The Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook review as part of our ongoing series of (mostly) Canadian cookbook reviews!
Fuss-Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favourites, Veganized is written by Sam Turnbull, creator of the It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken blog.
Sam's voice is engaging as she shares her experience on becoming vegan and through her anecdotes for each recipe. Although my family and I aren't vegans, while reading through this cookbook I bookmarked quite a few comfort food recipes such as soup, burgers, burritos, pasta and cupcakes to add to our menu plan to make using ingredients we have in our pantry.
Table of Contents
- Hello!
- My Vegan Kitchen
- A Fuss-Free Vegan Pantry
- A Fuss-Free Vegan Fridge & Freezer
- My Go-to Kitchen Tools
- Vegan on a Budget
- How to Soften Cashews (or other Nuts)
Recipes
The recipes are well written and easy to follow with ingredients listed on the left and cooking instructions on the right. Prep and cook times as well as Cool Tips and Amper-Uppers (serving suggestions) are included. Indications for gluten-free, 10 ingredients or less and 30 minutes or less are indicated if applicable. The photography is gorgeous and enticing throughout the cookbook.
Below are sample recipes listed in each chapter, some of which I’ve added to our weekly meal plan.
Morning Munchies
- Pillowy Pancakes
- Extra-Banana-y Banana Bread
- Good Morning Cinnamon Muffins
Let's Get the Party Started
- The Cutest Mini Mushroom Sliders
- Pizza Dough Pretzel Bites
- Oh Mommy Unami Lettuce Wraps
Soups and Salads
- Dude-Approved BBQ Chickpea Salad
- Quick & Easy Pho
- Smoky Tomato Basil Cream Soup
Burgers & Sandwiches
- Go-To Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Boss BBQ Veggie Burger
- Epic Black Bean Sandwich
Feast Your Eyes & Belly
- Big Ol’ Burrito Bowl
- Mexican Sweet Potato Black Bean Burrito
- Fab Veggie Fried Rice
Sweet Tooth
- Sinfully Rich Chocolate Cake
- Whipped Vanilla Frosting
- Ah-mazing Peanut Butter Cookies
Vegan Staples
- Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Heavenly Heavy Cream
- Mayonnaise for Days
- Go-To Pizza Dough
There are also two pages listing menu plans for events and celebrations such as Brunch, Lunchbox Ideas, Holiday Feast, Date Night, Movie Night, Birthday, Dinner Party, Book Club and Potluck Ideas to help you plan your menus for those occasions.
Recipes I Made
Although we're not vegans, we cut down our consumption of meat and chicken and added more legumes and vegetables to our diet, so I chose to add the following recipes to our menu plan.
Go-To Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Page 96)
Dried or canned chickpeas are a staple in my pantry. We eat them at least once a week in various recipes. This is the first time we ate them in a sandwich. One of the ingredients for this recipe is store-bought vegan mayonnaise or Mayonnaise for Days (recipe page 209). I chose to make the Mayonnaise for Days recipe. The taste of the Chickpea Salad was quite different from the taste of my chickpea recipes, but it was good enough that I would make it again. It's a great alternative to chicken or tuna salad.
- 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)
- 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise for Days (page 208) or store-bought vegan mayo
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (check for gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tsp capers (optional)
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1⁄4 red onion, chopped
- 8 slices of bread or 4 tortillas (gluten-free, if preferred)
- Toss the chickpeas, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse to combine until the chickpeas reach a nice mashed texture, but not puréed. Alternatively, you could do this with a fork or potato masher if you don’t have a food processor. Add the celery and red onion and pulse a few more times just to incorporate, or stir to mix in.
- Pile on top of bread or a tortilla. Top with extra veggies of your choice if you wish.
Mexican Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito (Page 141)
I made these the night our oldest daughter, our son-in-law, and their three month old baby girl (YAY! I'm a Nonna) came over for supper, not telling them I'd be serving a vegan meal. They loved the taste of the sweet potato and black bean combination especially with the avocado cream. I slightly overcooked the sweet potatoes, but once mixed with black beans, no one was the wiser. Good thing I made a double batch as they wanted seconds.
Sinfully Rich Chocolate Cake (Page 166)
Since we all love chocolate cake, and keeping with the vegan theme supper, I made the Sinfully Rich Chocolate Cake for dessert. I was curious to taste the addition of almond milk and apple cider vinegar to the batter instead of eggs. The consensus was that it was the best chocolate cake ever! It's light and fluffy, and at first bite the rich chocolate taste makes you want more. They couldn't believe it was a vegan cake. It's now our new family chocolate cake recipe.
Bookshelf Worthy?
Since my family isn't vegan, I feel a little apprehensive whenever I review a vegan cookbook for two reasons:
- Not finding recipes that my family will enjoy
- Purchasing unknown ingredients that I'll never use again
This was not the case with Fuss-Free Vegan. Reading through the cookbook, I bookmarked many recipes to make since the recipes I made with ingredients from my pantry were a huge success. This cookbook is a must-have in your cookbook collection whether you're vegan or non-vegan. It's well written and fun to read. It lists hearty, quick and easy appetizing recipes that will fit into your daily menu and at the same time, they're good for your health.
Fuss-Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favourites, Veganized
Author: Sam Turnbull
Softcover: 222 pages
Publisher: Appetite by Random House
ISBN: ISBN 978-0-14-753035-6
Acknowledgement
Excerpted from Fuss Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favorites, Veganized. Copyright © 2017 Samantha Turnbull. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
A review copy of Fuss Free Vegan was provided byAppetite by Random House®.
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The Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook review was written by Liliana Tommasini, author of the aptly named blog My Cookbook Addiction. Her passion for baking and cooking began at an early age. Liliana grew up in an Italian household where each meal was made from scratch with fresh ingredients and Sunday family lunches were always a celebration. She has a passion for collecting cookbooks and believes that every recipe tells a story that must be shared to nourish your soul and feed your belly. You can connect with Liliana on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Yay!!!! So thrilled you loved my book (and chocolate cake) so very much. I’m so incredibly honoured you think it’s a must-have book!! You definitely put some extra pep in my step today 😊