Jon Robertson is the author of “Vegan Unplugged”. Jon is a publisher and editor who is himself the author of six nonfiction books. He founded Vegan Heritage Press in 2007 to publish excellent vegan cookbooks for the growing population, both vegan and non, seeking a healthier, environment and animal friendly way of eating and living. You can also check-out Jon’s blog at http://veganunplugged.blogspot.com/.  We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jon about his book and other ventures.

Vegan Unplugged is a great primer for Vegans facing emergencies but, as the economy’s worsened have you received more feedback from “situational vegans” or flexitarians who have found themselves using your book?

Yes, I’ve been quite surprised by a variety of compliments from various quarters.  I think we all know that vegan packaged products are quite expensive, and people have appreciated how affordable it is to eat pantry food as described in the book.  In addition to the many vegans who are using the book, I have received compliments from non-vegans who are finding the recipes cheap and easy to make—one in particular said that their kids love the black bean patties. I’ve been hearing lately from boat enthusiasts who say the recipes are perfect for galley cooking, too.  Who knew?

Vegan Unplugged is an update to Apocalypse Chow but, what new shortcuts or different methods have you discovered that you would include in a newer edition since writing Vegan Unplugged?

I think the revision from Apocalypse Chow was comprehensive and well-thought-out in terms of being accessible for everyday cooking as well as emergency situations. In Vegan Unplugged, I shifted the emphasis to the food, moving the emergency-related material toward the back. What would I include in a new edition of Vegan Unplugged? About twenty more of Robin’s terrific recipes!

My favorite section of the book is the Five- Day Meal Box because it’s something that appealed to my pragmatic sense. What is your favorite section of the book? Why?

I like the Five-Day Meal Box, too—there’s something comforting about seeing that box of ingredients all put-up and waiting—enough to feed four people for five days. I think one of the best features is the menu plans and accompanying grocery lists—I worked hard on it and it really makes the shopping a no-brainer. I also like the addition of the special chapter on taking precautions for our animal buddies in emergency situations.

When you and your wife Robin collaborated on what recipes should make the book which ones did you not include that you wish were included?

I’ve got to say first off that when I say we “collaborated,” it really was Robin who developed these recipes. My only job was really saying, “Stop there!”  The first book had around sixty recipes, so I asked Robin to add twenty more for this new book.  She really has a talent for doing interesting new things with food.

Who outside of your family would you normally include as a tester for recipes? Did you include companion animals in your emergency prep recipes for your animal plan?

For testing, I asked Robin if I could impose on some of the many people around the country who help her test recipes for her other cookbooks.  Of course, most of these recipes were tried-and-true tested recipes since the first book.  We made a lot of them for lunches and dinners ourselves—often when there wasn’t time to cook from scratch.  As mentioned above, the plan for our animal companions is new, and I’m proud of that inclusion—it’s so very important.  As most dog or cat food tends to be shelf-stable, our companion animals are already eating pantry cuisine!  I think every family knows how much pet food to keep on hand, but it would be a good idea to add a week’s worth of their favorite foods to the Five-Day Meal Box in your closet!

Have you had fun testing the strategies outlined in Vegan Unplugged on a camping trip or other fun outing?

You know, we used to camp back in the ‘70s, but haven’t spent much time in the great outdoors, since—our loss, I’m afraid.  But we have tested out Vegan Unplugged in several ways:  We regularly raid the Meal Box on days we don’t feel like cooking or don’t have time to cook. We’ve taken the box (along with our little butane stove) on two road trips where we knew there wouldn’t find vegan food (just pull up to a roadside picnic table, and in twenty minutes, you’re eating a hot meal!) We used it when our kitchen was being renovated and also during the occasional power outage, though since we moved to the mountains from the coast, there haven’t been too many of those.