Getting started

The cookbook starts with three chapters with health advice, basic dietary tips, and some gentle do’s and don’ts of a healthy life. I’m a skeptic when it comes to food combining and focusing on alkalinity, but I think it’s great that she mentions eating consciously and locally whenever possible. Encouraging a healthy curiosity about what people eat is always a good idea.

Take with a pinch of salt

The non-recipe part of her book is an easy to follow guide for a beginner. It is written in friendly and mindful language and feels a lot like talking with a friend over tea. In the introduction, Caroline mentions a list of changes in the new edition of her book, some were for the better, such as replacing agave with maple syrup, but she has also reduced the salt content of all her recipes and it was a noticeable omission. I found myself reaching for the saltshaker quite often once I got to the dinner table, and generally, I’d prefer to add salt while cooking so it permeates the meal better.

I did not like the organization of the table of contents, since it didn’t actually have a list of recipes under each category/chapter (though each category page does list the recipes available within the chapter.) The index became my go to for ingredients and dishes, and luckily it’s very detailed and easy to use. I also appreciated the Appendices, since they were full of great advice on how to cook beans and grains, explanations of ingredients, kitchen planning and equipment, and meal plans (both for special occasions and weekly dinner ideas.)

The recipes

My partner and I looked through the book for recipes, and over the course of a month we tried the following:

Scrambled Tofu (pg 46)
Chunky Guacamole (pg 67)
Asian Miso Soup (pg 79)
Cashew Corn Chowder (pg 82)
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli (pg 138)
Bean Enchiladas with Red Sauce (pg 142)
Rosemary Portobello Mushrooms (pg 159)
Root Fries (pg 160)
Classic Dahl (pg 164)
Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies (pg 178)

I thought the Rosemary Portobello Mushrooms were especially creative and tasty, along with the Cashew Corn Chowder, which was perfect for a cool grey fall day. It was also an easy to follow recipe, though I would halve the amount of parsley in future attempts (I don’t like parsley, but even so, it was very pleasant.)

Two of the best lazy meals we made were the Asian Miso Soup and the Vegan Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli. Miso soup is something we make around once a week, so it was interesting to follow someone else’s style for a meal. The addition of carrots, cabbage, and celery wasn’t something we would normally do, but it definitely made for a heartier soup.

The Vegan Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli was so simple, and Caroline’s Cheesy Sauce (pg 115) was great, despite using unsoaked cashews as recommended for the sauce, it still turned out smooth and creamy and flavourful (though I did add more salt after cooking.)

I baked up one dessert, though we had our eyes on several. The Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies ended up being delicious, but it took some time. My cookies spent an extra 10-15 minutes in the oven before they were fully baked, so it’s worth paying attention to appearance when making these (and of course, all ovens vary.) Oddly enough, these cookies weren’t delicious fresh out of the oven. Normally I can’t stop eating hot and chewy chocolate chip cookies, but in these the hempseed flavour and smell was initially overpowering. Several hours later the hempy taste was gone, and the seeds just provided a pleasant texture along with the oats. Now I can easily say they are some of my favourite chocolate containing cookies. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside wins every time.

Obtaining enlightenment

Ultimately this book had several recipes that I liked, and would make again. The recipes I tried were easy to follow, with simple and easy to find ingredients, and contained friendly helpful tips on every page. I’d recommend this book for someone just starting out and looking for healthy and straight-forward meals. It has good advice on transitioning to a healthier household, and acts as a great introduction to products that are available at a regular grocery, but not always part of a standard diet.

Reviewed and recommended by MeShell Gudz (@mdgee or Meshell.ca)
Photo: Oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies in progress

The Recipes

The first one I made was the Fiesta Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing. I had a BBQ to go to and wanted to bring a side that everyone could enjoy. This salad was very easy to make; tasty, light, and just downright summery. I’m a big fan of quinoa. Its gluten free, light, healthy, and packs a good protein punch. This awesome pseudo-grain paired with the lime dressing and veggies was SUPER yummy. I LOVE sesame oil, so this dish had no hope of escape. My only complaint is the measurement style, but this could just be a personal preference. It was “½ cup cucumber”, “¼ cup red pepper”, etc… I don’t know what that is, and I don’t like to waste food. I like measurements such as “½ a medium sized cucumber”, “½ a red pepper”, “two garlic cloves”, you get the idea.

Next up I made the Dhal-icious. I really love Dhal. It’s an amazing spiced Indian dish that will nourish and warm your soul. I made a couple adjustments to the recipe though because I forgot to pick up some garam masala. So I added a few extra spices to it that garam masala contains like cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper. Then I threw in an extra ½ tsp of curry powder. The other adjustment was that I added an extra cup of water. I believe that Dhal shouldn’t be too thick. This dish was flavourful and fragrant. It tasted so vibrant and yummy. I used green lentils, but any lentils can be used. Red or yellow produces the most visually appealing dish, but they will all taste good. Lentils also provide a huge amount of protein, which I think makes them super filling. So although I ate mine without, they would go great with some brown or basmati rice.

The next two dishes I made together, and they were by far my favorite. I made the Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Chickpea Topping and Baked Yams with Lemon and Green Chili. I freaking LOVE Portobello mushrooms. They are nice and meaty, so they fill you up and they are super flavourful and versatile. This recipe was pretty awesome in fact. They tell you how to make the mushroom marinade, chickpea topping, and then give you some ideas on garnishes. You by no means HAVE to eat it inside a bun like a burger, which I did not. I just ate them stuffed, with some sautéed spinach and the baked yams. For the sautéed spinach, I used some garlic powder, lemon juice, cayenne, and a pinch of sea salt. The baked yams were super spicy and delish!!! Perfection in fact. I love it HOT!

Over all I liked the cookbook. The recipes are good, easy to make/follow, use well known ingredients, and are tasty. I will get a lot of use out of this book for sure!

Reviewed and recommended by Krystle Charlton
Photo: Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Chickpea Topping and Baked Yams with Lemon and Green Chili

Reader discretion is advised

This book is bejeweled with countless awesome references to poop, balls, Star Trek, Canada (where he says most of his fans are from); and includes cuss words, sexual innuendos, and several recipes featuring Sailor Jerry (the best) rum. In many ways, I’m pretty dude-like, despite being what some refer to as a “lady”, so I love this style. He also offers li’l WTF bits, which are what other cookbook authors might call “quick tips” or ”what’s this?” And to be cutting edge as hell, SV has provided us with QR codes that bring up bonus youtube videos. He also includes old-fashioned web links for those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

Many of Sexy Vegan’s recipes call for components that are already full-on recipes– which is pretty sweet when it comes to being creative with leftovers ,and for the cook that likes to be challenged. I try to keep things pretty quick and simple when I cook– but I must say the effort pays off. I attempted the ‘Quote Unquote Tuna Melt’ even though I just wanted to eat a bag of corn chips one night, and the process– however lengthy for a sandwich– was soothing (or perhaps that was the rum?) Just last night, I finally tried the Bourbon Tempeh Sliders (an excellent excuse to treat myself to a pricey bottle of my favourite drink). We served this with a side of Caesar Salad, whose Creamy Dressing will be the new condiment of choice around this house. IT WAS RIDICULOUS! I’ve been putting it on everything I’ve eaten for the last 24 hours and now have to make another batch. This morning’s “Pretend Canadian Bacon”– a tribute to his Canadian fans– even smelled like bacon (in all the good ways) when cooking. I kinda drank some of the marinade too. Oops.

Extra points for “goblin” usage

The Sexy Vegan calls himself an ordinary dude, but I think he’s understating what’s true: he’s fucking extraordinary! Any cookbook that uses the word “goblin” three times– once even employing the term “hobgobin”– will certainly win in my heart, and has. Brian Patton, thank you for paving the way for men to create awesome macho vegan cookbooks, just like Uhura and Captain Kirk did for the television inter-racial kiss. There, I’ve referenced Star Trek right backatcha!

Reviewed and recommended by Beany von Doom
photo: Bourbon Tempeh Sliders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKAKc8GfDp8

A welcome addition to the cookbook shelf

Every time I scan the cookbook section of my local (kick-ass) bookshop these days, I’m delighted to discover yet another collection of vegan or vegetarian recipes. It seems there’s a new book added to the pile on a weekly basis, which is great for my kitchen (and terrible for my wallet). And though I’d never complain about having too many vegan-related books to choose from, it’s kinda tough to decide where to plunk your hard-earned Queen Liz (that’s $20 for you non-Canadians); I definitely have a few impulse buys whose pages have yet to be glued together with spilled flour and sauces. So, I was delighted when presented with Beth A. Barnett’s Rabbit Food Cookbook, a compact, spiral bound gem featuring vegan tips, food history and a solid portion of yummy recipes. The format is sensible and easy to digest, with hand-written text and whimsical sketches throughout, which (almost) makes up for the lack of colour pictures.

Between the pages

The first half of the book is full of advice and food for thought. The author offers tips on nutrition without being preachy, and suggests several respectable resources for further nutrition information. Her tidy section on the Industrialisation of Food in America (pp. 32-56) is necessarily oversimplified, but a good overview for readers who have little exposure to food history – and again, there are great resources listed for further self-education. Beth offers helpful ingredient tips, and crafts for making your own grocery & produce bags. She also touches upon the practical work of growing your own food, something more of us should be doing! One of the best things about this book is how helpful yet un-assuming it is. Beth doesn’t present her work as being the sole authority on vegan lifestyles, but merely one in a plethora of awesome books to have on hand.

The latter half of the book features 111 pages of recipes divided into breakfast, soups, mains, sweets and drinks. Many of the recipes are standards found in most vegan cookbooks – but they work! I’ve made the Fancy Brownies (p. 202) so often that the page is more cocoa-coloured than white anymore. Beth’s recipes vary from quick meals that amateurs can whip together with ease, to slightly more complex dishes that require a bit of planning. With regard to the compact page size, some recipes are written too concisely, leaving the reader to fill in a few gaps that might be obvious to a seasoned cook but will result in mistakes from people new to the kitchen. For instance, the Tofu Pot Pie (p. 139) is written over three pages and broken down into four main steps, but is missing important directions – like whether pots, pans, or bowls are best for any given step. Aside from such issues, the resulting food is generally amazing (my roommates devoured the pot pie in a flash!). There’s a nice variety of meals, too – sushi, tempeh, pastas, hearty salads, and a few seitan dishes to boot. And the peanut butter cookies are to die for…

The little things

For all the cookbooks I’ve perused and purchased lately, this one takes the cake for most helpful and easily accessible. I’m particularly fond of the coil spine (why is this not a regulation for all cookbooks?!) and the cute illustrations, though its useful information puts this book at the top of my gifting list for others. If a few recipes were written with more clarity, I’d dare say this is a perfect little book – especially for newer vegan cooks.

Vegans Are Cool is a collection of essays, articles, and interviews from vegans all around the world. It contains interviews with folks from all walks of life, including athletes, naturopaths, and business owners. In addition to the personal stories contained in Vegans Are Cool, there is a plethora of useful information about going vegan and quite a bit of myth debunking for the vegan-curious. One nice aspect of the book is that it is not crucial that you read it from front to back, it is extremely browse-friendly. Perusing an article or interview here or there is just as enjoyable as reading it all the way through. It is available for free download as an e-book at vegansarecool.com.

Covering the bases

The book starts off with a general overview of veganism in a chapter titled “What does ‘being vegan’ actually mean?”, which is very thorough and well sourced. Other topics covered include nutrition, vegan pregnancy, owning a vegan business, myths debunked, cruelty free fashion, and effects on the planet. Reading the interviews complied within Vegans Are Cool, I found it particularly fun and interesting to follow other people’s journeys to the vegan lifestyle and why they chose to stick with it. There is even a chapter for recipes that could be helpful for those who are just starting out, especially since one of the first questions any vegan faces is ‘what can i eat?’ The articles are motivating and interesting, due in large part to the diversity of the interviewees. After reading the book there is no doubt that going vegan can be healthy, easy, fun, and liberating!

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering switching to a vegan lifestyle or a vegan who simply wants to brush up on their knowledge. I will use this book as a reference and revisit articles as they become relevant in my life. That being said, as a out and proud vegan of two years, I did not necessarily learn a whole lot of new information, but it is always good to brush up and remind one’s self why being vegan is in fact so freaking cool!

Reviewed and recommended by Raquel Moreno

Pick up a copy here:

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