Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating by Erik Marcus

Book Review by Emily, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012 

I read this book last year when I pledged to try vegan for one month. As someone exploring veganism for the first time, I wanted more information about the main arguments for veganism and its benefits. Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating didn't disappoint.

The book essentially examines the importance of vegan eating from three main perspectives: for the sake of your own health, compassion toward animals and for the Earth.

Part one discusses plant-based eating as a remedy for ever-increasing health concerns such as heart attack, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol and various cancers. With contributions from doctors and patients alike, the author leaves nothing to speculation and instead provides evidence using published medical research (with references at the back).

Part two details the truth about food animals, their commercial rearing, treatment and genetic engineering. The use of animals in the dairy, egg and meat industries is examined and touching stories of rescued animals are highlighted throughout.

The final portion of the book looks beyond the dinner table and explains the devastating impact that factory farming is having on our environment at large. Issues such as population growth, world hunger and the loss of wildlife are explained. Plant based eating is discussed as a sustainable solution to overcoming environmental problems.  

In sum, Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating is an informative, interesting read. The book logically sets out the main reasons why people are attracted to veganism in a straightforward, mater-of-fact style that is free from emotive language. This book was a very important stepping stone in helping me to become vegan. One year after having first read this book, I am still vegan and am very happy. Highly recommended to all. 5 stars.

Being Vegan by Joanne Stepanik

Book Review by Emily, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012 

Being Vegan reads like a definitive guide to vegan living. Incredibly easy to read, the author appears to speak in a soothing tone as she answers many of the common questions that people often have about this lifestyle. The book itself is a compilation of some of the thousands of questions that she has received about compassionate vegan living from individuals all over the world.

The questions and responses reflect a number of varied topics. These include definitions of veganism, veganism and evolution/religion/spirituality, alternatives to animal fibres, vegan students on campus, employment, reproduction, activism and so forth. A large chunk of the book examines questions concerning social relationships with others who are not vegan. These questions are addressed extensively and focus on mixed relationships (when one person is vegan but the other is not) as well as dealing with parents, friends and relatives. The author further offers insights into raising vegan children, talking to teachers, being vegan at social celebrations (a wedding or party) and vegan etiquette (constructive ways of dealing with non-vegan gifts).

The book is very thorough and even manages to shed light on fine-tuned issues. For example, one person writes with questions concerning vegan art supplies, whilst others ask questions pertaining to ethical ways of controlling uninvited intruders (e.g., ants, mice). Another vegan ponders what to do with non-vegan heirlooms.

Being Vegan examines ethical veganism in its entirety (i.e., veganism that extends beyond plant based eating alone), so it is an excellent resource for those who wish to extend veganism to other areas of their life aside from food. An excellent read and very worthwhile exploring.

Vegan Cookbooks

By Cameron, London Vegan Pledge Buddy 2009, 2010, 2011; now mentor for the Vegan Easy Challenge back home in Australia. 

There are so many great vegan cookbooks coming out these days it is hard to keep up. I wanted to talk about two of the best vegan cookbook authors who have so far published 17 wonderful cookbooks between them.

Robin Robertson has written 9 cookbooks and counting. Amongst these is my favourite cookbook, Vegan Planet. Inside are 400 recipes grouped into various categories like desserts, sweets, salads, baked goods, pastas, etc. 

I have much prettier cookbooks and others with both really complicated recipes for gourmands and really simple intro to cooking ones. The reason Vegan Planet is my favourite is because the recipes are in that great middle ground; they are interesting without requiring a whole day dedicated to preparing them. And the best testament to a cookbook is that many of the recipes are ones I cook again and again in my daily life. Here is a quick list of some that have a place in my regular repertoire:

~ Indonesian Inspired Tempeh Stew

~ Roasted Root Vegetable Chilli

~ African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew 

~ Spiced Banana Pancakes. 

Vegan Planet is also the cookbook that I first used to make a pizza base, and sushi, so it has a special place in my taste buds.

The second is Isa Chandra Moskowitz, perhaps the most famous vegan cookbook author in the world. I first became exposed to her through the great show Post Punk Kitchen. Isa, along with her sometime co-author Terry Hope Romero, has authored 8 iconic cookbooks. I was lucky enough to have her first Vegan with a Vengeance given to me, which she followed up with Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which may very well have started the whole vegan cupcake revolution. 

Isa's latest cookbook, Veganimicon, is one of the must-have books for vegan cooks, offering a compendium of interesting and healthy recipes, with helpful 'icons' to help quickly identify whether the recipes are soy-free / gluten-free / ready in under 45 mins, etc. It also includes friendly tips about 'stocking the Veganomicon pantry', kitchen equipment and other handy things like 'how to cook a grain'. 
This book is the source of another of my favourite dishes: Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale and sun-dried tomatoes, as well as a fabulous tofu ricotta recipe, which goes beautifully in the Lasagne Marinara with Spinach.

So there you go, grab Veganomicon and Vegan Planet (or Robin Robertson's latest cookbook with 1000 recipes in it) and you'll have a world of delicious food at your fingertips that should keep you and your lucky dinner guests well catered-for for years to come.

You can read more by Cameron on his website at camerongreen.org.