🍙 Eat More Plants: Issue #38
Hello, friends. Hope you're surviving and possibly even thriving out there.
It's technically spring now, but not exactly pack-up-your-jackets spring, at least not here in Toronto, so a lot of these warming, comfort food recipes still have some life in them, I think. I've also got bibimbap on the roster for this week.
Enjoy, and remember to send me your plant-based recipe hits so I can share with everyone!
Kat
Recent favourites
We've gotten kind of obsessed with the Vietnamese coconut pancakes from Meera Sodha's book East, which has become a staple for me lately. They're in this recipe roundup as well.
I'm not usually huge on spaghetti squash, but this cheesy squash and tomato bake—"Spaghetti Squash That Fancies Itself Baked Ziti"—was great. It kind of depends on the cheese, so I would say it would be tough to veganize. But, bonus, it doubles as both vegetarian and gluten-free!
I shared one of Okonomi Kitchen's ramen recipes a few months ago, and here's another one, this time black sesame. We really enjoyed it, though like the previous one, I did find it very rich, so it can be watered down a bit to six servings. I used oat milk instead of soy, and Impossible for the mince.
Quick hits
You have to start it way before dinnertime (it spends two hours in the oven), but this borlotti bean mole with winter squash is delicious and comforting.
This "workers' curry", aka chana masala, comes together fast and is really good.
If you're a chili crisp fan, you'll love these spicy chili crisp sesame noodles.
I made Anna Jones's beet borani out of her book The Modern Cook's Year, but luckily she's published it in the Guardian too. It's a colourful dip with lots of flavour.
No recipe for this, but if you like kimchi, a reminder that sweet potato kimchi fries exist. Sweet potato fries + kimchi + a drizzle of mayo + sliced green onions is how we do it.
Vegan crispy ginger beef ramen noodles. Do I need to say more?
This Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce is really good, though I did find (like several commenters) that the eggplant needed more time to cook. I added water and put a lid on the second time I made it.
I'm buying
I had never found a plant-based sausage that I enjoyed, until I tried some from The Very Good Butchers. I like that they're individually wrapped so you don't have to thaw the whole pack at once.
The Choose Life vegan Jamaican patties are very tasty, and the "beefless" ones have 18 g protein a piece.
Soup and Japanese rice balls from Omusubi Bar Suzume, a nice lunch option if you're in Toronto.
A mandoline! Send me your best tips for not slicing off one's fingers. I plan to watch many instructional videos before opening the box.
I'm reading
"It’s almost impossible to meet safe indoor air quality guidelines with a gas stove."
For Chatelaine, writer Brett Tryon shares why she's switching from gas to induction.
There is a dizzying range of non-dairy milks on offer, but which make a brilliant béchamel and which taste good in tea?
From the Guardian, the perfect milk alternatives for every purpose.
The solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, mental and physical health crises, ecological decline, and human prosperity is rest.
Alicia Mwena Richins on how fixing our perpetual fatigue will fix plenty of other problems, too. (h/t to Minimum Viable Planet.)
“We see a place in the world where conventional meat feels like the horse and buggy."
Positive News on the potential benefits of lab-grown meat.
Important nutrients in some garden crops are up to 38% lower than at the middle of the 20th century.
From the BBC, how modern food lost its nutrients—and how we might get them back.
I'm writing
3 tricks to make vegan and vegetarian meals more satisfying.
Why I'm investing in community bonds.
15 tips to turn your side hustle into a full-time career.
My buy nothing group has helped me get organized, meet new friends—and help the planet.
Rewilding Ukraine has restored thousands of hectares of wetlands. Now, they need our help.
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Eat More Plants is a sporadically published newsletter by Kat Tancock, sharing recipes and inspiration for vegetarian and vegan dishes, restaurants, products and more. Please reply with your own tips so I can include them in a future issue, and send this newsletter to your friends.
Missed an issue? View the archives online.
Looking for something to cook? All previous recipe recommendations are saved on this Pinterest board.
Oh, and if you want, you can follow me on Instagram.