Book Review: The Joy of Vegan Baking

Although, I am not vegan nor am I a vegetarian, I love baked goods.
I also have a split personality - part healthy eater, part evil
dessert lover. So, when possible, I try to merge the two and look
for cookbooks like this. Also, what aided my decision in purchasing
this book is that my friend (who happens to be vegetarian) and I are
both trying to lose weight. Although, we know moderation is key - and
that your moderation and my moderation can be completely different -
we thought getting into vegan baking could be a good idea.

The author of this book began her life like every other American her
age. As a teenager, like all of my other vegetarian friends, were
somehow awakened to how animals are treated before they
become "meat", and then became a vegetarian. Later, the author took
it to the next level, as some vegetarians will do, and began to omit
all animal-based products from her diet. For the omnivores here:
honey, eggs, dairy, gelatin...

My friend and I decided we would try out vegan baking purely for the
fact that without butter and eggs, the desserts would contain less
fat and cholesterol. Yes, yes, I hear you. The flavor! The flavor
will be compromised, but...if you need to eat healthier, your other
choice is to not eat the bad stuff. And being we have kids, we
figure that between parties and school situations, we (and our
children) are over-exposed to sweet and fat-laden goodies!

The author appears to have done her research into the reason why we
would use fat and eggs in recipes and has come up with some wonderful
substitutions. For people who have not ventured down this path, a
warning to you, in some areas of the country, your grocery store may
not carry these substitute items (tofu, soy butter, agar etc.), so you may
need to visit a natural food store.

There are numerous color photographs. They are all of the final
product and they are gorgeous.

The author, despite being vegan, and usually one is that for ethical
reasons, I did not feel in any way that she was attempting to put her
ideals into my life. She did, however, explain her point-of-view,
but I never felt that she was preaching to me.

She also thoroughly covers all baked goods AND more: muffins,
biscuits, scones; sweet and savory quick breads; cakes and cupcakes;
pies and tarts; cookies, brownies and bars;crumbles, cobblers, crisps
and whole fruit desserts; strudel, crepes, blintzes and pastries;
yeast breads and rolls; mousses and puddings; confections and candy;
sorbets, shakes and smoothies; pie crusts; hot and cold beverages;
frostings, sauces, syrups and spreads; and more!

I really enjoyed this book!

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"The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats
and Sinful Sweets"

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Copyright October 2007

Fair Winds Press

Softcover, 288 pages, color photographs