Customer Reviews

Vegan Success: Scrumptious, Healthy Vegan Recipes for Busy People

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

 

 

I'm not completely a vegan eater, but have been gradually cleaning up my eating over the past few years and really like having more fresh, healthy food in my diet. The one problem I'd had was that so many of the vegetarian and vegan recipes did take a long time to prepare. And while I'm an excellent cook, these days I have other things I want to put my attention on - like playing with my grandson and writing a book. So it was with complete utter delight that I received "Vegan Success" and started to use it. The crowning joy was when my husband, who told me when we got married that he didn't like and didn't eat vegetables, asked for seconds and sometimes even thirds. I think the success is that Susan and her partner are busy people too - and so they've really tested these recipes under real-life conditions. Anyway, I love being able to get genuinely healthy meals that my husband enjoys in a quick hurry. I'd recommend this book whether you love to cook or not - it's that straightforward.

Like everyone else my life is busy. Although I enjoy cooking (when I have time) and love to eat, I do not want to spend hours in the kitchen everyday making fancy meals. I have always been a very clean, uncomplicated eater and have now been vegan for nearly 2 years. I love that the recipes in Vegan Success are simple, quick and focus entirely on real food -- rather than junky, fake meat look-alikes. It takes the mystery out of being vegan and shows that anyone can eat healthy, vibrant, satisfying food and not eat meat, cheese or eggs, etc. This is a fabulous cookbook for people who are new to vegan cooking as well as for those of us who have been doing it for awhile. Super delicious!

Over the past few years my weight and blood pressure have been creeping upward. After trying several recipes in Vegan Success over a two week period, my blood pressure was so low that I was dizzy and had to be seen by my doctor. My doctor cut my prescription medicine in half and I have been able to maintain a healthy blood pressure with less medication.

My favorite meal is the Stella Blues breakfast on Page 179. This meal is satisfying without being heavy. It is far more beneficial to my health than the two eggs I was typically eating for breakfast. I have also noticed that I have been losing some weight. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to try some healthier food alternatives. You do not have to eat Vegan at every meal to notice a healthier and lighter difference in your life.

First of all, let me say that I am not a vegan. We make every effort to only eat organic, healthy foods and either grow most of what we eat, or purchase our food that is grown as close to home as possible. I am always looking for alternative ways to create flavorful, healthy food and rarely have the time to utilize the slow food cooking that it takes for most healthy meals. I have found this cookbook 'Vegan Success' to be useful and am delighted to find vegan alternatives that are delicious and simple to make. You don't have to be a vegan to appreciate these recipes! Now, when we have vegan friends over for dinner I don't have to scratch my head over what to feed them. Definately an investment in better health! Thanks to the author for taking the time to share her tried and true recipes.

My favorite thing about this cookbook is the introductory sections, especially the "faking it" section, which provides vegan substitutions for dairy ingredients found in many mainstream recipes. Knowing the vegan substitution for any dairy ingredient made veganism seem much less intimidating to me. Naturally, there are also well over a hundred recipes for sauces, soups, breads, desserts, and a wide variety of entrees. The Thai Peanut Sauce is my personal favorite - just like what you'd get at a Thai restaurant, but much cheaper (of course) and you don't have to wonder whether it's made with "fish sauce."

The recipes are predominately American, home-style, comfort food, cooked up by non-chef authors in their home kitchen. Here is a break down of the chapters:
1) Sauces, salad dressings and gravy
2) Bread
3) Potatoes, pasta, rice, stuffing
4) Vegetable dishes
5) Sandwiches
6) Soups
7) Tofu, tempeh, lentils and beans
8) Desserts
I purchased this book on the quest for quick-to-the-table vegan dinners which didn't involve all the time consuming chopping of fresh vegetables and trips to the grocery store. This book delivers on that in many of the recipes, though the emphasis is more on 'easy' recipes rather than 'fast'. In other words, while prep time is low, cooking time can exceed 30 minutes. Also, I wouldn't have included sauce and bread recipes in a book aimed at busy people. Nonetheless, I have signifcantly reduced my veggie-chopping time.

Comfort foods are not really my style, and too many recipes used potatoes for my taste. In the Potatoes, Pasta, Rice and Stuffing chapter, 11 contained potatoes, 7 are pasta, 2 rice and 1 stuffing. I am more of a rice eater, so was disappointed here. Also, of the 11 soup recipes, 5 contained potatoes. It is very clear that the authors live in Idaho!

There are also a few nuisances in the book. First, the introduction states that vegans don't eat anything which came from something with a face, which I agree with, but the authors claims they are vegan, yet use honey in some recipes. Last time I checked, bees had a face. There are a few editorial quirks, such as some recipes not saying what to do with certain ingredients (such as a casserole which calls for a head of cauliflower but neglects to mention chopping the head) and have oversights from adapting the text from where ever the authors took the original recipe from (such as a recipe which calls for margarine, but in the instructions references butter).

These are minor points though, and the main question is whether the recipes are good, which I can say they are. I have made 6 recipes so far in the 3 weeks I've had the booked, and I will be making all of them again. The Curried Eggless Egg Salad is delicious, as is the Tempeh Stroganoff (my husband, who had thus far hated any other recipe with tempeh, gave this one a 10 out of 10 stars). I look forward to trying more recipes. I also liked that the authors included an index of vegan products with their own favorite brands listed. All in all, while I won't be making every recipe in this book, it is worth it for the good ones I found which are tasty and make my life easier.

I love Vegan Success so much that I've given 5 copies away as gifts. In fact, every time I buy a new copy of the book for myself, I end up giving it away to someone at my gym who asks for healthy and delicious recipes. All the recipients come back to thank me for giving them this cookbook. They all have different favorites, but almost everyone loves the Sweet Potato Chili Stew recipe, and I'm in total agreement. By the way, none of the people I've given this cookbook to are vegans, and only 1 is a vegetarian. So, if you're looking for a great gift for a birthday, Christmas, wedding or shower present, you can't go wrong with Vegan Success.

This is a great book. It has good fast vegan food. I use it with 2 other vegan cookbooks most of the time. The ideas are not what I would have thought of but they are easy and good. This is food you cook and live on day to day. I love they they give brand names.