Customer Reviews

The Vegan Family Cookbook

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is the perfect every day cookbook: no bells and whistles, but delicious, simple, healthy, easy to prepare vegan food. This cookbook was a pleasant surprise with its simple layout, no-nonsense format, and diverse range of recipes; I think every vegan would want to own this collection. There are so many vegan cookbooks on the market these days (and I own many of them), but many are filled with complicated (but delicious!) recipes that are not suited to life in the Real World. I enjoy those kinds of recipes now and then, but there is great pleasure in making fast, easy and YUMMY meals that aren't tedious and involved.

One last thing: This cookbook is better than a few of the other "simple" cookbooks (an exception being Vegan With a Vengeance, which is just astounding). If this is the genre you're shopping for, including the aforementioned, this is one of the very best.

I own over 300 cookbooks and it takes a lot to wow me, but Chef Brian P. McCarthy pulled it off. With over 400 practical, easy to make recipes, he has created some great recipes, whether or not you're vegan. But if you are vegan, this is a gem. He has recipes for everything from make-it-yourself Tofurky with stuffing, to a truly delicious pumpkin pancake.

He takes everyday recipes and makes them vegan friendly, which is wonderful. I know some of the vegan cookbooks out there are making food into art, but in this crazy modern world how many of us have time to make 20 ingredient recipes with item we have to order? The Vegan Family Cookbook takes care of that. Often the recipes have around 5-6 ingredients commonly found in every grocery store, and small prep times. Yes, a few are special occasion, and one or two recipes in the entire book contain items you might have to send away for, but these are the exception, not the rule.

This book is a delight, and I can't wait to make more food from it!

Highly recommended!

P.S. Also, if you don't have How it All Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tayna Barnard, treat yourself to that, too. It's still my favorite, along with its two sisters, The Garden of Vegan and La Dolce Vegan, but the Vegan Family Cookbook is a close second!

This is a high quality cookbook with many healthful and tasty recipes, all of which are animal-free as the title states. The most impressive aspect of this book is how simple and easy are the recipes, nothing complicated. The recipes I've prepared so far have all tasted very good. And the ingredients required are most likely already in your cupboard. As I said, this book is simplicity times 400 (the number of recipes contained in it). Highly recommended. Enjoy!

Lest I allow a previous reviewer get away with making pat judgments about the kind of person who would give this cookbook a 5-star review, I am a very experienced cook, have been cooking vegan food for 7 years, and collect vegan cookbooks. This is one of the best I've ever used because:

1. Recipes call for ingredients that are available at your regular grocery store. The only ingredient I've needed that I know I can't find at Safeway is nutritional yeast, and that's okay because I bought a huge jar of it at Whole Foods awhile back.

2. The ingredients are not expensive, and it's easy to see where substitutions could be made if you don't have something on hand.

3. The recipes do not take a really long time to make, which makes them practical for weeknights when everyone is tired from being at work & school all day.

4. The format is very easy to follow, making this perfect for getting your kids or spouse to help with the meal.

5. These recipes are great for new vegans or non-vegans who want to start eating more meatless, dairy-free meals. These foods will be familiar to people who have unsophisticated palates. There is a lot of "comfort food" in this book.

I have made over 25 recipes from this cookbook so far, and every single one of them has been a 5-star or 4-star recipe in my food log. That's a much higher average than almost every other vegan cookbook I've used regularly.

The book is clearly geared towards new vegans, their families or people who would like to cook for vegans, but don't always know what to make.

It makes an ideal intro to basic vegan cooking, offering short, concise recipes that rely on items you would find in a well stocked vegan pantry.

Our son, who just turned 12 has really taken to the book, <a href="http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/2006/01/dinner-107-quesadilla-onion-garlic-red.html">cooking from it</a> every weekend. I only wish this book had been available when I was 12...

One minor quibble would be the lack of pictures, and use of canned food where fresh might be better (canned green chiles?), but this is family food, not a Thomas Keller coffee table book ;)

From Snacks to Dips, from side dishes to entrees, from beverages to breads, from salads to desserts, The Lantern Vegan Family Cookbook is an impressive and "kitchen cook friendly" collection of vegan recipes compiled and organized by Brian P. McCarthy who has been a professional chef from twenty-five years and has enjoyed a vegan diet for the past ten years. From Root Stew with Marjoram; Couscous Corn Salad; Ginger Rice with Peppers & Soybeans; and Thai Grilled Tofu over Coconut Rice; to Chai Tea Mix; Pecan Pie; Caramelized Onion & Garlic Spread; and Baked Potato Bar, The Lantern Vegan Family Cookbook has a delicious diversity of hearty, easy-to- make dishes that will quickly become family favorites for every dining occasion. Enhanced with the inclusion of "Cook's Notes", a glossary, a conversion chart, recommendations for a well-stocked vegan pantry, a "Protein List", and a comprehensive index, The Lantern Vegan Family Cookbook is confidently recommended for any and all family cookbook collections!

I've purchased many vegan cookbooks over the past year, but this one is the one I always reach for first and use the most. With recipes to cover nearly all of the comfort foods my family and I have grown accustomed to, this cookbook made the transition to cooking vegan so painless and simple! AND Delicious!! There isn't a bad recipe in the book! And nearly all of the ingredients you'll find you have in your kitcen anyway! No weird and hard to find ingredients. I would HIGHLY recommend this cookbook to the vegan cook or to just anyone who wants to eat healthier. The title says it all: Vegan FAMILY cookbook.

I am thoroughly disgusted with this book. It is filled with cups and cups of sugar, white flour, processed grains, canned food, etc. And the list of lifeless food in these recipes could go on and on. What happened to the whole foods approach to eating......maple syrup or agave nectar for sweetners, spelt flour for the white (dead) flour, whole grains (quinoa, millet, amaranth, brown rice), fresh fruits and veggies, healthy coconut oil for margarine, etc. I have noticed that there is a trend among vegan cookbooks to make the recipes as tasty as their hydrogenated counterparts. Most of these cookbooks try so hard to make their final products taste good that they forget about the nutritional punch (or lack there of) in their food. So, in essence, the vegan versions are just as unhealthy as the carnivorous versions they are trying to avoid. Ironic?!? It also hits home the message that just because you are vegan does not mean you are healthier than your meat-eating friends. Eat a diet high in white flour, white sugar, processed foods, etc. and you will meet the same fate of degenerative diseases (heart disease, arthritis, colon cancer, etc.)that plagues North Americans. I am completely embarassed for the author of this book. He claims that he has been a professional cook for 25 years and that he and his wife researched the dangers of the standard American diet. Well, they should have researched a little bit more before they published this dietary drivel. Do yourself a favour....if you value your life, avoid this book completely. Or if you have already made an ill-fated purchase of this book, recycle it at your nearest recycling depot. But don't use it. Remember taste does not necessitate good health.....taste with a healthy dollop of exceptional nutrients brings about satisfaction, as well as a radiant, revitalized body. Go for whole foods, not the fake food that lines our supermarket shelves. Your body will thank you. If you are interested in a more whole foods approach to vegan cooking, try out any of Dreena Burton's cookbooks. The flavors are fantastic and the food is nutritionally sound. Gook luck and the best of health to you.

I found this book to be very user friendly, full of easy to prepare, yummy, tasty, nutritious recipes suitable for vegans and vegetarians. My personal favourite is the chocolate pudding. Heavenly!

i agree with everyone. i have had this cookbook for over a year and it has taken me this long to review it because it has become such a staple in my everyday life. i am the only vegan in my household and still, these recipes come through for everyone, even my two year old. for me, there is also a lot of comfort in the fact that brian (the author) tried these recipes on his family, altering them according to a real family's needs. this is definatley the cookbook to reach for.