Cookbook Review: Vegan on the Cheap, by Robin Robertson

 

Frugality:

 

Plant-Based:

Whole-Foodiness:

 

Deliciousness:

 

 This is my new favorite cookbook.  Obviously, the whole point of it is that it's vegan and cheap, so five stars on Frugality and Plant-Based!  Each recipe costs less than $2 per serving, and each recipe tells you approximately how much it costs to make.  It's very handy!

Most of the recipes are very healthy too.  A lot of them use thrifty veggies like beans, potatoes, and cabbage.  Many include rice or pasta, which can be whole grain or not, of course.  There are a few that are tofu-based, which is why only four stars were given for the Whole Foods categories.  And most of the tofu-based ones lose deliciousness points, as well; they're pretty bland.  The veggie-based recipes are extremely delightful, though, and the creamy mushroom gravy is definitely the best vegan gravy I've ever had.

Some recipes I've made from it:

Farfalle with White Beans and Cabbage:
Pretty much just what it sounds like; a pasta dish with white beans and cabbage.  Simple, delighful, and inexpensive!

Salsa Rice and Red Beans:
A nifty Mexican take on red-beans-and-rice, a staple for any thrifty vegan.

Spinach Pie:
One of the aforementioned tofu dishes.  This one wasn't too bad; the Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese was the most objectionable.  This one, I feel just tried too hard to be quiche, and fell flat.  Too much texture, and not enough flavor.

Very Veggie Burgers:
Holy crap are these things delicious.  I am very picky about veggie burgers, and so is Dan.  We do not like veggie burgers that try too hard to be just like meat burgers, and we're not big on bean-based ones.  We like them to stay together in their patty, and we like them to taste of awesome.  These deliver.  They are amazing.  These veggie burgers are reason enough to buy this cookbook, or at least check it out from the library.  Do it.  Make them.  Eat them.  Be happy.

Slow-Cooker Seitan Pot Roast:
I'm not big on fake meat, but when I'm in the mood for it, seitan is my go-to.  I find that it lends texture without making everything else taste weird, and I feel like it's a little bit healthier than tofu, although I don't actually have any evidence of that; it just feels healthier.  This is a good recipe to make if you want to have some seitan and veggies for another recipe.  It's not really worth eating on its own, but since it's a slow-cooker recipe, it's much easier than seitan usually is, and much cheaper than buying it.

My overall verdict on this book: Get it!



 

Thoughts about Plant-Eatin': Vegan vs Plant-Based

In my head, I think of myself as plant-based.  I eat a plant-based diet.  When I talk about my eating habits to others, I tell them I'm vegan.  It just seems easier.  But am I really vegan?

I feel like maybe these two terms, while overlapping, are not the same thing.  Maybe more descriptive labels are in order: leather-wearers vs Oreo-eaters.

See, I cut out animal products from my diet after reading about the overwhelming amount of evidence that eating animal-based foods can cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other uniquely Western ailments.  I consider the environmental and animal rights benefits a very nice side effect, but I'm mostly concerned with my health.  Which means I don't go around eating Oreos and Twizzlers, just because they happen to contain zero animal products.  I do, however, have a suede jacket, which I've had for years, and which I still wear. 

I'm sure this would horrify many vegans.  The ones who read about or saw videos of factory farms, said, "Enough is enough," and swore off the consumption of any animal products anywhere in their lives.  They're not worried about their health, but they don't wear leather, or use goat's milk soap, or anything like that.  But they eat Oreos, because no animals were harmed in their making.

I'm not trying to make any kind of point here, about which point of view is more legitimate.  I wouldn't buy a new leather coat, and I have been known to burst into tears at the sight of a factory farm visible from the freeway.  I'm sure there are many people who started out as Oreo-eaters, noticed that cutting out animal products made them healthier, and cut out processed foods too.  I think the line is pretty blurry.  I just think it's interesting.

Tomorrow's post will be a review of Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson.