Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new everyday classic, November 27, 2007
(Originally posted at ananimalfriendlylife.com)
As our vegan cookbook selection expands--for that matter, as the selection of vegan cookbooks on the market expands--my wife and I find ourselves using certain cookbooks more and some less... or not at all. As with vegan restaurants in cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, simply existing isn't good enough anymore. You've got to be good to be competitive. This development is good for consumers and for veganism, since there's no tolerance for lousy, difficult vegan food when there is plenty of good eating to be had.
eat, drink & be vegan, Dreena Burton's latest cookbook, tops even her own first two books, The Everyday Vegan and Vive Le Vegan!. Dreena excels at concocting practical recipes that taste satisfying and--oh, by the way--happen to be pretty darn healthy. Bonus!
ED&BV is attractively designed and, like her previous books, focused on the practical, featuring dozens of helpful tips on getting your kitchen equipped (hint: none of these are fancy-schmancy Williams Sonoma items, and will serve you well no matter what book you're cooking from), food preparation, and cooking and baking notes. Most of the recipes come with helpful tips and recommendations on pairing with other recipes in the book, as well as serving suggestions. Dreena will have you putting meals together like a pro.
While some ingredients may not be available in just any store (quinoa, agave nectar, arrowroot powder, etc.), overall ED&BV is one of the more accessible vegan cookbooks out there. The book doesn't rely heavily on ingredients like these and, besides, most can be found at Whole Foods Markets, which are more ubiquitous than ever.
What I liked most about the recipes I read through and tried was how healthy the focus was. Dreena keeps it simple and focused on feeding yourself well without too much fuss. Even the sauces and gravies recommended to season things up rely on maple syrup instead of refined sugar, for instance. I feel like I could eat anything from this book and not have to worry that I'm splurging all the time.
My wife and tried a few entrees, including the Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole (p. 140) with Balsamic Maple Sauce (p. 76). All I can say about that sauce is, move over teriyaki! It really made the dish. While the casserole itself is hearty and filling, it was relatively plain, but the recommended sauce knocked it out of the park.
I also really enjoyed the Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Gnocchi (p. 141). We did have one hiccup on this one, as the directions offer a range of 1-3 pounds of squash without adjusting the recipe according to the amount you have on hand. For people as literal as my wife and I, this meant that our 1 pound of squash was slightly overwhelmed by the rest of the recipe, particularly the lemon. However, it was still really good (we used linguine instead of gnocchi), and the Back to Basics Balsamic Vinaigrette (p. 77) we had with our side salad was the best I've ever had from a recipe, so I think we're finally ready to stop buying bottles of dressing.
ED&BV is definitely another everyday classic. I know my wife and I will be exploring this book from cover to cover for a long time to come, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to develop his or her repertoire of tasty, wholesome dishes you can feel good about, both for the animals and for your health.
With the recent release also of Veganomicon and The Joy of Vegan Baking, 2007 has proven to be a watershed year for vegan cookbooks. And, hey, just in time for the holidays!
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hands down, best vegan cookbook EVER!, December 31, 2007
I should have written a review of this cookbook long ago, but I finally just put my fork down (literally) after eating another one of ED&BV's fabulous recipes and said, "People must know how great this cookbook is!" And here I am :)
What did I just finish? The White Bean, Walnut, and Spinach Phyllo Rolls with the Traditional Cranberry Sauce. This is the second time I have made it. It is unbelievable. So easy, but so elegant and delicious. That's how I characterize a lot of Dreena's recipes - easy, elegant, delicious. This book is full of uncomplicated recipes with easy to find ingredients (at least, for me - I have a decently stocked Stop & Shop, Shaw's Supermarket, Whole Foods, and health food store within a 15-mile radius). The results have all been spectacular. I've also made (and LOVED) the Olive Oyl Pasta, White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons (OMG amazing), Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts, Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Rosemary Cornmeal Polenta Fries, Lentil Veggie Chimichangas with Hide the Lentils Tomato Sauce, Coconut Lime Basmati Rice, Cashew-Ginger Tofu, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, Orange Sesame Tofu, Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, Savory French Lentils, Cimmamon Lime Quinoa with Apricots and Almonds, One Wild Chick Soup (honestly, it is as savory and filling as the best chicken and rice soup you would have eaten in your "omni" days), Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta (I think I'm in love...probably the most time-consuming recipe in the book, but it is sooooooo worth it!), Beats a BLT Sandwich! (sure does!), Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Polenta Croutons, Cumin Lime Tofu, Autumn Puree, Smoky Split Pea Soup, Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole, Moroccan-Infused Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce (mmmmmmm so good!), and Monkey Minestrone. I literally cannot believe how many more of the recipes I want to try. I think I am going to try almost every single one in the book! Dreena makes everything seem so accessible. I'd never made anything with tempeh before (despite began a vegan for a while now!) but with her clear, step by step instructions and sidebars, Dreena makes vegan cooking approachable for everyone, vegans and omnis alike. I can tell you, I have not even come close to using as many recipes in my other vegan cookbooks as I have with ED&BV. Let me be frank... I own several vegan cookbooks...all the major titles by all the major vegan cookbook authors...and this is, by FAR, the best of the bunch. If you own one vegan cookbook, make it ED&BV. You won't regret it!
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dreena is my Hero, October 18, 2007
This is her best cookbook yet. Dreena is such a genius. I have her other two books and I have to say that everything I've made has been wonderful. You know you will get something incredible when it comes from Dreena. She knows how to feed your vegan family healthy foods. Even her desserts are healthy--lots of good stuff and very little sweetener.
What I love most about ED&BV (as well as her other two) are Dreena's "notes," her ideas on how to serve many of the dishes, substitutions, all the little tidbits of info she offers. She truly does talk you through the recipes. It is so much more than a book full of recipes and that's what sets her apart from other cookbook authors. Plus I know that whatever I make, my family is getting a healthy meal or snack, and even dessert. I love the different flours she uses, the spices, the use of nuts and seeds, her addition of nutritional yeast, and the limited amount of sweetener in the desserts. Oh, and the Hummus section in ED&BV is the best! We love hummus and can this woman make hummus!!! She even offers ideas on using the various hummus' on pizza. She always has your kids in mind and gives you many ideas on creating foods for them. She really makes my life as a Mom trying to feed my family healthy vegan foods so much easier.
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