nonessential/optional

immersion blender

An immersion blender (stick or wand blender) can come in handy when you are pureeing soup inside the pot or don’t want to break out the blender. The KitchenAid set comes with a four-cup mixing beaker, wire whisk, and nut chopper attachments, all in a nifty canvas bag.

suribachi with surikogi (or mortar and pestle)

This is like a Japanese mortar and pestle that has a large bowl filled with grooves. It’s used to blend things by hand and make gomasio (sesame salt) and other condiments, like the dulse pumpkin seed condiment, on page 168. A mortar and pestle is great for blending spices, making curry pastes, and pureeing small jobs by hand.

flame deflector

A flame deflector can be used under a pot to help distribute the heat evenly across the pan. It can be helpful in cooking grains so the bottom doesn’t burn.

pickle press

If you’re interested in making pressed salads, your own pickles, or fermented foods, then grab a pickle press. These are usually a plastic container fitted with a lid that has an easy pressing knob that puts weight on whatever you're pressing. You can find presses online or at Japanese grocery stores.

tips for getting started

The best thing you can do to become a seasoned chef in your own kitchen is to practice, practice, practice! Take cooking classes to learn how to use a knife properly and to become skilled in various cooking techniques.

And, remember, eating simply is a good way to eat, so every meal doesn’t have to be a gourmet cook-a-thon. If cooking plant-based meals seems daunting, a good way to start is to set a realistic goal for yourself each week. Learn basic cooking first, like how to make grains, cook vegetables in a tasty way, and how to make plant-based protein dishes with beans, tofu, and tempeh. Try at least two recipes out of this book per week, then go from there.

Making delicious, nourishing food can take some time, but if you plan your weekly meals and prep a few things beforehand, you’ll shave several minutes off each recipe. Here are some great tips of the trade to get you started making blissful meals while saving money and time:

• On Sunday, plan your menu for the week around what is available at the farmers market and what you already have in your pantry. If you have certain grains or beans stocked, use those up before you buy more. Write your weekly menu out in a notebook while making your shopping list. I find it’s better to go to the store with a list so you don’t end up wandering around aimlessly.
• Choose two days a week for “batch cooking,” where you cook a large pot of grains and beans that you can use throughout the week. After all, it doesn’t make sense to cook one cup of grains; you might as well make three cups, and then use it for various meals. For instance, out of one pot of brown rice you can make porridge for breakfast and sushi for lunch. Then you can use it in a grain salad for dinner, mixed into a soup for a one-pot meal, and in rice pudding for dessert. Finding crafty ways to use leftovers will not only save time and money, it will also encourage you to be creative in the kitchen.
• Get your vegetables washed, cut, and ready to go every few days. It’s best if you buy veggies whole and cut them yourself. The precut veggies at the store have been cut and stored in a plastic bag for days, leaving them lifeless and tasteless. Cut your own and store them in airtight glass containers. Buy “green” bags to keep produce fresh for up to a week (as long as it hasn’t been precut). These special bags can be found online or in most natural food stores and they really do work!
• Always wash grains, nuts, seeds, and beans before using in a recipe. They all have enzyme inhibitors on the outside, which prevent them from germinating too early; rinsing them washes this off. Also, if you are buying these items from the bulk bins (which I hope you are, since it reduces packaging and waste—plus it saves you money), they’ll be dirty and possibly contain small stones that need to be picked out. To wash, put the food in a medium bowl, cover with water, and swirl your hand around, moving in a circle or a figure eight pattern. Drain and do the same thing again until the water is clear. You can use a mesh strainer after the final wash to catch anything that remains.
• Some of these items will need to be not just rinsed but soaked as well. In the grain and bean section, I specify which foods need to be soaked and which can go without. For those grains and beans that need to be soaked, rinse them thoroughly first, then cover them with water in a bowl right before you go to bed. You really can’t over soak grains and beans, unless you leave them soaking for days. Cook them as soon as you wake up while you get ready for your day.
• Avoid the easy “junk food” way out. Do this by planning ahead and making sure that healthful food is always available to you. Have your pantry and fridge stocked, so when you come home from work you can easily figure out what to do for dinner. Also, if you have a tendency to run for the vending machine at work, make healthy snack foods to take with you like the chewy trail mix bars, on page 234. If healthy food is not easily accessible, you are more likely to make poor decisions on what to eat and miss out on bliss.