Cookbook cover of PLANT-POWERED PROTEIN: 125 Recipes for Using Today's Amazing Meat Alternatives

PLANT-POWERED PROTEIN: 125 Recipes for Using Today’s Amazing Meat Alternatives

Nava Atlas

Grand Central Publishing
December 29, 2020
$28/Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1538718735

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Nava Atlas is a vegan cooking expert and the author of many bestselling cookbooks, including 5-Ingredient Vegan, Vegan on a Budget, Wild About Greens, and Vegan Holiday Kitchen.

Nava also creates visual books on women’s issues and runs two websites, TheVeganAtlas.com and LiteraryLadiesGuide.com. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York State with her family.

Everyone’s favorite meaty dishes go vegan with delicious plant-based recipes featuring beefy crumbles, chicken-style strips, sausage, bacon, seafood, and more!

Whether you’re exploring vegan options for environmental, ethical, or health reasons, Nava Atlas’s protein-focused recipes extend a warm welcome to the plant-powered protein revolution!

Today’s innovative meat alternatives prove you don’t have to sacrifice meaty flavors to enjoy a plant-based diet. You’ll discover new ways to prepare familiar favorites, from nostalgic classics to bold global fare with dishes are kinder to the earth and better for you.

Plant-Powered Protein offers 125 recipes for using plant-based proteins thoughtfully, incorporating whole foods and fresh vegetables. Bridging the divide between the traditional comfort food diet and the whole food plant-based approach, you’ll find an array of flavorful, easy recipes including:

  • Soups and stews like New England Clamless Chowder and Beefy Barley & Bean Stew
  • Comfort favorites like Classic Meat Loaf and Italian-Style Sausage & Peppers
  • Global-inspired dishes like Korean Bulgogi Bowls, Mongolian-ish Beef, and Thai-Inspired Beefy Salad
  • Diner specialties like Gyros, Philly Cheesesteaks, and “Tuna” Melts;
  • Indulgent eats like Carne Asada Fries; Pulled Protein Tacos, and Baked Spaghetti Pie
  • Brunch winners like Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Spicy Chorizo Tofu Scramble.

These budget-friendly, approachable recipes will satisfy staunch meat-lovers, picky eaters, and healthy food fans alike. And for those with a DIY spirit, Nava provides from-scratch recipes for plant-powered ground, meatballs, sausage, bacon-style strips, and more.

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 6

Usually, a wedding comes after a relationship is underway, but with the first recipe in this collection, the nuptials will happen right out of the gate. Actually, though, the notion that this soup is traditionally served at Italian weddings is a myth. “Italian wedding soup” is a mistranslation of minestra maritata, or “married soup,” referring to the marriage of meat (most often meatballs, but sometimes sausage) and greens in the soup. Because at its heart this is a vegetable soup, it’s easy to swap the real-meat meatballs in favor of the plant-based variety; the marriage of flavors and textures remains a beautiful love affair in a bowl.

  • 1 (12- to 16-ounce) package plant-based meatballs or ½ recipe Plant-Powered Meatballs (page 227)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large or 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced, or 1 cup chopped baby carrots
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 large or 2 regular-size vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2–3 big handfuls greens (whole baby spinach or arugula leaves; chopped kale, chard, or escarole)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Dried hot red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Easy Plant Parmesan (page 243) or vegan mozzarella-style shreds for topping (optional)

Spicy Udon Stir Fry

Serves 4

In its original form, this recipe uses ground pork. Here you can start with beefy plant-based ground, go straight to plant-based chorizo, or make your own Tempeh and Mushroom Chorizo (page 215). Whichever you opt for, the spicy “meat” mingling with thick udon noodles and plenty of cabbage makes for an easy, hearty dish with plenty of personality.

 

  • 1 (8-ounce) package udon noodles or 8 ounces linguine
  • 2 tablespoons safflower or other neutral vegetable oil, divided
  • 5 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 to 12 ounces plant-based ground
  • ¼ cup good-quality natural ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce, or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika or barbecue seasoning
  • ¼ cup bottled teriyaki sauce or homemade Teriyaki Sauce (page 241), or more to taste, divided
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh or squeeze bottle ginger
  • 4 to 5 scallions, thinly sliced, divided
  • Crushed peanuts or sesame seeds for topping

Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stir-fry pan. Add the cabbage and garlic and stir-fry over high heat until the cabbage is crisp-tender and just starting to be touched with brown spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the ground (break up with a spatula if clumpy), ketchup, sriracha, paprika, and about 1 tablespoon of the teriyaki sauce.

Stir over medium-high heat until well blended. Let cook undisturbed for a minute or two, until the underside is browned, then turn the mixture over with a spatula and let the underside brown again. Break up the mixture again if necessary.

Add the cooked noodles, ginger, remaining teriyaki sauce, and a bit more than half the scallions to the pan. Use a large fork to distribute the spicy ground through the noodles while stirfrying over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve straight from the pan, topping each serving with crushed peanuts or sesame seeds.

 


These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:

Recipes from PLANT-POWERED PROTEIN: 125 Recipes for Using Today’s Amazing Meat Alternatives by Nava Atlas. (Grand Central Publishing; December 29, 2020; $28/Hardcover, ISBN-13: 978-1538718735)

 

Contact: Linda A. Duggins
linda.duggins@hbgusa.com
212-364-1424|