Scrumptious recipes for going vegan (2024)

People become vegan for various reasons. Some do it for their health, some for a moral stand against harming animals. Adam Sobel falls into the latter group. He felt fine and enjoyed meat but decided to stop eating it so no animals would die to feed him.

Sobel creates simple dishes with creative ingredient combinations. I imagine him to be a cook who tosses things around in his kitchen - a pinch of this, a dab of that, tasting and adding just the right something or other to create another masterpiece.

His new cookbook, "Street Vegan," is a masterpiece, with recipes that go deep. One is his Tequila Lime Tostones (fried plantains served with a dip), which places plantains in a marinade of tequila, lime juice, chili and brown sugar. Separately, you prepare picante hazelnuts to coat the plantains prior to frying. Then, savory mashed black beans offset the sweetness of the plantains and tostones.

They sound delicious but probably are for a special occasion. Vegan cooking does not have to be this complicated, but it can be.

Given the time and ingredients, I would try just about everything in this book. It has wonderful pictures of most of the alluring and flavorful dishes.

I selected the Chickpea "Crab" Cakes with Lemon Dijon Tartar Sauce to share with you. Of course, there is no "crab" in the recipe, but summer is approaching, and crab cakes are a hit here in Houston.

New England-Style Chickpea 'Crab' Cakes with Lemon Dijon Tartar Sauce

For the Tartar Sauce

2 tablespoons coconut oil

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small sour pickle, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)

1 tablespoon umeboshi plum vinegar (or a wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon agave nectar

4 ounces soft tofu

1 minced scallion, green and white parts, plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

For the Cakes

¼ teaspoon dried hijiki (a dried seaweed available in the Asian Food Aisle or at Asian Markets)

2 tablespoons dried wakame (another type of dried seaweed)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1½ cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons white miso paste

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

²⁄3cup all-purpose flour

½ cup canola oil

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1¼ cups coarsely chopped frisee, mustard greens or arugula, for serving

To make the sauce: Melt the coconut oil in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, pickle, thyme and oregano in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, until the garlic turns golden. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, mirin, plum vinegar, mustard and agave nectar. Scrape the contents of the pan into a blender, crumble the tofu into the blender and blend at high speed for 40 seconds, until a mostly smooth purée is formed.

Pulse in the scallion and lemon zest until just combined. Chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days in an airtight container.

To make the cakes: Place the hijiki and wakame in a small bowl and pour 2 cups hot water over them, allowing the sea vegetables to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic and celery for 4-5 minutes, until the shallots start to soften. Drain and rinse the sea vegetables and add them to the sauté pan.

Transfer the contents of the pan along with the chickpeas, miso, parsley, dill, lemon zest, pepper and flour to a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds, to evenly distribute all ingredients, but leaving mixture chunky.

Divide the contents of the food processor into 20 round silver-dollar-size fritters, about ½-inch thick, smoothing the outside with wet hands.

To fry the cakes: Heat the canola oil in a frying pan set over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine the soy milk and mustard, which will cause the milk to curdle and thicken; place the bread crumbs in a separate bowl.

Dip each chickpea cake in the curdled soy milk, then in the bread crumbs and then slide into the hot oil. Working in batches, fry the cakes for about 2 minutes on each side until heated through and their crust is golden.

Drain the fried cakes on a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with a ramekin of the tartar sauce set atop the mixed greens, garnished with lemon zest, scallions and parsley.