Customer Reviews

How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a great cookbook. The best thing about it is not the yummy recipes, but the accessibility of the authors! You can reach them through their website and they are truly genuine and nice. The cookbook features cute drawings and pictures, fun comments, Jewish flair in some of the recipes, unique things you might not find other places, homemade health and beauty product recipes, instructions on how to make safe household cleaners, treats for your animal friends, a section on Kids' Stuff, and the ever-useful "45 Things to do with vinegar" section (that really came in handy!). This book is beginner-vegan-friendly. Most of the recipes are relatively easy to prepare and require minimum time and effort. The dessert section ROCKS! Try the Chocolate peanut butter cups...if you never thought you'd have them again, here they are, in full force! Yum! I've only tried a few recipes so far, and they've all been delicious. These Canadian punk rock wimmin have put together a great collection of vegan recipes. My only complaints with this book are that it lacks an index (which I'm told by the authors was supposed to be in there but didn't make it to the printer!), and several of the recipes contain bee products. bee pollen, beeswax, and honey are all used a bit in the book, especially in some of the smoothies and in the health and beauty products. I was disappointed about that, but have just avoided making the recipes that require those products. Other than that, the book is great.

This is a very useful cookbook filled with "normal" recipes. The dishes are easy to prepare, and the ingredients are not unusual. (When unusual ingredients are listed, alternatives are offered.) There is a wide variety of recipes, and all that I've tried have been quite good. I highly recommend this book and Jannequin Bennett's VERY VEGETARIAN.

I picked up this book, honestly, because of the cover: two punkrock girls showing off a great big vegan cake! But what's inside the book is really the best part... personal stories, vegan tips and advice, a list of animal-ingredients... but the best part of all is all the great recipes! I have tried 3 in two days and they have all been the best vegan food I have ever eaten (potato soup, lasagna, coconut cookies)... Either I have had really bad luck with other vegan cookbooks or this cookbook just knows how to fulfil a hungry vegan! Either way, buy this book and have fun cooking, eating, and being vegan again!

This book is fun and funky. The recipes are easy and delicious, with little in the way of ingredients the common person hasn't heard of (and most of those are differences in Canadian vs. American lingo). This book does have a lot of desert and 'junk' food, yet it makes the transition easier. And quite frankly, most vegan books don't have recipes for chocolate chip bars and rice crispy treats, let alone ones that you can eat guilt free. The gals say to use whatever kind of flour and sweetener you like, so even junk food can be very healthy, depending on how you make it. My kids (8, 9, and 14) converted to veganism without fuss thanks to the recipes in How it all Vegan, Garden of Vegan, and Vegan Planet. BUY THESE BOOKS! Also read anything by John Robbins- it'll keep you vegan when you are tempted to eat a big slice of cheesy pizza.

I bought this book when I was first curious about going Vegan, after being a vegetarian for a few years. At first I was a bit frightened, especially after reading doctor's statements on how vegans don't get enough calcium (they obviously haven't heard of fortifed soymilk, green leafy vegetables, etc.). This book is helping me to make that final step in going vegan. Unlike other Vegan books I was looking at, this seemed well rounded and pleasant to the eye (nice retro theme throughout). Personal stories, recipes, odds and ends, cosmetic recipes and lots of other great things to make are all here. As I've been cutting the diary out and drinking more fortified soymilk, I feel great (I think I made the mistake of using too much diary while being a vegetarian). Also, there's recipes to make your own 'cheese' substitutes, because many (I'd say about 95%) of the tofu/soy cheeses on the market have casein (milk protein) in them. Another reader noted that the 'faux' meat was annoying, but I find that it's a great thing to make to put on your plate where the meat used to go. An overall great book.

I love everything about this book EXCEPT the nonsense that vegans have to be more careful about eating a healthy diet. What utter rot! Does this mean that if I stuff hamburgers down my throat I don't have to worry? There is no scientific basis for this garbage. And you don't have to think very hard to realise that this is a myth perpetrated by the meat industry. Absolutely terrific book, but, gee, guys, cut that sop and you'll have a book I'll be prepared to give my unbelieving friends.

i recently bought this fantastic book (on a whim), and i am sure i could type for hours about how wonderful it is! i have the second printing of it, which was printed in the year 2000, and i have an index in my book, which is very useful! also, the recipes that call for honey give an alternative (at least the ones that i have seen) and if you need another alternative, or for some reason it doesn't give one, go to the appendix! the appendix usually tells what you can use as a substitute for animal derived products. this has been one of the most useful sections for me. i knew that there were processes that use animal products, and i am glad to finally have a long list of what to avoid. i intend to give this book to my friends and relatives so they can see that i am not crazy, and that vegan food is not only healthy, but delicious, and not difficult to prepare! and it's not just the food, but health & beauty products, household cleaners, & 45 things to do with vinegar! i love this book!

This is the best vegan cookbook I have ever bought. EVER! The recipes are amazing....potato soup, chocolate peanut butter cups....At last a well rounded cookbook for those who don't eat meat or dairy that doesn't rely on hard to find items, but on delicious vegetables/grains and tofu. I cannot recommend this book enough. BUY IT....NOW! This is not an ad, and I don't know the authors, I just am so happy with all of the recipes; everything I have tried has been scrumptious!

My absolute favorite cookbooks are by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer, authors of "How it All Vegan!" and "The Garden of Vegan." Even if you aren't vegan, nearly every one of the recipes I've tried have been very yummy, pleasing many of my non-vegan friends and family!
New to these books? Try my favorites- I've made each of the following recipes more than 3 times, and they're a hit each time :)

from "How it all Vegan":
'anything goes' fruit muffins, p 49 (great when I have fruit that is about to go bad... just add it to a batch of muffins!)
Perfect Pesto, p. 80
Fragrant Garlic Parsley Pasta p. 106 (gggggggreat!)
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, p. 137 (I've made this recipe 10+ times. My friends and family LOVE this recipe- they can't even tell the cookies are vegan; they are so rich and delicious. I use a little more than the recommended chocolate chps- I use a little over 1 1/2 cups choc chips. Throw in some cocoa powder for extra flavor (1 tbsp)- and I often add pecans or walnuts!)
Flax Eggs, p.157 (Ok, so this is just an egg-substitute recipe, real simple... but it has been the best egg-replacer I've used in baking- and it's very cheap!)
Out of this whole book, the only recipe that turned out awful for me was Big Ben's Lentil Burgers, p. 110. I don't know what I did, they just falled apart... probably could have used some Flax Eggs....

From "The Garden of Vegan": I haven't tried quite as many recipes in this book, but from what I have... really good!
Sesame Ginger Dressing, p. 99 (awesome!!!)
All-Purpose Spice Nuts, p. 111 (good for parties)
Zoe's Grandma's Roasted New Potatoes, p. 113
Chickpeas & Swiss Chard, p. 117 (one summer I was growing lots of swiss chard at my parents' house and didn't know what to do with it... this recipe is sooooooo good! Yes, garnish it with flax oil and Bragg's, as recommended.)
Green Goddess Bowl, p. 153
Anne's molasses Cookies, p. 187 (so simple and so good.)

I can't recommend these books enuf- when I was *new* to cooking, i found them very user-friendly and with helpful references in the front and back of each book, I learned about all the different kinds of flour and beans, and a million things to do with baking soda, and ideas for bath and body treats, and party theme ideas... If I could live off of just two cookbooks, these are all I'd need. The authors are just too cute, to boot! What a pleasure to use these cookbooks!

I have to be honest; I was a little wary trying this book b/c I thought the design was pretty corny. I knew that the authors' punky edge would appeal to certain crowds, but I was afraid it would be too esoteric. In general, I prefer more "serious" seeming vegan and vegetarian cookbooks. This book proved to me that "stuffy" is not always best!

I checked this book out of the library with some other vegan cookbooks, all of which presented a much more "refined" image. After reading through the books, I found that I kept trying recipes from "How It All Vegan!" and neglecting the others! Nearly every recipe I tried was just great! The Sloppy Joes and Ginger Cookies were wonderful (I added some crystalized ginger and ginger powder to mine for extra punch). The various tea drinks are so satisfying. The homemade beverage recipes alone are worth the price of the book--especially love the various vegan milks and tea drinks. I also made the cheesey sauce, which I did not like, but I do not fault the authors--substituting a nutitional yeast-based vegan "cheese" sauce for the original just can't compare, it's no one's fault!

My only complaint is that some of the titles and descriptions are hokey or do not really give an accurate impression of what the recipe is. But that's a minor complaint--to each his own.