Conveniently Vegan: Turn Packaged Foods into Delicious Vegetarian Dishes [Paperback]

Debra Wasserman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

Learn how to prepare meals with all the new natural foods found in stores today. Here are creative ideas for old favorites like Quick Sloppy Joes, Hot Dogs, and Beans, Lasagna, and Chocolate Pie. Discover how to use natural foods with Mexican Noodle Casserole, Spicy Mandarin Chickpeas, Orange Sweet Potato Soup, Barbecued Seitan, Mango Dressing, and Basmati Rice Burgers. This book is a fun and easy way to add fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A diet with no animal products can seem utterly bewildering until you know the ropes. Consider Conveniently Vegan to be the ropes. Not only does it tell you exactly what such popular vegetarian foods as amaranth, bulgur, and quinoa really are (a tiny yellow-brown grain; dried and toasted wheat berries; and a small, nutty-tasting seed, respectively), it shows how to shop for and prepare them. Better still, it offers weekly menu plans, specific dishes high in calcium and iron (two nutrients tough to get enough of without meat and dairy foods), and dozens of recipes for soups, salads, main courses and desserts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Vegetarian Resource Group; Revised 2008 edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931411181
• ISBN-13: 978-0931411182
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars let me tell you what this book is great for, February 6, 2004

By 

E. A. Simoneau "easimo" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conveniently Vegan: Turn Packaged Foods into Delicious Vegetarian Dishes (Paperback)

Admittedly, this cookbook amounts to little more than an extended vegan pamphlet (or 'zine for those of you indie-pub types). Having said that, however, I will tell you what this book does well, something precious few vegan cookbooks bother with. It makes vegan eating possible for poor students, working stiffs, and others with little time to cook and limited access to farmer's markets, co-ops, or overpriced yuppie organic health food stores.

Now, not all vegan cookbooks are complicated and not all vegan recipes require exotic foods. However, very few authors ever suggest using the kinds of convenience ingredients found in this book. Typically, and for good reasons, they advocate using only the freshest of the fresh organic, happy hippie food products from the aforementioned stores. Moreover, this book is not overloaded with the whys and how-tos of vegan eating, something I find pretentious, militant, and redundant.

You do not have to flip through this book to find one or two time-saving, inexpensive, short ingredient list recipes; all of these recipes are such. The end results are not bland, but they are also not the wacky-far-out flavors that some associate with any kind of alternative eating, be it ethnic or ethical, making it an excellent starter book for those looking to try a strict vegetarian diet who don't want to be overwhelmed by the exoticism and aggressive politics of even some of the best vegan books.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Easy Recipes, not to mention Cruelty Free, January 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conveniently Vegan: Turn Packaged Foods into Delicious Vegetarian Dishes (Paperback)

This is a wonderful cookbook, very easy recipes with ingredients you can find at most any store. I have made 5 or 6 in the last few weeks....our favorites are mexican noodle casserole, and the quinoa and sweet potato patties. I highly recommend this book.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to vegan dining., February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conveniently Vegan: Turn Packaged Foods into Delicious Vegetarian Dishes (Paperback)

This book is wonderful for the working family. Although a few of the recipes are uninteresting, the majority are simple and delicious. This book is a great reference for new and veteran vegans.