The Vegan Pantry - A review

The Vegan Pantry is a varied collection of 60 recipes from chef, teacher and nutritionist Dunja Gulin. The book is well illustrated and the recipes are easy to follow. It features an introduction to vegan cooking basics and pantry staples, as well as a step-by-step guide to soaking and cooking pulses and making your own vegan cheese and nut milk. The book includes ideas for breakfasts, snacks, soups and desserts as well as main meals; the recipes are nutritionally balanced and on the healthy side of vegan! I particularly enjoyed the Macedonia-style baked beans (although I cheated and used tinned beans rather than dried!).

"Featuring 60 recipes...from tofu scramble and spicy potato strudel, to simple fun food for every day, such as spicy burgers with wedges. Stylish dishes, such as dark chocolate tart, make vegan entertaining easy. Also included are instructions on how to make nutritious nut milks and cheeses."

Although the book is marketed at new vegans, as a long-standing vegetarian (who probably cooks 2-3 vegan main meals a week), I would suggest that it might be better suited to slightly more established or adventurous vegans, who don't like to rely on convenience products. Many of the recipes feature tofu or seitan, gluten-free and sugar alternatives, and some more unusual ingredients such as umeboshi paste and kombu seaweed. 

Some of the recipes involve a fairly wide range of ingredients and take a little while to prepare, so this probably isn't the book for busy vegan parents, however, if you have the time to cook from scratch most of the time, like entertaining and enjoy modern vegan food, then this would be a great addition to your cookbook collection. It would also be a good purchase for vegetarians who want to reduce their dairy/egg intake, as well as those omnivores who want a expand their collection of healthy, low-fat/whole-food recipes.

The Vegan Pantry by Dunja Gulin (photography by William Reavell) is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from rylandpeters.com.
Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary copy of The Vegan Pantry to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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