This book has gorgeous photography, so one of my stars is pretty much just for that! But honestly there aren't many recipes here that really inspire mThis book has gorgeous photography, so one of my stars is pretty much just for that! But honestly there aren't many recipes here that really inspire me to try them. A lot of them just take too much time, or seem too complicated for my very limited cooking skills, or involve ingredients I'm not sure I could find, and if I could, where would I keep them all and what else would I use them in? It would be a commitment.
It's a cookbook full of food I would absolutely love to eat, if only someone else would do all the cooking for me.
Can I just come over to your place for dinner, Chetna?...more
I read a newer updated version that apparently contains more recipes. I'm not sure which ones were new and which were included in the original versionI read a newer updated version that apparently contains more recipes. I'm not sure which ones were new and which were included in the original version, but I found pretty much all of them...really uninteresting. Pretty much my overall impression of this book was...rice and beans? Like, every kind of grain mixed with every kind of bean. There are also some oatmeals and a few soups and pastas, but everything just seemed very basic, I guess.
Also, not many photos, and the photos that are there are not great.
This is my favorite cookbook in quite awhile! I think Andrés just won me over with how freaking easy most of these recipes are. Like some probably takThis is my favorite cookbook in quite awhile! I think Andrés just won me over with how freaking easy most of these recipes are. Like some probably take about ten minutes total, because he actually uses the microwave sometimes instead of slow cooking everything for hours and hours like a lot of professional chefs and food bloggers seem to do. Not everything is that quick, but really most of these recipes can likely be made in 30 minutes or less, which is exactly what I need.
Also, a lot of a flavor combinations I would not necessarily have thought of, but that sound really good. Spinach with dried fruit and pine nuts? Hello! Sweet potato sundaes? Sign me up!
Plus the photography is really nice. And also I just appreciate his attitude. I might actually buy this one. ...more
Wellllll...okay, so, why on earth are people still publishing cookbooks that don’t have a picture of every recipe? I don’t understand. Although in thiWellllll...okay, so, why on earth are people still publishing cookbooks that don’t have a picture of every recipe? I don’t understand. Although in this case, I found the photography pretty underwhelming even when present.
In the intro, Atlas states this book is more aimed at people who are just starting out cooking vegan food, and yeah...everything felt very basic, I guess. I mean, the subtitle is 125 Healthy, Wallet-Friendly, Plant-Based Recipes, and that seems accurate. It doesn’t say the recipes are exciting!
I think I just don’t really share Altas’s flavor profile or something, and I definitely prefer more sauce on everything than seems to be pictured. But also, maybe I’m just a picky jerk and you can’t win with me unless your cookbook has beautiful photography AND super fast, easy, but also somehow innovative recipes AND you either skip the personal stories or have really interesting ones AND it doesn’t have weird, hard-to-find ingredients or a million kinds of “superfoods.”
I really like Terry Hope Romero, but maaaaaan, this book is super not my bag.
First of all, there are super not enough pictures. And the pictures thatI really like Terry Hope Romero, but maaaaaan, this book is super not my bag.
First of all, there are super not enough pictures. And the pictures that are there...don't look very appetizing to me. Everything just looks so dry! Plus, the back cover makes it sound like it's full of supermarket-friendly staples...um, like pea, hemp and brown rice protein powder? And Romero also seems to assume you have about eight different kinds of flour hanging out in your pantry--spelt, chickpea, buckwheat, vital wheat gluten, whole wheat white, all-purpose, whole-grain pastry...okay, that's only 7, but that's still 5 or 6 more than I've got!
I...am sending this one back to the library from whence it came, stat. No thank you! ...more
Once again, Gaz Okaley is TOO FANCY for me! I do very much admire his presentation, and especially appreciate that he does all his own food styling anOnce again, Gaz Okaley is TOO FANCY for me! I do very much admire his presentation, and especially appreciate that he does all his own food styling and that it's all actually food (I have run across a number of cookbooks recently with blinding white yogurt and sour cream and all I can think is WHY WOULD THEY RUIN ALL THIS DELCIOUS FOOD BY POURING GLUE ALL OVER IT???).
But these recipes are definitely not for busy people. Busy people need things that take like, 30 minutes tops, not an hour-and-a-half.
That said, there are some things I would maybe try, for special occasions. Very, very few would I attempt on a week night in the half hour I have between getting home from work and dinner time, while wrangling a tired baby.
Keep being fancy, though, Gaz! You do that really well....more
So, like others are saying, this is extreeeeemely jackfruit-heavy. It's basically a stand-in for every meat, except for in one recipe that uses walnutSo, like others are saying, this is extreeeeemely jackfruit-heavy. It's basically a stand-in for every meat, except for in one recipe that uses walnuts instead and a few times where mushrooms are used. But if you don't like jackfruit or you have a hard time finding it, this is definitely not the book for you.
Besides that, there were some things that sounded really good to me, but I found the way the instructions are written out tricky for me--large blocks of text for the steps never work out well for me because I always end up missing something along the way.
Part of this may just be the ebook format, which, now having looked at two cookbooks downloaded from the library, is just not a good format for me. I think it would help if recipes were printed on one page, but in this book, at least in the ebook version, they almost always span multiple pages, which makes everything feel overly long and complicated, even if it's probably not.
So, I dunno. I think I would love to see a print version of this book and see if that improved my impression of it, but alas, the library doesn't have it in print, so instead I will just move on to the next cookbook!
Um...you might have noticed I'm in a cookbook phase again? Help! I can't stop!
So, this one. Okay, so I always feel like such a child when I say this, Um...you might have noticed I'm in a cookbook phase again? Help! I can't stop!
So, this one. Okay, so I always feel like such a child when I say this, but...not enough pictures! I am very visual, especially when it comes to cookbooks, and I have a really hard time focusing if I don't have photos to look at. It's like my eyes just keep bouncing off the page.
That said, I tried really hard, and I actually really enjoyed all the information included before each recipe--where it's from, when it's served, what it's eaten with, a little of its history... I very much like how Taymer Mason writes about food!
This one is not for me to actually use in the kitchen, alas, but it made for interesting reading regardless!...more
This one's real pretty, and has a lot of food that sounds tasty, but a lot of the recipes are pretty complicated and/or take a long time to make, whicThis one's real pretty, and has a lot of food that sounds tasty, but a lot of the recipes are pretty complicated and/or take a long time to make, which is just not my gig these days. Or any days, really. The Jackfruit Biryani sounds good, but it has 36 ingredients. 36! And takes 30 minutes of prep time, plus an additional 50 minutes of cook time. Ouch! Not all the recipes are like that, but enough of them are that it kind of makes me want to run away.
That said, I still want to try the Sweet Corn Fritters and am kind of fascinated by the Fluffy Peanut Pancakes!...more
Sooooo, Talia Pollock is apparently a comedian, and boy does she want you to know it! I had the same struggle with this that I have with a lot of otheSooooo, Talia Pollock is apparently a comedian, and boy does she want you to know it! I had the same struggle with this that I have with a lot of other books by comedians. Sometimes I want them to stop trying to be funny for like, 30 seconds and just...quit working so hard! Take a breath! I don't know, but this style just always makes me feel kind of exhausted somehow, so I didn't enjoy it as much as others apparently have. I don't know what it says about me that I find comedy so painful sometimes. That I'm a sad human being? That I'm not a human being at all?
Anyway.
Style aside, I just didn't really connect with the food either. I did agree with some of her advice, and I do get why people are enjoying it--it has an interesting structure. But I didn't really find it very practical and it didn't make me want to actually cook anything out it.
But then again, I think we've already established my lack of humanity....more
Haile Thomas is super cute and I really like her and feel like I'd very much enjoy her in person. Buuuut, I was honestly there for the cookbook, and aHaile Thomas is super cute and I really like her and feel like I'd very much enjoy her in person. Buuuut, I was honestly there for the cookbook, and almost half of this is like a workbook, but on glossy cookbook paper, so...kind of confusing? I was not really expecting that, and am just not a workbook-type person, I guess.
There are a few things I am really interested in trying (Red-Hot Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce (does not contain actual Red Hots), Jamaican Jerk Bahn Mi Pizza (so many foods all in one!), Potachos with Green Chile Sauce (potatoes + nachoes, how could you go wrong?), but a lot I'm just not really that interested in. Bowls always sound like they should be super easy and lazy, but they always seem to have sooooo many things in them, and I don't really do smoothies or oatmeal or bread (I know--weirdo!).
So...I don't think this book is totally for me, but if Haile Thomas ever wants to hang out, I'm in!...more
I thought I would be more excited about this one than I actually am, but for some reason there aren't all that many recipes in here I'm interested in I thought I would be more excited about this one than I actually am, but for some reason there aren't all that many recipes in here I'm interested in trying. It's pretty potato-heavy, for one thing, and I'm not really a huge fan of the potato dishes, and then there are things that are traditionally made with rice that have quinoa substituted here, and I'm not really a huge fan of quinoa either. I just don't find it particularly inspiring, I guess? It seems solid, but...maybe there's something about cooking these things on the stove that somehow appeals to me more....more
I like the concept of this cookbook, but found very few things I would actually be interested in making. Most of the easy recipes have meat in them, aI like the concept of this cookbook, but found very few things I would actually be interested in making. Most of the easy recipes have meat in them, and most of the perfect for company things take a LOT longer than I basically ever want to spend making food. I guess I was really kind of expecting something different--like, here's a recipe, here's how to make it vegan, here's how to make it fancy. But instead there's a general base recipe (not included) and three completely different versions of it. So you couldn't just make one thing for a group of people that includes meat eaters and vegans and fancy people. So anyway, interesting idea, but not very practical as far as I'm concerned. ...more
This one's a little too meat substitutey and a lot too involved for my comfort level. There are a couple of recipes I am definitely intrigued by, but This one's a little too meat substitutey and a lot too involved for my comfort level. There are a couple of recipes I am definitely intrigued by, but only maybe 2 or 3. Most of the other recipes just look so complicated, and since I don't really like most meats to begin with, I feel like there would be very little payoff for me. I'll stick to Isa Chandra Moskowitz for my Christmas foods, I think!...more
Um...I am clearly in the minority here, but I did not really enjoy this cookbook. I think a big part of it is that I do not like the way it looks, at Um...I am clearly in the minority here, but I did not really enjoy this cookbook. I think a big part of it is that I do not like the way it looks, at all. I hate the layout, I hate the font used for recipe titles, the food photography is the kind that sort of grosses me out instead of making me hungry--too close up! Also, not great lighting. Probably all of it tastes great, but I'm not really feeling inspired enough to find out. And most of the recipes just aren't super interesting to me...just not my style of vegan, I guess, or I have encountered them a little too often?
That said, I do like the profiles of various vegan chefs, and I miiiight be willing to give the pierogi recipe a shot, because there's no picture and I do love me some pierogies!...more
I like this book a lot--just, the concept is pretty great, and I already used it to figure out what the heck to do with a bunch of chard I ended up wiI like this book a lot--just, the concept is pretty great, and I already used it to figure out what the heck to do with a bunch of chard I ended up with. The ensuing carbonara with marinated greens was delish! I think I might actually buy this one because so many of these items are things we tend to have on hand anyway, and I love the idea of being able to say, "hmmm, what should we do with this butternut squash?" and boom, just flipping right to the butternut squash section for five or six different options!...more
I like the concept behind this, but I still just didn't have the energy to tackle much of anything in this book, though there were a couple of recipesI like the concept behind this, but I still just didn't have the energy to tackle much of anything in this book, though there were a couple of recipes I actually would really like to try at some point. I feel like the vast majority of the others just didn't really do much for me though, for whatever reason. Maybe it's just my mood, but I couldn't really get excited about much of anything. Maybe I'll try one of his other cookbooks someday though, and see if a different one might be a better fit?...more
This book is purty. A lot of recipes seem a little complicated, but also some of them seem like they’d be totally worth it! This book belongs to my moThis book is purty. A lot of recipes seem a little complicated, but also some of them seem like they’d be totally worth it! This book belongs to my mother-in-law, so I can’t bring it home with me, but I am probably going to check out a copy from the library so I can try that kugel recipe!...more
I always love Bryant Terry's cookbooks, even though I find most of the recipes a little too fussy for the amount of time and inclination I have availaI always love Bryant Terry's cookbooks, even though I find most of the recipes a little too fussy for the amount of time and inclination I have available (sorry, I am not even remotely tempted to shred peanuts with a microplane). But I like the way he writes about food, his playlists are always fun, and I would absolutely eat any of this stuff if someone else were to do the work and cook it for me!
I will probably try a couple of the recipes with slight modifications. Even though he says to follow the recipe exactly for the first time, I'm going to just leave my peanuts whole, or maybe crushed, thank you very much! But then, I am pretty much incapable of following a recipe exactly even if it only has three ingredients and all you do is dump them all together and stir. I can't help it....more
So, I did not really know a whole lot about David Chang before reading this. I first encountered him with Lucky Peach, which I subscribed to for its fSo, I did not really know a whole lot about David Chang before reading this. I first encountered him with Lucky Peach, which I subscribed to for its first year, and I have seen a couple of episodes of Ugly Delicious. From those two things I've sort of had the general impression that he's a nice guy who likes interesting food. This memoir...definitely paints him in a different light.
I guess, first of all, I should say that I liked his emphasis on mental health and his honesty about being bipolar and what that can look like. He talks a lot about conversations he's had with his therapist and describes the blinding rage he feels at times and how that causes hurt to those around him. He highlights a few particular instances where he went too far, and expresses guilt for the way he has treated people.
But having worked for someone like this in the past, I sort of came away from it feeling...yucky. I was rarely the direct recipient of my boss's rages, but I saw the way he treated everyone he worked with more closely, and several of my friends who eventually quit because of it described it as an abusive relationship and told me how ashamed they were for having stayed for so long. He was charming and charismatic and fair-minded and generous at his best. At his worst, he screamed and threw things at people and threatened them (he told me once that he would kill me if I ordered an extra amount of stationary because it was cheaper in bulk), and when they inevitably quit, it was like he had no comprehension that it could possibly have been because of him--they were all just horrible people. Reading this memoir brought all of that back to me, so...I can't really say I loved being back in that world. I'm still feeling stressed out about it and will not be surprised if a few nightmares where I'm back at that job pop up again--I had them for yeeeeears after I quit.
So I guess, I like that it seems like Chang is trying to be honest about where he's been and is trying to become a better person, but I could kind of only empathize with his employees.
That said, I guess if you're really into Momofuku, you'll probably really enjoy hearing the stories behind it?...more
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