The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat
Selected Book Details
- Hardcover
- Author: Tal Ronnen
- Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks
- Release Date: October 2009
- ISBN-10: 0061874337
- ISBN-13: 9780061874338
- List Price: $29.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryTHE CONSCIOUS COOK is a breakthrough in vegan cuisine. By teaching readers how to make truly satisfying and delicious meals without the meat and dairy‚ it makes the shift to a vegan lifestyle easy. A former steak lover himself‚ Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. About ten years ago‚ he decided that the best way to satisfy his dietary desires was to make food that was good enough for "foodies" and could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat. The solution? Create vegan meals with substantial proteins that could literally change the way people eat. He studied all aspects of non−meat proteins and today is widely regarded as the expert in the field‚ developing new concepts for meals and sauces and helping to improve textures for food companies such as Gardein (the provider of vegetable proteins used by Morningstar Farms‚ It′s All Good‚ Trader Joe′s brands‚ and the prepared food department of Whole Foods‚ to name a few). THE CONSCIOUS COOK features a center−of−the−plate protein in all of its entrees−a first for vegan cookbooks. Seventy−five original recipes are organized by categories that include starters and small plates‚ soups and salads‚ entrees‚ and desserts. Each recipe is accompanied by stunning full−color photographs. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Delicious Vegetarian Meals
Rating:
This book is a good choice for vegetarians, vegans and even those who just want to have some meatless meals here and there. The recipes are easy to follow and understand. There are many beautiful enticing photos and great explanations for those ingredients that seem "different". The author makes vegan dishes sound very tempting, enough so that I tried some things I would never have previously made such as cashew cream which can replace dairy products like sour cream, heavy cream and whipped cream. I was pleasantly surprised with his tomato bisque which uses cashew cream as a thickener. Just like tomato silk!! I made his appetizer of grapefruit segments on shiso leaves with diakon radish and Napa cabbage. Very tasty and so simple to do. This is proof that you don't have to make weird recipes to be a vegan. You will actually enjoy the marvelous flavors combined in new and different ways.
great book, excellent for entertaining
Rating: 
I received this book as a Christmas gift. After flipping through it, I thought the recipes to be weird and complex. I put it on the shelf for 6 months.
I recently took a look at it again, created some of the recipes and they are excellent!! Yes, some of them are time consuming, but you have to keep in mind that Tal is a chef, so these recipes are of his caliber. I do not like Gardein so I use seitan that I make or tofu instead. I made the Piccata using tofu and it was fast, easy and delicious!! I (and my family) also love the Sweet Onion Beggar's Purses. It does take some time to make the onion jam, but the whole recipe is easy and delicious!! I only made half the recipe and saved the rest of the onion jam to make these again another day.
I have also made the Artichoke & Ricotta Tortellini with Saffron Cream Sauce and it was great!! Like all handmade pastas, it was a labor of love and time consuming, but well worth it and delicious!! I ponied up $10 for saffron and I was not disappointed!! It is so delicious and I have enough leftover for many other recipes. I do not have a pasta roller and I tried (and failed) to use the KitchenAid pasta attachment, so I just rolled the dough out thin and flat. A great way to take some time out of handmade pastas is to assemble them and put them in the fridge or freezer until the day you want to serve them. That way you can just boil some water, make the sauce, cook the tortellini and serve.
I highly recommend this book if you love cooking, have some prior knowledge and technique and for entertaining, especially those who are not vegan or vegetarian. These are sophisticated recipes and take some time yet well worth it, especially if you have been vegan for a long time and are looking for new and exciting recipes.
The Conscious Cook
Rating:
This cookbook is not for beginners and many of the ingredients are hard to find. For example the "Gardein" chicken is not sold in regular grocery stores. One store mentioned in the book is "Whole foods". I live in New Hampshire and there is not a "Whole Foods" market in this state. I can not comment on the success of the recipes as yet because I have been unable to make one.
Just one more to sit on the shelf
Rating:
Bought this for vegetarian friends for Christmas, and one for myself, because it sounded like the recipes would be health-conscious. Most recipes call for ingredients I just don't have and have a hard time finding. Will probably never use it, unfortunately.
Fab dishes, long prep times
Rating:
I only gave this three stars because I don't use it very much (just on the weekends when we decide to make a "real" meal) -- many of the recipes are a bit more time-intensive than I'm used to. But, everything I've made has been delicious. So, it really is a great cookbook based on the end product! If you have the time and like to cook vegan -- buy this!
One tip: many of the recipes I like use "cashew cream" -- a staple ingredient for this book. I made extra batches of cashew milk and cream and store them in jars in my freezer, so I just have to defrost them before using.
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