New York: Avery (2018), 288 pp.

Booksmarters, I am so excited to tell you about this gem of a cookbook. I first stumbled upon it at the public library – which is, by the way, a great way to “check out” a new cookbook and see if you like it before you buy. (See what I did there? I’m here all week). After I returned it, I found that I kept thinking about it and ordered one for myself. This is a substantial, hardcover, very appealing-looking book, which is only one of the reasons I am recommending that you get two – one for yourself and another to give as a gift.

I find one of the best indicators that a cookbook will be a success is the story of the author. Does the author love food, and most importantly, does the author love this food? In this case, the answer is yes. Timothy Pakron has undertaken to remake the beloved Creole, Cajun, and other southern flavors of his childhood into a vegan version. He does so with passion, flair, and a lot of personality. (Also, the forward is by the Queen of Vegan Cookbookland, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, so it’s got instant cred.)

I have prepared things from almost every section of this book – except for breakfast, which is mostly because I’m too lazy, as the recipes look absolutely divine. Toasted Pecan Waffles with Bananas Foster Topping anyone??

From the Snacks, Drinks, and Appetizers section, I made the Creole Chex Mix – you would definitely find me awkwardly loitering near the bowl of this at a party: smoky, salty, crunchy, nutty. Yes ma’am.

(That is in fact a shameless plug for my favorite N/A beer Lagunitas IPNA). This snack is a great example of what this book does so well – taking a standard and shaking it up a little. The change-up of adding lemon juice and zest to the Garlic & Herb Bread didn’t land with me – but I still appreciate the effort.

Yay for the inclusion of a Sandwiches and Salads section, because I. Love. Lunch. The Vegan Caesar with Creamy Garlic Dressing and Fried Capers is perfect if you like a caesar. The Avocado, Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Zesty Shallot Garlic Vinaigrette has a unique flavor as the result of sauteeing the garlic and shallots before adding them to the dressing.

The Vegan Chicken Salad with Grapes and Toasted Pecans doesn’t really break new ground, but it’s yummy, and reminded to make vegan chicken salad for lunch!

There are a couple of Soups & Stews – Succotash Stew was good but in my opinion took a bit too long for what ended up being a fairly simple soup. The Peanut Stew with Fresh Greens, however, was deep and rich and loaded with flavor – perfect for one of these first chilly evenings of fall.

The most substantial chapter here is Gumbo, Rice & Mains. I haven’t made gumbo yet, but I have made the Dirty Rice – it is hotttttt and flavorful – although I’d double the tofu in it. I also made the zingy and herby Lemon Herb Rice and tried the Slow Cooked Red Beans and Rice. If you like having something simmering on the stove all day in the winter, this will be your jam.

Which brings me to the Sides section. And the Roasted Cauliflower. As Elaine Benes once said, “I am speechless. I am without speech.” This cauliflower is tossed with a magical flavor paste that is is so good, you will want it all day, every day, and never any other way. Ultimately, it is why I had to buy this book. (This photo shows the cauliflower still on the pan, which is where you will be eating most of it, because it won’t make it to the plate.)

Desserts: I greatly appreciate the overall effort in this book to keep things different and interesting, as there is nothing quite as disappointing than flipping through a new cookbook only to realize it is full of recipes you already have in three other places. This kind of welcome rule breaking is shown off quite nicely in the Highly Sophisticated Chocolate Chip Cookies, which include unexpected ingredients like rosemary and black pepper. And oooooh man. So tasty.

Take note though that this recipe included a cookbook peeve of mine: telling me to preheat the oven, then telling me halfway through the recipe that the dough needs to chill for thirty minutes. In fairness, the author TOLD me in the notes at the beginning that I should read the recipe the whole way through first, and not curse him if I chose not to follow that advice. 😂 But I’ve always thought that recipes that include chilling or cooling time in the middle should flag that in bold or at the top or something. Anyway, after I ate a cookie I was over it. 😉The Mini Peach Cobblers didn’t work as well for me – they came out kind of mealy and somehow there wasn’t enough filling, but this may have been user error in some respect.

Oh, and just because he loves us, he added a little Wellness section at the end with things like special teas and a calming facial mist with lavender and eucalyptus. Isn’t that nice?

I would rate this book Vegan Intermediate. The recipes are extremely ingredient intensive. A few of the ingredients are fairly exotic like lion’s mane mushrooms and mirlitons, but really that’s a good thing. We should all be nudged to discover something new now and then. You can always make a substitution if you need to. Finally, a lot of these recipes take a looooonnnggg time, but that’s what southern cooking is all about, right? That’s when you infuse all the love in there!

The photos in this book are entrancing. The recipes are mouthwatering to read about, and for the most part, successful in the execution. You will love the culinary journey with Timothy Pakron, so get this book. And maybe click on through to his website, too. https://www.mississippivegan.com/ Cuz we love him.

Note: I did not receive any form of compensation for products or links mentioned in this post.