Over 175 quick, delicious, and healthy recipes for everyday cooking
Vegan cookbook review
Vegan cooking can be time-consuming, especially if you’re trying to convert a traditional recipe into something meat-, dairy-, and egg-free. But it is possible to make delicious and healthy vegan food without spending all day in the kitchen, and The 30-Minute Vegan, by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray, is a good place to start.
In chapter 1, the authors go over essentials like when, when, and how to shop; vegan pantry staples and treats; kitchen gear; and cooking guidelines. The next chapter offers preparation tips – knife work, steaming, sautéing, roasting, etc. – and grain and dried bean cooking charts. And then there are a dozen chapters of recipes:
- Smoothies & satiating beverages – apple-blueberry juice, cherry-vanilla spritzer, tropical smoothie…
- Breakfast & brunch – banana-berry bliss, "buttermilk" pancakes, maple-almond French toast…
- Snacks, pick-me-ups, and kids’ favorites – popsicles, crispy kale, fruit and cream cheese quesadilla…
- Wraps, rolls, bowls, & more – crunchy salad wrap, live nori rolls, seitan curry bowl…
- Salads – cucumber dressing, warm spinach salad, sea vegetable salad…
- Soups – live mango gazpacho, orange-beet soup, shiitake-see veggie chowder…
- Appetizers, side dishes, & light dinners – roasted asparagus and corn, herbed flatbread, tofu satay…
- Suppers – kitchari, palak tofu, pasta florentine…
- Comfort food – cheesy broccoli, three-layered nachos, vegetable stew with dumplings…
- Desserts – banana pudding, chocolate-sesame bonbons, orange creamsicle waffles…
- Condiments, infused oils, & spreads – Thai curry paste, toasted peppercorn oil, garlic-herb aioli…
- Feasts, soirees, and slumber parties – chocolate-covered strawberries, kids’ finger sandwiches, green bean almandine…
Most of the recipes take no more than half an hour from start to finish, though there are a few that require additional time for baking, chilling, etc. Since things like smoothies and salads are always quick recipes, I was particularly interested in main courses (suppers), which tend to take a lot longer, but even elaborate ones like spinach-herb stuffed portobellos, sushi nite (3 different kinds of nori rolls), macadamia-crusted tofu, Thai green curry, and live nut-ricotta veggie towers take no more than 30 minutes to prepare.
While some of the recipes in The 30-Minute Vegan are fairly simple, there are plenty of creative options that will surprise you and cut down on your cooking time without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
Buy The 30-Minute Vegan:
By the same authors: The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East