Barbara Menendez set New Orleans on fire in the ’80s with her punk-rock band The Cold. She’s now back with another high-energy project—the “Vegan Dawlin’” cookbook.
Photo by Elsa Hahne
When her husband, guitarist Ray Ganucheau, was diagnosed with a rare, genetic heart disorder two years ago and went on a no-fat, no-animal diet, Menendez took it upon herself to create vegan versions of many classic New Orleans and Louisiana dishes.
“I’m looking at this man who loves gumbo like it’s mother’s milk,” Menendez explains. “And I love him and I don’t want him to eat boring food. There are some good vegan dishes out there, but many are loaded with fat, and we needed no nuts, no oils and no avocados.”
Menendez describes herself as “one of these people who believe everything is possible.”
That attitude didn’t exactly hurt as she was working out recipes for fried oyster po-boys (without oysters, without oil) and fat-free, vegan turtle soup.
“Veganism has an ugly rep that turns off a lot of people,” she says. “I want to help those who are in the same situation as us and I want to be a teacher and put this knowledge out there without getting on a soapbox. I’m not looking for world domination.”
Photo by Elsa Hahne
By making her own fake meat, seitan, using wheat gluten and spices, Menendez adds plenty of protein to their diet and pulls off a sloppy, fake-roast-beef po-boy once in a while.
When the idea for the cookbook first came, it was from her husband.
“Ray said, ‘Why don’t you make a cookbook?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know how to do anything,’” Menendez remembers.
“You know how you get to that place sometimes. But I realized—this eating needs a new hat. Veganism is not just for skinny hipsters or for making people feel bad for killing animals. It’s a cuisine. Period.”
Menendez is now raising funds for her book project, featuring 98 recipes—and possibly a show—on Go Fund Me, hoping to share her inspiration for how to cook good, vegan, heart-healthy food.
