Ebook Color Me Vegan Maximize Your Nutrient Intake and Optimize Your Health by Eating AntioxidantRich FiberPacked ColorIntense Meals That Taste Great Colleen PatrickGoudreau 8601420689305 Books

Product details Paperback 272 pages Publisher Fair Winds Press (November 1, 2010) Language English ISBN-10 1592334393

Color Me Vegan Maximize Your Nutrient Intake and Optimize Your Health by Eating AntioxidantRich FiberPacked ColorIntense Meals That Taste Great Colleen PatrickGoudreau 8601420689305 Books Reviews

• Since I love Colleen's previous books so much I was super excited to receive "Color Me Vegan" as a Christmas gift the year it came out. I love the concept and the idea of it. A lot of people complain about the layout being difficult or useless but I quite like the creativity of it, and as a person who is always interested in knowing the chemical makeup of food - including phytonutrient content, and antioxidant profile - I appreciate the time and effort that Colleen put into providing this kind of information. As for it being difficult to find a recipe it's not as if the book is 1000 pages long, it doesn't take more then 30 seconds to flip through and find what you were looking for. The photographs in this book are stunning and my only complaint is that there aren't more of them.
  
  As I've stated in previous reviews taste is really a matter of opinion and flavor is so subjective. I never fault a book or an author if he or she uses too little garlic for my palate or not enough salt, and I typically adjust all recipes to suit my own taste. I'll admit I haven't had the time to cook as much from this book as I would have liked but many of the pages in my copy are earmarked for future cooking. Of the recipes I've made, here is what I thought.
  
  Apricot Red Lentil Stew - Pretty good - personally there is a very similar soup in Isa's "Appetite for Reduction" that I like a little bit better, but this is a very good variation and my husband actually preferred this version over Isa's.
  Apple Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing - LOVED IT - this is a `go to' holiday recipe for me.
  Quick Curried Swiss Chard - LOVED IT
  Seared Tempeh with cherry balsamic reduction sauce - LOVED IT
  Cajun Red Beans and Rice - Pretty good but I think it would have been better with vegetable broth and Earth Balance instead of il.
  Butternut Squash, Orange and Ginger Soup - This was okay, but I'm not a fan of pureed soups. My husband loved it though.
  Peanut Pumpkin Soup - This was not to my taste, I think I'm not a fan of the peanut pumpkin combination because thus far I have never had a peanut pumpkin soup that I've liked. My husband enjoyed it though.
  Carrot Puree - Loved it
  Carrot Fries - LOVED it
  Saffron Rice with Curried Apricot Dressing - Pretty good
  Sweet Potato Tacos - LOVED IT - a `go-to'
  Persimmon Tea Cake - pretty good
  Cashew Cheese - LOVED IT
  Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams - LOVED IT
  Walnut Basil Pesto - LOVED IT
  Three Greens Ribollita Soup - LOVED IT
  Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans - LOVED IT and my husband loved it too even though he hates B sprouts.
  Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale - LOVED IT
  Green Tea and Pistachio Cupcakes - These were just okay
  Kiwi Banana Muffins - Really interesting combination. I quite liked it, my husband loved it
  Purple Cabbage Salad - Pretty good
  Figs stuffed with Rosemary and walnut Cashew Cream - LOVED IT
  Blueberry Ketchup - LOVED IT
  Lavender Roasted Purple Potatoes with Purple Onions - LOVED IT
  German Red Cabbage - LOVED IT
  Linguini with Purple Cabbage - LOVED IT
  Blackberry Breakfast Bars - LOVED IT
  Quinoa Blue Cornbread - LOVED IT
  White Bean and Artichoke Salad - LOVED IT
  Coconut Rice - LOVED IT
  Cashew and Red Lentil Burgers - LOVED It a `go-to' recipe and one I make for omni's often.
  Coconut Tapioca Pudding - Loved it
  Black Olive Bruschetta - LOVED IT
  Spicy Black Bean and Olive Hummus - Pretty good
  Mushroom Barley Soup - LOVED IT
  Black Beluga Lentil Salad - LOVED IT
  Shiitake Mushroom Gravy - LOVED IT
  Mushroom Topped Baked Potatoes - Loved it
  Nori Wraps with Orange Cashew Cream - LOVED IT
  Cous Cous and Veggie Medley - Loved it
  Thai Coconut Soup - pretty good
  Asparagus and Carrots with Walnut Dressing - Loved it
  Wild Rice and Broccoli - Loved it
  Farro and Fresh Vegetable Medley - LOVED IT
  Muffuletta Sandwich - LOVED IT
  
  So you can see I've made many of the recipes from this book with great success. This is a book I continue to use and love, and would buy it for any omni friend or family member who was interested in vegan cooking.
• I really like the scientific and nutritional information contained within this book. We all know we should eat vegetables and fruits. I enjoy knowing the science behind this. So 5 stars just for having that information in an easy-to-digest format (pun not intended, but it's staying there!).
  
  The recipes themselves are characteristic of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's other recipes - Delicious and not too much of a pain to put together. She also has suggestions to change things up within each recipe, fun facts about various ingredients, and includes nutritional information for everything. Can't find ripe cherries? Substitute dried ones. Want a different color? Try purple basil instead of green. Can't find fresh? Use canned. The point is to get more fruits and vegetables and being satisfied without eating animal products, not to be a holy organic vegan princess.
  
  I also appreciate the encouraging, non-preachy tone. Transitioning to veganism is hard enough without being shouted at that you're doing it wrong and that you should feel terrible for not getting everything at farmers' markets or buying organic everything.
• I'm kind of a cookbook junkie, I'm not going to lie. I fall in love fast and hard; I dote intensely on a cookbook for a little while, going around singing its praises and touting all of its good features to family and friends with a 'I can't believe nobody made this book until now!' kind of incredulity. But usually, after MAKING only 3 or 4 recipes from said book, I'm already moving on to the next one. OK, so I'm not just a cookbook junkie, I'm a cookbook whore. There, I've said it.
  
  Until I met, and apparently married, this book. I love it. What can I say that hasn't been said? Nothing, really, so I'll be succinct. I've already made at least 20 recipes from the book, and not a single one has disappointed. Fun and colorful, flavorful and incredibly creative, informative and fun tidbits of phytonutrient information, exciting to make and serve, not super labor intensive, and most important of all, it FITS my lifestyle and the ingredients I keep in my house!
  
  Every week when I sit down to meal plan now, this book is by my side. I've started sticking sticky notes on what I'm making each week, removing them after making the recipe and sticking inside the front cover for re-use the following week. THAT is devotion, people! Dang near bordering on fidelity!
  
  Some favorites so far Summer Squash with Cherry Tomatoes and Cheesy Toasted Pine Nuts--the family can't get enough. Spicy Black Bean and Olive 'Hummus'. Southern-style Red Beans and Rice! Sweet Potato Tacos with Peach Salsa! (swoon) And today's dessert--Kiwi Banana Muffins! Never have I ever experienced a simultaneously sweet, tart and buttery tasting muffin, and it pushed me to the brink. I knew it was time to write this review.
  
  Just buy this book, folks. Seriously. Just do it. (To be fair, there is *something* to the reviews that mention incomplete cooking directions. A few times I've had to make an educated guess about a detail--how much do I fill the muffin tin cups?! eek!--but no major catastrophes so far! Everything has been delicious. And Make, Learn, Re-Make.)
  
  Now if you'll pardon me, my book is waiting...