Why Isa Chandra Moskowitz Is Done With Restaurants—and Turning Focus to Sandwiches and Tim Robinson

From vegnews.com

By Charlotte Pointing

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is back with The 29-Minute Vegan. The cookbook icon opens up about quick recipes, fresh starts, and life after restaurants

For Isa Chandra Moskowitz, there’s nothing quite like cooking. “As a kid, flipping through a box of recipe cards was just as fun as rollerskating,” she writes on her vegan recipe blog, Post Punk Kitchen.

Cooking has long been Moskowitz’s love language, and her passion for veganism and food has taken her in many directions. She hosted her own cooking show in the early 2000s and opened two vegan restaurants under the Modern Love banner—one in her native Brooklyn and another in Nebraska—but sharing food through the written word may be her truest calling. Alongside her blog, Moskowitz has authored multiple cookbooks. In fact, the vegan chef is now on her 12th title: The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime.

For Moskowitz, the new cookbook is about more than quick, easy, and delicious plant-based recipes (though it certainly delivers plenty of those). It also reflects a new chapter in her life. Like many restaurant owners, the vegan chef has faced challenges in recent years. Modern Love’s Nebraska location closed in 2024, followed by the Brooklyn restaurant in 2025.

                                     The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime is out and available to purchase now

Moskowitz had seen the signs for some time. Before the closures, she joined other vegan business owners in speaking with VegNews about the difficulties of keeping a vegan restaurant afloat in the current economic climate. “I don’t think the storm is over,” she said at the time. “What are these tariffs going to do to us? Where does the avocado come from? Where does the tofu come from? Will we have to raise prices?”

Modern Love isn’t alone. Oakland’s Millennium recently announced its closure after more than three decades in business, while Brooklyn favourite Toad Style shuttered suddenly in May.

But Moskowitz isn’t dwelling on the past. Quite the opposite, in fact. She’s embracing a newfound freedom away from restaurant ownership and focusing on The 29-Minute Vegan. Below, she shares more about the new book, including the recipes she makes on repeat, why she wants to cook for Tim Robinson, and why she’s feeling content in this latest chapter of her life.

                                                                 Moskowitz’s new cookbook is full of easy, quick recipes

VegNews: What inspired you to focus on quick, under-30-minute meals for this book?

Isa Chandra Moskowitz: It was basically life deciding for me. I had a very busy and stressful few years (was I the only one?), and I still wanted really delicious food, so it was this natural process of figuring out how to get there. It happened very naturally, and I hope that it’s what makes the book really work, because it worked for me. 

VegNews: Do you have a personal favourite recipe from the book right now? 

Moskowitz: I am loving the sandwich section, maybe it’s this transitional spring weather, but a sandwich manages to be both warm-weather and cold-weather food. So I love the first recipe in the book, the Stacked Tofu Deli Sammy, with all the thinly sliced tofu slices and balsamic mayo and the usual sandwich suspects. I also make the Chickpea Salad BLT a lot because it has tons of protein and my favourite flavours: dilly chickpea salad and smoky tempeh bacon. 

Okay, and just one last thing, the Pad Thai from the Pasta & Noodles chapter. I know I have Pad Thai in every book, but somehow this is my favourite yet. I have been on a yuba kick.

VegNews: Many people associate vegan cooking with time or complexity. How does this book challenge that perception?

Moskowitz: As Yoda said, there is no try, there is only do. Once you make the recipes, you will understand that it’s not that deep. Vegan cooking can be as easy as you let it be. I think vegans like to have fun and make seitan roasts and cashew cheese sometimes, but these are not for those times. Even though there are a few quick cashew cheeses in the book. 

VegNews: If you could cook a 29-minute meal for anyone (past or present), who would it be and what would you make?

Moskowitz: Well, off the top of my head, and if I am being totally honest, it would be Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave). First of all, it seems like he has been leaning vegan lately, and maybe that will be the final straw. He will say, “It’s simply TOO GOOD.” But also, I just need to laugh. And if I were able to make him laugh without making it look fake, that would just carry me through the rest of my life.

VegNews: Since the closure of Modern Love, how has your day-to-day life and creative focus shifted?

Moskowitz: Well, I mean, how hasn’t it?

It’s night and day. It’s kind of impossible to explain, but I am able to be a person again. 

VegNews: What have you learned from stepping away from the restaurant world?

Moskowitz: That there are sunsets, and I can call my mother and spend time with my cats, and go to the movies, and that it’s okay to just breathe and exist. 

                                                                               Moskowitz’s go-to? The sandwich section

VegNews: Do you see yourself returning to restaurants in the future, or are you excited to focus on other avenues?

Moskowitz: I don’t see myself returning to restaurants in the future. It would have to be the exact right situation, and I don’t see that happening in our current climate. I’m excited to focus on other things. I am still healing from the psychological trauma of the whole situation. 

VegNews: How does this new cookbook reflect where you are in your life right now?

Moskowitz: I think it’s bright and happy, and I hope that my future is that way, too. I am in my fifties now and starting everything over, so that is a pretty wild place to be. I think a lot of women are in that same position. I hope that these quick, yummy meals help everyone get a little more time back in their day to do what they want with the time we have. And have fun doing it.

Want more of Moskowitz’s recipes? Find some of our favourites below:

• Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Irish Stout Stew With Fluffy Potato Biscuits
• Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Famous Banana French Toast
• Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Tempeh and Broccoli Stir-Fry
• Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
• Crispy Baked Vegan Fish Sticks With Tartar Sauce

https://vegnews.com/why-isa-chandra-moskowitz-is-done-with-restaurants 

The Best Bacon, Egg And Cheese Is In Brooklyn. It’s Vegan.

From forbes.com

Eggs. Bacon. American cheese. Two pieces of soft, toasted, buttery bread. Maybe a dash of hot sauce, not too much, just enough to give it a little zip while still tasting that wonderfully melted cheese.

​There is no better way to start the day than with the perfect bacon, egg and cheese (BEC), and no breakfast more synonymous with life in New York City. It’s the reliable grab-and-go sunrise feast found at every corner bodega, the routine morning repast of the 9-5 subway straphanger and a key ingredient of any tried and true hangover cure.

​The sandwich’s history is ambiguous. Its ties to Industrial Revolution London street vendors, 19th-century Chinese rail workers and Basque immigrants who worked as miners and shepherds in the Nevada Territory make its heritage as diverse as the country that birthed it and as cosmopolitan as the city that made it an iconic, daily ritual.

Every person has their favourite spot to order one, and many restaurants, delis, bakeries and coffee shops throughout Manhattan have been touted as making some of the best.

So, when Romeo Regalli, chef and co-owner of RAS Plant Based, a popular Ethiopian-inspired restaurant in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, decided to add his own plant-based interpretation to the table, he did so with that heritage firmly in mind.

“When you’re working with such a classic dish, that people know so well, you have to be very careful,” Regalli says in a phone interview.

​“My goal was to make something that wasn’t gimmicky, that respected the classic aspects of a bacon, egg and cheese.”

And the work behind any good sandwich starts with bread.

                                                   The best bacon, egg and cheese in NYC.    Photo Courtesy of RAS Plant Based

Bread and Butter

The bread used for a BEC can be anything from the standard sandwich roll found at most bodegas to the browned pretzel roll or fluffy brioche bun often preferred by restaurants and coffee shops.

​Picking bread is a seemingly simple decision that shapes the entire first-bite experience of any sandwich. If it’s too dry, too flimsy, too soft or too crisp, bread can ruin texture, scrape the inside of someone’s mouth or just turn into a soggy mess on the plate or in someone’s lap. If it’s too dense, it will affect the important bread-to-filling ratio, and if it has too much flavour on its own, it will overpower the other ingredients entirely.

At RAS, Regalli keeps things simple, choosing a traditional whole-wheat bread that is then brushed with a house-made vegan take on Niter Kibbeh, a traditional Ethiopian clarified butter mixed with cardamom and an herb called koseret. Lightly toasted, the bread is perfectly crunchy and warm, with a rich, buttery aroma and flavour reminiscent of a favourite neighbourhood diner.

​The koseret, with its minty, herbal taste and hints of sweet basil and oregano, adds a layer of savoury sweetness to every bite. Regalli then adds a spread of rich, creamy plant-based aioli, mixed with berebere, a fiery, Ethiopian spice blend featuring chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, and a myriad of other spices, for a subtle yet delightful pop of relishing heat.

​It is an exceptional and delectable union, then scaffolded by the crisp, chewy, and wholly comforting texture and flavour of bacon.

Bacon Me Crazy

​Good plant-based bacon has long been considered an oxymoron within the diet. Too often, when chefs and restaurants attempt to replicate the pork protein, they fail to capture that specific, complex, and crispy texture of rendered animal fat, resulting in replicas that are either soggy, rubbery or overly dry, and also taste inauthentic or even chemical. Thus, most plant-based bacon alternatives fail to meet the standards that bacon lovers, i.e., most people, have come to expect.

​Regalli’s bacon exceeds those expectations. Built on a plant-based protein prepared and seasoned in-house, he uses a measured ratio of liquid smoke, berbere for warmth and depth and korerima (Ethiopian cardamom) for a more aromatic, slightly floral note. The plant-based bacon excellently balances smokiness with savouriness, while delivering a texture that is a perfectly rendered crispy-chewy combo.

​“We spent a lot of time refining how the bacon cooks, so that it has that balance people expect: a bit of crisp on the edges, some chew in the centre, and enough richness to carry through the whole sandwich,” says Regalli.

​The end product is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Ordering an additional side is almost mandatory. Meanwhile, Regalli’s pursuit of near-perfect mimicry through painstaking manipulation of flavour is further expressed in the eggs.

As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs

​Made from pureed and seasoned mung beans, a protein-rich legume that condenses and stiffens when cooked, these plant-based eggs look strikingly similar to their real counterparts thanks to the generous use of turmeric, which gives them a natural and pleasantly golden colour. And although many BECs often come with their eggs scrambled, Regalli wanted to provide his guests with a tidy, less messy dining experience and instead chose a delicately folded omelette for his sandwich.

​The plant-based omelette is firm and fluffy, providing a pillow for the delicious, crispy bacon, which is blanketed with a silky, rich, melted plant-based American-style cheese, made from potato protein, and finally topped with thin wedges of tender avocado and bright, fresh arugula and served with a side of house-spiced fries.

The flavours are vibrant, complex, bright, subtly sweet, gently smoky and warm, and they all work together. Regalli has created not only a uniquely delicious breakfast sandwich but also one of the city’s best, and captured the familiar, craveable experience of a New York staple—without meat, eggs, or dairy.

​“New York runs on bacon, egg and cheese,” Regalli says.

​“I wanted to deliver the same simple satisfaction and nostalgia of that sandwich, while using plant-based ingredients and Ethiopian flavours to make it RAS.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/isidororodriguez/2026/04/21/the-best-bacon-egg-and-cheese-is-in-brooklyn-and-its-vegan/ 

This smoky lentil sloppy joes packs in the plant-based protein and demands napkins

From apnews.com

By Robin Arzón

This recipe is from the “I Love Sandwiches” chapter in my cookbook “Eat to Hustle.” The chapter is basically my love letter to road-trip food made healthier — inspired by fast-food classics, gas-station gems, and deli-counter staples that I thought I’d never get to eat again after going vegan.

My versions hit just as hard, especially because they’re loaded with plant-based protein, so your body enjoys them just as much as you do.

Traditional sloppy joes are way too sweet and ketchup-y for my taste. I like to think my version is a little more refined — still hearty and meaty from the lentils, with a smoky, savoury sauce that’s just the right amount of tangy. Serve the hearty filling on high-protein buns and watch them disappear.

Napkins definitely required.

                                                                                                                    Voracious via AP

Lentil Sloppy Joes

Servings: 4 sandwiches

2 tablespoons avocado oil

Ingredients

½ medium white onion, diced

½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cooked lentils

4 high-protein burger buns, such as Hero

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°F. In a large skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the pepper is soft, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, coconut sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, paprika, red pepper and black pepper. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then stir in the lentils to coat. Simmer until the lentils are warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

While the lentils are simmering, split the burger buns and arrange on the oven rack to toast. Divide the sloppy joes mixture among the toasted buns and serve immediately.

                                                                                                                  Voracious via AP

https://apnews.com/article/lentil-sloppy-joes-recipe-arzon-84e25bf6f3c71a02622818e547ad70e3

This Crispy Tofu Sandwich Is The Star Of Summer Lunches

From plantbasednews.org

And there are two ways to make it 

Nisha Vora, known for her YouTube channel Rainbow Plant Life, recently shared a video in which she explains how to make a delicious, vegan, crispy tofu sandwich that her boyfriend is obsessed with. She serves up not just one, but two variations of the same base sandwich, and both are packed with flavour, texture, and plant-based brilliance.

Vora, a Harvard grad and former corporate lawyer turned full-time vegan content creator, has built a reputation for her spectacular, foolproof recipes and approachable cooking style. This sandwich showcases exactly that: crispy tofu, thoughtfully chosen toppings, and two very different but equally tempting flavour profiles. And yes, her boyfriend Max joins at the end to declare his winner.

The secret to that golden crunch

                                   This crispy tofu sandwich is about to transform your lunchtime - Media Credit: Rainbow Plant Life

The foundation of both sandwiches is the same: ultra-crispy tofu slices that mimic the savoury bite of fried halloumi. Vora uses extra-firm tofu, cuts it into half-inch slabs, and presses it to prevent breakage during cooking.

To coat the tofu, she adds it to a Ziploc bag with a dry batter of cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. “Just flip it upside down several times,” she says, showing how evenly the tofu gets coated without a mess.

Instead of a non-stick skillet, Vora cooks the tofu in a carbon steel pan. “It kind of looks like fried halloumi,” she says, flipping a golden slice. She rests each piece on a wire rack between batches to maintain that crisp texture. The result is beautifully browned slabs with no sticking and no oil-soaked sogginess in sight.

Sandwich #1: Pesto slaw with heirloom tomatoes

YouTube/Rainbow Plant LifeVora cooks the seasoned tofu in a carbon steel pan and likens it to fried halloumi

The first variation is a summer-ready sandwich with a punchy homemade pistachio pesto and a crunchy cabbage slaw.

To make the pesto, Vora swaps classic pine nuts for roasted pistachios and uses nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan. She also adds lemon juice and salt. “That is so good, oh wow,” she says after tasting the finished sauce. “Pistachio pesto, just as good as the classic. And we didn’t have to toast the pine nuts in a frying pan.”

To balance the richness, she whips up a vinaigrette-style slaw with red cabbage, which she slices really thinly, shredded carrot, and jalapeño. No heavy mayo here – just lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil.

Assembling the sandwich involves a toasted ciabatta roll layered with pesto, lettuce, crispy tofu, heirloom tomato slices, avocado, and slaw. Optional basil leaves round it out. It’s a tower of texture and freshness.

Sandwich #2: Gochujang mayo for a weeknight win

The second version takes a faster route with a three-ingredient spread made of vegan mayo, gochujang, and lime juice. “It’s salty, it’s spicy, it’s tangy, it’s umami, it’s sweet,” Vora says. “And it goes so far in adding so much flavour.”

The toppings stay minimal for ease: avocado, cucumber slabs, carrot ribbons, and a few cilantro leaves. It’s ideal for a quick weeknight meal once the tofu is prepped. “This one looks easier to eat,” she jokes before promptly getting gochujang all over her face.

Pesto is the besto

So, which one wins?

Max joins Vora at the end of the video to weigh in. While he praises both, he admits that although he’d likely make the gochujang version himself for ease, “The one that I like more is the pesto.”

Vora grins. “The pesto is the besto.”

Both sandwiches are linked in the video description, and viewers are encouraged to try them both. Whether you go bold with gochujang or fresh with pesto, you’re in for a sandwich that satisfies – even the Max in your life.

Watch both version of the sandwich come to life on Nisha Vora’s YouTube channel.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/crispy-tofu-sandwich-star-of-summer-lunches/

How To Make A Vegan Version Of The Viral M&S Strawberry And Cream Sandwich

From plantbasednews.org

The Japanese strawberry and cream sandwich is trending - here's how to make a vegan version at home 

High-end supermarket M&S just introduced its take on the “Ichigo Sando,” a Japanese strawberry and cream sandwich. The M&S version, which has gone viral, is not suitable for vegans, but it’s quick and easy to make your own vegan version at home.

Traditionally, an ichigo sando might include ripe, uniform strawberries, mascarpone whipped with sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream, and “shokupan,” a butter and milk-enriched bread with an extremely light, fluffy, cake-like texture.

Meanwhile, M&S’s Strawberry & Crème sandwich features its exclusive “Red Diamond” strawberries, dairy-based soft cheese and crème fraiche whipped together, and brioche-style sweet bread. It has an RRP of £2.80 for one slice.

If you want to include Red Diamond strawberries in your vegan version, you’ll have to head to M&S or Ocado, but otherwise pick up a punnet at your local supermarket. British strawberry growers have reported a bumper crop this year, and a warm spring has meant unusually sweet, large, and plentiful fruit. British strawberries are in season until mid-July and competitively priced.

                                          Have you heard of the viral strawberry and cream sandwich? - Media Credit: Adobe Stock

There is currently a wide selection of vegan soft cheeses available in the UK, including options from Violife, Philadelphia, Tofutti, Nush, Julienne Bruno, Oatly, and Miyokos, in addition to private label options from Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Pick your favourite and combine it with a portion of Oatly’s “Creamy Oat Fraiche,” or simply use coconut cream whipped with a little sugar.

While supermarkets such as Aldi have previously stocked vegan brioche buns, they are not currently available in the UK. You can make your own brioche using recipes such as this one from Domestic Gothess or this one from Rainbow Nourishments, or make your own shokupan with this recipe from Jessica in the Kitchen. Alternatively, substitute your favorite fluffy white bread, and consider adding some extra sweetener to the filling to compensate.

First, combine, wash, hull, and halve the strawberries. Whip your chosen combination of crème fraiche and vegan cream cheese with a little sugar, and spread it thickly on two slices of bread. Gently and evenly place the halved strawberries on one slice of bread. Then top with the other slice so that the strawberries sit in the middle of the sandwich with a good portion of filling on either side. Cut the sandwich into triangles, and serve with sparkling tea.

The origins of the fruit sando and vegan options in Japan

Adobe StockGrape, kiwi, banana, and more can also be incorporated into the Japanese fruit sandwich

Historically, fresh fruit was a luxury item in Japan, but in the early 1900s, it became more available to the general public. At this point, fruits were still primarily purchased as gifts, and a variety of fruit shops opened near train stations and in business districts in the first quarter of the 20th century.

According to the Japanese Food Guide, cafe-style fruit parlours soon followed and began serving fruit parfaits, shortcakes, and the iconic furutsu sando, or “fruit sandwich.” In addition to ichigo sando, Japanese fruit sandwiches might include pieces of grape, kiwi, peach, banana, satsuma, or melon, with traditional versions emphasizing floral patterns and ornate presentation.

Today, in major cities, cafes and bakeries may offer dedicated vegan options. Tokyo-based shop Hatoya’s Vegan Fruit Sandwiches features an entirely plant-based menu that includes temporary fruit sandwich fillings like red bean and strawberry, plus options such as soft serve with mango and black sesame.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/vegan-strawberry-and-cream-sandwich/