Cooking With Trader Joe's Cookbook: Skinny Dish! (Vegan)

Our family has been on a vegan diet for nearly 6 months and we were getting desperate for some good, new recipes. We regularly shop at Trader Joe's and after spotting this book in a shop at list price, I ordered the book from Amazon for about 33% off.What's stunning to me is that EVERY recipe is vegan, yet nowhere does the book claim to be a vegan cookbook!The author is a dietician, and goes through a fairly detailed explanation in the intro on how to use the recipes to introduce a balanced and healthy diet.We have tried about a dozen recipes from the cookbook, including the lasagna (no cheese, but you'd never know), energy bars (tastier than any store bought variety, and ready in 15 mins), 17 bean soup for a crowd (simply amazing), and Chocolate Things (a fabulous cake). So far, every recipe has been a hit with the family, and this includes my teenage son, who used to wince at some of the vegan options we served.Will these recipes make you skinny? I believe they will. Are they healthy, delicious, vegan options that you'll want to make again and again? Emphatic YES!

I was really excited for this book - I had actually purchased it as a gift for my sister and when she started flipping through it in front of me, I thought it looked so great that I had to get a copy for myself. I've tried a few of the recipies so far and they have just come out mediocre. They were not a big hit with my boyfriend. I guess maybe it's because they are low fat/healthy? After a few tries I kind of fizzled out on trying any more of the recipes. The one thing that I did really love is the 5am latte recipe. For me that was worth the price of the book - I make it almost every morning now. I don't have an espresso maker, but I use my keurig on the shortest setting for the coffee base.I guess if you are already eating healthy/low fat and don't miss the flavor of more fattening recipies there are some interesting and different recipes in here. They are not bad, just a bit underwhelming. If it were just for me I would probably try more of the recipes but since I have a hungry man to please, it hasn't really been working out.

I love cooking, I love grocery shopping, I especially love Trader Joe's, and I'm a vegetarian who is always looking for new, healthy and easy recipes. Hence, my 5-star rating for this book. I have the entire "Cooking with Trader Joe's" series, but this is absolutely my favorite because the recipes are both tasty AND healthy (and conveniently veg). Using this cookbook has enabled me to continue to cook great meals for my boyfriend and me on a daily basis, while doing all of my shopping at my favorite store - which is my favorite because you can get quality foods there without wiping out your bank account (unlike Whole Paycheck, which is a fabulous shopping experience until I get to the checkout and see the bottom line...). Although the recipes in the book are all vegan, I would definitely recommend this to anyone - meat-free or meat-eater - who is interested in eating healthier but not spending all of your cash on groceries or all of your free time in the kitchen. Thanks for a great edition to this wonderful series!

I'm a lifelong carnivore, and while working with a nutritonist realized I need to increase my intake of vegetables. I actually love vegetables but never could contemplate making them a mainstay of my diet, so I purchased this book and was delightfully surprised. I could actually eat more vegetables than meat (I've actually not had red meat in over a month). The recipes are playfull (I can't believe I'm actually using that term),easy to follow, and something about how the author manages to combine different vegetables to make a wholesome and very satisfying meal was amazing. Increasing my vegetable intake (and associated fiber intake) has enabled me to lose over 20 pounds over a 3 month period. My wife has lost 9 pounds in two months and we're focusing on making vegetables more of a mainstay of oru diet. I'm now a smoothie advocate!

I realize that this isn't the "angle" this cookbook is going for, but this cookbook is to food what Dan Zanes is to music: a throw-back to the days when multi-generations enjoyed the good things of life together. My kids LOVE the food I make from this book and I love it too-Too much healthy-kid fare is all smiley-face-whole-wheat-bagels, and too much healthy-grown up food is 24 ingredients and two hours in the kitchen, and the kids like it (or don't) about as much as they like (or don't) carrots and hummus. This book is about fresh ingredients, healthy foods, a welcome dose of convenience, and, most importantly--yummy for kids and grown-ups alike. AND, I admit, I like the healthy eating tips at the front. The only thing I'm not sure about is the chihuahua. What is he doing in a cook-book? Is that creepy or is it just me? But the rest? Love it.

This is awesome! Not only is it beautifully illustrated, and every recipe has its picture, but the recipes are truly easy to make and healthy. It does make for a perfect marriage between healthy vegetarian/vegan cooking and Trader Joe's.I've made several of these recipes already, and I have incorporated some of these recipes in my Food For Life Classes. The Lentil Pate was a delicious surprise, very easy and very tasty, and the Chile Lime Sweet Potatoes were amazingly easy and delicious. I pretty much ate the whole batch myself. I know that I will definitely make some of these dishes for the holidays. Bonus - includes a great detox plan! I highly recommend this book. Thanks, Jen! Your hard work paid off.