Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook: Essential Vegiterranean Recipes for the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle

by Tess Challis

Mediterranean meets vegan: The ultimate vegiterranean cookbook.

Learn how to mix vegan eating into the bold flavors and healthy lifestyle of the Mediterranean diet—called “vegiterranean.” This vegiterranean cookbook bridges the gap between the two and shows you how to create wholesome, flavorful, satisfying Mediterranean dishes that are free of both animal products and artificial ingredients.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most-studied diets of all time, and is known to boost energy, lower cholesterol, strengthen your immunity, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Coupled with the nutritional and environmental benefits of plant-based meals, a complete vegiterranean cookbook will help you discover fresh and natural recipes that lift your health and your spirit.

Discover a whole new world of eating with a vegiterranean cookbook that offers:

Basics and beyond—Learn the main tenants of the Mediterranean diet so you can continue mixing up masterpieces on your own. Know before you go—Recipes include prep time, number of servings, and are labeled for gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free. More than food—This vegiterranean cookbook also offers guides and tips for a holistically healthy Mediterranean lifestyle, including exercise, attitude, and community.

Vegan recipes with Mediterranean flair—healthy meets tasty.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recipes in this book “contain mostly whole foods and are plant based, high in nutrients, and low in saturated fats and sugars. They’re also meant to make your transition to a vegan Mediterranean diet as fun, easy, and delicious as possible.” “Most of the recipes in this book take 30 minutes or less, require only one pot or pan (or a blender), or have fewer than 10 ingredients.”

The first 20% of book is introduction. A vegan diet is not necessarily a healthy one (French fries are vegan) or low calorie, but this book strives for healthier recipes. It combines the environmental consciousness of a vegan diet with the health benefits and flavors of a Mediterranean diet. The recipes increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and beans, are labeled to show whether they contain soy, oil, gluten or nuts, and have nutritional information. The introduction describes the benefits of both vegan and Mediterranean diets and their commonalities. There are very few pictures in this book, basically one per chapter, and I would have preferred more.

Some of the recipes included are:

Staples: hummus, baba ghanoush, harissa tofu

Small plates and snacks: garlicky mushrooms, tahini cauliflower with caramelized onions, spanakopita, falafel

Breakfast: smoothies, banana pancakes, tofu kale scramble, savory Greek breakfast

Breads, wraps and sandwiches: pita bread, tabbouleh lettuce wraps, eggplant gyros

Salads and soups: French lentil salad, falafel salad, vegetable-lentil soup, roasted red pepper soup, butternut and broccoli soup, tomato-basil soup

Main courses: Moroccan couscous, pasta with lemon and artichokes, Athena pizza, mujadara, spicy eggplant polenta

Desserts: chocolate hummus, raspberry cheesecake squares, roasted pears with pistachios

In addition to the lack of pictures, I had a few quibbles with the book. Some information seems missing. For example: the falafel recipe says it feeds 4 and there are 750 calories per serving, but it doesn’t say how many falafels are included in a serving. It also says you don’t have to cook the whole recipe, you can just bake as many as you want to eat, but if you haven’t cooked the entire recipe it will be hard to judge how many falafel are in a serving and thus how many calories you are consuming. Most of the recipes don’t have a lot of calories, but if you follow some of the serving suggestions the calories really add up.

Many of the recipes sound delicious and they don’t use too many strange ingredients, although I have never heard of coconut aminos. I definitely want to try the lemony potatoes and the Moroccan couscous (it has orange juice and spices and sounds wonderful and also works with rice).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and I want to thank them for providing a kindle ARC and not making me struggle through a PDF on a strange app.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook goes far beyond hummus and falafel (the only two recipes in my personal arsenal) and offers over 70 Mediterranean vegan recipes that will delight all sorts of eaters. Besides the recipes (many of which aren't too overly complicated or expensive), there are lifestyle tips, kitchen hacks, and more. A few of the recipes I've actually attempted so far include: quick vanilla chia pudding, olive bruschetta, beet hummus, and pasta with lemon and artichokes. The only thing I wish this cookbook had more of is pictures. Other than that, I really enjoy the variety of recipes and I look forward to tackling them all!

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I love most Mediterranean Food from Falafel to Spanakopita and so much in between, I was intrigued with the title of this new cookbook. It did not disappoint.

The recipes are very easy to read and prepare. Many have minimal ingredient lists which help get you eating at home during a busy week. Many have already become new favorites.

Disclaimer: I have received a copy of this book from the publisher with no expectation in return. The review and comments above are my own.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wide variety of dishes, flavors and ingredients here, so there's something for everyone. I'm not into vegan "cheese" and meat substitutes, so I will skip those recipes, but there are a lot of other delicious options here that I am looking forward to trying (dolmas and pistachio baklava for example!). I do wish the book had more photos of the food.

[Jenny Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not vegan, but I am trying to eat healthier, so I decided to check out this cookbook. The recipes all look delicious. Each one has a breakdown of nutritional facts, and each is marked if they are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free,

[wendy stratton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant read

Lots of great sounding recipes, many of which need immediate consumption. Great for families but in busy household with only one vegan makes it too much effort and potentially wasteful.
Not easy to translate to uk market for some ingredient suggestions.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting vegan recipes. I look forward to preparing and eating many of them. In particular these sound delicious - Chocolate Hummus; Greek Flatbread; Zesty Chickpea Salad; Broccoli, Walnut and Fig Salad; Mediterranean Avocado Toast.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice ideas

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook: Essential Vegiterranean Recipes for the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle" is more than just a cookbook--it's also a guide for how to combine a vegan way of eating with the hearty and healthy Mediterranean diet to begin enjoying the benefits of "vegiterraneanism". The book goes even further into the Mediterranean way of life by including principles of exercise and mindfulness. The veganized version of the Mediterranean Diet eliminates animal protein and cholesterol, cuts saturated fat, and includes more fruits, vegetables and beans. The culinary heritage of the recipes includes Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. Here's a recipe sampler: "Happy Hummus"; "Lemony Potatoes"; "Moroccan-Spiced Sweet Potato Fries"; "Simply Delicious Banana Pancakes"; "Pita Bread"; "Avocado-Citrus Salad"; "Roasted Red Pepper Soup"; "Zucchini Boats with Couscous Stuffing"; "Raspberry Cheesecake Squares"; and "Pistachio Baklava". Author Tess Challis gives plenty of food for thought by including interesting and helpful sections such as: "Lifestyle Principles", "City Living, Country Eating", "Spice Up Your Pantry", "Vegiterranean Origins", "Foods to Embrace", and more.

Book Copy Gratis Callisto Publishers

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a vegan cookbook that is also based on the Mediterranean diet. The recipes focused on using minimally-processed, whole-food, plant-based ingredients. She sometimes used store-bought breads in the recipes. Most of the recipes served 4 to 6 people, took around 30 minutes to make, and had fewer than 10 ingredients. Almost all of the ingredients in the recipes should be easy to get. She labeled if a recipe was gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, and/or nut-free.

She included 10 recipes for hummus, dips, and sauces; 10 recipes for small plates, sides, and snacks; 11 breakfast recipes (for smoothies, pancakes, etc.); 10 recipes for breads, wraps, and sandwiches; 18 recipes for salads and soups; 15 recipes for main meals; and 9 recipes for deserts. Each recipe included "per serving" information on calories, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and iron. There were full-color pictures of some of the dishes.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[April Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid vegan cookbook that explores Mediterranean cooking. There are several sections, ranging from breakfasts to dinner entrees. Each section is filled with several delicious sounding recipes.

What I Really Liked:

-The way the book is laid out/organized.
-The upfront mention before each recipe of pertinent things such as whether it's soy free, gluten free, etc.
-The suggestions about how to make dishes gluten free, etc.
-Easy to follow directions.

What I Didn't Like:

-The lack of photos was a disappointment (but this may be different in the final print edition).
-I could have done without all of the author's stories and adjective-laden descriptions before each recipe.

Overall, this is a good cookbook for vegans, vegetarians, and anyone else who wants to reduce their meat consumption.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I thought that the recipes were good and included a comprehensive array of Mediterranean foods and were simple and easy to follow. I didn’t like the fact that recipes often referenced other recipes in the book that you’d need to make to finish the recipe. But the thing that I really didn’t like was the absence of photos. There were hardly any and some of them weren’t even of the recipes but of general food items. Mediterranean cooking is colorful and vibrant and it’s a shame not to include photos. The other thing I found disconcerting seems to be a trend in a lot of cookbooks lately, pastel colored inks within the recipes. I can’t be the only one who finds these light colors difficult to read. While trying to follow a recipe. So, all in all, some recipes I’d like to try, not a cookbook that I’d like to showcase.

[Tina Izguerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tess Challis does a great job with her cookbook "Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook." Not only is the book informative, but the recipes within are delicious and dependable. The photographs are also beautiful and compliment the recipes wonderfully. I had a great time diving into this cookbook, and I look forward to its release.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes look and sound so good! I can not wait to try them! Very kid friendly also. At least my children will love these recipes.

Huge Thank you to NetGalley, Callisto Media, and Rockridge Press for this opportunity!

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book not only had super tasty recipes that were easy to follow, but they were all vegan! With climate change, it is important not to consume as much meat and this book is full of recipes that make that easy to do!