annieb123
Written on Jan 24, 2021
1000 Vegan and Vegetarian Meals is a new veg*n recipe collection with recipes curated and presented by the Chartwell editors. Due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Quarto on their Chartwell imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
This is a graphically appealing, well written, and accessible cookbook with an array of vegetarian and some vegan recipes to appeal to most tastes. I really liked the layout and formatting of this cookbook. There is no introduction or basic techniques or tool info. The book hops right into the recipe selections. The recipes which are included are arranged roughly thematically: breakfast & brunch, super salads, healthy soups, grazing dishes, quick & tasty, hearty comfort food, feed a crowd, and sweet treats. There are a huge number of recipes, though many are not very complex at all, and they represent a broad number of different world cuisines. I noticed some variations in the way the recipes were actually written and the way the ingredients were measured. According to the editorial information, there are three main recipe developers: Susannah Blake, Deborah Gray, and Michael Keogh, which could possibly explain variations. It's not a deal-breaker, there isn't that much difference really, but it is noticeable.
Ingredient measurements are supplied in American standard measurements with some metric measures included (yay!). The nutritional information is not included. Each recipe includes a header with a short description of the recipe and approximate servings. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex. The photography is abundant and clear and the recipes are illustrated simply and clearly. Nearly all of the recipes also include a highlighted text box offering tips and alternative presentations and variations.
This is a large collection of recipes and even allowing for the fact that some of them are very similar to others in the same category, this will keep meat-free cooking fans going for ages. There are many simple "everyday" recipes which are anything but boring alongside fancier "special" dinner recipes. We tried several dishes and all of them were tasty and well written.
We're definitely going to try more of these recipes.
Five stars. This is a massive cookbook which will be used. It would make a superlative housewarming gift to a friend or family member living on their own - college student, new graduate, newlyweds, kids flying the nest, etc or a friend trying to eat more health consciously with better quality ingredients as well as a nice acquisition for the home library.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.