By Emilio Gironda

Growing up. Interesting concept. Does it mean just getting older? Does it mean growing wiser? Seeing old things with new eyes? New things with old eyes? Does it mean you groan more easily? Forget more readily? Say things like “when we were kids” more annoyingly? As usual, there is some truth in all the clichés.  
      In the 60’s and 70’s I grew up in an Italian-American Family working in the family Deli. I learned early on the value of hard work, perseverance, and a strong family foundation. What I didn’t learn early on was the value of healthy eating. Being in the Deli every day, I was surrounded by a smorgasbord of junk-food: cold-cuts, soda, potato chips, oodles and oodles of cheese, pastries, homemade sausage, and every conceivable kind of meat and meat by-product. It was a Shangri-La for a chubby Italian kid who was obsessed with food. And I looked the part. At one point I was 100 pounds heavier than I am today.
     Yes, I have had some health issues along the way, and, while most had something to do with me being too high strung, as we used to say, the basic issue was my diet. I came to the vegan table late in life. I was a vegetarian for over five years and have been vegan for just over one. For me it has been a natural progression from dog owner, to animal lover, to animal rights advocate, to vegetarian, and on to vegan.
     Becoming vegan has, if not quite saved my life, improved it in far reaching and unintended ways. It’s not just the healthier eating; it is the knowledge that by choosing to be vegan I am actually doing something, however small, to alleviate suffering. That and I get to eat creative and delicious food from all over the world.
     While my partner and I love finding and supporting main stream and out-of-the-way vegan and vegan friendly restaurants, cooking vegan is my real passion. One of our pet projects to help support and spread veganism is cooking for the uninitiated and showing them that vegan food is not just a substitute for something, it is its own thing – healthy and delicious. No one has to suffer for us to eat, enjoy our food, and thrive.  
     So now it’s 2020, I’m vegan and living in Baltimore. What’s next? Well my partner and I dream of opening our own vegan place. Sure why not? I have the experience and I love to cook. Moreover my food is amazing. Our first idea was to open a vegan Italian Deli. Imagine the possibilities. We did, and then the possibilities really began to open up. What if we opened a vegan restaurant, or how about a vegan bar? Vegan clothing store, vegan bakery, vegan pizza parlor, vegan block party, vegan theme park, vegan, vegan, vegan… The possibilities are endless, if possibly a bit far-fetched.  
     Where are we now? Not sure what direction we are headed in but I am sure it will involve mindful and compassionate living. So without further ado here are a few of my vegan recipes.

Yellow Rice with Beans

(Serves 4)

1-1½ Tablespoons olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1½ cups rice (any kind will do, I like Jasmine or Basmati)
3 cups organic vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons turmeric (I use 4 but you may want to start with less)
2 cans of beans of your choice, drained well but not rinsed

In a large pot sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil till translucent. Add pepper and sauté for a short time keeping it crisp. Add rice, broth, salt, and turmeric. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and add beans. Simmer 15 minutes with the lid on stirring occasionally. Add more broth as needed.

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

(Serves 6)

1-1½ Tablespoons olive oil
16-ounce pack small mushrooms, well cleaned and sliced
¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
3-4 cups organic vegetable broth
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon thyme

Sauté mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat; season with salt. Continue until liquid from mushrooms is almost evaporated and they are near crispy. Add flour a little at a time. Continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes or until the flour has been absorbed and no longer white.
     Add 1 cup of broth, stirring briskly until incorporated and liquid has thickened. Slowly pour in 2 more cups of broth and mix thoroughly. Season mixture with black pepper and thyme.
     Simmer at a gentle boil until thickened (adding more broth if necessary to get the right consistency), about 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat; gravy will thicken while standing.

Vegan Pot Pie

(Serves 6)

3 Tablespoon vegan butter
1 large russet potato, washed, peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups organic vegetable broth
¼ cup unflavored soymilk
2-3 cups frozen broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and carrots, thawed and drained
3 Tablespoons vegan grated Parmesan cheese (see recipe below)
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated vegan crescent dinner rolls

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 10-inch glass deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.
     In a nonstick pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add potato, onion, and spices and stir 10-12 minutes until potatoes are browned. Mix in flour and stir for about another minute, then stir in broth heating to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat stir in vegetables, milk, and cheese and spoon mixture into pie plate.
     Separate dough into 8 triangles. Starting at the short side of each triangle, roll up the triangle halfway and lie over vegetable mixture with tips toward center; do not overlap.
     Place pie plate on cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or till crust is golden brown.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

(Condiment that lasts about 1 month in the refrigerator )

¾ cup freshly roasted/toasted organic cashews
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. I like it a little bit course. My secret is to use raw organic cashews and toast them up fresh.  

Emilio Gironda is The Vegetarian Resource Group Volunteer Coordinator and Catalog Manager.