Conveniently Vegan

I checked out this book by Debra Wasserman from the public library almost a month ago and plan on renewing it for another month. Yes, I'm cheap but I also like to make sure that I enjoy a book and will use it before buying it. The recipes in Conveniently Vegan also appeal to my cheap sensibility and my desire to make cooking fairly quick and easy.

I enjoy trying new recipes and creating healthier versions of old recipes. However, if the recipe has too many ingredients that I have to search for and pay big bucks for, I'm going to be turned off. Of the 150 recipes in this book, few contain more than a handful of ingredients. None of the ingredients are exotic and many are probably in your pantry already. I'll admit a few recipes, such as the banana oatmeal coconut bar cookies and the lentil spinach potato stew, suffer because they're a bit too simple and lacking a bit in flavor or finesse. I tend to change recipes a bit anyway as I'm preparing them so this isn't a big problem for me. Usually all that's needed is a little seasoning, vanilla, or honey added to the mix. To the stew, I added some oil, curry powder, and garlic salt.

Another nice aspect is that the recipes combine fresh ingredients with packaged convenience foods such as canned beans with fresh vegetables or cornmeal with fresh squash and frozen corn. The soups and stews combine canned with frozen and fresh vegetables along with grains and are easy to throw together. The recipes are all very healthy, using lots of whole grains, veggies, a minimum of oil and only fruit or maple syrup instead of sugar.

I enjoyed the gravy recipes and the lasagna noodle rollups even though it ended up tasting more Mexican than Italian. There are some interesting pasta dishes including one with a peach/tomato sauce and another with apple/bean sauce. There are many combinations I never would have considered like lentil fruit salad and apples and lima beans.

As far as the tofu recipes are concerned, I recommend baking the tofu pieces with tamari/soy sauce and garlic (or apple juice for sweet dishes) before adding to the recipe. It keeps the tofu from turning to mush and gives it a completely different texture (similar to cooked chicken).

One of the few drawbacks of the book is the lack of pictures. I enjoy seeing photos of the foods for the beauty and entertainment value but also to give you an idea of what the finished product is supposed to look like. The book design and layout is simple, no nonsense, and straightforward just like the recipes themselves.