Vegan A Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road

by Sarah Kramer

Sarah Kramer is a vegan superstar; she was named “The World’s Coolest Vegan” by Herbivore Magazine , and her first three cookbooks have sold a combined total of over two hundred thousand copies. Vegan a Go-Go! represents a change of pace for it is a cookbook and more for vegan travelers, many of whom are daunted by the idea of going on the road and being able to locate and/or prepare the kind of nutritious animal-free meals they enjoy at home. The new book includes 150 recipes, many of them new, and others that have been adapted from her earlier books. All of the recipes are easy to prepare with a minimum of ingredients and are guaranteed to deliver energy, nutrition, and great flavor. The rest of the book contains information and advice pertinent to vegan travelers, from how to deconstruct a restaurant menu to what food items are best suited to carry around in your luggage or handbag. There’s even a section on “How to Say ‘I Am Vegan’” in numerous languages. The book is also designed with the traveler in it is small enough to slip into one’s pocket or purse, yet has a reinforced cover to ensure durability under the harshest conditions. Full of Sarah’s high-energy wit and verve, Vegan a Go-Go! makes life for vegan travelers a lot less stressful and a lot more fun.

Genres: Cookbooks, Vegan, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Travel, Vegetarian

231 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Sarah Kramer was a Canadian vegan cookbook author. They were the author of How It All Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, La Dolce Vegan! and Vegan A Go-Go!. In 2012, she released an app, Go Vegan! w/Sarah Kramer.
Kramer had a vegan store called Sarah's Place that opened in 2011 and closed 2 years later after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Kramer completed treatment in 2013 and afterward worked at Tattoo Zoo, which they co-owned with their spouse in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is tiny and truly portable. But when I travel one of my greatest pleasures is to eat at local vegan restaurants. However, if I ever took an extended trip and had kitchen facilities this would be an ideal cookbook to bring along. It’s a fun read too, very entertaining, and easy to read small sections at a time, so therefore also good for travel in that sense.

Many cookbooks’ recipes have icons when applicable, and the ones included here are particularly pertinent to the type of book it is: new “yumtastic” recipes (which are recipes that haven’t appeared in previous cookbooks), quick & easy, travels well, will impress your friends, and needs special ingredients. The travel tips are incredibly helpful and cover a wide range of topics; they’re not limited to food issues. There are even “recipes” for such things as making your own vegan toothpaste. There are “blank” pages for readers’ own notes. A lot is packed into this little book.

Lots of positives, including some delicious looking recipes, but many are no more appropriate specifically for travel than recipes in many other cookbooks or common sense foodstuffs that can be put together sans any cookbook.

Contents: Preface, Introduction, Travel Tips, Breakfast, Salads & Dressings, Soups, Dips & Spreads, Entrees (Burgers, Sandwiches & Wraps, Noodle & Pasta Dishes, Miscellaneous), Sauces, Side Dishes, Baking & Desserts (Breads, Sweet Breads & Muffins, Cookies, Pies, Bars, Cakes, Fruit, Miscellaneous), Faux Fare, Odds & Sods, In a Pinch, Measurement Equivalents, Organizer, Index

This is a charming little book. I do like little things. There’s no lack of content here though as this is a fully filled cookbook.

Very cute dog photo on the cover and an inside page too!, along with other photos and a great layout. The print is small but not too tiny for most users, and just the right size given the size of the book.

There are many, many recipes that look enticing. I’m not listing any, partly because there are too many I’d want to mention and partly because the majority have appeared in the author’s other cookbooks, all but the “new” icon ones; there are actually quite a few of those. So many of the included recipes look really delicious and they will all work for novice cooks.

This is an excellent cookbook for anyone who likes vegan cookbooks, appreciates easy to make meals, and it’s particularly useful to own for those who have limited space and those who plan to bring a cookbook on their travels too. I read a library copy but I’m tempted to buy a copy for myself. This is not an inexpensive book though and if I do buy this, I think I’d look for a used copy or make use of Amazon’s (or other stores’) hefty discounts rather than buying at an independent store as I often try to do; I can’t see paying full price for this given my current budgetary constraints.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful for vegans on the road, and the book just looks fun. I'm a sucker for good book design. :-)

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sarah Kramer, vegan superstar, returns to the vegan cookbook scene with this palm-sized volume meant to aid the vegan traveler wherever they wander. There is an of assumed punk/indie cred for the intended audience of the book, and many recipes rely on access to some kitchen wares & appliances, like if you were staying with friends or fam. If you travel without a kitchen (hotel / camping) some of the recipes can be made before, and sealed in containers to hit the road with you. There are some of S.K.'s travel stories, and a section for writing addresses and phone numbers and directions in the back. Most of the recipes could be made with ingredients found in grocery stores in medium-sized cities.


My complaints are the same as with Kramer's other books. How can you write a cookbook without a single photo of food? I will never understand. There are lots of cute, stylish shots of Sarah Kramer, and her personality really shines through, but there are no photos of food. I'm not exaggerating.


Many of the recipes are recycled from previous cookbooks -- I feel two ways about this. First, many of the Garden of Vegan/How it all Vegan/Living La Dolce Vegan favorites are here. This can be great if your faves are neatly bound into a travel-sized volume. However, your favorites may have ended up on the cutting room floor. You may have been previous disappointed with the recipes from this series, and hoping for new ideas. You are mostly out of luck. There are SOME new recipes, in fairness, but it reads mostly like a "Greatest Hits of the Road" album.


And finally, some of us vegans are looking toward forward-thinking recipes with reduced dependence on soy/tofu, nutritional yeast, and other vegan staples that make food "taste vegan." Vegan Go-Go does not go far towards that goal. Glad I got it from the library first!

[Lacemaking Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book as a young vegan way back when

I loved in my parents' home and the house was always a mess. Tired of being blamed for their constant mess, I bought a mini fridge, hotplate, microwave, and rice cooker and started preparing all my food in my bedroom, the only step I needed the kitchen for was washing things, and I even took my dishes into my bedroom to dry. I thought a recipe book like this would be helpful.
This book is perfect if you travel in a camper or pay extra for hotels with ovens. It's not a great option for those traveling on a shoestring budget or living in a dorm.

[Aldene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in college and remembered it being a good book but now nine years later not so much. Lucky we have so many options for awesome Vegan cook books. I wanted to love this but some books are better in memory.

[JBuckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a handy little travel book with a whole lot of info for vegans and vegetarians wherever we go!

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim little volume really surprised me. I forget why I first placed a library hold for it, but when it came in, I picked it up hoping for ideas on gluten-free foods I could keep easily at the office or when I'm out running errands. What? Don't I know the difference between gluten-free and vegan? Yes. But I try to limit my meat and dairy even if I'm not 100% vegetarian or vegan. When I'm out and about I don't want to schlep dairy products around if I don't have to.

I was concerned when I first started reading this very tiny slim volume and unsure if it was worth it. I'm really happy I gave it a full go and made it past the first section. If the reader is familiar with Kramer's previous work, I believe you wouldn't be surprised by the narrative at the start. I guess because it's so small I wasn't expected anything like that in the first 35 pages and wasn't in the frame of mind to accept it. Is it bad? Well, the story doesn't make for light reading, but it does draw you into Kramer's life...

What made me realize this was a book I want to learn the magics of and often tuck into my bag? I draft my book reviews on 3x5 cards and make notes as to what page numbers I want to refer to again, be it a knit/sew pattern or a recipe. When I finished the front side of Vegan Go-Go's index card with my tiny writing and looked back at the page numbers I had written down, I realized that most every number was marked and starred.

This tiny book will tempt you as it is stuffed with recipes such as fettuccini alfredo over zucchini pasta (gluten free!), cauliflower lentil soup, and tofu egg salad?

I'm hungry just writing this...

[Amy M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of this book. Traveling as a vegan can be difficult without pre-planning. The travel tips in the beginning were solid. However, I was disappointed with the recipe section. Many of the recipes are rehashed from previous books. The majority seem to be only appropriate if you are staying someplace with a stocked kitchen.
I guess the main reason I rated this book so low is because I was expecting something different. More traveling advice on how to stay a vegan while traveling - especially traveling abroad. I wanted more recipes that were safe for travel (not things containing vegan mayonnaise or pie). Also I was hoping for more simplified recipes that were made from ingredients found anywhere that don't require a stove.

[Richard Van Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book saved us many times in the Eastern Arctic when we were cooking for students who were Vegan and those students who wanted to eat better. What I return to time and time again is Sarah's intro essay about being robbed at gunpoint when she was younger and how this terrifying night actually set her free from so many fears. Please read it.

These recipes are fun, easily explained and the design of the book makes you feel like you're holding a Saturday night party in your hands.

This book is a joy to read and we return to it time and time again.

Bravo, Sarah, and Bravo, Arsenal Pulp Press!!!

[Susan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pocket-sized book is perfect to take with you on your travels. Kramer begins with stories about her own travel experiences, then offers some trip tips (food, personal safety, avoiding jet lag, etc.) before moving on to recipes that are easy to make on the road. Since many of them require access to a kitchen, it can be limiting if you are hoteling it. She acknowledges this and recommends staying in efficiency suites or renting a cottage-type lodging.

I'd say even if you're not traveling, the recipes are handy for those who want to make something healthy without requiring a lot of effort or unusual ingredients.

[Rachael Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very cute and I would recommend it. I love Sarah Kramer. This book however, unlike her others, seemed very impractical to me. I guess the trips I feel I need help with preparing are not the ones described in the book. There are a lot more hard to find ingredients in these recipes than her others. I found her general advice on traveling helpful, but I don't think I'll ever really use the recipes.

[September Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cute book and makes a nice gift for a vegan friends. There are some useful travel tips and a few recipe ideas. These are useful if you are staying somewhere with a kitchenette. The appeal of the book is in the fun format I think much more than the actual content.

[Melinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't a travel cookbook. The recipes in this book all need a kitchen with pots and pans in order to cook. I thought it was a cookbook that had recipes of things that could be made ahead of time or with the limited prep while traveling.

[S.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tofu jerky recipe is my only ear-marked page in this so far (and I've made it many times because it's amazing). The bulk of this book is mostly impractical, but there are a few quick and pre-make ideas that seem alright.

[Arsenal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not my review, but an interview with Sarah on the online crafy website, Snippets.

http://tinyurl.com/5lknmm

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute with great recipes. I only wish there was more info on what to do when faced with only fast food choices. There was some, but I wanted more.

[Eli Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome awesome awesome awesome. now i just need to go on a road trip and test it out.
love love love sarah kramer.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great recipes in here although the travel advice was pretty general.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with some delicious recipes which are usually so simple and quick! Just a few too many ingredients that are difficult to get hold of where I live.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book, with varying levels of recipes, simple to advanced. I forgot to bring it with me to the UK and I regretted it so much I almost bought a second copy!!!

[Brooke]

I love Sarah Kramer! I can't wait to read her latest book.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book and I particularly liked the introduction and bio details and the first part on being a vegan frequent traveler. I am a terribly uninspired cook so i always hope to be inspired by easy recipes but i fail constantly. This book has some amazing recipes - if only someone would make them for me.