Vegan Cooking & Cookbooks discussion
Cooking Chat
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Looking for a Vegan Cookbook?
I can certainly see why! On FB, part of one's profile is family, but the other 600 or so are people I both know and don't know; many of them vegans I met through FB. If we become "Friends" on FB, you'll be notified through your feed when I post a recipe on my blog, as I always do a dual post on FB and link to my blog.
Betsy, Can't make it to Millennium but I hope everybody there buys more than one copy of the book, one for themselves and then at least one for someone else, either as a gift or a purchase by the one(s) not attending the dinner.I guess I'll either follow your blog or friend you on facebook. The book, hopefully later this year. I just spent big bucks on a new computer and no new books are in my very near future. I will ask the library to get it though.
It looks like a worthy book and I hope it does very well.
Back to say I'm tempted to buy it sooner rather than later. Have to see how my data transfer goes next week. Hoping to buy no new software but if I do I really won't have any disposable income for some time.
Lisa wrote: "Betsy, Can't make it to Millennium but I hope everybody there buys more than one copy of the book, one for themselves and then at least one for someone else, either as a gift or a purchase by the o..."Thank you, Lisa, for all! The multiple purchase is what has happened so far; hopefully the trend will continue. Please follow either place and I'll hope someone gives you my cookbook as a gift. Good luck with that computer. I need a new desktop just for faster action and want a "pad" to replace my laptop, but neither is in the offing right now, which is just fine. I'm going to spend some time in my garden!
I'm looking for a vegan slow cooker recipe book. A quick search showed me there are at least 4. The two that I liked the look of most were The Vegan Slow Cooker - Quick, Easy, Hot and Delicious and The Vegan Slow Cooker: Simply Set It and Go with 150 Recipes for Intensely Flavorful, Fuss-Free Fare Everyone (Vegan or Not!) Will Devour. Does anyone have these or any other one and want to make me a recommendation?
I'm sorry I don't. I looked at the books and don't know either of the authors, either, though that doesn't mean anything. I'm not much of a "slow cook." I will never forget the first time after I used ours and I was afraid I was going to burn the house down (I got that from my mother who always thought she'd left the coffee pot or iron on as we drove away from the house--in the station wagon!). It was back in the days of an actual answering machine, so I called the house every hour or so from work thinking that if the machine picked up, the house couldn't have burned down. Ridiculous!
I do have quick-fix, but the recipes are almost exclusively stews. I'd like to experiment with some of the other things you can do with a slow cooker.
Did you really, Pia?! How sweet of you. I can't wait for you to have it in your good hands. Please let me know what you think and what you try first. If you want recommendations for particular types of dishes; just ask. It's sort of like choosing a favorite child (or dog!), but I do have a few extra-special favorites. Good vegan eats to you too!
Oh, you won't have any problem as--at least I hope!--it's written for inexperienced and experienced cooks alike. Vegan Heritage Press is a wonderful company for many reasons, with a portion of their profits from sales supporting animal causes.
Betsy wrote: "Nettie wrote: "I am looking for a book and I posted my question in the wrong section. So I'll ask again. I am looking for a vegan cookbook with beautiful photos of food. And beautiful photos of foo..."Betsy wrote: "Nettie wrote: "I am looking for a book and I posted my question in the wrong section. So I'll ask again. I am looking for a vegan cookbook with beautiful photos of food. And beautiful photos of foo..."
Hi Betsy,
I just now saw your suggestions for me. Sometimes I miss some posts, so if I don't acknowlege something, that's the reason. Thanks for the suggestions. I wrote down the names of the books for when I am ready to buy more cookbooks.
Oh, Nettie, I totally understand. You are so sweet to even respond. The amount of information that comes at us daily--which is only a fraction of what is out there--is overwhelming. Best of luck to you on your project.
Nettie wrote: "I am looking for a book and I posted my question in the wrong section. So I'll ask again. I am looking for a vegan cookbook with beautiful photos of food. And beautiful photos of food is the only c..."Easy Vegan: Simple Recipes For Healthy Eating
Easy Vegan
I found the pictures delicious looking :)
I have that one on my to-read shelf. I'm off to see if the library has it. Thanks, Stephanie. There are soooooooooo many vegan cookbooks! (I am doing the opposite of complaining.)
Triumph of the Lentil: Soy-Free Vegan Wholefoods for all Appetites has photos with nearly every recipe.
Mod
Peas and Thank You
Vegan Desserts: Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season
Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod
I know I own at least a couple dozen cookbooks with great photos. Some are desserts only but some are general cookbooks, containing everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in-between.
Peas and Thank You is hilarious and the recipes do look good, but I'm wondering if that would be a book better appreciated if there are kids in the house???
Diane, I think I've mentioned a few to you (Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday and a few more?) but I'll try to think of others.
I'm thinking others in this group, such as Lee, might have better ideas than mine.
I'd mentioned to Diane The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds thinking it might appeal more to her male partner than some other vegan cookbooks, but I've never seen it. Can anyone recommend it, or not recommend it?
Diane, I don't know if you're still with us? But, if so, you might want to check out this thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...The book has a deplorable lack of photos but the recipes are amazing and it's a favorite book of many.
hi I am still with you. And thank you for the recommendation, Lisa. The chickpea cutlets sound amazing. I was also reading everyones thoughts about the beans...and in the cookbook The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately which Endre bought on Sunday, it says that the canned beans are more easily digested because they have been extensively soaked and cooked, removing the sugars.
Diane, I usually use canned beans for ease of use. But, I did find out from Ginny Messina that they are higher on the glycemic index than are dried beans made from scratch. I sometimes do make them that way too, but canned beans are definitely worth it for me most of the time.
Mod
I usually use Eden brand organic no salt added beans. They have just about every kind of bean there is.
Hi Diane,A couple of my favorites for great recipes and beautiful photos are Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everydayand Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body and Soul(one of my fave cookbooks of the year!
I don't recommend The Engine 2 Diet because the nutrition advice is kind of flaky. And I do use canned beans! (Trying to cook them more from scratch, but convenience often wins out :)
Ginny - your cat is beautiful :) I have 3 at home and usually have one of them as my avatar....
is definitely the pick for Endre's Christmas present. It is one that Lisa highly-recommended as well. I will have to check out your other recommendation -- and I have to make sure I don't add these posts to my udpate feeds or I will spoil the surprise!
Diane D. wrote: "and I have to make sure I don't add these posts to my udpate feeds or I will spoil the surprise!";-)
Mod
Hi Ginny,Could you be specific about what you think is flaky in The Engine 2 Diet? I have read your book ( which is excellent) and I have read (or listened to) the whole spectrum of vegan nutrition advice from Furhman, McDougall, Michael Greger, Neil Barnard etc. I am aware of the differences in regards to oil, how much fat, no processed foods, supplements such as D or omegas, etc. I assume your difference is based on one of those things, but I'm curious as to the specifics. I also wonder : do you think that a 65 year old person who has heart disease should be stricter than a 20 year old in regards to fat/oil in the diet? What about those who have heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol , high blood pressure in the family. To let you know, I am a long term ethical vegan - it's all about reducing suffering , so I get that you want to make vegan diets something do -able, realistic and not too resrictive and avoiding comon pitfalls that cause people to abandon the diet.
Hi Nettie,Thank you for reading my book! You're right that I don't want vegans to get bogged down in recommendations that are too restrictive, but *only* when those restrictions have no scientific basis.
Some of the ultra-low-fat folks insist that all oils and higher-fat plant foods are bad, but the research shows pretty clearly that nuts reduce heart disease risk, and that small amounts of olive oil might be beneficial, and are at least benign.
I'm concerned about approaches to vegan nutrition that are so restrictive in terms of fats and processed foods, but then kind of dismissive of the issues that *are* true concerns in vegan nutrition, like vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3s, calcium, and iodine. That's why I don't recommend books like the Engine 2 Diet.
I want vegan diets to be as easy as possible but also completely safe. So that's why I want people to pay attention to the things that matter--making sure diets are sufficient in all nutrients--without getting bogged down in things that don't matter, like eliminating every molecule of fat from their diet.
For people who have heart disease, reducing saturated fat is extremely important. But if your diet is low in saturated fat, high in fruits, veggies, and fiber, then there is no reason why small amounts of higher fat foods can't be consumed.And again, small amounts of nuts are likely to be beneficial.
So that's my perspective on healthy vegan diets!
Lee wrote: "Diane, I just made a soup from this book for lunch today and it was super easy and tasty."Excellent!
I am a mom of two vegan boys and I work full-time. I am looking for a book that has family-friendly (i.e. decent quantities, easy to prep and kid-friendly) MENUS that are easily prepared over the weekend and quickly put together for a good weeknight meal. I can flip through my many,many,many vegan cookbooks and find great recipes, but I find it very difficult and time consuming to put together a full week of actual meals - not just random dishes. I thought that was what I was getting when I bought "Vegan Family Meals" but there are no actual menus. Any ideas?
Mod
I wish I could help you. I'm a terrible meal planner. I'm always cooking off the cuff and at the last minute. I know some cookbooks do have meal plans included in them. I'll take a look through my cookbooks and see if I can find any family-friendly looking meal plans.
Mod
Monica, I'm hoping working/family people will have ideas. I think it would be easy to have 4 serving packs of grains, beans, soups & stews veggies, etc. for the freezer for Tuesday through Friday and in the fridge for the weekend and Monday. And you could definitely bake enough to last for the week for all 4 of you.I also have cookbooks with menu plans but they seem so specific and labor intensive to me.
Maybe some of the cookbook authors here might also have ideas.
Keep checking back over the next month. Some of our members come in here and comment infrequently.
Monica wrote: "I am a mom of two vegan boys and I work full-time. I am looking for a book that has family-friendly (i.e. decent quantities, easy to prep and kid-friendly) MENUS that are easily prepared over the ..."I'd recommend my book Triumph of the Lentil: Soy-Free Vegan Wholefoods for all Appetites, a lot of the meals can be prepared in advance and baked later in the week. With any dish that needs extra side dishes to make it a meal, it notes what to serve it with, which is typically potatoes or a grain. It also has an accurate reflection of the time spent making the dishes, including all real preparation time, and an index by ingredient.
Monica, I own Triumph of the Lentil: Soy-Free Vegan Wholefoods for all Appetites and while I haven't had a chance to read it yet, though I hope to soon, you're welcome to take a look at my copy before you purchase it for yourself.
Monica wrote: "I am a mom of two vegan boys and I work full-time. I am looking for a book that has family-friendly (i.e. decent quantities, easy to prep and kid-friendly) MENUS that are easily prepared over the ..."Monica, Nobody is answering with specifics and I haven’t had time to look through my cookbooks, but I did check the web. If you key into google the word vegan and the phrase meal plans, you’ll come up with many, many pages. Here are just a very few:
http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/2007...
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/m...
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian...
http://www.oprah.com/food/Three-Week-...
http://veggiemealmaker.com/meal-plan-...
This last one apparently has shopping lists. I don’t think the meal plans are very helpful unless they provide shopping lists too. The other links might also have shopping lists; I didn’t check. I think you can find what you need on the web though; there were so many links to the query vegan shopping-lists. And I will try to check my cookbooks at some point.
And here are the links I get (I haven't checked any yet) when I key in vegan and family-meal-plans. I can see they aren't all vegan but I'll bet some of them are:http://www.google.com/search?as_q=veg...
Monica wrote: "I am a mom of two vegan boys and I work full-time. I am looking for a book that has family-friendly (i.e. decent quantities, easy to prep and kid-friendly) MENUS that are easily prepared over the ..."Hello, Monica. One of our family's favourite cookbook authors is Dreena Burton. In particular, her
The Everyday Vegan
includes some menus and meal plans as well as easy to prepare recipes. Another great source for easy recipes is
Vive le Vegan!: Simple, Delectable Recipes for the Everyday Vegan Family
Good luck!
Monica,I like this website a lot. All of Nancy's recipes I've tried so far taste really good and she's a nice person! (She responded to my e-mail once personally when I bought her 2 spiral bound recipe books)
Her menus are free and each come with the recipe! ;)
http://veg4health.com/menus/
Val wrote: "Her menus are free and each come with the recipe! ;)http://veg4health.com/menus/ "
Val, Wow! What a great site. Thanks for asking the question, Monica, because we're all learning about a lot of helpful resources.
Lisa wrote: "I know people who use both Millennium cookbooks, so while I'm sure you're right, I don't have the patience. I eat there once or twice a year; if that pleasure stops, maybe I'll dive into their books. "Finally read all the messages here!
Great suggestions on cookbooks!
Today is my birthday and my boyfriend is taking me out to dinner at Millennium in San Francisco! I feel very lucky today !!!
Rachel, Have a wonderful birthday dinner! Millennium is my favorite place to eat!For those of you who aren't fortunate to live in or visit the San Francisco area (or who can't afford a pricey restaurant):
http://millenniumrestaurant.com/
They have sample menus on the site. Yum!
Lisa wrote: "Val wrote: "Her menus are free and each come with the recipe! ;)http://veg4health.com/menus/ "
Val, Wow! What a great site. Thanks for asking the question, Monica, because we're all learning abou..."
Now that I remembered it, I dug out my old folder with the weekly menus and will plan on cooking accordingly as soon as my Hubby is back! ;)
Rachel,
Happy Birthday (again ;) )! I hope you had an awesome day!!!
Mod
Thanks all for the Happy Birthday wishes !(I got a bit behind on my GR reading and just saw them today!)
I'm quite fond of The Garden of Vegan: How It All Vegan Again! as a cookbook. I've made several of the recipes from it (including some great berry muffins). It doesn't have pretty pictures, though. I'm not as thrilled with the subsequent La Dolce Vegan!: Vegan Livin' Made Easy, but it's not bad for people transitioning to vegan.
Vegan Cooking & Cookbooks
Books mentioned in this topic
Triumph of the Lentil: Soy-Free Vegan Wholefoods for all Appetites (other topics)Practically RAW: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make (other topics)
High Protein Vegan: Hearty Whole Food Meals, Raw Desserts and More (other topics)
Whole Grain Vegan Baking: More than 100 Tasty Recipes for Plant-Based Treats Made Even Healthier-From Wholesome Cookies and Cupcakes to Breads, Biscuits, and More (other topics)
The Peaceful Palate (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ginny Messina (other topics)Eric Tucker (other topics)
Lauren Ulm (other topics)
Terry Hope Romero (other topics)
Terry Hope Romero (other topics)
More...
Every time I eat there I go into shock. I swear ..."
Lisa, you're in San Fran? My dear friend is hosting a private book-signing/dinner/wine reception at none other than Millennium for me on July 14! How fun it would be to meet you. It's a Dutch treat dinner with wines provided (her family is in the wine business in SLO), but we did have to do some work to get the price to a comfortable level for most folks considering we also hope they'll buy Blooming Platters!