I ALWAYS thought vegans were missing out on the sheer enjoyment of tasty food.

Of course I understood the health benefits of eating fresh vegetables, nuts and superfoods.

But how could anything vegans prepare ever taste as good as grandma’s baking?

How could they go on living without taking that first bite of cheesecake ever again? Why would you want to give up condiments such as mayonnaise or sauces including hollandaise?

And would main meals ever be quite so satisfying or filling without red meat, chicken or seafood?

How could you ever go past the versatility of eggs?

I pondered all this as my youngest son, decided to become vegan for a variety of reasons.

He had been brought up in home where meat, eggs and dairy foods were staples in the fridge. He had been vegetarian for a while before deciding to go the whole hog, so to speak.

And with a mother’s desire to ensure her baby was not only eating right but eating well, I set forth to bookshops in the lead-up to Christmas to try to find vegan cookbooks that he could use.

What I found was slim pickings. I should have waited just a little bit longer.

The Naked Vegan from Maz Valcorza arrived on my desk just before its March publication.

It contains more than 140 tasty raw vegan recipes that are enough to make a confirmed meat-eater like myself salivate at the thought of creating them.

Maz is a story in herself.

A self-confessed Spam lover as a child, Maz became a nurse-turned-

pharmaceutical sales manager who chain-smoked and liked to party hard in Sydney.

That’s until a yoga class changed her life’s trajectory forever and she went on to found Sydney’s first organic raw food and vegan cafe, Sadhana’s Kitchen.

Her introduction to the cookbook not only puts forward a great argument for going vegan for health and wellbeing (try one of the warm tonics, cold elixirs or super food smoothies) but also the economic benefits.

But her KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy towards her recipes ensures anyone can quickly and easily whip up vegan meals, snacks, drinks and desserts that will excite the senses and taste extraordinary.

Vegan alternatives to mainstream cooking will have anyone doing a double-take. Was that a picture of bacon? No, but it is coconut bacon. Is that eggs benedict? No, but it is the Sadhana Kitchen Benedict with avocado eggs, wilted spinach and mushrooms. Were they churros? Yes, in fact – vegan-style with dark chocolate and salted caramel sauce.

At times, meat lovers will have everything they have ever known challenged, twisted and spat out to the point where you think you may be living in a parallel universe when flicking through this book.

The delicious-sounding salted caramel espresso almond mylk, for example, is a new take on cold-brew coffee. Vegans often use the word “mylk” to describe the creamy juice extracted from nuts such as almonds and cashews as opposed to “milk” from cows.

Lactose-intolerant people may already be familiar with the fine-meshed bags sold at health food stores for squeezing out nut mylk.

Bananarama Cupcakes, similarly, look, feel and taste like the traditional homemade or store-bought varieties but this vegan alternative needs absolutely no baking.

Mushroom calamari (presented with vegan-style tartare sauce and pickles) is a crunchy comfort food served warm from a dehydrator – much better for you than deep-frying.

I may just be a little jealous that I had promised this book to my son. He may have to bring it with him and cook up a feast next time he visits his parents.

THE NAKED VEGAN

AUTHOR: Maz Valcorza

PUBLISHER: Murdoch Books, RRP $35

BANANARAMA CUPCAKES

Rich in nutrients and utterly delicious, these dainty cupcakes go really well with the Cheeky chai tonic (page 183) as a super-charged sweet snack.

Makes 24

155g (5½ oz/1 cup) activated cashew nuts

100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) activated walnuts

310 g (11 oz/2 cups) activated almonds

125ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla powder

45g (1½ oz/½ cup) dried bananas, chopped

½ banana, mashed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Macadamia and banana frosting:

160 g (5½ oz/1 cup) activated macadamia nuts

3 tablespoons cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil

4 tablespoons coconut nectar

1 banana, mashed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

fresh banana slices

Method:

Using a high-speed blender, and working in separate batches, grind the cashews, walnuts and almonds into a flour, tipping each batch into a mixing bowl.

Add the ground nuts to a food processor. Add the coconut nectar, vanilla powder, dried banana, mashed banana and lemon juice, then pulse to the consistency of a moist cake. The mixture should bind to itself when pressed together between your fingers.

Press the mixture into 24 mini cupcake tins lined with plastic wrap, or into 24 mini silicone cupcake moulds, then turn the cupcakes out onto a clean, flat surface.

Blend all the frosting ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Pop into a piping (icing) bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a piece of banana just before serving.

The cupcakes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for five days or can be frosted and frozen for several months.