The Decadent Vegan Cookbook
This cookbook captured my heart - it's going to be a serious favorite! The author shares her distinct philosophy of vegan food preparation & eating that is good for you, inspiring and beautiful. This is expressed in every single page of the book. It's both earthy and sublime. It's a treasure!!!
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The Decadent Vegan is a cookbook full of elegant, sumptuous, Middle East-inspired recipes that will convince you that eating vegan is not only easy, but the height of gourmet dining!
Treat your tastebuds to stuffed artichoke hearts and chickpea pancakes filled with potatoes and arugula. Celebrate life with a breakfast fit for a Sultan or a festive spinach pie. Delight your guests with lemony potato wedges wrapped in grape leaves, stuffed eggplant boats, celery root steaks dipped in creamy green tahini, sunflower/beet pesto and chia seed caviar. Make your own vegan milk, and discover some fun party food.
You’ll learn how to set up your vegan kitchen, make heavenly desserts and arrange your dishes into beautiful mandalas. You'll get tips on using creativity in your kitchen and being vegan on the road.
Whether you are a vegan looking for new ideas or a non-vegan wanting to introduce more veggies into your diet, this book will revolutionize your approach to plant-based cooking.
Alongside the recipes are insights into Middle Eastern food culture, amusing anecdotes, prints of Raquy's illuminated vegetable art, and a playlist of her original music to listen to while cooking.
WHY BE VEGAN?
I LOVE ANIMALS
This was the original reason that, at the age of eight, I became a vegetarian. In my 20s, when I realized that the dairy industry is just as cruel if not more so than the meat industry, I became a vegan.
Animals are conscious beings who experience feelings just as we do: joy, fear, pain and love. They have personalities! They can see, hear and smell, have mating rituals, play games, love and care for their young, enjoy a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep and have friendships and attachments just as we do. They have a right to enjoy their life on this planet in freedom and peace.
As long as there are plenty of vegetables to eat, I would never kill a cow, chicken or pig for food. Therefore, how can I justify eating an animal just because someone else killed it and wrapped it in a nice neat package for me to buy?
If the act of slaughtering were not so hidden from society, it’s likely that many more people would be vegetarian. If you could not bring yourself to kill an animal, or if even just seeing this act would deter you from eating meat, you have a vegetarian spirit. By eating meat, you are going against your true nature. Furthermore. when you eat an animal who died in pain, fear and suffering, you are putting that negative energy into your own body.
Along with the slaughtering of animals for food are other practices I consider immoral. Zoos, for example. To take innocent animals away from their natural environment, confine them in cages and deprive of their freedom seems no less than a criminal act. As does animal testing, another horrible practice that should be banned.
Many people claim that man is the highest being, and that God put animals on earth for us to exploit them for our own needs. I see it very differently: Yes, we are the most intelligent beings, and for that reason, we are responsible for the peace and wellbeing of every living thing on this planet.
I LOVE MY PLANET
If we are such an intelligent species, why are we destroying our own planet? What could be more important than preserving and protecting this paradise and all its inhabitants? We pollute the earth, making the water undrinkable, the air un- breathable, cutting down trees, slaughtering animal species to the point of extinction, throwing our plastic and garbage into the oceans, and destroying the bees who are the key to all food on the planet. The list of human crimes against nature goes on and on, and the irony is that without the things we are destroying, we cannot survive.
Climate scientists warn us that cattle and dairy farming is unsustainable, generating high levels of greenhouse gases at every stage of the production process. In fact, a recent study showed that meat and dairy industries create 7.1 gigatons of greenhouses gases annually. That is 14.5% of total man-made emissions.
If we stop buying meat and dairy and the slaughterhouses and dairy farms were shut down, the global warming process would slow down drastically, making the human burden on this planet significantly less.
I LOVE MYSELF
I have been vegan for over a quarter of a century and so far it's worked out quite well. I have plenty of energy and engage in rigorous physical activity such as running, yoga, and drumming. My body is strong and flexible and I’m able to sit in full lotus posture for many hours. I rarely get sick, and I feel spiritually clean and light.
I LOVE VEGETABLES
How many times have I heard, "I love animals too, but I just can't give up meat?"
For those who think the vegan diet is lacking, try tahini, avocados, and cooking things in coconut milk. You can get plenty of protein and vitamins from nuts and beans. If you are craving a meaty texture, there are ways of making mushrooms taste meatier than meat! I'm not a big fan of meat substitutes, but they exist: seitan, tofu, or tempeh can have the texture and protein of meat.
This is a gem of a book. The author brings several different passions to bear on her delightful time-tested recipes… So not only are there delicious and simple recipes, but her artistic talent literally shines through in her illuminated artwork and her gorgeous edible mandalas! Her passion is infectious and inspiring, and each recipe is very flexible and forgiving. In the introduction and details at the end, she encourages you to trust your instincts and make it work for you! I trust myself more as a vegan cook now.