Leon Fast Vegan is the twelfth book in the lovely Leon series. [If I am counting right, but, gee, what is plus or minus one cookbook.] London-founded and based, Leon has grown into a worldwide empire of over 60 restaurants.
This surely is the biggest book in Leon library. At 300 full-sized pages, Fast Vegan has recipes for every aspect of your day with chapters for:
- Breakfast and Brunch
- Quick Dinners
- Fast Food
- Slow Food
- Salads and Slaws
- Party Food and Small Plate
- On the Side
- Cakes, Cookies and Other Desserts
- Drinks, Sorbets, and Ices
If you are vegan, Fast Vegan provides you with a super spectrum of ideas. If you are not vegan, you might be tempted to pass by this book. And that would be a mistake. Look, whether you are vegan or not, if there is a great recipe out there, an intriguing recipe, then whatever the “label” you would want to take a gander. And potentially give it a try. Consider this Shitake and Cashew Stir-Fry with Black Bean Sauce:
Here shitakes, cashews, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and green beans take a stir-fry spin. If you don’t have a wok, you can improvise with cast iron pan. The sauce is fermented black beans, vegetable bouillon, yet more garlic and ginger, plus soy sauce and mirin. This dish is bold and sure to make you search for a beer. It does happen to be vegan. More importantly, it going to offer surprise and pleasure.
Here are a dozen other recipes that work for all of us, vegan or not:
Singapore Rice Noodles with ginger, garlic, chili, scallions, red and green bell peppers, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and shitakes
Mustardy Mushroom and Basil Gnocchi
Falafel and Hummus with Parsley Salad
Butternut, Roasted Garlic and Sage Risotto
Caribbean Plantain Curry
Parsnip, Kale and Beet Salad
Pea and Potato Samosas
Celeriac Hash Browns with Wild Mushrooms
Parsnip Hash Browns with Kale and Chestnuts
Eggplant Wedges with Almond and Parsley adorned with pomegranate molasses, harissa dressing, and tahini
Almond, Orange and Cardamom Cake
Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Blackberries
Yes, if you love tofu, you’ll find plenty of ideas here, too:
Lemongrass and Chili Tofu
Satay Tofu with Pineapple Salsa
Tofu Burgers
Tofu Katsu Curry
Salt-n-pepper Tofu Wrap
Really Creamy Scrambled Eggy Tofu
Fast Vegan features recipes that can be prepared in about 20 minutes, cooked in about 20 minutes, and enjoyed all day long. This is an immense book that will have you flipping pages and pondering new, inspiring ideas.
Fast Vegan will appear in bookstores on March 5th, but you can get a head start now. Preorder and prepare.