26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for experimentation, but not a great everyday cookbook., June 24, 2004
This review is from: The Vegan Gourmet, Expanded 2nd Edition : Full Flavor & Variety With over 120 Delicious Recipes (Paperback)
This really should be called the "low-salt, new food, kind-of-hard-to-prepare, and ok-but-not-really-fantastic Vegan Gourmet cookbook." I've tried about 8 of the most interesting-looking recipes in the book, and haven't been terribly impressed with them. Most of them have left me with a feeling of "well, that's ok, but not really great."
After some "adjusting" of the ingredients, some of the recipes were a bit better. Perhaps the most annoying thing about the recipes is that they are written like they should be in a low-sodium cookbook, but the author doesn't mention that her suggestions for salt might be on the low side for most people. Thinking there was some reason for the low amounts of salt, I prepared the recipes exactly as written, and found them to be "missing something." Doubling or tripling the suggested amount of salt substantially enhanced the flavors.
Another thing I didn't like about the book is that many of the recipes are what I would call "new food," meaning that they are odd combinations of ingredients made up by the author that aren't based on any particular culinary tradition or cuisine. I realize that "gourmet" usually means trying new and different combinations of foods, and I do applaud the attempt at variety, but I just can't say that I was that impressed by most of what I've tried from this book.
Lastly, the recipes are substantially more difficult to prepare than they're worth. I love to cook, and don't mind spending 2 or 3 hours cooking a dish that is absolutely fantastic, but I'm not going to spend that kind of time for something that's just OK. Here's a perfect example... the Sweet Potato, Wheat Berry, Bell Pepper, and Pumpkin Seed Salad in Tomato-Chive Vinaigrette. For starters, the idea of sweet potatos and bell peppers combined with a tomato-chive vinaigrette simply isn't appealing to me. Then, take into consideration that the recipe takes 6-8 hours of soaking time, 1 hour of cooking time, and another hour of chilling time for the wheat berries, plus grilling of the sweet potato, roasting and peeling of the bell peppers, roasting of the pumpkin seeks, and mixing of the tomato-chive vinaigrette, and you've got an all-day project on your hands for a salad! To be fair, the author warns the reader that this particular recipe takes a lot of time to prepare, but sheesh...
This book does have some good recipes in it, does contain some good ideas for interesting food combinations, and does contain a listing of recipes that "should" take less than 30 minutes to prepare, but overall I found the recipes required too much effort and too much "adjusting" for what I got out of them. I find that I don't use this book much. The Vegan Gourmet is good for experimentation, but not great as an everyday cookbook. I much prefer "The Mediterranan Vegan Kitchen," which is simply an outstanding cookbook that I use all the time.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complexity is good!, February 16, 2000
This review is from: The Vegan Gourmet, Expanded 2nd Edition : Full Flavor & Variety With over 120 Delicious Recipes (Paperback)
Too often vegan and vegetarian cook books are entitled "quick and easy meals," or "vegan cooking in 15 minutes." What I crave is complex taste, and thoughtful, interesting, beautiful food. the Vegan Gourmet is one of my favorite cook books because it is just that: thoughful. The recipes are not difficult to prepare and many take less then 30 minutes... all I have tried tasted wonderful, but the Calde Verde soup & the beta carrotene bisque (carrots & sweet potatos, YUM!) have a special place in my heart. This is a must for your vegan library... and is great for those times when you want something besides the same old quick and easy tofu.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
..but what do vegans eat???, October 23, 2001
This review is from: The Vegan Gourmet, Expanded 2nd Edition : Full Flavor & Variety With over 120 Delicious Recipes (Paperback)
LOTS and lots of diverse meals, according to this book. Vegan cookbooks I've bought in the past have been little more than 101 different ways to make spaghetti and burritos without meat. Not this one! I am a newly-born vegan as well as a newly-formed cook (previously never trying more than mac'n'cheese!) and this book was a delight nonetheless. It contains great food that isn't hard to make at all! Not only did I purchase it for variety, but I was dying to try the french toast and pizza recipes, which came out wonderfully!
The only thing I wish this book had is prep times for each of the recipes-- I'm thankful for the "almost instant" index (15 min or less) but some of the others I undertake without realizing prep time can take 45 minutes, before cooking!
At any rate, I'm sure more experienced cooks will not suffer my prep time dilemna! I've served to vegans and non-vegans alike and gotten rave reviews with this book, definitely one to add to your kitchen library.
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