Quick-Fix Vegan: Healthy, Homestyle Meals in 30 Minutes or Less (Volume 4)

by Robin Robertson

150 quick and easy vegan recipes all made in 30 minutes or less from a well-loved, best-selling author in the vegan community.

"Robertson cuts to the chase and puts together good food simply. If you were thinking of slapping together a sandwich, you may as well make one of hers, full of vibrant veggies and flavors, instead of the same old pb and j. It doesn't really take much more time... "It was a real pleasure making dishes from the book. Like everyone else, I don't have a ton of time, so quick is always good. Reading and cooking from Robertson's recipes, I admire the way her mind works. As a fellow recipe developer, I can appreciate a well-crafted recipe. These recipes are simplified, but still interesting, and follow the shortest path from point A to point B. Simple looks easy, but it takes skill to make it that way. I also appreciate the use of whole foods, like beans, nuts and seeds, and the near absence of mock meats. Just because you are in a hurry doesn't mean you have to go in for vegan bologna or burgers every night, in Robertson's kitchen." --Robin Asbell's The New Vegetarian

Following on the success of Quick-Fix Vegetarian , Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegan provides 150 new vegan recipes ranging from starters, snacks, salads, sauces, and sandwiches to stovetop suppers, pastas, soups, and desserts that can all be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Quick-Fix Vegan also features "Make-Ahead Bakes," convenient recipes that are assembled ahead of time (in less than 30 minutes) and then baked before serving.

Quick-Fix Vegan draws upon a myriad of ethnic influences including French, Mexican, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Greek, Cajun, East Asian, Italian, and Middle Eastern, and features recipes such as Spicy Black Bean Hummus with Orange, Korean Hotpot, Rotini with Creamy Avocado-Herb Sauce, Moroccan-Spiced Pumpkin Soup, BBQ Pinto-Portobello Sandwiches, Burmese Ginger Salad, Autumn Harvest Gratin, and Catalan-Style Creme Brulee.

An introductory chapter provides the reader with basic information on how to maintain a "quick-fix" vegan kitchen including pantry suggestions and kitchen tips, as well as basic recipes for ingredients such as homemade vegetable stock and seitan. Cooks of all skill levels will find that the recipes inside Quick-Fix Vegan are just as delectable and adaptable to the omnivore, as they are essential to the vegan lifestyle.

Quick-Fix Vegan is a companion volume of Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian .

Genres: Cookbooks, Vegan, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Vegetarian

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

About the author

An experienced chef and consultant, Robin Robertson worked for many years in restaurants and catering in northeastern Pennsylvania and Charleston, South Carolina before she began writing cookbooks. In 1988, she left the restaurant business and became vegan for ethical reasons. She then rededicated her life to writing and teaching gourmet vegan cooking.

Over the years, she has fine-tuned her plant-based diet into an eclectic and healthful cooking style which she thinks of as a creative adventure with an emphasis on the vibrant flavors of global cuisines and fresh ingredients.

The author of more than 20 cookbooks, including the bestselling Vegan Planet, 1,000 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Fire and Spice, Vegan on the Cheap, and Quick-Fix Vegan, Robin also writes “The Global Vegan” column for VegNews Magazine and was a contributing editor and columnist for Vegetarian Times. She has also written for Cooking Light, Natural Health, Better Nutrition, Restaurant Business, and other magazines.

Robin Robertson has the professional experience in classic, contemporary, international cuisines to show you how to use plant-based ingredients to make the family favorites you grew up with and learn the secrets of exotic international cuisines, too.

Robin lives in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley with her husband Jon and their cats Gary and Mitzi.

Source: http://robinrobertson.com/about-me/

Reviews

[Janine Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. When I'm in a hurry, this is the cookbook I'm most likely to turn to. The recipes are fast and tasty.

I have this as an ebook and I really love it because I'm a slow cook (always have to double the prep time on recipes because I can never get them made in the amount of time they supposedly take) and this cookbook makes getting dinner on the table in a reasonable amount of time doable.

My two caveats is that I would love for there to be less fat in the recipes (I don't need them to be fat free, but healthier would be nice) and also, for them to use fewer expensive ingredients (like puff pastry or sun dried tomatoes in oil). I have Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap as well and it is a good cookbook but far more time consuming.

At this point, I would give my left arm (well, almost) for a book of quick, tasty, healthy and cheap vegan recipes. But until one comes along, I will continue endangering my Kindle by bringing it into the kitchen so I can use this book. The recipes are quick, tasty and vegan, which is the best I've been able to find.

So far I've made the following:

Green Chile-Tofu Migas -- pretty fast and tasty

Coconut-Curry Cauliflower and Chickpeas -- just so so. I thought this recipe relied too much on the curry powder for flavor which is fine if you have superb curry powder but mine was not enough by itself. It tasted curry like but didn't pop.

Ginger Sesame Seitan with Spicy Basil Snow Peas -- I made a variation of this this substituting super firm tofu for the seitan and broccoli for the snow peas as she suggests could be done. It was good.

Tofu Skillet Scramble -- Also good and to save time I just threw in fresh red pepper without roasting it first.

Spicy Smoked Portobello Tacos -- Very good. I made it with chopped crimini mushrooms.

Moroccan Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Spinach -- Very good especially considering how speedy it is to make. A little heavy on the tomato flavor, but I've already made it twice.

Southwestern Pasta Toss -- Pretty good but I thought it needed something to make it a little more saucy.

Sweet Potato Spinach Soup -- Excellent. Maybe not the healthiest thing I've ever had, with 1/3 cup of Peanut Butter but really worth making once in a while.

Chard and Red Lentil Soup -- Also excellent, and healthy. I think this might be my favorite recipe from this cookbook so far. And if you make it with red chard, it also has a lovely color.

Burrito Scramble -- Good.

Farmer's Market Pasta Salad -- Good. I substituted stir-fired broccoli for the fennel, since I'm not a fan of fennel.

Tempeh Normandy -- Very good even with substituting cider for the apple brandy.


Rotini with 10-Minute Tomato-Olive -- terrific, just excellent. Oily, but so good that I've made it twice.

Roasted Ratatouille -- pretty good but a little dry. I had to bake it about ten minutes more than the recipe called for.

Linguine with Artichokes and White Bean Alfredo -- good but I think the sauce would make a truly awesome party dip without the pasta.

Jerk Vegetable Skillet -- very good but not that quick for me.

Seitan Donburi -- good and fast but needs more veggies. I think next time I make it I'll throw in a frozen Asian vegetable mix.

Portobellas Stuffed with Chickpeas and Chard -- very good but took me a long time to make. Not a "quick fix" for someone as slow in the kitchen as I am.

Sicilian Stuffed Shells -- excellent. The tofu filling with the parsley and raisins was very good.

I also recommend Robertson's companion book, Quick Fix Vegetarian - also a vegan cookbook regardless of its title.

-----

November 2022

I made this complete (I think) list of Robin Robertson's cookbooks. She is a very prolific author and it was a project to compile, so I thought I'd share it with any other Goodreads members who might find it helpful.

Here is her bibliography as best as I could reconstruct it (this order is mostly from newest to oldest, except that reissues and original versions grouped together blur the order some):


The How Not to Diet Cookbook

The Plant-Based Slow Cooker / Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker / Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker

The Plant Protein Revolution Cookbook

Vegan Mac and Cheese*

One-Dish Vegan Revised and Expanded Edition / One-Dish Vegan / One-Dish Vegetarian Meals

The How Not to Die Cookbook (co-written with Michael Greger)

Veganize It!*

100 Best Vegan Recipes

Cook the Pantry /Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide / Apocalypse Chow

Hot Vegan / Vegan Fire & Spice*

Robin Robertson's Vegan Without Borders

More Quick-Fix Vegan*

Vegan Planet: 425 Irresistible Recipes… / Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes…

Nut Butter Universe / Peanut Butter Planet

Quick-Fix Vegan*

Party Vegan*

Vegan on the Cheap*

1,000 Vegan Recipes

Quick-Fix Vegetarian*

Carb Conscious Vegetarian

The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook*

Pasta for All Seasons (described as vegetarian)

Rice and Spice (described as vegetarian)

The Sacred Kitchen (“higher-consciousness cooking” so probably vegetarian)

The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook

Some Like It Hot (described as vegetarian—this may be an older version of Hot Vegan / Vegan Fire & Spice, but I’m not sure)

366 Simply Delicious Dairy-Free Recipes

366 Healthful Ways to Cook Tofu and Other Meat Alternatives

The Soy Gourmet

Her website, which has some recipes on it as well, can be found here: https://robinrobertson.com/

*The asterisk denotes that we have threads for these particular cookbooks already, so there’s no need to start new ones. The Quick-Fix cookbooks are all in one thread, titled “Quick-Fix Cookbooks by Robin Robertson.” I am not going to pin this many threads but you can search for them in the search engine to the right.

(Where I noted that a cookbook was “described as vegetarian” I meant in the full title. It’s a shorthand because I didn’t want to include long full titles for any of these cookbooks. I noted it to let you know this is not an omni cookbook. However, some of her cookbooks with “vegetarian” in the title, for example Quick-Fix Vegetarian, are actually vegan. In the old days when I first went vegan calling a cookbook vegan was the kiss of death so some authors called their cookbooks vegetarian when they were really vegan. Robin Robertson did that more than once. For that reason “described as vegetarian” means that in reality it could be vegetarian or vegan.)

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my kind of book. Food fast, even though the 30 minutes or less often refers to prep time. I really appreciate the author’s attitude that recipes are guidelines and that she recommends flexibility while preparing food. I like the international flavor of the recipes. I like the introductions to each section and the blurbs at each recipe. Some good, general time saving tips are offered.

I’m not fond of the frequency with which sugar is included as ingredients in the savory dishes. A glossary in the back would have been helpful. I know most “vegan” food terms by now but what are panko crumbs? Anyone? I’m sure some of you know, but I do not. There are only two photos of the food; they’re on the back cover of the book.

contents:

acknowledgments
introduction
getting started
starters and snacks
stovetop suppers
pasta express
soups in short order
speedy sandwiches
snappy salads
asy make-ahead bakes
sauces and condiments
(almost) effortless desserts
metric conversions and equivalents
index

There are some basic recipes included in the getting started section. Vegetable broth, pizza dough, etc.

A bunch of the recipes looked both appealing and worthwhile to make. Some of the ones that I find especially tempting are:

from starters and snacks: spicy black bean hummus with orange; hummamole; red bean-chipotle dip

from stove-top suppers: shortcut mushroom-artichoke risotto; zucchini frittata; green chile-tofu migas; tropical quinoa and black beans; chipotle corn and quinoa with pintos; Moroccan chickpeas with tomatoes and spinach; Korean hot pot

from pasta express: one-pot pasta primavera; linguine with artichoke and white bean alfredo; rotini with creamy avocado-herb sauce; linguine with cannellini pesto; skillet lasagne

from soups in short order: sweet potato-spinach soup; island black bean soup with quick mango salsa; roasted asparagus soup; Moroccan-spiced pumpkin soup; chard and red lentil soup

from speedy sandwiches: black bean and green salsa burritos; freeburgers; burrito scramble

from snappy salads: black bean and sweet potato salad; Moroccan-spiced couscous tabbouleh

from easy make-ahead bakes: Tuscan kale lasagne; snowballs in hell, with one of the three “hell” sauces

sauces and condiments: sienna sauce; country gravy with bits of onion; lemon-cashew cream sauce; spicy tomato achar; tomatillo-cilantro salsa; mix-and-match pesto

from (almost) effortless desserts: butterscotch apple cookies; harvest cookies; molasses ginger cookies with blueberries; shortcut baklava

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very excited to get a review copy of this from NetGalley, because Robin Robertson is my absolutely favorite vegan cookbook recipe author. Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World has long been my go-to source when I need a new recipe to try.

These recipes are just as good, even better because they are intended to be prepared quickly or ahead, which fits my busy life very well. I tried the creamy greens soup, which was delicious and even better the next day. The seitan recipe amazed me at how easy it was, and I'd never tried making it from scratch before. (P.S. Making seitan from scratch is much cheaper than buying it in the store!)

This is a good cookbook for someone looking to include vegan dishes in their repertoire, whether they are vegan or not. That's important to say, because many vegan cookbooks out there are so far removed from what "regular" people eat, the tastes and textures can be difficult for other people. That said, longtime vegans will also find some new ideas in it.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic cookbook filled with delicious sounding recipes! I already made the roasted ratatouille, and it was great! I look forward to trying some of these recipes!

[Shala Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick-Fix Vegan : Healthy Homestyle Meals in 30 Minutes or Less by Robin Robertson turns cooking vegan foods into something faster ,healthier and tastier than convenience foods using no animal products. She's also the author of Quick Fix Vegetarian.

My family are not vegans, but we try to eat a vegan menu a few days every week. We've realized a lot of the reason we eat meat is because it's convenient and easy. It's a health choice for my family.

So I have a lot of vegan cookbooks. My test for a good vegan cookbook is to see if my cheese loving, bacon adoring daughter likes the meals enough that she doesn't make herself a sandwich to supplement the meal.

One of the big things that goes over consistently well is meals that don't have meat substitutes, the flavor and texture come from fresh ingredients without trying to simulate meat. A lot of vegan cookbooks tend to take the path of substituting vegan meat alternatives in traditional recipes.

This one has lots of recipes that use good ingredients, frequently canned or frozen for convenience rather than using lots of those substitutes.

The tomato tortilla soup for example. A wonderful chili inspired soup with lots of tomatoes, beans, corn, and flavor that comes from the chili powder and cumin.

The Korean hot pot is a recipe I'm looking forward to trying. It does call for tofu, but also a lot of good vegetables and looks to be a cold-weather favorite.

Today we've gotten just huge amounts of snow, and I adapted the recipe for stovetop fruit crisp. The recipe originally calls for peaches, a mix of strawberries and cherries was perfect for the weather. While the top didn't crisp up as much as baked crisps, it was good.

There are also some recipes in here that look great for warmer weather. Chesapeake chickpea sandwiches uses chickpeas and sea veggies in place of crab for patties. The salty-tart rainbow rotini salad has dried cranberries for bursts of sweet and tart.

This book doesn't have lots of color photos. It does have a lot of great recipes that are well explained, and it's going to be my go-to cookbook for our vegan meals for a while, especially for the soups and desserts. Because everything is quick to make, on nights we have a big pot of soup, I can see making a fresh dessert as well for a special treat.

[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The virtues: the recipes have a small number of ingredients and are fairly quick to prepare (though 30 minutes from start to table is pushing it I think).

Drawbacks: Not particularly flavourful. The basic ingredients show potential, but in the handful of recipes I made there just wasn't enough attention paid to seasoning. I had to add things to all the recipes I tried to make them tasty. But as a starting point the recipes at least get you going in the right direction. The Zucchini Frittata made from tofu instead of eggs was quite good (once I added spices and hot sauce!). The tofu mixture, once baked, really was quite egg like and you could do a lot of experimenting with filling.

Conclusion: A good book if you're into experimentation. You would need to take these recipes as a basic starting point and dress them up significantly.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and full of tidbits of information. So many delicious recipes, even though I'm not vegan I will be trying many of them.

[Mrs C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a collection of vegan cookbooks, and this one is going to my favorites list. Through the years, I have realized that a lot of the cookbooks that stay unread in my shelf all have one thing in common: they are all too complicated with hazy instructions and plenty of unknown ingredients. Quick-Fix Vegan is a good introduction to people who like cooking vegetables. I'm an omnivore myself, but I generally double or triple the amount of vegetables in my recipes. The recipes here in Robertson's book can easily be altered to include a slice of pork or chicken if desired. The recipes are familiar to me because of the condiments used. I like the names too like "ziti with brasciole-inspired tomato sauce" There are some unfamiliar ingredients like "cavatappi" and "orecchiette" but a trip to a specialty store that sells pasta will do the trick. It's nice to discover other types of pasta anywy, so this is a great way to venture outside one's comfort zone. True to its goal, this cookbook is quick and healthy.

[Adrienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reviewing this book to find easy vegan tasties, without the time or prep, but seems like I only got a couple recipes to try. I only wanted to try vegan diet for part of this month and thought this eBook would be easy resource.

Yet this is coming from a chef I think, or someone who knows their way in the kitchen. My problem with some vegan books is using this nutritional yeast, or tofu, which are two things I don't do or want to try.

So I will go back to the vegetarian book and just try vegan sour cream, yogurt, etc. at Trader's Joe as a substitute for my black bean tortilla, since this super nacho one is not easy as I would had liked. I also like to experiment and try things as well.

I noticed that most of the main dishes had tomatoes; and having acid reflux, hard to find some recipes without it. I wrote down a couple to try, but because of this, I had to bypass most of the recipes offered.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Robertson's books--especially Vegan Planet and Carb-Conscious Vegetarian and this book is equally good. 150 easy and fast recipes with many ingredients the average vegan pantry would have on hand. So far I tried the Creamy Greens Soup and the Chickpea and Spinach-Artichoke Crostini--both excellent.

Here's a link to my full review and the recipes and pictures: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner - I cook a ton from this cookbook. I find many recipes I can put together from things in the pantry or the freezer already which is great. The recipes also lend themselves readily to substitution - I've been able to work around ingredients I don't have for a simple solution. The recipes are really tasty and they ARE truly quick, which is of huge value to me. I'm slowly working through nearly all the recipes in this book - we've come around to several more than once already.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goal is to incorporate more vegetables into my (& my family's) diet without resorting to 'fake' foods or making a fuss about it. Both of my daughters are vegans & so are several other extended family members & I need to have some go-to books & recipes that everyone can (& will) eat. This book had me from moroccan pumpkin hummus & spicy smoked portobello tacos. It also gave me some ideas how to adapt my favorites to be vegan friendly.

[Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really want this recipe book. I've never purchased a recipe book, as only a few recipes are worth making. But, I highlighted almost half the recipes in the book to try. So I really need to buy this on kindle and get a kindle fire for my kitchen. Super excited the author has other books like this one. Lifesaver for someone like me who has just changed their lifestyle and is looking for new ways to prepare those foods or fighting boredom with the few ways I do know.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this from the library but think I need to buy my own copy, I don't want to give it back. The 30 minute estimate has been overly optimistic for a few recipes, but everything I've tried has been so delicious I'm not going to quibble over a few minutes' difference.

Note: this review was written while underneath the influence of the aroma of the Smoky Chipotle-Chocolate Chili.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all of the vegan cook books that I browsed and read in my 30 day challenge this was my favorite. Initially I had enjoyed some of the other books but this one when it came down to it had recipes that were easy to make, actually used ingredients that were in my kitchen or easy to get and had recipes that I wanted to make again and not just when I am eating vegan.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the quick fix recipes; it's wonderful to have so many options for a quick, healthy meal. Of all the prominent vegan cookbook authors, I've found that Robin Robertson's flavor profiles most match our tastes.

[Izolda Trakhtenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It and its sequel are great! Quick, easy recipes. The key here? Nothing takes longer than about 30 minutes to make.

Mainly, I use both for ideas since I am rubbish at following recipes, but the ideas are fantastic.

Highly recommended.

[Donura]

I am going to cook my way through as a part of the review process. The only thing I note so far is that she uses a lot of the same ingrediants. I will update as I go.

[Uniflame · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I have seen interesting recipes I love to try :)

[Sarah Kaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this cookbook! Have yet to be disappointed with a recipe!

[jenny scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

super awesome book... haven't made something out of here yet that my entire family (vegetarian sister & carnivore bro-in-law & parents) didn't love.

[HadiDee]

Will have to check out more of this author - so nice to find a vegan cookbook that uses actual veg / bean / other plant based foods rather than lots of tofu and 'fake' meats.

[John]

I'm not vegan, but a Goodreads friend's positive review made it sounds so good that I'm interested in checking it out.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

After borrowing this from the library, I will purchase. Great recipes, with ingredients I love.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this cookbook! The recipes are all delicious and fast - what's not to love!

[Elprice]

some good recipes in here!

[One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great cookbook by Robin Roberts. This one has all the meals done in under 30 minutes. Great for most people, as we are all always short on time!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of these are really yummy and super easy! Ive been vegan for over a year and this is helpful for when I'm having my lazy nights and don't feel like cooking!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, there are a number of things I can't wait to try and cook. Snowballs in hell! Yum yum

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must return to this book for recipes later. Noodles, soup and sauce especially...