Cooks' Books by Lisa Messinger

"The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes that Will Change the Way You Eat" by Tal Ronnen (William Morrow, $29.99)

What you'll probably be most conscious of as you prepare the 75 vegan recipes from "The Conscious Cook" is how delicious the food is. Sure, author/chef Tal Ronnen also believes you'll become more aware of your carbon footprint on our planet and other environmental issues, but even he admits it's probably the great taste of the food that will raise your consciousness the most.

"I used to love steak," writes Ronnen, a gourmet restaurant chef who has cooked for celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres and founded Veg Advantage, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping food-service operators integrate vegetarian options into their menus. "Growing up, I ate it all the time, even as I sat across the table from two vegetarian sisters. When I crossed over to vegetarianism as a teenager, I didn't abandon my taste buds. I took them with me. In fact, I took them further. I became obsessed with the idea of creating vegan food that was just as mouthwatering and delicious as anything I'd ever had as a meat-eater."

What that meant as Ronnen developed as a chef is that he became one of the first to apply traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine (veganism uses no animal products whatsoever). The results are meals brimming with rich and complex flavors.

Many health-focused cookbooks simply tell you to eat ingredients because of their nutritional merits. Ronnen — since he's such an accomplished chef, who has also taught master vegetarian workshops for staff and students at Le Cordon Bleu campuses — describes the culinary merits of each ingredient and utilizes them for those benefits, not just their inherent healthfulness.

It's the flavor of the miso (fermented soybean paste) in a fingerling potato-green bean salad that is an expert pair with rice vinegar, agave nectar, shallot, garlic, mustard and lemon juice in a sophisticated dressing. Artichokes and saffron work perfectly in a homemade tortellini.

Pairings like this will probably make you think you're in one of the gourmet mainstream restaurants, which Ronnen advises on incorporating vegetarian choices. In between bites, take note of his vegan myth busters, what foods to always stock in your pantry for good-tasting-as-meat vegan cuisine and what nutritional "superfoods" are also the most decadent and tasty — like avocados, pomegranates and dark chocolate (check labels, he says, as most includes no milk).

Don't expect any meat or dairy cravings.

Ronnen himself went through tough ones and made sure all his rich fare knocked out such yearnings forever.

GREEN BEAN AND FINGERLING POTATO SALAD WITH MISO DRESSING

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup safflower oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 1/2 cups baby arugula

8 ounces fingerling potatoes, boiled for 15 minutes, then sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

8 ounces green beans, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute

Yields 4 servings.

Place the miso paste, vinegar, agave nectar, salt, pepper, shallot, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Fold in the chives.

Place the arugula, potatoes and beans in a large bowl, drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat.

BLACKBERRY BASIL SAUCE

6 cups fresh blackberries or 2 (12-ounce) bags frozen blackberries

1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

Pinch of (preferably sea) salt

1 sprig fresh basil

1 tablespoon light agave nectar, or to taste

Yields 8 servings.

Place half of the blackberries , the lemon juice, salt and basil sprig in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently to break up berries, for about 8 minutes, until berries are soft and broken down.

Remove from heat. Let steep for at least 20 minutes or cover in refrigerator up to overnight. Discard basil, then pour sauce into a blender. Puree, then sweeten to taste with the agave nectar and add more lemon juice if needed.

Push the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve back into the saucepan and gently fold in the remaining whole blackberries. When ready to serve, heat over low heat just until the sauce is warm and the berries are thawed (if using frozen). Alternatively, chill the sauce in the refrigerator, covered, and serve cold. Good served over ice cream or shortcakes.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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