Cook With Chloe: Make The Food You Love The Vegan Way (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I recently transitioned from being *just* a vegetarian, onto a completely vegan lifestyle. [I watched Vegucated. I was horrified. I can't even LOOK at animal products right now.] Anyway, I picked up the desserts book- and decided to pick this one up as well.I've tried 3 recipes from this one so far, and am trying a 4th this afternoon. Everything has turned out absolutely amazing. And the way I cook, I make it by the recipe the first time, then adjust and fuss with the flavors afterwards until the tastes suit my preferences.I haven't felt the need to change ANYTHING.Onto the book itself- the recipes are written in a clear, concise, easy to follow method, and the photographs of the meals are mouthwatering. [Really, this was the main reason that I ended up buying it.] There are a large variety of recipes in the cookbook, so you won't end up eating 25 different variations on the same meal if you're willing to experiment with more than one recipe.Recipes I've tried:Moo Shu Vegetables with Homemade Chinese Pancakes: Full flavor, savory Chinese taco like deliciousness. It's delightfully savory, and smelled so amazing that my roommate kept coming to snag another one. And hovered. Just.... MMmmm... Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers with Whipped Maple Butter: Made this for a party I had, and they didn't last long at all. However, I was widely agreed upon that the maple butter tasted far better with the fruit on the fruit tray than with the appetizer itself. We chose to simply dip them in the tofu dip I had made instead. But the poppers were delicious- crusty and sweet with not too much kick to them.Crispy Potato-Leek patties with Lemon Dill Dip: This was by far the best loved recipe of that night with company over. The patties were just so tasty- we didn't even need the sauce. Didn't need it, but used it anyway, because it was horrible addictive. Oh. My. God. They were so good. Pro's- Simple recipes, both in regards to ingredients and assembly. Good for people starting to eat a plant based diet and to cook vegan.Con's- The pictures of the food are nice, but they should have included more pictures of food and less of Chloe, I mean, she isn't hard on the eyes but this is a cookbook. The design is very simplistic, and the content a little childish at times- this girl is a classically trained chef that worked at Millenium (have you seen their cookbook? pure vegan bliss)! I was hoping to see a bit more complexity and maturity in the recipes and the content.Some of the content does not belong. Putting avocado on toast does not belong in a cookbook. It belongs in your brain, under, 'simple things to do with bread'. Other vegan cookbooks offer more bang for the buck, but it makes a nice addition to my vegan cookbook collection. ***They claim healthy cooking, but I will offer the disclaimer that vegan food does not always equal healthy food. Things like coconut milk, oils, vegan butter, and nuts are all very good for you but, like all fats, in limited quantities. While some of these recipes are certainly health-ier than their non vegan counterparts, they are not all healthy.
What do You think about Cook With Chloe: Make The Food You Love The Vegan Way (2012)?
Wonderful photos and so many yummy looking recipes!
—sami
