Customer Reviews

500 Vegan Recipes: An Amazing Variety of Delicious Recipes, From Chilis and Casseroles to Crumbles, Crisps, and Cookies (500 Cooking (Sellers))

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If I had to only have one Vegan cookbook on my shelves, without a doubt, it would be this one. I am so impressed with the recipes I have tried from this book that I couldn't wait to write up a review. I have been watching the authors flickr stream for the taste testers posting images of the recipes in this book. They are all amazing!

I often suffer from lack of energy and the Banana Oat Morning Fuel recipe has now become my favorite. Not only does it keep me full for hours and hours, it tastes amazing and gives me more energy than any other breakfast I have ever had and it only takes a minute to prepare! It has a taste similar to a chocolate pudding but in a breakfast smoothie form.. what more could you want from a fast and easy breakfast? The Seitan en Croute is divine. This is the best seitan recipe I have ever made.. not only does it smell amazing while baking but it tastes like heaven! The author Joni has given this recipe on her blog, so if you would like to taste something before you buy it, try this! You won't be disappointed.

The only thing I could find to complain about this book (and it's hard believe me!) is the lack of photographs of the food inside. The authors however, have created a flickr group where you can find lots of images of recipes from this book. The back of the book is covered with snap shots of food from the book also.

Full disclosure: I own about 50 vegan cookbooks. It's an addiction I've tried to control, but with no success. So when I say that 500 Vegan Recipes is excellent, I have a good basis for comparison. As soon as I opened this book, I found myself saying, "I'll have to make that this weekend...oh, this too...and this." To me, that's the mark of a good cookbook - recipes that you want to make right away and that use mostly things you have in the pantry anyway. I got the book on Thursday,and this weekend I made the "Red Meat Lasagna," the "Chili Cornbread Pie," the "Butternut Squash with Carmelized Onion, Fennel and Garlic," and the "Butterscotch Pecan Cookies." Everything turned out great. The chili cornbread pie in particular was great because it was mostly opening a few cans (beans, tomato sauce) and mixing up the cornbread topping. I love using unprocessed foods, but sometimes I need a recipe that doesn't begin with "First, get a field and plant some beans. Harvest, dry and then soak and cook them." This was the kind of recipe you could make for a family dinner when you get home from work. This book is going to the top of my cookbook pile.

This book is worth buying for the soup and bread recipes alone. I'm a novice bread baker, and I still managed to impress with the blooming onion rolls, parsley pesto rolls, dijon thyme bread, mole bread and pull-apart cinnamon rolls. The chilis and the bisques are really hearty, easy and delicious. I have loved every soup that I have made, including the chicken noodle, black bean, sweet potato/pepper/corn bisque, potato leek, carrot and split pea (my favorite split pea soup ever).

I initially doubted the pairing of tahini with chocolate, but the chocolate tahini quick bread is absolutely fantastic. The roasted lima beans are now a staple, as is the curried cauliflower puree. I also loved the chimichangas, tofu fries, stuffed tomatoes, couscous bake, mushroom pate, skillet cornbread, saag baag and kahlua.

This book is well worth it, providing a variety of recipes ranging from simple breakfasts to meals better suited to entertaining. I whole-heartedly recommend buying this one!

Devoted readers of the authors' blogs have eagerly awaited this cookbook. Just as expected, it is a far-ranging and terrificly creative collection. The recipes live at the intersection of Easy to Prepare and Fabulously Tasty. The first two recipes I made - Seitan Bacon and Kale Pesto Pasta - will be going into regular rotation at our house. I am sure many more will follow!

Everything that I have made from this book (so far) has been amazing. Simple to follow and delicious to boot. I think this will be the next "veganomicon," if not better. Veganism made easy and tasty.

I just purchased the book today and made the Cheater's Mac and Cheese. Wow!! If this is any indication of how tasty the other recipes will be, then we are all in for a real treat! I can't wait to try the cream of tomato soup, biscuits and gravy, chimichangas, lasagna, the salad dressings, the many different breads, and desserts. Thanks for such a great variety of recipes Joni and Celine!

I've said it before, I own just about every vegan cookbook ever published, and I love so many of them. But 500 Vegan Recipes has just moved into the #1 space! While there are no pictures in the book (there is a flickr group with plenty), the recipes are more than make up for the absence of pictures! I've made the Pumpkin Fauxage, the Carmelized Onion Tart with Sweet Potato Sage Crust and the Curried Butternut Squash Hummus. They were all amazing, and there are so many more things to try. If you are looking for new faux meats that you can make yourself, this book is filled with non-traditional recipes. The dessert section is amazing, as are the quick breads and yeasted breads sections. Pesto Bagels, Tahini Miso Potato Soup? The list is endless. This is a must own cookbook!

This book is fantastic! I cannot say that enough. The recipes are creative and healthy- and easy to execute. I continue to be impressed.

I have 6 vegan cookbooks and while I was excited by the handful of reviews of this book, it does not live up to the hype. First, I will say that it does have a variety of recipes in terms of side dishes, dressings, desserts et cetera. However, this (in my mind) doesn't make up for a complete lack of main courses dominated by vegetables. The majority of main courses revolved around pasta or rice which is not necessarily unusual but I don't need ideas to cook either of those. I was hoping for more main course vegetable recipes. My second complaint is the reliance on meat substitute/imitation products. Believe it or not, vegan food can be delicious without trying to imitate meat. And, if protein is a concern you can easily ensure you have a wide variety in your diet. If all else fails, add some quinoa to a meal for a complete protein. Finally, the recipes I did try were not good- they were edible but not enjoyable and not something I would use to introduce others to vegan food.

I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for vegan cookbooks. There are some fantastic books such as Veganomicon that provide a much wider variety of food and, in my opinion, much better tasting results.

When I first noticed 500 Vegan Recipes on the shelves, I almost shrugged it off. I have a ton of vegan cookbooks, but something compelled me to buy this book. I am so thankful that I did, because it was $19.99 very well spent. This is one of the best, most comprehensive cookbooks I have ever read for vegans.

Where do I begin to share with you how wonderful this cookbook is? There are 20 chapters, one of which is an overview of how to use the cookbook. The remaining 19 chapters are crammed with wonderful vegan recipes, from breakfast, to salads and salad dressings, to casseroles and savory pies and tarts. For the more adventurous, there are chapters on candies and bars, sweet and savory muffins and even an entire chapter on faux meats! That was something that truly impressed me. I spent time living away at graduate school and I wish I had this book then, because buying packaged mock meat was expensive and not always the quality I wanted, but this has recipes for Apple Sage Fauxage, Independence Day Wieners, and Seitan Bacon Crumbles along with many more! Yay!

There is also allergy information for the recipes, so if you are looking for gluten free or soy free recipes, you can find those at a glance. There is also an icon for 30 minute meals, so you can find speedy recipes to make on those frantic weekdays, or rushed weekends. The icons make finding recipes that meet your needs quick and easy.

It is hard to impress me with vegan cookbooks, because gourmet vegan cooking is something that comes as naturally to our household as breathing, but this book made my mouth water, and made me want to get in the kitchen. There are recipes of all levels, and even an introduction to `What is Vegan Cooking' so this would be an ideal gift to give someone who is thinking about going vegan. If you are an experienced vegan cook, this would be awesome addition to your cookbook library. Either way, at less than $20, you can't afford to not get it.

So with 500 wonderful vegan recipes waiting for you, with dishes from breakfast to late dessert and everything inbetween, run out and grab yourself a copy now!

Highest recommendations!