The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude

After graduating from college, Brian Patton was back to living at his parents' home in Pennsylvania, a public relations graduate with an expensive education but no job. He watched a cooking show and thought, I can do that, enjoying the simplicity of a recipe that sounded and looked delicious but was so easy he didn't have to write it down to make it himself. After moving to Los Angeles, he discovered he loved cooking, and found a cooking job where he learned the ins and outs of a professional kitchen. This led to the position of executive chef for Veggin' Out, a vegan home delivery service, and he experimented with veganism. He discovered he lost weight and felt great, with more energy and vitality, and he's been a vegan ever since. But, he's still the "regular dude" who wants to eat sandwiches, sliders, onion rings, pizza, and drink beer and cocktails while he watches the game.

He became The Sexy Vegan by posting a video cooking demonstration on YouTube. He posted another, and another, and discovered that many people wanted what he wanted in a cooking demo: easy, failure-proof recipes that they'd cook again and again for food that satisfied in flavor and quantity. This new cookbook covers the basics of cooking, from slicing vegetables to finding the right type of tofu to recreating favorites without meat or dairy. With more than 100 recipes, Brian covers everything from cocktails (according to the Sexy Vegan, the most important meal of the day) to amazing breakfast sandwiches to desserts such as Sailor Peanut Rum Ice Cream. There are appetizers and nachos, pizza and "tuna-like" sandwiches as well as plenty of salads, pasta, and main dish choices.

The Sexy Vegan's signature style is efficient, lively, and funny. He doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes his food seriously, and he delivers great options for enjoying food while staying healthy and protecting the planet.

About The Author:

Brian Patton is the executive chef for Veggin' Out, a vegan food delivery service in Los Angeles. Brian started cooking by accident. As he writes, "I was unemployed and half asleep on my parents’ couch, watching a local access cooking show. It was hosted by this big, fat, balding guy with a mustache named Chef Lou (that was HIS name, not his mustache’s). He made an angel hair pasta dish, and presented it so simply that I didn’t even need to write it down. I thought,'I can do that,' and the next day I did it. My parents loved it, and I sensed that they felt just a little less disappointed in me than usual. It was that moment that gave me the confidence to continue to branch out and try making different dishes, and ultimately to become a chef. This confidence is what I want to give to my readers with my first book."

Brian offers cooking demonstrations at restaurants and community centers throughout Southern California and in his travels around the country. He regularly offers demos at Animal Acres, a hub of veganism and animal activism near Los Angeles.