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Review: Vegan Yum Yum

It’s week #3 in my series of cookbook reviews! In case you missed either of the first two reviews, make sure you check out:

  1. Peas and Thank You
  2. Thrive Foods

This week, I’m reviewing one of the cookbooks I got for my birthday in November –  Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday. This cookbook originally caught my eye from the cover photo and the emphasis on entertaining. I love recipes that have a beautiful presentation!

book

Where Thrive Foods was devoid of pictures, Vegan Yum Yum is filled with gorgeous full-color photographs! Flipping through this cookbook I want to make everything – the food photography just grabs your attention. I love this about a cookbook!

The author, Lauren Ulm, started as a blogger in 2006 and this cookbook was born from that site – although it looks like her site is no longer active (bummer!). There’s just a brief intro describing her background and how the cookbook came to be, a few descriptions of specialty products, and then a whole lot of recipes!

I’ve cooked at least 8 recipes from this book so far, and the two “entertain-y” ones seem to have gone unphotographed – oops!

Broccoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu

Broccoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu

Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto

Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto

Dal Makhni

Dal Makhni

Rainbow Rice & Beans

Rainbow Rice & Beans

Unphotographed: Sugar & Spice Snap Peas (served as an appetizer for Christmas Dinner with Kirk’s family); Chard Florentine on Toast Points (Breakfast/Brunch treat)

 

Overall, I love this cookbook and know it will get a lot of use in our house. I still need to make that gorgeous Portobello stacks from the cover (Miniature Napoleons with Eggplant Crème) and I have a lot of other recipes bookmarked to make, as well.

The cons, there are often missing steps in the directions, so I have to pre-read the instructions and look for those gaps. If you’re not comfortable in the kitchen, I think this would make using this cookbook a little tricky. If you’re fairly comfortable, it’s nothing big enough to stop you, just be aware as you cook from the book.

Of the three cookbooks I’ve cooked so far, Peas and Thank You is my favorite, Vegan Yum Yum would be second, and Thrive Foods coming in third. I would buy all three again, but I thought this might be helpful if you don’t have unlimited money to buy cookbooks. 🙂

Of the three cookbooks I’ve reviewed so far, which one would you like to buy first?

***Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a bottle of  Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla – entries accepted through Saturday. You can get an extra bonus entry every day by tweeting about the giveaway too! ***