Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

The good:
The cookbook is well-organized and offers a lot of helpful tips on what to stock in your pantry and on cookware. It definitely inspires people to cook. I love the Betty Crocker feel to the book.

The bad:
There are some recipes that list ingredients in the beginning, but don't use them in the recipe. The cooking times on some of the grains(kasha, quinoa) are too long and the grains come out over-cooked. The same is true for the veggies. The recipes I've tried so far aren't very good. For example, the Roasted Brussels Sprouts were awful. I love brussels sprouts, I love roasted veggies, and I love spicy Indian food, so I thought this would be a slam dunk, but it was grainy and bland. I also found the campy tone to be off-putting for such a professional cookbook.

The verdict:
Great idea, great concept, but average tasting food and overcomplicated recipes. I really wish that it had more simple, delicious recipes that are meant for the average cook. I'm going to stick with it and try a few more recipes and I will update if my opinion changes.

I am not vegan or even vegetarian. However, like many other Americans I am not a huge meat lover and for environmental and ethical reasons, am trying to cut down on the number of animal products I consume. Because of these intentions, I found this cookbook to be right up my alley. The book is quite approachable and is not overly preachy about veganism, which as an omni I find welcoming. What I love about these dishes is that they showcase that vegan dishes are not a poor man's substitute for meat, but in fact meals that are fantastic in their own right. These are meals that I gladly serve to my other meat eating friends without fear that the dishes might be labeled "weird" or "obscure." I have had great results with such dishes as the green tea ice cream, pineapple-cashew-quinoa-stir-fry, and chocolate chip brownie waffles. Meals like these will surely show vegan and non-vegan eaters that animal product free food can be indulgent, interesting, and all around delicious.
Taste value is usually number one to me when rating a cookbook, but there are other positives about this book that I think readers will appreciate. For one, there are quite a range of recipes influenced by a range of cultures and flavors. In addition, these recipes also range in the amount of time needed and their corresponding level of difficulty. As a result, there are recipes that could easily be tackled by beginning cooks as well as those that will appeal to more seasoned foodies. There is also a pretty in-depth section on kitchen basics covering everything from stocking a vegan pantry to cooking appliances to how to cook basics like beans and grains. This leads to a book that is part reference and part recipes. The result is a cookbook that will not just sit on your shelf, but will prove useful for both special occasion and everyday meals. I highly recommend it for vegans and non-vegans of all skill levels who want to make great animal product free meals that explode with flavor.

I love this book. I'm not vegan but I am about 99% vegetarian. I find veg*n food to be so versatile and interesting, and this book is no exception. My faves are pretty typical: chickpea cutlets, lemony roasted potatoes (I can't even find a Greek restaurant that makes better taters than these!), and the peanut eggplant soup. Oh, that soup is so good I could eat an entire pot by myself! Plus, it freezes well!

I also like that it's funny and includes a lot of kitchen tips. If you are not vegan, don't be afraid. You can "de-veganize" any of the recipes (although I'm sure it's frowned upon!) by using cow's milk and cheese where substitutes are called for.

I bought this book, along with Isa's 2 other cookbooks, and I love them all. The only downside is since I'm new to this lifestyle (vegan), I'm buying stuff that I dont normally keep on hand. I've made a handful of things out of here already...the corn chowder and the hot sauce glazed tempeh are AWESOME! I would definitely recommend this book!

As a vegetarian cooking for my dairy allergic son, I found myself lost in the sea of "meat" substitutes. Enter VEGANMONICON. Every recipe I've tried has been fantastic, fairly easy to prepare, and did I mention, fantastic! I have always been curious about vegan cooking and now I have tried and true recipes to satisfy my curiosity and appetite- yum.