5 comments about Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Great Vegan Food for Special and Everyday Celebrations.

1. I completely enjoy using this cookbook to discover new vegan recipes and learn new ways of looking at time tested ones. The recipes are generally very simple, easy-to-follow and very tasty.
   
   My only wish is that she included more photos. Otherwise, it's a great cookbook for vegans and the folks who love them. I highly recommend it.



2. While I am not a vegan, I do dabble in vegan/vegetarian cooking. So far this cookbook has blown me away! The ingredients are focused on healthy fats and sugars and, of course, the emphasis on whole grains and organic veggies, which is really key for me. The Supercharge Me! cookies are mouth watering! They passed the "kid test" at home and with 2.5 grams of fiber per cookie, no proccessed sugar and loads of whole grain, passed the mom test also. :) Thank you Dreena for creating easy and delicious recipes!



3. I love dreena burton! She is so creative in the ingredients she uses and the dishes she creates. She has a lot of options with each recipe so you can keep your diet varied. I have only tried a few recipes, but the ones i have are great: several types of hummus, cashew-banana ice cream, and the maple pecan blondies.



4. This book has a little of everything-- appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes, desserts and drinks. I love how it's organized, and I have had great success with many of the recipes.
   
   The absolute best recipe in this book are the Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. You need to buy this book for that recipe because they are SO GOOD!



5. Though I appreciate her effort to label each recipe, when appropriate, "wheat free," these wheat free recipes generally use spelt as a replacement. Though it is correct that spelt is not wheat, spelt does contain gluten, so these recipes, while more appropriate for those with a wheat intolerance, would not be appropriate for someone with Celiac disease.
   
   I used her first cookbook quite a lot before needing to stop eating gluten because her muffin recipes, especially, were excellent. Admittedly, I haven't had much luck trying many recipes in this cookbook because of needing gluten-free recipes (not just wheat free) but I think this would be a good buy for vegans without other restrictions.

5 comments about The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever.

1. Great recipes for homemade ice cream, and easy to follow instructions. Definitely a MUST have in your home. Even if you only use this book a few times, it's well worth the purchase. However, you'll probably use it over and over again, because there's so many good recipes you'll want to try. Definitely worth the buy!



2. To alleviate a bit of concern written in prior reviews, pasteurized fresh eggs are now available in the market.



3. I purchased this to go with the ice cream maker I got for my fiance for Christmas. He loves it! There are a lot of awesome recipes in it and it is actually fun to read - a rarity for a cookbook.



4. I bought three Ice Cream/ Gelato/ Sorbet books from Amazon. This one was by far the best. Some really interesting recipes.



5. Just got this book, and while it does seem to have an ample supply of different recepies (and all that contain raw eggs do have you cook them into a custard, unlike the Ben & Jerry's cookbook), none of them contain any nutritional information. I purchased this book along with my Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker, and I guess the recepies included with the instruction manual (there are quite a few, all with nutritional info) spoiled me. I suppose if you're making ice cream the last thing you might care about is calorie, fat, cholesterol, etc. details. But for me, I am so conditioned to tracking the nutritional info of the food I am ingesting (even ice cream!) and I am so used to this info always being readily accessible, that I returned this book. It seems this content would have been a minor addition and I feel it was a big mistake for the author not to provide it.

5 comments about Crazy About Cupcakes.

1. I bought this book based on the positive reviews and was disappointed. The pictures include sloppy looking decorations that appear to be done by a child instead of a professional baker - so consequesntly they were not that enticing to me. I have other cupcakes books that offer are more polished presentation. I made the carrot cake cupcakes and found them to lack flavor - they were not light and cake-like and were somewhat bland. One major drawback - and my biggest complant about this book is that the recipes do not have an amount or expected yield - how frustrating to make a batch of cupcakes and only get 12! You'll be much happier picking another cupcake book - either Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor or Cupcakes!



2. I was looking forward to receiving this book and must say that I have been satisfied with my purchase. So far, the recipes are tasty but the decorating instructions are quite vague. I also don't like that the recipe and decorating instructions are not alongside the picture. (You need to find the picture within like 15 pages of the book or use the index) But overall, very nice book.



3. I am on a cupcake kick right now; I love making them for my kids' schools, and for my family and friends. This book has so many great recipes it was hard to pick which one to make first. But I opted for the Pina Colada cupcakes, and they were absolutely delicious. This is the first time I made cupcakes from scratch, and it's a huge difference in taste and texture.
   
   I highly recommend this book if you love to bake.



4. the pics are very inspirational. tried 2 of the cupcake recipes - white & kahlua. they turned out beauitful... light & fluffy. haven't tried the other recipes though. but after trying the 2, am convinced tt the rest will be equally good. the only set-back - most recipes listed are not for the tight-budget minded.



5. I recently purchased this book from Amazon and I'm LOVING it! There are a lot of recipes for cupcakes, frosting, you name it! A great book for a cupcakes lover like myself.

5 comments about 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love.

1. Can't say I use this one too much. Most recipes seem bland. Yes, I know Atkins/Low Carb can be bland but...just didn't keep me interested.



2. LOVE IT. SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR MY HUSBAND AND 14 YEAR OLD SON TO USE AND NOT MESS IT UP. GREAT TASTING.



3. Sorry.. but very disappointed In the use of Artificial Sweeteners in so many of the recipes.. especially the deserts.. In a healthier world we should be getting away from the chemicals.. It's only a matter of time till we find out what the latest man made sweetener is doing to our bodies.. I wish the author would have used another ingredient..



4. When the low-carb craze was hot, I jumped on the bandwagon. It was easy then...low-carb products filled the store shelves. There were bars, shakes, candy, low-carb meals, and low-carb selections at almost every restaurant! I lost lots of weight and felt better than I had in years! But, suddenly, it all went away and I was forced go it alone! I struggled, going back and forth between low-fat and low-carb. I had almost given up completely when I found this book accidentally online. This book has truly made the low-carb lifestyle easy for me AND kept it interesting. There are enough simple, rich, delightful recipes in this book for one to NEVER go back to low fat. My favorite is Burger Scramble Florentine, a delicious one-skillet meal made with real cream cheese. I use ground chicken, which is even tastier than ground meat! I plan our family's meals out of this book every week. You've GOT to own this one (and "500 More Low Carb Recipes") to stay on low carb. Thanks to Dana Carpender! I can't wait for the next one!



5. Dana Carpender knows what it's like to live a low carb life, she's not a nutritionist just going by the numbers. It's obvious she likes to eat, loves food and likes variety. The ethnic recipes are a taste treat and worth it even if I have difficulty finding some of the ingredients.
   
   Her section on Ingredients You Need To Know About should be in all low carb cookbooks. Finally, I know the secret of what guar and xanthan gums are, and the difference between soy flour and soy powder and soy protein isolate. It's not likely I'll use any of these but now that I know what they are, I know how to substitute for them and I understand what they're doing in any low carb products I buy. This book and her 200 Low Carb Slow Cooker Recipes book are essential for anyone forced to live on a low carb diet.
   
   I checked both books out of the library and kept them until mine arrived from Amazon. Dana Carpender's two books are the best low carb books I have even nudging out George Stella.

5 comments about The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets.

1. I have made at least 10 of the recipes in this book from the pancakes to the chocolate cake, apple cobbler, blueberry cobbler, and my husband even made the baklava. I usually make these for dinner parties and people are always raving at how great they are. When I tell them it's from my Vegan cookbook they don't believe me. Seriously. I haven't made a bad recipe yet! I've made the chocolate chip cookies 3 or 4 times...Great cookbook.



2. I want to start out by saying that I really do enjoy this cookbook, and I use it often, however I believe that is because it is one of the only dedicated vegan baking books out there at the moment.
   
   I was very excited when this came out and I was able to purchase it. It has a wide range of recipes that also includes breads and ethnic treats. Here is the slight problem I have with it. Nearly every recipe requires the use of Egg Replacer, Vegan margarine, regular sugar, and basic all purpose flower. Although in the beginning of the book I believe it talks about the use of substitutes for these items, it doesn't really give many examples of it. In some recipes it uses large quantities of vegan margarine. Basically you can take any non-vegan recipe, look at it and substitute milk for soymilk, butter for vegan margarine and eggs with egg replacer. It does not make the recipes unique, it does not give them much more thought, it doesn't really show off what vegan baking can be in its creativity and health benefits.
   
   Until a better vegan baking book comes out, it is worth the purchase. You can always try your hand at playing around with the recipe ingredients.



3. how delicious! i've been baking out of this book for a few months now, so i can honestly say its recipes are excellent. I've been wowing vegans and non-vegans alike since my first attempt (the fudge) straight through my most recent (the cinnamon coffee cake). In fact, I've had to buy two extra copies because I was getting tired of being asked for the recipes and will give the book instead.



4. This book has a lot of great familiar desserts that most people will not know are vegan. It includes one of the easiest and most delicious chocolate cake recipes I've seen, and chocolate chip cookies that are fabulous. A lot of great frosting recipes too that can go with anything and be modified in many ways. This book is essential for vegans who love classic desserts and want to impress their friends.



5. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It has made my transition to a vegan diet easier and I refer to it often. Not only is it full of great recipes (and I have tried several), but there are also tons of useful tips throughout the book. Definitely worth the investment!

5 comments about Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule.

1. I've only tried some of the more simple recipes in the book so far. They came out delicious. I've brought them to work, and my co-workers raved. And the best part...they're vegan!



2. It's a lovely book and will be a useful guide in getting the dairy out of baked goods, but I have to say I'm a bit stunned that a vegan cookbook is so full of white flour and white sugar. There are just so many healthier sweeteners and flours to use that I can't imagine why the recipes weren't developed to be really healthy instead of simply dairy free.



3. My daughter has an egg and dairy allergy. It finally dawned on me to look at vegan recipes to find a way to make an edible dessert for her. These cupcakes are very easy and taste wonderful. You would never know there is no egg or dairy. I have tried the vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter ones. The peanut butter cupcakes were the best ones I have ever had, vegan or not. I highly recommend this book.



4. I am not a vegan, and am not easily excited about vegan baked goods. However I do have a best friend who is a committed vegan and who very much is excited by vegan baked goods. When I purchased this book for her as a birthday gift, she was beyond thrilled. I guess she had another vegan cookbook by this same author, and had already fallen in love with her recipes. (Who knew?)
   She later made chocolate-strawberry-something cupcakes from this book, and when I tasted them, they really weren't half bad. If you didn't really think about it, you almost couldn't tell that they were vegan. If all vegan baked goods tasted like these cupcakes, maybe vegan cupcakes really could take over the world.
   As she told me, "This book is as good as it gets!"



5. From the organizer of the first and second annual Santa Barbara vegan bake off:
   
   I like to try lots of different baking books--vegan and non-vegan alike.
   
   I was sitting down tonight with my King Arthur Baker's Companion (amazing but each recipe has at least a stick of butter in it) and even leafed through How it All Vegan (their choc chip recipe is pretty good) before I remembered I had picked up this little book. The book is well written and fun to look through. Perfect for those nights when you just want to make something fun after dinner without having to prepare with a ton of ingredients in advance.
   
   I chose a red velvet cupcake recipe and a vegan cream cheese frosting.
   
   What can I say, my boyfriend has already eaten half the batch so I must say it was a success!

5 comments about Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments.

1. Very disappointing. I had great hopes in view of all the positive reviews, but in reality there are few original recipes -- just variations on recipes easily found elsewhere. I strongly recommend Chez Panisse Desserts instead. The CPD book is mostly about ice creams, but has many more interesting ideas.
   
   Lebowitz's basic formula (cf. Vanilla Ice Cream) is 28% buttercream fat (2 cups heavy cream + 1 cup milk) + 6 yolks, although most of the time he uses just 5 yolks and practically never adds any alcohol. CPD is 30% fat base (2 C cream + 1 C half/half) + 6 yolks and some alcohol most of the time. Madeleine Kamman in her book In Madeleine's Kitchen recommends 20% fat base (light cream) + 9 yolks (for 3 cups) and has some alcohol in all recipes.
   
   Bottom line is that Lebowitz's ice creams tend to freeze harder and feel less rich and smooth. IMHO, you should always experiment with the basic recipe to find the right percentage butterfat and the right number of yolks for your taste. In any case, a small amount of alcohol improves texture and flavor -- check CPD for great combinations.
   
   The book has great photos -- CPD has none. I should learn to discount by at least one star the average rating for any cookbook with great photos :-),



2. I love this book!!! All of the recipies sound so delicious and I can not wait to try more. So far I've made Pear Sorbet and Strawberry Yogurt. Both were delicious and very simple to make. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making their own Ice Cream.



3. The main reason for an ice cream/frozen yogurt maker was to control ingrediants. I have allergies (even milk) and am trying to control saturated fat. Not only do recipes not give nutritional information, it seems all ice creams use 2 cups of heavy cream for 1 1/2 qt. recipes. They may taste good but at the cost of health. The brief booklet with recipes that came with my appliance is much more healthful and realistic. This is not a modern cookbook and seems oblivious to current dietary guidelines.



4. With lots of big photos, creative recipes, and detailed tips on ingredients and techniques, David Lebovitz's book is a winner. Not only are the ice cream and sorbet recipes to-die for, it also has suggestions for sauces, cookies, and other great companions to help you savor your homemade frozen treats.



5. Great recipes, nice background. Great variations on the Chez Panisse recipes, which until now I thought were the best out there.

5 comments about Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine).

1. I originally ordered this on March 20 from globalbooks2000 through your web site, paid for on my Amazon credit card and never received.
   
   Although I love this book and it came promptly the second time, it had to be ordered twice. I have sent emails to you and globalbooks2000 but never been acknowledged.
   
   I am now going to report this to Visa.



2. Fun to make, unusual and unique cookies for everyone..not to mention..
   Die and Go to Heaven GOOD!!!



3. This is a wonderful cookie book. The recipes are clear and diverse, with so many choices and yet nothing so bizarre as to make you think it shouldn't have been included. There are also some unique & new cookies (well they are to me, at least), like the stained glass christmas trees, and the little umbrella-shaped lemon cookies. Cute, and clever ideas.
   The format is lovely, with lots of beautiful photographs for all the cookies.
   Hats off to Martha, she is a perfectionist and it shows in her work. There is no great baking expertise required, but some of the recipes are more complicated and/or challenging than others. (I offer that opinion as someone who is not really a great baker or one who particularly enjoys baking.) I would think that anyone who likes cookies would appreciate this book!



4. Book is a great "read" - interesting - recipe for crispy choc. chip and soft choc.chip cookies. Made the cover recipe - and loved the taste.
   I like how Martha - makes it appear that one can make the cookies by hand...yeah right.
   
   Anyway - great book and a fun one too.



5. Aside from very good recipes, I particularly like a section in the front where you'll find a photo of each cookie. They are listed by type, i.e. cripy, chewy, etc. It makes it very easy to select a recipe by texture or ingredients. My only regret is that the book is not hardcover, my personal preference for all cookbooks.

5 comments about Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

1. I have a number of ice cream recipe books, and I also have my mother's custard-style ice cream recipe from way back. While I love custard-style ice cream, it is a lot of work, and sometimes I just want to throw together some ingredients and toss them into my MUSSO LUSSINO 4080 (the best ice cream maker there is for the home). That's where this cookbook shines. The recipes are great, and very fast.
   
   One caution: Most of the recipes use raw eggs. I personally don't care, since I buy only locally produced, organic eggs from free-range, non-debeaked chickens. I figure that how happy any animal is, whether human or beast, makes a huge difference in its health, and so far I have never had any problems.
   
   However, if you have concerns, you can use pasteurized egg products. Or you can use an excellent alternative cookbook, The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, which has many recipes that don't require eggs at all. Just be aware that eggs make a big (positive) difference in taste over recipes that don't use eggs.



2. Initially, I was very excited for this recipe book, but after reading it, I realized that none of the recipes with eggs had you cook them. - just mix the raw eggs and put them in the ice cream maker. No thanks. Don't think I will be able to use any of the base recipes. May use the interesting flavors with different bases from a different cookbook.



3. I have used the book and had good ice cream. I used skim milk and splenda so it is not as cream as I would like but then I am low carbing it. My parents also bought this book and tried making ice cream. Theirs was wonderful from what they said over the phone. Mother used whole milk and real sugar so the extra fat in milk should have made the ice cream a bit softer. The less fat the more like an ice cube while the more fat you use the more creamy it will be. Use whole milk and the heavy cream for softer ice cream. There is no such thing as dietary fat to my knowledge so skim milk will make hard ice cream. Let it sit out a bit before eating and it will be fine.
   
   Overall, this is a good book for making ice cream but not heavy on the technical stuff. As a chemical engineer there is not a lot of detail I don't already know so all I care about is that the ice cream is what I want.
   
   As for cooking eggs... I am not too worried. Buy fresh eggs for your ice cream and I don't see a problem happening. Use old eggs and I expect you will be spending a lot of time sitting on the toilet. Some like slowly heating the egg base to make a custard base some don't care. The eggs are used as a emulsification agent to hold the fat and water together. Use fresh eggs and you should be fine. If not be careful not to make scrambled eggs in the base.



4. Great book, has all of the Ben and Jerrys recipes. But follow exactly. I added extra cream and got the greasy feel in the top of my mouth.



5. Wow! The recipes in this book are not only easy to follow but they taste great too. I double the recipes and made them in my Kitchen Aide Icecream bowl attachment and had no problems. Neighbors loved it in comparision to other people's recipes that were also being served. It has great tips about troubleshooting your icecream and the history of the the flavors and their names is amusing.

5 comments about Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

1. This is a great cookbook! Every recipe I've tried has been great...well, except for the chick peas with BBQ sauce wrapped in kale leaves, which is was not so hot - but I had kale and there's only so much to be done with it - and they get an A + for originality on that front! The way the book is written if hip and clever. Just a warning that grandma might be a wee confused by it! I have made the coffee-chocolate bundt cake - which is so moist and several other desserts which were all well received. I only have a few tiny complaints - one being that the spice amounts are too low - I have doubled the spices in all the recipes I've made and I think the results have been perfect and would have been pretty bland if I'd stuck to the book - but that's nothing unique to just this cookbook. The only other issue is that sometimes the amount of food made is too much and it's hard to anticipate. For instance, I made a lentil stew recipe that made so much that I was eating it every day for a week. Granted it was good, but now I know for sure to cut it in half.



2. Words cannot express how much I love this cookbook. Everything I have made from it has been fantastic. I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian, but this book has inspired me to become a vegan. The food in this book is so great. Even my meat eating husband and my two children love the meals I have made from it. The pasta dishes are our divine! Try the Penne Vodka and the Basil Cilantro Pesto!!
   
   This book is a must for every kitchen!



3. I am a vegetarian who found this book in the store and ended up sitting there for an hour going over all of the great information and recipes! The price in the store was a bit more so I came home and ordered it from Amazon. There are many options for making vegan food. And not just mediocre but just plain delicious! I have even made vegan patties that are great with rice and fresh veggies. It has opened up my kitchen to a new chapter in cooking.



4. Love, love, love it. Easy to follow recipes that are SUPER-impressive. So entertaining at the same time! I'm addicted to the "Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos", I've made it at least 4 times already! Also has great chapters on the BASICS, like how to cook a vegetable and how to get ready for a dinner party. I've already purchased a copy for a friend, can't say enough good things about this book!



5. If your Vegan cookbook collection needs a benchmark book, this is it. If you're new to being a Vegan, this book will save you months of salad boredom. If you're an old timer and you don't have this book, you must live under a tempeh rock somewhere.
   
   Buy this book. Do it now!