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Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe: Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York's Premier Plant-Based Restaurants
This collection of vegan holiday recipes—the first of its kind from award-winning chefs—elevates plant-based fare to a new level. With fresh, inventive menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and Independence Day, this cookbook blends favorite traditions with a modern sensibility. Tantalizing dishes include Sweet Potato Latkes with Almond Crème Fraîche for Passover; Porcini-Crusted Seitan with Glazed Cipollini Onions and Mushroom Gravy for Thanksgiving; and Red, White, and Blue Margaritas for the Fourth of July.
Now home cooks can entertain in the spirit of New York’s premier vegan restaurants, Candle Cafe, Candle 79, and Candle Cafe West. With forewords by Alicia Silverstone and Laura and Woody Harrelson, plus sumptuous photography throughout, this festive cookbook invites vegans and omnivores alike to gather around the holiday table and enjoy.
Now home cooks can entertain in the spirit of New York’s premier vegan restaurants, Candle Cafe, Candle 79, and Candle Cafe West. With forewords by Alicia Silverstone and Laura and Woody Harrelson, plus sumptuous photography throughout, this festive cookbook invites vegans and omnivores alike to gather around the holiday table and enjoy.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
34 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 26, 2014
This is a much-needed cookbook in the vegan world, particularly since "holiday" is not just the four usual American Christian holidays. The definition expands to sports events, other cultures, and other religious observances. Each chapter is just begging for a party, and I got excited.
Recipes I'm most excited about:
Grilled Box Choy with Sesame-Ginger Sauce (Lunar New Year)
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (Lunar New Year)
Miso-Ginger Braised Tofu over Bamboo Rice Pilaf (Lunar New Year)
Sweet Fried Dumplings with Blood Orange-Ginger Sauce (Lunar New Year)
Passion Fruit Creme Brulee (Valentine's Day)
Chopped "Liver" (Passover Seder)
Joy's Grandma's Seitan Brisket with Roasted Carrots, Shallots, & Turnips (Passover Seder)
Chickpea Crepes with Berries & Vanilla-Lavender Cream (Passover Seder)
Spring Vegetable Salad with Fava Beans, Peas, Asparagus, & Lemon-Chive Dressing (Easter Brunch)
Stuffed Avocado Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette (Cinco de Mayo)
Chile-Crusted Grilled Corn (4th of July Backyard Barbecue)
Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples, Cranberries, & Maple-Cayenne Dressing (Thanksgiving)
Roasted Cauliflower & Fennel Soup with Truffle Oil (Christmas)
Recipes I'm most excited about:
Grilled Box Choy with Sesame-Ginger Sauce (Lunar New Year)
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (Lunar New Year)
Miso-Ginger Braised Tofu over Bamboo Rice Pilaf (Lunar New Year)
Sweet Fried Dumplings with Blood Orange-Ginger Sauce (Lunar New Year)
Passion Fruit Creme Brulee (Valentine's Day)
Chopped "Liver" (Passover Seder)
Joy's Grandma's Seitan Brisket with Roasted Carrots, Shallots, & Turnips (Passover Seder)
Chickpea Crepes with Berries & Vanilla-Lavender Cream (Passover Seder)
Spring Vegetable Salad with Fava Beans, Peas, Asparagus, & Lemon-Chive Dressing (Easter Brunch)
Stuffed Avocado Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette (Cinco de Mayo)
Chile-Crusted Grilled Corn (4th of July Backyard Barbecue)
Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples, Cranberries, & Maple-Cayenne Dressing (Thanksgiving)
Roasted Cauliflower & Fennel Soup with Truffle Oil (Christmas)
December 15, 2014
To read this post with photos, please head on over to my blog.
A Celebration of Vegan Food
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through the Blogging for Books program.)
As with many renowned vegan eateries, NYC’s Candle Café is a restaurant I’ve coveted from afar, salivating over the many mouth-watering dishes photographed, enjoyed, and shared by vegan friends and acquaintances on Instagram, tumblr, and other social media outlets. (I have five dogs who I love to pieces – but they kind of put a damper on my travel plans.) Luckily, the burgeoning vegan cookbook market – and the increasing number of cookbooks released by popular vegan restaurants, such as Candle Café, The Chicago Vegan Diner, and Jivamuktea Café – has made it possible to enjoy even the most upscale menus from the comfort of your own kitchen. Hasta la vista, age of vicarious living!
Candle Café ups the ante with Vegan Holiday Cooking, a special cookbook chock full of holiday-themed menus. While this isn’t the first vegan holiday cookbook on the market (there’s also Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas and Susan Voisin, as well as Zel Allen’s Vegan for the Holidays ), Vegan Holiday Cooking is unique in its focus: rather than concentrating solely on the “big” holiday season – Thanksgiving through New Year’s – Pierson, Ramos, and Pineda extend their celebration across the calendar.
The book includes ten menus for a variety of occasions, including the Super Bowl; the Lunar New Year; Valentine’s Day; Passover; Easter; Cinco de Mayo; the Fourth of July; Thanksgiving; Christmas; and New Year’s Eve. Each menu receives roughly the same amount of attention – the 4th of July and Christmas both merit 18 pages of coverage! – resulting in a holiday cookbook with great depth and variety.
For example, while the Thanksgiving menu features a number of traditional, hearty fall comfort foods (Roasted Squash Soup, Wild Rice and Cornbread Stuffing, Pecan Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream), we also get a taste of Mexican foods via the Cinco de Mayo menu (Spanish Rice and Black Beans, Tempeh Fajitas, Crispy Black Bean Tacos), as well as Asian dishes courtesy of the Lunar New Year (Scallion Pancakes with Homemade Kimchi and Wasabi Aioli, Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce, Miso-Ginger Braised Tofu over Bamboo Rice Pilaf). And we can’t forget the Passover Seder, which features a variety of veganized Jewish dishes.
I can’t lie; I’m a little disappointed that my own favorite holiday (Halloween!) didn’t make the cut...especially when a technically-not-a-holiday (the Super Bowl! say what now?) did. Otherwise I found myself pleasantly surprised by the diversity of dishes and celebrations included here.
As for aesthetics, Vegan Holiday Cooking is gorgeous cookbook. In addition to the swanky cheese and wine spread pictured on the cover, the inside front and back covers feature a sophisticated burgundy print which highlights a book blurb (on the front) and conversion chart (back). The book is full-color, and each menu has its own festive color theme. Also included are a number of gourmet food photos, though some readers will be disappointed to find that not every recipe is accompanied by a photo. (I personally don’t mind, but to each her own.)
Most of the required ingredients are common and easy to find in the US – though the Jewish and Asian menus may require a trip to a specialty store. Likewise, items like Ener-G Egg Replacer, silken tofu, and agave nectar might be hard to find except in a natural/health foods store – or online.
I tried almost a dozen dishes in preparation for this review, with varying levels of success.
First, let's start with the soups, which are always my favorite this time of year!
The Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Almond Cream and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds proved an excellent use of my homegrown butternut squash (some of the last of the season, mind you). The soup is as delicious and savory as it is easy to make - but I wish I could say the same of the Almond Cream! Mine didn't come out nearly as light and fluffy as that in the book; it was more of a paste than a cream. Even so, it tasted great; I ended up mixing the extras right in with the soup rather than plopping it on top. I didn't have any pumpkin seeds on hand, but pecans subbed in nicely.
Also on the menu: Cauliflower and Fennel Soup, which (again) was both belly-warming and oh-so-simple to make (no fresh fennel bulbs? no worries! try a mix of seeds and dried fennel instead!); and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Tofu Dumplings Potato Gnocchi, which just might be my favorite soup of the bunch. Roasted red peppers are the best and, if you're in a hurry, you can simplify this dish by swapping out the homemade dumplings for store-bought gnocchi instead!
Speaking of roasted red peppers, the Homemade Pappardelle with Spinach, Portabello Mushrooms, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is to die for. A nice change from traditional marinara sauce, roasted red pepper sauce somehow manages to be both sweet and smoky at the same time. One of my New Year's resolutions is to swap out the tomatoes for red peppers more often! Again, you can hack this dish by using store-bought pasta in place of Homemade Pappardelle (which is what I did here). Easy peasy!
And while we're talking about easy dishes, can I just say a word about the Make Your Own Chili Bowl? The base is solid, and Pierson & Co. recommend a slew of add-ins for maximum party potential. (This one's a Super Bowl recipe, natch.) I especially love that the recipe uses a mix of lentils and beans, which is a little easier on my tummy than an all-bean chili mix.
Sadly, another Super Bowl dish didn't fare quite as well: the dough for the titular wheat balls in the Wheat Ball Heroes just didn't want to hold together. I tried tinkering with the mix, adding a splash of water here and a little extra oil there. It helped a bit, but just barely. Crumbly balls, blurg! Even so, the heroes weren't half-bad, and the leftover balls made an excellent topping for my on-the-fly pita pizzas!
The Sweet Potato Latkes - a 50/50 blend of Russet and sweet potatoes - were afflicted with a similar problem. This time around, no amount of adjustments could coax the dough into clinging together, so instead of latkes, I made baked sweet potato hash browns. Tasty, but not latkes! I repurposed the leftovers for a tofu scramble which, next to pizza toppings, is my favorite way to dispense with extra foodstuffs.
Also on the potato front, I had more luck with the Potato Gratin and Sweet Potato and Apricot Tzimmes, both of which went over like gangbusters. (Though the latter makes an almost comical amount of veggies; unless you're cooking for an actual party, you may want to cut it in half!)
The Quinoa Vegetable Cakes are supposed to be enjoyed as a sort of cake-on-the-side, but naturally I stuffed them between two slices of whole wheat bread, slopped some Vegenaise on there, and called 'em veggie burgers. So, so good! These required more time in the oven, and at a higher temp than recommended: instead of ten minutes at 350F, ten minutes on each side at 400F.
And for dessert: Snowball Cookies! The cookies are aces, though the chocolate sauce did prove a little problematic: not only does the recipe make at least three times as much sauce as is needed for drizzling, but it's quite thin and never really sets - not even in the fridge. I ended up adding a ton (okay, a quarter cup) of cornstarch to thicken it up. The cookies were a little easier to handle this way, but still somewhat sticky.
While I found a few new favorites in Vegan Holiday Cooking (e.g., the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce; the Roasted Red Pepper Soup; the Quinoa Vegetable Cakes), I was surprised by how many of the recipes required adjustments (the chocolate sauce in the Snowball Cookies; the bake time on the Quinoa Vegetable Cakes) or just straight-up failed altogether (the Sweet Potato Latkes; the Wheat Balls, kinda sorta). Although I enjoyed the cookbook as a whole, I'm docking it one point for the misses and near-misses I encountered.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2014/12/11/...
A Celebration of Vegan Food
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through the Blogging for Books program.)
As with many renowned vegan eateries, NYC’s Candle Café is a restaurant I’ve coveted from afar, salivating over the many mouth-watering dishes photographed, enjoyed, and shared by vegan friends and acquaintances on Instagram, tumblr, and other social media outlets. (I have five dogs who I love to pieces – but they kind of put a damper on my travel plans.) Luckily, the burgeoning vegan cookbook market – and the increasing number of cookbooks released by popular vegan restaurants, such as Candle Café, The Chicago Vegan Diner, and Jivamuktea Café – has made it possible to enjoy even the most upscale menus from the comfort of your own kitchen. Hasta la vista, age of vicarious living!
Candle Café ups the ante with Vegan Holiday Cooking, a special cookbook chock full of holiday-themed menus. While this isn’t the first vegan holiday cookbook on the market (there’s also Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas and Susan Voisin, as well as Zel Allen’s Vegan for the Holidays ), Vegan Holiday Cooking is unique in its focus: rather than concentrating solely on the “big” holiday season – Thanksgiving through New Year’s – Pierson, Ramos, and Pineda extend their celebration across the calendar.
The book includes ten menus for a variety of occasions, including the Super Bowl; the Lunar New Year; Valentine’s Day; Passover; Easter; Cinco de Mayo; the Fourth of July; Thanksgiving; Christmas; and New Year’s Eve. Each menu receives roughly the same amount of attention – the 4th of July and Christmas both merit 18 pages of coverage! – resulting in a holiday cookbook with great depth and variety.
For example, while the Thanksgiving menu features a number of traditional, hearty fall comfort foods (Roasted Squash Soup, Wild Rice and Cornbread Stuffing, Pecan Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream), we also get a taste of Mexican foods via the Cinco de Mayo menu (Spanish Rice and Black Beans, Tempeh Fajitas, Crispy Black Bean Tacos), as well as Asian dishes courtesy of the Lunar New Year (Scallion Pancakes with Homemade Kimchi and Wasabi Aioli, Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce, Miso-Ginger Braised Tofu over Bamboo Rice Pilaf). And we can’t forget the Passover Seder, which features a variety of veganized Jewish dishes.
I can’t lie; I’m a little disappointed that my own favorite holiday (Halloween!) didn’t make the cut...especially when a technically-not-a-holiday (the Super Bowl! say what now?) did. Otherwise I found myself pleasantly surprised by the diversity of dishes and celebrations included here.
As for aesthetics, Vegan Holiday Cooking is gorgeous cookbook. In addition to the swanky cheese and wine spread pictured on the cover, the inside front and back covers feature a sophisticated burgundy print which highlights a book blurb (on the front) and conversion chart (back). The book is full-color, and each menu has its own festive color theme. Also included are a number of gourmet food photos, though some readers will be disappointed to find that not every recipe is accompanied by a photo. (I personally don’t mind, but to each her own.)
Most of the required ingredients are common and easy to find in the US – though the Jewish and Asian menus may require a trip to a specialty store. Likewise, items like Ener-G Egg Replacer, silken tofu, and agave nectar might be hard to find except in a natural/health foods store – or online.
I tried almost a dozen dishes in preparation for this review, with varying levels of success.
First, let's start with the soups, which are always my favorite this time of year!
The Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Almond Cream and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds proved an excellent use of my homegrown butternut squash (some of the last of the season, mind you). The soup is as delicious and savory as it is easy to make - but I wish I could say the same of the Almond Cream! Mine didn't come out nearly as light and fluffy as that in the book; it was more of a paste than a cream. Even so, it tasted great; I ended up mixing the extras right in with the soup rather than plopping it on top. I didn't have any pumpkin seeds on hand, but pecans subbed in nicely.
Also on the menu: Cauliflower and Fennel Soup, which (again) was both belly-warming and oh-so-simple to make (no fresh fennel bulbs? no worries! try a mix of seeds and dried fennel instead!); and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Tofu Dumplings Potato Gnocchi, which just might be my favorite soup of the bunch. Roasted red peppers are the best and, if you're in a hurry, you can simplify this dish by swapping out the homemade dumplings for store-bought gnocchi instead!
Speaking of roasted red peppers, the Homemade Pappardelle with Spinach, Portabello Mushrooms, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is to die for. A nice change from traditional marinara sauce, roasted red pepper sauce somehow manages to be both sweet and smoky at the same time. One of my New Year's resolutions is to swap out the tomatoes for red peppers more often! Again, you can hack this dish by using store-bought pasta in place of Homemade Pappardelle (which is what I did here). Easy peasy!
And while we're talking about easy dishes, can I just say a word about the Make Your Own Chili Bowl? The base is solid, and Pierson & Co. recommend a slew of add-ins for maximum party potential. (This one's a Super Bowl recipe, natch.) I especially love that the recipe uses a mix of lentils and beans, which is a little easier on my tummy than an all-bean chili mix.
Sadly, another Super Bowl dish didn't fare quite as well: the dough for the titular wheat balls in the Wheat Ball Heroes just didn't want to hold together. I tried tinkering with the mix, adding a splash of water here and a little extra oil there. It helped a bit, but just barely. Crumbly balls, blurg! Even so, the heroes weren't half-bad, and the leftover balls made an excellent topping for my on-the-fly pita pizzas!
The Sweet Potato Latkes - a 50/50 blend of Russet and sweet potatoes - were afflicted with a similar problem. This time around, no amount of adjustments could coax the dough into clinging together, so instead of latkes, I made baked sweet potato hash browns. Tasty, but not latkes! I repurposed the leftovers for a tofu scramble which, next to pizza toppings, is my favorite way to dispense with extra foodstuffs.
Also on the potato front, I had more luck with the Potato Gratin and Sweet Potato and Apricot Tzimmes, both of which went over like gangbusters. (Though the latter makes an almost comical amount of veggies; unless you're cooking for an actual party, you may want to cut it in half!)
The Quinoa Vegetable Cakes are supposed to be enjoyed as a sort of cake-on-the-side, but naturally I stuffed them between two slices of whole wheat bread, slopped some Vegenaise on there, and called 'em veggie burgers. So, so good! These required more time in the oven, and at a higher temp than recommended: instead of ten minutes at 350F, ten minutes on each side at 400F.
And for dessert: Snowball Cookies! The cookies are aces, though the chocolate sauce did prove a little problematic: not only does the recipe make at least three times as much sauce as is needed for drizzling, but it's quite thin and never really sets - not even in the fridge. I ended up adding a ton (okay, a quarter cup) of cornstarch to thicken it up. The cookies were a little easier to handle this way, but still somewhat sticky.
While I found a few new favorites in Vegan Holiday Cooking (e.g., the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce; the Roasted Red Pepper Soup; the Quinoa Vegetable Cakes), I was surprised by how many of the recipes required adjustments (the chocolate sauce in the Snowball Cookies; the bake time on the Quinoa Vegetable Cakes) or just straight-up failed altogether (the Sweet Potato Latkes; the Wheat Balls, kinda sorta). Although I enjoyed the cookbook as a whole, I'm docking it one point for the misses and near-misses I encountered.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2014/12/11/...
January 1, 2026
There are some decent recipes here, happy holidays! Widely assorted cuisines.
October 17, 2014
“Vegan Holiday Cooking is for people who love to cook and who are constantly looking for innovative and delicious recipes. It’s for people who love to spend time in the kitchen, either alone or with friends, and create beautiful vegan food that is full of flavor and love. It’s for cooks who love to bring everyone to the table to celebrate and savor the holidays.” – Vegan Holiday Cooking
As a vegan home chef, I love the ease of making a quick meal at home. When it comes to celebrations and making something extra special, though, finding the perfect recipe can be difficult. Too many cookbooks focus on the everyday without emphasizing special occasions. Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda is the exception. This book makes vegan dining a year round celebration.
With menus for the Super Bowl, Easter, Thanksgiving, Cinco de Mayo, and other essential holidays, this book is a year round treasure trove of vegan recipes. Plus, the photos and detailed descriptions associated with the recipes make for a visually stunning and absolutely informative cookbook. Plus, options like Mini Muffins with Homemade Preserves, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, Big Barbecue Seitan Burgers, Vegan Cheese Plate, and Warm Apple Turnovers and Champagne Ice Cream are sure to become year round favorites. Others, like Braised Cranberry Orange Tofu, Christmas Pomegranate Punch, and Joy’s Grandma’s Seitan Brisket with Roasted Carrots, Shallots and Turnips, you will be able to make any holiday more festive and exciting.
This gem of a collection features recipes to suit every palate – vegans and omnivores alike. While the recipes are not labeled as gluten free, and there are certainly some options that involve some tricky ingredients, there are a number that fit the bill for amazing menu options. Overall, though, this book is a winner and perfect for any holiday.
From onceuponmyshelf.wordpress.com
As a vegan home chef, I love the ease of making a quick meal at home. When it comes to celebrations and making something extra special, though, finding the perfect recipe can be difficult. Too many cookbooks focus on the everyday without emphasizing special occasions. Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda is the exception. This book makes vegan dining a year round celebration.
With menus for the Super Bowl, Easter, Thanksgiving, Cinco de Mayo, and other essential holidays, this book is a year round treasure trove of vegan recipes. Plus, the photos and detailed descriptions associated with the recipes make for a visually stunning and absolutely informative cookbook. Plus, options like Mini Muffins with Homemade Preserves, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, Big Barbecue Seitan Burgers, Vegan Cheese Plate, and Warm Apple Turnovers and Champagne Ice Cream are sure to become year round favorites. Others, like Braised Cranberry Orange Tofu, Christmas Pomegranate Punch, and Joy’s Grandma’s Seitan Brisket with Roasted Carrots, Shallots and Turnips, you will be able to make any holiday more festive and exciting.
This gem of a collection features recipes to suit every palate – vegans and omnivores alike. While the recipes are not labeled as gluten free, and there are certainly some options that involve some tricky ingredients, there are a number that fit the bill for amazing menu options. Overall, though, this book is a winner and perfect for any holiday.
From onceuponmyshelf.wordpress.com
November 24, 2014
This book has some delicious, mouth water vegan foods that were simply incredible and easy to make! I have a hard time finding good quality vegan cookbooks that are centered on the holidays that will not cost you an arm and a leg to prepare for your family, but this group of authors managed to do just that! My kids and I loved picking out and preparing different appetizing meals, drinks and desserts throughout this book. Some of our favorite recipes were the Braised Cranberry-Orange Tofu; Quinoa Vegetable Cakes; Sweet Fried Dumplings with Blood Orange-Ginger Sauce; Passion Fruit Creme Brule and Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Temph with Roasted Ginger-Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry-Orange Relish!! Yes, it tasted even better than it sounds!
The measurement conversion charts at the back of the book were a life saver on several occasions, giving great advise on volume, temperature, length and weight. We also got tons of useful information from the very informative and well put together Resource Guide at the back of the book. This lovely little guide gives you tons of web sites that you can visit for ordering, preparing and great meal plan tricks and tools.
Broken down into ten menu sections that cover sports, Lunar New yYar’s, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de mayo, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. At the start of each menu the author's give a small paragraph about what you can expect and then they lay out the menu on the following pages. The book is chalked full of beautiful illustrations that will have the best foodie drooling.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher via blooging for books program. I was not required to give a positive review.
The measurement conversion charts at the back of the book were a life saver on several occasions, giving great advise on volume, temperature, length and weight. We also got tons of useful information from the very informative and well put together Resource Guide at the back of the book. This lovely little guide gives you tons of web sites that you can visit for ordering, preparing and great meal plan tricks and tools.
Broken down into ten menu sections that cover sports, Lunar New yYar’s, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de mayo, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. At the start of each menu the author's give a small paragraph about what you can expect and then they lay out the menu on the following pages. The book is chalked full of beautiful illustrations that will have the best foodie drooling.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher via blooging for books program. I was not required to give a positive review.
December 22, 2025
For whatever reasons, the visual presentation didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped. Having said that, however, there are quite a few recipes that I’m interested in making: the Wheatball Heroes, Soba Noodle & Seaweed Salad with Wasabi-Tahini Dressing, Rosemary Portobello Steaks with Celeriac Puree & Cabernet Reduction, Joy’s Grandma’s Seitan Brisket, the French Toast Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tempeh, Roasted Cauliflower and Fennel Soup with Truffle Oil, amongst others. I also appreciate how the book is laid out according to holiday or special occasion, such as Lunar New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl, etc. so you not only have an entire event’s menu but also get to take advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Once I’ve had the chance to try out a few of these recipes I’ll update my review. But one thing’s for sure: I’m definitely checking out their restaurants next time I’m in NYC.
March 19, 2018
I love exploring recipes that are plant based. This recipe was interesting, as it groups recipes by holidays. I found many recipes I'm going to try (regardless of the holidays) and am looking forward to first making Pastoral Vanilla Cupcakes (who doesn't love cupcakes?) followed by the La Poblana Sangria!
October 27, 2017
I was uninspired with this book. To be fair, I was looking for more than vegan, since I work with a crew of celiac, diverticulitis, lactose free, vegetarian individuals, and I really have to get creative at work pot lucks.
December 10, 2018
This book is pretty useless- the recipes are either hard to
Imagine or not very enticing or original. The only great section was how to veganize Passover meals which was pretty rad and inventive. The cookies I made were a disappointment.
Imagine or not very enticing or original. The only great section was how to veganize Passover meals which was pretty rad and inventive. The cookies I made were a disappointment.
February 27, 2022
i probably should have rated this cookbook higher. It is a good vegan cookbook. Nothing outlandish or terribly difficult and a good representation of tempeh and tofu. One thing I found odd (it's probably me) is the inclusion of several alcoholic drinks for each holiday.
December 31, 2018
Didn't find a single recipe in here that I would want to try :-(
June 28, 2020
Good for special occasion cooking. Lots of options, but some of it seemed like more work than I’d want to do on a daily or weekly need.
October 10, 2020
Loved these recipes although they are a take on many classic holiday meals that traditionally include meats these dishes showcase vegan alternative without the attempt to be purely meat subsitutes.
November 19, 2020
Not enthralling but was playing heavily on seitan as the main ingredient.Definitely not for gluten free .
July 5, 2023
Stunning book. Beware of prep time you'll need for these recipes. Well, it is a Holiday book.
September 30, 2014
A special thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a vegan for several years, enjoying an organic and plant-based diet and lifestyle, with all the advantages-- I love discovering new sources to expand my culinary skills, as well as innovative menus and recipes for delectable tasteful dishes and pairings.
VEGAN HOLIDAY COOKING FROM CANDLE CAFÉ is beautifully packaged, with a stunning presentation of plant-based, fresh, and creative holiday recipes from the renowned Candle Café, New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants.
This book is packed with rich and delicious holiday food, full of scrumptious flavor- benefiting the body, mind, and the soul! A gorgeous book, guaranteed to WOW the vegan enthusiasts, and even those who are not yet vegan; offering choices for the traditional holiday family gatherings.
Holidays do not have to be a time of over-indulging, when there are other alternatives. We do not have to sacrifice taste, as we feed our souls with deliciously designed entrees, desserts, and cocktails. VEGAN HOLIDAY COOKING FROM CANDLE CAFÉ is an ideal gift selection for your vegan friends, who enjoy entertaining and living well.
In addition to choosing the vegan lifestyle, I love design, food styling, and photography, as you can see by my Pinterest boards, and working in the hospitality industry. (Wish I could pin these-especially, Lady Day).
As an avid reader of primarily, fiction--in order for non-fiction or a cookbook to entice me, I need high-resolution imagery. WOW, this holiday charmer does not disappoint! The photography and layout of this book is stunning! Photography by Jim Franco.
I have tried a few of the recipes (a few favorites: loved the quinoa vegetable cakes, the mojo de ajo seitan with grilled peaches, roasted squash soup with almond cream and spiced pumpkin seeds, roasted brussels sprout salad with apples, cranberries, and maple-cayenne dressing, and the decadent warm apple turnovers and champagne ice cream) --- an array of indulgent, yet healthy food. Cannot wait to try them all - YUM!
Packed with ten tantalizing, mouth-watering, and inventive menus for your Super Bowl Party, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Easter Brunch, Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, 4th of July Backyard Barbeque, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve--- from the highly talented cast of the Candle trio of restaurants (Candle Café, Candle 79, and Candle Café West).
Readers will be swept away for a magical journey from this talented-winning team of chefs. They definitely know how to throw a party and pros, when it comes to entertaining and presentation. These special-occasion favorites from acclaimed vegan restaurants, are tailored for the home table, with main entrees, sides, and delightful wine and cocktail pairings.
Their commitment and passion for sustainability and healing the planet with food and love, is reflective throughout the pages of this beautiful book, you will treasurer for years to come! Equipped with a helpful resource guide, acknowledgements, and more about the authors.
Relax, pour yourself a drink, and savor page after page of deliciously designed recipes, making you the perfect host and hostess!
JOY PIERSON is co-owner of the Candle Cafe, Candle Cafe West, and Candle 79, and coauthor of The Candle Cafe Cookbook and Candle 79 Cookbook. Certified in nutritional counseling, Joy has appeared on the Today show, Good Day New York, CBS News This Morning, The Food Network's TV Food Diners, and NPR.
ANGEL RAMOS is executive chef at Candle 79 and Candle Café West. His recipes have been featured in the New York Times and Vegetarian Times, and he helped develop the nationally distributed Candle Café Frozen Entrees line. In 2010, Angel was named the VegNews Chef of the Year. Pastry chef and kitchen manager
JORGE PINEDA developed the nationally distributed Candle Café Desserts and Candle Chef's Cuisine for Whole Foods Markets, and his pastries have been deemed the "Best Vegan Desserts in America" by the Los Angeles Times.
As a vegan for several years, enjoying an organic and plant-based diet and lifestyle, with all the advantages-- I love discovering new sources to expand my culinary skills, as well as innovative menus and recipes for delectable tasteful dishes and pairings.
VEGAN HOLIDAY COOKING FROM CANDLE CAFÉ is beautifully packaged, with a stunning presentation of plant-based, fresh, and creative holiday recipes from the renowned Candle Café, New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants.
This book is packed with rich and delicious holiday food, full of scrumptious flavor- benefiting the body, mind, and the soul! A gorgeous book, guaranteed to WOW the vegan enthusiasts, and even those who are not yet vegan; offering choices for the traditional holiday family gatherings.
Holidays do not have to be a time of over-indulging, when there are other alternatives. We do not have to sacrifice taste, as we feed our souls with deliciously designed entrees, desserts, and cocktails. VEGAN HOLIDAY COOKING FROM CANDLE CAFÉ is an ideal gift selection for your vegan friends, who enjoy entertaining and living well.
In addition to choosing the vegan lifestyle, I love design, food styling, and photography, as you can see by my Pinterest boards, and working in the hospitality industry. (Wish I could pin these-especially, Lady Day).
As an avid reader of primarily, fiction--in order for non-fiction or a cookbook to entice me, I need high-resolution imagery. WOW, this holiday charmer does not disappoint! The photography and layout of this book is stunning! Photography by Jim Franco.
I have tried a few of the recipes (a few favorites: loved the quinoa vegetable cakes, the mojo de ajo seitan with grilled peaches, roasted squash soup with almond cream and spiced pumpkin seeds, roasted brussels sprout salad with apples, cranberries, and maple-cayenne dressing, and the decadent warm apple turnovers and champagne ice cream) --- an array of indulgent, yet healthy food. Cannot wait to try them all - YUM!
Packed with ten tantalizing, mouth-watering, and inventive menus for your Super Bowl Party, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Easter Brunch, Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, 4th of July Backyard Barbeque, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve--- from the highly talented cast of the Candle trio of restaurants (Candle Café, Candle 79, and Candle Café West).
Readers will be swept away for a magical journey from this talented-winning team of chefs. They definitely know how to throw a party and pros, when it comes to entertaining and presentation. These special-occasion favorites from acclaimed vegan restaurants, are tailored for the home table, with main entrees, sides, and delightful wine and cocktail pairings.
Their commitment and passion for sustainability and healing the planet with food and love, is reflective throughout the pages of this beautiful book, you will treasurer for years to come! Equipped with a helpful resource guide, acknowledgements, and more about the authors.
Relax, pour yourself a drink, and savor page after page of deliciously designed recipes, making you the perfect host and hostess!
JOY PIERSON is co-owner of the Candle Cafe, Candle Cafe West, and Candle 79, and coauthor of The Candle Cafe Cookbook and Candle 79 Cookbook. Certified in nutritional counseling, Joy has appeared on the Today show, Good Day New York, CBS News This Morning, The Food Network's TV Food Diners, and NPR.
ANGEL RAMOS is executive chef at Candle 79 and Candle Café West. His recipes have been featured in the New York Times and Vegetarian Times, and he helped develop the nationally distributed Candle Café Frozen Entrees line. In 2010, Angel was named the VegNews Chef of the Year. Pastry chef and kitchen manager
JORGE PINEDA developed the nationally distributed Candle Café Desserts and Candle Chef's Cuisine for Whole Foods Markets, and his pastries have been deemed the "Best Vegan Desserts in America" by the Los Angeles Times.
May 16, 2014
Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the ARC of this book.
I had never heard of the Candle Cafe, but I’m trying to eat a more vegan diet, so I thought I would check out this recipe book.
From the title I expected this book to contain Christmas recipes; however it actually has recipes for a slightly peculiar selection of special occasions including Valentine’s Day, The Super Bowl, Passover and Cinco De Mayo as well as Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving.
As you can probably tell from that list, it’s a pretty American cookbook. But that’s to be expected as Candle Cafe is a New York based chain of restaurants. However, I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be able to find all of the ingredients in a standard British supermarket (particularly some of the Asian ingredients). I suppose most vegans are used to going the extra mile to find specialist ingredients.
The book is broken down into sections based on the different ‘holidays’. Most sections start with recipes for drinks, they also contain savoury and dessert ideas. I’m a big fan of autumnal food, so I thought the recipes from the Thanksgiving section looked particularly appealing. Pumpkin seed-crusted tempeh with roasted ginger-maple sweet potatoes and cranberry-orange relish definitely sounds more interesting than your standard nut roast! The Mexican food in the Cinco De Mayo section also looks very appetising.
All of the sections contain very inspiring and original sounding dishes from lots of different cuisines. There are also suggestions for vegan versions of traditional dishes served on the featured ‘holidays’. As this is food for special occasions, most of the dishes serve about 10 people, so I would have to scale down most of the recipes before trying them for myself or my small family.
The book is quite attractive, however I would prefer there to be photos for all of the recipes. There’s probably photos for about one third of the recipes. There are also photos of random ingredients, these could be replaced with pictures of actual dishes. I like the fact that all the recipes have a written description at the beginning but I do think recipes should have nutritional info such as calories and details of whether they can be frozen.
The book includes introductions by famous vegans Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson which are a bit cheesy, but the general tone of the rest of the writing is clear and concise.
I definitely plan to try lots of recipes from this book as many sound unusual and innovative and where there are pictures, the food looks very tasty. This book looks like it could appeal to anyone, if I didn’t know it was a vegan cookbook, I’m not sure I would have noticed straight away because the food sounds so mouth-watering!
I had never heard of the Candle Cafe, but I’m trying to eat a more vegan diet, so I thought I would check out this recipe book.
From the title I expected this book to contain Christmas recipes; however it actually has recipes for a slightly peculiar selection of special occasions including Valentine’s Day, The Super Bowl, Passover and Cinco De Mayo as well as Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving.
As you can probably tell from that list, it’s a pretty American cookbook. But that’s to be expected as Candle Cafe is a New York based chain of restaurants. However, I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be able to find all of the ingredients in a standard British supermarket (particularly some of the Asian ingredients). I suppose most vegans are used to going the extra mile to find specialist ingredients.
The book is broken down into sections based on the different ‘holidays’. Most sections start with recipes for drinks, they also contain savoury and dessert ideas. I’m a big fan of autumnal food, so I thought the recipes from the Thanksgiving section looked particularly appealing. Pumpkin seed-crusted tempeh with roasted ginger-maple sweet potatoes and cranberry-orange relish definitely sounds more interesting than your standard nut roast! The Mexican food in the Cinco De Mayo section also looks very appetising.
All of the sections contain very inspiring and original sounding dishes from lots of different cuisines. There are also suggestions for vegan versions of traditional dishes served on the featured ‘holidays’. As this is food for special occasions, most of the dishes serve about 10 people, so I would have to scale down most of the recipes before trying them for myself or my small family.
The book is quite attractive, however I would prefer there to be photos for all of the recipes. There’s probably photos for about one third of the recipes. There are also photos of random ingredients, these could be replaced with pictures of actual dishes. I like the fact that all the recipes have a written description at the beginning but I do think recipes should have nutritional info such as calories and details of whether they can be frozen.
The book includes introductions by famous vegans Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson which are a bit cheesy, but the general tone of the rest of the writing is clear and concise.
I definitely plan to try lots of recipes from this book as many sound unusual and innovative and where there are pictures, the food looks very tasty. This book looks like it could appeal to anyone, if I didn’t know it was a vegan cookbook, I’m not sure I would have noticed straight away because the food sounds so mouth-watering!
October 27, 2014
I was curious to see what kinds of healthy treats this book would hold the key to! The cover depicts such perfectly beautiful holiday appetizers, that I was excited to receive this hardback cookbook from the publisher, Ten Speed Press. There are a variety of easy to make (and eat!) recipes in this Vegan cookbook. This includes Crispy Black Bean Tacos, , Vegan Cheese Plate, Warm Apple Turnovers and Champagne Ice Braised Cranberry Orange Tofu, Christmas Pomegranate Punch, and many many more!
On a personal note, this cookbook doesn't meet my needs. I am not a Vegan, although I often love using Vegan and especially Paleo recipes as part of my extremely healthy diet!
From my experience, Vegan cooking is healthy and ''light'' and useful for those days I find myself short on animal products. This Vegan cookbook relies too much on soy (including tofu), a product I avoid. It also incorporates some items which would be difficult to substitute for if you aren't Vegan. Particularly seitan (a meat substitute), butter substitute and a couple others.
I have a couple specifically Vegan cookbooks which I really love because the recipes incorporate such healthy ingredients as Coconut oil, coconut milk, avacado, beans, etc. Surprisingly, these cookbooks are also packed with gluten-free recipes! On the contrary, I found that this cookbook isn't really healthy considering that the recipes involve sugar and substitutes so often.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This collection of vegan holiday recipes—the first of its kind from award-winning chefs—elevates plant-based fare to a new level. With fresh, inventive menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and Independence Day, this cookbook blends favorite traditions with a modern sensibility. Tantalizing dishes include Sweet Potato Latkes with Almond Crème Fraîche for Passover; Porcini-Crusted Seitan with Glazed Cipollini Onions and Mushroom Gravy for Thanksgiving; and Red, White, and Blue Margaritas for the Fourth of July.
Now home cooks can entertain in the spirit of New York’s premier vegan restaurants, Candle Cafe, Candle 79, and Candle Cafe West. With forewords by Alicia Silverstone and Laura and Woody Harrelson, plus sumptuous photography throughout, this festive cookbook invites vegans and omnivores alike to gather around the holiday table and enjoy.
October 3, 2014
If you are like me, you love a good cookbook. I can't really cook but love to eat. So cookbooks are a good thing for me to have. I actually like to collect them and have quite a bit of them. The Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe, I will say is my first vegan cookbook. I never really thought of vegan eating as something that would look/taste good. When I think of vegan, I think of bland healthy food. But after perusing this cookbook, I realized I was wrong.
The Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe is broken down into 10 sections. Each of these sections being holidays we celebrate. They have everything from the Super Bowl to Passover. Under each section, you will find different recipes that you can cook and enjoy. Most of the ingredients can be found in your home, so cooking should be extremely easy. Like the Make Your Own Chili Bowl recipe, I had everything in my pantry already. This one is listed under the Super Bowl Big-Game Party section, but can be enjoyed at anytime, like I did the other night. My daughter even liked it and she is a picky eater. Some of the other mouth watering recipes are Soba Noodle and Seaweed Salad with Wasabi-Tahini Dressing, Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée, Grilled Artichoke Hearts with Pesto, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, and much more. I guarantee you, if you get this book, you are going to want to try just about every recipe in this book.
The presentation of this cookbook is eye catching. Not only does the cover look great, but the pictures inside are just as enticing. I personally feel like a good cookbook has pictures that make you want to keep opening it up and creating all the recipes over and over again, and this one does not fail. Even though it is broken down for specific holidays, you can use the recipes (meals, desserts, and drinks) anytime of the year for a casual meal or a spruced up one with guests.
The Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe is broken down into 10 sections. Each of these sections being holidays we celebrate. They have everything from the Super Bowl to Passover. Under each section, you will find different recipes that you can cook and enjoy. Most of the ingredients can be found in your home, so cooking should be extremely easy. Like the Make Your Own Chili Bowl recipe, I had everything in my pantry already. This one is listed under the Super Bowl Big-Game Party section, but can be enjoyed at anytime, like I did the other night. My daughter even liked it and she is a picky eater. Some of the other mouth watering recipes are Soba Noodle and Seaweed Salad with Wasabi-Tahini Dressing, Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée, Grilled Artichoke Hearts with Pesto, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, and much more. I guarantee you, if you get this book, you are going to want to try just about every recipe in this book.
The presentation of this cookbook is eye catching. Not only does the cover look great, but the pictures inside are just as enticing. I personally feel like a good cookbook has pictures that make you want to keep opening it up and creating all the recipes over and over again, and this one does not fail. Even though it is broken down for specific holidays, you can use the recipes (meals, desserts, and drinks) anytime of the year for a casual meal or a spruced up one with guests.
October 24, 2014
Crafted by the chefs at the trio of Candle eateries in New York City, this cookbook is divided up into ten menus: Super Bowl (or gametime recipes), Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, Passover, Easter, Cindo de Mayo, Fourth of July barbecue, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. At first glance covering so many different holidays throughout the year might seem a little odd: many cookbooks only focus on the traditional trifecta of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.
However, for a vegan, having a cookbook that covers holidays and other get-together events throughout the year is a lifesaver. I get a variety of magazines that feature seasonally-themed recipes and entertaining guides, and they're seldom easy to adapt to a vegan table. Easter is all about eggs; Memorial Day and Fourth of July barbecues mean burgers; game time means cheesy nachos; and so on. This cookbook gives you recipes for those events and more.
Plus, lots of the recipes feature here would be great for everyday dinners and will impress even your non-vegan friends. Black bean tacos? Sweet fried dumplings? Roasted squash soup? All would be easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner yet look and feel fancy enough for a special occasion.
Lots of big, bright photos will make you hungry just flipping through this book. The recipes are laid out in an easy-to-follow format and the ingredient lists are largely made up of items that can be found at any well-stocked grocery store. (A few, like seitan or arrowroot powder, will require a trip to a natural health food store.)
This cookbook is a must for anyone who loves entertaining or needs to whip up a holiday table that will please vegans and carnivores alike. There are even seasonally appropriate cocktail recipes, and of course some cookie recipes for the Christmas cookie exchange! Yum!
However, for a vegan, having a cookbook that covers holidays and other get-together events throughout the year is a lifesaver. I get a variety of magazines that feature seasonally-themed recipes and entertaining guides, and they're seldom easy to adapt to a vegan table. Easter is all about eggs; Memorial Day and Fourth of July barbecues mean burgers; game time means cheesy nachos; and so on. This cookbook gives you recipes for those events and more.
Plus, lots of the recipes feature here would be great for everyday dinners and will impress even your non-vegan friends. Black bean tacos? Sweet fried dumplings? Roasted squash soup? All would be easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner yet look and feel fancy enough for a special occasion.
Lots of big, bright photos will make you hungry just flipping through this book. The recipes are laid out in an easy-to-follow format and the ingredient lists are largely made up of items that can be found at any well-stocked grocery store. (A few, like seitan or arrowroot powder, will require a trip to a natural health food store.)
This cookbook is a must for anyone who loves entertaining or needs to whip up a holiday table that will please vegans and carnivores alike. There are even seasonally appropriate cocktail recipes, and of course some cookie recipes for the Christmas cookie exchange! Yum!
October 30, 2014
This book made me so very hungry. The pictures were exquisite, the captions, mouthwatering, and the selection superb!. If you have meat eating friends who are skeptical of the vegan lifestyle, then this is the book to convince them otherwise! Make them a recipe or two from here and, while they may not convert, they will definitely understand that plant based meals can be tasty, satisfying, and totally worthwhile!
I knew the book was going to be a winner when I opened it and saw that there was a forward from Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson in the beginning. If they were fans, how could I not be!? Since I live no where near New York, I can't go visit one of the Candle Cafe locations to sample the food so I'll have to rely on this handy cookbook to give me a good taste of what is offered in their kitchen. Each chapter focuses on a different holiday (Valentine's Day, Superbowl, Sedar, Thanksgiving, etc.) and has several different, drinks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts to choose from. Not all of them are cheap, and many of them are seasonal (depending on what fresh fruits and veggies are available), but even so, there is plenty to choose from! I have bookmarked the scallion pancakes with homemade kimchi and wasabi aioli (it's a little labor intensive but looks and sounds soo delicious!), rosemary portabello steaks with celeriac puree, cabernet reduction, and brussels sprouts (the picture was literally mouthwatering, I even had a dream about it!), chile-crusted corn (I plan on trying this one tomorrow!), and roasted squash soup with almond cream and spiced pumpkin seeds.
This isn't a cookbook for beginners so I plan on starting small. It is however, easily a staple for any vegan kitchen. I can't wait to get started on these recipes!
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
I knew the book was going to be a winner when I opened it and saw that there was a forward from Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson in the beginning. If they were fans, how could I not be!? Since I live no where near New York, I can't go visit one of the Candle Cafe locations to sample the food so I'll have to rely on this handy cookbook to give me a good taste of what is offered in their kitchen. Each chapter focuses on a different holiday (Valentine's Day, Superbowl, Sedar, Thanksgiving, etc.) and has several different, drinks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts to choose from. Not all of them are cheap, and many of them are seasonal (depending on what fresh fruits and veggies are available), but even so, there is plenty to choose from! I have bookmarked the scallion pancakes with homemade kimchi and wasabi aioli (it's a little labor intensive but looks and sounds soo delicious!), rosemary portabello steaks with celeriac puree, cabernet reduction, and brussels sprouts (the picture was literally mouthwatering, I even had a dream about it!), chile-crusted corn (I plan on trying this one tomorrow!), and roasted squash soup with almond cream and spiced pumpkin seeds.
This isn't a cookbook for beginners so I plan on starting small. It is however, easily a staple for any vegan kitchen. I can't wait to get started on these recipes!
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
May 31, 2015
Plenty of fancy recipes to feed your fancy-pants friends. Definitely not for a beginner cook, and possibly not even a home chef of intermediate ability. Even some of the cocktail recipes will take a day or more to prep.
It's a pretty book, but I think with these kinds of recipes one really needs to have a photo of nearly everything, plated and garnished and dressed, to be able to follow along. I know that inevitably makes a book cost a lot more but it's a necessary evil.
My main complaint is that many entrées call for unusual sizes of seitan, such as "2 pounds seitan, in one or two large pieces," as if that's an easy item to pick up at your suburban Whole Foods. So it would have been nice if a basic recipe that works for these recipes had been included. Without that, the end results will vary a lot - whether homemade or store-bought, sometimes seitan is spongy/moist, sometimes sometimes it's dense - you can't just say "pound of seitan" and leave it at that. So I predict failure in some of these applications, like the 'meatballs' or burgers, where texture is so important for keeping them together. We aren't working in a restaurant kitchen where a level of uniformity is demanded, after all. (Three professional restauranteurs/chefs created this book.)
When I throw a dinner party, things do not go so perfectly and elegantly and uniformly. Guests are due any minute, the dog has peed in the dining room, the spouse is completely missing in action, I forgot to put mascara on one eyelid, and the garbage disposal just choked on a chopstick. I don't need recipes that fill me with skepticism.
It's a pretty book, but I think with these kinds of recipes one really needs to have a photo of nearly everything, plated and garnished and dressed, to be able to follow along. I know that inevitably makes a book cost a lot more but it's a necessary evil.
My main complaint is that many entrées call for unusual sizes of seitan, such as "2 pounds seitan, in one or two large pieces," as if that's an easy item to pick up at your suburban Whole Foods. So it would have been nice if a basic recipe that works for these recipes had been included. Without that, the end results will vary a lot - whether homemade or store-bought, sometimes seitan is spongy/moist, sometimes sometimes it's dense - you can't just say "pound of seitan" and leave it at that. So I predict failure in some of these applications, like the 'meatballs' or burgers, where texture is so important for keeping them together. We aren't working in a restaurant kitchen where a level of uniformity is demanded, after all. (Three professional restauranteurs/chefs created this book.)
When I throw a dinner party, things do not go so perfectly and elegantly and uniformly. Guests are due any minute, the dog has peed in the dining room, the spouse is completely missing in action, I forgot to put mascara on one eyelid, and the garbage disposal just choked on a chopstick. I don't need recipes that fill me with skepticism.
June 22, 2014
The owners of Candle Cafe have over 30 years of experience with vegan food and operate three vegan restaurants in New York. I have eaten in two of the three many times with both vegetarian and omnivore friends and family, including on Thanksgiving. I can attest to the fact that their food is fantastic. I am a vegetarian, but my omnivore friends have been completely blown away by the vegan cuisine. This cookbook contains vegan food and beverage recipes for holiday dining.
This is special occasion food, so most of the recipes are designed to feed ten, but can be cut back for fewer diners. The recipes are also fairly labor intensive. Nothing in them looks difficult, but you definitely need to like to prepare recipes with multiple steps. Most of the ingredients should be readily obtainable in a good supermarket or health food store, but in case you need help, there is a resource guide at the end of the book.
The pictures in the book are very appealing. I particularly liked the recipes for lentil chili, sweet fried dumplings with blood orange ginger sauce, roasted red pepper soup with tofu dumplings, molten chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, seitan brisket, pineapple ginger glazed seitan, roasted brussels sprout salad with apples and cranberries, porcini crusted seitan and pumpkin cheesecake. However, I think everyone can find dishes to like in this cookbook.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This is special occasion food, so most of the recipes are designed to feed ten, but can be cut back for fewer diners. The recipes are also fairly labor intensive. Nothing in them looks difficult, but you definitely need to like to prepare recipes with multiple steps. Most of the ingredients should be readily obtainable in a good supermarket or health food store, but in case you need help, there is a resource guide at the end of the book.
The pictures in the book are very appealing. I particularly liked the recipes for lentil chili, sweet fried dumplings with blood orange ginger sauce, roasted red pepper soup with tofu dumplings, molten chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, seitan brisket, pineapple ginger glazed seitan, roasted brussels sprout salad with apples and cranberries, porcini crusted seitan and pumpkin cheesecake. However, I think everyone can find dishes to like in this cookbook.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 29, 2014
“Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Café” truly lives up to its name and is a must have if you are looking to wow your family this holiday season.
Living walking distance from a farmer’s market made it relatively easy for me to try basically any recipe in this cookbook, but the combination of chocolate (one of my favorite things in the world), blood orange and ginger made this recipe "Sweet Fried Dumplings with Blood Orange~Ginger Sauce" hands down the perfect first recipe for me to try from this cookbook. But was even better, I had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen...yay!
The recipe serves 8 to 10 and makes about 36 to 40 dumplings, I cut the recipe in half and it took me about 45 minutes to prepare and cook these tasty treats. I was popping these sweet fried dumplings in my mouth before they could even hit the plate. The sweet aroma of ginger and blood orange dancing in the air was absolutely heaven and it actually felt like I was preparing a holiday dessert. This dessert was listed on menu two “Lunar New Year” but it will definitely be part of my Thanksgiving Menu. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to feed your vegans, vegetarians or your part-time vegans (that’s me), this book would not disappoint you.
My Full Review: http://myohosisters.webs.com/apps/blo...-
Living walking distance from a farmer’s market made it relatively easy for me to try basically any recipe in this cookbook, but the combination of chocolate (one of my favorite things in the world), blood orange and ginger made this recipe "Sweet Fried Dumplings with Blood Orange~Ginger Sauce" hands down the perfect first recipe for me to try from this cookbook. But was even better, I had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen...yay!
The recipe serves 8 to 10 and makes about 36 to 40 dumplings, I cut the recipe in half and it took me about 45 minutes to prepare and cook these tasty treats. I was popping these sweet fried dumplings in my mouth before they could even hit the plate. The sweet aroma of ginger and blood orange dancing in the air was absolutely heaven and it actually felt like I was preparing a holiday dessert. This dessert was listed on menu two “Lunar New Year” but it will definitely be part of my Thanksgiving Menu. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to feed your vegans, vegetarians or your part-time vegans (that’s me), this book would not disappoint you.
My Full Review: http://myohosisters.webs.com/apps/blo...-
November 23, 2025
I am not a Vegan but there have been many times that family members or friends come to visit that are. Vegan Holiday Cooking From Candle Café is the perfect recipe book for just such times. Although they are holiday based many will be a perfect dish for anytime of the year.
Initially I thought this book was going to be filled with Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving recipes but it actually covers Cinco de Mayo to Passover and beyond, wow was I pleasantly surprised.
Most important to me in a cook book…
The recipes are easy to follow with many familiar and quickly acquired ingredients. I have to say I am also visual person and many of the recipes have colored pictures with marvelous presentations that will wow your guests.
Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Café: Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants will add many wonderful additions to my cooking repertoire.
I received this ARC copy of Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication September 30, 2014.
Initially I thought this book was going to be filled with Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving recipes but it actually covers Cinco de Mayo to Passover and beyond, wow was I pleasantly surprised.
Most important to me in a cook book…
The recipes are easy to follow with many familiar and quickly acquired ingredients. I have to say I am also visual person and many of the recipes have colored pictures with marvelous presentations that will wow your guests.
Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Café: Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants will add many wonderful additions to my cooking repertoire.
I received this ARC copy of Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication September 30, 2014.
December 12, 2016
The emphasis here is that these are holiday menus, so not necessarily weeknight recipes. Not every recipe has a photo, and some photos are just of ingredients. So while beautiful, a photo of a bowl of pears doesn't exactly help me picture the dish! I did mark a few recipes to try out of this but mostly overly complicated for most of my cooking needs.
May 28, 2014
Vegans, vegetarians and omnivores will all enjoy this cookbook from the Candle Cafe. It covers 10 major holidays from the super bowl to New Years Eve. I'm not a vegan but 2 recipes I would like to make right now are Stout Brownies (from the super bowl menu) and Baked Maple Pinto Beans (from the 4th of July)and many many others. The book is full of colored photographs for every menu. I also like the cocktails given for every menu. If you buy this as a gift for someone I think you will want to keep it, I know I would. Read as a netgalley copy.
November 22, 2014
This has some delicious unusual recipes for holidays.. Being vegan and gluten free sometimes it s a challenge to come up with recipes for everyone during the holidays..This book has every holiday covered from drinks , appetizers, main course and deserts I've tried several of these so far in anticipation of holidays coming up., The pumpkin cheese cake with apple cider reduction is fabulous , wild rice and Mushroom stuffing will be on my menu this year. although the recipes are not gluten free per say you can easily adapt with your gluten free ingredients. Must have cook book for vegans ,
August 18, 2014
There is a heavy emphasis on seitan and other meat substitutes so for my own personal use (and those of many of my vegan friends) much of the book is not very useful. However, I did try a few of the cocktail recipes and they have been, without an exception, delicious and well balanced. I also loved the interpretation of holiday used by the authors, very playful way of organizing the inspirations for the recipes.
December 4, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised to see the assortment of holidays included in this delicious cookbook but, seeing that the restaurant is in New York City, I should not have been surprised. Everything is yummy and decadent, perfect for special occasions. I'll be sure to refer to this when I need to impress my omnivore relatives.
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