Coconut and Berries

Healthy, Vegan Recipes by Emma Potts

Book Review: Let Them Eat Vegan

I’d been doing so well on resisting buying any more cookbooks. I seem to have amassed a rather large number over the recent years since I’ve developed an interest in cooking, and as much as I love to have them, I don’t use them nearly enough, tending to get my inspiration from other blogs or restaurant menus.

All the same, I’ve been following Dreena’s blog, Plant-Powered Kitchen, where she’s been sharing recipes from her book “Let Them Eat Vegan”,  and reading write-ups elsewhere, and knew I couldn’t resist. I don’t feel one bit guilty about this purchase either, I only wish I’d got it sooner (it was published over a year ago in May 2012) as I know it’s going to be a book I come back to time and time again. There are a whopping 200 recipes to work through as well!

This is actually my first of Dreena’s books, although she has written 3 previously- The Everyday Vegan, Vive le Vegan! and Eat Drink & Be Vegan, all of which have been big hits. If you don’t know Dreena’s recipes they’re creative and satisfying, vegan of course, and based on wholefoods (no processed ingredients).

I’ve only made a few recipes so far but was keen to share my thoughts and encourage anyone who doesn’t have the book to get it! Even if you’re not vegan or even vegetarian this is a good book for you as there’s tonnes of advice and tips on how to get started on a vegan diet and a good range of easy, everyday recipes and more complicated, time-consuming ones.

Mediterranean Bean Burgers (Let Them Eat Vegan) Mediterranean Bean Burgers

These were very tasty indeed. I’ve not had much luck with veg burgers in the past. They either seem to crumble to pieces when I cook them or else they’re mushy in the middle. These have the perfect texture, based on kidney beans and oats, and are packed with Mediterranean flavour- oregano, olives and red pepper.

Oh, and I was pretty proud of myself for making my own burger buns too. It seems impossible to buy buns or wraps which aren’t full of chemical preservatives around these parts. I used this recipe from Holy Cow Vegan and they turned out really well, nice and fluffy with a good rise. Now I’ve learnt how easy it is to make my own burger buns I’m sure I’ll soon be trying all Dreena’s other burger recipes- there’s a whole chapter devoted to them!

Raw Strawberry Pie (Let Them Eat Vegan)

Raw Strawberry Pie

In the interest of a comprehensive review….I of course had to delve into the dessert chapter. These pretty little tarts are a mini version of Dreena’s Raw Strawberry Pie. I just divided the recipe to make a smaller amount and used tartlet shells.

I’m very familiar with raw desserts already and this one’s very simple. It’s also delicious and a bit lighter than most which can use a lot of nuts in the filling.

Kale Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing (Let Them Eat Vegan)

Kale Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing

This salad had been getting rave reviews and after trying it I could definitely see why. With kale as the base ingredient you can really add any other vegetables you like, although the apples and raisins listed really added to this I thought. The sweet curried almond dressing is what makes this really special though- I cleaned out my blender as best I could so as not to waste any of it. I did change it a little bit just because maple syrup is very expensive here so I usually save it for on pancakes/waffles! Instead I used dates which I can buy very cheaply in the international stores near me.

Here is my version if you’re interested:

Curried Almond Date Dressing:

1/4C Dates
3/4C Water
1/2C Almonds, soaked
2 1/2T Apple cider vinegar
1t Fresh grated ginger
1 Small clove of garlic
1/2 (heaping) t Salt
1/4t Curry powder
Black pepper
First blend together the dates and water in a high-power blender, until smooth and creamy. Add in all the other ingredients and blend again until very smooth. You may prefer a thinner dressing, if so, add more water.

I didn’t need all this for my salad but loved the leftovers as a dip (yes again….) for raw veggies.

Apple Hemp Pancakes (Let Them Eat Vegan)

Apple Hemp Pancakes

I adore pancakes and these are very yummy. They are made from spelt flour and are packed with nutritious hemp seeds and diced apples so you can feel good about eating them too.  With my new morning routine I can see I’ll be working my way through the “Breakfast Bites and Smoothies” chapter.

I’m particularly excited to get stuck into the “Proud to be Saucy and Dippy” chapter. You know how much I love a good dip! And the main dishes, including warming soups and stews, casseroles, tarts, one-pots and pasta are all going to make the move towards colder weather that bit more welcome.

As I mentioned, Dreena writes the blog plant-powered kitchen where she generously shares some of the recipes from her cookbooks as well as an abundance of useful information and cooking, nutrition and vegan parenting advice.

Do you have a copy of “Let Them Eat Vegan” or any of Dreena’s other books?  Which are your favourite recipes?

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Comments

  1. Those tarts look amazing. I’ve only begun collecting vegan cookbooks so I’m on the look-out for good ones now, thanks for sharing your experience with this one.:)

  3. Looks great. The raw strawberry pie wasn’t on my radar, but I’ll definitely check it out. I seem to be the only one who didn’t really like the curried almond dressing with the kale salad. Oh well! Off the top of my head, I really liked the Mediterranean lentil salad, the orange and star anise soup and the jerk chickpeas. :)

  4. After reading this post I checked out Dreena’s site, specifically a post on how to make green smoothies. I was disturbed by her apparent attitude toward adding protein to smoothies; she seems to think it’s not necessary. At one time I was eating vegan, and even though I thought I knew what I was doing, I ended up essentially starving myself because I wasn’t getting enough protein. I figured that out when I had a very vivid dream about a steak. I did not eat a steak for probably several years, but I have been much better off since I started making sure I get enough protein in my diet. Especially since I married a carnivore, I’m not likely to try vegan again, although I am getting him to eat a few vegetarian recipes. :-)

    Your recipe for the curried almond dressing for kale slaw sounds wonderful to me. I’ve had a couple of kale salads recently and really enjoyed them. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to try it soon.

    • That’s a shame you’ve had a bad experience with veganism. I personally don’t add protein to smoothies either and don’t think it’s necessary. It’s pretty difficult to be deficient in protein with a well-balanced vegan diet, provided you’re getting enough calories. I’m glad you’re still interested in incorporating more vegan meals even if you don’t go all the way.

  5. I totally understand what you mean when you say you already have enough cookbooks! I have Let Them Eat Vegan as well, and every recipe I’ve tried so far has been very good. The kale salad was a hit, and the cocoa goji berry granola is a must.

  6. That looks a delicious Mediterranean bean burger! The raw strawberry pie looks so pretty and I want some now! Mmm I love curried dressing. I had something similar to that from the Oregon Food Day cookbook (it was a curry-apple based dressing) in the kale salad.

  7. Nice write up! I’ve been so good with not buying cookbooks lately, then everything went to hell on the weekend and I bought 3. 3!! I think I have a problem. I love Dreena’s books, although I haven’t tried as much as I’d like from this one yet. I was a big fan of that kale salad and the pumpkin curry is really good too! That burger looks super good.

  8. Wow, thank you for such a lovely feature of my book Emma! I’m chuffed that you’ve tried and enjoyed these recipes. Your photos are just beautiful too. I’d love to link to your post from my facebook page, if that’s fine with you - let me know! :)

    • How exciting to wake up to a comment from Dreena herself! I hope you know how much of an inspiration you are to so many, myself included.
      I’d be very happy for you to share a link on fbook :)

  10. I recently got this book out of the library and love it so much I think I might need to buy it! All of the recipes I’ve tried so far have been great, and I also like the info she gives that makes it easier to transition to a vegan lifestyle.
    I really enjoyed reading this post and seeing photos of some of the recipes I’ve been drooling over haha :)

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