PETA’S Vegan College Cookbook
PETA’S Vegan College Cookbook
I have been a vegan for over 25 years and even though I am way past my college years, I was curious to see what the recommendations for college students was for eating. During my college days, I was vegetarian, not vegan which, was a good thing as there were already too many limitations to what I could find in the cafeteria in my dorm! I lived on a pathetic salad bar and pizzas that I had delivered on almost a daily basis.
I sure wish this cookbook would have been around when I was in college. Although, my dorm didn’t have a microwave which, many of these recipes require. I am sure there is easy access to one now a days. I did however, have a small refrigerator in my room where I stored my leftover pizza. How did you reheat it, you ask? I didn’t, I ate it cold! LOL!
The advice to vegan college students in this cookbook is good. It goes over what students should keep in their “pantry” and points out some of the things they might be able to get in their cafeteria. Some of the ingredients weren’t even around back when I was in college, such as the vegetarian meat alternatives. We have come a long way!
None of the recipes require a stove, just a microwave. However, there were some that required a blender. How much space do they think students have in a dorm room? LOL! The need a refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and blender. Plus they need a space to prepare the food. I can tell you that my room was tiny and I had a roommate.
I tried making a few of the recipes myself including the ‘Breakfast Parfait’ ‘Pancake In a Mug’, and ‘Freshman Frittata’. The parfait was the easiest and taste good. The pancake in a mug was acceptable, if a stovetop isn’t an option but it was a bit on the rubbery side. I didn’t care for the frittata at all. I don’t know about you but I like my frozen hash browns, brown in oil, in a skillet. They turn out as you would expect in a microwave, mushy!
Would I recommend ‘PETA’s Vegan Cookbook’. Yes, I would for students living in a dorm or somewhere that they don’t have access to a stove, etc. As a student, you need to make do with what you have access to and this book will help students find and make vegan meals so they won’t starve.
3/5
I received the ebook format for my honest opinion via Net Galley.
Although I am not vegan, this sounds like a good book for those that are.Some of the items don’t sound really delicious, but the book sounds helpful for those college students who follow that diet.
The Breakfast Parfait sounds interesting.
I’m glad this is available for students these days. When I was in college, it was so difficult to find vegan and vegetarian meals, so it would have been great to have some more ideas to make in the dorm. I’m also glad it’s so much more acceptable to be veggie/vegan now, too. Thanks for the review!
More options for young people with few resources to maintain their dietary preferences cannot hurt unless it’s so verbose and the recipes so gross…well, as a prospective vegetarian it seems to me there would be some fair options in my own college dining hall as I recall:
crap salad bar, basic fruit selection, cereals, bagels, waffles on weekends, always pasta and potatoes, occasionally one could dig around and find little serving areas with tabouli (not at all good but tabouli is pretty edible at its worst and offers more protein than a salad does without the grain). Plus bread/toast plus veggies and cheeses. Ok I can foresee some difficulty with cheese palatability as I recall. But how about potatoes and pasta?
See I went to a fully residential college where everybody lived and dined on campus. My friend from HS who went to GWU in DC had a meal plan that basically forced her to choose among fast food or microwaveable snacks in order to spend her meal credits. We got a poorly prepared but broadish spread at my school.
What was the situation like exactly? I have no idea what any vegan would do on a meal plan not designed to accommodate that lifestyle…Quite Curiously Yours, Kara S
I wan’t vegan when I was in college so I basically lived on pizza. I started college in 82 when vegetarian was not at all in like it is today. Our dorm had the pathetic salad bar you describe. They did a lot of meat and eggs but not much pasta. Potatoes were usually frozen fries. Not the healthiest of options even if you believe meat is essential to a diet. LOL! The second year, I went off the meal plan. I figured that I would at least save some money since I was mostly living on pizza. This was back when Dominos had the 30 minutes or it’s free delivery and I got a lot of free pizzas in the winter. LOL! I also tipped well though. Now, at least there are more options including ready made salads in the grocery store and pre-washed veggies, etc. Of course there are also a lot of convenience food options now a days too. Frozen dinners, ready made veggie burgers and simulated meat products. Most of those options are not the healthy but some would be better than what the options use to be.
Thanks for filling me in, Teddy. I love answers to my often tangential queries because I enjoy learning about you (not surprising given I’m kinda into stories about…people…).
Since this is a content-low response otherwise, I’ll take this opportunity to ensure you are in fact aware of free Audiofile SYNC summer of free selected audiobooks going on?
IF NOT, GO —>http://www.audiobooksync.com/what-is-sync/
Great YA titles (with some notable exceptions, usually modern or traditional classics) from recent years are available for all takers in order to serve the purpose of fostering a love of reading among the, ahem, YA community. Spread this word if it is news; it’s what I have to offer tonight. 😉 HTH.
Cheers, Kara S