Craveable, Flavorful, Veg

In her brand-new cookbook, Bri Beaudoin makes vegetarian cooking easy with recipes you’ll actually want to make. 

Bri Beaudoin is a recipe developer, food stylist, and certified holistic nutritionist with a passion for creating flavorful, and approachable, vegetarian dishes that just make sense—whether it’s a quick fix on a busy weeknight or the main even at your next dinner party. In her brand-new cookbook, Evergreen Kitchen, she shares more than 110 exclusive recipes—beautifully photographed by her husband and professional food photographer, Anguel Dimov—that are sure to nourish and impress, time and time again.

“Over the years we’ve realized that flavorful food is what everyone is looking for,” Beaudoin tells us in an interview, “and if it tastes delicious, it doesn’t really need to have meat in it.” We couldn’t agree more, especially after trying her highly popular Spicy Miso Ramen recipe (included on the next page). Keep reading to learn some of Beaudoin’s tips and tricks for vegetarian cooking, along with a couple of our favorite recipes to cozy up with this season.

Becoming vegetarian 

Bri and her husband, Anguel, started eating vegetarian as a sort of experiment. Could they cut meat from their diet? And if so, how would they feel? Now, eight years later, it’s clear the experiment was a success, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

“For me, most of my hesitation—which I shared about in the cookbook—was about the impact it would have on socializing,” says Beaudoin. “At the time, we loved going out to restaurants, but we found ourselves disappointed with the vegetarian dining-out options. So, we began to make a lot more home-cooked meals and would invite friends and family over instead … Our friends and family aren’t vegetarian for the most part, so it was fun to try and come up with meals that everyone would love.”

To document their vegetarian journey, Bri and Anguel created their blog (EvergreenKitchen.ca) and began sharing the meatless recipes they were creating and eating at home.

Meatless misconceptions

For people who eat meat, the thought of cutting it out altogether can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. “One misconception about vegetarian food is that it’s not satisfying—or as delicious,” says Beaudoin. “I think this misconception exists because some people focus entirely on taking out or omitting ingredients, rather than opportunities to add.”

For example, “Meat is usually a source of fat, salt, and umami,” says Beaudoin. “So, when you’re cooking vegetarian, you often want to think about adding those elements through other ingredients. You can cook with a little bit more oil, add a pinch of salt here and there, and use umami-rich ingredients, like tamari, miso, tomato paste, cheese, etc. It’s actually quite easy once you get the hang of it. And you’ll be surprised at how this really helps vegetarian food not feel like a compromise.”

The creation of a cookbook 

“I’ve loved cooking for as long as I can remember,” Beaudoin tells us. While other kids were at summer camp, young Beaudoin was trying her hand at different kids cooking classes. So when she was approached to write Evergreen Kitchen, it was a no-brainer.

Her later nutrition training is apparent in many of her thoughtfully crafted recipes, but, perhaps more importantly, Beaudoin says her training taught her the importance of looking beyond each individual ingredient at any given time. It taught her how to take care of herself on a broader scale—a valuable lesson to us all.

“I do love to eat healthy—and the most fun challenge for me is making a delicious tasting recipe that doesn’t feel overly healthy. With vegetarian cooking, it’s great, because there’s so much more of the plate that you can dedicate to colorful vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats. But I’m also a big fan of not being overly strict or restrictive. For me to get the most pleasure from my meal, there’s got to be a bit of room for the fun stuff—like cheese and dessert!”

We asked Beaudoin what 10 ingredients she always has on hand. Take notes!

Onions—yellow for cooking, red for quick-pickling or thinly sliced for garnish.

Garlic. Always.

Oil: Olive and grapeseed.

Pasta for quick, versatile dinners.

Cheese: Hard Italian or feta.

Lemons to brighten up the flavors in a dish.

Fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, or green onions.

Tamari to add more depth than salt can provide.

Canned beans to quickly add protein and fiber to a meal.

Eggs for a quick protein-boost with any meal.

Get in the groove 

Bri and Anguel’s top 3 tunes for cooking up a good time in the kitchen:

“Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man

“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran

“Good as Hell” by Lizzo

3 Evergreen Kitchen recipes