Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes

The recipes are easy-to-follow, fun and flavorful. This is a great book for anyone, whether vegan or not. The flavors are so balanced and rich that you don't miss the meat. Even if you're an omnivore (like me) this book will help you rewire your brain to make vegetables, beans and spices the starring attraction instead of just an afterthought to the meat.So far I've made eight of the dishes, all from the Middle East and Africa section, and five of them are wonderful enough to become household regulars! The Harira (Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Soup) is my hands-down favorite. The Baba Ghanouj (eggplant dip) is stunningly delicious and fairly easy. I've made it twice in a week! The Moroccan Vegetable Tagine was AMAZING, and it's actually really close to tied with the Harira in awesomeness. The Moroccan Rice with Apricots and Pine Nuts, billed modestly by the author as a way to use leftover rice, was easily delicious enough to merit making a fresh batch of rice!My least favorite were two orange salads, Middle Eastern Rice Salad and Turksish-Spiced Orange and Onion salad. I love the idea of a salad built around citrus, but to me these fell short in the mix of flavors. The Turkish salad, for example, consisted of sliced oranges, olives, red onions and romaine lettuce--so far so good--but the olive oil, sugar, cayenne and lemon dressing didn't do justice to those already great ingredients. So I made a different dressing based on a similar recipe on the Web using Argan oil and toasted almonds and it was just perfect! So while I was less than thrilled with the recipe, the book's orange salads inspired me and resulted in my finding another keeper recipe. I was initially afraid given the title that the recipes would all be too hot and spicy for my fairly average tastebuds but that is not the case. The ones I've tried so far (with one exception--see below) had a very enjoyable mix of spices but did not overwhelm the other ingredients with heat.The book has little chili icon designations intended to indicate the heat in a dish. In the ranking system used by the author, one chili means mild, two is medium hot and three is "super hot." But at least for me the rankings don't always seem accurate: The Tagine, ranked as two chilis, was pleasantly hot and very enjoyable--while Moroccan Spiced Carrots, though also ranked two chilis, set our mouths on fire!I'm wondering what happened...did I possibly mismeasure the cayenne in the carrots OR is the cayenne my cabinet hotter than what the author used? The Harira derives its heat not from cayenne but from homemade Harissa sauce (from dried chili peppers with garlic) and I found it simply pleasantly spicy despite its three chili ranking. EDITED HERE TO ADD: I have since been to Morocco and eaten this carrot salad there. The context is that it is usually served as an appetizer in a very small plate alongside other delectable small plates of olives and salads. It is hot but since you are eating a small amount the spicy blend is perfect. If you want this carrot salad as a main dish, consider dialing it down...particularly the Cayenne.One thing I particularly like about the recipes I've made so far is that the leftovers tend to go quickly from the fridge. That's in part bcause they are delicious but also because they pair well with other leftovers. I used the tagine in at least three different ways: as a main meal with rice; as a chutney on a sandwich; as a vehicle to liven up other boring leftovers etc. Absolutely everything I've made from this book (other than the overhot carrots) got gobbled up very quickly!

I bought this book for a friend...but the reviews were so good I bought a second copy for myself. Because, like most American's I need more veggies in my life! Therefore this became the book I turned to for side dishes at first and later, surprisingly, for FULL meals.I suggest this book for anyone who enjoys spicy foods, veggies and world cuisine. For example, I am a southern girl and love collard greens and black eyed peas. I am well aware that cooking them for hours in pork is unhealthy. This book has a dish called "spicy black eyed peas & collards". The collards are well seasoned and cook for 20 minutes. They are delish! I sometimes make this dish w/o adding the beans. Sometimes I simply add more heat ( thia or serrano peppers). Long story short this book gives new ideas for cooking and seasoning veggies. For that alone, the book is worth the price. Another great recipe is cold buckwheat noodles w/ jade vegetables. I actually eat this dish without meat and I am satisfied. I will add that I add red pepper flakes to the sauce for this dish. I love spicy foods! There are recipes as simple as spicy roasted potatoes (with onions and peppers) that make great sides. The stews featuring sweet potatoes are perfect for staying fit and satisfied during the winter. Basically, this book an increase your veggie IQ. Break out of the rut and try something new.If you enjoy seitan or tofu the "China" section is for you. I adjust cooking times for chicken though.This book also introduced me to the veggie bok choy. So, if you are interested in trying new veggies try this book. Want a new way to cook old favorites? Try this book. From salsas to dipping sauces to full recipes this book has a spicy treat for anyone from vegan to carnivore.Why four stars instead of five? As mentioned above, some recipes are not spicy enough for me. Also I prefer some of the recipes with the full menu of veggies and less or no add-ons. For example, I make the jade noodles with 2-3 oz of noodles and the full compliment of veggies. Rice dishes--I use full veggies from the recipe and 1 third of the rice. Where practical I suggest serving veggies and sauce over the grain recommended to be mixed in.Lastly, my vegan friend loved this book. I bought it for him because he mentioned he was getting bored with his vegan diet. He and his S/O abruptly became vegans and quickly felt limited in their diet. They were thankful for this book as it opened up new ideas for them and helped them recommit to the vegan lifestyle. This book will also help a carnivore during any diet that calls for a switch to a "vegan diet" for a week or few. My last tip is not to go to high stores to find the "exotic" ingredients called for in some of the recipes. Most can be found at your local Asian market or Mexican cantina for much cheaper than a "whole foods" type store. In fact I found these stores to be cheaper than Publix and Bi-Lo for specific ingredients. OK...last, last tip! Farmer's markets are a wealth of fresh veggies! I peruse with my vegan books and buy what's in season. I never fail to find all I need for one recipe or another once my cupboard was stocked with ginger, chili sauce, sesame oil and (yummy) rice vinegar. Now please...go eat your veggies!

The book is split into different sections and so far I have only cooked from the India section. The quick red bean dhal was incredibly easy & quick to make as well as being very tasty. The spinach curry tasted as good as anything I've eaten in a restaurant & it was really easy to cook. The mushroom curry ended up with too much sauce but that could have been because I didn't really weigh & measure the ingredients. Anyway I just cooked up a batch of red lentils & added them which made it a better balanced meal anyway. Again it had great flavours. I am looking forward to trying out more recipes. Each recipe is set out on one page. The list of ingredients & instructions are quite short and the recipes look pretty simple to make. There are no pictures though which some people may not like. It's a great addition to my cookbook collection & I know I will use it regularly.

Not actually made any recipes from this yet, but I can tell from looking through it tat it isn't what I expected. It was recommended to me by someone who claimed to like very hot spicy food, but even the hotter recipes in this use barely any spice at all. eg. 1/3 of a teaspoon of cayenne in a large dish. I'm sure the dishes will be tasty enough but I was hoping for some extra spicey ones!

I love this book. One of my favorite vegan books. Lots of variety and easy to make too! My kids love everything I've made so far.

very good product

I was pretty disappointed in this book; I have many vegan cookbooks and I enjoy spicy foods and I found this book uninspiring. I like to have a connection with the author of some kind- a little info about when why or where they first tasted each dish, a picture, story or some kind of indication that they love the recipes. I ordered several books in the same order that I dog eared and made big plans for. Not this one.