You’ve come a long way, vegan.
Once mocked as a fringe diet for sandal-wearing health food store workers, veganism is moving from marginal to mainstream in the United States.
The vegan Skinny Bitch diet books are best-sellers, vegan staples like tempeh and tofu can be bought at just about any supermarket, and some chain restaurants eagerly promote their plant-only menu items. Today’s vegans are urban hipsters, suburban moms, college students, even professional athletes.
"It’s not what you would picture 20 years ago, which is kind of hippie, crunchy," said Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of vegan cookbooks like the new Appetite for Reduction. She says it’s easier being a vegan now because there is more local produce available and more interesting ways of cooking.
"It’s not just steamed vegetables anymore and brown rice and lentils," she said.
Hard-core vegetarianism
Veganism is essentially hard-core vegetarianism. While a vegetarian might butter her bagel or eat a cake made with eggs, vegans shun all animal products: No meat, no cheese, no eggs, no honey, no mayonnaise.
Ethical vegans have a moral aversion to harming animals for human consumption, be it for a flank steak or leather shoes, though the term often is used to describe people who follow the diet, not the larger philosophy.
There’s a blurry line between people who define themselves as vegan and vegetarian and some eaters dip in and out plant-only diets. For instance, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman has described his "vegan till 6" health plan, in which he becomes more omnivorous in the evening.
There are plenty of signs that vegans have pushed beyond their old, exclusive cocoon that once inspired celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain to mock them as the "Hezbollah-like splinter faction" of vegetarians.
Exhibit A would be the Skinny Bitch diet books, which provide vegan lifestyle tips in a blunt, girlfriend-on-the-phone style (Sample passage: "Soda is liquid Satan. It is the devil."). Actress Alicia Silverstone added a dose of star power to the vegan cause more recently with The Kind Diet, a No. 1 best-seller.
Riding healthy wave
Veganism has been buoyed by the same health-conscious wave that has drawn Americans in unprecedented numbers to low-fat, vegetarian and organic foods. It also provides a safe harbor for the growing number of people concerned about where their supermarket meat comes from. And – sign of the times – some famous guys are eating vegan now, too.
Bill Clinton, known for his burger-loving ways when president, has credited his trim build at his daughter Chelsea’s wedding this summer to a "plant-based diet" (though he eats a little fish sometimes). Even former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has talked up his vegan diet.
And vegan cookbooks, once a niche product, are coming out at such a fast clip that there are now sub-niches. Da Capo Press’ 20 vegan cookbooks in print include one on vegan soul food and another with Latin vegan recipes.
A hot trend
More than half the 1,500 chefs polled by the National Restaurant Association for its new "What’s Hot in 2011" list included vegan entrees as a hot trend. Vegan entrees came in at No. 71 out of 226 trends, evidence of veganism making inroads beyond urban strongholds like New York City and Los Angeles. Some chain restaurants like Souplantation and Pizza Fusion even mark vegan items on their menus.
In Fort Lauderdale, Roseann Marulli Rodriguez, a blogger for the SuperVegan website, said while there are not many vegan restaurants in her area, her local supermarket has "fake" chicken tenders and "fake" bacon.
"It’s definitely widening in scope," said Rodriguez, a recent New York City transplant who has been eating vegan for five years, "and I think that’s why more people are doing it, because it’s getting easier."
This stew is flavorful, colorful and full-bodied. It doesn’t require a trip to the natural foods store. It doesn’t contain soy or vegetable meat-wannabe products, either.
Mediterranean Barley Vegetable Stew
Servings: 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, diced
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
11/2 cups pearl barley
12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced (see note)
1 cup water
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a large saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, shallots and onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, broth, rosemary and barley, then bring to a simmer.
Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Stir in the roasted red peppers, baby spinach, olives and water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
Note: Castelvetrano olives are a bright green, buttery Sicilian olive. If you can’t find them, substitute whatever variety you prefer.
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