It seems like vegans are often left out of the various weight-loss crazes du jour, which is obviously no fair, so I was pleased to pick up this substantial paperback, Vegan Intermittent Fasting.

Before launching in, I think it’s worth taking a moment here to engage with the “plant-based” v. “vegan” issue for those of you who are newer to this. Although people debate this all time, the consensus is (and Booksmart’s position is) veganism is not a diet. Veganism is not intended as way to get healthy or lose weight (although it may have that effect depending on what you eat). Veganism is an ethical stance which requires one to avoid harming animals whenever possible and practicable. Thus, veganism extends beyond food to the avoidance of animal exploitation for clothing, entertainment, and the like. Plant-based is a diet in which a person chooses not to consume animal products for some other reason. Despite this distinction, these terms are often used interchangeably, particularly in books like this one which are focused on wellness. For example, because this book mentions that one should strive to eliminate only 95% of dietary animal products, one could quibble with the word “vegan” in its title, but all the recipes are vegan, so its ok by me. Anyway, onward.

The first section of this book covers the history of, medical basis for, and health benefits of fasting. This material is not vegan-specific, but you should probably read it before you decide to embark on any regimen like this. The second section includes an illustrated series of exercises to incorporate with the fasting plan as well as an explanation of how one should structure meals during a typical day of intermittent fasting. Then we get to the food, which is where I come in. Man, this all looked so good-for-you, I was very skeptical. But…. it’s good! It’s really good! (Although the book provides recipes for a three-meal-per-day initial 14 day plan, followed by a section of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes to incorporate afterwards, there’s no real substantive difference between them, so I won’t differentiate here.)

Upon your first glance at these recipes you think, 1) well, that’s not nearly enough food, and 2) it’s not going to have much flavor – but surprise! – it is, and it does. Also, these recipes are simple to prepare. That’s key, because the best way to stick to any diet plan is using recipes that aren’t too daunting. (Let’s face it, plain ol’ white-flour pasta is really easy to make. And it’s vegan. I don’t need to tell you it is not on anyone’s diet plan. 😬) In addition to being easy to put together, there is nice variety to these recipes. I didn’t find a single mistake in any of the ones I tried, so they are obviously well tested. Most of the recipes are designed for one or two people, which is handy because it makes for less prep time and less food waste. It’s also unlikely that more than one or two people in your household will be intermittent fasting at one time anyway. That said, these are straightforward recipes which would be easy to double if needed. Let’s dive in:

First, a hearty shout-out to the authors for the chia pudding recipes in here. I am always looking for ways to eat more chia, but after a while, the same old chia pudding just make me sad. I tried the Raspberry Chia Pudding, which in addition to pureed raspberries includes cinnamon. I was hesitant about that flavor profile, but it worked. I also tried the Banana-Chocolate Chia Pudding. I don’t personally love the taste of pureed banana, but again, this was different and got me to eat chia for a couple days I otherwise wouldn’t have. Berry-Coconut Chia Pudding is another better-than-usual chia situation. The Vanilla Oat Shake didn’t work for me – my notes say “like drinking cold oatmeal,” but I’m not an oatmeal girl to begin with, so this could still be your jam. And I give it creativity points. I think I speak for all of us when I say, I just can’t do overnight oats. Can’t do it. If for some reason you can, there are a number of options in here for you.

There are also lots of smoothies, in case you are in a rut there. I tried the Tropical Smoothie Bowl which didn’t break too much new ground, but did get me to try goji berries and cacao nibs, which add a nice texture.

The savory dishes are what are going to make you keep this book around. The first one I tried was the Tofu Palak “Paneer”. It had beautiful depth of flavor for the slim number of ingredients and short prep time. This tasted as good if not better than my go-to recipe for vegan palak paneer and took half the time. I was truly surprised by this dish. I really thought it wasn’t going to work. This cookbook does that over and again. The Indian-Spiced Lentils had a very similar flavor profile, but with a more stew-like texture. Again, easy and yummy.

Next was the Garlic-Zucchini Spaghetti. This recipe calls for spelt spaghetti, which I could not find anywhere, so I used chickpea pasta. The title of the recipe screams boring, does it not? But it really packs a surprising amount of flavor. And while I made remarks under my breath about splitting nine ounces of pasta two ways, this was really quite filling.

The Chickpea Protein Bowl is not going to get your kids’ friends running to your house
for dinner, but it feels righteous to eat, and it’s a good reminder that salad doesn’t have to be made of lettuce to be good. From a food waste perspective, however, I’m not just putting half a can of beans in a recipe because the rest will never get used. I dumped the whole can in there. Also, this calls for fresh watercress which is very hard to find, is often gross by the time you find it because of the low demand, and is very expensive. There are a couple of ingredients like that in this book, so use your best judgment on that.

“Chili Sin Carne” Rice Salad is again quite easy to make and has a nice depth of flavor due to the unusual addition of paprika to the dressing. It made enough for leftovers (because again, I added the entire cans of beans and corn as opposed to half).

The Vegan Poke Bowl is also quite satisfying. It calls for black sesame seeds. I kind of wondered if I really needed to do that, but it worked. These recipes have a very few ingredients and in my experience with it, it’s worth doing what they tell you – unless it’s a watercress situation.

I wanted to try the Sweet Potato Coconut Curry, but I couldn’t get my head around splitting one sweet potato for dinner. It looks good though, so I think I’ll double it and try it soon.

One thing I find a bit odd about this book is that it specifies fresh fruit and vegetables in many situations where it would seem frozen would do just fine. For example, the Green Pea Hummus calls for shelled, fresh peas. First of all, those are only available for about two weeks at the farmer’s market, so far as I know. Second, if I’m gonna spend all that time shelling peas, I don’t think I’m going to make hummus out of them. Also, I thought we were pretty much unanimous at this point that frozen fruits and vegetables are just as, if not occasionally more, healthful than fresh. But I digress.

If you feel sludgy and need a reset, or want a post-holiday or vacation cleanse, or you actually want to try intermittent fasting, I would highly recommend this book. I would also recommend it as a good basic Vegan Beginner book for your weeknight rotation. It simply makes eating healthier vegan food easier, and that’s always a good thing.

Note: I did not receive any form of compensation in exchange for this review.