I have a stack of beautiful cookbooks to review; some are glorious examples of vegan cookery, with gorgeous photos and thick, luxurious pages.  When I first opened The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook, it seemed rather lackluster in comparison. The pages are not high quality and the photos are just a few, thrown into the center of the book — not my favorite style of cookbook. I prefer the photos to be right next to the recipes and I really appreciate a good thick page.  But I dove in anyway, and tried a few of the recipes to see what this book would offer.

First of all, each recipe includes nutritional information, which is very helpful. There is also a “Did You Know” section on many pages, filled with interesting facts of use to the vegan cook.  The recipes are clearly presented and very easy to follow.  Best of all, I was pleasantly surprised by the recipes I tried – I loved them!  The first one I tried was the pizza crust; I had just tried one with regular flour and feared this one, which has whole wheat flour in it, might be a bit tough. It was anything but – pleasantly crispy and very tasty, and simple to make as well. First happy surprise.

The second dish I tried was the Toasty Tortilla Soup.  With onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, squash, corn and kidney beans, it is a delicious mixture. I added a dose of hot sauce to spice things up, but the suggested topping of toasted tortillas was wonderful.  I made enough for leftovers and never got tired of it, it was that good. Surprise number two.

Next to try was the Stuffed Cabbage recipe.  This is much quicker to prepare than I would have thought. It includes onions, tomato paste, crushed walnuts, lentils, rice and wonderful spices all rolled into a steamed cabbage leaf and rolled up.  This is a great recipe for parties or potlucks because it may be prepared beforehand and reheats very well. To boost the nutritional punch, the recipe suggests using red cabbage and gives the nutritional differences (increased vitamins A and C and pigments called anthocyanins, which protect against cancer).

The beginning of the book has information about tailoring your diet to your health goals, whether that is slimming down, avoiding high glycemic food,or lowering cholesterol. There is information about fiber, digestion, and chronic diseases. There is also basic information about the ingredients and types of food that are included in the recipes, and supportive information for making a change to a healthier, vegan diet. There is even a three day menu plan in the last chapter of the book. The appendix includes an easy shopping list, convenience foods, and a metric conversion chart – all very useful.

I checked online and, while the list price is about the same as most paperback cookbooks ($18.95), Amazon had it listed for only $11.99. If you have reason to watch your nutritional intake, this just might be a good cookbook to add to your collection.  I would have overlooked this cookbook had it not been sent to me; and I still have another half dozen recipes bookmarked to try later this month. I guess it is the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” or in this case, its pages.  While it is not the most lovely book in my collection, I have a feeling it will be well-used.

One of the most popular vegan food sites on the internet is Susan Voisin’s Fat Free Vegan. With so many people searching for low-fat cuisine, her site gets a lot of traffic from non-vegans, too.  ”I’m happy to be able to expose them to vegan food that’s delicious and good for them.  One less animal eaten is one less animal suffering, whether that comes about from someone turning vegan or someone cutting back on the amount of meat they eat. I try to maintain a welcoming tone because almost all of us were non-vegetarians at some point,” Susan relates.

Sharing Vegan Resources on Fat Free Vegan

Susan became a vegan in 1994 and joined an email list called Fatfree. Several years later, the list had been discontinued and Susan was missing the support and all those great recipes; she decided to develop a new group, and from that her website grew so the group’s recipes would be available for others and be easily searchable, too. With a background in web design that she has since abandoned, she was off to a good start, adding a blog to the site after another year and a half (see Fat Free Vegan Kitchen).

Keeping her eyes open for inspiration, Susan peruses cookbooks, magazines, and stays open to “wild ideas.” Sometimes she will find a recipe that might be good if rendered fat free or vegan; other times she creates something new by using what is left in the refrigerator when dinner time is beckoning. Maintaining a family while busy with so many projects is a balancing act; luckily for Susan, she can combine dinner preparation with a post for her site.

Susan Voisin – More to Follow!

With a successful website and blog, an online forum, a marriage and a child, what is left for Ms. Voisin? “I’ve beeen planning to write a cookbook, but all those other things you mentioned keep me very busy. I’ve also just started a big photography project, taking the photos for Nava Atlas’ next cookbook, The Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Eventually you’ll see the Fat Free Vegan cookbook in the booktore (though it probably won’t be called that).”

Susan's daughter with a feline friend

Susan lives with a husband, a child, four cats, and a dog. A life-long lover of animals, she’s been vegetarian for over twenty years. What is next for this busy, creative woman? Her website is under construction, being redesigned to make it more interactive, so that readers can submit their own recipes and interact with others on the site.

Like many fans, I owe Susan Voisin a debt of gratitude for the resources she has made available for so many people around the globe.  If you have not yet searched her site, you are in for a pleasant surprise. It is easy to find any type of recipe and offers many other features that are not easily found on other food sites. And be sure to check back soon to see that newly designed website!

All photos courtesy of Susan Voisin and Fat Free Vegan.