Deliciously Vegan Everyday Kitchen (Deliciously Vegan Kitchen Book 2) - Sibel Hodge

Whether you're already following a plant-based diet or you just want to add more meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free dishes into your life, Deliciously Vegan Everyday Kitchen is for you!

Low on fussy preparation and high on flavour, this everyday meal bible uses budget-friendly ingredients and has tasty vegan ideas for everyone. All dishes are packed with plant power and are easily made gluten-free.

Taking inspiration from her Mediterranean roots, Sibel takes you on a culinary journey through the Med, Asia, India, and around the world. With over 80 recipes, broken down into meze and dips, sides and sundries, sumptuous salads, and light bites and main meals, Deliciously Vegan Everyday Kitchen is full of twists on old favourites and tasty new dishes, all easily prepared, including: vegan "egg" mayonnaise, Southern fried tofu nuggets, mango and sweet potato masala, spicy buffalo cauliflower bites, caramelised roast vegetables, salt-and-pepper tofu, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, onion bhaji, no-fuss paella, Greek-style shepherd's pie, Middle Eastern potatoes, sweet and sour tofu, sexy cabbage, Indian mushroom rice, potato-crust pizza, moussaka, rich spaghetti Bolognese, kung pao tofu, hummus, creamy stroganoff, coriander roasted carrots, Turkish potato salad, Spanish frittata, cheesy potato bake, Sicilian aubergine pasta, sticky BBQ tofu, Turkish pizza, maple sprouts, Chinese curry, Moroccan cauliflower steaks, braised mince bourguignonne, onion gravy, plus much, much more!

Crammed with wholesome, satisfying, healthy, and nutritious ingredients, cooking vegan never tasted so good!

What did I think?

I had no idea that Sibel Hodge, an author whose amazing thrillers I have previously read, had also published not just one but two vegan cookbooks.  I admit to having a bit of an addiction to buying cookbooks but then never cooking anything from them so I was determined to actually try my hand in the kitchen in order to review Deliciously Vegan Everyday Kitchen.

I had a good flick through first to see what caught my eye and selected a few recipes I wanted to try.  Then the virus that shall not be named hit the UK; food stockpiling left supermarket shelves empty and I couldn't get a single green pepper for love nor money.  So I ended up only making two of the dishes but not only would I make them both again, the spaghetti bolognese has already been made again and has become a firm favourite.

I've been a pescatarian for more than half of my life so I'm no stranger to a meat-free diet and with more people turning to a plant based diet, veganism is no longer something to be scared of.  For anyone new to a vegan diet, Sibel Hodge includes an absolutely invaluable 'Quick Tips' section at the start of the book.  Hands up if you're afraid of tofu?  <Raises hand>  I never had any idea how to prepare or cook these little white chunks that so many people rave on about and although I haven't yet worked up the courage to try it, thanks to Sibel Hodge's quick tips, I will definitely give it a go in the future.  The tip about buying fresh root ginger is absolute genius too!

The recipes are split into four sections: Meze and dips, Sumptuous Salads, Sides & Sundries and Light Bites & Main Meals.  I made two recipes from the Light Bites & Main Meals section: Quick Pita Pizza and Rich Spaghetti Bolognese.  The recipes are so clear and simple, perfect for the novice cook (i.e. me) and they don't have any weird and wonderful ingredients for which you have to search high and low, unless you're looking for a simple green pepper during lockdown of course.

My Quick Pita Pizza attempt almost fell at the first hurdle: cutting a wafer thin pita bread in half.  Not one to give up easily, I stuck it in the toaster for a minute so that it filled with air and gave me a fighting chance.  I was concerned that this might make it too crispy, so I found that you can also put it in the microwave for a few seconds.  So with pita bread successfully separated into two halves, I then made my pizza as per the recipe INCLUDING green peppers (painstakingly picked out of a bag of frozen mixed peppers with frost bitten fingers).  They taste delicious and really are very simple to make; the hardest part is halving the pita bread!

My Quick Pita Pizza

The Rich Spaghetti Bolognese is DELICIOUS!  I may have misinterpreted the recipe at the first attempt as 200g of spaghetti was a lot of pasta for two people.  I think it maybe refers to cooked rather than dry pasta so I amended this when I made it again.  There is a huge quantity of bolognese to share between two people so I think this would easily stretch to three.  I also made a slight adjustment as we like our meals with a bit of heat, so I added 2 teaspoons of chilli powder and it was AMAZING!  I was very pleased with my effort, thank you Sibel Hodge.

My Rich Spaghetti Bolognese

With over 80 recipes to choose from, each one with a colour photograph, you're sure to find a new favourite dish among this great selection.  I loved that a lot of the recipes are for 2 people so I didn't have to amend the quantities or make the full amount and freeze any leftovers.  Simple, quick and tasty, Deliciously Vegan Everyday Kitchen is THE vegan cookbook to have on your shelf (or even your virtual shelf as it transfers perfectly to ebook).

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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