Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck 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!

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.

For ethical, health, and environmental reasons I decided to go Vegan just over 2 months ago. I bought several cookbooks for perspectives, tips, and recipes. This is one of the most helpful in getting me successfully through the transition from an omnivore foodie to a decent Vegan cook. The tone and style is a little weird, but the content is rock solid - and the recipes are good. I've used several.

I am a vegan but I can see how this would be a great buy even if you're not. I have several cookbooks but this is my favorite. They typically use everyday ingredients, or tell you where you can sub and where you can't. A few example recipes I've tried:
Spiced chickpea wraps with tahini dressing-a hearty dish with lots of flavor. I've already used the tahini dressing recipe alone to pair with other recipes.
Almond Caesar salad dressing-Incredible even when just paired with plain kale. I also used it to make pasta salad. Traditional Caesar salad uses cheese and anchovies to get its classic flavor but without either of those ingredients, this dressing still tastes exactly like Caesar should!
Carrot cake cookies-Not bad, but also not the best recipe in the book. I added candied ginger like it recommended and they were pretty good but without the ginger, I think they'd be kind of plain. Easy to make but they're more scone-like than cookie-like.
Coconut Cornmeal Cake-My absolute FAVORITE recipe so far! It's so easy to make. I didn't need any frosting to jazz it up. I just ate it straight and it was perfect. I think it would make great muffins-it's definitely a breakfast time type of cake if that makes any sense. Despite how simple it sounds, try it! I just made it because I happened to have all the ingredients. But it turned out so well!
I look forward to going through this whole book and buying the rest of the thugkitchen books as well. These guys know what they're doing.