No. 286: Ten Tips, Two Cookbooks, and A Dozen Recipes for Plant-Based Eating
Plus: Farm stand and fish market winter schedules, Local Food Potluck, cooking classes
🥬 Mostly plants, never too much
Happy New Year, everyone. I don’t know about you, but I need a menu reboot after the holiday feasting. So many cookies! So much beef! I want to fill my fridge with vegetables and fruits and stock my pantry with whole grains and nuts and beans.
I’ve been going back through my own vegetarian cookbook, Simple Green Suppers, and taking a fresh look at those recipes, many of which I’ve adapted for Cook the Vineyard. I made my Warm Cannellini Bean Ragout with Rosemary and Garlic for my husband and dad last night, and it was a hit. I added that to our archive. (More on the recipe below.)
I also went back and reread 10 Ways To Eat Less Meat + 10 Recipes with Big Flavor, which I wrote for you guys all the way back in 2020. Plenty of solid tips there. (And recipes like this Miso Broth with Stir-Fried Asparagus, Romaine, Scallions, Tofu, and Mint.)
And I’ve been spending some time with Joe Yonan’s Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking. I mentioned this book in December during gift-buying time, but since then, the publisher has been kind enough to give us a recipe excerpt – Soba Noodles with Cabbage and Fried Almonds (top photo) – and I’ve been making my own list of recipes from the book to try: Masala Breakfast Potatoes, White Bean Soup with Crispy Shiitake Bacon, Winter Quinoa with Roasted Mushrooms and Cashews, The Ultimate Real-Veggie Veggie Burgers, Okonomiyaki Sweet Potato Fries.
I’m a huge fan of Joe Yonan. (He’s the Food and Dining editor of The Washington Post and just a great guy.) And this book is a culmination of years of work on his part to distill vegan cooking and present it as a cuisine to be enjoyed, one that has a global history. It’s a masterpiece, but it’s not something to approach lightly. You certainly don’t need to be vegan or even vegetarian to cook from it, but the cooks who will benefit from it most are those who really want to get serious about shifting their diet towards a predominantly plant-based one. The first chapter of “building blocks” –making your own tofu, vegan cheese, vegan butter and buttermilk, sweeteners, stocks, spice blends, vinaigrettes, sauces and more – is invaluable.
🫘 Protein power: Beans for the win
If you’re looking to replace meat with vegetable-based protein, know that beans are your best bet. One cup of (canned) beans has between 8 and 14 grams of protein, depending on the variety.
I mentioned above that I’d made a white bean ragout last night. If the term “ragout” perplexes you, don’t worry – it’s basically stew-light. Much less cooking time, much less liquid than a stew. You could also think of it as a saucy sauté. Either way, it’s an easy technique for your weeknight repertoire.
Canned beans are excellent candidates for quick ragouts with sautéed veggies, garlic or ginger, herbs and spices, perhaps some canned tomatoes or chiles, and a bit of liquid to simmer. If you want to make a bean ragout more appealing to a meat eater, you can incorporate a little sausage or bacon. Feel free to improvise.
I have a thing for white beans; I’m not sure why! I use them in my Tuscan Kale, Leek and White Bean Soup with Bacon, Parmigiano & Rustic Croutons.
And I use white beans in these White Bean & Green Rice Burritos with Avocado and Pepitas.
You could make Joe Yonan’s Garlicky Great Northern Beans and Broccoli Raab over Toast, a recipe from his last book, Cool Beans. He cooks his beans from scratch, which would give you a firmer texture, but you could sub canned here, too.
If you’re feeding football fans this weekend or during the NFL playoffs, you can have some fun with beans and make Ellie Krieger’s Loaded Potato Nachos.
Or my White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip with Homemade Pita Crisps.
🌾 Go with the grain
The best way to incorporate whole grains into your weeknight menus is to get in the habit of making a batch or two over the weekend. They keep well in the fridge and warm up quickly in the microwave. To cook batches, use my easy pasta-style cooking method. While you’re at it, toast a cup or two of nuts.
Then use the grains in warm salads like this Warm Salad of Farro, Brussels Sprouts and Spinach with Cilantro and Peanut Vinaigrette.
Or this Mushroom Melange with Short Grain Brown Rice, Parmigiano, Lemon, Parsley, and Toasted Almonds.
You could easily turn this room-temperature summer quinoa salad – Colorful Quinoa and Fruit Salad with Tomatoes and White Beans – into a winter salad by using all citrus for the fruit.
And don’t forget about bowls, like this Brown Rice & Cauliflower Bowl with Crispy Chickpeas, Avocado, Pine Nuts, and Limey Sauce.
You can even use grains in dessert. Try Abby Dodge’s Vanilla Rice Pudding For Two.
I hope these techniques and recipes give you a delicious and nutritious start for the new year. Just a reminder that the remainder of the newsletters for January are for paid subscribers. The next free newsletter will be delivered on Wednesday, February 5.
Happy Cooking!
— Susie Middleton
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👩🏻🌾 👩🏽🍳What’s Happening Around the Island
🥕 Farm Stands, Winter Schedules
Ghost Island Farm reopened on Monday after their winter break, and will be open every day all winter, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beetlebung Farm is on break until Wednesday, January 29, when the farm stand will reopen. Their regular hours will be Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Morning Glory Farm is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Grey Barn’s farmstand is open Thursday to Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
North Tabor Farm’s farmstand is open daily, dawn to dusk.
Mermaid Farm is always open!
🐟 Seafood Markets
The Fish House is now closed for the season.
The Net Result is closed through February 13.
Larsen’s closed for the season in late October.
Menemsha Fish Market is open Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. They will be closed for a short break, January 10 to 12.
🍽️ Events
Catboat Coffee’s Thursday night dinners are back. This Thursday, January 9, the special is Lebanese Rice and Chicken with Fattoush. Pre-order online, pick up 4:30 to 6:30.
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society is holding a Local Food Community Potluck on Monday, January 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. No registration needed. Bring your own dishware, drinks, and a dish highlighting local food to share.
Take a cooking class at The FARM Institute. Slough Farm’s chef Charlie Granquist will teach stock and soup making on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Learn to grow mushrooms on logs in a hands-on workshop with Meg Athearn at the Ag Society on Saturday, January 11 from 10 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
I, too, appreciate the shout out for Joe Yonan… as a DC native I have enjoyed him for years. I am also most appreciative of Susie’s contributions to our culinary landscape … and the only improvement I might suggest is a way to bookmark one’s favorite recipes - last night it was the squash, corn and arugula dish (with a few modifications). Thank you for making meals such fun and so delicious.
I second the praise for Joe Yonan’s new book on plant-based cooking. It’s one of best new vegan books I’ve seen and used. I loved the tofu crumble bowl and learned a new trick with tofu. I expect to learn a lot more.