How to make Lauren Toyota's vagan spin on sloppy jokes

In her new cookbook, Hot for Food All Day, Lauren Toyota shows that vegan recipes can be seriously delicious— and super simple to make. Here are four tasty places to start.

- Lauren Toyota

Easy Brussels

Sprouts Pasta

MAKES 4 SERVINGS This pasta has always been a tried-and-true go-to. I usually just eyeball the whole thing, so I’m glad it’s finally documented and can become part of your regular rotation too! The sauce is light and simple, using shallot, garlic, white wine, lemon juice and zest, nutritional yeast, and pasta water.

Don’t overcook your Brussels, because you want them bright and bursting with colour. A cast-iron pan is best for preparing this dish to get that beautiful char on the Brussels that other pans just won’t produce.

• 1 package (14 oz/400 g) linguine
• ½ cup raw walnuts
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed), thinly sliced
• ¼ cup finely chopped shallot (about 1 shallot)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (3 or 4 large cloves)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 1 lemon) Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup shredded vegan
• Parmesan, for garnish

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine to al dente.

Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse.

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and toast the walnuts for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the walnuts from the pan and remove the pan from the heat to cool. Coarsely chop the walnuts and set aside.