But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!

I received Kristy’s first book a few years back as a gift and simply loved it – not only was in packed full of creative, attainable recipes, but it was also interesting enough to sit down and read which is not the case with many cookbooks. As a cheese lover (I am vegetarian not Vegan) I loved her perspective as a former fromagier who turned vegan and found a way to fulfill those dairy cravings! So with the new book coming out I knew I had to purchase it as I am in need of fun, delicious, plant based recipes that I can serve to my kids, and friends who are sometimes reluctant to eat solely plant based meals -and even better, this book is not organized in the traditional fashion of breakfast, lunch and dinner – but rather by excuse, with meal options to overcome every single one of them! The book begins with the authors’ story of how this book came to be: Her journey to becoming vegan and how family gatherings presented with difficulty as she would have to bring her own food, endure countless comments, strange looks and having to explain over and over they why behind her decision – which on that note, I love her simple answer “the first thing you need to realize is that this is YOUR life. If you want to be vegan…you can do it”. It’s a really funny and entertaining read. But this began the foundation to the book so you can share some vegan dishes with your friends and family that taste good and are met with approval! The book begins with a chapter on some staples that are useful to make, as they will feature is several of the dishes in this book – vegan bacon crumbles, avocado ranch dressing (amazing) and lemon tahini sauce as examples. Then we go into the excuses you may come across and the dishes to make in response, such as: • My family demands bacon and eggs for breakfast • I don’t have time to cook elaborate family dinners • My kids think vegan food is weird • My teenagers just want to fit in with their friends • If forced to choose between chicken wings and me, my spouse would choose the wings • My partner doesn’t think veganism is part of a well balance diet (funny thing is I had this response from my parents many years ago when I began being a vegetarian and my mum, a nurse, insisted I ate liver once a week for the iron - a weird British thing and liver is enough to turn any child vegetarian -yuck!! • The in-laws will just add this to their list of my faults These are funny, tongue in cheek, yet also quite real, and there are 20 different “excuses” that are addressed with a range 125 of delicious recipes. I love the fact that this book does not require a trip to the expensive hip grocer to procure wild and wonderful aka expensive, ingredients, nor are the recipes overly complicated. As a busy working mom and a self professed terror in the kitchen, I do not have the time, skill or patience to spend many hours cooking which is fine, as this book does not have such expectations! I made the jackfruit carnitas burrito bowl last night and not only was it delicious , the family enjoyed it , no questions asked, and jackfruit is easily found canned right here on Amazon; the cauliflower alfredo baked ziti is also divine and comforting , there are salads, soups and desserts for those that have a sweet tooth. Even wings with blue cheese dip made with cauliflower which I have made many times in the past (from other similar recipes) and they really are a hit, just try them! It’s a great book, fun read and loaded with so many creative recipes, you will have something to overcome any excuse about trying vegan food!

I have Kristy’s first book as well and really like it, but so far think this one is better (fewer “weird” ingredients, better flavors, in my opinion at least, and probably quicker recipes). I’m not someone who needs pictures, but hers (/her husband’s) are really nice. I think my favorite thing about her book is the creativity and the lack of processed foods. I like how she uses veggies in all sorts of interesting ways and doesn’t call for vegan cheese, meat substitutes, etc. She also doesn’t use seitan, which makes me happy, because seitan makes me want to barf. For those with a nut issue, you should be warned that she does use them a good deal. She does not use very much oil, but occasionally calls for Earth Balance. I think some people will complain about the chapters not having the traditional starter-main-sides-dessert layout, but I kind of like it for a change. You never know what you’re going to find where, so it’s like Christmas when you come across a different recipe. This is what I’ve made so far (in order of appearance in the book) and my commentary on each recipe: Basic Cashew Cheese Sauce (Regular and Pepper Jack) Both good, quick. Cheese-like, though wouldn’t fool anyone, at least not when it’s served on its own. Pickled Red Cabbage and Onions Yummy condiment, very easy. Avocado Ranch Dressing Not my fav. Nothing like ranch, not that great overall. Maple-Peanut Butter Pancakes Yummy and hearty. Reduced the maple somewhat and used the all-purpose flour option. Everyone’s Favorite Oatmeal Needs a lot more liquid, but good, nothing special if you already know how to make oatmeal. I still prefer steel cut to rolled I guess. BBQ Chickpea Salad Very hearty, very pretty colors… bit on the sweet side. Would probably ½ the BBQ sauce next time, since that’s really sweet and the pickled cabbage is really sweet. Jackfruit Crabless Cakes with Lemon Dill Aioli Probably my fav so far - cakes and sauce both delish. Hidden Veggie Mac ‘n’ Cheese Wouldn’t fool anyone for being “real”, but is a healthy and good dish on its own (if you don’t mind nooch). Lazy Vegan Chile Relleno Casserole Pretty good; definitely recommend the optional salsa on top and serving with tortillas, which you will have leftover anyway since this recipe only uses 1. Herbed Macadamia Ricotta Delish, though quite tangy so more reminiscent of feta than ricotta to me. Filet O Chickpea Sandwich with Tartar Sauce Slaw Made these two separately, which was probably a mistake, because the patties on their own are just ok, but the tartar sauce and slaw are delish, quick and easy. I think all together on a nice bun it’d be really good. Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Making tonight, will update. Lasagna Soup Hearty and really good. Don’t skimp on the ricotta though. Chickpea and Avocado Taquitos Quick and delish. Made 11 (instead of 8), wohoo! Used yogurt option (versus mayo or nothing). One of my favs so far. Chickpea Croquettes with Dill Yogurt Sauce Another fav. Both the patties and sauce (made with unsweetened soy yogurt) were great. Made for (meat-eating) dinner guests and everyone really liked. Unsweetened vegan yogurt was a bit of a pain to find, but in the end I found it at the local organic shop. Spiced Nuts Really addicting. (Meat-eating) family loved. Can make ahead freeze. PS- I have over 120 cookbooks and cook only vegetarian (mostly vegan) food.

Awesome cookbook, looking for different recipes to remain consistent on a vegan diet and it does the job with most of the recipes.

I am vegan though most of my family members are not and my relatives do not support or understand my vegan lifestyle. So this book was right up my alley – I was looking for more vegan recipes especially ones that would win my family over and when I read the hilarious intro (that I could totally relate to), I knew that this book was perfect for me. It has everything that I look for in a great recipe book. Besides easy to make, mouth-watering recipes, it caters for fussy teens as well as little ones, has plan ahead meals as well as ones to go, explains how to veganise your favourite recipes, options for gluten free, nut free and soy free, and home-made edible gifts. I also loved the layout – plenty of photos, ingredients at a glance as well as a motivational intro for each recipe with helpful tips. I have been trying out many of the recipes and my favourite so far are Sun-dried Tomato Linguine, Shitake Stroganoff and Chickpea Caesar Pasta Salad. Highly recommended for vegans and those aspiring to be.

Great book full of easy vegan recipes to make. Like it because contains lots of photos. Got another book from Kristy and i found them useful.

Fantastic recipes that everyone loves. If you want crowd pleasing vegan recipes, this is the book for you!

Love this book. As a vegan living in an omni household this has given me ideas for feeding everyone the same meal without complaints. Good recipes and nice to just have a read! It is American so certain things need to be translated but this is really easy thanks to google.

... and many family favorites are in there. Wonderful for everyone trying to eat more plants!

Das neue Buch von Kristy Turner legt den Fokus auf Rezepte die verbreitete Vorurteile zum veganen Essen zerstreuen sollen. Diesem Ziel wird sie auch weitgehend gerecht, die Rezepte sind mit vertretbarem Aufwand nachzukochen und schmecken wirklich lecker (zumindest meine getesteten). Tater Totchos sind eine echte Empfehlung. Einziger Minuspunkt sind für mich die vielen Kalorien der einzelnen Rezepte, welche für meinen Geschmack etwas weniger sein könnten.