Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (but Doable) Animal-Free Recipes
Posted by mamaanna on Aug 25, 2009 · Member since Oct 2006 · 158 posts
Got the book today from Amazon!
There's definitely some oldies-but-goodies from the blog, but lots of new ones as well. I let baby girl pick out which ones we'd try first and she has requested Chipotle Basil Corn Chowder, Roasted Cauliflower and Wilted Spinach Pasta Salad and Apple Strudel. Sounds like a delicious dinner to me!
I will go grocery shopping tomorrow, cook and report back.
I didn't know there was a book! I check the blog almost daily because I love the pictures and the food is so fancy pants. Can't wait to hear your reviews!
Oh! I was thinking about getting this, but I didn't know it came out! ;)b
I made the lime peanut noodles with seitan and it is VERY good! Next time I might a little more chili flakes, but other than that, it was perfect.
I did some cooking from the book for dinner last night and have a few things of note for anyone considering purchasing the book:
1. Yes, there are TONS of photos and yes, they're very lovely.
2. Most of the recipes feature fresh and simple ingredients and spices that you'll have on hand already or can easily find. The ingredients also tend to be inexpensive.
3. The book has fewer recipes (100-ish) than some cookbooks, but it also seems to be well-edited. I think Lauren Ulm, the author, really did only include the recipes she loved.
4. The instructions are straightforward and most of the recipes look easy to make/don't involve lots of equipment.
For all the above reasons, I'd give the book 4 out of 5 stars based on face value. Last night I made three recipes from the book for baby girl, boyfriend and myself.
Chipotle Basil Corn Chowder
The soup was tasty and came together very easily, but I didn't care for the basil in it. I used fresh corn, as the recipe suggests you do, but I cooked my veggies for quite a bit longer than the recipe says because it would have been drastically under done otherwise. My daughter thought it was good (liked the chipotle and the texture), but also didn't care for the basil. My boyfriend commented that it tasted "unsophisticated" compared to most of the cooking I do (well la-di-da!). Might make it again or maybe I'll just start adding a little chipotle paste to my regular corn chowder recipe...
Roasted Cauliflower and Spinach (Pasta) Salad
This an easy but delicious recipe! Roasted cauliflower tossed in Italian herbs with penne pasta, wilted baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and a little balsamic. What not to like, right? I served this warm and subbed kalamata olives for the sun dried tomatoes (according to baby girl, olives>tomatoes). This was a snap to prepare very yummy. I'll be eating leftovers for lunch today. I did triple the amount of herbs and double the salt, but I always think recipes come out under seasoned as written. Next time I'll throw some garlic in to roast with the cauliflower.
Apple Strudel
This is a dessert that is SO easy, but SO good! Seriously, even if you're not much of a baker you can make this without screwing it up. It's cheap and delicious, full of spicy apple filling and a super flaky crust, and it didn't last past this morning at my house. Highly recommended!
I think this is the sort of book I'll mostly enjoy using for weeknight meals, but might not be the first place I'd go for ideas for special occasions or company. Just my 2 cents!
I made the sheera (spelling) last night and my husband said it was the best dessert he'd had in a long time :-).
Last night I made the pasta gremolata with sundried tomatoes. It was so easy to throw together and I was finished in under 30 minutes. I didn't have oil-packed tomatoes, so I just rehydrated the regular dried kind by soaking them in hot water for ~10 min. The flavors in this dish were perfect. My favorite part was the crunchy, garlicky breadcrumbs! I used panko crumbs and they worked very well.
I'm planning to make the chikpea/artichoke dish next!! Mmmm.
I watched the video in her blog of her showing the cookbook and it looks sooo beautiful! I want to go to a bookstore now so I can flip through it. Looks awesome.
Seriously...her sweet and sour sauce is amazing!! Mmmm
Every now and then I stroll into the Vegetarian/Vegan Cookbook sections of Barnes and Noble and Borders. To my suprise I saw this book and jumped for joy!! I'm such a dork, I know... At the moment I can's do any testing but I'm so excited about this book.
I haven't been to the bookstore in such a long time I also picked up 'Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cooke Jar' & 'Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food'.
I love this cookbook so much! It is beautiful and laid out very nicely. I have never read her blog (but just started after getting this book).
Everything I have made has been awesome. Especially the blueberry waffles. I have always been less than satisfied with blueberry flavored items, however, these were delicious! Very full of blueberry yummyness. I also am addicted to the sweet miso dressing, I could eat it with a spoon.
I made the Super Quick Tomato-Basil Cream Pasta and it was indeed quick and very very very good. This is the first time I used raw cashews in a sauce to make it creamy and it was good.