Everyday Vegan: Recipes and Lessons for Living the Vegan Lifestyle

Vegetarian Baby and Child, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Michelle Smith

Everyday Vegan: Recipes and Lessons for Living the Vegan Lifestyle by Dreena Burton. $13.27 at Amazon.com. Published 2001 by Arsenal Pulp Press, 225 pages.

Developed for both "everyday" and new-to-the-lifestyle vegans, Dreena Burton's book serves as a useful guide to healthy and flavorful culinary experimentation. The introduction contains suggestions for "everyday" ingredients, an herb dictionary, menu plans, and plenty of how-to's for the novice chef. "Quick Meal Ideas" is full of great ideas for harried cooks looking for last minute dishes, as well as what to fix for a party--be it for kids or adults.

There's even a section that addresses some of the concerns that non-vegans may associate with a non-animal based diet; proper protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B-12 consumption are covered, with sources referenced. Statistics on heart disease are similarly addressed, including this fact, "Heart disease tality rates for vegetarians consuming eggs and dairy are only one-third that of meat eaters. Pure vegetarians (vegans) have only one-tenth the heart disease death rate of meat-eaters.

A few of the many recipes include Artichoke Puffs, Roasted Red Pepper Dip, Avocado Roasted Garlic Sauce, Mi-So Gravy!, Chickpea Mash Stew*, Spicy Thai Stew, Best-o Pesto Sauce, Black Bean Millet Patties, and Chewy Nutty Cereal Chip Squares *. * These recipes are included in VBC's recipe section.