Book Review - The Sexy Vegan Cookbook

This book is environmentally friendly! Printed on 100% recycled paper with soy based ink. Nice job New World Library! Publish more vegan books, please.

There are photos, but not glossy colour ones - these are black and white, and unfortunately some are not of dishes in the book just random food items, and the author. I don't need the photos but for those of you that do, this may be a consideration. I like how it is printed in two colours, and I think the purposeful messy splashes on the pages makes you feel OK about adding your own mess to the pages, I like that and think its quite cute.

The premise of the "sexy vegan" is a little bit in your face at times, and a little cringe making. I think that going with a focus on the subtitle "Extraordinary food from an ordinary dude" would have been better (at least for me), rather than trying to be a little risque and coming across as dorky and trying too hard. Because, describing the food as "extraordinary" isn't too far off, and I'd hate for folks to be put off enjoying some tasty eats because of the focus on trying to give us "sexy". Many of the stories in the chapter headers etc gave me a giggle, but some didn't for the reason noted above. I'd have liked to have seen a little more info about the actual dishes; tastes, textures, methods, described in more detail in the recipe headers - but maybe that is because that is what my editors have conditioned me to want in a recipe header!

The chapter layout and content makes sense. Though I'd have preferred that sub recipes and sauces etc which are used in only one recipe be with that recipe instead of on a page by themselves in a section at the back - just to avoid the page turning and place loosing.

On to the recipes I made - in page number order as usual.

Page 34 - Pretend Canadian Bacon

Oh, yum. Smoky and salty, and a hint of sweetness from the maple. I could have eaten the lot in one go. I shared, but it was a close thing.

Page 46 - Sexy's Scramble

(Above) A complete meal of a tofu scramble and really good. I used the optional sauce and this made everything moist and lovely. Impressive and simple.

Page 56 - The Almond Brothers Breakfast Bar

I'd have added some cinnamon or pie spice, or a touch of vanilla or almond extract. I liked how it wasn't too sweet, and how it was packed with nuts and seeds. Nice, but I would tweak.

Page 64 - Cauliflower and Roasted Fennel Soup

Reminds me of a recipe I have! Enjoyed this one as I love roasted fennel. Smooth and creamy with layers of flavor.

Page 70 - Kale and White Bean Soup

Another one I have a similar recipe for. Simple, homey and comfort food like.

Page 71 - Peanut Butternut Squash Soup

Genius. Make this soup. Make it now.

Page 86 - The Beet Down

OK. Its a salad with roasted beets. Nice but nothing super duper.

Page 92 - Southwest Slaw

Spicy and sour with a salty kick (or maybe I didn't rinse the cabbage well enough) - this was lovely.

Page 96 - Chickpea Party

Super easy to make. Would be nice as part of a salad buffet so you can just have a little. Makes loads.

Page 116 - Black Bean Burgers

Recommended. I loved these. Made them without the bun and enjoyed immensely. Only note would be that if you make only 4 burgers they will be HUGE. I made 6 and they were plenty big enough. Photo with the slaw above.

Page 152 - Shepherd's Pie

The "meat" part was a bit grey but otherwise this was really tasty, really filling, and super comfort food.

Page 194 - The Crazy Shit and Vinegar

Nice idea. I have loads in my fridge so can see it being added to everything! like...

Page 197 - Kajillion Island Dressing

Simple, tasty. Good on the Burgers (above).

Page 200 - The Tomato Killer

Easy sauce, and tasty too. Would be more awesome in summer when the tomatoes are local and super fresh.

Page 202 - Fauxlognese Sauce

Another genius. This time for the method of making the tofu crumbles - hands off and easy but so yummy.

Page 204 - Peanut Sauce

Nice. Little mild, and a bit too creamy for my preference.

Page 222 - Nilla

Icecream that is. The only recipe I tried that I didn't really like. My kids didn't like it much either. It tasted a little too tofu-y and once frozen wasn't quite sweet enough.

Overall the recipes in this book are awesome. Overlook the whole "sexy"ness of it and you're onto a winner.

This week I'm cooking from -

So watch early next week for the review...

Book Review - Everyday Happy Herbivore

I made loads of recipes from this book, mainly because they were all so very simple to throw together, and apart from one, all the ingredients could be found in my local store (I touch on the one when I run through the recipes I made). This is very much geared for the home cook - even those with very little experience. The book itself is a nice sized paperback, with many photos of the recipes (for those of you who like that!) - not every recipe, but most. I like the introduction section listing the pantry staples for making the recipes, always handy to have.

I must say that this is not how I usually cook - low-fat or fat-free, while I have flirted with doing so in the past. I found, on the whole, that I didn't miss any added oil, but in some instances felt something was missing from the finished dish - I felt a little unsatisfied and wanted something more. Now whether this is because the body needs time to adjust to eating fat-free and I'm just writing a review after a week, or if its due to maybe needing a spice tweak for my tastes, or a serving size tweak for me, or some thing completely different I can't really say. I'll note on the individual recipe comments where I felt this way.

And speaking of serving sizes I found there was a discrepancy in some instance which was confusing. For example, the Smoked Cauliflower Soup (p97) "serves 1" and makes enough for easily 2 appetizer servings (for us), whereas the Jalapeno-Butternut Soup (p110) "serves 2" and makes substantially less (maybe 1/2 an appetizer serving for us). Maybe a typo?

As for the recipes - on the whole they are easy to follow, being very simple with no complicated or involved steps. I would have liked to have seen cup measurements as well where can sizes are used as these vary from place to place, and it would have been helpful to give guidelines on quantities of vegetables when only measurements are given (1 tbsp minced Garlic - is that 1 clove?). Nit picking really, but this would have been helpful.

The recipes I made - in page number order -

P23 - Granola Bars

One of the ones which I felt strangely unsatisfying. They were OK but didn't really do it for me, and the kids weren't keen. Nothing wrong with the recipe - it works fine, just personal taste.

P32 - Spinach and Artichoke Frittata

Recipe works fine. This one was OK. I'd have preferred the artichokes to be cut into smaller pieces which is an easy fix.. I think I liked this one better cold that hot. (good for breakfast the next day! )

P83 - Masala Burgers

Little bit dry, and a little bit crumbly but tasted good. I did adjust the spices to taste where the recipe suggests.

P97 - Smoked Cauliflower Soup

See comment above re serving size. This one was luscious. Smooth, and creamy and a little frothy - really enjoyed this one and ate the lot.

P101 - Moroccan Lentil Soup

Enjoyed this one too, though the combination of spices where a little harsh (not sure if that is the right word - maybe intense?) for my tastes.

P106 - Ethiopian Chickpea Stew

Nice. Enjoyed this one.

P107 - Cheater G-Nut Stew

More of a soup in texture at first, then as it stands it thickens. I enjoyed this a lot - more than I thought I would by looking at the simple ingredients list.

P110 - Jalapeno-Butternut Soup

See comment above re serving size. Lovely soup, though very unsatisfying as it made so little! I wanted much more.

P126 - Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette

Overly mustard-y for my tastes. Easy fix.

P127 - Italian Dressing

Nice, simple, basic.

P128 - Caesar Dressing

Doesn't taste exactly as I remember Caesar Dressing tasting (but it has been a while!) but nice enough, and good as a dipping sauce for roast veggies and over rice too!

P130 - Thai Peanut Sauce

I served this over rice and broccoli - it didn't "serve 4" in this way! I love peanut sauce and really enjoyed this one too.

L-R Pumpkin Cauliflower Curry, Gobi Palak, Chana Saag

P146 - Cauliflower-Pumpkin Curry

The least favorite of the dishes I made for my Indian Feast (see photo). I made the roasted version, and was glad I did as I think the lovely nutty roast cauli was what I did enjoy about it. I think the spice balance was wrong for my tastes.

P147 - Gobi Palak

Liked this one as part of the Indian Feast (see Photo). Nice with plain brown rice.

P149 - Chana Saag

3rd dish in the Indian Feast Photo. I ran out of fresh spinach so used frozen which had been thawed. Worked fine. Maybe not as fresh tasting as it would have been, but I did like this (I do love me some chickpeas)

P168 - Curried Rice

Photo with Ethiopian Chickpea Stew above. This was fine. The spices a little harsh again, personal taste, right.

P187 - "Crab" Cakes

This is the recipe I didn't have joy with ingredient finding. I couldn't find the Old Bay Seasoning (has anyone in Canada access to this?) and didn't want to go the the HFS for kelp powder so ground up so Nori sheets and added some dill (which too me says seafood). Nice enough but never really got crispy as stated.

P208 - Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Perfectly easy and edible.

P232 - Harvest Home Fries

Not so keen on these, they were OK but seemed to be missing something. and it makes A LOT! Says "serves 2" but as a side it was more like 4. Nice with the Caesar Dressing!

P261 - Carrot Cake Rice Pudding

This was another I was left feeling unsatisfied by. The recipe worked fine, but I guess this one isn't for me.

P267 - Masala Mayo and P271 - Remoulade

No issues. Though I did use storebought mayo (and where-ever this was called for)

Would I cook from this again? In all honesty - Maybe. If I decide to return to eating low-fat or fat-free for whatever reason then I would be more inclined to do so. I'll keep this as a reference and think it will be one I'd loan out if I was ever asked about eating a low-fat vegan diet - which sometimes happens. If low-fat / fat-free is your thing then I imagine you'll already have a copy?

This week I'm cooking from....

(photo from Amazon)

Review to folllow next Monday or Tuesday so watch this space!

Book Review - Vegan Junk Food

Vegan Junk Food by Lane Gold

Firstly, this book is small and square, with 2 colour pages. I like having books of differing shapes and sizes on my shelves, so find this one quite cute. There are lovely bright pictures of the food on the cover, and in the picture insert (same ones unfortunately) but they do accurately represent the food in the book (as far as I can tell).

There is not much by way of an introduction, however, what there is discusses the "junk" ingredients used in the recipes. After reading this, and I'm sure the title would have been a hint, you know for sure this is not a whole foods based healthy vegan cook book!

The title is a little of a misnomer though, as the subtitle is "225 sinful snacks that are good for the soul" as while there are lots and lots of decidedly "junky" snack food options, there are also recipes for more meal type dishes, and ones which, while using processed items in some way, are more than just "junk". Don't write the book of entirely, unless you are specifically looking for whole foods based healthy vegan food. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the recipes and would not necessarily consider them "junk" - occasional meals/foods for sure, but not entirely without merit.

The recipes I made, in page number order, and my comments -

P 3 - Red Pepper, Caramelised Onion, and Hash Brown Quiche.

Of course the first recipe up is my least favorite! I think there may be a typo in this one. The instructions ask you to "pour" the mixture after blending and I had to scrape and spread, so maybe a liquid ingredient is missing. (??) The end result was less like a quiche and more like a tofu crusted potato casserole. It was nice enough taste wise, just the texture was disappointing.

P17 - Oatmeal Brulee with Vanilla Cream Sauce

I had this one for dessert, even though it is in the breakfast section. Very sweet - totally yummy, but I would be on a sugar high all morning if I had this for breakfast! Very easy to make.

P37 - Chicken Salad with Walnuts, Apples, and Celery

I had this as a salad, on a bed of greens, though I am sure it would be very nice in a sandwich as specified. I liked this one, though would use less salt next time for my tastes. I can't say if it is like a "real" chicken salad as it is not something I've had for 20 years or so!

P63 - Savory Twice Baked Potatoes

The quantities here were a little off - I used 4 potatoes as specified but only needed 1/2 the rest of the ingredients to get a perfect result (my error as I'd only meant to stuff 2 of the potatoes I baked but did them all and it was perfect). And this was perfect - lovely and savory and more-ish. Not your plain old healthy baked potato, but really good.

P71 - Takeout Orange Tofu

Another one with the quantities a little off. As written this made SO much sauce - far too much for the amount of tofu, and I found it didn't thicken as indicated. But, this was really, really, really good so I am willing to over look the sauce issue and have made a note for myself to make less, and thicken more, next time.

P72 - Takeout Fried Rice

In picture above. Quick, simple, tasty.

P101 - Falafel with Tahini Dip

Enjoyed this one immensely (but if you are a frequent reader you'll know all about my chickpea love affair) though would up the spices a little for my tastes next time. Very easy to make.

P116 - Tofu Satay

I didn't make the dipping sauce just ate this as is over brown rice. Very nice, very flavorful, and hardly junk at all!

P120 - Vegan Sour Cream

Nice handy recipe to have. Tastes pretty much like sour cream.

P123 - Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love all peanut sauce. This one was good, but I would say that as I love all peanut sauce!

P137 - Cheesy and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

See the comment above about chickpea love! Though if you're not a nutritional yeast fan this one may not be for you.

P139 - Cheesy Kale Chips

Ditto here re the nutritional yeast. Simple and tasty.

P141 - Easy Candied Almonds

Though I used mixed nuts being out of almonds.

P157 - Coconut Creme Brulee

Though I would call this one Panacotta as the texture reminds me more of that than creme brulee. I made this one twice. I did share, even though I didn't really want to! Its a very easy recipe and very quick so I can see myself making it very often - far too often perhaps!

There are more recipes in this one which intrigue me so I will revisit -and unless you look for only whole foods based healthy vegan recipes suggest you might like to too.