Title: Isa Does It
Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Genre: Cookbook, Vegan
Rating:
My Thoughts:
This book is laid out as most cookbooks are- Soups, Salads, Handhelds (things like sandwiches, etc.), Pastas, Stews & Chili's, Stir-Fry's, etc. The beginning of the book explains about the book and the journey of Isa and her cooking journey. It then goes on to explain some required tools and gadgets that are needed in a kitchen in order to make fantastic meals. Isa goes even further to discuss some of the essential pantry items, freezer items and fridge items that every home cook should have. I really liked this list since some of the items on it I didn't even think about stocking. As expected all of the recipes are vegan and so use tofu and tempeh. After talking about essentials for the kitchen, Isa lists a number of different ways to cut both tofu and tempeh. A list of "swaps" is provided for those who might have allergies, which is always a good thing to have in a cookbook. There have been so many times when I have had to search online for a modification for an ingredient.
I am not a vegan, nor is anyone in my family, but I thought it was good to have some vegan recipes on hand just to have and also for when our vegan family and friends come over. Its always a good idea to have something to feed them, and I always hate buying a frozen "something or other" from the grocery store to feed those individuals. It is much nicer to have a separate home cooked dish for them. I thought that this was exactly what Isa Does it would provide... especially since she has some interesting recipes such as Carrot Cake Pancakes.
I tried two recipes from the Cookbook- Alphabet Soup and Chai Spice Snickerdoodles.
The Alphabet soup was absolutely delicious! The combination of all of the ingredients was so good, my family was raving about it. The seasoning was just right and the flavour combination- YUM! I made the soup earlier on in the day, so it had a few hours to sit and have the flavours meld together. If you are looking for a good homemade tomato soup, I would highly recommend making this one. The recipe all together was super simple and it cooked really quickly. It was also delicious the next day!
The Chai Spice Snickerdoodles I could have done without. I tried the dough as I was making it and it tasted really good, but as soon as I baked the cookies, I wished I hadn't! The cookies came out rock hard and tasteless. It might have been the length of time I baked them- I had to bake them for more than the recommended 10 to 12 minutes because they weren't baked when I looked at them. I only gave them 3-4 more minutes and they seemed fine when I pulled them out of the oven. After they had time to cool however, you just couldn't eat them. Definitely one recipe I won't be making my friends any time soon.
I am not a vegan, nor is anyone in my family, but I thought it was good to have some vegan recipes on hand just to have and also for when our vegan family and friends come over. Its always a good idea to have something to feed them, and I always hate buying a frozen "something or other" from the grocery store to feed those individuals. It is much nicer to have a separate home cooked dish for them. I thought that this was exactly what Isa Does it would provide... especially since she has some interesting recipes such as Carrot Cake Pancakes.
I tried two recipes from the Cookbook- Alphabet Soup and Chai Spice Snickerdoodles.
The Alphabet soup was absolutely delicious! The combination of all of the ingredients was so good, my family was raving about it. The seasoning was just right and the flavour combination- YUM! I made the soup earlier on in the day, so it had a few hours to sit and have the flavours meld together. If you are looking for a good homemade tomato soup, I would highly recommend making this one. The recipe all together was super simple and it cooked really quickly. It was also delicious the next day!
The Chai Spice Snickerdoodles I could have done without. I tried the dough as I was making it and it tasted really good, but as soon as I baked the cookies, I wished I hadn't! The cookies came out rock hard and tasteless. It might have been the length of time I baked them- I had to bake them for more than the recommended 10 to 12 minutes because they weren't baked when I looked at them. I only gave them 3-4 more minutes and they seemed fine when I pulled them out of the oven. After they had time to cool however, you just couldn't eat them. Definitely one recipe I won't be making my friends any time soon.
My Overall Impression:
Overall, the book seems to be ok. It is nothing extraordinarily special, but it has some good recipes in it. Its a good book to have on hand when vegan relatives and family members come over, but I won't be rushing to the store any time soon to scoop up a number of copies to give to friends. I give this cookbook 3 forks.
Overall, the book seems to be ok. It is nothing extraordinarily special, but it has some good recipes in it. Its a good book to have on hand when vegan relatives and family members come over, but I won't be rushing to the store any time soon to scoop up a number of copies to give to friends. I give this cookbook 3 forks.
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