Robin Robertson (1)Anmeldelser

Well written and full of tidbits of information. So many delicious recipes, even though I'm not vegan I will be trying many of them.

I haven't sampled a significant portion of the book yet but I have done a sampling of recipes. I think it is a great starting point: I have notes to modify the recipes I have tried (mostly stuff like "change ratio" and "I wonder if these too recipes would work together, because I want something in between") so I think it needs a few tweaks - that may be about personal preferences but I usually find it takes me a long time to figure out X should change, etc. I dislike cookbooks without pictures, but I am finding too many of the cookbooks are particular subjects without pictures lately; in particular, I find cookbooks appeal to niche markets tend to have less (or no pictures) and less editing. While troublesome at times (particularly when searching for what to cook next), sometimes it can be nice having nothing to compare to your version.

I feel the breakfast section could use some work: if the recipe is 2-3 hours, you cannot make it overnight for breakfast but is too late in the morning to eat.

It is worth noting that I am NOT a vegan, but I have enjoyed these recipes (in particular, squash chili).

I haven't sampled a significant portion of the book yet but I have done a sampling of recipes. I think it is a great starting point: I have notes to modify the recipes I have tried (mostly stuff like "change ratio" and "I wonder if these too recipes would work together, because I want something in between") so I think it needs a few tweaks - that may be about personal preferences but I usually find it takes me a long time to figure out X should change, etc. I dislike cookbooks without pictures, but I am finding too many of the cookbooks are particular subjects without pictures lately; in particular, I find cookbooks appeal to niche markets tend to have less (or no pictures) and less editing. While troublesome at times (particularly when searching for what to cook next), sometimes it can be nice having nothing to compare to your version.

I feel the breakfast section could use some work: if the recipe is 2-3 hours, you cannot make it overnight for breakfast but is too late in the morning to eat.

It is worth noting that I am NOT a vegan, but I have enjoyed these recipes (in particular, squash chili).

I have by no means tried out all the recipes in this book, but so far I appreciate the breadth and general simplicity of the dishes. The ones that have caught my eye don't call for fancy ingredients, making them cheaper and more accessible than the recipes I see in a lot of other vegetarian/vegan cookbooks. The index has been a great resource when I have a vegetable or other ingredient I need to use but don't know what to do with (especially good during the pandemic when I'm cooking more with what I have leftover/in the pantry instead of running out to the store for one or two things). And all of the recipes I've made so far have turned out tasty. My favorites are the desserts -- chai cookies and ginger-spice brownies in particular!

The Plant Protein Revolution by Robin Robertson

Supercharge Your Body with More Than 85 Delicious Vegan Recipes Made with Protein-Rich Plant-Based Ingredients

With decades of experience cooking vegan meals, preparing recipes for cookbooks, and sharing her information, Robin Robertson has once again presented a book with wonderful vegan recipes to prepare for family and friends. This time the focus is on protein and how to provide it in vegan meals.

I have and use Robertson’s book with 1000 recipes and have taken more than one dish to potlucks made from that cookbook. Each time they have been a hit. I have taken the Veganuary challenge for the last three years and every year come closer to becoming vegan 24/7 year round. With this goal in mind I am always on the lookout for new recipes and cookbooks that use readily available, inexpensive ingredients used in tasty sounding meals. Living overseas a lot of ingredients are not easy to find so “basics” are my mainstays.

The book begins with an Introduction and is followed by a section on plant protein before moving on to the recipes. I was especially on the lookout for bean, seed, nut and grain recipes since tofu, plant milks and other commercially produced items are hard to find in Lebanon…or exorbitantly expensive. The chapters are then presented as follows: appetizers & snacks, salad power, super sandwiches, stovetop simmers & skillets, from the oven, breakfasts of champions, protein rich sweets and finally plant protein basics…with of course some references, acknowledgements, information about the author and an index. Scattered throughout the pages are boxes in gold with tidbits, words of wisdom, and other information.

What I liked:
* The photographs
* The information and chart on protein
* Allergies information
* Substitutions
* How to add more protein
* Nutritional Analysis
* Layout of recipes
* Introduction to each recipe
* Flavor palette ideas I might be able to play with
* Variety of nations included
* Comfort foods – or what sounded like comfort foods to me
* Basic recipes to create replacements for some meats and dairy products, mayonnaise, and such.

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that to make many of the recipes that sounded good would require substitutions since many ingredients common in the West are not available where I live.

Did I like this cookbook? Yes
Would I read more cookbooks by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing-Harvard Common Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars½

Healthy, From-Scratch Versions of Your Favorite Vegan Junk Food

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

-- 3.5 stars --

Along with pizza, mac & cheese is one of my favorite, go-to, if you were stuck on a deserted island and could only eat one food for the rest of your life, vegan foodstuffs. Unlike pizza, though, there are precious few cookbooks devoted entirely to its delicious cheesy goodness.

If you're thinking, well duh, how many ways are there to make macaroni and cheese, then clearly you don't read my blog. (Spoiler alert: there are currently twenty-two posts tagged "macaroni and cheese," representing a small fraction of the recipes I have sampled and/or created, ranging from the classic Creamy Mac & Cheese with Daiya to the less traditional Mac & Pepperjack Pizza.)

So you can imagine my excitement when I got a whiff of Robin Robertson's latest cookbook, Vegan Mac and Cheese - More than 50 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food.

My anticipation was tempered a bit once I finally had the book in my hungry little hands: all of the recipes tip toward the health food end of the scale. Not that I have a problem with healthy vegan food, but you gotta live a little, you know? Throw a few unabashedly junky recipes in there to liven things up, or else let us know right in the title that this isn't ONE OF THOSE kinds of cookbooks. Anything else feels like a total Bad Place kind of move.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-good-place-what-the-fork.gif

The recipes I tried were a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from "pretty yummy" to "more trouble than it's worth" (full rundown below). The cheese sauces utilize a variety of "bases" (if you can call them that; perhaps "key ingredients" is more accurate?), ranging from cashews to tofu to carrots and potatoes. With few exceptions, the ingredients are pretty common and easy to find in American grocery stores. (Pro tip: if a recipe calls for miso and you don't feel like buying an entire container just for a teaspoon, tahini is an okay substitute.) The recipes are pretty straightforward and easy to follow, and not terribly labor intensive (though some do create an undogly amount of dishes).

There's a nice variety of dishes here; the recipes are grouped under five subheadings, including "Basic Vegan Mac & Cheese," "Global Cheesy Macs," "Mac and Veggies," "Meaty Macs," and "Fun with Mac & Cheese" (which isn't so much new recipes as some interesting ideas of how to repurpose leftovers, like making mac omelets, waffles, and cheese balls). I can honestly say, as a self-proclaimed expert whose life goal is to try every vegan mac & cheese recipe ever published in any major cookbook, there are some inspired and singular recipes in here - as well as some that are merely "meh" (even accounting for my strong preference for junk food mac & cheese).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/49659205498/in/dateposted-public/

Roasted Butternut Mac Uncheese

This is the first recipe in the "Mac and Veggies" section, and for good reason - it's forking amazing. The cheese sauce is a mix of roasted butternut squash (yum!) and soaked raw cashews. It doesn't taste much like melted Daiya or Follow Your Heart cheese (few-to-none of the recipes in this book do), and that's okay! It's its own thing.

Pro tip: if you don't have any soy milk on hand (thanks, Corona virus), water works just fine too. Throw a few extra cashews into the mix to compensate.

Bonus points if you roast the squash seeds and use them as a garnish. (The recipe calls for pumpkin seeds, which seems ... kind of silly?)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/49659205208/in/dateposted-public/

Cashew Cheesy Mac

Another winner! Roasted red peppers lend this dish both a distinct taste, and its eye-popping, boxed mac & cheese, neon orange color.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/49659746676/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/49659205018/in/dateposted-public/

Blushing Baked Ziti

This is where things started to spiral for me (metaphorically, not literally, though - good eye! - I did swap out the ziti for fusilli). Despite my initial skepticism, I decided to give this casserole a whirl, mostly because I had a brick of tofu with a close expiration date. At first blush (lol), it reminded me of spaghetti pie: just with a differently shaped macaroni, and more layers (read: steps). Rather than the classic configuration of pasta-tofu-red sauce-optional shredded cheese, it goes red sauce-pasta-red sauce-tofu-pasta-red sauce-tofu.

So many layers! So much long division! So much work! So much mess everywhere! All for a dish that just left me wishing I'd made spaghetti pie instead (insert sad face here).

Honestly, this recipe is way more complicated than it needs to be, and I don't think the many (so many!) extra layers do anything for it. If anything, I felt like the ricotta tofu didn't bake as thoroughly, and with the sauce and pasta in such close proximity, you may as well just mix them from jump street.

Fwiw, the nut parm (made with ray almonds and nutritional yeast) is seriously amazing. I am putting it on all the things now.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/49676705301/in/dateposted-public/

Free Mac

Last and sadly least (SO SAD!), we have the Free Mac. The sauce is mix of onions, carrots, and potatoes boiled in a vegetable broth, then run through a blender to create a mock cheesy sauce. I actually don't think this would be bad if not for the broth: with three cups of the stuff, this mac & cheese ends up tasting a lot like vegetable soup. Not bad, necessarily, but disconcerting: you have a dish that looks like one thing (macaroni and cheese) but tastes like another (veggie soup).

My suggestion: use water in place of broth, in whole or part, and add extra spices to taste.

This is the rare macaroni and cheese dish that improves as leftovers: once the sauce has had a chance to soak into the pasta, the taste of veggie soup isn't quite so overwhelming. It's also really good mixed with a mildly flavored couscous in a 1:1 ratio. (I like preparing it on the stovetop with a little vegan chicken broth, carrots, and corn.)

So there you have it: two A recipes, two C minuses. Not my most glowing cookbook review. Blame the sky-high expectations that accompany any mention of vegan mac-n-cheese.

BUT, if you're half the vegan mac & cheese fan I am, you probably want to take Vegan Mac and Cheese for a spin anyway. There are some neat ideas in here, and I can't wait to try the Cheesy Mac Muffins (but probably using my own junk food mac & cheese concoction; there's no beating Daiya, mkay).

http://www.easyvegan.info/2020/04/28/vegan-mac-and-cheese-by-robin-robertson/½

Unlike most cookbooks on my shelf, this one I'll actually use. The recipes are simple enough to make regularly, and good enough to look forward to eating.
Excellent.

The definitive book on mac and uncheese

There are three basic uncheese sauces used in this book: ground cashew, whipped tofu, and pureed vegetables. These are staples of vegan cooking and offer no surprises. What is best about this book is the many ways that Ms Robertson uses these sauces in variations of pasta and uncheese. The recipes include basic mac and uncheese, a dry version to keep in the pantry like commercial boxed mac and cheese, international versions of mac and uncheese that draw on Thai, Mexican, and Italian influences. There are also recipes for some staples and add ins like vegan sausage and vegan bacon so you don't have to buy them.

I think that this will be the only vegan mac and uncheese book that you will need. Start with the basics and adapt on your own.

Two notes: 1) I have never seen a vegan Thai red curry paste. Red curry paste starts with fermented shrimp paste. Read the ingredients on the pack. 2) While firni, Middle-Eastern noodle pudding with cardamom is one of my absolutely favorite foods, it has no business being in a book about mac and uncheese.

I received a review copy of "Vegan Mac and Cheese: More than 50 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food" by Robin Robertson from Harvard Common Press through NetGalley.com.

Vegan Mac & Cheese by Robin Robertson

Moving more and more toward a vegan diet this book definitely caught my eye when it appeared on NetGalley. I love pasta and cheese so being able to make it “vegan” seemed a neat trick.

The book includes a variety of ways to achieve that rich cheesy smooth taste by using tofu, roux, nut cheeses and/or pureed vegetables. The main ingredient I will have difficulty finding, living in Lebanon, is the nutritional yeast but I am definitely going to do my best to make one or more of the recipes in this book. I already have this author’s 1000 Vegan Recipes cookbook and love it so will be looking for this book to add to my shelves.

What did I like?
* The multitude of variations for toppings, vegetables, seasonings and more
* The global recipes. I have had pastitsio and some other noodle dishes from other countries but they always use real cheese and meat so the options in this book are of great interest to me.
* The concise easy to read directions
* The photographs
* The fact that with t his book I could prepare macaraoni and uncheese every week for a year.

Thank you to NetGallely and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Would have given more stars if the recipes contained calories and nutrient contents.

Healthy home-cooked meals in 30 minutes or less

I didn’t really think I’d be a huge fan of this cookbook because I prefer naturally vegan foods, especially when it comes to savory dishes. I’ve enjoyed most of the vegan cookbooks by this author though so I wanted to check it out. I’m glad that I did but it definitely wasn’t a favorite. So many “current vegan fad” ingredients were included, even for sweet dishes. Coconut, vinegar, many ingredients that I don’t enjoy. It is a well organized cookbook and has some helpful sections before the recipes sections, including on nutrition, pantry basics and other ingredients, and on hidden animal ingredients. I appreciate the short section on “What’s in a name?” (page 21-22) because I know there is controversy over using animal names for animal derived ingredients free dishes. I don’t remember reading a book before now where this issue was addressed.

The book is relatively comprehensive when it comes to types of dishes/substitutions.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Vegan Basics
Chapter 2: DIY Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Too
Chapter 3: Plant-Based Meats
Chapter 4: Vegan Charcuterie
Chapter 5: Instead of Seafood
Chapter 6: Vegetable Steak-Out
Chapter 7; Global Condiments, Sauces, and Dressings
Chapter 8: Sweets from Scratch
Acknowledgements
Index

I had to read the start of chapter 4 to see what charcuterie means: from the French for “cooked flesh” – ugh!

Even though this book was not my cup of tea I did find a relatively few recipes that looked worth trying. (I’m wondering if some appeared in her previous books because some looked familiar to me.)

They are: from chapter 2: chickpea flour omelets and vive la French toast; from chapter 3: marinated baked tofu, best bean burgers, mama’s meatballs; from chapter 5: no-meat loaf; from chapter 6: baked eggplant Italian style; from chapter 7: avocado crema, great brown gravy, basil pesto, over-roasted tomato sauce; from chapter 8: homemade pasta, cheesy crackers, scratch biscuits, pizza dough, loaded polenta pizza, cranberry-walnut scones; from chapter 9: date-caramel sauce, ganache, veganized marshmallow fluff, lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake, chocolate-chocolate chip brownies.

I’ve been reading this cookbook for weeks. It just wasn’t the right one for me. I’ll still look forward to future books by this author. She’s written many.

For people who can’t or don’t want to eat flesh, eggs, dairy, etc. animal dervived foods but enjoy them, and have fewer foods they dislike than I do, the recipes contained here might be ones they enjoy, and for some people this might be a must have book.

For me it was just okay. There are literally hundreds of vegan cookbooks I like better.

I looked over this vegan cookbook that I borrowed from the library and thought it looked excellent. I only tried five recipes: Falafel Sandwiches, Tahini-Lemon Sauce, Coconut Pistachio Rice Pudding, and Roasted Vegetable Stromboli, and Basic Pizza Dough. We loved all the recipes, however, I spent way too long in the kitchen. The Roasted Vegetable Stromboli took 2 1/4 hours to make, including cleanup. My husband said it was the best vegan recipe I had ever made, but I won't make it again because I don't want to spend that long in the kitchen. Not sure if I'll buy the book or not. They do have a list of "quick recipes" in the book, so maybe it would be worth buying the book for those.

By the way, there is an interesting website where a retired woman who travels all over the country in her motor home is cooking through this book: "My Adventures Testing 1000 Vegan Recipes" http://testing-1000vr.blogspot.com/. That website alone made me more interested in buying the book. She tweaks all of the recipes to make them use whole grains with no added oils ("McDougall Friendly").

Found some winners in here including Arroz non Pollo p. 121 and Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Dried Cranberries p. 179. Poached Pears on p. 234 was also a winner dessert for Xmas 2011.

Looks good but uses expensive ingredients½

Gorgeous hardcover book with lovely photos, though not of every recipe. 4 ½ stars. ½ star off because it was an inspired idea but then a lot of countries were missing and there were so few recipes for each country and region, and I found myself wanting more. The sampler format did work though. I got in some armchair traveling with not only the recipes but also the text info that accompanied each of the recipes and at the beginning of each section. I still wish that Canada and many missing European countries had been included.

I like that the recipes have various designations, such as quick and easy, gluten free/option, soy free/option, no oil, low oil, etc. There is a glossary, some suggested menus, a list of online resources, basic and global pantry lists, and the index seems okay.

For me, overall, there was too much vinegar, cooking alcohol, vegan dairy substitutes, coconut, and too much sugar in both savory and sweet dishes. But I’ve always loved this author’s recipes and that was mostly also true in this book.

The recipes that most intrigued me are: From the Europe section, from Italy: Trofie alla Pesto with Green Beans and Potatoes; Polenta Rustica with Kale and Bean Ragout; Sicilian-Style Cauliflower, and from France: Pissaladere; Roasted Ratatouille with Basil Pistou; Basil Pistou; Mousse au Chocolat, and from Spain and Portugal: Vegetable Paella; Eggplant Piri-piri, and from Greece: Spankakipita Tart, and from Eastern Europe: Halushki, and from the British Isles: Cottage Pie; Cauliflower Colcannon; Portobello Pasties; Lemon Posset, and from the Americas, from the United States: Blue Ribbon Chocolate Layer Cake; Brown Bread with Walnuts and Raisins, and from Mexico: Avocado and Tomato Salsa Verrines; Black Bean and Butternut Tortilla Bake; Black Bean Caldillo; Chipotle Corn-Stuffed Peppers, and from the Caribbean: Spicy Plantain Fritters with Mango-Papaya Relish; Roasted Corn Chowder; Red Bean Stew with Mango, and from South America: Bolivian Quinoa Pilaf. and from Africa: Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup; Black-Eyed Pea Fritters (Akara); Injera; Vegetable Tangine, and from the Middle East: Kale-Stuffed Phyllo “Pens”; Sleek-Stuffed Eggplant with Pomegranate Sauce; Zaatar Roasted Cauliflower, and from India: Manchurian Cauliflower; Kofta Curry; Vegetable Momos; Cardamom Chickpea Cookies, and from Asia: from China: Almond Cookies, from Thailand: Eggplant Satays, and from Japan: Temple Soup; Sesame-Spinach Donburi, and from Korea: Sweet Potato Dessert, and from Vietnam: Pho Chay; Sizzling Saigon Crepes, and from the Southeast Asia Islands: Singapore Mei Fun; Eggplant Rempeh.

Recommended for cooks and cookbook readers who want recipes from a variety of ethnic cuisines. It’s a beautiful, gift worthy cookbook.

With most cookbooks, I'll spot three or four recipes that sound good enough to actually try. This one is page after page of easy-to-make meals that sound really good and exotic, yet call for ingredients I can get at any Sprout's or Asian market. There are so many cuisines represented: Turkish eggplant with walnut sauce, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Provencal vegetables and rice, Cuban black beans, Texas too-hot chili, vegetables with Thia peanut sauce... I think I'll start with the wild rice salad. I only wish there were photos.

There are a lot of very diverse recipes in here, but many call for a food processor, so while they're simple recipes they require a fair number of gadgets you may not necessarily own. No photos and no dessert recipes.

This is one I wish I could own, and I might borrow it again. I often make one dish meals, sometimes eating them with a grain such as quinoa or brown rice, but often making a full meal in a single pot. This book gave me some great ideas, and quite a few of the recipes look worth making. I really like the international flavor. In many recipes there are many ingredients I’d want to substitute or change. The lack of photos is the main reason why it gets only 4 stars from me. The only photos are single color photos on the front and back covers. I like Robin Robertson’s cookbooks, and she’s prolific enough now that her books deserve those photographs of completed recipes, even though I know they’re costly. There are easy to follow instructions and there are some good extras included.

The recipe sections cover soups, main dish salads, stovetop simmers and stews, chili, sautés and stir-fries, pastas, and oven to table. There are no desserts.

I can’t list them all, but some of the recipes I’d most want to make or use for inspiration (in order of appearance) are: chickpea noodle soup; black bean soup with kale and sweet potatoes; pesto enhanced vegetable soup; Senegalese-inspired red lentil soup; red bean gumbo; creamy bean and winter vegetable soup; shiitake miso soup; rice and broccoli with lemony white bean sauce; almond bulgar with black beans, tomatoes, and kale; black bean and sweet potato chili; west coast chili; devil’s food chili; black beans and quinoa with shredded vegetables; lemony quinoa with spinach and chickpeas; fusilli with creamy summer vegetable sauce; fettuccine and broccoli with almond-herb sauce; rapini and cannellini rotini, spinach alfredo linguine; linguine with red lentil sauce; frittata primavera; cauliflower comfort bake; spinach and quinoa tart; pesto lasagna; eggplant lasagna; butternut and cremini lasagna; tetrazzini-style fettuccine; baked polenta with red beans and salsa (and the fresh tomato salsa that’s on page 179 is an example of how I like my salsas); polenta bake with spinach and mushrooms; white pizza with arugula pesto; chickpea pot pie; bulgur and white bean bake with cabbage and tomatoes.

Orange and Chipotle-Kisssed Butternut Squash Bisque, p.86; very good, and with an immersion blender, not as daunting.

I haven't yet gotten around to reviewing this cookbook - but you can see some of the dishes I've made from Vegan on the Cheap here: http://www.easyvegan.info/tag/vegan-on-the-cheap/

I haven't yet gotten around to reviewing this cookbook - but you can see some of the dishes I've made from The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook here: http://www.easyvegan.info/tag/the-vegetarian-meat-potatoes-cookbook/

I haven't yet gotten around to reviewing this cookbook - but you can see some of the dishes I've made from Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker here: http://www.easyvegan.info/tag/fresh-from-the-vegan-slow-cooker/

Most of these recipes only take about 4 hours, give or take. It's not enough time!

A great variety of recipes beyond the standard beans, beans, and more beans. I love that many recipes are gluten-free or can be adapted easily.