![The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples [A Cookbook]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71IZaDKv5HL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
If you identify breakfast as something bready, warm, and sticky like sticky buns, muffins, waffles, bagels, english muffins, crapes, pancakes, and french toast you're in luck because there are a TON of recipes for them in this cookbook. There are also some savory warm breakfasts like tofu benny (like eggs Benedict), pierogi, beer battered tofu, lots of different kinds of tofu scrambles and few other things. Again, if you love fried or bready breakfasts this is your go to book as it's like American breakfast diner food reinvented into vegan form. If you are looking for healthy fresh fruit or vegetable ideas that aren't stereotypical you won't find much here.
I doubt it would be a book that you would use every single day since a lot of the food is fried or contains sugar. Personally, when I buy cookbooks I look at how often I am going to use them or I look to them for inspiration. There are a myriad of recipes in this book for muffins, pancakes, waffles, crapes, and and tofu scrambles. There isn't a single vegan yogurt how-to recipe which I was really disappointed about. Furthermore, there wasn't a single oatmeal recipe. I know, I know. Many may poo poo oatmeal as boring but some of the most fun I have had in the kitchen were making morning oatmeals inspired by cakes and pies (apple pie, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, banana bread, peach pie, etc). Overnight oatmeal has been around for a couple of years and has recently taken off on the internet but sadly isn't anywhere in this book. Granola recipes were also nowhere to be seen. This book misses out on even addressing fresh fruits or homemade yogurt as a ingredient so this really isn't a brunch book to me because of the lack of that fact, as I've said before - vegan diner food.
I must admit, I have a problem with this book's lack of inspiration in my opinion. I was really pulling for this book when I bought it to show me something seriously awesome. If there are to be so many sweet and bready goods, show me a vegan strawberry napoleon or an amazing apple turnover with vegan caramel sauce. These are the kinds of things I saw at diners as a child. Instead, there's pages upon pages of muffins and pancakes with pretty nondescript ingredients. One of the most infuriating things are the recipes for "Roasted Potatoes", "Roasted Portobellos", "Baked Cinnamon Apples", and "Roasted Butternut Squash" which basically call for the title item plus olive oil and salt or brown sugar and cinnamon in the case of the apples. What is this? Are they just filling pages now? Why do this? It's an insult to someone who pays money for a book and expects real content.
Ok.. for a moment I shall accept that this is a book focusing mainly on waffles, pancakes and the like. Maybe the author is playing to her strengths with showcasing those types of recipes. I know many people who love whipped cream on their waffles. You would think there would be a single whipped cream recipe under the toppings section in this book, right? No. There isn't a single vegan cheese recipe to go along with her omelettes and scrambles. She in fact actually names specific brands instead which you can buy. It's just weird that there wasn't a single cursory recipe in here for a meltable cheese. I mean why include a homemade ricotta recipe and not a meltable cheese? And in case you wondered, making a meltable vegan mozzarella is not that hard. All you need is extra firm silken tofu, mimiccreme, kosher salt, garlic powder, rice vinegar, agar powder, and 8 hours to let it set. I can understand though that maybe vegan cheese making isn't for everyone but to make people essentially pay for cheese brand recommendations in a cookbook is beyond sloppy and borders on insulting. Give me a freakin' recipe! It's what I paid for! The painful truth is that you can find many many more interesting recipes online than what you can in this book... oh and if you want that vegan whipped cream recipe you are going to need to google anyway. If you google "vegan pancakes" your non-Isa search result will mirror that which is printed in the book.
What is truly sad about this book is that it does not take actual health and calorie factors into consideration. I know that it was not printed with that in mind at all. I am well aware and realize that. It's just sad in a way because a HUGE benefit of being vegan is increased health due to a constant vegetable/fruit/legume/nut/grain diet rich in vitamins and minerals. With this the book falls flat on its face. The "Perfect Pancakes" on page 87 don't even call for organic unbleached flour or whole wheat. Think how much more perfect and nutritious they would be with the addition of some seeds or grated carrot to make a carrot cake kind of pancake. Why use maple syrup for a sweetener when I can use stevia? I am just so frustrated with this book with the lack of incorporation of vegetables/fruits/nuts/legumes/grains into most dishes. She doesn't even take advantage of things stocked in a real vegan's pantry like quinoa, amaranth, chia, bulgur, oats, millet, barley or wild rice. Oreos are vegan. Does that make them healthy? NO!
I suppose this book is nice for that once in a while special breakfast or for families with picky eaters and members who eat meat because it does provide a close enough mimic to what the actual non-vegan version is. I feel that the author could've done a far better job actually analyzing the different components of brunch and including diverse recipes rather than just simply a ton of muffin and pancake recipes that have been minimally altered from one to the next. Also, she could've better thought out small necessities like whipped cream and the like to really fill out her sections on "Toppings" and such.
For the record, I am not an Isa hater. I own quite a few of her books (Vegan Cookies Invade, Appetite for Reduction, Veganomicon, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over) and adore them. The others are more in depth and creative in ways that this cookbook simply isn't. There's a heck of a lot of stuff in those Isa books that I simply could not get from Google or anywhere else. That to me is value. This is honestly the weakest book out of all of hers that I own. Is she brilliant? Without a doubt. This book is truly a flop though in my opinion.
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Top reviews from other countries
Audrey Turpin
Not quite what I was expecting, but delicious all the same!
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2015
Z. Armstrong
Best muffin recipes ever!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2010Brandie
I love Isa! This book pleases my love for breakfast
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2018Matt ST
great book now i need new waflle iron! cusinart please if anyone is buying me one,
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2009Kindle Customer
Isa - the queen of vegan cooking.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2012
