Wednesday, October 14, 2015

REVIEW: Food52 Vegan by Gena Hamshaw

Synopsis

An essential collection of hassle-free, vibrant vegan recipes, from the author behind Food52's wildly popular The New Veganism and Vegan Lunch columns.

This lush, modern collection features 60 recipes for dependable yet fresh vegan standbys, including bold pasta dishes, hearty stews, inventive bean burgers, nourishing whole grains, innovative salads, and rich desserts. Food52 columnist, certified clinical nutritionist, and author Gena Hamshaw's approach to vegan cooking will appeal to vegans, flexitarians, and omnivores alike: At its heart, vegan food is just food. Creative, satisfying, and colorful, it offers tremendous possibility to the home cook. With exquisite photography for every dish and abundant "kitchen confidence" tips throughout--such as making cashew cream for rich soups, using nutritional yeast to add umami to a batch of fresh pesto, and adding avocado to breakfast smoothies for a creamy texture--this will be every home cook's go-to guide for incorporating plant-based dishes into their daily routine.


Kindle Edition
Expected publication: September 22nd 2015 by Ten Speed Press
ISBN13 9781607747994

My Thoughts

I’ve become a fan of Food52. I recently reviewed their book Genius Recipes, which garnered my very rare and coveted “A+” rating! And last night I made dinner using a recipe from their website.

Food52 in general is not vegetarian, but this cookbook is the baby of Gena Hamshaw, who writes the column New Veganism for Food52. It's chock full of inventive and flavorful vegan goodies.

The book begins with a foreword by Food52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. They express their initial reservations regarding vegan cooking, but the author converted them.
...we were wary of vegan cooking until not too long ago...But Gena's tolerant and graceful presentation of vegan cooking (and her use of real, seasonal ingredients) made converts of us all, and the column became one of our most widely read.
The foreword is followed by a brief Vegan 101 index, letting you know where you can find some essential information like "Getting to Know Some Vegan Staples" or "Essential Techniques".

The book is divided up into chapters:

Breakfast
Appetizers & Snacks
Soups
Salads
Main Dishes
Desserts

It's filled with beautiful photos. The ingredients are generally simple, common ingredients (at least for someone familiar with vegan dining. Some things like nondairy milk, tamari, or nutritional yeast may not be familiar to more traditional cooks). I didn’t notice anything that would be especially difficult to find in most modern grocery stores.

There are lots of delicious-sounding recipes, like Peach Crumble Coffee Cake, Penne with Summer Squash, Corn and Herbs, Smoky Tempeh and Hummus Sandwiches and Chai-Spiced Bread Pudding. I wanted to try the Date Nut Bread, but I discovered I was out of dates. Doh!

Also note that the index is searchable by ingredient or recipe.

This book has been added to my "Will Buy" list of books. It's put together well, the recipes are familiar yet presented with a twist, the ingredients are attainable. This book makes vegan cooking "friendly" and accessible.

Buy Now:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

My Rating:






The Cerebral Girl is a forty-something blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release. 


 

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