Bittman Cooks Vegan on Today

On Thursday, cookbook author and New York Times food writer Mark Bittman appeared on NBC’s popular morning show Today and showed host Matt Lauer the preparation of three plant-based dishes. “We all know that eating less meat is good for us,” Bittman told Lauer during the segment. “I’m trying to encourage people to integrate more meatless main courses.” He then explained the definition of “vegan” and demonstrated how to cook bean burgers, sweet potato stew, and saffron-and-mushroom barley risotto. Lauer, who called himself “a carnivore” at the beginning of the demonstration, described the finished risotto as “delicious.”