The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat
This was just released and I can't wait to try it! Anyone else order it or already have it?
I got to flip through a copy the other day and I was blown away by the innovative recipes and the gorgeous pictures. This is definitely the kind of cookbook that you give as a gift or even display on your coffee table (people still do that, right?) ANYWAY, I'd love to hear opinions!!
BTW, it's written by Tal Ronnen, the chef who prepared vegan meals for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse. He has since catapulted to fame, catering Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's vegan wedding, Arianna Huffington's party at the Democratic National Convention, and the first vegan dinner at the U.S. Senate. Um, I took that last part from amazon but ANYWAY...can't wait to check it out!
I added that one to my Amazon wish list, in addition to Isa's new vegan cookies cookbook and a vegan Indian cookbook. I really don't need another cookbook but these are all too hard to ignore.
I am pretty excited about The Conscious Cook as I hope it raises more awareness to a delicious and more compassionate way of living.
I added this one to my amazon wishlist too! I'm glad the holidays are coming up soon!! :)
I saw it at the bookstore yesterday. For me it's too fancy. It's beautiful, but it's definitely from a chef. If you're a great cook and want to do some entertaining with beautifully plated foor- this is for you. If you're looking for everyday meals and snacks, this probably isn't the best book for that.
Hey it's on my Amazon wishlist too.....LOL..........I watched a video...I think on VegNews.com.........seems like a cool book.
My husband surprised me and ordered it from my wishlist, and I just got it yesterday! I'm so excited to try out one of the recipes - it's gonna be a tough decision!
I won this book and can't wait to try it out. While the photos are gorgeous, seemingly something only a French chef could create, the recipes aren't actually all that hard. Can't wait to try some of these ... Mediterranean Chickpea Wrap, Cream of Asparagus Soup, Pine Nut and Basil Seared Gardein "Chicken," Fresh Mint and Cucumber Salad, ... oh and that Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake. Wow.
the book is on it's way from ebay though they featured a few of the recipes in peta's newsletter (i got today) the recipes do look pretty time consuming like others have mentioned :( hopefully i like it
I won this book and can't wait to try it out. While the photos are gorgeous, seemingly something only a French chef could create, the recipes aren't actually all that hard.
This is my impression, as well. I bought this book on a whim this past weekend, and there aren't any recipes that seem too difficult or time-consuming. Obviously some would be better suited for special occasions because of the time commitment, but nothing looked ridiculously hard or anything. There are a lot of soups, salads, sandwiches, etc. that looked relatively simple. Also, I noticed that a lot of the recipes that had a larger time commitment had a lot of inactive prep time - like soaking nuts overnight or letting a dressing thicken up in the fridge for a couple hours. This would obviously take some planning ahead instead of coming home from work & whipping up these recipes for a last-minute dinner, but it's not like you'd be slaving over the stove for hours.
I am definitely making the banana caramel rum cheesecake (or whatever it's called) for Thanksgiving. DROOL.
I'll report back after I make some things! :)
Don't be intimidated by the book cover of Chef Tal Ronnen decorating his pine-nut-and-basil seared "gardein" chicken dish. The photos in The Conscious Cook look like they'd be served up in a restaurant earning the highest Zagat nod. But the recipes, for the most part, don't appear too difficult.
Tonight I made the cream of asparagus soup with cashew cream. This versatile dish, which can be made with broccoli instead, is a pureed soup with asparagus, olive oil, celery, spinach and an agave-sweetened cashew cream. I should have soaked the cashews the night before(I read this after I started the recipe) and instead pureed the cashew cream ingredients with the simmered soup. It still came out great. A standout above other cream of (insert vegetable here) soups I have tried because the cashew cream gives this soup a richer, nuttier and slightly sweetened, creamy flavor. Ladle into bowls and dress it with a dollop of the "cream," or parsley and a grind of pepper, and you've got a simple, yet elegant, dish to impress your guests.
I received this today from my trade with lebkuchen! It looks great. I'm going to read it tonight, and plan on making a review thread! :)>>>
eta: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=30306.0
Last week I made the focaccia. It turned out awful! It never rose and was hard as a rock after baking. I am wondering if there is a typo with the amount of flour. 6 cups seems like a lot. I am currently making it again, but halved the flour to around 3 cups. I will post results.
The fresh mint and cucumber salad with tahini vinigrette was simple and delicious. I had a substantial amount of dressing left over. It had an unexpected flavor that was almost tart. I have been using it on sandwiches all week. I will definitely be taking that to a summer picnic.
The focaccia with a tad over 3 cups of flour is perfection. I didn't caramelize onions this time, because I was afraid the bread wouldn't turn out again. However, with just rosemary, red pepper flakes, sea salt & pepper there was plenty of flavor. I made the tomato bisque to go along with it. I shredded the carrot, onion and celery with my kitchenaid. I thought that would help give the soup a smooth consistency and I wouldn't need to blend as much at the end. I think the soup would have had a more complex flavor if I hadn't done that, since some juice was lost in shredding. Live and learn. The fire-roasted tomatoes really add an almost smoky flavor. I wonder if smoked sea salt would also complement this dish.