Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World

by Robin Robertson

Open the door to a whole new world of delicious, healthy choices! If you are one of the millions of Americans moving away from meat, dairy and eggs in your diet, whatever the reason, then Vegan Planet is for you. It is by far the most comprehensive vegan cookbook ever and proves once and for all that the vegan way of eating can easily provide all the nutrition you need, and so with astonishingly varied recipes and absolutely fabulous food. Recipes include: Mango Tango Smoothie, Pumpkin Pie Pancakes, Fried Green Tomato Po'Boys, Ginger-Scented Pot Stickers, Curried Cauliflower Pakoras, Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Lasagna, Hot Tomale Vegetable Pie, Turkish-Style Stuffed Eggplant with Walnut Sauce, Five-Spice Chocolate Layer Cake, and Banana Swirl "Cheesecake."

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

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2003

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

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book online from some discount reseller and the cover is plastered on backwards and upside down. It messes with my head every time I pull it out. Fortunately, the recipes inside are amazing so I can overlook the cover mix-up. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be a cheapskate.

My hands-down favorite recipes is the Chocolate Pudding Parfaits. It's so simple but so decadent. Whoever thought tofu & soymilk could taste so good? My daughter gobbles this up thinking it's some gourmet pudding and calls it the best pudding in the world. I skip the cream whipped topping bit because I'm lazy and it tastes good enough all on its own.

Other favorites include:
Pad Thai I love pad thai so making this recipe for me was a no brainer. It was super easy to cook up & delicious. It was a bit too adventurous for the kids but one did try a bite of it.
Carribean Rice with Red Bean & Chiles easy & tasty
Green Apple Salsa w/ Portobello Mushrooms this is a bit of a chore to prepare but it's good and so filling.
The cajun tofu marinade I usually double this batch using half to marinate the tofu and the other half to drizzle over rice noodles but I do cut back on the amount of olive oil which is a bit too much for me. So spicy and good. Better than any chicken or beef marinade I ate in the past. The tofu just soaks up the flavor and if you freeze the tofu before hand and bake it in the oven it gets this nice chewy texture.
Cajun Tempeh These are so good I eat the leftovers cold the next day as a snack.

The best thing I've found about vegan cooking is the flavors. They really come alive, so much so I don't miss the meat and the recipes are usually inexpensive and I can shop the outer aisles and be out of the store in half the time. No processed stuff in this book.

The chocolate chip cookie recipe here is okay but not nearly as good the recipe in "Vegan With A Vengeance".

Even if you're not vegan this book is a must have if you're into eating healthy, cutting out the cholesterol and looking for some unique and relatively easy to create meals to spice up your menu. Vegan recipes tend to include a wider variety of spices than traditional cooking and really like adding a few recipes each week to spice up the menu.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, there are 400 recipes in here, all vegan, and they're divided into chapters that make sense. There is more than adequate information about vegan food and some about the vegan kitchen. The recipes look delicious and easy to make. And I do like this cookbook. But the negatives are that it isn't very attractive (there are no pictures and the text fonts/colors I find difficult to read easily), and it's very thick: would suggest before making a recipe to photocopy the needed pages because it is challenging to keep this book open to any particular page.

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a vegan (yet?) but I am definitely interested in finding and creating meals that do not have meat or other animal products and still taste great. Maybe I am in the process of slowly veganizing myself, finding tasty substitute for things that I have always thought 'oh I could never go without this'. My biggest interest is finding great bean or tofu dishes. This book is loaded with recipes - and reams of advice and information on new food stuffs that the average person might not know about (like sea vegetables). I have to say though that most of them were not especially inspiring, with basic combinations of flavours that I already knew about. Also, no pictures... but Moosewood has done the same and some of their cookbooks are my most heavily used, so I can't really say the lack of pictures is a definite knock against this book.

If this was my first vegan cookbook I would say that this is an essential resource. But, since it is not, all I can say is that there are only a few recipes that will become household regulars. The rest is too basic.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not read when hungry.

Best recipe so far: vegan mayonnaise. Cheaper than real mayonnaise and definitely cheaper than the veganaise. And probably way better for you too. I like that it is filled with little tricks like that to make vegan life great. Like banana spread for bagels.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good information

[Cara St.Hilaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first borrowed this book from a friend and my initial reaction was "oh - where are the pretty pictures?" Then, I actually read the intro (Vegan Basics) and made some of the recipes and I could honestly care less about the full page, full color pics that are usually in cookbooks. This book is so fantastic that you don't even need that! Why it is so great:
* Every recipe I've tried so far is fantastic, and we all know that sometimes vegan dishes can sometimes (I stress sometimes) disappoint. You must try the Fettuccine with Red Lentil Sauce, the Corn Chowder, Chocolatey Peanut Butter Brownies, and the Veggie Pot Pie.
* The ingredients aren't anything crazy. You can find what you need in the grocery store.
* The book is sprinkled with sidebars that give you great health/diet information. Examples: reasons to go vegan (from a compassionate standpoint), why soy is good for you, why avacado is so fabulous, etc.
* The intro gives you a sort of "vegan 101"--quite literally everything you really need to know from vitamins to why dairy can be eliminated from your diet.

I've spent enough time with my borrowed copy and I'm going to purchase this right after I finish this review! It will pretty much become my "bible" going forward. Honestly, you don't have to call it your "vegan" cookbook. You can just call it your "favorite" cookbook.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you say you've "read" a cookbook? I'm constantly in the process of "reading" them. I really like this cookbook as I grow increasingly intrigued by vegan cuisine. It has taught me how to have fun with meat substitutes!

[Sarah Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbook authors. Hot tip: Drunken noodles! Also her Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Veggie Jambalaya. White bean cassoulet (with the veggie sausage, rather than the tempeh confit, which could just be eaten...)

[Rai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of excellent recipes! A must-have for any kitchen :)

[NiaDwyn— · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid basic, flavorful, vegan recipes. The only thing truly inexcusable about this book is the font used for titles.

[Myra Scholze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of my favorite vegan cookbooks!

[Janine Ballard · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.)

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich habe aus Vegan Planet über 120 Rezepte seit September 2012 nachgekocht. Im folgenden meine Rezension.

Grafik, Design und generelles Aussehen
Vegan Planet ist ein Monster! - ein toller erster Satz, aber es ist mir wirklich nichts eingefallen, was noch zutreffender wäre. Das Buch enthält geschlagene 400 Rezepte. Dementsprechend dick ist das Buch auch, selbst als Taschenbuchausgabe, nämlich fast 4 Zentimeter dick. Das Buch muss deswegen vermutlich auch als Taschenbuch daherkommen. Ein gebundenes Buch wäre schlicht und einfach zu unhandlich und zu schwer.
Vom Format her ist das Buch so breit wie ein A-4-Format, aber weniger hoch. Durch diese Masse lässt sich das Buch auch aufklappen und bleibt bei den meisten Seiten auch einfach so liegen, ohne dass die Seite besonders beschwert werden müssten. Einzig die vorderen und hinteren Kapitel leiden ein wenig am "Seiten-Dreh"-Phänomen. Der Nachteil ist, dass die Einbandseite mittlerweile recht nach oben gebogen ist. Das Buch bleibt nicht wirklich in Form - durch seine Verarbeitung ist es aber auch nicht derart "elegant", dass man Angst hat, es auf den minimal dreckigen Tisch in der Küche zu legen. Ein Kochbuch durch und durch.

Wie in den meisten amerikanischen Kochbüchern kommen die Rezepte ohne Fotografien daher. Im Falle von Vegan Planet hat man konsequent auf sämliche Fotografien verzichtet, es gibt beispielsweise keine gesonderten Teil mit Fotos in der Mitte wie beim Veganomicon. Mich stört das nicht gross - für manche Leser, vor allem nicht-englischsprachige oder Leute, die mit dem englischen noch etwas Mühe haben, kann das aber durchaus ein Problem darstellen.

Das Design ist durchaus solide. Die Titel sind etwas schnörkelig gehalten, ansonsten ist die Schrift aber klar und deutlich. Die Zutatenliste ist deutlich mit anderer Farbe von den Anleitungen differenzierbar, weitere Infos findet man in beige hinterlegten Kästen ("Did you know") oder in weisser Schrift auf grünem Hintergrund in Boxen, kleine Illustrationen findet man auf jeder dritten Seite, die das Buch trotz fehlender Fotografien etwas sympathischer wirken lassen. Pro Seite findet sich meistens nur ein Rezept, selten zwei. Die einzelnen Buchkapitel sind mit farbigen Seiten mit Illustrationen voneinander abgesondert, so farbig grün, dass man sie sogar von der Seite erkennen kann, wenn man die Seiten (aneinandergedrückt) leicht beugt. (Wenn ihr versteht, was ich meine.. - Quasi die entgegengesetzte SEite des Buches vom Buchrücken aus gesehen..) Man kann auf jeden Fall gut blättern.

Inhalt
Kein veganes Kochbuch ohne Einleitung, so scheint es mir. Auch Vegan Planet kommt nicht ohne Einleitung aus. Es wundert mich eigentlich nicht. Veganismus ist insofern auch eine Ernährung des Verzichts, des Weglassens, eine Ernährung, die - wenn nicht Rechtfertigung - doch wenigstens eine Erklärung benötigt. Erklärung, aber auch Anleitung.
In Robinsons Monstermachwerk nehmen diese Erklärungen und Anleitungen die ersten 33 Seiten ein. Es ist also eine recht angenehmer Umfang, der auf Informationen entfällt. Der Mediziner Barnard darf auch hier ein Vorwort schreiben. "Vegan Basics" nennt sich dann der Teil, der anfängt mit einer Erklärung, was Veganismus ist, und welche Gedanken dahinterstecken (kurz und knapp formuliert in 2 Seiten), kommt Robinson auf eine "Healthy Vegan diet" zu sprechen. Hier geht Robinson vor allem auf gewisse Stoffe ein, die dem Veganer gemäss Mainstreamideen fehlen: Aminosäuren, Eiweiss, Kalzium, Eisen.. Robinson erwähnt auch B12. Sie erwähnt, dass B12 in vielen angereicherten Produkten bereits enthalten sei (zb. Säften), und dass der Mensch relativ wenig davon brauche. Ihre Konklusion ist, dass man sich also keine Sorgen mache. Sie geht hier nicht unbedingt in die "Pflanzen enthalten B12"-Falle, aber ihre Schlussfolgerung bedingt, dass man genügend Produkte zu sich nimmt, denen künstlich B12 zugesetzt wurde. Das ist nicht in jedem Falle so, und viele Veganer legen ja auch Wert drauf, solche verarbeiteten Produkte wegzulassen.
Angenehm ist es, dass die einzelnen Hinweise höchstens einen Abschnitt lang sind. Auch hier würde ich sagen, hält sich Robinson an das Credo: In der Kürze liegt die Würze. Vier Seiten zu generellen Infos und Vegane Ernährung finde ich sehr angenehm von der Länge her. Gemessen daran, dass das Buch derart dick ist, hätte man auch noch etwas mehr schreiben können.
Die restlichen Seiten sind - wie der KApitelname schon sagt - vegane Basics. Wie ersetzt man Eier, Fleisch, Butter, Milch, welche Basics brauchts für die Ernährung, wie sollte sich ein Vorratschrank gestalten, wie zur Hölle bereitet man eigentlich Tofu zu? Besonders toll finde ich die Auflistung verschiedener Mehlsorten, von Getreidemehlen bis hin zu Sojamehlen ist hier alles dabei, auch die verschiedenen amerikanischen Bezeichnungen wie bsp. "Unbleached all-purpose flour", so dass der unwissende Europäer nachschlagen kann, welches europäische Produkt dem am ehesten entspricht.

Die 400 Rezepte, die das Buch bietet, gliedern sich wie in keinem anderen Rezeptbuch in entsprechende Kapitel. Es sind fast 20 Kapitel, was ich als sehr angenehm empfinde. Das bedeutet, dass es für kein Kapitel mehr als 30 Rezepte gibt. WAs die Vielfalt angeht, kann man sagen, dass Robertson wirklich umfassend alle Varietäten und möglichen Events. Angenehm finde ich, dass die Desserts nicht soviel Platz einnehmen. Ein Kapitel mit ungefähr 25 Rezepten finde ich angemessen.
KApitel umfassen einerseits zb. Essen für Eventualitäten (Häppchen, Rezepte zum Grillen), oder eine bestimmte Mahlzeitenart (Suppen, Salate), manchmal steht aber auch eine Nahrungsmittelkategorie im Mittelpunkt (Brote, Pizzen, Hülsenfrüchte).
Man findet eine Menge Basic-Rezepte, sogar bis hin zu drei Sorten Gemüsebrühe, die man selber machen kann. Das überrascht nicht wirklich, ist das buch doch wirklich sehr, sehr umfassend. Gemessen an der Gesamtmenge der REzepte nehmen die Basics eine angemessene Zahl Rezepte für sich ein. Gerade so, dass man alles weiss, was man wissen sollte, aber nicht so, dass man das Gefühl hat, mit Basics wurde die Rezeptzahl hochgepusht. (Dann schon eher mit den Getränken am Ende..)

Hinweise bezüglich Soja- oder Glutenfreiheit oder sonstige Indikatoren zur Sortierung der Rezepte abseits der Kapitel fehlen allerdings komplett. Mir macht das nicht viel aus, aber ich weiss, dass das durchaus Kategorien sein können für andere begeisterte Köche.

Umsetzbarkeit, Zutaten und Aufwand
So schlicht das Buch daherkommt, so schlicht ist auch ein Grossteil der Rezepte. Generell werden sehr selten Zutaten verwendet, die man nur schwer besorgen kann (oder wenn, werden Alternativen angegeben). Die ab und an erfolgte Einsetzung von Fertigprodukten wie Sojawürstchen kann man da gut verzeihen, man muss annehmen,d ass solche Produkte im Amiland einfach viel verbreiteter sind. Für dieses Kochbuch war ich kein einziges Mal am Suchen, kein einziges Mal habe ich ein REzept überspringen müssen, weil eine Zutat nicht erhältlich war.
Die Rezepte sind auch generell gut beschrieben. Ich habe kein einziges Mal notiert, dass ein Rezept gar nicht aufgegangen ist, oder dass Zutaten in den Arbeitschritten vergessen gehen, dass Dinge nicht funktionieren und so weiter. Bei dieser Riesenfülle an Rezepten ist das ein Zeichen für eine wirklich gute Redaktion bzw. ein sehr gutes Lektorat, und auch eine fundierte Köchin, von der die Rezepte stammen.
Generell verwendet Robertson eher wenige Zutaten. Die Zutatenliste ist selten länger als 10 Zutaten, bietet oft auch Alternativen oder die Möglichkeit, Dinge zu ersetzen oder wegzulassen. Das macht die Rezepte sehr angenehm nachzukochen und führt auch dazu, dass die Rezepte zeitlich selten länger als 30 bis 40 Minuten brauchen. Vieles ist schnell nachgekocht und schmackhafte, solide Kost.

Manchmal leidet darunter aber auch ein wenig die Würze. Das ist der Nachteil an dieser tollen Umsetzbarkeit - man muss ab und an in die Gewürzkiste greifen und ein wenig nachwürzen. Die Rezepte bieten also eine super Basis, die man je nach Geschmack noch ergänzen kann.

Robertson kocht in den meisten Fällen für vier Personen, bei Aufstrichen oder dergleichen meistens "2 Cups". Hier punktet Robertson. Leider vermisst ein Hobbykoch zurecht übersichtliche Zeitangaben - ein dicker Minuspunkt.

Generell lässt sich das Buch sehr gut als Kochbuch für Anfänger bezeichnen. Und hier meine ich nicht Anfänger der veganen Küche, sondern generell Kochanfänger. Die Anweisungen sind klar und deutlich, nicht überladen, die Zutatenlisten übersichtlich und die Rezepte sind eher auf der einfacheren Seite gehalten. Ich würde dieses Buch als Geschenk für solche Empfänger durchaus in Betracht ziehen (man muss natürlich Englisch beherrschen.)

Nachgekochte Rezepte
Dieses Kochbuch ist vermutlich das Kochbuch, aus dem ich am meisten nachgekocht habe. Bei 400 Rezepten ist das aber auch kein Wunder. Bereits vor meiner Kochbuchchallenge hatte ich einiges nachgekocht, ein paar Sachen vor allem für das Weihnachtsbuffet bei meiner Oma 2012. Auch 2013 habe ich einiges beigesteuert. Die Sachen sind wirklich praktisch.

Ich habe mich - aufgrund meiner Weight-Watchers-Karriere - eher auf die herzhaften und fettarmen Sachen beschränkt, und die Dessertkategorie zb. vollständig weggelassen. Dennoch konnte ich aus fast jedem Kapitel irgendetwas austesten, was mich wirklich gefreut hat.

Die Rezepte, die ich getestet habe, haben grösstenteils ein "Gut" in meiner Bewertung erhalten, ab und an auch ein okay. Das ist vermutlich der Vor- und Nachteil von Robertsons Buch an sich: Einerseits sind die Rezepte solide und schmackhaft, aber andererseits auch - gerade wegen der fehlenden Würze teilweise - ein wenig zu solide und zu einfach. Mir hat oft der letzte Pepp gefehlt, der ein Rezept über alle anderen gehoben hätte. So fällt es mir auch schwer, ein deutliches Lieblingsrezept

Vegan Planet ist ein solides Grundlagenbuch. Wer nicht viel Geld hat, und ein gutes Buch sucht, dass fast alle Bereiche des Lebens abdeckt, ist mit diesem Buch sehr gut beraten. Man muss einfach wagen, den Gewürzschrank noch etwas mehr aufzumachen und die Rezepte auch ein wenig zu ergänzen oder abzuwandeln. Wer allerdings hochstehende, fancy vegane Küche erwartet, der ist bei Robertson falsch.

Lieblingsrezept: Kein spezifisches Rezept - aber dafür die Kombo aus Bohnen und Salbei, die ich bisher nicht kannte, die mir aber sehr gut gemundet hat.

Fazit:
Solides, sehr umfassendes Kochbuch - Vegane Rezepte für alle möglichen (und unmöglichen Situationen). Hier findet jeder fast alles, was das Herz begehrt. Eine sehr gute Basis für eine vegane Kochbuchbibliothek. Die Rezepte sind manchmal allerdings etwas zu schlicht und lassen an Finesse fehlen. Deswegen bekommt das Buch von mir vier von fünf Sternen!

[Mskychick · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a marvelous number of recipes here. Between my husband’s dislike of a number of spices and my food allergies, a large number of these would not work on our table. But overall, I think this is a wide-ranging cookbook with a lot of different recipe ideas.
The book is a 3 Star for me, but I think would be at least a 4 Star read for most other people

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good recipes but I can't get past the fact that, to me, it just isn't a good looking cookbook. There are zero pictures and the title font choice throughout the book is horrific to the point of distracting.

[Chris Worthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridiculously comprehensive— the recipes here do use oil, but I think most could be modified to be oil-free. Get the basics here, along with very good, easy-to-make recipes from Happy Herbivore, and you can set the stage for a great start for vegan eating. I’m

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well rounded book on vegan recipes and tips. Everything I’ve made from it was excellent.

[Kimber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every recipe that has been tried has been excellent !
The explanations of nutritional information is greatly appreciated.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a “first wave” vegan cookbook, but it has a lot of recipes that intrigued me and looked like they’ll be good. About half of the recipes have either tofu, mushrooms, or both

[Shannon Lionheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

All time favorites.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, this is a yummy cookbook! And with so many fantastic recipes to choose from and accessible ingredients (most found in a well stocked grocery store), I think omnivores and vegetarians would like this one too. Here's what I've tried so far --

Artichoke and chickpea stew: This recipe had me at artichoke. Seriously though, it's so good and easy that we're making it again this week. Perfect for cool weather.

Thai-style coconut soup: Perfectly rich and creamy without being too much, and the leftovers reheated well. I served steamed broccoli on the side, and ended up dumping mine in ... yum!

Roasted chickpeas: I'd made an entire crockpot of chickpeas for the artichoke stew (above) and needed to use the extras. [Incidentally, did you know you don't have to soak them if you cook them this way? Genius!] So I roasted them according to this recipe and the family ate them up like they were tortilla chips.

Sesame soba noodles: This was the only recipe that didn't bowl me over. I used 100% buckwheat noodles and served it with sauteed kale, and the entire dinner tasted a little metallic to me. Jeff loved it though, so I'm probably an anomoly.

African peanut stew: I made this sweet potato-peanut stew without the tomatoes, and we never missed them. The recipe was delicious and easy, and the ingredients all came from the grocery store/ our csa.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the first vegan cookbooks I ever bought. It looked big and pretty comprehensive. I thought it would help me to figure out what vegans eat and how to make ordinary meals without common dairy and egg products. What I discovered when I looked through it, was that vegans eat normal foods--veges and beans and grains--and that most of my life I've been pretty close to being vegan already. And I didn't think these recipes were necessarily the best examples I'd ever seen of "chili" or veggie lasagna. The only recipe I continue to use consistently (but not often) from this book is Ginger Baked Beans, which has served me well since I bought the book. I basically internalized whatever lessons this book had to offer about eliminating meat, dairy and eggs and continued my merry way. This book helped to show it is not impossible (nor even hard) to be vegan. It is just ordinary. For extraordinary vegan treats, I'd have to recommend Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's collaboration: Veganomicon.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of pretentious, but definitely a good guide to being a healthy, well-fed vegan.


Recipes that I didn't get around to, but which sound delicious:
Asian Pear Tart with Toasted Almond Crust and Orange-Ginger Glaze (toasted almonds, dates, Asian pears, lemon juice, brown sugar, ginger, and orange marmalade...yummy!)

Pesto
(why is all pre-packaged pesto non-vegan?? it's just garlic, basil, pine nuts, and olive oil, really...)

Fresh Peach Crisp with Almond Butter Cream
(peaches, almonds, flour, brown sugar, lemon juice, allspice, oats, corn oil, and Almond Butter Cream--which is made from dates soaked in hot water and added to blanched almonds...man, just listing the ingredients makes it sound delicious)

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Basil Pesto
(easy-peasy pizza dough, homemade vegan pesto, olive oil, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste...you probably don't need a cookbook to figure this one out)

I definitely need to try these. Especially the pizza.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this cookbook because of the variety of recipes. While some cookbook authors stick to one maybe two styles of cuisine (asian, indian), this book has everything. I borrowed my copy from the library and have to give it back in 3 days, but I'm seriously considering buying my own copy. The recipes look pretty tasty and most of them don't require any specialty ingredients...to a vegan, tofu is not a specialty ingredient, nor is raw cashews...just thought I'd clarify. Easter Sunday is tomorrow and I'll be making the Lasagna Primavera from this book. It sounds lush and decadent, just like the nonveg version. In this recipe, instead of red sauce, she uses her own recipe for Vegan Bechamel Sauce...uh, yum! There are 20 chapters in all, from soups, to salads, sauces/dressings, chutneys/salsas,grains, pasta, beans, stews/chilis, grilling, pizza, several dessert sections and oven baked sections. It's pretty extensive and it all sounds so delicious!

[Sue Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a vegan but while visiting my vegan niece several years ago I fell in love with the book. She was always cooking us meals out of it when we visited and they were delish. Then she married a vegan and they had an extra book, so they re-gifted it to me and it has become one of my favorite cookbooks. Mostly for the wide diversity of styles, the super-accessibility of the ingredients, the "something for every feeding throughout the day", the fact that I can pull so many choices out of this book for a potluck and everyone at the party will be able to eat it (well, that's not true - there's always something someone can't/won't eat - don't come near me with eggplant or a mushroom!)

I'm buying a copy for my niece who is just experimenting with eliminating meat from her diet and I think this is a good solid place to start. She can prepare things to share with the rest of the family, and they'll all be eating a little healthier.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excelled vegan cookbook with an array of recipes from all over the globe. A few recipes that look particularily appetizing-"Thai-Style Leaf-Wrapped Appetizer Bites", "Jerk-Spiced Portobello Steaks","Layered Polenta Chili Casserole","Rustic Peasant Loaf with Black Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes"...I could go on and on, and that is because there are 400 recipes to choose from! One of the greatest features of these recipes is that they are arranged into 20 genres, with everthing from Soups and Salads, to desserts, breakfasts, breads, chutneys/salsas,wraps,and pizzas. There truely is something for everybody here, and Robertson once again proves that there is a whole lot more to vegan cooking than tofu and sprouts.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is my vegan bible. My favorite thing about this book is that it brings a lot of multicultural food to the table. The Sweet Potato and Green Pea Samosas are to die for (when I'm in a hurry, I skip the dough and use a tortilla for the wrapper); the Asian Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is hearty and savory;and the Thai Papaya Salad is so good that it almost converts carnivores to veganism after one bite! I have only come across a couple of non-fabulous dishes (i.e. Cheesy Potato Chili Gratin) and I the book doesn't have the best soup section. There is an entire section devoted to chutney, etc. and another devoted to smoothies!! Overall, this book is a must have for the vegan cook. I would be lost without it!

[Rogier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute delight. Full of good nutritional info and the recipes are an absolute joy to make. I can't wait to be making the next one.

I guess this book will never be read. Cookbooks are just in constant use if they are any good.

And after being raised a lacto-vegetarian, turned definite ominvore, but always with a liking for veggies, and vegetarian dishes, with stops along the way for macrobiotics and Marilyn Diamond, as well as stints of Italian, Japanese, Indonesian and Chinese cooking, finally I'm honing in on the vegan lifestyle, which has been a gradual transition for the last five years, and finding the good cookbooks, like this one has been absolutely instrumental to making the transition.

OK, I'm off to try the next recipe.

[Christy Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I haven't made many of the recipes from this cookbook as is, it somehow tends to be the type of cookbook I pick up to browse through for inspiration and flavor combinations, to get my brain thinking before I start adapting to whatever I actually have on hand, but bringing to that pantry glance a bit more willingness to play and broaden from the predictable cooking go-to ruts we all occasionally find ourselves in There are no pretty pictures here, it is simply recipes, but of wide-ranging and creative breadth. This isn't one of those preachy, trying to convince you to be vegan cookbooks, but is understated and is less about veganism and philosophy and more about the straightforward recipes.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this cookbook ended up surprising me. I was skeptical because of its bulkiness, odd chapter ordering and bizarre font (in my opinion) used for part of the book. However, the recipes in here are a home run. I have found the easiest way to get acquainted with it is to have a particular ingredient in mind and look in the glossary to see what recipes feature that ingredient. I have by no stretch of the imagination tried the majority of the recipes in here, but I feel confident giving it five stars because everything I have made has been excellent. I just hope that Robertson at least uses better chapter ordering in future cookbooks!