Showing posts with label veganism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veganism. Show all posts

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Save 32% Off: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking Review & Ratings

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan CookingAre you looking to buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking. Check out the link below:

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking Review

I love the style of cooking in this book: relatively simple recipes, most often with everyday ingredients; well written instructions; and a focus on whole foods (including the use of whole grain flours and unrefined sweeteners whenever possible). It is packed with recipes, 240 to be exact, so there options for new vegans (how to use tofu and seitan, for example), and vegan veterans who want wheat and soy-free recipes that creatively incorporate fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. That said those who are coming from fast food territory will still be welcomed by the author with some shortcut recipes for things like Tofu Dog Bites.
I have reviewed The Complete Idiot's Guide to Juicing (thumbs up) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition (a disappointment), so I am well aware of the cutesy "Idiot's" format that some may love, some may feel neutral about, and some may be irritated by. At this point, I am pretty neutral, and able to look into the actual substance of the book.
The book starts with an informational section that is about 25 pages long, but it feels fairly complete for its purpose. Beverly touches on health needs and then dives into explaining milk and meat alternatives. Later in the cookbook is a chapter that is dedicated to making your own cheese and dairy alternatives.
Since I am already dairy-free, I chose to sample a recipe that also had a meat substitute vibe, the Savory Mushroom Sausages. The only changes I made were to cut the maple syrup in half (down to 1 ½ teaspoons) and increase the salt by ¼ teaspoon, as we aren't fans of the sweet flavor that many breakfast sausages have. They were awesome! I actually preferred the leftovers, after chilling overnight, as it really gave the various flavors time to meld. This was a soy-free and optional gluten-free recipe too!
I bake my own granola, so I was excited to trial the Vanilla Nut Granola recipe. It used a very different mix of spices, extracts, nuts, and seeds from my standard recipe. I really enjoyed the subtle sweetness and the very nutty tasting blend. All of Beverly's recipes are very easy to customize, so on the next go there are a few personal touches I will introduce. I think swapping the maple syrup for agave (which is half the price in my neck of the woods), and leaving out the pecans (which tended to burn easily) would make it an ideal blend for my household, adding just a slight touch of additional sweetness. Also, she ingeniously uses a blend of oil and water to keep the granola low fat, but we aren't calorie counters around here, so I will probably use all oil next time for a firmer crunch.
I loved the Carrot-Cashew Butter, a simple and thick spread with a light natural sweetness from the two main ingredients. I was also smitten by the Low Fat Miso Ginger Dressing. It was only my second time using miso, and the experience prior left me with a bad taste in my mouth, literally, but Beverly nailed it in the sweet, ginger-rich condiment.
This is definitely a cookbook that will get some mileage in my kitchen. Recipes that are next up on my list include the Maple Pecan Oatmeal Scones (made with rolled oats!), the Thai Peanut Sauce (I can never get enough of that stuff), the Raw Cheddar Cheese Spread (soy-free), the Raw ABC Nut Milk, the Red Lentil Bologneses (I am on a lentil kick), and the Blueberry Corncakes (a twist on traditional pancakes). But don't stop with my selections, there really are tons of different recipes to pick from in this one, from "Decadent Desserts" to "Marvelous Main Dishes."

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Monday, December 31, 2012

Save 33% Off: Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles Review & Ratings

Vegan Bites: Recipes for SinglesAre you looking to buy Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles. Check out the link below:

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Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles Review

This cookbook is a visual delight from start to finish. The warm and calm colors are paired with energetic "shadow" pictures, and a very clean layout that seems to make me want to cook! The subtitle states, "Recipes for Singles," but this is also an excellent cookbook for couples. Most of the recipes yield 2 servings, while some cater 1, 3, or 4 people. But overall, these aren't your average jumbo recipes that must be halved, and halved again to suit petite households.
To be honest, there are very few recipes I don't plan on trying in this cookbook. Thus far, I have been thrilled with the Sunrise Smoothie, Berry Power Shake, Golden Gravy, Seasoned Tofu Tidbits, and the Frozen Yogurt Berry Pops, and I can't wait to try the Hacienda Home Fries, Ginger-Carrot Soup, Tex-Mex Bean Burgers, Pad Thai, Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, and Hot Fudge Sauce, just to name a few. I am sure I will get to all of these very soon, as every recipe seems to have a "quick and easy" theme. Even the recipes with longer ingredient lists focus more on easy-to-find herbs, spices, and vegetables, then on lengthy instructions.
While I did sample a tofu recipe, we really do eat soy in our house with rarity, so I was pleased that many of the recipes are soy-free or can be easily adapted to be soy-free (ie, use a different milk alternative).
In terms of the format, Vegan Bites starts with an introduction that includes some food and health tips for new vegans, shopping suggestions, a pantry essentials list, a quick outline of kitchen equipment and gadgets, and my personal favorite, a guide to cooking basic grains. I love the size, which is a generous 8"x9" and holds open on its own practically from the get go. Each recipe is neatly laid out in a one page per recipe format, each with its own introduction and variations/tips as needed. As mentioned, the recipe sizes are smaller for smaller households of just one or two people, including the cookies! Each batch makes up just 8 or 9, to help limit the amount you inhale in a single day ... if you are anything like me.

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Save 36% Off: Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious Review & Ratings

Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All DeliciousAre you looking to buy Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious. Check out the link below:

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Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious Review

After purchasing this over a week ago, this book is really capturing my heart. It relies on whole food ingredients, does use some of the more unusual ingredients without going overboard, so I feel like I'm stretching myself without being overwhelmed. Most of the recipes also feel simple, though I could imagine they might be overwhelming a touch for a novice cook. This is also a rather large compendium, much like 500 Vegan Recipes or 1000 Vegan Recipes, and it covers a variety of basics, but it doesn't spend too much time or space re-making a lot of the basic vegan dishes there are dozens of recipes for everywhere. Yes, there are some of those the author offer her spin on, but a greater percentage is offering recipes that seem like they should be vegan standbys already.
I've already made a recipe out of each one of the chapters; so far the French lentil soup, blueberry wild rice salad, pistachio tabbouleh with pomegranate, pita bread, and slow cooker farratto have been favorites of mine, and the apple-beet slaw has been a favorite of my husband. I'm looking forward to making Korean tacos with "instant" kim chee for dinner tomorrow.
If you're looking to cut back on oils, many of the recipes I've tried have held up well to reducing the amount of oil called for. If you're gluten free there are quite a few choices available. For a vegan looking to make more than just the newest macaroni and "cheese" dish however, this book offers a lot of new choices to try and while some may require a trip to Whole Foods or a global cuisines grocery, the technique, for the most part, isn't overly fussy for someone with moderate kitchen experience.

Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious Overview



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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian Restaurant Review & Ratings

Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian RestaurantAre you looking to buy Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian Restaurant? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian Restaurant. Check out the link below:

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Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian Restaurant Review

Love love love Follow Your Heart, and the cook book features some of the best recipes from the restaurant along with some new ones. All of which will become staples for vegetarians and vegan alike. We initially bought this book because we were eating at FYH weekly meeting up with friends for weekend brunch and figured we'd like to make some of the dishes at home, like the scrambled tofu (a favorite in our house now), and the to die for broccoli soup!
Even if you haven't been to their restaurant though this book is a great buy! My only 'beef' is no photo's! But I guess they make up for that with more recipes! Great book, and really glad we bought it, we still use it often!

Follow Your Heart Cookbook: Recipes from the Vegetarian Restaurant Overview



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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Single Vegan: Simple, Convenient and Appetizing Meals For One Review & Ratings

The Single Vegan: Simple, Convenient and Appetizing Meals For OneAre you looking to buy The Single Vegan: Simple, Convenient and Appetizing Meals For One? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Single Vegan: Simple, Convenient and Appetizing Meals For One. Check out the link below:

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The Single Vegan: Simple, Convenient and Appetizing Meals For One Review

don't let the the dearth of pictures deter you--this is a wonderful cookbook, even if you are not totally vegan. Especially good are the Tempeh-Sweetcorn Roast, Aduki Bean Casserole, and Tomato-Olive Spaghetti Sauce. I use this book almost every day. I hardly ever use any other cookbooks and was about to give up on them entirely until I found this one. Most of the recipes have been great and even the "worst" ones were okay. I haven't even tried everything yet because I love what I have eaten so far so much I get a craving for those recipes and make them instead.
The ingredients are almost all inexpensive and easy to find, plus there aren't a whole lot of perishables to purchase and waste. The ingredients include many of the foods that are anticarcinogenic, immune-system building, etc.
This book makes me enjoy being vegan. I feel priveledged to be eating this way and feel sorry for people that think that food has to be a dead animal and unhealthy to taste great.
I actually cook from this book almost every day (as long as I have some groceries in the house)after working a long day!

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Save 32% Off: Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes Review & Ratings

Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal RecipesAre you looking to buy Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes. Check out the link below:

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Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes Review

I was drawn to Vegan Meals since it was aimed at recipes for just a few people. I am the only vegan in my house, and I found this to be very helpful. It gave me ideas on good, quick meals, as well as what to keep stocked up on in my kitchen and pantry.
The downside of this book was that I found the recipes I tried to be kind of unappetizing. And one that I tried (something with potatoes and kale) had the wrong amount of pepper in it, and I ended up ruining all of my work and had no dinner. I think that in the future, I will have to try adding my own touches to the recipes to make them better for myself.
The resources in the front and back of this book are very helpful. I found a ton of simple, quick, and delicious meals and snacks to try, many of which I use almost every day. I didn't try all of the recipes, but the few I tried I didn't like. So, I guess it's up to you to venture out and try these; after all, I could just have a weird taste in food.

Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes Overview



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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Save 32% Off: How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet Review & Ratings

How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free DietAre you looking to buy How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet. Check out the link below:

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How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet Review

This is a great cookbook. The best thing about it is not the yummy recipes, but the accessibility of the authors! You can reach them through their website and they are truly genuine and nice. The cookbook features cute drawings and pictures, fun comments, Jewish flair in some of the recipes, unique things you might not find other places, homemade health and beauty product recipes, instructions on how to make safe household cleaners, treats for your animal friends, a section on Kids' Stuff, and the ever-useful "45 Things to do with vinegar" section (that really came in handy!). This book is beginner-vegan-friendly. Most of the recipes are relatively easy to prepare and require minimum time and effort. The dessert section ROCKS! Try the Chocolate peanut butter cups...if you never thought you'd have them again, here they are, in full force! Yum! I've only tried a few recipes so far, and they've all been delicious. These Canadian punk rock wimmin have put together a great collection of vegan recipes. My only complaints with this book are that it lacks an index (which I'm told by the authors was supposed to be in there but didn't make it to the printer!), and several of the recipes contain bee products. bee pollen, beeswax, and honey are all used a bit in the book, especially in some of the smoothies and in the health and beauty products. I was disappointed about that, but have just avoided making the recipes that require those products. Other than that, the book is great.

How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet Overview



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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Cooking with Peta: Great Vegetarian Recipes for a Compassionate Kitchen Review & Ratings

Cooking with Peta: Great Vegetarian Recipes for a Compassionate KitchenAre you looking to buy Cooking with Peta: Great Vegetarian Recipes for a Compassionate Kitchen? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Cooking with Peta: Great Vegetarian Recipes for a Compassionate Kitchen. Check out the link below:

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Cooking with Peta: Great Vegetarian Recipes for a Compassionate Kitchen Review

I bought this book four years ago, when I was fourteen years old and new to the world of veganism. I'd tried many vegan recipes and for the most part, they were really bad! It didn't help that I was an extremely picky eater and grossed out by tofu, even though I tried. I also didn't have much experience cooking and that didn't help any. I tried a few recipes from this book and thought they were good. To show how good this cookbook is, I'm no longer vegan, but this is the cookbook I use the most! I still make Wake 'Em Up Pancakes once a week or so because they're the best pancakes I've ever encountered. They're excellent made with any juice you have on hand, though they'll be pink if you use cranberry juice and purple if you use raspberry juice. I actually use this cookbook more now even though I'm not vegan anymore (though I eat little meat) because the recipes are great and I'm a much more experienced cook now and am no longer a picky eater. My copy is actually falling apart now. I definitely recommend this book to vegans as well as non-vegans and my other favorites are 150 VEGAN FAVORITES by Jay Solomon and NONNA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN by Bryanna Clark Grogan (this is vegan as well).

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Save 35% Off: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats Review & Ratings

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite TreatsAre you looking to buy Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats. Check out the link below:

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Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats Review

It was worth waiting for, you guys! The authors of Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World work their magic on cookies this time around.
First off: it's adorable. The pictures, the colours, the font. Yeah, I like the font! It is such a charming cookbook, I really enjoy flipping through it.
Also, these seasoned pros give very handy tips for baking novices such as myself. Equipment, ingredients, substitutions, troubleshooting, they've covered all the bases before laying out the recipes.
And the recipes themselves! Wow. I've made a few that were previewed this spring, the Magical Coconut Bars and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pillows, so I knew this was the real deal. But.....this just has it all. All-time favorites, regional classics and innovative variations, everything you could possibly want in a cookie. Snickerdoodles, Cheesecake Brownies, Sweet Potato Blondies, I mean really. It's insane.
I picked up the book last night (my bookstore got it early!) and made two recipes from the "wholesome" section: Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies and Applesauce Softies. Utilizing natural sweeteners and whole wheat flour, they were hearty, earthy and healthy. And delicious!
I leave you with this: Vegan Lemon Bars. There, that's all you need to know.

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Friday, February 17, 2012

Save 34% Off: Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating Review & Ratings

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Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating Review

I should have written a review of this cookbook long ago, but I finally just put my fork down (literally) after eating another one of ED&BV's fabulous recipes and said, "People must know how great this cookbook is!" And here I am :)
What did I just finish? The White Bean, Walnut, and Spinach Phyllo Rolls with the Traditional Cranberry Sauce. This is the second time I have made it. It is unbelievable. So easy, but so elegant and delicious. That's how I characterize a lot of Dreena's recipes - easy, elegant, delicious. This book is full of uncomplicated recipes with easy to find ingredients (at least, for me - I have a decently stocked Stop & Shop, Shaw's Supermarket, Whole Foods, and health food store within a 15-mile radius). The results have all been spectacular. I've also made (and LOVED) the Olive Oyl Pasta, White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons (OMG amazing), Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts, Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Rosemary Cornmeal Polenta Fries, Lentil Veggie Chimichangas with Hide the Lentils Tomato Sauce, Coconut Lime Basmati Rice, Cashew-Ginger Tofu, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, Orange Sesame Tofu, Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, Savory French Lentils, Cimmamon Lime Quinoa with Apricots and Almonds, One Wild Chick Soup (honestly, it is as savory and filling as the best chicken and rice soup you would have eaten in your "omni" days), Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta (I think I'm in love...probably the most time-consuming recipe in the book, but it is sooooooo worth it!), Beats a BLT Sandwich! (sure does!), Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Polenta Croutons, Cumin Lime Tofu, Autumn Puree, Smoky Split Pea Soup, Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole, Moroccan-Infused Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce (mmmmmmm so good!), and Monkey Minestrone. I literally cannot believe how many more of the recipes I want to try. I think I am going to try almost every single one in the book! Dreena makes everything seem so accessible. I'd never made anything with tempeh before (despite began a vegan for a while now!) but with her clear, step by step instructions and sidebars, Dreena makes vegan cooking approachable for everyone, vegans and omnis alike. I can tell you, I have not even come close to using as many recipes in my other vegan cookbooks as I have with ED&BV. Let me be frank... I own several vegan cookbooks...all the major titles by all the major vegan cookbook authors...and this is, by FAR, the best of the bunch. If you own one vegan cookbook, make it ED&BV. You won't regret it!

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating Overview



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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Vegan Cooking for One : Over 150 Simple and Appetizing Meals Review & Ratings

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Vegan Cooking for One : Over 150 Simple and Appetizing Meals Review

This wonderful cookbook is perfect for the single vegan. For each week, the book contains a shopping list of all ingredients needed for that week's recipes. No running to the supermarket to pick up additional food and no waste! I really like no longer having to divide the ingredients in recipes by four or six -- these recipes are made for one person. The shopping list is a great idea -- I appreciate not being left at the end of the week with 1/2 can of beans, for example.
I have cooked every single recipe in the book, with the exception of some of the desserts. The recipes are varied, both in type of food and in ingredients used. I have rarely come across a cookbook with as high a proportion of the recipes ones I would definitely cook again. As with any cookbook, there are a few nits:
(1) For a very few weeks, ingredients are missing on the shopping list. (Usually, it's only a carrot or an extra onion.)
(2) Only one recipe did not seem to work at all -- the dumpling recipe. This may be due more to my technique than the recipe.
(3) There are very few ingredients that can't be found in a typical supermarket -- I have been able to find everything at my local natural foods grocer.
This book has become the backbone of my food plan. I look forward to coming home to varied, easy-to-prepare meals -- often with enough left over for breakfast!

Vegan Cooking for One : Over 150 Simple and Appetizing Meals Overview



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