'The Tipsy Vegan' Cookbook
Offers Recipes for Good, Fun Food
By SANDRA RHODES
You may ask, “What do alcohol and vegetables have in common?” The answer is simple – John Schlimm.
The St. Marys author, who is known for his cookbooks involving beer - such as “The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook” – has penned a new cookbook called “The Tipsy Vegan.”
“This book grew out of ‘The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook,’” Schlimm said. “After I wrote that, I thought it would actually be cool to do something vegetarian or vegan.” A vegetarian does not eat any meat. A vegan eats no part of any animal, including dairy.
Schlimm himself made the transition to a plant-based lifestyle about two years ago. It seemed like a natural progression to evolve recipes that include vegetables and alcohol – and not just beer.
“I wanted to give equal time to all other rock stars which I also love,” said Schlimm, a descendent of Peter Straub, founder of Straub Brewery, of the other types of alcohol. The book is described as “Boozy recipes to turn every bite into happy hour.”
Schlimm noted that being vegan in a rural area is not all that hard.
“It is much easier than one would think,” he said. “This book is very small-town friendly. You can find all the ingredients in a local grocery store – or liquor store.”
Schlimm also wanted to take the stigma out of the vegan lifestyle for people.
“I wanted to show that there is nothing strange about this. It’s quite simple and quite good for you.”
And, he adds, it’s actually quite fun, too.
“Especially when you add the alcohol … this is good party food, good fun food.”
The fact that he is uniting two things that general don’t go together added to the excitement for Schlimm.
“This is the first cookbook to do that in both a serious and playful way,” he said. “When I write a book, I always want to contribute something new to the conversation. Ii am so excited about this. It breaks new ground. I don’t think a lot of people lead plant-based lives and haven’t thought about adding alcohol to food.”
Schlimm credits his success in the cookbook genre with his team who also helps him develop the best recipes he can.
“I am not a chef. My cookbooks are really approached by the eater, which I certainly am.
For those who may not want to include alcohol in the recipes, Schlimm said that is a personal choice, but may take away from some of the “zip and zest” the alcohol adds to the dishes.
The book has been embraced by the vegan community, including “The San Francisco Bay Guardian” which called the pictures in the book “food porn” as it listed the book as one of the top 25 books to check out in 2011.
“I love it. The term ‘food porn’ has come to represent really great decadent food,” Schlimm said. “Anything with tipsy in it you can’t take too seriously. Have fun with it.”
The cookbook, in a soft-cover style, has a more manageable size and a more intimate feel to it, much like the parties Schlimm envisions being born from this book, which can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble plus his website johnschlimm.com.
“Whether you are vegan or just hungry – it’s great to share with friends and neighbors who are not vegan, but can realize how great it can be. That, and redefining what vegan is to the world, make it less frightening.”
And besides, as Schlimm said, “it’s delicious food. Period.”
Schlimm’s next book, “Grilling Vegan Style,” is set to be released in May.
Carousing Cucumber Rounds With Rummy Hummus
1 (14-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, stemmed, plus 1 tsp. sauce
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. tahini (mix well before measuring)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. white rum, or to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large English (seedless) cucumber
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet until just golden
· In a medium bowl, place the chickpeas, chipotles with reserved sauce, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, rum, cumin, and salt. Purée with an immersion or a standing blender*—scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary—about 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
· With a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber skin lengthwise at 1/4-inch intervals to create a striped pattern around the circumference and slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. (If the cucumber skin is tough, peel it entirely.) Arrange the rounds on a platter.
· Lightly salt the rounds. Top each with a generous teaspoonful of hummus. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Makes approximately 35 hors d'œuvres
*Note: Don't use a food processor. You won't get a perfectly smooth texture.
You may ask, “What do alcohol and vegetables have in common?” The answer is simple – John Schlimm.
The St. Marys author, who is known for his cookbooks involving beer - such as “The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook” – has penned a new cookbook called “The Tipsy Vegan.”
“This book grew out of ‘The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook,’” Schlimm said. “After I wrote that, I thought it would actually be cool to do something vegetarian or vegan.” A vegetarian does not eat any meat. A vegan eats no part of any animal, including dairy.
Schlimm himself made the transition to a plant-based lifestyle about two years ago. It seemed like a natural progression to evolve recipes that include vegetables and alcohol – and not just beer. “I wanted to give equal time to all other rock stars which I also love,” said Schlimm, a descendent of Peter Straub, founder of Straub Brewery, of the other types of alcohol. The book is described as “Boozy recipes to turn every bite into happy hour.”
Schlimm noted that being vegan in a rural area is not all that hard.
“It is much easier than one would think,” he said. “This book is very small-town friendly. You can find all the ingredients in a local grocery store – or liquor store.”
Schlimm also wanted to take the stigma out of the vegan lifestyle for people.
“I wanted to show that there is nothing strange about this. It’s quite simple and quite good for you.”
And, he adds, it’s actually quite fun, too.
“Especially when you add the alcohol … this is good party food, good fun food.”
The fact that he is uniting two things that general don’t go together added to the excitement for Schlimm.
“This is the first cookbook to do that in both a serious and playful way,” he said. “When I write a book, I always want to contribute something new to the conversation. Ii am so excited about this. It breaks new ground. I don’t think a lot of people lead plant-based lives and haven’t thought about adding alcohol to food.”
Schlimm credits his success in the cookbook genre with his team who also helps him develop the best recipes he can.
“I am not a chef. My cookbooks are really approached by the eater, which I certainly am.
For those who may not want to include alcohol in the recipes, Schlimm said that is a personal choice, but may take away from some of the “zip and zest” the alcohol adds to the dishes.
The book has been embraced by the vegan community, including “The San Francisco Bay Guardian” which called the pictures in the book “food porn” as it listed the book as one of the top 25 books to check out in 2011.
“I love it. The term ‘food porn’ has come to represent really great decadent food,” Schlimm said. “Anything with tipsy in it you can’t take too seriously. Have fun with it.”
The cookbook, in a soft-cover style, has a more manageable size and a more intimate feel to it, much like the parties Schlimm envisions being born from this book, which can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble plus his website johnschlimm.com.
“Whether you are vegan or just hungry – it’s great to share with friends and neighbors who are not vegan, but can realize how great it can be. That, and redefining what vegan is to the world, make it less frightening.”
And besides, as Schlimm said, “it’s delicious food. Period.”
Schlimm’s next book, “Grilling Vegan Style,” is set to be released in May.
Carousing Cucumber Rounds With Rummy Hummus
1 (14-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, stemmed, plus 1 tsp. sauce
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. tahini (mix well before measuring)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. white rum, or to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large English (seedless) cucumber
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet until just golden
· In a medium bowl, place the chickpeas, chipotles with reserved sauce, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, rum, cumin, and salt. Purée with an immersion or a standing blender*—scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary—about 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
· With a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber skin lengthwise at 1/4-inch intervals to create a striped pattern around the circumference and slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. (If the cucumber skin is tough, peel it entirely.) Arrange the rounds on a platter.
· Lightly salt the rounds. Top each with a generous teaspoonful of hummus. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Makes approximately 35 hors d'œuvres
*Note: Don't use a food processor. You won't get a perfectly smooth texture.
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