Vegan with a Vengeance

To say Isa Chandra Moskowitz is charming would be an
understatement. The 35-year-old vegan cookbook author and recent
Brooklyn transplant has an easy smile, a gentle East Coast twang, and
big expressive eyes that light up when she talks food. Even when she
teases me, half joking, about how I make a living (as a food critic) on
the death of innocent creatures, it feels good-natured. This is not to
say she isn’t concerned about the politics or ethics of
veganism—she is wholeheartedly committed to both. It’s just that
she can see vegans and omnivores living side by side. They can even go
to potlucks together… as long as it’s a vegan potluck.

Moskowitz’s recipes have been a part of vegan potlucks since her
first cookbook, 2005’s Vegan with a Vengeance. She has since
produced two other books with writing partner Terry Hope Romero, one of
which, a vegan The Joy of Cooking titled Veganomicon, is
one of the best-selling vegan cookbooks in the United States. Her
cooking magic has been featured in the New York Times and she
oversees the popular Post Punk Kitchen website (theppk.com). She’s currently working on her
fourth book, focused on the pleasures of brunch. That’s four books in
three years.

“It was all bottled up inside,” Moskowitz says, “but if you think
about it, it’s only a recipe every three days. So it doesn’t seem that
crazy.”

THREE TEASPOONS OF RAIN

Moskowitz’s recent move to Portland may go a long way in helping her
create more delicious vegan recipes. Though reluctant to leave
Brooklyn, she was seduced by Portland’s livability, natural beauty,
and, of all things, the french fries at Dot’s on SE Clinton.

She’s also excited about the quality of local ingredients.

“In Brooklyn, I cooked as local as I could, but the farmers’ market
was one day a week and a lot of times I had to cook out of season. All
the food I’m getting [in Portland] is so much better than what I was
getting in New York. Here it’s definitely been more inspiring for me to
cook with more produce and more grains.”

“This morning I woke up and went into the backyard and picked a
strawberry and ate it and it was warm from the morning sun. What I have
now, I couldn’t have [in Brooklyn].”

A DASH OF ART

To hear Moskowitz describe it, a cookbook writer is very much an
artist. She crafts meals like a painter creating a vivid canvas.

“It can happen in any way,” she explains. “Sometimes, you lay in bed
at night and suddenly this idea pops into your head and you kinda work
with it, letting your thoughts go. And sometimes, it comes from
whatever’s in your fridge. And sometimes you’re watching the Food
Network and you say, ‘That’s a fucking good idea, I’m going to do
that.'” Other times, inspiration comes from food history or farmers’
markets. Sometimes it’s just a craving.

“I’ll be craving ginger and horseradish together and I don’t know
why, I just go try it.” The creative process reminds her of learning
the guitar, but “the payoff is better… with food.”

MIX WELL

That payoff will help Moskowitz realize the cruelty-free food future
she envisions for society. As she and her co-writer point out in
Veganomicon, “Food is in constant flux, traveling all over the
world and taking root from one continent to the next.” So who’s to say
today’s eggy quiche might not be tomorrow’s tofu and cashew quiche?
Just think, if vegan Republicans exist (and Moskowitz assures me they
do), anything is possible.

She hopes to keep the dialogue open between vegans and omnivores.
“That’s the hardest part, understanding each other and listening to
each other. [Vegans should] listen to the reason why a person isn’t
vegan. Battering them over the head isn’t going to make them vegan.
From the omnivore point of view, understand the vegan has already made
an ethical choice. It’s not a choice to judge you. It’s something that
person struggled with.”

After an hour with Isa Chandra Moskowitz, it’s easy to believe that
maybe, just maybe, a few awesome recipes and a summer potluck can bring
us all together.

SERVE AND ENJOY

Moskowitz shared some great summertime recipes for your own potluck
peacemaking. First off, quinoa salad with black beans, from
Veganomicon.

“Grain salads are wonderful because the only cooking required are
the grains on the stovetop,” she explains. “And you can pretty much
ignore them and lounge around drinking a mojito until they are ready.
Once you’ve thrown all the ingredients together you have a cool and
filling meal that you can snack on throughout the week.”

She notes that with every bite of this dish, new flavors emerge:
“Mango, scallions, cilantro, red peppers, you never know what you’re
gonna get.” This recipe is also a great formula for using whatever
ingredients you might have on hand.

QUINOA SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS

1 mango, peeled and diced small

1 red pepper, seeded and diced as small as you can get it

1 cup chopped scallions

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (a 15-ounce can)

A few leaves of lettuce for plating

Combine the mango, red pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a mixing
bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, and salt and stir to
combine. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well incorporated.
Fold in the black beans.

Moskowitz notes, “You can serve immediately or let it sit for a bit
for the flavors to meld. To serve, place a few leaves of lettuce on a
plate and scoop some salad onto it.” She adds, “It tastes good chilled
and even better at room temperature.”

The pasta dish, Pasta Della California—named because,
“Anything with avocado in it can be called ‘California’
right?”—was chosen for one of its primary ingredients: arugula.
“Here in Portland arugula seems to grow like weeds,” she says. “It’s a
really unfussy recipe that also teaches you how to make a basic garlic
and oil pasta, if for some reason you don’t already know.”

She suggests you choose avocados that are ripe but still firm, and
notes that softer avocado can easily be firmed up in the fridge for
several hours before slicing.

PASTA DELLA CALIFORNIA

1/2 pound linguine (Moskowitz prefers whole grain)

3 cups broccoli, tops cut into small florettes, stalks sliced
thinly

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced (yes 8, that’s not a typo!)

1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons lime juice (juice from one lime, depending on the
juiciness of your lime)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Several dashes fresh black pepper

4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves

2 avocados, peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks

Bring a large pot of water to boil and prep all your ingredients
while the water boils, because this dish comes together in no time.
Once boiling, add the pasta and cook as per package directions, usually
about 10 minutes. In the last minute of cooking you will be adding the
broccoli, so keep that in mind.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive
oil, garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes and gently heat, stirring
often for about two minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add
the wine and bring the heat up to reduce the wine, about two minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, lime juice, salt, and fresh black pepper and
bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and add the
arugula.

By this point the pasta should be almost done, so add the broccoli
and cook for one more minute. Drain in a colander.

When the arugula is wilted, add the broccoli and pasta to the pan
and use a pasta spoon to toss it around for about three minutes, making
sure to get everything coated in garlic. Add the avocado and turn the
heat off. Gently toss the pasta to incorporate the avocado without
smashing it—just until it is warmed through, about a minute.
Serve with generous doses of fresh black pepper. There is usually a lot
of garlic left in the pan, so be sure to spoon that over your bowls of
pasta.

The Rabanada is one of Moskowitz’s favorite quick and easy brunch
recipes from her upcoming, as of yet untitled, brunch book.

“It’s perfect for showcasing summer’s succulent strawberries. It’s
also a good recipe for proving that vegan French toast really isn’t all
that weird.”

She offers this important tip, “Make sure to dust not just the
Rabanada, but the plate too, with plenty of the cocoa and cinnamon.
That way it soaks into the drippy syrup, and you can sop it up with
each forkful.” She also suggests using plenty of bananas and seasonal
strawberries, “for maximum gumminess.” Moskowitz points out that though
the dish is quick and easy to prepare, it does require a half hour of
soak time. So keep that in mind so your brunch guests don’t get too
famished before eating.

BANANA RABANADA (Brazilian French Toast)

2 very ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stale baguette, sliced diagonally in 1 inch pieces (Moskowitz says
that a three-day-old baguette works well, because it can soak up
custard and retain its shape. You can also bake fresh baguette in a 300
degree oven until hard—not toasted—to get the same
effect)

Cooking spray

Sliced strawberries and bananas to garnish

Blend bananas, almond milk, cornstarch, and vanilla in a blender or
food processor, until smooth. Spread out baguette slices on a baking
pan in a single layer. Pour on banana mixture and flip to coat. Let sit
for 20 minutes, then flip over and soak for 10 minutes more.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat (I use cast
iron). Spray with cooking spray and cook about half of the soaked bread
slices at a time for five to seven minutes on one side and about three
minutes on the other. They should be golden to medium brown and flecked
with darker spots. Keep warm on a plate covered with tin foil while you
cook the second batch.

If not serving immediately, cover and place in a 200-degree oven for
up to an hour.

When ready to serve, mix together cocoa powder and cinnamon and use
a small sifter to sprinkle generously over each serving. Serve with
vegan butter and maple syrup, and top with fresh fruit.