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After twenty years of vegetarianism, I recently made the shift to an entirely plant-based diet, and decided a few new cookbooks were in order to help spark new creativity in the kitchen. Of the three books I bought, this one has become my go-to favorite. There isn't a single page in this book without something intriguing and appetizing on it.
I cannot overstate this: "The Complete Plant Based Cookbook" is written with the home cook at heart. It seems obvious that every cookbook would be written with the intent that the average person could duplicate its recipes in their own kitchen, but that's rarely the case. This book is exceptional, though. The instructions are written clearly and are easy to follow. The measurements, temperatures, and cook time are true, and the ingredients are almost all available at my local markets.
Often, vegan cookbooks fall into one of two categories: exotic/elaborate preparations of hard-to-find ingredients, or meatless mimicry of junk food. I was looking for a book that offered something else. This cookbook provides countless meal ideas that can make it possible to enjoy delicious balanced meals throughout the week. Meat and dairy substitutes can be a marvel, but I prefer that this book avoids much of that in favor of celebrating and elevating whole vegetables. Even the nacho "cheese" sauce (pictured) is made with simple potatoes and a carrot! I've made everything from soup to roasted veggies to pie using this cookbook, and all have come out exactly as described, even at times when the instructions felt impossible (there's no way this can set without eggs....there's no way this consistency will be...how can this??...) But time and again, I trust the instructions, and the food comes out delicious and beautiful.
America's Test Kitchen really lives up to its name here, as it's obvious that all of these recipes have been tried and tried again before publication.
Lastly, the back of this cookbook has something that I've never seen in any other: a full index of the basic nutrition facts of each of the recipes! I'm sure I won't be checking back there too often (especially for that pecan pie!) but what a cool resource to offer. There's also a full index listing all of the gluten free recipes in the cookbook, which I'm sure will be hugely helpful for many people.
All of the books I ordered had similarly great reviews, but this one was the only one that's truly exceptional. Bon appetite!
