The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion

Some background - This past mid-April, my husband and I attended the 5-Day McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, CA. Colleen was there as one of the chefs giving a cooking demo/lesson to help us learn how to cook food for our new healthy diet. My husband has always been an omnivore and swore he would never give up meat (but he was willing to attend the 5-day session with me). I have been what I call a fat 'imperfect vegan' for over 20 years (cheese, butter and oil were my vices). Enter Colleen. She prepared a few dishes out of this new book and passed around servings for us to eat. My hubby said: Babe, if we can eat like this all the time, I'll never miss the meat. And I agreed. We adopted a lowfat vegan diet that week, and have not looked back. I have cooked several of the recipes that Colleen gave us that week (all from the book) and they are all yummy. I have ordered the book because I want more. Colleen, I hope you are reading this: You are a wonderful, witty, talented chef. My husband and I loved your your cooking, and your wonderful sense of humor. Dr McDougall, Mary, Jeff, and Doug helped us adopt this new healthy diet, but you definitely sealed the deal. The 'No-queso Quesadillas' have been our go-to snack when we need a little something-something, now! Since April 15, I have effortlessly lost 15 lbs and my hubby has lost 12. Thank you SO much! We hope to see you again!

First came The Joy of Vegan Baking, which elevated baking without dairy or eggs to new heights! With The Vegan Table, Colleen expands our repertoire to everything from salads, to pizza, to kugle! Peppered with insightful pieces on vegan philosophy, this is not just a cookbook, it's a tome on how you can live your life compassionately and joyfully and share that spirit with your friends and family. Absolutely amazing recipes and exquisite photography, this is one of the best cookbooks I've bought!

I have a pretty big cookbook collection, but this is the first one I've seen that I actually want to try EVERYTHING! Even if you aren't vegan, you will find many delicious additions to your menus here. There are great tips for people new (or even not-so-new) to vegan cooking, and interesting information on subjects like edible flowers, high tea, and what they *really* ate at the first Thanksgiving. I've been looking forward to this book's arrival for a long time, and I agree with another reviewer who said it exceeded expectations. (I've already tried 3 recipes & all were delicious!)

Colleen set the bar for new Vegan cookbooks pretty high with her "Joy of Vegan Baking" so, I knew I would not be disappointed with "The Vegan Table" when I ordered it. What I did not expect was to be impressed again but, I am. It is a very attractive, nicely designed book. There are plenty of photographs (something missing from most Vegan cookbooks) and there are sidenotes and tips everywhere. This is a cookbook that would be a good read even without any recipes. The one recipe I have had a chance to make so far (savory tofu spread) was superb. Excellent book.