Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is an essential cookbook for anyone considering veganism but daunted by the idea of giving up non-vegan foods, and also makes a great addition to the cookbook shelf of anyone who already cooks vegan. All of Kristy's recipes are delicious and use "regular" ingredients - you won't need to hunt down a name-brand egg replacer or "nondairy cheese shreds". Occasionally Earth Balance or other vegan butter is suggested. I have successfully substituted coconut oil for vegan butter in all of those recipes so far, for anyone who wants to eschew the premade stuff. I've made almost a dozen recipes: the homemade BBQ sauce; green pea guacamole with homemade tortilla chips; baked bean and cornbread casserole; flourless chocolate decadence cake; BBQ jackfruit fajitas; chickpea omelettes; BBQ baked tofu; sweet and sour cauliflower; loaded Mexican baked potatoes; rosemary lemon poundcake; and molasses-hazelnut chocolate mousse tart. I have pretty much no negative feedback about any of those recipes. I made all of them as instructed and enjoyed every last one, particularly the baked bean casserole and the rosemary lemon poundcake. This isn't the kind of food that makes you think, "this tastes vegan". It just tastes awesome! I also love the way the book is organized, with chapters each addressing a different common food-related concern about going vegan, like 'I couldn't live without cheese'. Kristy's writing is friendly, approachable and honest. She's probably also living proof that you can give up cheese, since she discusses how she used to be a fromagier. There are beautiful full-color pictures to accompany almost every recipe, which is another definite plus! I wanted to note some critiques of the book, but I could really only think of one. Many of the recipes involve a lot of different steps and/or ingredients, especially because some recipe components are actually previous "base" recipes (e.g. the baked beans utilize the homemade BBQ sauce). This is definitely the wrong book for someone who wants to get in and out of the kitchen as soon as possible. But I believe that the results of these recipes are well worth the effort. Happy cooking!