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74 of 75 found the following review helpful:
 One of the best vegan cookbooks ever! Jul 21, 2007
By J. Cutter
"FunkyVegan9288"
As a vegan of several years and an avid cook, I feel safe in saying that I own the majority of the vegan cookbooks out there. Imagine my surprise, then, when I found this gem at my local Borders - a cookbook that I had not only never heard of but that also featured beautiful photographs and healthy recipes. I will admit, I was wary when deciding whether or not to purchase it because more than half of the book is full of recipes for different juice concoctions, and I'm not a big juicer.
I am so glad I bought this book.
The recipes are relatively simple and make you feel great - they are jam packed full of fresh veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds. I made the Green Goddess Rice Bowl, expecting it to be your average, run of the mill, boring brown rice topped with steamed greens, but MY GOD! The tahini sauce on the rice played beautifully with the "Simple Sauce", which was drizzled over the steamed bok choy, kale, broccoli, and chard; the sunflower seeds added a hint of crunch, and the pickled ginger gave it just the right amount of sweetness. The Singer's Saving Grace Juice is also amazing, and my best friend - a singer - swears by it. I am so glad that I bought this book, it is easily one of the best I have ever encountered.
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
Beautiful vegan cookbook May 18, 2007
By Grad Student
This is a great cookbook. If you like glossy cookbooks with lots of tantalizing pictures, this is one for you. Recipes are healthy and relatively simple. Some of them take some time to put together but the steps involved are not complicated. Ingredients are common and easy to find.
YUM!
Also try these books: RAWvolution and Vegan with a Vengeance
25 of 26 found the following review helpful:
This is my favourite cookbook! Mar 09, 2008
By Novice Cook
"Susan"
I've eaten at Fresh a few times, and was a bit skeptical about this book - thinking it was probably just promo and that I wouldn't be able to recreate their food.
I was wrong, and am so glad I bought this book! This is the best vegetarian cookbook I've ever used. I am a novice cook, so recipes that are easy to follow (no assumptions) and that are actually tested are important. With a few exceptions (for example, what quantity of dried soba noodles makes 8 cups cooked?), I haven't been disappointed.
I started off making the veggie broth - when you have 10 cups of fresh broth, you start looking for things to use it in! My favourites from the soups section are Sweet Potato and Coconut, Tuscan White Bean with Pesto, and the Marrakesh Curried Stew.
I bought some soba noodles recently and decided to try the Khao San Soba noodle recipe - it is easy and fabulous! We've also made the Buddha Rice Bowl, Marinated Tofu Cubes (these keep well in the fridge and can be used in a variety of recipes). The Thai Peanut Sauce makes a lot, but thankfully I found some other recipes on the internet to use it with (Chinese Peanut Salad).
The main drawback is that I loved the first few recipes I made so much that I wanted to keep making them and didn't explore the book further. While not everything I've made is a favourite, I have been diving into the book more, and I'm really enjoying what I'm discovering.
Don't be put off by this book if you aren't vegan - you will not notice or miss the absence of eggs or dairy products in these recipes. If you're a vegetarian wanting to go that extra step towards a vegan diet, this is a great jumpstart!
Fantastic! Thank you, Ruth Tal.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Fresh Twist on Vegan Cooking! Nov 22, 2007
By Book Mama
"Refresh" is a fresh twist on vegan cooking. Being in a rural location some of the ingredients are a bit hard to find, but other than that this cookbook is fantastic! Recipes are easy to follow and this book includes numerous photographs of many of its colorful dishes. The Coconut Tempeh was super simple to make and extremely flavorful, but best of all it had the perfect texture. The most difficult thing about this book is having to choose just a few recipes at a time to make. It says a lot that this is my Husband's favorite cookbook and he is NOT even vegan (but he is an incredible cook!) A must have for vegan entertaining!
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Awesome vegan cookbook, especially if you love to juice Dec 25, 2008
By Chicago Book Addict
Even though I am not vegan I love cooking from vegan cookbooks because I find they contain so many delicious, healthful dishes with unusual flavor combinations. This cookbook is no exception. Even if you have beloved vegan cookbooks like Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert, and Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Great Vegan Food for Special and Everyday Celebrations, there is still room for this cookbook on your shelf. About half of this cookbook is comprised of food and the other half is a robust selection of juice recipes. Because I recently bought a juicer the latter section was especially appealing to me. She provides a great introduction to juicing and if I hadn't already purchased a juicer, recommendations on models to buy. When it comes to the recipes, I love the variety of juices from those that are meant to ward off illness or promote health benefits like Lung Lover Immune Elixir as well as juices that are primarily meant to taste great. I've been especially taken by the idea of hot juices, which are new to me. The Hot Apple Pie Smoothie, for example, is at the top of my 'to make' list.
But don't think that the smoothies overshadow the food in this cookbook, because that is certainly not the case. Even if you don't own a juicer you will find plenty of recipes worth making. You will find it is packed with a wide variety of appetizers, salads (my personal favorite after the juices), soups/stews, sandwiches, burgers, and more. I will say that the foods feel more like lunch fare than a hearty dinner, but since I make my lunches this was appealing to me. Some of the foods and smoothies call for produce I haven't been able to find at my local Whole Foods, but this tends to be the exception rather than the rule and Tal provides substitution suggestions.
My only complaint about the book is that some of the quantities suggested for items are a bit vague. This is primarily the case when it comes to the juice recipes. Particularly when pineapple is involved she often gives measurements in "slices" when it would be much clearer to use weight or cup measurement.
Overall though it is a great book and provides delicious recipes that home cooks vegan and omnivore alike will appreciate especially if you're looking for great juice, smoothie, salad, and sandwich recipes. I especially recommend the Date Almond Power Shake which is rich and creamy and the Sunflower Dressing. Yum!
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