Volume 8 Number 2 FALL 2008 - American Vegan Society

made for Michael was an unusual
concoction of bulgur, red cabbage,
Red Delicious apples, and
red onions. Some of the other
dishes he fondly remembers are
zucchini fritters with spearmint,
vegetarian chili with cornbread,
mixed vegetable quiche, openface
sandwiches made with
shredded vegetables and cauliflower
piled high on toasted English
muffins and drizzled with a
creamy Dijon-dill mayonnaise
sauce, split pea soup, Hungarian
mushroom soup, spaghetti-squash
casserole, stuffed eggplant, and
always, always brownies. We
also had a favorite restaurant that
we frequented regularly because
the atmosphere was romantic and
they had a fabulous salad bar.
Although our courtship was so
long ago, one of the main difficulties
with remembering what I
cooked in the early days is that I
rarely made the same thing twice.
I loved experimenting in the
kitchen and trying out new recipes
and techniques. Michael was
the primary tester of my recipes
from the get-go and during all the
development of the recipes for
my cookbooks.
Anne: When and how did he become
vegetarian?
Jo: When we decided to get married,
which was just three months
after we met, I told Michael that I
would not allow any meat in
“my” kitchen. It was “mine” because,
although Michael was involved
with everything around
the house from car care to cleaning
to laundry, he was not yet
willing to prepare food. He told
me that he could live with not
having meat in the house, but he
didn’t want me strong-arming
him into becoming vegetarian. He
told me that if he was ever going
to be vegetarian, it would have to
be his own decision, on his own
terms, for his own reasons, and in
26 American Vegan 8—2, FALL 2008
his own time. I am very grateful
that by the time we did get married
(which was three months later, a
total of six months after we met),
he had made the choice on his
own, with no coercion from me.
Anne: When and why did you
both become vegan?
Jo: When I met Michael, I had
been considering eliminating
eggs and dairy products from my
diet. Although I’m not sure of the
exact reasons why, I am confident
there was both a health and ethical
motivation. However, since he
was so new to vegetarianism, I
didn’t want to rock the boat with
something that might seem so
extreme. So, I waited until we
were married two years and he
was well settled into the vegetarian
way. When I brought up the
idea of going vegan, Michael was
very receptive to it, especially
because the ethical component of
being vegetarian was always his
primary incentive. He felt that as
long as I could continue to make
tasty dishes, he was perfectly
happy to become vegan, both in
diet and lifestyle.
Anne: What is a simple or favorite
menu you might prepare for
dinner these days?
Jo: Nearly all of the dishes I currently
prepare are simple, because
we both have very busy work
schedules and minimal time. We
often just have a giant salad, what
I refer to as Monster Salads, in
enormous bowls. I am very much
into fresh leafy greens, so our salads
typically contain plenty of
leaf lettuce, romaine, mesclun,
baby spinach, baby arugula, and
fresh herbs, as well as chopped or
shredded raw veggies such as
radish (red or daikon), carrots,
and red, orange, or yellow bell
peppers. We also might add
cooked greens or broccoli, asparagus,
green beans, or artichoke
hearts, and usually include
cooked beans or raw nuts or seeds.
We both like red and green onions
and garlic, so as long as we
both are eating the same dish, it
doesn’t put a damper on our being
close. I still grow a variety of
sprouts, so they find their way
into our salads occasionally, and
English cucumbers and homegrown
tomatoes have a royal place
as well. Two of our favorite dressings
to top our salads are my Bestof-the-House
Dressing and Sea-Sar
Dressing, both from my book Vegan
Vittles: Second Helpings.
We also often eat meals as described
in my book The Saucy
Vegetarian. Basically, these are
layered, one-bowl meals that
might start with a whole grain,
such as brown rice or polenta,
followed by raw and cooked veggies
of all kinds. Perhaps beans,
tofu, tempeh, or nuts or seeds will
be added. Then the whole mixture
is topped off with a delectable
sauce, such as Spicy Peanut Sauce
or Warm Miso-Almond Gravy.
Other quick meals we like are
wraps with hummus (I’ve got
several hummus recipes in my
book, Vegan Deli, that are outstanding),
olives, and tender raw
greens like mesclun, or pasta with
beans and greens. One pasta dish
we never grow tired of is Noodles
and Greens from Vegan Vittles:
Second Helpings. Both of us
adore kale and collard greens, so
one or the other tends to make its
way into almost all of our main
meals.
Anne: What might he pick to
make for you?
Jo: It took several years to get
Michael to spend some time in
the kitchen, but once he donned
an apron, there was no stopping
him! I taught him three basic
“recipes,” and he’s since taken
them into never-anticipated new
territories. First, I taught him how