Customer Reviews

Alternative Vegan

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The beauty of this book is that the author doesn't *want* you to follow the recipes precisely. It's all about customizing the recipes to suit your own tastes and learning what you can substitute when you don't have everything on hand. Lots of fabulous Indian and Middle Eastern recipes, and things you can make in bulk and freeze.

Highly recommended!

I just finished my first recipe from the book, the dry cooked garbanzos, and I'm ready to go back for more. I love this book! This is not a book that requires close attention to minute details of the recipe. Dino gives you the tools to learn to make your own tasty vegan food. This is real food, too. No fake meats or fake cheeses... just real, honest, fresh ingredients. The chatty tone of the book makes me feel like Dino is right there in the kitchen with me, showing me the tricks he learned from his mother and grandmother, as well as the tricks he taught them.

Now, what to make tomorrow night?

I love this cookbook's casual attitude about following directions; If you don't have something called for, leave it out, or add something else. It isn't about replicating someone else's idea of the perfect dish. It is about cooking. We make something from this cookbook every week. And it is a great book to cook from when having non-vegans over for dinner since there is no tofu or fake meat to scare them off. I love this book.

Dino's segments on the Vegan Freak podcast never fail to leave me a) hungry and b) inspired to try new things in the kitchen. As a new vegan (and so-so cook) I was on the lookout for cookbooks that didn't rely heavily on meat replacements (e.g., tofu, tempeh, seitan, TVP...) and was intrigued to learn of a vegan cookbook with no omni-substitutions. For those of you who are not familiar with the author's stance on the aforementioned products, or if you're like me and involved with a person who cringes when they hear the word `tofu,' Alternative Vegan is sure to be a well-used, thumbed-over, dog-eared reference.

Previous reviewers have mentioned Dino's personable, reassuring writing style, but I also like how he doesn't try to push readers to pick up the latest, pricey kitchen utensil. He gives you some basic suggestions and ideas on where to locate good deals and gets to the cooking. Many people have this impression that vegan cooking and vegan food is bland, tasteless, pricey and time-consuming, but Alternative Vegan effectively proves that is not the case.

This little cookbook packs a lot of punch. There is something in here for everyone, even the world's pickiest five year old. My son previously would only eat 11 kinds of food, all of it expensive and mostly pre-made. The first recipe I made was Jimmy Crack Corn Crack and against all odds my kid ate an entire ... fritter!!! I had to put a bit of ketchup on it but he actually ate it. ^_^

I have since tried out more excellent recipes from Dino's book and every one of them so far has been a crowd pleaser. I love the way its written almost like the author is just chatting with the reader. He explains different methods and encourages us budding chefs to experiment and grow, to push beyond the boundaries of just following a recipe. Many recipes are off the wall in a good way; new ingredients and combinations that would not have occurred to me. An excellent, excellent cook book.

Here's what I love about Dino Sarna's Alternative Vegan - everything. Seriously, Dino's voice comes through in the most unostentatious and entertaining way as he coaches me to make changes, take risks, use what I have, not trip to the grocery for some obscure ingredient. Got this but not that? Use what you have. Can't afford top of the line cookware? Join the club and get yourself some used stuff at a thrift store. Good food will result all the same.

Taking the theory Sarna provides and running with it has filled my home with spicy aromas, healthy meals, and a great deal of satisfaction. It's almost like Dino Sarna is standing behind me as I cook, shaking his head in approval, providing a guiding hand when needed.

This is way more than a collection of recipes. This is a collection of wisdom about the chemistry of food passed down from generations of Sarna's family. It's worth the price and then some. Get your copy. You will not regret it.

Dino introduced me to so many new foods and new ways to prepare foods I already enjoy. This book is well worth the price. The only downside is the typesetting in the book which was obviously done by an amateur. The headings are set in a ridiculously hard to read font and the margins are much too close to the edges of the pages--very distracting for the reader. The index also has errors in it. I'd buy another book by Dino, only if he spent the money to have it professionally designed.

My very good friend, Dana, who also contributed to Dino's fantastic book, has been trying to gradually introduce me to vegan cuisine. But I always complained that I didn't have the cooking skills to create really tasty dishes. So in response to my whining, Dana was kind enough to recommend Dino's book to me, and voila! problem solved!

Dino's recipes are easy to prepare, and his style of writing is both informative and funny, which makes the process so much more enjoyable. And trust me, you won't believe how happy your taste buds will be after you prepare your first dish. I started out with the Erissey, a wonderful little concoction that has everything from black-eyed peas, yellow squash, brown rice, chilies, to coconut. But it's the creative combination of spices that really distinguish Dino's recipes. I don't know what half of them are or how to pronounce them, but the rainbow of flavors are unique and delicious. Just be careful with the exploding mustard seeds!

By adopting vegetarianism I was afraid that I would have to sacrifice a lot of the texture and taste of animal based foods that I was used to eating. Dino will prove to you that's not the case. Far from it. Try a few recipes, and you'll recognize immediately what I did: This stuff tastes great!

Good work, Dino, and thanks. You are a culinary alchemist!

I am going to be completely upfront and say I'm not an impartial source; anyone who reads the acknowledgments will see that Dino is my partner.

That said, Dino has created something truly unique in writing this book. As the description mentions, there is no tofu, tempeh, seitan, soymilk, or the like. It is virtually all produce, but it's not a health-food book (although a lot of the recipes are healthy, there's also fried and other high-fat food). And since it doesn't rely on the over-processed food most people (sadly) think of when they think vegan, virtually all the recipes can be made on a very modest budget.

The cookbook was written with a philosophy that encourages people to be creative and experiment in the kitchen. It addresses as much how-to-cook as what-to-cook. Consequently, the recipes are very easy to follow and modify to suit one's own tastes.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for good food that won't make you go broke.

I would suggest that anyone on a vegan diet or just wishing to explore exotic cooking get this cookbook. This book focuses on vegan eating without all the soy-based prepacked "fake foods". Dino's writing is entertaining and will help relax you and make cooking a pleasure. All the recipes I have tried have been delicious.