I bought Keep It Vegan at New Year as my January detox book. I do this every year and normally fail miserably at whatever the diet of choice is, but seven months on I am sticking to it- all thanks to this book.
Keep It Vegan
The purchase came after a combination of deciding to no longer eat meat and discovering I was intolerant to all dairy products. It consequently seemed like the natural choice for me.
This was the first vegan cook book I had ever purchased so I was pleasantly surprised to read that Carlin was not trying to be forceful with this lifestyle. She explains in the foreword that her book is suited to people who are full on vegans or those who simply want to dabble with plant based foods. She suggests that some of the dishes could be used as accompaniments to meat if readers are not ready to make the transition to meat free eating.
In the introduction the author describes how well she feels now, compared to before, I realised I had to try this way of eating, after feeling tired and sluggish all the time too.
Carlin offers a list of foods for your pantry at the beginning so you can stock pile on your essentials before starting so all your flavourings and ingredients are in place.
Her Weeknight Stir Fry, Pea and Mint Risotto, Homemade Pesto, Hummus and Crumble have become firm favourites of mine as they are easy and pack in lots of fruits and vegetables. Despite buying many vegan cook books since, this is still the book I go to first- proven by the sticky pages from rogue splashes of sauce!
I hated cooking before getting this book and never thought I would be able to say- I enjoy seeking out new ingredients and putting something together in the kitchen. My mum is a big fan of Keep It Vegan's No Bake Cheesecake and even took seconds home. Before this year, people used to avoid eating anything I made!
Thanks to Ms Carlin for making me take pride in what I serve at dinner time and finding a new hobby. It has changed my life- let it change yours!