American Vegan Kitchen Paperback – February 11, 2010

Noyes' American Vegan Kitchen is based off of comfort foods you'd find in any diner- except they're all vegan. Muffins, French Toast, Waffles/Pancakes, Stroganoff, Eggplant Parmesan, Onion Rings, Pie... Basically any comfort food you could think of is in this cookbook. Now with that said, Noyes is quite generous with deep frying and sugar in this cookbook so if you're looking for a cookbook which avoids these things, look elsewhere. However, she does an excellent job of mostly staying away from processed meats and cheeses and sticking with whole foods.My favorite recipes from this cookbook include:-Cinnacrunch Muffins (!!!)-Sweet and Crunch French Toast-Summer Waffles with Lemon Sauce-Seitan on a Shingle-Eggplant Parm-Veggie Fried RiceI really love this cookbook and if you don't already have an assortment of vegan comfort food, get this. Heck even if you do get this as Noyes tends to put a refreshing, creative spin on old classics. There's still a lot of recipes I want to try from this cookbook and I plan on trying them all eventually!

I have been a vegan for 10 years and a vegetarian for 15 before that. This is the FIRST cookbook that puts mainsteam American eating right in the hands of the cook who wants to be more compassionate. But it goes beyond that, because you do not have to eat the version that is being served in restaurants; you can make your meals at home using wholesome, fresh ingredients. The ideas are original in this book, but the food is familiar.A vegan making a Deep Dish Pizza? Yeah! (I did and it was fabulous - very much like the mouthwatering pictures Uno's posts.)How about an All-American Incrediburger? Made that, too. And this is not your mama's veggie burger - all three of my kids were oohing and aahing.I remember Denny's Skillet meals that I had before being vegan. Guess what? It's in here. Not one version, but three. They have become staples at brunch in our house.Don't even get me started on the desserts: pies, cakes, ice cream, crisps, cobblers...Do yourself a favor and stop wondering what it would be like to eat these comforting, delicious meals and start cooking them.

The pictures on the cover of the book don't do this book justice. This is a true vegan comfort food cookbook at its finest! The recipes included are truly amazing and full of flavor! Where to start? The "Darngood Donut Bites" were so darngood that my daughter has made them numerous times over! The "Mediterranean Scramble" and "Tofu Rancheros" were just a couple of my favorites from the "Rise and Shine" section of the book. From there, my tastebuds took me to the "Soup of the Day" section, and I throughly enjoyed the "Pasta and Bean Soup". Oh don't let the bland name fool you! This soup was so full of flavor that my family finished the entire pot and left NO leftovers! The "All-American Incrediburger" was just that, incredible! The author really knows how to bring all of our favorites from diners and make them vegan without lacking flavor. Finish up your meal with a big hunk of "Pineapple Upside-Down Cake" and you will think you are in vegan food heaven! Hooray for this book and this author for bringing us these wonderful recipes!

I've had this book for over a year now and have made recipes from every section of the book. I mark up my cookbooks to remind myself what worked and what didn't. In looking back at AVK, every comment I made was positive. I have four kids and they've loved just about everything I've made from here. I think the sandwich section alone is worth the price of the book.The Chickanini Sandwich and No-Tuna Melt Panini are wonderful. My very picky seven-year-old says the Incrediburgers are her favorite veggie burger in the world! Oh and the Deep-Dish Pizza is so great. The sauce for it makes a great bruschetta topping too! I made the Cheesecake for Christmas and it was one of the best cheesecakes I've had...vegan or not!Sometimes the recipes are multi-stepped (make seitan before you can make the sandwich), but anyone who does much vegan cooking should be used to that by now. BTW the seitan and sausage recipes are easy and great to have on hand!

I purchased American Vegan Kitchen after seeing lots of buzz about it on a vegan foodie forum. In the week or so that I've had it, I've made a few of the recipes and everything has been outstanding! You want a vegan cheesesteak that everyone (meat eaters included) will love? It's here, along with a killer beer battered onion ring recipe. Craving donuts? Check out the "Darngood Donut Bites!" My family also tried the spaghetti pie, and all of us could not stop eating it (including my 2 and 4 year olds.)The book has a nice mix of really decadent comfort food recipes as well as many lighter selections, i.e. soups, salads, etc., and some really interesting additions like "Deli Rubenettes," baked jalapeno poppers with lime cream and "quickels" (quick pickles.) There is also a basics section that has lots of good information on essential ingredients and cooking tips.Without a doubt, American Vegan Kitchen is a great addition for both new and experienced vegan cooks, as well as for those who are interested in experimenting with vegan cooking. Highly recommended!

The recipes in this book sound amazing. I've only made one so far, the Tuna-Free Noodle Casserole, and it was DELICIOUS! Actually, I've made two-ish. The picture of the Seitan Katsu looked so mouth-watering that the next time I was at a Japanese restaurant, I asked for a taste of their Katsu sauce since I'd never had it and sauces frequently make or break a recipe. Well, I hated the Katsu sauce at the Japanese restaurant. Couldn't understand why anyone would order Chicken Katsu after tasting it. Still, on the strength of the Tuna-Free Noodle Casserole and just out of curiosity, I made the Katsu sauce in AMV. I *loved* it! It has such a delicious flavor. That will definitely be the next dish I make. (BTW, be sure to go look at the photo I've posted of my Tuna-Free Noodle Casserole.)