Vegan Cooking for Carnivores: Over 125 Recipes So Tasty You Won't Miss the Meat [Hardcover]

Quentin Bacon (Photographer), Ellen DeGeneres (Afterword), Roberto Martin (Artist), Portia de Rossi (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Ellen DeGeneres' personal chef, Roberto Martin, shares over 125 delicious vegan recipes he's created for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi that he hopes will make healthy vegan cooking accessible and easy for everyone. Portia de Rossi explains in her foreword, "Roberto taught me that the key to making good food vegan is substitution...you can enjoy all your favorite foods and never feel deprived."

Some of the standouts Martin, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, has developed for Ellen and Portia include: Banana and Oatmeal Pancakes, Avocado Reuben, Red Beans and Rice, "Chick'n" Pot Pie, and Chocolate Cheesecake. Featuring mouthwatering photographs by award-winning food photographer, Quentin Bacon, this cookbook will appeal to die-hard carnivores and vegetarians alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A treasure...The beauty that leaps from the pages of this wonderful book is a hint of how beautiful you'll feel when you try these recipes. Each one carries familiar tastes to a whole new level. A perfect introduction to healthful, conscious cooking." --Neal D. Barnard, MD New York Times bestselling author and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine

About the Author

Roberto Martin grew up in a Mexican-American family of 15. While in college he worked in a restaurant, fell in love with cooking and attended the Culinary Institute of America. He became a personal chef to celebrities, and has focussed on nutrition and health. Now he cooks exclusively vegan meals for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. He appears frequently on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and on the show's website.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style; 1 edition (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1609412427
• ISBN-13: 978-1609412425
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.9 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

242 of 249 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic Vegan Cookbook April 25, 2012

By Norma Lehmeierhartie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin is a good primer for those interested in learning the basics of vegan cooking. Martin covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, sauces and snacks. Trained at the Culinary Arts Institute, he has no formal training in vegetarian/vegan cooking. When Hired by Portia and Ellen to be their personal chef, he simply adopted both his and their favorite recipes into vegan dishes. This is the most valuable take away from the book--that many (my words--not all recipes can be converted)meat or dairy based dishes can be made vegan when you learn what plant based ingredients can be substituted for meat or dairy.

Martin uses tofu, beans, faux meat substitutes, vegan mayonnaise, butter and cheese, and milk substitutes like soy and almond to make dishes that will appeal "to carnivores." He does not include a recipe to make your own seitan--a basic vegetarian protein--however. In other words, he keeps it simple.

Most of the recipes are easy with no cumbersome list of ingredients...that said, for those of you who might like to be more adventurous, this might not be for you. This cookbook is a primer...seasoned vegans may still get something out of it, but it is aimed at beginners or people who like to eat simply.

Breakfasts include different pancakes, waffles, tofu scrambles. I was surprised that I didn't see any smoothies. All looked good and would appeal to most.

Lunch included a good basic recipe for tofu egg salad--tofu, pickles, scallion, celery, vegan mayo, mustard...I tried the grilled vegetable sandwich and it was quite good. (Although he goes to great lengths to make the French bread just right....I would do it much more easily.)

Some really nice sauces like chipolte cream....

Apparently, his Red Beans and Rice dish are Portia and Ellen's favorite...they have it every Monday. I haven't made it yet, but it look quite good--batsmati rice, beans, faux sausage, some veggies and spices. Easy and easy to get ingredients.

I did try the Mexican style rice and beans with tomato and avocado to be eaten with tortillas and it was delicious.

He recommends store bought vegetarian stock for many of his recipes and while it is good, I would recommend making your own. It isn't difficult--save your veggie scraps--freezing them until you have a nice pile. Boil them for an hour or so, discard solids...voila! Stock! freeze in 1-2 cups containers. Much, much better than anything you can buy.

Overall, I liked this book, and recommend it for people trying to add more veggie based meals to their lives.

Author, Harmonious Environment, Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cooking up a storm and loving it! May 2, 2012

By MartyPhD

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book. I've had it about four days and have cooked meals from it every day. I've been vegan for only a year. The stuffed mushrooms are wonderful. I made the tortilla soup. I just finished making the red onion jam so that I will have it available this week for sandwiches and salads. I'm going to make the chicken pot pie this week. I have not worked up the courage to try the tamales yet. I've always heard they are so hard to make and I'm scared to try them. Buy this book! You will eat well and have fun!

By the way, when you make the chipotle cream (which I highly recommend) you will have a lot of chipotle peppers left over. Don't waste them. Whir them all in a blender and then drop teaspoons of them on waxed paper and freeze. Once frozen, store in plastic bag. Add to pots of beans or stews as appropriate.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for ideas - wish there were more pictures of dishes May 10, 2012

By Kat

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this strictly for the red beans and rice recipe. I love red beans and rice, like the chain Popeyes makes, with the smokey flavor and creamy beans. I have yet to find one that I can duplicate at home and I no longer eat at that restaurant.

I went vegan 30 years ago because I had no desire to eat animals. My second goal is to eat more homemade foods, not processed foods. I am a very picky eater and have a limited selection of foods I can tolerate. I keep trying different cookbooks trying to find easy to prepare meals that are nutritious with simple ingredients.

I don't like recipes that have you substitute meat with faux meat. I don't even like the thought of the faux meat. So I guess I am trying to say, is if you need the faux meat to help you stay vegan, then this is a good book. If the idea of eating faux meat to simulate meat doesn't appeal to you, you might want to look elsewhere for a different book.

The red beans and rice recipe was okay. But I ended up throwing out the leftovers simply because of the faux sausage. Or aka Vegan Sausage. First, I used half of what the recipe called for and it was still WAY too much. Wish I had never included it at all, but then I don't know how the recipe would have been without the spices.

If anyone knows of a recipe for red beans and rice without any substitute meat products, I would love to hear about it.

Pros: It does have some good recipes with some being simple and quick.

Cons: Some recipes do not have photos. I like to see the finished product. Also, it would have been nice to have altered recipes if you don't want to use substitute meat. I also wish it were spiral bound, but that's being picky.

It's an okay book, but not my favorite. I won't be returning it, but it won't be my go to book.