Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (Thug Kitchen Cookbooks) Hardcover – October 7, 2014

I'll start by saying, the food in this book is amazing. Out-of-this-world good. I live in Portland, the mecca of all things vegan, and my non-vegan friends have been clawing at my door to eat these recipes instead of eating out. It is some hearty, delicious stuff.

That being said, I feel like they kind of sell it as a beginner's cookbook, and that it is not. The intro says 'Cooking vegetables takes a minute and a little finesse, but it's not &%#* rocket science.' But these recipes are complicated! They do include a lot of instructions. And big bonus points for the fact that you don't need a bunch of esoteric ingredients and fancy kitchen gadgets. Still, I haven't made an entrée yet that took under an hour. They have you making your own sauce and everything from scratch. For me, this is not weeknight cooking. And it might be challenging for new cooks to be juggling a sauce, a sauté and steaming veggies all at once. I wish they had prep and cook times listed for recipes, but I have to read the recipe and make an educated guess.

Anyway, those are just things to be aware of. The food is delicious, the tone is funny, and I have been talking it up to my friends. So, despite the drawbacks, I'm still giving it five @&%ing stars. :)

i recently received this in the mail upon ordering. I have amazon prime so i go ti t fast. Most of the reviews ive read before purchasing this book are mostly people complaining about the cursing, that they didn't know it was vegan and that the ingredients are too "fancy". so before i give my review i want to say to those people; who buys things without reviewing them?? and then complains about i t afterwards?? I mean the trailer and entire motto wrapped around this book is cursing. OBVIOUSLY its going to be cursing... how are you surprised? which leads me to another complaint ive seen which says they are offended by the term "thug". UHM, it isn't literally them supporting thugs.. its like a metaphor.. they are thugs in the kitchen, they toughen you up and motivate you in almost a boot camp sort of way. therefore they're they thugs in the kitchen telling you how to get that sh*t right..

Now as for the fancy ingredient complain.. one guy said smoked paprika was too fancy and hard to find... which is not.. at all.. it should be a staple in any cooks spice rack.. Aminos might be hard to find but i seen those even in low level market places and farmers markets or nurserys or co-ops.. health stores, nutritionists or a damn WHOLE FOODS! if you are motivated and want to change your diet you will find these and if you cannot then there's always online.. and how do you not know its vegan?? again, how do you buy a product...especially a COOKBOOK and not read detail info about it?!?! with all the gmo and crazy processes they're doing lately its surprising people aren't paying attention to minor details like that and then they complain about it like if the author set them up...*sigh*

Now for my honest review; first Id like to say im Hispanic and raised with ethnic foods. Cuban to be precise. Much of the sides and Spanish dishes am familiar with and can use more spices and salt. but that's just my palette. If you are starting off on actual real food and moving away from fast food or just want to train your taste buds, these recipes are perfectly balanced! Many leftovers you can freeze for another time.

They are delicious and i dont miss the meat. I do admit it takes prep time and cook time. sometimes i cook for 5 hours but im cooking like 3 different things plus dessert so its different. I'm trying to establish a routine where the most used items are already cutup and stored somehow for easy access.. perhaps when i do a week food prep. also lotsa beans in here which is awesome for slow cookers. I love the baked apple beans. I added 2 apples instead and its so damn good!!! you don't miss the meat at all... i do wish there were more recipes and more versatile breakfast ideas with more fruit but its still a good way to kick-start a detox or life style.. it weans you and really does motivate you if you don't mind the potty mouth. and from someone who curses a lot this isn't really a lot and its funny. sometimes i don't notice it. it truly speaks to me and it is educational as fu*k.

definitely a good buy and a good read. not too exotic things on here that i saw.. i haven't tried their tempeh or tofu recipe but there really isn't much. Their sweet potatoes fried rice is also yummy and they have this peanut dipping sauce yum! you will have to switch up some of your spices and pantry items but that's what eating healthy is. Switching up what you've been raised to believe is healthy or even food. Think for yourself and bring your mind back to reality with real food and nourishment.

Their grilled peach salsa is also yummy and i be putting it on everything. Some recipes i feel are missing something but maybe thats just my habits and culture that are used to different sides a big slab of meat. I feel like this would if anything be a good cookbook of healthy sides and good for introducing your infant to good food after their puree stage or even puree some recipes for baby. look up spices and baby food. make your own!! its cheaper and safer and more nutritious! Check out my pics!

The food tastes good! A lot of it has similar seasoning so meals do start to taste the same, quickly. A person does have to buy a few specialty ingredients. My complaint is that this is not a cookbook in the purest sense. There are no easy to turn flaps (I used tape to quickly turn to different sections) and also no time chart for making a meal. Often I would settle upon a dish only to find that marinating took 8-24 hours when a person reads the fine print. The expletives are hilarious.

Honestly, this is the first review I've ever written on amazon, and I'm doing it because this is the BEST purchase I've ever made on amazon... Really amazing book! It's worth every penny if you follow a plant based diet, are thinking about following a plant based diet, or just want a fun, delicious cookbook to add variety to you meals.

I've made 2 recipes so far, the pad thai & the lasagna. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of pad thai, but I was trying that one out cause that's one of my fiance's favorite foods. That came out great, for pad thai... I thought it was pretty spot on as far as flavors go. I do want to mention, again, that Pad Thai is not my thing, but I really enjoyed making it and eating it.

Now, moving on to the Lasagna... WOWWWWWWW!!! Honestly, this was the BEST lasagna I've ever had, period. I've been plant based for about one year now, and I don't crave cheese or any animal products, but every now and then I do like to experiment with some old favorites, like lasagna. This was spot on! The Tofu ricotta tasted exactly like ricotta (from what I remember), and I'm not even a Tofu fan... MIND BLOWN!

What I absolutely love about this book is that all the measurements are insanely accurate and instructions are thorough. Really, you can't go wrong if you follow the recipes and instructions, spot on. Amazing job guys! Really, mad props to all your hard work, it has made my life a whole lot easier and tastier... Thank you!

Love love love this cook book. Four recipes in, I am a proud meat eating, 1000% non vegan but dam this food tastes good. The enchiladas alone make this worth the cost.

Also i like the swearing, they speak my f*%king language.

Love this cookbook SO much!! I've used it ever day since I've gotten it, and haven't been disappointed yet. Meals are surprisingly fast to make (not sure who's saying they're not unless they're used to HotPockets for dinner) and are super tasty! Absolutely picking up the other two when I'm finished making stuff from this one!