You are welcome. Why? Because I have just changed your life by telling you about Bitchin’ Sauce. This creamy, almond-based saucy thing has a perfect texture and just the right amount of heat to spice up any thing you want to put it on. I now make burritos just to have something to slather it on. You can mix it with salsa to make a yummy dip or stir it into a corn chowder to really make it sing. If…
New York: William Morrow, 2021. 274 pp. Here’s how you know your kid loves you: Tabitha Brown gives a lecture at her college, she goes and not only gets a signed copy of Tabitha Brown’s new book, Feeding the Soul (because it’s my business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom, she gets a (weird, socially-distanced) selfie with her, and tells you that Tabitha Brown said to say “hi.” To YOU! By which I mean, to ME!! Thus, I…
Canada: Appetite by Random House, 2017. 222pp. First, my apologies for not having more photos in this review. I just failed to take them. And the ones I did take aren’t that great. Goals. But I don’t want my recalcitrance to keep you from considering this nifty volume! Fuss-Free Vegan, like the cover photo, just has a nice disposition. The graphics are fun and easy to read. The photos are realistic and not over-styled. It’s a large paperback, stays open…
Indianapolis: Penguin Random House, 2018 (245pp) This colorful hardcover jumped out at me as it promised not only plant-based food, but Ayurvedic food, about which I knew very little. Eating AND learning. Bonus! The first quarter of this colorful hardcover is an explanation of the Ayurvedic philosophy with a modern twist developed by the author after considerable study. I found the enthusiasm with which she shares the principles of the Ayurvedic approach to health and food to be quite engaging….
Vegan novices perusing a recipe often encounter nutritional yeast in the ingredient list and slam on the brakes. I know I did — mostly because I didn’t know what it was and, well, mystery yeast kinda sounds gross. But be not afraid. This nifty ingredient, referred to by many vegans as “nooch,” is your friend in two ways: 1) it’s chock-full of B vitamins and other nutritional yummies, and 2) it adds a nice cheesy umami to a variety of…
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…
Right now you are reading this, and you are thinking about what you are going to do next. And I am concerned the thing you are thinking about is something other than going to Costco and getting these bagel chips immediately, and that would be the wrong decision. I cannot emphasize enough how good these are: crispy, exceptionally flavorful, oily, salty, outrageous, crazy-making, and completely, utterly vegan. They do leave you with the teeniest bit of garlic breath, but, hey,…
New York: Countryman Press, 2019. 304pp. Welcome to another cookbook review, Booksmarters! My primary motivation in bringing this book to your attention is the chapter on Portable Snacks. My go-to protein snack is a handful of peanuts or pistachios, which can get a little boring. It is a nice change to make up a batch of one of the many little protein ball recipes included in High Protein Vegan. They rely on various combinations of oats, nut butter, seeds, dried fruit,…
A few words on tofu. It’s not meat. It doesn’t taste like meat. Nothing you do will make it taste like meat. It’s tofu. 🙂 Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on. To enjoy it, you must do two things: alter its texture – either by freezing it or pressing it – and marinate it. Freezing tofu makes it quite dense and a little chewy. Try it. Either you’ll like it or you won’t, and…
I often hear people say that they resist making vegan or vegetarian meals because of the amount of chopping. But hear me out: chopping itself is not the problem. You are. 🤣 Okay, kidding. But, really, how you are doing it is. If you want to eat more plant-based meals, the single best thing you can do is invest in a good knife and a large cutting board. I have actually witnessed a person trying to cut up a red…