I received this lovely cookbook from Bloggingforbooks and initially I was motivated to review this cookbook because my brother has been curious about becoming vegan since he switched up his eating habits.

He even asked me for a few tips and advice since I’m a vegetarian and do frequently make vegan dishes. However, I am no expert and since I have been a vegetarian for over seven years, I’ve developed my own internal method and regimen when it comes to the foods I eat.

So, when I saw the opportunity to review Gena Hamshaw’s Food52 Vegan book it felt like fate because besides the recipes, the book offers beginners tips, ingredient substitutions options and a whole section on general vegan cooking basics.

It was really difficult to pick just one thing to try out and review, so I ended up doing three from this book: Roasted Ratatouille, a Penne with Summer Squash, Corn and Herbs, and Sweet Pea Hummus, with a few alterations because of personal preferences.

Now, my photography skills are not as great as those in the book, but I am extremely proud of the fact that my creations resemble the originals so closely. ^__^

First, I did the Sweet Pea Hummus:

    

This was really fun for me because I had never made homemade hummus before and it turned out fantastic! Not to mention, I that I am a snacker with crackers.

If I wasn’t spreading the humus on some Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits…

Then I was spreading on some rye toast and topping it with some scrambled eggs…

Or putting it a veggie tortilla wrap with a Boca spicy chik’n patty. Soo yum!

 

Next, I tried the Penne with Summer Squash, Corn and Herbs recipe:

The first alteration I made to this one was that I used zucchini (which the book offers as an alternative) instead of summer squash because I felt that the dish would be sweeter than I would have liked.

The second alteration I made what I used my favorite pasta for this dish which was Ronzoni’s Garden Delights for an added pop or color and nutrition. And I topped it with a bit of tofu.

The third and final recipe I tried was the Roasted Ratatouille

 

and it was really, really good.

Overall, I think this book is hidden goldmine. The recipes are extremely varied and easy to follow. The only thing I would like to point out is that if you are unfamiliar with figuring out how to adjust serving size portions, the recipes in this book could be a bit confusing.

All of the dishes in the book give serving suggestions, but since I was trying these out for only two people, my measurements and estimates were about a quarter or half of the recommended amounts in the book.

Thanks so much for reading. Until next time,

Gia.