‘What’s for Dinner?’: A Vancouver-Based Vegan Cookbook Simplifies the Dinner Situation

Article content

The Vegan Family Cookbook

By Anna Pippus

Appetite by Random House | 248 pages | $ 24.95

In 2016, Anna Pippus started casually sharing her daily meals on Instagram.

“I opened an Instagram account just to share what I ate every day,” the Vancouver-based newspaper said. blogger behind the Easy Animal Free site , He says. “There wasn’t much, it was just a simple photo and an explanation of what he was eating.”

It wasn’t long before her healthy comfort food “grew and grew,” an interest that the creativity of vegan food attributes to the accessible recipes she made every day for her family.

Article content

“People were really responding well because it was about really real food. It was actually what we were eating, ”says Pippus. “It was not the perfect meal for a project that someone could cook on the weekend. This was really the day-to-day meal. “

In addition to being ‘real’, the dishes helped answer two questions Pippus says many people struggle with: “What’s for dinner?” and “How can I eat more plant-based foods?”

“I was meeting a lot of people who were really interested in vegan eating, but they just didn’t know what to eat. They didn’t know how to go vegan, they didn’t know what to cook, they didn’t know if it could fit into their busy lives, ”says Pippus. “And I identified with that because I, too, once had a shelf full of cookbooks and I had browsers full of recipe tabs. And yet, around 3pm, it was always the same ghastly, ‘What the hell am I going to do for dinner tonight?’ “

Article content

As his following grew, Pippus stepped up his social media engagement by posting videos of the step-by-step processes he used to create his meals.

“People responded very well. They said, ‘This has finally revealed the secret of vegan eating to me. It has made it easier for me to eat more plant-based. Either my daughter or my parents or my friend wants to go vegan and I had no idea where to start, ‘”says Pippus. “Actually, it’s not just vegans or families who are interested in what I share. They’re people who say, ‘You know, I like to cook, but it’s not my only interest. I like to do other things ‘. “

This fall, Pippus unplugged his food after the release of his first cookbook titled The Vegan Family Cookbook. The “Cookbook and Culinary Toolkit” features the former animal welfare attorney sharing more than 100 simple recipes that include one-pot foods like chickpeas, curried cauliflower, and sticky sweet tofu.

Article content

“It’s a compendium of simple recipes and a strategy manual on how to cook dinner if you’re too busy to think about it all the time,” Pippus sums up from the launch.

Of course, there is also an underlying drive for readers to eat more plants, too.

“Exactly,” admits Pippus with a smile. “Now that the Food Guide focuses much more on plants and people are aware of the health, environmental and animal welfare benefits of eating beans, lentils, tofu, hummus, these kinds of things, people are interested in eating this way, but they just don’t have a clue where to start.

“It is not as simple as removing the chicken breast and replacing it with chickpeas, because it will not be as tasty and it will not be a complete meal. You need to learn some new tips and tricks to make it a satisfying way to eat. “

Article content

The cookbook has been in the works for several years, according to Pippus. However, he admits that the timing of its launch in the midst of COVID-19 has been somewhat serendipitous, as he feels that people are more interested in eating at home and eating healthier in general.

“I think people are … becoming a little more interested in plant-based eating, recognizing that there are problems with animal husbandry,” says Pippus. “I think that, for me, I was seeing, over and over again, this huge problem of the animals that suffer on the farms. And that’s really what I was seeing from day to day: pictures of animals and farms. And it was very tragic and sad. “

The solution, Pippus stresses, is quite simple.

“It’s really about eating more plant-based,” says Pippus. “We can all participate very simply and easily in the solution by simply putting more vegetables on our plate more often.”

Article content

The easiest first step to adopting a more plant-based diet, according to Pippus, is to replace dairy.

“It’s a really easy way to make a big impact. Just buy oat milk or soy milk; there are many non-dairy alternatives, ”says Pippus. “From a cooking point of view, I would say that instead of the meat, potato and vegetable formula that many of us grew up eating, the new formula for vegan cooking is the bowls. The bowl formula is grain or starch, legumes, greens, sauce, and dressing. “

Pippus points to miso ramen, which she refers to as a “family favorite,” as her favorite in the book, pointing to the five-minute chickpeas and veggies with paprika as a close second.

“It’s a complete meal and it really doesn’t take more than five minutes,” says Pippus.

Article content

The author is confident that these hand-selected recipes, along with the buffet of others offered on the pages of the book, will help change the perspective of any group that has been hesitant to adopt a more plant-based diet for fear of tasting. food. too bland.

“People are starting to appreciate that it’s not just boring, tasteless and unsatisfying food. That actually vegan eating can be decadent and exciting, colorful and vibrant, ”says Pippus. “That it is beautiful food to see and exciting to eat, and that it also makes us feel very good.”

While waiting for readers to find inspiration in his cookbook, Pippus encourages readers to step off the recipe, using his creations as a stepping stone rather than a hard and fast path to dinner.

Article content

“Go ahead,” Pippus urges. “I think it’s really important for people to develop that sense of confidence and empowerment to make cooking work for them. Cooking from recipes, because you’re pulling out your measuring tools and reading the recipes, requires a mental bandwidth that sometimes, at the end of the day, we have no more brain power left.

“That’s really one of the secrets – use recipes as guidelines and then feel free and creative in the kitchen to make it work for you.”

Sesame Soba Noodles with Kale and Edamame

Soba noodles cook quickly and work well at room temperature, making them a natural choice for a quick lunch or to make ahead. You can even make this dish before you leave home, as it comes together in a pot in less than 10 minutes. Although it includes only a few ingredients, it is very tasty – the soy sauce and sesame oil bring a lot to the table. – Anna Pippus

Article content

180 g soba noodles

1 cup (250 ml) frozen shelled edamame

1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons (22 ml) sesame oil

1 tsp (5 ml) Sriracha or other hot chili garlic sauce (optional)

2 cups (500 ml) finely chopped kale

Boil the noodles and edamame together until both are tender, 3 to 4 minutes (check your packages to make sure this is the correct cook time as there may be some variation). Drain and rinse with warm water to avoid lumps.

Toss cooked noodles and edamame with soy sauce, sesame oil, hot sauce (if using), and kale. Taste and adjust the flavors.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 to 3 days.

Serves 2-3.

Excerpted from The Vegan Family Cookbook by Anna Pippus. Copyright © 2021 Anna Pippus. Photography © 2021 Anna Pippus. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd. Reprinted by agreement with the publisher. All rights reserved.

[email protected]