The Candle Cafe Cookbook: More Than 150 Enlightened Recipes from New York's Renowned Vegan Restaurant

This is one of the best vegan cookbooks I've owned. From appetizers (Candle Cafe's Mezze Platter p.14, Seitan Skewers with Chimichurri Citrus Herb Sauce p.20, Roasted Pepper and Olive Tapenade p.27) to soups (Sweet Corn Chowder p.49, Black Bean Soup p.62), salads (Candle Cobb Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing p.68, Roasted Vegetable Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing p.78, Spicy Soba Salad with Creamy Wasabi Dressing p.86), and sandwiches (Tempeh Ruben Sandwiches p.95)...I could go on and on, but you get the idea. The recipes are well written, easy to follow and don't include a lot of exotic ingredients which send one running to 5 or 6 different shops to find. The only out of the ordinary purchases I've made for a couple of the recipes is Kombu and Hiziki, and each were available at my health food store. The only thing I'd wish for is more pictures. There is a photo section in the middle of the book which highlights a few recipes from each category, but I'd like to see more. I'd recommend this cookbook to anyone, vegan or not. Everything I've made so far has been absolutely delicious.

I have a total of 11 vegan cookbooks, and the candle cafe cookbook is the one I always use. I have been so disappointed in other vegan cookbooks because they either have hard-to-find ingredients, are too time-consuming to make, and are bland and boring. This cookbook is none of that! Almost every ingredient can be found at your local supermarket so it's not too expensive to purchase these items. Secondly, being a mom to a toddler gives me very little time to spend in the kitchen, and this book offers delicious meals that are easy and quick to prepare. And most of all, everything I have made from this book has been just like eating a gourmet meal! This is a MUST HAVE for everyone who is vegan or is even thinking about trying a vegan meal. I made the lemon tofu cheesecake with blood-orange glaze, and gave some to my carnivorous husband. He is the type of person who won't touch tofu with a ten-foot pole. And he ate every bite of it and thought it was great. I also made the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, and everyone LOVED it! Also, recently I prepared the seitan piccata with white wine and caper sauce. I only had the "chicken-style" seitan and used that instead. I have to tell you that it tasted like fried chicken in a wonderful brown gravy sauce! It was excellent! This cookbook is one of those "everyday" cookbooks, but with gourmet flavor. I am not a woman who likes to cook much, and I do not have much experience in the kitchen, but being vegan I have to cook my own meals once in a while, and I have been using this book every day, and every day I have a new favorite dish! I have been writing disappointing reviews on every cookbook I've tried, but this one I would give 10 stars if I could. If you are even thinking of buying this book, please do. You will not be disappointed!

I can't stress how incredibly generous the authors are for giving us their best recipes from this wonderful restaurant in NY. This is a great cookbook for people who love to cook vegan food. Whether you are an old-time vegan, new vegetarian or an omnivore that likes to eat some plant based meals, you will find great recipes. Standouts include the innovative sandwiches section (overlooked by many veg cookbooks), the appetizers section and the desserts section. Candle Café makes the best vegan chocolate cake anywhere and they have included the recipe. The grilled tofu club is another winner. The vegan French toast is the perfect item to make for a brunch.The closest comparison I can make to this cookbook is Millennium. It is great to have cookbooks that you know you can make anything for the first time and it will be great. This book succeeds in the major failing of Millennium: ingredients in this book are easier to obtain by the average person not living in CA.Minor nits- Water is never on the ingredients list so if you want to ensure that you did not forget any of the ingredients, you have to carefully reread the recipe. Some of the recipes have 22 ingredients which reduces the chances that you will have the ingredients on hand if you have not planned ahead or that I will ever go the amount of trouble to get those ingredients.If you want to cook up a gourmet vegan feast or just impress the vegans in your life, this is the book for you.

Such a wonderful book! Living in the Midwest (in "America's Dairyland" no less!), I often feel isolated as an aspiring vegan. I try to teach others the value of veganism by example. Feeding them vegan foods is probably the best way to show others that one can not only easily sustain oneself without eggs, cow's milk, or animal flesh foods, veganism allows one to have so many more exciting options available for food choices than the "traditional" American diet. This book has been instrumental in helping me with this.Everything I've made from tnis book has been superb. The recipes are simple, and the ingredients are easy to find. None of the recipes are intimidating, thus allowing the everyday cook to exercise creative license with the recipes. For example, with the Roasted Corn-Pumpkin Seed Relish, I roasted the onion and celery along with the corn at the end of the baking time, wrapped the mix with greens in a tortilla shell, and this quickly became a complete meal. (One of my favorite recipes is for Brownies which calls for, of all things, a roasted beet! My co-workers also gave this, along with everything else, rave reviews!)There is a great variety of recipes, from appetizers to desserts. There is a section of colored pictures to demonstrate just how beautiful the food presents itself (and to give the cook ideas for presentation). The book is laid out in a sensible format (the start of each section lists all the recipes, and page number for the recipe, within the section), and the index is cross-referenced so there is never any difficulty in finding a recipe.Everything about this book is perfect. I look forward to using this book for many years to come and have already bought several copies to give as Christmas gifts.

Thank you to Joy and Bart for sharing your secrets with us! The Candle Cafe is always my first and last stop in New York, so I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to get a taste of heaven across the seas.This cookbook is simple to use and the ingredients are easy to find. There is not a single dish I would skip. A wonderful variety and each one delicious (from soups to sandwiches to main dishes and sauces, and much more, ending with mouth-watering dessert). I can now invite my non-vegan friends without them looking the food skeptically. The food itself deserves 5 stars. The simplicity of the recipes another 5 stars. Even an amateur cook would be able to create a delicious meal.I'll still be back to the Candle Cafe for the pecan chocolate chip cookies though. Maybe in your next book...