I don’t know about you, but I suffer from snack attacks and midnight munchies. Sometimes I like my dinner deep-fried, and on occasion I’ve been known to eat dessert first. And I know I’m not alone. Whether you’re a vegan, raw foodie, pescatarian, or strictly a meat-and-potatoes type, nothing appeals to our collective cravings more than tried-and-true junk food.
Unfortunately, vegan options for these soul-comforting goodies can be woefully lacking! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the label and had to put that delicious-looking box of cookies back on the shelf. Through my work feeding the vegan community, I’ve found many of us are in the same boat: We feel left out while reading menus at popular restaurants, and that’s just the beginning. Delivery pizza? Forget it. Holiday parties? Hope you like carrot sticks. Taco stands? Keep walking. Bakery windows full of cakes? Looks decadent, but sadly, not for us.
Well, now would be the time to wipe your tears because there’s a vegan way around even our most gnarly snack conundrums. As a vegan for a decade and a personal chef for five years, I’ve listened closely to my cravings and come up with creative ways to quell these hunger pangs using conscientious food choices. Until now, no book compiled junky recipes that are also animal-friendly and gentle on the planet (and by “junky,” I mean sinfully delicious!). With 225 mouthwatering recipes that span from savory to sweet and many that mix the two, there’s no shortage of new goodies here for you to test out and enjoy. With the right recipe, you can turn black beans and caramelized onions into gourmet burgers, and make kale taste like nacho chips. Inside you’ll find a junk food fix for anything you fancy:
As food manufacturers are beginning to heed the demand for vegan staples, it’s becoming easier to find vegan versions of common ingredients used in recipes. (See “VeganEssentials” for some of my favorite brands.) Modifying some recipes merely entails subbing an ingredient like butter with vegan margarine, while other recipes entirely recreate classics, like Eggplant Bacon, that taste like the real deal. In yet other recipes, you can use what People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calls an “accidentally vegan” snack like Oreos and transform them into a dessert that ends up being even more sublime.
In the end, I’ve learned that we can still be addicted to ice cream; we just need to make it in our own kitchens. And I’m thrilled to be able to show you how. So stock your pantry and scratch that itch. Succumb to your sweet tooth or your craving for crunch—and know that you’re in very good company.
—Lane
P.S. Unlike other vegan books, here you won’t find quotations around animal foods like meatball, cheese, egg, ice cream, etc. That’s because the whole book would be littered with them! Just rest assured that every recipe you find here is appropriately vegan—and in most cases, even more flavorful than the original.