourself time kneading the dough as well as
your arms!


Burgers, of course!

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are readily available, even the whole wheat pastry flour. Approximate cost
per serving is $0.30.

How It Works

This is basically a classic bread recipe. Sugar is used so the yeast can feed on it, releasing gas into the
bread which is trapped by the gluten web developed by kneading the dough. The trapped gas causes
the bread to rise, giving it its fluffy texture. Fairly simple and straightforward.

Chef’s Notes

Even though these take awhile to make, the amount of labor with them is fairly minimal and fresh
burger buns are amazing.


Calories 240
Fat 4 g

Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 9 g
Salt 302 mg

Interesting Facts

Whole wheat pastry flour is ground from soft wheat, which is how it can have such a fine texture and
still be a whole grain.



Potato Buns
Type: Bread Serves: 6

Time to Prepare: 1 ½ hours

Ingredients
½ cup of mashed Russett potatoes
½ cup of finely ground turbinado sugar
¼ cup of vegetable shortening
2 servings of EnerG Egg Replacer
¾ tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of active dry yeast
½ cup of warm water
2 ½ cups of whole wheat pastry flour

Instructions
Peel the potatoes.
Boil them until soft, then mash them until there are no lumps.
Combine the mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, Egg Replacer, and salt.
Combine the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for a couple minutes.
Stir this into the potato mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
Stir 1 ½ cups of flour into the potato mix until thoroughly combined.
Stir the remaining flour into the mix until thoroughly combined.
Knead the dough over a lightly floured surface for about 6‐7 minutes, until it’s just barely elastic.
Place the dough in an oiled mixing bowls and cover it with a towel.
Allow it to rise for about 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 6 balls.
Lightly oil your hands.
Pat the balls into disks about 3”‐4” in diameter.
Place them on a baking sheet and cover them with a towel.
Allow them to rise for about 20 minutes (they should double in size).
Bake them on 325 degrees for 12‐15 minutes.
Cut them in half after they have cooled.


Low‐fat Version

You can make this without the shortening, though the buns won’t be quite as tender. You will need
to add about 3 tbsp. of water to replace it.

Kitchen Equipment

Pot
Peeler
Colander
Potato Masher
2 Large Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Stirring Spoon or Whisk
Baking Sheet
Towels

Presentation

Not applicable.

Time Management

Make sure the potatoes have cooled when you start to work with them. Hot potatoes retain their
heat for quite awhile and are notorious for sticking to hands! Hot potatoes sticking to your
hands=not fun.


This is the perfect recipe when you want a soft bun that melts around your burger. The flavor goes
particularly well with spicy burgers.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are common. Approximate cost per serving is $0.40.

How It Works

Russet potatoes are used because they produce light, fluffy mashed potatoes, which helps produce
light, fluffy bread. Because the dough has potatoes in it, it’s hard to get it very tight, so if you keep
working it past the point where it just becomes elastic, all you end up doing is toughening the dough.
These buns are baked at a low temperature so that they retain their soft texture. This is particularly
important so the potatoes don’t stiffen. The shortening is also used to keep the bread tender, a
hallmark of potato bread.

Chef’s Notes

I usually don’t have the patience to peel potatoes, boil them, put them in dough, etc., but when I
have extra mashed potatoes left over, this is an ideal way to use them.


Calories 389
Fat 9 g
Dietary Fiber 9 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 10 g
Salt 294 mg

Interesting Facts

Although this bread seems like it should have a very old pedigree, it wasn’t developed until the
1800s.



Balsamic Ketchup
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes ½ cup
Time to Prepare: 7‐10 minutes

Ingredients
1 tsp. of whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
5 tbsp. of tomato paste
3 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. of salt (unless your tomato paste has salt already)

Instructions
Over a medium heat, toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for about 5 minutes.
Grind the cumin seeds into a powder.
Combine all the ingredients.



Kitchen Equipment

Pan
Mortar and Pestle or Small Food Processor
Measuring Spoon
Measuring Cup
Stirring Spoon
Spatula
Mixing Bowl

How It Works

Toasting the cumin and grinding it gives a depth to the ketchup that it would otherwise be missing,
though it still tastes good without it. Using balsamic adds sweetness to the ketchup and also gives it a
strong note with a classy touch.

Chef’s Notes

I’ve taught this ketchup in several classes, including ones for kids, and it is always a huge hit.


Calories 117
Calories from Fat 9
Fat 1 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 14 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 670 mg

Interesting Facts

Ketchup has been around for at least 400 years and has its origin in China.



Aioli Dijon

Type: Sauce Makes: about 1 ½ cups
Time to Prepare: about 5 minutes, plus chilling time

Ingredients
6‐8 cloves of garlic
1 cup low fat vegan mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ground mustard
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large tablespoon dry thyme
½ teaspoon whole pepper
3‐4 tablespoons of malt vinegar

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a blender.
Process until smooth.
Chill and serve.



Kitchen Equipment

Measuring cups, measuring spoons, blender, bowl

Presentation

This is the Aioli Dijon served with a slider topped with coleslaw. The combination is amazing.


This tangy dressing serves as a great dip for salt and vinegar fries, a topping for burgers, and is also a
tasty salad dressing. It is deceptively simple to make but goes well with many things.

Where to Shop

Most of the ingredients can be found at any well stocked supermarket. The only thing that might take
time to track down is the malt vinegar. Try supermarkets with large gourmet or international
sections.

Chef’s Notes

I was not prepared for how popular this little dressing would be! I served it with salt and vinegar fries.
I thought I made enough, but the fries were gone and my husband and guests were using bread to
sop up the last of this dip! Therefore, it is now saved as one of my proven crowd pleasers.

Nutritional Facts (individual servings in parentheses, does not include any options)

Calories 2016
Fat 216 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 6 g
Salt 2040 mg

Interesting Facts

Malt vinegar is very popular in England and Canada. In Canada, all fries are brought to the table with
malt vinegar. No ketchup for them!


Pickled Onions
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes about 1 ½ cups

Time to Prepare: 1 day

Ingredients
1 red or Spanish onion, sliced thinly
Enough white or apple cider vinegar to cover the sliced onion
¼ tsp. of salt
Option: 4‐5 dried cayenne or arbol chiles

Instructions
Slice the onion as thinly as possible into long strips.
Place the onion slices, salt, and optional chiles in a glass jar.
Pour the vinegar over the onion until it is covered.
Seal the jar and allow it to sit unrefrigerated for a full day.
Refrigerate after the first day.


Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Glass Jar or Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoon

How It Works

Use a white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a more mellow pickled onion and use a dry
white wine vinegar for pickled onions with lots of bite. The pickling process basically occurs as the
acid in the vinegar breaks down the onion, softening the onion and helping the onion absorb the
vinegar. The salt imparts just a pinch of flavor to the onion and adds another layer to it. Sugar is
used in a lot of traditional pickling, but I find that makes the onions overly sweet.

Chef’s Notes

These make a great alternative to fried onion rings and are also frequently used in Mexican recipes.


Calories 80
Calories from Fat 0
Fat 0 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 10 g
Protein 1 g
Salt 126 mg

Interesting Facts

Vinegar is derived from “vin aigre,” which is French for sour wine.
Vinegar is created from the fermentation of ethanol.



Sweet Pickles
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes 1 ¼ cups
Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + time to sit

Ingredients
The Pickles
4 pickling or Persian cucumbers
12 whole cloves of garlic
Option: 3 sliced red jalapenos
1 tbsp. of fresh dill
3‐4 slices of ginger
1 tbsp. of white peppercorns
1 tsp. of salt
3 tbsp. of pickling spice (use a store bought one or see recipe below)
1 cup of white vinegar (try white balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
3 cups of water
1 ½ cups of sugar
The Pickling Spice
2” cinnamon stick, crushed
1 tsp. of brown mustard seeds
3‐4 whole cloves
3‐4 whole allspice berries
4‐5 juniper berries
Pinch of mace
2 dried bay leaves

Instructions
Cut the ends off the cucumbers and thoroughly wash the pickles.
Slice the pickles into about ¼” thick rounds.
Add the cucumbers, garlic, dill, ginger, peppercorns, salt, and pickling spices to a glass bowl or jar and
thoroughly mix.
Bring the vinegar, water, and sugar to a simmer, dissolving the sugar (make sure to use a pot that
does not have any exposed metal).
Pour the hot liquid over the mix and allow it to sit for at least 4 hours.


Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Glass Bowl
Non‐metal Pot

Time Management

You can cheat and simmer the cucumbers, garlic, etc. in the vinegar solution for about 10 minutes to
make the pickles. The flavors won’t have melded together completely, but you also won’t have to
wait for hours to have them done.

How It Works

It’s important for the cucumbers to be thoroughly washed so there isn’t anything that can taint the
pickling solution. It’s also important for the solution to be simmered in a pot without any exposed
metal because the vinegar will react adversely with the metal. Sugar is added to basically make a
sweet and sour solution, keeping the pickles from being to biting.

Chef’s Notes

Make sure to get nice, crisp cucumbers! Soft cucumbers will result in mushy pickles.


Calories
Calories from Fat 0
Fat 0 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 2 g
Salt 750 mg

Interesting Facts

Dill pickles have been produced in Germany and Poland for several centuries.



Piquillo Pepper Aioli
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes about 1 cup


Ingredients
4 cloves of garlic
6 piquillo peppers
1 cup of vegan Mayo (grapeseed Vegenaise works best)
¼ tsp. of salt
½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Place the garlic and peppers at the bottom of the blender, then add the remainder of the ingredients.
Puree the sauce.



Kitchen Equipment

Blender
Measuring Spoon
Measuring Cup
Spatula


This can be used in most places where mayo can be used and is perfect for burgers that need
creaminess and acidity to balance out their flavors.

Where to Shop

Piquillo peppers can be found at many olive bars and gourmet stores, as well as Trader Joe’s.

How It Works

A traditional aioli is basically a mayonnaise with lots of lemon and even more garlic. The acidity from
the marinated piquillo peppers replaces the lemon in this recipe. The garlic and peppers are added to
the blender first to make sure they are close to the blades so they get properly pureed.

Chef’s Notes

Wow, this is one of my favorite sauces. It brightens just about anything to which it is applied and
makes it sing with flavor.


Calories 1400
Fat 144 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 1 g
Salt 1883 mg

Interesting Facts

Traditional aioli is made with eggs and olive oil to create the mayonnaise.



Serrano Relish
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes ¾ cup
Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + time to sit

Ingredients
3 pickled Serrano chiles, minced
¼ cup of diced Spanish onion
2 tbsp. of diced yellow bell pepper
1 small pickle, diced
1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
2 tbsp. of minced cilantro (coriander)
Apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp. of salt
Option: ¼ cup of fresh corn kernels

Instructions
Cut all the veggies.
Place them in a glass bowl or jar and cover them with apple cider vinegar.
Cover the bowl and let them sit for at least 24 hours.
Drain the relish when you are done marinating it.


Kitchen Equipment

Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoon
Measuring Cup
Glass Bowl and Cover

Where to Shop

Get a good quality, organic pickle. A lot of the more common ones are marinated with ingredients
like food coloring and high fructose corn syrup. The rest of the ingredients are fairly common.

How It Works

Everything is cut very small so that it all melds together when its served. Apple cider vinegar is used
because its sweet, which balances out the Serrano chiles. Note that if you want the Serrano flavor
without as much of the heat, you can split the Serranos in half, remove the seeds, and remove the
small ribs on the inside of the chiles. Yellow bell pepper is also used for sweetness as well as color.

Chef’s Notes

I’ve never been a big fan of relish or pickles, but I am a sucker for spicy foods, so this is one of the few
relishes I will actually use on my veggie burgers.


Calories 141
Calories from Fat 9
Fat 1 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 3 g
Salt 755 mg

Interesting Facts

Most relishes in the United States use mustard seed as one of the key ingredients.



Herbed Sunflower Cheese
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes ½ cup

Time to Prepare: 6 hours

Ingredients
½ cup of raw, hulled sunflower seeds
Water
1 clove of garlic
¼ tsp. of salt
½ tsp. of white pepper
2 tsp. of fresh thyme
2 tbsp. of chopped chives

Instructions
Place the sunflower seeds in a bowl and add enough water to cover them by at least 1 ½”.
Soak them for about 6 hours, then drain them.
Puree them with all the other ingredients.


Kitchen Equipment

Bowl
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board
Blender
Spatula

Time Management

This will keep refrigerated for about two days, but will start to lose quite a bit of flavor after that.


This is a super‐easy cheese spread, but it’s fairly thick, so use it with hearty foods like veggie burgers
or even spooned onto tacos.

Where to Shop

You’ll get the best price on the sunflower seeds if you purchase them from bulk bins. Approximate

How It Works

Soaking the sunflower seeds makes them semi‐soft, allowing them to be smoothly pureed into a
spread. Once they are pureed, they have a rich, clean taste that satisfies the palate in a similar way
to cheese. If you make this without the herbs, you should still include the salt and white pepper. The
salt brings out the other flavors and the white pepper gives it a complexity it would otherwise be
missing.

Chef’s Notes

I use this spread for burgers, lasagna, tacos, and even just as a dip for raw zucchini chips!


Calories
Calories from Fat
Fat 36 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 6 g

Salt 581 mg

Interesting Facts

Sunflowers are actually comprised of over 1,000 smaller flowers.



Sweet Mustard
Type: Condiment Serves: Makes just over ¼ cup

Time to Prepare:

Ingredients
3 tbsp. of yellow mustard seeds
3 tbsp. of brown mustard seeds
½ tsp. of dried wasabi powder
1/8 tsp. of salt
1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. of agave syrup or maple syrup

Instructions
Grind the mustard seeds and salt into a powder.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar and agave until you have a thick mustard.



Kitchen Equipment

Mortar and Pestle or Small Blender
Measuring Spoon
Small Mixing Bowl
Small Stirring Spoon

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients should be fairly common, though you’ll get the best price if you can buy your
mustard seeds from bulk jars. Check for the wasabi powder in the Asian section of your local market.

How It Works

A mix of mustard seeds is used to achieve a complexity of flavor. Wasabi is added to spice it up while
apple cider vinegar is used to not only add the acidity needed for mustard, but also because it’s
sweet. Of course, syrup is used to create most of the sweetness in the recipe.

Chef’s Notes

I love this recipe. It has kick from the mustard seed, a different type of kick from the wasabi, and a
nice balance of sweet and sour to carry all those spicy flavors.


Calories 464
Fat 19 g
Dietary Fiber 10 g
Sugars 35 g
Protein 17 g
Salt 290 mg

Interesting Facts

The heat of mustard comes from a natural compound called isothiocyanates.



Cheesecake Shake
Type: Dessert Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 pint of soy vanilla ice cream
Juice of ½ of a lemon
½ cup of vegan cream cheese
2 tbsp. of vegan sour cream
2 graham crackers
Option: 1 ½ cups of blueberries, ¼ cup of sugar

Instructions
Puree the ice cream, lemon juice, cream cheese, and sour cream.
Crumble the graham crackers.
Add the shake to the glasses and top with the crumbled graham crackers.
Option: Over a medium‐low heat, reduce the blueberries and sugar into a rough sauce. Top each
shake with the blueberry sauce, then add the crumbled graham crackers.


Kitchen Equipment

Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Blender
Spatula

Presentation

Don’t crumble the graham crackers into super small pieces. Leave
them in chunks to create more of a color contrast between the
crackers and shake.

Time Management

Serve immediately! If you use the optional blueberry sauce, wait for it to cool, then make the shake.
Pouring hot blueberry sauce over the shake will just create melted shake.

Where to Shop

So Delicious makes one of the best brands of soy ice creams for shakes. Fortunately, it can be found
in most stores, though you’ll probably get the best price at places like Fresh & Easy. Approximate

How It Works

Vegan cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice form the base of quite a few vegan cheesecakes,
which is why they are added to this recipe. However, it’s a shake and not a cheesecake, so those
items are used in limited quantities more to enhance the flavor of the ice cream than to take it over.

Chef’s Notes

This shake is pure decadence with all the faults and perks that go along with that!


Calories 425
Fat 13 g

Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 20 g
Protein 7 g
Salt 542 mg

Interesting Facts

Shakes in the 1800s were not made with ice cream, but rather were made with eggs and whiskey.



Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie


Ingredients
1 cup vanilla nondairy milk
½ cup frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
1‐2 teaspoons agave nectar
Options: Vegan whipped cream, chocolate shavings and chocolate syrup for garnish

Instructions
Blend the milk, raspberries, chocolate chips, and agave nectar in a blender.
Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate, if desired.



Kitchen Equipment

Blender
Tall glass

Presentation

The garnish is definitely worth it, especially the shaved chocolate!

Chef’s Notes

These dessert smoothies taste decadent and a cinch to make.


Calories 155
Fat 7 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 15 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 129 mg

Interesting Facts

Smoothies originated in Brazil.



Coconut Almond Shake


Ingredients
3 tbsp. of slivered almonds, toasted
3 tbsp. of shredded coconut, toasted
1 pint of coconut‐based ice cream
½ tsp. of almond extract
Option: ¼ cup of rum

Instructions
Toast the almonds over a medium heat in a dry pan until they just barely develop some browning.
Repeat this with the coconut.
Puree the ice cream, almond extract, and optional rum.
Top each shake with the coconut and then the almonds.


Kitchen Equipment

Pan
Spatula
Blender
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

Pick out any coconut shreds that got burned. The shake will not only
look better, but you’ll be getting rid of any unwanted tastes.

Time Management

Make sure the coconut shreds and almonds are cool before placing them on the shake. Otherwise,
they’ll melt the shake and create a mess.

Where to Shop

Try places like Whole Foods for the coconut‐based ice cream. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00.

How It Works

The almond extract infuses the coconut ice cream with a light almond flavor. Because it’s so
powerful, you don’t need to use a lot of it. The toasted coconut and almonds are there for both
texture and presentation.

Chef’s Notes

Try a bit of lime juice in this shake for a fun Thai‐inspired variation!




Calories 366
Fat 22 g
Dietary Fiber 11 g
Sugars 25 g
Protein 4 g
Salt 47 mg

Interesting Facts
Coconuts are so water resistant and buoyant that they can travel across an ocean and still be edible.



Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake


Ingredients
5 oz. of vegan dark chocolate, crushed
¼ cup of crushed, roasted, salted peanuts
1 pint of vanilla soy ice cream (use chocolate soy ice cream if you want a heavily chocolate flavored
shake)
¼ cup of peanut butter
1 cup of vegan marshmallows
1 small square of vegan dark chocolate, shaved

Instructions
Place the 5 oz. of dark chocolate in a small plastic bag.
Smash it with a heavy utensil until you have tiny chunks of chocolate.
Smash the peanuts in the same way or chop them with a heavy knife and set aside a few to top the
shake.
Puree the ice cream and peanut butter.
Stir in the crushed chocolate, peanuts, and most of the marshmallows, saving a few to top the shake.
Top the shake with a few crushed peanuts and marshmallows.
Shave about 1 tsp. of chocolate onto each shake.


Kitchen Equipment

Plastic Bag
Heavy Utensil
Blender
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Small Knife

Presentation

Make sure the marshmallows are the small ones! Also, don’t overdo
it with the peanut garnish. You want some of the shake to show
through.

Time Management

Serve immediately!

Where to Shop

All the ingredients are fairly common except for the marshmallows. My favorite brand is Dandies,
which can be ordered online or can be found at Whole Foods. Also, both Trader Joe’s and World
Market have vegan dark chocolate, with World Market having a very interesting selection of flavors.

How It Works

The base of the shake is rich peanut butter and vanilla. The idea is to create shots of chocolate
interspersed throughout that richness, which is why chocolate chunks are stirred into the shake
instead of blended with it. The saltiness of the peanuts creates a delicious counterpoint to the
sweetness of the shake and they provide a nice crunchy texture, as well.

Chef’s Notes

This ended up being my favorite shake out of all the ones in this issue, but I’m a sucker for peanut
butter and chocolate.




Calories 503
Fat 27 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugars 33 g
Protein 11 g
Salt 306 mg

Interesting Facts

Peanut butter wasn’t invented in the modern age. It was being made, albeit in coarse form, by Aztecs
several centuries ago.



Raspberry Banana No-guilt Shake


Ingredients
2 cups of frozen raspberries
2 ripe bananas, peeled
3 tbsp. of agave syrup or maple syrup
1 cup of almond milk

Instructions
Puree all the ingredients, allowing the blender to run until the raspberries are perfectly smooth.


Kitchen Equipment

Blender
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon

Presentation

This has a beautiful dark color, so make sure to use a clear glass when
serving it.

Time Management

You can serve this immediately or keep it in the freezer, stirring it every 10 minutes. Once you are
ready to serve it, allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.

Where to Shop

All of these ingredients are very common. Approximate cost per serving is $2.00.

How It Works

The banana and almond milk create the thick binder that gives the shake a creamy quality. Pureeing
frozen raspberries into that mix creates an ice cream‐like texture.

Chef’s Notes

If you like sorbet, you’ll like this shake, and it’s way less fat than a more traditional shake. Way less.


Calories 218
Fat 2 g
Dietary Fiber 12 g
Sugars 24 g

Protein 4 g
Salt 82 g

Interesting Facts

The best season for raspberries is mid‐summer.



Spicy Mango Shake

Time to Prepare: 5 minutes plus time for the mango to thaw

Ingredients
2 cups of frozen mango, thawed
2 cups of vanilla soy ice cream
Juice of 1 lime
¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper or ¾ tsp. of ancho powder
3 small cuts of mint
Option: 1 tsp. of ancho flakes

Instructions
Allow the mango to completely thaw.
Puree the mango, ice cream, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.
Top each shake with a small cut of fresh mint and optional ancho flakes.


Kitchen Equipment

Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Blender
Knife
Cutting Board

Presentation

Try to leave at least a ½” stem at the bottom of the cuts of mint,
then insert the stem into the shake to help support the mint.

Time Management

The mango needs to be completely soft to properly puree, so don’t rush it.

Where to Shop

Most markets sell frozen mango, but you can get a good quality one at Trader Joe’s for a great price.
If you go with the ancho powder and flakes, you may be able to find some at a conventional market,
but if you can’t, check your local Mexican market. You can even make your own by crushing anchos
yourself. Approximate cost per serving is $2.50.

How It Works

The sweet lushness of the mango offsets the spiciness of the cayenne pepper, creating balance in the
shake. The lime juice helps accentuate the sweetness of the mango and brightens the entire shake.

Chef’s Notes

This is a shake version of a mango lime sorbet I like to make and I thought the addition of spicy chile
powder would make this incredibly fun!


Calories 287
Fat 3 g

Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugars 32 g
Protein 4 g
Salt 221 mg

Interesting Facts

Mangoes are so important to the culinary traditions of the world that they are the national fruit of
several countries.



Strawberry Milkshake
Type: Dessert Serves: 2 or 1 if you really want milkshake

Time to Prepare: about 10 minutes if you need to prepare the strawberries.

Ingredients
1 pint non‐dairy ice cream (I use So Delicious)
16 oz of fresh strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cup non‐dairy milk

Instructions
If not already done, take your pint of strawberries and hull them.
Add the hulled strawberries, ice cream, milk, and agave to a blender, and whip it at high speed until
creamy.



Low‐fat Version

Substitute low fat ‘milk’ and ice cream.

Raw Version

Substitute raw vanilla ice cream, raw milk, and raw agave.

Kitchen Equipment

The only equipment needed is a knife for the strawberry tops and a blender for the drink. A stand
blender would work better than an immersion blender, but you could make do with one in a pinch.

Presentation

Top with a mint leaf or two, or some soy whip cream.

Time Management

This is very time friendly. There are no short cuts because it doesn’t take time.


If you serve this with a nice grilled veggie burger and sweet potato French fies, your friends will love
you forever. Seriously.

Where to Shop

Fresh and Easy has cheap So Delicious ice cream. But really you be able to get the ingredients at most
places. Approximate cost per serving is $2.50.

How It Works

The blender whips in air, which helps make this creamy. That is why a high speed blender stand
blender works best with this.

Chef’s Notes

As my husband would say, this is extra ‘ghetto’ meaning he’s food slumming but can’t get enough. I
have had friends hold out empty cups with intense longing in their eyes. It’s so simple you might think
it won’t be good, but it is delicious!

Nutritional Facts (individual servings in parentheses, does not include any options)

Calories 612

Fat 19 g
Dietary Fiber 18 g
Sugars 71 g
Protein 5 g
Salt 91 mg

Interesting Facts

Milkshakes, named in the late 1800s, were originally made with milk, eggs, and whiskey.


Lime Raspberry Cheesecake
Time to Prepare: 2 hours plus several hours to rest

Ingredients
The Crust
2 cups graham cracker pieces or crumbs (or 1 sleeve of graham crackers)
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon agave nectar
The Filling
3 packages (12.3 ounces each) silken tofu, drained
1 package (8 ounces) tofu cream cheese
1 cup agave nectar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons lime zest (or zest of 2 limes)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon extract
The Topping
1 cup berry juice
2 tablespoons agar powder
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Instructions
Making the Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grind the graham crackers in a food processor or blender.
Add the oil, sugar and water and mix until combined.
Press into a 9‐inch pie pan or spring form pan.
Bake for ten minutes.
Let cool and then fill.
Making the Filling
Process the tofu, cream cheese sugar, agave, maple syrup, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla,
cornstarch and lemon extract in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
Prepare the cheesecake for a water bath by wrapping the bottom of the spring form pan in
aluminum foil first so that there are no leaks when you put it in the water bath.
Place the pan in a roasting pan with 1‐2 inches of water that come up the sides of the
cheesecake pan.
Pour the batter onto the crust.
Bake for an hour and 20 minutes or until the sides pull away from the edges but the middle is
not completely firm.
Let cool and then refrigerate all day or overnight before serving.

Keep refrigerated.
Making the Topping
To make the topping, cook the juice with the agar powder in a medium saucepan over
medium heat until it boils, around 7 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in the raspberries and mash them up.
Let the mixture cool in the pan for about a half hour.
Spread the mixture over the cooled cake then chill it for at least an hour before serving the
cheesecake.



Kitchen Equipment

Food Processor or Blender
Roasting Pan
9‐inch Spring Form Pan or Pie Pan
Spatula
Medium Sauce Pan

Presentation

Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve
with a few cuts of fresh basil or mint for
extra color.

Chef’s Notes

Have a bite of citrus perfectly complemented by the tartness of raspberry, balanced by the natural
sweetness of agave and maple, swimming in a sea of creamy filling atop a crispy crust.


Calories 384
Fat 16 g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 36 g
Protein 7 g
Salt 133 mg

Interesting Facts

Cheesecake was made in Ancient Greece and adopted by the Romans after their Greek conquest!



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Table of Contents

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 1

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 2

The Vegan Culinary Experience

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 4

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 5

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 6

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 7

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 8

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 9

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 10

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 11

Not Just a Magazine

An Educational and Inspirational Journey of Taste, Health, and Compassion

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 12

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 13

Put the quinoa, beans and onion in the food

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 14

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 15

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 16

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 17

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 18

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 19

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 20

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 21

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 22

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Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 51

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 52

Burgers, Fries, & Shakes March 2011 | 53

Authors: David Stowell and Publisher: Surrey Books

Reviewer: Jason Wyrick

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