A look at Veganomicon

Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe with Rotelle (in my case, penne)

This is a book I have had ever since the day it was released. Only recently have I started really cooking out of it. Soooo, it took me how long to do this?? Uh, three years. Wow. Well, in all fairness my reasons for not wanting to cook everything out of this book in the first month are valid. Most of the recipes have long names like Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream, and Cauliflower and Mushroom Potpie with Black Olive Crust, and Caramelized Onion-Butternut Roast with Chestnuts, and Pear and Endive Salad with Maple Candied Pecans, and Green Pea and Lemon Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers . . . . I am a simple woman with very little time on my hands and these all sounded potentially complicated and time consuming. I am put off by wordy recipe titles.

Last month my friend Claire who writes a great blog called Chez Cayenne did a mini review of Veganomicon. After reading her review, I knew it would be perfect to do a full review of it for VegPeople, the vegan and vegetarian website/discussion board we both help to moderate. We worked on this review together, making it conversation-style, sharing our thoughts and talking about the recipes we made from the book. We even ended up convincing each other to make recipes from the book that we loved and hadn't tried! Take a look at our review.

This book review ended up being a lot of fun to work on. It forced me to open the book and go through it, from the beginning to the end, and to try the recipes I have been meaning to make since I bought the book. It's not my favorite book. I did have a couple of recipes that just didn't work out well for me, but out of the 12 or so recipes I have made out of it in addition to the ones I have made since the review, most of them were successes and turned out terrific.

Some things I find important in a cookbook that claims to be "The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" are really quite simple: the basics. Veganomicon does have that. In the front of the book you will find information on what you should be stocking your pantry with, what kitchen equipment you should have in your possession, what important cooking and prepping terms you need to understand, information on lower fat cooking (information that I disagree with - they don't like low-fat cooking and I think it's essential to good health) and how to cook vegetables, grains and beans properly. This basic information is what is necessary to really understand the foundations of cooking. I am pleased to see that in this book.

While I do not give this book the highest rating possible, I do feel it is a book worth recommending to people who are creative, motivated and want to cook really good food. And if you have had this book just sitting on your shelf getting dusty, well, then you need to grab it right now, dust it off and start cooking. I think you'll have some fun.