Vegan Italiano: Meat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free Dishes from Sun-Drenched Italy

(I am an omnivore, married to a lifelong lacto/ovo vegetarian.) This astounding little cookbook is probably one of the best Italian cookbooks I've ever had, much less the best vegan one. Eschewing the standard fake-outs of other vegan cookbooks, like soy-everything and fake meats, this book's creator takes a far different route. Picking recipes that are already vegan, or adapting ones that easily lend themselves to such adaptation, she ends up with a book of very distinctly Italian recipes that are both simple to create and delicious to experience. This is definitely an idea whose time has come.I've tried a few recipes in this book already and everything I've tried so far has been a complete keeper. These are easy, nutritious recipes that don't require weird ingredients, expensive gadgets, or advanced cooking techniques. Most are also pretty quick to make. Compared to other cookbooks I've seen, this one doesn't put a huge emphasis on convenience foods; what she does require can easily be made at home, like marinara sauce, broths, and beans. Simply put, if readers have a decent command of cooking techniques, a reasonably well-equipped kitchen (with a blender and/or food processor, good knives, etc), and a good grocery store nearby, they shouldn't have trouble with anything in this book. If someone's not vegan, that person will probably also find, like I did, that the recipes are easily adapted to preference.A few things in the book sound like misfires to me, like a cheese-less pizza and cream sauces that use everything but cream to give them creaminess, but I guess if you're vegan, none of this will sound too odd, and recipes like that were few and far between. While I cannot speak for vegans and how they'll respond to its ideas, my husband and I both loved the food I made out of this book. With the summer upon us and the farmer's markets bursting with delicious fresh produce, you'll want a book with plenty of ideas for enjoying it all!

I love this book! Great recipes!I have given this book as gifts three times.

She has an amazing variety of different salad combos that use the same types of ingredients but keep it interesting. Easy 30 minute week night meals with simple fresh foods. I can serve this food to omni's who don't want any "weird" vegan ingredients.

The recipes are reliable, clearly set up, and have full nutritional information. The book's a treasure for everyone trying to eat better, including everyone on the Weight Watcher PointsPlus system. (These are much tastier dishes than in the Weight Watchers Point Plus cookbooks.) You'll be eating great without meat or dairy or soy or manufactured protein sources-- real foods, not ones from a laboratory.This is another impressive and useful cookbook from Donna Klein. Upon the book's arrival I flipped through it. At first nothing jumped out at me, but then I started reading and started listing ones I wanted to make. I wound up listing at least three-quarters of all of them! (Just about the only ones I skipped used things like asparagus or fresh mint or chilis which I rarely have hand.)Actually, even before I finished the list, I prepared her lentil soup with rosemary. I added a little lemon juice and savored the meal. (It was even better the next day for lunch.) It's a recipe I will be making again many times, as I have many other recipes from Klein and her other books. Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook PointsPlus+ CookBook (Weight Watchers) (Over 200 Delicious New Recipes Boasting Fresh, Filling, and Healthy Foods) The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook: 240 Healthy and Easy No-Prep Recipes for Busy Cooks The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

The bad: No Graphics except for the cover. Cookbooks should be in COLOR, with pictures for each recipe!The good:1. Every single recipe in here is amazing. The desserts especially. I loved the apple cake and grilled stuffed peaches...mmm, yum!2. The author has a great chatty style. It feels like you're over at your best friend's house who happens to be an amazing cook and you're sipping on Limoncello as she tells you about her day whilst cooking quick appetizers for a summer picnic :) (my imagination got carried away there).3. The recipes are true to Italy so you won't find fake soy/gluten based meats or vegan cheeses that are difficult for beginning vegans to make or use. These recipes are true vegan recipes, meaning they were never intended to have meat/cheese/eggs etc.! So it doesn't feel like you're missing anything and most people won't even realize they just had a completely vegan meal until you tell them so!4. She describes each region in the beginning of the book and tells you which region each recipe comes from as well.Verdict...GET IT!

I do not love italian food, so that is not entirely her fault. But, I also know that Chloe Coscarelli can make me love Italian food. Make me remake an Italian dish. Make me eat leftovers of an Italian dish for a 4 days in a row.Generally though, if it is not Asian food, or at least Indian food, I would not go out of my way to eat it.Her book is actually pretty environmentally friendly. I do not know if that is intentional, but there is no plastic coating on her pages, and she tries to use up the paper with a few recipes on each page. That is nice. Although I have to admit, I do love the feel of those plastic coated cookbook pages and food pictures. That may be part of why I felt so little motivation to cook her recipes.If you love or like Italian food, this book is super inexpensive used, and may be for you. The price is the only reason I bought it, thinking I could make something for someone else, review some recipes, and then give the book to someone.

I have already ordered a copy for a friend. Useful book and refreshing to have no meat or cheese substitutes..

Viva Italia ! If you love pasta and have a food allergy to wheat and gluten this book is a must buy !!

I was initially disappointed by a few things. I gave 3 stars in anticipation that the recipes are tasty despite the notations below.1. The cover of the book was quite damaged upon arrival. (Not the fault of the author but you’d think Amazon would take more care when a book is sold as new and not used.)2. The lack of photos. (My fault I didn’t read enough reviews, I guess.)3. The omission of recipes for making the actual pasta. The author just indicates you should buy egg free pasta to use with the recipe. Disappointing for people who actually want to make a meal from scratch.

I can't vouch for the authenticity of this book as I've never been to Italy, however I can tell you the recipes are delicious, easy to prepare and cheap to make too, nearly everything I've tried has been made from store cupboard ingredients. There have been some negative comments on here about the use of shop bought ingredients but these are mainly sun dried tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, olives and jarred peppers, I think most people who cook regularly keep these in the cupboard. The author suggests using tinned tomatoes but you can easily substitute fresh. I always use tinned tomatoes in the depths of winter and fresh home grown in the summer. I've only had this book for a short time but it's constantly in use when I can't really be bothered to cook but I want something nutritious, tasty and quick. This is a perfect book for quick work night dinners, students looking for something fancier than baked beans on toast, beginner cooks and anyone on a modest budget but avoid if you've been cooking for 50 years and a total pro in the kitchen or you learned to cook from your italian mama, chances are these recipes are too basic for you.Some other points worth mentioning:- There are no meat substitutes used here and no fake cheeses. The author prefers to focus on dishes which are already vegan or can be easily veganised. Not a problem for me but you could easily add some veggie mince to some of the red sauces, namely the rosemary marinara, I have done this with good results if you're so inclined and a chopped up veggie sausage makes a great addition to some of the pasta dishes.- Nutritional information is included, yay! I love it when books do this.A few minor niggles, I've deducted a star for this.- absolutely no pictures, not even one! Unacceptable in a cookbook (in my opinion). The cover of the book has a photo of a segmented clementine and some olives and basil artfully decorated on a plate. What on earth does that tell anyone about the recipes in this book?When I pulled one of my favourite recipes, the Sicilian Pasta skillet pie out of the oven the first time, I said to my husband, "Mmmm, this smells just like Italy" or at least my local italian restaurant and it really did.Needless to say, I like this book. It could have been better, if they'd included photos for at least some of the recipes and given it a better cover.

"Vegan recipes from sun-drenched Italy" - conjures up a wonderful picture, doesn't it? I was looking forward to inventive, imaginative, delightful dishes, bursting with colour and freshness and flavour and goodness. What I got was a cookbook written for the American market (so quantities are given in cups and ingredients require translating; plus it refers to certain ready-made sauces etc that I haven't seen in UK supermarkets); not a single picture apart from the one on the front cover; and, most serious of all, not a single recipe (and there are more than 150 pages of them) that remotely inspires me to make it. I really can't believe there are many vegans out there who haven't already worked out for themselves how to make a tomato sauce using canned tomatoes and onions with a bit of basil thrown in, or how to roast a selection of vegetables in olive oil - if you're one of them, then by all means buy this book. Otherwise, please don't waste your money: buy a nice bottle of Italian wine instead!