La Dolce Vegan: Vegan Livin' Made Easy Review

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(More customer reviews)Le Dolce Vegan, the third cookbook by Sarah Kramer is a true joy. I have over three hundred cookbooks, but Sarah's blow my socks off. They're also some of the ones I use the most, even when cooking for non-vegans. Why?
Her books are not only full of the most delicious, mouthwatering recipes ever, but they are also full of cook cooking tips, nifty crafts, pop culture, and humor. This and the two preceding books she did with Tanya Bernard I have read though and through before I ever cooked out of them, just because they're fun! Sarah is also down to earth, and her books aren't preachy like other vegan books. No guilt trips here. Just good food. How good?
Wow! Not only is this book full of many yummy general recipes, the deserts in this book are to die for. Yum! Sarah also tells us how to make our own faux meat from scratch, so no more having to buy the pricey stuff from the heath food store. 95% of the ingredients used are simple things every grocery store has, and when something even semi-exotic is used, a common counterpart that can be substituted is named. Most of the recipes make 4 small or 2 large helpings, and can be made in 20-30 minutes. I appreciate this so much!
I know that I'm ranting on and on, I just literally can't say enough about Sarah or this book. If you or someone you know is vegan, or even if you want to eat healthier, I can't recommend this book enough! It's just too much fun!


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Vegetarian Meals For People On-The-Go : 101 Quick & Easy Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me say that for the resources and cooking tips alone this book was worth the buy. Plus, it's a nice looking book. Tantalizing photos, glossy pages - a sharp presentation.
That said, the title is SHAMEFULLY inappropriate. As well as dangerously misleading if you have hungry people on your hands and/or somewhere to be (and to think the title was the sole reason I bought the book - "quick & easy" cooking). This book is NOT about quick meals. It's about wholesome, vegetarian (well, vegan really) cooking for the family. That sounds good, right? So why the ruse?
One example, of many, is the "Earth Burger" recipe where the "Preparation Time" is printed as "10 minutes." Quick & easy? I'd love to see someone mince & saute both onion & garlic, chop parsley, grate carrots, cook rice, mix in another six ingredients, and then blend everything together in a food processor in just 10 minutes. I really would. Not to mention the shaping/preparing/cooking of the patties, preparation of bread/condiments, etc. The cooking instructions do, however, offer this precious tip: "QUICKLY BLEND all ingredients".
Press that button harder, sucka!
10 minutes? I'm lucky if that burger is hitting my mouth two hours after I started cooking. 30 minutes for "Tofu-chiladas"?! Try 3 hours.
"Who is Vimala Rodgers?", the author's bio asks. Isn't it obvious - she's the FLASH of course. Inadvertent exposure to gamma rays gave her superhuman veggie chopping/sautéing/cooking powers!
My advice: ordinary humans should plan to triple or quadruple the printed cooking times. If you want "quick & easy," look elsewhere. And as far as the recipes go, there are but a few winners in an otherwise tepid corps. What a surprise, however, was the wealth of general information on vegan eating/cooking. It made an interesting read and I still keep this book on hand for reference.
"Who is Vimala Rodgers?" indeed. That should be the title of this book. The first chapter opens with the author QUOTING HERSELF (the introduction opened with a quote from Hippocrates - that's one hell of a transition), the recipes are named after the author's kids, and the cooking instructions are filled with anecdotes from the author's family life. It's a baffling ego-trip for someone who is a no-name in the cooking world. But then, that's what makes this book different from most: personality.

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Designed for busy people who have little time to spend in the kitchen, these vegetarian recipes are delicious, versatile, and above all, quick and easy to prepare. This book is Vimala Rodgers' personal invitation to you to produce outstanding meals that will please the palate. She has been relentless in her quest to create healthy and delicious vegetarian meals.

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

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(More customer reviews)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!

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In Dreena Burton's first two best-selling vegan cookbooks, The Everyday Vegan and Vive le Vegan!, she offered a dazzling array of healthy, animal-free recipes, many of which were based on her experience as a mother of two young girls she and her husband are raising as vegans. Dreena also maintains an active website (www.everydayvegan.com) and blog (www.vivelevegan.blogspot.com) and has cultivated an enthusiastic audience for her family-oriented, nutritious recipes. In this, her third cookbook, Dreena turns her attention to celebratory food—imaginative, colorful, and delectable vegan fare perfect for all kinds of events, from romantic meals for two to dinner parties to full-on galas. Many of the recipes are kid-friendly, and all are appropriate for everyday meals as well.

The book includes 125 recipes and sixteen full-color photographs, as well as meal plans, cooking notes, and advice on vegan wines and beers. Recipes include Lentil & Veggie Chimichangas, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, White Bean Soup with Basil & Croutons, Tomato Dill Lentil Soup, Olive & Sundried Tomato Hummus, "Creamy" Cashew Dip with Fruit, Crêpes with Maple Butter Cream, 5-Star Ice "Cream" Sandwiches, and Hemp-anola (Dreena's take on granola).

Come celebrate with Dreena and impress your guests with these tempting animal-free recipes.

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