Even though I have a giant cookbook collection and I consider myself a kitchen veteran, I have to admit that I’m usually slightly intimated by really thick cookbooks. You know the ones – they have 500 or 1,000 recipes and the binding is so big that that you need a large can of chickpeas to keep them open on your counter while you’re cooking. They are usually so full of recipes that it’s difficult to choose to know where to start or what to choose to make, and I have a hard time making choices.
When Robin Robertson’s revised edition of Vegan Planet arrived, I let it sit for a while before I picked it up and read through it. I quickly realized that even though the book is about 2 inches thick, there was no reason to be intimidated by it. While it is chock-full of over 425 recipes, the book is well organized, the recipes are easy to make, and the ingredients are easy to find.
Vegan Planet originally hit bookshelves in 2003, when there were very few vegan cookbooks on the market. It was known as the “bible of vegan cooking” as it was the most comprehensive book on plant-based cooking on the market at the time. A lot has changed in the past 11 years, and there are now vegan cookbooks devoted to just about every subject possible available. Vegan Planet still remains a comprehensive guide to the world of vegan cooking, and this revised version contains new recipes, updated classics, and refreshed favorites. The book’s revisions include an expanded range of recipes using the whole grains that are now readily available, greens that have become popular in recent years such as kale and chard, and information on concerns over cooking with oil.
There’s something for everyone in Vegan Planet! The book begins with a chapter on vegan basics, which includes both nutritional info and cooking tips, making it perfect for those who are new to this way of cooking. There are plenty of flavorful and creative dishes to please the vegan pros as well. As we’ve come to expect from Robin, the dishes are global in nature, but nothing is too “foreign” that omnivores wouldn’t know what they’re eating. The recipes include just about any type of dish you could have a hunger for, including Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili, Easy Mac and Cheese, Jerk-Spiced Portobello Steaks, and Strawberry Topped Cheesecake. If you’re in the mood for pizza, just open up to the New World Pizza chapter. If you have a hankering for pasta, check out the Universe Pasta chapter. If it’s sweets you crave, check out Dessert Heaven.
Vegan Planet is perfect for those who are veg-curious and want to add more-plant based meals into their diets, new vegans looking for thorough information, and veteran vegans who want to add new dishes into their repertoire.
