Vegan That a Meat Eater Can Appreciate

Roasted Garbanzo Beans & Garlic with Swiss Chard

Since Himself spent a good portion of last summer hanging out with a group of predominantly vegans and vegetarians, I’ve become more aware of how to feed these folks and keep them happy. Not that this farm gal is giving up meat or animal products anytime soon, but I have to admit that v/v cuisine has come a long way since I first encountered it back in the 80s.

Some of the earliest vegan dishes I tried to eat were horrendous, made by people with good intentions but who apparently knew diddly about cooking. Once at the lunch counter of a health food store I had a slice of vegan pizza laden with large  chunks of partially cooked vegetables, including lumps of carrot that were big enough and solid enough that I could have propped my car on them whilst changing the tire. The crust was like shoe leather, and the whole thing was terribly bland, with no seasoning whatsoever. It was one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. Of course, I was ravenous for the rest of the day.

Occasionally I make a foray into this aspect of the food world to see if things have gotten any better. I’m happy to report that they have. In fact, I’ve found a recipe that with a slight modification will satisfy the vegan crowd whilst satisfying the non-vegans as well.

Roast the beans, wilt the greens & then cook it all up together.

This recipe for Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Garlic with Swiss Chard first appeared in Bon Appetit. The magic of the dish is in roasting the garbanzos, which turns them from mealy to creamy. While the recipe calls for chicken broth, it’s easy enough to substitute vegetable broth. However, if you opt for the chicken broth, I’d say go ahead and top it with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano for even more flavor and a little extra protein. And regardless of whether you go the vegetarian or vegan route, a few red pepper flakes tossed into the final mix gives it extra pizazz.

We’ve made this dish several times, and we’re both really pleased with it. It’s good to accumulate a few recipes that we can serve to our v/v friends and that we can enjoy, too. I confess I’ve been guilty in the past of thinking along the lines of, “Throw ’em a few leaves of lettuce, and the rest of us can have something good.” This is not a charitable attitude to have toward feeding one’s v/v friends. They deserve something tasty, too. I’m going to keep working to expand my file of v/v-friendly recipes, but it will contain only recipes that will appeal to non v/v’s, too.

Because everyone should have something good to eat when we all sit down together.