Are You Sure That's Vegan? Review

Are You Sure That's Vegan? is a vegan cookbook produced by Claire Gosse. I have had an early copy for awhile and have been testing out some of it's recipes. I want to let everyone know I am not Vegan and am very picky. If these desserts taste like cardboard you will hear about it!

The first think you will notice about this book is the high quality images of the desserts. I love this. When you are making desserts for a party or BBQ, you want them to have that WOW factor. When you have such high quality images you can tell which desserts will have people drooling as soon as they seem them.

I guess another thing you have to make sure is the book is completely Vegan. This might seem ridiculous since Vegan is right in the title, but you would be surprised what you find in some of these other "vegan" cookbooks. If they are calling for butter or eggs, then obviously the cookbook is worthless. Every ingredient in here is vegan, so that is a great start.a

Images are great, everything is Vegan and the instructions are simple, clear and easy to follow. What else does a cookbook need? Well there is one thing I think any vegan cookbook review should include: What does the food taste like? Well I tried three recipes:

Peanut Butter Cups - These were super simple to make and tasted amazing. There is no way you would know these were vegan. The use of dark chocolate give these a much better and more mature taste than their store bought counterparts.

Pecan Pie - Another great recipe. I love how easy these are to follow so far. Very clear instructions, especially for a guy who has never made any kind of pie. This was also dynamite tasting - I shared this with many of my friends and they had no idea it was vegan. A couple people don't believe me to this day. This one will soothe any sweet tooth.

Key Lime Cheesecake - This was the big test to me...Vegan cheesecake...impossible! Well my biggest doubt was also my greatest success. I was once again able to follow the instructions and I produced what I am proud to call my best dessert ever. I could not stop eating this - the lime just made it so fresh tasting! it was decadent but the citrus notes added a lightness. People in my family went nuts for this. I still get requests for it.

I think Claire knocked this cookbook out of the park. So many Vegan cookbooks just have a real health food granola feel. Nothing wrong with that of course, but Are You Sure That's Vegan? proves that Vegan doesn't always have to be like that. Vegan desserts can be every bit as decadent, delicious...and naughty as traditional ones. Check it out!

If you are interested in great Vegan Dessert recipes, that are easy to make and quick to impress check this out Best Vegan Desserts. When you get there click on the big cookbook for full details on the best vegan desserts and some free recipe downloads. I hope you like peanut butter cups, cheesecake and fudge!

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"The Conscious Cook" - First Vegan Cookbook With Mainstream Appeal

Being vegan in Tokyo can often make one feel isolated in the world's most populous city, but last weekend my partner and I counted ourselves a very lucky minority to meet acclaimed vegan chef and author of the "The Conscious Cook" cookbook, Tal Ronnen.

While Japan is known for originating the predominantly vegetarian macrobiotic diet, and "macrobi" restaurants are ubiquitous here, veganism is extremely rare in Japan. As a result, our vegan cooking school and vegan recipe website came up near the top of the web search Chef Tal did before his recent visit to Tokyo.

We were aware Tal had cooked for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse and catered Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi's wedding, but not of his fondness for Japan, inherited from his Australian father who had lived in Japan 3 years. Tal said Japanese food was his favorite, and asked our recommendation for Shojin Ryoori (traditional Buddhist temple food).

Not wanting to disappoint Tal, we consulted the Michelin Guide which led us to Atago-Daigo, a 2-Star restaurant where we enjoyed a most elegant and delicately prepared bento. Highlights included sashimi made from hearts of palm (a shoe-in for Awabi-giant clam), tempura using puffed rice seedlings, sweet potato necks simmered in white soy sauce, and matsutake mushrooms in a clear broth.

I observed that while Tal did not finish everything, he appeared to savor the items he ate with every cell in his being, fitting perfectly the "Conscious Cook" moniker. Tal said he doesn't eat much while he's working, either, because he's so focused on the act of creating.

While we would have been delighted to taste Tal's cooking firsthand, he did present my partner a copy of his attractive cookbook (#3 New York Times bestseller, highest ranking ever for any cookbook), inscribed "Keep spreading the vegan lifestyle in Japan".

In the private tatami-room overlooking a serene Zen garden, Tal guided us through his book, which contains not only dozens of mouth-watering plant-based recipes (accompanied by beautiful photos Tal styled himself) and techniques, but serves as a tribute to other chefs and partners he has worked with during his cooking career. 

Chef Tal, who graduated from a traditional culinary academy and conducts vegetarian workshops at Le Cordon Bleu, also shared his view on the importance--even for vegan chefs--to have strong grounding in French cooking techniques.  

Among Tal's other valuable advice:

Using cashew nuts to make cremes for use sauces, deserts, and raw cheeses (tellingly, cashew creme sauce is the first very first recipe in the book). I've already made a log of Chad Sarno's cashew cheese recipe from the book.  VitaMix blender--"most critical tool after a good knife" (he advised which type of VitaMix to purchase, too!). Secret of cooking meat analog tempeh (braising it a looong time).

Tal was excited there seemed to be more vegan eating options in Japan compared with his first visit 15 years ago. Although my partner and I wish for many more choices, Chef Tal's energy, creativity and passion inspire our own efforts to make vegan food as commonplace in Japan as it is has become in North America.

Note to vegans interested in visiting Atago-Daigo (Tokyo): the restaurant requires 2 days notice if you would like food prepared without using any katsuo (bonito) dashi or chicken eggs, or if you would prefer to substitute white rice with genmai.

If you're considering eliminating meat and other animal products from your diet, I'm just the guy to provide you heaps of advice and encouragement. Until age 44, I'm certain my diet consisted of more eggs, milk, and red meat than the average American's. I ate lots of chicken, too (especially liked parts with skin), low-fat yogurt every morning, and loads of cheese. While a plant-based diet may at first seem a sacrifice, I assure you it is not. Therefore, if you are contemplating it yourself, don't let anyone discourage you. Give it a try and I assure you, you will begin to feel healthy and youthful. Take it from me - paying attention to the foods you eat (and don't eat) is the best way to maintain good health, and a plant-based diet is a great way to begin. If you are interested in learning about benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, or seek coaching on healthier diet and exercise habits, please check out my blog at http://www.vegandietguy.com/

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Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet - A Lot Less Agenda Pushing Than Other Vegan Cookbooks

Vegan cookbooks are more abundant than they ever have been, but the amounts pale in comparison to the more popular western diet cookbooks that still exist and are produced. The beauty in The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet is that it doesn't really push an agenda upon the reader while providing even the newest vegan with a plethora of easy to use, easy to love vegan recipes to experiment with. The book takes into consideration those considering going vegetarian for the first time, those who want to implement a vegan meal plan into their diets consistently, and those who are ready to become 'Superheros' (as she calls them) and make vegetables and grains the centerpieces of that diet.

The book is a quick read as half of it consists of Alicia's vegan recipes, and the content before that is soft, simple to understand but important enough to make an impact. For those who are thinking about eliminating meat and dairy from their diets, there is plenty of powerful reference material explaining how meat and dairy negatively impact our diets and the environment. It isn't done on a soapbox, and I commend Alicia Silverstone for using a very conversational approach to the material. For the power vegan, she provides some excellent recipes that are very hearty, healthy, and delicious all at once. Mind you, there are ingredients in some of these recipes that a neophyte may have never heard of before--but the nice thing about this cookbook is that is the exception and not the rule. If you feel like being creative and doing some foodie research though, you will have some good material to study.

Some vegan cookbooks fall short on pictures; this vegan cookbook provides plenty of meal photos. Visual learners and eaters rejoice!

The meat and dairy industry information is well researched and factual in The Kind Diet Vegan Cookbook

If you were to remove the celebrity author status from this book I would still own it. I didn't learn a bunch of new information as I am not in the 'flirting' stages of Veganism, but the recipes were fantastic. Of all of the vegan cookbooks out this vegan cookbook does have some unique but very hearty recipes that I will continue to use and tweak. I am glad they dedicated much of the second portion of the book to the recipes they chose...I got some new fresh ideas and that alone made it valuable.

Brendon Zahrndt and his wife write for Vegan Cookbooks Today. More in-depth information from Vegan Cookbooks & Reviews can be found there as well.

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