How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet

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Summary: Improving my non-vegetarian/vegan household's diet
Review: How highly you will rate this book depends on where you are coming from. I bought this book because having tried to be vegetarian twice I knew that I become overly dependent on cheese and eggs when I stop eating meat. My husband once said that he never knew a vegetarian that never ate vegetables! So this time I thought I'd try finding whole meals that were based on real food and seeing if I couldn't crowd out my SAD diet with better meals. Overall, I find the recepies easy, inexpensive (although I think Braggs is pricy), and interesting enough that I plan on trying many of them, though I don't think there are enough main dish meals for this to be an only cookbook. Those that are long time vegans will not be surprised by most of the content but those that are new and looking for something a bit more introductory may enjoy this as much as I do. I always adjust recepies to my taste anyway so if some of these are not spicy enough, that's fine with me because it leaves room for improv. I don't understand why there are recepies for "milks" that only make two cups, who would go though all that bother to make two cups of milk? At the same time, as a egg replacer the flax eggs in the back of the book tells you how to make up 6 eggs worth at once but in the front mentions what it takes to make just one egg's worth but not how (that info should be together). It is so quick and easy to make up just one or two "eggs" from flax, I would never make them days in advance. As far as the design of the book, it is cute and there is great value to the idea of displaying vegan dishes in a 50's syle pearls and shirtwaist dress way, it promotes vegan dishes as being, well, non-weird and wholesome (which they are, of course.) However, if they wouldn't have used any of the photos of women cooking for men since there weren't any of men cooking for women it would have been much better. Also the typeface chosen for the recepie titles is hard to read (k's look like h's). The lack of an index is bad too, but I'm not the first to say it. And does the photo of the lovely authors with their piercings "go with" that 50's theme? Not quite (but they do look so friendly.) Really though, I think the book is extremely helpful, useful, and I will get much more of my money out of it than many other cookbooks. Thank you Ms. Barnard and Ms. Kramer!

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Summary: Includes entrees, soups, sauces, breads, salads, & desserts
Review: Self-described "lazy vegetarians" Sarah Barnard and Sarah Kramer are two long-time friends who decided to "go vegan" as a result of their love of animals. Together they have collaborated to bring aspiring vegetarians How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes For An Animal-Free Diet in order to help them make the transition from a meat-based to a meatless diet. The recipes include entrees, soups, sauces, breads, salads, and desserts which can provide the makings of terrific menus for any and all occasions. From Sparkling Homemade Ginger Ale; Garlic Dill Cream Cheese; and Stuffed Spaghetti Squash; to Maple Buttersque Icing; Zesty Cheese Spread; and Spiced Chai Tea, How It All Began is completely "kitchen cook friendly" and is additionally enhanced with vegan friendly recipes for cosmetics, hair products, pet treats, and even household cleaners.

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Summary: This is how I vegan!
Review: As a newbie vegan, I had no idea where to begin. But luckily, "How It All Vegan" was just the right place! This cookbook is an excellent choice, as it educates as well as offers healthy and tasty vegan meals to its reader. For those of us who had never entered the world of tofu and legumes before, helpful hints for preparation of new food items and substitutes for non-vegan items are a welcome sight! The most joyous aspect of this cookbook is the fact that it offers recipes for every meal of the day as well as desserts and condiments. Very helpful to those of us who are surprised to learn that even white sugar is non-vegan! Best of all, I've been using the recipes from this book for a week now and each one I've tried has turned out to be a great success for both my husband and I, both of us brand-new to the vegan lifestyle. I recommend this book to those of you searching for a great vegan cookbook to add to your kitchen.

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Summary: If I could own only two cookbooks.... THESE WOULD BE IT!
Review: My absolute favorite cookbooks are by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer, authors of "How it All Vegan!" and "The Garden of Vegan." Even if you aren't vegan, nearly every one of the recipes I've tried have been very yummy, pleasing many of my non-vegan friends and family!
New to these books? Try my favorites- I've made each of the following recipes more than 3 times, and they're a hit each time :)

from "How it all Vegan":
'anything goes' fruit muffins, p 49 (great when I have fruit that is about to go bad... just add it to a batch of muffins!)
Perfect Pesto, p. 80
Fragrant Garlic Parsley Pasta p. 106 (gggggggreat!)
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, p. 137 (I've made this recipe 10+ times. My friends and family LOVE this recipe- they can't even tell the cookies are vegan; they are so rich and delicious. I use a little more than the recommended chocolate chps- I use a little over 1 1/2 cups choc chips. Throw in some cocoa powder for extra flavor (1 tbsp)- and I often add pecans or walnuts!)
Flax Eggs, p.157 (Ok, so this is just an egg-substitute recipe, real simple... but it has been the best egg-replacer I've used in baking- and it's very cheap!)
Out of this whole book, the only recipe that turned out awful for me was Big Ben's Lentil Burgers, p. 110. I don't know what I did, they just falled apart... probably could have used some Flax Eggs....

From "The Garden of Vegan": I haven't tried quite as many recipes in this book, but from what I have... really good!
Sesame Ginger Dressing, p. 99 (awesome!!!)
All-Purpose Spice Nuts, p. 111 (good for parties)
Zoe's Grandma's Roasted New Potatoes, p. 113
Chickpeas & Swiss Chard, p. 117 (one summer I was growing lots of swiss chard at my parents' house and didn't know what to do with it... this recipe is sooooooo good! Yes, garnish it with flax oil and Bragg's, as recommended.)
Green Goddess Bowl, p. 153
Anne's molasses Cookies, p. 187 (so simple and so good.)

I can't recommend these books enuf- when I was *new* to cooking, i found them very user-friendly and with helpful references in the front and back of each book, I learned about all the different kinds of flour and beans, and a million things to do with baking soda, and ideas for bath and body treats, and party theme ideas... If I could live off of just two cookbooks, these are all I'd need. The authors are just too cute, to boot! What a pleasure to use these cookbooks!


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Summary: Made veganism an easy transition!
Review: This book is fun and funky. The recipes are easy and delicious, with little in the way of ingredients the common person hasn't heard of (and most of those are differences in Canadian vs. American lingo). This book does have a lot of desert and 'junk' food, yet it makes the transition easier. And quite frankly, most vegan books don't have recipes for chocolate chip bars and rice crispy treats, let alone ones that you can eat guilt free. The gals say to use whatever kind of flour and sweetener you like, so even junk food can be very healthy, depending on how you make it. My kids (8, 9, and 14) converted to veganism without fuss thanks to the recipes in How it all Vegan, Garden of Vegan, and Vegan Planet. BUY THESE BOOKS! Also read anything by John Robbins- it'll keep you vegan when you are tempted to eat a big slice of cheesy pizza.

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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I've had this book for some time (and it shows with it's crinkled pages and food drip stains here and there!), and I've yet to not turn to it for a good recipe. Though I have to make a response to another review, there are NO recipes in this book that call for honey or any other bee products. It wouldn't make sense to have Honey in a list of "Vegan No-No's" in their book and then have recipes that call for it. However, some vegans do not consider honey to be non-vegan, that comes down to personal belief more than a set "rule".

The great thing about this book, is the recipes are very easy to alter, I didn't much like the taste of the French Toast, I felt it called for too much nutritional yeast, so it inspired me to create my own French Toast recipe which is amazing, and even my diary consuming friends can't tell the difference. So not only is it a good book as it is, but a good inspiration for coming up with your own vegan versions of "everyday" foods.

Though, when making a recipe that calls for cinnamon, I highly suggest Vietnamese Cinnamon, regular, everyday cinnamon is ashes compared to the Vietnamese varity. ^_^

I'm not sure if the reviewer is mixing this book up with another one or what, as my copy is definately not "revised" or "updated" or anything of the sort.

In short: Buy this book, it's a very good starter recipe book for the vegan beginner, and quite helpful if you are worried about what is in the things you're buying, as with this book, you can make your own cleaners and facial masks, as well as treats for the the family furries, my friend's rat just LOVES the Carob Chip-Oatmeal Crunchies!

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Summary: This book is terrific!
Review: I own over 50 cookbooks, many are veg, and i must say, those who complain the recipes in this cookbook are too boring and bland, are just wrong wrong wrong! What i love about this cookbook is that it has basic recipes, veganised. If you want to spice it up, go ahead! no one is stopping you. there is nothing worse than a basic cookbook that changes a basic recipe by adding novel ingredients that ruin a recipe leaving the inexpirienced cook confused as to why " it tastes weird". I've never had a recipe from this book go wrong on me.

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Summary: Do yourself a favor and buy this/these books!
Review: If you are vegan or just globally aware, buy "How it all Vegan" and "The Garden of Vegan." It is rare to find delicious and easy-to-make recipes, and these books are full of them! Try the Perfect Pumpkin Pie and Whipped Cream recipes! Super ideas, comprehensive information, easy-to-follow directions, and compassion! Buy them!

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Summary: hmmmm.......some problems here...........
Review: There is a lot of good stuff in this cookbook, and it's fun to read. I have a quibble, though. Way too much of the book is devoted to baked goods and desserts. I really wanted to see more entrees in there. Also, a LOT of the baked goods and dessert recipes are made with white flour and margarine - two ingredients that a sensible diet should severely limit (and in the case of margarine, eliminate completely). Still, it's a quality purchase.

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Summary: Perfect for new vegans! Index found in back of book.
Review: This cookbook was extremely helpful to me, an 11-year vegetarian, who recently decided to try veganism. I bought this book as an alternative to eating the expensive, processed vegan foods found at the local health food store. I was very impressed at the simplicity and variety of recipes found in this book. It includes everything from entrees to desserts, breakfast foods, snacks for kids, and even household products you can make. I have tested dozens of recipes from this book and admit that there are a few poorly chosen recipes, but for the most part the recipes are very tasty and fairly easy to make. My favorites include the tofurkey, tofu scramble, banana pancakes and raspberry corn muffins. Another reviewer wrote that there was no index, however an index of all ingredients and recipes can be found in the back of this book. I highly recommend this book for the new vegan!