Straight from the Earth is an all vegan, all-delicious cookbook from Myra Goodman.

When I picked up Myra and Marea Goodman’s new vegan cookbook Straight from the Earth for the first time, I knew I had to make the figs. The lush picture on page 152 was enough to convince me: grilled fig sandwiches with roasted pistachio pesto and balsamic caramelized onions. Feed me.

And while I picked it almost purely because of the photo – and my love of figs and pesto – it ended up being a great representation of what the book is about: eyecatching and flavorful plates, surprisingly robust flavors and a good amount of work to get there.

That fits with Earthbound Farm co-founder Myra’s cookbook tradition. Straight from the Earth comes after The Earthbound Cook and Food to Live By, each of them bursting with lavish photography, endless ideas and fresh flavors, with a sizeable side of organic insight.

The difference this time: It’s a collaboration with her daughter, Marea Goodman, packing all-vegan recipes into seven chapters of breakfast, salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, side dishes, and desserts containing zero dairy or meat. The duo adds double the imagination. As the intro reads, “Creating these recipes together pushed us both to new heights of enthusiasm and creativity.”

Blueberry cornmeal pancakes, curry-Caesar dressings, atypical Thai spring rolls, sweet simmered cinnamon-orange tofu, summer pesto pizza, and sesame-orange-hazelnut cookies are a few recipes of the nearly 100 in the book. (Check out three other standout recipes on the food blog, www.mcweekly.com/edible.)

The Goodmans also include endless vivid photos from talented food artist Sara Remington; a nuanced understanding of vegan cuisine and why to eat it; various technique tips; and an in-depth box at the end of each chapter which highlights a type of food that is necessary and relevant to a vegan diet – including seeds, soy, nuts, grains, coconut, legumes and other essentials. Each individual recipe closes with above-and-beyond nutritional facts.

“We’re sharing this information at the end of every recipe because it’s exciting to know that food so delicious also delivers so many health benefits,” the mother-daughter tandem writes.

You do have to earn it. (Consider the prep further healthy, calorie-burning work.) The pesto in the fig recipe, for instance, is a slight production involving a food processor. Looking over some of the other recipes in the book – a falafel that takes a day of rest and use of a processor, a plantain taco with pureed black beans and mango-lime salsa that requires an immersion blender – I see similarly involved recipes. Not every cookbook should be two-minute dishes, and pretty much every page involves an inspiring element that can be adapted with less prep, but readers should be ready to commit. (In a related note, the fig recipe’s caramelized onions ask for balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and the vinegar and large amount of sugar seemed excessive because of the already-strong flavors in the figs and pesto.)

But that’s OK if things are worth the effort. To see if her recipes would win over devoted carnivores, Myra turned to her husband, Earthbound co-founder Drew Goodman, and friend Pam McKinstry, a chef who relies heavily on eggs, dairy and meat.

“I was astonished at how good everything tasted,” reads McKinstry’s plug. “Almost every recipe we trialed got rave reviews, and we never missed the meat.”

Her hubby agreed: “I really thought that the more I ate vegan food, the more I would crave animal products, but it’s been the complete opposite. Now I want less meat, less often; it’s become less appealing.”

I had a similar experience. My meat-loving dad was skeptical sitting down to a carne-free plate. But he also was shocked (and pleased) by the amount of flavor my vegan meal brought to the table. “The fig really becomes the meat,” he repeated.

As Myra writes, “These recipes provide common ground, ideal for vegans and carnivores to eat together. Everyone is invited to the table.”

And every eater leaves satisfied: I loved the figs as much – actually more – than the picture.

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Grilled fig sandwiches with roasted pistachio pesto and balsamic caramelized onions

Serves Four

Figs:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups fresh Mission figs, stemmed and halved

Roasted Pistachio Pesto:

3/4 cup pistachios, toasted

1/2 cup packed fresh basil

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or nut oil

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Balsamic Caramelized Onion:

1 tbsp high-heat oil, such as safflower

1 large red onion, thinly sliced crosswise

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette, preferably whole wheat or multigrain

High heat oil, such as safflower

1 1/3 cups packed baby arugula 

To do the figs: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the figs and toss to thoroughly coat all the surfaces. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the other sandwich ingredients.

To make the pesto: Combine the pistachios, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup water in a food processor. Process them to a coarse paste. Season with additional salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature.

To prep the onions: Heat the high-heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and vinegar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside at room temperature.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Place the baguette pieces cut-side up directly on the oven rack. Toast until golden, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large grill pan or cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Film the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of high-heat oil. Grill the figs, flat side down, until they are browned and caramelized, 2 to 4 minutes. If the figs are large, flip them and cook on the skin side for another 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the figs to a plate.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread the cut surfaces of each baguette with about 2 tsp of pesto. Place one-fourth of the onion slices, two or three figs (or as many as will fit), and 1/3 cup of arugula on each baguette bottom. Cover with the baguette tops and serve immediately.