How it all Vegan!
Posted by Saskia on Jul 08, 2008 · Member since Jan 2007 · 1976 posts
How it all Vegan! was one of my first vegan cookbooks and I continue to return to it for repeated favorites like the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies , as well as new discoveries, most recently the Classic Spinach Lasagna , which came out great.
Anyone else have success stories from this book?
This is the only Sarah Kramer book I don't have. I usually go to the others for quick, tasty meals when I've only got a few ingredients on hand. Totally worth the money paid for them. I should just suck it up and get this already!
I had this years ago...like maybe 02 ish...when I first tried to go vegan. I moved out of state and somehow lost this and the Accidental Vegan. I wish I still had both of these. btw, I failed at going vegan back then... :'(
This is the first vegan cook book that I've read. I found it at the library and fell in love ;D All the recipes that I tried were really good and super easy, but the recipes for like tofu butter, "feta" cheese and substitutes like that were not edible to me with the exception of the Parmesan cheese substitute was great. Even my husband has liked everything else that I've made out of this book. If your not sure about buying a cookbook I suggest checking out the library first so you can try some of the recipes out. Ours has a huge selection of vegetarian/vegan books. :)>>>
I was given a copy of the First Edition of this book, and it was the support and impetus that I needed to push me into becoming vegan after 9 years of vegetarianism. Four years later, I have never looked back. So, kudos to Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer for their feisty, celebratory, special book which speaks mostly to their generation - the 20-30 year olds of the moment, I think, would get the most out of these books.
I have penciled in notes to every recipe I've tried, which is good, because some are hit-and-miss. Perhaps the later editions ironed out these kinks, but I think maybe not because I tried a few recipes from one of Kramer's latest books and again - hit and miss. Some are delicious, especially the savoury recipes, but the dessert and baking recipes are sometimes lacking. The "Yeast-Free Pizza Crust" on page 115 did not work out so well for me, nor the "Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" on page 138. Contrary to the recipe description, I found that the "Chocolate 'Cheese' Cake" on page 145 was not 'truly magical,' but just o.k. - yummy, but not a cheese cake.
The "Soy Milk Whipped Cream" and "Tofu Whipped Cream" on page 151 seem dry, and I'm not happy with the texture that the cornstarch and tofu impart, though they are sweet and edible.
With these criticisms out of the way, I would like to applaud their outstanding creations:
"'Anything Goes' Fruit Filled Muffins" (pg 49) is a fine recipe
"Spicy Garlic Toss for Noodles" (pg. 83) is outstanding, easy, delicious!
"Jana's Healthy Rice" (pg. 113) is great
"Banana Bread" (pg. 128) is one of their best recipes: easy, adaptable, and yummy, with good proportions, nice texture, and bakes well.
"Maple-Nut Soup Muffins" (p. 129) is a good recipe
"Delightful Date Squares" (pg. 135) is very good - but too much crust and the bottom should be less crumbly - maybe without oats?
"Apricot & Almond Tea Cookies" (pg. 139) is an awesome, easy recipe which 'needs' molasses as the sweetener ...
"Hot Water Pie Crust" (pg. 140) is a good, easy recipe for home-made pie crusts - I don't even chill it in the fridge before using.
"Perfect Pumpkin Pie" (pg. 142) IS DIVINE AND ONE OF THE REASONS I STILL LOVE THANKSGIVING. I use fresh ginger in place of powdered, and blended Silken tofu as the egg replacer. OH YUM!
"Auntie Bonnie's Wacky Cake" (pg. 147) is lovely and easy.
"Faux Feta" (pg. 160) is quite good
"Cinnamon Toothpaste" (pg 190) is a good substitute which leaves your teeth o-so-smooth and squeaky clean. I add some cayenne powder as well since it stimulates blood flow - a very positive thing for your gums!
All in all, I love "How it All Vegan," and especially my copy of it, which has a dedication by the friend who gave it to me in the front, and whose pages are dusted with cocoa powder, flour, oil, garlic, and all the works of love which have come from it ...
I really love the Maple Walnut Brownies in this book, especially when you replace the walnuts with chocolate chips and the brownies are enjoyed all warm, with melty chocolate chips, right out of the oven. A great dessert brownie that can be served up with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream.
I also like this recipe because it is one you can recommend to those new to vegan baking. It is simple and does not call for Ener-G, tofu or other ingredients one may not be familiar baking with.
I baked the Chocolate Chip Bars because I was craving a chocolate chip cookie really bad. But I was too tired(and maybe a little too impatient) to scoop spoon-sized cookie batter on cookie sheets one by one.
This recipe is good, especially if you're new to vegan baking, because it is simple and uses familiar, easy-to-find ingredients. No Ener-G or ground flax seed egg replacers. No Earth Balance. You can even use water instead of soy milk.
I stirred everything with a wooden spoon and pressed the batter with spatula in a pan. The batter seemed too oily to me. But after 25 minutes, I pulled out a tray of cookie bars from the oven with an evenly puffed top that didn't look oily.
The cookie bars were slightly more bread-like than cookie-like to me. Which is not a bad thing. But, dammit, I was craving a chocolate chip cookie. So I was a little disappointed.
Next time I might use melted Earth Balance to replace some of the oil, brown sugar and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more chocolate chips to get that buttery, toffee-like chocolate chip cookie taste I so love.
The Chocolate Chip Bars tasted better the next day. I brought them to the office and omni coworkers enjoyed them. Consumed them all by lunch, leaving me but a tin of cookie, or bread, crumbs.
Hi I have had How it all Vegan and The Garden of Vegan for years and continually used their recipes and
will even more now since I'm full vegetarain again ( 1 month)
Some recipes I know by heart would be off the top of my head: Their sinful chocolate pudding made with silken tofu, so easy! their chocolate pie, their really yummy oatmeal bread goes good with barley stew.
This posted also on AC's cooking challenge thread.
Sarah's Delicious Chili in How It All Vegan! is a simple, hearty and flavorful dish. The instructions accurately state "You can whip this up in an instant."
These beans are flavored with chopped carrots, onions, diced tomatoes and corn simmering in a chili-curry base. The curry paste makes this recipe special because it adds hints of cumin, cilantro, tamarind and other wonderful spices to the dish.
I used black beans, instead of kidney, and left out the mushrooms. Served it over cooked rice, instead of adding rice to the chili. I made these chili beans when I was sick. It was easy, makes a lot so you can store or freeze for later, and it also cleared my sinuses. Since the recipe calls for chili powder, pepper and curry paste, you might want to gradually add to your desired level of spiciness, especially if you have a spicy hot curry paste or added chilies in the can of diced tomatoes.
I baked the Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recently. Strange little cookie. Description says "Delicately flavoured with herbs and spices." But I thought the cumin was pretty overwhelming. The recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cumin, cardamom, pepper, cayenne pepper. I left out the cayenne pepper and only put a couple shakes of pepper. Cookies are easy to make. Great texture. They just taste like oatmeal cookies with cumin, not a harmonious blend of spices.
I LOVE Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard! They're my favorite cookbook writers! I don't remember if it was How It All Vegan or The Garden Of Vegan but one of my friends let me borrow her book for a really long time and I used to use it all of the time. My friend and I made this awesome cake that was a lot like a lava cake (I think it was called Pudding Cake or something like that) and it was amazing! Even her non-vegan family ate some.
This is one of my oldest and most favourite cookbook. The recipes are so simple...they're really what got me into the kitchen cooking (and not just baking!). Sarah's Delicious Chili has become a staple, as has the Classic Spinach Lasagne. I've made numerous soups from here, all with rave reviews. And the desserts! I've made so many of them, and everyone has loved them all.
By far this is my most favorite and most used cookbook. I tell everyone in my cooking classes about this. I have made at least over a dozen recipes from here and have never been disappointed.