Vegetarian Express : Easy, Tasty, and Healthy Menus in 28 Minutes

by Nava Atlas, Lillian Kayte

More than one hundred and eighty recipes for low-fat, nutritious, meatless meals are designed for busy families and single people and include such dishes as Black Bean Tostadas and Indonesian Vegetable Salad. Original. 15,000 first printing.

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

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Nava Atlas is the author and illustrator of many well-known vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including 5-Ingredient Vegan, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many others. Her first book was Vegetariana, now considered a classic in its field. In addition, she has published two books of satire, including Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife. Her latest nonfiction book is The Literary Ladies' Guide to the Writing Life (https://www.literaryladiesguide.com), an exploration of what it means to create a writer's life, through the first-person narratives of twelve classic authors of the past.

Nava is also a visual artist, specializing in limited edition artist’s books and text-driven objects and installations. Her work has been shown nationally in museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces. Her limited edition books are housed in numerous collections of artist’s books, including the special collections libraries of The Museum of Modern Art (NY), National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC), National Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Brooklyn Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and dozens of academic collections. Learn more about Nava’s work at TheVeganAtlas.com and navaatlasart.com.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate the intent behind this book. As someone new to veganism, and not exactly a lover of cooking, it is both encouraging and intimidating to see some of the more elaborate recipes that can be made for the vegan diet. (i.e., The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat) That is, I am excited that the vegan diet need not be bland, but I don't want to run right out and buy a hundred dollars worth of new oils and spices, look through five stores for a particular sea vegetable, or spend my entire Sunday afternoon cooking. So, "Vegan Express" was music to my ears!

So far, I've thoroughly browsed this book and tried a few recipes--a few I liked, one not so much. The only illustrations are some (lovely) full-color photos in the center of the book. Otherwise, it's just one recipe per page. I think it's a nice enough layout and there is a nice variety of ethnic foods and vegan takes on "traditional" favorites. Desserts and sauces are also included.

Perhaps my only complaint is that there is some reliance on convenience foods to add to dishes now and then, and especially on canned foods. I am anti-canned food and so I cook all my beans from scratch, cut up fresh tomatoes, etc. I do realize that I'm a bit of the odd one out here, but I do think some mention should be made that the "healthy" aspect of the food goes out the window if too much canned food is used because ostensibly it looks like you are cooking from scratch but, really, are adding lots of unnecessary sodium (and sometimes sugar and other preservatives) to your food. Still, it's a step up from just buying processed foods/meals and I think this book can help those wanting to make a transition from convenience-vegan foods to more from-scratch meals.

My rating may change as I explore more vegan cookbooks, but as of now I would recommend this to those new to the vegan kitchen or those who feel they don't have enough time to cook vegan from scratch.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this cookbook! The best feature about it is the suggestions for side dishes. Also, this cookbook is 99% stuff you can get at the corner grocery and doesn't rely on faux meats or cheeze to make dishes. I wish Ms. Atlas would make another book in this vein -- I use it at least once a week. The Asian ginger salas dressing and the broccoli salad are worth the cost of the book!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been going nuts with the vegan cookbooks since switching to this lifestyle in June, so I feel like I have explored my fair share. That being said, this particular cookbook is really hit or miss and not one I can recommend. I am extremely comfortable in the kitchen and cook all of the time, but someone who does not spend much time cooking or is new to cooking would become frustrated with this book. The recipes are poorly written, some with missing steps or ingredients in the list that are simply forgotten about. I have had to adjust measurements, cooking times, and recipe steps frequently when preparing recipes - something I often do with cookbooks but this time it was more out of necessity than desire to experiment. The book gave me some new ideas for food prep, but I will not be hanging on to this one.

I have prepared about 20 recipes from the book.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out at the library because a vegan friend was coming to visit. One of my "tests" when I find a cookbook that I think I might want to buy is to randomly open the book to five different pages and see how I feel about using that recipe in my everyday life. Not only did all five pages sound good (very rare experience in "my testing"), I went on to find many more that I wanted to try. All the recipes are quick to make, take a reasonable amount of ingredients, and are enticing enough to make you WANT to make them for dinner. The only negative for some people is that some of the protein ingredients (tofu, tempeh, seitan) are things that you might have to add to your grocery list. Most other ingredients are fairly standard in my refrigerator or pantry shelf. Based on the recipes that I have tried so far, this is probably a good "starter" or "taster" vegan book as the recipes are very enticing. Examples of recipes we've tried include "Gingery Rice with Sweet Potatoes and Peas", "Jerk Spiced Seitan", "Nearly Instant Thai Coconut Corn Soup", and "Tempeh Fries with Horseradish or Wasabi-Dill Mayonnaise". All of the recipes have nutrition calculations per serving and added menu suggestions to fill out a meal. This is a book that I have ordered for my personal library as I am sure I will use it over and over again.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written. Uninspiring. Only a few color photos in the center of the book. Many errors that would be confusing to a new cook. I did like the variety of fruits and vegetables, and her creativity in combining ingredients. It's just that her recipes the way they are written fall flat.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite cookbooks and I come back to it often

[Myra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a vegetarian trying to make more vegan meals, and I own one of Atlas' vegetarian cookbooks and like (not love) it, so I was excited to look at this one. Sadly, I found it totally underwhelming. I only found 5 or maybe 6 recipes that I have any interest in trying, and two of those are recipes for sauces. Too many of the recipes rely on very specific commercial ingredients (e.g Tofurkey sausage or Thai-spice baked tofu (which, despite having access to many Asian groceries I have never seen)), and many of them are just different ingredients mixed into the sauce recipes provided. I also found her reliance on jarred ginger (or fresh, but why bother with jarred when it's so easy to grate) and things like canned lentils (Really?! The easiest bean on the planet to cook) to be so odd for a whole foods cookbook. I definitely don't recommend this book to any aspiring vegan.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook for anyone transitioning into veganism or just trying to eat a healthier diet. The recipes are easy to follow and and don't rely on crazy ingredients that you've never heard of (let alone will be able to find!). The best feature is a checklist for new vegans of "essential items" to keep stocked in your pantry. The only drawback I could find is one that is too common among cookbooks: A poorly written index. If you can get past that, you're golden.

[Berryvox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep in mind that I've only tried one recipe so far from this book. But, after reading it, I love the fact that the ingredients are easy to find. When vegetarian/vegan cookbooks use seitan and other hard-to-find ingredients, it's discouraging. I just don't want to trek all the way down to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes all seemed to be interesting, but they either didn't have enough in them to guarantee I would eat them, or they had some essential ingredient that would linger on my shopping list longer than I would have the book out from the library, then taunt me in the pantry.

[tomlinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gradually expanding
my vegetable vocabulary
I dip into these books
little by little
which is to say Kaizen
or small continuous improvement
Combine this with a tendency
towards minimalism
and I'd say this book
meets all the requirements

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this well-written cookbook, even though I'm not vegan.

[Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty easy recipes and a great chocolate cake.

[Kathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave me a few ideas, and a few good recipes.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I jotted down too many page numbers to photocopy. I think I may have to buy this for my NOOK. It could have used more pictures, though.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of great recipes with easy to find ingredients!

[John Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well put together. You can feel the passion in the authors writing style. Much enjoyed!

[LemontreeLime · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was okay, but not a keeper for me.