Customer Reviews

Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

I love love love this book. I'm a college student who is always looking for cheap, minimal-ingredient, flavorful dishes that are animal friendly. I've cooked with a lot of vegan recipe books, but this one has by far delivered on what it promises.

i absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great vegan recipe book or someone who just wants to try something new.

"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.

Love this cookbook and its simple recipes with easy to find ingredients. I am the 'only' vegetarian (wanting to be vegan) in my house so it is helpful to have easy recipes to cook for me while cooking stuff for the others. These recipes are so tasty that maybe will be able to convert rest of family to vegetarian.

I have some vegan cookbooks that I really like but all the recipes are for way too much food and way too much fussing. This cookbook isn't any of that. There's enough for dinner and some left over for lunch at work tomorrow. I am anti-leftover!

I've only made 2 things, the "sausage" and the deliriously tasty Hacienda Home Fries and I'm hooked. I didn't even have all the ingredients and everything still turned out great. The home fries were even sorta burned in spots and they still rocked.

I wish there were gluten free subs for all the whole wheat pastry flour used in the recipes so it's make-it-up-as-you-go as per usual and if you're GF you've learned to deal already. Don't let the non-GF recipes deter you from getting this book.

Easy, tasty, fast, and nothing you couldn't get at any decent grocery store except maybe tempeh. And the tempeh sausage patties...... oh my.

This was a great choice for a first vegan cookbook. It has a wide variety of easy recipes and a glossary in the back of ingredients new vegans may not be familar with. My favorite part is that it has a page in the front that tells you how to cook many different grains. This is fantastic since I have been buying those grains in bulk, and hence, they come with no cooking instructions. A fabulous tool in the kitchen!

So far I've made three recipes from this cookbook and all of them have turned out quite well. I'm a beginning-level cook though I've been a vegan for years. I'm still a bit nervous in the kitchen now that I have to fend for myself but a book like this has made the transition to cooking on my own easier for me. My only gripe is the book is a bit disjointed and poorly edited. There's a pantry essentials section but no grocery shopping list and none of the recipes reference the essential items from the pantry so there's no continuity between the first and second parts of the book. The recipes are valuable and the dishes are quite tasty, I'll definitely make more of them...

Simple, clear, delicious ideas. Good for someone just starting out as a vegan, or for those who have already embraced the lifestyle.

The title of Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles says it all - this is a cookbook for vegans who are cooking for one or two. Of course, that doesn't mean that larger households can't make use of it - just double or triple the recipes as needed.

Vegan Bites includes a surprisingly diverse array of recipes - breakfast items, like Maple-Pecan French Toast and Sweet Italian "Sausage," make a great start to your meatless day, and later on you can enjoy a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza, and pasta. The Indian cuisine-inspired Golden Grains with Peas and Cashews is delicious, and Classic Peanut Butter Cookies are the perfect ending to any meal.

New vegans will appreciate Getting Started - about 20 pages of info about vegan nutrition, shopping, substitutions, cooking techniques, and essential kitchen tools.