Specialty Cookbooks - How To Create Fun In The Kitchen
October’s cookbook is all about perfecting a plant-based hobby … with Good Food!
A few years ago, vegan options weren’t that good. But, oh, how they’ve been changing!
I’m consistently amazed at all of the wonderful products being developed and stocked in my local grocery stores.
To be honest, I don’t buy a ton of “processed” foods. So I limit buying vegan cheese and meat products to “once in a while.”
But when Miyoko first made its way into the refrigerated section, I couldn’t help but try what she was offering. Her stuff was … amazing! It truly resembled what cheese should look and taste like.
The mozzarella tastes so good on pizza - try the pourable kind. The cashew milk cheese spreads work well on charcuterie boards. And I think the Miyoko butter is one of the best to use in baked goods if you’re looking for a butter substitute. [I really liked her artisan cheeses, but Miyoko is no longer part of the company - she’s working on foundational projects - and the company has moved toward more mass-scale products.]
A few months ago, I noticed Miyoko was publishing a new book, so I preordered it.
The funny thing about preordering is sometimes you forget you ordered it … until it shows up. Off I went to Germany, and it was waiting for me when I returned home! What a nice surprise!
The Vegan Creamery
By Miyoko Schinner
I have a ton of cookbooks. You can visit my three years of Cookbook Club recommendations for lots of options to add to your own bookshelf.
I have a lot of “general” cookbooks - ones that help you cook breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and desserts. But occasionally, I like digging in with a more specialized cookbook to really learn the ins and outs of specific foods.
I did that last month with my Sourdough Bible recommendation. This isn’t something you pull off the shelf, find a recipe, and bake. It takes time to create a starter. More time to use the starter to craft a recipe. It’s something you work at daily. And I’m having so much fun with it!
The Vegan Creamery is much the same way.
This is a cookbook to help you grow your “hobby” of creating good food.
Why is it a “Hobby” …
This cookbook allows you to develop a “hobby” inside a hobby.
As a plant-based eater, I consider cooking to be a hobby. I devote a ton of time to it, including planting and growing a garden. It’s a part of my lifestyle to continue my quest for creating and eating the most nutritious food possible.
I strive to go to the source as much as possible. I buy from local farmers. I create my own “basics” whenever possible.
Still, we’ve been introduced to a variety of foods, thanks to our current food systems.
Cheese - it’s why I’ve called myself a “flexible” vegan for years. At home, I never bring dairy or cheese into my kitchen. But outside … It’s hard to go to a restaurant and avoid cheese.
I think that’s why I enjoyed Miyoko’s creations early on. The taste is incredible. And it acts like traditional cheese … only made with plant-based ingredients. Yes, I do know if it’s in your market, it has to be processed.
That’s why I invest in cookbooks. Like this one. Can I do it myself?
In her intro, Miyoko states:
“The vegan cheese slice on your burger could literally be a congealed concoction of saturated oils and starch with added flavors, offering no nutritional value whatsoever, or it could be a healthier version made from whole almonds. Manufacturers today have full license to make things however they want because there are no rules or standards, which puts the onus on the consumer to distinguish what’s healthy and what’s junk.”
She goes on to say:
“So what’s my philosophy in the new Wild, Wild West of plant-dairy foods? First of all, I am interested in basing my recipes on whole food ingredients as much as possible and am passionate about understanding how different plant milks behave and taste using different techniques. I love discovering new ways to utilize traditional plants in the kitchen. And let me emphasize the word kitchen - not a laboratory.”
Some will argue that vegan cheese is processed - “real” cheese is real. Do your research - Not with a lot of cheeses in our marketplace. So many cheeses in our grocery stores are made with emulsifiers, vegetable oils, salt, and preservatives.
My goal - especially now - is to understand food, the ingredients in what I make and eat, and create meals as healthy as possible.
This is what I’ve truly enjoyed about moving into a plant-based lifestyle.
Before, it was all about quick. I was busy, busy, looking for ways to get food onto the table as fast as possible. I never thought about where it came from or what it was doing to my body.
We still live in that world, probably more than ever. Yet food, quite literally, sets the basis for everything we do or are.
Making it good shouldn’t be the exception.
Good food should be the rule.
And if cheese is a part of it, shouldn’t it be the best it could be? Made from good stuff?
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