The Vegan Pantry: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes for Modern Vegan Food

The Vegan Pantry: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes for Modern Vegan Food

Author: Dunja Gulin

Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small (2014)

My family, like so many these days, is a mixed bag of backgrounds, traditions, habits and – not the least – diets. The “man of the house” (who is the only man in the house!) is a true omnivore. He loves almost every fruit or vegetable out there, but is hard pressed to call a plate of animal-free food a “meal” no matter how hearty it is. My (not so) little sister would happily live off pancakes and pasta every day, but for my mom and I vegetable-based main dishes are the rule rather than the exception. Neither of us are “true” vegetarians (we both eat fish, and she eats meat in small amounts), but we are not opposed to vegan food as the bulk of our dining routine. Part nutritional, part economical and part sustainable, a totally vegan diet can also be completely delicious, varied and manage to fill any craving you might have. Dunja Gulin, author of The Vegan Baker, sets out to prove this very fact in her cookbook The Vegan Pantry: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes for Modern Vegan Food.

Without manifesto, pomp or harassment as to the “evils” of a meat-inclusive diet, Vegan Pantry is precisely the same style as any other cookbook in terms of it’s organization and language. Shying away from overly processed meat and cheese analogues, Gulin shows how vegetables, whole grains and legumes can form delicious and filling frameworks for a variety of meals – including comfort fare such as Lentil Moussaka (p. 61), elegant Polenta Tarte Flambee (p. 65) and even a hearty Goulash (p. 53). Many of the recipes in this book are gluten-free as well, giving this book an added bonus for people cooking for mixed company. It’s hard to believe that any of the dishes are missing anything – and truly, they aren’t, since the choice to live any sort of dietary lifestyle is one that should be filled with enjoyment, not focused on sacrifice.

Of course, healthy (or “alternative”) food doesn’t always look too gourmet – but William Reavell does the recipes in Vegan Pantry justice with his stunning, full-colour photographs. Even tofu-phobics will crave a colourful Tofu Scramble (p. 35) or Curry (p. 49), and the Vegan Caesar Salad (p. 93) looks decadent enough to make anyone crave a bowl of greens. I can’t promise that every dish that came out of my kitchen while cooking through this book looked as spectacular, but then again, the taste had me coming back for more!

He major stumbling block that most would-be vegan cooks face is the sheer amount of time that most whole-food preparations take. Vegan Pantry is not immune to this, unfortunately, as many of Gulin’s recipes require advance soaking, grinding, chopping or even secondary recipe preparations before a relatively brief “final assembly”. While I would never discount the book entirely based on that detail alone, some simpler and more approachable items would benefit busy households or working parents who are considering this lifestyle.

I thoroughly enjoyed making and tasting a host of things from Vegan Pantry, including the Pure Energy Bars (p. 39) and the Strong Flavoured Tomato Sauce (p. 99). The Gooey Chocolate Cookies (p. 127) are on my must-make list as well without question, since even with the time constraints they look decadent enough to eat off the page. The success of everything I’ve made so far also gives me confidence that more complex projects will turn out equally well. One of the major “pluses” of Gulin’s recipes is that most of them make fantastic leftovers (or freezer meals) as well. He filling in the Soft-Shell Veggie Tacos (p. 62) lasts a week in the fridge and is divine mixed with rice or pasta, as well as being reheated in its original “taco” form. The deserts themselves last in the fridge or freezer too, and if they aren’t gobbled up the second they’re served, a serving makes a fabulous snack or weeknight treat.

Whether you’re a long-term plant based foodie, or simply trying out a few meat-free menus during the week, you’re sure to find something to tempt you in Dunja Gulin’s The Vegan Pantry: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes for Modern Vegan Food. From breakfast to dessert, delicious, nutritious and relatively simple meals are just a page-turn away.

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The Vegan Baker: More Than 50 Delicious Recipes for Vegan-friendly Cakes, Cookies, Bars and Other Baked Treats

The Vegan Baker: More Than 50 Delicious Recipes for Vegan-friendly Cakes, Cookies, Bars and Other Baked Treats

Author: Dunja Gulin

Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small (2013)

Everyone loves a treat once in a while. It’s almost impossible to think of an office meeting, open house or even road trip without some sort of edible, and while muffins and cookies aren’t considered “health food” in any sense of the phrase, they can provide a much-needed pick-me-up during the day. However, those who have dietary restrictions are often at a loss when it comes to the conventional sweets table. Most commonly purchased bakery items are laced with eggs, dairy, nuts or one of the other common allergens, and those who follow a specific diet for religious or ethical reasons often avoid prepared foods for this reason as well. One of the most basic ways to eliminate two of the major allergens, as well as any animal product-based restrictions, is by preparing vegan items. While they may be stereotyped as things only palatable for hippies and health gurus, the science and methodology of vegan baking has progressed enough to be more than capable of producing items that are approachable, economical and simply delicious – no segregating identifier of “vegan” required. Dunja Gulin believes delicious baking that just happens to be vegan is accessible to everyone, and avers this passion in her third cookbook: The Vegan Baker: More Than 50 Delicious Recipes for Vegan-friendly Cakes, Cookies, Bars and Other Baked Treats.

Vegan Baker takes not only a dairy- and egg-free approach to baking, but a healthier twist as well. Gulin stresses the use of the best possible ingredients, organic items when possible, and limiting or eliminating refined sugar – resulting in wholesome, not-too-sweet goods that are still most definitely treats. While some people may argue against all these restrictions (or “rules”) for what is supposed to be something decadent and special, Gulin’s reasoning is that the finished goods will taste just as rich and delicious, if not more so, than their conventional counterparts. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the belief that organic food tastes (or is in general) better, but I do know that quality ingredients in any form of cooking or baking make a huge difference. This is not to say you should break the bank on imported chocolate and hand-harvested and ground grains for flour, nor do you need to cook beans and grind nut butters from scratch at home – just have faith that the items you choose to cook with will produce stellar results.

If the passionate introduction and thorough discussion of ingredients doesn’t whet your appetite for the recipes, Clare Winfield’s fantastic, full-colour photos just might. Beautifully styled shots of almost (if not every) recipe fill the pages, and unlike many cookbook pictures provide a relatively authentic representation of the words alongside.

Yummy Carob Slices (p. 58)

Of the recipes I tried in Vegan Baker, I was consistently amazed. Not because the methods were outlandish or the ingredients were exotic, but because they were anything but – fairly simple, straightforward and quick, with the most outré ingredients being carob and agar powder (which even in my relatively rural neighbourhood were easy to locate at the health food and bulk store). The results weren’t anything other than decadent – not just “good for being vegan” – and while I included a list of ingredients on the packages I put together for some friends of mine (in order to avoid any potential allergies to soy, gluten or nuts), no mention was made of the treats being made without many conventional staple ingredients and no questions ever came up. The Rich Tea Bread (p. 36) was first on my list to try, and I actually made it twice in different forms to use up a bunch of partial bags of nuts and dried fruit in my pantry. Both the original, more “British” combination of Earl Grey, prunes, dates, Craisins, sunflower seeds and walnuts and the “tropical” rendition with mango tea, candied ginger, apricots, macadamia nuts, dates, cranberries, almonds, pumpkin seeds and raisins were moist, dense and flavourful – better than any standard fruitcake I’ve ever made or had before! The sleeper hit for many of my taste-testers was the Yummy Carob Slices (p. 58).  Given that carob is the unfortunate recipient of the “70’s-era hippie food” stereotype, I waited for the unbiased opinion to be leveled before cluing in the group. While it didn’t taste like your standard chocolate cake (and it wasn’t billed as such), it was moist, rich and nothing short of a wonderful dessert.

The only recipe of Gulin’s I questioned was the Coffee Toffee Cookies (p. 89), as there was no real “toffee” or true “coffee” element in the ingredients. I expected a buttery, bittersweet note from the two ingredients, but the cookies only contained coffee extract, not brewed, ground or instant coffee, and contained cocoa powder which seemed out of place. If I was to re-make these, I would use a vegan butter substitute instead of the relatively flavourless coconut oil, add a dash of butterscotch or caramel flavouring, leave out the cocoa and use a spoonful of instant coffee along with the extract.

Rich Tea Bread (Tropical Version) (p. 36)

On the whole, Dunja Gulin does the culinary world as a whole a great service with The Vegan Baker: More Than 50 Delicious Recipes for Vegan-friendly Cakes, Cookies, Bars and Other Baked Treats. With sweet, rich tasting treats that have a subtly healthy twist, the book will become a staple on my baking bookshelf and I urge you to take a look yourself.

Available on Amazon