Product Description

This book is essentially about providing an easy basis for adopting a vegan lifestyle and enjoying it for a lifetime. It is about grounding oneself in book of familiar sounding "comfort" foods that are yet distinctly free of all saturated fat, cholesterol and dirty animal proteins. It is about unplugging from the mainstream of culinary knowledge with its roots in animal products, and entering a world of interrelated vegetable sourced materials that is all inclusive, with as much depth and color as anything ever created from animals. It is also about the future of our planet, humanity and ourselves, as we begin to evolve into who we really are, and what our real purpose is on this planet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #608200 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 494 pages

From the Publisher
The chief interest of this book is its sheer magnitude. With 494 pages of recipes and information, this cookbook covers everything anyone would want to know about vegan home-style cooking. Using a relatively small grocery list of vegetables, specialized substances and vegetable protein concentrates Chef Rasmussen has spun an intricate web of interrelated recipes that is both far reaching in its scope and yet self contained. Whether you are a novice or professional chef, this book has something in it for you. In a rapidly growing market for vegetarian products and information, the 'Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook' is a well spring of knowledge.

From the Author
In this cookbook I have attempted to catalogue many of my best recipes and put together a comprehensive work that covers every aspect of the craft. The recipes are home style and easily reproduced. The introductory chapters help the reader to become accustomed to the concepts and formats associated with the remainder of the work. Chapter one lists everything, from ingredients to equipment, the reader will need to prepare any of the recipes in this book. Subsequent chapters include 375 recipes and methodology in thirteen different categories. Recipes found in one chapter, such as chapter 11, "Vegan 'Meats'" may be used in another chapter such as chapter 9, "Sautes". This method creates themes and motifs that wind through the book like harmonies. There are chapters and recipe examples for every meal of the day including side dishes, appetizers and desserts. There is also a chapter on daily menu planning and banquet affairs. A section in the back of the book called !

"Home Spun Recipes" provides formatted templates to include up to ten of your own favorite recipes. A Resource Directory is also included to help you locate and purchase specialized ingredients.

From the Inside Flap
For nearly seven years, the Veggie Works Vegetarian Restaurant has been serving the most satisfying vegan cuisine found anywhere on the planet. Best known for its original dishes featuring a large variety of homemade vegan meat analogs, Veggie Works offers nearly 150 menu offerings every day! In this book, author and chef- Mark Rasmussen- shares over 375 of his unique recipe creations with the world. Every aspect of vegan cookery is covered, with numerous examples on each subject. Starting from a simple list of common ingredients, Rasmussen has created a masterpiece of interwoven formulas, that together, deliver a work of monumental proportions.

Customer Reviews

Politics as usual
After reading the "Why vegan" section, it dawned on me that this was just another dig at the fact that people eat meat. The funny thing about all this stuff is that humans have been eating meat since the ice age. Why else did we develop the teeth and digestive systems that we have?

Don't get me wrong; I love veggies. I just refuse to limit myself to eating them exclusively. The thing is, animal products taste really good! Most of them don't need to be slathered with herbs and spices to make them taste good. You can't say the same for most vegetables.

I'll probably use a lot of the recipes in this book that have to do with legumes, but I disagree with the authors rants about the world's misuse of the animals that were meant to be consumed by man.

PETA (People for the Eating of Tasty Animals)

Do Not Make The Cheesecake
I've only tried the chocolate/peanut butter cheesecake, and I'm sure some of the other recipes are great, but, for the cheesecake, I followed the recipe exactly and got a brownie-esque "cheesecake" that was completely inedible because of the TWO POUNDS of unsweetened and bitter chocolate that the recipe called for (this seemed a bit weird to me, but I trusted the recipe). I couldn't even taste the peanut butter. I doubt they tested the recipe, because it just doesn't work at all, and I'm frankly a little scared to try any other recipes. If anyone had a different experience and somehow managed to make edible cheesecake, then please comment, because I'd like to know how that happened.

easy, delicious, great variety
Do yourself a favor and buy this cookbook. Reading through it, the recipes seem so simple that you would think they'd turn out bland. You would be wrong! Simple sauces like the "mexican sauce" and "white Sauce" are delicious on their own, but then other recipes build on these in amazing ways. This is not the healthiest vegan cookbook around, but is great for familiar, comfort foods that you won't hesitate to share with omnivores. I just threw together the broccoli-artichoke casserole as a side dish to bring to a friend's house, and no one would have guessed this delicious dish was vegan. This book will keep you cooking for a long time, with very basic ingredients.