LET’S GET FLEXIBLE

Vegan recipes – with a twist – spark healthy eating habits for 2018.

We tend to make all-ornothing food resolutions when facing a brand new year. (I will go raw! I will go entirely sugar-free! I will go strictly vegan!)

Kudos to those who manage to obey the confines of such resolutions. I am not one of those.

Sure, I love raw foods, sugar-free foods and vegan foods. But I appreciate flexibility as well. This is why I think I found a kindred spirit in the new cookbook “Alternative Vegan: Healthy PlantBased Recipes that Break the Rules,” by San Francisco food photographer and recipe developer Marie Reginato, who authors the popular “8th and Lake” blog.

At first glance, her recipes contain all the obligatory vegan ingredients: nut milks, coconut oil, quinoa, chia seeds, roots and spices and plenty of massaged kale. But look closely and you’ll find (real) ricotta is involved, as is (real) yogurt, and eggs, poached and otherwise. And – gasp! – fish. As in halibut, salmon and tuna.

What the heck is going on here? It’s Reginato’s “flexible vegan” way.

“I think the future of food is gravitating towards greater flexibility. I keep witnessing an increased number of people who do not want to feel judged for their relaxed approach to eating well,” says Reginato in an interview released by her publisher, Page Street.

Here’s the beauty of Reginato’s way: It encourages your New Year’s desire to incorporate more frequent, flavorful vegan foods into your diet without expecting you to turn full vegan. The woman raised in a family of butchers and fishermen learned to truly appreciate fresh vegetables during her travels in Italy. These fresh, “honest” ingredients became her gateway to embracing plant-based cooking that’s tempered with occasional fish, egg and dairy dishes.

Despite the addition of animal protein in some dishes, it’s the veggies that shine in the pages of Reginato’s book. For a meat-eater seeking more plant-based ways in the new year, this just may be an approach that minimizes broken resolutions.

In the very least, the following three recipes from “Alternative Vegan” offer a healthy and flavorful way to kick off the new year.

RECIPES

The following recipes and author notes are reprinted from the book “Alternative Vegan,” by Marie Reginato ($21.99), with permission of its publisher, Page Street Publishing.

THREE-BEAN AFRICAN SPICED CHILI

“I got the idea for this recipe from a friend who tried African chili years ago. Essentially, it’s a laundry list of warming spices simmering away with fennel and onions, and then stewed alongside beans, hearty portobello mushrooms and squash. I have yet to meet someone who isn’t enchanted by it, even die-hard meat eaters. Generous chunks of portobello mushrooms bulk up the chili, making it into a complete meal. This is a perfect choice for anyone who is venturing into the world of plant-based eating.” – Marie Reginato

This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, quartered

and thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, roughly

chopped

1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon coconut sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder 1 teaspoon coriander

powder

Sea salt to taste 1 tablespoon tomato

paste

1 large tomato, roughly

chopped

3 cups low-sodium

vegetable broth 1 medium delicata squash or sweet potato, cubed (you can leave the skin on) 1 red bell pepper, roughly

chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro,

roughly chopped

1 cup canned black beans,

drained and rinsed 1 cup canned black-eyed peas or kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup canned cranberry beans, drained and rinsed

1½ cups portobello mushrooms, cut into big chunks

MAKE THE CHILI:

In a large sauté pot (I like to use a Dutch oven) over high heat, warm the olive oil and add in the sliced onions, fennel, garlic, cinnamon stick, coconut sugar, all the spices and sea salt. Bring the heat down to medium and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a few splashes of water if the bottom of the pan starts to dry out and mix well.

Add in the tomato paste and the chopped tomato and mix well. Now add in the broth, cubed delicata, bell pepper and cilantro. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Now add in the beans and portobello mushrooms to the chili and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce it to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the veggies and mushrooms are tender and the chili sauce has reduced down and thickened.

Remove the cinnamon stick and serve the chili in a bowl, or seal it up in a mason jar and bring it with you for lunch on-the-go!

Tip: If you cannot find black-eyed peas or cranberry beans, feel free to use more black or kidney beans.

PHOTO BY MARIE REGINATO No lack of flavor: The “Alternative Vegan” approach puts plant-based meals, like this hearty chili, front and center. But this way of eating is flexible enough to allow occasional dairy indulgences and fish courses.

Chunks of portobello mushrooms and squash bulk up this Three-Bean African Spiced Chili.

Marie Reginato’s book features flexible vegan recipes that include ricotta, yogurt, eggs and fish.