Joni Marie Newman and Celine Steen have done it again!
I was lucky enough to receive review copy of the dynamic culinary duo’s latest book, Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites: Lip-Smacking, Belly-Filling, Home-Style Recipes Guaranteed to Keep Everyone—Even the Meat Eaters—Fantastically Full. Every word of that title made me swoon, so I was extremely excited to have my very own copy of this lovely book.
If you’re not familiar with Joni and Celine’s work, you definitely should be! They’ve co-authored three books to date: 500 Vegan Recipes, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, and Hearty Vegan Meals, as well as working on other cookbook projects separately. Joni debuted her cookbook writing career with the self-published Cozy Inside, then followed up with her collaborations with Celine and another solo book, The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet. Joni writes over at Just the Food and is currently finishing up a DIY vegan food and gifts book called Vegan Food Gifts: Spread the Vegan Love DIY-Style. We occasionally do cooking demos together too! Our vegan food demo road trip truck is still a work in progress! You can find Celine over at Have Cake, Will Travel where she blogs mouthwatering recipes accompanied by her enticing food photography. Her newest books are Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day and a whole grain baking book, both collaborations with another wonderful cookbook author, Tamasin Noyes.
Celine employs her gorgeous photographs in Hearty Vegan Meals, which is not only a tasty, but absolutely gorgeous book. Her images are easily recognized by the wood grain place settings, so the matte finish of the paper suits the textures of her photography well. While devouring this cookbook with my eyes, each recipe got more and more exciting. The book starts off with three different French toast recipes, for crying out loud! This book is anything but a rehash of standard vegan fare. Each recipe is completely inventive and decadent. Make your mouth water with recipes like Sweet Potato Po’ Boys, Chick N’ Waffles Party, Tater Tot Irish Nachos, Avocado Rolls, and Mate Margaritas! I couldn’t wait to dive in.
The first recipe I made was Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. Joni wasn’t kidding when she said they were fluffier and tastier than any other pancake! I topped them with blueberry sauce and maple syrup.
The Roasted Broccotato Soup with Bacon-Flavored Chickpeas was creamy and appropriately, hearty! The “bacon” chickpeas are like crack. I wish I made five times as much as the recipe called for, just to snack on. Also, you probably have all the ingredients in this soup in your kitchen already, which is part of the reason I ended up making it that day.
I had the Breakfast Burrito for dinner one night, served with tots! These are super flavorful and an interesting combination of ingredients that work together well.
Now, I cannot even begin to wrap my head around the following dish. It’s a po’ boy filled with a sweet potato that’s been battered and fried, fennel shallot marmalade, aioli, and peppercorn coleslaw. I also made the Avocado Rolls from the bread chapter to serve them in. This is a life-changing recipe! My head exploded! A little sweet potato and some vegetables are transformed into this filling, decadent sandwich. No fake meats, tofu, seitan, or tempeh involved. Damn, ladies. Nom nom nom.
Finally, we have the Sweet Whole Wheat Rye Bread. The recipe suggests serving it with Altella, Joni and Celine’s version of Nutella with almonds. I had some Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams hanging around, so I spread that on the slices. Yummy!
If you’re vegan or omnivore, have a monster appetite, like hearty vegan meals, or simply just like good food, you won’t be disappointed with this wonder of a book. Thanks, Joni and Celine!
