Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating

I received ED & BV for my birthday last month. It wasn't even on my wish list but it caught my stepdaughter's attention and I'm thrilled that it did! I've made about 7 or 8 of the recipes so far and they've all ranged from "Huh, that's pretty darn good" to "HOLY SMOKES! That's the most insanely delicious thing I've ever tasted!!!" (If you want an example of the latter, make the Rawesome Dip. It will blow your mind. You've been warned.) A BIG bonus for me: I also got an immersion blender for my birthday, and ED & BV provides a ton of opportunities for me to use it. Pros: --The notes in the margin are extremely helpful and detailed, and offer great ideas for variations, serving suggestions, etc. --The recipes are all user-friendly enough for a less-experienced home cook --A lot of the recipes will freeze and reheat well, which is great for moms who work full-time or anyone who's just short on time --Many of the recipes are downright surprising (Cocoa Coconut Chili??? Yes. Really.) and genuinely unique, which is fun for any cookbook junkie who's gotten to the "Been there, cooked that" stage. Flipping through the pages of ED & BV, I lost track of the number of times I thought "Wow, I've never seen anything quite like that before ..." Cons: --No nutritional info. --A significant amount of obscure ingredients that you will probably only find in specialty ethnic shops. I already had fenugreek seeds in my pantry, but that's only because I'm lucky enough to have an Indian grocery store near my job. But neither my favorite well-stocked supermarket nor the local health food store carries these. (There are other authors, however, who are far worse in this regard.) --Poor index. If you look up "chickpeas," for example, you'll get a list of the page numbers where chickpea recipes can be found, but not a list of the specific recipe names and their page numbers. Overall, a definite must-have for anybody who loves veg or vegan cooking, or even an adventurous non-veg who just wants ideas for easy-to-make dishes that are as delicious as they are different. I am extremely impressed with this book, and I'm putting Dreena Burton's other books at the very top of my wish list right away.

I should have written a review of this cookbook long ago, but I finally just put my fork down (literally) after eating another one of ED & BV's fabulous recipes and said, "People must know how great this cookbook is!" And here I am :) What did I just finish? The White Bean, Walnut, and Spinach Phyllo Rolls with the Traditional Cranberry Sauce. This is the second time I have made it. It is unbelievable. So easy, but so elegant and delicious. That's how I characterize a lot of Dreena's recipes - easy, elegant, delicious. This book is full of uncomplicated recipes with easy to find ingredients (at least, for me - I have a decently stocked Stop & Shop, Shaw's Supermarket, Whole Foods, and health food store within a 15-mile radius). The results have all been spectacular. I've also made (and LOVED) the Olive Oyl Pasta, White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons (OMG amazing), Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts, Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Rosemary Cornmeal Polenta Fries, Lentil Veggie Chimichangas with Hide the Lentils Tomato Sauce, Coconut Lime Basmati Rice, Cashew-Ginger Tofu, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, Orange Sesame Tofu, Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, Savory French Lentils, Cimmamon Lime Quinoa with Apricots and Almonds, One Wild Chick Soup (honestly, it is as savory and filling as the best chicken and rice soup you would have eaten in your "omni" days), Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta (I think I'm in love...probably the most time-consuming recipe in the book, but it is sooooooo worth it!), Beats a BLT Sandwich! (sure does!), Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Polenta Croutons, Cumin Lime Tofu, Autumn Puree, Smoky Split Pea Soup, Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole, Moroccan-Infused Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce (mmmmmmm so good!), and Monkey Minestrone. I literally cannot believe how many more of the recipes I want to try. I think I am going to try almost every single one in the book! Dreena makes everything seem so accessible. I'd never made anything with tempeh before (despite began a vegan for a while now!) but with her clear, step by step instructions and sidebars, Dreena makes vegan cooking approachable for everyone, vegans and omnis alike. I can tell you, I have not even come close to using as many recipes in my other vegan cookbooks as I have with ED & BV. Let me be frank... I own several vegan cookbooks...all the major titles by all the major vegan cookbook authors...and this is, by FAR, the best of the bunch. If you own one vegan cookbook, make it ED & BV. You won't regret it!

Once again, a wonderful cookbook. I've so far only made the raspberry chocolate chip scones and they were fantastic. As with her other cookbooks, the layout of the recipes is really well done and easy to read. I also like how she gives substitution suggestions and other spice/flavor options in the margin. Dreena's recipes are always great and use lots of healthy, wholesome ingredients that make the food a guiltless pleasure to enjoy.