Perception-busters

PLANT-BASED DISHES FROM THE FIRST MESS COOKBOOK OUGHT TO PLACATE ANY OMNIVORE

‘Istart with the enjoyment of food and work out from there,” Southern Ontario-based writer and photographer Laura Wright says.

Her streamlined, stylish and seasonal approach to vegan food on her blog, thefirstmess.com, has garnered a devoted readership — not to mention 185k followers on Instagram. In her debut volume, The First Mess Cookbook (Penguin Canada, 2017), Wright shares more than 125 plant-based recipes.

Rather than focusing on restrictions, she says, pleasure and appetite are always front-of-mind. Elegant yet approachable, Wright’s recipes just happen to be free of animal products. Dishes are homey and substantial, and showcase accessible ingredients.

“I want (people) to look through the book and think, ‘I have all of those things already’” she says. “Plantbased cuisine can just be part of what you’re already doing. It shouldn’t feel so other.”

Although she loves vegetables such as kohlrabi and ramps, she stuck to more mainstream ingredients in the book. Olive oil is her “main cooking oil of choice.” Whole grains and pulses (farro, lentils), flours (spelled, chickpea), sweeteners (maple syrup, medjool dates), “flavour savers” (miso, herbs and spices), and produce (Swiss chard, eggplant) are all widely available.

“(I love it) when someone who is an omnivore emails me through my site and they’ll say, ‘we eat meat, we eat cheese but we made this recipe of yours and my kids had seconds,’” she says. “Just those simple observations that are very real life moments, that is so gratifying to me.”

VANILLA CORN CAKE WITH ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

Makes: one 9-inch (23-cm) cake; nut-free and cane sugar-free.

¾ cup (175 mL) full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 cup (250 mL) cornmeal (not coarse)

1 cup (250 mL) whole spelled flour 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest 1 tbsp (15 mL) aluminum-free baking powder ¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda 1 tsp (5 mL) fine sea salt ½ tsp (2 mL) ground turmeric (optional)

½ cup + 2 tablespoons (125 mL + 30 mL) pure maple syrup

½ cup (125 mL) sunflower oil, plus extra to grease pan

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

Roughly 1 quart (4 cups/1 L) whole strawberries (smaller berries are preferable)

Whipped Coconut Cream (recipe follows), for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with sunflower oil. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the pan and press it in. Lightly grease the parchment, and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and lemon juice. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes so that the milk can curdle slightly.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, spelled flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and turmeric, if using.

4. Make a well in the centre of the cornmeal mixture. Add the maple syrup, sunflower oil, vanilla, and coconut milk mixture. With a spatula, gently mix until you have a smooth and unified batter. Avoid over-mixing.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and slide the pan into the oven. Bake the cake for 25 to 28 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).

6. Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters (depending on size), and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast the strawberries until they become juicy and jammy, about 20 minutes.

7. Serve slices of the corn cake with a few roasted strawberries and some Whipped Coconut Cream if you like.

WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM

Makes: A generous 1 cup (250 mL); gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, cane sugar-free.

1 can (13.5 oz/400 mL) full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight

1 tbsp (15 mL) pure maple syrup

½ tsp (2 mL) pure vanilla extract

1. Remove the chilled can of coconut milk from the refrigerator. When you open it, there should be a thick layer of pure coconut cream on top. Scoop this coconut cream into a medium bowl, being careful to avoid the water at the bottom of the can.

2. To the coconut cream, add the maple syrup and vanilla and whisk vigorously by hand until you have a smooth and light cream. You could also whip this in a blender, food processor, or with a hand mixer.

PEPPERONCINI LENTIL CRUNCH SALAD

Serves: 6 to 8; gluten-free, nut-free and cane sugar-free. Dressing: 4 pepperoncini peppers, stems removed (plus extra for serving)

2 tbsp (30 mL) pepperoncini pickling liquid

1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar 1 clove garlic, chopped ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin

½ tsp (2 mL) pure maple syrup

¼ cup (50 mL) virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad: 2 cups (500 mL) French or black beluga lentils, rinsed

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced ½ cup (125 mL) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Make the dressing: Combine the pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini pickling liquid, white wine vinegar, garlic, ground cumin, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a blender and whiz on high until you have a creamy and smooth mixture. Set aside.

2. Make the salad: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Drop the lentils into the water with a big pinch of salt, and cook until just tender, about 20 minutes. Rinse the lentils with cold water and transfer them to a large bowl.

3. To the bowl, add the bell peppers, onions, celery, and parsley. Season the salad with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

4. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine once more.

FARRO AND PINE NUT CHARD ROLLS

Serves: 4; no added sugar

1 cup (250 mL) semi-pearled farro

¼ cup (50 mL) pine nuts, toasted and chopped 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest 1 tsp (5 mL) nutritional yeast

1 tbsp (15 mL) virgin olive oil

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper, to taste 8 chard leaves 2 cups (500 mL) prepared marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Set out an ovenproof 11- × 7-inch (2 L) ceramic or metal baking dish.

2. Place the farro in a medium saucepan. Cover with water by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the farro is just tender, about 28 minutes. Drain any excess water from the farro and return it to the saucepan, off the heat.

3. Using the saucepan as a mixing bowl, stir in the pine nuts, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

4. Take one chard leaf and remove the stem. You should have two long halves of the leaf now. Repeat with remaining chard leaves. Place all trimmed chard in a large bowl. Cover the chard with boiling water and let it sit to wilt for 5 minutes. Drain the water and pat the chard dry.

5. Spread ½ cup (125 mL) of marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

6. Take one trimmed chard segment and spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 mL) of the farro mixture onto the bottom of the leaf. Tuck the leaf over the filling and tightly roll up. Place the chard roll into the baking dish, seam side down, on top of the sauce. Repeat this process with the remaining farro filling and chard.

7. Once you’ve filled the baking dish, spread the remaining marinara on top of the chard rolls. Carefully pour ½ cup (125 mL) of water over the chard rolls as well. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven.

8. Bake the chard rolls for 30 minutes or until the chard is wilted and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.

9. Serve the chard rolls hot.

PHOTOS: LAURA WRIGHT Laura Wright tops her vanilla corn cake with jammy, roasted strawberries and whipped coconut cream.

From left to right: farro and pine nut chard rolls and pepperoncini lentil crunch salad, both prominently featured in writer and photographer Laura Wright’s cookbook of more than 125 plant-based recipes.