| The Voluptuous Vegan: More Than 200 Sinfully Delicious Recipes for Meatless, Eggless, and Dairy-Free Meals | 
 enlarge | Authors: Myra Kornfeld, George Minot, Sheila Hamanaka
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy Used: $4.63
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Avg. Customer Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 120298
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 7.5 x 1
ISBN: 0609804898
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5636
EAN: 9780609804896
ASIN: 0609804898
Publication Date: October 24, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Item is in very readable condition with minor flaws. We ship fast!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Sound like an oxymoron? Myra Kornfeld argues that choosing to be a vegan does not mean you have to deprive yourself--rather, you can pamper your palate with luscious, healthy food. There are those who advocate salt-free, fat-free, flavor-free food, but Kornfeld sets the record straight right from the beginning. She uses salt for seasoning, and reminds us, thank goodness, that you need fat in a healthy diet. Clear instructions, a chapter on ingredients (including sections on grains, greens, and beans--how to buy them, cook them, and use them), and a short primer on equipment make this a good book for beginners. More accomplished cooks will appreciate Kornfeld's innovation. She isn't afraid to use herbs and spices, and she knows the capabilities of her ingredients. In a simple Rich Stock recipe, for instance, she calls for celery root, and explains in a note that you can substitute celery, but that the root gives a much deeper flavor. Kornfeld's food is voluptuous in presentation, too: Smoky Chestnut and Sweet Potato Soup calls for a dash of rum, and it's served with toasted, chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; Hominy, Tomatillo, and Squash Stew is topped with Ginger and Lime Cream made from tofu; and a Fennel, Orange, and Pomegranate Salad is so beautiful and the flavor so complex, you'll swear you're eating four-star cuisine. The book is a little difficult to navigate, as it's divided into "meals." So if all you're looking for is a side dish, you'll need to set some time aside to peruse the whole book. Every recipe starts with a few words of wisdom, usually information on the ingredients or a description of the final product. The final chapter is on desserts, and here Kornfeld really gets voluptuous. The recipes include Cranberry Orange Tart, Chocolate Pudding Tart, and Lemon Pudding Cake with Blueberry Glaze--there's no depriving anyone of anything here! Vegans will appreciate the creative and inventive approach, but this cookbook is also useful for nonvegans. Everyone knows someone who's trying to avoid meat, dairy, or eggs, and with loads of ideas for light meals and interesting side dishes, we can entertain our friends and eat healthy at the same time. --Leora Y. Bloom
Product Description
There are many great reasons to eat vegetarian meals --they're low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and chock-full of nutrients. But the considerable health benefits aside, gourmets often scoff at the likes of seitan and tofu, while vegans despair of dull, uninspired offerings. Until now. In The Voluptuous Vegan, Myra Kornfeld introduces creative, mouthwatering, truly voluptuous recipes that inject this incredibly healthy cuisine with a much-needed dose of culinary mastery, including:
* full, balanced menus with appetizer, main course, and side dishes
* a luscious array of soups and an ingenious selection of desserts
* invaluable information on terms, ingredients, and techniques
* a culinary world tour including Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle Fast, as well as Europe and the United States
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| Customer Reviews: Read 53 more reviews...
 Alright March 25, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This cookbook is just alright. It has so many good ideas, but I think they are missing something.... And another problem I have is the directions are not well thought out. I have to read them like 5 times and try to guess what she was trying to say. She seems to forget steps, and also makes things take way longer by cooking all these different parts of a dish in different pans and then mix them in the end. But if you are someone who can cook and need some inspiration, it does have a lot of good ideas..... you will just have to 'twist' it to your own tastes in the end.
The Voluptuous Vegan January 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The few recipes that I've used were exceptionally yummy, but some of the listed ingredients were exceptionally hard to find. This book is a little too gourmet for me but if you are in good range of a fully-stoked, open-minded health food store, and are up to challenge your already challenging vegan lifestyle, I say go for it. You might add something new and exciting to your vegan repertoire.
 not what i hoped for July 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As other reviewers have said, the recipes are time consuming. I have tried the adzuki bean recipe, and it was much less tasty than I had expected. Other recipes in this book are not even worth trying because the ingredients are either seasonal or just plain unavailable in my rural area. There are better, more down-to-earth vegan cookbooks out there.
 My favorite... March 16, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Of my many, many cookbooks, The Voluptuous Vegan, by Myra Kornfeld, is my favorite. In fact, when I was asked to go to Bulgaria in 2004 to help open the first health-food restaurant in that region, The Voluptuous Vegan was one of the few cookbooks to accompany us on that journey. I have made nearly every recipe in this book. I love the innovative flavor and texture combinations. I also greatly appreciate the way Myra Kornfeld lays out menus, recipes, and preparation timelines to help you assemble, in a timely manner, complete meals that will wow both family and guests. As a personal chef and cooking instructor who promotes organic, health-supportive cooking, I have made recipes from this book that even my most vegetable-phobic clients ask for repeatedly, the African groundnut stew topping that list. As for the desserts, people can't seem to get enough of the chocolate pudding tart (which kids clamor for, even after they've watched me make it using tofu as the base!), the chocolate sorbet, and the carrot cake, the secret ingredient for which (oddly enough) is cardamom. Before completing this review, I do want to comment on one of the above reviews which indicates that seitan is a soy product. Seitan is actually a protein source derived from wheat and is sometimes referred to as "wheat meat." In closing, I will simply say that, if I were allowed to keep only one cookbook from my entire library of sources, it would be The Voluptuous Vegan. Thanks, Myra!
Okay, I know it's early but... November 29, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I just purchased this cookbook after mulling over the reviews, and I just tried my first recipe, Warm Chickpea Salad with Artichokes and Sun-dried tomatoes. Mmmmmmm! I thought the minced rosemary used in the dressing might give this salad an overwhelming flavor, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was subtle, and wonderful, and full of flavor! Maybe I shouldn't write a review based upon my first go at it, but I have a gut feeling that I'm going to love this book! The fact that the author is a chef, and reading the other reviews, gives me faith and trust. I am an occasional vegan, and have been wanting to learn how to cook bolder, more flavorful vegan dishes. I have given in to the fact that good cooking requires time and commitment, so the effort that is needed does not turn me off. For me, the taste and the health benefits will make it totally worth the effort. I can't wait to try more recipes!!
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