So, Bill Clinton is a vegan?!! Well, almost. He eats a little fish once in a while. His editor approached him about trying the diet proposed by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. in his book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" Dr. Esselstyn, a preeminent researcher and clinician, in this book illustrates that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects. Having recently gone through open heart surgery his health has become a serious issue on his plate. So, forever the problem solver, Bill has decided to try out this diet free of animal products.
And that is a big step in the right direction for someone who was well known for jogging to McDonalds everyday with his staff for hamburgers, while president. Here is a guy, who as attorney General for the state of Arkansas in 1977 would pick out fat steaks that I would broil for him while I was a chef at an Italian restaurant he would frequent on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. This was a strange exchange between me, an out-of-place vegan just back from living in coffee shack in Hawaii for two years, and Mr. Clinton a young, political aspirant destined to become a two term president of the United States. I was doing something I shouldn’t have been doing, preparing and cooking animal flesh, in an effort to learn the restaurant business. He was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing, consuming animal flesh and dairy, in an effort to be like everyone else. It has been three decades since that odd little slice of life was tucked into the time space continuum, but somehow I feel vindicated now.
While William Jefferson Clinton served his presidential terms in the 1990s, I founded and operated one of the most popular vegetarian restaurants to ever appear on the scene with Veggie Works. It was during this time that I was able to develop the recipes featured in my cookbook The Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook (pub 2001) the first truly comprehensive vegan cookbook written to date with 500 recipes, meal planners, herb and spice charts and more. Well it’s a small world, as they say, and in three decades we have seen our country sway back and forth from political blue to red, again and again… progressive, regressive, progressive, regressive - sort of like jogging in place. But this is a good sign, Bill has been on this rollercoaster, too.
Clinton would be a great proponent for a plant based diet considering his human rights work with the William J. Clinton Foundation and as a special envoy for the United Nations. He has advocated for world peace, accepts global warming as a serious problem and could become a great mouthpiece for advancing veganism worldwide. As healthy as he will become, coupled with the crazy twists that life often brings, I can just imagine him jogging up to one of my fast food vegan franchises one day for a veggie burger – or steak sandwich!
In honor of this great man, and his intelligent decision go vegan – at least most of the time – I have included as my first addition to this blog a delicious vegan steak recipe that I hope Bill notices. Then we would truly end up full circle.
Vegan Flank Steak
This vegan steak is pound for pound higher in protein than beef and made according to the following recipe, is almost fat free. A perfect addition to Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr.‘s dietary plan that Clinton is testing out.
Ingredients:
Vital Wheat Gluten 2 cups
Water 2 1/3 cups
Vegetable Stock 1 gallon
Soy Sauce ½ cup
Kombu seaweed 5 inch strip
Barbecue Sauce* 2 cups
Mix the vital wheat gluten with the water quickly and thoroughly. Set mixture aside and allow it to firm up, about 30 minutes. Remove the gluten mass and transfer it to a table top. Cut the Mass in half and put one half back in the mixing bowl.
Turn the other half out on the table top and commence to roll it out thin with a rolling pin. Allow this rolled out ‘dough’ to rest for a few minutes. You may want to dab a little water on top to insure that it won’t dry out while you are waiting.
Now slice 5 or 6 pieces from this dough. Have the vegetable stock with soy sauce and seaweed boiling on the stove top. Roll out each piece of the dough again and toss immediately into the boiling stock one by one. Use a wooden spoon to stir the stock and keep the steaks from sticking together. Lower the heat to medium high and allow steaks to boil in this rolling simmer for about 20 minutes or longer.
Remove the steaks and pat dry. Repeat the above process for the other half of the gluten, using the same pote. Next, coat the bottom of a casserole dish with a little barbecue sauce and place steaks on top without overlapping. Cover steaks with a light coating of the barbecue sauce and place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees. Bake ten minutes then turn steaks and coat again with the sauce. Bake another ten minutes or until the steaks have absorbed most of the barbecue sauce.
Another great way to prepare these steaks is with the use of a cast iron grill skillet. Heat the skillet for several minutes on medium high then rub with oil. Place steak on the hot surface and press down with metal spatula. Baste occasionally with your favorite marinade or more of the cooking stock mixed with a little oil and vinegar, turning the steak several times to produce a nice color and grill markings while adding more flavor.
Serve with your favorite sides such as potato salad, baked potato, rice, risotto, sautéed greens and baked beans. This steak is versatile enough to go well with just about anything. Flavor with your favorite glaze or choose from a number of excellent commercial concoctions off the shelf. Feel free to experiment and don’t forget to read the ingredients. Bon Appetite
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