All you need to know about Vegan at Home

Enjoy 145 simple and delicious vegan recipes from celebrated Icelandic cook and culinary entrepreneur Solla Eiríksdóttir

Solla Eiríksdóttir’s parents used to grow a lot of vegetables. That might not sound so remarkable, but the place where Solla’s parents grew those vegetables was far from verdant.

As the Icelandic chef, food culinary consultant and cookbook author recalls in the introduction to Vegan at Home: Recipes for a modern plant-based lifestyle, her parents were given a plot of land in Rauðhólar, around 30 minutes’ drive from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. “People thought my parents were very optimistic about its potential because those 7.4 acres (hectares) were all lava and moss—no soil, and no trees to shelter from the windy Icelandic summers,” she recalls. “They made a huge effort to plant trees for shelter, and since rich soil was not available to buy in those days, they started to make their own soil by composting food scraps. Slowly but surely, what had been a mass of lava, moss, and mud was transformed into a sheltered, nutritious paradise.”

Carrot Fries with Cilantro Mayo. Photography by Hildur Ársælsdóttir

Meals cooked from that kitchen garden instilled a love of plant-based food in Solla. She committed to a vegan diet in 1980, took up a career in the culinary arts, ran her own organic food brand and owned and oversaw Iceland’s most popular vegetarian restaurant, Gló. She has written many cookbooks, taught vegetarian cooking on television, and is the author of a previous Phaidon hit book, Raw: Recipes for a modern vegetarian lifestyle.

In this new book, she opens up veganism to everyone, with a series of easily prepared recipes that are healthy, delicious and suit almost any occasion.

The book is divided in three, with a set of basic recipes, which run through the ways in which home cooks can master the creation of everyday staples, such as oat milk and nut butters, followed by a section of everyday dishes, including sweet potato and smoky lentil bowl, and seed crackers, and finally a collection of celebration recipes, featuring dishes such as a hearty vegetable tagine, an indulgent chocolate mousse with hazelnut milk, and a show-stopping raw tiramisu.

Brunch Menu. Photography by Hildur Ársælsdóttir. French Toast, Pancakes with Jam and Berries, Coconut Yogurt with Granola and Berries, Hot Chocolate with Aquafaba Whip, One-Pan Breakfast Beans and Tomatoes, Tofu and Besan Frittata.

Solla prefaces her new book with a series of tips for new cooks, on everything from electronic scales to the overnight soaking of beans; her recipes also carry symbols to denote dishes that are nut free, grain free or gluten free.

There are also personal recollections from the author peppered throughout the book, as she remembers her father’s love of sauerkraut, or the spaghetti dish Solla had cooked for her as a child, which she now serves to her own grandchildren.

Zucchini and Horseradish Macadamia Cheese Rolls. Photography by Hildur Ársælsdóttir

Committed vegans will find much to love in this book, as will everyday home cooks, keen to widen their repertoire and reduce their reliance on animal products. Running from soup to nuts, the dishes in this book will challenge anyone who believes committing to a vegan diet means sacrificing flavour, convenience or nutrition. With this book, you can diet or indulge yourself, cook a simple lunch, or prepare a lavish party feast. To find out more and order your copy Vegan at Home, go here.

Vegan at Home