Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe: Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York's Premier Plant-Based Restaurants

Hardcover – September 30, 2014

by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, Jorge Pineda

I was curious to see what kinds of healthy treats this book would hold the key to! The cover depicts such perfectly beautiful holiday appetizers, that I was excited to receive this hardback cookbook from the publisher, Ten Speed Press. There are a variety of easy to make (and eat!) recipes in this Vegan cookbook. This includes Crispy Black Bean Tacos, , Vegan Cheese Plate, Warm Apple Turnovers and Champagne Ice Braised Cranberry Orange Tofu, Christmas Pomegranate Punch, and many many more!

On a personal note, this cookbook doesn't meet my needs. I am not a Vegan, although I often love using Vegan and especially Paleo recipes as part of my extremely healthy diet!
From my experience, Vegan cooking is healthy and ''light'' and useful for those days I find myself short on animal products. This Vegan cookbook relies too much on soy (including tofu), a product I avoid. It also incorporates some items which would be difficult to substitute for if you aren't Vegan. Particularly seitan (a meat substitute), butter substitute and a couple others.
I have a couple specifically Vegan cookbooks which I really love because the recipes incorporate such healthy ingredients as Coconut oil, coconut milk, avacado, beans, etc. Surprisingly, these cookbooks are also packed with gluten-free recipes! On the contrary, I found that this cookbook isn't really healthy considering that the recipes involve sugar and substitutes so often.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

More about the book...

This collection of vegan holiday recipes—the first of its kind from award-winning chefs—elevates plant-based fare to a new level. With fresh, inventive menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and Independence Day, this cookbook blends favorite traditions with a modern sensibility. Tantalizing dishes include Sweet Potato Latkes with Almond Crème Fraîche for Passover; Porcini-Crusted Seitan with Glazed Cipollini Onions and Mushroom Gravy for Thanksgiving; and Red, White, and Blue Margaritas for the Fourth of July.

Now home cooks can entertain in the spirit of New York’s premier vegan restaurants, Candle Cafe, Candle 79, and Candle Cafe West. With forewords by Alicia Silverstone and Laura and Woody Harrelson, plus sumptuous photography throughout, this festive cookbook invites vegans and omnivores alike to gather around the holiday table and enjoy.