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Thread: How It All Vegan

  1. #1
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default How It All Vegan

    I have "How It All Vegan". I have tried a couple of recipes and I like them. The book is very good but I'm on Weight Watchers and a lot of the recipes are too high in calories/fat for me to enjoy while trying to follow my WW plan.

    "Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen" is another good book I picked up at the library but the recipes always yielded 6-8 servings (I'm cooking alone!!) and they weren't quick, easy stuff either.

  2. #2
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegan Cookbooks

    Is it just me or are the foods in How It All Vegan are really boring? They are just like typical SAD foods, just veganized. I wasn't a big fan of SAD food even before going vegan, so I find this cookbook a little boring.
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    Syren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegan Cookbooks

    ^ I do find How it all Vegan a bit standard... by the time La Dolce Vegan (the third in the series) came out, though, it's pretty inventive and useful. And I find that How it all Vegan has its place, even if it's not as fantastic as the later ones. It still has some gems.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Vegan Cookbooks

    i think how it all vegan is one of the best cookbooks - not really for the recipes, but because it has a lot of basics that you don't know when you've just turned vegan. it's one of the reasons i'm working in a organic vegan kitchen it gave me the basics to experiment with a great result

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    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    a friend of mine bought me How It All Vegan for my birthday last week. it seems quite American (not necessarily a bad thing but not great when it comes to measurements, terminology, specific products etc.) and i haven't tried any of the recipes yet but they seem fairly straightforward.
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

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    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    The authors are Canadian, Gorrilla.

    I hate how a lot of recipes rely on fake cheese, milk replacememnts, egg replacement, etc. If an omni bought the book, looking for innovative recipes, they would be disapointed. Why would they go out an buy powdered egg replacer when they can just use a real egg? Or why would they spend a small fortune on vegan cheese for that bean dish when they could use dairy cheese? I heard of a few omnivores and lacto-ovo vegetarians who bought the book and they all said the same thing.

    I gave it two stars (bad). None of the baked goods turned out right for me, except for the date squares (but even they were a little too crumbly).
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  7. #7
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    LOL fair point, but the US and Canada often have the same products, measure everything in cups and use words like 'zucchini' and 'sloppy joes'

    j/k

    i can't say i like the sound of the 'mock chopped liver' or the 'fart sandwich'

    i haven't rated it yet as i haven't tried anything from it. it does have quite a lot of explanation about what being vegan means and what to avoid, which might be good for beginners but doesn't interest me now.
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  8. #8
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Yeah, I use the animal ingredients list quite frequently.
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  9. #9
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    i was just looking at that actually and i notice it says vitamin D2 can be made from animals so isn't always vegan - i don't think that's right?
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  10. #10
    IndigoSea
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I like those books for the tips and tricks, the cosmetics recipes, kitchen tips, and all that fun jazz. The recipes looked too boring to ever bother trying though. I haven't gotten the Dolce Vegan one yet. Is the food in it any good?

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    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Quote Gorilla View Post
    i was just looking at that actually and i notice it says vitamin D2 can be made from animals so isn't always vegan - i don't think that's right?
    I don't know. It confused me too.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  12. #12
    PygmyGoat
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I voted 'average' for this. It is well presented and nice to look at, but I found the same problem as Tigerlily with the actual recipes. I live in the middle of nowhere and I can't get fake Cheese, etc. Also I couldn't keep converting - why don't they show cups and UK measurements? .

    I have actually given up on cookery books, having spent a small fortune on them over the years. I find things turn out better if I just cook by instinct. The more I weigh and measure and fuss, the more disasters I have!! .

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I was going to buy the set of these from Amazon but have been put off now ...

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    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Yeah, Tigress, don't.
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  15. #15
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I guess I was in a cranky mood yesterday went I wrote those posts. I found my copy and I have flipping through the pages. I found all sorts of doodles saying "yummy" and little hearts by certain recipes. I guess I did like this book! Just the baking section never worked out for me, but recipes were good.

    So I change my statement. If you're looking for a cookbook with veganized "SAD" food, this is it! I really liked the potato soup recipe.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  16. #16
    pavotrouge
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    "How it all vegan" was my first vegan cookbook and I'm really disappointed by it.

    I also like the basics you can learn from it, the list at the end of the book etc.

    But I have tried a lot of the recipes and have to say- being a quite good cook- I haven't liked any of them. The baked stuff doesn't turn out well and most of the "recipes" are things I could just have thrown together myself without needing a book for it.

    Pretty boring...but I have also heard that the following books of the authors are better...I'm not buying any of them because "How it all vegan" was such a waste of money...

  17. #17
    Melissa assilembob's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    wow. I guess I just must be boring in the kitchen...because the "How it all Vegan", "Garden of Vegan" and "La Dolce Vegan" books are my favorite cook books! They are the only ones I actually use because the recipes are fast, simple and the taste good. I rarely add fake cheeses to things (because they are too expensive) and I love that they give you lots of alternatives for egg replacement in the first book.

    I don't much use the baking recipes...I liked the brownines I tried...I am very selective on my baking and am not terribly good at it so I can't vouch for those at all.
    But I love all the soups, (especially from HIAV the Rustic Tomato Lentil, Sweet potato squash & Apple, Butternut Tomato and the Auntie Bonnie's Lively Lentil Stew and from GOV Auntie Bonnie's Black Bean, Wholesome tomato rice and the Hungry Person Stew) the pancakes are good...the GOV lunchbox section has some great stuff in it, HIAV Mashed Garlic Potatoes with Kale, Classic Spinach Lasagna (A big hit with my former students!)...Basically everything I have tried I liked...
    ~Mel

    "Sweet songs the youth, the wise, the meaning of all wisdom...to believe in the good in man" - Legend

  18. #18
    pavotrouge
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    *lol* Don't take it as an isult, me finding the recipes boring might also be result of having learnt to cook from Italian and Asian people mainly, so I find a lot of "traditional" Western food bland.

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Quote Gorilla View Post
    i was just looking at that actually and i notice it says vitamin D2 can be made from animals so isn't always vegan - i don't think that's right?
    I was always under the assumption that D2 is vegan and D3 is animal [lanolin, more specifically]. I've yet to hear anything to the contrary.
    To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana. -Buddha

  20. #20
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Quote IndigoSea View Post
    I like those books for the tips and tricks, the cosmetics recipes, kitchen tips, and all that fun jazz. The recipes looked too boring to ever bother trying though. I haven't gotten the Dolce Vegan one yet. Is the food in it any good?
    I love La Dolce Vegan. It's the only one I have out of the three. I picked up HIAV in a bookstore last week and flipped through, and it just didn't catch my attention. But La Dolce Vegan has been great. I think I like it for exactly the reasons you guys seem to not like it...it's a lot of veganized, easy American style food. Casseroles, breads, pizzas, stuff like that. And honestly, I haven't found that it relies heavily on fake meats and cheeses, cause I don't like to use that stuff a lot. Or maybe I've just been avoiding those recipes. My favorite recipes so far are Wolffie's Southwestern Corn Casserole (I missed my mom's corn pudding, which is chock full of eggs and butter. This was way different but to die for.) and Tara's Chocolate Cake (Made this for my own birthday. A couple restaurants around here sell vegan chocolate cake, and I always brag that mine is way better.). I also really like the Yeast-Free Pizza Crust. For some reason I am afraid of yeast. Never have made real bread. I'm scared I'll screw it up.

    Anyway, I guess that's my endorsement for the book, as someone who grew up on the SAD diet and misses it sometimes

  21. #21
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I have this cookbook and I really like it. Must try the upside down pudding cake...yummo
    'To repeat what others have said requires education, to challenge it requires brains.'

  22. #22
    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Tonight I made the Rustic Tomato Lentil Soup from page 53 of this book.

    It's sooooo good!! Towards the end of the cooking, it goes nice and thick, almost like a stew. Good cold weather food!!

  23. #23
    vegan pizza! thecatspajamas1's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I really like the vegan household and children tips in the back of the book. I haven't really tried many of the actual recipes.
    I eat nutritional yeast by the spoonful.

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Such a cool title........

  25. #25
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    When I was first looking for some good vegan cookbooks, I read a lot of rave review about HIAV. So, of course, I ordered it from Amazon.

    As some of you have said, I was rather disappointed with the substitutions of vegan cheese for regular cheese, egg replacer for regular eggs, etc. I was also disappointed at how unhealthy some of the recipes were (lots of butter, oil, sugar, etc).

    There are a couple of recipes my husband and I enjoy out of HIAV, though. We generally steer clear of the desserts!

    Oh, the other complaint I had was the fact that there didn't seem to be a lot of main dish recipes. And the recipes are also not very friendly on my eyes (especially the titles)!

  26. #26
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Yeah, when I bought the book, I was following the Weight Watchers plan and nothing could work well into my plan.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I only tried one recipe from that book, and it didn't turn out at all. It was a muffin recipe that used that think syrup stuff, ah yes molasses!
    ▼Laurin▼

  28. #28
    pavotrouge
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I alsp have trouble with the font used for the recipe titles.

    I have now actually found TWO recipes in the whole book that I liked... the curried veggies and the tortilla chip soup...

    Does anyone have the other books by Sarah Kramer and what are they like?

  29. #29

    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I have the set. I really like the way its written. The recipes are good but the attitude is great

  30. #30
    pavotrouge
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Meaning the author's attitude is better than the recipes themselves?

  31. #31
    made of jam Aims's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I've only made the maple walnut brownies and the carrot cake.
    The brownies turn out great and I've made them a few times. The carrot cake, not to good.. I think in part it was because the only cake tin I had was way too big and so the cake was real thin and weird.. lol. But also the powdered egg replacer probably made it a dud.

    I'm still keen to get La Dolce Vegan sometime in the future though.

  32. #32

    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    i made the chocolate chip cookies from how it all vegan - AMAZING. and the coffee ice cream, and some other stuff..

    just made my wish-list for christmas:

    "the little book of reflexology" by Michele Kluck
    "OM yoga today" by cyndi lee
    "Vegan with a vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
    "Vice Cream" by Jeff Rogers
    "The Natural Soap Book" by Susan Miller Cavitch
    "The Garden of Vegan" by Sarah Kramer
    "La Dolce Vegan" by Sarah Kramer

    this is gonna be a nice christmas

  33. #33
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Those cookies were good but salty. I can only get salted vegan margarine here, so that's probably why it was salty. I can get non-hydrogenated shortening, maybe I'll use that. It should work the same...
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  34. #34

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I really didn't like this book, it was so boring!! I've only used a handfull of recipes. La Dolce Vegan is WAY better.

  35. #35

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I just got this book a few days ago. So far I've just made the Oatmeal Bread and I must say it is awesome! Very tasty and I am happy with the results. I have a couple of other recipes scheduled in the next couple of weeks.
    ~kathy

  36. #36
    Gray Arab
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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I have made a few things from this book:

    Mum's Apple Coleslaw Salad ( pretty good, very low calorie )
    Yeast Pizza Crust ( not good, very hard and bland )
    Faux Tuna Salad ( very good if you steam the tempeh for 15 minutes, thank god it does NOT taste like tuna )
    Tofu Mayo ( an excellent replacement for high-calorie oil based Vegan mayos )
    Racy Raisin Rice Pudding ( I loved it, the kids spit it out )

  37. #37

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Over the weekend I made the Faux Eggs Benny and the Heavenly Hashbrowns. The potato dish was okay but there are many other recipes for potatoes I prefer to that. I like my breakfast potatoes crispier. But, the real reason I am posting is b/c the Faux Eggs Benny was amazing. My husband and I never had the non-vegan kind so we didn't know what to expect. I thought they had a fried egg taste to them which was weird experiencing that after who knows how many years. My husband couldn't stop saying how good they were. We are having the leftovers later and I can't wait.


  38. #38

    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    I'm hoping to get the tenth anniversary edition soon. I think there are a number of typos in the European version (of the original) and these days I prefer cooking with cup measures, so it should be good.
    Quitting something because it's hard is wrong, and quitting something because it's wrong is hard. One takes cowardice, the other bravery.

  39. #39

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Oooh, I didnt' know a 10th anniversary edition was coming out. I think there are typos in the American one too. I mean most of the cookie recipes says it makes 12 and just by the sheer volume of ingredients you can tell that is rubbish. One recipe I made for "12 cookies" ended up making about 40...crazy.


  40. #40

    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    It's a fairly new release
    http://www.arsenalpulp.com/bookinfo.php?index=298

    I don't think there are a lot of new recipes.... but my copy of HIAV is falling apart anyway, plus it's not got any pwitti pictures in it like GOV and LDV.
    Quitting something because it's hard is wrong, and quitting something because it's wrong is hard. One takes cowardice, the other bravery.

  41. #41

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    Default Re: How It All Vegan

    Quote Ms_Derious View Post
    I don't think there are a lot of new recipes.... but my copy of HIAV is falling apart anyway, plus it's not got any pwitti pictures in it like GOV and LDV.
    I found the photos in LDV kind of annoying. They are mostly of the author. If you are going to take the time to take photos for a cookbook, they should be of the food. I mean, really. GOV wasn't too bad, but LDV bordered on silly. Personally, I would rather see pictures of the actual recipes and not 50 different shots of Kramer hiking her skirt up to her chin.
    To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana. -Buddha

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