Taste the difference
Vegan cookbook author Laura Wright focuses on flavour
There’s been a shift in Toronto’s vegan dining scene. Recent arrivals Planta and Awai are positioning plant-based cuisine as delicious and satisfying rather than justifying it as healthier or morally superior alternatives to meat. The philosophy of these restaurants is that when vegetables, grains and fruits are cooked and seasoned just right, they yield a complex smorgasbord of creamy, crisp, chewy, salty, sweet and smoky goodness.
Niagara-based food blogger Laura Wright applies that same approach to home vegan cuisine in her first book The First Mess ($35, Penguin Canada), which is based on her six-year-old recipe site of the same name. Wright urges home cooks to extract a plant’s full flavour potential by thinking beyond spring mix salads and a quick steaming.
“The cooking method alone can make you love or hate vegetables,” Wright says, while in the Star’s test kitchen blitzing navy beans in a blender to make her recipe for quinoa and white bean risotto with roasted broccoli and cauliflower. In one of the ovens is a baking tray of charred broccoli and cauliflower, simply dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted till the flowery heads are singed and crispy and the stems are tender. “They almost have a meaty texture,” she adds.
Wright, 32, worked at her father’s produce business as a kid picking raspberries and learning about the seasonality of Ontario produce. Later, when studying environmental ethics at the University of Toronto, she adopted a vegan diet (she was already a vegetarian) after learning about the environmental impact of factory farming.
Wright worked at farm-to-table chef Jamie Kennedy’s now-closed Gilead Café, where the emphasis was on locally grown and seasonal produce. After university, she enrolled in a nutritional culinary program at George Brown College and learned about cooking for specialized diets.
Rather than just tossing raw veggies into a bowl with vinaigrette and calling it a meal, Wright’s consideration of textures, colour and balance of flavours makes her dishes a satisfying meal. Her approach got her noticed by food media juggernauts Saveur, America’s Test Kitchen, Food 52, The Kitchn and Epicurious.
“If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can make everything taste good,” she says, referring to kitchen staples including miso, tamari, vinegars, canned tomatoes and olive oil. “It’s all about that balance of salty, acidity and a bit of sweetness that makes a dish come together.”
“If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can make everything taste good.” LAURA WRIGHT FOOD BLOGGER AND AUTHOR
For instance, the quinoa and white bean risotto recipe stems from an unsatisfying dinner in Denver, when a restaurant gave her a plate of lukewarm and dry quinoa that was supposed to be a vegan riff on risotto. “It was a cruddy $18 quinoa salad and I wanted to see if I could make a better version at home,” she says. “There’s no starch in quinoa, so I added white beans for that creamy, starchy feeling. It also has added protein, which makes you feel satisfied without being weighed down. The vegetables add colour, texture and a slight smokiness.”
With a bit of forethought, it’s easy to bring plants from their side-dish status to the main event.
“The food should be elegant, you’d want to serve it to guests, but don’t hit them over the head with it being healthy or gluten free. Taste comes first.”
Creamy Quinoa and White Bean Risotto With Crispy Brassica Florets
Star Tested By no means is this a substitute for the cheesy goodness of risotto, Wright says, but she calls it a risotto dish because it gives off a similar velvety texture without a carb-induced coma.
Nutritional yeast can be found at bulk or health food stores (Wright prefers the Bragg brand that comes in a shaker bottle). It has a salty, cheesy flavour not unlike crushed goldfish crackers. Wright uses it in lieu of the parmesan that’s traditionally used in risotto.
The recipe calls for cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, but any hearty vegetable — carrots, eggplant or onions — would pair beautifully, since they sweeten when slightly charred. While it’s not in the book, Wright says a little drizzle of balsamic at the end gives the dish a nice acidic zing. 6 cups (1-1/2 L) bite-sized florets of cauliflower and/or broccoli 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp (40 mL) olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2cups (500 mL) canned white beans such as navy or cannellini, rinsed 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp (1 mL) nutritional yeast, plus more to taste 2-1/3 cup (500 mL plus 80 mL) no salt-added vegetable broth, plus more if necessary 2 small shallots, diced 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, minced 1 cup (250 mL) quinoa, rinsed 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley Balsamic vinegar, optional Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Add florets and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper until lightly coated. Roast until florets are crispy and edges are slightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 200 F (100 C) to keep vegetables warm until ready to use.
Meanwhile, in a blender, purée beans, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1/3 cup vegetable broth until smooth. Set aside.
In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add shallots and sauté till translucent, about 4 minutes. Add thyme and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add quinoa. Stir until coated with oil, herbs and shallots. Add remaining 2 cups vegetable broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer uncovered until quinoa has absorbed most of liquid, about 15 minutes.
Add white bean mixture and stir to create a creamy consistency. If too dry, add more broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in half of chopped parsley.
Transfer quinoa to serving plates and garnish with roasted vegetables. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and more nutritional yeast, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. karonliu@thestar.ca