Fresh and Fast Vegan Pleasures: More Than 140 Delicious, Creative Recipes to Nourish Aspiring and Devoted Vegans

If I absolutely had to choose a favorite cookbook, this one would be it. If I think to myself, "I want to try a new recipe today (out of 84 cookbooks) but I NEED it to have good results, without question," this is the book I'd go to. I love the roasted sweet potato, onion, and apple soup and also the eggplant butter with potatoes. The recipes are rich and satisfying but also healthy, incorporating vegetables and grains.

I've been cooking veg food for more than ten years and have 100 vegetarian and vegan cookbooks in my collection - this is one of my favorites, especially during summer when I want fresh, delicious, sparkling food. I love to page through this book in search of inspiration before heading to the market. The combinations are mouth-watering and most are relatively easy to fix. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for interesting vegan food.

Amanda Grant has assembled some truly wonderful recipes that will satisfy even the most stubborn meat eaters. She addresses taste, texture, variety, aroma and presentation while staying true to a strict vegetarian diet (no honey = thanks amanda). What I particularly like is that Amanda doesn't get mired in the pitfalls that bog down other like minded books. That is, she doesn't offer meat and cheese substitutes, but wonderfully crafted recipes that stand on their own. So, strict vegetarians, chicken/fish eating "vegetarians" and meat eaters unite to gather around a plate of Caramelized Fennel and Shallot Risotto. The debeaked chickens of the world will thank you.

I used this cookbook for my first vegan dinner party - my guests were blown away. My sister and her husband were prepared to have a meal with lettuce and rice and were stunned by the food. The recipes I made were the Grilled Eggplant with Black Olive Dressing, Puree of Beans and Potatoes with Olive Oil and the Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut cake - (lick the bowl on this one!).The layout of this book is EASY to follow.Enjoy!