“The New Vegan Cookbook” has been sitting on my shelf for much too long without having the spine cracked. Sometimes things are too hectic to try out new things, and I feel like my life recently has been a good example of that.
Regardless, The New Vegan Cookbook has the prettiest pictures of any of the [...]
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“The New Vegan Cookbook” has been sitting on my shelf for much too long without having the spine cracked. Sometimes things are too hectic to try out new things, and I feel like my life recently has been a good example of that.
Regardless, The New Vegan Cookbook has the prettiest pictures of any of the cookbooks I have yet to give a good run, so it was first in line for a little review.
Pictures
I think many of you will agree: pictures are one of the most important parts to any cookbook. If you’re going to actually cook (and not just look) recipes are obviously the most important, but it’s the pictures that get you motivated to cook all the delicious things on those pages. Words just aren’t as motivational.
The pictures are the best part of this cookbook. If the cover is any indication to you, “The New Vegan Cookbook” is full of beautiful pictures, on almost every other page. Unlike most cookbooks, which only highlight a few recipes in pictures, this one has colorful pictures of almost every recipe. I’m not much of a browser, but this is the one cookbook I look through just for fun.
Recipes
“The New Vegan Cookbook” has great, healthy recipes. While many cookbooks (and I do not fault them for this) focus on desserts and rich foods, “The New Vegan Cookbook” has almost entirely healthy, veggie-based recipes.
My only complaint is that the directions might be a little hard to understand. Reading through I have a bit of trouble keeping things in order, though that may be as much my fault as the cookbook’s. Otherwise, the directions and ingredients are easily accessible and the book is very easy to read from while cooking.
Overall Impression
This is already one of my favorite cookbooks. It may be a little small, with only about 100 recipes, but I’ve had good experiences with it and the wonderful pictures lead me to believe I will continue to have good experiences with the recipes I find in it. It’s not too expensive and it’s definitely worth picking up a copy of “The New Vegan Cookbook.”
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Have you ever wondered how to find vegan versions of some of the most standard meals?
Look no further than this book: Vegan Planet. I was given this book a while ago and I haven’t even scratched the surface. Not only are the recipes good, but there are so many of them that this book can [...]
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Have you ever wondered how to find vegan versions of some of the most standard meals?
Look no further than this book: Vegan Planet. I was given this book a while ago and I haven’t even scratched the surface. Not only are the recipes good, but there are so many of them that this book can hardly be considered anything but a standard for any vegan chef.
The book begins with your standard guide to vegan nutrition and eating, and then moves on with chapter titles like “Love at First Bite,” “Veggies in the Middle,” and “Dessert Heaven.” Opening the book at random and prodding around for a recipe you’ll come up with something delicious sounding like this: Strawberry-Topped “Cheesecake”
A great recipe and some more about the book after the jump.
Strawberry-Topped “Cheesecake”
1 ½ cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup soy margarine, melted
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar or natural sweetener
Two 12-ounce packages firm silken tofu, drained
One 8-ounce package vegan cream cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup fruit-sweetened strawberry spread
1 tablespoon water
2 to 3 cupped fresh strawberries, hulled
1. Bring the ingredients to room temperature. Prehead the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a medium-size bowl or food processor, combine the crumbs, soy margarine, and the 1 tablespoon sugar until well blended. Transfer the prepared pan and press the mixture into the bottom and side of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
3. In a food processor, process the tofu and vegan cream cheese until smooth. Add the 1 cup sugar and the vanilla and process again until smooth. Pour into the prepared crust and bake on the center over rack until firm, about 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours.
5. While the cake is chilling, combine the strawberry spread and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool.
6. Once the cake is chilled, slice the strawberries if they are large or vary greatly in size, or leave whole if they are small and uniform in size. Remove the sides of the pan. Arrange the strawberries on top of the cheesecake and brush with the strawberry glaze.
So, as you can see from this recipe alone, this is definitely a cook book worth buying. It only comes in at ~$22 and will be forever useful.
Let me know what your favorite recipe is!
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