Smith & Daughters chef Shannon Martinez makes plant based cooking easy in new book Vegan With Bite

“But, what do you eat?” It’s a question many vegans are asked the moment they identify themselves. You’d think better to pose it to Shannon Martinez — the culinary force behind what is perhaps Australia’s best-known vegan restaurant and deli, Smith & Daughters. “People don’t really ask me that any more, because they know I am just going to wipe them under the table with that question,” she laughs. “It’s a boring old joke people used to make. If you’re still in that mindset, asking ‘What do you eat?’ and ‘Where do you get your protein?’, I feel a bit sorry for you because we have come a long way since then.” Certainly, Martinez has changed the game when it comes to plant-based cuisine. Her first two cookbooks, co-authored with Mo Wyse, showed fans how to recreate Fitzroy establishment Smith & Daughters’ beloved recipes at home. Now, she has gone the extra mile with her new title, Vegan with Bite, which is more simple, budget-friendly and approachable for those wanting to cut down on their animal product intake. “This book is more targeted towards people who think vegan food is too hard, too expensive or too much effort,” Martinez says. “This squashes all those ideas and gives them recipes they are familiar with already, and shows them how they can switch out ingredients easily.” While Martinez herself eats some meat, she says benefits of reducing how much we consume are wide reaching. “We all know these days we can’t keep eating the way we have been,” she says. “You’d be very hard-pressed to open up a newspaper these days and not read something about the food we eat and its impact on the environment and our health. People are looking at it from a whole bunch of different angles now. “It is no longer just an animal rights movement with veganism. It’s environmental impact, it’s health. And whatever reason people choose to reduce their impact, I don’t care. Any reason is a good reason. It’s really good to see people becoming more conscious of everything.” Martinez calls this recipe collection “bougie budget” because they are easy and accessible, yet pack a flavourful punch. Her personal favourites are the “creamy, punchy, spicy” dan dan noodles, the old-school golden syrup dumplings and the cheesy Korean rice sticks. These are guilty pleasure dishes done vegan, with no references to clean eating in sight. “Vegans get drunk too, and they need hangover food to cook the next day,” Martinez says. “I’ve never preached health food; I preach delicious food. You won’t find me putting a green chia smoothie bowl in my books. Never ever, and you can quote me on that.” That approach is just one of the reasons Martinez has found herself such a loyal following. And her disciples are already lapping up the new release. “I want people to get to a point where they have to buy a second copy because the pages are ripped and they are covered in food,” Martinez says. “I want this to be a real food bible for people.” Vegan with Bite by Shannon Martinez, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $34.99.