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Another step in finding others to work with for constructive change is to broaden one’s reading. Bring new books and periodicals into your home in which you can find out about citizen initiatives that would probably not appear on the nightly news. In Appendix A, I’ve included a short list of books and periodicals for you to consider.

I also suggest that you write to the two organizations which I know best, both for ways to get involved and for further “leads.”

For more depth on issues related to food, land, and third world development, I suggest you write to Food First (the Institute for Food and Development Policy), 145 Ninth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Food First will send you further reading and action ideas, membership information, as well as a guide to other related organizations working for constructive change.

I also suggest you write to the organization I co-founded with Paul Du Bois in 1990, the Institute for the Arts of Democracy, 700 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite #199, Larkspur, CA 94939. We are developing programs to bring forth a more active democracy in which citizens are reclaiming authority in public life—in the schools, the media, the workplace, and at every level of government. We call this work “Building Citizen Democracy.” We’d love to have your participation. Please write to us to find out about joining with us and to receive a list of publications. We and Food First are especially looking for volunteers and interns to work with us.

Preface

In 1980, when I decided to write a Tenth Anniversary Edition, I sent out a call for help. I mailed hundreds of fliers and put notices in newsletters and magazines asking people to contribute their favorite complementary protein recipes. The response was incredible. Hundreds of people not only sent recipes but also their very thoughful suggestions for how to make the book better.

At first I found it hard to write this edition—to go back to what I had written so many years ago. But these letters kept me going. Many people described their own personal journey over the last ten years. Their words made more bearable the isolation I feel when I write, I felt I had friends all over the country who were urging me on. No longer did I feel like I was going backward; instead I could use this new book to move forward, by taking the time to reflect on what I had learned.

You’ll recognize these new recipes by the names of contributors at the top. Bill and Akiko Shurtleff, authors of the Book of Tofu, Miso, and Tempeh, deserve a special thanks, since I used several of their excellent recipes.

All of these new recipes and those that have been substantially revised are indicated by an asterisk (*) on each Contents page.

When I was growing up my brother and I used to say that although our mother was no gourmet cook, she was perhaps the best short-order cook in the world. Judging from the reaction to the first edition of this book, I’d say that a lot of other Americans have the same approach to cooking as my mother. They like recipes that they can whip up from memory, vary according to what they have on hand, get on the table in a hurry, but that have a flair of originality to them.

This is certainly the way I try to cook most of the time, except for those special meals for friends when the extra preparation time and care add to the pleasure of the occasion. So in this edition I have divided the recipes into sections that reflect my own cooking habits.

The first and largest section is “Meatless Meals in a Dish.” (Suggestions for salad or vegetable accompaniments are given, too.) If the beans or grains for these dishes can be taken from the refrigerator or freezer already cooked, virtually all of these dishes would appeal to even my “short-order” mom. Others are quick even starting from scratch.

The next section, “Meatless Menus for Special Occasions,” gives complete dinner menus to help you plan when you have the time for more elaborate dinners.

Following