Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen is a combination of flavours and textures that enliven the senses and taste amazing. We talk to author Joni-Marie Newman about her new book and all things vegan.
Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen
Why should everyone be able to enjoy comfort food?
Because it's comfort food! And we all need a go to recipe (or three) to make when we are feeling blue and want to cozy up on the couch with our fuzzy slippers and eat a big bowl of it while binge watching an entire season of Homeland.
Why is this type of food taking the vegan world by storm?
It takes the best of food from around the globe and combines it in new familiar ways. Some people may be afraid to try an exotic Korean dish, but make it into a taco, and it's recognizable and less scary.
Which recipe are you most partial to?
Most of the time I hate this question, because I love all my recipes, but in this instance, I can unequivocally say that the Creamy Sesame Sriracha Sauce is my hands down favourite. I put that stuff on everything. There is always a squeeze bottle of it in the fridge, and I am even known to sneak it into restaurants on occasion. Haha.
What is the importance of eating whole foods on a plant based diet?
It is important to know what's in your food. By cooking from scratch and making your own foods, you have complete control over every single ingredient that goes into it. Whole foods are real food. And while many convenient foods are, well, convenient, too much processed food is not healthy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good store-bought vegan cheese or mayo, and am grateful they exist, but I try to use those types of foods sparingly, or when I can't take the time to make my own.
Why is it important to try new techniques as a vegan cook?
Just as any craftsman needs to keep up on the newest tools of the trade, it is also important for cooks to follow food trends. Take Aquafaba (the water from a can of beans) for instance. Now that Goose Wohlt has shared his discovery with the world (and practically broke the internet in the process) the technique of whipping that stuff into stiff peaks, just like egg whites, has been a game changer in the vegan cooking world.
You often get praise from the likes of Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero and Hannah Kaminsky, so how does that feel?
Amazing! These are ladies I look up to and inspire me. Isa's first book, Vegan with a Vengeance, may as well have taught me how to cook. It gives me warm fuzzies to know that my foods are enjoyed by these hardworking mavens in the vegan scene.
You live in Southern California with your husband- so is he vegan along with you?
Almost! We have been together for 21 years, and I made the switch to veganism halfway in, just over 10 years ago. At that point he told me he was NEVER going to be vegan, or even vegetarian. About three or four years ago, he quietly told me he had become vegetarian after a particularly tender moment with our companion kitty, Mike. He had his "Aha!" moment. And now, like I did in the beginning, he is becoming more creative with his eating. Trying things he had never tried before. Some he likes; some he doesn't. I don't push him, but I do give him support. He no longer brings milk, cheese, or eggs in the house. He knows he wants to stop eating them completely, and is working towards that goal.
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