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58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
whole series terrible, November 9, 2004
This review is from: A Vegan Taste of Mexico (Vegan Cookbooks) (Paperback)
I ordered four vegan cookbooks from this author (Italian, Mexican, Indian, Caribbean). I hate them all. First off, they are small and contain few recipes. Half the recipes they contain are for items I either wouldn't cook from scratch (tortilla's) or are so basic they are found in every other cookbook on my shelf (tomato sauce).
Next, the books are from the UK so you better know how much a dessertspoon is, what "hard vegan cheese" is, as well as know what an aubergine or courgette is. There is no glossary or nutritional information given in any of the books for any of the recipes.
But by far, the most irritating feature of this author and her books is her love of nuts. No matter what cuisine the book is suppose to be about, the recipes are filled with nuts....walnuts, filbernuts, hazelnuts, etc. It would be fair to say that at least 2/3'rds of the recipes in each book contain nuts. In the Italian book 7 of 8 recipes in one chapter contain nuts! I've eaten in many an Italian restaurant and not once have I ever had a dish with walnuts in it. This woman is nuts for nuts.
So, even at the low price, I cannot recommend these books to anyone, especially those with nut allergies.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth your time, May 5, 2008
This review is from: A Vegan Taste of Mexico (Vegan Cookbooks) (Paperback)
I was disappointed with this cookbook because instead of coming up with creative ideas to reinvent these dishes as vegan, the author simply calls for "vegan cheese" in nearly every recipe. Not only is vegan cheese gross and very rarely truly vegan, but it raises the question: why buy this cookbook? I can substitute vegan cheese in all the vegetarian Mexican dishes I know and essentially have the same repertoire.
Other than that major flaw, some of the recipes are good and seem fairly authentic. I think the other reviewers mentioned it is a very boring layout with no pictures. But the bottom line is that it contains very little you couldn't come up with on your own. I would say don't waste your time with this one.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different perspective, August 23, 2007
This review is from: A Vegan Taste of Mexico (Vegan Cookbooks) (Paperback)
I happen to quite like this book and the series as a whole. They are very much about giving people options and suggestions when venturing into a new way of cooking and a great help with easing the transition that many folks struggle with.
With regards to the previous review, I am not really sure how many cookbooks out there actually contain nutritional info. I would suggest it's advisable that anyone starting to eat a vegan diet, should have (and/or should seek) a basic sense of vegan nutrition.
And yes, many of the recipes contain nuts. But that is because nuts are one important source of minerals, vitamins, protein and fat when eating vegan. There are also a large number of recipes with wheat, which doesn't help folks out that are gluten intolerant. Yet it is a *vegan* cookbook. Not a 'nut-free' or 'gluten-free' cookbook.
Nor does it claim to contain authentic vegan recipes from Mexico. Mexican food is generally not vegan. (Neither is Italian, Thai...etc)But the series uses the influences and spices of the different countries, altering recipes in order to fit into a range of ingredients that don't contain animal products. It does what it says on the tin - it's a vegan cook book.
So I would recommend this book and the series as a whole, especially for people just starting out with vegan food or those simply wanting to learn how to fix tasty food without meat, eggs or diary.
Finally, as for the 'dessertspoons' etc. The books are published in the UK, by a British author. US cookbooks rarely translate cups, teaspoons and tablespoons into grams (which tends to be a more common way of communicating amounts of ingredients required for a recipe in the UK). It's a small cultural difference and not something that should hold folks off from ordering the books. Anyone with the ability to use a web browser should be able to handle a quick search on the internet in order to translate. :)
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