[.ca] The Everyday Vegan: Recipes & Lessons for Living the ... (ISBN 1551521067)

Wow!!:
I follow a very strict diet for health reasons and this book has been a life saver. Not only is it the best vegan cookbook I have found, it simply is our best cookbook period. Great ideas, easy-to-use format, readily available ingredients and sensational flavours. What a find! An added bonus is that kids love it. My son and his friends particularly like the treats, especially the chocolate cake and the coconut-raspberry squares. It is great to have such healthy alternatives. My wife and I have been using this book for over a year and have given it as a gift to several people. They all love it. We have also shared the recipes with many friends when entertaining. It is so much fun to watch people's reactions as they sample these delectable dishes. Our adult favorites are the tiramisu, the tofu sandwich filling (we couldn't believe tofu could taste so great), spiced mushroom potato phyllo pie and the chocolate cake (everyone loves this cake). And check out the holiday feast menu - incredible. This book has certainly earned a 5 star rating!... We were delighted with this purchase.

Not to my taste:
I hate to write a negative review, but based on the positive reviews here (and my desire to find great vegan fare I could make at home) I purchased this book, eagerly awaited it, and then...was so disappointed with it that I sold it. Pros: the book is well-organized, very user friendly, the recipes will get you to buy something new, and the other reviewers here seemed to love it. The Major Con: the 3 recipes I tried ranged from "just passable" (one recipe) to "I threw it out" (two recipes). And that is saying a lot as the ONLY other dish I have ever thrown out was a slow-cooker fish stew (yes, it tasted as good as it sounds) about 12 years ago. Believe me, I tried to give this cookbook a chance. I'm giving this book a two star rating (as opposed to a one star rating) for the simple fact that it encouraged me to try new products, one of which was a wonderful find for me (tahini). Of course, I still have a bottle of hoisin sauce on my shelf I don't use and I didn't take to the soy mayonnaise, but that's the risk in trying new recipes. I wish I could have written a more positive review, but this cookbook was just not for me despite the appealing title.

odd cover - GREAT CONTENT:
I wasn't going to buy this book because of the cover. I guess that's why they say, 'don't judge a book by its cover.' As I started to use it I realized there was a significant amount of content in this book. I don't just mean recipes. (don't get me wrong - there are lots of good recipes too,its just there is a lot more to this book than recipes) I suggest anybody looking for advice on how to use and prepare many of the ingredients we see in vegetarian / vegan recipes buy this book right now. You won't be disappointed. You will get a lot more information and content than most of the other vegetarian vegan books that are out there.

So, so, yummy!:
This book is one of my favorite cookbooks. The desserts and baked goodies are awesome, and I also love the marinated tofu mixture for sandwiches. These are some of the tastiest vegan creations I have tried, and they aren't difficult at all. A must for vegan foodies!!

Excellent Vegetarian Fare:
A friend who had recently become vegetarian recommended the everyday vegan. I was truly impressed with this book even though I am not a vegetarian. I especially liked the little notes by each recipe that gave helpful tips as well as substitutions. Some of the ingredients were unfamiliar to me so her explanation of the less common ones was really helpful. I first made coconut raspberry squares and they were amazing. Since soup is such a wonderful comfort food I made pureed curried squash and yam soup as well as chickpea mash stew. Both of which my husband and kids really enjoyed which is always a bonus. Dreena Burton has written an amazing book and I do hope she plans to follow it with a second one. The recipes are easy to make so even the most inexperienced cook would be able to make a great meal. Everyone should buy this book and venture into the world of vegetarian fare. Those of you out there who have never tried this type of food you are in for a real treat. Plus because they are so healthy you will feel great after eating these meals.