tofu, spinach, & walnut loaf

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (1995 edition)

Things were different then, and the general knowledge about food, nutrition, and cooking — especially vegetarian — was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today. For the most part, vegetarian cooking, unless specifically and deliberately labeled “macrobiotic”, heavily employed such things as eggs and rich dairy products. Vegetables, beans, and grains were still important, but not emphasized (nor appreciated) as much as they are now. Butter and oil were used with abandon; people concerned about their weight worried much more about minimizing “starch” (now called “carbohydrates”) and maximizing animal proteins (hence the emphasis on eggs and dairy products) than about the actual fat content of the food. — Mollie Katzen (1995)

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Mollie Katzen’s follow-up to The Moosewood Cookbook, was originally released in 1982. It was supposed to be a companion piece to Katzen’s blockbuster, emphasizing “foreign” and “ethnic” food, broadening the palate of Katzen’s original, mostly Euro-centric dishes to include versions of the various cuisines white yuppies were adding to their weekly rotations. Ingredients like miso, curry powder, and tortillas were newly available across the country, and Katzen incorporated these staples into her recipes. Jogging and yoga had taken hold, and health became a bigger priority for the type of people already seeking out Katzen’s work. By 1995, when the second edition of Broccoli Forest came out, we were at the height of the low-fat craze. Dietary fat—saturated, unsaturated, whatever—was seen as the enemy for anyone trying to tighten their belts.

Katzen (post 1995): Why do all these women have the exact same hair?

So Katzen lightened up her recipes even more, reducing the amount of oils and other fats integral to her initial vision of hearty vegetarian cooking. I bought this “new” edition without realizing it wasn’t the original, and its recipes are a strange amalgamation of 1982 and 1995. This week, I wanted to get deep in the health-food muck, testing Katzen’s palate (and my cooking ability) to see if I could take something that seemed questionable—even repellant—and make it tasty.

I failed beyond my wildest dreams, making something I will have put directly into my compost bin by the time you read this post. But this week, failure seems appropriate, even sadly prophetic.

And thus, I give you Tofu, Spinach, & Walnut Loaf.