Title - Vegan Fire and Spice
Author - Robin Robertson
Publisher - Vegan Heritage Press
Number of recipes - 200
Target Audience - Vegans and Vegetarians
Cuisine - A sampling of recipes from around the world
Clarity of instruction - Excellent
Photos - None
Recipes worth a mention - Hot and spicy Thai tofu, Spiced potato salad, Seven vegetable couscous and Jalapeno soup with tortilla triangles.
Nutritional information - No nutritional info.
About the Author - Robin Robertson is a vegan chef and award winning cookbook author. Some of the other books she has written are Vegan Planet, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker and the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes cookbook.
Summary - Vegan Fire and Spice is a great book that will be useful to both the new and the seasoned vegan. Once you get your hands on this cookbook, you will never reach for the highly processed soy products in the grocery store ever again.
The author Pat Robertson, takes us on a trip around the world to exotic lands and introduces us to traditional vegan food or recipes she has adapted to suit a plant-based diet. Unlike most cookbooks where the recipe organization is based on courses served, this book is divided by regions. Robertson introduces us to recipes from the familiar Indian subcontinent, well known for its flavorful and spicy food to tiny african countries with unique culinary delights unfamiliar to most of the world. The spiciness of each recipe is indicated with pictures of chilies, with one chili being mild and three being the hottest in the book. Most spices used in the book can be found in most major grocery stores in large cities and in many online ethnic markets. The only negative about this book is the lack of pictures. Photographs with some of the recipes would have helped those of us unfamiliar with the culinary delights of many regions of the world, know what the final product will look like after we make them.
Final Verdict - To write this review we tried several dishes from many of the countries featured in the book. Some of the recipes were simple and easy to make like the Salsa Picante and others were a bit more time comsuming and complex like the Vindaloo vegetables and the Moroccan chickpea and lentil soup. The combination of fresh ingredients and the flavorful spices made every recipe we tried truely delicious. This book is a great addition to your cookbook collection or as a gift to some one who is just beginning to dabble with a plant-based diet.
