I first met Joni Marie Newman through her words and recipes on her blog Just the Food. I then met her in person, at Vida Vegan Con, and she’s as wonderful in person as she is on the web. And on the page. That’s right, Joni just released another fabulous cookbook: Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen. Today she is here to share Vegan Quick Tips and to offer a chance to win a copy of this fabulous new cookbook (below). Take it away, Joni!
Vegan Quick Tips from Joni Newman: 3 Easy Ways to Add a Little Fusion to Your Food
1. It’s all in the sauce, baby! By simply adding an awesome sauce to your dish you can completely change the flavor profile. For example, try adding a bit of Asian flair to your next Mexican meal by adding Teriyaki, Sesame Ginger, Sweet and Sour, or Thai Peanut Sauce to your next taco instead of salsa. The bold flavor combinations are new and familiar at the same time.
2. Update the classics. Food is like a little black dress. It never goes out of style and you can update it with a few new accessories. Take a slice of Old Fashioned (TVP) Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, with a side of green beans. Now, replace the ketchup on the meatloaf with Teriyaki Sauce, add wasabi to the mashed potatoes, and mix a little sesame oil, garlic, and red chili flakes into the green beans, and suddenly your all American diner classic has taken a trip to the far east.
3. Take the best from both worlds. Combine your favorite dishes from different cuisines into totally new takes on both. For instance, a pizza is surely an Italian favorite, as is a Greek mezze platter of dolmas, hummus, and tabouli. Mix them both together into a fusion flatbread pizza topped with a sauce of hummus, blended with grape leaves and roasted red peppers, then topped with a salad of chopped parsley, garlic and kalamata olives, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic glaze. You get the idea, right? Following these three basic guidelines can help you create endless combinations of flavor profiles into unexpected new spins on any of your favorite foods.
Vegan Quick Tips on JLgoesVegan.com
Joni Marie Newman is just a regular gal who loves to cook and bake…ESPECIALLY for friends and family. Self taught, and still learning, she spends most of her spare time in the kitchen. When she is not in the kitchen, she really enjoys knitting, painting, wasting endless hours on the internet, hiking with her husband and the girls, traveling, reading, and most of the other stuff regular gals enjoy. A California native, she is currently residing in Trabuco Canyon, with Annie, Maxine, and her husband, Dan. Through her food, she hopes to help people to understand that it is not necessary to murder or torture another living creature in order to have a tasty supper.
20 thoughts on “Vegan Quick Tips: 3 Easy Ways to Add a Little Fusion to Your Food”
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I mostly stick to recipes, so I have yet to be brave enough to start being creative with them. This looks like it would provide some good inspiration, though.
I cook without recipes for the most part, so end up mixing whatever seems right to me: Asian spices with Italian foods, etc.
Tips that seem obvious but when you hear them, it gets the creativity going. Thanks for sharing!
I like adding ginger and garlic to my recipes to add zip
I like fusing traditional southern cooking with Indian, my favorite International cuisine. Curried Collards and/or sweet potatoes are really good.
Thanks, so much. Awesome food fusion tips….
I would like to mix and match more but am more of a recipe follower.
This cookbook looks very interesting. I like to make different flavored pizzas, besides the basic tomato sauce and veggies. My favorite is tofu Thai pizza!
I love to marry Korean and Latin–kimchi tacos anyone?
As a cilantro lover… Mexican and Indian!
I don’t know that I purposly mix any cruisines. I think I’m mostly likely to mix Asian flavors with Spanish flavors, though. For example, I might use rice or soba noodles and flavor them with cumin and chili powder, etc.
I like to mix Asian with Indian!
I have a tendency to put miso and/or tamari in almost everything. One recent success was roasted Brussels sprouts glazed with miso, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar.
I love working with Japanese (sesame oil and seeds, ponzu sauce, mirin) and Thai (basil, coconut milk) flavors–so good!
I would say California and Asian flavors.
I like to add ginger and other salt free spices to soups and salads, does that count?
I like to combine Mexican and Asian flavors!
I like to add Thai flavors to various dishes.
I recently started adding Cajun spices to rice and on potatoes.
Thanks, now I can be more creative in the kitchen.