Let Them Eat Vegan – Book Review, Recipe and a Giveaway!
I have a new favorite cookbook and it just so happens to be from one of my favorite cookbook authors (and fellow Canadian), Dreena Burton.
Dreena is the hardworking vegan Momma behind Vive Le Vegan (among others), which I bought about 7 years ago. It’s definitely my most-loved cookbook. Her newest cookbook Let Them Eat Vegan is perfectly titled since you could serve these recipes to just about anyone!
I instantly loved Dreena’s new recipes – they’re kid-friendly (she’s the mother of three young girls), they’re easy, they’re nutrient-dense, and they use ingredients I love and usually have in my pantry.
Let Them Eat Vegan is well laid out too, each recipe has suggestions for substitutions, add-ons, and tips for making the recipes (my favorite is called If This Apron Could Talk). Dreena’s worked hard to make this cookbook reader-friendly. It’s more than a cookbook. It’s a invaluable resource.
Let Them Eat Vegan is not exclusively gluten-free (the recipes are all wheat-free), but most of the time they’re naturally gluten-free. The gluten-free recipes in the cookbook are labeled and the ones I’ve adapted to be gluten-free have worked wonderfully. In total there are 150 gluten-free recipes.
I have been cooking from Let Them Eat Vegan since it arrived on the shelves in the early Spring. We’ve definitely got some faves – the Panfried Falafel Patties and her hummus salad dressing (recipe below) is a weekly meal around here.
Lately, Pete and I have been making her Chickpea Pumpkin Seed Burgers. They’re simple (throw it all in the food processor) and they’re delish. My idea of a perfect recipe.
As mentioned earlier, the cookbook isn’t entirely gluten-free, however Dreena makes suggestions for subs, and I easily make my own subs using the gluten-free flours I have in my house. For example, this week I made the Apple Spice Hemp Pancakes and used almond flour mixed with tapioca flour instead of spelt. The kids devoured them as usual.
One of my favorite parts in Let Them Eat Vegan is the section dedicated to plant-powered lunches. As the mother of three girls, Dreena knows what she’s doing. I know I’ll be pulling out Let Them Eat Vegan a lot throughout the school year.
Dreena was kind enough to share one of my favorite recipes from Let Them Eat Vegan – DJ’s Hummus Salad Dressing is a fabulous dressing that goes well on just about everything. We like to use it on our kale salads, drizzled over falafels (as pictured above), and as a dip for veggies. You will love it.
DJ’s Hummus Salad Dressing
From the book Let Them Eat Vegan! by Dreena Burton. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2012. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com
Yield: about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (drain and rinse if canned)
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon tamari
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (see note)
1 very small clove garlic, or 1/2 small to medium clove
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)Using a standing blender or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt or pepper, if desired, and using extra garlic to taste.
Savvy Subs and Adds: If you don’t have fresh oregano, don’t use dried. Keep the flavor more vibrant and fresher by adding a tablespoon or so of chopped fresh parsley, or a lesser amount (1 to 2 teaspoons) of other fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Fresh herbs can be omitted, however, and this will still have good flavor.
Other seasoning options include adding 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, or 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 to 2 tablespoons of green onions, or 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
Serving Suggestions: Not just for drizzling on a common green salad, try tossing through julienned leafy greens like kale and chard. The dressing softens the greens and you’ll find it’s somewhat addictive to eat your beans ’n’ greens!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Winners have been contacted.
- We are giving away TWO copies of Dreena Burton’s newest book Let Them Eat Vegan!
- To enter all you need to do is leave a comment below answering this question: what is your favorite meatless meal.
Give-Away Rules – Contest open only to continental US and Canadian residents. Contest closes on Wednesday, August 29th at 11:59 pm. Winners will be contacted by email.
Want more from Dreena? You can find her on her blog and on facebook.
Plus, make sure you check out Gena and Ricki’s reviews of Let Them Eat Vegan.
Maggie is a co-founder of The Balanced Platter and is the author of She Let Them Eat Cake where she shares healthy, gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free recipes. She Let Them Eat Cake was born out of Maggie’s intense passion for feeding her friends and family nutritious and delicious food. Maggie has a Bachelor of Education and is currently studying to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.
The cookbook looks great!
My favorite meatless meal is potato soup. Yum!
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Fresh cut up vegetables with a sweet potato hummus….it is my new favorite.
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Beans and Rice or “Creamy” Broccoli Soup!
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I have so many, but I think my favorite is Isa’s Appetite for Reduction Everyday Chickpea Quinoa Salad–can be adapted so many ways and is always yummy!! Thank you for offering this giveaway!
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Sauteed greens over quinoa! Yum!!
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I would have to say vegan mac ‘n cheeze! Makes me feel like a kid again!
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Veggie tacos with beans and rice!
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Portabella Mushroom burger!
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I like Rice Pasta with Marinara sauce, with shredded carrots added in!
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My favorite go to meal is a banana wrap: whole grain wrap, fresh ground nut butter, drizzle of honey, sprinkle of cinnamon, and a banana.
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Pasta!
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My favorite meatless meal is chana masala over brown rice. YUM!
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Favorite meatless meals would be mac n cheese, gf and cow dairy free (since I can’t tolerate either). I’m also in love with Noodle Salad with Peanut Mmmm sauce from Peas and Thank You.
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veggie lasagne
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Right now my favorite meatless meal is lentils and sweet pototatoes! Easy and yummy!
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I would love to win the cookbook! I love anything with black beans and avocado.
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Kale and white bean soup
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I love trying out new vegan cookbooks! As a vegetarian, I don’t think I could choose just one favourite meatless meal, but one of my favourites that I always love is Asian-inspired noodles with lots of vegetables and peanut sauce!
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Ohhh so glad you asked! One of my favorite meatless dishes is steamed kabocha squash with sesame kelp noodles (Elana’s pantry) and a large salad with lots of fresh veggies!
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My favorite meatless meal is lasagna with tofu ricotta!
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My fave is a raw carrot soup w/avocado and curry I got from
Healty blender girl a while back. I add some toasted pinenuts,
and it so yummy!!!!
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My favourite meatless meal is black bean and squash galette. Thank you!!
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Vegetable Lentil Stew!
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Ah where to start!
I’m going to have to go with natural chips, cut up veggies and ANY kind of vegan dip – spicy hummus, lentil, guac, you name it!
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I love raw ‘burritos’: on a collarg green leaf with walnut ‘meat’, cashew ‘cheese’, fresh salsa and guac. It’s so rich and nutritious!!!
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I make this layered bean casserole that my family loves.
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Recently I began making a zucchini lasagna- I use zucchini as the noodles, plus I grate about 2 cups worth and mix it with grated carrots and cheese(faux or goat-dairy mozarella) and mix this for the topping. with a marinara sauce and the faux cheese scattered throughout this is very good. My husband also likes Boca crumbles added to the sauce, but I am fine sans faux meat. This is definitely one of our family’s favorites now!
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My favorite meatless meal is macaroni and cheese with tomatoes.
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My fav meatless mead is falafel with tzatiki
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Quinoa avocado salad – divine!
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My favourite meatless meal is tofu stir fry!
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That hummus salad dressing sounds incredible!
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My favorite meatless meal is a vegan coconut milk curry! Mmmm.
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My favorite meatless meal is a black bean burger with avocado
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Chebe pizza with Daiya cheese and mushrooms with a side salad.
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A big kitchen sink salad!
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Thanks for the giveaway! I think a chocolate/avocado smoothie and veggie soup (not together) are my 2 faves
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I LOVE spicy vegetarian chili with an awesome variety of different beans
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Want that cookbook so bad! My go to favorite is always lentils and quinoa!
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My favorite meatless meal varies with the seasons. Right now, I am enjoying lots of salads with fresh veggies and nuts or beans for protein.
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I love a good bean chowder.
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My favorite meatless meal is a warm bowl of brown rice, kale, white beans, broccoli and shiitake mushrooms with a maple tahini dressing. Yum!
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Lately, my favorite thing to make is noodle dishes with zucchini or kelp noodles. They’re so filling and have so many different options for sauces and vegetable add-ins.
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My favorite meatless meal is sloppy joes made with lentils.
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Butternut squash burritos!
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I love falafel and hummus . I could eat it everyday
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Sferd Reply:
August 23rd, 2012 at 1:01 pm
@Debbie stevenson, Totally agree. I usually have hummus on hand, but don’t make falafel every week.
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My favorite meatless ‘meal’ is a Mexican pigout featuring margaritas, vegan queso, guacamole, refried beans, and salsa. Yum. I probably need to buy some avocados today so they will be ripe this weekend!
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my favorite meatless meal is a black bean burger on top of a ginormous salad with tomato basil hummus as a salad dressing… so yummy!
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I love veggie tempura and veggie sushi!
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My favorite Vegan meal is sweet potato gnocchi with an Indian seasoned cashew cream sauce….sigh…heavenly!
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a black bean burger!
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Wow- so many favorite meals. But my absolute fav is Thai Red Curry with tofu and veggies over brown rice.
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I think even carnivores have to agree that the best meatless meal is pizza…and I honestly think that vegan pizzas taste even better! Throwing any veggies ontop of a dough with some vegan cheese is a seriously perfect meal…and it’s easy and cheap!
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veggie burgers of all kinds!
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This cookbook looks wonderful!
I’m only 4 months into vegan, but my favorite meal is lunch – a huge salad with whatever veggies I have, to which I add a cup of beans, a cup of grain and either balsamic vinegar or this wonderful dressing I found online – which was a vegan ranch dressing!
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Favorite meatless meal??? Pizza crust made from almond meal, spread with guacamole and topped with pico de gallo and pumpkin seeds.
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My favorite meatless meal is vegan curried rissotto with sautéed veggies (I switch out, depending on season, but butternut squash, kale and brussel sprouts are faves to put in.)
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Being a vegan, all of my favorite meals are meatless! I have so many favorites that, to keep things simple, I’ll go with the one I’m cooking tonight: chickpea curry. It’s full of flavor, and I usually turn it into a very colorful affair too, with loads of veggies!
Thank you for sharing this recipe from Dreena’s book; it sounds great. And now, I really want to get my hands on the book because I want that falafel recipe too – falafels being another fave of mine, of course!
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Just one?? It’s impossible to narrow it down, but one of my favorite meals is a Mexican feast centered around seitan tamales. Thanks for the giveaway!
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Salad with quinoa, chickpeas, spinach, mixed greens, veggies: I love zucchini ribbons, carrot ribbons, strips of roasted bell peppers, and avocado (must have avocado on my salads, always!!) all drizzedl with a vinaigrete I like to make with olive oil and kombucha (in place of the vinegar) salt, pepper, a tad bit of dijon mustard, and a touch of honey, sooo good! I love adding lots of veggies to my salads!!
Ana
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I love making cauliflower, potato and chickpea Indian curry over quinoa. I can eat the whole pot.
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My favorite meatless meal is a falafel
You get a complete protein with the chickpeas and whole-wheat pita combination, and the many tastes of the sauce and different vegetables together are very satisfying!
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How can one choose with all the options of a plant based diet! If I had to pick my all time, fall back favorite it would be lentil kale soup! Love love love Dreena Burton! Not only for her amazing recipes but for her generosity of sharing her wealth of information on a plant based diet! Don’t have her latest cookbook but crossing fingers I win!!
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Mine is steamed purple potatoes with black beans and brown rice – yum!
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Butternut squash and vanilla risotto!
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My favorite meatless meal… Mashed potatoes!
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Hmmm. All my meals are meatless, but I just made a delicious minestrone soup with date/walnut balls for desert. Yummy! I’ve got this book in my Amazon cart. I would love to win one!
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Vegan pizza, salad, and cheesecake is my favorite meal, all vegan of course!
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Maple Butternut Squash soup. YUMMMMMMY!!!
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Oh man, I think veggie pizza is probably my fav
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My favorite meatless meal is lentil burgers with extra cumin and roasted sweet potatoes on the side. SO good! It is like summer in my mouth, so light and crunchy yet filling and delish.
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We love lentils and rice topped with caramelized onions with a side of roasted zucchini. So simple yet so very tasty!
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Bean Burrito from the Fresh cookbook. I could eat it every single day.
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Green smoothies, yum
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Ohhh…yeah!!! I want that book really bad
Hummm…my favorite meatless meal ?! Difficult to say just one, but I would say a big salad of different kind of greens leaves with plenty of fresh vegetables from our garden; right now red onion, cucumber, tomato, fresh herbs, black olive, artichoke, chickpeas and a homemade, not complex, dressing. I also really enjoy green smoothies…miamm!!!
Thanks to giving us that opportunity
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It changes constantly, but right now my favorite meal consists of roasted veggies (whatever is in the fridge…this week that was onions, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage, green peppers plus usually garbanzo beans) over quinoa. Yummy!
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My favorite meatless meals always revolve around hummus!
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My favorite meatless dish right now is spicy garlic green beans and edamame over rice!
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I’m partial to home-made veggie burgers right now!
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I would love more vegan recipes! My favorite meal is a 12 bean soup…delicious and filling, especially in winter!
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Stir-fry!
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Vegan ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ – veggies topped with a potato and parsnip mash.
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A huge spring greens salad with lot’s of fresh veggies, tomatoes, nuts, raisins… whatever I have on hand! I often get myself involved in elaborate recipes that are really delicious, but every time I make a salad I remark on how GOOD it is. I guess it doesn’t always need to be complicated to be yummy. I’ve been using veggies from my garden, from the farmer’s market, and even topping it with wild arugula, which I like even better than “regular” arugula. Simple and tasty!
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Right now it is a zucchine eggplant non parmigiana ….yummy!
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A hash made with sweet potatoes, black beans, celery, & avocado from Ricki at Diet, Dogs, & Dessert.
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I’m a huge meatless salad fan!
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You can never go wrong with a nice spicy chickpea curry!
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This cookbook is on my wish list, as are those burgers. As for my favorite meal, I have to pick just one? All of my meals are meatless, but I guess my “staple” most days is a big bowl of brown basmati rice with chickpeas, veggies, Earth Balance, garlic, etc. So easy, so good!
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spicy quinoa, kale and sweet potato salad
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Vegan tacos with fresh GUACAMOLE!! Yum
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I love dishes with tempeh! especially tempeh tacos. Yum!
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It’s hard to choose just one, but I think one of our family favorites lately has been my “black bean and quinoa burgers!” My husband loves his meat, but will request these burgers over some beef!
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Vegan tacos with roasted chich peas, tomato and avocado
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My favorite meatless meal is a big old lentil “sloppy joe.” The lentils work beautifully in a slightly spicy tomato sauce!
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My favorite meatless meal is sauteed kale with white beans!
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My favorite meatless meal is Dreena Burton’s quinoa nicoise salad. Love the dressing!
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Quinoa & veggies. Thanks for a terrific giveaway.
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Baked Sweet Potato and Black Beans!!!
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black beans and rice salad
yummy!
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im not sure it’s possible to pick one! but if i have to a vegan curry with coconut milk and lots of veggies over brown rice
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buckwheat noodles with zuchini, mushrooms, fresh minced garlic, cherry tomatoes halves, red and green curry, lemongrass with almond milk. chili paste if you like hotter.
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veggie chili!
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Spicy grilled bean burgers are my current fave, piled high with veggies, and peach pie for dessert.
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I love a salad of chickpeas and goji berries. Yum. I can’t wait to read this cookbook and find more options for my kids.
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One of my favorite meatless meals would have to be my spaghetti, yum!!
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My favourite meatless meal is chickpea curry! Yum!
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I love cooking with lentils. My lentil meatloaf is a hit in our house!
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Beans and rice, falafel and hummus, channa masala. Yummy! I would love to win a copy of this cookbook!
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I’m vegetarian, mostly vegan, so it’s hard to pick one favourite meal. I do love Thai Basil Tofu though.
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pad thai with tofu and extra veggies
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It’s a toss up between my partner’s homemade sourdough pizza (with red pepper, tomato, black olives, plus tons of oregano and thinly sliced red onion on top of some bubbling Vegan Gourmet mozza) or the Thai Red Curry at Dharma Kitchen in Vancouver, with hot and sour soup appy and marinated tempeh steak on the side. I’m getting the munchies here…
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My current favorite meatless meal is tabbouleh salad and pitas.
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Awesome book! I love a bean, quinoa & kale bowl!
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Wow, thanks for the giveaway! My fave is Roasted Sweet Potato soup…and it’s almost soup season again, yay!
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My favorite meatless meals right now are Collard Green wraps (filled with meatless pates, tons of veggies, and Bragg’s) YUM!! Awesome giveaway btw!
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My favorite is vegan chili.
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I think I’ll have a new favorite meatless recipe once I get my hands on Let Them Eat Vegan! But my current favorite meal is veggie and tempeh stirfry with brown rice! YUMMM!
Great giveaway! Thanks!
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My favorite meatless meal is Teriyaki baked tofu with brown rice, mixed beans and veggies!
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My favorite has to be Thai curry with a rich coconut milk sauce, tofu and veggies over brown rice. And a little spicey. Can’t beat it!
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Falafels on gluten free pita topped with a tahini dressing and fresh salad – yum!
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Coconut milk curry with chickpeas and lots of veggies!
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In colder weather I love vegan lasagna with Daiya vegan cheese and a green salad and Dreena’s curried almond dressing.
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I love a big kitchen sink salad with every veggie imaginable, herbs, beans…you name it, it is in there!
Courtney
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zucchini pancakes!
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Spicy Raw carrot soup (from beautiful-vegan.com.)!
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My favorite meatless meal is falafels with hummus!!
Thanks.
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oh my it changes a lot. i would have to say vegan pizza.
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Zucchini lasagna! So yummy on a blustery evening, warms you up like real comfort food should
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Seeing as everything I eat is free of all animal products, it’s certainly difficult to choose just one meatless meal! But everyday for lunch I crave a huge salad stuffed to the brim with greens, veggies, beans, quinoa, sprouts, and my favorite Liquid Gold Dressing. Mmm…
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Wow, this is a tough question. At this moment, tofu & veggie pad Thai is my favorite meatless meal. Thanks for the giveaway!
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My current favorite is some type of taco or tostadas. With homemade tortillas, seasoned beans, tempeh or tofu. Also with lots of fresh veggies like avocado, tomato or whatever we have.
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The dressing sounds wonderful! I look forward to trying it. My favorite meal would either be chickpea tacos or black bean taco pizza. Hard to choose!
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Salad with French onion soup
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I cook such a variety of veg food that I can’t pick a favorite but on of my favorite go to meals are veggie burritos. There’s so many ways to mix it up, they never get boring.
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I love how vegan friendly Indian food is. My crown-jewel at the moment is Aloo-Gobi, a cauliflower potato dish with the added twist of using some mango-pickle to season. It goes great with a cilantro mint raita ((soy) yogurt sauce).
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veggie burgers
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I love pasta pesto with homemade bread on the side.
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Cooked Indian vegetable dishes and raita/salads with chapati bread
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My favorite meal is salad rolls with sweet plum sauce, panang curry with green beans, brown rice, and Thai iced tea.
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Favorite vegan meal? That’s hard to narrow down! Probably a burrito bowl with lots of toppings to personalize it… rice, refried black beans with chipotle sauce, guacamole, chopped onion, tomatoes, lettuce and so on.
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My favorite meatless meals are grain bowls! I love them because you can pretty much use whatever grains and veggies you have a on hand and top it all off with a delicious sauce. I have a great recipe for Veggie Goodness Grain Bowls on my site if you want to check it out!
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homemade black bean burgers……..or eggplant patties……YUMMO!
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My favorite meatless meal is portabello mushroom burger.
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Black bean burgers! I eat them every week.
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My family loves black bean and corn quesadillas! It’s a quick fix meal great any time of year that makes the house smell fantastic. AND I make it with gluten free quesadillas. Vegan and packed with protein!!
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At our home we love swiss chard pie with pine nuts, apricots, cinnamon and spring onions. Yummy!
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During the summer I enjoy preparing and savoring spicy bean salads — sometimes as fillings for wraps and pita bread.
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Love Pad Thai with tofu!
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My favorite meal is black bean and sweet potato enchiladas with tomatillo salsa (via Gluten Free Goddess). I could eat it EVERY night for dinner! So yummy!!!
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I have several favorites! Such as; slow cooked black eye peas and butternut squash lasagna!
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Black bean chili!
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Black bean burritos!
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Wow! It’s really a toss up between veggie chili, nachos or pizza depending on my mood. I have not tried a veggie burger yet, just not sure what I want to put in them. Since I am GF and an intense restricted diet I would have to say Pizza with chickpea crust with grapeseed oil, fresh garlic, Heirloom tomatoes, artichokes, onions, basil and monterey jack cheese plus whatever leftovers are in the fridge. I love soups-hot or cold-anytime for re-hydration. I would love to try a new cookbook. I’m up for the adventure and I will share it with my Celiac group! Thanks
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