The Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World

by Robin Robertson

Book Overview

Open the door to a whole new world of delicious, healthy choices If you are one of the millions of Americans moving away from meat, dairy and eggs in your diet, whatever the reason, then Vegan Planet... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558322116
• ISBN13: 9781558322110
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 2.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

I always go back to this book!

I am not vegan on the first place, but whenever I am into cooking, this book is my FIRST reference. The recipes are extremely delicious, easy to make and there are many options. The book contains 20 chapters, from smoothies & breakfast to breads, grains, bake, chillies and so on. I must say that recipes even look fancy, but are still easy to make. Vegans and non-vegans, this is a book you'd enjoy!

Excellent Cookbook

My wife and I have found this vegan cookbook to be one of the best that we own. Our reasons: 1) It is concise and the recipes are generally simple 2) The recipes call for well-known ingredients 3) The recipes are generally not expensive to make 4) The recipes always "turn out" 5) The results are delicious I'd recommend this cookbook to anyone, meat-eaters and vegans alike.

Fantastic addition to any kitchen's repertoire

I'd been a long-time lacto-vegetarian and recently decided to take the plunge and cut out the dairy as well, and in doing so, decided that I needed to find some new cookbooks to go along with this lifestyle change. Though many of my vegetarian cookbooks offer some vegan recipes as well as some vegan alternatives for non-vegan recipes, I was still finding that I didn't have much to draw from. Not every vegetarian recipe can be easily substituted for, and not all vegan substitutions come out tasting all that great. After hours spent at bookstores sifting through vegan cookbooks and asking myself "how many of the recipes from each will I actually, truly try making?" I settled upon Vegan Planet, and I'm quite glad that I did. I love that this book is more than mere recipes. For example, the whole first chapter is called "Vegan Basics" and includes several worthwhile informational tidbits. Robertson includes descriptions of differences between each of the various meat alternatives, such as seitan, TVP, and tempeh, and various ways to buy and cook each. Also included in this first chapter are sections on stocking the vegan pantry with a list of staples every vegan should have in their kitchen, a section on what it means to buy organic, and a section on how to avoid hidden animal products. Robertson also addresses vegan health concerns such as making sure you're getting enough protein, and the infamous vitamin B12 issue. As for the recipes themselves, with 400 recipes to choose from I'm sure everyone could easily find dishes they enjoy in this weighty tome. Some recipes I would recommend are the Udon Noodles in Shiitake-Ginger Broth, the Tofu and Vegetable Lo Mein, the Yuba-Wrapped Seitan and Vegetable Rolls, as well as the various pizza recipes. Most do not require any hard-to-find ingredients, and many do not require an excessive amount of time in the kitchen to prepare, making this a great cookbook for those with busy lifestyles (though I would recommend a food processor to cut down on prep time) who don't want to sacrifice colorful and flavorful foods from their diet. So many cookbooks on the market have a few great recipes that one might turn to over and over again, but this one has several. Some small downsides to this book, though far overshadowed by the pluses, include the lack of pictures and lack of inclusion of nutrition facts. Furthermore, as with any cookbook, there are a few recipes that are not going to appeal to every taste. For example, I had to throw out the vegan macaroni and "cheese" as my husband and I found it simply inedible (though I believe it's just difficult to find a truly enticing vegan substitute for that particular dish). However, as was previously stated, these minor quibbles should not be a deterrent to picking up this great addition to anyone's kitchen. Overall, this is a great cookbook for someone making the switch to veganism, the "occasional" vegan looking for healthy, low fat recipes, or the se

My favorite Vegan cookbook

As a lover of food and cooking, when I became vegan nine months ago I began experimenting with a wide variety of new recipes and new ways to make old favorites. I bought several vegan cookbooks and scoured the web in search of ideas and advice. I made 3 or 4 new dishes every week. This was one of the first books I bought and despite later purchases and the wide variety of recipes available on the web, I come back to this book again and again. Many cookbooks, vegan and otherwise, contain a few gems, some recipes that are interesting looking but which I couldn't really see myself making, and quite a few that I'm simply not attracted to. This book is cover-to-cover great recipes (more than 400) that I could see myself making if I haven't already. As well as familiar items creatively done like sandwiches, salads, soups and various veggies, many recipes borrow from different ethnic cuisines (Thai drunken noodles, baked sweet potato and green pea samosas, etc.) but are accessable and easy enough to prepare that they're not daunting. There are recipes suitable for parties and entertaining, special occasions (including a chapter on desserts), and casual every day meals. Overall this is just a really fantastic cookbook. I highly recommend it.

The animals have a friend in Robin!

I can't imagine a better cookbook for one to have on the kitchen counter than Vegan Planet. Robertson has outdone herself in assembling this huge collection of recipes (her 10th cookbook!) encompassing everything from traditional comfort foods to exotic cuisine from around the world. And as impressive as Robertson's recipes are in Vegan Planet, her discussions on the benefits of vegan cooking are even more so. Are you worried about your cholesterol level? About your waist line? About animal suffering? In a non-preachy and friendly manner, Robertson discusses how each of these topics-and many, many more-can be remedied with a sumptuous and healthy vegan diet.Robertson makes it easy to flip to the recipe you want by organizing her impressive recipe collection into 19 straightforward chapters. Her choice of ingredients focuses on fresh foods and readily available items-you won't need access to a gourmet grocery store to prepare these gourmet recipes. It's rare that I find a cookbook that is so all-encompassing. For example, she includes recipes that are great for packing the kids' school lunches (such as grilled vegetable wraps) or for a special dinner party (such as pesto-stuffed tofu steaks with summertime tomato sauce).Whether you are a meat eater looking to include more vegan food in your life or you are a vegan looking for new recipes, you'll find Vegan Planet to be an invaluable resource.

Good for you and delicious too!

This book makes an excellent gift for someone just starting to explore the vegetarian lifestyle. Surprisingly, it is also an excellent resource for the tried-and-true vegan.For those just familiarizing themselves with the vegan diet, the author explains all potentially new terminology and describes common ingredients used in vegan food preparation: tofu, seitan, and miso for instance. For the most part, his recipes use readily-accessible ingredients, available in most supermarkets. In the rare cases where exotic ingredients are called for, the appendix lists mail-order sources for those who may not live near a natural food store.The book starts with an excellent first chapter on nutrition. The author notes that a vegan diet provides all essential nutrients, though without proper supplementation it can be deficient in vitamin B12. This deficiency is often considered by those reluctant to switch to a vegetarian diet as the "Achilles Heel" of a vegan diet. In fact, having just one easily-remedied deficiency makes the standard non-vegan diet look pretty awful in comparison. While a standard dairy-and-meat-based diet may not be deficient in vitamin B12, it is certainly problematic in its propensity to cause heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and a wide range of other serious illnesses. In fact, as the author points out, a comprehensive set of long-term studies on diet and health done at Cornell University indicates that 80 to 90 percent of all cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other forms of degenerative illness are directly linked to the consumption of meat and dairy products. Talk about an Achilles Heel!Interspersed between the recipes in this book are lots of hidden gems including lists of 10 environmental reasons to go vegan, 12 really great health reasons to go vegan, 7 great reasons to eat soy every day, and 9 compelling ethical reasons to go vegan. The author provides useful kitchen tips, such as stove-top cooking times for 15 kinds of grains and for 13 different beans. Nutritional profiles are provided for many foods, including the vitamin, mineral, and fatty acid content of 16 different nuts and seeds and 10 different kinds of sea vegetables.For those interested in switching away from use of white sugar, the author introduces the alternative natural sweetener called stevia. He also provides guidelines for using maple syrup in place of white sugar in baking (indicating how to reduce the liquid in your recipe when you use a liquid sweetener instead of sugar). Furthermore, the author explains how to bake using egg alternatives.Gosh, I haven't even mentioned the recipes themselves yet! The collection of tempting tasties covers the whole spectrum from A (Adzuki beans) to Z (Zucchini). 20 chapters of recipes provide great ideas for tasty chutneys, gnocchi, curries, pizzas, burgers, pancakes, "cheesecake", and so much more. This is the most comprehensive vegetarian cookbook I've ever come across.This book is a great addition to any li