Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles [Paperback]

Beverly Lynn Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2008

Cooking for 1 or 2 and being vegan can be a challenge, especially when you first begin. Vegan Bites is geared towards teens and those in there 20's who want to embrace a compassionate, green lifestyle. With these delicious recipes fast food and take-out need no longer be the main source of food. Beverly Lynn Bennett provides over one hundred easy-to-make recipes that encompass a wide variety of foods and cuisines with selections for every skill level and schedule. Prep time and leftovers are kept to a minimum. Local, organic and seasonal ingredients are emphasized whenever possible. From Fabulous Flapjacks, Hacienda Home Fries and Sun-dried Tomato Couscous to Mexican Maize and Quinoa Medley, Vibrant Vegetable Cornucopias and Pad Thai, you'll find all your favorites and more. Includes a week of sample menus to provide ideas for meal planning. With sound advice on how to shop economically, fulfill nutritional needs, and stock the pantry with essentials, the vegan lifestyle will be made easy and your choice validated.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Beverly Lynn Bennett is an acclaimed vegan chef, baker, cooking instructor, and author. A vegan for over two decades, Beverly has written an assortment of books on various aspects of vegan cooking and living, including several in the Complete Idiot's Guide series. She has also been a regular columnist for VegNews Magazine since 2002.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN) (February 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570672210
• ISBN-13: 978-1570672217
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beverly Lynn Bennett is an experienced vegan chef and baker, writer, and animal advocate who is passionate about showing the world how easy, delicious, and healthful it is to live and eat as a vegan. A certified foodservice operations manager, she earned her culinary arts degree in 1988 from the University of Akron, Ohio, and in the years that followed, gained much practical experience working in and managing vegan and vegetarian restaurants and natural foods stores.

Vegan since the early 1990s, Beverly is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Slow Cooking, and Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles. Her work has appeared in many national and international print publications, on public television and DVD, and all over the Internet. She has hosted "The Vegan Chef" website at veganchef.com since 1999 and has been a regular columnist for VegNews Magazine since 2002.

Beverly currently lives and works in the vegan-friendly city of Eugene, Oregon, where her love of organic, healthy, and exciting foods fuels a passion for developing innovative vegan recipes. Her work appeals to a wide assortment of tastes and offers enticing alternatives to those with dietary restrictions of all sorts. In her spare time, she can often be found advising others on all things vegan, developing new culinary creations (an increasing number of which are raw and/or gluten -free), and helping to educate on issues including animal rights, environment, and health, through cooking demos and speaking engagements.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Naturally delicious recipes for 1-2 person households November 15, 2008

By Alisa Marie Fleming

Format:Paperback

This cookbook is a visual delight from start to finish. The warm and calm colors are paired with energetic "shadow" pictures, and a very clean layout that seems to make me want to cook! The subtitle states, "Recipes for Singles," but this is also an excellent cookbook for couples. Most of the recipes yield 2 servings, while some cater 1, 3, or 4 people. But overall, these aren't your average jumbo recipes that must be halved, and halved again to suit petite households.

To be honest, there are very few recipes I don't plan on trying in this cookbook. Thus far, I have been thrilled with the Sunrise Smoothie, Berry Power Shake, Golden Gravy, Seasoned Tofu Tidbits, and the Frozen Yogurt Berry Pops, and I can't wait to try the Hacienda Home Fries, Ginger-Carrot Soup, Tex-Mex Bean Burgers, Pad Thai, Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, and Hot Fudge Sauce, just to name a few. I am sure I will get to all of these very soon, as every recipe seems to have a "quick and easy" theme. Even the recipes with longer ingredient lists focus more on easy-to-find herbs, spices, and vegetables, then on lengthy instructions.

While I did sample a tofu recipe, we really do eat soy in our house with rarity, so I was pleased that many of the recipes are soy-free or can be easily adapted to be soy-free (ie, use a different milk alternative).

In terms of the format, Vegan Bites starts with an introduction that includes some food and health tips for new vegans, shopping suggestions, a pantry essentials list, a quick outline of kitchen equipment and gadgets, and my personal favorite, a guide to cooking basic grains. I love the size, which is a generous 8"x9" and holds open on its own practically from the get go. Each recipe is neatly laid out in a one page per recipe format, each with its own introduction and variations/tips as needed. As mentioned, the recipe sizes are smaller for smaller households of just one or two people, including the cookies! Each batch makes up just 8 or 9, to help limit the amount you inhale in a single day ... if you are anything like me.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly adaptable for having friends and family over for any dining occasion. May 3, 2008

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

The vegetarian approach to eating is growing more and more popular as people become involved in and aware of animal advocacy issues, seek a greener and more ecological friendly life-style, and gain an increased awareness of the links between nutrition and health. This is especially true for adolescents and those in their 20-something years. That is the premise and purpose of Beverly Lynn Bennett's "Vegan Bits: Recipes For Singles", a compilation of one hundred specially designed recipes that emphasize local, organic, and seasonal ingredients in their composition and preparation. The vegan recipes range from Black Bean and Mango Salsa; Sun-Dried Tomato Falafels in Pitas; Supper-Size Stuffed Mushrooms; and Homemade Applesauce Your Way; to Lemon Bulgur and Broccoli; Golden Home-Style Biscuits; Classic Peanut Butter Cookies; and Dried Fruit, Nut, and Coconut Candies. "Vegan Bits" is distinguished from other vegan and vegetarian cookbooks in that the recipes are specifically tailored to those who are single and therefore especially appropriate for anyone living on their own or with a roommate -- but highly adaptable for having friends and family over for any dining occasion.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for 20-something vegans! August 29, 2010

By Karen Faivre

Format:Paperback

"This book was written specifically for single young people (in their teens and twenties) who have chosen to live as vegans." Direct quote from book on page 2 - and don't let it keep you from buying this book if you are NOT young and single! I've passed this book by before (on Amazon) just because it was geared towards a certain age group. Then I saw it in a book store and was able to inspect it and was excited by the recipes and the fact that each recipe is for one or two people. I get overwhelmed (as an older single person) by the large quantities of food in a regular recipe. It was nice to have someone else cut the size and test it for a change.

The book has lots of good information for someone inexperienced in the kitchen such as smart shopping, pantry essentials, equipment, cooking tips, menus, glossary of special ingredients, and an index. There are no fancy pictures and it's printed in two colors, maroon and green. It's very readable and each recipe is on one page.

Whenever I get a new cookbook I like to make a fast pass through it, listing all the recipes that interest me and right off the bat I had 23 recipes on my list: Spicy Vegetable Cocktail, Fabulous Flapjacks, Maple Pecan French Toast, Sweet Italian Sausages, Hacienda Home Fries, Tofu and Vegetable Hash, Garlic Tahini Dressing, Pesto, Unfried Beans, Vegetable Patch Chili, Unchicken Tofu Salad, Falafels, Seasoned Tofu Tidbits, Tex-Mex Bean Burgers, Pad Thai, Coconut Curry in a Hurry, Mexican Maize & Quinoa, Biscuits, Double Chocolate Brownies, Lemon Cake, Rich Dark Chocolate Cake, Hot Fudge Sauce, and Whipped Tofu Topping!

I've been very happy with the recipes I've made so far: Fabulous Flapjacks, you'd think a pancake is a pancake but that's not true. I've made lots of vegan pancakes and this was the best one by far (and there were only four - yippee!). The batter was perfect and not too thick like a lot of them are. The Hacienda Home Fries was very original by using yams instead of potatoes and I've made it twice so far. The Seasoned Tofu Tidbits did not disappoint and I will be making that one again. Finally, the Pad Thai was tasty, and there was enough for just two people.

All in all, I am very happy to add this book to my vegan book shelf and I'll be using it again and again. I highly recommend it.