Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time [Paperback]

I've long been a fan of Lorna Sass' work. When she started publishing her cookbooks, "vegan" was still considered a fairly odd cooking style, so all the book titles used the word "vegetarian." When I first discovered "Lorna Sass' Complete Vegetarian Kitchen" was totally vegan, I snapped up a copy, and it's become a tried and true reference at our house. We've learned through experience that her recipes always work. This has been especially helpful to my husband, as he learns to cook. He's not an intuitive cook (he describes himself as a developing cook), but he can follow a recipe, so when recipes are good, his cooking is good. I like that! We actually own four of Lorna Sass' books.

The book I most recently acquired is a revised edition of "Short-Cut Vegetarian," now more appropriately titled "Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time." This is really more than just a collection of quick recipes, it's a guide to setting up your kitchen with the supplies you need to create fast, healthy and delicious vegan meals. She gives detailed information on how to efficiently stock the pantry -- shelves, freezer and refrigerator -- with basic essentials. There is also helpful information information on kitchen tools, food storage and food prep. She gives recipes for preparing flavor-enhancing condiments to have on hand, but also recommends store-bought equivalents if you prefer to take the easiest route. The recipes are an assortment of inviting combinations such as "Orange-Scented Lentil Ragout, "Cabbage and Potatoes in Mustard Sauce," "Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Olives," and "Pineapple-Ginger Ice." Each recipe is accompanied by personal commentary that expands and enriches it.

Because it was so horribly hot here in the Midwest when we received the book, we decided to try a few recipes that needed as little cooking as possible. All were colorful, delicious, healthy and easy to prepare. We sampled "Asian Slaw," "Quinoa-Corn Salad With Basil," "Moroccan Carrot Slaw" and "White Bean Gazpacho."

The book does not contain food photographs, so you will have to use your imagination as to what the final dishes look like, but if you are looking for a collection of tasty and interesting vegan dishes for every day or special occasions that can be prepared in short order, you might consider "Short-Cut Vegan" by Lorna Sass.

My copy of "Shortcut Vegetarian" is in tatters after 10 years of constant use. Perfect timing for a re-issue. The recipes are delicious, fast, healthy, interesting AND easy to prepare. This is one of the only cookbooks I own where I have tried and enjoyed almost every recipe. Most recipes are followed by useful variations and accompanied by Lorna's friendly and useful comments. The preparation and storage tips for many of the ingredients are short and to the point. This slim and lightweight book is packed with great recipes and ideas!

The Short-Cut Vegan appears to be a re-issued book. I am glad that HarperCollins has decided to make it available as this book is a little gem.

I have been heading more and more towards being vegan, however, as I am an extremely lazy cook, the recipes cannot take very long or be too complicated or involved - enter Short-Cut Vegan cookbook.

This little cookbook is great, great, great! From its compact and convenient size, to its easy to read recipes, that are quick, fun and yum! tasty! I ended up making 7 recipes in the first few days I received it.

As mentioned, the recipes are super easy and quite fast to make and there is a very nice variety of vegan meals to select from. The Spinach with "Toasted Coconut and Black Mustard Seeds" was delish! and I loved "the Unlimited Waffle Mix" (try the Sunflower Seeds version).

The only thing I miss in this book were the pictures. There are no pictures of the "end result" which, for someone with my limited gifts in cooking, could use as a handy guideline to make sure that what I am making looks remotely like its suppose to!

Still, this is a great little cookbook.