Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating

I enjoy Dreena's books so much--like her I have a little girl (she has two) and a husband to cook for, so the dishes need to please everybody and not taste too spicy, too "out there", etc. When I read her books I feel like I have a vegan girlfriend giving me advice and sharing recipes, supporting me in my efforts to be vegan. Dreena's recipes are terrific because she gets you trying new ingredients (I had never used agave nectar before, or made cookies with 5-spice powder, or a smoothie with hemp seed nuts) but the results are things that are new and interesting without being strange.Here's what I've made from the book--Banana Pecan Rice Pudding Pie--My husband and I loved this. Easy to make--just make extra brown rice when you make the Spicoli Burgers so that's ready to go, and as she says, you can put this together in a snap!Kinda Corny Muffins--loved these! Very filling and satisyfing without being too heavy. Great with soup or stew.Raspberry Chocolate Chip Scones--my daughter really liked theseRaspberry Cornmeal Pancakes--Yummy. Again, very satisfying since they are made with whole grains instead of white flour.Tomato Basil Breakfast Quesadilla--have to give this fair justice--I didn't have any basil when I made this, and obviously that's an important ingredient. Even so I will probably modify this recipe in the future. You include Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Hummus in this, and I just did not care for the almond (cherry?) flavor in the hummus. But I liked the idea of a savory "quesadilla" for breakfast, so this will help inspire new ideas.Simplest Garlic Bread--rubbing a clove of fresh garlic on frozen bread didn't work so well for me. Maybe I did something wrong. What I did instead was take a cube of frozen minced garlic like they sell at the grocery store and rub that on the bread. Much easier.Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry--Delicious!!! In fact we are having this today. I buy a container of Asian stir-fry veggies at the store that has a good mix of carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, white onion, mushrooms, snow peas, etc. for a really tasty variety (and added convenience)Polenta Casserole--good, but has a hint of flavor that doesn't seem to belong. Maybe the red wine vinegar?Spicoli Burgers--Delicious!! Does take a bit of labor making the patties, so do this when you have some time.Thai Chick-Un Pizza--Really interesting flavors. A fresh tasting pizza that makes you feel good after eating, not like "ugh" after a typical pizza. My husband (who still eats meat) loved this and requested I make this again. I thought the peanut butter flavor was a tad too much for me so I will try using a little less next time.Warm Potato Spinach Salad with Pine Nut Dressing--OH MY GOD!!! This was fabulous!!! I had to force myself to put the fork down and walk away! As Dreena says this tastes best when it is freshly made and served warm.5-Star Ice-Cream Cookie Sandwiches--Loved these!! Such a neat flavor for a cookie. Again--new and different, but not strange. I would make these again but I am trying to lose weight and can't be trusted with these in the freezer.Acai Antioxidant Smoothie--Really like this. I leave out the agave nectar entirely--I don't think this needs any sweetener personally. Looks like acai is going to be the next big thing--been hearing more about it lately.I highly recommend this book, as well as her other ones. It will have you eating healthy vegan foods without too much fuss. Dreena's recipes are always easy to follow, and the ingredients are not hard to find if you have access to a health food store.

Let me start this review with the admittance I am a big fan of Dreena Burton. She is a regular person like you and I. A stay at home mother who has real talent for vegan cooking. This cookbook is an extension of amazing recipes posted on her website. I've tried numerous recipes like; banana cream pancakes, kinda corny muffins, kids dynamo hummus, honey mustard vinaigrette, cocoa-coconut chili, walnut white bean spinach phyllo rolls, super charge me cookies and "you got pb in my chocolate" cookies. Out of all those recipes we loved all but one; the chili, I didn't care for the mix of flavors and found it to be very spicy, I think with a little tweaking it could work but I think I just don't fancy cocoa and chili. I would of tried more recipes but I also ordered her Let them eat vegan and have been cooking out of that one too! Her recipes do tend to be on the lengthy side, more times than not calling for an ingredient I don't have vs. not being able to locate(I have a pretty extensive stocked plant based pantry). I think if in the beginning you start with one or two recipes and plan ahead of what you need you will thoroughly enjoy this cookbook. She puts a lot of thought and heart into her recipes. I can tell she has tested them over and over again tweaking so it is "just right"! She does like to use whole grains for baking like spelt flour and oat flour. She uses as minimal sugar as she can get away with, normally halving sugar with maple syrup. This is a perfect cookbook for those special occasions and holiday impressing meals. I'm not so sure I could use her cookbook for an every night meal due to the lengthy recipes and plan ahead ingredients, but don't let that scare you. I have A LOT of vegan cookbooks and I know when I grab hers, 9/10 times I will love whatever it is! Sorry for jumping around so much in this review, I am in the middle of meal prep! :)

This is an excellent recipe book. I've tried many, many recipes in this collection, and loved almost all. When I first picked the book up in a bookstore to look through it, what really attracted my attention was the chapter on hummus, containing multiple variations. I decided to buy the book as soon as I saw those recipes. Although there are other recipes in the book which I really enjoy, I have made the hummus recipes many times, and they are my favorites. I can't imagine EVER buying store-bought hummus, when I have so many fresh, easy, flavorful recipes at my fingertips. As long as you have a food processor, you can whip these up super fast. Examples of my favorites are: White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil, Black Bean Orange Hummus, Curry Chickpea Hummus, Chipotle Lime Two-Bean Hummus (uses chickpeas and kidney beans together). So delicious. And there are several more variations as well. I'm planning on trying the Asian-inspired Peanut Sesame Hummus in the next day or two. I've had the book for a couple of years now, and there are still recipes I've yet to try, as I tend to make my favorites over and over. When served with an assortment of fresh veggies for dipping, I can easily make a healthful, filling, satisfying meal out of one of these hummus variations. With so many to choose from, using such a variety of beans, spices, herbs, and nut butters (some use cashew or peanut or almond butter instead of the more traditional tahini) I never get tired of this option.Update: 12/30/11. I did prepare the Peanut Sesame Hummus since posting my original review. It's another winner. I really liked it a lot. Also thought I'd mention the delicious White Bean Spread in the "sandwich and spreads" chapter. Another bean-based recipe that I just love.

I'm a big Dreena Burton fan after having made a few dishes out of this book, she has such a knack for creating flavourful, satisfying but easy and healthy vegan meals. The Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole couldn't be easier to throw together but is so hearty and comforting. The Savory French Lentils is the best lentil dish I've tried, but again, very easy and uncomplicated to make. The Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu stir-fry is amazing!! By far the best stir-fry I have ever tasted. It is so flavourful. I'd highly recommend this cookbook and can't wait to get her other ones now.

Best cookbook and so easy . I bought this years ago and I still use it . Actually only really use 2 so that says something .Everything o have made in here has been a hit !

Some great options. Use it often for ideas and then adapt.

Let me be honest first off, I'm not a vegan per se but like to eat dishes without animal products and my partner is pretty well on the vegan tack. Still, I find most of these recipes devoid of excitement, originality or inspiration. I think, the entire vegan movement should look at other cuisines and adapt and adopt them. Add spice, colour, create new flavours and dishes. Come on, there is so much to discover and yet, this book somehow keeps well within the proverbial box... Which makes it no better or worse than others of its description, I suppose....