Cookbook review: The Vegan Table

[Guest guest]

Good vegan cookbooks are hard to come by. Too many vegetarian or vegan recipes

call for dozens of items, translating into hours of cutting and chopping. Others

require hard-to-find ingredients, or foods rarely, if ever, stocked in the

average pantry. Hooray that The Vegan Table isn't one of these difficult-to-use

varieties.

 

Subtitled " 200 unforgettable recipes for entertaining every guest at every

occasion, " The Vegan Table (2009, Fair Winds Press, $19.99) is the second

cookbook of vegan chef and " compassionate cook " Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and a

perfect sister to her Joy of Vegan Baking. Organized by size of gathering, The

Vegan Table offers seasonal recipes for casual, tiny tables and formal, big-deal

parties alike. There are even entire vegan feasts for holidays and special

occasions scrumptious enough to keep families and guests from ever looking back

to the overstuffed – and much less healthy -- turkey or ham.

 

Each section features recipes which take full advantage of seasonal goodness.

Spring menus contain steamed artichokes with creamy dipping sauce and

pan-grilled Portobello mushrooms with herb-infused marinade, while winter menus

include Tuscan white beans with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic bread and mashed

potatoes with caramelized onions. Hearty and light meals alike are honored with

equal enthusiasm.

 

While Patrick-Goudreau advocates conscious consumption, supporting veganism as a

path to animal kindness, vegetarian and vegan diets are also wonderfully healthy

ways to fuel an active life. Studies suggest that vegetarians live longer and

suffer fewer " diseases of excess " than their meat-eating counterparts. It's a

plus that The Vegan Table includes nutrition information to help consumers make

smart food choices, every day.

 

Filled with honest, well-considered recipes, The Vegan Table sits comfortably on

the bookshelf, standing tall next to omnivorous counterparts for everyday staple

meals and special-occasion recipes alike.

 

Available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com.

Author: Claire Charlton

Claire Charlton is an Examiner from Detroit.