Book Reviews
Crafting Seitan
By Skye Michael Conroy
Save money and learn how to make delicious seitan-based dishes. Sample dishes include Kung Pao Chikun, Beaf Brisket, Spicy Thai Beaf Salad, Classic Pot Roast, Schnitzel, Polska Kielbasa, Pepperoni, Deli-Style Pastrami, and more! Also find a variety of sauces and gravies, as well as seasoning blends and rubs.
The book is full of beautiful photos and many useful cooking tips.
Crafting Seitan (ISBN: 978-1-57067-396-2) is published by Book Publishing Co. It has 208 pages and retails for $24.95. Debra Wasserman/VRG Co-Coordinator
Provecho
By Edgar Castrejón
For Mexican chefs or any interested cook, Provecho offers dozens of new and tasty ways to mix-up your diet or experiment with vegan cuisine! Edgar Castrejón accurately describes his latest cookbook as "100 vegan Mexican recipes to celebrate culture and community."
The book quickly moves into six chapters of Latin American recipes. As readers progress through the pages, they will explore the author's own experiences with traditional Mexican dishes while growing up. Beginning with main dishes and ending with desserts, readers can learn the context behind different items. Provecho's middle chapters feature appetizers, casual meals, breakfast dishes, snacks, and drinks.
Castrejón's recipes range from incredibly detailed and complex to simple and made from two ingredients. This variety can be seen when comparing the multifaceted pipian recipe to the straightforward plátano maduro recipe.
The rest of the text encompasses vegan dishes like pozole rojo, adobo mushroom tacos, chilaquiles verdes, vegan chipotle crema, margarita fuerte, galletas de almendras, and a family recipe for cauliflower ceviche.
Provecho (ISBN: 978-1-9848-5911-2) is a 256-page book. It is published by Ten Speed Press of Penguin Random House LLC. You can purchase this book online or from your local bookstore. $32.50. Lucia Rivera/VRG Intern
Feeding Your Vegan Child
By Sandra Hood, RD
Feeding Your Vegan Child: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition is a thorough guide to nutritional needs for vegan children. The author has been vegan for more than 40 years and is an Honorary Nutrition Advisor to the Vegan Society of U.K. Hood's knowledge and experience make this book a source of reliable practical information.
The first chapter explains terms such as "vegan diet," "organic food," and "raw food." The next six chapters are on different stages of life—preconception, pregnancy, early infancy, later infancy, childhood, and teenagers. Each of these chapters examines nutrient needs and issues relevant to that stage. For example, the chapter on later infancy includes ideas for first foods, suggestions for determining when a baby is ready for solid foods, and guidelines for preventing choking. Another chapter tells about real vegan children ranging in age from 11 months to 20 years. Vegan recipes, along with tips on veganizing recipes, are included. Appendices provide nutrient recommendations, sources of nutrients, meal plans, and references.
Feeding Your Vegan Child is published in the U.K., so readers in the U.S. will notice some small differences in nutrient recommendations and some less familiar words. (I enjoyed terms like jacket potatoes, vanilla essence, and tinned foods.) These differences in no way diminish this book's usefulness. Its friendly, reassuring tone makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in vegan diets for babies, children, and teens.
Feeding Your Vegan Child (ISBN: 978-1-78161-196-8) is published by Hammersmith Health Books. It has 160 pages and retails for approximately $21. Reed Mangels, PhD, RD/ VRG Nutrition Advisor
