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| Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook | 
 enlarge | Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $16.92
You Save: $10.58 (38%)
New (42) Used (9) from $16.92
Avg. Customer Rating:  195 reviews
Sales Rank: 695
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 10 x 8.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 156924264X
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5636
EAN: 9781569242643
ASIN: 156924264X
Publication Date: October 31, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 It's not Kathy Cooks...Naturally January 20, 2008
25 out of 120 found this review helpful
If you're new to veganism, this book would rate a 5. Otherwise, Ultimate doesn't measure. I've been cobbling recipes from vegan, vegetarian, and all other cookbooks for about 2 years. Veganomicon is filled with staples, which is perhaps the whole point, but I was hoping for something more than variations of a theme, or repetitions from almost every vegan cookbook (sandwhiches, soups, salads, baked goods.)
Ultimately, I was really hoping this would be the end all be all. It's not. Kathy Cooks... Naturally kicks the pants out of all the cookbooks released in the past 5 years. And that cookbook came out in the 1980s. It doesn't have "vegan" in the title, but it has an ethos most would appreciate.
The upside to Veganomicon is the hardcover, and conversational aspect of the writing. The downside is no accounting of the value of the food- protein? Carbs? Calories? Don't kid yourself that veganism is healthy. Most vegans are chunky to start with, and lack of sufficient protein poses heart health risks for men as they enter their 30s/40s. It's DEPRESSING that "The Sneaky Chef" has more vegan nutrition boosters than this book.
Anyways, kudos to the authors for putting the book together. Blah on all the reviewers for not seeing they're being fed the same stuff.... Best to bust out the original soy not oi. It's still holding up, and is as ultimate as this. If you're on the fence, think of this: if you were to eat out "vegan," you'd spend more than this book. You can eat "vegan" at home now, which is good, but it's like... hummus, again?! They didn't say it was pioneering.
 Lots of ingredients & Lots of tme March 15, 2008
22 out of 32 found this review helpful
If you have a lot of time to spend grocery shopping and cooking, then this is a great book. However, as a fairly busy person, I was very disappointed. The author's idea of a quick meal is one that takes 45 minutes or less to cook. My idea of a quick meal is one that I can serve in under 15 minutes. In case you are wondering, I'm not a vegan, but I eat vegan & raw foods every night for dinner which usually consists of salad, chilled raw soup and cooked vegan entree, and dinner is usually on the table in under 20 minutes after I start making it. I find I can come up with a tasty dish with 8 or less ingredients.
Almost every recipe in the Veganomicon has a massive ingredient list - yes there are a few that do not, but most do. Preparation times are extensive. I was disappointed to see there were very few recipes that did not require cooking as I like to have some raw food in my diet. Also, many of the "quick" recipes take twice as long to prepare as most of what I cook. Yes, I do my shopping in the produce section and I cut or prepare fresh veggies every night.
Also, the way she put spices together in this book was different. I did not enjoy any of her combinations. If you are thinking about buying this, I suggest you borrow it from the library and try a few recipes first. I'm wondering if most of the reviewers were so excited about having a "veganomicon" that they posted glowing reviews before trying the recipes.
Complicated and Lengthy December 14, 2007
20 out of 34 found this review helpful
This was not what I was expecting. Probably great for a gourmet with lots of time and people to cook for. The recipes were lengthy and complicated, not condusive for putting together something yummy with on-hand ingredients that doesn't take hours to prepare. I prefer The Accidental Vegan or Students Go Vegan. Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting read and I love reading cookbooks. It's just not a cookbook I'll use in my kitchen.
 Flavor + integrity = Veganomicon December 31, 2007
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
Vegan with a Vengeance, I think, made a lot of people aware that vegans did not have to sacrifice real and filling food in order to eat ethically. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World made people understand that we didn't have to choose between incredible, mouth-popping flavor and baked goods. With Veganomicon, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her partner in crime Terry Hope Romero have thrown down the gauntlet to not only other vegans but also other cookbook authors. I don't think I have ever seen any other volume that has so successfully and beautifully combined authentic flavors and innovative- but never fussy- techniques.
I haven't made everything in this cookbook- I think that undertaking would be something along the lines of Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen- but what I have made has blown me away. First and foremost, Pasta Della California. Oh my God- linguine in a lime, wine and garlic sauce with arugula (I use spinach), broccoli and avocado. First of all, it's so chockfull of vegetables reading the recipe makes you feel like you've gotten your daily requirements of fiber, vitamin A and C. Second of all, avocados in a cooked dish- and it works! I am so in love with this dish I can't begin to describe it. The best part of it is that it's so good that my picky three-year-old son even eats it.
While it goes without saying that their tofu ricotta and wheat-free chocolate chip cookies (a recipe flexible enough to withstand the addition of wheat) are incredible, I must mention her Cheezy "Nooch" Sauce. This is just one example of how their use of simple techniques from the realm of traditional cooking (bechamel, anyone?) and a few ultra simple substitions makes for an incredible culinary experience. All vegans who have pined for cheese sauce need to go out and buy this book right now just for this recipe. It is so good and so versatile. I've used it at least five times since I bought the cookbook a month and a half ago with pasta and spinach- and it's delicious. Not only do the picky toddlers like it, but so does the finnicky thirteen-year-old. Enough said.
But possibly my favorite "recipe" of all is the ice cream sandwich and it's nine variations. This included next to their delicious and fool-proof ice cream recipe. (How fool proof? I was able to make this by swapping out the ice cream make for the blender- that's how fool proof.) And of course you can, as she even recommends, go grab any old vegan ice cream and any old (usually overpriced) vegan cookie and make these yourself, but I haven't seen these offerings, combinations or ideas for vegans- or non-vegans- anywhere else.
I've got to admit, it is a let down that this cookbook isn't as beautifully glossy as Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, but the photo spread in the middle is very well-styled and inspirational. I can't wait to get to the rest of these recipes.
 try vegan with a vengeance first November 18, 2007
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
i can't say enough good things about vegan with a vengeance. it remains by far my favorite cookbook. i was hoping veganomicon would surpass it as my new favorite but unfortunately that has not been the case. i have cooked about ten recipes from it so far and i have only REALLY liked a few of them. i think it's just different tastes - a lot of these recipes feature pumpkin or fennel flavors, which i'm not that fond of. the few i have seriously enjoyed are the chickpea cutlets which are AMAZING and the sloppy joe recipe is pretty delicious.
one big negative about the cookbook is that there are so many typos and errors in the book it drives me CRAZY - nothing worse than preparing some ingredients and then not knowing when to add them (see: mustard sauce recipe, spicy fennel tempeh pasta recipe, mushroom gravy recipe..). bad editing! hopefully this will be resolved in subsequent printings! but in the meantime, i have a book i spent $20+ on with recipes i can't really use. how annoying is that?
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