Book Description:

The creator of the acclaimed Vegan Divas product line and the chef and owner of New York’s Vegan Divas Bakery shares her award-winning recipes for creating decadent, flavorful treats adored by vegans and carnivores alike

For Fernanda Capobianco, eating vegan doesn’t mean sacrificing divine taste. A vegan since she was seventeen, the native Brazilian chef and wife of acclaimed French Chef François Payard founded Vegan Divas, a New York City dessert company specializing in utterly decadent yet supremely healthy, vegan desserts. Her cruelty-free fare has been featured everywhere from Vogue to New York Magazine’s “Grub Street,” and her much buzzed-about low-cal, mini-desserts have been included in events for institutions like Martha Stewart, the New York Times, and Soul Cycle. In her first book, she shares more than 75 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes that are high in protein and fiber but low in fat and calories. Filled with dozens of four-color photos, The Vegan Divas Cookbook includes:

• Delectable treats like Mango-Pineapple Cake, Espresso-Lemon Panna Cotta, Spicy Carrot Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Spelt Brownies, and Gingersnap Cookies
• Brunch favorites like Peanut Butter and Jelly Scones, Eggless Scrambled Eggs, Sweet Potato Pancakes, and Detox Granola
• Hearty breads (some gluten-free) like Jalapeño Corn Bread, Spiced Pumpkin Bread, Eggless Whole Wheat Challah, and Tomato-Basil Country Bread
• Light lunches such as Smoky Tomato-Bean Soup, Walnut Paté Apple Sandwich, Roasted Pumpkin with Peanut Sauce, and Blue Potato Kale Salad

The Vegan Divas Cookbook also offers tips for creating a vegan kitchen, such as pantry essentials; basic recipes like for pie crust, whipped topping, and icing; and easy swaps for healthier cooking and baking, including how to replace animal-based oils and fats, chocolate, and thickening agents, for healthier and lower-calorie versions. Fernanda also provides entertaining and decorating tips for creating perfect plates and beautiful baked goods the Vegan Diva way.

My Thoughts:

As you have probably figured out, I can’t resist a chance to try out new vegan cookbooks.  So, here’s another one.  

I found the recipes to be very creative and fun to make.  I tried the peanut butter and jelly scones, Jalapeno corn bread, the Chilled Sweet Corn with Red Pepper Coulis and Croutons, and other recipes.

The Chilled Sweet Corn soup (pictured above) was the most labor intensive.  It is not a recipe for a beginner cook.  Luckly, I have been cooking for many years.  You need to use fresh corn for this so it requres you to cut the corn off of many ears of corn.  Was the work worth it?  Yes and no.  It was a nice change of pace and good on a hot summer’s day.  However, I actually preferred it warm which, is how we ate the left overs.  Would I make it again?  Probably not.  Though it was good, I usually only make outstanding recipes again, when they are that labor intensive.

That said, I do recommend this cookbook for the other recipes.  Most of them are much easier to make than the soup and good.

4/5

I received the ebook for review from Edelweiss for my honest opinion.
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Book Description:

Recipes, tips, and strategies for easy, delicious vegan meals every day of the week, from America’s bestselling vegan cookbook author.

How does Isa Chandra Moskowitz make flavorful and satisfying vegan meals from scratch every day, often in 30 minutes or less? It’s easy! In ISA DOES IT, the beloved cookbook author shares 150 new recipes to make weeknight cooking a snap. Mouthwatering recipes like Sweet Potato Red Curry with Rice and Purple Kale, Bistro Beet Burgers, and Summer Seitan Saute with Cilantro and Lime illustrate how simple and satisfying meat-free food can be.

The recipes are supermarket friendly and respect how busy most readers are. From skilled vegan chefs, to those new to the vegan pantry, or just cooks looking for some fresh ideas, Isa’s unfussy recipes and quirky commentary will make everyone’s time in the kitchen fun and productive.

My Thoughts:

I saw this cookbook on Net Galley and had to have it.  All my regular readers know that I am a sucker for vegan cookbooks.  Whenever I see a new one, I have to try it out.  I actually received it in August, so I’m late reviewing it.  Better late than never though!

Soon after I downloaded this cookbook I decided to try making one of the salads because it was a hot day

and didn’t require the oven.  I made the Sesame Slaw with Garlicky Seitan.  First you prepare the salad, then the seitan, and then the dressing and put it all together.  While Bill and I both liked the salad and the dressing, we did not care for the seitan with it.  It was a weird tasting combination that just didn’t work for us.  My advise is to make the slaw with the dressing as a side dish but don’t pare it with seitan and definitely do not add seitan to it. We rated it 2.5/5.

Ranch Salad With Red Potatoes & Smoky Chick Peas

The next week, I tried a different salad, the Ranch salad with Red Potatoes and Smoky Chick Peas.  It was so good, I made it once or more a week until the weather cooled of.  It makes a great main course salad! We rated it 5/5 Pictures above.

This fall, I made the Haria Soup.  I chose it because it had chick peas and eggplant, which I love.  It also has lentils and pasta so it is a nice hearty soup and would be especially good on a cold winter’s day.  So, I will be making it again!  I rate it 5/5.

I tried making some other recipes as well.  We liked some recipes better than others.  I would certainly recommend it highly for some of the recipes.  Overall, I rate this vegan cookbook 3.5/5.

I received the ebook version from Net Galley for my honest opinion.


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Book Description:

milk and some maple syrup instead of the peach syrup from a can.  I don’t eat canned peaches, I think they are disgusting.  The batter would have been perfect for pancakes but came out way too thick for crepes.  I just added a lot more soy milk to the batter for the right consistency. (Something that first time crepe makers may not know to do).  They turned out great!  I stuffed them with fresh blue berries, fresh peaches, and homemade vegan coconut whip cream. (The whip cream recipe is not in the book.)