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.
When I was offered the chance to try a bottle of Alligga Flaxseed Cooking Oil, I knew I had to accept. I have used Omega Flaxseed oil occasionally but you can’t cook with it. I have used it in things like salad dressings.
Why Use Flaxseed Oil?
Flaxseed oil is very healthy to include in your diet. It is high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and also has some Omega 9 fatty acids. It is also high in fibre. It is a great alternative to fish oil for vegans and vegetarians. Because of that, I would love to be able to use it more in my cooking and food preparations. So, I tested Alligga Flaxseed Oil out.
3. I used it to prepare a recipe, provided from Alligga for a pasta dish. They called it “Simple Pasta”
The Outcome of Tests With Alligga Flaxseed Oil:
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1. When I tried it on it’s own, I found the taste quite bitter. For that reason, I would never use it something like a salad dressing. It would totally over power the other flavors.
2. It was fine in the shepherds pie, we couldn’t taste it in final product.
3. The name of the recipe, “Simple Pasta” was spot on. It only took about 20 minutes tomake, including boiling the pasta. The recipe called for a tablespoon of salt which sounded like way too much to me. I first used a teaspoon and after tasting it, added another teaspoon. You could really taste the bitterness of the oil but the extra teaspoon of salt really helped to mask it. A whole tablespoon would be too much for my tastes and for Bill’s as well. We don’t use a lot of salt.
I might for recipes that I wouldn’t be able to taste it in. The pasta recipe would be a great one to make using extra virgin olive oil, in fact I plan to do so. However, I wouldn’t use Alligga for it. I would still use the Omega brand for salad dressings. I don’t find it bitter at all. They both say they process it the same way, cold pressed except Alligga also filters it. I can’t believe filtering it is what causes the bitterness, unless if is filtered through something that makes it bitter. Perhaps they will find a better method that makes it more palatable.
Most of my readers know that I am a vegan of over 25 years. I turned vegetarian at the age of 10 against my parents wishes. I love to cook and whenever a new vegan cookbook comes out, of course, I want it! Especially if it is a cookbook by Chloe Coscarelli! Chloe did us vegans proud by being the first vegan chef to win a competition on the Food Network!
Book Description:
Popular vegan chef and winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars Chloe Coscarelli digs into her Italian roots to create more than 150 recipes inspired by the most popular cuisine in the world.
If you think a healthy vegan diet means giving up pasta in creamy sauce, cheesy pizza, and luscious tiramisu, think again! Following her hit cookbooks Chloe’s Kitchen and Chloe’s Vegan Desserts, Chef Chloe goes to her family’s homeland to veganize its time-honored delicacies—and add some distinctively delicious twists.
Sumptuous mains like Butternut Ravioli with Brown Sugar and Crispy Sage and Red Wine Seitan on Ciabatta let you show off your kitchen skills, and her inventive pizza creations include Crumbled “Sausage” and “Mozzarella” Pizza as well as Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Apple Pizza. And vegans can once again enjoy comfort favorites with Chloe’s Potato Gnocchi, Lasagna Bolognese, and Eggplant Parmesan. Known for her surprising twists on favorite desserts, Chloe’s got your classics covered with Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti and Italian Wedding Cake, and she turns up the dial with new delights like Mint Chip Gelato Sandwiches, Banana Coffee Cupcakes, and Pomegranate Mint Italian Soda—sure to win over omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike. Chloe also includes directions for making her recipes allergy- and gluten-free so that you can feast on all your favorite foods, no matter your diet.
With fresh vegan takes on classic Italian cuisine illustrated by gorgeous full-color photographs throughout, and her bright and lively personality on every page, Chloe takes you on a delectable trip to Italy—one you’ll want to go on again and again! Buon appetito!
My Thoughts:
I have tried several recipes in the book and have taken photos of how they turned out for me. Please note, I am a good cook but not a professional chef. I am much slower in the kitchen then professionals and my presentation could definitely use some work. The following photos are just to give you an idea of how some of the recipes turned out. The book itself has a lot of beautiful photos of many of the recipes within.
Since Bill and I are both over 50, our metabolisms have slowed down, luckily our appetites have slowed down as well. We will always be vegan foodies but it doesn’t take as much to fill us up. In fact, when we go out to eat, most of the time we share an entrée. By contrast, in our younger years we called ourselves “vegan vacuums”. LOL! So, soup and salad makes a nice winter meal for us.
The following are the soup recipes I made:
Spicy Tomato Soup (With Croutons)
I love tomato soup and this recipe is my new favourite! It was very easy to prepare and along with a basic salad, made a nice lighter meal for Bill and I. It is also a very inexpensive soup to make for those on a budget and it sure beats the leading name brand of canned tomato soup, by a mile!
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Here’s another soup that clearly beat out canned soup. Actually, I won’t eat canned soup. Soup is one of the easiest things to cook and is so much better home made! Okay, so I know the picture doesn’t do it justice but beleive me when I say it was divine!
Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves
This time of year is perfect for squash soups! When Bill and I first started dating, he told me he loved pumpkin but hated Brussels sprouts. Well, it turned out that he had only had the frozen over cooked variety. LOL! When they are fresh and roasted, he agrees, they are delicious. This soup recipe is another keeper.
I also made the Cauliflower Soup With Pesto and Shells, except I didn’t make the pesto. It’s hard to get nice looking fresh basil this time of year and it was not in good shape at the store. We both loved this soup as well.
So, Bill and I give all 4 of the soups that I mae from this cookbook a 5 out of 5!
Now for the Pastas’ of which I made two.
Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
First I made the ‘Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs. I have to say that the meatballs were a bit difficult to get right. I followed the directions exactly but they turned out mushy on the inside. I had leftovers that I hadn’t cooked, so the next time I made them, the “batter” had been refrigerated. After I fried them, I put them in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and they turned out much better.
The pasta sauce is from a jar which she has you doctor up a bit. Overall, this was a good dish and I would make it again.
Pasta Alla Norma with Ricotta
This pasta was delicious! I am glad I could find some fresh enough basil to make the Ricotta because it really made our taste buds pop! Bill is the salad maker in our house and I just served it with his salad.
Creamy Polenta with Roasted Vegetable Ragu’
Another nice winter dish we enjoy is polenta. Like soup, polenta feels like a warm hug to me. Chef Chloe’s recipe is by far the creamiest I have ever made and along with the roasted veggies made it such a treat!
White Wine Risotto with Shitake Mushrooms and Peas
There are some things that I like to keep a lot of in my pantry and that includes a variety of pastas and risotto. If I don’t know what to cook one day, I can always come with with a pasta or risotto dish. We really enjoyed this one. Bill said that it was my best ever. Though the recipe called for fresh shitake mushrooms, I used dried that I reconstituted and it turned out fine. Neither one of us felt like making a special trip to the grocery store we knew carried fresh. We usually only go to that store when we have other things planned in that neighbourhood as well. We try to be as environmentally friendly with our car as possible.
Desserts:
Chocolate “Cherry” Coffee Cake
Our friends invited us over for dinner and as usual, I offered to make dessert. I had been wanting to try out this recipe and decided it would be a good time to try. So, the recipes called for fresh or frozen cherries, which I didn’t have. However, during berry season I buy fresh berries and freeze them to have all year long. I decided to use blueberries. The recipe also called for chocolate chips and in hindsight, I would have preferred to use raspberries or omit the chocolate chips. You couldn’t taste the blueberries in it because the chocolate was too dominant.
Marmalade Pancakes
Okay, so we actually had these pancakes twice. Once for a Sunday brunch with hash browns and vegan sausage and once as a dessert. Both times they were delicious!
Overall, this cookbook is a winner. I just have a couple small complaints. It assumes that you have a pasta maker and an ice cream maker. I have a lot of appliances and gadgets in my kitchen. However, I don’t have an industrial sized kitchen and there are a few things I don’t have. I have contemplated getting both an ice cream maker and pasta maker but have weighed how often I think I would actually use them versus, how much room they would take up. I would have loved to make the raviolli but it requires a pasta maker. I would also caution that while most of the recipes are easy to prepare, there are a few that are not for beginners.
I think that this cookbook has great recipes that are sure too please anyone’s palette, even meat eaters. Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and use readily available ingredients. Above all, they are wonderful! With the holiday season upon us, I have to say that Chloe’s vegan Italian Kitchen would make an excellent gift for anyone who love to cook and eat great meals!
I am giving it a 4.5/5 just because the meatballs have a bit of room for improvement. Otherwise it would have been a perfect score!
PETA’S Vegan College Cookbook
PETA’S Vegan College Cookbook
