My Omnivorous Friends Cooked Me a Vegan Feast and It Was Magnificent
How a birthday with an Isa Chandra Moskowitz book inspired meat-eaters
I leave my dog-eared copy of “Isa Does It” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz open on the counter as I skip outside to gather 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary from my neighbor’s bush. Since I discovered Moskowitz’s rosemary-chocolate chip cookies, I wonder how I ever ate chocolate chip cookies without herbs, and tonight I get to share these cookies with my friends.
It’s my birthday, and everyone’s coming over to celebrate at my vegan cookbook party.
A cookbook party is part dinner party, part book club. It’s a potluck where everyone brings dishes from the same cookbook.
My family is vegan, but all our guests tonight are omnivores. I’m very excited for the cookbook party, but also nervous to find out how they’ll react to dishes like red lentil Thai chili — a mix between chili and Thai red curry, thickened with sweet potatoes and red lentils. It’s a staple in my household, and I’m not sure if it’s the sort of thing they think of when they think vegan.
Moskowitz totally gets me. In her recipe video for meaty beany chili and cornbread muffins, she says: “Have you ever been to a potluck, and somebody brought vegetarian chili, and…
