La Dolce Vegan!: Vegan Livin' Made Easy (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Well, here we are..." (more)
Key Phrases: tbsp vegan margarine, cup vegan margarine, cup vegan chocolate chips, Hey Sarah, Faux Sour Cream, Auntie Bonnie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you're already a vegan and you don't own this book, buy it now. -- Memphis Flyer

More than any other vegetarian cookbook author, Kramer has charmed the whole of a movement with her accessibility and mystique. -- VegNews Magazine

Review

More than any other vegetarian cookbook author, Kramer has charmed the whole of a movement with her accessibility and mystique.
—VegNews Magazine (VegNews Magazine )

This book is not only a treasured collection of recipes, but is also full of imaginative treatments for living life in the happy zone.
—Vegetarians in Paradise (Vegetarians in Parad )

This is one of the best vegan cookbooks I've seen, and one of the most joyous and spirited.
—vegsource.com (vegsource.com )

Every self-respecting vegetarian should own at least one book by Sarah Kramer. She's a venerable vegan kitchen goddess who knows that eating cruelty-free doesn't mean sacrificing taste. If you're already a vegan and you don't own this book, buy it now.
—The Memphis Flyer (Memphis Flyer )

La Dolce Vegan! offers fabulous recipes, most of which can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.... many readers will be thrilled to get their hands on her recipe for Vegan Marshmallows!
—The Vegetarian Journal (Vegetarian Journal )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551521873
• ISBN-13: 978-1551521879
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,398 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cook book perfection, October 5, 2005

By	Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Le Dolce Vegan, the third cookbook by Sarah Kramer is a true joy. I have over three hundred cookbooks, but Sarah's blow my socks off. They're also some of the ones I use the most, even when cooking for non-vegans. Why?

Her books are not only full of the most delicious, mouthwatering recipes ever, but they are also full of cook cooking tips, nifty crafts, pop culture, and humor. This and the two preceding books she did with Tanya Bernard I have read though and through before I ever cooked out of them, just because they're fun! Sarah is also down to earth, and her books aren't preachy like other vegan books. No guilt trips here. Just good food. How good?

Wow! Not only is this book full of many yummy general recipes, the deserts in this book are to die for. Yum! Sarah also tells us how to make our own faux meat from scratch, so no more having to buy the pricey stuff from the heath food store. 95% of the ingredients used are simple things every grocery store has, and when something even semi-exotic is used, a common counterpart that can be substituted is named. Most of the recipes make 4 small or 2 large helpings, and can be made in 20-30 minutes. I appreciate this so much!

I know that I'm ranting on and on, I just literally can't say enough about Sarah or this book. If you or someone you know is vegan, or even if you want to eat healthier, I can't recommend this book enough! It's just too much fun!

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy and Deeeeee-lish., November 11, 2005

By	Dustin G. Rhodes (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are lots of reasons to love this cookbook: the aesthetics, the fashion tips, the motivational text. But the real reason you should own this cookbook---and the two previous volumes as well, which were co-authored by Kramer---is the fact that the recipes rock: they are simple, creative, easy and delicious. So many cookbooks are inaccessible in that they are unrealistic: yes, the recipes might be wonderful, fanstastic, even inpirational, but most of us want fast and simple. There are some "complex" recipes in here, too, but for the most part, these are dishes that are in the 30-minute- or-less range. Sadly, a lot of the better vegan cookbooks out there are very involved, time-consuming and full of obscure ingredients.

That said, this cookbook is not perfect. It could stand one more good editing. I could list all of the small mistakes I found (such as places where ingredients were listed, and then not mentioned in the actual part where you assemble/cook the recipe). But these omissions are minor, and there aren't many of them. Little mistakes in cookbooks can spell disaster, but the oversights, at least the ones I've found, are all obvious and inconsequential.

My biggest suggestion for this cookbook would be more tips on how to improvise some of the dishes (Vegan With A Vengeance is full of suggestions on how to alter recipes based on what's sitting around in the refrigerator). Several of the recipes I've made lend themselves to a multitude of variations. This would have made an already good cookbook great.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip this book., February 11, 2007

By	John Annechino "John" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an enthusiastic fan of How it all Vegan and Garden of Vegan, I'm sorry to say I was very disappointed with this book. La Dolce Vegan is overloaded with stirfrys and other simple recipes you could pretty much figure out for yourself. There are also a lot redundant recipes for the same dish, and just silly fluff like chocolate-covered pretzels that nobody needs a cookbook to make. There may some gems in this book, but they get lost in a sea of what seems to be filler.

Also, I would have to agree that it is pretty obnoxious that there are more pictures of Sarah Kramer being cute and quirky than there are pictures of the actual food, especially since many of the recipes are credited to other people.

I was once told that a cookbook is a good purchase if you find just a handful of recipes that you enjoy enough to start making regularly, but I didn't find any such recipes with this book. I didn't even pick up any useful cooking tips. Pick up the first two books from this author if you like, but skip this one.