Vegan Bowls: Perfect Flavor Harmony in Cozy One-Bowl Meals Paperback – September 15, 2015

Rarely do I have such success with EVERY thing I make out of a cookbook. And, I have so many cookbooks (mostly Vegan) - over 400 - that only a select few ever get used for more than a couple of recipes. (Note: when a woman with over 400 cookbooks tells you that this one is something special, you should sit up and take note! :) )But THIS book I've only had for a couple weeks and already I've made six things from it.Ok, let's just start with the cons, right off the bat, because there aren't many. I guess, technically, based on these, my rating would be 4 1/2 stars (only because, if we are being brutally honest, it sort of sells itself as a cookbook of weeknight meals, many of which take less than 30 minutes, and I have found that to be anything but accurate).1. In a perfect world, there would be a picture of EVERY recipe. There are many photos but I'd love to have one for every recipe.2. There may be a few recipes in here that are quick (30 minutes or less), but I've not come across any yet. Everything I've made has taken between one and two hours.3. Coupled with No. 2 above, the "easiest" of the ones I've made only involved two cutting boards, two bowls and two pans! Others involved much more. So, don't expect that your kitchen will be anything other than a giant mess at the end of dinner prep. But, the recipes have been good enough that I haven't cared. However, I don't have children under foot; for a family with young kids, I'd say that these recipes are NOT practical for everyday. Even for me they aren't always practical because I don't always have 1 1/2 hours to dedicate to dinner prep.On to the good stuff:EVERYTHING I've made, so far, has been really good to great! I would have served any of these dishes to company - and probably will in the future, at some point.I love that this book has such unique, eclectic, international dishes.This is what I've made so far:1. Mushroom Larb. This was the most time consuming and mess-makingest of the dishes I've made so far (it involved a lot of chopping). But I made it twice within a week, so you know it was good!2. Solet - this called for pearled farro but, since it said that barley was traditional, I used hulled barley, soaked overnight, and used extra liquid in the dish to compensate. This was SO good. At first I thought it was just gonna be so-so but it turned out to be a HUGE hit with hubby. The pickle garnish is a MUST! And, this tasted even better as leftovers. I mean it was GREAT cold, that's how good it was!!3. Jalapeno BBQ Tempeh Bowl with Grits - I used poblano here instead of jalapeno because I'm not a huge fan of the jalapeno flavor but, with the substitute, it was very tasty. I'm not even a fan of sweeter bbq sauces like this one but, even still, it was so very good (and filling!).4. Lemongrass, Bok Choy and Tofu Bowl - made this because I still had some leftover nappa cabbage (an option instead of the bok choy) from the Larb. This was SOOOO excellent! My hubby isn't a huge fan of tofu (he'll eat it but he would choose many other things first) but he (and I) agreed that this tofu was fantastic. The flavors were subtle but yummy. The straining of the sauce was a bit of a wrist breaker (because it was so thick) but it wound up being worth it :)5. Reuben Mac and Cheese Bowl - another, "seems straightforward but really packed a flavor punch" dish!6. Two-Bean Salad Bowl with Quinoa and Pesto Dressing - WOW! Just made this tonight! Here I was thinking it was just gonna be a simple salad with some basil punch to it. Oh my, this was such a complex-flavored salad and is totally company-worthy!I almost don't want to use any other book until I've tried everything in this one!! I love finding a book that can be relied upon to turn out great dishes, consistently. Yes, I've tweaked some of the dishes, here and there, but, compared to how much I tweak (overhaul) most other recipes, the adjustments were pretty minor.If you want a book for speedy Gonzales dinners, look elsewhere. But, if you are willing to put a little time in the kitchen, juggling a few different pans, making a mess, chopping a fair amount, in return for a solidly good meal that you could serve to company (and impress them!), then get this book!UPDATE: More Dishes I've Made from this Book:1. Mushroom Carbonara Bowl - This was very tasty, although I seasoned the mushrooms more heavily than it called for. And, next time, I'll probably add a little nooch to the sauce. I also added more wine to the veggies than it called for. And, I think next time I would add a little liquid smoke to the mushrooms as well.Note: the Indian black salt (kala namak) shouldn't be considered optional. It is pretty critical, in my opinion.2.Lemon-Caper Cannellini Couscous Bowl - YUM! I added a little extra wine to the saute, I believe. And, I added extra lemon juice and a couple drops of lemon oil to the sauce because I didn't have preserved lemons and, last minute, I didn't want to run to the store for them.I probably added a little extra chard and I KNOW I added extra parsley because I like to go heavy on the greens.This was so tasty. I just know it would have been tastier with the preserved lemons.Just thinking about it makes me want to make this again, very soon.3. Sausage-Style Tofu Bowl with Squash and Potatoes- the vegetables with the marinade were EXCELLENT! The Tofu was ok. Here's the thing, tofu that doesn't get marinated for a long time or fried and tossed in a sauce or some other strong treatment winds up just tasting like... TOFU. The marinade was yummy (although, I think making a little extra would be helpful so one could be a little more generous with it) but I think marinating the tofu OVERNIGHT would have vastly improved the taste. As it is, once you got to the middle of the tofu (and I sliced it more thinly than called for), it just tasted like plain tofu.4. Senate Bean Soup Bowl - Just made this and it has been met with rave reviews. Hubby (a meat eater) LOVED it! I was generous with my smoked paprika (used bourbon smoked paprika). I didn't have any sherry vinegar on hand (thought I did) so I added a dash of sherry and a little champagne vinegar. Also added a few faux bacon bits, some bacon salt and a few drops of cholula hot sauce. Mostly because I can rarely leave well enough alone :)5. Hungarian Cauliflower Soup Bowl - Hubby went nuts over this. I confess that I'm sort of apathetic about cauliflower. I can take it or leave it. Don't hate it but don't go out of my way to eat it. On the other hand, hubby loves it so I've decided to try to incorporate it more in our meals just to make him happy. Oh my stars! He loved this soup. I loved it too!! We were practically fighting over the last bowl. LOLAs per almost always, the soup was even better the next day. Shoot, this stuff was so good i even ate a little cold one time :)The only change that I remember making is adding an extra splash or two of vinegar. I probably added a little extra veggies and maybe more paprika.6. Congee Bowl - This is one of those things that you expect to be just kinda plain but hearty. But oh my we loved it! It was just starting to get cooler when I made this for dinner (not breakfast). Oh my goodness, this will definitely be going into the rotation.I used ALL of the broth to add back to the congee. I was generous with the ginger in the broth, because we love ginger.I'd say, don't add SLICED raw ginger to the top. I added minced raw ginger and that was bite enough. Also, next time, I'll probably make extra tempeh and garlic slices because those were really the shining stars, as far as the toppings were concerned.

I just love the bowl concept, and the book itself is lovely. I'm really happy to see publishers investing in bigger color budgets for vegan cookbooks. There are plenty of pretty pictures - if you randomly open the book, and you don't see a photo, there will be one on the next page (I tested this statement extensively!). I'm happy with the index too. It lists recipes by name but also by most ingredients. The author wrote in her blog that she was aiming for 30-minute recipes, and while a few of the things I made took more like 40-45, i made most of them in around a half hour, and I think I could get the time down if I made something a couple of times. Similar to my experience with other "quick-fix" books, really. While there are a few international ingredients for some recipes, most ingredients are available in any grocery store. The book ends with a neat table on how to mix and match recipe components for even more combinations of Asian-, European-, and Latin-inspired bowls. But there are lots of recipes I want to make so it will be a while before I make use of this. So far, I've tried 20 recipes and loved 19 of them.Here's are two reviewed recipes from each chapter:Grains:Spicy Ginger Polenta Bowl with Bok Choy and Chickpeas: I knew I would love this. Great flavors in the polenta. Love the stir-fried chickpeas with their little bit of crispiness. I don't love bok choy, but I really liked it in this, so that's saying something. And this was an easy <30-minute recipe.Freekeh Stir-fry Bowl with Broccoli and Shiitake: How I love freekeh, but rice or barley would be fine if you find it hard to get. This is a great bowl and really quick to make - easily under 30 minutes. I know I'll make this again.Sautéed:Roman-Style Tempeh Bowl with Kale and Apple Salad: One caveat, my sweet potatoes needed twice as long to cook as the recommended time (it could be I don't know what half-inch dice looks like). The kale salad is a bit tart, and the tempeh + veg concoction is a bit sweet, so the assembled bowl is a nice sweet-and-sour combination.Chickpea Brasoi Bowl: This was good too, but the spices in the sauce rely on garlic and paprika, and I the first time I made it I screwed this up by using paprika that turned out to be old, so it didn't add much flavor. I found Hungarian paprika and tried the sauce again, and this time it was really special. (Don't make this with paprika that's been lurking in the back of your spice shelf for years.)Pasta:Indonesian Stir-Fried Noodle Bowl: I bought shredded cabbage in a bag, so the only thing I had to cut was the broccoli and this was another <30 minute recipe. I probably have stir-fry sauces I like better; your mileage may vary. Out of 20 recipes that I tried, this was the only one that was just so-so. (And oddly enough, this was the recipe I bought the book for after seeing a beautiful photo of it on the author's blog.)Spinach Pesto Pasta Bowl with Roasted Vegetables: Pesto over roasted cauliflower (et al.). Need I say more? Unlike most recipes in the book, this was intended to serve 6 instead of 4, so I halved the amount of pasta called for, but made the whole recipe for the pesto and veggies. I like my pasta to be well covered in sauce, so I thought it came out just right this way for me. And still made a ton!Grilled:Sausage-Style Tofu Bowl with Squash and Potatoes: This didn't really remind me of sausage, but if I can change the recipe name to Two-Potato Bowl with Brussels and a Kick, I'm in! I did like it, and it's quick and easy. I got it done in <30 minutes from start to finish.Tempeh Bowl with Fennel Sofrito and Sweet Potato Mofongo: This had more fennel in it than I've ever eaten in one dish! I usually use fennel as kind of an accent rather than the highlighted vegetable. It's great in this, though. The mofongo is the highlight of the dish. I never grilled potatoes before mashing before. Love this stuff!Salad:Spinach Salad Bowl with Warm Pecan Dressing: I liked this a lot. The dressing has a subtle pecan-orange flavor that contrasts nicely with the little zip in the fennel. Quick to make, too.Buffalo Chickpea Salad Bowl: I love chili, but with a half-cup of hot sauce in the chickpeas, I thought this might be too hot. But, no, once it's tossed with the salad and croutons, the beans are spread out enough that it was just right. Yeah, it's buffalo sauce, but that's what I was looking for. The dressing recipe comes out thick and fluffy.Soup:Hungarian Cauliflower Soup Bowl - Loved it! I will be making this one over and over again, and it might be my favorite recipe so far. Again, if freekeh is hard to find, barley would work fine.Everyday Dal with Potato Cakes: This was a little more of an ordeal. It involved more dishes than most of these recipes because you have the tempering spices, the lentils, potatoes boiling, then potatoes frying. And the two-step potato thing made it all take a little longer. I WILL be making the potato cakes again, though! They're so good! I served the dal in a wide shallow bowl, so I could put the potato cakes on top and they wouldn't sink. Loved, loved, loved this.Breakfast:Cinnamon Toast Oatmeal: Good! Love the crunch of the streusel topping. This is fast too: make the streusel while the oven heats, bake the streusel while the oats cook. Done.Quinoa Breakfast Bowl with Orange, Pear, and Cardamom: Yeah, I liked this! It's so easy to chuck in some whole cardamom pods and some orange peel and end up with subtly flavored quinoa. With the fruit and nuts, there's plenty of texture.

I am happy to have this cookbook. Thus far, I have made four dishes: mushroom carbonara, which I would rate as an A+; lemon grass bok choy and tofu bowl, which I would give an A- to; spicy ginger polenta, also A-; and hungarian cauliflower soup bowl, which for me was a B-. I look forward to trying all the other dishes, and the mushroom carbonara ALONE is worth the price of the cookbook. I did have a lot of trouble with the lemon grass bok choy dish. She says to add the lemongrass broth and miso to the blender after cooking, so I strained the lemon grass and added the broth. Later on, she says to strain the blended sauce into the blender using a fine mesh strainer. There was nothing to blend, so I added the lemon grass mixture to the sauce. But then when I blended it, there was nothing to strain, as it all blended into the sauce. So I am really confused about this and would love some clarity from someone. Anyway, my husband loved it, and I liked it quite a bit. The sauce did have more pizazz once I added the sauteed lemongrass mixture into it, but I am still quite confused about the straining part. And someone online said the straining was difficult. Anyway, long story short, I look forward to trying more recipes and would love to add that fifth star.

I absolutely love this cookbook! I've made the Tapenade Panzanella Bowl 4 times since I got the book and it's fantastic! The Hungarian Cauliflower Soup was delicious and very different from anything we've tried before. We loved the Quinoa Breakfast bowl, tho I substituted an apple in place of the pear. Last night I made the Irish Stew (skipping the horseradish which I didn't have on hand and I forgot to put in the mustard) and I know I'll make this recipe again and again. I'm eager to try more of the recipes in this wonderful cookbook.