Everyday Vegan Eats, the new cookbook by Zsu Dever, is perfect for new vegetarians and vegans. It has all the recipes you need to make your fave foods sans meat products.
When first going veg it is hard to think about how you will ever be able to enjoy a dairy-free mac and cheese, good nachos, or ranch dressing. Figuring out how you can you make cake, eat a mayo-licious sandwich, or even enjoy a basic casserole, are just some of the things that freak you out or make you rethink your decision.
This book though? Totally wish I had had it 13 years ago – I may have gone vegan a long time ago! It took me a while to give up all meat products, but the dairy was my true holdout (and what I still struggle with daily). I just couldn’t give up yogurt, cheese, ranch dressing, and cream of mushroom soup. If only I had a cookbook like Everyday Vegan Eats to make me see that I could make all those things easily. That I wouldn’t have to give up anything, but just make it differently. I also really like the section about how to make all your own stocks, bouillons, dressings, etc. – awesome! Love that, and totally want to make a stock now! I also love when a cookbook comes around that has all the need-to-know information in one place – sometimes I don’t want to re-create the wheel. I just want to make my fave meal, and make it fast!
What I like least about the book was that a lot of the recipes use a lot of store-bought products – vegan mayo, butter, sour cream. But when I was a new vegetarian 13 years ago, those were the things that I would have needed to know about. I could have gone to the health food stores to get them, but didn’t know I should have been seeking them out.
I am a totally visual person when it comes to recipes (which is why I post the step-by-step pics of my own recipes), and I especially need the end result picture. I want to see if everything I did to make this really cool recipe turned out like it was supposed to. Cookbooks should have pictures! But honestly, that was it for the dislikes. Usually I can find lots wrong with cookbooks, but this one was for the real person, not the foodie: the one who just wants to learn to cook.
And of course I had to make something from the book – why else would a person get one, right? What to make, you ask? My all-time favorite cake ever – carrot cake. And who in the world doesn’t love carrot cake? And a carrot cake that rises when it’s supposed to? Perfection, I say. Believe me, I was super nervous to give another cake a try. With these directions, and the simplicity of the regular cake mix, I had no reason to worry. It was great. The recipe was easy to follow and, as someone who may or may not be a baker knows, that’s what gets the dessert done correctly. And the cream cheese frosting? O. M. G. Lick the bowl good.
We have a copy of Everyday Vegan Eats for one lucky Chic Vegan reader. Follow the instructions below to enter. U.S. residents only, please. Contest ends a midnight EST on June 30th. Good luck!
My family has made this outrageous mac & cheese recipe for every holiday for probably 10 years. I’d love to be able to veganize it & come close to the original!
My mom’s beef stew and finding a great sub for the beef (besides just leaving it out!) She’s not into tofu either.
Thanks for the opportunity to win! My grandma’s Hungarian chicken and dumplings is pretty much my entire family’s favorite meal. Still haven’t veganized it!
I’m always on the lookout for a great vegan brownie recipe (I did manage to veganize my dad’s German pancake recipe – it’s a Christmas breakfast tradition & it’s amazing!)
Homemade deep dish pizza
My Mom’s super moist and decadent Chocolate Mayo Cake.
Defnitely tacos
Potato & beef mousaka!
My mom’s homemade egg noodles.
I want to veganize my grandma’s german potato salad.
strawberry shortcake
I would like to veganize my swiss steak recipe. Made with steak and potatoes and carrots, yummy.
A casserole called Seafood Bake. I need a really good substitute for the tuna and shrimp!
Brisket!
I have veganized so many things but a good hot dogs that does not use marinated carrots would be my first choice.
Carrot cake!! Yum! I’m not sure I have non-vegan favorites any more!
I would like to veganize steak – the Gardein stuff doesn’t come close enough to appease the meat-loving dinner guests
I’d love to veganize a really traditional, homestyle tuna casserole.
My grandma’s Swedish pancakes
Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy!
Spaghetti carbonara
I would love to veganize my grandma’s lithuanian smoked salmon! But funny enough, I really don’t crave many non-vegan foods anymore.
Spaghetti & meatballs
Thanks for doing the giveaway! My family would love to do a veganized version of Paula Deen’s Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding.
Vegan pizza – always looking for new versions
My mon would make these bierrocks… cabbage carrots and beef in a heart bread….
Posole!
casseroles – broccoli and rice comes to mind. Also chicken and dumplings – with the Gardein and Beyond Meat chicken subs available now, it should be a breeze!
I would LOVE a vegan version of my gandmothers mac and cheese – it was baked in a deep dish, the kind that used shell pasta and large curd cottage cheese. I miss her so much, I would be happy to taste her food again!
Growing up, I absolutely loved my mum’s poppyseed bundt cake recipe. It was so deliciously moist and sweet, thanks to copious amounts of sour cream and a couple of eggs. Now, as a vegan, I’d love to try to make it again, using cruelty-free ingredients!
I would like to veganize meatloaf!
Beef stew. I miss that sometimes.
Chicken and dumplings
I miss (and therefore wish to veganize, lol) Caprese salad…and a really good thick mac-n-cheese would be great!
My mom’s boeterkoek (Dutch butter cake) would be a recipe I’d love to veganize. I’d also like a really convincing tuna casserole.
A classic creamy casserole
Beef stroganoff would be great veganized!
Angel food cake!
I would LOVE a vegan version of stuffed cabbage like my Nana used to make!!