Book Reviews

But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!

By Kristy Turner

Do you know someone who wants to become vegan, but they're concerned that they would have to prepare multiple meals because other people in their family might be unhappy with vegan cuisine? This book will help allay those fears. Turner shares 125 recipes that friends, family members, and relatives should enjoy.

Some of the recipes include Avocado Ranch Dressing, Vanilla French Toast with Strawberry Sauce, PB&J Roll-Ups, Smashed Lentil Tacos, Just Fries, French Onion Soup, Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage Butter, The Portobello Philly Reuben, Chickenless Salad Sandwich, Chocolate Layer Cake, Perfect Roasted Potatoes, Deviled Potato Salad, Creamy Crunchy Coleslaw, Spiced Nuts, and more.

But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan! (ISBN: 978-1-61519-342-4) is a 336-page book. It is published by The Experiment and retails for $24.95. You can purchase this book online or from your local bookstore.

Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Vegan Bowl Attack!

By Jackie Sobon

Enjoy 100+ one-dish meals, including Peanut Butter Pretzel Oatmeal, Scramble Burrito Bowl, and Tempeh Bacon Hollandaise Bowl for breakfast. For snacks, try Spicy Sesame Brussels Bites, Buffalo Jackfruit Dip, Tikka Cauliflower Chunks, or Walnut Chorizo Bean Dip. Soup and Salad Bowls include Grilled Romaine Chop Salad, Tex-Mex Potato Salad, and Mean Green Ramen.

For a main dish bowl, you can prepare Raw Crunch Bowl, Roasted Root Vegetables with Smoky Tahini Sauce, and Kimchi Bowl with Red Curry Almond Sauce. And of course, don't forget dessert bowls such as No-Bake Berry Cheesecake, S'mores Pudding Bowl, or Kiwi Pistachio Mousse with Praline Crumbles.

Vegan Bowl Attack! (ISBN: 978-1-59233-721-7) is a 208-page hardcover book. Gorgeous color photos are included. The cookbook is published by Fair Winds and retails for $22.99. You can purchase this book online or from your local bookstore.

Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

By Scott Jurek

Scott Jurek runs and wins ultramarathons — any race longer than a marathon — on a vegan diet. He credits his success to his diet after seeing huge improvements in his endurance and energy when switching to plant-based foods. The more animal products and processed foods he cut from his diet, the more gains he made, even while his training stayed consistent.

Jurek's inspiring memoir Eat and Run pays tribute to his racing and dietary success, taking readers from his Midwestern meat-and-potato roots to the middle of Death Valley where he struggles to overcome nausea, fatigue, and doubt about his diet in order to finish the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. He describes his gradual adoption of vegetarianism and then full veganism, including the influential people he met along the way who inspired him to make the switch.

At the end of each chapter, readers will find one of Jurek's favorite vegan recipes, including Minnesota Winter Chili, Chocolate Adzuki Bars, Lentil Mushroom Burgers, and 8-Grain Strawberry Pancakes. Some chapters also end with fitness tips on topics such as stretching, strength training, and running techniques.

Part memoir, part cookbook, part manual, vegan athletes from all sports will find Eat and Run to be filled with motivational athletic triumphs and doubtful inner-dialogue that reminds them to focus on the foods they put into their bodies during times of both success and failure. Vegan athletes will want to push harder in their sports and eat even more consciously.

Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness (ISBN: 978-0-544-00231-9) is a 260-page hardcover book published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. It can be purchased at local bookstores or online.

Reviewed by Savannah Lawrence.