Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Just wondering if any of y'all have heard of this cookbook? Have it? Made anything from it?

I was browsing my library's vegan cookbook titles online and stumbled across this. According to the review on amazon.com, each recipe has a gluten-free and vegan option. From the preview feature I was able to view one recipe, and then the next page had the entire recipe again but it was vegan.

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Snacks-Favor ... l+the+junk

WANT!

i put a hold on it at my library, they will need to borrow another copy from another library so it may take a bit of time. i'll let you know what i think.

the concept of the book is pretty neat, however, i'm pretty sure the author is not vegan as she has a 100% egg cookbook coming out in the fall.

I took it out of the library. It seemed interesting, but I didn't make anything out of it. But just because we were trying to eat healthfully at the time and I didn't want to spend time and energy cooking up a big batch of something we were trying not to eat. The recipe that excited me most was the yogurt coating. I might have to get the book out again just so I can try making that. I used to love yogurt coated things, and now I could make my self some yummy yogurt coated raisins, pretzels, and nuts!

I just checked it out on Amazon. I want it too! I would love to make yogurt coated stuff!

a quick google search on vegan yogurt coating turned up this link, and the blog author credits the inspriation for her recipe from the snack book above. i wonder if the blog author just unveganized the original recipe and if one could just replace the gelatin with agar agar powder, agave or maple syrup for the honey, and soy yogurt for the dairy yogurt???

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-snack-r ... chn-183355

Thanks for looking that up - before seeing this thread I hadn't even thought about the veganized yogurt coating idea. I am not good enough to experiment with the subsitutes - hopefully it will work though!

when i went back to that blog post, i think toward the bottom she mentions the actual measurement of agar agar powder called for in the original recipe. it was a different amount from the geletain she chose to sub.

sigh, i didn't want to fall in love with this cookbook when it arrived from the library, but i fear i have.

pros:
(1) SO MANY food porn pictures. i admit, i don't get the criticism when people complain that vegan cookbooks don't have any or enough pictures. my favorite non-vegan baking cookbook has no pictures. but anyway, this cookbook has TONS of photos!
(2) the recipes are true to the title, making treats without the junk. no refined sugars and she uses other flours besides standard AP.
(3) the page layouts are great. one page (or more) per recipe.
(4) rockin' table of contents with all recipes listed under their appropriate chapters
(5) comprehensive index

cons:
(1) the author ♥'s coconut oil. it is her go to sub for veganizing the butter in recipes. coconut oil is expensive!
(2) she also ♥'s coconut milk. it is called for occasionally to replace milk or stand in for evaporated milk.
(3) not sure if she has the flax seed sub right for eggs. i've seen her write 1 tsp ground chia or flaxseed mixed with 3 TBS water (and 1/4 cup water). I was strongly under the impression that it is 1 TBS seed + 3 TBS water.
(4) some of these recipes are true labors of love and seem a bit time consuming. definitely not like whipping out a batch of cookies.

granted, these are my personal cons, they might not bother anyone else.

It sounds interesting, though. Maybe for special occasion baking. I'm sure the coconut oil could be subbed out for veg shortening or EB (with maybe a reduction of salt). And yeah, it seems as if her flax seed sub is off. I have always understood it to be 3 TBSP as well. I will put it on my wishlist for future purchase!

i still need time to go through the book more carefully and take note of some of the recipes i'd like to copy before i bring the book back. her incorrect flax seed ratios makes me a bit nervous, i hope everything else in the cookbook is spot on with measurements and such.