Vegan Express: Quick, Delicious & Healthy Recipes

Vegan Nutrition, Shopping Tips, Flavorful Recipes, Menu Suggestions

Author Nava Atlas: prolific cookbook writer & publisher of In A Vegetarian Kitchen

Working full time and being a single mom doesn't leave me a lot of time for cooking. Lately I've been rotating variations of the same three dishes. But no more. Nava Atlas's new cookbook, Vegan Express, is just what my boring culinary life needs.

This is a very usable cookbook with a lot of great stuff packed into it, from basic vegan nutrition, to grocery shopping tips, to a wide variety of quick flavorful recipes accompanied by handy menu suggestions. Just pick one of Nava's suggestions and you will instantly have the complete answer to the dreaded question, 'What should we have for dinner?'

The answer is sure to always be delicious. We had Pineapple Coconut Noodles the other day and they were a big hit with the whole family. Other recipes I'm looking forward to trying include: Tofu Triangles with Rich Peanut Sauce, White Bean and Escarole Soup, Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Peas, and Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad, to name just a few.

Other things that stood out in this cookbook were the Recipe Not Required sections where Nava offers flexible suggestions for dishes so simple they don't even need a real recipe. I was also impressed by the sheer completeness of this relatively short cookbook. A busy person could go vegan with no problems just cooking the recipes and following the advice in Vegan Express (though when you have a little more time, it would be good to research this lifestyle change more thoroughly.)

One small caveat: Nava mentions Smart Balance as an inexpensive conventional grocery store version of the vegan Earth Balance butter alternative sold in natural food stores (both are made by the same company.) Companies do change ingredients on their products, so probably the ingredients have changed since she last read the back of the container. Smart Balance now contains whey and vegans will want to avoid it.

If you're a busy veggie who loves tasty food, you will want to buy this cookbook. And when you're trying out the recipes, make sure you have all the ingredients pre-assembled and pre-prepped, because these easy dishes cook up fast and delicious just like the name Vegan Express promises.

Sarah Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

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