Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week Reviews

• 
  Melki

  So, encroaching old age has got me worried about the number of cheeseburgers I've scarfed down over the years and I'm now looking to atone for my gastronomic sins, plus HOLY CRAP! HAVE YOU SEEN THE PRICE OF MEAT LATELY? Grocery store sticker shock has got even my husband, a voracious carnivore who would gladly eat steak and bacon at every meal, willing to give meatless a try.
  
  First we checked out vegetarian cookbooks, though cheese and eggs - big no-nos for anyone concerned about bad cholesterol - seem to be frequent ingredients.
  
  Then I saw this one recommended on boingboing.
  
  Ding-ding-ding! It's a winner!
  
  The recipes fit all my requirements for a good meal:
  
  1. THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS.
  
  2. I LEAVE THE TABLE WITH A FULL BELLY.
  
  Some of the ingredient lists are rather daunting, but the recipes really take no more time to prepare than other meals.
  
  My only problems with this book are:
  
  1. Since we live in the middle of nowhere, and popping down to the nearest Whole Foods is an impossibility, some ingredients, particularly white miso and seitan, are virtually impossible to find.
  
  2. The featured desserts were decidedly untempting - dry-looking cookies made of oats and fruit...ick.
  
  I figure if I'm eating a super-healthy meal, I'm entitled to have a really EVIL dessert.
  
  
• 
  Jenny (Reading Envy)

  I jumped at the chance to review this from
  NetGalley (this is my disclaimer... I got to see it for free, now I give my honest opinion....)
  
  I have been impressed by Isa Chandra Moskowitz before, in her
  blog and previous cookbooks which I also own. There is something special about this one - the recipes are intended to be easy, weeknight fare, which is what I need most often. To really test it out, I picked recipes to try and did so on two normal busy days after work. Both recipes were tremendous. Both of us went back for seconds, and actually we ate the soup two days in a row because we couldn't stand that it was still in the fridge.
  
  The soup is Shroomy Hot & Sour Soup:
  
  
  Because the first taste I took didn't seem spicy enough, I added two more big squirts of sriracha... that ended up making it pretty spicy! Phew. Still good.
  
  The only slightly complaint I have about the book is that the recipes seem pretty carb-heavy overall. This is a complaint I have with most vegan cuisine. Luckily I am experienced in adapting recipes to a lower carb way of eating like we do in my house. Take, for example, the Goddess Noodles. The recipe asks for whole-wheat linguine, but I just replaced it with spiralized zucchini (raw, never cooked), and suddenly you have a super tasty low-carb vegan meal. And we loved it! Okay, I also added sesame seeds, leftover mushrooms, and peanuts, but it seemed clear that she intended it to be a simple pantry dish anyway.
  
  
  
  This cookbook would be a great addition to old jaded vegans who need new spins on recipes but would also be accessible to new vegans or people who would like to incorporate vegan meals into their repertoire. The illustrations are beautiful and the whimsical drawings add a "you can do it" feeling.
  
  Isa's personality comes through the entire cookbook. Chapter 2 tells you, "Don't roll your eyes at salad!" and goes on to talk about how even though every generation finds a way to destroy salad, it can be a delicious meal.
  
  Other recipes that caught my eye in the first read:
  -Pureed Split Pea & Rutabaga Soup
  -Chunky Miso Vegetable Soup
  -Babushka Borscht
  -Sesame Slaw with Warm Garlicky Seitan
  -Roasted Yellow Beet Salad
  -Dragon Noodle Salad (again, probably will make with zucchini)
  -Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Lentils
  -Chicky Tuna Salad Sandwiches (not tuna)
  -Coconut Chana Saag
  -Mushroom Hot Pot
  -Roasty Soba Bowl (another candidate for veg substitution)
  -Curried Peanut Sauce Bowl
  -Steamed Chicky Seitan (I've made her recipe for regular seitan, can't wait to try this one!)
  
• 
  Trish

  Isa does it again, the title should read. This is simply delicious, filling vegan fare and Isa’s intent was to make the recipes quick enough to make on a weeknight. I have some favorites from this book that will go in my long-term memory.
  
  The ingredients of the Puréed Split Pea Rutabaga Soup are unusual enough that one is glad Isa told us to add star anise. This is memorable, and hearty, and smells so good cooking. Everybody passes up their noses at those big, waxy rutabagas at the grocery, but when they come to my house, they invariably ask what the “secret ingredient” is in my vegetable soups. Sweet potato? Squash? No. That would be the fragrant and sweet rutabaga, slightly orange-fleshed when cooked.
  
  The Briny Caesar Dressing needs to be tasted to be believed. It is laugh-out-loud and talk-loudly-at-a-high-register garlicky goodness. I insisted on salad for days, turning into a minor Caesar myself.
  
  Regarding the Everyday Pad Thai, I’m kind of mad Isa told us about this. She admits she would make it for every meal if she could. That is a little like passing on an addiction, what? It’s is so good, I hid the leftovers and ate them myself after making something fishy or meaty for the others. Even the leftovers are great.
  
  The Sticky Orange Chicky Stir Fry made with her very own Chickpea Cutlets I made with a small can of pineapple juice rather than oranges. It was lovely looking, and the Chickpea Cutlets need to be tasted to be believed. This is the creative mind at work, and Isa does it like no one else.
  
  When I first saw this book, I will admit I was underwhelmed. I thought, okay, this looks like homemade family-style vegan creativity. But Isa has something special and her food always is surprising, delicious, unexpected, and somehow new. For those of you familiar with the splendid
  Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, which has been my go-to book since it came out, this adds diversity, simplicity, and depth.
  
  Not everyday can be a big tangle in the kitchen, but this food is fine enough to serve anyone and have everyone go to bed full and happy. This cookbook is another great success for Isa.
  
  P.S. I rarely follow recipes anymore for things like cookies. I note that she riffs, like I do, on the basic formats. When I am in the mood, I add oatmeal and peanuts and chocolate bits…and she has a recipe Kitchen Sink Chocolate Cookies. Try it. I guarantee it will be a favorite. And if you have never added rosemary to chocolate chip cookies, trust her. Her Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies have to be tasted. Or substitute raisins. I did that with bread recently and thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
  
• 
  Cynthia Corral

  This book is perfect for people who:
  Are vegan
  Are vegetarian
  Love to cook
  Love to try new things
  Love meat but will eat meals without it
  Love comfort food
  Love healthy food
  Love food
  
  I was so surprised at the size of this cookbook (it's Veganomicon sized!!) and SOOOO many large color pictures of heaping plates of delicious food. The recipes all appear to be very easy, with lots of notes on variations if you're missing/allergic/dislike something. There are familiar recipes and quite different recipes. I thought I had seen just about everything in vegan cookbooks, but this one has me super excited to get started on every single page. This beautiful cookbook is going to be a sticky, stained mess by the end of the week!!
  
  Possibly the best book purchase I've made this year.
• 
  PorshaJo

  I love this cookbook. This is what a cookbook should look like. So many beautiful photos of the wonderful dishes. I have already tried numerous recipes from this book and all were great. I plan to cook my way through the entire cookbook. The meals I made came together very quickly. Many of the dishes in the book require soaking of cashews of a few hours but if you plan ahead the dish that requires the nuts comes together fast. I have been vegan for a few years and I have all of Isa's cookbooks and this one so far seems to be my favorite. So many variations on the types of recipes, nice little stories in the book, tons of photos, and yummy recipes.
• 
  Eliza

  I love the layout of this book! The recipes are yummy, too. I've mostly only done desserts, but I'm planning to do more soon!
• 
  Diane S ☔

  I am by no means a vegan, though I am starting out slowly and trying to increase my meatless days. I loved this cookbook because the recipes are fairly easy and all I have made are very very good. The recipes for the most part do not include things that are difficult to find. My favorite so far is the kale and sweet potato salad, the dressing is just fabulous. She has a website that I found and now follow.
  http://www.theppk.com/blog/
• 
  Yodamom

  I have all of her cookbooks and couldn't wait to get my greedy hands on this one. Vegan brunch is my favorite, well it was till this one. She rocks the vegan world of cooking, again. Her recipes are clear, easy to make and use regular ingredients found in most grocery stores. My husband, a confirmed carnivore even asked for seconds when I made the Korean BBQ Mushroom sandwiches, the Dragon Noodle Salad and more.
  There are many that can be made quick and easy for a healthy fast meal. I have used it 6 out of 7 days of the week for my meals and haven't had one disappointing meal. Another winning book for my cookbook shelf. All the recipes can be adapted easily for non vegans .
• 
  Marta Marecka

  I usually don’t review cookbooks, but I feel I need to review this one, because of how good it is. I have a fair amount of vegan cookbooks and this one is probably the best.
  
  First, the recipes are actually filling, you guys! And they are nutritionally adequate! I have seen waaaay too many vegan cookbooks putting dishes made entirely of vegetables, very low-cal, very low in protein, in their entrees section. Now, I love my veggies, but I’m also a grown woman who works hard, exercises daily and needs her 2000 kcal and 70-80 g of protein a day. Roaster cauliflower is awesome, but it’s not a friggin dinner! Isa's recipes fit my needs. They are nutritious and well-balanced. In most meals, you have your veggies, your grains for carbs, your protein from legumes, tofu, tempeh or seitan, and your fat from healthy sources like nuts, avocado and olive oil. At the same time everything is made from fresh ingredients, with none of the processed nonsense like „vegan cheese” and „vegan butter”. No need to modify the recipes for usability in real life. You want something for dinner? You pick up something from the book, you cook it exactly as instructed and you have a well-balanced meal.
  
  Second, the recipes are relatively quick and easy. Sometimes you need to prepare things in advance (e.g. roast some pepper or soak some cashews the night before), but if you do that, most of the dishes come together in half an hour. Recipes for cakes are truly a wonder - you mix everything in one bowl, which usually takes no more than 20 minutes, you pop it into the oven and you’re done. The book also hits the sweet spot for between the familiar and the novel. There are many dishes I can just make from my pantry ingredients and stuff I could find in a local supermarket. However there are some that led me to try new things and find some excellent new ingredients. There are A FEW recipes that would be difficult to do where I live, but they constitute a small minority and sometimes I could find simple substitutions (like replacing edamame with peas).
  
  Finally, the taste. I tried several recipes from this book and all of them were either good or amazing. I did chocolate chip cookies, orange-chocolate bundt cake, different kinds of seitan (great basic recipes that can be easily modifiable to suit your needs), Jamaican burgers, several asian-style stir-fries, some salads, as well as roasted bell pepper Mac and cheese (this single recipe justifies the cost of the book). I marked many, many more as to-do. At the moment, this is my most used cookbook.
  
  All this would make for an excellent buy, but there is more! The book is gorgeous - colourful, with pretty pictures and a solid hard cover. They layout is great. There are lots of useful kitchen tips and tricks. Plus there is Isa herself, who is very likeable, irreverent and funny. I loved her commentary on the recipes.
  
  Overall, if you’re looking for a good vegan cookbook, this is the one.
• 
  Ashleigh

  One of the best cookery books I've ever bought! The recipes are simple and there are few if any weird ingredients. The photography is beautiful and Isa has made me realise that eating vegan everyday is not as hard as I thought! If you only buy one vegan cookbook make it this one!
• 
  SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted*

  I am not vegan but this tome of delicious meat free/dairy alternatives is easy to follow. Most of the recipes consist of items you can find in most supermarkets.
  I have prepared a few of the dishes and they were hearty and flavourfull. Enjoy.
• 
  Anula

  omg. OMG. OMG! Where have you been all my life?!
  Seriously, this is THE BEST vegan cookbook I've read up till now!
  
  
  
  What's more - I own the kindle edition, and the hard back is already on its way to me! Can't wait - great photography, multi colour pages, nice font - it will be a delightful addition to my kitchen bookshelf. Not to mention, that I find it easier to cook/bake from a traditional cookbook, rather than following the recipe on my tablet.
  
  I have to admit that before this book (and few others Isa's books that I'm reading and cooking from at the moment) I haven't heard of Isa at all. And I discovered this amazing vegan cook thanks to Goodreads friend PorshaJo - THANK YOU girl! I watch FoodNetword, BBCFood, GoodFood, but have never before came across Isa, who I believe is very popular in USA.
  
  I love her approach to vegan cooking - no nonsense, no fancy ingredients, no complicated steps to go through. Only honest, good, real food! Recipes are easy to follow, and all ingredients easy to source. This particular book is perfect for everyday cooking as it covers it all - from breakfast dishes (like pancakes), to lunch and dinners that can be made in about 30 minutes! Oh, and the desserts, those desserts! I made two cakes already: the pineapple up-side-down cake and the chocolate one. Both delicious and I would have never guessed that they're vegan (no eggs etc!).
  
  This book will become one of those, that will be used over and over again. Can't fault it at all!
• 
  Dana

  I love all of Isa's cookbooks but I'm pretty sure this one is the best. And it's not just the very appealing and delicious recipes. I'm a sucker for a well designed cookbook and this one is beautiful and has great thick paper and tons of enticing photos. love it!
  
  The goal of this book is to provide easy meals for the busy household. I found that most of the recipes are easy to make on a work night with some of them being more suited to a weekend day. There aren't many super hard-to-find vegan ingredients which makes this book very accessible to non-vegans hoping to eat more vegetables or vegans who don't live in an area with specialty grocery stores.
• 
  Jennifer

  Isa Chandra Moskowitz is known for her decadent vegan recipes from Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance. Here recipes, although delicious, sometimes would be very complicated. I would hesitate to cook anything from her books since the amount of dishes seemed intimidating. Most recipes were set up by veggies sides, a grain, and a protein. Sure the tofu would be manageable, but making the rice and the veggie side? It’s all just seemed too much for two adults on a weeknight.
  
  But then came Isa Does It. The book focuses on weeknight cooking for people who are cooking for themselves, or for two. It always felt like Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance was cooking for a large family setting, or perhaps for a pot luck dinner. Isa Does It is quick and most importantly cheap. Yes, the focus on cheaper ingredients really helped me take a dive into the cookbook.
  
  Photos
  
  There are lots of photos in this book. I am so glad that the publishers ditched the grouped photos that appear in Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance. I always find it hard to associate the recipe with the photo that way. Although there isn’t a photo for each recipe, majority of the recipes are covered. It is always nice to see what Isa got compared to what I got. Nothing is more frustrating than when you find out your snickerdoodle looks totally different than your friends, even with the same recipe.
  
  The photos are beautiful, each photo is more of a scene than just the cooked meal. Each photo has a story set up, making the reader feel like they are viewing a window into the kitchen. Ingredients line up against the wall, flour spreads out on the counter, and utensils are waiting to be picked up. Some plates are plopped in a bowl for your weeknight dinner, some are plated as if you are going to a four star restaurant.
  
  There are even a few instructional photos of how to cut tofu and tempeh. Sure it is a pretty simple task, but it is always a good idea to try and have your food as close to the recipe as possible. You know, for consistent results. Plus, when you first start out on a vegan diet, tofu is REALLY intimidating. I mean scary.
  
  Set-up
  
  The book is set up to be read from beginning to end. She gives basics about how to cook, what to have, chopping your tofu, etc. It is pretty simple, not overwhelming for a newbie, but not too simplified to bore a seasoned chef. Then Isa moves to Soups, stating they are the best recipe to start when learning how to cook. They are hard to mess up, according to Isa. I would probably have to agree. Then she moves to salads, which are still pretty simple. Handheld foods are next, things like burgers and tacos, then moving to the other common dinner categories (stews, pastas, sautes, etc).
  
  It wasn’t until the last few chapters I felt a little weird. She put a chapter for Sunday Night Suppers, which to me defeat the purpose of the whole book. These recipes are more complicated, time consuming meals that are suggested for nights that you have more time to kill. Then she moves to Breakfast and Brunch which is a big carb-fest. Considering most of the book centers around dinner, it felt a little out of place, and the recipes didn’t personally speak to me. Then she has a chapter for desserts, which isn’t the worst. I just feel like there isn’t many new recipes brought to the table since she has three different books devoted to dessert.
  
  Writing
  
  I was getting a little fed up, my husband kept complaining about dinner. He meant well, he would get a little bored with the dinners I picked out, and I get that. I was picking what I wanted, not what he wanted. I remember eating with his parents and getting tired of not choosing my dinners. So I handed him Isa Does It, and asked him to pick out some recipes. He read a little and came back saying how he could understand why I like Isa Chandra Moskowitz so much. He thought her writing was honest, fun, and non-judgmental.
  
  Isa continues with her signature writing style with this book. She takes all the romanticism typically associated with food writing and pokes fun at it. My favorite example? Isa proclaimes that she created the perfect dish to eat outside on a porch, or maybe your fire escape, don’t have either, just open a window and stick your head of it. Pop culture and jewish references are still overflowing out of the book.
  
  As for errors? I think I might of read one recipe that might of skipped what to do with the salt, but nothing that would make or break a recipe.
  
  Overview
  
  I have to say when my husband said his one co-worker picked up this book to try and eat less meat and dairy, I couldn’t think of anything better to start with. I think this out of all Isa’s cookbooks give a great collection of easy to make recipes with realistic ingredients. Sure the seitan and tofu might be a little intimidating, but she provides recipes on how to make you own seitan which saves lots of cash. And even if you stay away from all seitan, tofu, and tempeh recipes you can easily find recipes to make throughout the book. Recipes that are filling, and don’t need “vegan specific” foods like soy milk or faux butters.
  
  I can safely say that this cookbook will be one I will be using over and over and over again. These recipes are perfect for everyday cooking since they are fast and use cheap ingredients. One average I don’t think I would spend more than $10 overall per dish, which divides up as being fairly cheap per serving. Ingredients are flexible so it is easy to switch out ingredients (if you own a CSA) and Isa tells you how.
  
  This is a cookbook for vegans, omnivores, beginners, or advanced chefs that are just trying to give weeknights more flavor. I would recommend people pick up this book over Veganomicon, as you will find more recipes to make in this.
  
  
  If you are interested in reading individual recipe reviews, please check out my blog post
• 
  littlemiao

  This is possibly my favorite cookbook, which is saying a lot given how much I love the Veganomicon. So far, I've made about 20 recipes from various sections, with an emphasis on soups and desserts. When I had guests over for the holidays, I used this book, everyone was super impressed, and I didn't even have to work very hard. Paging through the whole book, few if any of the recipes look intimidating, unlike the Veganomicon.
  
  The recipes really are as easy as advertised. For other cookbooks, recipes usually take at least double the predicted time when I try them, especially the first time. I have a couple 30-minute cookbooks that are really more like 2-hour cookbooks. But with this one, when it says 20 min of active time, that's really all it takes. The variety she covers and manages to make accessible is incredible. The vast majority of ingredients are supermarket-friendly. The tips at the beginning and sprinkled generously throughout are useful and widely applicable to other cooking projects. And the cookbook is so pretty, it's a joy to use it - great quality paper, colorful, with gorgeous full-page photos by an excellent photographer. I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone interested in a plant-based diet.
• 
  Hobbes

  My newest favourite cookbook.
  
  Isa's recipes are easy, affordable, tasty and nutritious. Also, very important, the ingredients are stock pantry items or readily available at the supermarket. No messing about sourcing specialist suppliers or making expensive internet orders.
  
  As a lifelong Coeliac recently diagnosed lactose intolerent too (Oh joy!!!) I'm pretty adept at substituting ingredients for gluten but needed dairy free alternatives. Isa already has common allergies in mind. The 'Swap Meet' chapter considers alternatives for Gluten, Nuts and Soy. I have been introduced to Roux that I'd never heard of before and also experiment with chickpea flour now too.
  
  All the introductions and tips are written in a warm friendly tone - it feels like a buddy is advising over your shoulder.
  
  Usually I flip through cookbooks and realise half the recipes are no good to me so I begrudge spending on them. Not in this case. I'll be buying all Isa's cookbooks in future.
  
  And, most important, the recipes are taste bud heaven! 100% Yummylicious especially the comfort food Sweet Potato Gnocchi - it is divine!
  
  p.s. Thanks to Tsam for recommending this... Isa is the real every persons kitchen goddess!
• 
  Kat Williams

  This cookbook is killer! So many amazing flavorful recipes with plenty of variety. Easy to read and entertaining. Her intro section is awesome for those just starting out their vegan kitchens with tips on what to stock your pantry with and other assortments to keep on hand. The pasta recipes are DELICIOUS. Seriously so so good and pretty easy to make. There are many recipes that require you to make cashew or other nut creams so a good blender is essential. One of the things I love about this book are all the beautifully expressive photos displaying the dishes. They look so tantalizing. And Isa's casual fun attitude makes this book a joy to read. Her personality just radiates throughout and puts you in a good mood. She offers plenty of tips and tricks and shortcuts for cooks in a time crunch and alternatives for some of the more exotic ingredients. I've only disliked one recipe from the book thus far and it was the Sunflower Mac and "Cheese." Bleh, save yourself. It's straight up gross. To be fair though she invented for a vegan friend who is allergic to nuts.
  
  Anywho guys, check it out! You won't regret it. I promise! :)
• 
  Dawn

  Whether you're a vegan or not - this book is a treasure. The recipes are quick and not complicated - using ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry. And the results - delicious. I've made three recipes so far and loved them all. Isa even inspired me to (finally) make my own seitan yesterday. (It was so easy - what was I waiting for??)
  
  The design of the book and the pictures are beautiful - always a bonus and an inspiration. But what I think I love most about this book is that Isa's personality shines through as well. It's not just a useful and pretty book - it's a fun read too!
  
  In full disclosure, I do have kind of a cookbook/Facebook/blog girlcrush on Isa. All of her stuff is terrific and has been incredibly helpful to me since my early days of being plant-based. There aren't many authors whose books I pre-order four months out with less than a millisecond of consideration. Isa is one. I can't recommend Isa Does It highly enough - whether you're full-on vegan, you periodically eat meatless meals, or you maybe just want to experiment with some new ideas.
• 
  Gretchen

  This book is 4.5 stars for me, but I will round up just because I like Isa more all the time. I was given this book as a gift, and an initial skimming left me less than excited as many recipes have tofu or tempeh, and tofu is creepy to me. It is also missing nutritional information (which is always a big plus), and while it does say how many servings, it does not give specific serving size information.
  
  Then I started cooking some of the recipes. And eating them. And they were delicious! I have made the seitan, the bean sausages, pancakes, falafel burgers, island burgers...the Dilly Stew with Rosemary Dumplings is in regular rotation and my husband is in love with the Meaty Beany Chili. The Lentil-Miso Gravy tastes like Thanksgiving, and the Lentil-a-Roni is a big bowl of yum. I have cooked enough deliciousness from this book to trust Isa. If she puts out a recipe, I feel confident it is going to be worth eating. I do wish more recipes were vegetable centered (as opposed to pasta or tofu centered), but that is a personal preference.
  
  
• 
  Caleb

  To delicious for words.
  
  Another great cookbook from Isa, I honestly don't know how she does. Plenty of recipe that offer some new and flavourful to add to my repertoire. It also a beautifully presented book with plenty of large colour photographs the finished products for inspiration and drooling over.
  
  I was concerned that content might just be a rehash of her earlier books and while there are still a few familiar recipes here largely I found everything seems fresh and new. I keep finding new recipes for stuff I never thought of making/ heard of/ failed to vegan-ise.
  
  It also has plenty of handy linear notes on substitutes, prep-time, cooking time, stuff you can do in advance etcetera.
  
  Buy it. Cook from it. Eat and be merry.
  
  
• 
  Mandy

  The. Best. Cookbook. Ever.
  
  I'm not vegan, but I don't eat meat and I'm trying to significantly cut back on dairy, so this cookbook obviously appeals to me on those levels. What makes this book so great, however, is that every recipe I've tried has been delicious. The potato and leek soup, something I didn't think could be satisfyingly veganized, was amazing - non-vegans wouldn't even be able to notice a difference. My favorite, though, has been the harira - a Moroccan soup with eggplant, tomatoes, and chickpeas. Seriously, I dream about it.
  
  The recipes are also fairly quick, and they don't require many pre-made or obscure ingredients. Moreover, I salivated over every picture and read the whole thing cover to cover before even getting a chance to try a recipe.
• 
  Martin Rowe

  I'm not a great reader of cookbooks, but this one is proving to be an enduring and satisfying supplier of hearty and warming soups and stews this cold, snowy winter in New York City. As someone who grew up in northern Europe, I like my dishes hearty, and Isa isn't disappointing me. Thankfully, however, the food isn't too heavy, but it's nourishing and the recipes are easy to follow. As a fellow publisher, I would like to extend my appreciation to the publisher for producing the book so beautifully. The text is colorful, as is the layout, and the book opens flat on the counter, which makes it easy to use. A good job all round!
• 
  Teresa

  I was a big fan of veganomicon but sometimes it seemed difficult to find something I wanted that didn't have 5486 components. this is isa's answer to that conundrum, these are the week day recipes that are fuss free but still packing a lot of flavor. she's a big fan of the hot sauce which I am not but I still found tons of things I wanted to try. with the nice, friendly design (not white pages) and good pictures, this is an excellent addition to your vegan bookcase
• 
  Charity

  Every recipe in this book is spectacular! Isa is a vegan goddess. I have never eaten so well. Easy recipes and perfect technique instructions. Even non-vegans will fall in love with these dishes! Delectable!!
• 
  alicebme

  I am so not exaggerating. Everything I have made so far is unique and scrumptious, AND the book itself is a work of art.
• 
  Laura

  I checked out this book at the library, based on the recommendation of my sister-in-law, who took a vegan cooking class a few years ago and said that this ended up being her favorite vegan cookbook. The author has a lot of cookbooks as well as a website, Post Punk Kitchen. This week I made 3 recipes from this cookbook. I liked the Tofu-Mushroom Stroganoff, while my husband tasted the tofu and then picked the rest of it off his plate (he liked the sauce). The Roasted Butternut Alfredo was absolutely delicious and we both loved it. The key to the creamy sauce in both of these recipes was to soak raw cashews for 2 hours and them blend them with vegetable broth. You end up with a cream that is indistinguishable from heavy cream - only it doesn’t have the cholesterol or saturated fat, and is higher in protein than heavy cream. I also made one recipe that was not a winner - the Lentil Quinoa Stew with Lots of Kale. The problem with this recipe was the kale, which we both found practically inedible. I’m sure someone out there knows how to make kale taste good, but this wasn’t it. I liked the introduction to the book and the overview of equipment to keep in the kitchen.
• 
  Barry

  I got this book for Christmas.
  
  First of all, the book is beautiful. The photographs a) make you want to eat the food and b) look like a normal human (me!) could make the food.
  
  The premise of the book is that the meals are on the table quickly and I can see that this is going to be the case (although with the caveat that if you're going to making your own seitan etc. then that's going to add to your time).
  
  The writing style is very engaging and fun. Isa makes me want to cook, and I think that is high praise for a cook book author. She comes across as someone you'd like to have round for dinner (especially if she's bringing something ha ha) and it's clear she has a wonderful relationship with the food she makes.
  
  The layout of the book is pretty with lots of big text, notes on cooking and variations with a nice preamble to each recipe - I really like that the recipes are not presented in isolation and there is context to them.
  
  I love the organisation of the chapters. They seem different to most standard cook books (I especially like the 'food you eat with your hand ' chapter idea and the 'bowls' chapter). I think Isa is on to something here - we are far more complex than 'three meals a day' or 'starter/main/dessert'. Sometimes we want a rib sticker stew, sometimes we want a light salad. The recipes seem to fit 'moods' rather than meal time or course type. Loving it.
  
  So I can't comment on a cookbook without talking about what I made tonight. I made 'Creamy Potato-Leek Soup' with 'Roasted Vegetable Romesco Sandwiches'. Although the book suggested pairing these I couldn't really see it but I was very wrong - they shouldn't go, but they did.
  
  It's hard to go wrong with Potato and Leek soup. It's a staple in my home as the kids will go for it (and it's cheap!). The recipe called for cashew cream and this was the first time I made it. Not sure if it made tons of difference. The consistency was just right and answered an eternal 'Potato and Leek Soup' question in my home - 'Do you blend, partially blend or leave chunky?' The answer is get your masher out and mash the spuds in the soup once cooked as best you can. It's a different consistency to blended and went down really well.
  
  The Romesco was made out of roasted red peppers (mine were from a jar), flaked almonds, paprika and garlic. I used a hot paprika rather than the sweet paprika in the recipe and to be honest it was a little too hot for the kids but I thought it was delicious. The filling was roasted cauliflower and courgettes with some roasted red pepper and basil. I'm not the biggest cauliflower fan but it came out lovely roasted.
  
  The pairing worked because the Romesco was very flavourful and the roasted veg had a nice texture and it did counterbalance the soup well. I was dipping pieces of a ciabatta with the Romesco on into the soup and it was just lovely. The Romesco would be lovely as a dip too for crudites or used as a hummus.
  
  So, a good solid start to the book, not exactly been wowed by either recipe but really enjoyed them both. Timings were a tiny bit longer than the book suggested but that's partially me.
  
  Another thing I love about this book are the metric conversion charts in the back. I buy quite a lot of American books and even though 'I know' the conversions and have cup measurements I'm always googling temperature conversions for ovens etc. Just last week I declared I was going to print them out and put them up in my kitchen and lo and behold there are some big clear charts in the back of this one - thank you Ms. Moskowitz!
  
  (and a special thank you to my wife for buying me this, it's sure to become a favourite cookbook).
  
  Day Two
  
  Tonight I made Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Penne and it was just lovely. Now full disclosure - I love sun dried tomatoes and will generally do anything to eat them. Like smoked paprika, falafel and hummus they are gateways to the potential of a comfortable yet unflattering increased waistband!
  
  I knew penne with creamy SDT would be great but I loved how the broccoli and red onion came together - full of flavour with a really nice texture.
  
  I had a 'oh-no' moment when I realised I had no vegetable broth, stock or bouillon. Luckily I had six hours spare to make my own - actually I didn't. Instead I boiled up a pint of water, stirred in two teaspoons of vegan gravy granules, two teaspoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of nooch and a dash of dried thyme, sage and smoked paprika (see what I did there!).
  
  I'm so punk rock I didn't even taste it before chucking it in the dish and you know what either Isa is a genius for foolproofing her recipe or I am a genius for my 'what can I add to water for a stock' idea because it was just lovely, maybe a little rich for some palettes but there you go.
  
  I will definitely make this again, and indeed left overs are for lunch tomorrow.
  
  Day Three
  
  I made the Lentil-a-Roni tonight which as expected was lovely. I fudged the stock again and when measuring out the lentils this morning measured 1.5 cups of dry so once it was cooked there was significantly more. Not an issue as I just increased the pasta and sauce a little which just means tomorrow's lunch is sorted.
  
  This recipe is a quicker version of one I have in a pasta book and is just as good. The similar recipe makes a Bolognese sauce with a lentil base and is pretty great with baked potatoes etc.
  
  I can see myself making this in future but maybe subbing the dried lentils for something I can put together on the go.
  
  I have to say I have quickly become attached to this book. I've got another new cook book on the shelf and one on it's way but they are going to have to gather dust for a while!
  
  Everything I've cooked so far has been good and I feel confident heartily recommending this.
• 
  Christian

  I'm usually not a fan of "easy" recipes because that almost always means "unseasoned" (looking at you, MinimalistBakerTastyNewYorkTimes). However, this book is exactly what the title says: easy, wildly delicious, and....vegan....
  
  This book is for chefs new and experienced, palates of all sort, and adventurers from all walks of life! I really like this book especially in the winter, aka, stew season. This book is full of comfort food that creatively incorporates whole foods and vegetables. Some would say...delicious AND nutritious.
  
  Pick this one up ASAP! Keep it in your house! Read it!
• 
  Ryan Schepers

  I've made four of these dishes in the last three nights and each one has been amazing!