Just out this week: Vegan Everything, by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer. It’s from independent small press publisher “The Experiment.”
I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t have a lot of familiarity with vegan cookbooks – I’m a milk-drinking, cheese-eating, sour-cream addicted vegetarian. But now that my sister and stepsister have gone vegan, and a new vegan friend has started attending my wine industry events at my house, I need to brush up on my vegan cooking skills.
Now as we all know, there are more than plenty of vegan cookbooks already out there. The way Vegan Everything distinguishes itself, however, is it focuses on supplying recipes for vegan versions of things you might crave every day: Bagels, pizza, ramen, quesadillas, and desserts like berry cheesecake and peanut truffles.
As a tempura lover, I can’t wait to check out how to make Thai tempura. “Bavarian samosas” from the Global Fusion section sounds a little too fusiony for my personal tastes, I’ll stick with samosas from India thank you.
Besides the 100 easy recipes, the book includes tips on shopping for your fridge, your freezer, your pantry, and for your kitchen tools; plus advice on shopping seasonally, growing your own, keeping vegan meals from being expensive, using up leftovers, and shopping smart. That would be really helpful for new-to-veganism folks just dipping their toes in the water. (Coconut water, if you will permit me to make a small joke).
The vegan recipes are divided into Healthy Start (morning and breakfast); Snacks & On the Go; 20 Minute Dishes (that’s my kind of cooking!); One Pot Wonders (less cleanup! yes!); Cooking for Friends & Family; Date Night Dinners; Breads; Dips, Pesto & More; and finally, the most important section of the book, The Sweet Stuff.
While I, as a dairy-eating vegetarian, probably wouldn’t bother to make any of the dairy-free desserts in this book unless a vegan friend was coming over, I’m anxious to dive right into several intriguing recipes here including Savory Corn Waffles, Savory Scones, Polenta Lasagna, Olive Ragu, Cauliflower Steaks, Spinach Strudel and Swiss Chard Pie. Those all sound delicious, and they aren’t something I’ve attempted cooking before. I will rush to make the Hot & Sour Soup recipe though, especially now that the nights around here are finally getting colder.
A few of the things are too health-food-store-y for my personal lifestyle – I probably won’t be interested in making Coconut Farro, sauteed fennel, smoothies or energy bars. But if you’re trying to eat healthier, you’ll be glad those recipes are included in this vegan cookbook.
The food photography in the book is contemporary, gorgeous, well lit, and inspiring, the way it of course needs to look in 2019.
The recipes are well laid out, clear and easy to follow. Each comes with a brief introduction, an estimate of time it takes to prepare and how many servings, list of ingredients (and if applicable, tips on where to find the more unusual ingredients), numbered instructions, and usually some sort of tip on making the dish or shopping for its ingredients.
You can find Vegan Everything here (affiliate links)
Vegan Everything, at Barnes & Noble
-Carrie
