Foods That Don't Bite Back: Vegan Cooking Made Simple

Being a vegan I like recipe books that are for vegans, since I don't have to spend time looking for recipes without products from animals.. It can become frustrating when you find a great sounding recipe only to see that several items, which would be difficult to substitute, are from animals. Vegetarians considering switching to veganism will want a copy of Foods That Don't Bite Back: Vegan Foods Made Simple as the author, Sue Donaldson, has included important information in the section entitled "Why Become a Vegan?" where she looks at numerous reasons why this healthy, compassionate diet should be embraced. In the preface, Donaldson describes the cruel conditions that nonhuman animals enslaved for their flesh, milk and eggs are forced to endure before they are killed. She also provides many arguments as to why a compassionate, vegan diet is preferable for human and nonhuman animals as well as the environment and how it can be attained. "If you are concerned about the environment, there are a number of dietary steps you can take to demonstrate your concern. The single most important step is to become a vegan. Only by drastically limiting our dependence on animal-based foods can we develop a sustainable relationship with the environment. Another key step is to buy organic produce whenever possible, thus encouraging the agricultural industry to lessen its dependency on chemicals. A further benefit of going organic is that you thereby support what are typically small, family-run farms over agribusiness. Large-scale and intensive farming is responsible for most environmental degradation." (page 21) Donaldson also provides suggestions and tips pertaining to "raising vegan kids in a non-vegan world" including some of the books and websites listed in the "Resources for Further Reading." She also covers "Hidden Animal Ingredients" as well as where to go online for more information on this important subject. A short section on "Vegan Substitutions for Cooking and Baking" is also helpful. Donaldson's recipes are varied and are divided into sections on: starters, soups, side dishes, main dishes and desserts. Many of the recipes are easy to make and Donaldson provides variations for several of them. The glossary of ingredients is informative and provides the reader with definitions for many vegan foods and ingredients. This section will be particularly helpful to those who have recently made the transition to this healthy, kind and environmentally friendly diet. There is even a section on "Vegan Pets." Whether you are looking for good vegan recipes, reasons why a vegan diet is important or more information pertaining to hidden animal ingredients in foods, Foods That Don't Bite Back is definitely worth a read.