Vegan Bites – Recipes for Singles

by Beverly Lynn Bennett
"This book was written specifically for single young people (in their teens and twenties) who have chosen to live as vegans." Direct quote from book on page 2 - and don't let it keep you from buying this book if you are NOT young and single! I've passed this book by before (on Amazon) just because it was geared towards a certain age group. Then I saw it in a book store and was able to inspect it and was excited by the recipes and the fact that each recipe is for one or two people. I get overwhelmed (as an older single person) by the large quantities of food in a regular recipe. It was nice to have someone else cut the size and test it for a change.

The book has lots of good information for someone inexperienced in the kitchen such as smart shopping, pantry essentials, equipment, cooking tips, menus, glossary of special ingredients, and an index. There are no fancy pictures and it's printed in two colors, maroon and green. It's very readable and each recipe is on one page.

Whenever I get a new cookbook I like to make a fast pass through it, listing all the recipes that interest me and right off the bat I had 23 recipes on my list: Spicy Vegetable Cocktail, Fabulous Flapjacks, Maple Pecan French Toast, Sweet Italian Sausages, Hacienda Home Fries, Tofu and Vegetable Hash, Garlic Tahini Dressing, Pesto, Unfried Beans, Vegetable Patch Chili, Unchicken Tofu Salad, Falafels, Seasoned Tofu Tidbits, Tex-Mex Bean Burgers, Pad Thai, Coconut Curry in a Hurry, Mexican Maize & Quinoa, Biscuits, Double Chocolate Brownies, Lemon Cake, Rich Dark Chocolate Cake, Hot Fudge Sauce, and Whipped Tofu Topping!

I've been very happy with the recipes I've made so far: Fabulous Flapjacks, you'd think a pancake is a pancake but that's not true. I've made lots of vegan pancakes and this was the best one by far (and there were only four - yippee!). The batter was perfect and not too thick like a lot of them are. The Hacienda Home Fries was very original by using yams instead of potatoes and I've made it twice so far. The Seasoned Tofu Tidbits did not disappoint and I will be making that one again. Finally, the Pad Thai was tasty, and there was enough for just two people.

All in all, I am very happy to add this book to my vegan book shelf and I'll be using it again and again. I highly recommend it.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
This cute, compact cookbook is loaded with beautiful photos and every recipe I have made has been wonderful. There is information for the inexperienced baker and tons of inspiration for an old dog like myself. At this point I've pretty much stuck to the basic recipes: Your Basic Chocolate Cupcakes, Golden Vanilla Cupcakes, Lemony Vanilla Cupcakes, and Sexy Low Fat Vanilla Cupcakes. A bit off the beaten path were the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, and Chocolate Stout Cupcakes, both delicious. I still have many more cupcakes to make but wanted to post this review. My only "complaint" is the yield of 12 cupcakes. I share these delicious vegan treats at work, so there are never any left over, and may I add, never any complaints. One other thing - I am a graphic designer by trade so I am sensitive to how a book is designed. They did a great job - well laid out, easy to read, no weird fonts and colors that are hard to read, liberal use of color photos throughout. This is a beautiful, very functional cookbook. I can't recommend it highly enough. Five stars.