Review: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking

I have been very interested in finding out more about vegan eating not only because of how it benefits your health, but also because I eat very little meat (I only eat chicken at times) and thought maybe I could give vegan cooking a try. Thanks to the Family Review Network and The Complete Idiot’s Guide Series, I was able to learn a lot more about vegans from reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking ($16.95).

According to the book, vegans eat “foods that come from plant-based sources like whole grains, beans and legumes, fruits, vegetables, and even the aquatically harvested sea vegetables. You avoid all animal-based foods and their rendered or processed byproducts, like meat, fish, fowl, eggs, all dairy products, and even honey and gelatin.”

In other words, as the book puts it, “if it once had a face, fins, wings, or feet, forget about it.”

That’s simple enough to remember, isn’t it?

The first two chapters detail the basics of vegan eating and substitutions you can use for common non-vegan foods such as eggs, milk, and meat.

The remaining chapters offered 240 recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as side dishes and desserts. The recipes ranged from simple to complex, although to me, they were more on the complex side. Perhaps I was just intimidated because I’m used to quick and easy recipes comprised of few ingredients, and ingredients I’m more familiar with.

Nevertheless, I’m always game to try out new recipes, especially if it sounds like it’ll taste good and is good for you. Some of the recipes that I can’t wait to try out are the Jungle Monkey Muffins (banana-flavored muffins with coconuts, cashews, and chocolate chips!), Veggie & Tofu Cream Cheese Wraps, and Banana Cream Vanilla Wafer Dessert.

Along with the recipes, the book provides a lot of information on vegan cooking, such as definitions of common vegan ingredients, and “Thyme-ly Tips” on how to save time and other helpful hints regarding the recipes.

Because of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking, I have a better understanding of the vegan way of eating. I don’t know if I’ll ever become a vegan (I don’t think I could give up ice cream!), but I think it will be great for me to cook a few vegan dishes every now and then and make vegan substitutions whenever possible. There are so many wonderful health benefits to vegan cooking, and although I would have to seek out some of the ingredients, I know it'll be well worth it.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about vegan cooking or you simply want to try out new recipes to add to your repertoire, you may find just what you’re looking for in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking.

Thank you to Penguin Group for providing the product(s) for review and/or giveaway.

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