Viva Vegan!

When friends would ask me what new cookbook I was writing, my answer, "a vegan Latin cookbook," was often met with looks of "como?" How can that be? The meatiest cuisine on the planet (so say some) made meatless? Is she loca? Has she been living off of raw broccoli for too long? Oye! But Latin food and vegan cooking need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, they are a match of culinary perfection, just like beans and rice.

My roots are Venezuelan, I was raised in New England, and then, soon after high school, I ran off to live in New York City (home to many Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans). I had the break of a lifetime when I first moved here to work at one of the few Latino owned and operated vegan restaurants in NYC at the time. Bachué (named after an ancient Colombian goddess) was an ambitious mix of macrobiotic staples (brown rice, seaweed), flights of vegan fancy (savory vegan crepes), and an entirely Latino plate of "yellow" brown rice, beans, fried sweet plantains, and grilled seitan. I marveled over what I recognized from my childhood, now transformed and made even better by a Latina vegan fairy god-mother (named Veganué?). All of the flavor, texture, and spirit of the real thing—and not an animal's life interrupted. This was what was missing from the vegan spectrum of eating. While my days at that café have long passed, I took with me all those lessons learned and a need to explore this crazy notion of vegan Latin cuisine.

Are you a budget-conscious foodista? Latin food, especially when meat- and dairy-free, is economical and a timely choice for today's challenging times. Many Latin staples are some of the cheapest yet most nutrient-dense foodstuffs you can find at most supermarkets: rice; dried or canned beans; root vegetables; aromatic fresh herbs like cilantro, garlic, and parsley; peppers and onions; creamy coconut milk. Dried Mexican chiles—an inexpensive, authentic ingredient—delivers vast yet nuanced flavor. I don't know about your grocery store, but those I frequent in NYC stock ultra-versatile green plantains that go for six, or sometimes even ten, for one dollar! With such savings it's easier to spend a little extra on good-quality olive oil, organic products, and dairy alternatives. All of these basic, inexpensive ingredients are then used for maximum effect—the greatest nutritional and delicious bang (for your hard-earned buck).

So you're a vegan or vegetarian already and you've already mastered the dinner plate without the animal stuff on it. You get a golden tamale then! But perhaps you've longed for a taco that more resembles the delights found at a taco truck (usually off limits to those who don't eat animals) than it does fast food. Or you've longed for a world beyond standard vegetarian fare like bean burritos or soy cheese nachos. You'll find plenty to get started here. Many of my recipe testers have become devotees of Peruvian panca chili paste or homemade dairy-less dulce de leche sauce and have worked these into their regular vegan menu rotation.

I also wrote Viva Vegan! with Latinas (and Latin food lovers) in mind. Perhaps you've picked up this book with an emerging desire to quit meat and dairy, or even just to eat less of it. You're nearest and dearest to mi corazón and I aim to get you off to a promising career as a vegan Latina (or Latino). The easy part is cracking open this book and cooking up a soothing bowl of vegetable-filled posole stew or a batch of arroz con seitan. The hard part (I know what you're thinking) is what to tell your mom when she presents you with a dozen pork tamales for Christmas, brimming with all those unmentionable animal bits you don't want to eat. Just remember, you're not alone. I'm a pragmatist and the easiest way to make things happen is to step into the kitchen and start cooking for yourself. Experience has taught me and countless others that the way to a complaining familia is through their stomachs. Learn to master delicious vegan adaptations of traditional dishes (or invent your own new takes on meaty favorites) and everyone will learn to come around to your way of thinking. Or, at the very least, ask you when you're making dinner again! Didn't grow up with all the Latin foods you wish you could have? Maybe your parents thought it was important you got to know chicken noodle soup instead of sancocho, tuna casserole instead of pupusas, baked beans instead of arroz con gandules, all in hopes that you'd fit in with the other kids at school. I'll say it just one more time . . . this book is for you, too! Think of it as a way to get to know your roots just a little more, one chomp of yuca frita at a time.

A word on heat: Not all Latin American food is spicy or drenched in chilies. Throughout much of the Caribbean and many parts of South America, chilies (often called ají) are popular but used with care. In fact, you might even find that some of these foods in their native countries could use a little extra spice. In those cases I've included options to "pepper up" things in anticipation of the North Americans' love of chili-laced Mexican cuisine. But ultimately it's your kitchen and you can decide how hot you want your recipes to be.

Sometimes it's best to leave mondongo and morcilla to those who really want to eat it (if you don't know what those are, then well, I'm not going to tell you!). My goal is not to "veganize" every Latin recipe out there. Instead, I've taken all of the gorgeous diversity of herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, and intertwined it with these vegan recipes to convey the history, love, and sabór of the Latin palate.

Now with the formalities out of the way, let's chat about all of the great ingredients that go into these recipes! Not meant to be an all-inclusive list, this is a rundown of things to have on hand. Some may be old hat to you if cilantro is a regular item in your veggie bin; others could be entirely new, such as ají amarillo paste or masa harina. Likewise, some of these ingredients are Latin-food-specific and found in friendly Latin American grocery stores; some are more vegan in nature and may require a trip to the health food store.

I've broken down things that don't need refrigeration into three lists: basic items, Latin ingredients, and vegan stuff. Depending on where you live, this could mean three different shopping trips or just one stop and a thorough taking-stock of the kitchen cupboards.

Both vegans and Latinos need cooking oils or flavorful broths for cooking. Because there is a lot of wiggle room regarding quality of that olive oil or brands of vegetable broth, I leave it up to your excellent personal taste to pick out what you enjoy . It's likely you may already possess some or all of these ingredients, but be sure to check exactly how much is there before starting a recipe.

It used to be that a drive to the health food store was necessary to get tofu or soy milk, but now it seems any generously stocked supermarket or corner grocery will have many of these items. ¡Viva la vegan revolución!

Beans, rice, chile peppers . . . they're all right here, along with a few other things you may not be but should get more fa - miliar with. These ingredients cover most everything you'll need to make the following recipes, but be sure to read through a recipe first to see if there are special things required.