Eat Their Words: The Sexy Vegan will Spice Up Your Kitchen
By John DiGilio in Food on Sep 7, 2012 7:00PM
Judging by the proliferation of meatless menu items and restaurants that cater to animal-free tastes, veganism and vegetarianism as lifestyle and dining choices have gone from tacitly accepted to downright trendy. But is going veggie sexy? It is when you can cook with the same great tastes, colors, nutrition and diversity of the carnivores without all that... you know... killing. Enter an ordinary guy with a penchant for teaching us all how to make cruelty-free, extraordinary food. Enter The Sexy Vegan Cookbook.
Brian L. Patton was a mere couch potato before he found his calling and began turning taters into healthy meals you can easily create at home. What started as a popular series of webisodes, known as much for their off-color commentary as their mouth-watering meal ideas, has now become an equally enjoyable guide full of all the same great recipes and biting humor for which Patton and crew have become known. With accessible instructions, affordable ingredients, and a healthy dose of fun, Patton demonstrates that anyone can serve up meatless masterpieces.
The Sexy Vegan Cookbook has everything from cocktails, which he wryly calls the “most important meal of the day”, to entrees, snacks, desserts, and even pizzas. Since getting our copy, we have been enamored of the soups and sandwiches. The Peanut Butternut Squash Soup is creamy and decadent. The Minestrone achieves an old world flavor without the meat. For comfort food lovers, we recommend the Bourbon Tempeh Sliders. They are perfect pub grub for the herbivore. And when it comes to entrees, do not miss the Barbecue Ribz with Smoky Elbows and Cheeze. It is sheer ooey-gooey-goodness on a plate! Below is the recipe for the wonderful White Bean and Kale Soup. With fall coming, it is a delicious way to fight off the chill. Get a copy of this book and keep yourself and your taste buds entertained year round.
WHITE BEAN AND KALE SOUP
The rosemary in this soup really makes it. Please use fresh and not dried. Big difference.
Serves 6 (6 cups)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 large leek, halved lengthwise and sliced
Salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups vegetable stock
2 leaves kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
2 cups drained freshly cooked white beans (cannellini, navy, etc.) or one 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
Pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the onion, carrot, leek, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and rosemary, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the vegetable stock, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the kale and beans, and simmer for 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in the parsley, and serve.
Excerpted with permission from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude ©2012 by Brian Patton. Published with permission of New World Library