Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food (Quick and Easy (Experiment)) [Paperback]

Ok, so I did a nice little trial of this cookbook today! This morning I made the Naked Tofu Scramble and loved it! I added some nutritional yeast and fresh garlic because I add those 2 ingredients to just about everything but it was great without it, too. THEN, I whipped up a batch of Savory Seitan which was easy to make and smelled glorious while cooking.
I used that to make the Cheesesteak and Fries that are on the cover. This was really, really, awesome!!! The cheese sauce is amazing and the baked fries were scored rave reviews. I
spooned the cheese sauce over my fries, thus I
also made the 'Cheese Fries'. My husband
and brother really enjoyed this meal and I was
over the moon about it. Alicia Simpson is very,
very talented. There are recipes in this
cookbook that you won't find in other vegan
cookbooks. (i.e. Chili cheese Fries and a recipe
for HOMEMADE vegan hot dogs!!) This is not
a diet book, although I suppose you could use
it as such if you follow serving sizes and count
calories. These recipes are not low-fat and I
love that about it. Alicia's philosophy is to enjoy
real food MINDFULLY in an effort to achieve
or maintain ideal weight. Many recipes require
'other' recipes from the book because Alicia
believes in making delicious, homemade
sauces and faux-meats as opposed to buying
them. This may be a turn off for some people but I love it. The savory seitan was so cheap and easy to make that I will never buy it again. One small note is that sometimes I need to add
more salt to recipes than Alicia calls for but
I'm not subtracting a star for salt-- that is a
very personal choice that is added to taste. I
am delighted by this book and lool forward to
making more from it. The only downside is that
the food is so good that it may be difficult
sticking to recommended serving sizes!
Update: Still cooking and enjoying!!! I made the Hoppin John, Ballpark Hotdogs, and the Meatball Soup. Oh, the Meatball Soup was a huge hit with my omnivore husband. This book is fun to cook with. Everything I've made I feel compelled to make again, especially the soup and the Cheesesteaks. Oh and I've made the Naked Tofu Scramble several times already. I wish that the Ballpark Hotdogs came out more moist. I may have overcooked them so I will tweak that recipe next time. They are still 100 times better than those wiggly tofu dogs sold everywhere. I recommend this book for those who enjoyed 'Appetite for Reduction.' That book is great but this one is scoring even higher marks with my tastebuds.

I picked up this book at my local bookstore and just started using it this weekend. It has multiple sections (breakfast, basics, breads, snacks, salads, soups, main dishes, desserts, drinks, and sauces) with many recipes included. My favorite features include the estimated nutrition information and the basics section is good for people who aren't familiar with vegan cooking (like me) and clearly goes over how to cook with tofu and seitan. I've cooked a few recipes so far with success and I'm looking forward to using this book for years to come. I recommend this book to all consumers, vegan, vegetarian, conventional, health-conscious, and all the rest.

The thing I like best about this cookbook is the everything on moderation approach. This book is not about cutting out certain foods from your diet. It also dosn't tell you fat is the devil. Instead the author explains that a little fat in your diet is good for you and why. The recipes are easy to prepare and mostly made with whole foods. But there's also a little sugar or all-purpose flour here and there. The additional information and advice is science based and there's no scaremongering about how fat or certain foods (wheat or soy) will lead to certain diseases or other baloney which I have seen in some other books on vegan weight loss. I would like to recommend this book and it's no-nonsense approach to everyone who has to/wants to lose a couple of pounds while not stressing over it too much.
My favourite recipes from this book: Lavender Pancakes, Fluffy Flaxseed Waffles with Agave Cream, Chili Dogs, Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce, and Chickpea Cacciatore.