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Makini's Vegan Kitchen

10th Anniversary Edition of the Plum Cookbook (Inspired Plant-Based Recipes from Plum Bistro)

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Paperback
$27.00 US
7.78"W x 9"H x 0.56"D   | 19 oz | 26 per carton
On sale Mar 21, 2023 | 160 Pages | 9781632174574
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The Groundbreaking Vegan Cookbook from Plum Bistro


Nationally renowned chef and entrepreneur Makini Howell shares her innovative plant-based recipes in this anniversary edition of the original Plum cookbook. These inspired recipes from one of the highest-ranked vegan fine-dining restaurants in the country are not only mouthwatering and hearty, but are also allergen-friendly and often gluten-free, soy-free, or both. Cooking vegan with Makini proves that living a meat-free life can include satisfying and tasty food.
 
This classic cookbook offers more than 60 boldly flavored dishes for every mood and season, such as:
·      Barbecue Oyster-Mushroom Sliders with Pickled Onions
·      Plum’s Smoky Mac
·      Blue Corn Pizza with Pesto-Grilled Heirloom Tomatoes and Ricotta
·      Quinoa Risotto with Panko-Fried Portobellos
·      Toasted Chocolate Bread with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche
·      And much more!
"We so appreciate the wonderfully creative recipes in this very beautiful cookbook! The importance of delicious vegan food helps pave the way for those who desire to make the transition from the standard animal-based diet."
—Joaquin Phoenix, Academy Award-nominated actor and activist; Summer Phoenix; Rain Phoenix; and Liberty Phoenix

"Makini Howell’s cookbook will prove to anyone just how delicious vegan cuisine can be. Her food is flavorful, fresh, and mouthwatering. A must-have for anyone who loves to eat. This is a cookbook I will buying for my friends and family."
—Kim Barnouin, co-author of the New York Times Best Seller, Skinny Bitch
 
"The food at Plum Bistro is comfort food, fresh food, tasty and innovative food: a testament to the talented and driven owner and head chef, Makini Howell. It’s one of my favorite vegan restaurants in the world."
—India.Arie, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter
 
"What Makini does at Plum and as a personal chef is creative, innovative, and satisfying. . . . Instead of seeing ‘vegan’ as a restriction, she has her own style. I never feel like I am missing anything."
—Common, Grammy Award-winning actor, author, artist, and activist

"I dare you to open this cookbook from Seattle's Plum Bistro to any page and not think the recipe you find there is completely irresistible. Tiramisu pancakes? Check. Cauliflower bisque with fresh fennel? Yes, please. Black plum and ginger sorbet? Oh, you know it. Chef Makini Howell's recipes are vibrant, wholesome, and absolutely popping with all the fresh flavors of the season. ...Oh, and did I mention they're all vegan?"
—The Kitchn


"From Seattle food icon Makini Howell comes this much-anticipated cookbook, a luscious volume of recipes from the author’s family-owned restaurant, Plum Bistro. Howell’s cooking is all about simple, fresh, and local, and this photo-filled book...showcases such delights as Pesto Plum Pizza, Barbecue Oyster-Mushroom Sliders, and Fresh Blueberry Shortcake. Let the mouthwatering commence."
—VegNews


"You don't have to be a vegan to love these healthy creations from the famous Plum Bistro."
—Examiner.com

"This colorful vegan cookbook from Seattle-based Plum Bistro captures the spirit and passion of chef, owner, and life-long vegan Makini Hawell with her recipes for vegan spins on pantry essentials, breakfast favorites, small plates, mains utilizing tofu, tempeh, and seitan, and desserts. Many of the recipes are also gluten-free and soy-free, but the book's luscious photos are sure to whet anyone's appetite, dietary restrictions or no."
—Portland Monthly

"The vegan chef makes it look easy, with chapters on replacements for conventional staples (egg foam, anyone?), a helpful dissection of meat substitutes, and even a few mostly raw dishes for those in transition. Highlights: tostadas with spicy strawberry avocado relish, and balsamic tofu with white bean sauce and agave pumpkins. Most recipes are soy and/or gluten free and definitely aren’t all broccoli and turnips; expect recipes for sinful—yet morally sound—treats like tiramisu pancakes and tempeh vermouth."
—Seattle Metropolitan

"These recipes are for dishes full of flavour, texture and colour. Oh, and they’re vegan."
—The Montreal Gazette
MAKINI HOWELL is a lifelong vegan who believes that what is good for the individual will be good for the planet. Makini is passionate about creating a beautiful and stylish dining experience for vegans, foodies, and omnivores in her restaurant group, Plum Restaurants, as well as a small-batch line of Makini’s Kitchen brand tofus. In 2015, she was Stevie Wonder’s personal chef during his yearlong tour and was named one of “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America” by the New York Times. She focuses on organically grown seasonal vegetables, non-GMO soy, and organic and local fruits and herbs from family-owned farms, in flavorful combinations that are both familiar and surprising.
Introduction

IT'S BEEN A MINUTE. In the decade since I published this book so much of life has happened. I still very much appreciate the art of food, and Plum Bistro has become all that I imagined it would be. We continue to tell a beautiful story of entrepreneurialism, family food, culture, and sustainability. Plum Bistro’s journey has led me to Makini’s Vegan Kitchen, which was originally published in hardcover as Plum a decade ago. It is a venture of the heart. Makini’s Kitchen has now expanded into a vegan lifestyle brand with a tofu factory here in Georgetown, Seattle, manufacturing a tasty line of tofus in such flavors as Baba’s Mesquite Tofu, Baba’s Jerk Tofu, Baba’s Tofustrami, Baba’s Taco Mix. You can order these in person or online for the recipes that call for them or start your own plant-based traditions.

I started this brand to honor my dad, who the angels carried home in early 2021. To say my father’s death was crushing does not come close to describing my feelings of loss. I did not want him to be forgotten; in fact, I want everyone to know how truly good of a man he was. My father (we called him Baba) taught me how to cook and he created all of the delicious and exciting flavors of our tofu we use in the restaurant so I decided to share the goodness in his name.

A Plum Bistro cookbook came about through popular demand. So many of our customers ask how we do it, and oftentimes they’re asking for more than just our recipes. Plum Bistro is about giving veganism a new definition, incorporating my generation’s work ethics, beliefs, and style into what we do. We want our love of a plant-based diet to embody the change we’re all going to meet in the coming years with regard to how we harvest food and how we treat our host planet.
Plum’s food is honest and personal. It tells my story as a lifelong vegan, and it’s made and served by a group of people who love the space they’re in. They love preparing our food, as well as being a part of a small but influential community.

My intention with this book is to create a complete culinary experience. When I was in New York, even living in Brooklyn I was frustrated by the lack of vegan options. Eating out almost always meant having a salad. Although we do offer salads, at Plum there are no limits on being vegan. Instead, we like to think of what we do as an expansion—for me, vegan food is about flavor first. My recipes are shaped by traditions such as butter sauces, chimichurri dressing, and handmade pastas. I also use classic grilling techniques for everything from pizzas to vegetables. I’m really not trying to replace anything because I don’t feel—and I’ve never felt—like I’m “missing” anything. I’m just using other sources of protein. What you’ll find in these pages is a vegan reinterpretation of modern, smart, thoughtful food. You can cook our recipes easily at home, and we have a wide enough variety that you can revel in our dishes at every meal.

Our bistro reflects this same idea. When you step into Plum, whether you’re a vegan or not, you won’t miss a thing. Our food covers every meal and mood: we have a brunch menu, featuring Tiramisu Pancakes (page 18) and Good Old-Fashioned French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Sweet Soy Cream (page 17), among other treats. Happy-hour regulars line up for sage-infused gin-lemon cocktails served with our gourmet fries and dips and grilled pizzas. Families enjoy dinners of Hazelnut Tofu and Tempeh with Millet and Blueberry Salad (page 75), along with Spicy Peach Tofu and Tempeh with Charred Purple Beans (page 67). We’ve worked hard to expand the definition of what makes for a gratifying, innovative meal. Besides offering gluten- and nut-free dishes, we also have something called a transitional raw section on our menu. We want to be able to feed almost anyone.

This idea of changing the way you taste pushes us to experiment and recraft, to look at our dishes from outside the box and try to make them even tastier, more indulgent, and more vibrant. We unapologetically incorporate bold colors and spices to speak loudly to your culinary experience. One of our great passions is to draw on the simple traditions of American food to stir your palate and emotions. We are bright, daring, and sophisticated, and through our promise to do no harm to our animal neighbors, we peacefully extend to you all the bounty and beauty of the earth.

Our focus is to support local small and family-owned farms by using 90 percent regionally grown foods. Sometimes we use bananas, sure, and they don’t grow in the Northwest, but we try to be conscious of when we’re using foods from outside our region and why. We’re also a 100 percent organic company.

This all-encompassing mindset comes naturally to me, because it’s how I was raised. I was lucky enough to grow up completely vegan and organic with two entrepreneurial, truly progressive parents. My father, James Howell, inherited a grocery store that grew over the years into a family of restaurants, giving my siblings and me a business that has been in our family for years. And my folks fed us a completely plant-based diet that gave me the blueprint for Plum, for this book, and for the expansion of our green, sustainable, plant-based business.

In the 1980s, when the idea of a diet free of animal products was almost unheard of in the United States, my mother, Niombi, cut a swath through the natural food industry by demanding organics from all our purveyors. Long before “locavorism” was a concept, she deliberately developed relationships with certified organic tofu and tempeh companies within 360 miles of her businesses. She taught us how to farm in a backyard pea patch, and my folks created sauces and seasoning mixes that would be the foundation for a new way of experiencing the plant world.

My mother then created a tofu sandwich and a millet burrito—something completely unheard of at the time—and launched her sandwich company, Hillside Quickies vegan sandwiches. Her product line has been in every major co-op in the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area. She laid the blueprint for the vegan sandwich, all while home-schooling and raising three mindful, vegan, organic kids.

I think of what we do at Plum as being a bridge, a space to create community. In fact, the name Plum represents a gathering space for all. It was inspired by the role of the plum tree in Japanese culture, where it symbolizes hope and community, constancy and kindness, the triumph of good over hardship. My hope was to create all of this in the restaurant, and I’m grateful to offer a place to celebrate and support all these values, whether I’m cooking on the line or greeting guests at the door.

Makini's Vegan Kitchen,
formerly Plum, was born from my fortunate upbringing by vegan entrepreneurs—two people who had a vision of the future of food. The recipes here are just the beginning of my story. It’s my sincere hope that this book not only builds on what my parents began, but that it also brings your newly vegan daughter, your gourmet son, and your skeptical in-laws—your whole family—to the table to celebrate your story.
RECIPE LIST
(GF) = Gluten Free | (SF) = Soy Free

FUNDAMENTALS
Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche (GF)
Egg Foam and Green Egg Foam (SF/GF)
Green Egg Foam Water (SF/GF)
Sweet Soy Cream (GF) Savory Soy Cream (GF) Savory Rice Cream (SF/GF) Sweet Rice Cream (SF/GF) Basil Soy Ricotta (GF)
Agave Balsamic Vinaigrette (SF/GF) Basil-Walnut Pesto (SF/GF)
Roasted Garlic Cloves Two Ways (SF/GF)
Raw Tofu Relish (SF/GF)
Garlic-Ginger Oil (SF/GF)
 
BEGINNINGS
Chocolate Crepes with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche, Sliced Bananas, and Chocolate Maple Butter (GF)
Good Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pancakes (SF/GF)
Good Old-Fashioned French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Sweet Soy Cream
Tiramisu Pancakes
Fig Crepes with Ricotta, Arugula, and Agave Balsamic (GF)
Pesto Plum Pizza with Balsamic Arugula
Heirloom Tomato Toasts with Oregano, Grapes, and Ricotta Soy
Oyster Mushroom Scramble with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Fresh Tofu (GF)
Savory French Toast “TLT”

SALADS AND SOUPS
Grilled Black Plum and Jicama Salad with Radicchio (GF)
Quinoa-Millet Cherry Salad (SF/GF)
Polenta and Orange Salad with Fennel Salsa (GF)
Apple Ginger Salad (SF/GF)
Avocado Salad with Seitan Bites
Blood Orange and Fresh Tofu Salad (GF)
Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Cilantro Pesto (SF/GF)
Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Soy Ricotta and Grilled Sourdough Toast
Creamy Millet Corn Chowder (SF/GF)
Habanero Yam Soup (GF)
Cauliflower Bisque with Fresh Fennel (GF)
Raw Kale and Seaweed Salad with Fresh
Tofu and Ginger-Garlic Oil (GF)                 
 
SMALL PLATES
Charred Broccolini (SF/GF)
Smashed Purple Potatoes with Parsley (SF/GF)
Chai-Spiced Yam Bruschetta with Crunchy Kale (SF)
Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Thyme on Toast (SF)
Spicy Chili-Lime Edamame (GF) Curried Red Yam Fries (SF/GF) Grilled Wild Mushroom Toasts  Charred Brussels Sprouts and Fingerling
Potatoes with Crispy Smoked Tofu (GF)
Jerk Tofu and Roasted Yam Sliders
Barbecue Oyster Mushroom Sliders with Pickled Onions
Manna Bread with Raw Tofu Relish and Cherry Salsa

TOFU, TEMPER & SEITAN
Spicy Peach Tofu and Tempeh with Charred Purple Beans
Balsamic Tofu with White Bean Sauce and Agave Pumpkins (GF)
Pesto Tofu with Smashed Purple Potatoes and Charred Asparagus (GF)
Hazelnut Tofu and Tempeh with Millet and Blueberry Salad
Tempeh Vermouth
Apple Tempeh Fillets
Chimichurri Seitan Steaks
Oregano and Parsley Grilled Seitan Steaks
 
TRANSITIONAL RAW
Raw “Lasagna” with Basil-Walnut Pesto
Kale Pesto “Pizza”
Raw Tostadas with Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salad and Cilantro Relish (GF)
Jicama Avocado “Ravioli” with Peach and Watermelon Salsa (GF)
 
PASTA
Fresh Spinach Pasta (SF)
Handmade Linguini in Sauvignon Blanc Cream Sauce with King Trumpet Mushroom “Scallops”
Roasted Yam Ravioli with Apple Tempeh Fillets and Chanterelle Cream Sauce
Plum’s Smoky Mac

GRAINS
Millet-Stuffed Baby Pumpkins
Grilled Spelt Crust Pizza with Pears and Ricotta
Blue Corn Pizza with Pesto-Grilled Heirloom Tomatoes and Ricotta
Quinoa Risotto with Panko-Fried Portobellos
White Bean and Summer Rye Chops Salad with Pesto-Grilled Eggplant (SF)
 
DESSERTS
Toasted Chocolate Bread with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche
Sautéed Rosemary Plums with White Wine and Blueberry Butter Sauce (GF)
Oven-baked Peaches and Cream (GF)
Peppered Agave Figs (GF)
Everybody-Dives-In Chocolate Chip Brownies (SF/GF)
Strawberry Crepes with Custard Sauce (SF/GF)
Black Plum–Ginger Sorbet with Lemon Cream (SF/GF)
Fresh Blueberry Shortcake
 
AFTERWORD
Vegan Frankfurter and Smoked Yam Puppy Treats

Photos

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About

The Groundbreaking Vegan Cookbook from Plum Bistro


Nationally renowned chef and entrepreneur Makini Howell shares her innovative plant-based recipes in this anniversary edition of the original Plum cookbook. These inspired recipes from one of the highest-ranked vegan fine-dining restaurants in the country are not only mouthwatering and hearty, but are also allergen-friendly and often gluten-free, soy-free, or both. Cooking vegan with Makini proves that living a meat-free life can include satisfying and tasty food.
 
This classic cookbook offers more than 60 boldly flavored dishes for every mood and season, such as:
·      Barbecue Oyster-Mushroom Sliders with Pickled Onions
·      Plum’s Smoky Mac
·      Blue Corn Pizza with Pesto-Grilled Heirloom Tomatoes and Ricotta
·      Quinoa Risotto with Panko-Fried Portobellos
·      Toasted Chocolate Bread with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche
·      And much more!

Praise

"We so appreciate the wonderfully creative recipes in this very beautiful cookbook! The importance of delicious vegan food helps pave the way for those who desire to make the transition from the standard animal-based diet."
—Joaquin Phoenix, Academy Award-nominated actor and activist; Summer Phoenix; Rain Phoenix; and Liberty Phoenix

"Makini Howell’s cookbook will prove to anyone just how delicious vegan cuisine can be. Her food is flavorful, fresh, and mouthwatering. A must-have for anyone who loves to eat. This is a cookbook I will buying for my friends and family."
—Kim Barnouin, co-author of the New York Times Best Seller, Skinny Bitch
 
"The food at Plum Bistro is comfort food, fresh food, tasty and innovative food: a testament to the talented and driven owner and head chef, Makini Howell. It’s one of my favorite vegan restaurants in the world."
—India.Arie, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter
 
"What Makini does at Plum and as a personal chef is creative, innovative, and satisfying. . . . Instead of seeing ‘vegan’ as a restriction, she has her own style. I never feel like I am missing anything."
—Common, Grammy Award-winning actor, author, artist, and activist

"I dare you to open this cookbook from Seattle's Plum Bistro to any page and not think the recipe you find there is completely irresistible. Tiramisu pancakes? Check. Cauliflower bisque with fresh fennel? Yes, please. Black plum and ginger sorbet? Oh, you know it. Chef Makini Howell's recipes are vibrant, wholesome, and absolutely popping with all the fresh flavors of the season. ...Oh, and did I mention they're all vegan?"
—The Kitchn


"From Seattle food icon Makini Howell comes this much-anticipated cookbook, a luscious volume of recipes from the author’s family-owned restaurant, Plum Bistro. Howell’s cooking is all about simple, fresh, and local, and this photo-filled book...showcases such delights as Pesto Plum Pizza, Barbecue Oyster-Mushroom Sliders, and Fresh Blueberry Shortcake. Let the mouthwatering commence."
—VegNews


"You don't have to be a vegan to love these healthy creations from the famous Plum Bistro."
—Examiner.com

"This colorful vegan cookbook from Seattle-based Plum Bistro captures the spirit and passion of chef, owner, and life-long vegan Makini Hawell with her recipes for vegan spins on pantry essentials, breakfast favorites, small plates, mains utilizing tofu, tempeh, and seitan, and desserts. Many of the recipes are also gluten-free and soy-free, but the book's luscious photos are sure to whet anyone's appetite, dietary restrictions or no."
—Portland Monthly

"The vegan chef makes it look easy, with chapters on replacements for conventional staples (egg foam, anyone?), a helpful dissection of meat substitutes, and even a few mostly raw dishes for those in transition. Highlights: tostadas with spicy strawberry avocado relish, and balsamic tofu with white bean sauce and agave pumpkins. Most recipes are soy and/or gluten free and definitely aren’t all broccoli and turnips; expect recipes for sinful—yet morally sound—treats like tiramisu pancakes and tempeh vermouth."
—Seattle Metropolitan

"These recipes are for dishes full of flavour, texture and colour. Oh, and they’re vegan."
—The Montreal Gazette

Author

MAKINI HOWELL is a lifelong vegan who believes that what is good for the individual will be good for the planet. Makini is passionate about creating a beautiful and stylish dining experience for vegans, foodies, and omnivores in her restaurant group, Plum Restaurants, as well as a small-batch line of Makini’s Kitchen brand tofus. In 2015, she was Stevie Wonder’s personal chef during his yearlong tour and was named one of “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America” by the New York Times. She focuses on organically grown seasonal vegetables, non-GMO soy, and organic and local fruits and herbs from family-owned farms, in flavorful combinations that are both familiar and surprising.

Excerpt

Introduction

IT'S BEEN A MINUTE. In the decade since I published this book so much of life has happened. I still very much appreciate the art of food, and Plum Bistro has become all that I imagined it would be. We continue to tell a beautiful story of entrepreneurialism, family food, culture, and sustainability. Plum Bistro’s journey has led me to Makini’s Vegan Kitchen, which was originally published in hardcover as Plum a decade ago. It is a venture of the heart. Makini’s Kitchen has now expanded into a vegan lifestyle brand with a tofu factory here in Georgetown, Seattle, manufacturing a tasty line of tofus in such flavors as Baba’s Mesquite Tofu, Baba’s Jerk Tofu, Baba’s Tofustrami, Baba’s Taco Mix. You can order these in person or online for the recipes that call for them or start your own plant-based traditions.

I started this brand to honor my dad, who the angels carried home in early 2021. To say my father’s death was crushing does not come close to describing my feelings of loss. I did not want him to be forgotten; in fact, I want everyone to know how truly good of a man he was. My father (we called him Baba) taught me how to cook and he created all of the delicious and exciting flavors of our tofu we use in the restaurant so I decided to share the goodness in his name.

A Plum Bistro cookbook came about through popular demand. So many of our customers ask how we do it, and oftentimes they’re asking for more than just our recipes. Plum Bistro is about giving veganism a new definition, incorporating my generation’s work ethics, beliefs, and style into what we do. We want our love of a plant-based diet to embody the change we’re all going to meet in the coming years with regard to how we harvest food and how we treat our host planet.
Plum’s food is honest and personal. It tells my story as a lifelong vegan, and it’s made and served by a group of people who love the space they’re in. They love preparing our food, as well as being a part of a small but influential community.

My intention with this book is to create a complete culinary experience. When I was in New York, even living in Brooklyn I was frustrated by the lack of vegan options. Eating out almost always meant having a salad. Although we do offer salads, at Plum there are no limits on being vegan. Instead, we like to think of what we do as an expansion—for me, vegan food is about flavor first. My recipes are shaped by traditions such as butter sauces, chimichurri dressing, and handmade pastas. I also use classic grilling techniques for everything from pizzas to vegetables. I’m really not trying to replace anything because I don’t feel—and I’ve never felt—like I’m “missing” anything. I’m just using other sources of protein. What you’ll find in these pages is a vegan reinterpretation of modern, smart, thoughtful food. You can cook our recipes easily at home, and we have a wide enough variety that you can revel in our dishes at every meal.

Our bistro reflects this same idea. When you step into Plum, whether you’re a vegan or not, you won’t miss a thing. Our food covers every meal and mood: we have a brunch menu, featuring Tiramisu Pancakes (page 18) and Good Old-Fashioned French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Sweet Soy Cream (page 17), among other treats. Happy-hour regulars line up for sage-infused gin-lemon cocktails served with our gourmet fries and dips and grilled pizzas. Families enjoy dinners of Hazelnut Tofu and Tempeh with Millet and Blueberry Salad (page 75), along with Spicy Peach Tofu and Tempeh with Charred Purple Beans (page 67). We’ve worked hard to expand the definition of what makes for a gratifying, innovative meal. Besides offering gluten- and nut-free dishes, we also have something called a transitional raw section on our menu. We want to be able to feed almost anyone.

This idea of changing the way you taste pushes us to experiment and recraft, to look at our dishes from outside the box and try to make them even tastier, more indulgent, and more vibrant. We unapologetically incorporate bold colors and spices to speak loudly to your culinary experience. One of our great passions is to draw on the simple traditions of American food to stir your palate and emotions. We are bright, daring, and sophisticated, and through our promise to do no harm to our animal neighbors, we peacefully extend to you all the bounty and beauty of the earth.

Our focus is to support local small and family-owned farms by using 90 percent regionally grown foods. Sometimes we use bananas, sure, and they don’t grow in the Northwest, but we try to be conscious of when we’re using foods from outside our region and why. We’re also a 100 percent organic company.

This all-encompassing mindset comes naturally to me, because it’s how I was raised. I was lucky enough to grow up completely vegan and organic with two entrepreneurial, truly progressive parents. My father, James Howell, inherited a grocery store that grew over the years into a family of restaurants, giving my siblings and me a business that has been in our family for years. And my folks fed us a completely plant-based diet that gave me the blueprint for Plum, for this book, and for the expansion of our green, sustainable, plant-based business.

In the 1980s, when the idea of a diet free of animal products was almost unheard of in the United States, my mother, Niombi, cut a swath through the natural food industry by demanding organics from all our purveyors. Long before “locavorism” was a concept, she deliberately developed relationships with certified organic tofu and tempeh companies within 360 miles of her businesses. She taught us how to farm in a backyard pea patch, and my folks created sauces and seasoning mixes that would be the foundation for a new way of experiencing the plant world.

My mother then created a tofu sandwich and a millet burrito—something completely unheard of at the time—and launched her sandwich company, Hillside Quickies vegan sandwiches. Her product line has been in every major co-op in the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area. She laid the blueprint for the vegan sandwich, all while home-schooling and raising three mindful, vegan, organic kids.

I think of what we do at Plum as being a bridge, a space to create community. In fact, the name Plum represents a gathering space for all. It was inspired by the role of the plum tree in Japanese culture, where it symbolizes hope and community, constancy and kindness, the triumph of good over hardship. My hope was to create all of this in the restaurant, and I’m grateful to offer a place to celebrate and support all these values, whether I’m cooking on the line or greeting guests at the door.

Makini's Vegan Kitchen,
formerly Plum, was born from my fortunate upbringing by vegan entrepreneurs—two people who had a vision of the future of food. The recipes here are just the beginning of my story. It’s my sincere hope that this book not only builds on what my parents began, but that it also brings your newly vegan daughter, your gourmet son, and your skeptical in-laws—your whole family—to the table to celebrate your story.

Table of Contents

RECIPE LIST
(GF) = Gluten Free | (SF) = Soy Free

FUNDAMENTALS
Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche (GF)
Egg Foam and Green Egg Foam (SF/GF)
Green Egg Foam Water (SF/GF)
Sweet Soy Cream (GF) Savory Soy Cream (GF) Savory Rice Cream (SF/GF) Sweet Rice Cream (SF/GF) Basil Soy Ricotta (GF)
Agave Balsamic Vinaigrette (SF/GF) Basil-Walnut Pesto (SF/GF)
Roasted Garlic Cloves Two Ways (SF/GF)
Raw Tofu Relish (SF/GF)
Garlic-Ginger Oil (SF/GF)
 
BEGINNINGS
Chocolate Crepes with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche, Sliced Bananas, and Chocolate Maple Butter (GF)
Good Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pancakes (SF/GF)
Good Old-Fashioned French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Sweet Soy Cream
Tiramisu Pancakes
Fig Crepes with Ricotta, Arugula, and Agave Balsamic (GF)
Pesto Plum Pizza with Balsamic Arugula
Heirloom Tomato Toasts with Oregano, Grapes, and Ricotta Soy
Oyster Mushroom Scramble with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Fresh Tofu (GF)
Savory French Toast “TLT”

SALADS AND SOUPS
Grilled Black Plum and Jicama Salad with Radicchio (GF)
Quinoa-Millet Cherry Salad (SF/GF)
Polenta and Orange Salad with Fennel Salsa (GF)
Apple Ginger Salad (SF/GF)
Avocado Salad with Seitan Bites
Blood Orange and Fresh Tofu Salad (GF)
Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Cilantro Pesto (SF/GF)
Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Soy Ricotta and Grilled Sourdough Toast
Creamy Millet Corn Chowder (SF/GF)
Habanero Yam Soup (GF)
Cauliflower Bisque with Fresh Fennel (GF)
Raw Kale and Seaweed Salad with Fresh
Tofu and Ginger-Garlic Oil (GF)                 
 
SMALL PLATES
Charred Broccolini (SF/GF)
Smashed Purple Potatoes with Parsley (SF/GF)
Chai-Spiced Yam Bruschetta with Crunchy Kale (SF)
Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Thyme on Toast (SF)
Spicy Chili-Lime Edamame (GF) Curried Red Yam Fries (SF/GF) Grilled Wild Mushroom Toasts  Charred Brussels Sprouts and Fingerling
Potatoes with Crispy Smoked Tofu (GF)
Jerk Tofu and Roasted Yam Sliders
Barbecue Oyster Mushroom Sliders with Pickled Onions
Manna Bread with Raw Tofu Relish and Cherry Salsa

TOFU, TEMPER & SEITAN
Spicy Peach Tofu and Tempeh with Charred Purple Beans
Balsamic Tofu with White Bean Sauce and Agave Pumpkins (GF)
Pesto Tofu with Smashed Purple Potatoes and Charred Asparagus (GF)
Hazelnut Tofu and Tempeh with Millet and Blueberry Salad
Tempeh Vermouth
Apple Tempeh Fillets
Chimichurri Seitan Steaks
Oregano and Parsley Grilled Seitan Steaks
 
TRANSITIONAL RAW
Raw “Lasagna” with Basil-Walnut Pesto
Kale Pesto “Pizza”
Raw Tostadas with Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salad and Cilantro Relish (GF)
Jicama Avocado “Ravioli” with Peach and Watermelon Salsa (GF)
 
PASTA
Fresh Spinach Pasta (SF)
Handmade Linguini in Sauvignon Blanc Cream Sauce with King Trumpet Mushroom “Scallops”
Roasted Yam Ravioli with Apple Tempeh Fillets and Chanterelle Cream Sauce
Plum’s Smoky Mac

GRAINS
Millet-Stuffed Baby Pumpkins
Grilled Spelt Crust Pizza with Pears and Ricotta
Blue Corn Pizza with Pesto-Grilled Heirloom Tomatoes and Ricotta
Quinoa Risotto with Panko-Fried Portobellos
White Bean and Summer Rye Chops Salad with Pesto-Grilled Eggplant (SF)
 
DESSERTS
Toasted Chocolate Bread with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche
Sautéed Rosemary Plums with White Wine and Blueberry Butter Sauce (GF)
Oven-baked Peaches and Cream (GF)
Peppered Agave Figs (GF)
Everybody-Dives-In Chocolate Chip Brownies (SF/GF)
Strawberry Crepes with Custard Sauce (SF/GF)
Black Plum–Ginger Sorbet with Lemon Cream (SF/GF)
Fresh Blueberry Shortcake
 
AFTERWORD
Vegan Frankfurter and Smoked Yam Puppy Treats

Staff Picks + Upcoming Titles: March

Spring is on its way, and it’s time to renew and refresh! Take advantage of the warmer weather and go birding with Sibley Backyard Birding Flashcards. Use A Year in the Edible Garden to make delicious meals in tandem with the seasons, and teach children what they can grow in their own backyard with My

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