Tag Archives: vegan cookbook review

Mar21

Cookbook Review–Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

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Cookbook Review–Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Pictured here in its last moments on earth is a mini espresso fudge cupcake (the basic chocolate cupcake with the addition of a tablespoon of espresso powder) topped with vanilla vegan buttercream.

One of my biggest concerns about going all in on a vegan diet was how the hell to make a good dessert without butter and eggs. I simply lacked the imagination to see that a truly decadent butterless brownie was remotely possible! I experimented a bit with Egg Replacer, and that was…yuck. The cookies tasted more than a bit off. Vegan margarine only goes so far, and has a slightly odd taste. I made do for a while with a single cake recipe from a defunct vegan restaurant whose cookbook I happened to have, but a single cake recipe will only take me so far, even if it is chocolate.

Mmmmm, chocolate.

One day I was bouncing along through my local Barnes and Noble, and I glanced at the cupcake cookbook display (because, really, how could I not), and there on the table I saw Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, the same team that brought us Vegamonicon. Being one who often volunteers to bake cupcakes for PTA bake sales, cub scout events, team parties, birthday parties, and any other excuse I can find to prepare some sweet, wonderful goodness, I figured that I had to have this book.

It was a good impulse purchase. The basic chocolate and golden vanilla recipes have done me well, but we’ve also tried the Mexican Hot Chocolate, which is seriously amazing. I am currently in the market for an excuse to make the following:

  • Brooklyn vs. Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
  • S’Mores Cupcakes (especially as I have a container of graham cracker crumbs that need to be used up)
  • Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
  • Coconut Lime Cupcakes
  • Chai Latte Cupcakes
  • Tiramisu Cupcakes

One thing I really, really, really appreciate about this cookbook is that the recipes make a modest amount of cupcakes, generally a dozen normal sized cakes. This makes them work well for small gatherings without leaving me to stuff myself with the extra until my tummy hurts, and it also gives me an excuse to make one than one kind to provide a variety pack for larger events.

The only downside…writing this review with the required flipping through the book has left me with a craving for cupcakes, though there are none in the house and no excuse to bake more on the immediate horizon!

Jan26

Cookbook Review: Veganomicon

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Cookbook Review: Veganomicon

A plate of the Blue Velvet Hash, which went on the fuel me for a long day spent digging out from the December 26th Blizzard.

This year for Christmas Thing 1 gave me an assortment of new vegan and raw food cookbooks. The shining star of the bunch is Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Simply put, I love this book.

I have made quite a few recipes from it in the short time the Veganomicon has been in my life: the Chocolate Chip Brownie Waffles (page 74) made New Year’s Brunch a truly special event; the Blue Flannel Hash (page 73) is good fuel for a snowy winter morning; the Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing (page 87) is an impressive dish for company; and the Pineapple-Cashew Quinoa (page 175) is a great way to serve this unusual grain to even the most anxious diner.

I have even been able to use the book during the Ultimate Transformation Challenge by making minor adaptations to the recipes. There are a whole slew of tofu, tempeh, and seitan recipes that have made eating huge servings of protein fun–I am especially fond of the Basic Braised Tofu (page 126), which requires no modification to work within the UTC restrictions.

Eating lots of seitan, as we have been doing, is expensive. Each box, which equals one UTC portion, runs me $4.20, and that adds up over the week. This weekend, I intend to try my hand at making  the Simple Seitan (page 131) to see of I can make my own seitan from scratch and hopefully save a little money in the future. My previous attempts at homemade seitan produce gummy lumps too soft to enjoy, but I have high hopes that things will turn out better this time, thanks to my faith in this wonderful cookbook.

I highly recommend Veganomicon to anyone who is interested in learning to cook vegan dishes and those who are more experienced cooks looking for inspiration. The recipes are inventive and tasty, and I have yet to encounter one that failed to please.