Caribbean Vegan

©Jacky Gotin

Taymer Mason believes strongly in the ethics and the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet.

I don’t.

Seriously if it’s not threatened or endangered at no time would I ever consider completely eliminating animal products from my diet.

Sorry.

So, why then would I be interested in owning a copy of Taymer’s book Caribbean Vegan? Well Taymer ( such a cool name:-) and I do have something in common. We share a love for fabulous tasting food and in her book she will prove to you that going meat and dairy free doesn’t mean bland and tasteless.

Best of all I love that Taymer’s book introduces vegan food with a Caribbean sensibility. Many vegan recipes that I encounter are heavily focused on the nutritional benefits of the meals often to the detriment of taste. Not so Caribbean Vegan. In authentic Caribbean style Taymer 'seasons’ her meals as carefully as one would a meat dish.

Long before this book was published Taymer kindly shared with me her recipe for creole ratatouille (it’s in the book). A foreigner not accustomed to the subtleties of flavours imparted by the copious use of herbs and spices might find the ingredient list somewhat long and maybe even unnecessary. However the moment I read the recipe I smiled. I recognized it. I got it. The layering of flavours becomes even more important when a dish lacks a meaty stock as it’s base.

Taymer’s book came out and I was intrigued as to how she would ‘veganise’ certain traditional Caribbean comfort foods. I absolutely could not wait to try her version of saltfish accras ( a kind of fish fritter).  The use of fire roasted seaweed to substitute for the fish flavour was genius but would it pass the taste test of a non-vegan? Fear not, I put that recipe to the ultimate taste test and offered them to my daughter’s teen study group.
Nom. Nom, nom.
More please!

Want more of Taymer’s vegan delights? You don't have to be a vegan to appreciate it and many of the recipes would work just as well as a perfect side to any meat main dish. This book is available in book stores in  Trinidad and online at Amazon. You can also visit and chat with Taymer over at her blog Vegan in the Sun.