Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I just got this cookbook in the mail today...basically a healthier version of Vegan Comfort Food, by the same author (Alicia C. Simpson). I don't have the first one so I can't really compare...I've been flipping through it and do see several things I'd like to try.

Anyone else have it? Anyone already tried some recipes? :)

I just noticed on my daily check into the Book Depositiry that it was available, next thought was to hop over here to see people's thoughts. I've got to wait for mine to arrive from the UK now. :(

I do have the first one, so I'll be interested in seeing how they compare but mostly I'm excited based on Alicia's other books I expect this one to be quite good as well.

I'm interested because low-cal and easy are definitely my style right now.

I hesitate to buy new cookbooks though, because I've been vegan for 14 years and have so many, there is rarely anything new in them anymore.

Do you think the recipes seem original, or are they sort of the same old comfort food standards?

Planning to make the Fettuccine Slim-Fredo tonight if my local natural food store isn't out of nooch. Fettuccine alfredo is one of my husband's favorite dishes but I could never really fix it because it makes me sick with all the fat...looking forward to trying this one out!

I probably won't get it for awhile because of budget reasons, but it's definitely on my list. You know anyone who has a blog dedicated to veganizing Paula Deen recipes isn't going to fork around when it comes to trying to make lower-calorie dishes.

I tested for this, and I would definitely recommend it. Favourite recipes - Masa Cornbread (one of the best cornbreads I've ever eaten, tastes amazing with chocolate spread (which defeats the purpose of it being low-cal), but use a really big pan!), hoecakes, Fettuccine Slim-fredo (every time I've made it, I made it three times in a row), chickpea cheese, pomegranate lemonade (I think I drank all of it, minus a glass for Mike, in one night), baked risotto (with butternut rather than summer squashes), oven hashbrowns. OH, and the yellow split pea soup is the BEST split pea soup I've ever, ever eaten (better than AFR). Make it once as is, then make it with cauliflower and spinach thrown in - so, so delicious. I'm really looking forward to getting my copy and making some of the other recipes again (because I couldn't wait for it for the recipes above and made sure I kept a copy from the testing forum).

Been eyeing this book up for ages! But its not available to me for another week or so.

Does the book contain nutritional info, calories etc?

It should do - that info was posted with most of the tester recipes, and I know she was working on it for the recipes that didn't have it when testing ended.

It does contain nutritional information. :)

I wound up not making the recipe on Friday -- hoping to try for another later in the week. I made something else because I needed a lighter meal with less fat.

Hm, I may need to grab this, too. I really need to do a cookbook sabbatical, but quick and easy is always good, and I'm trying to do more low-cal stuff.

I received mine on Saturday and was so happy looking through it! I have a lot of cookbooks, and these recipes sounded very creative and fun. Can't wait to make something from it! Haven't picked a first recipe yet though.

I want this so badly!

Just ordered a copy! I'm excited..

Does the book use many things like store bought chicken or cheese?

I can only think of one recipe off the top of my head that calls for chick'n strips. Most of the time she calls for TVP and there are several recipes for making your own things like hot dogs.

I hope she (or the publisher) activates the "look inside" feature. I'm tempted to buy it, but I'd like to be able to see the table of contents or an index of recipes first.

I bought this because even though I'm not a comfort food fan, I'm a quick and easy low-cal fan.

My husband accidentally bought parsley the other day. I'm actually a parsley hater EXCEPT when it is in taboulleh. I plan to make the millet taboulleh today. I will also be making the caesar salad with chickpea croutons. I have loved takes on caesar salad with tempeh croutons but this sounds like me as well.

Oh and I know it is very superficial of me but I was kind of surprised at the dark cover of the book. I don't know why but dark covers on cookbooks don't appeal to me. If I had seen this in a bookstore, I might've not looked at it closely enough based on the cover.

Yes this! I'm haunting Amazon in hope they will do.

Edit: I did pre-order but wiaitng for delivery is killing me!

Must buy.

I can only recall one recipe from testing that used a specific type of fake chicken. She did a few seitan recipes and most of the "meaty" recipes make use of those (e.g. baked corn dogs using the hot dog recipe).

should buy this

My copy arrived today, I shamelessly flicked to the middle fo the book to look at the pictures first. Before reading my way through all the recipes, I skimmed over the healthy section, I can read that (boring but important!) bit later and the vegan pantry because that's kind of familiar territory now.

I think I like this book of Alicia's even better than her first two, yet I can't quite put my finger on why this is. I'm uncertain if it's Alicia who's evolved in the writing of this book or if it's me being less new to veganisim now who's evolved.
I do love a book with nutritional info, but I also love that Alicia has taken what I like to think of as a commonsense approach to healthy eating, consume fraction less calories and move more, fat and sugar in moderation rater than a total ban.

Although a glaring typo jumped out at me it's not really a major deal, in one of the meal plans, the 1600(?) day 3 is missing part of the breakfast info. That is my only complaint.

I'm undecided what I'll make first, although I've been dying to know what the food on the cover was (cheese steak) and had decided I would have to make it when the book got here. Maybe that'll have to be first.

Hi, I work at the publisher of this book and that's such an annoying error! (And not Alicia's fault at all.) So sorry about that. Thanks for pointing it out, and for you and anybody else around here who's curious, the missing info for the 1,800-calorie day 3 breakfast is:

BREAKFAST
528 calories / 21 grams of protein
Chocolate Pecan Zucchini Muffins (page 74)
Vegetable Scramble (page 56)

This will be fixed in the ebook edition and in future printings of the book!

-Molly

My copy is here too! Lots of delicious things that I want to make.. I'm most excited about the blueberry cornmeal pancakes, biscuits, chorizo, and spinach artichoke dip. I'll report back once they're cooked.

And I agree with darksideknitter that I really like Alicia's approach to healthy food - it's not about never eating another teaspoon of oil or whatever, but eating good (but healthy) food in moderation and moving.

Yeah! I've been going mad speculating what the missing suggestions might be. I love that Alicia's put suggested meal plans in all her books, I find them very useful.