Vegan Family Meals

Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone by Ann Gentry

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: June 14, 2011
Hardcover: 272 pages
Price: $25.00

Back in October, my family's diet became mostly vegan. I am always on the lookout for new recipes as the change in lifestyle hasn't always been easy. I find the hardest part is that I run out of ideas quickly! I was excited to download this book from netGalley, and I have spent the last few months reading all the recipes.

Ann Gentry owns and operates a Los Angeles vegan restaurant called Real Food Daily. She certainly knows what she is doing and most of the recipes sound delicious. I thought she did a really great job in the sections where she discusses different types of milk substitutes, flours, fruits and vegetables, and describes the tenants of veganism. I think this would especially appeal to those just starting out as vegans.

The photographs in this book are amazing. The food looks gorgeous and the layout of this cookbook is really appealing. However, my major problem with this cookbook is that many of the recipes are very time-intensive and I was intimidated by some of the ingredients she uses. She favors Asian-style recipes with ingredients that I had never heard of and some are only found in specialty Asian markets. For those reasons, I didn't find this book especially useful for a busy mom-on-the-go who is looking to make quick and healthy meals for the family using ingredients on hand.

Source: e-copy provided by netGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for review purposes.