Edgy Veg by Candice Hutchings

The Edgy Veg: 138 Carnivore-Approved Vegan Recipes by Candice Hutchings and James Aita promises to deliver vegan food that satisfies our insatiable need for comfort food. The Edgy Veg, the YouTube sensation (with over 250,000+ subscribers and counting), was created by Candice Hutchings and her husband James Aita who are on a journey to revolutionize vegan food as we know it. 

 

The couple grew tired of the traditional plant-based diet that left them unsatisfied so Candice started veganizing childhood cravings, fast food faves and food obsessions. Buffalo Cauliflower Wings 7 Ways, Easy Cheesy Fondue, and Chick Fillet Deluxe are what you will find here rather than zucchini noodles and hummus (fear not, there is the mandatory kale salad.) No food is off limits and everything in the book has received their signature carnivore stamp of approval. Don’t tell anyone but I’ve made the dish below using beef – it was delicious and I plan on making more of the authors’ recipes with substitutions for my family. With 138 recipes that take vegan cooking to the next level, you can put down that spiralizer and get ready to have your cake, burger and fries, and eat them too!

Special thanks to the publisher for sharing the following recipe which is packed with Thai flavors and for providing three copies of this book in our giveaway below. 

Street Food-Style Thai Basil Beef
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Serves 4

Pad gra prao is one of Thailand’s most beloved street foods. I would know because James lived in Bangkok for a year, where he acquired a habitual need for the stuff. This dish is so good because of the Thai basil, which gives it a peppery kick (and a kick is what James needs to get me a plane ticket to Thailand). It’s a household favorite that always delivers – just like my insistence to go to Thailand ASAP.

Rice

  • 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed 250 mL
  • 1-1/2 cups water 375 mL

Basil Beef

  • 7 garlic cloves, peeled 7
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1
  • 2 red Thai chiles, halved and seeded 2
  • 3 large shallots, roughly chopped 3
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil 45 mL
  • 3 tbsp water 45 mL
  • 1/4 cup tamari (approx.) 60 mL
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar 5 mL
  • 2 tbsp mirin (approx.) 30 mL
  • 3 tbsp vegan Worcestershire 45 mL
  • 2 lbs veggie ground round 1 kg
  • Sea salt
  • 1 cup packed fresh Thai basil leaves 250 mL


Serving Sauce

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced 3
  • 3 red Thai chiles, sliced 3
  • 2 tbsp mirin 30 mL
  • 1/3 cup tamari 75 mL
  • 6 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 90 mL
  • 5 fresh Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped 5
  • 1/4 cup sliced cucumber 60 mL


1. Rice: In a large saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, while you prepare the recipe. Use a fork to fluff up the rice when ready to serve.

2. Basil Beef: In a food processor, combine garlic, red 
pepper, red Thai chiles and shallots; pulse until a coarse paste forms.

3. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add paste and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until fragrant.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together water, 1/4 cup (60 mL) tamari, coconut sugar, 2 tbsp (30 mL) mirin and vegan Worcestershire. Set aside.

5. Add veggie ground round to skillet and cook, breaking, up with a wooden spoon. Add tamari mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until veggie ground round is steaming and heated through. Make sure to check the amount of liquid in the skillet: if it gets too dry, add a little bit of water. You do not want this to be dry. Add more tamari or mirin to taste.

6. Serving Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, red Thai chiles, mirin, tamari, lime juice and basil leaves.

7. Once the veggie ground round is heated through, add 1 cup (250 mL) basil leaves. Cover to wilt the basil quickly, about 2 minutes, max.

8. Serve over rice with a side of cucumber slices and a tiny bowl of serving sauce.

Recipe excerpt courtesy of The Edgy Veg: 138 Carnivore Approved Recipes by Candice Hutchings and James Aita © 2017 Robert Rose Canada. Available where books are sold. Photo credit: Brilynn Ferguson

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and Canada. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on October 19th, 2018.

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56 Comments

  • yadajm  on  August 30, 2018

    I'd love to try the General Rso's chicken

  • Angryyew  on  August 30, 2018

    I'd like to try the gnocchi.

  • lydiag12  on  August 30, 2018

    I'd try the Eggcellent eggless dip first!

  • Indio32  on  August 31, 2018

    Maybe its my english sensibilities but whats the word 'Beef' doing in a vegan recipe?

  • sarahawker  on  August 31, 2018

    Southern biscuits and gravy

  • horselady57  on  August 31, 2018

    Momofoku style ramen!

  • kmn4  on  August 31, 2018

    Eat the rainbow…slaw

  • rchesser  on  August 31, 2018

    The gnocchi!

  • janv  on  August 31, 2018

    Perfectly pleasing pesto pizza

  • MiMi60  on  August 31, 2018

    Naked burrito

  • marietay  on  August 31, 2018

    What the pho

  • t.t  on  September 1, 2018

    It's a bella mozzarella

  • Steben  on  September 1, 2018

    The Buffalo Caesar

  • demomcook  on  September 1, 2018

    Superbowl chili

  • Shelley.b  on  September 1, 2018

    Presto pesto

  • Laura1  on  September 1, 2018

    presto pesto

  • mpdeb98  on  September 1, 2018

    The pho-ritto

  • debbiehb  on  September 2, 2018

    Veggs Benny

  • lgroom  on  September 2, 2018

    Pho ritto

  • Siegal  on  September 2, 2018

    I want to make coconut bacon

  • MelMM  on  September 3, 2018

    This sounds boring, but the veg broth. Always looking for a better version.

  • Nancith  on  September 3, 2018

    Peanut butter and jam French toast sounds like a fun way to start the day.

  • LaurenE  on  September 6, 2018

    Momofoku style ramen

  • RSW  on  September 8, 2018

    In search of General Tso's chicken

  • choppergirl  on  September 8, 2018

    Avocado & chile aioli

  • EmilyR  on  September 11, 2018

    Eggplant bacon

  • jmay42066  on  September 11, 2018

    Szechuan-style pan-fried dumplings

  • daniellespinato1  on  September 13, 2018

    Seitan chicken breasts

  • jennymnyc  on  September 14, 2018

    Jerk chicken

  • LSanders  on  September 16, 2018

    Gnocchi

  • MaineDruid  on  September 17, 2018

    Maybe it's because we're trending in that direction (in the northern hemisphere), but what's calling to me is #SweaterWeather pumpkin sage soup.

  • lindaeatsherbooks  on  September 18, 2018

    I would try making the Essential non-dairy cream.

  • elsid22  on  September 18, 2018

    Seitan chicken!

  • lauriesk  on  September 21, 2018

    Spaghetti and neat balls.

  • Dannausc  on  September 21, 2018

    Mushroom bacon

  • sequoia55  on  September 22, 2018

    Southern biscuits and gravy

  • tararr  on  September 22, 2018

    What the pho

  • blizzful  on  September 22, 2018

    In search of General Tso's chicken

  • hagoesch  on  September 22, 2018

    A mezze named muhammara, please!

  • antpantsii  on  September 24, 2018

    Jamming Jamaican patties

  • banba1  on  September 24, 2018

    It takes two to mango

  • thewoobdog  on  September 25, 2018

    Why So Syrian Chicken & Rice

  • kennethjohngilmour  on  September 26, 2018

    love pizza so would start with the pizzeria-style dough found on page 31

  • eatysmith  on  September 27, 2018

    The Buffalo Caesar!

  • AlisonL  on  September 27, 2018

    Famous Edgy Veg fried chicken or the Baja Fish Tacos!

  • auntietina  on  September 28, 2018

    Ritzy Hollandaise

  • KarenDel  on  October 2, 2018

    Rice paper bacon

  • sgump  on  October 2, 2018

    Halloween approaches. We therefore need garlicky green beans to keep the vampires away.

  • tennyogirl  on  October 3, 2018

    Street Food-Style Thai Basil Beef

  • orchidlady01  on  October 4, 2018

    Foolproof gnocchi and Better than eggs: tofu scramble

  • Teruska  on  October 14, 2018

    Mason-Dixon Crab Melt

  • NancyLynn  on  October 15, 2018

    eggs benny

  • herosky  on  October 17, 2018

    I would try the Crunchy taco wrap supreme.

  • starzine  on  October 17, 2018

    I would like to try the Seitan chicken .

  • Littlebirdchoc  on  October 19, 2018

    I've been a follower of the blog for quite a while now, but the French Dip sounds amazeballs – the Le Dip Francais.

  • KarenDel  on  October 23, 2018

    Wondering who is the third winner?

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