Like a whirlwind  sweeping through this Texas prairie, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau continues her fevered pace of work with an array of resources and bounty for the vegan movement.  Her most recent book, Vegan’s Daily Companion, includes the work of many other people, but it has her handprint (and heart) on every page. Like all her other published books, it is a work of art, complete with gorgeous color photos, high quality paper, and a well-organized premise, 365 days of support for the new vegan, the vegan activist or the vegan curious.  It is such a lovely book that it would make a great gift for even the non-vegans who love food, health, animals or the arts. For those who are avid fans of her podcasts (as I am), some of the material may seem familiar. Nonetheless, it is all compiled in a refreshing and engaging volume that should be on every activist’s shelf as required needed sustenance. Burnout makes for cranky vegans; self-care keeps us healthy and vibrant. Thank you, Ms. Patrick-Goudreau!

Vegan’s Daily Companion Offers Daily Sustenance

Mondays are For the Love of Food, and include information about a variety of intriguing edibles. Tuesdays are all about Compassionate Communication, including those troubling oft-repeated questions, ideas for replacing negative idioms about animals, and a variety of ways to remove violent allusions from our language. Wednesday is about Health for Body, Mind, and Spirit, everything from eating mindfully to how best to shop at a farmer’s market to taking care of your activist self.  Thursdays offer a delightful array of excerpts and ideas from Animals in the Arts: Literature and Film, followed by Friday’s Stories of Hope, Rescue and Transformation. As a therapist, I once kept a “Friday File” to help me make it through another week, filled with cards children had made me, pictures they had given me, and drawings they have made of our work together, as well as notes and memorabilia from other former clients. At low points, it was a reminder that there was a purpose to my difficult work, and one that made it significant to others. Colleen’s Friday stories are delightful bits about a few lucky animals who found their way to life and love, something those of us working for the animals need to absorb once in awhile, too. And, no vegan book written by Ms. Patrick-Goudreau would be complete without a bounty of delicious and healthful recipes. While not all the writing nor the recipes are Colleen’s alone, they all are assets to any vegan’s repertoire of possibilities.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau – Soothing the Vegan Soul

And it is in the possibilities that Ms. Patrick-Goudreau shines. She reminds us to allow ourselves to have a good cry, to let go of results and concentrate on intentions, to promote peace, compassion, and justice for all beings. The daily affirmations are sure to soothe the vegan soul as they educate and encourage us every day throughout the year. If you love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (and really – what is not to love?) you will fall in love with this wonderful resource. It is like having your very own vegan mentor, waiting to help you each and every day.  With creativity and talent this deep, I am very grateful Ms. Patrick-Goudreau plays on the vegan team!

Yet another outstanding book published this year by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau?  Yup, and hang onto your hats…..word has it there is another one or two in the works.  After  love, love, loving her recently published book, The Vegan Table, I was happy to receive a copy of her newest book, Color Me Vegan. The premise of the book is simple: “Maximize your nutrient intake and optimize your health by eating antioxidant-rich, fiber-packed, color-intense meals that taste great.”  The book is organized by color, with each section delineating the benefits and phytonutrients of the represented color.  About the color red, Colleen is “Loopy for Lycopene,” about the color orange there are those terrific beta-carotenes, and so on. The book is beautifully created (another Fair Winds publication ) and replete with gorgeous photographs.

Like all of Colleen’s books, there are informative tidbits throughout the book as well as food history and nutritional information on most pages.  The creativity which she always demonstrates in her recipes have been taken to a new level in this book, with colorful Carrot Fries, Pineapple Mango Chutney, Watermelon Granita, and even Blueberry Ketchup.  While I am partial to The Vegan Table, Color Me Vegan is winning me over; it is unsurpassed for colorful photos and jam-packed nutritional information. And some of the recipes I have tried were quite excellent. For example, the Cashew and Red Lentil Burgers have wonderful flavor, although they required quite a few dishes to prepare.  Be sure to serve exactly the way Colleen suggests — she is one taste-savvy food creation wiz. Those burgers disappeared quickly and had a healthy dose of curry, carrots and other yummy goodness to boot. Where have these wonderful combinations been hiding all my life?

Ms. Patrick-Goudreau always offers plenty of extras in her book. Amazing quality, color and photography are a plus, as are wonderful detail.  Nearly every page has historical, nutritional, or helpful cooking information for the reader. The photos are right there on the page with the easy-to-follow instructions (options often included), the paper quality is wonderful, and the size is just perfect for my menu-holder. What more could a vegan cook want?  This one might be a great gift for a non-vegan, too — as long as they are adventurous and creative!

If anyone has heard Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s wonderful podcast, you are well aware of her congeniality, her positive approach to vegan education, and her courage to help the world face the ugly truth about what is happening to animals.  Well known for her first cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking, Colleen has surpassed even that remarkable standard in vegan cookbooks with the addition of her new book on entertaining.  Like Colleen herself, this new cookbook is filled with helpful ideas; it is like having a lovely visit with the compassionate Colleen.  “Compassionate Cooks’ Tip,”  “Food Lore”, and “Did You Know” segments are scattered throughout the book. There is even nutritional information included following each recipe. The pictures are plentiful and stay with the recipe, rather than being inserted in the center of the book, making it easy to see how things are supposed to appear and glance to see how much trouble each recipe is to create. The paper is high quality and the size is just right, a large square paperback with over 300 pages of recipes and entertainment suggestions.  Even if you only use the book to create four or five meals, it would be worth the reasonable price of the cookbook.

The beautiful presentation of the food is a bonus, too.  With entertaining, we always want something that is pretty well fool-proof and looks grand as well as being tasty and appealing.  I tried her pizza dough recipes and made the marinara sauce for starters. The pizza was very easy and with her tips on checking for viability of the yeast (I keep a jar on hand because I bake so much), it was a touchdown. I made her marinara sauce, too, which was simple to make and tasted great, although I wanted to add something to it for a pizza topping. With pasta – terrific.  I also tried her baked falafels – the greasiness of most falafel recipes turned me off in the past, but these were simple and easy to make. They have a little kick to them, too, which I loved.  Tucked into a pita bread with lettuce and tomatoes, they made a most satisfying and beautiful lunch.

After perusing the cookbook, I found I had so many pages bookmarked to try that it will take me til Christmas to get them all made.  Colleen has ample ethnic cuisine offered, including kugels, risotto, masoor dal, lasagna, latkes, timbales, spring rolls, and Swedish meatless balls. Tips for entertaining are plentiful and very useful, as well as complete menus for different types of entertaining. Organized by the type of entertainment as well as by season, it is an easy book to maneuver. With articles on The Intimacy of Food and Creating a Romantic Dinner as well as helpful ideas for the vegan cook as well as those who are hosting vegans, it is overflowing with good ideas.  It is one I know I will be returning to again and again over the years. And, I still have to try the Beet Bundt Cake, the Elegantly Simple Stuffed Bell Peppers, the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, the Flourless Chocolate Tart, the Lavendar Lemonade… .

Like many vegans, I was dependent on my various vegan cookbooks when I first converted and transformed my diet. I could not seem to acquire enough to expand my culinary horizons as broadly as I desired. Everything was so new and so delicious!  Over the past year or so, I have returned again and again to a few favorites. Here they are.

Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson is one of the best How To cookbooks for a new vegan.  Robin provides many innovative recipes from around the globe; her Asian recipes passed muster in this household, too. Mine is a paperbook and offers no photos, but the recipes are still worth the price.  Lots of variety and lots of ethnic cuisine from an American perspective.

Veganomicon by Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero is a hardbound book with unremarkable paper within – but the quality of the recipes make up for it.  For a good basic cookbook with delicious results, this one is a sure thing. Lots of good takes on old favorites like spaghetti marinara, pot pie, and macaroni and cheese keep this one in constant use.

Alternative Vegan by Dino Sarma is all plant food without the need for any of those packaged goods. Look for no seitan, no tofu, no boxed items here.  This one is great for those living on a budget, on primarily produce and a few grains or legumes.  From soup to salads, from daal to curry, Dino will have you salivating at the mere mention of some of these recipes. Venn Pongal alone is worth the price of this little paperback book.

The Best of Vegan Cooking by Priscilla Feral is one of my favorites for elegant recipes that have you feeling like a true gourmet cook. Recipes have been offered from several famous chefs and combined with several from Ms. Feral herself.  This one is paperback but loaded with gorgeous photos that keep you trying to match the artistry.  With everything from humble vegetable dishes to delicious Italian recipes, this is the one to reach for on special occasions.

The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau is also a beautiful, colorful collections of recipes and photos. For a good, basic cookbook of baked goods, this is the one to have. She also has a new book, the Vegan Table that looks wonderful, but it is still on my “must have” list. Lots of photos and lovely glossy paper, too.

My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky is a real favorite in this household. The little one loves to find a photo and asks me to make that particular treat. Best of all, they are not that difficult and the results are consistent. Hannah uses unusual ingredients, so check her recipes before shopping so you have what you need on hand.  The recipes are absolutely wonderful, but very unique.  Her Crumb-Topped Brownies are to die for – they last about two seconds so you may want to make a double batch.  Also a beautiful, colorful paperback with lots of glossy photos, My Sweet Vegan is a treasure at a very reasonable price.

Being a culturally-mixed family, we have appreciated The Asian Vegan Kitchen, too.  This paperback book, by Hema Parekh, is organized by Asian country and includes India, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea.  While there may be a few ingredients that are not commonly available, most can be ordered on Amazon or found at the local Asian market.  Others are fine without the more exotic ingredients.  Don’t miss the Sesame Potatoes and try to sample all the various countries represented. This one is for the cook wanting to explore outside their comfort zone. Easy to read and follow, with a center section complete with color photos, this is another cookbook I reach for time after time.